Catching up the cRaZy

Whew!  It has been crazy here at our house lately.  Some sad crazy and some good crazy.  I've not been very successful at communicating all the crazy, so here I am – today – trying to do better.

 

The sad crazy is that we had to say "Goodbye" to our dog, Newton. 

In about 3 weeks time, he developed a massive lump on this spine, which we now know was Fibrous Carcinoma.  The day we took him to the vet, he could barely walk and did not want to wake up for us.  It was very sad and we shed many, many tears about him.  Even now, it's hard for me to tell you about it.  The vet said we did the absolutely right thing, because his condition was very painful, and treatment is rarely successful.

Just a few months ago, I videoed Newton (in the red harness) and Kepler (in the blue collar) playing with the dogs next door.  It was the only time I actually caught him in action, with his powerful herding strength.  If you watch, you can see he does his best to get the neighbor dogs to "herd" through the fence!  Too funny!

Newton herding from Obtaining Mercy on Vimeo.

 

Now, on to some good crazy:  Kepler is doing well.  She has adjusted to missing Newton, and is actually learning some new commands and patterns.  She went for her yearly check up and shots yesterday.  The really amazing part??? She had gained 50 pounds from her last visit!!!  Isn't that cRaZy???? 

We had to remind ourselves she is still a pup, only 17 months old, and so she has done the bulk (pun totally intended) of her growing during the last year.  She weighed in at a whopping 73 pounds!  Whew!

The vet said she was fine at that weight, as long as she doesn't gain any more weight.  She is getting a little more exercise now, and is looking good.  All the puppy belly is gone and she is slimming up a bit.

 

We had a lovely surprise this week.  When Doug and Isaac went to Melbourne for therapy, they dropped by to see our friend Mike, and he sent them home with this:

It is a Russell Hobbes electric tea kettle, tea pot and infuser.  Isn't it lovely?  What a nice surprise!  And now I am shopping for a loose leaf green tea to use as my base to add other flavors to.  I do like black teas, too, but since I am not doing caffeine, I thought it would probably not be good to add a strong black tea to my daily regimen. ;) 

I know the green tea has some caffeine, but the brewing times can alter the amount of caffeine, so I can tailor it to my own needs.  Also, green teas have so many other healthy benefits that even my (mostly holistic) physician recommends them.  If you have any suggestions of a good tea for me, I'd love to hear it. 🙂

 

We found these lovelies at the grocery store recently.

A gorgeous day last week:

 

NOW – for the Best Most Exciting news:  I am going to meet my friend Tia!  And her two girls – The Little Princess and Mog!!  From England!!!  I am beside myself with anticipation.

Tia and I came to know each other through an email list in 2002 (at least, that's the date to the best of my calculations!).  Remember when we did email lists?  Before Blogs?  Before Facebook?  Gasp!  I know!  Waaaaaay back then!

Since we met, Tia and I have both adopted special needs children.  She has 2 girls.  She is a brave, multitasking woman!!! 🙂

She and her girls are traveling with some friends to visit O-town with all of its attractions and theme parks; and she has very kindly allotted an afternoon to us.  We are going up on Saturday to meet them.  You can be sure I will be taking pictures and will blog all about it (with her permission, of course!).

Aaaaaand I have one more cRaZy thing to share:  I have started walking.  In the mornings.  Before the sun comes up.  It's insane.  I know.

I stick to our property, which is so much safer than venturing out onto our busy road; and most days Doug joins me.  We are able to open the blinds in Isaac's room, and due to the Christmas lights that are on 24/7, around the ceiling in his room, we are able to see him throughout most of our walk; and should he need us, we are within just a few yards of our back door.

I have had more energy since I started these walks.  I have not had any less pain, but that's to be expected when I have been so sedentary for so long.  I am hoping to keep it up until I begin to reap more benefits.  I am going verrrrrry slowly and not walking for very long.  I just keep reminding myself to take "baby steps". :oD

 

I guess that's all for the crazy news at our house.  I hope to be back soon, with more gentle, sedate, normal updates. 

"cRaZy" is overrated, I think. 😉

Blessings to you,

Alesha