SAVVY JO OR THE BEAGLE BURRITO

Eight weeks ago, Savvy Jo turned 17. She and Jake were litter mates, rescued from a concrete stoop by the River Patrol during the 1993 flood. They survived Parvo together. We lost Jake last October 15 and we're doing the best we can to keep Savvy Jo comfortable for as long as she wants to stay with us.

I had scheduled her for a VET appointment because she needed her vaccinations and her blood test for heartworm so that I could get her new script. About four days ago, she developed this big raw open sore on her front leg and it was turning purple. I thought she had been "licking" again and had licked a raw spot which had then gotten infected. I was cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide, applying triple antibiotic ointment, and clean dressings daily. But, her leg was not getting better so I figured we'd get that taken care of today also.

Turns out that somehow she had managed to get a really deep puncture wound which had abscessed. VET had to lance the wound, suction it out and flush it with saline. The stuff they suctioned out was absolutely disgusting. She got a big antibiotic shot in her butt, put on really strong antibiotics, and is now wearing a big purple bandage that looks like a cast. She couldn't get her vaccinations until her leg heals up. We have to change her dressing daily and, if she starts licking it, she'll be required to wear an Elizabethan collar.

The procedure was very scary and very painful for her. She had to be muzzled. She was however very good about enduring the pain. The VET had two people to hold her still and she had me stay right up by her face where she could see me and I could talk to her. I rubbed the top of her head throughout and talked softly to her telling her that she was very brave. She was remarkably good about the whole process until it came time for the four footed pedicure. When it came to getting those daggers trimmed, she was ready to leave.

She's just really glad she got to come home. We're just really glad she got to come home with us for a little more time.

I'M MOVING INTO A HOTEL--NEXT TIME

This is a disaster and it is no one's fault. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Eric is expecting that more will go wrong. The only thing left to go wrong is the plumbing and the electricity. Thankfully, he saved long and hard and we have a cushion. We've been saving for this for ten years. The sainted tile men are here working on the new floor. And, those two men are absolute saints!

The reason I'm moving into a hotel next time (if there is a next time) is the picture of what is left of the LR. There is not a spot in this house that is not covered with thinset grime and dust except for our bedroom and our bathroom. Every picture, every candlestick, every mirror, all the stainless steel appliances, the windows, everything will need to be dusted by hand or washed. And, all the upholstery will need to be vacuumed very well. The lampshades are even covered with the grime.

You will notice that the recliner is blocking the TV. We can't get to the TV or the remote to turn it off. The stove blocks us from getting to the recliner. Note the waffle maker sitting on top of the huge box of Saltines.

It will all work out eventually. The house needed to be cleaned anyway--not like it needs it now, but it needed to be cleaned. We'll get it done.

WORK CONTINUES

Work on the floor continues or the nightmare of the floor continues. If anything can go wrong it will. Poor Pat and his sainted son, Patrick, worked all day today tearing that concrete board out. They were expecting that he would come out in large pieces, but it literally came out in shards. Both Pat and Patrick deserve to be canonized. We are going to end up with an "area rug" made of tile Eric and I purchased this evening centered in front of the stove, frig, and sink. Eventually, it will all work out.

On a brighter note, the new cabinets are installed. The toe kicks and filler boards still need to be added. And, the cove and crown molding around the tops of all the cabinets need to be added. The microwave and the cabinet above it needs to be raised. But, you can see the basic skeleton of how the cabinets will eventually look.

Right now, there is no where to sit except in my computer room or Eric's computer room. The refrigerator is in the dining room and the stove is in the Living Room. We ate out. Literally everything is covered in thin set dust. The house needed a really good cleaning anyway. It will all work out.

WHAT A DUSTY MESS

SPECIAL THANKS TO PATRICK WHO DID THE HARD, BACK BREAKING WORK OF REMOVING ALL THIS TILE AND CONCRETE BOARD. AND, SPECIAL THANKS TO ERIC WHO SAVED FOR IT AND PAID FOR IT.

WHEN IT RAINS

Anybody who has ever done any house renovations knows full well that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong. Or, when it rains, it will be a combination of a tornado and a hurricane not just a spring shower.

Today the man came to fix the kitchen floor. A line of tile had popped loose and we wanted those fixed in addition to the areas left without tile when the pantry was removed. He discovered that the entire kitchen and dining room floor was loose and going to pop. So, we are having to have all the kitchen and dining room tile removed, the concrete board removed, and new concrete board installed. This time, the concrete board will have thinset under it instead of just on top of it and it will be screwed down. The original tile was installed as if it were being install over concrete instead of being installed over a plywood subfloor. If you are going to install tile over a plywood subfloor, you must use concrete board and under that concrete board there must be a layer of thin set. Then, you screw the concrete board down. Then you spread thinset again and install the tile. See picture of torn up floor, and a variety of legs in shorts with sneakers.

THE PANTRY IS GONE

Start date on the kitchen got delayed one week and actual start date was yesterday. I came home from prison to discover a very tall stranger in my house and the pantry was completely gone. The walls had the first coat of Spackle and "patch" on them.

Eric was right in his predictions. It is nothing short of amazing how much bigger that kitchen appears with the removal of that old pantry jutting into the middle of the space and how much lighter the kitchen appears now that the old pantry is not blocking the light from the French doors.

The picture is of the work in progress and not very glamorous. Today, the men are returning. The new cabinets will be delivered some time today, the microwave and cabinet above it will be raised four to five inches, and the cove and crown molding will be applied to the tops of the upper wall cabinets.

Clearly, the floor will have to be repaired before we can move the refrigerator over to it's proper place (where the old pantry used to be). Once the refrigerator is in its proper place, the new cabinets can be installed to the left of the refrigerator.

START DATE

June 15, 2010 demolition starts. We should only be without water for 1 1/2 weeks. I figure as long as we can shower in the bathroom and get water for coffee from the bathroom sink, all the rest of it can be taken care of by Eric taking us out to eat.

It will all work out!

KITCHEN PROJECT

Got an email late yesterday that the new kitchen cabinets have arrived in the warehouse and need to be delivered. Then, Scott called to tell me that the new cabinets had arrived in St. Louis and he needed to stop by and get a deposit, the contract signed and to get us in the que for demolition and installation. As Eric keeps telling me, every one of these little steps move us one step closer to the finished kitchen that we have wanted for years.

This project had ended up costing us three times the amount of the original estimate. In fairness, this is not because of the vendors. It is because Eric and I kept adding on seemingly little things that we really wanted. But, we have saved for this project for years, and in the end we will have all that counter space, the appliances we have wanted for years, enough electrical sockets--finally, lots of under cabinet lighting, and all the other stuff we have dreamed and planned for over the years. And, I bought a gorgeous sink, classically simple cabinet handles and knobs, and a beautiful gooseneck faucet that will allow us to fill large stock pots with needed water. And, the countertop will just be simply gorgeous. Can't wait to post pictures. Plus, we both will love the new tile backsplash and that fancy molding around all of the wall cabinets. Can't wait to post pictures. Just wish we could move it all along a bit faster.

I am currently waiting for Scott to show up, pick up his signed contract & check, and put us on the list for demolition. Just wish he would hurry up and get here so I can get on with my day.

HOLLY BERRY

In the summer of 1995, Holly Berry showed up at the door of the acute admissions unit (Holly) I was running at Alton Mental Health Center. She was a small, lost, black mutt who was trying to check in and was making the most of her charms by conning the mental patients out of Doritos, skittles, M & M's and Snickers bars. The patients were delighted by her and were stuffing her with the deadly chocolate. So, I rescued her from the kindness of the mental patients.

The Administrators of the Hospital were far less kind and told me that she had to be removed from the hospital grounds immediately. I attempted to contact local "no kill" shelters, but there was no room at any of the "no kill" inns. Holly had to be taken to the local "kill" pound. Well, that was not going to happen. So, Holly was taken to my house to meet Jake and Savvy Jo. Jake and Savvy Jo had recovered from their near fatal bout with Parvo. They accepted her. I told everybody that she was only going to stay until I could find someone to take her. Well, of course, no one wanted a black mutt. But, I didn't try real hard either. So, Holly stayed.

Holly turned out to be Black Lab and Chow according to the VET. Best watch dog you could ever find. She literally patrolled the perimeter of the inside of the house hour by hour every night--all night. She sniffed every window and every door for intruders.

Late one evening when Holly had lived with me for about a year, I sitting in bed reading a book. Holly was very interested in the open bedroom window. It was a very cool evening and there was a nice breeze. So, I had the window open to the screen. Holly hopped up on the bed with me and continued to peer through the screen to the outside. With no warning, she sailed through the screen, teeth bared, growling and snarling. The teenagers hiding in the Rhododendrons while they peered through the window ran as if their life were in danger. Unfortunately, poor Holly lacerated all of her nipples on the torn screen and I had to rush her to the VET Emergency Room to be stitched back up.

Years later, when Eric and I began living together, the perimeter of the back yard was carefully guarded by Holly Berry. She guarded it so well that she completely wore a path all the way around the yard. She took Jake under her wing and taught him to walk the perimeter. Eventually, Holly and Jake taught Dakota to walk guard duty. The path is still there and now Dakota walks it alone in their stead.

Holly had a very bad heart condition and for the last four years of her life, she was required to take heart medication twice a day. She had a grade 6 murmur and an enlarged heart. The VET was quite concerned that she would simply collapse in sudden death. We tried not to let her get over heated or over excited. She had quite a temper as it related to stranger dogs and felt it was her place to protect Eric, me and the home to her death. Eric often remarked of Holly, that she would lay down her life for me any second she perceived it as necessary.

Holly had her first really bad sick spell last summer. She developed something called geriatric cerebellar syndrome where she was unable to stand, walk, or eat. It completely wiped out her balance and she was so dizzy and nauseous that when she was able to eat what she was hand fed, she threw it up. She was not able to point her mouth towards a bowl to eat or drink. She missed the bowl. I used the equivalent of a small dog turkey baster to shoot water in her mouth and I hand fed her baked chicken breast. With treatment, she got better. She did well for a while and then I found fresh scarlet blood on the floor. Holly was housebroken and literally never failed. It was as if she told me there was a problem, by leaving the blood on the floor. The VET gave her antibiotics and the bleeding stopped. A few months later, Holly acted as if she were constipated. She kept going out in the back yard and straining. Her gait was also impaired.

I took her to the VET. Within moments of an examination, he told me that he believed he had found a blockage in her bladder and that if he had, it was going to be a very grave prognosis. He needed to insert a long needle into her bladder (through her belly) and remove the build up of urine. The next morning, he needed to put her under anesthesia and MRI her abdomen. We had discussed anesthesia in regards to Holly several time for other reasons and had chosen not to anesthetize her because none of the VET's believed her heart could tolerate anesthesia. But, now there was no choice. He wanted to make her as comfortable as possible for the night, let us bring her home for one more night, and do the anesthesia the next day when he had a full compliment of staff available. I called Eric to come to the VET.

Eric arrive and was able to see Holly. Holly went into shock during the procedure to remove the urine. She did not respond to emergency procedures. We lost her March 3, 2010. We had her cremated as we did Jake last fall.

I will remember Holly Berry most for her boundless love, loyalty, courage, bravery, dignity, that left tilt of her head punctuated by those dancing epectant eyes, and that tirelessly wagging tail. Eric and I loved Holly so very much and I have been hurting so badly from her loss that I have been unable to write about her until now.