Mother's Day Weekend

It's going to be a great weekend...in fact, it's off to a great start.  No, I'm not being sarcastic! Terry is off, Melissa is off and I get them all to myself.  Selfish, yep, you betcha!! Terry and I went to breakfast, Melissa was up and dressed when we got back, T hit the bed for a few z's , he worked last night and Lis and I took Mom her mother's day flowers.  We are hoping T will be awake soon for lunch... we're both hungry.  Mayfest is going on downtown Walhalla. Lis and I strolled thru the vendors before coming home from Mom's.  What's on tap for the remainder of the weekend, I have no idea, but I intend to enjoy every moment of it1

March, Early April, Benefits and Bootcamp

Wow, it's been a while ... sorry.  Life got in the way.  We've been camping..only down the road to South Cove but it was fun.  We leave next Saturday for Cherokee for a week of relaxation and trout fishing.
And...we're now home from Cherokee.  It was a terffic week, much needed and much enjoyed.  The weeks leading up to it were a bit tumultuous and very busy.  We camped for the last 2 weeks of bootcamp, we came home...parked the camper in the usual spot, only to discover a few days before our departure that some thieves had taken our 50 amp power cord that supplies the power to the camper.  My fridge was fully packed and ready for the trip to Cherokee. Uggh..the ruined spoiled food and the stench!  Further inspection found that the thieves had taken quite a bit of stuff from the building.  I'm just glad the camper and the other motorhome hadn't been vandalized.  The Wednesday before we leave, I get a call from the couple we travel with that their motorhome had been broken into and set on fire.  It was a total loss.  We weren't even certain at that point if we'd get to take our vacation.  I was furious and frightened.  In the end, we were able to get a new cord and head on up to the campground, Nancy and James rented a cabin in the park and were able to be with us til Thursday.  I'll write a new post about the entire trip. 
The weekend before leaving for the camping trip, we participated in a benefit for a gal who has stage 4 lung cancer. She's a single mom and is the cousin to our friend, Jason Taylor.  Terry and Jason have done BBQ for benefits before, this was a fun way to do what they love for someone who is so deserving. It was a success.  The benefit raised a huge sum of money for Jennifer.  We love doing these.

R.I.P. Bea

Bea continued to fail this week, and by Thursday evening it was evident that she would most likely, short of a miracle, not be able to recover. We spent the day and evening loving on her and telling her what a wonderful dog she was and how much we would miss her.  We took her to the vet on Friday morning.  Euthanisia was quick and painless.  She slipped into her eternal slumber while I held her and talked to her. 
We miss our Bea B girl, but it was time. She was so tired.  We were exhausted. 

One step forward, three steps back

Well, Bea has taken a turn for the worse.  She vomited her feeding tonight.  She's weak and wobbly ...moreso than yesterday.  I just hope she's not in pain.  It would kill me to think we're doing all this to her and just extending her misery.  I'm going to boil some rice and put it in the blender and see how she does with that ... wish me luck.

She's slowly improving...

When last I wrote, I feared that my daughter's chihuahua, Bea, was dying.  Well, after 3 long days and nights, she is now lapping water on her own.  We are still syringe feeding her food, but that's a long way from where we were on Saturday.  She is able to hold her head up and even take a few wobbly steps today.  We have hope.
I also had a first today. My first colonoscopy.  The prep was the worst part of the entire procedure.  I may consent to a second one if they improve the prep.  I am grateful that all was ok, except that it seems I have inherited diverticulitis from my mom.  I have never had the first symptom, so I don't plan on changing anything, yet.
It's back to work tomorrow for me.

One of the LONGEST weeks ever

I'm sitting on the loveseat beside one very sick dog.  It's my daughter's chihuahua, Bea.  Bea came into our lives via Pendergrass Flea Market the year she graduated from high school.  I was dead set against this dog...didn't want another inside dog... was relatively sure beyond a shadow of a doubt I didn't like chihuahuas. 
Bea made me eat every last word of every argument I had against her.  She stole my heart, then broke it wide open to squeeze in three more chihuahuas of my own.  Bea seems to be actively dying.  She has been in the Vet hospital all week on IV's.  She looked some better when we brought her home yesterday, but she is spiraling downhill.  The vet told us this morning, that sometimes when their kidneys fail, there's no way to correct it.  It seems that is where we stand.  Oh, I pray I'm wrong, we've cried, we've begged, we've pleaded, we've prayed... In a year of so many losses for my daughter, it seems that she might could be spared this one loss.  The boys know something's wrong.
They have laid quietly beside her today just keeping her company.  I feel so completely helpless.
Terry asked tonight on the way home from dinner, why did I think a dogs lifespan was so much shorter than a humans. I could only answer as I read once in All Things Great and Small. It's because they don't have to live as long to be worthy of heaven. 

My daughter is awesomeness

My only child, my daughter, is total awesomeness.  We've been through a lot together, she and I.  The most intense was the 10 monthes I carried her and the 29 hours I labored to finally bring her into the world via a c-section.  She is all the best parts of me and her father, and her other biological relatives.  It's amazing to see bits and pieces of our family members in her sense of humor, her unwavering loyalty, her truthfulness.  She is hardest on herself, like all of us.  She never cuts herself a break, and will be the first to say I'm sorry if she truly believes she's in the wrong.  She is stubborness personified.  This isn't all bad considering her recent separation and impending divorce from her husband.  She told me very matter of factly after a couple weeks of being back home that she was indeed ok.  She had thought about it, and had come to the conclusion that his first marriage ended in less than a year, his second relationship ended with the gal leaving him for another woman, and now this marriage was ending after less than 2 years.  She said the only common denominator in all that hot mess was him.  Wow.  I'd still be figuring out how to wreak havoc in his life, and she's very calmly and decisively moved on to find her own happiness.  Yep, she's total awesomeness.