Paw Prints on My Heart

January 12, 2007 – March 6, 2013

Oh Miss Dassi, you put up a good fight. Through it all you were such a trooper. You never complained about the pills or doctor visits. You looked up at daddy and I with those beautiful trusting brown eyes that said, “I know, don’t worry, I love you”.

Through it all you wagged your tail and kissed us with total abandon.

We did everything we could for you baby girl, mommy and daddy tried.

But cancer sucks.

When we rushed you to the emergency room last night we knew.

Even in your last hours you managed to melt the hearts of the hospital staff. You touched so many lives Dassi, everyone who met you fell in love with you. Such a beautiful soul.

Daddy and I are struggling with your loss but we know that you are now at peace. Oh Dassi you have etched a permanent place in my heart; you have left paw prints on my heart.

Go find Betsy and Trinket sweet girl, they’re waiting for you.

I love you Dassi Doo, my baby girl. Rest in peace.

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Dassi Doo Part Deux

Dassi got thru the surgery like a trooper. I stayed home with her for two days because she needed to be watched. The pain meds make her loopy and wobbly. At least she timed it well, the second day we had a blizzard!

But she has not been without several ups and downs. You’ve been keeping us on our toes ever since we first brought you home.

We cam home from work on the following Monday to find blood on her neck. Somehow this resourceful houndie contorted her body so she could get her little tree trunk hind leg into the e-collar and scratch at the itchy incision site.

We cleaned her up, put on an antibiotic and I cut up an old t-shirt to make bandages. We wrapped her neck and used a different kind of collar called “Bite-Not” that looks something like a human neck brace. I’m not sure which collar she disliked more…I’d say it was a tie.

Dassi was so happy when she had the staples removed and didn’t have to wear that stupid collar anymore. She seemed to be back to herself.

Ah but that wasn’t all. About a week later she began to mope, she felt warm, she was running a fever. She became listless so we rushed her to the emergency room early in the morning and there she stayed overnight. She apparently had an infection, probably from opening the wound.

They took very good care of her and when we picked her up the next day we learned that she’d won the hearts of everyone there. I’ll bet she batted those beautiful irresistible brown eyes of hers at everyone who came to care for her.

She came home with more meds and edema in her neck. We put warm compresses on the swelling throughout the day and it started to subside. Dassi looked like Dassi again.

She saw the doctor that weekend and we got a good report, whew. But then about a week later she’s in distress again. Breathing heavy, not wanting to eat…not again.

Although neither of us said it then, both my husband and I did the same thing, we assumed the worst. Off to the doctor again. He believes she’s having gastric problems from the meds and put her on Pepcid AC. Who knew?

This last episode was today.

You can imagine as a result I’ve been a wee bit preoccupied lately so my apologies for having gone missing. I’m hoping Dassi will get settled and our lives will follow. Thanks to all who’ve been asking about her, I can’t tell you how much your kind words and concern have meant to me. ((HUGS))

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Wordless Wednesday: Beginnings

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Knitting Debacle

This is what happens when you knit over lunch in a crowded cafeteria and someone accidentally bumps your arm:

And this is what happens when you try to fix said knitting with a whole lot of M1′s and kfb’s:

On the upside, I didn’t get very far.

Sigh.

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Celebrating the Man in My Life

Today is my husband’s birthday and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love him. There are no words in the English language that can even come close. He holds my heart ever so gently in his warm comforting hands; he knows me like no other, sometimes I think even better than I know myself. He is always there to soothe my oft frazzled nerves, he’s there to lend a helping hand when I need it. He’s my enabler when it comes to my creative pursuits and enjoys (truly) joining me on that journey. He is my rock. He makes me swoon.

I am so incredibly proud of him and in awe of his amazing talents as a musician and an artist; he plays guitar and he builds guitars; he plays banjo (and trust me, you’ve never heard banjo music like this before…no “Beverly Hillbillies” around these parts), he repairs and restores instruments; he draws with both graphite and pixels. He’s been making beautiful music longer than I’ve been on this earth.

We met at work…the second time. I can’t really say that the first time we met we actually saw or spoke to each other but we were in the same place at the same time and as far as I’m concerned it was destiny. You see, when he was in high school he was in a band and among other far warmer places, they played at a local ice skating rink on Long Island. I grew up in Queens but every so often my friends and I would convince our parents to take us to that same rink for several hours of icy fun. I’m several years younger than my husband so we needed a chauffeur. I very clearly remember there being a band and watching them play as we skated. It was an unbelievable moment when we realized that it was his band that played there during that time period so many years ago. See, destiny.

I cannot begin to do his story or his journey justice so the best way I can introduce you to him is by sending you to this wonderful interview!

Do give it a read, oh and there are audio samples too!

Happy birthday honey, I love you with all my beans! XOXO

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