www.themaveninme.wordpress.com
Yes, the maven in me! A maven is an expert -- in my case, self-assessed -- in something. I'm an expert on my personal opinions. Maybe on the world. Maybe just in my kitchen. Definitely about my dog. So, the new blog is gonna run the gamut of things, as I feel like sharing. Join the fun. Join the rant. Join the pathos. Who needs a group hug? Don't look to me for comfort! You've got problems? Hey, I've got my own. Move over world. It's MY turn!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Treyce's Untimely Death
Treyce didn't live much longer after my daughter and I acquired our puppies.
Turns out, she had a bad heart. A big heart, but a bad heart.
No one saw it coming. It was just there. And then she was just gone. I never got to see her from the time she started having blackouts until she died, but I think she died without pain or discomfort. Her heart just gave out on her. At the beach, one of her favorite stomping grounds...
My daughter, too, was spared having to see her in her blackout fugue states. In fact, she was with me when Treyce died. She drove to Columbia to meet her not-yet husband and bury Treyce in his family's backyard.
If it weren't for Treyce, I'd never have had Sonny. If it weren't for Treyce, therefore, I would have a lot more money. But knowing Treyce has made my life richer.
She brought unconditional love into my life. She brought a renewed love of all things non-human. Well, except spiders (for my daughter) and snakes (for my husband) and mosquitos (for myself).
I will always be grateful to my son-in-law for unwittingly opening up a new door in my life. Because, despite the expense, despite the hassles, despite the vomiting, despite the deafness, despite the skin disorder, despite everything, if it weren't for Treyce, my life would have a hole in it I didn't know existed. Treyce performed open heart surgery and it was a complete success. But in this case, it wasn't the patient but the doctor who died. And I will always miss her.
Turns out, she had a bad heart. A big heart, but a bad heart.
No one saw it coming. It was just there. And then she was just gone. I never got to see her from the time she started having blackouts until she died, but I think she died without pain or discomfort. Her heart just gave out on her. At the beach, one of her favorite stomping grounds...
My daughter, too, was spared having to see her in her blackout fugue states. In fact, she was with me when Treyce died. She drove to Columbia to meet her not-yet husband and bury Treyce in his family's backyard.
If it weren't for Treyce, I'd never have had Sonny. If it weren't for Treyce, therefore, I would have a lot more money. But knowing Treyce has made my life richer.
She brought unconditional love into my life. She brought a renewed love of all things non-human. Well, except spiders (for my daughter) and snakes (for my husband) and mosquitos (for myself).
I will always be grateful to my son-in-law for unwittingly opening up a new door in my life. Because, despite the expense, despite the hassles, despite the vomiting, despite the deafness, despite the skin disorder, despite everything, if it weren't for Treyce, my life would have a hole in it I didn't know existed. Treyce performed open heart surgery and it was a complete success. But in this case, it wasn't the patient but the doctor who died. And I will always miss her.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Enough About Sonny. For Now. Have I Told You Lately That I Love...
...baking. Yep. That's right. Baking. Of course, my daughter could argue that I don't bake all that much anymore and she'd be right. I have to be in the mood.
But I just ran across a recipe that thepioneerwoman.com posted. I LOVE Ree Drummond. My daughter introduced me to her blog several months ago, and I'm hooked. She's a great writer, tells funny stories, has a wry sense of humor, takes pictures, cooks and home schools her children. I didn't think I'd have much in common with her, but there's always common ground.
Back to baking. I love baking because, when you find a new recipe, like the one I have in the oven right now, it's usually made with ingredients you already have hanging around in your pantry.
Or should have!
The only ingredient for this Mystery Mocha Dessert that I didn't have was whole milk. But I had 1%. I usually never make changes to recipes without first trying them as originally written.. But all the other ingredients were ready to hand. I didn't think swapping out whole for 1% milk was a major issue. And even when you don't have all the ingredients, you have the majority of them. A quick run to the store for nuts, dried cranberries, etc. is no effort.
(Although my gas gauge is hovering on empty, the light is on, I've driven for two days, and I'm desperately afraid that I won't have enough gas to get to the nearest station, which is as near as the nearest grocery store. And this gas issue SEEMS to be an effort to me. Go figure!)
I also love baking because it's easy to keep up with the dishes as you go. All the prep work gets done ahead of time, so that the least amount of bowls, measuring spoons and cups -- and therefore work -- is all that's left once the ingredients have been combined.
And before you know it, the recipe is in the oven, the dishes are done, and it's time for the wonderful smell of baking yummies to fill the house. And only about 30 minutes has passed. As hot as it is outside, I would never think of using the oven at this time of year usually. But there's always room for exceptions! Yummy exceptions.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
But I just ran across a recipe that thepioneerwoman.com posted. I LOVE Ree Drummond. My daughter introduced me to her blog several months ago, and I'm hooked. She's a great writer, tells funny stories, has a wry sense of humor, takes pictures, cooks and home schools her children. I didn't think I'd have much in common with her, but there's always common ground.
Back to baking. I love baking because, when you find a new recipe, like the one I have in the oven right now, it's usually made with ingredients you already have hanging around in your pantry.
Or should have!
The only ingredient for this Mystery Mocha Dessert that I didn't have was whole milk. But I had 1%. I usually never make changes to recipes without first trying them as originally written.. But all the other ingredients were ready to hand. I didn't think swapping out whole for 1% milk was a major issue. And even when you don't have all the ingredients, you have the majority of them. A quick run to the store for nuts, dried cranberries, etc. is no effort.
(Although my gas gauge is hovering on empty, the light is on, I've driven for two days, and I'm desperately afraid that I won't have enough gas to get to the nearest station, which is as near as the nearest grocery store. And this gas issue SEEMS to be an effort to me. Go figure!)
I also love baking because it's easy to keep up with the dishes as you go. All the prep work gets done ahead of time, so that the least amount of bowls, measuring spoons and cups -- and therefore work -- is all that's left once the ingredients have been combined.
And before you know it, the recipe is in the oven, the dishes are done, and it's time for the wonderful smell of baking yummies to fill the house. And only about 30 minutes has passed. As hot as it is outside, I would never think of using the oven at this time of year usually. But there's always room for exceptions! Yummy exceptions.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sonny In Isolation. Not.
Well, Sonny is never really alone ever unless she's crated. In her crate, she's got a lovely window view, the TV is on for her listening and viewing enjoyment (Animal Planet, of course.) She's crated every day we work. And she seems to like it in there. Well, I know she likes the treat she gets to go in the crate! In the mornings, as soon as she sees me reaching for the treats, she heads off to her crate. She is a creature of habit. And she LOVES her treats, too.
When one of us comes home, there is excitement and joy. But it's reserved, because the family is still incomplete. Not until the second one of us comes home is the family complete and she can be whole again.
The very first time I ever left her was when she was about 4 months old. We'd only had her about a month. Well, I left her. My husband didn't. Sonny moped. My husband made the mistake of taking a shower, leaving the pup to her own devices. When he came out of the shower she had retaliated. Oh well, my husband didn't really need that pillow anyway! It is the only time she has retaliated for leaving her alone.
That we know of.
She did retaliate once because I was on the phone, not paying attention to her. Another pillow incident. But this time, it was a beautiful decorative pillow that I adored. Notice the past tense. She grabbed the pillow out of the guest bedroom, took it out to the living room, and wreaked havoc. When I got off the phone, there were stuffing clouds all over the living room floor. Bye bye pillow.
My husband travels periodically and she appears to adapt to that without much distress I travel less frequently, so it may be more of an ordeal for her when I'm gone. I don't know why. Sometimes when I'm there she seems to favor him the most. But it is me that she follows all over the house all day and all night long. Unless she's in a deep deep sleep, she wakes up and follows me to the laundry, to the kitchen, to the bedroom, to the bathroom.
When one of us is gone, there's more room in the bed for her. Not that space has ever been HER issue. It's always OUR issue. She gets what she takes, and we get what's left over!
There have been times (not many) when we've had to travel and leave her at home. My daughter's wedding in Charleston. Our car trip down to Florida over Christmas last year. A long weekend getaway to Bald Head Island. When we were in Charlotte for a week for my husband's shoulder replacement surgery. Not often for sure, especially when you realize it's over a 3 year period.
But we don't get out very often. Reference The Money Pit.
We ALWAYS take her when we visit our daughter in South Carolina.So she can visit her brother, Charley.
We have a wonderful dog sitter, Jack. Sonny absolutely adores him. Jack is six foot something, but when he talks to Sonny he pitches his voice high just for her. Sonny goes crazy. Jack will spend the night at the house and Sonny sleeps with him. Lucky Jack.
We have had her at a boarding kennel a few times. Sometimes Jack will have to take her there, or -- better yet -- rescue her from the kennel. The one kennel we prefer using is great. Sonny has a glassed in "suite" all to herself, a clear shot of the television (Animal Planet, of course!) and plenty of room. They take her outside to socialize with other dogs, they have a doggie pool and she seems to thrive when there. They are related to my vet, so I feel confident that her medical needs, if they arise, will be dealt with appropriately.
Once, and only once, we had to kennel her somewhere else. Although this place was recommended to me, I will never take her there again. Neither she nor I liked it. It was the only time that, when I picked her up, she jumped into the car without hesitation, without a push from the rear, without goading. As if to say, get me the H out of here. NOW, please.
When one of us comes home, there is excitement and joy. But it's reserved, because the family is still incomplete. Not until the second one of us comes home is the family complete and she can be whole again.
The very first time I ever left her was when she was about 4 months old. We'd only had her about a month. Well, I left her. My husband didn't. Sonny moped. My husband made the mistake of taking a shower, leaving the pup to her own devices. When he came out of the shower she had retaliated. Oh well, my husband didn't really need that pillow anyway! It is the only time she has retaliated for leaving her alone.
That we know of.
She did retaliate once because I was on the phone, not paying attention to her. Another pillow incident. But this time, it was a beautiful decorative pillow that I adored. Notice the past tense. She grabbed the pillow out of the guest bedroom, took it out to the living room, and wreaked havoc. When I got off the phone, there were stuffing clouds all over the living room floor. Bye bye pillow.
My husband travels periodically and she appears to adapt to that without much distress I travel less frequently, so it may be more of an ordeal for her when I'm gone. I don't know why. Sometimes when I'm there she seems to favor him the most. But it is me that she follows all over the house all day and all night long. Unless she's in a deep deep sleep, she wakes up and follows me to the laundry, to the kitchen, to the bedroom, to the bathroom.
When one of us is gone, there's more room in the bed for her. Not that space has ever been HER issue. It's always OUR issue. She gets what she takes, and we get what's left over!
There have been times (not many) when we've had to travel and leave her at home. My daughter's wedding in Charleston. Our car trip down to Florida over Christmas last year. A long weekend getaway to Bald Head Island. When we were in Charlotte for a week for my husband's shoulder replacement surgery. Not often for sure, especially when you realize it's over a 3 year period.
But we don't get out very often. Reference The Money Pit.
We ALWAYS take her when we visit our daughter in South Carolina.So she can visit her brother, Charley.
We have a wonderful dog sitter, Jack. Sonny absolutely adores him. Jack is six foot something, but when he talks to Sonny he pitches his voice high just for her. Sonny goes crazy. Jack will spend the night at the house and Sonny sleeps with him. Lucky Jack.
We have had her at a boarding kennel a few times. Sometimes Jack will have to take her there, or -- better yet -- rescue her from the kennel. The one kennel we prefer using is great. Sonny has a glassed in "suite" all to herself, a clear shot of the television (Animal Planet, of course!) and plenty of room. They take her outside to socialize with other dogs, they have a doggie pool and she seems to thrive when there. They are related to my vet, so I feel confident that her medical needs, if they arise, will be dealt with appropriately.
Once, and only once, we had to kennel her somewhere else. Although this place was recommended to me, I will never take her there again. Neither she nor I liked it. It was the only time that, when I picked her up, she jumped into the car without hesitation, without a push from the rear, without goading. As if to say, get me the H out of here. NOW, please.
Friday, June 18, 2010
You Say TomAto, I Say TomAHto. Read at your own risk.
Does Sonny suffer from mega-esophagus? Does she have Addison's Disease? Does she "merely" have IBS or an IBD? (Irritable bowel syndrome or disease). Does she even have an immune system? Does she have a lupus-type auto-immune disorder that travels from organ to organ, system to system?
Does anybody have the answer to these questions?
If you do, free advice is welcome. I think I'm going to have to refuse to pay anymore for expert advice. Not that I don't appreciate Dr E and all the staff. She and they are more than wonderful.
But Sonny is The Money Pit. Like the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, no one really knows how to stop it. But for now, right now, the BUCKS ARE STOPPING! I can't pour concrete into her mouth to keep what's inside from coming out. Well, I guess I could but it would create other complications. Let's just say that my daughter is the first complication. The second would probably be PETA.
But I can control how I handle her next episode. Oh, and there will be a next. There always is. There always will be.
Because of her gastrointestinal problems, regardless of its name, my carpet is ruined. She's regurgitated on the carpet so many times in so many areas that the only solution is to take out the carpet and put in some kind of new non-carpeted flooring. My living room floor has stains all over the place. Sure, we've managed to clean up most of them, but after 3 years, the carpet has lost. And The Money Pit has won. So, replacing the carpet is not feasible at the moment. Probably never. Well, until we plan to sell the house, that is. Reference the aforementioned Money Pit.
And to set the record straight, Sonny regurgitates. She doesn't vomit. There's a difference, at least according to Dr. E. . Vomiting requires heaving and stomach spasms and a feeling of nauseousness before hurling out stomach contents and bile. Regurgitating happens at a second's notice, without any precursor or foreknowledge.Sonny's episodes? It's more like sneezing. You don't know you're going to sneeze until seconds before you do. When Sonny regurgitates, it takes the poor baby by total surprise. She could be just walking along and out it comes. Or she can be getting up from lying down and out it comes. Or she can be jumping around like a maniac and out it comes.
But it doesn't look like vomit. It looks like dog food that's been sitting in a small amount of water for a good while. Fully shaped, undigested, just soft. It looks like the food has never ever been in her stomach -- maybe just hanging around in her esophagus -- or her digestion is just really really really slow.
I know this is gross. Welcome to our life.
She may go several days -- IF WE'RE LUCKY -- not throwing up, and then regurgitate 4 times in a 20 minute period. And it happens so suddenly, she's not even expecting it. If she gets excited, out it comes. If she's nervous, out it comes. If she gets up too fast, out it comes. And then, poor baby, she runs into her crate because she just can't figure out what just hit her.
She regurgitates when she's under stress. But according to Dr. E, it doesn't matter if the stress is good stress or bad stress. Same reaction. Supposedly, we could increase her dose of prednisone in anticipation of a stressful situation, but the same events don't necessarily trigger the same response each time. And we're at the lowest dose we can give her. If we start increasing it on a regular basis, she first gets terribly thirsty and drinks enormous amounts of water. That get regurgitated. Secondly, she starts losing her fur. Neither reason is acceptable enough to warrant a long-term increase. Also, see The Money Pit.
This past weekend while at my daughter's house, we decided to leave Sonny outside of the crate along with her brothers, Charley and Sig. Outside of the crate for the very first time without a human in attendance.Of course, she wasn't alone. Charley and Sig were there. But, when we came home after being gone one hour, she had regurgitated on the floor.
Of course. Stressed out because she was out of the crate for the first time. I should have known better, but I really didn't see that one coming.
Welcome to our life.
Does anybody have the answer to these questions?
If you do, free advice is welcome. I think I'm going to have to refuse to pay anymore for expert advice. Not that I don't appreciate Dr E and all the staff. She and they are more than wonderful.
But Sonny is The Money Pit. Like the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, no one really knows how to stop it. But for now, right now, the BUCKS ARE STOPPING! I can't pour concrete into her mouth to keep what's inside from coming out. Well, I guess I could but it would create other complications. Let's just say that my daughter is the first complication. The second would probably be PETA.
But I can control how I handle her next episode. Oh, and there will be a next. There always is. There always will be.
Because of her gastrointestinal problems, regardless of its name, my carpet is ruined. She's regurgitated on the carpet so many times in so many areas that the only solution is to take out the carpet and put in some kind of new non-carpeted flooring. My living room floor has stains all over the place. Sure, we've managed to clean up most of them, but after 3 years, the carpet has lost. And The Money Pit has won. So, replacing the carpet is not feasible at the moment. Probably never. Well, until we plan to sell the house, that is. Reference the aforementioned Money Pit.
And to set the record straight, Sonny regurgitates. She doesn't vomit. There's a difference, at least according to Dr. E. . Vomiting requires heaving and stomach spasms and a feeling of nauseousness before hurling out stomach contents and bile. Regurgitating happens at a second's notice, without any precursor or foreknowledge.Sonny's episodes? It's more like sneezing. You don't know you're going to sneeze until seconds before you do. When Sonny regurgitates, it takes the poor baby by total surprise. She could be just walking along and out it comes. Or she can be getting up from lying down and out it comes. Or she can be jumping around like a maniac and out it comes.
But it doesn't look like vomit. It looks like dog food that's been sitting in a small amount of water for a good while. Fully shaped, undigested, just soft. It looks like the food has never ever been in her stomach -- maybe just hanging around in her esophagus -- or her digestion is just really really really slow.
I know this is gross. Welcome to our life.
She may go several days -- IF WE'RE LUCKY -- not throwing up, and then regurgitate 4 times in a 20 minute period. And it happens so suddenly, she's not even expecting it. If she gets excited, out it comes. If she's nervous, out it comes. If she gets up too fast, out it comes. And then, poor baby, she runs into her crate because she just can't figure out what just hit her.
She regurgitates when she's under stress. But according to Dr. E, it doesn't matter if the stress is good stress or bad stress. Same reaction. Supposedly, we could increase her dose of prednisone in anticipation of a stressful situation, but the same events don't necessarily trigger the same response each time. And we're at the lowest dose we can give her. If we start increasing it on a regular basis, she first gets terribly thirsty and drinks enormous amounts of water. That get regurgitated. Secondly, she starts losing her fur. Neither reason is acceptable enough to warrant a long-term increase. Also, see The Money Pit.
This past weekend while at my daughter's house, we decided to leave Sonny outside of the crate along with her brothers, Charley and Sig. Outside of the crate for the very first time without a human in attendance.Of course, she wasn't alone. Charley and Sig were there. But, when we came home after being gone one hour, she had regurgitated on the floor.
Of course. Stressed out because she was out of the crate for the first time. I should have known better, but I really didn't see that one coming.
Welcome to our life.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Traveling with Sonny
One of the good things about Sonny is that she travels in the car very well. If there's just the two of us, she sits up front with me and takes in the scenery. If it's a family trip, she's relegated to the back seat and usually sleeps. Unless we slow down or stop. Or take a curve too quickly. Then she's up and at the window to see what's going on.
Of course, when we travel with her, we are usually going to my husband's family homestead in western North Carolina, or down to coastal South Carolina to visit our daughter, husband and their two dogs. Both places have crates. I don't trust Sonny running free in any environment that isn't enclosed.
We don't really go on vacations. I don't like staying in places that permit pets, because they're usually dives. And I've decided that a vacation in a room with a hotel bed not as good as mine at home isn't much of a vacation. So it's rare we travel without her. Of course, it's rare that we travel period, except to the aforementioned family homestead and our daughter's house! Read my post entitled "The Money Pit".
When we're on the road, we usually stop about every two hours. We stretch our legs and Sonny stretches her's. Big sniffing conventions, because there's all these new smells. And some old ones, because we often stop at the same places.
We offer her water each time we stop. Sometimes she drinks, sometimes she's more interested in getting back in the car in case we decide to leave without her. As if!!
Of course, when we travel with her, we are usually going to my husband's family homestead in western North Carolina, or down to coastal South Carolina to visit our daughter, husband and their two dogs. Both places have crates. I don't trust Sonny running free in any environment that isn't enclosed.
We don't really go on vacations. I don't like staying in places that permit pets, because they're usually dives. And I've decided that a vacation in a room with a hotel bed not as good as mine at home isn't much of a vacation. So it's rare we travel without her. Of course, it's rare that we travel period, except to the aforementioned family homestead and our daughter's house! Read my post entitled "The Money Pit".
When we're on the road, we usually stop about every two hours. We stretch our legs and Sonny stretches her's. Big sniffing conventions, because there's all these new smells. And some old ones, because we often stop at the same places.
We offer her water each time we stop. Sometimes she drinks, sometimes she's more interested in getting back in the car in case we decide to leave without her. As if!!
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