Sunday, November 21, 2010

Casting About and Other Things

First, the sad news.

On Friday, as I looked at The Penster, she gave me this pleading look and I could no longer in good conscience keep her at home as she slowly lost her dignity and became less comfortable. So I called the vet. At about 2:45 Friday afternoon, Penny Penelope Penny-lope peacefully and quietly returned to wholeness.

On the way to the vet's, she gave me a couple of patented Penny smiles and absolutely insisted on walking into the building and back to the room. I was with her the entire time. It was probably the first time ever that a vet was able to listen for her heartbeat without having to chase her around the table.

I sure miss you, my faithful, flop-eared friend!

But life goes on and I'm continuing to live into new experiences.

Earlier this week, I went to the orthopedist about my non-cooperative ankle. It's been paining me for months and the first treatment option for my acute tendinitis didn't do diddly for me.

The next plan of attack? Total immobilization for 4 weeks.

EEP! I now have a bright purple cast on my left leg. Good thing it's my left ankle. Driving would be a real problem if it were my right one.

I've never had a cast before, and would just as soon not ever have another one. It's a walking cast, so there's this boot to attach whenever I plan to walk around. Plus, I never realized just what being lopsided does to a body. My right ankle is grumping about all the extra work it's having to do. Hope it doesn't end up wanting a cast too.

Taking a shower and getting dressed has a whole new dimension to it, as well. Fortunately, I'm quick in the shower. One short shower a day was what the doctor said. To make up for it, it takes most of the day for the cast (well, the lining inside the cast) to dry out and quit soaking whatever it's up against.

Finding a comfortable position for foot/cast and body, whether seated or in bed, is a real pleasant experience, too (she said sarcastically). I'm beginning to wonder if I'll have a permanent cast imprint on my right leg, since crossing my leg over at the knee is one of the resonably comfortable options available to me. Even wrapping the darned cast in a towel doesn't seem to circumvent the dents.

Well, I guess I'll quit grumbling for now and see what I can do to enjoy the lovely day we seem to be having.

There's this really ambitious squirrel who keeps looking in my sliding glass door, wondering if there's a good place on the other side to stash the nut s/he's carrying. Nope! Don't think I'll let him/her in. But it is fun to watch her/him scurrying around on my patio.

Wonder what's next on the horizon ...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

To Penny


On Saturday, when The Penster and I returned from an overnight trip, I was a bit worried about her, since she hadn't eaten hardly anything at all in almost two days. I managed to pique her appetite and Penny ate her evening meal and her favorite dog biscuit.

That night, she had quite a bowel problem. Poor dear! I cleaned up the mess and worried about her some more. Then, while I slept, she threw up everything she had eaten earlier and on Sunday she wasn't even able to keep down water. Ever since, Penny has refused all food and only drinks when I offer water to her by hand. The vet gave her medicine to calm her innards, which seems to have worked, but I think she has decided it's time to let go.

My dear friend still gets up and totters to her usual resting places, depending on what room I'm in, and responds to noises and touch. We've also managed a few short forays up and down the street in front of the house. But I don't think she will be with me much longer.

We've had 15 marvelous years togethers. She's the dog of my ordination and has seen me through good years and rough ones. Her favorite pasttimes were stealing used kleenex, eating used socks and underwear, and walking together through the neighborhood. Penny never was much of a snuggly dog, unless there was a thunderstorm banging around. Then she wanted to sit on your lap and climb as high as possible!

But life has become difficult for her in the past six months or so. She no longer leaps up on furniture and her problems with the few spots of linoleum in the house have grown exponentially. Those old bones and joints just aren't working like they're supposed to. For the past month or two, eating hasn't been on her high priority list either. Her hearing and eyesight are about what one might expect of a grande dame of 105 dog years.

And so ... I've been letting her go over the last few days. Petting her, doing whatever she feels up to, crying copious tears, telling her I love her and it's all right to let go and be at rest in a place where she is once more whole and vigorous and young.

Life won't be the same without her. It never is. But I'll remember the good times: the stolen lunch meat, sitting side by side on the recliner, playing "foot", the time she actually caught the squirrel, and hours spent in friendly companionship.

To Penny Penelope Penny-lope
Black and white puppy
Faithful, quirky, brown-eyed friend
Furry little thief!

Sunday, November 07, 2010

The End of an Era

Well, sort of.

Daylight savings time has ended once again ... and will be starting up again sometime next year.

This is the "fall back" one. I usually have much better luck with this one, except for the time I set the clock forward an hour instead and arrived at church TWO hours early. Fortunately, I lived across the street from the church and could slink back to the house without anyone noticing.

My grandpa, who was a farmer, didn't particularly have anything good to say about daylight savings time. From his perspective, the cows wanted to be milked at the same time each day and it didn't matter whether the clock said 5am or 4am.

When I lived at my mom and dad's house, we had a wonderful cocker mix named Little Bit. Regular as clockwork, she ate her half can of Pard with a two dog biscuit reward for completion at 5:00pm. It would take us about two months to get her to wait until the new 5pm. Once "trained", at fallback time, she would eat at what was now 4pm (to her little mind) and then come back for a second meal at what she was convinced was 5pm.

Confusing stuff!

I know my body wrestles with the time change in each direction. True, it's worse when we "lose" an hour; however, whichever way the clock changes, I end up out of sorts for about two weeks.

Doesn't help any that the clock on my microwave won't adjust to the new setting no matter what machinations I've tried (short of turning the power off, that is). Guess I'll have to wait until the next power outage, random as they are. Won't stop me from grumbling about it though.

*grumble grumble grumble*