Month: September 2015

Dreary

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Well, we finally had a rainy night last night, and, might I add, it is long overdue.

Of course the summer was long and dry,perfect:the reason was because I was working ALL summer and didn’t have a chance to ENJOY it.Well, I did when I got the chance to get out with the girls and Jim and went for a ride or a hike. Still, the summer went flying by.

Here it is, the first week of autumn, and my first”weekend” off, and of course it is really dreary.I am getting the girls out, and most particularly,Zush and I are taking second walks so I can get a urine sample from her for tomorrow’s vet visit. She is meeting her new vet, and getting her second blood work drawn.

Please work a prayer or send some healthy puppy vibes up for the Zusher tomorrow-she sure can use it!

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Fitbit update

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I went to the Doctor this morning for my physical.I have been on the fit bit zip side Halloween 2014,and today, when I stood on the scale, I am down a total of 40 lbs since then-down 10 since March.If that doesn’t give testimony to the viability of the fit bit zip, I don’t know what does.

I looked at today as the fall tune-up for the auto season for the winter. I got my blood work done and we’ll see if hopefully,all numbers for me will be good.With that out-of-the-way, all is left is Zush and taking her in Thursday afternoon for her blood work second set. Please keep the prayers and good puppy mojo going for our girl.

Thanks!

Good Morning

I have hope in my heart that today will be a good day.

I had stayed up a little last night to watch the Supermoon, and to try to take some artful snaps. That, in itself was quite difficult, since I only have an iPhone 6 for a camera.Back in the day I owned a Pentax K1000 and took fabulous shots on that. 

 
That was the start from our back yard. Unfortunately the Ferry beckoned me in for a 7-3 shift today,so it was not long after that I had to hit the sack. I did manage to catch the eclipse and the red moon, which was neat.

What was even neater was our morning walk this morning.This is what we were treated to as we got down on the front porch. 

 
The girls and I started on our way and went down to see the bay.

  
  
Thanks to me not dragging along, the three amigas caught some awesome sights along the bay,to the point when we came back & I showed Jim the pictures, he asked where the moon went. I told him the morning walk was prime time while it was dark out.

   
 
So I am leaving you, gentle reader,with two of my night/morning after Supermoon shots. I hope you enjoy them.

Hanging

It is funny here at work, in that it is so blustery, people keep calling to see if the ferry is cancelled.

They are worried that the choppy water would stop a big ferry from crossing an 18 mile bay. When we tell them that It takes hurricane force winds to slow us, it gets really quiet and they go..”OH.”

The bay sometimes freezes over in the winter, but normally it runs 365 days a year.

  

By the Dawn’s Early Light

Had to get up early today,as work was early.

It is a dark walk these days,the curse of daylight savings time.I know seasons change, but it is rough getting out of bed.I love my girls, but the fact that work follows, well…not my favorite. I have to give them credit though-my gals love their walks. Granted, we don’t run, but Zush seems to have gotten a second wind now that it’s cooler, so we average two miles a morning.

All this while Daddy gets to sleep.

  
  

Frustration

So here I am, sitting in my living room with the pups and Pope Francis, and multi-tasking…multi-tasking,you ask?

I am live chatting with Josephine at Fitbit.

Last night, I had a low battery message on my Fitbit zip. Different battery, no more low battery message…but now my zip won’t sync with my phone.Josephine is, now 30 minutes later, processing a replacement zip for me. 

 
The girls fortunately are hanging with Pope Francis and not picking up Mom’s agita.

We’ll see how things go: stay tuned!

Inspiring and Hopeful

Fortunately, today is my Saturday.

The girls and I have cut our walk short to watch Pope Francis at the White House.

My buddy Kathy, who fostered Zusher, said maybe I can watch the Pope with Zush and Kasia. Between the prayers I am feverishly working and being electronically near the Pope, well, maybe good things can come.

I am inspired by Pope Francis,in that he is a humble man.I admit I really couldn’t connect with Pope Benedict, and I was fortunate enough to meet Saint John Paul II when he was a cardinal visiting in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1965.

Pope Francis’ time in the papacy, during this time of my life, brings me some comfort.It makes me truly feel a little closer to God.
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Hard to go

It’s getting to a point where my job is my job and that’s great.

My baby Zusher isn’t well.

I am trying to see with the first call from the lead vet, and waiting for the information for the second reading of the labs from a Philly vet, in order to take her for her second opinion.
If we get good new, for which I am praying, that would be great. If not and hospice is the term for Zush, I probable will leave the job to savor every day I have with the girls.

It all is in the hand’s of God and his hands on the heads of the vets.

Still praying for the girls….ALWAYS.
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The Voice

Tonight is the season premiere of “The Voice.” It starts with the blind auditions.

I got into watching this last season when we first moved down here. It is absolutely fascinating that people get up there and try to make a future and they are brave enough to try.

It’s amazing what determination can do. It’s  something to try to keep in everyday life. You have to be blessed with people who surround you with support.

If you have it,consider yourself fortunate- it is quite rare!

  

Days like this…

It is almost the end of my work day.

I will be happy to get home to my family.

The principal vet called me this morning here.We are going to rerun Zush’s blood work in a week,and in the meantime I am keeping an eagle eye on her, plus her usual love from me. I am bombarding heaven with prayers.

Always, it’s good to get home to those who love you. 

 

Season Fight

This morning the girls and I went for our walk and to say it’s humid out down here today is an understatement. I think the three of us came back dripping in sweat, that is, if dogs can drip in sweat. Based on the tongues hanging out of their mouths,and the drool that accompanied it, I think they would concur.

It’s weird because the houses have trash cans out front where people are already raking dead leaves up and other forestry type trash, and yet the temperature seems to contradict the day. It feels more like August 20th than September 20th.

So it’s off to work for me today, the purgatory shift of 10-6. I’m sweating now, and will go in and freeze because the air conditioning is tweaked up.

Pneumonia, anyone?
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And so we begin…

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My Zusher started her medicine yesterday afternoon to help keep her bottom dry. I have to get natural peanut butter around it, which, if you don’t know, is the only kind a dog should eat due to preservatives in the processed kind that can kill a dog. It took some getting used to, having peanut butter rather than liverwurst around a pill, but I think she is getting used to it a little.

I have mailed a copy of her lab work up to my buddy Kath in the city, so hopefully we can get a city vet’s read on the levels and see what she has to say. I called the lead vet in the practice that I take the girls to here and he’s due to call me Monday with his interpretation of the labs. On deck this week, also, is a second opinion appointment for my girl.

Although Zush may not be my “blood” child, I am praying she has my resilience and will fight like I did. I’ll be right where I am all along – right beside her.

Beauty

Despite the turmoil of the past few days, I got up this morning and got my girls ready for their day.

I had to come in early, so correspondingly, I had the girls up. It has made an impression in my mind to keep loving Kasia and keeping her in the loop.What effects us effects her, and after all, Zush is her sister.

The morning was beautiful,and ever mindful, was thankful to the Creator for another beautiful day with my family.

  

Life really sucks sometimes 

The vet called me this morning with the results of Zusher’s blood work.

The good news is she isn’t diabetic-hah something I could deal with.

Liver enzymes are elevated, calcium is elevated, she may have anal sac cancer and the vet just kept throwing things at me on the phone here at work between my tears.

Prayer and good mojo desperately needed.

Thanks!

  

Waiting Patiently 

….for Zush’s blood work to come back.

Fortunately,we went to the vet yesterday and we got to rule out organ failure,thank God. After losing Zusher’s buddy Lola to kidney failure last week, well, suffice it to say we loved Lola, and she was a buddy.

Now, we wait to see if our girl is joining the incontinence  club or just has a bad UTI.We are praying that things stabilize for her.

Every day God gives me with my girls and Jim is a blessing. They are my life.

  

An Open Letter to Joy Behar

Nurses deserved better than the treatment the got from the View

According to Kateri

As many of you have seen, Miss Coloradodelivered a beautifully spoken monologue about nursing during last week’s Miss America pageant. Recently, on The View as the pageant was discussed, Miss Colorado’s scrubs were referred to as a costume, and Joy posedthe question of why she was wearing a “doctor’s stethoscope.” Below is my now calmed down reply to all of it. Additionally, Iwould like to personally andpublicly congratulate Kelley Johnson RN on her chosen talent, it is one that will reward you forever.

Dear Joy Behar,

A beautiful woman in a beauty pageant put on baggy clothes and humbly walked across the stage to talk proudly about her career, and her passion for caring for other human beings, and the only thing you could muster in response was an insult grounded in ignorance.

Rather than being offended or getting angry, I will instead, take a moment to teach.

I am…

View original post 608 more words

Dog E Howser, MD ( with apologies to Doogie Houser MD)

So in the continuing saga of Zush being under the weather, I had an assignment from the vet.

I had to get a urine sample from her.

Jeez.

I had surrendered enough of me through all my cancers and stuff, and now here I am, Zush mom, and I am going after her with a ziplock bag to catch pee.I had no problems doing it, as anyone who knows my relationship with my girls, especially Zush, well, I would do anything with them. To top things off, the vet tech had said on the phone that if I couldn’t get a specimen, don’t let her pee before she gets into the office and they would get it from her.

HAH! No one is going to insert anything into my Zush to give her any discomfort. I had faith that I could get the sample. Indeed, I did.

Keep the good mojo and prayers going, please. I will post tomorrow on diagnosis.

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Good Mojo

If you remember from a prior post, our friends lost their gal, Lola, to kidney failure.

Now, all of a sudden, my Zush is “slightly damp” on her butt, so it goes without saying, we have a vet appointment tomorrow afternoon. I even managed the required pee sample to bring with us.

  
Here’s a shot of Zush going along to run after squirrels with Kasia.

Prayers and good vibes for my gal greatly appreciated!💜😘mm m 

Dancing in the Dark…

I am climbing on my soapbox again,beating the drum of how shift work really throws your body into a loop.

Today I am working 7-3,which translates into this 

   
You are used to normal light,getting up in the morning walking the pups,admiring flowers..,then you get streetlights and stars and the light of the cellphone to guide you as you walk.

To add insult to injury, I am working 10-6 tomorrow and tonite is the Eagles game.Sure I could stay up for it, but my money is crash and burn by 9.

Stay tuned.

Healthy is as healthy doesn’t….

I was off this morning so I had a chance to sleep in a little which was great.

Jim made a fresh vegetable and fruit juice which we had with poached eggs and rye toast, or at least I had the eggs and toast.

We went on the road and took the girls with us for a good hike back at Ponderlodge, the walking/nature area by us, and then went to our annual trek to buy mums. It was a great afternoon except for one thing…we got hungry.We had a coupon from McDonald’s for a free medium soda and fries when you buy a new buttermilk chicken sandwich.

Yup.

We got junk for lunch….

There is always room for a healthy dinner.

Just One

I have a day off tomorrow.

One.

It’s incredible, how just a day off got me through the day. I am missing a two day weekend. It has gotten to the point that just having 24 hours with Jim and the girls is a tonic that I am sorely in need of.

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend. Give the ones you love a hug.

  

Joys of the last Jersey ‘Maters

  
Decided to treat myself and make a Cooper sharp on rye bread grilled cheese sandwich complete with garden Jersey tomatoes.

It is hard to believe that I first started writing about our tomato harvest with a blog post about a tomato sandwich which really rocked. Here I am a few months later, lamenting the upcoming end of the season with a grilled cheese and tomato on rye.

I often watch Food Network and know there are chefs like Eric Greenspan who make the signature dishes dealing with gourmet grill cheese. God bless ’em, getting people to pay big bucks for a designer sandwich.

Me? I am a transplanted Jersey girl. Once these tomatoes are gone, there are no flavor filled ones like these. I’ll be on the wagon until next summer.

Rough day

Just got news of one of Zush’s buddies falling ill. 

When you are a parent, you watch your children grow up, we get older, but for those of us whose children have four paws, well, it’s as if we get cheated because our friends don’t get the time we desperately want them to get. So when it comes time to be praying and working good mojo, it feels as if I am praying  for a good friend of mine.

Putting pup prayers and good Karma from me, Jim, Kasia and Zusher….

Dog speed, our friend.

The PERFECT Storm

As George Costanza would say,”The sea was angry that day,friends…”

I knew when Zush was sick this morning,and as you see in the picture below,the ferries and weather looked Perfect Storm-ish.

Then, in my new hell room, the computer wouldn’t cooperate.people are snarling…a good day to be anywhere but here. Even the seagulls seem to have gotten a better offer.

If only I was so lucky.**sigh**

 

Season 1 is over

You can tell by the amount of morning gulls on the Tarmac. They allegedly got the word that the 9:30 ferry was lining up.

It is crazy to see the change between the Fourth of July week, and now, although those without kids come charging through. Then you get the ones who NEED to get to their Florida home:why? Hurricanes not coming quick enough for you this summer?

Now my bud is back next to me so I hope things are better today. It’s amazing when you have someone who knows what crap you are experiencing…helluva sisterhood with my pal Katie…love her! 

 

Clock this Biologically, the Saga Continues….

The new schedule was in my box today.

Talk about the nightmare that won’t die. Once again, the schedule is formatted ala’ maritime format. Once again, discriminating on anyone like me with vision issues. When you think the font can’t get negative, hah….I kept looking through all three levels of my glasses and it was still a struggle.

I don’t know if you can file a statewide complaint: I think I have to look into it. This makes me wish I was a lawyer.

Poison 

Nothing like moving into a mustard room, post vacation,and it’s just too much.

Bad enough my spirits are smashed, now I lose my window on the world and the ferry . I am stuck in a cracker box of a room with yentas who don’t freaking shut up. The good part it I found an extension  cord over by this desk I got,so I can plug my kindle in. I don’t, however, have a cord for my phone,so I have to work on that.

All I have to say is “aargh ”

  

See Ya!

  
This sign is along the green area where I walk my girls every day. I always question the fact where it says subject to fine, because there never seems to any law enforcement types around to enforce this law. 

When we walk, in addition to bags for the dogs, I bring one for tourist litter. Beer cans, tasty kake wrappers, McDonald’s half eaten sandwiches and their wrappers, 5 hour energy bottles… I could go on and on.

So yes, summer dollars are dependent on summer tourists. In an ideal life, they would have some consideration for the people who live here.

Don’t let the door hit you guys on the way out…..

Labor Day

I was blessed for thirty years to work in a job that had a union.

Sure, when you are a kid out of college, you have only what you studied in history and political science classes to supply your basic knowledge, but once you are in the position, what an education you get with it. You learned what previous workers fought for and won for you . The health benefits my Union fought for and won are the reason I won my most serious battle with cancer in the fall of 1993-1994.

Tomorrow is Labor Day. For me it’ll be a day of being thankful for being a lifelong Union member.

  

The Morning After

I love my vet here… really, I do. Zush gets along with them.

Kasia? Uh….suffice it to say she got three out of four paws clipped. It never ceases to amaze me how some people can clip dog nails with no problem. My former vet in the city used to say just clip there nails where they can’t see you do it, that is, bend their paw back so they can’t see you do it.

I might be reading up on this.

That should give you an idea of how yesterday went….enough said. 

 

Ruh-roh…

We’re off to the vet today.

Zush has been established with the local vet down here and we have had pleasant experiences with them.

The issue is Kasia.

Kasia is a tough bird, and whatever was done to her when she was a pup, well, she is not a happy camper when it comes to vet visits.They both need their nails desperately cut, and hopefully, having Zush with her, well, I am saying some prayers that it will not be THAT bad. I think my Kasia is no dummy, though, because she is looking at me with the ” You have something planned for me today, and I’m not going to like it.” AARGH….

We’ll see how it goes, so put some karma out there for the baby girl…and me too!

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Sailing away

As Labor Day sails into distance, I can only wonder,what is coming down the pike.

We were informed that next week the office I have spent the summer in, and we are moving back to an ugly, mustard colored room with no windows.I have to admit I am not looking forward to it. I got spoiled having a view of the boats and water.

Perhaps something better will come along, or maybe we’ll be able to keep this office a little longer.Either way, it has been an enjoyable summer,and where else could I get a job that I’d be able to wear my fit bit zip and get 3000 steps a day during 30 minutes for lunch.

Not a bad dig!

  

*Sigh*

There’s nothing like the swift kick of major disappointment, no matter what your age,to really get you low.

Best of intentions, promises, ideas are all good when it comes, but hey…you are left at square one. It wouldn’t hurt so much if you weren’t anticipating it… There is only one way around it. After all, I always read that man plans and God laughs.

just breathe and pray on it…that’s how I roll. Don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed.

  

Alyx

it was eighteen years ago today that my sweet niece, Alexandra, lost her fight to a mid-brain tumor.

Alex was one of a kind: smart, pretty, witty and yet, God felt the need to make her an Angel. I survived my share of cancer, but God wanted the good angel.

I am grateful my older nephew Matt had the chance to have a few memories with her, as Greg was too young.

I pray that I will see her again one day. I know we’ll have enough to catch up.

  

Optimism 

It is incredible what the flip of a calendar page brings.

September is here and my heart is wide open to all new experiences coming down the pike. Change is in the wind, be it good, bad or indifferent…the key element here is change. Change is movement-at least you aren’t wallowing and stagnant!

It is a blessing to get up in the morning and get my two feet on the ground. It’s a blessing to see Jim ok and the furgirls ok. When I take them out in the morning, I say my prayers and talk to family in heaven. I get to walk in a natural area surrounded by beauty. When times are rough, all I have to do is remember that.

If only all were as fortunate as I am.