Projects

This summer I had a lot of projects I wanted to start/finish, and especially with school finally over I could tackle them! So, now with a broken refrigerator (the week we leave for vacation) I thought I would post some of the projects that worked out to make myself feel better, then everyone can reply how talented I am and then I will feel better....so, here goes...This is the flagstone I layed-by myself (may I add)-because the husband said it was "too much" of a project for his taste. But I did it anyways and almost gave myself a hernia picking it up and moving it, but I did, and I got a pretty nice tan while laying it too! This is my tree I planted last year, I got it for six bucks from trees for Tucson (they delivered it and everything!). It was quite small but is now growing larger and blooming too! It is sweet success--cheap, AND I haven't killed it!
I felt I needed to add a picture of a blossom up close to maximize the oohs and ahhsThis is my sweet little bush that I just know, with the help of the automatic drip system will one day grow into a big beauty that I will have to trim...........maybe into the shape of a dolphin? Hmmm, still working on that one.This is my planter (yes, I also did this myself--but not recently). Notice the big, beautiful lantana plant that I planted when it was ALMOST dead. A year later it has blossomed and grown so much that I had to put a viney-thingy behind it to tame it's wild ways. All this.....and I don't even have a green thumb! This is why it makes me so happy--I love stuff that works out with little effort!!!I had to add a different view just in case you didn't get the full effect from the above picture, and YES, this is a different picture, thank you.Then I felt the need to add a tropical touch to one side of the yard (no, I'm not copying Amber--well, maybe just a little). I will eventually finish off this planting area with matching river rock, as seen started to the left. Then, when Chris runs power to that side of the yard (maybe...2019), I will put a beautiful "Rose Vase Water Feature", per Home Depot if they still carry them then, in the middle of my tropical plants. I felt this one needed a different view as well but I'm feeling too lazy to go back outside, take another pic, insert the memory card, blah, blah, you get my drift.

R.I.P Roxy

Left: in happier times, above is Thursday before I took her into the ER clinic.

On Thursday evening when I got home from work I fed Roxy and Sadie and then went to play with them outside when I realized Roxy's stomach was bleeding pretty badly. Her massive tumor had ulcerated (broken through the skin) where it became an open, bleeding wound. This was one of the progressions that actually would affect Roxy's quality of life and she would be in pain--it would only get worse from here. I began to realize that a masectomy would do no good at this point because the cancer has probably spread throughout her body and become very advanced in order to start protruding through the skin. I took her to the emergency center where they confirmed my fears. I didn't want Roxy to suffer, especially because it seemed she had suffered enough in her life already. But to look at her sweet face and know that it was the cruelty and neglect of humans that got her to this point was very sad to me. The vet told me that if a female dog is spayed before 2yrs, the chances of this happening are so rare. He also told me that it wasn't only having all of the litters that she had that did this, it was that she was not spayed when she was younger, in addition to her 6 litters, in addition to neglect of the first lumps that appeared (which are very easy to remove if done when they first appear). The hormone cycles of female dogs is what makes them prone to mammary tumors/cancer, and this is why spaying early on is so important. No one could really predict this outcome, how fast Roxy was progressing to death--but it ended up that she had the most deadly, aggressive, and malignant cancer possible. The vet was really surprised that we had only adopted her a month ago and asked why we would adopt a 7 yr old dog? He said most people stay away from "older" dogs and they are usually euthanized anyways. I had thought about this before and also wondered why I was drawn to sicker, older, uglier, or whatever they are labeled dogs, I told him that if I didn't who would. Yes, I could walk away when I'm at Pet Smart and see a rescue group with a bunch of dogs, and sometimes I have to because I can't save them all. But when I can I have to because I've learned enough about life to know that most people either don't care, can't, or rationalize that someone else will do it. I always knew that just wasn't me, even if it's one at a time--it's never failed that they give us great memories and make us happy. Even with only a month with Roxy, we got so much more from her than we gave her. I read a quote once that said, "When we choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live in a fragile circle, easily and often breached--unable to accept it's awful gaps--we still would live no other way." My comfort is that Roxy knew love, good food, a cool place to sleep, a soft bed, treats, and lots of hugs before she left this earth. Jackson gave her his truck and stuffed snoopy as I took her to the emergency room and told her to feel better and he was sorry she had a disease (pronounced dizzies, and I imagined him thinking she had been spinning in circles too long). When I came home I told him that Roxy did feel better know (she was euthanized at the emergency center), but she had to go live in heaven with Jesus in order to feel better. He asked where heaven was and said he wanted to go too so he could see her. I told him we can't see her but she can see us and we went outside and laid on the grass, looked up at the sky and blew kisses to her and yelled we love you Roxy! We have since had to do this every evening and morning since--and sometimes in between.

WARNING: Graphic pictures below!!!

Roxy's mangled stomach

Jackson's Underwear

Jackson, happy that he gets to wear his CARS underwear, so I say, "Let me take a picture of your cute booty!"
Obligingly he poses so I can get a picture of his cute butt in his CARS undies
Then he promptly starts to throw a fit, because he has had his undies on for more than a couple minuets................and here it is.....
End of story............he is still not potty trained.

Summer Days

I love Monsoon season in Tucson, and, lately the weather has been so nice and cool we can't help but take advantage and play outside. I have strep throat and feel pretty crappy, but I had to go outside and take pictures of the ruckus I heard going on outside.

Jackson loves to play baseball, it's his fave outside activity right now, and he's pretty good at it!

Don't judge me, I'm sick! But as you can see Roxy is still with us and she is doing as good as can be expected under the circumstances. We hope to save up the $1000 it will take for her surgery next month--and pray it's not too late! She loves to be petted and she is absolutely adorable and sweet and perfect.

Look! I'm an airplane!!!

Jackson+his dad+his dog=TONS OF FUN!!

I can just hear it now, "look at my calves, muscular huh?"-Per Chris

My response, "of course honey"--and I amusingly hope he doesn't see my eyes roll as I turn my head quickly.
Our sweet Sadie, or as J calls her, "SEE SEE!"

We love you Rox

I can’t believe this happening again so soon after we lost Chief, but I’m pretty sure Roxy will be leaving us soon. You know, I knew her health was bad and I suspected that something was wrong but I wanted to adopt her anyways because I thought that I could at least give her a few good years of life. It turns out we could only give her a few weeks of the good life. We finally got her tick free (I know that is completely gross, but it can at least give you an idea how committed I am. I thought ticks were a deal breaker, but I pushed through and picked them all off, bathed her, and medicated her until they were gone—but it also gives you an idea of the kind of life she was used to—she probably had 50-100 ticks, I stopped counting). So, now she is tick free and has massive breast cancer to take the place of the ticks. I kept trying to tell myself that the lumps were cysts or benign because I just couldn’t believe that someone would open her up to spay her ONE MONTH ago and not even bother to biopsy the huge lumps she had all over her stomach. I know some people don’t prefer dogs and some people just don’t think the subject is that important, but whenever I’m at Petsmart and see the “rescue” dogs I just wonder if I don’t care who will? It would be so easy to say someone else will adopt them but I know that whenever I have the opportunity I have to be that someone because there are not enough people that want these kinds of dogs or any dog for that matter (and I'm not saying that's bad--to each their own....JANA :).
I feel like I’m being really cheesy and lame but this is proving to be very therapeutic so I’m going on. Anyways, I really didn’t think I’d get THAT attached to Roxy after only a few weeks, but I hopelessly am—sitting here listening to stand by me and crying over her. I guess I look at her and I can’t understand how anyone can be so cruel and neglectful as Roxy’s previous owner, Roxy has scars all over her, horrible hematomas and infection in her ears, and I could go on but I won’t. To me dogs are comparable to babies, because they don’t have a voice unless someone speaks up for them—except babies grow up-and animals never have a voice if not for someone else. I’m not sure why, but this is the cause I’m passionate about and I have a compelling need to be their voice whenever I have the chance. Whether it is getting water for a pet that someone has left in their car in 100+ heat, and then telling them off when they come back to their car (yes, I’m THAT person), to taking perfect stranger's animals to the vet to have them spayed (yes, I do get the owners permission first...sometimes....). So, back to sweet Roxy, I have to warn you the pictures I’m posting are graphic for some, but I am still in awe of how fast her tumors grew. Some of the swelling is the lymph node swelling—but in the span of 5 hours her previous lumps doubled and her lymph nodes are now huge. I don’t have much hope for her, but I’m taking her to the vet tomorrow to see if anything can be done (look at me now, I’m optimistic). But, she still cleans herself even though her stomach is so hot and red, she is still as easy going and sweet as ever--hard to imagine but I'm sure she's been through worse--death is probably a blessing for her. I did put some good pictures of her pretty face as well, because that is what she should be remembered by, not her tumors.

I swear her tail is wagging in the above picture, she's such a trooper We Love You Roxy

Katy the Disney Princess

I saw this on the Gibson Tribe blog and decided to try it--I actually liked the results and thought they were right on! Not to mention we are also heading off to Disneyland for a week at the end of July and I figured I'd better start freshening up my Disney knowledge and skillz, so, now I at least know which Disney Princess I am. Actually, it was a tie between these two and I liked what both said, so I posted them both.......

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?



http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354"> size=+1>You Are Belle!

Intelligent and kind. Your beauty goes much further than your apperance. Also, you make judgements of people based on their personality and not their looks. Attaining all the knowledge that you can is one of your major goals in life, but you are also a person who can make things happen.

Which'>http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354">Which Disney Princess Are You?

Jackson & Mimi

Chris and I have been trying to get Jackson to smile a "regular", cute smile. For almost a year now he thinks smiling (or CHEESE) means to close his eyes. So, he wanted his picture taken with his Mimi (he named her and shortened Grammie to Mimi) the other night and I said simply, show me your teeth! Lo and behold, I think this was a breakthrough moment!

I found this picture on Linda's camera tonight and had to have it, I guess she took it while she was babysitting a couple months ago--and I couldn't believe she didn't show me before now--oh well! It was so cute and is such a "genuine Jackson" moment because he loves his conductor's hat, loves to play in water of any kind--including the dog water bowl, and he looks so dang cute!

Love it, love him, as I always say...if I knew my next ones were going to be as good natured, sweet, loving, and perfect as Jackson--I'd have 10--and that says a lot cause I hate being pregnant!!!