He's Gone Home

Dennis Lynn Brady passed from this earth at midnight on Sunday, January 29th, 2017 into the loving embrace of Jesus Christ and all the Saints that have gone on before. His mind and soul are finally free. Praise God for his victory. Welcome Home Dad.

Thanks for being my Dad. Somebody had to do it. Why not you? I love you. Tell Mom I said 'hi'. If you see Gramps, tell him I'm still chewin.

I will see you in a few. My cholesterol and blood pressure are not getting any lower. Might be sooner than I think. For the time being, I guess I'm an orphan. I should find someone to adopt me until it's my time. Wait...I guess Jesus already did that.

Lord, I know you're watching over me. You better be, cuz I'm gonna need it. I love you too.

Dad And His Dog

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Dad is not doing well. I think he is approaching his last few days with us here. Today when I went in, He was unresponsive to anything but touch. He was not talking and could not stay awake. Physically, he is a shadow of who he was on November 30th, the day before he broke his hip. He has lost 40+ lbs since that day and his mental state has been in decline since that time. It also seems like he can no longer swallow. Even water makes him choke. He tried yesterday to suck on a straw, but it did not seem like he knew what to do once the straw was in his mouth.

In talking to the nurse today, she advised that his medication has been discontinued since he is not swallowing. They are also giving him hospice type care now. I asked if she thought it would be long now. She advised it would not be. I do not expect him to last through next week, though he is a unpredictable man. We will see. He does not seem to have any pain. He is resting. He looks like he is dreaming. He reaches up with his eyes closed. His lips move like he is in discussion with someone. I would like to know if it's just simple dreaming or if something supernatural is going on. It makes me curious. I guess I will find out myself soon enough.

Anyway, now is the time to visit if you want to see him alive. I know that sounds terrible, but it's true. It's also true that he looks quite different than he did a month ago. Please be prepared for that change. Be strong for him. It may look like he is sleeping, but talk to him anyway. Who knows what is really going on in his netherworld. He may be glad to hear your voice.

I told him it was OK if he wanted to go home and see Mom. There was no response, but I do think he's ready.

Please pray for a gentle passing.

Dad's dog, Oliver, is another issue. I have had him to the vet twice this week. His digestive tract is in an uproar. The original prescription was not working. He got a revision to fit his new diagnosis. New food and a steroid to go with the antibiotic and the pro biotic powder.

As for the diagnosis, the doctor says Oliver has a genetically inherited disorder called Protein Losing Enteropathy. It's something that is common in Wheaten Terriers (as well as Yorkshires). The symptoms are weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea. Oliver has all of these things going on. A blood test revealed that his protein levels were at 2.4. He was in the normal range in June 2016 - it was 6.6. So you see the concern.

PLE usually has a trigger. Normally it's caused by something the dog eats that irritates the bowel lining. Dad had Oliver eating ice cream almost daily. This is not good for a dog's liver or pancreas. It causes them to secrete substances that can irritate the bowel lining.  Fortunately, he did not have pancreatitis, but things like this can trigger PLE. So can swallowing any number of the wrong things which Oliver does with regularity.

Next Tuesday, Oliver will be getting an ultrasound and an x-ray to be sure that whatever he ate that triggered the PLE is not still lodged in his intestine. Until then, he is on steroids, antibiotics and low fat food dusted with pro biotics. It could become a regular thing. The steroids are making him alternately sleepy and thirsty. The antibiotic upsets his stomach, even when taken with food. He did not keep his first dose of pills down today. The second dose went better and he also kept his supper down. I am hopeful. Even so, this could get expensive. $120.00 on Tuesday and $250.00 today. Next Tuesday could be worse.

I just pray he recovers. PLE in it's final stages sounds awful. Oliver is a good dog. I do not want to lose him too.        

Laurie's Roosters

Mom liked roosters. Not sure why. She used to tell a story about when she was a little girl and she was attacked by a rooster on the farm. She might have been teasing it. I'm told she could be ornery as a child. Her siblings could probably tell you more about that.

What I've noticed since becoming Lord Presumptive of the Manor is that my Mom collected things. There seem to be roosters scattered all over the house. Not the live kind of course. These are ceramic, metal or wood and one is particularly menacing. I would like to call it Mom's Big Cock Collection, but that might be taken in the wrong way, so let's just call it Mom's Rooster Collection. Here are a few below. Notice the lamp on the far right...yes, it's a rooster. Mom also has a miniature shoe collection that she inherited from her mother. I'm not sure if it has any collectible value, but it's funny in an odd sort of way and it always makes me think of Grandma. But Mom liked her roosters. Here are just a few...

Dad Update

Dad continues to decline. His weight is still dropping and he's not eating much. It's really hard to hear him when he talks now too. He's very quiet when he speaks. The nurses have also advised that he is refusing his medication, though not consistently. If you ask him about pain, he says he has none. One other thing I've noticed is that his mouth hangs open all the time. This used to happen when he slept but it as become a waking thing too.  He also seems to choke easily on water which would indicate that he's having trouble swallowing. It might explain why he does not eat. He still seems to remember who I am, though he never calls me by name. He introduces me to the nurses and aides as 'his little boy'. That just kills me. I'm an old man in my own right and he says that. It makes me happy.

He needs his rest.

Lord, he needs his rest. Why won't You set him free? Why does he have to go through this? Lord, You and I have never been on the same wave length in regard to what's fair for Your creations. I do not understand why you do the things You do. I know You do nothing without reason. I just wish I could wrap my mind around Your big picture. I hope You'll help me do that before my time comes.

Maybe. Maybe not. As Eli, the high priest of Israel said to a young Samuel, "He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes".

You do what you want because You Are God.

So Lord, your will be done. I also pray that you help me get my act together. I have much to do in preparation for retirement including the paperwork. Help me to get a grip and stop procrastinating. Help me to find a new purpose and place. Only You would know if I am going to need those things. Please take my uncertainty out of the equation and cause me to move forward as I need to. I'm not sure why I drag my feet. I think losing Dad to the care center and giving up my job is making me twist in the wind a bit. Some of that is good, but right now, all I want to do is stare off into space and share my meaningless thoughts on the internet. Oh well..my youth was misspent. I guess I can do a bit of that in my senior years too. Thanks for listening.    

 

Sick As a Dog

I'm not sure where that expression comes from, but Oliver is not well. I think it's something he ate. He has some explosive diarrhea. Fortunately, I have been able to manage it so that it happens outside. It is the worst. Last night, we went out on an owl expedition (see previous post) and Oliver went to the far east side of the yard. I went up the driveway to check the mail box, but I could see him squatting. There was a gusher of liquid dog feces followed by some very serious dog flatulence. The wind was out of the east last night and I could smell his dog gas on the other side of the east yard. Had he been smoking, he might have exploded. Dog methane is the worst and this was powerful.

So we went to the vet today. He got special dog food, an  antibiotic and some probiotics to add to the food. He had no fever, but he had lost some weight. He has been a pooping machine, so this does not surprise me. His appetite seems unaffected by all of this. He eats. It just goes right through him. Been drinking a lot of water too. I suppose all the pooping has dehydrated him.

I think he has been eating deer droppings in the back yard. I am not sure why dogs do this, but I think this might be at the root of the problem. He will also chew up sticks and eat leaves, so I guess he could have irritated his intestinal tract. The vet seems to prefer the deer shit theory. Apparently, this is a common occurence with suburban dogs. Whatever it is, it's supposed to be gone by Saturday or we are going back. He's been really mopey too. I suppose crapping so much can really wear a dog out. Here's to hoping my buddy gets better.

 

The Owl

I have an owl. I am not sure of the species, but it is big. It looks to be about 18 to 20 inches tall. I have been seeing it out in front of the house at night. Every time I have seen the owl, it has been on the ground and seemed to be looking at me through the front door window. I suppose it's catching voles and mice in the front yard, but it never looks like its eating anything.

I am not generally superstitious, but birds of prey have always worried me for some reason. They creep me out; most especially owls. Owls are so silent. The first night I saw him in the yard, I went out to look. It flew directly toward me and then up to a tree branch that hangs over the house. He was way too familiar. He seemed to have no fear of me and was just waiting for me to go inside again.

I looked into owl mythology. I thought it might be a sign. The symbology for owls is all over the board. The owl was the chosen symbol of the Greek goddess, Athena. In Greek mythology, the owl represented wisdom and prophecy. In later European lore, the owl was a symbol of death, darkness or transition. Among Native American tribes, owl symbolism is divided between all those. In Christian mythology, the owl represents evil and the evil spiritual world.

I don't know. I do know that this owl is really creepy. Kind of freaks me out. He looks right at me. It's like he knows me and wants to tell me something.

This looks like him. A Barred Owl. I will check again tonight. I'm sure he will be back. He seems to be my creepy friend now. Maybe I can get a pic with my phone.

My Week So Far

I have begun the process of making Dad's house my own. There is a long road to travel here and I'm not sure how deeply I want to get into that process. As I begin to explore the possibilities of what is here, I find myself pulled into the luxuries available.

I started yesterday by moving into the master bedroom. I put my stuff into the walk in closet and my undergarments in the dresser. I cleaned the master bathroom from top to bottom and removed what remained of the stuff my Dad would not let me throw away. It is not an ordinary bathroom. It's big. I put a new shower massage unit up in the shower and I also set about polishing up the Jacuzzi bathtub which had fallen into disuse. In the 5+ years that I have been here, I have never used it. It never occurred to me. It was Dad's bathroom. Why would I use his bathroom when I had my own? I also discovered heat lamps in the ceiling that I had never noticed before.

I think Mom and Dad quit using the tub because it may have been be a bit tough getting in and out.

Anyway...

By the time I was done moving and cleaning, I was quite tired, so I prepared a simple meal. I had chicken and brown rice. It was delightful and easy to make. I prepared the rice as recommended, except I used chicken broth instead of water with some roasted garlic powder. I also added a box of fresh sliced mushrooms. Toward the end of the cooking time, I added a handful of frozen peas and carrots for color and taste. Once cooked, I added a drained can of chunk chicken and mixed it in with the rice and vegetables. I drizzled all that with a bit of olive oil and gave it another stir.

Man, was that good.

I washed it all down with some white wine and then you know what I did?

I filled the Jacuzzi tub with water and took a hot bath.

That tub is incredible. It's big. Big enough for two men...please don't give me any ideas...

Then I hit the controls and the water began to move and move vigorously. Oh sweet mystery of life at last I've found you...who needs a man.? I began to float in the water. It was like I was being rubbed the right way over every inch of my body. The world disappeared. My aches and pains disappeared. I thought I was on the way to paradise. I can see how people drown in these things. It's easy to nod off and slide under water. I love this thing. If the Pool of Bethesda was better, it's no wonder people were healed.

I am getting sucked into this leisure that I always disdained. I am no longer a proletarian.

Lance, peel me some grapes. I'm off to the bath.