Gone Girl

She was a very good girl. And now she's gone. It's a cruel twist that the length of pets lives does not match our own.

Odie Pearl was just over 13 years, 3 months old when she "crossed the Rainbow Bridge", as they say. It does sound much nicer than died. She was suffering from heart failure, diagnosed in January. Medication had held off symptoms fairly well for four months - but this past week she'd lost her appetite, She started wheezing and coughing - indicating end stages of the disease.

I spent a long week tormenting myself over a difficult decision. I must admit I didn't get much sleep, getting up with her, massaging her chest as she coughed and wheezed. Somehow Paul slept through much of it. I could have taken her back into Dr. Merk for a tweak of her meds - but then ultimately we would have been at this same place again, only Odie may have slid even further down in health after not eating.

That last night I wept silently in my bed as Odie (in between coughing and wheezing) and Paul slept. Then I got up and sat in my chair, researching topics euthanasia and canine heart disease. I cried some more. I determined I did not want Odie to suffer from this disease just so I could enjoy her company longer.

When Paul got up at 5 a.m., I talked it over with him. I was still waffling. It was morning - things would be okay, right? But I thought back on my nighttime angst. I knew more of those nights could be in store with this illness. I let Odie out to go potty and her coughing returned. I knew it was the right decision. A painful decision.

Odie sat quietly on my lap on the way to the Specialty Clinic at 6 a.m. It was quiet there. They were very helpful. It was where Odie was first diagnosed. They will notify our regular vet about her passing, so they quit sending notices. In addition, Odie's ashes will be shipped to our regular clinic.

The procedure itself was very peaceful. Odie had an IV port inserted and she was a little nervous when she came back from that. The veterinarian came in next. He turned out to be a guy we knew from Amy's volleyball days - when she played with a traveling team from Corning. He put a shot of something in the port to make her sleep. It worked in about a minute. The next shot into the port stopped her heart in less than a minute. I cried. Paul hugged me.

Ever since Odie was diagnosed with this serious illness I have tried to drink her in. Her soft, soft ears and warm brown eyes. The way she would bop her nose into my calf and lick it when I came home. Odie's huge appreciation of people food. She loved raw carrots and I loved the way she crunched them. If I didn't feed her quickly enough she would whine insistently. I won't always miss that. I'll miss the way she burrowed under the covers at night - nestling against my calves early. Later we'd wake up and she'd be between us like a third person.

Odie loved treats!

Odie was a "people" dog. She especially loved ladies - like all of my Creston gang, Diana, Bobbie, and Deb. We moved from Creston over five years ago, but she still remembered them and would make a big deal about those gals.

Of course, she loved her sibs - Amy (Sissy) and Jud (Juddy). She called them the names in parentheses. When I'd say, "Juddy's coming", she'd sit staring at the door until he showed up. She loved taking naps with Sissy on the couch. It's hard to believe Jud was a sophomore in High School when we got Odie. Now Jud & Kara, Amy & Corey each have two dogs. It brings me great joy to know that my love of dogs is being carried on by my kids.

Though Odie was my dog, she had a special relationship with her daddy, Paul. Paul has never been a "pet" guy. He's a farm kid. They had pets - but easy come, easy go. Paul is very understanding of my commitment to our pets, and has gotten "sucked in" to loving them too. Every night Odie would sit by Paul's chair and gaze at him. He's pat his lap for her to jump up and get a nice petting massage. She loved it! He took good care of her.

While Odie loved people, she was not wild about her dog relatives. It's my fault - I didn't socialize her with dogs when she was young. She did learn to tolerate Gidget, the boxer owned by Leslee who provided care when we went out of town. We were lucky that we had Lila and Bill when we lived in Creston and Leslee and family here in WDM.

Our house is going to seem pretty empty. No greeter when we get home. I won't need to save tidbits of food from my supper - to share with the tiny hungry hound. No more lingering in the yard while Odie sniffs every blade of grass. Nobody to talk to when I toast English Muffins on Fridays, asking, "Are you ready for the Muffin Man?". She always answered with her bright eyes, barely chewing, gulping the food. There was little she didn't like. 

Odie's ashes will be stored in a special place with Moki. Two good dogs. They are loved. RIP Odie Pearl. A good girl.





  

Drinking Problem

I bet that got your attention. I do post a lot of pictures that include alcohol as our weekend activities often include our favorite beverages. I'm don't often drink alcohol during the week, except the occasional Thursday night. That's when we meet folks from Paul's work for "Teambuilding".

My drinking problem is with good 'ol H2O. I don't drink enough of it. Water. I never have. During this past couple weeks, not drinking enough water has taken its toll. I was recovering from an illness and became dehydrated. Now I have a knot in my calf that won't go away. I'm suffering from other things like foot cramps too.Yuck.

I read an article recently that said that women don't hydrate enough - especially as they age. That causes dehydration. Dehydration is the reason many women fall. Two of my dear friends' mothers have fallen in the past year. Those falls have had severe consequences! A broken hip and nerve damage. I feel so badly for my friends' mommas and their families. They are in good hands now as they rehab in good facilities.

I've never been a water drinker. I usually have water available - for just in case! But subconsciously I don't want to drink it up.

• I don't feel thirsty
• Then it will be gone
• I will need to pee
• I'll need to refill my bottle with water that tastes bad

I know, pretty weak! Except for the not thirsty thing. That one is tough. It doesn't seem to be a problem on Friday night during cocktail hour! 

I haven't been working out with my trainer since I got back from Florida - recovering from illness. I'm booked for Monday. This leg thing isn't going to help. I hope the workout helps the leg! Torie, my trainer told me about an "app" I could download on my phone to help remind me to drink water. Today I did that. I'll need to drag a water bottle around more. I try to avoid single-use plastic bottles whenever I can. But bad-tasting water can stop me from drinking water when away from home. 

The app I downloaded is Drink Water. I put in my gender and weight and it figured how much I need to drink. The app reminds me every 45 minutes during my waking hours. We'll see how this goes towards building a good drinking habit! Wish me luck. Sip, sip.

Tilted Tree Missing

Hurricane Irma hit Marco Island, Florida last September. Mom (well, her memorial tree, anyway) didn't make it. Over fifty trees around the Gulfview condominium had to be removed after the storm. The old girl (tree) was twenty years old- planted by our parents' friends after Mom's death in 1997. Another storm hit early in the tree's growth, as it always had a "tilt" to it. Thus our annual photos "holding her up".

The pose - holding the Mom tree up

In the spirit of our mother, my sis Cindo and I love Marco Island. We were so happy to see that the island has recovered well from the storm. Roofers are going nuts around the small spit of land. Windows have been replaced - with a few more to go. Other than that it seems to be "business as usual".

We arrived on April 5th for our annual post-winter get-away. Iowa didn't get the memo that winter is over, so Paul and I were glad to go south, where sunny Florida treated us right! Colby and Paul spent two days fishing. They tried out a couple new fishing guides and had a ball!

Papa brought home supper, whilst I guarded the pool

Besides boat fishing, Colby got up early and fished off the beach by Tigertail

Most mornings we walked about three miles on the beach. Often the tractor man had groomed the sand, so it was tougher going and a good workout. A couple mornings we walked to our fave breakfast places.

Walking pic

View from 4th floor

Cindy, Paul (when not fishing) and I spent our afternoons scrounging for shade! The hurricane took a toll on the tree-lined are by the pool. I am not a sun-goddess! I did read five or six books. Our condo was on the fourth floor this year. A big change from 21! When I got too hot, I could sit on our deck and feel like I was by the pool. One day, when Cindy and I huddled under a couple palm trees, we nearly saw the old card-playing guys get into a fist-fight. Isn't retirement fun?

Bday girl and son

Of course, we went to our fave restaurants multiple times. We hit the Little Bar for Cindo's birthday. They always ask us if it's our first time there. Ha! Try 50th. I did veer from the usual and tried the blackened scallops instead of shrimp one night. Grouper almondine is the best though.

The Crazy Flamingo is off the beaten path, but we love their peel and eat shrimp. While the others dig the oysters, I go with other stuff like onion rings. Joey's Pizza completes the usual spots - their garlic knots are to die for. The pizza is pretty good too. We like shopping at Winn Dixie for lunch stuff - they have great fresh bread.

We took Colby to the airport in Fort Myers on Tuesday 4/10. It was sad to see him go. The joint always seems empty after he heads back to Vail. I have so enjoyed getting to know my nephew as an adult. Fishing nut, innovative chef, restaurant manager - and an easy guy to talk to about anything. I love his deep hearty laugh. He makes me smile.

Once Colby left, Paul was stuck with the women. We planned a couple tourist things - visiting Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve one afternoon. It was super interesting. We walked a short nature tour around the area and saw a small alligator.

Mangroves

The other highlight was the Marco Historical Museum. It's around eight years old. I can just imagine our mother volunteering there - in 7th heaven. She was enthralled with the history of SW Florida. It was very well done - beginning with the Indian tribes who had initially lived in the area. Marco really wasn't developed until the 1970's. Back when Mom and Dad bought their place in the late 80's, most people still hadn't heard of the area. Now, most people know where Marco Island is - many have been there.

Mom's tree might be gone, but her real tree - her family is going strong! Oh, how proud she would be to see our family tree growing - this year adding Alex's soon-to-be wife Lisa. This summer we sisters will gather in Oregon once again - honoring our parents and our family. The love is strong.

But vacation is over for now. Coming back to Iowa sucked - it was snowing. Ugh. Odie's caretakers spoiled her and she's doing great. I do love my bed. Life is good.

Next Gen, Cake, Creston Loving Arms

I've been sifting through generations of stuff at our home. Thinking about what the next gen might want. We've been hauling around Bullock/Morehead stuff for 30+ years now. Add in all of our own stuff. I don't want to stick our children with all that. Sure we have a nice big place now, but what happens when we downsize again?

HGTV has made an impact on furniture "hand-me-downs". Suddenly (okay over a period of 60 years), the Ethan Allen cupboards my parents and grandparents handed down to me are looking outdated. They have served our family well, but I don't see them moving to the next gen. End tables, inherited from my parents, are looking beat up. Wear and tear have caught up with them. It's time to move on. And what about all those knick-knacks? Our children may want a few, but some may need to go as well.

I cleaned out the kitchen area last week. I knew there were some containers and items I hadn't used since we moved to Des Moines five-plus years ago. I must admit failure when it came to a few key items pictured below. In the end, I put these back in the cupboard. Amy and Jud could score big someday!

30 year-old blender, snazzy ice bucket

The angel food cake pan above was never on the chopping block. I took a photo of it to send to our family. It was a walk down memory lane that had started when we traveled to Jud and Kara's just after Paul's 60th birthday. They had asked what Paul's favorite dessert is, and I replied angel food.

Jud took on that challenge - despite the fact that he and Kara do not have a cool cake pan like the one above. If you've ever made an angel food from a box, you might have noted that there is an alternative recipe for loaf pans. Our loving son related the story of how he attempted to halve the recipe, dumping some of the cake mix on the floor in the process. Clean up on aisle Goldsmith. I'm sure the dogs helped! Then he must have undercooked it a bit (these cakes are tricky). And you must prop them up upside down so they don't collapse. Oops. Still, I'm so proud that he cared enough to make his dad's fave treat.

The birthday boy with Jud and Kara

Kara and Jud rescued the cake with lots of whipped cream, strawberries and love. They served it that night after taking us out to a yummy steakhouse. That night we talked about the cake pan and memories of cake baking. Paul usually baked those cakes - many times for of our angel Patrick George's birthday. Amy would draw birthday cards (early artist in action). Paul loves eating the crusty angel food top hot out of the oven - a great memory from his own childhood as well. It was a wonderful family evening. That pan is priceless.

Speaking of family, a big shout out to the SW Iowa towns of Creston and Corning. Tragedy struck when the Sharp family lives were cut short. On vacation in Mexico, an unknown gas killed the family of four in their condominium. This is unimaginable.

I've spent the weekend trying to come terms with it. It seems impossible. I am not a close friend of the family. Kevin grew up across the street from our first house in Creston. I met Amy when I worked at the landfill and she worked at the courthouse. Still, they are part of the Creston family. In a small town, this is how one feels. They should still be there. This story should be about a family I've never heard of from somewhere else. It hurts. When it is someone you don't know it is worrisome, but it doesn't hurt like this.

Family takes care of each other. Already the Adams County Speedway held an event honoring the family. Kevin was a racer there - in Corning, the town next to Creston. More events are scheduled to surround the families with love. Individuals and families will step up and deliver meals, hugs memorial money, prayers and thoughts. That is why we raised our children in this area. I trust that the loving arms of the communities will do what can be done. Such a loss. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Barbra Streisand Cloned Fido

I read a NY Times article last week about Barbra cloning her beloved dog, Samantha. Miss Scarlett and Miss Violet were cloned from cells from Samantha's mouth and stomach. The old girl passed away when she was 14. Babs loved the dog so much, she wanted to copy her - for an estimated $50K.

I find this idea somewhat ludicrous. Each dog has its own wonderful spirit. You can always select a breed with certain characteristics you enjoy. (Facebook hounds me with articles like this all the time). Now you can even adopt a "homeless" dog that has been fostered. That way you will know all of its nuances and habits ahead of your decision. If I get another dog someday, that is what I plan to do.

In my life, three totally different dogs have blessed me. Have they all really been the same spirit? Sometimes I believe so. Perhaps it's just me seeing what I want to in their little bodies. Let's compare:

Jud the dog

Jud Bullock. Yes, I named my son after a dog. In all fairness, the from my childhood was named after my dad, David Judson Bullock. So our son is really named after him. But he could have done worse to be named after the loyal and determined 25-pound doggy bro of my youth.

Jud was a full-sized dachshund, reddish-tan. He was born March 25, 1958, so his 60th birthday will soon be here. One might wonder why I remember a long-dead dog's birthday - but cant' recall your name. Ah, they say short-term memory is the first thing to go. Jud lived to be 15, passing during my freshman year in high school.

Jud was loyal and true. He made like McGruff the Crime Dog, following the Bullock kids all around the neighborhood, ensuring our safety. There were no leash laws back then. Our Jud had the run of the area, luring the neighbors into feeding him. Jud's short little legs couldn't keep up with our bikes - yet he eventually showed up wherever we went. If any neighbor kids encroached on our playhouse - Jud went into attack mode, barking like Kujo. Jud was a good boy.

Amy, Jud and Moki all make funny faces 

Moki Goldsmith. I can't believe I waited until I was nearly 30 to get a dog as an adult. I am a very pragmatic person. I don't believe in getting a pet when you can't properly care for it. I had to "try out" parenting with kids to know I could do it. haha. I would not recommend having a puppy and a one-year-old at the same time though.

If Jud were cloned - chubby tan wiener dog, lays around all day. Loyal? To food.

Moki came to us thanks to a puppy advertisement in the Creston News Advertiser.  Paul and I had learned to love West Highland White Terriers thanks to my sister Susi's sweet dog Mac. Paul named our new white fur ball. Moki means great white bear. Bears are very creative when it comes to getting food - so the name was a good fit.

Another fitting middle name would have been Houdini, a whiz at getting out of the kennel. Even after Paul fastened a clamp on the top. Moki would do anything to get people food. I'd holler at him and he'd put himself in kennel "timeout" for a couple hours. He thought of himself as Jud and Amy's sibling. Smart dog, good boy.

Moki clone - comes complete with a Houdini outfit, he lives on the street. No kennel can keep him. Moki sneaks into people's homes to dine like a king.

Odie with mustard

Odie Pearl Goldsmith. Moki passed away in 2004. He'd lived a good life - considering he'd had diabetes for 7 of his 13 years. We were dog-free for six months. It was lonely. Amy was away at college. Jud wanted a bigger dog. Paul wanted another Westie. I wanted something different. My sis Betso had a couple miniature weiner dogs. Dad's girlfriend Kay, a dog trainer suggested that breed for us. So we got Odie - named after a cartoon character and the dog in the Spenser (Robert B. Parker) novels.

Puppies are so cute. I never want another one. Training them is ridiculous. Chewing and potty. Doxies are stubborn exceptionally stubborn. That said, once Odie was potty trained, Odie became a model doggy. She is a lover of people, especially women. Odie is a model traveler and houseguest (except for those pesky black hairs). She knows where her meals come from, so she never runs away. Odie does love people food, so she is a beggar. My bad for teaching her that our food is yummy.

Clone of Odie - already a good jumper, new Odie can leap even higher, allowing her to snatch food right off the counter.

If only our pets could live as long as we do. No doubt that's what Barbra is looking for by cloning her pet. For me, there's no replacing my best friends with new dogs their genes. The heartbreak when you lose your pet is rough - but worth it.

I enjoyed a day with my bestie this weekend. Deb drove up from Creston. Odie made a big deal about it - moaning and howling, expecting belly rubs. We tried an Ecuadorian place for lunch. One I couldn't get Paul to go to....it was great! Then we shopped at a couple consignment shops - Deb loves those. I found a cool jacket. Last stop - Taco Hangover for a beer. All the while we talked - fam, jobs, and politics! Love that girl. It was a great day. Just ask Odie.

Meet me in St. Louis

St. Louis was never a place I thought I'd be visiting often - until Jud and Kara moved there a few years ago. Even then, we thought the city might be a "passing phase". Now it seems they've settled in quite nicely. Kara travels and works from home. Jud is enjoying his new job at Purina, managing lines of pet food. They have lots of friends to hang out with. We're so proud of both of them. 

We hadn't really seen them since our family gathering in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. Sure, we glimpsed them briefly at ISU's fab bowl game in Memphis. But that was a few words in here and there, mostly on historic Beale Street. Not really the quality time one is hoping for with our kids, though celebrating that victory together was priceless! They seemed more excited about seeing the winning players instead of us on Saturday night.

So we scheduled this early March trip to STL - just after Paul's birthday. It worked out well. Mother Nature is trying to hang on - snow showers fell on the way there, and back. During our time in the Gateway City, the weather cooperated just fine.

Odie went along to see her "people" and to put up with the boys, Jud and Kara's dogs Henry and Archie. She didn't have to tune them up as much as usual - the boys are growing up and are past the puppy phase. I was tempted to purchase a pill organizer for her meds. She's now on 3 meds for her heart, but those seem to make a difference. 

We were all overjoyed to arrive at Jud and Kara's home on Friday night. Once we had the tour of all the updates they'd been working on at their 1920's home, we visited a Cajun/Cuban restaurant.

The next morning, we stopped at a kolache bakery right in Jud and Kara's neighborhood. We could choose from pastries filled with cream cheese, eggs, sausage, and fruit. Warm and tasty.

Later that morning we headed downtown to tour the Fabulous Fox Theatre. In Des Moines, we have a fine modern theater in the Civic Center and are fortunate that it pulls in awesome Tony Award winning musicals each year. That building cannot compare to the truly fabulous Fox Theatre, originally built in 1929 as a movie theater. When the building fell into disarray (damn you 1970's rock concerts), Fox Associates purchased and refurbished it - reopening in 1982.

Organ Player

Above the stage

The tour was historical. It included a short performance by the organ player - he and the organ slowly raised up out of the floor as he played dramatically. We traipsed through all areas of the large building. We got to see where the rich people sit and the dressing rooms with posters drawn on the walls everywhere - for Broadway shows and music groups. We stood on stage. The whole thing took over an hour, up and down stairs.  We heard about ghosts at the theater - one of the employees died on the job, running the movie machine.   

You can book this for your wedding for $25K

On stage

That night we celebrated Paul's birthday at a great place Kara and Jud discovered, Twisted Tree Steakhouse. The salad dressing was super and my filet was really good. Thanks to K&J for taking us out! Later we sat up and talked, sharing a nice bottle of red wine.

Have I mentioned how much I like adult children? It's fun to talk about work, tell them family stories and hear about their friends. Jud entertained us with stories from his new job at Purina. It seems they have culinary events at work. And no they don't taste the dog food.

Archie thinks Henry is his pillow

All too soon, it was Sunday morning and time to head home. It's hard to leave when we don't know when we'll see them again. Summer? I hope so. Both sets of our children have weddings here this summer. Yay. We also have a date in August in Washington for our nephew Alex's wedding. Some dates to look forward to. 

Rob the Cradle

Paul turned sixty years old this week. Now he's my age once again.

As his birthday approached, I sensed he was apprehensive about this age milestone.

Sixty seems like reverse puberty. We'll be going through some changes during this decade. Aging bodies and finishing up our careers. It's exciting! And scary. I wrote the blog about this very thing when I turned sixty. March 1 was Paul's turn to join the 60 Club. He warned me - he wanted no surprises.

What does one do if he doesn't want a "party" for his birthday? We planned a pub crawl of course! Our tailgating pals, Ehreckes and McKims came to DSM to celebrate with us on Friday night. It was Kari's big bday earlier in the week, so we had 2 to celebrate.

Initially, Paul planned about five stops. I reminded him that we're 60 (except those youngster McKims).

We started at Peace Tree. It's a Quonset hut brewpub in the East Village. The place is named after a magical tree in the area that is now Lake Red Rock, near Pleasantville. As you can tell, I didn't think to snap the photo until we nearly drained our beers. We did take our own snacks - something that is welcomed at the places that don't sell food.

Then we went to the larger joint, Confluence in a warehouse area off Bell Avenue near Grays Lake. Paul and I usually enter through the other door, biking in. Confluence sells beer all over the state and one can find their beer on tap many places. After I took this pic, Kevin and Kari's daughter Kacie joined us. She recently moved back to Iowa from California and said she had fun hanging with the oldsters. It was nice to see her.

Our last stop before supper was Carl's Place. Because you need a good dive bar to bring you back to your small town Iowa roots.

Carl's is located near Hoyt Sherman on Woodland Avenue. It was hopping - filled with young people. In fact, Donnie tracked down one other group of older people for us to talk with. They too had noticed that we raised the average age of the joint. We watched the end of the ISU/Oklahoma game on the big screen. The Cyclones young team gives us reason for hope for next year. Plus ISU is really a football school, right? haha

We stopped at Gilroy's Kitchen for pizza on our way home. The conversation had me laughing so hard. Watching Paul laugh was fun too. Kevin can be quite entertaining and is a good artist. When we got home, Odie was so overjoyed to see that we brought friends with us.

Saturday morning we tried a breakfast casserole I put together Friday afternoon. Sausage, hashbrown, eggs, and cheese - nothing fancy, but filling. We are already excited about the football season and tailgating. Seven games this year! This is a good group to be sixty with.