Oink Oink

The swine flu has finally turned me into a pig! Have been sick for so long that I think I will never be well again. This past week has been a blur.

Hubby and I stayed home and vegetated on Sunday, 25 October as both of us needed the rest. Poor dogs have not been walked and they really missed their "family outing" that we usually take on Sundays.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same as we were too exhausted to do anything. Hubby had Tuesday off, so I used what was left of my strength to go with him to Spoky-Jo to pick up car parts at Pick-N-Save; got groceries at Costco; shopped at Wal-Mart in Airway Heights; also got hubby's haircut at SuperCuts; then took a Polaroid 600 camera over to K&M's for their Halloween party. Visited with them for a while & saw their great decorations. 'Lil Bit decided to poop TWICE in their home, so he won't be going over again. Ever. Bad dog.

Wednesday morning was a hive of dog activity; something strange got into them. Bud got up on the dining room table when I had my back turned & broke my decorative glass maple leaf. He has a bad habit of getting up on the counters. After Harriet, he will be next in line for obedience training. 'Lil Bit also tore up our last sofa pillow, so I need to get new ones; but in the future keep them off the couches. Ironic.

I have been remembering to give Bud his medication; so his testicles are much better. The swelling has significantly reduced & they are not so discolored. Made an appointment to take him on Monday 2 Nov to see Dr. Erickson in Hayden in order to pull out Bud's stitches.

It snowed here briefly on Thursday, but by the afternoon it was all gone. Unlike Denver, Colorado that got about 3 feet of snow! Sorry. No pics. Forgot.

Hubby picked up KFC on the way home tonight. He thought it might give me some strength to eat a real meal. Haven't been feeling well enough to eat lately.

Friday continued the couching and the exhausted feeling. It was more than I could even do, to drag myself out of bed and downstairs to the couch. I feel so sorry that I haven't been able to take the puppies out for their walks. But Harriet & Bud have been getting lots of playtime together in the yard. They enjoy each others' company.

Updated more music on my iPod. The latte lady had Govi Saffron & Silk playing when I pulled up the other day. So added that to my Music Library. Also found John Shipe The John Shipe Song Clearance on YouTube the other day - you have just got to visit the website to see his Pit Bull Blues video. So adorable. Now, I want to get a Pitbull of my own!

I always forget my brother's wedding anniversary which is on Veteran's Day. But I did remember it this year. Will have to go RIGHT NOW to order flowers for them. They will probably think I lost my mind when they receive them! Maybe I have lost my mind.

We've Got BIG BALLS

Yeah. Bud's testicles started swelling yesterday. By Friday night, there were huge & red. Obviously a sign of infection from the neuter surgery. Tried calling the Vet, but it was too late. Gave him some aspirin and he settled down for the night.

When we got up on Saturday, I called the emergency cell for the Vet and he called back with arrangements to meet me in Hayden by 9:45AM. Bud and I raced to the truck and I sped the whole way in order to make sure we were there on time. Dr E. diagnosed an infection and prescribed some antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

While Bud & I were in town, hubby stayed home and got dressed then went down to the shop to work for the day even though he is still suffering from the effects of the flu. Can't get him to rest!

I purchased more music today.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Anthology Through the Years CD1 & CD2
The Beatles
The White Album
Sgt. Peppper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Gotthard
Need To Believe
James Morrison
Songs For You, Truths For Me
Eros Ramazzotti
Ali E. Radici
Madness
Total Madness All The Greatest Hits
Alice In Chains
Black Gives Way To Blue
Tina Turner
Tina Live
Pre-ordered Trans Siberian Orchestra - Night Castle and Andrea Bocelli - My Christmas.

M/K/B came out this afternoon at 3PM; brought apple muffins & soup. It will be nice to sit down to warm soup later. Might make some garlic biscuits to go with them!

409 and the Flu

My new 409 Cleaner bottle has a special sticker on it that says it kills the flu virus. I think I will go take a bath in it.

Still sick Thursday. Hubby collapsed on the couch after working in the shop for about 1 hour. He fell asleep and didn't get up again til midnight when we went to bed. We took all the dogs out for a slight walk around the circle driveway then hubster dragged himself to the shower. This flu is really getting us down. Just won't go away; can't get any better and if we show any improvement, it comes back again.

Today (Friday) I could not stand the dirt anymore after 2 weeks, so I used what little energy I had left to vacuum, dust & clean. At least it smells a little bit better. Think I will take a nap now. After my 409 soak!

Because I couldn't move any muscles in my body after cleaning, I sat at the computer & updated my music.

Eddie Rabbitt
From The Heart
Beatin' The Odds
All American Country
Horizon
The Best Year of My Life
Step by Step
Rabbit Trax
Loveline
Dean Martin
A Million and One CD 1 CD2 CD3
Barbra Streisand
Love Is The Answer
Breaking Benjamin
Dear Agony
Paramore
Brand New Eyes
Dethklok
Dethalbum II
3 Days Grace
Life Starts Now
Blindside Blues Band
Smokehouse Sessions
Rammstein
Liebe ist für alle da
Vindictiv
Ground Zero
StoneSour
Come What(ever) May
Gwen Stefani
Love Angel Music Baby

Flu Update

On Thursday, Oct 15 we met the kids & Mike K. at PF Changs in Spoky-Jo. I had raced around earlier in the day in CDA to pick up balloons, a basket full of Reese's candies for M (they are his favorite) and gift certificates. We stopped at Abercrombie to pick up a gift certificate for M there just before we hurried over to the restaurant.

Called the kids & they were still at the Martini Bar. They met us at the restaurant. M forgot his driver's license and even tho I vouched for him, the waiter refused to serve him liquor. Poor kid. His 25th birthday was a dry one!

Hubby was feeling worse due to the flu bug, so I drove home. We took Bravo with us as M&K had surprise plans for Friday night and needed to have Bravo babysat. (babysitted?)

Bravo greeted the new dog Bud, with a little trepidation. However, in the end, the dogs all settled in fairly well.

I succumbed to the flu on Friday.Oct 16 Feeling horribly weak with a sore throat - tried to sleep but was impossible to do so. Hubby was sweet to get me Nyquil from the store. Isabelle fell through the circular staircase when some jackass came to the house late at night & knocked on the door. All the dogs went bonkers & Isabelle could not make it down the stairs so she turned around mid-way. She fell & hubby saved her along with my help. It was scary. Poor dog. She now takes the steps V.E.R.Y. carefully.

Kids came out to see us on Saturday Oct 17 to visit M's parents' for early Thanksgiving/M Birthday celebration. M&K walked with us on a family walk in Farragut Park on Oct 18 Sunday morning. Afterwards, the kids took Beebo home while I went home to take a 5-hour nap. Damn flu just won't go away.

I still wasn't feeling well by Monday Oct 19 but hubby went to work anyway. He got the day off to work on his pole project spreadsheet. He still is putting storage vehicles away in the big building. Tim came to install the secondary fence on Tuesday Oct 20 (so that 'Lil Bit won't get out) but we found out that the little bugger can still squeeze through the fence. He is a bad dog!

Wednesday Oct 21 found dreary skies & overcast with partial rain as hubby worked on his spreadsheet again. Spreadsheet finally got done. Hubby got all the vehicles stored away. 'Lil Bit has decided to potty inside the house so he is getting kennalized until further notice. Angus remains at the trainers with updates daily. She is learning Sit, Stay & Heel. Playing with a Great Pyrnees. (Plays well with others!)

Flu Epidemic

We have the flu here. Haven't felt much like blogging.

Will update in more detail later.

BuD

Stayed home Monday to take care of hubby. He is still very sick with flu.

This is Bud, a Dogue de Bordeaux (French Mastiff) He was found wandering down a busy highway with his girlfriend. They were a breeder pair. The woman that stopped to rescue them works at a Vet's in town. She took them to the vet, investigated their owners, and found that nobody came to claim them.

I found out about them from our dog trainer.

After running around getting my nails done & shopping on Tuesday, I made an appointment to meet with the trainer & the dogs at 5:30. We had to run over to the Vet's where the dogs were being held in a kennel as both of them had been recently fixed. Finding out that the female was the main agressor, I decided to take the boy instead.

Bud has a circular burn scar around his back legs that goes all around his belly & over his back. Whatever chained or roped him came very close to cutting off his boy parts. There are also burns on his back legs. He does not cower as if abused, but you can tell he has had a difficult life. He only weighs 90 pounds at 1.5 years. 20 pounds is the minimum amount of weight that he needs to put on as we can see his ribs.

We named him Bud and he is doing great. And he is settling in just fine. Greeted all the other dogs like a gentleman. Did his business outside very politely. Snooped out the whole house & he has already looked at our bed like he is going to get to sleep there. He even made it up & down the circular staircase with ease! He takes commands & is already coming to his name!

He laid down with hubby on the couch last night like he belonged there. Also, he strolled into Angus' vacant kennel so it looks like we have to purchase another kennel! LOL!

I can't save all the dogs, but I can sure save a few.

Jim, the trainer, says that Angus is settling in quite well.

SatSunFun

Hubby has been very sick since he arrived home. Saying that he thinks he acquired "Swine Flu" from Everett. Has been dosing himself with loads of Cold Calm. Personally, I think he's just sick.

Saturday after he went to get a latte for himself, he was to meet a guy bringing a boat for storage. However, the guy rescheduled to noon; hubby was already dressed & down at the shop. So instead of resting for the day, he decided to work at the shop while I edited my iTunes all the day long. Most of the albums had incorrect album covers indicated. This is an iTunes fault. Also downloaded more music. Finally hubby came home late - we were supposed to drop Angus off at 6:30. Had to stop at Petco to get more food for her - enough for the 4 weeks she is in private training. Then picked up McDonald's hamburger for hubby (he was in a strange food craving with his cold) then stopped to get lattes as he was cold. Drove to the home in Hayden where we dropped off Angus. Took hubby home afterwards to rest on the couch.

On Sunday we met the kids at 11:00 at Albertson's in Spoky-Jo; drove up to Green Bluff for Corn Maze at Siemers Farm; Apple Picking at Hidden Acres; Punkin' Chunkin at Knapp's Farm. A little white "ghost" dog named Winston came over begging at our table while we were eating German Sausages at Hidden Acres - K also met a sweet little girl helping her mother serve food there, too.

After watching the Punkin Chunkin, hubby craved FRESH HOMEMADE PIE. So we were on a quest to find pie. Drove into Green Bluff town and found High Country Orchard. The pie was so very good. Got hot apple cider & sat outside in the cold, cold, cold blowing cold air listening to a live singer. M got a caramel apple cookie; K got caramel apple pie; I got dutch apple pie; and hubby got cherry pie, of course! Great fun. Ran the dogs in the field afterwards. K and I went to the Grange to a craft show which was disappointing. Not much unusual stuff - not much homemade. * There was a severe problem with finding a "real" bathroom - nothing but porta potties. Gross smelling. Hubby & M sat out in the truck as hubby was getting worse. We all decided to go home.

I drove hubby home and he napped in the car. Got him inside & he decided to make sloppy joes instead of resting. Then he konked out on the couch for the rest of the night. We went to bed early at 8PM. I got up several times in the night with the dogs.

The temps dipped and it has been colder than usual for the past couple weeks. Normally, we are enjoying 60F degree weather here. But lately it has barely gotten into the 40s. Brr.

We slept late (9AM) on Monday morning after I talked hubby into staying home as he had worsened during the night. For him to actually take a day off work; He must be really sick.

Home Sweet Home

. . .So tired after the puppies kept me up all night.

Hubby called me at 11:45AM to let me know that he was on the 405S leaving Everett. He got home at 5:00. Thank goodness his return trip was without mishap. So very glad to have him back safe & sound.

We went to Spirit Lake grocery to pick up a few things. Then came back home to have dinner.

While watching TV, hubby fell asleep on the couch at 8:00PM.

Neutering

'Lil Bit went into Northwoods Vet this morning at 8AM to get neutered. He is 6 months old so he will also be getting microchipped. Also having the Dr. do blood tests & give an I.V. during surgery. The assistant said he should be ready by 4PM to return home.

Angus & Harriet woke me up at 3AM, 5AM, & 6AM to go out to potty. It was VERY cold last night. There was frost on all the decks this morning. Brrr. I am not ready for Fall to be this cold.

There was a bird stuck in the garage Wednesday morning. I had to open all the doors so it wouldn't beat itself to death trying to escape. Very odd.

The Vet's office called at 1130AM to tell me that Bit would be ready to pick up after Noon. I decided to wait until 100PM to give him more time to rest without having the big dogs around.

When I picked him up, I had gathered him from the assistant by supporting his chest & legs. He slightly yipped & nipped at me. That was the first spot of trouble.

Taking him home, he seemed a little bit overactive even after the anesthesia, but I thought that it was normal. He took a nice 2 hour nap with me & Harriet in my bed. I was so tired after not getting much sleep last night. . .When I got up and put him on the floor, he yelped again. So I let him come down the stairs by himself. He proceeded to sleep on the dog bed by the fireplace for the rest of the night.

About 615PM, Lil Bit was groaning in pain so quietly. When I picked him up again, he yelped in pain. His cajones were still a little swollen and his chest seemed to be swollen, also. So I called the Vet's office to leave a message and he contacted me a few minutes later. The Dr. advised giving him a 1/2 baby aspirin and trying to put ice on his surgery site. We did that for a while and later the dog seemed to calm down.

After calling the hubby one last time about 8:00 and talking for a while, I was exhausted. Hubby said he had gotten his last ladder climbing done & by Noon on Friday they would release class! Yippee. No more separation! I then watched CSI & Bones which both failed to capture my interest. Took a long hot soak after & hit the bed by 10PM. Let the dogs out one last time. Then after sleeping for a short time, Harriet woke me up at 3AM. Let the dogs out AGAIN. By 5AM, I still couldn't sleep. So took another hot bath. Then Angus pooped in the living room. She is eating too much as it was HUGE. About 10 inches across piled by 6 inches tall. Dumb dog. Had to clean it up and it smelled like SHIT in the house for the next hour. I threatened the dogs - "Don't poop anymore in the house & let me sleep for the next 3 hours!"

'Lil Bit woke me up at 8AM on Friday morning by dancing around downstairs. He only observed one of my intimidations.

Bonked My Head

test test test

I can now officially text to my blog from my ENV3. Wow. Technology. Amazement.

Bonked my head last night on the kitchen cabinet. Big egg over my left eye.

Hubby passed his four 12-Foot Climbs; achieved one 16-Foot Climb on Tuesday. He was very tired as he is using muscles he never had to use before.

'Lil Bit has started to poop upstairs on the carpet. I don't know what motivated him to do this all of a sudden.

Angus is dirty today as she has been playing pretend "fight" with Harriet outside.

Picture of hubby's fruit basket from Edible Arrangements that I sent him on his first day - Monday.

He got flowers on Tuesday.

I can't even begin to tell you how bored I am.

Found hubby's "big Blue" hammer in the driveway. No. 3 was careless and left it out there last night. Have to fire the kid.

<-- Harriet outside playing in the fall cold temperatures.

SUNMON

Sun 4 Oct Took dogs for a walk at Farragut Park with K & Bravo. Stopped for lattes at the stand in A-town. Then took the dogs back home so they could play together while we ran to Spoky-Jo for hubby's shoes at White's Boots; he picked up a part at NAPA; then we ate soup & sandwiches at Applebee's.

Came home & K went to pick up M from his parents' home. She packed up all the Halloween decorations I had given her.

Hubby went down to the shop to finish working on a truck; waited for the dog-trainer to come pick up Angus, but he never showed. We finally left at 5PM to take hubby into town so he could pick up his VZ truck for the drive to Seattle (he is in Everett for the next week doing pole-climbing training). There was a voracious wind blowing all day today and once he got on the road, we found out that I-90 had been closed west of Ritzville. Hubby had a long drive around to avoid the dust storm.

He finally arrived late at night & texted me. I was happy that he got there OK.

Mon 5 Oct Woke up at 5AM as 'Lil Bit had shit-storm part 2; poor little guy. His digestive system must be on the fritz. Texted hubby an early morning hello.

Played with the puppies. Took a walk. Boring day.

Hubby got his fruit basket I had sent him. He was surprised.

THURSFRISAT

On Thursday 1 October, while I was watering my plants outside and taking care of the fish in the pond, I got stung deliberately by a wasp. It targeted me, let me bat it away from my face, then came back in for the "kill" sting. It got me twice on my right hand pinky finger.

Immediately, my hand started to swell. I took copious amounts of benadryl to no avail. Placed bags of ice on it to stop the swelling.

By the time hubby came home late after a union meeting, I was in tears. Took some of his painkillers, let him take off my clothes, and assist me to bed.

Hubby had taken 2 October Friday as a floating vacation day because he realized he still has over 2 weeks of vacation time to use prior to the end of the year. So he took me into Rathdrum to see our physician. Doctor prescribed Vicodin for pain and Steroids to reduce the swelling. By this time, I was itching it constantly. Put ice on it and the stupid swelling continued up my arm to my elbow!

*this doctor was acting strangely - he asked if I had any surgeries - "nothing recent," I replied; then he said. . ."so you are 'intact' down there." Which has to be the oddest thing I ever heard a doctor ask. I was so shocked to hear him say something like that. What a hysterectomy has got to do with my getting stung TWICE on the pinky totally boggles the mind. Do wasps only sting women with active reproduction systems?

It was rainy & cold today. Had to wear sweaters & jackets. We also went into CDA to pick up a new oxygen tank for hubby's shop; got a couple lattes at Starbucks, dropped off my prescription at Medicine Man Pharmacy and got home by 11:00. Hubster worked in the shop while I took my pain meds and took a nap. K came out in the afternoon with Bravo. My hand just kept swelling.

K told about how she was riding her bike with M and Bravo when the dog zigzagged on the leash causing her to fall. She injured her hand & knee pretty badly. We are a couple of walking wounded!

Hubby came home from the shop at 7:30 and the three of us went to Spirit Lake to eat at the Mexican Restaurant. Also picked up some small ice cream cones afterwards

Saturday 3 October we left the dogs home while we went shopping. It had rained, was now cold & windy. Old Navy at the Valley Mall didn't have anything interesting. Nothing on the sale prices they had been advertising. K was disappointed. Also stopped on Bon-Macy's to look at purses. I decided on a leather calf small pocket shoulder bag to purchase on-line.

Then we drove to CDA to shop at Tuesday Morning where some creepy man kept bumping into us, Joann's Fabrics where we got a butt-load of autumn decor on sale; Target where we got lots of All Hallow's Eve decorations; and Bed, Bath & Beyond. At Michaels a very nice employee was leaving work for the day when she gave us a 20% off coupon. When K has been waffling whether or not to purchase a huge collage frame for pictures, she then scooted to the back of the store to get the enormous frame while I held our place in line. We decided to forgo shopping at Merle Norman - maybe I can go another day by myself. There were too many people at the mall today. Then got pitas for dinner at The Pita Pit & roast beef burger treats for the dogs at Arby's.

Got home around 5:00; ate our pitas, sorted out all of the purchases that were crammed in the back of K's SUV. I hung up my orange & purple Halloween lights that I had gotten at Target. Also put out my lighted pumpkins on the new deck.

Hubster got home at 8:30, watched a little TV, then went to bed.