Prayers for Bailey

After a weekend of not eating and being sick to his stomach when he tried, we saw the vet today and the news isn't good. Bailey is refusing the oral meds that were helping him to eat. The vet thinks he's decided he's done. His back legs have recently given out on him and he's struggling with stairs. We decided to give it one more treatment. He got a shot today and we are trying baby food. If this doesn't work, she believes he's making it clear he's done.

We can't argue. The energy he showed at the beginning of this fight is gone. He does seem to have surrendered. However, we are giving him one more chance to decide if he wants to stay or go. It is also giving us time to say goodbye if he truly is ready to go. Our baby boy has certainly fought hard. When we started this journey nobody thought he'd live to see the trick or treaters come to the house once more. Then the goal was Christmas. He made it through his 13th birthday in March. Sadly, I don't think he's going to see Katy's 8th birthday at the end of the month. We ask for prayers to guide us in making the right choices as we continue forward.

Hidden Pictures

What do you see?

Friday Flowers: Yellow Iris

I talked my husband into buying these at a local garden club sale and I"ve never regretted it. While they don't last very long the color is amazing and they are huge.

Wordless Wednesday: Return of the Bunny

The Bunnies are back and not afraid to show it.

Bone Broth

Mom researched several Bone Broth recipes for us and finally decided to mix and match. All seemed to agree you needed to use joint bones for maximum mineral benefit. Many used turkey and chicken, but even though they suggested you could blend the bones to protect from the chocking hazard of small bones being stuck, Mom decided to go with beef bones. She put them in her crockpot and put water in until the bones were under an inch of water. Then she added 3 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Several recipes suggested lemon juice, but Mom hand squeezes hers for her water and she wasn't sharing. The acid helps break down the bones and puts the minerals into the water. Most of the crockpot recipes indicated you should put the bones on high for an hour and then turn on to low. The times after that varied anywhere from 24-48 hours. Mom decided on the 24 hours and man did that kitchen smell good while it was cooking.

After it cooled off Dog Dad let us taste test the product and it was amazing!!!

Our massage therapist suggested freezing the broth in ice cube trays and giving us an ice cube a day. It is the best treat ever. Katy never really liked ice cubes before, but now she lines up for her beefcycle every day. We started on this snack because it is supposed to be good for joint health. On further reading Mom also discovered it can be good for dogs with tummy issues, too. With all the tummy problems IBS has brought on she's always looking for something to help me with that.

As always you should check with your vet before trying anything new. We are not vets, nor do we play ones on TV. However, we had not thought to try bone broth before and Mom and Dad found it was easy to make and since we freeze it, easy to store and serve. We just thought we'd share our experiences in case someone else could benefit from it.

Friday Flowers: Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding Hearts were Mom's Dad's favorites so of course when she saw this one single broken down plant at a Garden Club sale, she had to bring it home, never thinking it would survive.

Now it is a bush and what she didn't know is you can't kill this thing. Really, you can't, even the City tried. They did some work on utilities and while they were repaving the street they thought it would be a good idea to pave over the corner of Mom's perennial garden. You know what grew through the asphalt the next year, the Bleeding Heart. It was the only plant that survived and continues to thrive. The rest lie dormant under the asphalt.

Friday Flowers: Iris

Mom went out on Sunday to check on the progress of the big purple Iris and they were still closed tight. On Monday, she happened to look out the window and surprise they had popped, so she went out to capture a picture of them before she missed them. The weather has been crazy lately. The wind or rain could easily destroy them if she waits.

She says these are very special because Dog Dad's favorite Uncle gave him them from his very own garden when they visited him.

It grows so well, Mom has been able to give other people Iris plants from it, too.