Dog Tales {Charle's Surgery}

We interrupt the previously scheduled packing and preparing for Zac's departure to the University of Notre Dame, and the concurrent family drive to (& from) Indiana...

Charlie can't stop wagging or licking his injured tail.

for emergency veterinary surgery to dock Charlie's severely infected tail.

Thank goodness for Uncle Craig and Aunt Bethany {Veterinarians}, who rearranged their office schedule to make way for Charlie's urgent surgery tomorrow morning.  They also agreed to keep Charlie under careful watch during our trip should his tail surgery require follow up treatments due to his fierce wagging habits and licking tendencies.  We are so fortunate to be able to travel knowing that Charlie is in such capable and loving hands.  The family taking care of our place and pets during our travels to Notre Dame will miss Charlie's antics (most of them anyway) but be relieved of the duty of following up with possible post-surgical complications. 

Rocky jumped into the traveling kennel in (false) anticipation of joining Charlie for the ride

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The timing of Charlie's urgent heath complications leaves a bit to be desired, as our trusty van is in the shop getting a few needed pre-trip safety improvements (including front brakes) at the tune of about half a mortgage payment.  Without the van, Tim loaded Charlie, kennel and all, into his good old 4Runner for the 3+ hour trip to the vets'.  Lacking a functioning power window on the driver's side makes the transaction for ferry fare a bit awkward, but if it gets him from point A to the other point A, we're in business.

Zachary bids Charlie farewell a few days earlier than originally scheduled.

With Charlie in tow, Tim hits the road at dinner time and heads for his brother's house.

Parting is such sweet sorrow... and the sudden departure of Charlie brought home (again) the reality of a string of farewells taking place in our world about now. 

Change... 

It's in the air.

Tail Wagging Injury {Charlie the Labrador}

Joseph tends to Charlie's tail injury

Q: What to do when your lab wags his tail so hard that it bleeds?  And the furiously wagging, bleeding tip of the tail sprays everything and everyone with dog blood?

A:  Put him in the cone, wash the tail injury with soap and water and store him in his kennel for a few days while the injury heals.  Wipe blood off the walls, furniture, windows and family members.

Easier said than done, but done none the less..

Eagles and Marshmallows {7s}

As Scoutmaster for the troop, Tim signs Zachary's completed Eagle Rank Application.

After four years in the making, Zachary's Eagle Project has been completed and his board of review will happen in the very near future.   Those who worried about him being 'too young' when he earned his Life Rank at age 12 (leave aside the fact that he had earned the rank, by the book, plain and simple) should be appeased that despite his jump start, Zachary will, like so many others, be awarded his Eagle Badge at about the same time he 'outgrows' his youth BSA uniform upon turning 18 on August 4th.  However his character growth and personal maturation during these years of persevering with his Eagle Project while staying active and involved with the troop have benefited him greatly.

Eagle project complete: carport at Sacred Heart Catholic Church rectory

 Weston, Peter, Sawyer and Joseph roast marshmallows.

Noteworthy in our corner of the globe {where warm evenings for pleasant outdoor gatherings are somewhat of a novelty, especially in spring} the boys enjoyed a marshmallow roast recently at Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliff's house with visiting cousins.  S'mores followed a genuinely Polish feast cooked up by Cliff for the whole family.  The (under 6) cousins didn't exactly devour the sauerkraut and dumplings, but the rest of us feasted on the bacon filled delights.   Violet (5) enjoyed helping in the kitchen and setting the table, clearly a future hostess in the making (like her mama).

Aunt Bethany wraps Peter's 'good' ankle, injured in a hoop-shooting fest on our driveway.

One ankle in a walking cast, Peter severely injured the other ankle and required veterinary care as the pediatrician's office was closed.  Well, when your aunt and uncle are both vets, there's always the chance that their years of medical training will come in handy.  In this case, the expert wrapping by Aunt Bethany prevented further injury to the painful ankle and the double-vet diagnosis of a severe sprain or possible broken bone confirmed the fact that we needed to seek medical treatment the following day.  Thankfully, the x-ray (Peter's 3rd in as many weeks, all on ankles) ruled out a broken bone and put Peter on serious rest and recovery time with physical therapy for both ankles.  Crutches purchased, both ankles in supportive devices, Peter simply must allow his ankles to heal or risk chronic re-injuries.

With one Godson receiving his high school diploma, we spent a sunny Seattle afternoon at the Woodland Park Zoo with our Godson Samuel, his mom Aileen, and brothers Peter and Ryan.  The $50 entry cost (for 3 of us) was quite a hit, considering we only had a few hours there, but well worth it for the joy of spending time with Samuel and his family {priceless}!  Of course we could have saved the money and just enjoyed his delightful baby smile any old place, but the zoo did offer some outstanding opportunities for the older brothers to delight in the wonders of nature together and take turns riding in Sam's stroller when Sam was being cuddled. 

Samuel is all smiles with his God-brother Peter.

 Peek a boo at the zoo

Walking cast on one ankle, brace on the other, Peter's still half monkey.

Elevated to the role of acolyte, Joseph completed his initial training just in time to allow him to serve with Father Qui Thac before his departure to discern a call to monastic life in the footsteps of Saint Benedict.  Joseph looks sharp in his new alb, and like Zachary and the other acolytes, serves at the altar with great reverence and solemnity

Saying good bye to our pastor of the past 6 years, Father Qui Thac Nguyen, happened in waves, as each time we were with him was "the last" this and "the last" that.  Our final Saturday morning coffee after Latin Mass brought a great turn-out and lengthy sharing about the many ways Father Qui Thac has touched our lives and brought us closer to Jesus.  How he will be missed...

Father Christopher LaRocca, OCD, whom I have grown to love this year on my journeys as an aspirant to Carmel at St. Cecilia's in Stanwood on second Sundays, is being reassigned by his superior.  His new priestly mission will begin soon in Uganda, where the Carmelite parishes and schools will benefit from his dynamic leadership and by his life of profound personal holiness and prayerful ways.  Fr. Christopher's presence will be greatly missed in our OCDS community (and surely in the parish), but I trust our Lord will send a holy priest to continue assisting in the formation at the Carmelite Institute and in the St. Cecilia's parish. 

Now go take a trip over to Jen's Place!

Pet Peeves {Lovable Labs}

Rocky and Charlie sunbathing on the back deck

You never know what might set these two off. Today a deer walking along the sidewalk across the street sent them into orbit. But it could have just as likely been a neighbor's cat or a squirrel in a nearby tree. When the tandem barking begins, so does our: "NO BARK!" while someone runs for the vinegar spray bottle, known as the "bad dog" remedy. Usually the barking stops long before we actually find the bottle, let alone use it.

Double barking is OBNOXIOUS, and having an extremely noise sensitive backyard neighbor with the local animal control authority on his quick dial means we stay on high alert for the least bit of barking. This particular neighbor is so sound sensitive, he once called to complain about our dogs barking when we were over 300 miles away, with the dogs!  (Needless to say, he was caught slightly off guard when we informed him that we were in another state; yet he insisted that perhaps someone had come onto our property with dogs that look and sound JUST LIKE ours.)

Loyal, playful, energetic, and slightly unpredictable, these pets make great companions and dependents for our boys.  Feeding, exercising, scooping and cleaning up after messes is part of the boys' daily routine.  Mostly Peter for Rocky and Joseph for Charlie, but with plenty of help from Ezra and Zachary, these dogs need constant attention and upkeep.  This time of year, the dog owning duties include daily grooming in a feeble attempt to keep the shedding volume down to a dull roar.  Near daily vacuuming to collect dog hair goes without saying.  

Having two veterinarians in the family helps with the upkeep and diagnosis of unpredictable ailments and life threatening situations:

• whole corn on the cob ingesting (suspected due to circumstantial evidence; discovered surgically & removed; can cause life threatening blockage if undetected)
• dental decay (and necessary removal of rotten teeth)
• irritable bowel syndrome (surgically diagnosed; requires prescription diet and special meds)
• happy tail (recurring blood blister on the tip of the tail, aggravated each time the wild tail wagging begins, and casting blood speckles everywhere)

All in all, these lovable labs are worth all the trouble, messes, and even the noise (and noise complaints). 
Really!

Veterinary Surgeons {Working Overtime}

Joseph films Tim's splinter removal surgery, by a team of familial veterinarians.

Tim's pinkie finger needed surgical splinter removal (from a month-old incident). Doctors Craig and Bethany (known for their excellent care for our pets) stepped right up and created a little triage center at the kitchen counter.  We filmed the procedure for quality control purposes, and for evidence in case we decide to sue.  Despite the fact that the digging was done with sewing needles into pinkie subcutaneous tissue without any numbing meds, Tim survived. He was glad to have the strange object removed from his finger, and to have saved a few hundred dollars in the process.

The real reason for the get-together: Grandma Billie's birthday