9/17 It never pays

It never pays to say your back feels good. Because immediately it will start hurting in a revengeful way. Take my advice.

Still have my cold--blah, blah, ho-hum.

Had my MRI and it will be read today and the doc will probably dictate tomorrow. My doctor will probably have it tomorrow, which means my sisters will have it a few minutes earlier and they will call me with the good news. I'm going to win the "white spots on the brain" contest. It's an aging thing. And most likely nothing else will be wrong. I'm adamantly convinced it's my meds causing the balance problem. Saw my doc when I was visiting with Jan and he said the St. Louis neurosurgeon recommended surgery--same thing he told me.

Saw Lesa, the lady who adopted Quincy and Cookie. She told me wonderful anecdotes about them. I'm so happy they are so well-loved. But I still tear up when I think about them. Thank God it's only when I'm alone. The dogs have become outside dogs of their own volition--they really don't want to come inside at all, in fact they sleep outside now. I told Lesa they may change their minds in winter. These dogs are used to Mississippi winters. We'll see.

Guess that's it. I teach tonight so will go and prepare. (Jan and Jane, it was nice to see both of you today at the clinic.)

6/28 Good weekend so far

Got up early and took Gus out. For the first time he decided to roll in poop, so at 5:45 AM he got a bath. Such a skinny little thing when his hair is wet. Went back to sleep until about 7:30 or so. Made breakfast, then talked to Jane. Jan was busy, but Jane, Sarah, and I went to the Midsummer Art Faire at Washington Park. It was really nice.

Saw so many people that I knew. It is indeed nice being home. Plus got a personal tour of the Tranquility Med Spa, owned by a physician who works with Jane. It is a beautiful (and peaceful) place.

Gus was a star. I can't even count the number of people who stopped us to talk to Gussie. A popular fellow. This is another good thing about having a small dog. I can take him places with me. Right now I'm at work (trying to get my new office organized), and Gus is sleeping at my feet. Just what I want.

Forgot my security code, so the police came out. Oops. But I finally found the right one and everything ended up fine.

Nothing going on tonight, but tomorrow is the Gustison reunion, so Gussie is definitely going there since he's named after their patriarch.

6/18 More on dogs?

Still good news from Q and C's new owners. They love the dogs. So I think I can relax a little.

Cutie pie Gus was in the crate all day--I came home at lunch and let him out after he was in it for 5 hours. No mess. He was awesome.

I left him at 12:30 and got back at 5:30 and once again--no mess. I can't believe he's 8 weeks old and did so well. Here's hoping it continues.

After work, I brought him to Jane and Pete's house to meet them and their dog Bailey. They fell in love too.

I'm a lucky bug.

6/16 Great dog news

I received this email from Lesa, Quincy and Cookie's new mom:

The dogs did great yesterday. We were outside a lot and so were they. I didn't have to put them on the leads at all. If they went out of site, I just called and Quincy would always come immediately, it took Cookie awhile to return. She was too busy. First time out Quincy jumped right into my goldfish pond which is only about 4x3ft. Needless to say she got scolded for that and didnt do it anymore. They both found the creek right away and were having fun running in and out and under the culvert, over the road. and back under. Cookie definitely has some bird dog or something in her. She loves to trail scents and actually flushed out a wild turkey! Steve wrestled them in the house. At first they didn't know about it, but were soon lapping that up, esp when he rubbed their bellies. They were fighting over who got to play. Quincy loves the frisbee. I am assuming it was new, because now it has some pretty good teeth marks on it. She would catch in mid air most of the time. Cookie was too busy exploring to do much play. By the way they are scared of the stairs. Tried to get them to go down to the family room and they would have nothing to do with the stairs, even on the deck! Isn't that funny!

Anyway, they went right into bed last night. Didnt hear anything out of them at all. They were ready to go out at 5:30 am.

She and Steve put down the comforters in their spare bedroom and the dogs slept quietly there all night. I'm just so damn happy.

And Tuesday night Gus comes home.

6/15 They're gone

Yeah, I'm crying.

I picked up Jan and she went with me to take Quincy and Cookie to their new home. The home is absolutely lovely, which scares me a little bit. I sure hope the girls remember their manners. Their yard is awesome, with a creek a the bottom of it. I just know they are going to be so happy there. And Lesa seems so nice. We didn't get to meet her husband Steve because he was at church.

Lesa recently lost her little Yorkie, so she gave me a soft-sided carrying case which will be perfect for taking Gus in the car. And Joe and Cindy are giving me their crate that Kirby grew out of. That will be perfect for home. This is saving me a lot of money.

I didn't get to pick up Gus today after all because Jan and I went to help with sandbagging. The river is so high. The old bridge is already closed, and the new bridge is now two-way instead of one way. We're hoping the levees hold. They're calling for more rain tonight.

Am going to dinner with my sisters and their husbands for fathers' day. I think I got a pity invitation, but I'm happy for it. Any time I'm not at home being sad is good. :)

I work 12 hours tomorrow, so I can't pick up Gus until Tuesday after work. So it will sure give me something to look forward to.

6/14 A beautiful day

I've had a great day with my dogs today. I kind of devoted the whole day to them. Tomorrow I'll feel worse emotionally but better physically. (I've felt bad since the walks.) I have everything of theirs packed up, except Cookie's portable crate that she sleeps in. I think the dogs are picking up on my anxiety because they are more squirrelly than usual. Plus they both keep coming up to me, sitting, and just staring at me.

Some nice news--Cindy gave me a whole bunch of leaf lettuce from their garden and I made a huge salad with tons of good tasting veggies. Thanks again, Cindy. The lettuce was tasty.

6/12 Puppies and mud oh my

As soon as Q and C got home tonight, Quincy got into her favorite part of the yard--the mud hole. She's had two showers this evening. Now I am watching her sleeping on my bed and running in her sleep. It is so incredibly funny.

Went to the Humane Society over lunch. They didn't have many small dogs. Tomorrow I meet some 8 week old Lhasa Apsos. We'll see how it goes. If I fall in love, then I'll get one. If not, I'll get a miniature dachsund. (Maybe.) :)

I'm enjoying my last few nights with Quincy and Cookie.

6/11 Sunday

Quincy and Cookie are going to their new home on Sunday. It will be so awesome for them. I'm taking them so I can see where they'll live. It's about an hour from Quincy, in rural Missouri.

6/10 A big crybaby

I've been crying off and on all day. I KNOW that Q and C are going to dog paradise--an acre and a half with a creek running through it. But Lesa and her husband may be going out of town this weekend, and don't want to take the dogs until they get back. There's a slight chance their trip will be canceled though.

The dogs are at Alpha Dog for a few days to give my back a break. And tonight I cleaned up all their toys and cried.

Went on a crisis call tonight and when I got home, cried again. Damn I'm tired of this. The girls need to be with someone with more energy than I have. And I need my back to get better.

You know the dogs don't do anything to hurt me--ever. They don't jump on me. They don't wrestle or fight in the house. They don't do anything except be puppies. And that causes me physical pain. Nothing they do is bad. So the folks in Missouri are getting excellent dogs.

And I'm still crying. Duh. What a dope.

6/9 Dogs, dogs, dogs

Just got an email from someone who works with my sisters. She said she wants both my dogs. She lives in the country in Missouri. Wow! This would be the best case scenario if Quincy and Cookie can stay together. As much as I'm going to miss them, this is absolutely the best thing. My back is really hurting tonight, and has been all day. So I love these two critters so much, but know I can't give them what they need. And they can't give me what I need--some rest.

I'm sad, happy, happy, sad...and just want to find the best possible home for them.

6/4 The best, the better, the good, the bad, and the OOPS.

The best is that I accepted an offer on my Mississippi house. The bad is that I'm losing a ton of money, but I just need to unload it.

The better is that I had physical therapy today and it felt good while I was there. The bad is that it doesn't feel good right now.

The good is that my promotion will give me a lot of satisfaction at work. The bad is that I'm hardly getting a raise.

The bad is that I still haven't found homes for Q and C. The good is that I get to keep them longer.

And the OOPS? Well, I slipped on a wet kitchen floor and fell flat on my back. Ah well...such is life.

6/3 I finally will talk about it

Because of my back I need to find a new home for Quincy and Cookie. It breaks my heart, but I have to do it. (Jan and Jane practically threatened my life if I didn't.)

It's true. My back just won't get better with all the tugging and pulling I have to do with my big lovable dogs. I can barely stand to think of it, yet it hurts me physically to deal with them.

Because of the mud outside I've already had to bathe them twice. It's not what I need to be doing.

So if you know of anyone who wants these gorgeous dogs, AND WILL TREAT THEM LIKE FAMILY, please please please let me know.

I love them.

5/25 Storms and such

It's been storming since 7 AM. (I've been up since 6.) Luckily I have wireless so I can still be on the computer.

We're on a slight break between thunderstorms right now, so the dogs are going crazy at all the rabbits and squirrels in our yard. Making me crazy too. I guess I'll have to have another session getting them used to rabbits and squirrels just like we did with the cat at Alpha Dog.

Here's a picture my brother Joe had. He and I are with our godson, Jordon, the graduate. Of course the only weight I'm supporting is the empty diploma holder. I just love the picture. Thanks, Joe and Cindy.



I'm going to put some things away today, and then this evening will have dinner with my sisters and two friends. We're all leaving Friday for Chicago for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Jane is iffy at this point because she wants to make sure Pete can do without her. We won't know that for a few days. I'm a bit iffy too, but am fairly sure I'm going to go.

5/24 Home with the dogs

The laziest of days.

The only thing I've really done all day is go to the grocery store. The dogs are a little whiny and get upset when squirrels and rabbits are in the yard, but other than that have been good. And I'm grateful for that.

Just wish there weren't so many squirrels and rabbits.

I feel really bad that I can't walk the dogs. It would calm them down. Always does.

5/21 Is it a full moon?

My dogs are both so crazy tonight I can't bear it. Makes me wonder if it's a full moon. They have both been so squirrel crazy that it's driving me nuts.

5/20 Oddities

It's odd. So many of my clients are people I know or people who know other family members or even people who may be friends of the entire family. Once they walk in, I always give them the option of going to someone else, but no one has taken me up on it yet.

They trust my confidentiality. And that absolutely makes me proud.

It's odd. Cookie honestly thinks she can get the squirrels that are in our trees. And I believe she is protecting Quincy and me from the nasty rodents. What's really funny is that the squirrels now taunt her, sitting in the tree in the backyard making squirrel noises. She really can jump up high--over six feet. Nearly made it over the big fence this week trying to get a squirrel that had crossed from our huge maple tree to the neighbor's huge fir tree. It's really fun to watch, but I'll be devastated if she ever jumps over. And I'm convinced that besides chocolate lab she is also a coon hound. I saw a special on TV about them, and she behaves exactly like a coon hound.

She's a pain, but I love her.

5/13 Offers

One horrible offer on the house, but when they found out I was getting another offer they upped it $10,000. Still bad, but at least worth a thought. I should get the second offer tomorrow and I'm excited.

Spent a quiet night at home with the puppies. I really missed them. Both are behaving so well. We'll see if that continues while I'm at work tomorrow.

4/23 Haven't posted much

The last few days have been hectic at work. All my clients have been showing up, so I've been absolutely swamped. No time to do my paperwork. Have been coming in at 7 most days to do the paper shuffling.

Saw Pete last night. He's doing better, still lots of pain, plus an infection in a vein, but he's getting there.

Quincy is still eating bushes, but hasn't touched the tulips which pleases me immensely, since I love tulips. The dogs only ate one hyacinth and no daffodils. Just the bushes. Must have sweet leaves on them. Either that or the dogs are bonkers. Maybe both.

4/21 He's doing a little better

The femur was broken in four places instead of three. Poor Pete. He's got a rod in his leg from his hip to his knee, plus staples and a pin. He's in a lot of pain. We're all visiting a lot, and I don't know if that's helping him or not. Hope so. :)

Quincy and Cookie sent him a plant with a note that said, "They won't let us visit you. We are really, really, really, really sorry." He liked the note a lot.

Today is my 12 hour day and my last client just left and I'm on my way home in a moment. I'm so tired I won't want to turn on the computer, so thought I'd write a note here at work.

And it's true--I don't have any fingerprints. The fingerprint gal said that it's very common in women, as they age they tend to lose fingerprints. She said I may pass DCFS, but will definitely not pass the FBI. So when they kick my form back, I'll have to re-do it. But I won't have regrown fingerprints so I don't know what we'll do. Butt prints maybe? I sure have a lot of butt.

This morning Cookie ran away. Joe heard me calling for her and we spent 15-20 minutes chasing her from 17th and Oak to 18th and Broadway and back. She sure is a fast little monkey. When I drove around the corner after searching with my car, Joe was standing in front of my house with Cookie. I am so grateful and told Joe he's my hero. And that's the truth.

4/17 Good and bad

The good news is that I picked up the girls last night and they were sure glad to be home. Jan stopped by and we walked them for about a mile and a half through and around the college, with just a few squirrel problems.

The bad news is that I was in such pain I could barely walk by the time we were finished. It's no wonder my house is still a wreck as I have trouble bending over, and have trouble standing still. Due to some pain medication I was able to sleep. This morning, I couldn't walk. Well, a little. After a hot shower it was a little better. But even with the pain meds and muscle relaxers things aren't good. I'm pissed off.

My insurance begins May 1, so I'll be able to see a doctor.