Hello Friends!
Life Happens
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I was on my way to getting my blog posts all caught up, when once again, life happened; taking a hard, sad turn.
Pepper in my first camper van, 2009
Around the middle of October, I took my oldest dog, Pepper, to the vet to get some medication for her arthritis. Turns out she had a problem with her spleen; anemia, and a second round of bloodwork showed that she was not re-producing red blood cells which carries oxygen to the brain; sometimes causing confusion. The diagnosis...cancer in her bone marrow. Even though she was 14 yrs old, I was not expecting this! She had been healthy aside from the arthritis. I had no idea she was sick.
She continued to decline to the point that I didn't think she was going to make it to Thanksgiving. She had quit eating no matter what I offered her. A miracle occurred a couple days before Thanksgiving when she started eating good again. What a blessing our holiday was! A couple days later, she was back to not eating anything for about three days. Then, out of the blue, she started eating again, but still not gaining weight, and very weak. She took spells of throwing up and began to have occasional bladder leaks. Her mobility became extremely worse, to where she wasn't able to get up and down. Sadly, I had to have her put down on Dec. 13th... which will go down as one of the darkest days of my life.
To say I am heartbroken is such an understatement. I am devastated. I love my other two doggies, Gracie and River just as much, but Pepper and I had very special bond. She had to know where I was every minute; she was my protector. She thought it was her job to take care of me; to watch over her Momma. How can it be that I also had to give up my kitty cat, Bob, who passed away May 11th this year?? It's been almost more than I can bear.
On top of all that, my mom's health has not improved at all, resulting in more doctor/hospital visits, which has been very stressful. Consumed by these and other issues for the past few months, and becoming very sick myself through November and December, I just totally shut down.
Things are still very difficult, but with the Lord's help, I'm getting through it. I have cried every day since I lost Pepper, but am starting to feel better mentally and physically than I have in three months. "Thou, who has shown me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Psalm 71:20God doesn't promise that we will never experience hardships and heartbreak, but he does promise that he will be there to help us through it. "...I will never leave thee nor forsake thee..." Hebrews 13:5-6
Thank you all for the prayers and comments I received on my last video where I talked about Pepper being sick. We are never prepared for death. I will never be the same; but am so very grateful for the years and so many wonderful memories I have of my sweet Pepper girl. She lived longer than most dogs and had a great life. She certainly made my life better and will live forever in my heart.
Picking Up Where I Left Off
I'm picking up the blog timeline where l left off, with the events as they transpired, but just wanted to explain why I've been silent for a while.
Waiting for our own NOAH THOMPSON to come on stage...in our hometown!
NOAH THOMPSON MANIA!
Do y'all know who NOAH THOMPSON is??? Well, just in case you don't...he is a winner from last year's AMERICAN IDOL!!! and...he just happens to be from my hometown! During a break, the contestants went back to their hometowns for a homecoming concert and festivities which was filmed, and clips included in the show. Let me tell you...this was one of the biggest things that has ever happened in our little town! Eastern Kentucky is known for producing huge musical talent, and Noah may be on his way to joining that crowd. What an exciting time that was for him and us!
Homecoming for American Idol winner, Noah Thompson!
Suspicious Track & Trees
A while back, while on a walk, I experienced something strange. I felt something hit my head. My first thought was a bird dropped something on me, but there was nothing–that happened twice. Then I saw 3 or 4 trees where a large portion of the bark was missing. I figured someone may be gathering bark, but there was no where to park off the road to get to the hillside. Lastly, I saw a large track that I couldn't identify.
Unidentified track #1