Heart Dropping Moments This Week

Throw an emergency my way, and I can assure you that you can count on me to remain calm and logical. However, a series of heart-dropping events? Not so much! The cumulative approach tends to eventually do me in – that’s how I’m feeling this week anyway.

Heart Dropping Event 1

Last Friday night, our old dog, Tucker, half fell, slid off the couch, then stood there, shaking, back legs awkwardly placed. He was drooling and then peed. I went and snuggled him and then helped him lie down. My heart dropped. I thought this is it, the beginning of the end. Tucker has degenerative myelopathy. We know that he will eventually end up with paralysis of the back legs or vocal cords. We were able to encourage him to bed. Saturday morning, he would not move. And he would not eat. Again, with some gentle coaxing, my husband took him outside to do his business. I phoned the vet, making an appointment for Monday. He was not in pain, and we wanted everyone to have a chance to say goodbye to him. The girls said they would stop by on Sunday morning. Our friends, who Tucker adores, said they would be by in the afternoon. Tucker came back in and collapsed at the bottom of the stairs; there was no way he was heading up to the living room. I brought his bed down to my office and stayed close by. Our friends arrived with a bottle of wine. Tucker glanced at them but not even a tail wag; his usual enthusiasm was gone. We managed to get him into the office and drank wine while we took turns snuggling him. We uncorked another bottle of wine when my husband came home, reminiscing about our dear old boy. Neighbours left. Husband helped Tucker upstairs. And then a shout, “Helen, Tucker just jumped onto the couch!” Sunday morning I woke up from a wet nose nuzzling my neck, Tucker, not my husband. Tucker was clearly feeling better. And now, a week later, he is back to his stiff-legged run! We’re not sure what happened. Cramps? A stroke? Who knows? We do know that his days are limited, and we plan to give him loads of love and enjoy every moment we have left!

Heart Dropping Event 2

On Thursday, I gave my granddaughter a snuggle, my daughter a tight hug, and then stood waving until they turned the corner, heading to catch the ferry to their new home. My heart dropped; I missed them already. Of course, I’m excited for them heading off on new adventures. I know they aren’t moving that far – it’s only a 5-hour trip, even shorter from our island. This is nothing compared to some of you. Rekha, who lives here on the west coast of Canada, commented on blog post last week, that she has not seen her daughter and grandchildren in Tonga for four years! Debbie, in Australia, has three daughters and grandchildren; one daughter lives in England, and the other two live in different Australian states, both a long drive. So I know I am lucky, but that does not ease the pain in my heart. My grandbaby seems to reach a new milestone every week. Yes, I get daily photos and videos, however, I would rather be sipping coffee with my daughter, laughing at her daughter's antics.

Heart Dropping Event 3

Wednesday morning, I woke up with a couple of bites on my leg. A spider, I assumed. Thursday morning, there were a few more bites. Fleas, I wondered? I pulled out the flea comb and checked the cats and the dog. Nope, not fleas. Friday morning, more bites. My heart dropped! Bed bugs, I thought, what will people think? Actually, my first thought was about the big pile of books on my night table. I had heard about bed bug infestations at libraries and wondered whether I would need to get rid of all my books?

I made up the bed in the spare room with clean sheets and then attacked the master bedroom – dusting, vacuuming, and deep cleaning. I did not see a single bug - no bedbugs, fleas, or spiders. I wondered if it was bedbugs. Based on what we had read, it seemed so unlikely.

Early Saturday morning I woke up with no new bites. Phew, they had not made it into the spare bedroom, I thought. Tucker wandered in and wanted up on the bed. We lifted him up and he snuggled between us as we drank our coffee, asleep in seconds. He jumped down as we took our last sip. Then my husband said, what is that, I think I see something moving at the end of the bed. We leaned in for a closer look…a flea! And then another, and another! We went and checked Tucker’s bed – a flea party! We checked the cats but not a single flea. Then Tucker, yup, we could see them moving on his legs. A collective groan from the two of us. We had a flea infestation thirty-two years ago and knew what was in store for us. And so we spent all of yesterday cleaning, washing, vacuuming, and steam cleaning. We moved heavy pieces of furniture to get into every nook and cranny, stripped the covers from all the pillows, and did fifteen loads of laundry. Tucker suffered a flea bath in the carport.

Exhausted, we wrapped up in the early evening. The only room left was my office. We headed to the pub for a well-deserved burger and a beer. This brings us to this morning and my office. My husband turns on the steam cleaner, puts it into motion, and we see the fleas jumping to escape! It seems the worst infestation is in my office. I am not surprised as I spend most of my time there, surrounded by my pets.

There is more; isn't there always? I am trying to process the Pope's apology to Canada's indigenous peoples. I am heartbroken for the people of Ukraine. I am still not completely comfortable with the easing of pandemic restrictions and did not attend a Santana concert with my husband on Thursday - and I know he was hoping I would join him. My knee hurts, still! Exercising - even yoga - hurts. Maybe I should try Adrienne's, Yoga for Sensitive Knees. I need to go to the doctor, but I know the first thing she will say is to lose weight. Ah yes, my weight. I keep gaining; I am a notorious comfort eater. But I am not feeling comfortable in my body these days; I know I need to make better food choices.

So, the purpose of this long-winded post? Well, I am taking a well-deserved break! I have been thinking about taking a month off from blogging but wanted to wait until May when we have some holidays scheduled. But after this week? Sayonara baby! I am signing off for a few weeks. I have a list of podcasts to catch up on and a pile of books to read. I have visits with friends planned. I have contractors to meet as we begin renovations on our island home. I have a daughter and her family to visit in their new island home, and an invitation from my other daughter to help her get her patio ready for summer. If you miss me, you can always look for me on Facebook and Instagram, as I expect I will still be posting the occasional bits and pieces.