Olivia had an orthodontist appointment today! They took x-rays this time & she is REALLY close to getting them off. This could be her last adjustment -- if it isn't there will only be one more. So, most likely, she will have them off before school starts or shortly after. As you can imagine, she's pretty excited about that! :)
I spent much of the weekend out in our yard! Saturday was spent purchasing plants to replace the overgrown ugly "ground cover" that had taken over the area in front of the house.
Those overgrown monstrosities were pulled out Sunday with the help of a wonderful neighbor (Thank you again, Jay!). The planting that day was short lived as we had plans to meet friends for dinner, but I did get a good start. I transplanted a couple meadow sage that had been near the stuff we got rid of and also planted three other plants.
Monday morning I was back to planting by mid-morning & it didn't finish until about 7PM. In all, I planted or transplanted nearly 40 plants. In the area I planted most of these plants there is that cloth that prevents weed growth. UGH -- that stuff is nice, but it is a pain when it comes to planting!
Before
to all those who have and are currently serving in our military!
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand,The semester has come to a close. Today was my first Friday without class, and I missed it! I can't believe I missed it as much work as it was...LOL!!
Today was run errands with grandma day! Last time we were out was about three weeks ago. It was nice to see her again. Before our trip I was spending all my spare time working on my semester project for view camera class. That class really kicked my behind. It was a lot of work. The quizzes and tests were TOUGH! This morning before going to pick up grandma, I stopped by school to pick up the photos I dropped off before our trip. I got a B+ on my project & a B for the class. I am VERY happy with that considering there were photo majors who got lower grades and needed the final exam curved to pass the class. :O
Next up will be Introduction to Digital Photography. It's a two hour lecture only class. There will be no photography assignments. I will miss those, but am interested in learning more about the technical aspects of digital.
Bob took vacation days beyond our trip. He was also off yesterday and today. It was nice to be home and not have to go anywhere other than taking Olivia to and from school. Usually when he has a day off he wants to be running. This was a nice, welcome change from the norm!
Bob & I took a much needed vacation with some friends. We went to St Louis to take in the Brewers/Cardinals series. We had a GREAT time, but it feels good to be home!
I went to bed around 11:45 last night! Bob was up finishing a little bit of work, but ended up falling asleep in his chair (not unusual...lol). The dogs, Boomer & Chevy came to bed with me. Chevy was down by my feet & Boomer was next to me in Bob's spot. I fell asleep quickly and was sleeping soundly when I heard a loud bang that startled me out of my sleep. I noticed Boomer hunkered down next to the wall panting heavily. He looked really strange and was making no attempt to get up. I called Bob into the room & Boomer finally moves, but he really didn't have control of his body. For a few minutes he could not hold himself up. He would fall over to the right if he wasn't against a wall or being held up. When he did walk, his front legs were really far in front of him and his rear legs were really far behind him.
I called the vet, who I know will be closed, to get an emergency number. Called that number and was told to bring him in. Bob was going to try to carry Boomer, who is 80 lbs, down the stairs, but Boomer didn't like that idea and began to growl & show his teeth to Bob. I went downstairs to get his leash so we have some control of how fast & far he can get on the steps since he was starting to walk a tiny bit better by this time. Boomer decided he didn't want to wait for me to come back with the leash, escapes from Bob & goes down the stairs on his own. Instead of walking down, he fell down the entire flight. He was barely phased by the falling and just got up and walked, as best he could, to the kitchen.
We get him in the car, drive him the 40 minutes or so to the vet ER, and we he gets out of the car he is normal again! Of course! The vet did notice his head was still a bit to the right when he examined him, but by the end of the exam that was normal too.
They aren't sure what happened, but think it was a vestibular episode related to idiopathic vestibular syndrome. A disorder in older dogs -- the disorder causes stroke like symptoms. There are other things that could cause this to happen as well, but since it cleared up so quickly they think this is likely what happened. According to the vet, he may never have one again or it could be recurring.
I spoke to our regular vet this morning. She & the vet he saw last don't think any other blood work is necessary at this point since he just had a complete check a few weeks ago. Neither of them thought anything they would be looking for now would change that quickly in such a short period of time. We are just supposed to keep & eye on him and if it happens again we need to bring him in immediately. If it does happen again, then we will go from there.
I am crossing my fingers, hoping, praying, etc. that it never happens again. That was one of the scariest things I have seen in my life.
