The Gray, Gray Gravel of Home

 

Upon my return home, I found things were different yet the same. Different in terms of how to get around with the width of the wheelchair pushing through our skinny doorways without scratching the paint off the frames, the awkwardness of the walker, and the strangeness of having to use a commode outside of my tiny framed bathroom. The process of living was proving to be difficult, to say the least. It remains a bit of a mystery. I would love to shake the hand of the absolute genius who chose to put elf doors in the entrance of our bathroom. Just cannot be happier. Hence the bedside commode. Yes, hence. 

It's nice to see the animals again, including the one I call my husband. He is doing the job of entertaining me well. If it weren't for his awkward sense of humor, I would be completely lost. He is my people. I get him and he gets me, even while others think our fits of laughter over some mundane situation a bit crazy. It may be, but at least I have a partner in the realm of crazy. 

Our fur babies are a bit off kilter since the changes in the household set us back. The day I fell, our baby girl Bella was starting to cross over the rainbow bridge, throwing us into a surreal state of mind. As Terry and Mallory stood over me, staring at my swollen, off-centered foot, and the paramedics prepared me for transport, we still had to get our baby girl to the vet. It was an odd state of affairs for all of us. Terry had to rush her in and then meet me at the hospital. 

Since then, we are on the road to healing fully. Of course, Bella will never be forgotten, but we are coming to the realization she is gone in the physical form. We will see her again and I know she is around us, spiritually. Now Kit has taken over Bella's favorite spot in being on his dad's chest. He has even reached a paw out to touch Terry's cheek gently, lovingly showing his sweet side. A few moments later, our fluffball is typically tearing something up, but he does share those precious moments with Terry, at least once in a while. 

Togo is still proving to be our emotional support dog. He doesn't support our emotions as much as him wanting us to support his. He is a goof with his comical antics and eccentric lifestyle of sleeping with pizza boxes, oven mitts, and of course, his platy. His platypus is a purple stuffy that we received before we had our husky buddy. Terry and I won a basket from the local shelter in a raffle and it was filled with treats, balls, toys, brushes, and even dog poop bags. Jasper is too small to play with such a large stuffy, but we kept it in his toybox. When Togo arrived, it was one of the first things he claimed as his. 

Togo's filthy platy buddy is in need of a good washing, but the dog keeps it beside him as one of his emotional support pieces, making it difficult to sneak it into the washer. 

As you can see here, Togo gives me the side-eye just for taking a picture of his fluffy, crusty buddy. Well played, goofy hairy pup. Well played.  

Since I have been at home for nearly a week, Marina and Dawn chose to come and see how things were going for us. They chose yesterday (Wednesday, February 21) to drive down for a visit. It was good to see them both! 

The fur babies sure loved having company. I'm pretty sure Terry and I seem fairly boring to them all, but we are what they're stuck with. But with company, they have someone new to beg belly scratches and pats from. Quite possibly food too if they play their dog bones right. 

The girls went out to get us some lunch at the local Red Robin restaurant. While Marina and Dawn were enjoying their salads, I was on the couch munching on Parmesan Brussels sprouts and fried pickles (don't ask). Kit Kat could not resist a moment to see where all the great smells were coming from. Unfortunately for our feline, it was just green stuff. He said "hello" for a second by rubbing against Marina, received a couple of pats, and then jumped onto his cat tree again. He wasn't impressed, for he is not a rabbit after all. 

Togo and Jasper loved having the girls here. Our husky began to dance across the floor and jump on our guests. Jasper was in the nook, barking non-stop, which is his thing while he is in his room. He looks at it as punishment, while having two dog beds, blankets, treats, food, water, pillows, and plenty of room in a bedroom all his own, with a view of everything going on in the house. Silly old man.  

Marina and Dawn chatted for a while and then returned home to Springfield and Lowell. It was fun seeing them and gave us a chance to discuss the newest member of our family, Spencer. They saw that I was actually getting along well in the house and haven't taken out any walls with the wheelchair yet. They decided Terry and I were hanging in there and had all we need. Besides shower accessibility. Oh, and being able to use the bathroom on a toilet like it was meant to be. Mm, and the use of my own bed instead of a couch. You know, things like that. But Terry and I are keeping our smiles on, as we know we will get through this together and be able to get our lives back soon.  

Dawn had a metal wheelchair ramp at her house to get her father-in-law in and out of places. They were not using it any longer since they built a ramp onto their porches, allowing him the mobility to get outside when he wants. The girls brought it up for Terry and I to use and trust me, we will put it to use! The stairs at the side of the home are five slippery-when-wet steps that are fairly steep, making the entrance almost impossible for me at this time. There is only one way to make it up those five stairs and that is by crawling. 

The front deck has one step at the base of the deck, then two cement steps leading up to the porch and into the front door. We figure we can put the ramp on the deck, over the two cement steps. This will allow me the capability to sit on the deck for fresh air if I desire, or the ability to get into a car that is parked nearby. Getting into the car will take some planning but it can be done just as we got me into the house on Friday. 

After the girls left, I got out my laptop and began working on some files. Sounds simple enough, but not when you have a pussy cat who wants love, not work. 

Kit promptly plopped his furry behind on my laptop. I had to pick him up and slide him over to the couch where he could sit beside me. But this didn't suffice as a good place, so he ran over to the box he got for Christmas and immediately shredded it a little more. Poor box. Each time he is upset, he will attack the scratching post, the cat tree posts, or the box that held my beautiful food processor. I gave the box to him as a solution to his box obsession. It worked. The box is his go-to when he's upset, just like a quart of ice cream is to a jilted woman. Whatever it takes to get that upset out of our system, right ladies? 

So today is Thursday already. Terry and I stayed up late, listening to YouTube musical videos from back in the day. All the fun greats, such as Heart, Bad Company, Boston, and others from the '70s and '80s. We listened, felt the beat, and played air drums and guitar until our eyes could not stay open any longer. The heart and soul are young. The body, not quite so much. My eyelids closed and I was out for at least a few hours. What is it about getting older that makes you not have the ability to sleep all night? This getting old crap is not for me. 

Upon awakening, the dog needed to go outside to find his favorite thinking spot in the knee-high grass. It's time for a mowing, yes. Between injuries and being in Lowell for over a month, and work, nobody has had time to worry about a few blades of grass poking through our new gravel the landlord is putting down. Terry took Togo on his morning walk and all was good. 

Terry went outside to smoke his morning cigar and read his book. Opening the laptop, I busied myself in getting files going, writing this post, and checking in with family in our group chat. 

Now that I'm home, I received a call from the home health care local facility, where physical therapists and occupational therapists are available for home care. Once again, here we go. I have a man coming out this afternoon to see how I'm doing and to work with me on exercises and movements around the home. 

My daughter, Brandy, sent a photo of a new puppy her husband has chosen. They have Chi, a chihuahua mix, and a cat that climbs her walls and slides down, all the while digging claws in. Now the wall is completely shredded. And here we spent all that money on a new food processor. I just needed to get a Trinket the cat. Or turn Kit loose on the food.  

Chi is so attached to Brandy, so I'm not 100% sure how this will work. It sounds like a new pup is a sure fire way to instill more jealousy. Chi already hates that Trinket the cat gets too close to her mom. A new male puppy? This is going to be quite interesting to say the least. 

I'm loving the idea of a new puppy. When there's a new pup in the family, we all rush over to play. Puppy playdates are the best! 

The new boy is a Xoloitzcuintli, or Mexican hairless dog. Brandy's husband Dan is in Mexico, seeing family. While there, he got an idea to talk to a breeder about these dogs, as they are so expensive in the US. You are able to find Xolo's in Mexico for around $800, where in the US, they will run around $2,000 to $3,000. Dan has an allergy to animal dander, so the idea of having a hairless dog is awesome. I have to say, he is a cutie. Not Dan. The dog. Dan's sweet too, but the pup is under discussion here. 

Definitely a hairless baby, with a face a momma could love. But I think he's cute, regardless of him being naked. 

As adults, the Xolo looks very stoic, grand, and strong. 

Photo from Espree

But then again, there is the partying version of the Xolo, or gremlin version, whatever floats your boat ...

Photo by Dakota's Doggy Daycare

Now, if that doesn't scream, "Party at Jeff's house at 9:00!" then I don't know what does.  Maybe they should name him Spicoli. He looks like a Spicoli. The mohawk look is pretty cool too, if he ends up with one of those. It reminds me of the gremlin, Stripe, with the fashionable white mohawk running along his scalp. 

Of course, it's minus the mean look and the teeth. 

The Xolo breed is a friendly, good family dog species. They seem to be healthy and without a lot of issues overall. But, the important thing is, how do you pronounce that name? Well, you can call it the Mexican hairless dog or Xolo for short, but if you are into learning more, the name, "Xolo" is pronounced, "Sholo."  The following video will teach you how to pronounce Xoloitzcuintli. Interesting breed, for sure.

So, a new grand dog is headed our way, even though I can't figure out the pronunciation of his breed. I guess, "He's a naked dog," will have to suffice. Since he's naked, I guess this means that grandma can buy him some clothes. I was thinking a little black leather biker jacket I saw once in Mini Pet Mart, a store in Eugene and I'm assuming other places. With the mohawk and the leather jacket, the dog just needs a bit of bling, sunglasses, and he's styling. 

Our weekend, so far, consists of well, naked dogs and absolutely nothing. I have my therapist coming. The gravel in the front is halfway laid by the landlord, bless his heart. There is a large pile that has yet to be laid, but it's there. Our fur babies are amazing, and I'm slowly working on housework. Yes, housework. 

My thought for the day, and yes, the act of thinking generally gets me into trouble, is to fire up my Crosswave. The Crosswave is a mop-vacuum combination that is simply amazing. I need to clean these nasty floors and the Crosswave is the perfect solution. Hubby Mac swept the floors before I arrived, but the mopping hasn't been done for a while. The floors are not dripping with filth and there is nothing moving on their own, but a good mopping will help sustain a healthier household. 

I figure (and once again, this could be trouble), that the Crosswave is very lightweight. Simply filling a small tank of cleaning solution is needed. At the end of use, I will have to empty the nasty water out of the dirty water tank and run the automatic cleaning system. But that's it. I may have to ask for a little help at some point in this juncture of my day, but overall, I believe it will work. Either that or I will be sitting in the middle of a wet floor, on my ass, with dog hair all over my body and the foot will be hurting to give us another hospital trip. That scenario sounds more like me. No matter the outcome, I will have something to do! That's the important thing. 

Physical therapy is over for today. I met my new therapist and he seemed pleasant. That is, he was until he had me do my workout. I didn't realize I had that many muscles that could stretch or move in my legs and foot with only one foot available! He even had my bad leg moving, adding strength to it too. But that's a great thing, as once I'm out of this cast, look out! Here I come! The act of standing, putting one foot in front of the other will feel like a new concept once I'm out of these casts and my ankle has healed. 

Until the next post, have an awesome weekend! It's only Thursday, but it's coming. Enjoy your life and keep on shining your light!

For your relaxation and listening pleasure: