#259 up and down Thursday and other thoughts

R.I.P. sweet Henley

For the first time in about 20 years, I don't have a pet. It's been hard to adjust. Last night while I was watching a movie, I kept thinking that I should let Henley in from outside. Earlier today I was sure I heard her snort at me while I was on the computer. When I come into the house, I look down to see if she is laying in front of the door or perhaps had an accident that I need to clean up.

Thursday was such an down and up day for me. It may seem horrible to say, but I kind of hoped that when I went downstairs on Thursday morning, nature would have taken its course and Henley would have passed on peacefully in her sleep. That didn't happen, and I could see that she was suffering. I took her to the vet that morning. Dr. Mike, the vet, is a very kind and compassionate man. He took a blood sample from Henley and said that she was having some problems in her liver/pancreas area. He thought that it might be an infection, but told me there was a possibility of tumors or other things. But I had some hope, so I left her there to have an ultrasound. That was the up.

The down came late in the afternoon when Dr. Mike called with the bad news. Henley had a growth on her gall bladder and on her spleen. Only surgery could fix it. Since she was 15 years old, I was unwilling to put her through surgery. Dr. Mike said he could give her antibiotics and fluids and she might feel better for a few days or a week, but that's about all. He told me that she was hurting and so I made The Decision. Oh my God. I cried and cried. I know it was the right choice, but it hurt me so much.

That evening, MT and I attended the Ziggy Marley/311 concert at USANA Amphitheatre - an outdoor venue. We'd had the tickets for months, and I was looking forward to seeing Ziggy. Reggae music just makes me feel happy. We were a little late for the show. (We went to dinner at Chili's and they are SLOW. Then we had to park in the overflow lot at the venue. It was on this hill that was all muddy and full of weeds. We had to scamper down the hill to get to the venue. I didn't like it.) When we finally got in, though, our seats were great and Ziggy was great and I felt happy listening to the music. Even though it was raining, it wasn't really cold and my new coat kept me dry. Ziggy did some Bob Marley tunes like "Jammin'", "Is This Love" and "Lively Up Yourself." It was terrific. Sadly, it was over way too soon for my taste.

We stayed for a little bit of 311. I just wasn't in the mood for their music. It's a lot heavier than reggae. I enjoyed watching the crowd bounce around. I didn't enjoy the punk-ass kid in the seats in front of us who were lighting up their cigarettes and their pipe while 311 was playing. It was kinda nice to leave early because usually you have to wait so long to get out of the parking lot anyway. MT wasn't sorry to leave early, either, although he did enjoy the music.

On Saturday morning I had to go over to the vet to settle the bill. It brought on more misery when they handed me Henley's collar and leash. BOO HOO. More waterworks. I guess it was closure, though, right?

We have talked about getting a new dog, but it won't be until August or so. T will be spending some time in California in July and I want him to help select our next pet.

It has been raining here like crazy. It's rained every day. This morning it started out clear, so I was able to go hit some golf balls and play nine holes. It was nice to be out in the sunshine. T is still playing soccer. His team has only lost one game. T played really well on Saturday. He even took a shot at the goal! (missed)

Yesterday afternoon it rained so hard that I could not see where I was going when I was driving home. Everyone on the freeway slowed down to about 40 mph, and I exited as soon as I could. It was crazy.

This week I'm looking forward to going to a Zumba class taught by the inventor of Zumba himself, Beto Somebody. I think it will be really fun.

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts, everyone. It really meant a lot to me.