A trip to C'Ville....

Today Pepper came home in a little white box. After she died the vet did a nice thing. They took a paw print of Pepper in clay and gave it to us as a memorial gift. I baked it today as directed and it came out real nice.

Tomorrow I am driving up to Caseville for a couple weeks. My husband will drive up by the following weekend after this weekend. The weekend of Oct 31/Nov 1 is both Halloween and the Holly Berry Fair. Usually they fall on 2 separate weekends, but once every 6-7 years they fall on the same weekend. So my husband will be up by Fri, Oct. 31, and we'll go up to the Eagles for Halloween. Then Saturday I'll hit all the craft shows and get in the Xmas spirit/mood.

Remember back in May I wrote about finding my Godson. The last time I saw him was when he was about 4 years old...then his mother put him and his little brother up for adoption as she could no longer care for them. He was adopted by a nice family in the thumb area not too far from Caseville. His neice is getting married and he and his fiance are coming for the wedding. He is now living in Wyoming so they are flying in. Actually they already flew in last Saturday but then drove on to Chicago to visit people there first. So this Friday they are driving through Caseville to Port Austin where they will stay for the wedding on Saturday. They are going to stop at my cottage and SEE ME!!! I am so excited!! His mother who he found back in the 80's passed away a few years ago, and he is still searching for his father and little brother. But he found his godmother....ME....through a newspaper article he had printed back in May. It is a reunion long overdue. I have always wondered all these years whatever happened to him and if he had a good childhood. It is so nice to know that he did and he's doing fine and I can finally actually see him again.

So tomorrow I'm off to Caseville and I hope that Lucky stays healthy. He is on three medications for his lymphoma and is doing good so far. I don't want him getting sick while I'm gone. These past 6-7 weeks have been awful...very stressful...as far as the health of my dogs and husband. I am just praying for a stressless, relaxing, fun two weeks.

Then I'll come back probably election night so I can watch the results at home with the Detroit TV stations. I already voted with an absentee voter ballot. Personally, I don't care for either one of them for different reasons, so I don't care which one gets in....probably won't make much of a difference either way.

I'm getting new carpet for my stairs and hallway. They came and measured already, so when I get back from Caseville I'll set up an appointment to get it installed. I can't wait. Then my upstairs will be so DONE! When I took the carpet off the stairs, we found that the stairs are not hardwood like the floors, so we have to have them carpeted anyway.

Hope everybody else also has a good next couple weeks while I'm gone.....

Remembering Pepper

Pepper passed away today at approximately 4:20 this afternoon. We took her to our vet where she died very peacefully. Her condition had deteriated today to the point where her muscles were already cramping and stiffening up. She was wrapped in her blanket and I had a picture of her and her dad (my army son) taken her first Christmas back in 1993 propped up in front of her so she could see her dad.

I remember when Pepper was a puppy and she came to our house the very first time. I have a picture of my husband holding her. She was about 2 months old in June, 1993.

I remember Pepper coming to our house for Christmas dressed up in a Santa outfit.

I remember Pepper coming another Christmas with reindeer antlers on her head.

I remember Pepper getting excited when she would see "her" stocking.

I remember Pepper playing with Casey....who died before we got Lucky.

I told Pepper in those last few moments that she will be going to the "Rainbow Bridge" and she will be seeing Casey again. Casey will be excited to see her.

I remember when Pepper tore her stomach with a nail and had to have surgery.

I remember when she was a very young puppy she became very ill. My son took her to a vet where the vet told him that she had Parvo and that there was nothing he could do and that my son should have her put to sleep. My son was devastated and didn't want to believe it. So he took her to the Humane Society for a second opinion and to see if there was anything they could do. They told him that she did NOT have parvo. They gave him some antibiotics to give her....she recuperated...and lived another 15 years!!!

Thank you Pepper for those 15 1/2 years. You were a good girl. You were a devoted companion.

We love you.....and will always miss you.

Saturday.....

I know, it's actually Sunday but I'm posting about my Saturday. I got up early and went to a rummage sale(just can't resist them)and bought a few things. Mainly I bought this really cute Fall/Halloween bear for a buck.

I decided to make my bread and butter pickles. I had bought a batch of pickling cucumbers last week and didn't get around to them for a few days. By then, they were all going bad and I had to throw them all out!...waste of money. So I bought another batch and knew I had to get them made immediately. I made 7 pints and 4 half pints. They look like they came out really good although I haven't tasted them yet....but the color is right.

Then I decided to make a couple loaves of zucchini bread. My girlfriend up in the Caseville area gave me tons of zucchini from her garden. I grated some of them, cubed some of them, sliced some of them and froze everything. We've been eating a lot of zucchini! Anyway, I thought a couple loaves of zuccini bread would be tasty and yummy for a change.

Then I figured as long as I'm still in the kitchen I may as well make another batch of hamburger/rice for Lucky. BTW, Lucky is doing great now that he is back on his "magic pills". It's amazing what a difference they make. He is back to being his old self. I have a months supply with refills. He will stay on them until they don't work anymore, and then maybe there is another "magic pill" he can take. As long as he has quality of life, I will keep him on the pills.

Pepper....the older army son's dog....however, is not doing very well. She has been peeing and pooping more in her bed lately. Then the last few days she has been heaving up everything she eats. Saturday she can't stand up very well. Her back legs just don't want to work. I've been carrying her outside and helping her stand up to pee.

Today she seems worse and is just laying there with no strength left in her poor old body (15 1/2 years). I am going to call my son/daughter-in-law later and let them know what is going on. I will probably take her to the vet tomorrow.

I'm going to the pet store to buy some of those puppy pads to put under her so she doesn't soil her bed.

Very depressing around here....

Tidbits here and there....

Lucky is a little better today with the meds. He is still weak but getting his strength back and eating some.

A few nights ago I went to the show and saw (what else) "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"!! What a cute and adorable movie. I want to see it again. Those little dogs really look like they are actually talking. Drew Barrymore has the perfect voice for Chloe. Chloe reminds me so much of Mini Sue in her attitude....they both think they are little divas.

I got all 3 bedrooms done with the carpet removal and I have the floors covered in room size area rugs now over the hardwood floors. Now I am working on the hallway and stairs. I just have to clean the hallway floor and then start to rip up the carpet on the stairs. We decided to have the hall and stairs recarpeted. Here are some room pictures:






This is my computer room with my new allputtogether desk....






This is my room with my new pretty rug...and Mini lounging on "her" bed...





....and this is the spare room...not a bedroom cause there's no bed...








I finally went to the eye doctor and got new computer glasses and driving glasses. But she also said that my eye pressure was a little high which can be an indication of possible glaucoma in the future. My grandfather had glaucoma. So she wants to see me again in a year and keep a check on it. Just Great!!

Have a nice weekend....

One Lucky Mouse....and Unlucky Lucky

Yahhhhhh! My blog is finally back to normal. Yesterday I couldn't even get into it at all, so something was wrong and I guess they fixed it.

Funny news:

Last night was another one of my bad nights I've been having and I couldn't sleep. I have had a continuing sinus headache for weeks now and my ears have been ringing probably from these new blood pressure pills I'm on. Then when I can't sleep I get edgy and nervous and then I'm really shot. My mother had the same problem. Her insomnia drove her crazy sometimes. She had prescription sleeping pills she would take on occasion and something called "Nervine" that I don't think they even make anymore. Last night I took some antihistimine but it didn't work. /

Anywaysssss....finally about 2:30 a.m. or so I am hungry and decide to go downstairs to get some crackers. When I'm in the kitchen I hear something rattling in the utility room......MOUSE!! So I snuck up to the door, turned on the light and opened it. My husband has this new mouse trap where the mouse goes inside to eat the treat and it shuts on them so then we can let him outside later. Well, I don't like this new one cause one night it caught 3 mice and over the night the two mice killed the other one and we ended up with 2 live and 1 dead mouse. I told my husband to not put the trap out at night while we're sleeping....only when we are awake so we can check it. Well it was out and a mouse had gotten stuck in it. I mean literally stuck! Apparently, he went inside too slow and the thing shut before he was completely in. So here he is half in and half out....his back legs, tail and butt were outside the opening and his head and body was inside. He was struggling trying to free himself. Poor little guy! I picked it up and looked at him and he looked at me with those little beady pleading eyes saying "help me...help me!"

I took it outside on the patio and tried to figure out how the damn thing worked. I finally pushed on the bar that was holding him down and it moved and freed him. He scooted away, jumped down on the grass and flew like the wind across the yard. He didn't even look back and say "Thanks!"....ingrate...
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Bummer News:

Lucky is sick again. It has only been 5 days since he took the last of the antibiotics that seem to work. Tonight he wouldn't eat his dinner, and he is running a temperature again and just wants to lay under the couch. I gave him a small part of an aspirin and I went to the store and bought some baby aspirin. He did take his prednisone with some cheese, but he looks really sick again. Tomorrow I'll take him to the vet again and start over again. The new antibiotics that is strictly for the colon must be working because he doesn't have the diarrhea YET, but the fever is back. He either has to stay on the amoxicillan forever or try a different antibiotic. The vet had suggested Flagyl, so maybe we can try that one. It's a stronger antibiotic. I know that the meds will only work to a point and then even they won't work anymore and we will have to make a decision. I am so bummed. I was hoping that this time he would stay in a remission from all this for awhile and that the new meds would work.

The thing is is that when he is on the amoxi he is fine...his old self...he eats, plays, barks, all normal. But then he gets sick again when the pills run out. I am so depressed about this. No wonder I can't sleep. Tonight I'm going to sleep on the couch with him.

Tomorrow I have some guy coming to the house to give us a quote on new cabinet doors in our kitchen, so I have to be home by 1:00, so I'm going to bed early so I can get up early so I can get Lucky to the vet early.

And I am NOT an early person.....

Lucky needs thoughts and prayers again....

What's with my blog??....and apples...

I'm back from Caseville and went into my blog and shit is missing...like where are the links for images??, and how do I type in bold print??? All that is showing is something called Enclosures with, "URL...and MIME Type"...whatever the hell that is.

Christ,...I so HATE when people mess with my stuff. Where is my regular usual blog PAGE??????

How do I post pictures now????
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Anyway, I got back from Caseville Wednesay. I got my lawn cut....3 times...cause it was so freaking long that I had to first cut it in the highest mower setting...then dropped it down a couple notches and cut it again. Then I dropped it down more and cut it again before I left. I dug out some old flowers and put away some summery outdoor things, and I hung up my fall/halloween things. I got my scarecrow propped up in the flower garden with a pumpkin sitting nest to him. Would post a pic, but don't HAVE A FU**ING CLUE HOW TO POST PICS NOW THAT MY BLOG IS F***ED UP!!

I met up with my friend Tuesday night at the Eagles; then I went to Bingo Wednesday with my neighbor and didn't win anything. My other friend stopped over with her granddaughter that she had for the week. She drove to Ohio and picked her up and brought her back to Pigeon for a week or so. Must be nice....to be able to see your grandchildren once in awhile. I wouldn't know...

I went to Port Austin for the farmer's market and bought 4 pecks of Honey Crisp apples that everybody waits and waits for every year. They are only for sale a very short time and they are the best apples ever. Until this year....

So I buy 4-1/2 pecks at $6.50 each. On the way home I bite into an apple anticipating the sweet crispy taste of a true Honey Crisp apple and...YUCK...it tasted soury/tarty and not like a honey crisp should taste. My neighbors were complaining of them this year....my friend in Pigeon complained and even called the orchard she bought them from. I went to two other different places and bought more...and they were too tarty tasting....NOT honey crisp.

I came home and went to the produce market and bought more, some from Washington variety and some from Michigan variety....determined to find a true Honey Crisp apple. I cut up 3 different ones on a plate and made my husband take the "honey crisp apple" challenge. We ate one and then the other and then the third. Of course, the one he liked the best is the worst....husbands, whatthehelldotheyknow! I came to the conclusion that of all the different ones I bought (5 in all), the original ones I bought at the Port Austin farmer's market was probably the best afterall.

So now I have all these damn apples.

So I decided to make a pie.

I haven't made a pie is probably 20 years...

(I buy them...I don't actually MAKE them)

But I have all these damn apples...that taste tarty...

So I made a pie and added alot of sugar and cinnamon...

(Okay, I bought pre-made crusts....I don't have time to figure out how to make crusts!)

As they say about lemons..."out of lemons you can make lemonade"....I can say about these apples..."out of soury/tarty apples, you can make apple pie".

It's the best damn apple pie we've ever had....