Hi All!!

Well, we "finally" have some sunshine here in North East Ohio. This is the first time in weeks that we can actually see blue sky as far as the eye could see. The trees look beautiful with their Fall colors and the sun shining on them. I'm sure they were beautiful before today too, but in the gray dull world we've been experiencing lately, you couldn't tell.

Wednesday was six months already that Mike has been gone. Feels like six years, but then again feels like yesterday. Tuesday night, I would have sworn he was in the bedroom with me. I got up to go to the bathroom around 3:00, and when I went back to bed, I saw him follow me into the bedroom. Then last night, I woke up and turned over and when I put my arms around my pillow, it felt so much like him. I fell asleep talking to him. I just miss him so much.

Gidget is doing fine. She has her moments (yipping) but other than that, she's really "trying" to behave herself. I don't know if I told you, but she has started going in my bedroom in the mornings again. I'm not sure if she's looking for Mike or dirty socks or underwear when she goes in there... I'm thinking both. She's so funny... sometimes I'll leave a pair of socks on the floor on purpose so she can "think" she's getting away with something. She will come out of the room with both socks in her mouth, her head down and her eyes looking up at me. Oh my gosh.. the expression on her face is hilarious. The other day, she came out of there with two socks AND one of her toys in her mouth. I have no idea how she managed it, but I guess she decided it was easier to make one trip than two to get what she wanted. LOL

Ohhhh... I don't know how many of you watch Hell's Kitchen (I love that program), but my son called me last night and told me he met Sous Chef Scott from Hell's Kitchen and Danny (the winner from last season). They were sitting at the table behind them. The bartender told them they were there last year too. We're wondering if they might have been checking out one of the chefs there for the show. This may not mean anything to most of you.. but I thought it was pretty exciting.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Take care of yourselves and stay healthy.

Love & Blessings,
Joanna, Angel Mike & Gidget

I was just cleaning out my e-mail Inbox this morning. I have no idea "why" I don't delete things as I read them... guess I'm an e-mail pack rat. LOL So instead of deleting as I should, it takes an hour (or more) to delete them when I have over eight hundred in there. It's quite a chore. However... before I delete, I have to make sure it's something I don't want to save. A few minutes ago...

I had gotten April's e-mails... specifically on and after April 16th... the day my boy had to leave me. I had blogged about that day, put the events of his leaving on FaceBook, sent out individual e-mails and sent a group letter to Mike's long list of supporters whom I met through Craig's List and a number of other places. When I got to the e-mails that everyone had sent me on that day (and afterwards), I re-read them, and I knew that in no way could I delete them. They touch me so much, and again, made me cry... not only because I still miss him so much, but also to know that so many people out there. that I have never met, had such love and compassion for him. It's so odd, that "strangers" can care so much. That their hearts can be felt through a screen on a desk. I read each and every e-mail over again with tears in my eyes... I could feel that each one was written and sent with love. How wonderful is that?

Friday will be the 16th... six months since my baby left me. I miss him so much. Oh how I wish I could go back in time and hold him one more time... feel his nose kisses on my nose... have him greet me at the door... to have him run excitedly when I ask him if he wants to go for a ride... to walk with him by the lake at sunset like we did so often... to play tug with him and his Westie baby. Oh my God... I just miss him so much. He was such a part of me. I still feel like my heart has been ripped out.

Don't get me wrong.. Gidget is wonderful. But she's not Mike. Mike was such a comfort to me in so many ways. We would go down to the lake at least once or twice a week every chance I got and just spend quiet time together. I haven't been to the lake since he's been gone. I probably should have taken Gidget there, but she's so active and yippy, that it would have ruined the memory of the wonderful experiences that Mike and I had there.

I'm sorry to sound like a downer. I'm really all right... it's just that reading all those wonderful e-mails brought back memories of my Mike... My Buddy, My Pal, My Friend, My Love.

Thanks for understanding.
I hope everyone is doing great.

Much Love and Blessings To All

I KNOW... IT'S ABOUT TIME I WRITE SOMETHING

I know it's been a very long time since I've posted. On top of being sick for a few days with a miserable cold... we've been dealing with some major trauma regarding Scrappy. Rather than rewriting everything here... I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to copy and paste e-mails that I sent to a friend from church who has a huge mailing list (probably around 300 people).... thank God for her ministry... I know it saved Scrappy's life.... this is going to be very long between the two e-mails, so sit back, grab a cup of coffee.

First E-Mail

URGENT - SCRAPPY NEEDS HELP

Sue,

Please help me help Scrappy. This is a desperate plea for a very special person to help save this precious boy.

About two months ago, you sent out a request to help my daughter find a new home for their terrier mix, Scrappy. A lot of people responded, and Michelle found someone who seemed to be perfect in all aspects. However, apparently this person did not want to take the time or effort to deal with Scrappy's confusion about moving to a new home, and he developed a separation anxiety issue.

This person punished him for barking with a shock collar, and when he was put in a cage (which he had never been in) and was left home alone, he panicked and barked right through the shock and would mess in his cage. When my daughter had him, he also had a collar on him, however, the batteries were very weak, and Scrappy knew just how loud he could bark without getting shocked. Now... he was getting the full force of electricity on his sweet little neck. He was punished severely for barking. Also, when my daughter had him, he was never in a cage. When she went out, she either left him lose or tied him up with a lead long enough so he could move around some, and he would sleep until she got home. He had never been confined to a cage.

Now, the worst possible scenario has happened. I work for the veterinarian that takes care of Scrappy, and she is horrified at what is going on as well as I am. Last week, the vet got a call from the person who had Scrappy. She was going to take him to the APL. The vet begged her not to and asked her to please wait until we could find a place for him to go. She has a friend who works at Berea Animal Shelter who was out of town, but she was hoping this person could find a foster home for him so he would not have to be left at a kennel or put in a cage again. She gave this person medication to help calm Scrappy down over the weekend. Well... apparently this person did not follow through on what she said she would do... she said she would keep him until Monday. I got a call Sunday saying she had dumped poor Scrappy at the Brooklyn Animal Shelter. This after at least two people explained to her what she "could have" done to help Scrappy acclimate to his new surroundings.

Now this poor guy is in total hell... he's scared, confused, and missing his family more than ever. He really needs to get out of there... yesterday! He needs to get out of that place NOW!!!

This time, though, it's going to take someone who will totally commit to him. Someone who is not afraid of a little hard work to work with him. Someone who will show him all the love and understanding and compassion that he needs. Scrappy needs someone who won't give up on him and throw him away again. He needs a FOREVER home so he is not bounced around to another place or (God forbid) another shelter. He needs someone who is willing to work with the vet since she is more than willing to work with them.... she loves Scrappy too. She was going to take Scrappy herself, however she already has four dogs and five cats and isn't home at all during the day. I wanted to take him so badly, but I rent, and my landlord won't let me have another dog.

The vet has been in contact with Brooklyn Shelter. They say Scrappy is not doing good at all there. Since he's been there, he's gotten snippy when someone goes to his cage, however when they say "do you want to go for a walk" he gets all happy again. Scrappy has NEVER been aggressive, and I'm sure (and so is the vet) that this behavior is because he is so afraid.

The vet said Scrappy's issues can be solved, but it's going to take work and patience, and she is more than willing to work with the new owners.

I put off telling my daughter about all of this until yesterday. She is totally heartbroken as we are. The ONLY reason she gave Scrappy up is because she bought a condo, and the association does not allow dogs. This is just so hard. He's a wonderful dog, great with kids, a real love who loves to lay on your lap and be petted while you watch tv. HE DOESN'T DESERVE THE TREATMENT HE HAS GOTTEN since he left his home. Now he's in a cage with no love, no one to talk to him, no one to take him for walks, no one to remind him that God loves him.... he just has a cold cage... like a prisoner... and he doesn't understand why this is happening to him (and neither do we).

PLEASE... If there is anyone out there who can dedicate themselves to this precious pup and help him feel safe and secure again... please contact me at 440-427-8713 or Dr. Blaha at 440-427-0346, or contact the Brooklyn Animal Shelter (but let one of us know if you plan on going to save him).

I CAN'T STRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS LITTLE GUY IS TO US!!! WE NEED TO SAVE HIM!!!

Thank you everyone for reading this. Even if you can't help Scrappy... PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM... HE IS SO FRIGHTENED and he is being damaged psychologically even more every day that he has to stay in that kennel. He can, with love, return to the confident, happy, secure dog that he was before he went to live with this other person. He just needs the right person to rescue him and show him he is loved again.

Hope and Blessings,
Joanna

SECOND E-MAIL... SENT TODAY

SCRAPPY IS FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Oh Sue...

SCRAPPY IS FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
And thank everyone who said even one prayer for Scrappy. Yesterday was a day of total Divine Intervention.
This will most likely be a long e-mail, because there is so much to say, so please be patient with me.

I woke up yesterday morning at 7:00 with a horrible dream about Scrappy. I couldn't get it out of my mind, and I believe God gave me that dream to push me to write to you about Scrappy. Within 20 minutes after you forwarded my request, I got a phone call from a wonderful woman who had just read about Scrappy's predicament. Vicky Fortney called about Scrappy. She was in tears about his situation. I could tell her love for him before she even told me why she was calling. She offered to save Scrappy... to rescue him from his prison. With all the issues I listed and all of his problems, she was still open and willing to take the time to love him and be patient with him and try to get him back to the loving, sweet, gently dog that he is.

My letter was very detailed, and I know that most people would never think to take on a "problem" dog like I had described, so I really wasn't too sure about finding anyone who wanted to take on that responsibility. But Vicky is ready, willing and able. She lives in Seville... in the country and has two other dogs that Scrappy will have as brothers (or maybe sisters.. I don't think I asked). The story doesn't end here though. A lot has happened since my e-mail to you.

Just before Vicky called, JoAnne (my boss, the vet) called me and said, "We have to get him out of there." We were planning that I would go get him and bring him home until she got home and then take him there. She is also a behavior specialist and knows what she's doing in training. She said that even with her four dogs... "what's one more"... of course I knew it would be hard on her, but feasible. So I called the woman from the shelter and left a message for her to call me to let her know our plan.

A few minutes after I spoke with JoAnne, Vicky called. God knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Vicky then called JoAnne and got all the information about Scrappy and what to expect and everything she should know from JoAnne, but it didn't scare her away (a TRUE Good Samaritan)... thank God. Then JoAnne called Jennifer from the shelter. When she called me back, she said, "This just might work". I was ecstatic.

Well... as the day progressed, we both were both excited to get Scrappy out of there, but still concerned that something might happen to him before he was released. Our concerns "could" have been a reality since when Jennifer called me back, she told me that Scrappy was to be euthanized yesterday afternoon (even though this is a "non-kill" shelter). She said he was trying to bite everyone who went near the cage, and they were considering him to be unadoptable. My heart stopped, and I told her to PLEASE make sure everyone there knows... DO NOT TOUCH THIS DOG... one way or another we will get him out of there by tomorrow. Vicky had already made an appointment to pick him up after work today, but I just wanted to make sure they knew it. (The fear of an early euthanasia came from an experience JoAnne had one time... she was going to rescue a dog at another shelter, and one hour before she went to get him... they euthanized him... knowing she was on her way... we were so afraid this would happen to our boy too).

So now it seemed like God truly saved Scrappy just in the nick of time.

Well... last night, I got a call from Sue Spiewacki. She is the head of Health and Welfare for Brooklyn Animal Shelter. Thank God she called. When I first heard her name and the fact that she was from the shelter, my heart froze. I thought something had happened to our boy. BUT... instead, she gave me the best news I could ever have imagined. She said... "I don't know who has been talking to you, but Scrappy is fine. He's scared and confused, but he's fine. He was playing with some kids this afternoon, and I just got back from a walk with him." Oh my God... I was so relieved.

It seems the woman JoAnne had been talking to had mistakenly given us some wrong information. As far as biting anyone, Sue said if he had bitten anyone, she would know it, and as far as she knew, he hadn't bitten anyone. Although (she didn't say this but it's possible since he was so scared) he may have snapped to protect his space in the cage since he was so frightened.

She also said she didn't believe that he needs medication. She said he's a sweet dog (which I already knew) and he just needs love and understanding and a bit of training.

Sue... I was soooooooooooo relieved to have heard from her. And the even more miraculous part of all this is that I never had contacted this woman. I asked her how she got my phone number, and she said someone had forwarded the e-mail I sent you to her. THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE FOR SENDING IT TO HER. You have no idea what her call meant to me, Dr. Blaha, Vicky and (of course) my Daughter.

JoAnne had me call Vicky last night and let her know that if for any reason it doesn't work out with Scrappy, that she should call her, and she will bring him to her house and keep him... but from the way things look now, I believe that Scrappy will have a wonderful forever home with Vicky and her other dogs and living in the country. I think that will be the best thing that could ever happen to him short of being able to go back to my daughter and grandson.

I just got off of the phone with Sue from the shelter. She said Vicky picked Scrappy up about an hour ago, and he took to them right away. He was VERY happy to have someone truly pay attention to him and love on him. She said they spent some time getting burrs out of him, because he had gone for a walk out back and managed to get into a burr bush. LOL Yep... back to normal... I just can't tell you how excited we all are that he is out of there and safe and (I'm very sure) happy now. I can't wait to hear from Vicky after she gets settled with him. I'm praying he gets along with her other dogs and doesn't give her a hard time. But at least I know that whatever happens, Vicky is going to do her best to make this baby feel loved.

I will forever be grateful to Vicky for stepping out and calling when she did and for being the beautiful, loving person that God created her to be. And... I will forever be grateful to you and your ministry and all the wonderful people who cared enough to e-mail and say a prayer for him.... and also to Kathy who was kind enough to go visit him yesterday. GOD BLESS YOU... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. And, of course, I will ALWAYS be grateful to our God... Who, even though it is in HIS time, is always right on time.

So much love and so many blessings to you all,
Joanna


Sooooo that's what's been going on around here. We all have been so stressed over all of this, but thank God it's over. Now I'm just praying that Scrappy behaves himself and doesn't give Vicky too hard of a time. I know she will be patient with him. And... like I said... if for any reason this doesn't work out, JoAnne refuses to let him go anyplace else and will take him to her home. The only reason she didn't take him in the first place was because her sister (who she lives with) was giving her a very hard time... but, ironically, as time went on, Sandra would ask, "are you going to get him?". JoAnne said, "no because if I do, I'll hear about it for the next 30 years." ... well.. yesterday, just before all this happened, Sandra made it known that she would (happily?) accept Scrappy. She knew the situation he was in, and since she has met him and fell in love with him, she couldn't hold back any longer. I think she just wanted to give JoAnne a hard time (hmmmmmmm... I always wanted a sister, but she's made me realize it's not always a good thing LOL).

Anyway... that's the saga for the day. I'll write more when I know more of how Scrappy is getting along at Vicky's.

Thank all of you who have continued to check on us, even though I haven't posted much, you still come to see us. I promise, I'll try to do better in blogging.

God Bless You All

Had a fantastic time yesterday. I threw a surprise housewarming pot-luck party for Michell in her new condo. There were 23 people there (including Michelle and Brandon). We all met in a parking not far from her house and had a caravan to her place. Brandon knew about it, and it was his job to have the camera ready and keep his Mom away from the windows when I called to tell him we were on our way.

After we all got there and were assembled in the driveway, he went in and said he had a surprise for her and made her close her eyes as he led her outside. Oh my gosh, when she opened her eyes, I thought she was going to pass out. It was so funny. Along with family members and other friends, there were at least six or seven girls she works with.

I've got to tell you though.. it's been a very long time since I've planned a party, and we had wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much food. I made two 21"x12" trays of lasagna, someone else brought five pounds of hot dogs and tons of hamburgers, potato salad, green salad, strawberry pretzel jello, tons of different types of appetizers, taco chili... and on and on and on. Plus... dummy here (not even thinking) bought SIXTEEN 2 liter bottles of pop. Hummmm... almost enough for a bottle for each person... duhhhhhhhhhh... and two cases of water. Well... outside of the appetizers, there was a ton of food left over. BUT... we had some beautiful weather and had a great time.

The only problem with having this party was that I (like a dummy) had to use the money I got from the pet insurance that was suppose to go to Care Credit to put it together. I didn't realize that, even with a pot-luck, it would be so expensive to have a party (of course a lot of it was my own fault since the lasagna was really expensive to make). I was lucky that I got the pop on sale for a buck a bottle (Pepsi products)... but that was still $16. Oh well... I guess I'll just add Care Credit to the list of things that fight to get paid each month. I still have two months interest free, so maybe a financial miracle will happen between now and the end of that time period. Plus, I still owe JoAnne $152, but (if I ever get any hours) we'll deduct that from my pay. Unfortunately, I only got 3 1/2 hours of work last week, and it doesn't look like there's going to be much more than that this week. Oh well.. I'm hanging on to the faith that God will get me through this... He always has, and I can't believe He will drop me on my head now.

Gidget is still being a putz. I swear sometimes she has MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). LOL In the mornings, she is just as sweet as can be... cuddly, wanting to be stroked and looking in to my eyes with the most precious eyes that make her look like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth... but then... come afternoon and she's totally different pup... all wound up and looking for anything and everything and even nothing to bark at. I've had to close the front door and living room blinds so she can't see the squirrel outside or the person who is walking two doors away on the street or the neighbor outside. It shuts her up when I close them, but it sure makes it dark and gloomy in the house. At night, she's calm again and generally pretty good about just hanging out until bedtime. But, at bedtime, she plays this "in and out" game. She'll do that until I finally just let her yip in her room and ignore her. Until I got to the point to realize this was a game to her, she had me up and down from bed to let her out and in for up to an hour and a half or two hours before she'd calm down. The funny thing is, until bedtime, she'll sleep on the chair or next to my computer for hours without having to go out once.

And then...... there have been times at night that she really DID have to go potty. Sometimes I can tell she really has to go, but for some reason (at night) it takes her forever, and I can't (in good concience) make her stay in her room (cage) knowing she's got to poop. Sooooo.. that's when I do go along with her antics. Unfortunately, twice this past week, after she's pooped, she's had some stuck on the hair on her butt (I really have to get JoAnne to come out to shave her), and she HATES having her butt touched. So normally I'll put her in the laundry tub and turn the water on and (on occasion) I can get her cleaned up, but... the last two times in the laundry tub... as soon as I took the rag and tried cleaning her butt... she got that evil streak in her and tried snapping at me (the same look and attitude I got when I was going to let her sleep in my bed... which is why she doesn't sleep in my bed).

So we go from the sweet little princess to the queen of darkness and everything in between during the course of one day. Nope... she certainly is no Mike. I REALLY miss my boy... he was the epitome of cool, calm and collected, and soooooooo easy to get along with.

Ok... gonna get going. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Take Care and God Bless.

Love, Hugs & Belly Rubs
Joanna, Angel Mike and Gidget (aka Sybil)

There's not much going on around here, but then again, I guess boring is better than bad. LOL I'd much rather not have a lot to report than to have bad stuff to report.

Miss Gidget is doing well. It's odd because since she was so sick, she seems to have changed a bit. It's nothing I could put my finger on, but maybe she's matured a little. I'm thinking she knew how sick she really was. Don't get me wrong, she's still a pain in the butt sometimes (like now, wanting to go out when I'm doing something), but all in all, she's doing much better in the way she's acting.

It was a beautiful day yesterday but really cold last night... winter jammies and the furnace. I don't know what I'm going to do when winter gets here if I can't even handle a beautiful Fall night.

I'm throwing a surprise housewarming party for my daughter on Sunday. I think I've mentioned before, she bought her first home... a beautiful condo. I'm really proud of her... she did it on her own. She's come a long way in the past couple of years, and I'm hoping she's learned some valuable lessons through all of her mistakes. Anyway, I can't afford to give the party on my own, so I made it a pot-luck. Twenty people have rsvp'ed so it's going to be a big one. Even though it's a pot-luck, it's still costing me a small fortune. I got the money from the pet insurance, and I've had to use that not only for theh party but to get through the month. Even if I had sent Care Credit the entire amount the insurance paid, I was still going to have a hefty balance due to them, but now that I'm using the money for this, it's going to be even a larger balance. It seems I'm getting myself in deeper and deeper in debt. Like the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song... "Saint Peter don't ya call me cuz I can't go... I owe my soul to the company store." Normally, I wouldn't have used that money for anything except for what it was meant for, but I didn't realize how much money it would cost me to throw a "pot-luck". Another line of the song... "another day older and deeper in debt." So what else is new????

I have a class reunion next week. Fourty-five years... my gosh, where did the time go? It seems like I graduated just a few years ago. Then again... if it was only a few years ago... when did all these wrinkles and grey hairs have time to pop up? LOL


Cindy said...

I was hoping for an update, but I know how hard it is to be on the computer sometimes.
Everyone here was invited to a bonfire/cookout on the holiday--but I stayed home with the puppers. I didn't know if there would be fireworks, and how Tuck would react. So like u, I was home alone-but with 4 puppers.
I hope Gidget and u are doing well.
For once I can say the boys are doing great--we have dual trains!!
Sending hugs and love.
Cindy, Tuck and Justice


Oh Cindy... I am sooooo happy to hear the boys are both on the train!!! I'm sorry I haven't been on IMOM lately. I'll stop in to check on the boys this afternoon. Thanks for letting me know about the trains... that just TOTALLY MADE MY DAY!!! The last time I was on IMOM, Justie had 96 days in and poor little Tuck was still struggling. I'm so happy to hear things are on the upswing. I'm hoping you're feeling better now too.
Give some extra belly rubs to those little ones and here are some hugs for you (((((CINDY)))))

Ok everyone. I know there wasn't a lot in this note that was worthy of the time you took to read it, but then again... no news is good news. So I'm hoping all of you have no news (good news) to report back...

Love, Blessings & Nose & Whisker Kisses
Joanna, Angel Mike and Gidget
September 15, 2009 10:35 PM

I know... it's been awhile... again. I'm getting horrible at posting.

Yesterday was Gidget's second birthday. WOW!! I don't know where the time goes. TWO YEARS OLD!!! And to think how many times I was ready to just send her back when she was being soooooooo hard to potty train. I've been saying I'm shocked that I let her live long enough to make it to this birthday... but in reality... I'm more shocked that "I" made it this long. Oh my gosh, what a trial it was for such a long time. But... now she's doing great. She can still be quite a pest sometimes, but she's more of a sweetheart now, so I guess we'll hang in there now for the long run. LOL.

There's really not much new around here. I've been quite bored and lonely at times. There's not enough work to keep me busy at work, and (of course) like the old saying goes... "my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy"... and I really have "not" been up to cleaning house lately, so I just pick up what needs to be picked up, and the rest of it has pretty much been sent to the wayside. The sink is clean, and the laundry is done, and the bathroom is clean, but as for mopping and vacuuming... well... some day I'll get to those. (sigh)

The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. I love September. Not only is it my birthday month (big deal), but it has the most beautiful weather of the entire year. October is a close second, but it gets a bit cool later in the month. I'd love to find someplace that has September weather all year long... I'd move there in a minute. Unfortunately... after September comes the colder months. I am definitely not looking forward to winter. Just the thought of winter right now can make me physically ill. I have a dear friend who lives in Arkansas. She's been after me to move down there. I'm not moving there, but she also asked me to go down there for a few months in the winter. I'd love to be able to get away from winter for three or four months. However, I really can't afford to go. I'd still have to pay my bills, and since I wouldn't be working while I was there, I'd have a really tough time getting through the month. I would need a financial miracle to be able to go there.

My holidaya weekend was really boring. I guess Of course there were a lot of events in the area to go to, but it's no fun going alone, and quite honestly, I don't have the money to go anywhere right now anyway. So it was just Gidget and I. We did go for a couple of rides, which she was very happy about, and we went for a walk in the park. She loved the park. There was an old guy feeding about 30 or 40 ducks on the walkway though, and even though I hated to upset them, we had to go that way to get on the path. Gidget was great with the ducks, until they started moving away ... then she wanted to chase them. I kept her on a tight leash, but she barked at them anyway. It really was pretty funny. Poor ducks. But it wasn't so bad... they went right back to the guy after we passed by. ;-)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I'll try not being gone so long next time. Everyone Take Care of Yourselves, and God Bless You All.

Love & Blessings,
Joanna, Angel Mike & Gidget

My gosh... a whole week has gone by. I must have fallen asleep and woke up seven or eight days later. I can't figure out how (or why) time seems to go so fast (especially as I get older).

There's not really much to report. Everything (thank God) is going well. Gidget is doing great and back to her girlie self again, and I'm still upright and above ground, so I think that's a good thing. LOL

My right ear is still deaf. Sometimes it seems to get better, but when I put the phone up to it and try to listen, it still sounds like a distant Mickey Mouse voice vibration. The MRI came back fine with no growth, so I'm blessed in that way. I go back to the ENT on Monday. I don't think there's anything else he can do for it, so it might just be a waste of money, but I figured I'd go one last time to see if he has any ideas. In the meantime, I'm hoping it will just pop open on me. I went to a meeting at church tonight, and a couple of people prayed over me... I wasn't healed immediately like the cancer or my legs were, but I have faith that God will open my ear in His time.

It's a beautiful night... 70 degrees and very low humidity. I've got the windows and the door open, and I'll sleep with the window open again tonight (I always do until it gets too cold). I just love the night sounds... peepers, frogs, crickets... what an awesome time night time is. Last week I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and wrote a poem called "Night Sounds". Actually, it's pretty good. Maybe I'll post it here when I'm more awake.

I hope everyone is doing great. Thanks so much for checking up on us. You all mean a lot to us... we love each and every one of you.

Sending Loads of Love, Hugs and Belly Rubs To All Our Friends (Skin & Furry Ones)

Joanna, Angel Mike & Gidget