not_hathor: (Cassiopia Nebula)
Ref: my Last Entry.

On top of Jethro's re-currant cancer and the hassles of trying to keep the main site clean, dry, and not licked into a bloody mess -- yes, we have a 'cone', but when Jethro wears it he can't get at his food or water, so we have elected to try other methods of keeping it protected -- none of which have proven completely effective! -- um, I digress.

Wednesday, that same week, Mom fell in the kitchen and broke her wrist, ended up in the ER and came home with a temporary cast and a referral to the Rockford orthopedic surgeon. Mom's travel buddy of many years, Thelma, passed away that day. Closer to home, the church music director missed Wednesday night handbells and choir practice that night and attempts to reach her at home, including a call to the village police department to do a welfare check were not successful. A second welfare check Thursday morning which was instigated by a neighbor and a second neighbor who had a key discovered that Charla had passed away sometime either Tuesday or Wednesday (we weren't privy to the coroner's report). The fate of Charla's elderly beagle Skippy was up in the air until late last week, when the friend of one of our members agreed to take her. Cue the scramble to find Charla's brother (northern Iowa) and sister (Georgia), and a substitute organist for Sunday worship on Jan. 29th.

I feel horrible about Mom's wrist; sad about her friend Thelma, who I've heard about for years and finally met on our trip to Michigan and Canada a few years back; devastated about Charla, who was easily my best friend at the church and my back-up advisor when it came to Presbyterians and church office details, for over 22 years.....

Like I said, a long two weeks. At least Mom got to attend Thelma's visitation last Monday (she hadn't heard yet from Rockford, so everyone told her that if they hadn't called her by 11 a.m., she should just go).... And later in the week, Younger sister took her up to the doctor where she had more x-rays, was fitted for a more flexible temporary cast and was told it looked like a 'good' break (meaning no surgery required to correct misaligned bones), and come back in a week for a better cast....

Obviously, Pastor Katie got a hold of Charla's family and the past week was spent in clearing out her home and her office at the church. We found the organist that Charla had been talking to about subbing for her later this month, he fell in love with our sanctuary organ and has stated that as long as we want him, he will play for us (we're still looking for a formal Music Director, though, because we don't know yet how well he will work with the choirs), and Charla's Prayer Shawl ministry, which was one of her passions and which I have been a part of for the past three years ... is currently in limbo. Everyone talks about how keeping it going would be a TRIBUTE to her memory, but no one wants to take charge and do the work.

Sigh. Me, I'm still learning PowerPoint, one mistake at a time. And dealing with Jethro... one long-sleeved t-shirt at a time.

So effing tired.
not_hathor: pic from Shelter web page (Jethro Chow)
Jethro had developed a sore on his right rear leg. I was desperately hoping that it was an infection from an undiscovered cockle burr or cone flower seed, which were the bane of our existence back in December when Jethro would cheerfully drag me through a mess of dried weeds whist on our thrice daily walkabouts (and I would spend half an hour picking them out of my pant legs, and at least that long carefully combing out the silly half Chow's fur) -- yeah, no. Cancer, as were the lump under his right armpit and the one on his left side mid-back. And its the fast spreading kind. Nothing really to be done, except love him, try to make him comfortable, no idea how long he has left, and cry. He's still bright-eyed and bushy tailed, except for the two days following the biopsy procedure -- when he could barely walk without someone supporting his back legs with a makeshift sling, and totally lost his appetite... He's pretty much back to normal except he keeps licking at the spot on his hip and the only way to prevent it is The E-Collar, or somehow keep it covered -- and the location is not conducive to bandages -- we've had some success with backwards tee-shirts (tail goes through the neck hole, legs down the sleeves and tie the bottom slack up around his waist.... but the whole thing has to to come off when we take him outside to do his business.

At least he's now eating enough that he actually HAS business to do.

Exhausting.

But wait, there's more!

Except, I'm tired and sick at heart. and it's bed time.
not_hathor: pic from Shelter web page (Jethro Chow)
The stitches are out, Jethro is allowed to use the porch steps again but has become accustomed to being walked around the block several times a day!!! Spoiled rotten half-Chow ...

The 'Grapefruit' was biopsied: apparently there WERE cancer cells detected; Dr. Jenn is reasonably certain they got it all, but suggested we keep our eyes open in case it comes back. We are still on the Kidney Function diet... I've wondered if at this point it would be helpful to have Jethro's DNA analyzed so we might have some idea on how long he might have left -- he's already pushing the upper range of Chow life expectancy.

(Hugs Jethro gently)
not_hathor: pic from Shelter web page (Jethro Chow)
Since a week ago yesterday, we have not had Da Internetz at our humble abode. Because Husband thought the new internet provider actually had their act together and cancelled AT & T. Surprise! (They didn't) Plus said same new internet provider has been dragging out the installation up at the church as well... needless to say, we now have our home connection restored!!!! Much rejoicing!!!

During all this was a great deal of fretting re: the Grapefruit growing out of Jethro's chest. To be specific, scheduling the surgery and figuring out how to pay for it --- mainly by pushing back various previously planned expenditures and hope Riza the Red Malibu doesn't blow a gasket before Christmas. So Wednesday morning, Jethro was delivered to the vet's office bright and early, and surprisingly they allowed him to come home that same afternoon. He is not allowed to use the stairs, and therefore one of us (usually me) has to walk him down the ramp and around and around the yard until he pees and poops, then back up the ramp again several times a day... for the next two weeks.

I can't complain too much, as I was terribly afraid that Jethro wouldn't be coming home on his own four feet. Why do I love these silly Chows so much?

Because I do.

And it's time for Mama Chow to indulge her whiny boy --- again. I'm going to catch pneumonia at this rate because its cold and rainy out....
not_hathor: pic from Shelter web page (Jethro Chow)
When our trusty Furnace maintenance person finally got here late last Wednesday, he was honest: the furnace was over 30 years old, at the end of its 'life span', and he was candidly uncertain if: 1) it COULD be repaired and if so how long it would stay operational, and 2) if it SHOULD be repaired, as it would be extensive and expensive and quite possibly be unsafe to operate.

So, he went through our options, all of which involved replacing the furnace after winter was finished -- That's the LONG TERM plan. The SHORT TERM plan, is to weather (pun deliberately intended) out the remaining month and a half of winter following the steps in my previous post.

The long-range weather forecast seems to indicate that things will start to slowly warm up once we get past the this weekend. I'm more worried about Jethro and the cold than us humans. He does not have the thick undercoat common to most Chow mixes, and he doesn't like the fleece coat that we found buried in a storage bin (left over from Orion, when his fur got thin and patchy due to the liver cancer). We'd get him one of those heated dog beds I'm always seeing on-line, except knowing him, he'd ignore it....

Sigh. We're hanging in there.

Oh, today is the anniversary of the day we brought Jethro home from the Shelter. Happy Birthday, Jethro!
not_hathor: (Chows)
It's been a week, now. Still getting used to only one dog underfoot in the mornings; not spending 20 minutes following Bel around the house until she decides which door she wants to go out (always eventually the Mudroom, but only after checking both front and back porches and multiple stops at the water bowl); making certain she gets down the porch steps all right, turning down the heat on the sauce pan so the chicken/beef liver/leftover pork in beef broth with sesame oil and soy sauce doesn't boil over and putting on my velour hoodie before going outside to bring Bel up the ramp when she's done with her business (because Dr. Jennifer agreed that bringing her up the ramp would give those weak back legs better exercise/be easier than the mudroom steps -- although she'd still TRY if I took too long coming outside! Bless her stubborn Chow heart!); warming up egg and sausage scramble for breakfast (and making sure there's enough to give Jethro a small portion, too) --- that was our routine through the month October. Sometimes Bel would eat kibble out of my hand; sometimes Moist & Meaty, sometimes chunks of canned dog food. The boiled meats would be cooled and sliced and saved for lunchtime, or suppertime or just before bedtime.... It was only those last few days that she started refusing everything except lunchmeat.

Saturday morning, Husband and I sat down to a breakfast of biscuits and gravy; Jethro positioned himself in his usual spot between our chairs. I made the mistake of glancing over to the floor at the end of the kitchen table. No little black Chow waiting (im)patiently for her share... Rather than endure that emptiness, I got up and brought out my 'life-size' wolf plushie, Timmain, and plopped her down in that spot. I could see her out of the corner of my eye, and that made things just barely bearable.... Timmain has received an abundance of hugs this past week; Jethro has never tolerated hugs well in the past, but he has been more touchy-feely lately.

Jethro wanders around the house, carrying the rawhide chew bone we bought him Friday night -- I think he wants to show it to Bel, except he can't find her...
not_hathor: (Default)
Well, yesterday morning I went up to the church to get my paycheck (Yays!) and spent about an hour working on the April newsletter (had to rewrite a couple of paragraphs) and the Palm Sunday bulletin... then I get a call on my cellphone from Dr. D, letting me know that Palm Sunday has been cancelled, but we're going to try for the Maundy Thursday service on April 9th.

[I hope the Worship Committee called to cancel the palm branch order.]

Then he asked if I could forward a message to the congregation about said cancellation, and oh, yes, can I figure our how to forward a sermon for Sunday that one of the other local Presbyterian pastors has offered to share.... um, yes, and I guess so....since I AM able to access the church e-mail from home. So I closed up the office again, and went home. And waited on an email from our Certified Lay Pastor who 'thoughtfully' instigated the whole thing, and it turned out the Sermon was actually the full worship service!!!!

I'm waiting for complaints about cluttering up mailboxes, and someone else suggesting 'can't Mary do that, too?' Well, I don't have sermons on tap, but I COULD do the rest of it but that would mean *GASP* breaking quarantine at least once a week.....

Which I would be okay with as long as I'm the only person there, and I remember to sani-wipe my desk and phone and computer, and no one catches me at it (like the cops or Gov. JB).

Had to re-order one of my meds on-line this morning...my doctor had me double my daily dose, which means I ran through the 90-day supply in 60 days --I alternated 1 - 2 - 1 instead of 2 daily, because the on-line pharmacy won't let me re-order until THEY say it's time! And my doctor hadn't sent in a revised prescription yet. Bah!

Jethro goes to get his shots on Monday -- if it was just the routine stuff we could have let it slide a bit longer, but he's due for the Rabies shot this year and we need that to keep him legal with the County. I'm just glad the vet's office is willing to do it under the circumstances.

Well, that's it for me! think I'll go back to bed....

P.S. - Not Exactly Quarantined
not_hathor: pic from Shelter web page (Jethro Chow)
Today has been a loooonnng day..... got up at 6:45 a.m. in order to take Jethro (the handsome half-Chow in the Icon) to the vet, because at his annual shots & physical two weeks ago the vet spotted a couple of bad teeth (probably why his breath has been less than pleasant the past few months!)  We'd gotten an estimate (roughly in the area of $600) which we could manage (with a bit of juggling and redemption of a matured Savings Bond, just to be safe)..... So dropped the boy off (not a happy camper), and went to work..... Worth noting that ever since our first Chow, Kahvi, went in for a supposedly routine abscessed tooth (which turned out to be bone cancer) and did not wake up from the anesthetic, Lo! some 30 years ago, the undergoing of surgery for any reason of subsequent Fur Babies has been a cause for anxiety in our household ---

I was a nervous wreck all morning, while printing and collating not only the usual Easter morning bulletin, but also the program for this evening's Good Friday service -- to the point that I misprinted 180 Easter Sunday bulletins, and consider myself very lucky that I was able to hand-correct with 'White-Out' tape ... and some other stuff got done.  Oh, and a phone call from the vet with the news that they'd discovered TWO more bad  teeth that needed removal, and that would most likely add another $200 to the bill.

At which point I seriously considered sending an e-mail to the organizers of MediaWest*Con to the effect that if my check for $110 (memberships for myself and Daughter) STILL hadn't cleared the bank by the end of today (mailed Feb. 27!) I was going to consider it LOST by the Postal Service and have my bank do that thing where they void  a check, because the money was needed elsewhere, and maybe we'd try again next year.

Fortunately, when I went home for lunch, I located my ShinyCredit Card statement and discovered that even if the Vet bill ran to $800, I could split the amount between SCC and my Bank Debit Card, and while it might be tight until my next paycheck (at the end of next week), it could be done.

But continued to fret, because The Waiting......

And the Vet called, and said it's done and Jethro wants to come home, can you come and get him?  And I cried a little with relief, picked up Daughter from  her work, and went to rescue my Silly Half-Chow, who can be a pain and a half, but we still love him and things would be way too quiet if he wasn't around.

Sigh.  So Jethro is on soft food for ten days, with a week's worth of pain medication -- oh, and the tab was just over $700.  And he looks silly because they had to shave a front leg for the IV, and a back leg for the blood pressure cuff because his fur is too thick to get a good reading.

And, while my check has still not officially cleared the bank, both Daughter and I received e-mail verification that we do indeed have MediaWest*Con memberships.

So.  Who wants to have a Highlander 30th Anniversary Party at MediaWest this year?  Anyone else going?
not_hathor: (Ryou)
*waves at f-list*

It's busy season again at work (Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter are the top two); at least this year we don't have an Anniversary Celebration added to the mix, but the Spring Bazaar is smack-dab in the middle. Bleh.

Check out the site: http://www.qcanimezing.com/

The early registration discount ends March 20. I'm planning to get my money in later this week. *odyssia*, you have first dibs on crash space at our house. Do you want me to get you registered, and pay me back later?

I need to go shopping for Husband's birthday present later this morning. After I take Jethro in for his booster shot.

At least the coughing crud has subsided a bit.

Later!
not_hathor: (Ryou)
*waves at f-list*

It's busy season again at work (Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter are the top two); at least this year we don't have an Anniversary Celebration added to the mix, but the Spring Bazaar is smack-dab in the middle. Bleh.

Check out the site: http://www.qcanimezing.com/

The early registration discount ends March 20. I'm planning to get my money in later this week. *odyssia*, you have first dibs on crash space at our house. Do you want me to get you registered, and pay me back later?

I need to go shopping for Husband's birthday present later this morning. After I take Jethro in for his booster shot.

At least the coughing crud has subsided a bit.

Later!
not_hathor: (Default)
First the Canine: These are actually photos from the shelter's website and were taken before we brought him home. He's put on some weight since and his Chow mane is starting to grow in. His coat is smooth and soft; he doesn't seem to have the usual fuzzy undercoat like Bel and our previous Chows (even Orion, when his summer clip grew back in -- we used to call him Mr. Velvet during the summer). Jethro is so friendly and affectionate, but the 'nibbling' gets a bit annoying. Several people have suggested that he may have been taken away from his mother too early, but no one has offered any suggestions on how to get it to stop yet -- Moffet???








And now, two more pics of the new Car: haven't named it yet but something will eventually come to me....







Later!
not_hathor: (Default)
First the Canine: These are actually photos from the shelter's website and were taken before we brought him home. He's put on some weight since and his Chow mane is starting to grow in. His coat is smooth and soft; he doesn't seem to have the usual fuzzy undercoat like Bel and our previous Chows (even Orion, when his summer clip grew back in -- we used to call him Mr. Velvet during the summer). Jethro is so friendly and affectionate, but the 'nibbling' gets a bit annoying. Several people have suggested that he may have been taken away from his mother too early, but no one has offered any suggestions on how to get it to stop yet -- Moffet???








And now, two more pics of the new Car: haven't named it yet but something will eventually come to me....







Later!

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