Monthly Archives: June 2014

June 30, 2014 · 0:00

Blame Duncan if I Didn’t Respond to Your Comment

Thanks, everybody, for all the nice comments about Duncan.

Sorry if yours was one of the comments I didn’t answer.

You see, I was afraid. Afraid of what was happening with Duncan.

Yup, things didn’t start smoothly at all.

Twenty-four hours after bringing our new son home, we were at animal emergency, with a dying puppy.

We don’t know what happened or why, but he developed a fever of 106.3 degrees — dogs are normally 99-102. Our puppy was sick, and possibly dying.

If I am ever reincarnated as a dog, I want to be my dog. I’m not quite sure how I can work that out, though.

Anyway, Duncan was admitted, treated with antibiotics and IV fluids (at great expense). We left him last night, certain that he was going to die.

Thankfully he didn’t. He spent some more time with our own vet, closer to home, this afternoon before we brought him home early this evening (Monday).

So far, Duncan is acting very much like a puppy — he plays, eats, poops and pees. We are keeping a close watch on him.

I will never let him see this picture of himself during the interval between the ER and our vet. Because I fear he’d die of embarrassment.

“This is Embarrassing”

When I texted this photo to Jacob, he responded: “When did we switch to Dish Network?”

Everybody was saying sweet things about Duncan — and I just couldn’t answer when I didn’t know if he was going to make it.

We have no idea what caused the problem. It may be a bacterial infection, a virus. It could be all kinds of things. Tests to possibly determine what caused it would have cost $THOUSANDS, and we opted to treat, rather than investigate.

So far he is doing OK. Keep your fingers crossed.

85 Comments

Filed under Adult Traumas, Bloggin' Buddies, Dogs, Duncan, Family, Pets, Taking Care of Each Other

Tagged as Bad days, Crap, Dogs, Duncan, Family, Health

June 28, 2014 · 0:00

Crikey! Say “G’day” to Me New Mayte!

OK, I wanted to be clever.

Sorry. That’s not going to happen. Nope. Not today.

I wanted to write something that would make you wonder. That would keep you at the edge of your seat. That would make you laugh with joy along with me.

Nope.

Instead, I’m just going to introduce you to me new mayte.

Duncan

Duncan is a rescue puppy — a mixed Springer Spaniel/Australian shepherd. He came to us through a program that finds homes for the pets (and their pets’ progeny) of deployed service men and women. John’s sister found him on-line, sent me a link to him on petfinders.com, our application flew in and it was approved right away. All of this happened on Monday. Since then, we’ve been in a flurry of activity getting ready for a puppy.

I’m absolutely possible he will be an angel. Always.

I will probably be a bit scarce around these parts for a while!

72 Comments

Filed under Diet tips, Dogs, Family, Humor, Mental Health, Pets, Taking Care of Each Other, Wild Beasts

Tagged as Dogs, Family, Health, Humor

June 24, 2014 · 0:00

Good Reason to Fear European Travel

Since the Age of Exploration gave way to colonization of the Americas, folks living in our neck of the woods here in the U.S. of A. have feared travel back to the Old Country.

They feared crossing the ocean on a sailing vessel, a steamer, an ocean liner. It is a big ocean. (Remember the unsinkable Titanic)

They feared flying over the Atlantic in a dirgible (Remember the Hindenburg)

They feared flying over the Atlantic in an airplane because anything can happen.

But mostly they feared trying to get by in a language they could neither speak nor understand. That, and they use different money over there!

In recent years, though, more and more Americans are venturing abroad. Seeing the sights, the art, the scenery, the architecture that Europe is so justly famous for.

But all that will end soon. Because there is something new in Europe to fear.

Vaginas. Yup. Vaginas. Big ones. At least that’s what I read over at Talking Points Memo

A Giant Vagina Attempted to Swallow An American Tourist (Photo AP Photo / Feuerwehr Tübingen via TalkingPointsMemo)

Giant Vagina Sculpture Traps US Student in Germany

An American exchange student who got stuck in a giant vagina sculpture was freed by firefighters in southwestern Germany.

Tuebingen fire service official Markus Mozer said Monday that the young man slipped as he tried to climb into the stone sculpture to pose for a photo.

He couldn’t free himself, so the fire service was called. Four firefighters eased him out of the sculpture.

The incident happened on Friday and the student’s name wasn’t released.

Mozer says no damage was done to the sculpture, created by Peruvian-born artist Fernando de la Jara.

I think this story should give us all pause to fear what can happen when we step out of our comfort zone. Or maybe when we step too far into it. One of the two.

79 Comments

Filed under Adult Traumas, Conspicuous consumption, Diet tips, Holidays, Huh?, Humor, Stupidity, Wild Beasts

Tagged as Bad days, Crazy people, Health, Humor

June 17, 2014 · 0:00

Stephen King: Why The US Must Introduce Gun Control On Assault Weapons

I couldn’t have said it better if I too were a best selling author …

25 Comments

Filed under Humor

June 15, 2014 · 0:00

What’ll I Do?

“I have to believe,” Dad said smiling, looking across the table at the lot of us. By an amazing coincidence (school vacations) we had an unplanned family gathering — all seven of us, plus respective spouses and grandkids there in Florida at the same time.

It was bitter-sweet, though, we all knew would be the last with all of us together. Mom was fading quickly.

The laughter and individual conversations and one liners quieted down as we all expected Dad to give a toast.

“When I look at all five of you,” Dad paused, smiled, put his arm around Mom, “I have to believe … that your mom and I — are at least first cousins.”

The crowd roared.

My Dad wasn’t much for sentimentality. He was a wise-ass, and a very funny man with terrific comedic timing. But in his heart he was a romantic. And he loved those sappy, romantic songs from the 1930s and 1940s. Of course he did, he fell in love with Mom when she was singing them.

Actually, Dad wouldn’t tell me how he met Mom. Well, he told me how they met many times. A different story every single time I asked, with the more outrageous ones coming out if Mom was in the room. It became a wonderful game for the two of us. How he met the girl of his dreams.

“Dad? How’d you meet Mom?”

“One day I found myself whistling a happy tune, turned the corner and saw her and figured out why I was whistling.”

“Dad? How’d you meet Mom?”

“Who?”

“Dad? How’d you meet Mom?”

“I was just walking down the street one day, and she chased after me. She never DID let me go.”

“Dad? How’d you meet Mom?” I asked when I was hospitalized for the first time.

“She was singing in a show. She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. So I went back stage.”

I don’t really know if that was the real answer, but I suspect it is. Because Dad always had a soft spot for those old torch songs. And he loved to hear Mom sing them — which she did with such style, even if she was washing dishes as she sang.

So here, for Dad and his lady, is one of Dad’s favorites. I can remember him telling me the story of Irving Berlin and Ellin Mackay. They fell in love but her father disapproved, and sent her off to Europe. He wrote this song and married the girl.