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Archives for March 2012

When the Storm Passes, the Rain Falls

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Nora wasn’t crying about Hoover. Her face showed worry, she would talk about it. She knew there was a chance he could die. But she wouldn’t cry. This went on for weeks.

The day we found out our cancer surviving dog ate a sock and would die without surgery, you could tell she was gravely concerned, but she trooped across the street to play Candyland at the neighbor’s while we went to talk options and she did not cry.

It’s not like she hasn’t seen us crying over this, we’ve talked about our sadness and explained our tears. It was like she was reserving judgement on how upset she needed to be, or maybe she felt the need to be strong for us.

That evening after surgery to remove the sock, when things started to look better for H-man, she said matter of factly, “I thought he was going to die today.”

“Me, too,” I said.

“Me, too,” Ben said.

Hoover has made a great recovery since then. Once he came home and started to seem like his old self, we got a report from school that Nora had a good cry during aftercare about Hoover. I was so relieved.

And it made perfect sense. She was doing exactly what I do. I hang on as long as I can, asking questions, analyzing  the situation, worrying, but holding on. Then, when I know enough to know I’ll make it through, I throw myself in Ben’s arms and cry it all out.

We’re not completely out of the woods yet. There is still processing to be done. Naturally, jokes are one way to do that. Gemela, our friend and Nora’s aftercare provider, relayed the following doozy Nora told earlier this week:

Nora: Here’s a sad joke. Knock, knock.

Gemela: Who’s there?

Nora: Three legged-dog.

Gemela: Three legged-dog who?

Nora: My dog has cancer.

Not exactly a knee slapper. More like a gut punch. But it’s all part of the process.

 

Wherein I Reveal the Reasons for My Absence

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Take heart, it’s not all bad. Well, the first part is pretty bad, but it’s turning out alright. And there’s a a happy announcement at the end…Um, I’ll get out of my own way now…

First were we at the beach. The whole family got some much needed relaxation to recover from our recent canine trauma. Hoover ran on three legs at the beach, Ben and I drank gin and tonics and we all played an endless game of monopoly.

We got back to Portland by midweek and it was a whirlwind of putting the house back together after a few weeks of neglect.

And then, Friday morning Hoover began vomiting. By Friday night (the 24th), he had taken a turn for the worse. He was panting and shaking. I took him in to the emergency hospital, (aka his second home). After a blood test and and x-ray, it was determined that Hoover had eaten something and it was stuck in his upper intestines. “No sweat,” I thought. Hoover has eaten pounds and pounds of socks, underwear, bed sheets and steel wool in his life, I was sure he could pass whatever this was. It was nothing compared to cancer.

Except is was. He spent the night in the hospital, vomiting fluid every time he stood up. In the morning, they performed an ultrasound and confirmed he had a complete obstruction. Without surgery, his small intestine would perforate and he would die.

Our first thought was that there was no way we were going to put him through two surgeries in less than a month. Ben and I sobbed and sobbed at the thought of putting him down, but it seemed the time had come.

We drove to the hospital to talk options with the Vet. And the picture she painted was somewhat brighter. The surgery to remove an obstruction is comparable to a spaying. Recovery is pretty straightforward. Of course, Hoover’s case was a bit riskier due to his recent circumstances, but the Vet felt that he had a great chance to recover and enjoy whatever time he had left. Ben and I didn’t even need time to discuss it privately. We agreed to surgery on the spot.

And it seems our faith in H-man’s constitution has paid off. His first night was pretty rough and he had to spend an extra day in the hospital, but since he came home a week ago, he’s had a tremendous appetite and seems much like his old self, except for the cone of shame he wears to prevent him from doing himself further harm. He obviously has no sense of self preservation.

Our biggest problem now is getting him to understand the concept of “return on investment.” The little bastard better live another eight years after this.

And now for the announcement. All the while Hoover’s been in and out of surgery, I’ve been working bit by bit to bring you something new. My bloggy wife, Kristin Glasbergen, and I have joined forces to create a new website. Today, we announce the launch of Homemade Frontier.

Homemade Frontier is a place to learn, support and share your love of all things handmade and homegrown. We’ll have tutorials, recipes, patterns, inspiration, think pieces, videos — you name it.

Kristin and I believe in a better future  – made by all of us — not purchased from a big box store. We’re going forward using by the best of what came before. We’re taking our time about things and make something meaningful.

And there will be Modge Podge.

Please hop on over to the site, look around at the recipe archive we’ve already accumulated, subscribe to our new posts by email and join us on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

And, in case you were wondering, Mommy’s Pen is not going away.

Thanks so much for reading and for your support. It means a lot to me.

Sue