More than you wanted to know...

OK, so if you know me, you probably already know all these things about me. Or maybe not. Some of my friends don't know the whole story and probably most don't care to know.

I have fibromyalgia. You can read more on Wikipedia: Fibromyalgia is a term meaning muscle and connective tissue pain (also referred to as FM or FMS), is a medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure (allodynia). Other core symptoms are debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Basically, I have invisible pain, every day.

If I do too much, I'll have worse pain. But the pain is not indicative of injury. It doesn't mean that if I don't stop what I'm doing, I'll suffer worse injury. It's not going to cause broken bones or swelling or deformities (like inflammatory conditions). On the other hand, taking an anti-inflamatory like Motrin won't impact it either. Since fatigue is a big factor, all I can really do is rest.

People have lots of opinions and antidotal experiences of treatments and cures. Usually, they have a family member who 1)changed their diet, 2)took herbal supplements 3)tried some alternative therapy and was miraculously cured. The one thing I've learned about chronic disease is that it's boring. People don't want to keep hearing that you still have it. "Why are you limping? Did you hurt yourself" -- No, it's just the FM. I know they have other things to think about rather than to remember that I still have this problem, day after day, after month, after year. Hell, it's boring to me.

The most unfortunate side effect I've had is that decreased activity has led to weight gain. The weight gain has led to sleep apnea. The sleep apnea disturbs my sleep cycle which negatively impacts the body's ability to lose weight. Which leads to more weight gain. Plus, the most effective treatment for FM is improved sleep. It's a vicious circle.

Whenever I mention the sleep apnea, people always ask if I have "one of those machines". A c-pap. A continuous positive airway pressure machine. Sure, I've got one. Know what it's like? Take your shop vac and put the hose on the out port. Now take that hose and stick it up your nose. OK, maybe not quite that bad, but it is a hose about that size hooked up to a mask that you strap onto your head like a jet-pilot's headgear. Woo hoo. Sexy. Then you try to sleep in that get up. I've tried, really I have.

I know, it's better than dying. People die of apnea all the time. There's a strong history of heart disease in my family; both of my parents have had bypass surgery. My cholesterol levels, unmedicated, are poor -- high bad, low good cholesterols. Sleep apnea also is a contributor in car accidents, because sufferers have a lot of day-time sleepiness.

So, basically, I'm trying to work around it all. Aggravating the FM issue is that I have some osteoarthritis. Like in my thumbs. You'd be amazed at how often you need your thumbs! Last year, my left thumb got so bad that the slightest bump would take my breath away. I decided to have it surgically repaired. It's called Excision Arthroplasty. Basically, they take the last joint at the bottom of your thumb and replace it with a piece of tendon removed from your forearm. Hurt like hell, mostly from the brace and cast, and took a long time to recover. There is still some pain there, probably in the connective tissue (remember the FM?), but the take-your-breath-away inflammation pain is gone. Of course, it doesn't help that this is the same wrist I broke a few years ago. I fell backwards and put my hand out, bent it back and broke it and damaged the tendon. It healed, but the pain has never gone away. Gotta love that "excess response to pain" part of FM.

The right thumb hurts, too. Not as bad, thank goodness. At least not yet. Since I'm an accountant, I need to be able to use the computer and the type of mouse I have makes a big difference. I'm planning on trying some less invasive therapy, like steroid injection, rather than surgery on this one. However, I've had steroid injections in other sites that did not help. Guess I'll just wait to see how bad it gets.

My husband has rheumatoid arthritis. It's debilitating. He took prednisone for several years, until it began to aggravate his liver. Since he already knew he had "fatty liver", which doesn't mean actual fat on your liver. It has to do with triglycerides and lipids collecting in the liver. Most people who have it are alcohols or obese. He's neither, he's just an odd ball in the sample. Now he takes Embrel, an injectable. VERY EXPENSIVE. (I'll leave that for a later post, all about insurance...>

Anyway, he's always trying to get me to take anti-inflammatories. They help him. They don't help my FM much, plus they upset my stomach a lot, mostly due to the hiatal hernia. I can keep this mostly symptom-free by taking Prilosec everyday. But, man, I sure don't want to miss a dose. It's no wonder that people go to the hospital thinking they are having a heart attack when they are having heart burn. I've had some heart burn attacks that made me want to go to the hospital for relief, even knowing what it is.

Migraine headaches run in my family, like New York marathoners. Like my Mom, both my siblings, my nephew, my niece, and other extended family members. I was on gabapentin for them for a while, mostly because I got into a cluster-string that wouldn't stop. Unfortunately, the side effects of gabapentin are anxiety and weight-gain. Like I need anymore of that. Once I got the chronic clusters to stop, I went off the med. Now I just have them intermittently, not constantly, and take tramadol.

When I went to the neurologist about my headaches, he discovered that I have Peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet. Most people who have it are diabetic, but, thankfully, I'm not. I'm not sure that's all together bad; it means you have reduced sensation in your hands and feet, so at least they don't hurt as bad as they used to!! He also diagnosed my carpal tunnel syndrome; I had a lot of problems with it a few years ago, but it's much better now.

As I said, my left leg is really giving me grief today. When I was last pregnant (in 1982), I developed sacroiliitis. As time has past, it has settled into a chronic irritant. In the last few years, it has impacted those last few vertebrae called the "tail" bone and apparently is aggravating a nerve in that area.

Other than the TMJ, violent cat and crab allergies, generalized North-Texas area allergies, chronic depression (hey, you'd be depressed too) and persistent neck pain of unknown origin, I think that's all. So far. I used to have other problems, but I had that hysterectomy and solved that. I try not to let these things stop me from doing things I like. I spend a lot of time at the theatre, working on different parts of productions including set building. I do lots of things with my grandson, including going to the zoo and other physical activities (although we won't be trying bowling again). Since most of these things just cause pain, and I've got pain anyway, I just try to deal with it (sometimes with meds - I'm not against living better through chemistry).

Besides, everyone has something, right?

Next up, on the main stage...

We are just about 3 weeks away from the opening of "The Rocky Horror Show". I know it will be fun, I just hope it won't be raided! It's a hard call, you know. Heck, the movie came out 34 years ago, the year I graduated from high school. (I see you doing the math -- don't bother, I'm 52). When you think about people who might be offended by the show, you might think about people in their 50's, like me. That doesn't seem right, since we were there in the beginning, we helped make it the cult classic it is. Besides, the director is a retired third-grade teacher.

We've all grown up thinking of the "older" generation as the WWII, 1940's folks. Now you can do the math. If you were a teenager in 1945, let's say you were 18, you'd be 82 now. While we do get an elderly crowd for some of our shows, 82 is getting up there. So, let's say you were 18 in 1955. Now you're only 72, but you're a Rock 'n Roll 72. You were still a young adult in the 1960's, when the sexual revolution was changing the world. And, what if you were 18 in 1965, you're 62 now, almost old enough to retire, for Medicare, to be a great-grandparent. Don't tell me you don't remember the '60s and the '70s. We have seen the older generation and they is us!

As producer, I'm called on to do lots of different things for a show. Sometimes it's just to hang around and be sure a show is coming together. Sometimes it's to fill in when the director can't find a costumer or a prop person, or build a set, or find a sound tech. Basically, whatever needs to be done. Yesterday, I went to pick up a slide from a kid's swingset that I found on craigslist. Today it was a roll of chain link fence material.

The set design is pretty crazy. Originally they wanted to get scaffolding, like painters use. I had serious doubts about their ability to get it in the budget we have, and I was right. Last weekend we had to change the set design and start building platforms, legged up on plumbing pipe. We own a spiral staircase, but it was in "active storage" at another theatre (which means that it was installed and they forgot that it was borrowed). It is a little the worse for wear (and it seems like it would be difficult to damage a wrought-iron staircase), but I guess it adds to the atmosphere. I think it looks very cool with the staircase and our platforms. They are bigger than scaffolding is, so they'll be able to use them more, and they are sturdier.

Last weekend I had to go into Dallas to pick up some costumes that the costumer had picked out. If you know anything about this show, you know the costumes are crazy -- a corset for the male lead, revealing clothing for other characters. I told my son where I was buying them and he said "Oh, you mean the stripper store". Great. Thankfully it was the day of the first Cowboy's football game at the new stadium, so there weren't many people out. I slipped in, picked up the size 16 knee-high black patent boots and the silver space-girl suit and the corsets and high-tailed it out of there. Good thing I don't intend to run for public office, it would be the kind of thing they would drag up. Although, probably not the worst place I've been in (but that is another post -- hey, it was the '70s).

The way it always happens.

I've been job-hunting for several months. During that time, I've spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet, applying for jobs and killing time. So, finally, I decided to start this blog, maybe as a way of doing something creative.

Two days ago, at almost 5 p.m., I got an email from a recruiter about a position that needed someone immediately. I went in to talk to him yesterday morning. About an hour after I left, the hiring manager called to set up a phone interview. We spent over an hour on the phone, at the end of which he asked if I'd be willing to come on as a temp-to-perm (they'd been burned twice already with temps that couldn't cut it). I told him sure -- even if it didn't work out, it couldn't hurt to earn a little in the meantime, right? So he said, come in tomorrow morning at 8:30. So I did.

You'd think I'd be ready, having had all this time off. But, no. Of course not. Lulled into complacency, the laundry undone. It's not like I've needed much more than t-shirts and pull-on pants for a while. Fortunately, I'd recently bought a new dress for interviews, so I managed.

Now I'm back into the grind, suddenly. I've got some projects up in the air, I'll have to figure out how to resolve. I've got to get some borrowed set pieces back to a theatre in Fort Worth. I have a ticket for an expired inspection sticker to take care of (it's been raining ALL WEEK), so I've been putting off driving to the city hall. Oh, well. Somehow I managed before, guess I will remember how again.

If I don't get to post as often as I wanted, don't worry. I'm still out here. I'm about to start directing a show ("Tuna Christmas") in October, and I'm trying to help get "The Rocky Horror Show" up, to open in October. We've got to work on the set this weekend.

The last job I had didn't have enough work to stay busy. Based on what I learned today, I don't think that will be a problem at this place!!

My party dress

I hate shopping for clothes. Really.hate.it. I order most of my clothes online. I don't enjoy shopping in general anymore, since it is very uncomfortable for me (all the walking around, but again -- a post for another day). I hate trying to find something to fit me, it just depresses me.

As I mentioned, my niece got married last weekend. My sister's and the other mom's dresses were floor-length formals. The bridesmaids and house party all had short dresses. I decided to split the difference and go with ankle length. The traditional "mother of the bride style" dress, with the obligatory jacket top or cover was considered way too old-fashioned by my niece and sister, but I felt I would be more comfortable with a coverup of some kind. The bridesmaids' dresses were champagne, the house-party girls' were brown, my sister's was dark brown.

Given all these variables, I decided to make a dress. Knowing that 1)patterns don't size the way commercial clothing does and 2)not all designs work out on my body as intended, I decided to make a "test" dress first. In costuming and dressmaking, the pros recommend that you make a "muslin" -- a plain version first for fitting. I decided instead to buy inexpensive fabric that I like and make a short version of the pattern for daytime wear before committing to the final dress.

First I selected Simplicity pattern 2498. I liked the attached bolero-looking top. I figured this would give me the cover-up I was looking for without having the actual jacket.

For my test dress, I found some knit fabric at Wal Mart in a floral (well, leaf-al) pattern of browns. This had a nice drape and I felt it would make a nice dress for fall.

I made up the dress, learning a lot about the pattern as I went -- such as it is constructed like a dress with spaghetti straps with a separate bolero, sewn together at the waist. The fabric was a little tricky to work with, but the dress came out ok.

Unfortunately, it looked like crap on me. Tight in the least-flattering places, loose in the top -- trying to slide off. I don't know what the intention was for the sleeve cuffs, since there was no elastic called for even though they have a small band, but they were about twice the circumference of my arm. The princess-seam style is clearly not for me. I left it without finishing the hem (the only thing I lack). If/when I lose a few pounds I might finish it, but I'll definitely have to do something with those sleeves.

So, back to the drawing board. Somewhere along the way I had bought the New Look pattern 6270. I really liked the long cover-up/coat on this pattern. However, the princess-seam styling was not going to work. I found Simplicity 2882. The skirt on this one has only side seams and there is some loose gathering in the center front. For my "apple" style body, this seemed to be a good plan.


I decided to make the short view with the straps as a sun-dress and found some $1.50/yd fabric. The bodice is unusual in that the front is made of three pieces that are curvy. When sewn together, they create a full look.

Thankfully, the test dress fit. The cut is a little low, so I bought a white t-shirt to wear under it, and it looks great. It's a good thing too, since I have never been able to keep straps like this up on my shoulder. One is always slipping off. Without the t-shirt, I could be a walking "wardrobe malfunction". Not something the average person wants to witness, especially on a grandmother.

Since the blue dress worked, I decided to go ahead with this pattern, using the alternate bodice style, with a more traditional sleeve-opening. I had been looking at some fabric at the local store that came in a variety of matching colors with satins, sheers, light and medium weight fabrics. I had decided to use something in the browns to make the dress with one of the sheers to make the coat. I did NOT want to use chiffon (my sister and I made 12 chiffon drapes for the pews. I discovered that I don't like working with chiffon, at all.) They had some plain and sparkly organzas that would work. When I got to the store, I decided on a coppery-brown satin, and was just about to pick up the organza when I spotted some lace on sale. It is kind of the crinkle-sheer equivalent of burn-out velvet. There are large roses all over it that are sheer in a crinkle opaque fabric. It also happened to match the satin beautifully.

The two pieces turned out perfectly, and together made a beautiful outfit. I got several compliments from strangers and casual acquaintances. My husband said I should let them think I spent a lot of money on it, but my pride got the better of me, so I had to tell them all that I made it. I did get some breast enhancers at the fabric store in order to lift my 50-something-year-old breasts. Otherwise, people would have wondered why they were pointing at my shoes. Besides, it is always my goal to get my boobs to stick out further than my belly, which is a challenge for me (I always say I take after my dad in this area). Anyway, my daughter-in-law said I was "boob-a-licious", something I don't hear much!

I haven't worn heels taller than 1" pumps since sometime in the 1980's. I broke a bone at the base of a toe in a car wreck (I was hitting the brake pretty hard). I wore flats with my floor-length gown to my son's wedding last year. Since this dress was ankle-length, I decided to give some low heels a chance. They weren't too bad, in that they didn't cause excrutiating pain, but by the end of the evening the swelling was not too attractive (although it did provide a cushy pad to walk on). Sunday was rough, but what's a little pain for the sake of beauty, right?

So, if you are making a dress for a special occasion, I highly recommend the test dress method. Using an inexpensive fabric is better than committing the $60 of higher-priced fabric on a dress that turns out not to fit. Also, don't be afraid to mix pieces from different patterns. That makes your dress a unique, designer original!

Update on the cake...

Last Saturday was the wedding day -- my niece was wed in a beautiful, charming, cheerful ceremony in Dallas. I mentioned her groom's cake in my previous post. Today I can elaborate on it, since the surprise element is past.

Her fiance is an avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman. He had received the mounted head of a deer that he had shot as a gift from a family friend. My niece spirited it away to Frosted Art for Bronwen Webber to use as a model for a cake that hung on the wall.

The bottom part of the mount is some kind of support with the top-side of the back and neck and head being the cake. It is covered in fondant and hand sculpted and painted. The antlers are fondant.

Daily brain poke

Maybe you wake up refreshed, alert and ready to meet the world head on, but I don't. I've never been a morning person, and it just seems to get worse as I get older. Having sleep apnea doesn't help, but that's another post entirely.

I like to get up, have coffee and cereal, check my messages, etc. I'm not a newspaper reader. It seems to me that newspapers are either too depressing with their unrelenting coverage of death and mayhem, and so full of ads that I don't find much news in them. I understand and sympathize with the issues they face, of attracting readers and selling ads to make ends meet, but I just can't deal with them in general. I look around on the web, usually from Yahoo! Since I use Yahoo! for my email, I use their start page as my home page. I can scan the titles in the news and avoid reading about things that distress me. Since their feeds come from reputable news services, I don't feel that I'm getting a slanted or partisan view. If there are stories that interest me, I can do more research right away. (I use the Firefox browser. It has a very handy feature that allows you to highlight any word/phrase, right-click on it and look up more info on a separate tab. You don't navigate away from the page you are reading, and the more info you are looking for is waiting for you as your convenience.)

I like to read the daily Comics. Not all of them; I'm a fan of the one-cell version. One visual, one punch line, to the point. I also like 9 Chickweed Lane; by Brooke McEldowney. It has several plot lines and characters, it is succinct, it is about love but not mushy. If you've not read it, I can highly recommend it.

Every morning, I go to the All Star Puzzles. I really like Acrostic puzzles, and this is one of the few online sites I've found that have interactive ones. They post 2 or 3 a week. They also post a new Picture Puzzle everyday. This is sort of like a jigsay puzzle in that it is a scrambled pic. You swap pieces, individually or in groups, to rearrange it correctly. I enjoy this little bit of challenge in the morning. Let's me know my brain is still functioning.

Do you Boing Boing?

Boing Boing is a web site that started out as a "zine" in the 1980's. It was founded by Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair. It is an irreverent compilation of postings from around the web including news and commentary on a wide variety of topics. The current online version is moderated by Mark along with Cory Doctorow, David Pescovitz, Xeni Jardin, and John Battelle. The site has expanded to include a separate site for Gadgets, Video and Gaming.

I look at this site everyday. I have discovered some very interesting things that I might not have seen otherwise. For instance, today Cory posted a link to The Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection from the University of Texas. What an awesome resource! Not only works by Poe, but letters written by and to him, books that he owned (and annotated), along with scans of images of him and his family. If you are a Poe fan (and who isn't?), this is a great place to get your fill.

Yesterday, Mark posted a link to an interview with John Marcotte. John has filed a petition with the state of California to ban divorce. It sounded like an ultra-conservative action, until you read more about it. Here's a quote: "We're going to interview them about why they thing traditional marriage is important, and then we'll tell them that we are trying to ban divorce. People who supported Prop 8 weren't trying to take rights away from gays, they just wanted to protect traditional marriage. That's why I'm confident that they will support this initiative, even though this time it will be their rights that are diminished. To not support it would be hypocritical. "

I especially like the "zen" postings they have. They will accumulate related postings, usually just visual, about a particular topic. Like the Bacon Zen. Or the Feline Zen.

I hope you get a chance to check out boingboing.net.

Let them eat cake...

One of my all-time favorite blogs is Cake Wrecks. Not just me, apparently, as they have won a lot of awards, including 2009 BlogLuxe Awards: Funniest Blog, The 2008 Weblog Awards: Best Food Blog, and Blogger's Coice 2008 Awards: Best Humor Blog. I check every day to see what else has been posted. It is INCREDIBLE how many people who can't spell, and in many cases apparently can't read, are decorating cakes. I know that most of these come from supermarkets, but some are from other sources and you have to wonder what was going on at the store that day. Was nobody watching? If it were your store would you let it out that way?

On the other hand entirely, I am very anxious to see the cakes at my niece's wedding tomorrow. Bronwen Weber, from Frosted Art (who is frequently seen on the Food Network) is making the cakes. I'll post some pics later of what promises to be a awesome cake.

While I'm rambling on about cake, my grandson, who is 5, does not like cake. Adamantly. He won't eat birthday cake or cupcakes, even at his own party. He will tell you readily "I don't like cake." He refuses all offers. He's a pretty picky eater and doesn't eat sweets much either way (except Skittles and M&Ms), but cake is hard to believe. I don't think I've ever met a kid who wouldn't eat cake.

Sewing class

Earlier this summer, one of my friends told me that she had signed up for a sewing class that was canceled. I told her I could teach her, for free. Pretty soon it became a four-member class, and we were off. I don't charge them, but they pay for my gas (they are about 45 minutes from me).

All of the class members had some experience sewing, but felt they were missing some of the basics, so that is where we started. When I was in high school, girls usually took "Home Ec" where they taught you (among other things) how to sew. I wanted to to take Wood Shop -- I already knew how to sew. My mother had been making clothes for herself, my sister and my brother all my life, her mother had always sewn, it was just normal for us to sew. But, in the early 1970's, they would not let girls take shop; I was an ace at Home Ec, though, since I already did all the things they taught us. Anyway, back to the basics class...

Over several weeks, I showed the class how to use their machines. For a project, they all made a scrub top. That allowed them to learn how to read and use patterns and how to construct and finish a garment. We followed that with a lesson on installing zippers. Now each member is working on his/her own project (half of the class are guys), and we are meeting bi-weekly for support.

I have really enjoyed this group. I enjoy sewing, and the class/group has led me into more creative sewing over the past few weeks. I made several throw pillows, to illustrate different methods:

Then, because one of the women has been making bags, I tried my hand at bag making. I made a laptop bag. It has a pocket on the outside, two zippered pockets inside and a divided interior. You'll note that it looks a lot like the pillows -- I'm working off a stash of upholstery-weight fabric that she gave me.

While I was working in this vein, I made my sister a birthday present using the "Wasp Bag" pattern from Alison Reeve and machen/machen. Again, I used some of the same fabric as the pillows, this purse has an inset pocket and a key-chain holder, and a magnetic latch. I've shown it sitting up, by itself, on my couch. I fused a very stiff interfacing to the already heavy fabric to create a purse that holds its shape.

I'm fired-up about sewing gifts now, so I've been collecting patterns and ideas. I've made pajamas and/or robes for my kids for Christmas the last couple of years; I'm ready to try something different.

I hope that our sewing group/circle will continue for a while, it is a lot of fun.

Know me, know my dogs

I never planned on being a dog person. We never had dogs much while I was growing up. Well, we had two pups that were part bird-dog and part black lab, but we didn't keep them long -- they kept getting out of the yard and barked at night. My mom is not a good sleeper and barking at night was not allowed. When I was a teenager, we got a dog that was mostly my little brother's dog (Duchess). She was an outdoor dog, and I didn't really have a relationship with her. When I got married, my husband was also generally against dogs.

One day, that same husband came home from work with a cute puppy. My boys, who were pre-teen at the time, were so excited. Then we took her to the vet for a check up and they said "What a nice-looking pit bull". She (Dixie) did not look like a pit bull. She looked more like the original Staffordshires, an almost black brindle coloring with a white patch on her chest and a white sock. After much soul-searching, we decided to keep her. I took her on walks and we played with her in the backyard. She was a totally outside dog.

One morning, she didn't come to the back door to greet us. Sadly, she had died sometime in the night. We were never sure why, although we think it might have been Parvo (they are apparently very prone to it, longer than other breeds). I had no idea it would affect me the way it did. I felt like I had let her down in some way -- I should have known she was sick, I should have paid more attention.

After we recovered from the shock and loss, one day the whole family went to the adopt-a-pet at the local pet supply store. There, in one of the cages, was a dog that reminded us of Dixie. She was small, a dark brown brindle coloring, and so friendly. The boys fell in love with her right away. When we talked to the staff there, they said "You will be keeping her in the house, of course". "Sure, I said", although we had never had an indoor dog.

We took Lucy home that day. She was a year-and-a-half old mutt with greyhound and Sharpei ancestry. My husband said she was a "fast wrinkle". She looked very unusual, with small greyhound feet and strong Sharpei muscles, lots of extra skin on her neck, wrinkles on her forehead and a black tongue. And a bad scar on her neck; about a 3/4 inch wide and four inches long. Nobody ever said where it came from.

Lucy was always a runner. If you left the front door open too long, she would take off -- and you couldn't catch her on foot. She loved to play fetch in the house, and would get so excited, she'd have to run as fast as she could through the house. She did stay in the house. She has a short, stiff coat and doesn't shed. She was housebroken and was pretty laid-back most of the time.

When Lucy was about 5 years old, a small tumor appeared on her right front leg. The vet removed it, but it was mast-cell cancer and had infiltrated the joint. So, we had radiation therapy for 6 weeks. Not only was I officially a dog person by then, but I spent several thousand dollars to prove it. It just seemed too mean-spirited to remove her leg (the only other option) on the basis of money. She recovered nicely and had no more problems.

A few years later, my son was dating a young woman who had a wallaby (a small kangaroo) for a pet. When she went to college, we let it live in our back yard. Lucy, who has always been aloof, didn't seem to notice it much. However, when they broke up and she took the wallaby away, Lucy went into a slump. She wouldn't eat. She whined at us al the time. We decided to get her a friend.

We found a dog from the same rescue group. He was also part greyhound, but mixed with Sheltie. He was about a year-and-a-half old, white with black spots, black ears, and a black eye mask. My son hoped he would make a good frisbee dog. So we brought him home. We named him "Lucy's Buddy". She was fine, started eating again, they became fast friend.

Lucy and Buddy have both been inside dogs, but not always for the best. They ate a couch and a love seat. I bought a second-hand couch and chair, both covered with leather, and they left it alone. So I finally broke down and bought a new leather couch and loveseat. She chewed a whole in the arm of the loveseat. I thought raising boys prevented me from having nice things, but this is worse. Oh well. Lucky for me, I'm not house-proud.

Early this summer, Lucy started limping on that same leg. I assumed it was probably arthritic, due to the old surgery. She's about 14 now, although she's still very active -- she killed an oppossum in May. The vet x-rayed it and said it might be cancer. It started forming a mass, which I hoped was swelling, but another vet checked it and he said osteocarcinoma. Over the past couple of months, it has continued to grow. Once she was no longer able to try to walk on it, the pain apparently let up. It is about the size of a grapefruit now, which -- on a 40lb dog with slim legs -- is a sad site.

The vet said that she would have about 6 months. I don't know if it is from when we first noticed it or from now or what. So far, it is just hard to look at. She's not very active, but she never has been. She can't use that leg, but she can still get up, go outside, eat, beg for a snack, etc. We'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, my younger son's dogs had puppies. His male chihuahua and female "Morkie" (a Matese-Yorkie mix) had three puppies on Memorial Day, while we were dog-sitting. The vet had said she was having a "false pregnancy". It's a good thing he's a friend of ours (classmate of our older son), otherwise I'd question his proficiency as a vet. The false pregnancy was three pups -- one black female (that didn't make it) and two light-colored males.

My son and his new wife could not afford to keep another dog, so they found a home for one of the two males. But they formed an attachment to the other one. So, given the impending demise of Lucy, we decided to keep the one pup, Ivan the Terribe. Now we are not only dog-people, we have a yippy little dog. Buddy is 70 lbs. Ivan is 4lbs. They've made friends, so we hope that Buddy will be able to recover from Lucy's loss easier.

That's the story of my dogs. For now, I've got Lucy and Buddy and Ivan -- one medium-sized old gal with a limp, one big hairy lay-about, and one tiny, fuzzy ball of energy.