From Our Vet
The following letter came in the mail a few days ago:
Dear Mary and Jonathan,
May fond memories of your beloved companion warm your heart always.
A donation has been made to the ACVIM [American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine] by Dr. Wayne Juhnke at River Forest Animal Hospital in memory of your dog Fly.
Please accept our sincere condolences for your loss. We hope that you may find comfort in knowing that this donation will help to provide longer, healthier lives for companion animals.
Kind Regards,
Lauren Parsons
Programs Manager
ACVIM Foundation
Update: Fly
In December, Fly and Lila were reunited. In Fly's last three weeks, she could no longer walk, which meant that relieving herself was not the clean affair that dogs prefer. Because of these difficulties, she would delay urinating as long as possible, which led to infections. The day we found blood and urine on her bed, we made the appointment with the animal hospital. During Fly's time with us, we gave her the maximum safe dose of painkillers, so I'm fairly confident that she was not in physical pain.
It was a privilege to care for her, and in our shoes Lila would have done the same for us. I miss both Lila and Fly a great deal.
Update: My Dad
About a week ago, I returned from a ten-day visit in Virginia to help with my father's care. His last surgery in December for a broken leg had led to another long stay in a rehab hospital.
As of today, his Medicare benefits for rehab hit their 100-day mark, which means payments now go from 20% to 100%. So he was discharged today at noon. Once my mother, father, and the home-health-care aide are settled again into their home, I'll be telephoning to see how they are doing. Will keep you posted.
Bragging Rights
"Everything is bigger in Texas!" How often have I heard that phrase--especially from Texans themselves! My adopted state of Illinois just doesn't have the same aura to the rest of the country. But after years of searching for Illinois' claim to fame (for itself, not Lincoln), I finally saw an article in the Chicago Tribune that filled the bill. Cut and paste this address into your browser and enjoy:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-24/news/ct-perspec-0124-weather-20130124_1_freak-snowstorms-palm-trees-weather
Basketball Terminology
The coach yelled to the basketball team of young girls:
"Play man-to-man, ladies!"
