Sick Pup

I came home from work last night to a sick pup. It was too late to see the vet, so we had to wait until this morning. They had to double book us, but we've spent a small fortune there (literally) over the last 15 years, so they fit us in. My husband was off today, so I did not have to miss work, thank goodness. I have to use some time next week to take Mom to an appointment. It adds up fast.

As I suspected, the pup has a bladder infection. What was my clue, you may ask? Perhaps it was the trips outside every hour or so all night. ALL night. Heavy sigh. Bad week for sleep. It's hard to stay on your game at work when you're exhausted. Both the AM and PM breaks were spent running out to get coffee. Great. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight, after all that caffeine! At least it's Friday. No work tomorrow, might even sleep in a little.

The important thing here is that little M is doing much better today. The antibiotic is kicking in, and she is sleeping soundly right now. Sleeping. Lucky dog.

A Literary Meme

Directions:

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

The sentence: "Passions are roused."

The book: "The Screwtape Letters," by C.S. Lewis.

I got this idea from Pax's blog. Ironically, I had this particular book nearby because it came up in a conversation with Pax last week. I pulled it off of the bookshelf to take a look at it, and I left it by the computer.

Half Asleep and Too Stupid

Haven't been sleeping too well lately. I fall asleep, and I sleep soundly, but I don't stay asleep long enough. Still groggy in the AM, however.

Made the coffee this morning. Half asleep and too stupid, forgot to put the removable basket into the swing-out thingy. Came back 20 minutes later: coffee all over the countertop. Good morning, Merci!

Can't complain. At least it stayed on the counter. I can picture it now: 2 old hounds (15 and 13+) lapping up black coffee from the kitchen floor, me chasing them away with a roll of Bounty and a mop. Coffee and old dog bladders. Bad combo. Guess I actually lucked out! That's it then, guess this is just my lucky day!

Hope yours is lucky, too. ;-)

We have a friend who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. He lives in Long Beach, MS, and he works in the casino industry. He's OK, and we'll see him soon. We're confident that he will recover materially. We haven't heard the details of his story yet, so it's too soon for us to gauge the amount of emotional trauma that he endured and the impact that it will have on his life. We do know that he has family and friends ready to help, and he has education and job skills, all of which will make an enormous difference in his recovery.

Our friend asked us to visit the Gulf Coast many times in the past, with a visit to New Orleans as one of the highlights. We planned to make the trip sometime; wish we had done so. Perhaps in future years we will be able to visit a newer, safer region that sets the standard for economic and social equity.

With such an enormous area impacted by the storm (an area the size of Great Britain), and with tens of thousands of people displaced, the effects of Hurricane Katrina reach far and wide. How many of you know someone affected by the disaster? Have you done anything to contribute to the recovery effort?

We have contributed to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, and we plan a contribution to an animal welfare organization, as well. We might send a donation to Habitat for Humanity when the rebuilding begins in earnest.