My war
with Sophie escalated and took a drastic turn last night, and today I am awash
with guilt. Poor thing had to go out between every hour and every two hours.
She would come to the edge of my bed, dancing in impatience so that her nails
went clickety-click on the floor. Honest, if she could have spoken, she would
have said, “Please don’t be angry with me. I can’t help it.” She wagged her
tail and looked at me with hope in those big eyes. Every time I let her out, I
cautioned her to come right back in. Went through a half slice of Velveeta,
coaxing her back into the house with tiny tidbits.
Of
course, first thing this morning I was on the phone to the vet, and double of
course, they needed to see her. They suspected, as I did, she had a bladder
infection but didn’t want to prescribe antibiotics without seeing her. Jordan was
tied up all day—delivering breakfast to a family who had just lost the mother
(the daughter is one of Jordan’s good friends) and then this afternoon with the
funeral and reception afterward. So I had no one to take Sophie to the vet, and
I cannot manage my walker and a dog simultaneously. Called good friend Subie
who was here in 20 minutes, and we dropped Sophie off. Subie said poor Soph was
reluctant to go in the door, and when the tech came for her, she stiffened her
front legs as though, “I am not going in there.”
Poor
dear. It was mid-afternoon before Subie could go back and get her, but she’s
home now and asleep in one of her favorite spots. I did take advantage of her
absence to take a long nap, hoping to make up for the sleep I’ve missed. After this
little adventure, my wallet is quite a bit lighter. I have to admit that I found
the cottage a little lonely today without Sophie.
In a
different way, it was a bonus day. Both my sons called me, coincidentally on
the same day. I had been chasing Colin for several days about a business
matter, but he had let his mailbox fill up and I couldn’t leave a message. But
today he took care of business and called. This weekend he and his family go
skiing, but he has promised to clear out his mailbox.
Jamie
had intended to meet us in San Antonio this weekend but called to say his
oldest, Maddie, would unexpectedly be home for the weekend. He’s excited about
seeing her. Maddie is at U/Colorado and will be in Dallas with an ambassador
group as part of the school’s recruitment program. So proud of that girl.
And
the prospect is there that I may see both of them soon. Colin and his family
will stop briefly a week from Saturday on their way back from skiing, and Jamie
says his travel schedule is lightening up and he should be able to come from
Frisco for a visit. Meantime I get to spend a weekend with both daughters and
two grandsons.
No
blogs for a few days. Jordan, Jacob, and I will take the Vonlane executive bus
to Austin tomorrow mid-day, leaving Christian in charge of the compound and all
three dogs, including getting medicine down Sophie. Wish him luck, please.
Megan
will pick us up from the bus, we’ll gather Ford (Sawyer has three gigs all
weekend), and head for San Antonio where I will sign my new book at the annual meeting
of the Alamo Society. We have intriguing dinner reservations, including one
evening at the restaurant affiliated with the Culinary Institute of America. I’m
also hoping for a visit with a treasured old friend I haven’t seen in several
years.
Yes, I
have a bit of trepidation about travel in general and San Antonio in particular.
A quarantined woman there was released by mistake, visited a mall and a hotel,
and the city declared a public health emergency. Jordan is going to disinfect
the world before we are allowed to touch anything. Lots of handwashing ahead. I
do not normally panic about diseases, even flu epidemics, but the emphasis on the
danger to those over sixty spooks me this time. I am well over sixty, as
everyone knows. Still it will be a fun weekend, and I plan to enjoy it.
After
that, if the virus spreads, I may become a recluse. Not hard for me to do, as I’m
content staying in my cottage, but I do like visitors. And I do need groceries.
Darn this disease!
Just
looked at pictures of Nashville and surrounding towns. So awful. Pray for the
people of Tennessee, even as we pray for those all over the world affected by
the novel corona virus.
PS. Gourmet on a Hot Plate will be back next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment