February Here Already!

January flew by in record time and February is doing the same. At the end of January, I continued to celebrate my birthday in delightful fashion when Chris treated me to a play and dinner.....and we were joined by our friend Sally. The play was The Christians by Lucas Hnath, and boy was it apropos for the times. It was followed by a discussion session with a member of the clergy (a difference on at each performance) and it was very thought-provoking, It was followed by a delicious dinner and stimulating conversation. It really was a nice thing for Chris to do and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and one of the things I love about my friends is that we can always find something to laugh about, to lighten and brighten the day, That is such a joy!

I am saddened to tell you that Rosie's back is no better. I took her to Charleston Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC) on January 31st at the recommendation of Jennifer Smith, President of Noah's Ark Rescue from which I got Rosie. This is the same veterinary that did her surgery for her broken back legs and pelvis. My vet just sent me away with meds and no mention of a followup. I also wanted someone who knows her history and would look at the whole picture. I felt confident after their exam and their plan of action was to put her on Gabapentin for a month, restrict her movement - even down to limiting her walking time to 5 minutes (impossible!). That has not been easy. Anyone who has met her knows that she is an all-out girl! If I even say, "Let's go walkie" she sprints to the door. The medication does sedate her a bit, but that is sad for me to see. I have done my best and my house looks like a furniture warehouse. Sofa cushions are removed and put upright in front of the sofa to keep her from jumping on....and then off! She is a fearless jumper and if the doorbell goes, she's off, no matter where she is. So, I've done my best. I bought and constructed a ramp for her to get on and off the bed, neither of which has really worked. The only way that booger will use it is if I put her half-way up the ramp. Then she will run the rest of the way.....and the only way she knows how to get off of anything is doing a Michael Jordan type jump!!! The good thing is that she doesn't often get off the bed once we settle. I'm doing everything I can to NOT have to crate her as a restraint.

I have set up her crate again and put her longtime bed in it. Sometimes, when she isn't feeling well, she heads for the bedroom closet, which is where I first discovered her shivering in pain. I keep my bedroom door closed and put her crate outside. If she isn't feeling well, she will go to her crate. I now, after the fact, see the importance of keeping them crate trained!! So, I got her a new bed to use outside the crate. This is called a calming bed and she took to it straight away!  It is so soft and squishy. It was vacuum packed and arrived in my mailbox.....literally. I opened it, shook it out, put in the dryer to fluff it up, and it was ready to go. It's washable and I use it on the floor, on the sofa, or on the bed. 

Rosie on her bed as I write!

All who know her knows how much I love her and what a joy she is in my life. I will do everything I can to make her comfortable and maintain her quality of life. I'm taking her back to CVRC on Monday to see a neurologist. It may involve an MRI to see exactly what is going on and determine a treatment program. Please keep her in your thoughts and send healing vibes her way.

All of this has kept me sidelined for a while. I missed a Liberal Ladies luncheon and other meetings due to Rosie having an episode of shivering, panting, and teeth grinding. Even so, I am happy to announce that our (Liberal Ladies') movie debut (The Glorias) happened at Sundance to very good reviews. We are anxiously waiting to see if any of us actually escaped the cutting room floor!!  After seeing how it was filmed, it will be interesting and fun to see the finished product. Will keep you posted if/when more information is available.

One achievement I'm very proud of is that I was instrumental in getting the Black Voters Matter bus to come to Beaufort County!! I've been following them on Facebook since they were instrumental in getting Doug Jones elected in Alabama. One day they announced they were coming to SC. I immediately commented and asked them to come to Beaufort County. Mika Gadsden messaged me and asked if I could put her in touch with any Black-led organizations in the county. Our Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) organizer and our Democrat Club leaders are both Black and I put her in touch with them. Neither of them was aware of this group and was probably surprised that this old, white lady was! In any case, shortly after that, Mika met with the Dem. Club Steering Committee (and me). Their first visit will be on the 22nd of this month to Campbell AME Church to which I've been invited. This BVM bus is based in Charleston and will come down for various events through the November election. We are hoping they will encourage POC in our community to vote. The League of Women Voters will be focusing on the Latino community,,,,.and we will all have to do everything we can to dump trump.

There is an interesting aside to the story above. When Mika contacted me, I knew everything would be passed on to someone else, though I would have liked/expected to be kept in the loop. So, I did tell my buds what I was working on. She (Mika) mentioned something else on FB and I commented, "Don't forget Beaufort County"! She then said she was coming down on Thursday, only a few days away!! I texted one of the contacts and, sure enough, there were plans for her to come down and meet with them...and I was out of the loop. At that point, I was invited to join the meeting. I don't know if it was all happening too fast or if the whole process was taken over by male-dominated committees. Just saying.....

Tippy and I are also preparing to teach an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) class on our trips to Africa at our Hilton Head Campus at the end of the month. As of last week 91 people had signed up for it - YIKES! It's been a long time since I taught anyone or anything and I'm not a comfortable public speaker, but I know I can rely on Tippy to save me! It is great to see so many people interested in it and to be able to share our unforgettable experiences. I hope we can do it justice.

That's a quick rundown of my doings, most of which have centered around my sidekick and sweet girl, Rosie. Please send good, healing vibes her way and we will keep you posted.

Belatedly...