I really didn’t want to share this with the world,l but now I have to own up and tell you. I’m so afraid you will think we have the worst dog luck in the world. Cursed. Horrible dog owners. Frickin’ unlucky. It’s mostly the reason why I haven’t been posting non-stop since we arrived home from an absolutely wonderful semi-vacation in Cancun. That reason being because we arrived home on Monday evening, and after picking the dogs up on Tuesday morning and getting them settled back here at home, I reached down to scratch Sailor under the chin only to discover huge LUMPS. My heart plummeted in my chest because there is only one thing to think at that point: lymphoma = cancer. I quickly checked his other lymph nodes and it wasn’t good. Crap. How could this happen in one week? I got an appointment with my vet for that afternoon but only after literally screaming at them over the phone that NO, next week was not OKAY. I needed an appointment today. Time was of the essence. I got my appointment, knowing what they would tell me anyway (and yes, the vet concurred) and they took aspirations of the lumps to send to cytology.

At least we didn’t have to wait for long for results from the lab, as the next evening the vet called to say the slides were positive for lymphoma. I got on the phone the next morning (Thurs) and the best I could do was to take a cancellation of the referral vet for Tuesday. In the meantime I opted to hold this cancer at bay and use prednisone to reduce the tumors. Within a few hours the tumors were reduced to half, but Sailor was not tolerating the higher dose of pred very well. So, the next day I reduced the dose and he seemed to be better.

This morning they called with a cancellation for today, so Sailor and I took the appointment. I waited nervously for Sailor to be taken into x-ray to see if the cancer had spread to his lungs and to do bloodwork to see if he was a candidate for chemo. The good news is that his lungs were clear of any cancer, but his liver was showing signs of infiltration.  She quickly assured me that the liver involvement didn’t impact his long-term prognosis, just the amount of dosage, so we were good to go with the chemo treatment. So, tomorrow bright and early, Sailor and I will be on our way to what we hope is a road to “recovery” or at least remission. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t turn out to be in the very low percentile of dogs that don’t deal with chemo well, or that the little bit of prednisone that I did give him will alter his cells into not accepting the chemo treatment. Only time will tell.

It’s very costly to have him undergo this treatment (think in thousands of dollars) but we both feel we can’t give up without at least giving it a try. I asked Sailor tonight and he agreed that he is not yet ready to give up. In all other respects he remains the energetic energizer bunny he has always been.

Please send us your hopes and “prayers” (however you may pray) as we will be needing them. Those of you who know me best know that I am not a religious type of person, but I will be offering up prayers of hope to whoever is out there listening to my plea. How much can one person really take? Really, folks, look at his face. Could you say no?

My “A” is for Alex in the ABC-Along. Alex is a funny dog. Even as a puppy he liked to stick his head in and under things. It’s not uncommon to find him head first under a throw rug. Here he wisely chose a cozy afghan that my Mom crocheted. He looked too sweet to ignore. More photos of Alex with his head in various things can be seen here.

Finally we’ve seen the end of 2007. Done. Over with. Finis. I was not sorry to see the Year 2007 fade into the waning din of the fireworks our neighbors were setting off. It was not a good year for us. Too much sadness, upheaval, and grief.

Sorry I’ve been so boring lately, but really I’ve had nothing important to say. Day after day goes by without much consequence. Pretty pathetic, really, but at least it’s non-cataclysmic. All the words and thoughts I’ve had pent up inside me seemed to have dissipated over the holidays. ho hum. But I won’t sit here and apologize for my boring-at-the-moment life. I"ve got a New Year to look forward to. A fresh start.

I refuse to make any resolutions at the beginning of this year because I don’t keep them. Neither will I make lists of things I should do, because I won’t do them. Why make them only to break them? That’s just setting myself up for failure. Instead I will just look ahead with a positive attitude and hope things fall into place behind me. Like getting all my ducks in a row. How does that sound? Not quite like a resolution; more like forming my future by focusing in on what I want.

With that in mind I see the following things in my future:

Rick and I on a beach in Cancun two weeks from now, maybe exploring a few Mayan ruins, enjoying a well-deserved vacation.

Happiness.

There. That should about do it for now. My inner crystal ball can’t see any farther than the next several months.

If you’ve made resolutions for the New Year, here’s wishing you success! Let’s all embrace the light of the New Year 2008!

Today Rick wanted to attempt a Bûche de Noel for Christmas dessert tomorrow. Here are the steps involved.

1.
Make certain you have enough kitchen helpers.

2.
Roll up the still warm cake in sugared parchment. Let cool.

3.
Don’t forget to clean the beaters in between usage.

4.
Spread the cooled cake with buttercream frosting.

5.
Roll up the frosted cake.

6.
Cut one piece off the edge of the cake and position on the top to form a branch for your log.

7.
Frost, make meringue mushrooms, and decorate.

Eat and enjoy. (If you can bear to cut into your masterpiece, that is!)