The Old Men In My Life

Last week the above old man and I went to Sutter Creek CA for a shot, but nice, vacation. That is a photo of him being patient with me while I poke around some store...

The evening after we got home we discovered something wrong with the other old man in my life.

Jack is a rescue dog. The local rescue group literally grabbed him off "the" table before he was euthanized. He was adopted out to a family with a farm after which it was discovered he was not the best dog for a farm.....he loved to chase cows!

So back to the rescue group he went. And then hubby picked him out. We took him home and discovered he probably has ADHD!! But we love him anyway and he has been in our family for oh, maybe 10 -12 years. Not sure how old he is. He was an adult when we got him. And he was with us thru several passings of his older predecessors.

Dont you love how he is comfy on his bed by his head is on the cool hearth??? LOL

So, long story short, he has anal gland cancer. A very quickly growing cancer. He could have surgery - maybe......after determining whether or not it has metastasized. And after surgery, he would probably have to have chemo and radiation.

Several sites I read said that this could prolong his life.....from a couple of weeks to maybe 3 years. And more often than not, the cancer comes back (and yes - to the supercilious vet I cannot stand - I was looking only on veterinary sites).

He is an old guy. He has had a lovely life (and he knows it since he has never once tried to run away!!!!!!). And I just cannot see putting him thru the stress and pain of surgery and recovery that will not lengthen his life considerably.

For now he is otherwise healthy - still eating well and still going to the bathroom without difficulty - he had a great time with the grandkids yesterday chasing balls they thru for him. We do need to watch for increasing tiredness - not sure how we will discern that since both my old men are very good at taking random naps!

When the time comes we will treat him with the love and dignity he deserves, and not allow him to suffer needlessly 0 unlike what we as humans do for our human families....

Lovely mini vacation!

This was at the house across from the B&B we stayed at.....I so wanted to see this lit up but it never was - darn it!

Volcano CA has some of the biggest meanest looking bees I have ever seen!!!!

This is the room we stayed in at the Hanford House Inn (www.hanfordhouse.com) in Sutter Creek. Awesome place! Quiet! At one end of the main street so everything is withing walking distance - almost next door to the Sutter Creek Wine Tasting which is a great place - and at the end of the street from an awesome cheese store!

My one and only complaint about this B&B is - the bed is too high!

Your da here starts off with homemade scones in a basket outside your door at about 0730....coffee/tea/water available all day long....and then an awesome breakfast (the chef is Cordon Bleu trained) starts with home made granola, and then cut up fruit and this great chicken-mozzerella sausage. The first morning was light, thin, blueberry-banana pancakes; the 2d was an egg bendict that was to die for - I usually dont eat those cause I dont like the sauce - these did not have the sauce - and oh yes, the eggs are from the chickens right there.

Turns out the owner graduated from the same law school as our SIL - and we are still trying to remember what year our SIL graduated - we think they were about a year apart.

Wine and cheese in the afternoon - and some really good lemony chocolate chip cookies!

We are trying to figure when we are going back!

The second night we ate the the local steakhouse (about a block & 1/2 away) called J and D's Steakhouse (www.janddsteakhouse.com) - we dont usually go to steakhouses on vacation.....am SO GLAD we went there! The staff was so friendly - the hostess was upset when we told her we did not have reservations cause we were going to have to wait 10 minutes!!!! The staff was as friendly to us - tourists - as they were to the locals! And the food was to die for! The trivia game was so much fun - and the bill was not nearly as high as you would think!

Pretty huh? This is the yard at a place called the Antique Garden or Antique Gardener. All the shops in the town are nice - as are the shopkeepers. We went to Jackson and walked around - got to enjoy the The Geezer's Jazz Band who give free concerts every other week....I think the youngest member was in his late 50's....they were so good!

Hubby was good and patient....he enjoyed the antique stores as much as I did but sometimes he had to take a little break...

Isnt this pretty? It is a house for rent right next to 2 very pretty B&Bs on the main street.

Garage Saling

Forgot to talk about our recent (last week few week) garage saling!

• a 3 piece metal screen like thing with grapes and leaves on it - for the garden - but I am thinking it might make a nice head board.....hmmm.....


• a vintage covered square cake carrier - now I have a round one and a square one


• a beautiful geranium in a nice pot and a rusty old waterering can that I have planted a succulent in


• books! books! books!


• 2 tupperware pieces - both, for instance, to hold veggies with the dip thing in the middle - one smaller and the other large. Both in excellant condition


• a tin towel rack originally priced at $12.99 from Ross - I think I will put it in the middle bedroom and hand some quilts (folded up) over it

Have seen areas of town that we havent see before. Also have seen crazy prices - come on - you are NOT going to get what you paid for the item at a garage sale - which is why you see people leaving your garage sale empty handed!

Am off next Sat - wonder if there will be a lot or not? It is is the Sat before Easter.... This having to work every other Sat really cuts into my garage saling!! LOL

And things that go bump in the night.

I need to stop watching programs like this. Hubby thinks I am silly and is making fun of me. Do I believe in ghosts? No/yes Yes/no. I dont disbelieve. Have I had experiences? Possibly. I will not touch a Ouija Board after a very scary experience as a tween. Was it real?I dont know - but it scared me. Used to have lights go on and off in the house upstairs. Stopped after kids moved out. Poltergeist? Who knows. The other day I was in the upstairs hall when out of the corner of my eye something very large and black skimmed past the window. Wasnt bird shaped - I looked out and there was nothing on the roof of the garage. Not sure what it was.... Then yesterday morning I was getting ready for work. Walked out of the bathroom and I heard footsteps coming down the hall towards me. Figured it was hubby going into the bathroom so I didnt even turn around and look. Immediately turned the corner and walked into the kitchen - looked thru the door into the living room and hubby was sitting asleep in his chair - and the dog asleep on his bed. WHAT???????????????????????????????????????? What did I hear? Who knows.....

Blather

It has gone from being very nice out.....in the mid 60's the last few days...to being very cold out in just the last few hours! Brrrr! And just a little while ago it was sunny out, now we are surrounded by black clouds. Guess it has been hailing in the north bay. Looked outside, and one of our neighborhood doves (I call them "my doves") was on our fence. I think he was the watch bird. Came back in the room and thought - huh - I dont remember him having such yellow feet....wait a minute! That is not a dove! It was a nice mid size hawk! Of course, by the time I got the camera, he was gone. Love watching the birds eating at the bird feeder. Went to check out another little park I had never known about. Took the long way to get there. Small parking place with 1 empty car in it, and 1 car with a couple of guys in it. Would like to go back there and take a walk with my camera - hope we can go back there and not see any sketchy characters sitting there. Getting cleaned up for a visit from my Nevada grand kids next weekend! They will only be here 2 nights but luckily I am off those days! Have to work the day they leave... Then that next week we are staying in Sutter Creek for 2 nights. We are not staying at either B&B we saw there but rather an Inn....the rooms look lovely - with fireplace!!! And TV for hubby (I am fine with my Kindle & my knitting!). Hopefully lots of fun things to photograph up there! May is a busy month. My awards luncheon. Pinning ceremony for the newest nursing grads - sure wish they would be able to find jobs! And then a weekend at the Narrow Gauge Inn....hopefully without any tpe of drama this year....if there is then we know that it is the place that is the jinx! Besides going to the Peddler's Market at Coarsegold and maybe hopefully some garage sales, not sure what we will do. Maybe try for a visit to Yosemite again....if it is open! And that is my soap box. Our politicians need to stop their pissing contests and thin about what their constituents want and need. Time to hit them where it hurts - in THEIR pocket books. Stop their pay and perks and see how quickly they settle the budget. I am beginning to agree with other people - time to have a 3rd party system and not jsut 2 - with a 3d party it would be much more difficult to stonewall things like this...