i’ve had lots of things to get done this week. in addition to massaging people, there are all those peaches that are about to be overripe. my plan is to cut them up and freeze them today. yesterday i was going to tackle the many many things that still need to be put away in our house. we’re having 30+ people over for a picnic on saturday; kevin invited the entire 114th batallion Civil War reeanctors here for the annual picnic.
it’s a potluck and it seems they’re very very organized and will bring just about everything, so that’s a relief. but still, the house can’t look like such a messy (and dirty) mess.
additionally, there’s this new writing project that i’ve been making a little bit of progress on, but it’s sputtering along and i really want to make time to work on it.
yesterday, nothing was acomplished, goal-wise. it was a complete dog day. amy, mom and I took the dogs – mollie, numie and noodle – for a walk, and then amy and mom had to go so i continued walking with them but then we ran and it was fun. we got home and dad had called, wanting me to host Shortie and Gizmo out on the back patio for a while. so they came over, Numie and Noodle were on their own deck next door, and Shadow was following me around as i tried to put up a few more pictures.
but then shadow was acting weird. he staggered around and his head was hanging down, bent to the side. we he going to throw up? i took him outside and he staggered a little more and then fell, not able to support his legs.
it was alarming. i scooped him up and carried him inside, where he laid down on the couch next to me with his head on my lap. this, too, was alarming – when shadow comes to visit, at least the first hour is spent scouring the floor for any dropped food morsels, vacuuming up anything even mildly food-related.
he never puts his head on my lap. plus he was shaking, more than he usually does.
i called amy, who was at work, and we agreed he should go to the vet.
maybe it was a stroke?
i had to put Noodle and Numie inside their house, sequester Shortie and Gizmo, and put Shadow in the car. Drove through rush-hour traffic across town to the vet’s office. (rush hour traffic not being bad, but there were too many cars to be able to go really fast most of the time).
we had to sit around a while, but the vet finally saw us. she was a really nice, good vet, and seemed genuinely concerned about shadow’s well-being. she said it could have been a mini-stroke, or maybe some kind of seizure. she did some blood test and pumped fluids under his skin and, two hours later, we went home.
amy and jim had to go to a nephew’s birthday dinner, so kevin and i babysat shadow for the evening. he seemed fine, eager to eat his dinner, energetic and happy.
whew.
this is shadow, in case you forgot what he looks like. the cutest little dog ever.
this morning amy called on her way to work; she’s there from eight till eight today. she said shadow seemed bad again, and could i babysit him?
so he’s lying on the couch next to me. he seems kind of restless, wants to move somewhere, but then i pet him and he lies down again. he has crawled up onto the pillow, and is kind of leaning up against it, and he’s shaking and he just doesn’t look good.
i’ll probably be spending my day here on the couch with him. the house will remain somewhat of a wreck, the peaches will get closer and closer to rotting…but what can i do?
if you need me, i’ll be here in the sick ward at the doggie day care.
ok then,
wednesday grace.