what's cooking?

I am in mourning. My week has not been very good. I think fate is getting me back for having a great 3 days in the desert. We had a blast-and not just of heat. I came back brown, rested and enjoyed seeing my husband for three entire days. Plus we spent some quality time with our daughter, son-in-law and darling grandkids.

Then we came home. I immediately went on my computer to post a cooking column. I was able to get only that far. As soon as I went to write up several book reviews-poor old Bessie froze. Then came the black screen. What followed the black screen was just horrible-THERE HAS BEEN A FATAL ERROR, MICROSOFT IS SHUTTING DOWN YOUR WORKSTATION.

Didn’t we just go through that last month? Didn’t I share my husband with his new best friend in India for the first 3 weekends we had together in the last two years? What did Microsoft mean-SHUTTING DOWN MY WORKSTATION-AGAIN!

At least the last time, before our techie friend took over, I was allowed to download all my worldly writing possessions to my husband’s new laptop. This go round-Zippo. No matter what our support staff did-old Bessie was beyond hope.

My husband broke the news to me when I came up to ask the condition of the patient a couple of hours later. “Honey, it’s gone. It’s not coming back. Face it, Bessie had a long life for her breed. We’ll get you your own laptop. I’m sorry about all your saved articles. I think I still have some of it left on my computer, we’ll check. You’ll be happy. I promise.”

Problem. This kind declaration was made before the next morning when our darling Lab mix Sunshine showed us that 10 days on antibiotics did nothing to improve that open sore on her mouth. Not only did it not help-it was still red and oozy. Plus Tuesday morning she started getting all clammy and glassy-eyed. Fortunately our son Adam was home that morning. Poor Sunshine proceeded to hurl everywhere and many times. He rushed her to the vet. (side bar, Toby the kitty-he’s sick as well, but he’s our grandfurbaby)

Next thing I heard was that they had to give her an IV of fluid, a shot of something to stop the vomiting, directions on how to care for her for the rest of the day, what to watch for and a shopping list of what to feed her-if she could start keeping water down.

That wasn’t all-oh nooooo. When Adam got home with our weak but now re-hydrated pooch, he found Pepper waiting for them. He was winking. He came to see how his sick mommy dog was-trouble was he was only looking at her with one eye. Adam bent down and saw “it”.

“It” was a glob of green, yucky stuff and tears pouring out of his eye! He immediately called me again-”mom, he was fine when I left him with Toby, and now his eye is oozing with green mucous and tearing-I wish it had done this before I left, I could have taken him in at the same time!”

So, Wednesday morning I had to do the next trip to the vet. An eye infection-of course. Now we had one 12 year old dog in need of full-time care and a 4-½ year old tabby that was going to need eye drops for 10 days. (and of course the grandfurbaby who was spewing from all orifices)

Now, if any of you have read my posts for any length of time you know that my husband and I are suckers for our furry babies. We truly think of them as just more of our kids.

So there wasn’t a decision to be made-it just was, my computer is being mourned, but my animals are being loved.