sept 24 2017

before i get into dogfest news.----last night's shocking news...-- there is now a vacumm cleaner tht will vacumn up spaghetti... for 3 easy payments of 49.95.. it is not too often i need to vacuum spaghetti since my youngest is now 50...- but our solution to the levitation of spaghetti is far superior-- pocketed poo pickers- also offer the operator an exercise routine of bending  which would also replace teh exercise video for which you could pay 19.95.  you think i am kidding... our 2 peices of 3 x 6 cardboard-- especially from the fuzzy cardboard of cereal boxes-- would lift the spghetti, wipe the floor--- and the premium  version has a wipe and clean packet attached so it washes teh floor t the same time... and only costs $10 a month  to rent the concept which also gets you a supporting membership of the shatupon society of ipswich..  DOES EXACTLY WHAT THE $49.95 (x3) online version does. SUCH A DEAL !! **** and dogfest---  everyone seems to be having a wonderful time-- which maybe you all can see online...-- with the possibell excdeptoon of the accapella group-- which maybe you could see but not hear--it is their 5th year...  that was the only  scheduled evernt... the rest was food !! pam? scrambled  graces farm fresh eggs for breakfast--- starbucks donated coffee...  lunch from   jim- the kelly's beef man...brought his huge new "food truck"   with great sandwiches... the usual-- but a trial of fried chicken with cheese on  one of those yellowish bun's ? potatoe roll?  -- had to eAt quickly to mke way for the supper truck of lobster/steak with a bunch of other stuff  shirmp salads soup-- followed by THE CAKE  from spinnelli's( also 5th year..) I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ATE THE WHOLE THING--  AS VARIOUS MEALS APPEARED WE HAD TO ASK MO TO RETIRE TO THE BARN....her intelligence makes her curious about everything....   she has not tripped or knocked anytihgn over  but the potential of an 1800 pound animal wandering around food serviing facilities   made me nervous.   getting everyone to feed her  treats only out of a fry pan has been a bit of a struggle... i hate to see her reaching for hands - we really need her to reach for the fry pans as being the only place she can find carrots/aples/dog r=treats/ and sprite????  yup ! sprite..  one a day/  **** Violet - the new mom-- has been so good- that too many people went in her stall to pat her so often... that she got very tierd and had to lay down for a long nap... which made me nervous...  equines do not lay down for long periods of time... i forget the old wives tale about it ... but there is one... smewhere o remember 20 minutes--  then get up and sleep standing----lee was poking aournd saying "hey mom someone hid my supper"  i had to  "close the barn" -- next year--- remind me to have a specific "close the barn at 5pm"  **** today-- most importantly... we have 4 visitors coming t 1pm  to  ?inspect?    they are from the group that hs given us $100,000 over 2 years, and are  inspecting us for a possible  20 - 100k per year for 10 years- we are what we are..  with 200 people wandering around - hopefully simonizing my wonderful tractor-  and  trying to put a harness on mo... hopefully they will see that it is this huge group of $10 donors  that means we can donate dogs to  veterans and others...  and all they ask in return is to be included and entertained in the process.  "did you go to the beach on vacation?"  -- "no i simonized a tractor"  has a certain zing to it. ** schedule-- apparently janine-   is haveing donkey walk about 10:30-- i forget who is  doing th bbq lunch   an official NATIVE AMERICAN  pow wow at 2:00 ( off camera)  then the spirit stick march at 3:00 with the burning  of the sticks ( so the spirit can remain here...) 4:30 the ben and jerry's truck with the icecream sundiaes-- somehow   we have a second CAKE -- one year we did eat 2 the first day... but this heart   we havve a whole one left for sunday...  i dunno ;..... lunch desert????  before the icecream???? there is food here....big time... luckily we have 2 big normal refrigerator/freezers  plus a  6' x 12 '    walk in freezer..  so i am sure it all got put away somewhere.... ******  the recipients are wonderful... as are thier dogs...  everybody is  thrilled with the progress..  several have said they coudln t  have thought of coming to anything like dogfest before they got thier dogs...   by  trains....planes and auto for hours-- everyone mannaged theri dog perfectly... keep in mind it means   water dishes, food, snacks. poo pickers-- there  is alot to manqage having a service dog.  i am speciall y  proud of   erica and asher   from R.I. and caroline and clark - from ohio-- lookin  good ---  smiling away !!!! hunter and wendy were here too.... and alot of people were carrying around the tote bags with wendy's pickture on the m.... i also saw hunters father carrying around a huge box of teh tote bags... so tehy must be doing well... they should be  on the web  soon  for $25 plus  $5.. ***  i am told starbucks  is here with cooooooffffeeeeeee and a bunch are cooking breakfast in th t tent. i am outta here ! ******** medical reports????  no report on   annie's  yet--- she fell and brokd a few bones... si  all i know i will find out who is orgainzing something about her... **** then....bella' surgery...  WELL I HAVE BEEN DREADING MAKING THIS POST. I WANT TO TURN BACK TIME BUT CAN'T.  BELLA AND GEORGE ARE GOING TO HAVE A VERY LONG FEW MONTHS AHEAD OF THEM. WE DON'T HAVE DATES FOR ANYTHING YET BUT SHOULD SOON. SO DR KARLIN CHECKED HER OUT AND FILLED US IN ON HER MRI. HE TOOK SOME 3-D X-RAYS AND HE ALSO CAME TO SUPPORT HER AND POSITION HER FOR ANOTHER X-RAY. THEN WE WENT AND GOT THE NEWS. HER KYPHOSIS IS A 60-70 DEGREE ANGLE. IT SHOULD BE 20-30 DEGREES. THE BASE OF HER CERVICAL SPINE TO HER THORACIC SPINE CREATES SUCH A LARGE ANGLE THAT HER SPINAL CORD IS BEING COMPRESSED. THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO IT YET THAT THEY CAN TELL FROM THE MRI AND HER NECK IS STABLE WHICH IS GOOD NEWS. BUT SHE NEEDS INTERVENTION SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. SO WE ARE PLANNING ON DECEMBER. BELLA WILL HAVE TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR 3-4 WEEKS FOR TRACTION. THAT INVOLVES PUTTING A HALO ON AND BASICALLY HAVING THAT ATTACHED TO A ROPE WITH A WEIGHT TO STRETCH OUT HER NECK. THE IDEA IS THAT IT WILL CORRECT THE CURVE JUST ENOUGH TO DO SURGERY. IT IS TO MUCH OF A CORRECTION TO JUMP INTO SPINAL SURGERY WITHOUT TRACTION. SO AFTER TRACTION IS DONE AND HER NECK IS A LITTLE STRAIGHTER SHE WILL GO IN AND HAVE A FUSION. SHE WILL NEED C-5 DOWN THROUGH ALL OF HER THORACIC SPINE FUSED WITH RODS ON EACH SIDE OF HER VERTEBRAE. THEN SHE WILL STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR RECOVER. SO IT'S LOOKING LIKE 4-6 WEEKS IN PATIENT. IT'S A LONG TIME. HOPEFULLY THERE IS A DOG PARK NEAR BY FOR GEORGE TO BE ABLE TO RUN IN. SO NOW WE WAIT FOR DATES. I HATE ALL THIS WAITING.  BUT I WILL END TONIGHT WITH BELLA'S ONE BIG QUESTION, "DR KARLIN DO YOU THINK THIS SURGERY WILL MAKE ME TALLER" KARLIN SAYS "POSSIBLY BUT NOT A LOT". BELLA RESPONDS "IT'S OK I ONLY WANT TO BE 1 INCH TALLER SO I CAN BE 4 FEET!" KARLIN SAYS HE THINKS THAT MAY HAPPEN ONCE HER BACK IS STRAIGHT. I THINK THEN BELLA WAS READY FOR SURGERY. SHE IS ONE EXTREMELY TOUGH COOKIE! SO OFF FOR TONIGHT. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT AND CHECKING IN. LOVE BELLA AND GEORGE