Power At Work….Day Three Hundred, Thirty Seven

November 2, 2011 By Jodi

We got called into work today to assess the power situation and low and behold when we got there, we had power!

It felt so good to be doing something normal again. When I left work at 4:15 to come and take the dogs for their walk; the tree clearing had begun on the street leading to our house. A HUGE tree came down during the storm and bisected the street, forcing cars to drive underneath it. I was too afraid to drive under the tree so I drove the long way around. But tonight YAY the road was cleared.

The electric company is saying we should have power back by midnight Sunday. It is still a ways off, but I am thrilled to have a general idea.

My sister had us over for dinner and I thought I would take advantage of my niece’s computer and upload some pictures of our make-shift living arrangements.

This is the futon mattress where Sampson and I (and sometimes Delilah and Bob) are sleeping. Even on this mattress Sampson has the majority of the sleeping area and I am clinging to the edge. 🙂

Our camp grill, where we make coffee every morning and until my sister took pity on us, where we cooked our evening meals.

Once the coffee has been consumed, the pot is washed out and filled with water; we then place it on the fireplace insert along with the tea pot so we have hot water for tea or dishes.

This is the inverter Hubby has. It runs off a car battery and has a place for two plugs. One plug is used to run the blower in the fireplace insert and the other is to recharge cell phones, or run the laptop for games or movies.

Well that’s all I have time for right now, I have to go home and feed the puppies.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and well wishes, we appreciate them.

No Power No Work…Day Three Hundred, Thirty Five

October 31, 2011 By Jodi

We still have no power and work has no power. We spent a better night last night as the snap, crackle and pop of the trees breaking has stopped.

I managed to get through to the power company today and was told five to seven days before power is restored. I explained I have a seventy year old mother with me and they advised me to make other arrangements for her.

I finally convinced her to go to my sister’s house so we packed her up and sent her on her way.

Then I bundled myself up and took the dogs to the park. Some of our trails were blocked but we managed. It was hard walking but Sampson and Delilah were happy to be out.

After about 15minutes we ran into our walking bud and her dog along with her neighbor’s dog, and they all got some running in until Bruno decided he wanted to go home.

When we got home Hubby had breakfast ready and after breakfast I headed to my sister’s for the hot shower and to do some laundry.

We are doing as well as we can and send our thoughts and hearts out to those who weren’t as blessed as we were.

If I did it right there should be two pictures in this post. One is of the large tree that rested against our front door, the other is a picture of the trail into our park.

We know you are thinking of us and sending good thoughts are way and that is keeping our hearts warm.

We will respond to comments as soon as we can and we are reading them all.

Stay safe.

From The Dr.'s Mouth…Day Three Hundred, Thirty Three

October 29, 2011 By Jodi

Last night was Sampson’s yearly vet check-up and I promised I would get back to you about vaccinations.

But before we get to that I want to let you know that Sampson weighed in at 86.5 pounds! He is down just about 20 pounds from his last annual appointment. Our vet is super excited about his weight and though she would like him to lose a few more pounds, she says “I can live with this.”

We discussed vaccines. In CT they must have Rabies every three years and Sampson was due for it. Leptospirosis is on the rise and we have a lot of “wild” life in the area so Leptos was really a no-brainer.

I then asked about Distemper and this is the answer I got.

When a puppy has had the Distemper series and had the booster at one year, my vet is very comfortable doing a booster every three years. Research shows that MOST dogs that have had the puppy series and the first year booster are safe from Distemper.

BUT roughly four percent of dogs that have had that protocol, can contract Distemper. Because there is no way of predicting WHICH four percent are susceptible they go with the three year booster, until the dog’s age hits the double digits.

FROM HER MOUTH

She went on to add, by following the three-year booster series they have seen very little vaccine related cancers. Dogs are still getting cancer, but it is not the kind that comes from OVER VACCINATING.

Sampson got the Distemper booster because it has been four years since his last booster. As he has just turned seven, it is more than likely his last Distemper shot.

Last night he had three shots, one in his upper back and one right around each hip area. The vet said he may be drowsy and have a little discomfort.

After dinner I let him out while I did dishes. After about 10 minutes I realized he was still outside and I grew a bit concerned since we had a bit of snow Thursday night and the temperatures have really dropped. I went outside and called and called, but I couldn’t hear him and it was dark so I couldn’t see him. I decided to go in and get a jacket and flashlight.

That’s when I saw him……

Hubby let him in. 🙂