A Hot Sunny Day in Eugene Oregon

It was a hot and sunny day in Eugene, Oregon.


Lots of fun pool time…


Great day for a picnic…


Unfortunately, all of this was last August!!  Awww, come on, pretend you were fooled for just a minute!!  I just needed some sunshine cuz this is what it’s really like here…and has been for at least a week.  It’s a temperature inversion that is trapping a layer of cold air under leaden skies.



That’s the cedar tree in the backyard.  I put some feed under it for the birds and squirrels.  It’s been so cold that it’s hard for them to find enough to eat.


Icicles and long abandoned spider webs dangle from our mailbox.


At least the bush in the corner still has a bit of color.  Looks like a cherry sno-cone.


Therapy sits forlornly in her little hut, waiting not so patiently for her next adventure.


Even the deer are hunkered down in an insulting bed of leaves.


Poppy at least has been enjoying the cold weather and enjoys lying on the cold concrete patio.

So there you have it – Eugene in January.  Oh did I mention…if you’re in the area, the pool is open!!  BYOH (Bring Your Own Heat)

♫ ♪ Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes Me Happy…♫♪♪♫

What a glorious day on the Oregon coast yesterday.  We usually get some great days in February, but we lucked out and got a good one on Saturday.  We headed for Florence, a short 59 miles from Eugene.

First stop, our favorite county campground and day use park, Harbor Vista.  There is a $5 day use fee but we have an annual pass ($15 for seniors) so our day was free.  We had wonderful sunshine and temps in the high 50s…perfect walking around weather.  We were somewhat surprised to see quite a few campers in the campground.



Poppy was loving it…it was a smorgasbord of new smells.  Her little nose was twitching and she didn’t know what to smell next.  She can’t go a long way but she sure can walk far enough to find the next good smell.



There is a terrific viewing deck at the park.  I looks out across the river and the jetty.  There were lots of cars parked on the jetty and quite a few fishing and shrimp boats in the water.





The weather report had predicted fog for Florence and sunny skies further north.  So we left Harbor Vista to see what else we could find.  Figured if it was good here it would be great further on.  As usual the weather man didn’t hit it right on the money!!

By the time we got to Yachats, 23 miles north of Florence, we were in thick, soupy fog.  I kinda liked the misty appearance of the town from across the river though.



The fog didn’t stop us from enjoying the beautiful Oregon coast.



The surf was rough here, and a thin line of sunlight was visible across the otherwise foggy horizon.



The shore is rocky at Yachats and we enjoyed watching the waves come crashing across the rugged outcroppings.





The seagulls were out in force and I got several pictures of them in flight.  Unfortunately, most of them looked like this…


Yup, that’s the socked in sky over Yachats.  I did manage to snap this guy as he flew almost right at me.



Too cold to eat lunch here so we headed back down the coast to Harbor Vista.  A stop along the highway revealed a patchwork of sun and clouds.



On the way home we stopped at Three Rivers Casino to give Poppy a little break.  Russ got the camera and grabbed a few shots in the parking lot.  I like these views better than the inside of casino!!


No that’s not upside down…look closely – it’s a reflection!



Great place to stop, but this time we didn’t even go inside.  All in all a great day and we all enjoyed ourselves. 

Quick update on Poppy:  She did not do well again last night and is still very restless today.  She was up pretty much all night, sleeping in 5-10 minute increments.  We had to take her off Prozac as it made the anxiety worse.  Last night we gave her meds that had made her sleep before but last night had no effect.  Russ spent the night trying to calm her and get her to sleep, while I spent time on the computer researching information on canine cognitive disorder and also diabetes.  We have one good night’s sleep out of the last 7 or 8 nights.

I  did figure out a way to check her blood sugar – found it on You Tube of all places (why didn’t the vets tell me this???).  It’s easy to roll her upper lip back, poke it with the lancing device, and collect the small drop of blood.  It worked great and her sugar was not really very high.  I was hoping it might be extreme blood sugar highs that are causing her anxiety but I guess not.

We will continue to try and find a way to manage, but at some point we have to realize that we are no longer prolonging her life, we are prolonging her death.  When does that point come?  I wish I knew, and I’m sure you other pet owners understand what I’m saying.  I know Poppy is past her life expectancy already and she has given us an immeasurable amount of joy.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we wrestle with a decision that probably needs to be made sooner rather than later. 

Poppy Update–Good News

I cannot tell you all how much your care and concern means to us.  I am truly humbled when I think that people, many of whom I have never met, would care enough to read my blog in the first place, but then go out of their way and take their time to leave a word of encouragement or a suggestion.  WOW!  It really does help and it means so much to us that others care and understand.

We had the mobile vet (Dr. Bonnie) out this afternoon and her assessment was a bit different from Dr. X.  Dr. X is suppose to be an eye expert but he has not even bothered to check Poppy’s eyes the last two visits even though we have told him how goopy they are.  Dr. Bonnie did a real thorough check and said there is an active infection and gave us some antibiotic eye drops, without steroids.  Dr. X said he couldn’t give her any antibiotic eye drops as they all have steroids and that raises her blood sugar.



Dr. Bonnie found full anal glands;  Dr. X never even checked.  She found arthritis in Poppy’s back; Dr. X never checked.  I feel that Dr. X gets tunnel vision and all he sees is an old dog with diabetes and senility who probably needs to be put down sooner rather than later.  I can’t say he is not a good vet, but I kinda feel as though he has distanced himself from Poppy as she gets older and has not provided the best of care.



We did not get that feeling from Dr. Bonnie.  She said Poppy may have some old age senility but her discomfiture is more likely from having lots of changes in her environment lately – kids and dogs and company at Christmas time and then the loss of Punkin.  She prescribed Prozac for Poppy and an arthritis drug other than Rimadyl (which Poppy won’t take). 

Dr. Bonnie also did not see the harm in traveling with Poppy in the motor home, since Poppy loves it and is comfortable in its environs.  Dr. X said we should not take Poppy anywhere.  I almost felt he was asking us to make a choice between Poppy  and traveling…almost like another push to put her down. 



So we are supposed to just sit at home and wait for Poppy to die???  I don’t think so.  As long as she is happy and comfortable, we should be living life to the fullest and enjoying the time we have left together.  I didn’t feel that way with Rusty as travel was very hard on him and so we willingly postponed trips while he was still with us.  But Poppy is happiest when she is in a vehicle and so travel we shall!  If we have a bad night from time to time, we’ll deal with that if it comes up.

I don’t know if the Prozac will help.  Dr. Bonnie said it would take a couple of weeks to take effect but she gave us enough for 90 days to get us through any travels we might do.  Poppy is so much better today that we are feeling more hopeful.  She is a completely different dog than she was a couple of days ago.  She slept through the night with 1/4 tablet of tranquilizer and awoke refreshed this morning.  She even managed a few rounds of “run, Poppy, run”…her favorite indoor running game.  She won’t run outside but will race through the house while I clap for her and shout “run,Poppy, run.”  What a smile she gets on her face with this game…me too!!

So even though we may still have a bad night from time to time, we are feeling more hopeful.  Poppy is the last of our pets and is more like a child to us than anything else.  We want to keep her around for as long as she wants to stay and as long as she is not in pain.  I think we may be on the right track here with trying some new meds and different perspective from a new vet.  Dr. Bonnie has agreed to be our primary caregiver for Poppy and we couldn’t be happier with her.



Thanks again for all your care and encouraging comments.  Plans for a February trip *WITH POPPY* are full speed ahead.

How About Some Doggy Help?

Well, it worked so well when I asked for help with dentists that I thought I might try it again.
Has anyone ever heard of or had any experience with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction?  Our sweet Poppy has been diagnosed with this and just trying to find some remedy that might work.



Think Alzheimer’s for dogs.  She is okay most of the time but once or twice a week she gets agitated and simply cannot settle down.  Last night was another all-nighter.  She wandered and paced and scratched at our chairs and at doors all night.  She tried to hide in the game closet and in the tiny shower in the back bathroom.  She was in and out of the tub and just could not get settled. 



I stayed up with her until 1am and then Russ took over.  He literally had to keep a firm hand on her to keep her in one place long enough to fall asleep for short periods of time.  Then she would startle and wake up and the pacing started all over again. 

I gave her Valium (prescribed by the vet) plus other  meds the vet had recommended, including a sleeping pill and Benadryl.  Didn’t even slow her down.  She was still agitated today until we took her for a ride.  This is what seems to work best.  Somehow, riding in the car seems to “re-set” her and she goes to sleep and then is calm again when we get home.


Now she is so exhausted (so are we!) and she is walking like she is stiff and sore, undoubtedly from all the pacing and up and down stairs last night.  When she is herself, she is fine but when she takes these “spells” there is just no calming her.  I have one other med the vet prescribed but it is a CNS suppressant and must be used very carefully.  The vet said it will get worse.

Poppy reminds me very much of my mother.  I took care of her when she had Alzheimer’s and she would do the nighttime wandering.  She would not sleep for a couple of days and then just crash – just like Poppy is doing.

 

We’re not ready to give up on her just yet.  Her diabetes is under fairly good control, although her eyesight is not good.  But she is still happy when she is herself, and we still enjoy having her around.  But we need to do something to get her night wanderings under control.  It wears all of us out.  I am concerned about what will happen in the motorhome with her.  So if you have any ideas or suggestions, please share.  Oh yes, I have tried the Remedy drops.  Not much help there. 

Thanks all – now I think I’ll try and get some sleep in case Poppy has another bad night.  Right now she is still calm and exhausted so hopefully she will sleep tonight.

Don’t Let That Blue Sky Fool You…

…it’s COLD.  Got down to the mid-twenties last night.  I only had the window open a tiny crack for a change.  I’m one of those strange people who has to have fresh air when I sleep.   Have a window open and a fan going almost every night of the year.  I have to close the bedroom door so I don’t make the rest of the house too cold.  It was only down to 55* inside the bedroom this morning so we must have pretty good insulation!  I did close the window before I turned on the heat!!

I had a hankering for fish and chips today so we went out to Applebee’s for a late lunch.  Know what’s special about this picture?



The SKY, of course.  Just look at that beautiful blue sky.  It was cold fog at our house but just a few miles away, the sky was brilliant.  But it was still cold.

This was from inside the car at about 3pm.


Yup, a little nippy!  …but it’s a DRY cold.  A couple of days ago the wind was blowing and it was wet and the 40 degree temperature felt colder than this.  The snow line is very low, just a few hundred feet above the valley floor, I would guess.



Sure hope the cold lifts soon…for all of us.  I hear it’s even cold in AZ and CA.  How cold is it where YOU are?

We are still on track for leaving mid- February to head towards Yuma and points south.  Travel plans are being made but are not yet firm.  We’re thinking about an alarm system for the house but not quite sure what to do.  Anyway, for those of you still down south in late February, maybe we can do some visiting…I hope so.

Now, pardon me while I go get my blankie.  It’s not even 6pm but already the temp has dropped to 30*.   Brrrrr….

Orange You Glad for Blogger Friends?

I know I am!

I got SO much information from bloggers on my plea for help yesterday.  I think I can safely say that we will get some dental work done in Mexico.  It’s funny, but it seems that the warnings or negative comments that one often hears regarding Mexican dentists, seem to come from folks who have never been to one.  All the comments I got yesterday were helpful and positive.  I also got some private emails with further details.  So THANK YOU all so much for your help and recommendations.

Then there’s this other thing with bloggers – especially from the Canadian snow birds.  Seems like all the ones on the west coast come down I-5 and they all make a stop at the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield.  Having stayed their myself, I can tell you, it is a great place.

But then they post all these pictures like Paulette picking oranges,  and Don and Kim had to go and mention the Orange Grove RV Park too.  Then there was Rene and Jeanette who, even in the midst of a not so good day, managed to snag a full quota of oranges.

I couldn’t stand it.  I got the address from Joe and Betty who get oranges from the fruit stand adjacent to the RV park…and I order a big box!  The box was only about $14 but the shipping was $23.  Oh, well, I justified it by calling it a birthday present.  Don’t you just love how you can stretch out a birthday to cover just about anything?

So I got my oranges today.  Don’t those look yummy?


It didn’t take me long to cut into one and I am happy to say it did not disappoint.


So we are going to be enjoying oranges for awhile and then, near the end of February our plan is to head south.  Russ really needs to take care of that dental work, don’t you think?

Mexican Dentist???

Okay, we need some help.  I am in the midst of having some dental work done that is costing me a bit over $3,000.  I am almost finished so am going to complete my work here at home.

Russ, however, is another story.  When he went in for his check-up, the dentist found over $8,000. worth of work that needed to be done.  Now, I am not sure how much of this is medically necessary and how much is funding the dentist’s new boat (!!) but that is more than we anticipated by a long shot.  Since we have no dental insurance, this is all on our own nickel.

SO…we are thinking that instead of spending the rest of the winter and into spring here in cold, clammy Oregon, funding our dentist’s retirement, that money could be spent on a trip to Yuma and visiting a dentist in Los Algodones…with maybe some change left over!

It’s a little scary going to the dentist in the first place, but going to one out of the country is a LOT scary.  Who to go to and where does one start?  I looked online and there are hundreds of dentists listed in Los Algodones.  How do we find the right one?

So I am turning to my blogger friends for help.  I know many of you have had work done in Mexico.  I’m hoping that someone out there can make a recommendation of who to go to and where to stay.  We have only been across the border at Algodones once and that was several years ago.  We did not have a MH at that time so have no idea where to stay or the proximity of RV places to the border.  All I know is we parked in a huge parking lot and walked across the border.

If you can provide any help to us in our quest, we would be ever so grateful.  Any stories, good or bad, about your dental experiences in Algodones would be appreciated. 

Calendar Girl

Remember that old song by Neil Sedaka?  Here’s a link in case you forgot!



It was a silly song but fun all the same.

I was thinking what is so special about a calendar.  It’s just paper with rows and columns.  Little boxes with numbers in them…1-31 or less!  If you have a fancy calendar, you might have some pretty pictures to look at.

So why is it that opening up a brand new calendar to a brand new year is so special?  It’s just another series of pages just like last year.  There are still 7 days in the week and 12 months in the year.  Even the names of the days and the months never change.  The year (at least in my world!) always begins with January and ends 12 months later in December.

I am always amazed at the feeling that comes over me when that new year comes.  You might think I would be just a little bit sad since it also signals that I am another year older.  With my birthday being so close to the start of the year (it’s on the 4th), I can almost combine the two celebrations.

I think that symbolically the turning of that page always means new hope to me.  All those little blank squares just sitting there waiting for me to write in the next year of my life.  While I can’t always write whatever I want in those squares, I do have some control.  And I am almost always glad to close the book on the previous year.

There is a scripture that I have been thinking of that says in part…”forgetting those things which are behind, I press on….”  There is more but this sums up my feelings, this year especially.  2012 had many challenges, some I wrote about here, but even bigger ones that were not fodder for blogs.  Some have resolved and some never will.  But still, “I press on…”

I look forward to 2013 with an excitement and anticipation I have not felt for quite a while.  I know that each year brings with it many joys and sorrows but I just have, for some reason, a renewed hope for 2013.  Bad things will still happen but there will be many good things that we will enjoy. 

A blank slate, a new year, a new page on the calendar.  What will you write in your little boxes?