This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
Everyone wants an answer key You might be surprised, I don’t know if it will be pleasantly…
False. I was up by 5 something, of course. True. Heavy work … When it works, it works. True. I needed to clean my clothes. False. But I did sit on the rug down low. False. That will start this week, every day, all the days. False. It was 10. Seems way less than most days. True. I’m vegan but I use honey if I’m desperate True. She said “Oh my,” but accepted it. False. It’s my dog who needs all the meds. True. Pajamas… not just for going to bed! True. Bananas are a popular snack. True. But he had a different walk, and I had a cough attack True. We had to stay in until outside was cleared. True. We can talk now. Isn’t that weird? False. It was the kids’ lie detector project that was broken. True. I wish this was something misspoken.
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
The neighbor asked me how my dog was And I saw lightning as I said, ”He’s better but just on so much medicine that he hates.” He said he was glad that Finn is back, and I agreed “It was so scary.” “Did you see that lightning?” I asked And he pointed to just where I saw the bolt ”No, but I’m not surprised.” We both looked at the darkening sky I cajoled Finn back inside Wondering when the real storm would start Wondering how to do all the Sunday things When what I want to do is crawl into the corner of the couch A book or a movie or just sleep would be nice I’m somehow exhausted before the week begins
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
March on.
March, the month spring break is always in, doesn’t really feel like spring. March on.
It’s snowing here, icy and cool, a delay quickly turned to no school. March on.
My dog is healing with medicine and rest we are all exhausted, trying our best. March on.
No hot water this morning, I tried not to cry as I watched my water heater leak and die.* March on.
March on.
*Well, I guess you could call it lucky That I am home today, and the plumber was available to come right away but lucky is not exactly the word I’d like to say.
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
Now that Finn is back home, and “out of the woods,” according to his regular vet today, I want to tell you about Corn Chip.
To set the scene, imagine yourself suddenly needing to pick up your dog at 10:30 at night. First you quickly had to cover all your couches, roll up all your rugs, and put a gate at the steps. (Because of gross dog butt things that I won’t make you read about. You’re welcome.)
Just so you know, those things were not prepped ahead of time because we didn’t know for sure he was coming home that night. Also, maybe most importantly, I didn’t want to jinx his chances.
So it’s late, you’re tired. You race to the vet hospital, where you immediately have to wait because it’s pretty crowded.
A crowded vet hospital is a sad place. But, you are looking forward to picking up your boy…
So, that’s where we were, the sad waiting room, trying not to look at other people’s emotions, trying not to listen to all the animal noises from inside the treatment room, for what seemed like a long time. Until they called us up to settle our bill.
I was ready. I had taken a lot of deep breaths. Every time we had been to the hospital to visit Finn we had had to pay thousands of dollars to settle up, and pre-pay for the next day or two. So, you can imagine the deep breaths I needed.
“Actually we owe you a refund,” the receptionist said. “You overpaid some yesterday.”
I leaned in close, over the counter.
“Can you say that again?” I smiled.
After refunding me a few hundred dollars, they were ready to send us back to get “discharge directions.”
We went to a new room and I was a bit taken aback. Were we about to get interrogated? Was that a two-way mirror?
“Wait, is it called a two-way mirror?” I asked my daughter, “because wouldn’t a two-way mirror mean that it was a mirror on both sides? And what would be the problem with that? Also, why do I hear voices from behind the mirror? Are we being punked?“
Much later, Google told me that it can be called a two-way mirror or a one-way mirror, which frankly, I think is ridiculous.
We waited some more, and then a lovely vet tech came in to explain all the medicines, procedures and diet restrictions that we needed to understand.
It was late, mind you, but at one point I was maybe crazy-laughing a littlebit.
I tried to get some help, asking, “Is this a logic puzzle? I mean, if he has to have this with food before this one without food, and this can be an hour before or after food or medicine but not 2 hours before or after food or medicine, and this has to happen at 11:00 2 hours before or after other medicine but this other one also has to happen at 11:00, I honestly don’t know how to figure this out.”
Shouldn’t they give you these directions in some sort of table with times clearly labeled?
Finally, we were ready to go back out front, where they would bring us Finn, and also where I would pay for another medicine they didn’t originally give me.
As I was once again handing over my credit card, the receptionist told the vet tech, “When you are ready, Corn Chip is here, ready to be triaged.”
Corn Chip!
We turned around to see a mom and her daughter holding a tiny little pink and white carrying case. Corn Chip was moving around in there, probably wondering why he was being transported far away from his home.
“What is that?” I whispered to my daughter.
She was pretty sure it was a gerbil. I can’t tell you if it was that or a hamster. What can I say? I am not great at rodent identification.
I can, however, tell you that I loved him. I mean, Corn Chip?
Later that same night when I had to run back to the vet to get some food they forgot to give me and replacement medicine that Finn spit out, I saw that mom and daughter waiting on their same chairs. No tiny little pink and white carrying case though. Corn Chip must have been back in a treatment room. They didn’t seem upset, so I had hope.
It took every ounce of my exhausted self-control not to stop by their seats and tell them that that not only did I hope Corn Chip would be okay, but also could they please contact me to let me know when he was all better?
The next day I wondered what would happen if I called the vet hospital and confidently conned my way through a conversation.
“I’m calling to check in on Corn Chip,” I might say. Or, perhaps, “I should be on the list for visiting.”
What are the veterinarian HIPPA rules?
Maybe this is why they have the interrogation room. . .
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
My son said that maybe taking care of the dog all night would be sweet for me — remind me of taking care of my kids when they were babies.
I said, “Yea. But I was not 48 then…”
To his credit he called after me, “You’re young!”
My daughter who was team sleep on the couch with mom and dog all night and help with medicine and waking up to take him out asked, “Is this what it’s like to have a newborn?”
I said, “Well… Having a newborn is harder.”
From my corner of the couch, a different couch from the one I slept on, I see Finn, snuggled up against me with his cone embarrassing him and pissing him off.
My couch is covered with blankets and pee pads, and I’ve been sitting here for maybe 100 years writing sub plans for tomorrow morning.
That’s the thing about teaching, isn’t it? I’m so tired from being up for a million hours, my cough is back, and I’m about to do it again tonight… so I need to take the morning time. But, doing that meant I had to spend hours not resting, but writing plans (In between following the schedule for all the pills and liquids and meals…)
From my corner of the couch I hear the soft music we are playing for this healing puppy. Google told us to make his environment as cave like as possible. We asked Google after a scary elevated respiratory rate situation. At first we put on cave sounds, but those were just weird. I don’t know if Finn appreciated the hollow dripping noises. I think whatever soft jazzy instrumental playlist someone put on now is, that’s the best bet. I hope.
From my corner of the couch I feel Finn’s breathing, and it seems regular now. We almost rushed him back to the vet, and I’m hoping we don’t have to do that. They said, “Follow your instincts. You know your dog best,” when I called earlier to say his breathing was much faster than what they said meant to call.
And yea, I do know him. But thankfully I’ve never known him after 5 days in the hospital. I’ve never known him on these medications I have to give him every 3 hours, every 8 hours, every 12 hours, every 24 hours, 1 hour before eating, 2 hours before eating, 2 hours after eating, 1 hour after eating. I’ve never known him after he ate almost 300 times the amount of medication he’s supposed to have.
And this is shocking, I know, but I’m not actually a trained vet. So, I guess what I’m saying is, this is a lot.
But at least I have muscle memory for sleep deprivation and taking care of babies. Now those babies are so old, that I actually have someone to help me with all the tasks!
From my corner of the couch, I’m tired. I’m grateful of course, for so many things – but also… I guess I just wanted to complain.
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
This the dog that we love.
This is the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the birthday bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the book That I read while I sat at the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is my family That listened to me talk about the book That I read while I sat at the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
These are some of the people we love That helped my family That listened to me talk about the book That I read while I sat at the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the dog That loves these people that we love That helped my family That listened to me talk about the book That I read while I sat at the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is my prayer That I’m sending the dog That loves these people that we love That helped my family That listened to me talk about the book That I read while I sat at the beach That we were on getting the picture of the dog That wore the bandana That sits by the bottle That was chewed by the dog that we love.
This is the dog that we love.This is the bottle that was chewed.This is the picture of the dog wearing the birthday bandanaThis is the book.This is my family.These are people we love.This is the dog that we love. This is the dog that we love.This is the dog that we love.This is the dog that we love.
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
We are at the beach. We are busying ourselves here at the beach. Trying hard to think only positive thoughts about our Finn. Watched a funny movie all snuggled in my bed last night. Worked out this morning, then the pool. In between we sat in the sun of the rental’s backyard. I told the kids to pretend for a minute that they believe in intention setting and energy. We sat and just thought about Finn. We imagined ourselves next to him in his doggy hospital bed. We imagined seeing him healthy in a few days, wagging his tail like nothing had happened. I can’t speak for the kids, but I imagined petting his soft soft ears. And I told him very lovingly but sternly that the people he is with are taking care of him. He might not be having fun but he needs to do everything they tell him to do, and then we will see him soon. After he gets better, he can run around and play with his best friend. His best friend’s person visited him today. He wagged his tail so hard his bandage flung across the room. She snuggled him and pet his soft, soft ears. She told him that the people he is with are taking care of him. She told him he can come play as soon as he’s all better. We spent the last few hours on the sand. The kids took a walk. I read. I gazed at the turquoise water. I told the little birds that landed next to me to please send some prayers to Finn. We are at the beach. I kept repeating it to myself. We are at the beach. We are at the beach.
This slice is part of the March Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers! #sol26. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!
It was a great beach day.
Sun, sand, reading, relaxing.
Gosh I love being on vacation with my amazing kids.
But now we are 1200 miles away.
And the dog is at the emergency vet.
1200 miles is a lot of miles when the vet says scary things and your dog is going to be there for 48 hours. Because he ate all his medication. All of it. Way over the dangerous dose.
On a Thought 