Thursday I drove to Pella to visit Mom (and Dad) in the hospital and then attend my best friend since 7th grade's mother's funeral. And I was concerned about Butler because I couldn't get him downstairs so he'd had an accident upstairs before I left that morning. While the funeral service was very nice I got emotional during one of the songs we sang missing Mike and wishing he was there with me.
I had almost convinced myself it was time to put Butler down, that I wouldn't be able to get a dog (at least for a while or maybe never) due to a dog putting such a constraint on me, and had decided I might get a cat so at least I had another life form in the house with me. While I like cats - they just aren't the same as a big dog. I got home from Pella and Butler still wouldn't go downstairs and I was almost a wreck so I called my vet to see if I could talk to her - because I just wasn't 100% sure it was time to put him down. My vet is awesome - she has dealt with all our animals and known me for probably 20 years. We had a good talk - I cried some - and we decided that Butler was just a senior citizen that had problems with his back legs that would be a main level dog from now on. When I got home from the vet I went next door to see if my neighbor (young guy) could carry Butler downstairs and outside for me - which he did. I spent that evening downstairs with Butler. I knew it wouldn't be fun when this day (or actually night) came when Butler couldn't be upstairs with me - but that day came. I put the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and listened to him bark, whine and fight the baby gate for two hours - with me going downstairs a few times to pick him up from the bottom of the stairs from under the baby gate or pick him up off the baby gate. I couldn't listen to that all night so upstairs we went - I didn't know what I'd do the next morning with Butler not going down the stairs.
Friday morning I had a brainstorm on how to get Butler downstairs. Normally when I've picked him up to carry him upstairs I've picked him up like I've seen other's pick up greyhounds - like a cowboy picking up a calf. I'd scoop his legs up between my arms and he'd "sit" on my arms in front of me while I'd carry him. I didn't think that would work going down stairs because if I got off balance we'd both go down in a lump and get hurt. I'd try picking Butler up like my neighbor did. Get both arms under his tummy and carry him in front of me kind of like a little kid carrying a puppy or kitten - kind of - and it worked! So four times a day I carry him downstairs to the kitchen mat so he can get his footing to go on outside to do his duty. But before I carry him downstairs the infamous Speedo goes around him in case he gets a little excited in the process (especially first thing in the morning) and it seems to be working just fine.
Also Thursday night I about freaked out when I went downstairs and realized the dryer hose that vents whatever from the dryer to the outside had come loose from the wall. The bottom half of the hose was still connected to the silver deal that was on the wall but the top half wasn't and I was looking at the outside - which is ground level - in an area I had seen one of the teenager snakes head toward last week when I mowed................... wonderful. So I'm freaked out thinking I have a snake either in my dryer or my basement now. I saw Mike had connected the hose to the silver plate thing with electrical tape but I wasn't taking time to look for that, I grabbed masking tape and taped the poop out of that hose back to the wall. Then ran upstairs for a flashlight, to bang on the dryer, to carefully open the dryer with the flashlight on to see if a snake was in it - nope. I didn't think the holes in the dryer were big enough for a snake but I wasn't sure. And the dryer hose was weighed down when I tried to move it which convinced me I had a snake in the bottom of the hose. Great. So I ran the dryer on a short setting with nothing in it - opened the door with the flashlight again - and no snake. Sometime over the weekend I finally found Mike's electrical tape, moved the dryer hose enough to realize it was caught on the dryer and got it taped properly. I did 2-3 loads of laundry without any snakes but I shake each piece of laundry out before it goes in the laundry basket to be sure. Then I had to clean the lint trap and thought - what if a snake got caught on that and when I pull the trap out - out comes a snake - so I was cautious when I pulled the snake-free lint trap out.
I mowed Saturday and left the strip in the back that's by the side of the house where I found the two snakes last time until last. I prayed before mowing that God would help me if I ran into any snakes because seeing three last time just about did me in. One per mowing I can handle...................... As I started to mow that strip I comically said, "Yea, as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil"....... and I mowed snake-free!
I found out Tuesday from the company in Waukee that 2 of the 3 names I gave as references over a week ago had not gotten back to them and I had to supply more names so all reference checks could be completed this week. Evidently when it comes to my past employer they are not allowed to give references unless they are for internal employees - so yesterday I supplied 3 more names. I found out this morning that those 3 had gotten back to the company in Waukee. One of us finalists will be given an offer of employment next week.....................
Mike and I always said God gave us the weird animals and I believe this is continuing with my plants. The weekend Dad was up to help plant flowers and start demo on the enclosed front porch I bought a red hibiscus, a yellow hibiscus and a pink hibiscus. My red hibiscus has red blooms and it has yellow blooms. I say it is a Cyclone (Iowa State) hibiscus - too bad since I lean toward Hawkeyes. And my dwarf lilac bushes Dad and I planted last year budded this spring but didn't bloom - until last week. They didn't bloom with complete, full lilac blooms but they did ok for their first year after being planted. See pictures below.
So it's been an interesting week plus. I keep telling myself God has a plan, God has a plan, God has a plan - and I know He does. It's just challenging when our timeline/urgency and His aren't the same.
And........................the Rapture may take place May 21st (Saturday) and it may not. I wasn't able to find the verse but no man will be able to determine or predict when this will happen - no man. It could happen Saturday, it could happen before you finish reading this blog and looking at the pictures.............. Do you know where you will spend eternity? I know I'll be in Heaven.
My red hibiscus with red blooms and yellow blooms.
One of my three dwarf lilac bushes that bloomed.
