Creative Abundance

On your mark...

I called the North Carolina State Teaching hospital at exactly 8AM this morning to request an appointment for Ms.Peachy.  I am awaiting a return telephone call...

The race with Iris..

The irises are just pushing through, I am estimating that it will be three weeks before they bloom - that would be a little after Easter. Speaking of which, Luci Leigh has her new Easter dress. 

Earlier I mentioned the book, Speaking for Spot, which entails ways to be an advocate for your companion. The author, Dr. Kay, has a blog which is quite interesting. Her last post talked about how to remove a tick without leaving mouth parts.  It involved spinning the tick, not pulling him/her.  Dr.Kay recommended using your finger (which is gloved of course) to spin him.  I told the folks at Dr. Jones's office about it and it seems that they are way ahead of the power curve. They have a device which spins them.  Sounds even better.

Tick season is here, and I typically use lots of icky smelling spray stuff and tuck my pants into socks and always wear long sleeves. Since my companions don't wear socks and long sleeves, they get Advantix which works well.  We do not have problems with fleas so I only use the Advantix during the months where ticks are a problem.

Rain and a Race with Iris

 

Certainly it is not the tragic flooding in North Dakota, but we certainly have gotten a huge amount of rain lately.  The two cypress trees in the picture fell over completely.  Eric got them standing again and staked them.  That's standing water in the foreground. 

The sun finally came out this afternoon, things were beginning to dry out and I was able to take some pictures of Ms. Peachy in her new harness dress (made by Diana of DianaDesignsNY.  She does extraordinary work and does not charge nearly enough..I've told her that!). 

She loves to patrol the yard for squirrels.  I had a hard time taking pictures because she was almost in constant movement. 

 

Do you see the focus and commitment in her pursuit?  Her energy level has been great, she has been playing and her appetite is very good.  We have established a very strong bond. She is absolutely one of the sweetest girls on the planet and is so very devoted.  Eric tells me that when I leave she lies right by the door until I return. 

Although her energy level is great,the results of the bile acid test were abnormal.  Our vet indicated that the values were high and were in reverse - I believe that they were high after fasting but lower after a meal.  It should be vice verse. She believes that Peachy has liver disease, and not something else that is causing her liver enzyme values to be high.  She suggested that she may have an obstruction in a bile duct or it could be a liver shunt.  I have been doing a great deal of reading about both and it seems that both are treatable.  Tomorrow morning I am planning on calling the vet teaching school at North Carolina State University to see if they can see her on Thursday or Friday. They are at the top of my list of trusted care givers.  We intend to ensure Peachy receives the best care possible. She absolutely does not appear to be ill like her test results reflect, and I view that as a very positive sign. 

I've already figured out what project I will take with me for the trip - Iris.  I would love to finish Iris in time for the blooming of the Irises in our little garden.  It was too wet to do a photo shoot with Iris and the real irises.  I settled on a picture with them with a few Lady Slipper orchids- they look a little like irises.  (One of the lady slippers has multiple blooms - this is my first multiple bloomer.)

The entire project has 5000 beads - I think I am at the 4000 point.  Although it is not the best for a waiting room area, I have found that if I use dental floss instead of a crochet hook to apply the beads, that I don't make a mess.  And that's a good thing!

At the Doc's

This darling sweater, "AT THE HOP" was knitted for Peachy by Diana of DianaDesignsNY.  It is exquisitely done. (Click image for larger view.) The yarn is lovely.  The design is adorable.  Every detail is so beautifully addressed that you would swear that Coco Chanel was behind it all.  Diana also made Peachy an adorable harness dress - it is absolutely spring like. Pictures to follow.  But for now, here's another shot of the front of the sweater

I really wanted to tell Peachy this morning that she was putting on her At the Hop Poodle Sweater so that we could have breakfast in style at one of the drive throughs.  I wanted to tell her this especially because she is was fasting.  

I hated to tell her that she was going to have to skip breakfast again today because she was spending some time with Dr. Jones - again.  So it was AT THE DOCS instead.  Yesterday she had a dental scheduled.  They did blood work first and found that one of her liver enzymes was significantly elevated.  The dental was cancelled and Dr.Jones did an Xray and ultrasound.  The good news is that there were no masses.(It is also good news that her eye surgery has just been delayed a week - not out right cancelled.)  Dr.Jones is trying to figure out what would be causing the elevation of her ALT.  The value was eight times greater than normal.  I did some research on the internet and found that the enzyme number does not reflect how much damage or inflammation in the liver.  I interpretted that as good news.  Today we were scheduled for a Bile Acid test which provides some information about how well the liver is functioning. 

We were supposed to go to the Docs between 7:30 and 8:00, they would draw blood, getting a baseline. They would then offer her a meal and wait two hours and then take another blood sample.  This morning I called when they first opened to ask if I could modify things a bit.  I wanted to reduce her stress as she was very stressed yesterday.  I was hoping to do what I used to do for companions about to have surgery - wait with them until they needed to be prepped.  I was hoping that I could also wait with her in the waiting room for that two hour period of time before the second blood draw.  I planned to bring knitting and it would be as close to what happens at home as possible.

I was delighted to find that not only was it not a problem for me to wait with her, that I could bring her in closer to the time that her blood would be drawn and there would be no waiting in a crate in the "kennel" area.  I am so glad that I asked to modify things as there was a huge labrador retriever who was very vocal in the kennel area.  I knew Peachy would be stressed to be in the same area with him.  Since I live so close I also asked if it would be possible for her to go home and we would return in two hours for the second blood draw.  I did not think that request would be honored but it was.  Turns out that after they did the first blood sample, she would not eat the special snack I had prepared.  Probably because of the deafing bark of the lab who wanted to go home.  So we went home and  had the snack - there was absolutley no problem- she ate immediately when we arrived.  We then chilled out for close to two hours and returned for the second blood draw.  I have always tried to be an advocate for my companions, and requested modifications that I felt were reasonable if it would reduce their stress.  I am very fortunate to have a wonderful vet who does not perceive my requests as high maintenance.  

Along those same lines, I happened to hear a portion of a broadcast last week on Fresh Air.  Terry Gross was interviewing a vet who just published a book entitiled, Speaking for Spot.  Frankly I could not listen to the whole program because some of the content was upsetting and I was on my way to work.  However, what I was able to listen to had some excellent advice and strategies in coping with end of life issues.  The advice and strategies were "outside the box" and centered on a companion's best interest.  If these issues are some that you may have to deal with, I recommend listening to the interview which is archived. You can simply stream it from your computer. I know that I will need to get the book.

We hope to get Peachy's results tomorrow. My heart is very heavy with the thought that she may be seriously ill.  I don't know a great deal about specific liver diseases, but  I can tell you that such a possibility scares me.  I love her very much and am so grateful to have her here.  I am also grateful to the Friends for Life group for caring for her.  I know that so many volunteers love her, too.  I believe in the power of prayer, and I am saying many for Peachy.  

I am trying to work with some ideas provided by Rumi in The Guest House poem.  I must admit that I have difficulty welcoming any "guest" who would sweep Peachy out of my life- there is no other companion who could replace her.  But I am trying to accept this news of a possible illness with grace and I think that's what Rumi had in mind.  Peachy seems to be doing better in this area than I am - when we arrived home she found a toy and gave it a good shake.  I view that as a positive sign.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
    translation by Coleman Barks

 

  

EEEK and Space Clearing

EEEK (or Where the Ocean Begins), by Denise Copeland, Watercolor on cold press

Eric is a pack rat. I am not.   And we had at least one of his distant relatives, a field mouse, in the garage.  I rehomed him once (the mouse not Eric) when I found him in the recyclable bin.  Eric went on a business trip to Philadelphia and I took that opportunity to do some major organizing, cleaning and disposing in the garage.  The field mice made themselves at home because a large quantity of grass seed was stored in the garage.  What a mess. For the last couple of months I have been reading books about space clearing - everything from the sacred type to the regular Julie Morgenstern stuff. In the past week I put many of those ideas into action. 

As a bit of reward, I took some time this weekend and began working on a quilt. 

 

Ms. Peachy was at my side ready to help. I had been working with placement on the floor.   When I actually sewed some of the parts together, Peachy took one, and ran around the room with it, giving it a good shake.  At one point Maisy totally reorganized it for me. I should have taken it to heart as some of the colors I had been working with were totally wrong. I had hoped that I could use a yellow green colorway but found (after things were sewn together) that it really wasn't right for the room.   What was I thinking? Maizy knew all along and had tried to give me a polite hint that I was on the wrong track.   I have started with a fresh, new color scheme (minus the yellow green), and I am seeing much more progress.

Ms. Peachy is scheduled for a dental this week, and we are hoping that she can have cataract surgery on April 10. We were told that she has no vision in her right eye due to an injury or birth defect.  The cataract in her left eye is mature and if we wait any longer, she will be blind.  We would like to avoid that, and she has surgery scheduled with the same surgeon who had a successful outcome with our little Joy.  She is doing wonderfully and we hope that this will further enhance her quality of life. 

 Ms. Luci has been enjoying the spring like weather, and after a few very, very rainy days it looks like spring is here.