SAINTS

some of my co-workers came by with pizza tonight. they brought it to share with me (not the other crippled ones) you should have seen the dogs faces when 4 large pizza’s walked in the doors and the hefty remainders walked right back out again (cuz i told them to take it with them for their lunches tomorrow) hah…that was a shock to the guys here (never take anything for granted) the little guys all did get some because we had the human pizza party in the cat room and they are pretty good at looking pathetic up close, but the big guys were out of luck i told them we would have a doggy pizza night this week so they can just wait til then.

i was worried that everyone would start with the leaking, “i gotta poop now” crap, (because these are all really great human caregivers but let’s face it, saints is an alien world to the non nutty but still an animal lover) but they were pretty good, just a half dozen little wet accidents that were easy to tend to. except for mable may…she made a huge mess when she decided to jump off her low bed right into the five gallon water bowl and flood the entire room. sheesh! my friends had to move dog beds, and cat crates, and coffee tables and benches, and wheelchairs and heaters. they needed huge towels and several mops to soak it all up. mable may decided it was all just too busy so she went back to bed.

it was a really nice visit tho, we talked some about the animals, but we talked alot about global warming, and clients in common and other things too. i miss my job and all the good people i work with.

This evening I’m taking four bales of hay to the barn in the back of my Pathfinder.  NEVER try to take hay to the barn in the evening when the barn guys are hungry and waiting for their dinner. 

The moment I was through the pasture gates, they all came racing up to meet me.  Never mind that I’m driving a heavy-duty vehicle that is big enough and powerful enough to do serious injury to little sheep and lame horses and daft donkeys.  They crowded around, hee-hawing and neighing and baaaaing, munching hay from the bumpers and licking salt from the doors,  and telling me how neglected they are and how starved they are, and what the heck have I done with Carol anyway?

I edge forward, inch by inch, bit by bit, toward the barn, flanked by a large horse on either side, two donkeys leading the parade, sheep milling about in front and behind, llama bringing up the rear.

And then I ran into a problem.  I reached the sharp turn by the corner of the barn where the metal gate is located,  and with all the animals around the car and a large red water bucket strategically placed right by the gatepost, I couldn’t get around the corner to reach the barn doors.  And those bales weigh a ton – it’s hard enough for five foot nothing me to get them from the car to the right place in the barn, let alone to carry them from the spot where I was stuck. 

So I needed to back up and make a wider turn – except my rear view mirror was useless due to four bales of hay blocking the window, and my side mirrors were useless due to two big horses sandwiching my side doors.  And I sure wasn’t going to back up with all those animals milling around – if I backed over a sheep I’d be in big, big, trouble with everyone!! 

So I squeeze out my vehicle door – no easy feat with the gate post and Swinger both blocking my exit – and try to chase all the animals away so I can safely turn the car.   I told them they darn well weren’t getting fed until I got the vehicle to the barn and they must have understood cuz they gave me the space I needed. 

I swear they have a sense of humour and planned their strategy as soon as they saw me loading up the vehicle.  It was all a game to them – with me as their poor unsuspecting victim.  Little brats.

and dexter is having trouble breathing at rest. i had him to the vets when he first came in cuz i was concerned that he became so short of breath with exertion and thought maybe the cancer had spread into his lungs. the vet said no, his lungs were clear but labs do have this weird progressive autoimmune disease that causes paralysis first on one side of the larynx and then the other. like i cared, cuz progressive diseases will likely not progress as fast as his cancer anyway. except maybe it is progressing faster. he is going to the vets on friday for sedation and a quick look in there to rule out any funky tumours…but if the vet is right, we have 2 choices, an expensive major surgery with a specialist (and i don’t care about the expensive part) or euthanasia. ok, sooo…dexter has a massive malignant tumour on his hip, he certainly does not want anyone goofing around cutting his throat open and making him feel like crap while he heals, he is old and already not healthy…..but, he is not near done playing with his balls or goofing in the freaking pond yet either. grhhhh, geez dex, what am i supposed to do?

maudie and trev keep stealing my couch so it is not my fault my foot is not up as much as it should be. kathy and lynne are here and spoiling me rotten, they won’t let me clean anything so i am still sitting here, useless in my PJ”S. i am going to do the meds today tho! the dryer repair guy is here too and hopefully by the time he leaves we have some kind of functioning machine. that 36 year old horse had his lady call today, i feel myself caving, i sent her onto mo…i need to talk to mo, because i have just realized we do have to say no now, for sure, no caving allowed….crap, i feel sooo bad for him. freaking breakable bones!

i watched a love fest between lynne, sam and endora in the kitchen this morning, that brought tears to my eyes. they are such lovely, lovely cats and i like them so much better now that we can see and touch them. maudie still hates them because they continue to torment her when she wants to jump up on the bed. you should have heard her fussing and complaining that they were now invading her kitchen space too.

trev and mable may are right at home, not too much adjustment required for either of them…gosh they are wonderful dogs!

as i watch trev laying on the couch, smearing blood on my fresh pillow case from his icky skin, playing with his ball after sharing my toast and jam…i am thinking that if he got to design an animal shelter, this is exactly what he would have envisioned, maybe not great, but it will do til he finds himself a really good home.