Another Awful Day

So we had another awful day in the series of awful days. 

We had to put our dog down yesterday.  I wish that it was because she was thirteen years old or because she was sick.  Instead, we had an accident.

The dogs, Missy & Lucky, always run along side of the vehicles when we come up the driveway.  Yesterday as I was going from one house to the next in the 4runner, both dogs were running next to me.  I don't know what happened but somehow Missy got in front of my truck and I hit her.  I never saw her, she usually runs alongside the door.

I stopped and got out while she yelled at me then she laid down in the driveway.  I called Kevin and then called his dad.  While Kevin came home, his dad helped me try to figure out how badly she was hurt.  Then my sister-in-law's father also came up to sit with us. 

Missy didn't complain, she just laid down and tried to catch her breath.  I called the vet who, of course, wanted us to bring her down.  As I was talking to Kevin on the phone, Missy got up, walked over to me, and stood.  She let me pet her for quite a little while before laying back down by my feet.

Kevin got home and Missy got up to see him.  He petted her, trying to figure out what was wrong.  We backed the parents van up to her to take her to the vet and this superhero of a dog helped us put her in the van.   She couldn't jump up but she sure tried.

We drove down to the vet and on the way, Missy sat up and began to watch out the window.  Her tail would wag a little when Kevin called back to her.  I began to think that she was going to be fine.

The vet actually crawled into the back of the van with Kevin to check out Missy.  His name is Jason and he seems like a great person.  He said that Missy was having troubles breathing and he would take her for an exam and x-rays. 
Kevin and Jason wrapped Missy up and took her into the exam room. 

Missy is an alpha dog, she doesn't like other dogs - other than Lucky - but she likes people.  I think she thinks she is a people.  But at the vet, she is the most passive dog on the planet.  She actually kind of snuggled against the vet when he took her. 

It took about twenty minutes for the exam and the vet came out.  He showed us the x-ray to show us her injuries.  She had broken ribs and internal damage.  Even if she was a young dog, her prognosis was dire.

Again, Jason the vet is a wonderful person.  He just presented the facts then simply stated that it was in Missy's best interest to be put down. 

Kevin just lost it.  I was already crying and the vet had to swallow hard a few times as well.  He left us in the exam room and we left shortly thereafter.

I feel awful.  I can't believe that it happened and I can't believe that I was the one that hit the dog. On the other hand, I'm glad it was me and not Kevin.  He would never forgive himself, not that I think I ever will.

Goodbye you crazy, old dog

A Glimmer of Happy in the Drama

The kids came up to see their dad for the first time in three weeks on Sunday.  They, of course, came over to see us as well.  After awhile they went outside to play.

Hide and Seek is still popular with them and they love playing it up here where there are three houses to hide around, under, inside.

Boy Little came through the house as a shortcut to hide from his brothers, in one door and out the other.  Kevin was sitting watching television and looked at me like "What the..." but I just laughed because it happened many times when they lived here.  Oh, and they're six.  (almost seven)

A little while passed then the other Boy Little came into the house.

"Kewin, can I hide in here from them?"

"Yes, where are you going to hide?"

"In here..."  Here was our bedroom.  Kevin said "No, buddy, come out here. We'll make sure they don't see you."

He reluctantly came and hid between the couch & coffee table, in front of me.  Our living room has lots of windows so it was a wise choice.  I moved the coffee table & put my feet up so if his siblings did come looking, he wouldn't be so obvious.

While we were waiting, we talked.  "Who is playing?" 

He listed all his siblings except the eldest.

"Where is he? In the house, being lame?" I asked.

He sighed, knowingly and replied "Most likely."

Then sure enough, C-2 came in looking for his brother.  Kevin distracted him then sent him on his way.

"You owe me, punk."  (Kevin calls the littles punks and it makes them/me laugh)

Boy little was quiet for a beat then tentatively said - from his hiding place - "What do I owe you?"

Kevin said "I don't know but it's going to be BIG."

Boy was quiet for a minute then quietly said "But, I don't have anything..."

(I know, right?  Killing me with the cuteness.)

Kevin said "Well, I'm sure you have something.  You have toys."

Boy thought about it a minute and said "I don't have anything and you don't Want my toys so..."  His tone getting braver with each word.

How did we ever live in a world without these kids? 

Seriously

Well the fun just keeps rolling along here.  As we made plans to have our nephew come home to his parents house on Saturday, our sister-in-law was in a horrible car crash on Friday.

No one, including us, can BELIEVE that this is happening so it's okay if you call me a liar.

My sister-in-law was injured but so, so, so lucky to be alive.  She was hit head on AND rear-ended on the freeway.  A car came from the opposite traveling lanes and hit her head on thus resulting in her being rear-ended by a Chevy truck.

Word to the wise: Honda Accords can really take a hit.  It is virtually unrecognizable but for the passenger compartment.  The airbags deployed as well.  She said she would like to have another one when it's time.  The only reason I recognized the car was the sticker on the window.

Sidebar: we went to find her glasses, which were under the broken drivers seat, in the backseat.  I'm glad we went instead of the b-i-l, it was difficult enough for us.  We debated taking pictures for insurance purposes or morbid curiosity of others but decided against it. Turns out that someone had one from the actual accident scene. *shudder*

She has a broken foot (3 bones), a broken collar bone, a damaged shoulder and knee, a broken rib and a cracked rib, and bruising all over her body, including her sternum.   Unfortunately (in a long line of unfortunatelys) it is the shoulder opposite to the broken foot.  She can do no weight bearing whatsoever (sound familiar?) for six weeks.  The p/t and nurses at the hospital taught her how to manuever in a wheelchair so she can go potty and do her self care stuff.  AND we are still in the maybe category of whether or not surgery will be required for the shoulder.

I teased her that she Way Outdid me.  Way. Outdid.

Now there are two damaged & sick people next door.  I walked in yesterday with supplies and just about burst into tears.  The s-i-l in the recliner with the wheelchair next to her and the Nephew on the couch, both looking miserable, is nearly too much to take.

I wish I had a shiny side to this.  I'm struggling to find one now and I can *always* find a shiny side.  I can only think "At least they are under one roof".

Kitchen Confidential

As we know, I am not a cooker. (as evidenced by my use of the non-word "cooker", which actually reflects my years in early childhood ed, not the lack of cooking skills. Wait, what?)

I've gotten much better over the last few years but it is always going  to be something that turns me into an adult sized toddler.  "I. Can't. Want. To. Make. Dinner." Whine, foot stomp, hand flail.

I do make dinner though, nearly every night.  Here is one thing that bothers me about cooking almost every single time:

Lovely kitchen. Very simple, by design.

It's not like I cook complicated menus but I do have multi-step processes, some requiring spices and measuring cups and such.  This is where I get a little pissy:

Is it just me or does that cupboard door open the wrong way?

Further evidence to show how simply I cook, that small counter space is usually where I do any prep work.  Yes, I have an island and I do use it but mostly this space is where I do everything.  It's close to the stove, to the sink, and to most everything I need.

Because of the home-ec teacher I had in middle school, who hated me upon sight, I have permanently etched into my brain to "clean as I go".  (see that bowl in the sink? brownie mixing bowl)
Add my tendency to leave cupboard doors open, both because of attention span and economy, I constantly feel like I'm going to bonk my head on the doggone cupboard door.

Yes, I realize that it would probably be just as inconvenient if it opened the other way but I'm MORE likely to work toward the sink than I am toward the stove.  I'm sure that says something about my psyche but whatever.

Do anyone of you have these quirky little complaints about your house?  Things that bother you that might not, okay, probably not, bother someone else?  Please say yes.  I'm going to assume you're saying yes.

Andy Rooney Post

Things that frustrate me right now:

Doctor Farmers in small-town hospitals

Dropping a full bowl of oatmeal on the kitchen floor

"I know you're busy but...."  No, no but. Unless it's followed by "...the building is on fire."

Dish Network doesn't have the same channels as Directv so I can't set a channel for the in-laws that they would LOVE.

There are no good grapes anywhere in the Pacific Northwest right now. Sure they look good in the store, but they go to the dark side on the way home.

The words "slippery slope"

This:

Really? dirty dishes in both sinks? Although grateful he clears the table 

An intermittent check alternator light after spending $500 on the forerunner two weeks ago. (not mechanics fault, just luck of the draw)

Yeah, I need a nap. For twelve hours.

Sing to Me

Yesterday was day 31 of The Nephew's hospital stay, post surgery.  Yesterday was also the day that he was transferred to the University of Washington Hospital's Infectious Disease unit.

In preparation of transfer, they walloped him with an antibiotic cocktail, which made him feel worse than ever.  He began shuddering uncontrollably and so we began piling on blankets and cocooning him amongst them.

His mom began stroking his head and hair, one of his favorite things, while I stroked his arm and leg.  He curled up and the symptoms began to wane.  He said something we couldn't hear so I bent down and asked him to repeat it.

"Do either of you sing?"

"What?" I replied then looked at his mom who shrugged.

I thought about it then it dawned on me.  "You want us to sing Soft Kitty!!"

His mom started to laugh and began to sing, I chimed in.  We did okay with the first verse but then forgot some of the second verse.  We tried to muddle through it while his sister whipped out her phone to look up the lyrics.

We sung it twice then he went to sleep.

It was equally lovely and heart-breaking.  I hope he remembers it. I know that I will.

I Ain't No Bitch

The Nephew is still in the hospital, it's like day 4,000 now and we're all totally over it by now.

It hasn't gone without it's moments.  Many of them provided by texting.

He had a particularly difficult day and his uncle Kevin text him to just keep trying.
The nephew replied 'I'm drying."  (wait for it )
Kevin read it as "I'm dying"
He replied "Fuck That."
And then there was radio silence for awhile.

Kevin told me about the exchange, clearly shaken.  The Nephew had admitted earlier to me that he didn't feel like he had much fight in him left and I had expressed similar sentiment.

While on the way home from work later that day, Kevin recalled the story to his brother.   He called the series of texts back up  to read them to him. 

This where he realized that he misread it. "I'm drying" not "I'm dying" and still, clearly wrong.

So Kevin texted the nephew and explained what happened. 

The Nephew replied: "That's not gonna happen. I ain't no bitch".

Atta Boy, keep fighting.

Oh, and Kevin? Pay better attention. M'kay?

Things I Don't Understand

Why do people hate Nickleback?  Perhaps it's because I'm nearly Canadian, I don't understand.  I just don't get it.

Why does Tom Cruise carry that child everywhere?  isn't she like seven years old?
Girl Little would kick our ass before letting us carry her around like a baby.

Waking non-critical care patients up regularly to check vital signs.  Sick people should sleep uninterrupted. Period. Full stop. End of discussion.

The recent spate of poorly-written yet wildly popular books.  I'm looking at you Twilight and Fifty Shade of Grey.

Along the same line as the above: all the television shows that feature nothing but people behaving badly.

Fish tacos.

The concept of designating someone as an infallible man, based on a book that clearly states there is no such thing.

The moustache craze: tattoos, car decals, etc.

People talking on cell phones/bluetooth in stores, etc.  You know we can hear you right?  It's gotten so a person has to play "Talking on bluetooth or schizophrenic?"