Nothing but Blue Skies from Now On

 This was yesterday.

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

Here's Doris Day's version of Blue Skies.*

* Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.

Celebrating Healing

First Post of the Day

Craig and I head to Indianapolis a couple of times a month to volunteer for our church. For the first time since November, I felt well enough to go. (And sans walker, too. Huzzah!)

Our best friends moved to Indy in August and invited us to drop by before our shift for a chat. We never turn down an opportunity to spend time with Lisa and Pat.

I enjoyed being healthy enough to volunteer and I was thrilled to see our friends, but I got a cherry on top when I looked at this picture.

At last I can see progress in my healing from the surgery! Whereas pre-op I used to look pregnant (at my age and with a "pregnancy" that blossomed more to my side than to the front), I could see that most of that was now gone post-op. 

I hadn't recently seen a photo to check that. Early on I'd taken some pictures to document my progress,

Pre-op and "pregnant."

But the first post-op photo I took was so disappointing and very upsetting to me.

I looked worse, not better! 

I know now that that was due to 1) lots and lots of post-op swelling, and 2) loose skin that had been stretched for several years and still needed time to shrink. (You'd think this mama who has had six full term pregnancies would have realized that.)

Anyway, I wasn't even thinking of my pseudo baby bump when we took the pictures with our friends.

But how nice afterward to look at them and realize that I am improving, I am getting better. I'm deflating!!

And I am grateful.

Dog Attack: Healing & Moving Forward

It's been almost two weeks since Lisa and Nash were attacked by a loose pit bull and the physical wounds are healing.

Most of the puncture wounds on Nash's body are scabbed and filling in,

and our playful, goofy boi has resurfaced.

He is back to coming into the sewing room and watching me stitch away from the comfort of the bed behind me,

and has resumed his vigil from the top of the stairs, keeping an eye on anyone in the living room down below or those who pass by outside.

Being nosy and getting into everyone's business? That's our Nash! This is a,"Take my photo, too!" picture. I was trying to take one of Molly but he pushed his way in front of her and then eagerly did his best SIT and waited for praise.

The hole on his left hind leg where the attacking dog tore a chunk out of it is slowly filling in and has a long way to go, but at least the leg no longer seems to cause him much distress.

Lisa (trying on her riding habit; huzzah, it's almost done!) is healing, too. She got her stitches out and the doctor confirmed what we'd feared - she is going to need plastic surgery on her face to repair the damage from the bite marks. Still, she is improving and feeling better. 

When the sun is best in one tiny spot and your chin is just too heavy so you must rest it on the coffee table. Like I said, the goofy boi is back.

And I am grateful he is.

Dog Attack: One Week Later

Second post of the day; I thought you  might like an update on Nash and Lisa. (While present during the attacks, Molly was ignored by the attacking dog.)

It was a week ago this evening that the dog attack happened. It's been a long week, but Lisa and Nash are healing. 

While the shirt is to keep him from licking his woulds, it also keeps them out of sight for me. I get pretty upset when I see them - poor guy!

Nash has not felt well, despite the pain meds and antibiotics, and he's spent a lot of time resting. This is SO not our bouncy, happy, goofy boy.

Lisa went back to work on Thursday, and so Craig and I watched Nash and Molly while she was at school. They came over Friday, too; none of us feel good about leaving Nashie home alone yet.

I moved Pepper's upstairs bed to the top of the stairs for him. That's his favorite spot in our home - he can watch the world go by through the windows in the living room and over the front door and then go blazing down the stairs to bark at the door should UPS or Fed Ex drop something off.

It took Lisa all week to feel up to walking the dogs again - not only is she hurt (and finding masses of bruises that have popped up on her arms and legs), but she is also concerned about being attacked again. (Can't say I blame her.)

Saturday she drove out to a rural school near her home, checked the grounds to be sure that no other dogs were around, and then took Molly and Nash for a walk. 

It was a baby step in the healing process, but it was still a step forward for them all.

And for those of you wondering about how Molly is faring, she shows no signs of trauma, fear, or anxiety. Since she is a rescue with a long history of fears and anxiety, we are surprised at this, but pleased that she is doing so well.

Reunited!

At last after almost two weeks, my girl and I have reunited! Yesterday was hot and humid, but I decided to head out late in the afternoon and see how she was.

The horses were inside the old barn enjoying its dark, shady coolness, but as soon as Abby heard my whistle and then call her name, her head popped out the door and she stepped right out to see me.

Gosh, it was good to see her again. (Yes, she's licking the bars of the gate. Gotta get that peppermint drool!) The rest of the herd soon came out to visit, too.

I was topping off the trough during my visit and the horses wandered over to get a drink of that fresh, cool water.

Naturally, Trouble lived up to his name, although this is small potatoes compared to what I have seen him do in the water. (As in, partially climbing into the trough and pawing the water all over the place!)

In this video clip, he drinks out of the water running out of the spigot. Silly guy!

Not only was it good to be back at the barn again, but being there was also a benchmark in my healing. If I can drive myself to the barn and walk out to visit Abby, then things are getting back to normal.