Update on Zoe

Zoe is better!!

We don't think that Zoe slept at all last night. We gave her 3 sedatives within a matter of hours hoping that she would sleep. We felt terrible putting her in her crate the way she was pacing. About 2:00 she woke us up crying. Craig took her outside and then brought her into our room. She was still doing the head jerking thing but it seemed to be less. We also noticed that she was staggering and easily tripping over objects. She would let me hold her for 2 or 3 minutes which was an improvement. We put her back in her crate and then she woke us up about 6:00 crying again. I got up and took her outside. She raced out the door chasing Seadra back to the woods. I was so happy to see that as she wouldn't go 10 feet from the back door yesterday. And she was approaching me on her own wanting attention from me. She would let me pet her and comfort her. She sat on my lap for a few minutes. If you watched her close you could see the head bobbing but is was subtle.

I can't tell you what a relief today is. We put her in her crate when we went to church and for the first time she laid down to sleep. And when we got home it is like we have Zo-Zo back again. Right now she is relaxed, laying next to Seadra in the lazy chair and chewing on a nylabone. Yesterday we were losing hope. Being a nurse it's totally confusing me that a dog can be having such severe neurological symptoms and today be almost normal.

There are 2 forms of Pug Dog Encephalitis. One being slow progression where between episode the dog can be normal for weeks at a time before showing symptoms again. That would make sense but for now we are only going to think positive thoughts and hope that this was a freak thing.

Thanks for your good thoughts, we'll keep you posted.

And happy Mother's Day!!

Zoe

Our Zo-Zo is sick. We made a weekend emergency visit to the vet this afternoon. We, including the vet, are not sure what is wrong with her. She is having neurological symptoms. About an hour after we got up this morning we noticed that she was acting nervous. Which for Zoe is out of the ordinary to begin with. Nothing ever bothers Zoe. Then we noticed that she wouldn't come to us and she wouldn't let us pick her up. She increasing became more anxious as the day went on. She's been panting and running in circles all day. About noon we noticed that she was jerking her head from side to side involuntary. That's when we called the vet. The vet was out of town so by the time he was able to meet us at the office it was 4:00. Now she was bobbing her head up and down as well as jerking it from side to side. And she was walking backwards.

The vet doesn't know what to think. Her heart rate is good, no GI issues, no fever... He gave her a shot of Valium to relax her. After the shot she laid down for all of 1 minute still bobbing her head. Then she was right back to pacing and panting. He gave her a shot of steroids and put her on antibiotics. We are trying to cover all the bases. He sent us home with sedatives but we can't tell if they are working. They may be as she will sit still for 3 or 4 minutes at a time but she will not lay down at all. And if you talk to her she goes right back to frantically running around. Poor Zoe has been going non-stop all day. She physically can't relax. And the head jerking and bobbing does not stop. It is so hard to look at her. We want to cuddle and hold her but she will not let us. She isn't mean or aggressive to us she just is too frantic to settle down with us. She wags her tail and gets happy when we sweet talk to her but if we approach her she darts away. It is breaking our hearts. We are scared to death that Zoe has a condition called "Pug Dog Encephalitis". The vet admits that she is showing symptoms but there are no test for this. So right now we are playing the wait and see game. Please send prayers for our Zo-Zo.....

My new bird feeder

OK, here is yet another bird post. But really this one is about my new bird feeder.
One of my favorite things to do is go to antique stores and flea markets. We have some great antique malls in our area. Anyway, as much of a bird nut as I have turned into I am always looking for something or some gadget to make a bird feeder out of.

I was pretty proud of this one. It's an old sink strainer. I put the end of it in Craig's vise and bent it up. Then I drilled a hole in it and attached it to the tree with a screw. It's perfect and the birds found it right away. Now I have a unique feeder that I paid all of $2 for. And as an added bonus I got to have fun digging around the antique store looking around.

My new best friend

I am happy to report that my new best friend Mr. Oriole has been around for 5 days in a row.
I was so fearful that he was only making a brief appearance and for all I know he may still be on his way but I am thrilled to have seen him this long. I've even seen Mrs. Oriole with him twice.

I've had several people tell me that they usually only migrate through this area but then I had someone tell me today that they had them nesting around here before.

I'm doing everything I can to entice him to stay. I put oranges out and I see evidence of pecking on them. And I also bought an oriole feeder which he loves. But his favorite is the hummingbird feeder.

He loves the bird bath too. It's so fun to watch him fly all over the yard. I hope he stays!!

We are so thankful......

Yesterday afternoon we went to the cottage to do some spring cleaning. I left a few minutes before Craig. As Craig was leaving he heard the fire sirens going off. What was going on? But it was soon forgotten as you never think it's someone you know. As we were returning home late afternoon we got word from Caleb that Huffman's house had burned. My heart stopped. Caleb was already there and we rushed over. I was relieved to see Josh and the whole family outside. For those of you that don't know Josh he is our son's best friend. At times Josh is like a member of our family. And we all know the rest of the family well too.

Josh was the only one home and he was sound asleep from being up all night at the after prom party. The fire started in his closet from an electrical malfunction. There were no smoke detectors in the house because they had recently been taken down for a major remodeling project and had not been put back up yet. Josh's mother returned home from grocery shopping to find the house full of smoke and woke Josh up just in time to get him outside before the house was fully engulfed. If she had returned home 5 minutes later..... we are trying not to think about that. We are thanking God!!!

Josh and Ty are staying with us for an undetermined amount of time. Craig and I are trying to set up beds and dressers for them. The few clothes that Ty and Josh managed to round up are so penetrated with smoke that I have had to wash them 5 or 6 times to get the smell out. Many people are bringing clothes over for them and today Josh did go clothes shopping with his Dad.

We are trying to make this transition smooth for them and we don't want them to feel like they are burdening us. Tonight Josh made the comment that he feels like the whole community is being so supportive. That's one nice thing about living in a small town.

Caleb and Josh

Parade and Prom

It was cloudy and cool for the parade but the rain held off until we were leaving. Jordan is in the center wearing all black. The rain also held off long enough for us parents to have a photo shoot with the prom kids. They all met at our house. Grandpa let Caleb drive the Mustang. That's one of his highlights.
The guys....(Caleb far left)

Josh and Caleb
The gang

It's a great morning

Sorry friends for missing WOF... I'll play along again next week. Look what has been visiting me (and my hummingbird feeder) for the last 2 days. An Oriole!!! I have never seen one of these birds before. About 2 years ago I set some oranges out on the fence post in hopes of attracting some but all I attracted was ants. Yesterday I was standing on the back porch looking through my binoculars when I saw something orange flash before me. He landed not 10 feet from me. At first I had no clue what kind of bird he was. Then he flew over to the hummingbird feeder and I knew it must be an Oriole. He came back again in the evening and this morning he is making the rounds around the yard feasting on the sugar water. I've been scouring the Internet to get ideas on food and feeders for him. I'm on my way to the store for oranges...... Yahoo!!!

My birds are becoming more thrilling to me all the time. This morning I was awaken to the sweet songs of my birds calling me (at least I like to think they are calling me). I go out in the mornings to give them fresh water and put feed out on the ground feeders. Then I watch the busy activity of beautiful birds (even plain looking birds are beautiful to me). Just this morning I have seen Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Sparrows, Cardinals, Nuthatches, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Robins, Goldfinches, Chickadees and of course my new friend Mr. Oriole!! It's a great morning!

Today is the Blossomtime Parade of which Jordan is marching so we will be at the parade for a few hours this afternoon. The rain is suppose to hold off thank goodness. And then tonight is Prom. Caleb and 18 of his friends are going to dinner in Kazoo and then to Prom and the after prom party all night. Craig is chaperoning... I'll be sleeping. I'll post photos tomorrow. Have a great Saturday!!

Our Car Lot

If you know my husband and my son you know that our vehicles are more than just pieces of metal to get us from one point to the next. This is not my typical post but I thought it would be fun to tell you a little about what we drive. It says a lot about who we are.

First off, this is my car...well sort of. Jordan also calls it her car since she started driving. Anyway, this is your typical Mom's car, a Ford Taurus station wagon. How much more Mom can you get than that? It was a great car for hauling the kids around when they were little, grocery shopping, taking the dogs for rides. It's a 2000 and has 150,000 miles on it. Craig did a major engine repair on it this winter. It's great having a husband that knows everything about cars and can do major work on them.
This is Craig's newest toy. It's a 93 Lincoln Mark VIII with 112.000 miles. Craig just picked this up for a fraction of what it is worth. It was not drivable when he got it but he put a whole new suspension on it and repaired a lot of small things. It is a V8 and has 285 horse power but even so it gets high 20's for mileage. It is loaded and a lot of fun to drive.
This is our beloved Jeep. It's a 83 and Craig built this almost from scratch. It would be hard for us to part with the Jeep. On hot summer evenings we love to go for rides with the top off. We've been on many camping and 4-wheelin trips with the Jeep. Caleb took it 4-wheelin at a friends house the other night and it hasn't gotten a bath yet.
This is the gas hog. We've been trying not to drive it too much with the price of gas. Actually, Jordan's been driving it to school since we only live a few block from the school. This hauls around the dune buggy and snowmobiles... and well, Craig just couldn't be without a truck. He'll be a truck guy for the rest of his life.

This is Caleb's baby. It a Ford Taurus SHO. He bought it from his Grandpa when he turned 16. It's got high mileage but Craig and Caleb know how to keep it on the road. They have replaced the transmission and other things. This photo was taken tonight and shows the guys underneath it working on the muffler. This is a typical evening at our house for them. They love working on the vehicles and love spending time together in the garage.

And then the dune buggy. This is not street legal so it really isn't one of our vehicles but rather a toy that Craig and Caleb built. Caleb is pretty proud of his buggy. We've taken it to the sand dunes twice and hope to do some more this summer.

There you have it.... our car lot.

Frost in the forecast

The low temp tonight is suppose to be 27!! I am worried about a few things in the yard getting frost damage. My beautiful little crab apple tree is getting ready to explode with blooms. I hope it gets the chance to.
And Chuck and Delores, if you are reading this, this photo is for you. I am so proud of these Day Lilies. These are the Day Lilies that you gave me two years ago. It was one huge clump and I divided it into about 15 small ones and planted them along my side yard. They are coming up so big and healthy this year. Last year they did pretty good but got frost damage about this far along and took a long time to recover. I don't want the same thing to happen again this year so I'm going out and covering them up with blankets tonight. I'm hoping that tonight is the last night we have to worry about frost.

Busy Weekend

We had a very busy productive weekend. I didn't even have a chance to play with my camera so I'm posting these photos of a dove that I took last week. These two photos were snapped within seconds of each other. I thought it was funny how he was all puffed up in the first photo and then smooth in the second photo. Maybe he was trying to show off for a lady friend.

Caleb left Friday to Florida with 50 of his classmates for their senior trip. He will be home Tuesday. We haven't even heard from him so I know he's having too much fun to bother calling home, which is a good thing.

Craig, Jordan and I worked in the yard and on the house all weekend. We have so many projects that we are trying to complete before Caleb's graduation open house on June 7th. We've been doing some extra landscaping, and painting the exterior of the house. Craig has about 2/3 of the exterior power washed and some of the painting started. Even though we are feeling crunched with all the stuff we want to get done it really is a good thing. We'll be all done early June and will be able to enjoy the summer without all this stuff hanging over us. If we didn't have a deadline we would take all summer to complete these projects.

I was very excited to get a ton of ornamental grass planted that my parents dug up and gave to me. We planted it so that it will make a natural barrier in some areas around the yard. They gave us at least 25 large clumps. I'll post photos when things start growing a little more.

Being busy helped keep my mind off of my itching!! This poison ivy is the worst I have ever had. I only have one day of steroids left which has definitely helped. It is not so raw any more but it is so widespread and the itching is so intense. I learned a lesson the hard way!!

My first hummingbird

Today was the day... My first hummingbird of the year arrived. Not a very good photo of him but proof that he was here and I just had to post this for my Dad. He's been waiting for his first one too. Jordan and Craig couldn't believe he stayed around long enough for a photo with the way I was screaming with excitement out the back door when I saw him. I'll treat him with fresh food tomorrow and hopefully he'll be back soon.

Weird Object Friday

Sorry I'm so late in posting my WOF. I should have posted it this morning but I didn't realize I'd be at the hospital 13 hours today. It's good to be home and I'm glad it's Friday!!

This is one of my Dad's knifes. He has a collection of hand made knifes that he has purchased thru the years at art shows. I think this one is beautiful but weird because it had a real snake skin sheath with the snake head still on it. My Dad's knife collection is one of his prized processions. I'd told him that I'd like to inherit his knife collection but I'm sure my brother will have his eyes on the collection too..... I'll have to share it. :-)

Bird Sanctuary

This was my project last weekend. I wanted to move the bird feeders out of the lawn area and make a designated bird sanctuary. This little wooded area is at the back of the property. It mostly has been a yard waste area for as long as we have lived here. I worked Saturday and Sunday raking, trimming, digging and cleaning it all out. It is not much to look at yet. My next step to plant hostas all over in it. I already planted tall ornamental grass all around the back and side edges. I'll post more pictures later on when I have nice things growing. I hope the birds like it. So far they are approving.

The bad news is that now I am paying for it. I have the worst case of poison ivy since I was kid, maybe ever!! The vines didn't have leaves yet so I wasn't even thinking about poison ivy when I was in there. I riped out all kinds of vines and even had a fire going where I was burning it all. One of the doctors I work for gave me a script for steroids. It's all over my arms and face. Craig offered to take a photo of me for my blog but I decided to spare you all the gory details. I hope this medication works fast, this is miserable.

Bronze Statue

This is a bronze statue that is on the grounds of Meijer Gardens where we visited last weekend. This is a replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's horse.
Here's another photo of me standing next to it so you can see how big it is. It is so impressive. I was going to sit on his back for the picture but I couldn't figure out how to get up there.

Zoe and the Swamp

I took Seadra and Zoe over to my parents so they could run around tonight.
Zoe found the swamp.

I don't think she realized how deep it was.

I'm just glad I didn't have to go in after her!!

As comical as it was, I was thinking "Great, she's going to be filthy dirty and smelly!"

"Did you see me Mom?"..... "Yes, Mommy saw you Zoe!"

There's no place like Gram and Pa-Pa's.

Pictorial

Today is our anniversary.... 22 years. For a little getaway Craig and both took the day off work yesterday and drove up to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. It was a beautiful day!! 75 and Sunny!! Most of the gardens are not much to look at this early in the season but there is plenty of other things to do there. They have 125 acres of nature trails, wetlands, wildlife preserves... And they had a butterfly exhibit going on this month too. Here are my favorite photos from the day. Enjoy......