Texas Lady

Bandit vs the window blinds

I’ve spent the last week or so in a funk: depressed, exhausted, sinus issues, stomach pains, headaches, eye issues, sleep issues, etc.  I realized yesterday that all that was side effects of a new medicine they’d given me last month.  I’d already stopped it once and went back to the previous medicine but it wasn’t as effective, so I switched again.  The longer I’ve been on it the more side effects I was having, so I stopped it again and already feel better after 24 hours.  Guess it’s time to call the doctor and let him know.  This sucks!  Today the smile is back on my face and my headache is completely gone.  Where yesterday my head hurt so bad that my top teeth ached today I have no headache at all.  Back to the drawing board.

All else is working out well.  We’ve bought two new PC’s for family members so I’ve been working on loading and setting them up.  My experiment with my laptop and Win8 was successful and functional at last so that is a GO.  Now we can buy Win 8 computers.  It had gotten difficult to find Win7 anymore so I’m glad this worked out.  The last time I played with Win8 I got so frustrated I just reformatted the computer and went back to Win7.  No such thing now.  So far so good.

All the dogs are doing well.  I went around the corner yesterday to check on Buffy who is now off subcutaneous fluids and onto prescription dog food for renal failure.  She looks like a puppy, the best I’ve ever seen her look!  What a surprise!  She loved on me and gave me her belly to rub, and gave me kisses.  She was so sweet and happy….I love happy endings!!!!!

I’m planning my Oklahoma trip now.  Talked to the kids earlier about dates and got permission to just take Zoe with me so she wouldn’t have to stay crated the entire time I’m gone.  She’s doing so well learning things that I didn’t want to go backwards on her development.  Maybe this will help with that, and it will help socialize her, too.

Bandit has gone a few rounds with the cat in the flower bed unfortunately hampered by the blinds on the window in my office.  Every time I pick up the pieces that he breaks off when he violently smashes his head into the window.  Scares the crap out of me when he does it.  I think we’ve replaced the blind about 5 times already.  Luckily they’re about $3 each so we’re not going broke doing it, but I’m going to check into wooden blinds and see if they stand up better to his assaults.

Time to head toward the bedroom; I have errands to run tomorrow and am trying to find time to sew again.  Gotta have sleep in order to get anything accomplished—wish there were more hours in the day!

I’m sitting here installing Windows 8.1 on my “throw-away” laptop in hopes that they have improved it over Windows 8.0.  I was sincerely hoping that Microsoft would realize that they’d screwed up with Win8 and take it off the market, but no such luck even though the complaints have been loud and many.  I obviously have tried it before (when it was in pre-release format), in fact, on this same laptop.  I thought it was like a big Android phone instead of Windows…and I am an IOS fan.  Since I have a new desktop and a new laptop I figured I could use my travel PC to play with, so here goes nothing.

In a few minutes I’m going to go around the corner and give Buffy her sub-cutaneous fluids.  We are on the last bag and then will start prescription dog food for canine renal failure victims which will, hopefully, free her from having a needle stuck into her on a daily basis.  The vet had to order the food so I’m waiting on their call to pick it up and hoping that it will fix her right up.

I just got home (well, within the past hour anyway) from running errands and am on an extended break to cool off from the Texas heat and resting my aching hip (the one that hasn’t been replaced yet but will be eventually).  I have 2 dogs in my lap, one behind me between me and the chair and 2 more dogs on the ottoman beside my desk.  On the floor is another, the largest of the seven, and one is in the window.  All are asleep or close to it.  All are happy and peaceful…and quiet.  I have things to accomplish when I finish loading the laptop with Win8 but almost hate to bother the dogs in their reverie.  It’s been so peaceful among the canines in our little family lately.  It sometimes feels like we don’t have any dogs at all because it’s so quiet.  Weird sensation!

The clock has just rolled over 3 P.M. so I’ve got to get out of this chair and do something, even if it’s wrong!  LOL

Got word today that Gino’s new home is working out.  His doxie brother and he have become friends but the cat is still shy around Gino.  His new mama loves him and is pleased with him.  We’re happy for all of them.

Gino, his new mama and brother

I’ve been visiting Buffy daily in order to administer her subcutaneous fluids and she is happy and doing well, too.  Her human daddy is so happy to have her home.  She is so much company for him now that his wife has passed on.  They both seem really comfortable to be together again…and that makes me happy, too, even though I miss her.  He told me today that if anything happens to him we are to get Buffy because she is happiest with us and he knows we would love her and care for her best.  I thought that was a nice compliment and I could tell it came from his heart.

Today has been a lazy day for me; I haven’t accomplished much but then I’m retired so I don’t know what I expect for myself.  I went to bed late last night (early this morning actually) then slept in until almost 11 A.M.  When Zoe cried to get out of her crate I went and got her and took her to bed with me for another couple of hours.  Later I got a nice bath, went to take care of Buffy’s meds then to the grocery store.  I’ve got the last load of clothes in the dryer and the sprinkler going in the backyard, got the trash can in from the street and all the groceries unloaded from the car and put away.  I took time to sit on the couch and love the dogs then got up and got busy again.  Ronnie called and said he’s going to be at work a while longer so I have yet to start dinner cooking.

Still missing Maximus.  Sometimes I try to look at his pictures I’ve posted on Facebook but it’s never long before I find tears in my eyes.  It’s going to be a while before that hurt goes away.  Out of the 4 dogs who are not here that we had in May he is the one that I miss the most, that hurts the most, that is the most final loss.  I don’t know if it’s because I bottle-fed him and he was my baby for so long or if it would have hurt this bad regardless of the situation.  I’ve never had to have a dog euthanized before and even though I know it was the right thing to do it doesn’t make it any easier to bear.

It’s pleasantly quiet around the house now that we’re down to the minimum of dogs (7).  Now each animal gets more individualized attention and the pack is more at peace, more settled and quiet.  Even the little one is noticeably happier and active.  Zoe has just blossomed now that the other dogs are gone.  She gets more attention and is absolutely bubbly.  It’s great to see her so ZOE!  She fits in with the other dogs so much more than her sister, Keira, did.  Keira was louder and more demanding, and frankly, more of a pain at times.  She was obviously used to being top dog because she demanded more than any of the rest of the dogs we had.  Maybe just more spoiled and I’m sure we didn’t help that.  She was a sweet puppy but it is very noticeably quieter without her.  We love all the dogs we’ve fostered but, of course, some more than others.  We’ve only had one dog, a Chihuahua, that was ever a really bad dog, and thankfully we found a home for him quickly so he wasn’t a bad influence for long.  In rescue you never know what kind of past the dogs have had or how they’ll be with other dogs or in our pack until they’re actually here, so there’s no way to pick and choose unless you get them from another foster who’s had them before.  We’re lucky to have had as good a result as we have because there’ve been a bunch of canines through our doors in the past few years.

Better get back to my real life again.  There’s things yet to be done today.