A Case Case

Our granddaughter Cierra stayed with us last night so that we could drive her to school this morning. Due to a logistical crossword puzzle that happens once in a while.  It's fine with us and we actually look forward to any visits by grandchildren because they're all getting more independent as they forge their way through teenagedom. Their independence curriculum doesn't call for a whole lot a face time with Grandma and Papa so we're always happy to see them any chance we get.  Cierra will be the last to become a teenager next May. She's currently in middle school and a pretty good student. And she elected to play in the band this year, playing the clarinet. She practiced a bit yesterday afternoon with her grandmother acting as the music stand/instructor.  Grandma used to play the clarinet in high school so she was semi qualified to critique and offer hints on Cierra's practice performance.  I used to play the trombone starting about the same age as Cierra (12) and on through high school and into college. So both of her grandparents in this household were band geeks and proud of it! The truth of the matter is we never considered ourselves geeks when we were in high school but in retrospect that's pretty much what we were regardless of how we viewed ourselves. So we were somewhat amused to see Cierra's preparations for gathering her gear for school this morning. Everything goes inside a back pack. Not that that's breaking news; all the kids trudge their "stuff" to school inside backpacks nowadays. But THE CLARINET CASE TOO?!?  Yep. She got everything including the clarinet case inside that back pack. Not sure how, but she did it. We asked her if it was because she did not want to be classified as a geek carrying both a backpack and a clarinet case. She denied that was her intention. I'm not sure but I'll take her word for it. Like I say, she's a good student, a great kid, and she's a band kid...pretty good combo in my book.

Lucy's Lump



Lucy with her stuffed dog companion



Here we go again. Lucy, our American Bull Dog, has another lump, this time on her forehead. It has been diagnosed as malignant. So this makes the 4th cancerous growth she's had...first on one toe a year or so ago and three others this past summer on both flanks and her right wrist. The vet says her breed, along with similar short haired breeds are prone to growths. But, of course, not always cancerous like Lucy's have turned out to be. So we keep our eyes on her to see if we see anything in order to catch them before they have a chance to spread. But this one on her head seems like it came out of nowhere just a few weeks ago. It looks like a half egg sized oval right over her right eyelid. Kind of hard to see in this picture but no mistaking it's there when you see her. If it were to grow as dramatically as it has in the last few weeks in another couple of weeks she would start to resemble the elephant man. I'm not trying to be funny.  We love her dearly and are concerned for her well being so brought her to the vet as soon as we detected the problem. Lucy doesn't display any indication that it bothers her, at least not in any way we can see.

She had surgery last summer to remove the three that appeared then. So we took her to the vet when we first detected this one to see if that was the course of action to take this time. We've gone from biopsy to x-rays and finally got to the point where we got an estimate for another surgery to remove when, this past Monday, Lucy got a nose bleed. We've been back three times this week because of concerns that the nose bleed is a sign of possible spreading of the cancer into her nasal cavity. And the surgery proposal has been withdrawn by our vet and replaced with a referral to another surgeon who is more experienced in this area. We have an appointment for Lucy to be seen by this new veterinarian next Monday.

It's difficult to view where to draw the line between love for a pet and the expense of veterinary care. Last summer's surgeries as well as this month's tests and office visits are not cheap. And although the decisions to be made are never easy it just seems to compound the gravity for this to develop around Thanksgiving when the newspapers and the nightly TV news describe the human triumphs and tribulations so many people are going through. Makes worrying over a pet dog seem frivolous. And Lucy is no spring chicken either.  She'll be 11 years old in January. And just to make it interesting, this morning the lump was almost gone! Still there but drastically reduced in size. We already had an appointment for her this morning to check her blood pressure and make a blood profile and the vet explained that sometimes the liquid in tumors just disperses within the dog's system. And not necessarily "spreading" the cancer, just redistributing and absorbing. But still there and just as much a concern as it was when it looked like it was growing overnight.

We'll see what happens Monday and go from there.

Really?! One in Five??

Saw this blurb in this morning's paper. Not sure how authoritative it is. Only identifiable source is that the article originated in New York, whatever that means. Could be from the New York Chamber of Commerce or the Occupy Wall Street gathering for all I know. But documented or not, true or false, black or white or gray all over, someone seems to think the statistics are important enough to be newsworthy.

Also in this morning's paper was an article entitled, House Approves Concealed Gun Bill.  I'm not posting this because of any argument I want to make, pro or con, regarding gun control.  I admit, I DO wonder why people feel the need to carry concealed weapons but that's a subject to ponder in another place and time. My real question is just this...how many of those one in five anxious and/or depressed American adults are carrying concealed weapons this morning?  And did they remember to take their meds?

I don't expect an answer.

Lucy's Eyes



Here's lookin' at you, kid!



Is this my good side?

These aren't the best pics of Lucy.  I must have had the focus on manual instead of automatic. People have commented that Lucy has very "expressive" eyes, almost like you can see human expressions in them. She'll never win a staring contest but, I swear, there sure are times when I think I can understand what she's thinking just by looking into her eyes.  (Geeez, I've gotta' get a life!) Lucy is spending the night in the doggy hotel tonight.  She so would win a staring contest with either of us tonight...and the expression in her eyes would be like daggers!  Sorry, Luce...we'll rescue you soon!

Canine Cousins

We are "watching" our grandsons while Rob and Mandy take a long weekend together.  They went to see a Pitt game (if you can call a 34 to 10 shellacking by Rutgers a game) in New Joisey. The boys more or less just take care of themselves with a few intermittent episodes of drama now and then but we enjoy spending time with them now that they're old enough to keep their sibling rivalry on a less than lethal level. Our real concern heading over here Thursday was how would the dogs behave together.  Lucy, the American Bulldog we inherited from Cathie (too big at 65 Lbs for her apartment complex) and the boisterous Coco, the Labradoodle, would be meeting for the first time. A close encounter of canine cousins.  Despite just being a few years old, Coco thinks she's a puppy. And a lapdog. I'm not sure what she weighs but it must be close to 40 Lbs or so and when she jumps up on you the inertia factor makes her a flying missile of 140 Lbs!  Lucy, at 10 years + is a little calmer.  She likes frequent naps, snores like a buzz saw, and had lived in the same house with two Dachshunds a few years ago but lacks exposure to dogs closer to her own size. I worried for days beforehand that Coco, beautiful, sweet, and always hyper Coco would drive Lucy nuts. Or worse yet, Lucy would react like a wild cornered beast with snapping jaws and drooling Cujo-like ferocity. We just didn't know but hoped for the best as we put together our game plan for introducing the furry four-legged cousins to each other.

We decided that Sandi should arrive first and let Coco get some of her exuberance out of her system before we shocked her with the arrival of another four-legged house guest. Coco has a greeting ritual she has patented that includes finding a gift for visitors (her choice of stuffed animals, pull toys, or anything handy), frantically whining her vocal joy with the "gift" clenched in her jaws, and a full aft body tail wag/prance routine that is charming but (we feared) waaaay over the top for quiet, sleepy, mild mannered Lucy. So get that out of her system and then bring in Lucy. That was the plan.

I followed a respectful few minutes later.  With preplanned efficiency we introduced them still tethered; Sandi in the family room restraining Coco from her ritualistic greeting and me holding Lucy with the short leash. I swear they sensed each other before I ever got Lucy out of the car. When I entered the hallway Lucy was snorting like a bull and I could see and hear Coco whining and straining to meet (or attack, I didn't know which) the 65 Lbs of quivering white fur whose all four legs were skating in place on tile surfaced foyer in a desperate attempt to meet (or attack, I didn't know which) as I held on for dear life. It was all Sandi could do to restrain Coco and it was all I could do to keep Lucy back from charging into the family room. I advanced with Lucy as slowly as I could keeping a watchful eye in both dogs for rabies induced foaming at the mouth that seemed to be the imminent next stage of this clash of the Titans. Neither Coco nor Lucy cared for this dangerous game. They both growled and whined and displayed obvious (to us, at least) distaste for each other. They both wanted to smell the other but neither wanted the other to smell them in the area where dogs like to sniff each other. Sensitive for their personal space, I suppose. But the good sign was that both of their tails were wagging. We took that to be an optimistic sign that they did not have homicidal intentions. But it still was a scene of jousting like thrusts at each other with growls and snapping jaws when either one tried to sniff at the other's tail. I was beginning to think that I was going to have to take Lucy home and leave Sandi and Coco behind because the two of them were never going to reconcile to each other.

We decided to see if they would behave better if unrestrained and outdoors. Sort of outdoors being the pool and pool deck area. If they were going to fight to the death, at least we'd have them in an enclosed arena with the screened pool area. Off with the leashes! Out to the pool! The two of them scrambled outside and immediately transformed themselves into model canine citizens. Lucy exploring. Coco watching. Lucy following Coco. Coco following Lucy. They were actually playing together! And when they got bored or tired they were tolerating each other.  And eventually they were ignoring each other. Except when one got a treat (going outside to relieve themselves is rewarded with a treat) the other made sure they got one too. Same with affection. They both like their chins scratched. They both like their bellies rubbed. They both like to go for walks. The only thing they don't like is for the other to sniff around their butt. But a growl and display of fangs seems to discourage this act quickly and surely. Seems to be a no no, even for canine cousins.

Doctor, Doctor, Gave Me The News!

Consulted with new oncologist this week for what's turning out to be a quarterly blood test to monitor my MDS. My previous oncologist had to relocate out of the area. The new one was recommended by Sandi as she was very satisfied with his medical management of her chemotherapy. I liked him so we'll see how it goes with his diagnosis and treatment recommendations. The good news is my blood counts are relatively stable so he recommended we continue watching it every three months. No restrictions on my wild and crazy life style so that was nice to hear. Actually, my numbers were improved a bit from what they had been in June, just a little bit in each case but still lower than the ranges for normal counts of white blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets. Nevertheless, it looks like my "slowly emerging myelodysplasia" is still on the slow track and that's more than OK with me. It appears my decision to change from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Supplemental plan was premature.  I made the change anticipating chemo might be required this year and, had that been the case, it would have been a good economic decision to do that.  But I'm not disappointed.  I'd rather pay the Supplemental premiums even if I don't have to go through chemotherapy. Life's a crap shoot anyway so you just have to make the best decisions you can and stick with them. Until they turn out to be dumb decisions, in which case you adjust as quickly as you can. Make a new plan, Stan!  I could switch back during the upcoming enrollment period but I'll probably just stay with the same program. Premiums of $170 per month are nothing compared to the $1800 a month we paid for both of us two years ago.

Anyway, everything is cool so far and hope it stays that way for a long time.

Book Of Scrap Delayed By Book Of Paver

I don't know if there's an official terminology to describe someone who produces a scrap book. A "SCRAPBOOKER" perhaps? One who prepares scrap books of cherished memories based on the old Latin verb, scrapolli, I suspect,  meaning to piece together documents and relics for the purpose of retaining visions of glories past. But here I am, deep into scrap booking or whatever you want to call it to record for posterity our trip to Alaska last June. That almost makes it more palatable, "recording for posterity" because when you say it that way it sort of sounds like genealogy. So some as yet to be identified heir of mine can come across said scrapbook a hundred years from now and see that his ancestors visited Alaska way back in 2011.  That sort of makes it worthwhile.  I have some mementos of my ancestors' trips, the most noteworthy being keepsakes my parents kept from their honeymoon. Hotel receipts and fliers and notes of expenses like cab fare and meals. Not exactly scrapbookish but sort of and I'm grateful to have them for my family history files. The problem with me, as in I, the scrapbooker extraordinaire,  is that I took too many photos. Now I've got to try to condense approximately 1800 photos into scrapbook proportions. Not an easy task, especially for a wuss like me who thinks every photo he takes is worthy of a Pulitzer prize and should be on the front page of National Geographic magazine (or at the very least, on the cover of SCRAPBOOK ILLUSTRATED).

So I've been slowly plugging away at this project for a few weeks now, ignoring my genealogy research for the most part except for occasional diversionary forays into Ancestry.com just to keep the ancestry search juices flowing, and trying to make sense of, or I should say, trying to construct a scrap book of sorts that makes some sense in coordination with the chronological/geographical elements of our trip. When I'm finally done with it and if you ever get a chance to look at it be prepared to be confronted with, nay, overwhelmed  with lots of photographs of mountains! Keep in mind I've lived in Florida for the past 22 years so mountains are not an every day thing for me. So when I saw mountains, I took pictures of mountains. Lots of 'em.  But not all, just a lot. Here's a few pages of what I've got so far.

I added text to some pages that I call "header" pages like this one. When we drove from Valdez to Fairbanks we started off in a place called Keystone Canyon. So the page identifies the beginning in the scrap book of things we saw in Keystone Canyon.  Then, after a "header" page I grouped photos together in various formats like this:

I'm so darn creative I'm sure they are preparing to carve my name into the granite wall of honor in the Scrapbook Hall of Fame. But I'll have to admit, after a while of doing this it gets a little tedious. It's my own fault after taking so many freaking mountain pictures but it just starts to become boring. Beauteous? Yes, absolutely and especially in this case but boring nevertheless.    

Anyway, I've been doing this for a few weeks now and, by the way, this book of scrap was delegated to me by my wife because after doing about three pages of photos she got bored with it and suggested I take it over.  Lucky me! So I've been plugging away at it for awhile, some days a little bit, other days a few hours, some days nothing at all. But I keep coming back to it because I'm thinking about that unidentified heir in the year 2111 who comes across ScrapAlaskaBook at the bottom of a steamer trunk in the attic all covered with cobwebs and dust and wipes it off with his sleeve and blows the dust off and in mystery and awe announces, "Hey! Look at the pictures of the mountains.! Aren't they beauteous?!"

Alaska memories and scrapbooking of same had to go on hold recently because of a predicament I call "The Orange Crisis."  We live in a deeded community which requires approval from our homeowners architectural committee before any enhancements are made to the exterior of our homes. We have submitted a request for the committee's approval to put pavers in the alcove front entrance way to our home. Since a portion of our townhouse unit has a brick facade, we thought a paver in a brick-like design would provide a pleasant appearance. When we submitted our request we included printed literature from Home Depot that depicted the selected paver sort of orange in color. We didn't see it in the paver itself but the picture sort of presented the colors as various shades of bright orange. SHOCKING! isn't it?  This is what they saw:

OK, I've got to admit this is pretty orangie.  The literature says it's shades of brown but it definitely looks more orange than brown. This picture was taken in late afternoon sunlight when we get direct sunlight on our front entrance. I had no mountains to photograph so thought I'd get a photo of the sample paver as it would appear in our alcove. Not sure I could convince them it's not orange with this one. So I put this photo in file 13. The committee will not see this photo. I went out this morning and took new photos that did not have direct sunlight and showed how we pictured the paver design and colors blending in with the brick facade:

Hopefully, this gives a kinder and gentler appearance so the committee doesn't have to fear that Home Depot is opening up an annex at our address with a logo like accented entrance way. If it works, I only have my scrapbooking skills to thank.  I guess I could have made a header page for it, something like the bottom photo with the headline, "NOT ORANGE!" but I suppose that would have been pushing it. We'll see what happens when they consider with the new updated application. In the meantime, I guess I'll just keep on scrapping!