A Tough Week

Yeah, I know...
One of my old friends wrote to make sure nothing was wrong.
(Thank you SMS!)

This week has been a stressful one.
Six days ago while I was working my night shift, Sara Jean was "Grandma-sitting" for a friend at their home. She had both dogs with her, had gotten up in the morning and gone to the bathroom prior to taking the dogs out to tend to their business. She heard a heavy "thump", and when she went to investigate she found Desi the mini-dachshund sitting on the floor with his rear legs splayed out at an odd angle. She gathered him up and brought him home, and when I walked in the door she said, "There's something wrong with Desi" and told me what had happened.
I checked him out and said, "This is REALLY not good." She took him to the Vet and he, unfortunately, didn't want to give us the terrible truth...
"He may have just pinched the nerves in his back. He may improve."
She came home with pain medicine to give him and for two days we watched him suffer and slowly deteriorate.
I came to the decision before she did and, before I went to work 18 hours after the incident, suggested we should take him and alleviate his pain permanently. SJ still had hope...
Didn't want to bring herself to that realization. But at 11 P.M. she called me frantic and in tears-
"You were right! He's suffering and I can't help him!"
I got home as early as possible the next morning and we met the Vet as he opened his door for business. In less than 10 minutes, Desi was no longer in pain.
SJ went to work. Lucy and I buried him back near the pond with the rest of our departed pets.

We bring dogs, cats, and most of our pets into our lives knowing they'll live ten to twenty years, depending on breed and other factors. So we know from the outset that at some point we're likely to be in tears, grieving and missing them.
But to lose this little guy, only 7 years old and apparently healthy, just because he's a dachshund and that breed has problems with those short legs and long back? The situation took the wind out of my sail for days. (I'm crying again as I write this.)

Thank God for Lucy. I don't know what we'd do if we didn't have her to greet us ecstatically as we open the door.
She LOVED her Desi. We figured she'd mourn him for days. But she investigated his body when I laid it in the shallow grave and watched as I covered him with earth.
She has adjusted.
I wish I could say the same for Desi's humans.
Time heals. We're getting better.
And I have learned one lesson...
I'll never own another dachshund.

Mom was admitted to the hospital this week with respiratory trouble.
He heart is weak. They watched her for two days, then released her to my (nurse) Sister's care. Thank you Sis!
Mom's slowly getting better.

For various reasons, I choose not to share everything that is happening in my life with you.
Part of that is because I don't want to bore you. Part of it is because I don't want you to know ALL the little details of my life. But there is another transaction going on in my (our) lives that is also providing a little stress for SJ and me.
It's mostly a good thing, but will also require some adjustment in both our lives. No big deal.
But it's just another thing added to the rest that makes me glad we can see "No news is good news" on the horizon.

I also know things could be much, MUCH worse.
Thank you Lord for not giving us more than we can handle.