Notes from ShellyCentral

16 Pictures from the Weekend

We went to Pittsburg this weekend to celebrate birthdays and throw a baby shower.
Friday night we had dinner and then redboxed a movie. I love this picture, and that we drug in the matress from the guest room so Lindsay could get comfortable.

I swear this baby is not drunk. Just way too tired, I promise.

When the Joplin Humane Society has a pregnant dog to be fostered, one of the people they call for help is my momma. Right now she has a scared but sweet momma dog, named Sophie. She is Weimereiner and Lab. She just had 6 babies. They were too little to really hold or play with so I just took some pictures for my mom to post. Here's a couple. If you'd like one, or the needy yet loving Sophie, contact the Joplin Humane Society.

This shirt says "I still live with my parents." I love it. I bought it for my nephew Matthew when he was a baby and it was fun to see my little baby girl in it.

For my mom's birthday, she got a tattoo of 3 paw prints.
My brother dropped in to surprise her, bringing his girlfriend and our cousin Tyler. We all went out to eat at my mom's favorite restaurant.

Today we threw another shower for our baby sister's baby.

I love this one of Lindsay, cutting up veggies for her own shower.
Megan did a Fantastic job with the decorating.

Me and my baby sister.

Me and my baby niece! The next time I go to Pittsburg it will be to meet her! I can't wait.

15 Pictures of Henry

Tonight I looked through Henry pictures on my Flickr. These are some of my favorites.

Sad Times

I have been in the hot tub and man am I feeling relaxed.

It was so much nicer than I remembered. I was trying to figure out a way I could get one in my own back yard. Alan swears they're more trouble than they're worth but I find that kind of hard to believe.
I mean I'm all relaxed and I'm having a really anti-relaxing time right now. Well the hotation has been fantastic. Free time with the long term bestie, amazingly good food, lovely hotation room - that's all fantastic. But today I got the news my mom's sister is in the hospital and won't be coming out. And I'm pretty sure (ok I'm totally sure but it's hard to say it) that I'm going to have to say goodbye to Henry this week. Which is beyond horrible and I can't even stand to think about it. As I posted on FB, it's not a great time for my family.

Here's a thought that keeps getting stuck in my bean. Last Thanksgiving I had 3 amazing little Lhasa Apsos. This Thanksgiving I will have one. How sad is that? Well I don't really know but it seems fat too sad to me.

I feel badly for having this road bump of bad news while I'm supposed to be carefree and happy with Debra, especially since she's done so much for us to have a good time. It's weird really because I have had a nice time and enjoyed myself and Deb's company, but there's just all this darkness kind of hanging over me.

Yuck.

Hotel Dreams

Sleeping away from home always leads me to crazy dreams. Last nights were super weird. I think I've forgotten a couple, but here's what I remember:

I woke up and my bed was gone. All the bedding was still there, but the bed had just disappeared. I was sitting on the floor with a dog. I thought to myself Henry must have passed on and his spirit come to say goodbye to me. I turned on my flashlight to check him out and it wasn't Henry, even though it was colored just like him. There were actually two little identical Lhasas with me. Dream Debra woke up and I told her what was happening. Neither of us could figure out what was going on. In real life I was listening to music through my earbuds and in the dream I was listening to the same thing. Todd was singing "ask the man in your heart for the answers" and I repeated it. That's what I need to do, I said. Then I'll understand this dream. I woke up, and tried to ask the man in my heart for the answers. I'm not sure I got an answer.

..

I was riding in the back of a car. I had some thick purple liquid, like maybe some kind of grape syrup, all over my left hand. I wiped it off but there kept being more. I realized my index finger was cut and I was bleeding the purple liquid. I knew that wasn't right and told the other people in the car I needed to get to the hospital.

...

I woke up in a house that was apparently mine. I found Luna, looking bright and fluffly and healthy. Maybe she was in a closet or under some clothes or something, but I found her and was so happy to see her. I sat down by her and hugged her. She let me, which she never did in real life. I cried and told her how much I loved her and how happy I was to see her. She had come back to visit and to let me know she was ok. She didn't stay too long but long enough that I got to love on her pretty good. She went upstairs to the attic to leave. I followed her and when she got to a spot that I couldn't really follow or see her anymore, I saw the back of a lion, who was there to escort her back to their world.

Family Talk

Man my arm hurts. It's been so much better but I just chopped up a bunch of chicken breast for Henry and about half way through it started feeling like something was stabbing me in my bicep. Ouch! So why am I typing? Good question. No answer.

Speaking of Henry, he is just not doing so well. It seemed like he was better, but I just don't know. Poor little sweet dog. We had a family talk about him today. We all love him so much, and he's so much a part of our family. I always knew it was hard work having a pet, but I never really considered this, the hardest part.

We talked about a lot of other things at the family talk, too. About the new wifi router/server Danny bought, about changing the names of all our devices so we have a theme, about Thanksgiving plans, about the 2015 (or 2016) giant family trip to Disney World, about the schedule for getting new computers, about what we all want for Christmas, about Google TV -- lots of stuff. It lasted a long time, but it was mostly good.

I've done a bunch of stuff to prepare for the upcoming staycation. Is staycation really the right word? I don't think so, but I'm only going to KC so it's not really a vacation or a trip so I don't know, that's what I'm calling it. I've done all the boring stuff and now I just get to pack up the bag. I decided last night I'm going to take some art supplies and maybe do something in my seriously neglected art journal. I kind of love packing. I'm almost always up for anything that calls for packing a bag. Throw in a hotel and I am all about it.

I'm taking kind of a lot of stuff, especially for just a couple nights. I'm taking the same suitcase I used for 4 weeks in Europe. Kinda crazy. But it's not so important to pack light for a staycation. I won't be waiting at airports or running up and down stairs at train stations.

Did you notice I've been posting every day? That's because I'm posting every day in November. I'm not sure if I've said that or not, which probably means it's about the third time I've said it.
I am still waiting for episode 5 of American Horror Story to be posted somewhere. I don't think it's going to happen. FX is replaying it Tuesday night and I think I'm going to have to wait till then, dang it. I want more now! I never really considered myself anything like a mystery fan, but I so dig it when I don't know what's going on or what's going to happen in a story. Love it.

Hannah just came down. Henry's having some bad poo issues. Dang it. Poor Hank. I'm going to try to help...

Poor old Henry.

This past weekend my old dog Henry wasn't eating his food. I wasn't (and am still not) sure if he can't or won't, but he would walk up to it, sniff it and then walk away. Over and over. He was obviously hungry so I cooked him up a chicken breast. He gobbled it down and I was still not sure if he loved it because he was so hungry and couldn't eat the dog food or if he just loved it because it was warm people food.

Yesterday I got him some better food. It came in chunks and seemed a lot easier to eat, but he still wouldn't eat it unless I picked out the meat parts and hand fed him. I was glad he was eating but couldn't see myself doing that twice a day every day. I was worried, but when I made him some more chicken breast he ate it right up. So that was good.

In the evening when I went looking for him I found him in my room, laying in a big puddle of his own pee. I coudln't tell if he couldn't get up or wouldn't, so I helped him up and dried him off and took him upstairs where Danny could help me get him washed up.

(Oh, that's another thing that's made me worry. He doesn't really ask to go out anymore. He just pees wherever he is when he has to. He's old and I don't mind cleaning up after him so much, it just seems like a bad sign.)

Henry has never liked getting wet and likes it even less now that he's old and doesn't think he should be bothered. It wasn't even a real bath, I just washed the underside of him but he was starting to freak out. He has seizures when he gets overly excited so I was trying to get it done before he freaked out too much, but no such luck. As I was starting to dry him off he had a seizure. Poor old dog! I cuddled him while we all stood around making sure he was ok. After a while he woke up let me hold him for a while, then he started walking around like normal.

But I was worried. There's no way I'm ever going to give him a bath again. Or get him groomed since the last time I took him to the groomer's he had a seizure right there in the lobby. He may or may not be able to control his bladder. He always waits for me to carry him up or down the stairs no days. He may or may not be able to eat dog food, which probably has more nutrition than just chicken and rice (is that enough for him to eat?). He may or may not be able to get up from the concrete floor when he wants. I was just kind of a mess about him.

So I asked on the FaceBook when people who have had to decide knew it was time to let their pet go, and 1. I was so happy at people's love and compassion and 2. I realized Hank still has a while to go before it's time to say goodbye. He still loves to eat. He gobbles up the chicken and rice every time. He gets excited when I give him a milkbone treat, or when Danny brings home beef jerky bits for him and Daisy. He is eager to eat the deli meat I hide his pills in twice a day. And he drinks tons.

If he doesn't want to climb the stairs I'm happy to carry him. He only weights a dozen pounds or so.  If he pees inside, well it's gross but I can clean it up with dog towels and household chemicals. If he gets dirty or lays in the pee again I'll use baby wipes and clean him the best I can, and if he needs his hair cut again I'll deal with that when I need to.

Today was a much better day. He actually climbed up two sets of steps himself when he wanted to eat today, as well as up the front steps when he was done hanging out in the front yard. He seemed to have a great time wandering around the back yard in the good weather today. Hannah told me he still tries to catch the red dot when she gets out the laser pointer which encouraged me. So he's doing better and I think he's not as bad as I was afraid he was. I know he's still ancient. He's got a heart murmur and a leaky valve. He's 17 years old. I know he's not going to be around forever. I just never, until last night, really seriously thought I might have to help he pass over.

I still hope I won't. I still hope he'll outlive the oldest Lhasa Apso who lived to be 21. But mostly I'm just really glad it won't be tomorrow, or this week, or probably even this month. Maybe not even this year. I don't know.

Big thanks though to my pet loving friends on FaceBook. You guys helped me so much. I love you! And I thought you might want to know the whole story, so there you go.

Fluffy Daisy

Guess who got groomed today.

Before.

After.

bittersweet

We are finally home. I've been gone for a really long time so it is totally rocking that I am home.
It's a little too empty here though, too, so it has it's down moments.

Tomorrow is Monday. For me, D & H, tomorrow is Christmas Morning. We've been saving our gifts and the cookies for breakfast for tomorow morning, so Santa comes tonight at this house. As usual I know everything I'm getting for Xmas and there are a couple things I can't wait to play with. I'm anxious for Hannah to get some of her presents and play with them as well. Hopefully everyone will have fun at least all day tomorrow.

Also tomorrow I want to call the groomer and get an appointment for scruffy looking Daisy. Especially because I predict she'll be sleeping in the bed with me a lot in the foreseeable future. I also want to call Jane and see if I can sneak in an extra time to see her. If not maybe we can have a phone session. Whatever she has to offer, I'll take it. I need to plan out some meals as well, and maybe make a trip to the grocery store.

A busy day for sure. So maybe it would be ok to go to bed early. I feel incredibly tired and it's barely past 9pm. I don't know why I always think I must stay awake till at least 10pm every night, but I do. It seems lame to go to bed before 10. Really I should think I'm allowed to go to bed whenever I feel like it.

No good pictures tonight. Hopefully tomorrow.

Goodbye sweet Luna

A shot of last night's rare Lunar eclipse, brought to you specially from the Universe as a goodbye to my own stellar Luna.

Yesterday I was sitting around with Megan and Mady and decided to call home and check on things.
My timing couldn't have been worse.
My little Lhasa Apso Luna had just been hit by a car and killed.

Luna came to live with us a little over two years ago. She was rescued from a horrible puppy mill where she had spent most of her life pregnant and having babies for other people's profit. She was pregnant when she was rescued and I happily volunteered to take her and her pups until they found forever homes. Turned out Luna's forever home was meant to be with us and she quickly won a very special place in my heart.

I can't begin to tell you all the things that made her so precious to me, I'd be sitting her in a puddle of tears and I've done that so much already. I will just say that she was such a loving little soul and deserved so much better than she got in this life time.

And now I'm going to post a lot of pictures of her, because I think it might make me feel a little better to share them with you.

 

Goodbye sweet Luna. I hope you're loving wherever you are now.

Going to bed early...

I'm trying to go to bed early tonight. Hannah has an early appointment in the neurology clinic at Children's Mercy tomorrow and that's an hour away. My Don't Be Crazy drug makes me want to sleep for half the day, so I took a quarter of one and hope I'll be able to wake up at 6:30 if I get to bed soon.

After I get back from Hannah's appointment I have my bookbinding class, which I still love lots. And hopefully I'll mail in my proposal for the Art Party class I'm hoping the Arts Center wants to do. Right not the verdict is it sounds good, but is weak on the education part. Which is true. There's not enough reason to make it into a class, so I'll be thinking about that obsessively. I really have no idea how it'll turn out, but if they say no, that just mean I have another semester to refine my idea and present it again. For me, just Trying is really accomplishment enough. I'll be proud of myself just for that.

Luna, my little sad rescue dog, has been limping a little for a while now. I wish she could tell me how much it hurt and if she wants to go to the vet. If I was rich I'd just take her, but a trip to the vet is going to be at least a hundred bucks and that makes a huge difference in our finances. I've looked at it and don't see anything. I've felt her up and i don't feel anything and she doesn't make any kind of wince or yelp. I just don't know.

55 days till Disney World

72 days till my sister's due date

337 days till the Grandpa trip

Just in case you were wondering.