Quite honestly, I am glad the week is over. Jack is feeling better and life is moving forward. As Friday dawns on us, here are the things I am happy about!
As I said, Jack is well, and although he is still weak at least the pain is gone.
I’ve been able to keep up with my meal preparations and some laundry. Over the weekend I want to curl up and take some nice naps, as well as finish up the throw rugs, washing and hanging them outside.
Heidi is doing so well on a new dog chow. I am so pleased. I was worried about her, but it seems the worst is over.
I ordered a pack of three doggy toys. They are just like the one that Heidi came to us with, which is her favorite. I gave her one and gave one to Lili. The next thing I knew Heidi had Lili’s toy, her new toy, and her old toy all in her mouth! Oh, it made me laugh!
Yesterday was the 14th birthday of Anneliese’s pups. Baron, Bogart, Baerbel, and Birgit (Ali). All four are still with us. It makes me so happy because I know, I bred good hunters who were also very healthy. All the pups from three litters made it to 14+ years old. And one, Angelika in Greta’s first litter lived until she was almost 15!
So this wraps up another week. I hope you are enjoying the days wherever you may be.
Usually, I end my week with a Friday Five. This week my days were filled and by the time Friday rolled around I was asleep by 8:30-9:00 every night. So, here are the six things that made up my somewhat crazy week.
I was taking care of Jack and his kidney stone all week. Not only was this hands-on care which included calling doctor’s offices trying to get help. No one was returning my calls or secure email. Call me frustrated.
Jack was weak from the pain. I tried my best to keep him hydrated, but he wasn’t eating much.
By Friday I needed food. Not a big shopping, but some easy food to eat. I told Jack that my plan was this: if he got worse over the weekend, I would drive him across the state to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. I felt quite helpless, but I know after 3:30 in the afternoon, you are most likely not going to hear from your doctor. So off I went.
I picked up a week’s worth of mail, milk and bread, and some muffins. Then I headed home. I walked in about 5 minutes after the nurse called from Jack’s doctor’s office. He was a little confused, but fortunately, she sent me an email.
A friend kind of called me out on leaving Jack to go to the store if he was so ill, but my gosh, part of my being a good caregiver is preparing foods he can eat and things he can drink.
As of midnight on Saturday Jack says he thinks the Kidney stone has moved as his pain is not as acute. He is exhausted and will likely sleep until 3:00-4:00 this afternoon. The next step is to make sure the stone works its way out. Meanwhile, today I am doing laundry, and napping myself. It has been one crazy, stressful, and busy week!
The last few days have been a blur. Jack hasn’t been feeling well, as he had a sharp pain in his lower left side. On Tuesday the pain was much worse and at 3:00 in the afternoon I drove him to what used to be a good hospital. We got there just after 4:00 and tests were ordered. I was hopeful.
As the results were logged in I was texted the full report. By 7:00 I knew that Jack had a 3cm kidney stone. I attempted to get a solution for Jack so I could drive us home. Us being, Jack, Heidi, and myself. That was easier said than done.
I kept going out to feed, water, and walk Heidi. In the process, I lost my Bluetooth device for my cell phone. I picked up a tuna sandwich in the cafeteria (which was terrible, but then they have a captive audience) and kept waiting.
Finally, around 11:00 I went to the desk, again, and tried to get someone to make a decision about what they were going to do with Jack. No one could answer. They claimed they didn’t have all the test results. I held up my cell phone where I had downloaded them all.
A Physician’s Assistant took Jack into a small cubby and explained there were no rooms, so she wanted to give him some meds and send him home. Great.
I went out to warm up the car, walk Heidi again, and wait for Jack. At 12:15 I went back in. Had he gotten his medications? No!
I told them he was so upset he was just going to leave. They assured me that he would get his three lousy pills in a moment.
At 12:30 Jack walked out the door and I set about to drive us home. The night was pitch black yet, the roadways had heavy fog. Slowly I made my way home and we pulled in at about 1:45!
Both Jack and I were exhausted. His meds had kicked in and so he was able to sleep. It took me a while until I could relax enough to sleep. Heidi and I turned off the light and sleep came to us.
Today I kept trying to get into contact with the VA Urology Clinic. Now that I have Jack’s records sent to the VA, we can get an appointment there. Meanwhile, tonight we will sleep and rest up for whatever may come.
Jack is still in pain, but since we know what it is, we can handle it.
I must mention that poor Lili must have fussed and whined because we noticed today that her voice is a little hoarse. Poor girl.
Lastly, I must mention that the ER was horrible. Yes, they had many people like us who were seriously ill, but when the sun came down and it got colder the junkies and street people came in. I am sympathetic to this problem, however, a hospital ER is not the place for them to land. There were newborn babies there, young kids with cuts needing stitching, and people like Jack who have come in due to painful illnesses.
So that is my tale of woe. We lived to tell the story, even if it was a rather gruesome one. And at least we made it through the fog to get home.
This week found me attempting to plan to get all my medical appointments in. As it turned out, I was required to do all of this in one day! Wednesday. Which was just crazy! In any case, here we go with this week’s Friday Five!
My first doctor’s appointment was to adjust the prescription for my glasses. That was at 8:00 in the morning on Wednesday. It did not take long, and soon I was on my way back home.
The next appointment was at noon with my dentist I had no cavities, but I have an infection in a small area on my gums, and will need oral surgery to clean it, and close the area. I asked if this would hurt and the answer was a noncommittal yes. I will get a date soon for that. Ugh!
My last appointment was at 3:00 and since it was an appointment online I was able to get nice and comfy before starting.
Of course, I needed to make meals and I tried to use up my Easter leftovers. In fact, tonight will be the last meal of Lamb.
Heidi is back on her medication and continues with her special food. She is doing well but will need to rest her gut for a while. While picking up Heidi’s food at the Vat, I met the most adorable mini puppy. It was 5 weeks old and just a pound. I’m not sure I have ever seen a puppy that small, who wasn’t a newborn!
So that’s my week. I hope you all will have a warm, wonderful, and relaxing weekend!
The last few days have been good, and boy, have I accomplished things!
First, our Anniversary was a good one. I bought everything I would need to make a rolled boneless butterflied lamb roast.
Since I had never done this before I sat down and looked on Youtube for Ideas, but nothing was what I wanted. I could see it in my mind, so slowly I chopped onions and celery, and garlic and started to saute them with butter. I added Rosemary, Thyme, and then a seasoning called Greek Lamb Seasoning that I got from Penzy Spices.
My kitchen smelled like savory Rosemary. After the spices and herbs were soft and fragrant, I added about 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing and a little water. I then set this aside to cool. Once cooled I added a beaten egg.
I suppose I should have known, but the butterflied Lamb was full of fat. So I trimmed as much fat as I could from the inside, and then used a mallet to tenderize the meat. Then I took the cooled stuffing, spread it onto the lamb, and then using plastic wrap from under the lamb, I rolled it as tightly as I could and tied it up with Butcher’s Twine. I placed it onto a rack in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. I brushed the top of the lamb with olive oil and sprinkled the the lamb Seasoning.
I put the roast into a preheated 425-degree oven. I let this cook for 20 minutes and then turned it down to a 375-degree oven and using a meat thermometer, cooked the roast until the temperature reached 155-160 degrees. I took it out of the oven and covered it with a towel and set it aside.
Really, it was so easy and delicious! I will make this again as we both enjoyed it!
My next accomplishment has nothing to do with food, but I am putting this under the category of “Everything a Woman Should Know”.
The handle of my toilet broke again. I attempted to fix it with a Universal Handle. What I discovered was, that a Kohler Toilet can’t use a Universal handle. I ordered from Kohler and this morning I installed the pieces necessary to fix my toilet handle! It has worked beautifully!
You know, I wish they had offered classes in basic plumbing, woodworking, and electric work. I find myself rapidly heading toward my 65th birthday wishing that I knew more about these things. Of course, back in my day women took home economics and the guys took shop. Meanwhile, I have taught myself many of these basic skills.
The Taxes are done and mailed, and tomorrow I will catch up on all the doctor’s appointments I missed while caring for Jack.
Today, Jack and I celebrate 35 years of marriage. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. In the grand scheme of things, 35 years is like forever in a Hollywood marriage. And at my age (64) it certainly is a large chunk of time.
In our thirty-five years of marriage, we have had 4 White German Shepherds, Rex, Max, Fritz, and Lili. Five Wire-haired Dackels, Shubi, Greta, Arnie, Anneliese, and Heidi, lived in four homes. One was a farm in Lyndeborough, NH; a very beautiful ranch home in Punta Gorda, FL; in a motorcoach here in Meredith, NH for 9 long months; while we built our current home, and lastly, this beautiful house, that Jack and I designed.
We had four children, between us. Three are living, and they have grown up to be really good people. We also have two of the most beautiful, and wonderful grandchildren on the face of the earth!
Marriage is never easy, even if you are married to your best friend. There are days you want to murder each other, but lucky for us, those days were few and far between.
Forgiveness is so important when you live with someone this long. People do stupid things, and if you can’t forgive them, then you are with the wrong person. I am the Queen of stupid things and I am married to the King of stupid things. So it’s a good thing we forgive and forget.
You will also find during a long-term marriage (or relationship) that there will be those days when your significant other just makes you crazy. Whether it’s how they are chewing their food, or even sipping their soup, you will sit there and wonder how you never noticed this before!
But then, there are those times when a little look, the warmth of a hug, or a gentle squeeze of your hand, will make you feel loved and safe. During my illness in 2017, when I felt like I was dying, I was so scared, and Jack just kept the home fires burning, cooked my meals, did the laundry, and did not allow me to believe that I was leaving this earth.
Likewise, not even six months after that, when he got the infection in his foot that led to the amputation of his toe, I made sure I was at the hospital each day. I brought him goodies to eat, stayed to speak with each doctor, and informed Jack, he wasn’t leaving me just yet.
No, marriage isn’t easy, but the pros far outweigh the cons, and life would be, so lonely, without my Jack.
Even after all these years, Jack is still the first person I want to speak to in the morning, and the last person I want to speak to at night.
I made up a short montage of our life together using one of our favorite songs. I hope you enjoy it!
Here we are on the first Friday of April. A lot of our snow is melted and in a few places, the grass is just starting to green. So, here is this week’s Friday Five.
I brought Heidi out to the Vet again, but this time it was to get different food for her. She has now gone on food for doggies that may have allergies. So far she not only likes the food, but her throwing up has stopped.
Our taxes are done and will go in the mail tomorrow! Yahoo! I really hate Tax Season.
I’m revisiting the Showtime series “Homeland”. That was such a great series and going back like this you find many things you might have missed the first time.
Today I will be going out to buy food for our Easter/35th Wedding Anniversary. This is the first time since we got married that our Anniversary falls on Easter. The other times Easter fell on this day were 1939, 1944, and 1950. So I am going to make a nice meal complete with lamb, asparagus, and a twice-baked potato. Dessert will be a Strawberry Creme Cake and Champagne!
As the week ends I plan for catching up on a little sleep, a little laundry, and some good home cooking!
So that’s it for this week. I wish you all a Happy Easter!
This last week in March was a crazy one. In many ways, I felt I simply couldn’t get out of my own way. I had appointments for Jack and me all week, but it seemed that each appointment brought with it a bit of frustration. Anyway, here goes this week’s Friday Five.
Monday was very stressful. I won’t go into details about it, and in the end, my dermatology appointment was good. No new cancer!
Heidi has become a very good rider and since it is still cold I packed up her crate and she happily slept in the car while we saw our doctor. The windows were down to allow air to go through the car and the parking lot attendant took my number should Heidi need me.
Tuesday was grocery day. I actually enjoy this now. I no longer wear a mask and I can smile at everyone I meet. Best of all, they smile back. It is something I missed during the Pandemic. And perhaps it is one of the reasons so many lost the ability to be kind.
Heidi is doing better. I think that she will need the Science Diet for her sensitive tummy for a very long time. I have my fingers crossed that she will stay well.
Lastly, I had my hair done this week. My hair has been falling out and I have some allergy spots on my scalp too.
The new cut and color.
So I got a new cut and some new shampoo and I am hopeful that my hair will stop breaking and I won’t end up in my senior years looking like Bozo.
Have a wonderful weekend and wherever you are enjoy the beauty around you!
Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been a good week all around for me. I’ve used up nearly a tank of gas, but my running around was fruitful. So here we go with the week’s Friday Five.
I took Heidi in on Tuesday to have an important blood test. My Vet is 21 miles over and 21 miles back. However, I must say that the two Vets there are simply the best in the area and they care about my animals as much as I do.
Last week I’d gone over for the initial workup, and then back for an ultrasound to be sure that my little minx hadn’t eaten anything that got stuck in her stomach.
Today I got the good news. No foreign objects in her tummy. No hernias, and best of all she was tested for Addison’s Disease and she passed it with flying colors, No Addison’s!
So, Heidi is on an ID Diet, which is easier for her to digest.Best of all she loves it. She is back to normal and it appears she was sick with a doggy virus. I am so happy she is all better!
Saturday finds me driving down to see Savi and Quinn. I hope to take them to their favorite place for lunch. One thing I need to do on my way down is to get gas.
So that’s it for this week. I keep hoping that Spring will come. Sadly I had to fill my oil tank once again. My pocketbook sure has taken a hit this winter heating my house. Ah, Spring, please come to us soon!
I fell asleep on Thursday night at 9:30. I’d had a long day and suddenly found my blanket and Heidi and the warmth I felt, put me right to sleep. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five.
Heidi has been unwell for a few weeks. I’m no novice to healing a dog with tummy troubles, but Heidi finally freaked me out enough that I brought her in for a complete exam.
They took x-rays and blood work and examined every inch of her. Her white blood count was high, indicating some sort of infection.
The ultrasound was clear, so now we will check one last test on Tuesday.
Today is Lili’s 9th Birthday!
Lili would have been great fun in a Circus. She loves to run and jump and run some more. A true whirling dervish! Winter is her favorite time, asshe enjoys being able to leap through the snow at full speed. It’s like watching a deer.
Lili rescued me on January 12th, 2019, when a man broke into my house during the day. He made it to the top of our cellar stairs, but the door was locked and Lili was fiercely barking and was between me and the door. She saved me that day!
She adopted Heidi and loves to play with her and sleep with her, and when she goes out without Lili, Lili becomes upset and paces back and forth until her baby Heidi returns.
Yes, Lili is amazing and we all love being loved by this beautiful and sweet doggy.
Yes, Lili is amazing and we all love being loved by this beautiful and sweet doggy!
So, Happy Birthday to our St. Patrick’s Day Baby Girl!
Quite honestly, I am glad the week is over. Jack is feeling better and life is moving forward. As Friday dawns on us, here are the things I am happy about!
