Thing One: a dog
One afternoon last week Yo-Yo burst into the kitchen and tearfully choked out that Francie was down in the field acting really weird and to please come right away. When I finally got to her, Francie was lying in the grass, trembling violently, drooling and rigid, the whites of her eyes showing. I had no idea what was going on. A snake bite? A kick from a horse? Though there was no sign of an injury, she appeared to be in extreme pain. I ordered Miss Beccaboo to fetch a blanket and Yo-Yo to call Papa.
All somber and sad, we gathered around, stroking her head and murmuring kind words. The end was clearly near. I didn’t want the kids to see this, but then again, I reasoned, it was good they could be close to her. Death was a part of life, so we might as well face it head on.
Suddenly, Francie sat up and sneezed. Then she wobbled to her feet, shook herself, looked at us rather inquisitively, and then took off at a trot for the house. Her tail end looked weak, but aside from that, she acted fine.
Well, humph, I thought. So much for dying.
When Mr. Handsome arrived a few minutes later, Yo-Yo again described what had happened, how Francie had started flopping about, crashing blindly into a bush, stumbling and falling, legs pinwheeling. Mr. Handsome-turned-James Herriot felt Francie’s joints, looked in her eyes and mouth, and then pronounced his diagnosis: a seizure.
Ever since then Francie has acted fine so I’m inclined to think Mr. Handsome was right. Still, we’re keeping an eye on her, watching out for weird behaviors. Hopefully, there won’t be any.
Thing Two: a blog
My cousin Zoë (my aunt Val’s daughter, for those of you concerned with these sorts of connections) has started a blog!
Though she also has an etsy shop, the blog (so far) is all things food. Being the wholesome person she is, there’s a good bit of whole wheat (that she grinds herself) tossed in amongst the sugar and butter. Go check it out and give her a bit of good, old-fashioned blog loving. She’s a sweetie.
Thing Three: an interview
Today I’m posting over at Thy Hand Hath Provided. She’s doing a series on “giving of ourselves” and interviewed me on our experience as foster care parents. So, if you’ve been considering becoming a foster parent, or you’re just curious about how it all goes down (hint: it’s not all peaches and cream), head over there to read my tirade, er, words of wisdom.
This same time, years previous: Swiss chard and sweet potato gratin, SSR (sustained silent reading), and brownies
6 Comments
Margo
what a great interview – thanks for sharing that so frankly. I've never been tempted by fostering, just hosting international students. heh. We'll see.
Karen
I left a comment over on Thy Hand. I really enjoyed reading the interview. First, I had no idea that your family had done fostering. But, you comments were so helpful and informative to anyone considering fostering. (It's something I've had in the back of my mind).
Also, when I started reading the interview (I saw her post before I saw this one) and I got to the 'tell us about yourself' part, I kept thinking "Man! This sounds SO much like Mama's Minutia!" Go figure. I just didn't recognize your actual name, Jennifer Jo.
Davene
I just clicked over from Thy Hand Hath Provided; that was a great interview, and I appreciate the way you shared honestly about your foster care experience (something my husband and I have discussed getting involved in).
Your Thing One in this post caught my attention because we, too, have a dog who experienced such a seizure. We were fairly sure she wouldn't make it–it looked horrible! But she recovered, and ironically enough, today is her 5th birthday. She limps some now, but I'm not sure that it's an effect of the seizure…maybe just her advancing age. Goodness, she's nearing middle age; in fact, she's a year older than me in doggie years! 🙂
I hope your beautiful dog recovers completely!
Michelle @ Give a Girl a Fig
I loved your interview over at TH's blog…really great. Thanks for sharing…
and now…off to check out Zoe's blog!
Second Sister
The dog seizure- a few years ago, I went through an identical experience with a roommate's dog. It was pretty scary to watch. The dog is as healthy as ever and as far as I know had no further episodes. I hope that's the case with your pup.
Zoë
Aww, thanks much JJ!