I’m watching that show about pawn shops — Pawn Stars, I think. Why yes, the remote control did fall out of reach, how did you know?

Not much going on today. I picked up Tammy and we browsed at the mall for a couple of hours. I’m trying to find a warm pajama set for Kay. I thought there would be fleece sets available, but so far the best I can find are fleece bottoms and very thin t-shirt tops, many only having short sleeves (if there are sleeves at all). How do people keep from freezing to death? Oh, not everyone keeps their thermostats set at meat preservation? I always forget.

I checked around for a proper suit. Found a couple at Dillards but they were expensive and I’m not ready to commit to spending so much. I have tomorrow off (Tammy does too — we had planned to go Christmas shopping but now she’s pretty well finished with that) and may go to Omaha to see what I can find on the sale racks.

Cooper’s head looks much better than it did the first night, when this picture was taken. The swelling is down and it’s less red. I accidentally touched it a couple of times while petting him and he didn’t notice, so it must not be bothering him.

Tammy put a cone on him before we left to go shopping because she’s worried he’ll try to scratch it. He doesn’t like having to wear things — he isn’t even crazy about the harness he wears for walks — but he adjusted quickly and didn’t seem to mind it much. He quickly figured out how to maneuver the Kong while wearing it, and really getting to treats is all that really matters to him.

OK. I have got to find the remote.

 

 

What day is it again?

Thursday night, after spending a nice day with the usual suspects, I drove over to Tammy’s. On the seat beside me were the Black Friday ads that Keith had saved from his newspaper.

It wasn’t that late when we started looking through them, but it was after 11:00 when we finally had a list and a game plan. Tammy offered me the use of the airbed in the basement so that I wouldn’t have to drive home and come back in a few hours, and since I don’t fancy getting up a minute earlier than I have to, I accepted.

We were up at 3:15, had Cooper stashed in his basement suite by 3:30 and were on our way shortly after. By 7:00 we were finished and were just hitting a couple of random stores to see if a few would-be-nice items were still available.

I wasn’t shopping for much myself, but I helped Tammy gather everything she wanted. In spite of getting to some stores after they had pretty well emptied, she was able to get everything on her list.

We went separate ways around 10:30. I had a three-hour nap, vacuumed the house and set up the Christmas tree. This is by far the earliest I’ve ever put it up, but I have a feeling if I hadn’t done it this weekend, it wouldn’t get put up for the second year in a row, and that’s kind of sad.

Tammy called mid-afternoon. She was on her way to the vet — Cooper was going to have the bump on his head looked at. She called an hour or so later, as they were driving home, and said it had been an infected cyst, probably caused by a clogged oil gland. The vet gave Cooper a local, shaved the middle of his head and cut about an inch long incision to remove it. He put six staples in Coop’s head.

I called her around suppertime to see how he was doing, and she said he was sleeping but was in a lot of pain. We agreed that comfort food was in order, so I stopped at Pizza Hut on my way over to her house.

Cooper, bless him, saw me come through the garage door and started to get excited. His tail wagged outside of the blanket he was covered with, and he sat up, in spite of it causing him pain. He cried and cried but wanted to lick my hand. It was heartbreaking.

He slept fitfully on the couch. It seemed cruel to ask him to get up, and carrying him into his bed probably would have caused him too much pain, so we decided it was best to leave him on the couch and to stay up with him so he wouldn’t be alone. I know, I know. But if you had seen him….

We switched off every three hours, me taking the first shift since I’d had a longer nap. By 3:30 when it was my turn again, he had improved and didn’t cry when he got excited at seeing me come up the basement stairs.

By the time the sun rose, he was moving around better and we were able to get him to follow us outside. It took a minute but he perked up and ran around and sniffed everything as usual, without crying.

I stayed long enough to help Tammy set up and decorate the Christmas tree she bought yesterday. When I left, Cooper was sitting by the front door, looking out the window. I so hope this is the last of his mishaps.

I came home and showered then napped, and as soon as I post this I’m going out to do some shopping for my aunt. Here’s to hoping this is a normal night!

I woke up at 3:30 and didn’t get back to sleep because I started thinking about the Like a Bad Penny Project and worrying that I would get a call this morning telling me to make the change they want, regardless of cost and time and my mental well being.

That call did come, first thing. But by noon everything was sorted and everyone was happy. I was mostly exhausted, but I’ll probably be happy too, later.

I’m listening to Meatloaf on YouTube, but I can’t get “For Crying Out Loud” to load. My tour though the site began when I tried to find Don Williams’ version of “I Wouldn’t Be A Man,” a fine, fine song. Closest I could get was a Billy Dean remake. It was credible. And that guy can wear the hell out of a sweater. Then I tried to find Barry Manilow’s performance of Mandy the night he won a Grammy for it. Sure, it predates VCRs. So? I don’t know what made me think of it. I was pretty young then and hadn’t heard of him or the song, but I caught that performance on TV. He was at a piano on an elevated stage, kind of out in the audience. The lighting turned things blue, and he looked nervous. The piano and him. So simple, and it was beautiful. I liked his early songs. The lyrics are more than words. I miss that kind of songwriting.

Oh “The Good Wife” is on. Gotta go.

After Tammy spoke to the vet, she called me with an assignment for my noon visit with Cooper: Pick him up and see if he cries.

You know what’s wonderful about dogs? You do something that hurts them and the first thing they do is put their paws on your shoulder and lick your face.

The next thing they do is run away when you reach out for them. Sigh.

He did cry, but not as severely as yesterday. Between that and the way he tore up the stairs two at a time and raced to the back of the yard, I’d say he’s feeling better, if not 100 percent yet.

The vet said the shots could make him sore like that, although it doesn’t happen to many dogs. If the pain seems severe, the vet can give him another shot to lessen the inflammation. Cooper seems to be improving, so Tammy is going to hold off and watch him. He has to go to the vet Friday to have the growth on his head examined. If he’s still sore then, she may have them do something.

The Project That Will See Me To My Grave took a step backward today and is teetering on the precipice of disaster. The client wants a change that will require the designer to change every single page, and the printer will have to start over. Maybe they have the money to cover it, but they don’t have the time. I’ll find out in the morning if I was successful in stopping it. It isn’t critical and it is something that they had plenty of opportunities to flag and didn’t. Maybe it’s everything else that’s going on, but I’m done and over this project. It can’t drag on into the new year, it just can’t.

Thanksgiving plans have been finalized. I’m charged with bringing wine. Can’t get easier than that! And the Mexican food Thanksgiving that was proposed is not going to happen. It’s going to be traditional all the way. What a relief.

My diet has stalled. I’m not cheating but I’m clearly not doing something right. I’m not going to dwell on it just now. If I stick more or less where I’m at through December, I’ll be satisfied.

WordPress ate last night’s entry, so here we are on Sunday.

Today is Cooper’s one year adopt-aversary, which meant an excuse to do something fun with him, like the dog park.

Yesterday he went to the vet for his yearly shots and stayed for grooming. It wasn’t his idea of a fun morning, but he was his usual self after. Today, though, something is hurting him. We can’t pick him up without him crying, and once while running downhill he cried. The vet said the shots might affect him in the way that flu shots can make a person feel badly for a day or two. I can’t see the connection, though, but who knows. He behaves normally otherwise, though he waited until this evening to eat or drink much of anything.

All of a sudden the dog park sounded too wild, so we drove on to the town where we went to college, and after some shopping (Cooper waited in the car and slept in the backseat), we took him for a walk on campus. It has been ages since I’ve been there. I had forgotten how utterly beautiful it is with its small lakes, trees and winding paths, even on a dreary November day.

They have tamed the growth around the main lake, and a new path in that area really opened up a beautiful view. We sat on bench down by the water for a little while. There isn’t a season when that wouldn’t be a breathtaking spot.

As always, the time I spent on campus helped me find peace. It’s a difficult time and I’ve moved passed stressed to scared. I’ll just have to get through it, but right now it isn’t clear how I’ll do that.

Tammy is going to take Cooper by the vet’s tomorrow, not so much because of the soreness (his behavior suggests whatever that is, isn’t serious and should get better *praying*) but because of a small growth we noticed on top of his head. I can’t tell you how badly I hope all of it is nothing.