Puppy Surgery

Princess Bella had to go in for dental surgery this morning. Somehow, she managed to break two of her upper molars, one on each side of her jaw. Even though she was the second surgery scheduled for the day, the animal hospital kept her until four p.m. to make sure she suffered no ill effects from the anesthesia or the anti-inflammatory meds. While she is a dog with a large personality, she does have a tiny body.

Everything went smoothly, and she's now cuddled with me on our recliner. However, she does have the glazed look in her eyes.

Tonight's dinner for her will be Little Cesar's Filet Mignon. Her favorite soft food for her poor abused mouth.

It will be a quiet night in the Harden household.

It's Fri-YAY!

I'm home from Chicago. The actual visit was perfect. Lovely fall weather. For me, anyway. So many folks were walking around downtown with coats, scarves, and boots. On the other hand, I wore a t-shirt and overshirt and was perfectly fine even when we had dinner after dark on the outdoor patio at Broken English Tacos on East Lake Street. Excellent food! I highly recommend the place.

Besides, it's nice I can have a margarita with dinner again.

The weather changed as I was driving home. I hadn't even gotten out of the Chicago Metroplex before the clouds started spitting. And they continued to spit until the Ohio border when torrents of rain cut loose.

But I made it home in time for the Homeowners Association meeting. There were some things on the agenda DH and I were concerned about. However, the folks are so much nicer than the idiots we had to deal with in Texas. Our house was mentioned as a last minute item because we are planning to put in solar panels on our roof. We knew the HOA was never going to approve the panels on the south side of the house because it faces the street. DH and I even said that to the project manager and the broker, but the solar people submitted that south facing panel plan anyway. *eyeroll*

Anyway...

I'm back to working on the next series, and I'll clean the house this weekend in preparation for GK's visit in two weeks. We're dogsitting the Grandpuppy while GK is attending a month-long class at another base. He's a German Shepherd/Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix. Despite Blaze's size, Bella rules the roost. Two terrier mixes in the house  will be entertaining if nothing else.

UGH! It's Friday!

I had a lot of plans for today. I was going to get my haircut, get some groceries, and work on fixing the stupid Amazon links for my books. That last one is incredibly time consuming. In fact, my formatter has been waiting for a month for me to fix the back matter file for the Amazon ebooks.

But as I was writing about two a.m., I started to get the weird tickle at the back of my throat. You know the one. The weird feeling that signals viral warfare has begun.

Yep, DH gave me his cold.

So, I'm working, but it's at a quarter impulse speed, not maximum warp like I've been doing for the last two months.

And to top it off, the attack tribble bit my ring finger last night. I don't blame her. She hates getting her hair trimmed, and she doubly hates anyone touching her head. But since she's a Morkie, her hair grows continuously.

Seriously, she's gone from looking like Chewbacca to resembling Cousin Itt. I let her hair grow during the winter months to help keep her warm. However, this winter has been so warm, she didn't need the extra hair. But she also doesn't need a hairball blocking her digestive track either.

I started by trimming the hair around her eyes so could see. Then I worked on her moustache and beard so she's not eating her hair with her kibble. And Bella lost her patience. She bared her teeth a few times and nipped at me twice without connecting. A warning she's had enough.

And I stupidly ignored her signs of distress because I wanted to get the task done before we went to bed.

So she bit. Hard. Hard enough her canine tooth broke through my nail and drew blood. I had to walk off the pain and the anger at myself for pushing the matter while DH consoled her.

When DH put Bella down on the floor, she slunk over to me in the kitchen where I was washing the wound with antibacterial soap, absolutely sure she was in trouble. She wasn't, and I spent a good chunk of the rest of the night reassuring my poor attack tribble that I wasn't mad at her.

All this while I'm still recovering from some very minor surgery. My doc removed a suspicious skin growth. My dad had skin cancer, and I grew up on a farm where we never used appropriate sun block. Needless to say, I don't take chances with that shit.

So I'm in my recliner with a headache, a sore throat, and bandages covering various spots.

At least, the taxes are done and sent in before everything hit the fan.

Car Rides, Breakfast, and Proofing

DH has the week off, but there's really no where to go or nothing he can without endangering lives, both others and his own. So far, he's managed to leave me to my work, which involves finishing A Twist of Love and a shit-ton of proofing.

Yesterday, we had to run a couple of errands, mailing GK's city tax return and pick up DH's drugs from the pharmacy. We also picked up a pizza on the way home because one of our menu delivery services never arrived.

Bella was quite put out that she had been left at home, but it was too hot for her to stay in the car during the errand running. Dogs love rides, and she is no exception.

DH had to go back to the pharmacy this morning because one of his prescriptions didn't arrive until this morning. So I offered to buy breakfast if we could take Bella for a ride. The gal at the Starbucks drive-thru even gave Bella her own little cup of whipped cream, which Bella LOVED! But she still expected me to share my bacon, egg, and gouda sandwich because, well, BACON!

So, we're back home. DH is loading the dishwasher. Bella's found a relatively cool place for a nap. And I need to get some words in before proofing a few more chapters of a paperback.

I think I can handle more days like this even if I have to wear a facemask.

Naked Puppy Pics

Things have opened enough that the groomer at our vet was able to take appointments. Baby Bella went in yesterday morning. I told the groomer to shave her down.

You see, Bella is a Morkie (a Maltese-Yorkshire hybrid). Their hair, and make no mistake, it IS hair not fur, DOES NOT stop growing. When we adopted her, I thought, no problem. I can take her to a groomer every other month.

*sigh* The last time Baby had a haircut was December. I expected her to join the protests at the State Capitol Building in Columbus, but she couldn't see past the hair covering her eyes to get there.

Even better yesterday, I was able to hit a Starbucks while Bella was getting shaved. I love Starbucks' bacon, gouda and egg sandwiches. I haven't had one since March 12th, four days before the shutdown in our state started. It was worth the risk.

And to make the shaving up to Bella, I got her one, too. Then she got one of her rawhide chew sticks.

That doesn't mean everything's over. I didn't take my safety for granted. I still wore my mask, I was careful about what I touched, and I washed my hands thoroughly--several times.

So, now, Bella and I are ready for another couple months of isolation.

Because I can do my own damn roots!

The Doggie Trick or Treat

That look says it all. "Mom, why are you doing this to me?"

I wanted to get a shirt for Bella before cold weather really sets in. This little fashion arrived Sunday morning, and she wore it while the temps were still in the 60's.

NO, I'm not one of THOSE dog owners. Since both Yorkies and Maltese have one layer of hair, instead of a double-layer of fur like most canines, they have trouble regulating their body temperature. They need protection from cold weather just like we humans do.

Once it warmed later yesterday afternoon, we took the shirt off our baby. It's supposed to in the 90's for the next three days, so she's not going to need it.

For now, the A/C's running, Bella's cuddled in my lap, and  it's time to write.

Puppy Butts on My Arm

My desk is currently covered with piles of receipts, dog paraphernalia, and cancer-related crap, so I've been mainly working while sitting in my recliner. Bella loves curling up with me. For whatever reason though, her butt has to be touching me.

This picture is from this morning. What you can't see is her new pink Kong. It's tucked under her hip and ear. In the last forty-eight hours, the Kong has not left her side.

In the meantime, I'll keep typing one-handed.

Enforced Rest for the Wicked Writer

I have a minor procedure this morning, so Bella and I will be crashing on my recliner and watching Supernatural on Netflix while I shake off the effects of the anesthesia.

Have a great weekend, everyone! We'll catch you on the other side.

Saving the Planet One Dog at a Time

This is Bella. After swearing upon all the gods that are, have been, and ever will be I would not get another dog after my last beagle's death four years ago, this sweet, little thing seduced me into adopting her.

Bella is a Yorkie-Maltese mix. She was at a no-kill, pet rescue down the road from us. The people at the rescue have tried to place Bella twice before I met her. In both instances, the owners returned her a month later. The things they complained about? Well, they are relatively minor issues, and patience and love were not used to correct the behavior they objected to. Let's just say over the last three days, we've had to give her lots of cuddles because she always thinks she's going to be punished.

Since we still don't have a house yet, Bella is the perfect size for an apartment. She loves to curl up next to me while I write and edit though she just moved over to DH's recliner (where she's sitting in this picture) because Mommy's having one hell of a hot flash, and she's too warm even for Bella.

Now, I'm getting on my soapbox. Dogs are not fashion accessories or status symbols. They are pack animals. They want and need contact with other members of their pack. If you bring a dog into your home, you are that dog's pack. Treat them right, and you'll have someone so loyal to you, they will put their life on the line for you. They will love you unconditionally. If you're not willing to return that commitment, please, PLEASE don't get a dog.

Okay, I'm climbing off my soapbox now. It's time for our walk.