Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Schedule, schmedule

After telling him what days he would be working every week, Brian's employer has stood that on its ear. He worked an extra long day Sunday, and then didn't work yesterday or today (which threw a bit of a monkey wrench in my plans, for reasons I won't elaborate on). He works the next three days (including Friday), gets Saturday off . . . and who knows after that.

Rick has had to leave early every morning this week to squeeze in a distant recheck before his other calls, so our alarm is going off earlier than usual. And I've had to be up at midnight to give Jackson his last dose of Tramadol ever since his discharge. I've tried to take naps here and there, but I'm not always successful (and when I am, I sometimes wake up totally disoriented rather than rested, which is an unpleasant feeling). It's little wonder that Rick came down with a cold virus . . . and has given it to me. Can someone just wake me when this summer is over???

Feeling like the walking dead at . . .

Monday, July 29, 2019

Fiber and fur

As promised, here's what I accomplished during Tour de Fleece this year:

The light blue is dyed Rambouillet, a new-to-me fiber. I spun the 105g and then worked on plying it, but didn't finish that until today:

The black is one of the dyed Shetland tops in a sample bag from Jamieson & Smith. It was my 'traveling spin' once I started plying the Rambo (in other words, it got a lot of action during all our driving yesterday!).

When I stopped by the small animal clinic today to pick up Adequan for Jackson, I got to meet Zoey. Isn't she a cutie?

We have cuties at home, too, of course. Time for a Chuckie fix!

That's it for now from . . .

Sunday, July 28, 2019

New day, new week, new adventures

After the emotional rollercoaster of last week, I have settled into a new routine dictated by Jackson's med schedule and needs. After consulting with the small animal vet, we dropped the muscle relaxant she prescribed, and whether it's that or the effect of the other drugs, Jackson is doing a bit better. Tomorrow we're picking up a new drug, Adequan, that Rick thinks may help Jackson's back. We're taking it one day at a time; every day with this bright face in my life is a blessing:

Since Brian now has a set schedule of working Sunday-Thursday and Rick had two cases to check and treat today, my honey and I planned a day together between Jackson's 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. meds. After treating the first horse east of Salem, we stopped at our favorite-but-rarely-visited Sunday breakfast indulgence, Word Of Mouth. It is a favorite eatery of many others, so we put our name on the list and drove a short distance to Bush's Pasture Park for a walk. It was a perfect summer day, warm in the bright sun but pleasantly cool in the shade.

Next to the park is Deepwood Estate, which has long tantalized me from street-side. We walked to and around the stunning grounds and admired the architecture until our table was ready; I will go back for a longer look (and a house tour) sooner rather than later!












Word Of Mouth is an experience unto itself. Located in a charming old house, the food is amazing and the decor is a feast for the eyes. The owners are dog-lovers (and rescue supporters), so dogs feature prominently in the eclectic decorations.



That last photo is from inside the women's restroom; that's a bit overwhelming!


A complimentary treat is often brought to the table while you are waiting on your order; today the waiter brought us one of their homemade gardenburgers topped with Hollandaise sauce. I didn't think to take any pictures of our food, but noticed the cute little flag after the damage was done and took a photo of that.

Thoroughly sated, we headed to the Oregon coast for Rick's second patient check. Rick has often mentioned the elk that visit the pastures of this boarding stable; sure enough, a group of cows and calves (and some Canadian geese) were hanging out with the horses. I took photos as I walked closer (thanks to the Arabian supermodel who helped frame some of the shots 😍); once they started standing up I retreated.








Oh, and Brian had a little 'adventure' at work today. One of the combine drivers on his crew snagged a power line and started a fire. 😳 Fortunately they got it under control quickly.

Today was the last day of the Tour de Fleece (oh, and that bike race 😉). I'll post a photo of my TdF spinning tomorrow.

That's it for the last Sunday of July from . . .

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Hope rising

photo taken during last night's sunset ride
So last night Rick called a small animal vet who worked for him as a college student to pick her brain about Jackson. She offered to examine him, which is all the encouragement I needed to act. Rick would have liked to be present, but she was available this morning and he wasn't so I took Jackson in this morning by myself. Dr. Jackie examined him, then shot a full complement of x-rays.

The good news is that barring some weird problem that doesn't show up on x-rays, the only thing wrong with Jackson is arthritis in his spine, not unusual in an athletic dog his age. He got laser treatment – twice – on his back while I was there, and is staying overnight to get the pain, inflammation, and muscle involvement all addressed in the most effective, intensive way possible so we can move forward with better management. And with the professional courtesy discount, we won't have to sell our son to the circus to pay for it all. 😉

This afternoon I am meeting a friend for ice cream, conversation, and spinning. With Jackson in capable hands, I will be able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the diversion!

That's all for now from . . .

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

It's a bit of a slog

'Tis quiet here, maybe even more so than I like. Brian is working long hours on the combine crew so he's never here for supper and sleeps as long as possible in the morning. He doesn't always eat breakfast or even the lunch I pack for him daily; I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what he's subsisting on. Transitioning from the culture he's trying to immerse himself in this summer to school again which begins in just five short weeks may be bumpy....

Our dogs are not much more present. Dozer has been a somnolent old soul for awhile now, but Jackson is weakening at an alarming rate. His eyes are bright and he doesn't seem uncomfortable, but he can barely walk now and mostly does this:

I put on a smile, stroke his soft fur and tell him what a good boy he is a hundred times a day, not wanting to distress him with sadness and tears. But the heaviness of my heart makes productivity a struggle. How can something that looks this good be in such rapid decline?
On the other hand, how can my snow peas look this bad
and yet still be producing? I picked a pound and a half of green beans and easily twice that of peas today, along with a bouquet of yellow onions:

Those green beans will be consumed for Rick's and my supper; I'm going to make the following recipe along with some pesto pasta:
So life goes on. Sunrise, sunset; day in and day out. Rick and I have more time to do things as a couple right now. Yesterday evening we ran to Salem to do errands and stopped at a favorite restaurant for supper; I caught the sunset on the way home (the second photo; the first photo is yesterday's sunrise).

Last night I finished my Tour de Fleece project, and will start plying it tonight or tomorrow. 
It's resting in Rick's latest creation; it's made out of hazelnut with hazelnut embellishment:
I can't listen to this right now, but am trying to remember that dancing with the dog o' my heart has been worth every second....

That's it for now from . . .