Subscribe to my blog and download Untold Stories From the Kazakh Steppe      SUBSCRIBE

X
Author

Janet Givens

  • amazon author page
  • facebook
  • goodreads
  • gplus
  • instagram
  • linkedin
  • twitter
Skip to content
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
    • At Home on the Kazakh Steppe
    • Events
  • BLOG
  • LEARN MORE
  • CONTACT
Happy Tenth Anniversary
He’s My Brother

And So It Goes Janet Givens’ Blog More on the Blog's name

And so it goes -- sometimes So it goes -- the lament that permeates Kurt Vonnegut’s classic Slaughterhouse-Five, addresses the notion that certain events are beyond our control. It honors fatalism, resignation, and the inevitability of death (among other things), and the consequent acceptance of our fate.


Just as Vonnegut tried to educate his readers to a greater understanding of the human condition, And So It Goes, the blog, tries to educate readers to a greater understand of the culture that, inevitably and unconsciously, molds us.


We do that by looking at cultures that are different than our own. And we pay special attention to the parts of those cultures that trouble us, that make us gasp, that make us turn away.


Here on my blog, we take the time to take a closer look, to chew on what we’ve been swallowing whole. Adopting the existential notion that we create our own reality, we understand that that reality is also molded by our environment and perpetuated by our culture.


And so it goes.

Sasha’s 7/17 Post

posted on July 26, 2017 by Janet Givens
18 view comments
Sasha, 2015

Alpha Mom thought it best if I pop this one out as this week is a really full one for her.  Here’s a sampling (and I’m not even including all the papers she keeps sending to the printer):

She’s got the yurt guy coming to make a few adjustments and add a screen door.

She’s got a lunchtime workshop that will teach her the legal stuff of owning her own business up here in the Green Mountains.

She’s trying to get a new septic system installed.  It’s frankly beyond me as to why they need such a thing, but she seems to think it’s important.

The shingles on our stone house are getting painted yellow, except the paint store guy says he can’t sell us yellow exterior paint because he can’t guarantee it will last more than two years.  She’s on the phone a lot.

Our new batch of baby dinosaurs arrived last week and Alpha Mom is down at the barn a couple times a day checking on them.  Five more weeks to go and they can go outside where I take over.

 

 

I’m not sure how I’m going to help with the foxes and the coyotes.  The bears don’t eat chicken, so they’re no problem. But I’m concerned I’ll not be able to keep the foxes away.  They’re the real problem with raising chickens up here.

I’m concerned, you see, because I’m restricted again in how far I can travel on my own. Yes, they have me back on a leash.  It’s a long leash and it’s tied under a nice big tree. But it  means I can’t run after stuff. I don’t really mind; I love being outside. I generally stay put anyway.  Unless a bear comes back. Or those foxes. Or the chipmunks.

 

Sasha, 2017

 

Remember that TPLO surgery I had last fall?  I wrote about it in  Sasha Weighs In.  Then Alpha Mom wrote the update called, not very creatively, An Update On Sasha. I thought her update was really more about her than about me. Something about making difficult decisions.

Anyway, a few days after my cousin Metzli went home (he came with Alpha Mom’s son Jon and his family) she noticed me limping. I’d been running in the woods with Alpha Pop while he did some logging and everyone had forgotten all about that old surgery and how I’m no longer allowed to go to Agility Classes and I guess I just got too much activity in too short a time.

Alpha Mom and Pop were afraid I’d popped the T off my PLO (or something like that).  So, when Alpha Mom realized I wasn’t sleeping that night, she took me to the emergency vet folks over in New Hampshire, the ones who stay awake all night just to be available for folks like me.  Err, dogs like us?  Err, families that need them.

After the vet felt my hips and knees and legs, she gave me a really powerful injection, sent us home with pills, and told Alpha Mom to make an appointment for a surgery consult.

Last Wednesday, the day after the pills were gone, we piled into the car and drove across the state to the folks at the  PEAK Veterinary Referrel Center. They do surgery there and rehabilitation therapy and  behavior therapy and dermatology even.  And a whole lot more.

Fortunately, I only needed an Xray, which was a lot of fun, especially in the beginning. The technician thought she was going to have to lift me onto the Xray table. I weigh 85 pounds, you know, and that didn’t seem right.  So, I  just jumped up on the table by myself. You should have seen the look on her face!  I wished I could do it again for her. She was nice.

Here’s the X-ray they took:

I have a very handsome knee and, as it turns out, a perfectly intact TPLO repair.

My leg has healed so well, I don’t even need to have that metal plate inside me anymore.  But, it would be quite stressful to take it out, so they usually just leave it in. I wonder how I’d fare going though one of those security cameras at the airports?   The way my Alphas hate to fly these days (they used to love it; now they say they don’t like being treated like sardines) I’ll probably never find out.  That’s fine with me.

These are the possibilities of what my problem is.

*arthritis (degenerative; nothing to be done except moderate and regular activity)
*torn meniscus (oh dear)
*inflammation due to the metal inside me (uh oh)

And, as alpha mom likes to say, Time Will Tell.  Two weeks worth of time, as it turns out.

Don’t feel bad for me. I’m getting more attention, better grooming, and much better food than ever. They need to make sure I eat so they can give me this tiny little — but really, really great — pill. Life is really, really great on this pill.  Even the dry food I normally get is yummy, thanks to the wet food they now add to it (because of the pill I have to take).  Sometimes it’s got salmon in it; sometimes turkey; sometimes chicken. I don’t really have a favorite. It’s all good. Did I tell you how great this pill is?

Plus I get all you nice folks listening to me tell my story.

Yes, it was a hard day of driving to Burlington and back again. I was exhausted.

The Alphas and I want to thank those of you who inquired about me and wished me well.  I definitely felt those good vibrations flowing my way (and that wasn’t just because of the pill).

If you have any questions, ask away. (I’ve gotten the hang of this keyboard now: just tapping away with my claws.)  Next week, we’ll know even more. Except I can’t tell you because Alpha Mom insists she wants to write about the visit she had with her new brother.

“You’re an only child,” I reminded her.  She just smiled and said, “I was an only child for 67 years and then I wasn’t.”  I think he’s coming to dinner tonight.  I’ll check him out for you.

 

Sharing is caring:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pocket
  • Pinterest
  • Google
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

tagged
  • PEAK Veterinary Referral Center
  • TPLO surgery in dogs
categorized
  • Blogging
  • Family

18 thoughts on “Sasha’s 7/17 Post”

  1. Merril SmithMerril Smith

    I’m glad you’re doing well, Sasha! Thanks for giving us the update.
    Your mom sounds very busy. But hmmmm–I only dreamt about her sister. 😉
    Merril Smith recently posted…Windows and ViewsMy Profile

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof!

      🙂

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  2. Marian BeamanMarian Beaman

    Foxes, coyotes, and bears – O, my!

    This post fills in the details about you that I’ve noticed on Facebook. Sasha, take care of your mom, who claims she’s been an only child for 67 years. What??
    Marian Beaman recently posted…Standing on the Promises: A Golden Wedding AnniversaryMy Profile

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof, woof!

      🙂

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  3. Kelly Boyer SagertKelly Boyer Sagert

    Well done!

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof, woof, woof!

      🙂
      Janet Givens recently posted…Sasha’s 7/17 PostMy Profile

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  4. Sharon LippincottSharon Lippincott

    Yurts? Dinosaurs? Shingle paint? X-rays and great pills? And a new brother after 67 years? Sasha, please start your own blog so we can read your dishy posts on the Alphas more often!
    Sharon Lippincott recently posted…Lessons from Old AcquaintancesMy Profile

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Alpha mom here, Sharon. What? Have I written myself out of the story? Oh dear!!

      🙂

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  5. Laurie BuchananLaurie Buchanan

    Oh Sasha, I think YOU’RE a pill!

    Your post made me laugh. When I read it to Willa, she thumped her tail on the floor. It’s clear you’re still full of “sneus and vinegar” (as my mother would say).

    Onward!
    Laurie Buchanan recently posted…Broad ShouldersMy Profile

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      I always enjoy a good thumping on the floor. Please tell Willa “Woof” for me.

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  6. Kathleen PoolerKathleen Pooler

    I absolutely love hearing from you, Sasha! I’m so happy you are doing well and that you keep an eye on the Alphas. Now you’ve got me wondering about this “new brother”…Keep doing well so we can hear from you again

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof woof.
      Woof.
      Woof.

      🙂

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  7. Martha Graham-WaldonMartha Graham-Waldon

    Wow, Sasha, such a cliff hanger! I guess I will have to tune in next week. In the meantime take care of yourself and the Alphas, you gorgeous pup!

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof, welcome, woof.

      (Wasn’t that just too clever of me? Woof woof).

      🙂

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  8. Terry BryanTerry Bryan

    Sounds like things are going well, Sasha…I really am happy to hear that. I don’t like to think of dogs hurting (and cats too).

    Reply
    July 26, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      As long as I keep getting this pill twice a day, nothing hurts. The Alphas will learn next Thursday what the diagnosis actually is. I don’t really care as long as they keep giving me these pills.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Sasha’s 7/17 PostMy Profile

      Reply
      July 26, 2017
  9. NancyNancy

    Tell it, Sasha!

    Reply
    July 27, 2017
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Woof, woof, woof woof woof; woof woof. Woof!
      Janet Givens recently posted…Sasha’s 7/17 PostMy Profile

      Reply
      July 27, 2017

Leave a Reply Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a blog you'd like to share? I use CommentLuv Click hereShow more posts

Happy Tenth Anniversary
He’s My Brother
  • Search

  • Categories

    Blogging Conservation Crossing borders Cultural differences Deleted Scene Education Family Friendship Holidays Kazakhstan Life Lessons MidLife Change Peace Peace Corps Politics Recipes Social Media Travel
  • Subscribe

    Subscribe to my blog and download a FREE pdf
    Untold Stories from the Kazakh Steppe

    SUBSCRIBE

  • At Home on the Kazakh Steppe:A Peace Corps Memoir

    Praise from Kirkus Review
    “...she writes engagingly ... a sharp-eyed journalist. A worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in humanitarian work.”

    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe, A Peace Corps Memoir, by Janet Givens Buy the book

  • Facebook

    Facebook
  • Top Posts & Pages

    • To Vote or Not to Vote, That Is the Question
    • The Four Stages of Friendship
    • Earth Day 2018
    • Is There a Clothesline in Your Backyard?
    • Keep the Focus On Yourself
  • I’m Also Reading

    • Blogs I follow (updated sporadically)
      • Debra Eve’s Later Bloomer
      • Dinty Moore’s Brevity
      • Krista Tippett’s On Being
      • Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings
  • Post Archives

  • Facebook Group

    Join me on Facebook atWe Love Memoirs
  • Gutsy Anthology

    I’ve got a chapter in Sonia’s latest anthology. Check it out here.

  • ©2012-2018 Janet Givens - All Rights Reserved made with by Memphis McKay hosted by TechSurgeons
    ^
    up
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: