Cliffs of Ruth

There's this cliff in the woods we like to walk back to that we have taken to calling the Cliffs of Ruth after Matt's aunt who lived here in this house when he was born.  It's a major Dog Event around here and in warm weather is often combined with the steep descent to the creek to the dog swimming hole. I have not headed that way in a long time, though Matt took all 4 dogs there just at the end of November..

I was ready for something cheap and local, maybe involving a ton of carbs.  I settled for 'lower carb' since I don't really need the empty calories and 'not leaving the property' since it's Christmas Day.  I made a frittata and set that off to cool and we headed into the woods to walk with the dogs.

Nia has been sick, I have been like a crazy person.  I think she's clear of it now, but I am not sure I can handle one more 'thing' right now.

I was surprised at the amount of mushrooms that were out.  But I think I say that every December.

We made it to the cliff with no trouble.  I had it in mind to scope a spot to put a fire pit and make a regular camping spot over there.  But I got busy watching the dogs tree squirrels and did not think about it once I was actually there.

I am so glad we feed them, they'd starve in about 12 hours without us.

That's the tree I look for every time.  It does not look huge in this picture, but you can see it from a good distance.

We headed down under the cliff after standing on top listening to the creek below.  It's been raining for the past few days and the creek is only a few feet wide, but the way it is located in the bottom of a steep V canyon makes it sound much bigger than it is.

We decided to walk down the hillside to the creek, the cliffs are above this hill on another bluff back a little way.  It's a fairly long climb down.  Which I forget until I have to get back up it.

This tiny fall makes a LOUD noise, we laughed when we reached it.  We must have been expecting the valley to have caved in and there to be a 30 foot drop, the noise it was making.

It was warm enough to swim, I guess.  She and Jessie both played in the water.

We walked along the creek all the way back up to where the old log road comes down from the pasture.

Between the wet ground, slick leaves and hidden rocks, I stumbled around a few times and my ankle was achy.

Back out in the pasture!  

One of several groves of sweet gum and false pear trees.

I don't think Jess will ever tire of putting her whole face in holes she finds in the ground.  I have seen her so swollen from stings that she looks like a balloon dog.

Nia seems to be feeling better.  She threw up and of course I went into psycho mode.  We made her anise tea and had her drink the whole pot over the course of about 36 hours.  We mixed it with almond milk and Vienna sausage juice and raw egg.  She sucked it down, there was no coercion.  Anise is the basis of Tamiflu and that has been shown to stop Parvo damage caught early enough because it stops the virus from replicating.

I gave her papaya enzymes in case it was worms making her ill.  Papaya breaks down protein in the gut, the enzymes can break down intestinal parasites anywhere in the digestive tract and the stomach acid will dissolve the rest.  Wormer without the gross of seeing the worms.

This is all 'stuff I had on hand because the vet is closed until Monday' and not necessarily my first choice for dealing with sickness, especially if Parvo is suspected. I suspect it was probably eating Christmas goodies too rich for her tummy.  Either way, it did her no harm and may have done her a world of good.  I needed to be doing something.

Anyway, tomorrow we have a hike with friends planned and I am looking forward to that.  Other than the repair shop ordeal (dropped off the car and the check engine light started flashing in the van.  They fixed that, took the car back, it's still there), I have not left the house since I took Kai to the vet last Thursday.  It today proved anything, it's time to get out and get some air.  Just need to wrap my ankle better!

I am trying to get back on an even keel.  I feel beaten down and I don't like that at all.  I need time to process everything-without a new thing popping up-and I have not gotten that, not this whole year.  Maybe that's life, but that's not how I am able to manage things.  I need my list, my plan, things I can count on, people I can count on.  I feel like I have been pared down to the core this year on all accounts and left that way.  That probably does not make sense.

I just know I am looking forward to the long walk in the woods and the campfire lunch we have planned and having a few hours of nothing more that putting one foot in front of the other and seeing the scenery.  Maybe take a picture or two.  That's all I want.

Sick Puppy

Tuesday, while we were all off at the funeral, Kaiju threw up.  No one was here to see if she had overeaten or eaten a bug or grass or half a cat...we did not worry.  Wednesday (yesterday) she ate a little kibble-not her usual 3 pounds, but no one was alarmed.  She threw up again.

Following the vet's advice, I made her some bland food and she ate and kept that down, went and played in the pasture and ran around. She had no fever, no lethargy, no diarrhea.  They thought she had gotten into something gross and was on the rebound.

I took Ben and Chan to town to hang out with friends and Jake stayed here with the puppy.  Last night she and Nia wrestled and played.  Just before bed, she threw up again.

I woke up around 1 this morning and went to check her.  She was pitiful.  I told myself it was because it was the middle of the night and she was groggy, but I knew better.

Every hour or so, I gave her an ounce of fluids with the turkey baster.  She seemed to keep it down fairly well.  By 6, I knew there was something really wrong.  Her eyes were so sad and she was so still.  And she did not want anything to do with food-not even bacon or tuna.  At 7:30, I was at the vet's office and at 8, when they actually arrived, I got her in to be looked at.

They took her history-one round of vaccinations at 8 weeks, one due now (tomorrow in fact), the last at 16 weeks, a month from now. She tested positive for parvo.  They had 2 courses of action, neither great.  The first was keeping her there for round the clock meds and fluids.  That was $300 down and $100 a day until she died or went home.  Treatment lasts around 7 days.  The other was taking her and her meds home.  I opted for that explaining there was no way I could justify a thousand dollars for a puppy that might not live. She was given a 50/50 chance either way and basically as long as  was sure I could keep her hydrated, it did not matter to them which option I took.

We talked a long time, I have to say that for the vet, he answered a ton of questions.  I can also say that if you go online, you can find a vet who will agree with any viewpoint you might want to have.  The discrepancy in information for this single disease is terrifying.  I have found if she lives three days, she will make it.  That's today!  I have read it will be 2 weeks until she is really in the clear. That's next year! I have read she will be immune, that she will always shed the virus and is now a carrier, that the virus will be gone from the soil anywhere from 6 months to 10 years.

I decided to use the money we had set aside for Christmas to cover it, so it was not coming out of savings or going on the credit card.  And we should know by Christmas if she's going to make it, so I hope it turns out we get a miracle and not another funeral.  Oh, that's morbid.  I want to put out all the positive vibes I can, she needs lots of love and good thoughts along with her forced liquids.  Poor baby!!

As still as I am likely to catch her.

When I took this one the other day I thought of it as the first shot of the 'adult' version of Kai-that muzzle and beautiful line of her head.    

Here she is in the van waiting at the vet's.  So super sad!  She looks younger. 

It will be worth missing our Christmas festivities to see her all better.  I am so glad I had money set aside, we were just going to use it to go camping anyway, since Matt has forced vacation the next 2 weeks.  That will be more fun when she and Nia are both full of sass and cramming in the tent with the boys.  I will be cramming in the camper with the heater.  hahaha! 

I want to be positive and see all the positive signs-she's walking around, still curious.  She's wagging her tail, she's drinking a little on her own and she's keeping down what I am getting in her.  Matt is coming home with some unflavored pedialyte and I think that will help even more.  She seems able to rest once she settles.

But she's weird-wandering and staring at corners, her feet and tail are freezing-that's the dehydration making her colder.  She seems so restless and keeps looking at me like I can fix it and make her feel better.  And all I am doing is poking hard pills in her throat and forcing her to swallow fluids she does not want at all.  I see now why so many people hand over their puppy to the vet for the IV and isolation, despite the cost and knowing their puppy is probably scared to death.  I'd rather not see her pooping blood or hear her groaning as she tries to get comfortable. I'd really rather not smell her. Parvo has it's own reek that is unmistakable and it hit her body around 2 today.  Even her breath is horrible.  I have already done 3 loads of laundry, she's gross!

I want to be on the other side of this and know what happens to her.  Waiting is the worst invention ever. 

2013 Review

January:

Lots of hiking with and without friends.

Chan got her braces off!

It snowed.

Nia joined the family.

We joined a  local homeschool teen group.We learned to make sushi.

FEBRUARY
Chan turned 15

Ben got braces

The girls did a modeling gig

 MARCH

Nia is fully house trained.

We went hiking at Red Mountain

We went to field day

I learned to make marshmallows

We went gluten free.

I learned to make flourless chocolate cake

 APRIL:

We paid off the last of our debt.
The van AC got fixed the first time

Lots of wildflower walks

Camping at Tishamingo with friends!

The kids were in the Catwalk for Water fashion show

May:
16th anniversary

5th annual homeschool camp-out

We went rafting at Ocoee

Ben and Chan traded rooms

June:
The van AC was repaired for the second time.

We went to Turkey Creek.

We had a great swimming day with friends

We found a new drive-in

We went canoeing and met Park

The girls were in drama camp

Matt turned 40

We represented the state and hiked Cheaha for Cops on Top

July:

We got our passports.

It was a very mild/rainy summer!

We went on hikes and a waterfall swim

We met Amanda's new goat herd

I turned 39

August:

We had lovely hikes
I got a chest cold.
I broke Poppy.
I lost a friend, and I miss her.

Wild haircuts happened

We met Carl and stayed at the farmhouse

We had a NBTS week-long party in Tennessee 

September:
I developed pneumonia and that ate 75% of the month

We had a teen work week at Cumberland

October:

Jake and Rho announced they were in a relationship.

We spent a week in Cayman with Phil and Jacki

We had a fun weekend with friends, celebrating.

The kids went to a masquerade ball.

November:

We had a bonfire party
I went through a bout of the blues
The central unit died
We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home

Jake turned 18

The kids started ballroom dance lessons

December:

We had a fiesta with friends
Ben got a banjo
The van's AC was repaired for the 3rd time.
Matt had 2 weeks off
We had a quiet Christmas at home

Ben turned 14

I learned how to make kombucha

We went to a fashion photo shoot in Birmingham.

On this last day of the year, we bought yummy food, finished all the laundry and cleaned the house.  Taking out all the trash, clothes to donate and recycling so we can start the new year fresh!  I walked on the treadmill a while.  I got the the bigger things we need to get taken care of budgeted in, we made a couple phone calls and finished up minor personal business for the year.

We rented movies and made finger foods for some evening fun, the kids played on their instruments and the girls sang most of the day.  We are keeping close to the cozy wood stove.  Such a peaceful way to see the old year out with lots of talking and laughing and playing.  Makes me realize that in the new year, I want serenity more than anything else.

I wish you all a serene new year as well, a year without major complications, a year when things seem to work themselves out and everything ends up being for the best.  A year in which more things are obtainable and less things seem impossible.  And of course, a year with adventure and new discoveries within yourself, your home and your world.