NEVER GIVE UP

Many long years ago, back when the earth and I were much younger, I went to a Jewish summer camp. I was all of 10 years old in 1960. I find it amazing that I remember so much from that summer 50 years ago. I can still clearly see the camp itself, learning to water ski, my bunk, and several of the other girls in it. My clearest, and best memory is of the counselor I had who was from Israel. I also clearly remember how devastated I was when camp was over that I'd probably never see her again. I had a snap shot of us on the archery range that I kept on my desk at home for years. I never forgot her name, and when I found myself in Israel, I started asking every single person I ran into with the same last name if there was a person in their family with that first name who had been a counselor at a camp in Maine. The answer was always "No". Not being one to give up, I searched her name at Facebook, and there she was! One look at her picture told me that, yes, after 50 years, I had indeed found her! So, of course I sent her an e mail, and surprise, surprise, she actually has a vague memory of having had a camper named Franne in her bunk! Wow.

Of course she's not in Israel these days, but lives in New York. From her mail back to me, we'll start playing catch up at the end of the month. I guess she's on vacation away from home now. This is one of the most amazingly wonderful things that happened in ever so long. I actually found her after 50 years! How cool is that? Oh, how I wish I still had that picture. I may not have the snap shot itself, but I do still have it clearly fixed in my memory. Brain damage? What brain damage? After finding her, the whole directionally challenged thing suddenly is no big deal. So, I used to be a human GPS, and now get lost in my own neighborhood. So what? I did find my childhood idol after 50 years. That pretty much makes up for it all.

Pegasus

Poor Peg. Poor me. These are the last pictures taken of the darling. The first is after all lovely fluffy hair that can be seen in the second one was cut off. He'd been so sick over the past two or so weeks, that the inevitable decision had to be made yesterday. He knew and his ever so sad eyes said that it was indeed time for him to leave me and go to Ragamuffin. I'd bee waffling over it for all week, but yesterday, when I woke up, he was lying right next to his bowls ad made pee pee lying down. He didn't even have the strength to get up and go outside. After he did stand up, and laid back down, his head fell to the floor with a bang. I had a little talk with him, and called the vet. There really was no other thing to do. He was with me for close to 19 years, and it really was time. He knew it too. I took him off his chain, and he showed no interest in getting up to any of his usual antics, except that he did make one last attempt at getting to the kitchen bin. For the first time ever he failed to rearrange everything in all over the floor. He slunk back to the living room and looked longingly at his 'bed'. I somehow managed to get him up there. He wet it and got himself down again. Golan was in and out all day to check on things. The vet finally arrived at 1845 and was the final vote to do it. So, I got on my bed, he put Peg in my arms and gave him a shot to put him to sleep like before an operation so he wouldn't feel anything when he got his last shot. I talked to him while he drifted off, then, he for the last shot that stopped his heart, and broke mine. Somehow knowing that it was the right thing to do and the right time, doesn't help all that much.The only thing that almost does is thinking that he and Raggy are together again. They were such a pair. Both of them were four legged souls of pure love. All they wanted and gave was unconditional love. They did get it back from me. It's going be very sad and weepy here for a long time.It's clear to me that eventually I will get another dog. I don't know when. Those two appeared as if sent from Above. How many times can a miracle like that happen? I could go on for hours with Raggy and Peg stories, but the crying makes my head hurt, and squeezes my insides.They were both well loved and will be missed.

JUST STUFF

I must admit that I have been in better moods than I am now. Things are moving at a snail's pace in Florida and I don't know what the hold up is. Dad's will is not connected to Marcelle's in any way other than being dependent on her passing, as it has already been through probate, things should be flying along. They aren't. And just for fun, my email isn't coming through. I know of at least 2 people who have sent mails that haven't gotten here. The computer is acting up with other things too. I think I see a reformat in the very near future.

Other than that, things are pretty much the same old same old. The only other thing of any interest is that I turned myself into an experimental lab rat! I figured that as I'm already taking rat poison (coumadin) and that there is some anecdotal evidence that vitamin E can do the job as well as the rat poison, I decided to try it and find out. My doctor was not excited about it but is going along with my whim. The worst part is getting up in the middle of the night to get my blood tested. Getting my arm to clinic before 0900 is so not my idea of fun. The possibility of maybe getting off the rat poison is more than enough incentive.

I also saw a neurologist yesterday about the worsening pain in my right leg and he prescribed something that is not an N SAID or controlled drug, but does require a special approval from someone. He sent that off and with just a little luck, the approval will be here tomorrow and it just might help. You know how bad the pain is when you start thinking about the nerves severed. When I found myself thinking about that, I knew I was in big trouble, so, went to the neurologist.

On the happy side of the ledger, I found my cousins on Facebook! That has me looking for an old picture that I know is hiding here somewhere. I saw it just the other day. Why do things like that always go and hide just when I want them? And why can I never find the disk I know they're on when I want it? I'll did it out of it's hidy hole and add it later in an edit to this post. I KNOW I have it, and I WILL FIND IT.