Sunday Afternoon

Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone .... ooops, that's not an original line ... actually, it's been a very busy week in Mars Hill. I spent most of the week working on various packages of paperwork for the State Department. Had to go to the doctor for a few tests ... just had a physical not two weeks ago, fortunately, so these were just a few extra items, and I seem to be in pretty good health for an old fart. And I spent a lot of time driving around from one errand to another: pick up paintings from shows in Hendersonville and Marshall, get a haircut, go to meetings here or there. Basically, just go, go, go. Next week should be much quieter.

I've written a few times about our dog Indy, who has Addison's syndrome and has to take a steroid every day. She developed a problem with incontinence. Or rather, we had the problem, since she always seemed to have it when she was taking her afternoon nap on our bed. After yet another visit to the vet, we've cut her dosage of prednizone down to 1/8 of a pill in the morning and another 1/8 pill in the afternoon. We're talking dosages about the size of a grain of sand. But it seems to be about the right level, since she hasn't had any accidents in over a week now. Knock on wood.

Rick, Julie, and Jackson are out on Lake Powell right now. Here's a picture of the Jacks getting ready for the trip. The little guy loves Wave Runners!

This next week, I want to spend a good bit of time in the studio. There are three paintings that I want to get done before heading out on my year-long Mideast vacation. Will post more about them when I've got something to show.

Canine Crisis, Part 3

Our sweet little Indie had her checkup yesterday.  You may remember from previous posts that a couple of weeks ago she suddenly developed Addison's syndrome, which is when your adrenal glands quit working.  We thought we might lose her.  However, Addison's is treatable (not curable).  In yesterday's checkup, all her blood chemicals were normal and her weight was back up to a rousing 13.4 pounds, about where it was when it all began.  Just as important, her spirits are up, her attention level is back to normal, she's active and giving her sister hell.  Her stamina is back to about 99% of where it was before, but then, she's very much a tomboy.  So all is well in Indie-land.

Side effects of the Prednizone we give her every day are minimal.  Her water intake and outflow are up a bit - not quite as dramatically as earlier, but noticeable.  The only odd thing is that she has taken a lot more interest in humping her sister.  Hey, if it feels good, do it, right?  Soozee is clueless, of course.  We don't know if Indie is gender-confused, a hard-core incestuous lesbian, or just feeling the effects of the steroids.  Whatever the case, it's just an amusing and mild side effect, and given the alternatives, we'll take it any day.