Jacquie’s blog

I have been to New York City a few times and loved every trip there. Each trip has had an agenda and I've always left wishing I could have seen more. This trip was for that reason. To see, to do, to shop, to experience. In the short time I was there I had the opportunity to see and experience many things. It was just what I was hoping for. Not to mention I really needed the break from work and all of the "drama" that happens there on a daily basis. It was a much needed diversion from my boring day to day working only life.

There hasn't really been much to write about here on my Vox Blog. My life just doesn't seem that interesting. Or it could be that I don't feel I have much to offer. But having taken this trip, I now feel a bit better about writing. Like I have something to share that others my find interesting.

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I was actually surprised at the feelings that came over me when I saw our Statue Of Liberty in person. It's size and the history behind it was enlightening and sometimes emotional. We had yet to get to Ellis Island but could see it in the distance. I imagined what it must have been like for the many that endured the trip from their homelands seeking refuge and a better life.

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This was just above the Ellis Island main building's facade. It struck me how visual symbols can communicate to those of any culture. I have yet to get the lenses I need for better pictures and to take my class to learn how to get better use of my camera but having said that, I think this came out pretty good.

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The Flag at Ellis Island from the ferry deck.

Time to get ready for work. Will post more later.

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This is the best shot I could get of this little guy and as you can see I still needed to fine tune the scissoring work. These people asked if I would do a Mohawk on their dog. He was pretty matted and dirty but I noticed that most of the top part of his body was in good shape so I said I'd try. I groom Saturday's at my nieces kennel and usually with her and two other groomers. So there are four of us in the grooming room, which helped some as I needed someone to hold his head to keep his body straight so that I could get my pattern lines straight from the top of his head to his tail. Then I just hand scissored the whole thing. I was pretty pumped I have to admit. They all were jealous 'cause they liked it so much. My neice, Becky, told the owners that "Everyone is excited to have him come back so they can groom him!"  Ahhh, so nice to have something other than an "end of winter matted mess" to shave down.

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We got snow yesterday and more cold temperatures are in store for the rest of the week. It's April and I've been cold since October. I am so ready to "feel" Spring and smell the sweet air that comes with it. Last week it was nicer, in the 60's and I actually got to open the window in my study here where my computer is. The birds sang praise too and it was glorious. One thing I love is Spring Cleaning. What a wonderful feeling it is for me to open up all of the windows, clean the winter layers off of them, wash the curtains and dust the walls. No furnace running to stay warm - I can get that for free and it smells better.

This year I decided to try my hand again at growing flowers from seed. I have tried many other times in the past but haven't had the best luck. I'll keep trying. I really want to save money on flowers this year. My ulitmate goal is lots of pretty flowers in containers. Last year I planted two Hydrangia under the big window in front of the house. They were discounted/end of season plants but fairly large. I hope they survived the winter and will grace me with beautiful flowers this summer. In the back yard I have a couple of major challenges. The first being two large piles of broken up bricks that Tom has dumped back there. He rebuilt the front steps and the first pile is the remains of the old steps. The second pile is from the old patio at their other property in the city that he rebuilt last year. Underneath those two ugly piles is a lawn that is a disaster. When Tom's parents lived here his father had an inground pool installed. It took up 95% of the back yard. Tom grew up, moved out and his father passed away. His mother had the pool filled in with rocks. All rocks. Then they put a thin layer of dirt over it and grass seed. Well, lets just say no grass will grow.....only weeds. You can actually see the outline of what Tom calls his fathers "ghost" in the summer. So I am trying to think up cheap ways around this. I'm pretty much down to putting a layer of Landscape fabric down, then patio blocks of some sort and then mulch. Even though I don't have any outdoor furniture I'm hoping to pick up a couple of chairs or something so that I can sit out there. Maybe have a friend over and relax outside. I'll put my containers of flowers around and try to make a nice little sitting area. That's the plan......we'll see. Even patio blocks can be pricey.

Only 5 more weeks and I'll be in NY city!!! I just can't wait! I'm working every chance I can to gather as much $$$ as possible. In May the city will be warmer and it'll be nice to walk around without the bundles of jackets and hats etc. I love the freedom of un layering! My photography class starts the end of April so I'm hoping to learn enough about my new (to me) camera to get some nice pictures. Also, I am planning out the things I want to see and do. Of course shopping is a must, but I would like to go to Ground Zero, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, St. Patricks Cathedral and so on. Plus 4 days away from work will be golden. My only problem is leaving Honey behind. I hate that thought. She'll go to Sue and Tom's for the weekend and will be spoiled and loved, but she won't be with me. :(

We at the Hospital have been dealing with one emergency after another. Oh yes, we still have our daily functions; Appointments, Procedures etc. But we have also added a number of crazy emergencies. To top it all off we had to euthanize our darling little patient Jordan yesterday. We've been treating him since November for Diabetes, on Thursday he went into Renal Failure and yesterday we lost him. Jordan was a wonderful little patient, easy to treat and take care of. I was there with him in his final moments along with Dr and Tech. We talked to him and pet him until he slipped away.

Last week we got a call from an owner about her Pit Bull that was at Animal Control. He was being held for Rabies Quarantine as his owner had not vaccinated him in 3 years! Stupid. He bites people and the most recent victim was her brother. Sent him to the hospital. The story is that he got Parvo while at AC. Hm. Anyway, he was dying. We were asked if we could save him. (why?) So she could take him back home and put him back in the yard on a tie-out? Wow, what a life! And they wonder why he bites. Anyway, I was asked to help with treatment. He was brought to us by Animal Control Officers, carried in so as to not even remotely give any chance of Parvo hitting the ground or our floors. Muzzled and on the exam table he let us give him IV fluids, IV meds and AC was told that we would not keep him in Quarantine because Dr would not risk staff getting injured trying to treat him. AC didn't want him back because of the Parvo threat. What a mess. And to think that ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED for a lousy few bucks of vaccinations. As of yesterday, they've spent over $1,000 keeping this animal alive. So they can take him home and tie him up in the yard and show everyone how tough they are because they have a Pit Bull. I can't wait for the day that this breed is no longer a status symbol or "fashion statement".

Monday a staff member, BJ I'll call her, brought in her German Shepherd because she had been vomitting. Dr. and BJ suspected an obstruction. Xray confirmed. She had a belly full of stones. Seriously, stones lots of 'em just packed into her stomach. The film showed them all packed in there with no way to pass. So, in they went and a couple of hours later had removed a good pound or so.

Yesterday another staff member, KH, brought her Bulldog in for a possible obstruction. Again, Xray's confimed a mass in the belly. In they went to surgery AGAIN and a couple of hours later had her dog in recovery and the Victoria's Secret Thong removed. I wasn't there for that surgery as Tuesday is my only short (6 hr) day. I was there in Xray when Dr read the film, he told me that he was going to make all staff ship their dogs out of town until our other Dr got back from her mediacal leave!

On a side note, we have done these types of surgeries often and most live. However, some die on the table. At the point of near closing they can go into Cardiac Arrest. I have yet to see one saved once that happens. And they try, they try HARD to save them. Just like you see on TV. These are not easy surgeries. They are stressful and lengthy and recovery is hard.

I'm off to get ready to see what today brings. I groom this morning then am in the back of the hospital til close.

It has been one year now since the Shingles virus ravaged my body. It came quietly one day and slowly over about 48 hours it hit full force. Being ignorant about the virus, I assumed it was just a rash thing and let it go as at first I felt just fine overall. After a couple days it started to hurt. I was covered on most of the right side of my chest and back, under my armpit and in the middle of my breastbone. Anywhere a bra would cover I was covered. I started feeling bad all over, tired and quite uncomfortable. My sister convinced me to go to the doctor. This is an issue as she has the most awesome and wonderful GP- Dr Jane. But Dr. Jane and her staff have issues with me not having Health Insurance. (like I don't?) They have grilled me about it and I continue to try to relay to them that I CAN NOT AFFORD Health Insurance. Period. Anyway, I went (cash in hand) and Dr. Jane wouldn't see me but passed me on to her PA. Fine with me, I needed drugs and relief. When she looked at my chest and back, she immediately went to Dr. Jane. Coming back she explained that I was the worst case they had on record. She wrote me two scripts; One for pain Tramidol (sp?) and something else to hit the virus. A Herpes drug. The Herpes medication was $155. I didn't fill it.

I went back to work that day. Took the free drugs they gave me and then went home. Shortly after that I started to get really sick. I didn't make it to work for the next two days. I was vomiting and sick to my stomach. I felt like I'd been run over by a Mack Truck, every muscle was sore and the pain from the rash was, to say the least, unbearable. It took me a day to figure out that the pain meds were what was making me vomit. Tramidol is not a controlled substance drug, however it does have the same results as Morphine. Hits the same receptors. My body doesn't like drugs. I've had reactions in the past to medications including anything with Codine. So, I stopped the Tramidol and suffered through with just Tylenol.

It took a good month before the rash started to subside. As it healed it sent shooting pains to those areas affected. Sharp, stabbing pain. Like a knife quickly slipping in and out again. This went on for WEEKS. The virus attacks the nerve endings at the rash site and sends wonderful blasts of pain to those spots. It was difficult to work. I was uncomfortable all of the time and so sick of alternating between Asprin, Tylenol and Motrine.

Around August I still had signs of the rash but was for the most part no longer in any pain. Once in a great while I'd get a little "shooter" but nothing compared to what it had been. I spent a lot of time researching the Shingles Virus educating myself and one day heard a story on the NPR station I listen to on the way to work about it.

Shingles is on the rise. More people are getting it than before because more kids have been vaccinated against Chicken Pox since the 1960's. If you've had Chicken Pox you have the chance of getting Shingles. Shingles attatches itself in your body during the Chicken Pox and lays dormant for years. Now, since children are not exposing adults to the virus - however subltly - we are not getting a natural immunity to it. Hence we in our 40's, 50's and 60's are breaking with Shingles at a much higher rate than before the Chicken Pox vaccine.

I am glad I have at least four more years before I have to worry about this again. I'm glad those months of pain are over and I am very happy to report that I have no visible scars. And lastly, I am embarassed to say that I never thought it was a big thing. Now I know better, it is a big thing and if anyone ever tells you they have it please don't make light of it. It is very, very painful.

One day through the primeval wood

A calf walked home as good calves should;

But made a trail all bent askew,

A crooked trail as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,

And I infer the calf is dead.

But still he left behind his trail,

And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day

By a lone dog that passed that way;

And then a wise bell-wether sheep,

And drew the flock behind him, too,

As good bell-wethers always do.

And from that day, o'er hill and glade,

Through those old woods a path was made,

And many men wound in and out,

And dodged and turned and bent about,

And uttered words of righteous wrath

Because 'twas such a crooked path;

But still they followed -do not laugh -

The first migrations of that calf,

And through this winding wood-way stalked

Because he wabbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,

That bent, and turned, and turned again.

This crooked lane became a road,

Where many a poor horse with his load

Toiled on beneath the burning sun,

And traveled some three miles in one.

And thus a century and a half

They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet.

The road became a village street;

And this, before men were aware,

A city's crowded thoroughfare,

And soon the central street was this

Of a renowned metropolis;

And men two centuries and a half

Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout

Followed this zigzag calf about,

And o'er his crooked journey went

The traffic of a continent.

A hundred thousand men were led

By one calf near three centuries dead.

They followed still his crooked way,

And lost one hundred years a day,

For thus such reverence is lent

To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach

Were I ordained and called to preach;

For men are prone to go it blind

Along the calf-paths of the mind,

And work away from sun to sun

To do what other men have done.

They follow in the beaten track,

And out and in,  and forth and back,

And still their devious course pursue,

To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a sacred groove,

Along which all their lives they move;

But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,

Who saw the first primeval calf.

Ah, many things this tale might teach -

But I am not ordained to preach.

Sam Walter Foss

Okay, I think I got it this time.

Still in yesterdays makeup I dragged my butt around this morning vowing to do some REAL cleaning and not the usual "touch - up" kind. Still reeling from last nights emergency surgery and wondering if the dog made it through the night, I said "this is it" and started ripping the bed apart and opening curtains. And then....I saw it.......from the bedroom window.......

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Oh my! What the hell is THAT!?! I ran for my camera and started shooting through the window. Realizing that those would make for crappy shots, I made my was out the side door, ever so quietly as one can be whilst freezing in the snow with my fuzzy slippers and fleece covered body. The bird never moved, it looked at me as if to say "Find your own Pigeon lady...this ones mine!" and continued munching away. Oh, poor Pigeon I thought, but this thing was pretty hungry. It proudly continued to feast away with out a single care.

Then I thought, "Hey, I live in the city now. These birds don't just fly around and land in someones back yard." Hm, well I guess they do now don't they. I can't decide if it's cool or not because now it's gone and has left me a mess of carcass to clean up before Honey gets to it! YUCK! Geeze.

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So, I'm back to cleaning. Inside and outside. Go figure.

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I miss Bo. This is me on him during a lesson. He is big and beautiful and has a heart of gold. Bo made me a better student because he was trained as an event horse, NOT a lesson horse. So, he knew what he was doing and made sure I did too! It's been two years since I've been to the stables. I haven't ever forgotten him and don't plan to. I do plan to take the 2 hour drive to visit as soon as the weather is warmer. To touch him, stand next to him and feel his warmth.

I knew that falling off a horse was my destiny. I knew the risks as well, what I didn't know was WHEN or HOW it would happen. It had rained pretty hard one night and my lessons were always early morning per my request. So Bo and I were working me at the Trott -which I was still struggling with- going around the arena there was a big puddle at the corner, just as we hit that puddle I started to loose my balance and Bo's front left foot/shoulder dropped into the puddle, two more strides and I was over his side on my back! My trainer screamed "Let Go - Let Go!!!" Not realizing I was still holding one rein in my hand I let go of it. She came running over of course and we picked me up and brushed me off. My first fall.....I stood there and laughed and said "I did it! I fell off!!!" Relief. The worst was over. But then we both realized that Bo was motionless. Not a muscle moved, his hooves planted firmly to the ground. It got quiet and all I could hear was his breathing......she looked him over, I asked "is he okay?" Worried that maybe he got hurt somehow.....no. He was upset because I fell. I hugged him around his huge neck and got right back up on him.

Horses are special animals. Very special. I have loved them since I was a little girl. All of the hopes and dreams that have passed through my life - my dream of having a horse has never gone away. I will never give up on that dream..ever.

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My "Cowgirlboy" boots that Santa brought!

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Imagine that........it's snowing.........AGAIN! I just got my driveway down to bare pavement....and it's snowing. The weather people are all crazy talking about how cold it's going to be starting tonight. Grrrrrrrrr and Brrrrrrrrrrr. I'm trying really hard to keep the furnace set low but it's still running a lot. And I'm cold even with sweaters and fleece sweats. I'm sitting here watching it from my window. Big chunky flakes. Hey, they add up you know. Pretty soon before you know it they're piled so high you have to shovel your way out the door. Your car looks like a snow turtle and it takes three times as long to get anywhere because of road conditions and stupid people that forget it's SNOWING! Once the temps drop the salt won't melt the ice/snow. So the roads - well lets just say it's an adventure driving. A test of skill to see who can keep their car on the road and who can't. Oh yeah, and the 4x4 drivers.....it's only good if you're moving forward......not any different to stop than any other vehicle. So have at it.....pass me going 50 mph I'll see you in the next ditch. Jerk.

Oh well, only two and a half more months to go...............u g h. I'm getting cranky.