Fun Monday #7

Thanks for coming back for more Fun Monday. For anyone wanting to read "How I Met the Smalltown Fire Department" (better known as my most embarrassing moment), that was referred to in the last FM, look here.

Robin, the penseive one has asked us to share words of inspiration.

When I first read the assignment, I was a little.....blank. One of those down times. There are the old tried and true, "one day at a time," "think positive," "I am not adverse to miracles" (and now you appreciate the dark side of an oncologist's life; yeah, that's about as inspirational as it gets on the bad days).

Perhaps, this doesn't even fall under the realm of inspirational, but for me, knowing where I picked up the phrase, it does. My inspirational phrase is: "Just keep on keepin' on." So often that is so right, and since I learned that phrase it has become a mantra for me. I am surprised when I hear patients say it back to me, knowing that they probably picked it up from me (a few of them even preface it with "as you always say, 'Jus' keep on keepin' on'." Right!)

I learned the phrase from a patient. Metastatic cancer had been diagnosed 5 years previously. The odds of this patient being alive at the 5 year mark was less than 1 percent. The patient had initially participated in a clinical trial where a portion of the tumor was taken and used to make a vaccine. About two weeks after the first dose of vaccine, spinal cord compression was diagnosed, and because of "progressive disease"the patient was taken off protocol (two weeks after a vaccination really isn't enough time for the vaccine to have an effect, especially when one is looking for an anti-tumor effect). The patient received radiation therapy, but was left paraplegic despite standard treatments with no sensation or strength in both legs. After failing standard chemotherapy (poor tolerance and progressive disease), the patient was placed on a drug called Iressa. Iressa was taken off the market after review of studies suggested that it did not provide the survival benefit that was initially thought. However, for this patient, the cancer slowly responded.

My nerd/geek like persona was fascinated. The fact that this patient was deemed to have progressive disease after one dose of the vaccine was unfair -- it happened far before one could anticipate there would be a significant immune response to the vaccine. I wondered if the combination of the vaccine followed by the Iressa was the key. I called the study coordinator -- he also seemed interested; thought there might be something to it, but I wander way beyond the realm of most of FM readers. These are the clinical observations that sometimes lead to further study; however, sometimes, what works for one person is unique to that person. The body is a very complex entity -- job security for the scientists. Was this a miracle? Perhaps. As I wrote, I am not adverse to miracles.

This patient was what I consider early middle age when the disease was diagnosed. Because there was no immediate family for support, the patient was residing in a nursing home. When I asked about the cancer journey and the loss of independence, the response was "I just keep on keepin' on; I'll keep on as long as God wants me here." Sometimes, the phrase felt like a eulogy at the end of each visit, "Let's just keep on keepin' on." With time, that became a inspiration for me.

So, although the words "Just keep on keepin' on" may not seem very inspirational on the surface, for me they are inspirational. I know....way more than you probably wanted to know, and a bad foray into the land of cancer and cancer treatment, but....well...that's me. Otherwise, my inspirational quote of the day would be something like, "bark, bark, bark."

Just' keep on keepin' on, OK? We never know where I road might lead.

Peace. (You didn't think I would get through a whole post without somehow getting a dog in there a time or two, did you?)

Now, go visit the others participating in FM.

Janet, From the Planet of Janet
Swampwitch, Anecdotes, Antidotes & Anodes
Lisa, Lisa's Chaos
Jo, This is Jo Beaufoix...
Patience, Patience-Please
ChrisB, Ms Cellania
Ellen, The Happy Wonderer
Kaytabug, Lady K
Swampangel65, A Florida Journal
Mariposa, Mariposa's Tales
AOJ & The Lurchers
Carrie, Carrie & the Koehmstedts
Lisa, The Food Snob
Janjanmom, All in a Day's Work
Jan, The Prytz Family
Karina, Candid Karina
Celeste, Ragracers
Sandy, Myanderings
Alison, RDH Mom
Jenn, Simply Jenn
Pamela, The Dust Will Wait
Alix, DC Days
Deb, Deb's Buzz (One Crazy Stitcher)
Molly, Return of the White Robin
Junebug, God Put a Smile on My Face
Kim, Rainy Day Diamonds
Peculiar, How Do We Get There From Here ** FIRST FUN MONDAY! :)
Jenn V., Jenn's Inklings
Joy T., A Spot of T
Nikki, My Husband Calls Me Weird
Rotten Correspondent, Confessions of a Rotten Correspondent
Sauntering Soul
Jientje, Heaven in Belgium
Tiggerlane, The Neophyte Blogger
Beth, The First of Six
Rose, Rose's Garden ** FIRST FUN MONDAY, new blogger & Karina's mom! :)
Hootin' Anni, Hootin' Anni's
Melanie, Our Happy Happenings
Sayre, SayreSmiles
Jenn, Jenn and the City (FIRST FUN MONDAY!!)
Nutso, House of the Purple Worms

ADDED SUNDAY @ 7:30 p.m. EST

Katie (Kitten), Kitten's Homeschool
Faye, Summit Musings

Hulagirlatheart, Growing Older but Not Up
Kim & Randy, Nekkid Lizard Adventures

One step forward, two steps back?

This weekend, there was a front page NYTimes article (at least on the web page) about Texas A&M University, my alma mater.

Many are unaware that I attended Texas A&M. I am considered a "2 percenter." Texas A&M University is steeped in tradition, a tradition that can consume a student. It is reported that only 2 percent of the student body does not support these traditions. As a dedicated nerd/geek/awkward college girl, I devoted myself to my studies. I was a two percenter and proud of it (got pretty good grades, too). However, a few of the traditions did catch my fancy:

1. silver taps: A moving memorial for members of the student body who die; the entire campus is darkened, people who attend the event stand in darkness and silence, the Ross Honor Guard marches to the statue in front of the Academic Building and play taps and then leave. There is no other sound. A tradition filled with honor worth keeping. The thought of it sends chills up and down my spine, still.
   
2. the bonfire: I didn't appreciate the loss of tree required to build the bonfire, but it appealed to the pyromaniac in me. Unfortunately, 12 student tragically died in 1999 while building the bonfire (this was no pile of logs, it was usually a structure at least two stories high). Bonfire has been suspended since then. If one clicks the link above, I was unaware of the numbers of injuries and deaths attributed to Bonfire before the catastrophic collapse.
   
3. yell leaders. Texas A&M have cheerleaders at the games, they have yell leaders. Each year five mean are elected to serve as yell leaders. They don't do cheers and gymnastic, instead they use a variety of hand signals to rev up the crowd (the "twelfth man") in a series of traditional yells. Yells like this: Farmers fight!, Farmers fight!, Fight! Fight!
   Farmers, farmers fight! Now, make all the fun you want to of Aggies, there is something moving about having 5 nice, clean cut men leading thousands of fans in such a simple cheer.
4. Reveille. It's hard to have the "fighting Aggie" as your mascot. Reveille is the stand in (although A&M is not the fighting collie). The first Reveille was a mixed-breed dog who was adopted by the Corp of Cadets after she was injured by them on a road trip. The 2nd Reveille, a German shepherd was donated after the student body was unable to raise enough money for an official mascot. The first purebred collie was Reveille III. The dog lives with and is cared for by a member of the Corp of Cadets. Each year, one sophomore is chosen to be responsible for her care and she goes with that person everywhere, including classes. She was in my calculus class when I was a freshman.

But back to the reason for this post. I am reading the NYTimes article. It is discussing how TAMU, founded as an all men's college in the 1800 and becoming co-ed in the 1960's is truly becoming co-ed in all aspects. The title of the article "Elite Women Prove that A&M No Longer Stands for All Male." Cool. The feminist in me appreciates that. The article discusses the ascent of women's sports in this traditionally male bound school. Cool. I'm with you there. They quote the athletic director Byrne said: “We’ve been trying to change the culture, as far as making sure every sport is important. Football is very important in Texas, but I’ve always had the philosophy that when you keep score, you might as well try to win.” Yeah. The academician in me doesn't like the emphasis on sports, but the realist in me realizes that this is a way that colleges can bring in big money. Sigh. Not as cool, but I understand.

These paragraphs end the article (and are the point of this long post):

Change, however, has been balanced against a preservation of Texas A&M’s traditions, which are built around its military provenance.

There are no female cheerleaders, only male yell leaders. When a female dance team was introduced in recent years at basketball games, some women in the stands covered their eyes with their programs, said King, the deputy athletic director.

“They thought it was indecent to have those young girls with their midriffs showing,” King said. Then she laughed. “The men watched.”

If I had been in the student body, I would not have been covering my eyes because I thought it was "indecent." It would be the shame that a school, bound in tradition that has meaning has sold out to the commercialization of women's bodies. Not cool. If you really want it to be equal, elect a woman to be a yell leader, but don't put a bunch of women in barely there uniforms to become yet another institution that cheapens what a woman is just to make money. Grrrrr. Steaming. (OK, and ignore the fact that I would not have even been at the game since I was a dedicated two percenter who relished the fact that Sterling C. Evans library was blissfully empty during the time of most sporting events. Did I mention my dedication to geekhood?). Perhaps my thought process is clouded by my overwhelming nerdiness. This didn't sit right with me.

Rethinking my annual donation to my alma mater.

FM #6 follow-up OR How I Met the Fire Department in Smalltown America

I do appreciate everyone who took the time to leave comments on my last Fun Monday.

In response to some of the comments from Fun Monday:
a. No, I will not be suing. I'm not that sort. I don't have time. However, when I made another real estate purchase recently, I chose a different realtor. The first one had told me that there were "no" foundation issues in Smalltown America. These homes are would have greater stability if they were built on quick sand. Otherwise, I think I purchased a 10 year old home that was ready to implode (or explode).

b. Hail just happens. Insurance paid for that one. Nice to have a good roof over my head, since everything else is going wrong in the house.

c. The termites? An early infestation found one year after I moved into the Money Pit. Probably not there when the home was inspected.

Meeting the Fire Department......that's a story.

One has to understand the background:
Reality #1. I am deathly afraid of fire. I don't know if it was my mother instilling the fear of matches a little too strongly or the fear might have had something to do with my older brother. He liked to "experiment" with his little sister (Experiemnt is NOT a good verb to use with the noun "sister", especially when you are the sister). One time, he took me down to the basement. He poured alcohol around me and, yes, lit it on fire. The floor was concrete. No harm. Except to my psyche. I don't know if the fire nightmares were already well established before or after that....regardless, I would wake up screaming. My mother would come to soothe me. "Just think of a nice field of flowers." I would and every single one of those flowers would be ON FIRE. Healthy or unhealthy respect for fire --you decide.

Reality #2. The Money Pit (my home) has some sort of undiagnosed electrical issue. Whenever it is either very hot, very cold or very windy a portion of the house will lose power. Occasionally, the power goes out for a few seconds and then comes back on. Sometimes it goes out for a longer period of time (one winter outage lasted 2 hours on a night that it was 21 degrees...that's a six dog night. Occasionally, the house seems to lose voltage (lights glow orange). I have called the electric company. They came out to inspect (when the problem wasn't happening; difficult as it is a transient thing. They told me that that it had nothing to do with the supply, but had to do with the house. I called an electrician. They told me that it was the electric company -- something about how the lines come into the house. The short is on the circuit that supplies the big guns: the heater, AC, 'fridge, oven stove. Somehow, that comes in on a separate line and it is, per the electrician, at the level of the line coming into my house, but according to the electrician, the electric company rarely will admit that it is on their side of the brick. Who knows. I have gotten used to it, EXCEPT the young girl who still lives within my brain knows that malfunctioning electricity can cause fire. Are you beginning to understand the foundation for my story?

One weekend last summer, I was on call. My pager was on, and I had just returned home. At the time, I had an extra whippet in the house, Stoli. He's Mati's littermate brother (Stoli is on the left, Mati on the right in the accompanying picture). Stoli was staying at he Camp for Wayward whippets so that I could take him to race meets, since I travel more than his owner. Because I had just gotten home and let the dogs out, they were in their meet and greet and play mode. They usually do that for the first 30-60 minutes after I get home. I have a toy basket by the back door that leads to the yard. Although they never put their toys UP, the dogs do know to go to the basket to find toys. They were gradually emptying the basket as I through toys for them to retrieve in the house.

While playing with the dogs, I was also working at the computer, checking e-mail (I can multi task that way). I heard a buzzing noise. It sounded like a pager lying on a table in vibrate mode, but my pager was on my belt in auditory mode. I didn't think anything of it, but then I heard it again....

That didn't seem right....what could be making the buzzing. Could something shorting out? I walk to the living room.....the TV is on, the cable box is lit. I start thinking about the low voltage phenomena....maybe those wires are going bad! However, the computer has power (it is on that circuit as the big items that go out but with a surge protector), the oven clock is on....As I search for a source, I suddenly smell smoke. My heart races as I now frantically search for a source. Panic sets in (remember I have a VERY healthy respect for fire). I couldn't see smoke, but the smell is getting stronger. For some reason, the smoke detectors aren't sounding, but I KNEW that this is smoke and it smells electrical. I imagine that there must be wires smoldering someplace, possibly behind walls. The dogs were running around me wondering why I am scurrying around the house. I couldn't find the fire, but there was smoke. Was I imagining it??? I panic. I pile the dogs into my van, grabbing my cordless phone and call 911.

I live in Smalltown American, inside the city limits but beyond fire hydrants. The first to arrive are the police. They block off my road. The policeman comes into my house, "Man, it smells like smoke, where's the fire?" I'm trying to be calm. "I don't know. I heard a buzzing sound and then the smoke started. I have had undiagnosed electrical issues with this house -- do you think something is smoldering in the walls." (To recreate the scene, read that last sentence in a voice that is rising two octaves as the sentence is spoken).

The fire department arrives 2-3 minutes after the police -- they come with two fire engines plus a water truck (since there is no hydrant). Quite the spectacle (but I had seen it several times the previous summer when my neighbors tried to burn me down 3 times; with those fires, I didn't get to see the fireman up close and personal though. That's the story about welcome to Smalltown America). About ten big men swarm into my house. They all confirm, "man, smell that smoke." Busy in full fire regale, 5 men pile into my attic. Others are doing what I was afraid to do...turning on and off appliances. Others are running their hands over the walls, trying to find what must be burning to create the stench. After what seemed like an eternity of searching...but was probably only 5 minutes, the cutest one of the bunch, not wearing fire gear but wearing a nicely fitted dark navy t-shirt with, oh, so nicely cut navy pants (I was panicked, but not that panicked that I didn't notice) walks up to me......

"Ma'am, were you workin' on a project?"

"S#*$!"

Dangling between his fingertips was my Dremel tool.

Wrapped around the end of the Dremel was a rope dog toy.

I use a Dremel to grind my dog's toe nails rather than clipping them. I had been doing nails in the morning, but I have quite a few dogs (7 dogs x 4 paws each x 4 nails on each paw = 112 nails; normally I have to do 96, but Stoli added an extra 16). I had not gotten through all the nails, so had (oops, BAD Human Servant) left the Dremel tool plugged in. That plug that I normally use was by the dog toy basket. So Stoli (since none of the dogs that live here permanently would ever do anything to subject me to near mortal embarrassment) had apparently knocked the Dremel on when retrieving a toy. The rope of the toy wrapped around the head of the Dremel (causing the buzzing when it first turned on), but bound by the strings of the rope toy, the motor remained on and was burning out. Since the Dremel was lying on my living room carpet, I had a nice 8 inch diameter singe spot on the carpet. From that point on, I have called Stoli, the Smoking Whizzer (Smoking because I will always blame him for the mishap (although I will admit, it may have been one of my dogs) and Whizzer....well, he never did seem to be house trained when he was residing at the Camp for Wayward Whippets.

No, there was not a fire.

Yes, there was a fire in the making.

After training in the Big City County Hospital, I have the utmost respect for firemen and police officers. I was mortified that I had called "911" for a non-emergency. I apologized profusely, probably turning into a babbling idiot given my post adrenaline state.

"Ma'am. That's OK. That's what we are here for. We would much rather come to a house before the fire starts. It's much easier that way."

And that, my friends, is how I discovered that the Smalltown Fire Department has some very cute fireman (but I hope I never see them up close, again!).

FUN Monday # 6 The alphabet

For this week's Fun Monday, the Swampwitch asked us to discuss something using the ABC's. This has not been my best endeavor, but I decided to discuss my "new" (12 year old) house in Smalltown America. It has been a lemon.

a. I live in an all red

b. brick home. I chose it because it is

c. close to work and came with

d. dog friendly fencing, a must for someone like me with multiple dogs.. At the time of my purchase, I was also told the home was in

e. excellent condition. I guess. Shortly after I moved in, I noticed cracks in the master bathroom. That was the first sign of the MAJOR

f. foundation issues to come. The cracks

g. grew. The master bathroom began to detach from the house. I repaired the foundation with 18 piers in an effort to keep the bathroom attached to the house. I did not want to be the first on my block with an out-house. Shortly after that (unexpected) major investment I discovered I had sigifnicant

h. hail damage in the roof. This was discovered 5 months after the storm because we had such a severe drought that it hadn't rained enough. Sigh. New roof and repaired foundation. Seemed like the house should be OK? Eh? Or not.

i. I have wondered what disaster will strike next. But that sort of

j. jaded thinking only leaves one open to the inevitable

k. katastrophe around the corner (OK, I’m cheating; I know that should be spelled with a “c”). Recently, I have had to deal my

l. lemon lawn mowers. I purchased a zero turn lawn mower, commercial grade that never has

m. mechanical difficulties. After having it to he repair shop 5 times in one year, it’s a “mairacle.”

n.Never before have they seen a Scagg with mechanical problems, but MINE has MECHANICAL problems. (We need to be a able to repeat letters because I am filled with deep cynicism when I think about my stupid mower.). Still, despite the fact that I live in a lemon house with a lemon lawn mower, I do love it. The house has

o. open spaces both inside and out. It is

p.perfect (almost) for me and the dogs. It is

q. quiet especially at night. I did repair the

r. roof so it should be good for another 20 years. I have come to peace with the the difficulties of having a

s. septic field rather than a city sewer line (even though I live in city limits and pay exorbitant taxes, I have no city water, no city sewage.....do I sound bitter?) Then again, the city has mighty darned cute fireman which I wouldn't have met in my life's most embarrassing moment. But that is the topic for another blog post). Dogs and septic fields WILL meet no matter how much dirt one puts over the holes (get my drift?). Dogs also have something to do with the reason that I met the very cute Fire Department in Smalltown America. Really, polite, too. "Ma'am. Really, it's OK. We like to come before the fire starts." (How's that for a lead-in?)

This house has made me into a stronger person. When I learned that I had

t. termites I didn’t even feel stress because this house had already presented me so many major repairs, that I am constantly prepared for yet another problem. (Sound track from "I am Woman, I am Strong" playing in the background). I have come to terms with

u. unusual décor. I finally painted over the

v. very black ceiling in the dining room and removed the

w. wacky wallpaper (you can barely see the high gloss black ceiling in the picture, but it's there. Weird, eh? One knows that one needs to change the decor when the Cable Guy says, " you are going to paint this room, aren't you?" I don't normally take decorating advice from the Cable Guy, but in this case, I did). Living in a drought prone area of the country, I wish I could have a

x. xeroscape, but since good foundation health mandates a watering of the foundation (who would have known that houses needed to be watered?), I guess that would defeat the purpose of not using water. Sometimes,

y. yearn for a little less excitement, a few fewer repairs. However, if my

z. zero turn lawn mower is finally fixed, that would be a nice thing.

Boring, I know, but else is one supposed to do with the alphabet?

Feel free to visit. For the moment, the sewage system is working and the electricity is on.

Now, go visit the other souls brave enough to enter today's FM challenge.

Robin (the pensieve one) OUR HOSTESS for March 31
Jo Beaufoix OUR HOSTESS for April 7
Nekked Leezards OUR HOST & HOSTESS for April 14
Chris B Gattina
Hula Girl at Heart
Nikki
Carrie
Janet
Jettied
Kaytabug
Aoj & the Lurchers
Junebug
Melanie
Christine
Min
Beckie
Alison
PamelaJamela
Shirley (no link?)
Peter
Celeste
Tiggerlane
Sauntering Soul
Jientje
Sandy
Julie
Sayre
Faye
Karisma
Arkansas Songbird
Simply Jenn (typing with all the fingers on her left hand)
Jan
KarmynR
MamaLang
Ellen B
JulieBug
Chaotic Lisa
Karina
Mariposa
I.T. Guy
My4Kids
Kitten Katie
Hootin' Anni
Molly
Swamp Angel 65
Rachel
Amanda

Round Robin Photo Challenge: First Signs of Spring

This week we are asked to capture the first signs of spring. Things are beginning to bloom around here, although capturing those blooms has been easier said than done given the recent typhoon (8-10 inches of rain earlier this week).

Here are the offerings:
Bradford Pear blossoms. These trees are pretty much useless. They grow fast and tend to fall down in the wind after 10 years (so I should be getting rid of mine now). However, for a week in the spring, they are beautiful.

An orchid. I visited my parents this past weekend, and my mother had a beautiful orchid on the patio. Apparently, this particular variety can be difficult to grow. My mother's technique "benign neglect." It seems to be working very well.
Azaleas. Also captured at my parent's house:
And, finally, back at the ranch. My specialty. Weeds.
Somehow, in the spring when the brown of winter gives way to green, even the weeds are pretty:
Now, go enjoy the other offerings this week

Nan

Life is Like A Lunchbox

http://shawnanigans.net

Steven
(sometimes)photoblog
http://sometimesphotoblog.com/

Carly - POSTED!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Karen - POSTED!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Lisa - POSTED!
Lisa's Chaos
http://lisaschaos.blog-city.com

Gattina
Keyhole Pictures
http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com/

Suzanne R
Living . . . Suzanne R's Life
http://newsuzannerslife.blogspot.com

Janet - POSTED!
fondofphotography
http://www.fondofsnape.com/

Kiva
Eclectic Granny
http://eclecticgranny.blogspot.com

Sandra
Strong Chemistry
http://strongchemistry.blogspot.com

Martha
Perception
http://journals.aol.com/lifes2odd/perception/

Jan - POSTED!
The Prytz Family
http://theprytzfamily.blogspot.com/

Monica - POSTED!
Family Affair Photography
http://www.familyaffairphotography.blogspot.com/

Momma
Sandcastle Momma
http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com

Kim - POSTED!
Nekked Lizards
http://nekkedlizardadventures.typepad.com

Jill

Letting Crazy Take A Spin

http://lettingcrazytakeaspin.blogspot.com

Chrissie
Chrisseas-corner
http://chrisseas-corner.tripod.com

Vicki - POSTED!
Maraca
http://mymaracas.blogspot.com/

The best medicine

I often times feel that the world is becoming more chaotic. I am blessed to have a home that is a refuge from the chaos, and to share that home with my dogs. My dogs have proven to be the best stress buster and anti-depressant available.

Studies have shown that pets can be good for the health. Positive influences include a potential for improved cardiovascular health (though decrease in blood pressure), decrease in depression/social isolation, and an opportunity to be more active in general.

When my father was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, I worried about my mother. She and my father have been life partners in the true sense of the word. They have never had anyone but each other. I wished they had a dog. Something for them to both love but then to be there for my mother. Sometimes, wishes do come true.

A couple of months after my father's diagnosis, one of my dog's litter-mates was orphaned. Her owner, a single woman died unexpectedly of a massive MI. Emma is a special little whippet. Her first owner was a type I diabetic since childhood. As sometimes happens in long term diabetes, she lost autonomic nerve function. Although she tightly controlled her sugars with insulin pump, she didn't always sense that her sugars were low. (Symptoms of hypoglycemia include anxiety, palpitations, diaphoresis, nausea. When the autonimic nerves don't work, those symptoms may not be present). Emma was in tune, and would alert her owner to the hypoglycemia.

Emma is a small whippet. When I heard that she was orphaned, I thought she would be perfect for my parents. At first they said, "no." They worried about what they would do if Dad had to be hospitalized, they worried about not being able to exercise her enough, they worried about stepping on her in the middle of the night. After several extensive conversations, they agreed.

Unfortunately, after her owner's death, Emma became very ill. It's not clear to me what happened. She was in a foster home for about a month. She stopped eating and developed diarrhea. After a lot of dietary manipulations, she was deemed healthy enough to travel, but was a scary sight when she arrived in Texas. Whippets are skinny, but shouldn't be as thin as Emma was.

I kept her for a month. She gained weight, but still had horribly dry skin when I took her to my parents.

I was a little bit worried about her when I left. Since she could sense illness in her owner, I feared that she would not bond with my father. Initially, she bonded with my mother, but did seem reluctant to be around my father. However, he had also spent the first 2.5 years of her life with a single female. When her owner died, she had initially been taken to a shelter by animal control in a traumatic seizure that left her crate wary and also afraid of men.

Last weekend, I visited my parents. Emma is absolutely thriving. Her skin is no longer flaky. Her weight is good. She is still my mother's dog, but she obviously loves my father, too. I think she recognizes his problems. He has a painful neuropathy in her feet. She will jump in his lap, but avoids being underfoot. Saturday, when my father was sitting in his chair with his morning coffee, Emma sat at his feet and just stared at him, waiting for him to reach down to pet him. I wish I could have captured that on film.

Emma no longer fears the crate -- given their fears of stepping on her at night, they have crated her in their bedroom from the first day. Emma has crated beautifully in my parent's home. Now, she will crate herself when she thinks it is time for bed. Every time I call my parents, there is another delightful Emma story.

Emma has been the best medicine. She has brought laughter back to my parent's home.

Hug your hounds, love your humans.
Peace.

What's with the weather?

OK. Two nights ago, tornadoes. Now, in the past 24 hours I have received 7 inches of rain. The dry creek behind my house is NOT DRY. Actually, it has over-flowed. It's common to have tanks (for non-country folk, that's a big pond) around here. My neighbor's tank has overflowed, so now their entire backyard is a mini-lake.

Last night, as the rain kept coming, I was wondering "what next?" Then I realized, that thought process might bring on something REALLY bad.....so, I'm trying to think "happy" thoughts. In this part of the country, the saying goes, "if you don't like the weather today, wait until tomorrow." that is SO true. From snow to tornadoes to flash flood producing rain. Weird.