Friday, April 13, 2018

Sick Service Dog

Isaac has been sick for the past week and a half.  Well, sort of.  He threw up six times over a nine-day period.  Other than when he was throwing up, he appeared to feel OK. 

I've spent what feels like a lot of time cleaning up dog puke.  We've made three trips to the vet.  We finally figured out what was going on and (I think, I hope) have a handle on it.

On our second visit to the vet, an x-ray showed what appeared to be a small piece of bone in his stomach.  The piece was apparently too large for him to vomit up and too large to pass on through his intestine.  An ultrasound was scheduled for the following day to get a better look.

Well, the following day, the piece of bone was no longer in the stomach.  It had made its way at last into the small intestine.  That was yesterday.

Now we are waiting to see if it will continue making its way through Isaac's intestines and, um, on out.  The vet is hopeful.  If it doesn't, that will mean it causes a bowel obstruction which can be deadly and requires prompt surgical treatment.

He hasn't vomited in three days and he is active and pooping normally today.  No bone yet, but no symptoms of an obstruction.  Maybe tomorrow.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Moving to Nebraska

I moved to Nebraska for several reasons.

I needed to move.  My landlord in Ohio was doing a number of things wrong, including calculating my rent incorrectly so that I was being charged more than I should have been.  I'll note that the landlord disputes this.  We are awaiting the court's ruling on the matter.

Anyway.  It was intolerable living where I was.  I needed to move.

Why Nebraska?  Everyone asks me that.

I had the following criteria when looking for a place to go:

1. I needed to be able to move as soon as possible.  That's a biggie when you are in subsidized housing.  Many places have waiting lists, anywhere from a year or two up to five years or more.  I couldn't wait a year.

2.  I refused to consider anyplace with an average temperature that was colder than the average temp where I lived in Ohio.  Warmer would have been nice, but I'd settle for the same.  But not colder.

3.  I had to know someone living nearby.  I wasn't moving to a far way state where I knew absolutely no one.

4.  I wanted to be out in the country.  I wanted to live in a rural area.

Those are the objective criteria.  There was a fifth thing, but it's harder to explain.  The place had to feel good to me.

I ended up settling on Nebraska because I found subsidized housing with no waiting list.  I also knew a couple people in the area and the internet told me the average temps were the same as where I'd lived in Ohio. 

The internet neglected to mention the wind in Nebraska, as did my friends in the area.  32 in Nebraska doesn't feel like 32 back in Ohio because in the winter and spring, it is windy here.  The howling wind woke me up at night for the first few weeks I lived here, it is so loud.  So it might be 32 degrees out but the wind makes it feel like it's 12.  Sure, there's windchill in Ohio, but not like this.

I asked one friend why no one mentioned the wind to me and she looked at me like I was nuts and said, "Doesn't everyone know it's windy in Nebraska?"

Well, no.  Apparently not.  About half the people I told I was moving to Nebraska didn't even know where Nebraska is.  They would ask me, "Where is Nebraska, anyway?"  If people don't even know where the state is, how would people know it's windy there?

Even with the wind, I like it.

I live in a small town, population about 1,600.  People are friendly, helpful.  I like the sky.  I like the light.  Isaac and I go for long hikes across the prairie.  I like the wildlife.  Yesterday I had to stop my car to allow a flock of wild turkeys to cross the road.

There have been a lot of challenges.  Things have not all gone as planned.  Sometimes I worry that moving was a mistake.

But I like it here.  I like my apartment.  I have big windows that Isaac and Whiskers both enjoy looking out.  I have tons of closet space and a big pantry in the kitchen.  My living room is bigger than my living room/dining room area was back in Ohio.  I am growing herbs in pots in the living room window.

It took Isaac a little while to settle in.  Whiskers felt at home immediately.  And me?  I mostly feel at home now.