It's Been A Great Day

Did I tell you I had 30,000 hits on this site? If I didn't look to the right below, and the last post. (and more pictures of my bichon frise, talk about repetative AND I'm going to talk about blood clots--but I feel I must) My grandkids say I've refreshed quite a bit or I have 10 friends that go here all the time. They are lovely children. They really are, they took care of me while I was waiting to go have an ultrasound for a blood clot @ the hospital. I should have taken pictures while they were here but they told me to blog about how great they were. So I am, they emptied the dishwasher, changed the sheets on the king sized bed, ummmm, picked up and fed themselves, went and got me coffee and other necessities of life, oh yeah they took the trash out. The picture below is Dispatch smelling where they had their slip and slide, I noticed he went out there and kept sniffing where it was, then I realized he was looking for them. They really are good kids, the oldest was vacuuming when I got home from getting my test done or trying, the vacuum tripped a breaker with the ac in this end of the house. We are having a wienie roast next Tuesday when their Aunt comes in from KS (with her little dog Toto, I'm kidding, I don't think she has a dog yet and hopefully it won't be named Toto). They are gone home now and all is quiet. Nobody is streaking but we won't talk about that part, apologies to people on the highway. My favorite line from the whole grandkid taking care of grandma thing came when I was up going to go to the bathroom.
Zach: "Grandma, what are you doing up?"
Me: "Going to go to the bathroom." Ok maybe I added "is that ok?" or "would you like to do it for me?" Grandma can be rather snide @ times obviously.
I fiddled around in the kitchen which is not obviously the bathroom, headed down the hall for one of the bathrooms down there, thought about what I'd forgotten to do in the kitchen, went back there..........
Zach: "Grandma, pick a bathroom and GO to it!"
Me: "Yes sir." Thinking OK, oh bossy one soon I will be able to walk freely. The kids did say after I was allowed to walk around they liked me better when I couldn't move????? But they were really good as always. Nobody cried hardly and I don't think we had even one serious punch the whole time.

My test results from the ultrasound? Taa Daaaa-----I do have a blood clot or clots everybody seemed to be rather rushed since it was Friday afternoon, I had the NICEST radiologist though or he had a fancy name for it but we will call him a radiologist since I can remember that word. We knew quite a few of the same people and had some good conversation. But the blood clot is superficial which means close to the skin, I evidently have some pretty thick skin because no way can you see it, maybe it's that nice layer of padding on my legs that look fat in certain pictures, see 3 posts back. So the prognosis? I can go to Louisiana, I can go back to work, I need to not sit or stand in one place for long periods of time, and I need to take Plavix and a baby aspirin daily and if anything else goes on with my leg contact the doctor IMMEDIATELY. Why am I so overjoyed @ this? It's MUCH better than a deep blood clot, keeping my leg up, not being able to work (even though I have 5 days left), having to do injections of blood thinner and just a much worse senario. So today is a pretty good day and Dispatch the bichon obliged by posing quite nicely and looking good even though I didn't get around to brushing him yet.He even looked at me when I took a picture, well sort of in the distance when he figured out the evil flash from the camera wasn't going to go off, I actually think he was sort of getting into posing?


So that was my day, I hope your Friday was as good?

Thirty Thousand But Who's Counting?

Whoo HOOOO!!! See that little counter way down on the right hand side. That's how many visits to my site I've gotten! I know there are others that have way more but I remember when I was ecstatic over 100 visitors a day or anything close to that. Now I know they don't all return, I know some don't even read, they look and say bye bye, I know that some are repeat readers and say 2000 of those views are me refreshing the pages? But still 30,000 is more than I'd hoped for since this blog hasn't been around that long so today is a day of celebration even though I have to spend part of it @ the hospital. May I repeat? WHOOO HOOOO!!!

I thank each and every one of my followers and readers. My relatives and friends want to thank you also because they are no longer getting such long involved emails from me because I blog. Sometimes they do come here to find out what is going on also, the pictures of my leg proved of great interest. See last two posts. Also I will update on what the doctor said this afternoon or evening when I get home from ultrasound. It's much better today after staying off of it most of the day yesterday. The (jailers) grandkids are doing their job well watching me, I think they are getting points or something to be able to yell "Grandma, WHAT are you doing UP?" And my reply is usually I'm going to the bathroom is that allowed??? Actually we are getting along great, they are still asleep so I am allowed to be @ the computer. Their mama brought snacks and a slip n slide so they are happy. She also made them a list of things to do which I think is GREAT!


Since this blog is about animals we've been talking about their reaction to sickness. When I had lyme Dispatch the bichon was by my side constantly, being as he's by my side constantly anyway that wasn't much of a test. No really he didn't pay as much attention to other people he stayed by me even if I slept 23 out of 24 hours which I did some days. If I am upset about something Dispatch immediatly knows and is all lovey wanting to snuggle. If I have a cold he is very concerned trying to figure out if I'm crying or just have a runny nose. Bichons are like extremely people oriented dogs though, they could care less if other dogs are around as long as they have their person or people. I mean he plays with other dogs but as far as he is concerned he is part of the family unit (and a very important part too!).

My oldest daughter and Dispatch have always had a love/hate relationship. She says he thinks he's better than she is and doesn't want to listen to her. There may be a bit of truth in that. She used to pull the hair out of his ears for me (necessary on a bichon) and give him haircuts, trim his nails, all the things that he wasn't happy with she would do for me so he wouldn't hate me. OK, I was weird not the dog, K? Dispatch was always VERY happy to have JJ pet him, he just didn't want to get close to her without mama. She also gave him this haircut which took forever to grow out, the picture is my husband turning our garage into a family room and the bad haircut dog. The couch is no longer with us thank goodness, I grew up with this couch and it's complete set of navajo rugs and covered wagon lamps to go with it. Can we say 50's kitsch? Sorry Mom.
So Dispatch the bichon LOVES my daughters kids, is so happy to see them, would go home with THEM (not her) I think. All the other dogs worship the ground JJ, my daughter walks on especially Mugsey who thinks he should be hers since she loves him SO MUCH and he will crawl on her lap to prove it. Down through the years Dispatch has gotten better with JJ but he still remembers the hair pullings and nail trimmings and she makes him sit and stay and she MEANS IT. BTW I do the haircutting, nail trimming, ear hair pulling now and make him listen and he is fine with it. He does run to Daddy if I get the hairbrush out though. This is a picture of my daughter and Dispatch when she helped me groom him in January, why did she help? She was there and he will sit still for her. He is trying to get away in this picture. She has my tight lipped look on, the one where the kids say our lips disappear?

So yesterday when my lovely wonderful daughter (yes they read this @ her work but that's not why I'm saying it) came over we expected Dispatch would be like glued to me and watching her for any sudden moves or commands. She brought groceries and looked @ my leg first thing and Dispatch is like HAPPY Dispatch, the bichon that is normally here with the kids. It was like he knew that they were here to help? I know dogs can sense their owners moods and maybe I was relieved to have company but this was weird. He's like playing with the kids and helping Sara my granddaughter play with her paper dolls, which are magnetic BTW they don't make them like they used to. Anyway Dispatch is completely relaxed glad to have JJ pet him, down on the floor wandering, it's just like he's forgiven her for making him sit when he didn't want to (mama going out door) or doing the dreaded nail cutting, ear thing.

So what does your dog do when you are sick or injured? Is there a family member that the dog treats funny and then decide that said family member may just be A-OK in their book after something happens?

What's Going On At Our House

Not much, that's for sure, I probably should have wrote this on Florence View but since everyone reads this one (maybe because it's the only one I post to regularly with any hope of something interesting) I decided to put it here.

First of all the picture of my legs (see previous two posts for the story of the blood clot and the fat legs), see how cleverly I covered my face, BTW I am fully clothed with shorts and a top and am resting. That lasted long enough to take the picture but I'm going back, leg is straight and elevated now I promise.

See all the junk behind me, that needs picked up and the desk needs cleaned, OK you realy can't see it but it's there trust me, can't file if I can't walk around much huh? OK maybe that's an excuse and I need to do that later today. I also need to plant, mow, weed, clean, dust and wash, plus pack for my trip to Louisiana that MIGHT GET DELAYED! Something about not letting me drive 700 miles with a blood clot. I'm prepared to bargain, I'll use the cruise control and stop every 100 miles and walk a bit? Doubt if that would make the doctor happy but we will just have to see what kind of blood clot it is. PLUS my daughter and "friend" are coming next week so it would be nice since he's like a neat person if the house wasn't like germy and messy or @ least not ready to be condemmed? See my nice flip flop lines on my feet, you know you don't dare call them thongs anmore or you get really strange looks?

Now I'm wondering if animals can really sense when you are injured or hurt. My dogs are sleeping, the cat does seem to be more attentive than usual but that problem was solved when I filled the large graniteware pan they call a food bowl. These are the dogs being worried. Part of the family room is still concrete (Mugsey is laying there because it's the coolest place) because it used to be a garage that was half carpeted. It's still half carpeted, with the wear and tear this room gets I just can't see new carpet but we will have to eventually. Anyway the dogs could care less, Dispatch does sleep by that leg that is swelling quite a bit I've noticed.














So why this obsession with weeding and mowing? Here's the front of the house, see the overgrown flowerbed? I didn't pick the hose up because I'm not supposed to be walking much you see?

















Then there is all this lawn, see the line of yellowish grass way in the distance down by the white house, we mow to there, soon this will be hay, thanks to my handy dandy cousin who does it, my husband would love to do it but this involves much time and about $10,000 worth of equipment we don't have. The pile of brush beyond the lawn furniture, I drug that over there yesterday, we are having a wienie roast next Tuesday night, I bet I can do that with my leg elevated! Anyway I usually do carry the brush off but have been stockpiling it from the storms

Here's the view to the north, see the yellowish grass there, we mow to there, and here's the log cabin I'm always talking about. We mow over there too. No it doesn't need mowed right now, I just finished by the cabin but it will soon need mowed over on this side of the driveway. Luckily my (jailers) grandsons are coming over later to watch me lay on the couch, they probably won't let me blog much unless I find something to bribe them with or use the laptop which gets hot and probably won't work on the couch. I do have ice cream in the freezer which can be used for currency, I can also let them go fish! I bet fishing is out until the ultrasound tomorrow too huh? I just don't see the difference between what I've been doing the last few days and what I do the next two till I get some dumb test? Other than work like @ my "real" job. Can you tell I'm not a good patient? Now for animal related stuff, if you haven't read Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote I highly recommend it, I'm reading it for the second time. OK, I storied about having nothing to read. Merle is approximately the same mixed breed as Mugsey, see photo above. Mugsey chases butterflies and vultures, Merle chased buffalo and prarie dogs, Merle was OK with rifles and hated shotguns? Mugsey hates anything that is above a normal speaking tone and goes into a trembling fit. Also Merle seemed to be much more shall we say active than Mugsey? Merle also seemed to have more personality or maybe it's just an active personality, one that doesn't involve snuggling and sleeping a great deal of the time like Mugsey. Mugsey is all about being a lap dog you see if he can get away with it. All people other than Mama and Daddy are subject to him crawling on the couch with them and then slowly inching his way onto their laps unless stopped. Since he's close to 50 lb probably (haven't weighed him lately and I bet I'm not supposed to go pick him up now because of my stupid LEG) him being on peoples laps is really not an option. I have also seen Mugsey hide behind Dispatch when they were "attacking" something like the strange hound that was in the yard yesterday. Not a pretty sight!

Back to my couch and book. I've also been reading Rubinman's mamas blog Forever Amber which is hilarious and Me and My Dogs (OK just the dog parts not much of the politics, I love Buttercup) and of course blogs like MzzLily's blahwg!, SquirrelQueens The Road to Here, see how neatly I got those in there? :-)

Would You Trust This Dog? (to be a nurse?)

Not really dog related or bichon related or animal related but I went to the doctor today. I'm glad I did, it's a blood clot. (see previous post for clarification and some nice pictures of a fat leg) Maybe superficial but we won't know till the ultrasound and I'm supposed to stay off of it as much as possible till Friday when I get the ultrasound. I'm off work with doctors excuse. Anyway notice the sort of strange look on the dogs face and the tongue sticking out, does he impress you as being really caring and trustworthy? Just kidding, everyone knows he worships the ground I walk on (as long as I'm devoting my entire being to him and possibly getting him CHEESE) and I love him more than I have ever let myself love a dog before. My cousin also lives next door in case I really need help with something.

So I went grocery shopping, and did as little walking as possible, took my doctors excuse by work and now I'm home contemplating my lack of new books. I can lay in the sun, riding the lawnmower doesn't do much for tanning the backs of your legs. If I do have a deep blood clot the doctor said something about self injections @ home with blood thinners but he was probably trying to mess with my head, not that he would do that but he is my cousin. We come from a family that didn't have dogs in the house in past generations, I have two dogs, my cousin has two dogs, my other cousins have a CAT, what is this world coming to?? tee hee hee

So I will probably be blogging and suntanning, I think it's OK if I walk a bit so will get some pictures, doctor said just to take it easy. I can see Dispatch plotting, he's thinking she can't move much and can't do much this means she can hold ME on her lap more and scratch my itchy spots and do the puppy massages we do and ask me if I love her and I'll wag my tail just so she keeps it up!

The End Of The Mockingbird? And A Photo Of My Leg

When I let Dispatch and Mugsey out this morning (yes Mugsey had been slightly skunked but it wore off thank goodness) I was greeted with a small pile of feathers by the back door, the picture was taken later after the wind had scattered them. They appeared to be, could it be? Mockingbird feathers! If you don't know the tale of the mockingbird you can go here, and here, and here to read about it. BTW the guest in the bedroom in the last post was awake quite early on vacation days because Mr. Mockingbird kept it up. Mr. Mockingbird also had a habit of deciding he needed to sing in a bush by my bedroom window @ 3 am. I wondered why the cats didn't try to catch him.

Every few days I am honored with the cats presents by the back door or between there and the feeding shelf, in the past month the gifts have been feathers probably 4 days, two snakes one of which was brilliant green and large, several mice, and several partial mice. Kitties have been busy, we have lots of toads, evidently toads and frogs can live in the feline kingdom of the yard of Paris Hilton the tomcat and Meany the lovable mama cat among others. You have to remember these cats have food available 24/7, they just like to kill things which is OK, they are supposed to kill mice. We have no mice problem now, they are supposed to kill snakes (or @ least I hoped they would), we've had no live snakes here for more than a month which is some sort of record. The birds? Well evidently kitties aren't as slow as they look. I'm afraid the mockingbird or one mockingbird was among the deceased birds which were sparrows till now I think. Doesn't Dispatch look like "Bird, what bird, I didn't kill any bird, it's HOT out here!" in the second picture?

Now for the leg photo's. First some history, I had lyme four years ago, yeah it's been that long!! And I'm like 95% recovered which is all anyone can ask for. Second bit of history that may or may not be relative. My dad had phlebitis, blood clots, took heparin or whatever they gave him for probably over 30 years. He was hospitalized with them several times. I never took "the pill" because of his blood clots and my supposed predisposition to them.

I sent these photo's to my kids, one is a nurse, one is training to be a vet assistant, and my cousin who has had medical training, so far I've gotten a I don't know from the vet assistant and the nurse who is with her. Background, a month or so ago I noticed my leg was slightly red on the inside of the right one. BTW I don't have FAT FAT legs, it's the pictures, actually my body is fat and my legs are skinny, that said we will continue. I then noticed I had a sore spot (like a deep bruise or small muscle pull) which was getting worse toward the bone right below the knee, no injury, two long car rides but this started before that I think. About a week ago, maybe 4 or 5 days I noticed the red spot on my inner thigh right above my knee, it's worse @ night, not visible in the mornings, till this morning and then it went away after I'd been up a bit. When it turns red it's swollen and warm or hot to the touch but then after I sleep all night it's like it isn't there, it's a little sore below if I poke it but nothing excruciating, I know it's there now but it's just a bit stiff feeling unless I push on it and I don't want to do that? Ideas? I haven't had any ticks on that leg I don't think, actually I haven't had many ticks @ all this year, I do use off, and if it's a blood clot shouldn't it be like PAINFUL??? The red is getting bigger and spreading upwards, @ least tonight. I do have insurance but I'm not one to run to the Dr. obviously, I did go to the dentist today because I'm trying to be like grown up and responsible and my tooth was ugly. Anyway any ideas on the redness and swelling? The small scratch is just that a tiny scratch, don't think it's infection. The spots are grass from mowing. After looking @ these pictures I feel almost obligated to put real pictures of my legs on here but really they aren't fat.