Long Overdue Update
So much has been happening I don't even know where to start. This won't be chronological, necessarily, just as I remember things.
Just got back from taking Unix to the mobile vet. Her right eye wasn't looking good - the inner lid was bloodshot and swollen. She got nicked (which I suspected, since she also has a little biff mark on her nose) and the vet gave me 2 tubes of triple antibiotic ointment. Put in eye 3 times a day. And it cost $65, which we don't have - he wasn't happy, but he agreed to let me pay him next week (not that he had much choice, if he wants to get paid). He's a nice guy, and I'm so glad he is here in town. A 2 minute drive is much better than a 40 minute drive.
*****
About 3-4 weeks ago, we got pulled over for expired tags. They'd expired in March, and we just hadn't had the income to pay them. I didn't know at the time you could make payments, but have since learned you can. We were also uninsured. No longer. I'm grateful the cop didn't impound our truck (as he easily could have), since it is our only vehicle, but I wish he had just done a fix-it ticket. He wrote us up for a court appearance. So now we will have fees to pay as well.
*****
Just over a week ago Dean's best friend died. On Monday night (Dec 18), another friend came and got Dean, because he said Kerry was out of his head - John thought he was having a low, and had forced some OJ down him, but wanted Dean there to help out. Dean took my bG kit with him, to try to get a stick on Kerry, and was unable to. The EMTs were called, and when they took a blood sample, Kerry rang the bell. He was over 500. So the EMTs called Bi-County Emergency Services, and an ambulance came and got him. He never came home. He died on Tuesday morning of complications from diabetes. The memorial service was Friday - it was packed out. Kerry was a friend to everyone. In fact, several people said that Kerry was their closest friend. Dean was among them. But I think, if he could have spoken, Kerry would have said Dean was his closest friend as well. Not that he wasn't good friends with everyone, but I think that he was closer to Dean. I feel sorriest for Stain, his dog. They'd been companions for over 15 years, and you can't explain to an animal the way you can to a person. Kerry's family wanted Stain at the memorial service, but to get him there they had to drive Kerry's Taurus, because that's the only vehicle Stain would get into. Poor thing looked so lost at the memorial.
Kerry was an artist - he worked in lots of different media - he painted, drew, sculpted, wrote music and poetry. He had many, many pieces in his home - so his family very generously put out a bunch of his pieces, and told us, "If there's something you'll cherish, please take it." We got a really neat sculpture, made with oak balls, twigs, liquid nails, paint, more liquid nails - and we're going to hang it on the wall over our dresser. It's mostly blue, with lots of other colors, and will match nicely. It's still hard to believe he's gone.
*******
We're still just barely eking by. We got into a commercial kitchen in November (Thanksgiving weekend) and we wanted to go wholesale. But so far, all we've done is lose money. No, that's not entirely true. We did okay at the Victorian Christmases, but that was enough to cover gas & groceries, no extras. And at a couple of the craft fairs, we didn't even make back our investment. Which sucks royally. We're thinking of putting the baking on hold until spring, and Dean going to get a "regular" job for a few months, to pull us out of the hole.
******
Christmas Eve was very nice. We had church in the morning, then in the afternoon we went and saw Gift of the Magi (the story by O.Henry) that had been made into a musical. It was fabulous! Truly wonderful. I'm so glad we got to see it. It was a short little play, not quite an hour. But quite delightful. A special holiday treat. And then in the evening we had a candlelight service at church. I led music and also did a solo, Of the Father's Love Begotten which is an old plainsong Christmas carol. That was very nice.
Christmas day we stayed home. We kept waiting for a storm to hit, and it eventually did, Monday night. I made a turkey. We opened our present from Dean's folks. It was what I thought it might be, which was a queen-sized quilt, made by his mom. It's simply beautiful. And cozy warm. It's blue, and it hangs over the edges of the bed, and it replaced two afghans and a "fur" blanket. It's very nice to be toasty at night.
*****
I guess I've ranted long enough - it's taken me hours to write this update.
Just got back from taking Unix to the mobile vet. Her right eye wasn't looking good - the inner lid was bloodshot and swollen. She got nicked (which I suspected, since she also has a little biff mark on her nose) and the vet gave me 2 tubes of triple antibiotic ointment. Put in eye 3 times a day. And it cost $65, which we don't have - he wasn't happy, but he agreed to let me pay him next week (not that he had much choice, if he wants to get paid). He's a nice guy, and I'm so glad he is here in town. A 2 minute drive is much better than a 40 minute drive.
*****
About 3-4 weeks ago, we got pulled over for expired tags. They'd expired in March, and we just hadn't had the income to pay them. I didn't know at the time you could make payments, but have since learned you can. We were also uninsured. No longer. I'm grateful the cop didn't impound our truck (as he easily could have), since it is our only vehicle, but I wish he had just done a fix-it ticket. He wrote us up for a court appearance. So now we will have fees to pay as well.
*****
Just over a week ago Dean's best friend died. On Monday night (Dec 18), another friend came and got Dean, because he said Kerry was out of his head - John thought he was having a low, and had forced some OJ down him, but wanted Dean there to help out. Dean took my bG kit with him, to try to get a stick on Kerry, and was unable to. The EMTs were called, and when they took a blood sample, Kerry rang the bell. He was over 500. So the EMTs called Bi-County Emergency Services, and an ambulance came and got him. He never came home. He died on Tuesday morning of complications from diabetes. The memorial service was Friday - it was packed out. Kerry was a friend to everyone. In fact, several people said that Kerry was their closest friend. Dean was among them. But I think, if he could have spoken, Kerry would have said Dean was his closest friend as well. Not that he wasn't good friends with everyone, but I think that he was closer to Dean. I feel sorriest for Stain, his dog. They'd been companions for over 15 years, and you can't explain to an animal the way you can to a person. Kerry's family wanted Stain at the memorial service, but to get him there they had to drive Kerry's Taurus, because that's the only vehicle Stain would get into. Poor thing looked so lost at the memorial.
Kerry was an artist - he worked in lots of different media - he painted, drew, sculpted, wrote music and poetry. He had many, many pieces in his home - so his family very generously put out a bunch of his pieces, and told us, "If there's something you'll cherish, please take it." We got a really neat sculpture, made with oak balls, twigs, liquid nails, paint, more liquid nails - and we're going to hang it on the wall over our dresser. It's mostly blue, with lots of other colors, and will match nicely. It's still hard to believe he's gone.
*******
We're still just barely eking by. We got into a commercial kitchen in November (Thanksgiving weekend) and we wanted to go wholesale. But so far, all we've done is lose money. No, that's not entirely true. We did okay at the Victorian Christmases, but that was enough to cover gas & groceries, no extras. And at a couple of the craft fairs, we didn't even make back our investment. Which sucks royally. We're thinking of putting the baking on hold until spring, and Dean going to get a "regular" job for a few months, to pull us out of the hole.
******
Christmas Eve was very nice. We had church in the morning, then in the afternoon we went and saw Gift of the Magi (the story by O.Henry) that had been made into a musical. It was fabulous! Truly wonderful. I'm so glad we got to see it. It was a short little play, not quite an hour. But quite delightful. A special holiday treat. And then in the evening we had a candlelight service at church. I led music and also did a solo, Of the Father's Love Begotten which is an old plainsong Christmas carol. That was very nice.
Christmas day we stayed home. We kept waiting for a storm to hit, and it eventually did, Monday night. I made a turkey. We opened our present from Dean's folks. It was what I thought it might be, which was a queen-sized quilt, made by his mom. It's simply beautiful. And cozy warm. It's blue, and it hangs over the edges of the bed, and it replaced two afghans and a "fur" blanket. It's very nice to be toasty at night.
*****
I guess I've ranted long enough - it's taken me hours to write this update.