Still On the Mend...

Soni's doing much better, considering everything. Unfortunately her stitches became infected and I had to take her back in to the vet yesterday. They gave her 2 weeks more of 2 different medications that she had been on to help clear up the infection. She's acting much more like herself though, which is a relief. She is celebrating some "cone free" time right now by chasing her tail. I'm sure she's really missed that lately. This weekend she will get to go to her vacation home in West Salem and stay with Mom and Dad while I'm in Milwaukee visiting Corissa, Marques and the boys. Good thing she's the favorite granddog!

On the Mend

I finally got to bring Soni home yesterday. She should make a full recovery, but it's going to take a bit to become back to normal. Soni seemed very glad to be home yesterday, wandering around and sniffing things, and wagging her tail before passing out for a long nap on the living room floor. She still wasn't very interested in food, but she would take some here and there, and wash it down with water. Everything is staying down, which is good, but she still has a bit of a tummy ache. We both slept pretty well last night, with the occassional trip outside, but no accidents!

This morning she had a much better appetite, but I also noticed that she was too interested in her stitches, and wouldn't stop licking them. I was worried about them becoming infected, so on my way home from my 11:30 haircut, I stopped at the vet and picked up a cone for her to wear. Needless to say she hates it. For the first 20 minutes of wearing it, she just stared at the floor and stood in one place. She's now walking around a little bit, but keeps running into furniture. At least she's leaving those stitches alone. I'm debating whether or not it's safe to keep the cone on while I'm gone. I just don't want anything to happen to her while I'm at work.

OW....she just ran head on into my leg with the stupid cone. Payback I guess.

Soni Has an Underwear Fetish

Judging from the title of this post, you'd think this story would be funny. Well...not so much. When I got home from working a 1-6pm shift at good old Family Video on Thursday, Soni had thrown up all over the kitchen floor. I was concerned, but Soni has been known to eat some weird stuff, puke, and then be completely fine. I thought this would be no different. But she continued to be sick and refused food. I worked in the CIE from 8-4:30 on Friday and returned home to her in an even worse condition. By that time it was too late to take her to the vet, so I thought I would see how her night went and call in the morning. Neither of us got any sleep last night. Soni couldn't get comfortable and kept whining. I was so worried about her that I couldn't sleep. She couldn't even keep water down, which is super bad! As soon as the vet was open this morning I called and asked if there was any way I could bring her in, even though I knew they are only open 8-12 on Saturdays and are usually really busy. The nice lady said they could get me in at 10:40, but I knew Soni needed help right away, and I also had to work at Family Video from 10-2. I just started working there and was afraid to call in, not to mention we don't open until 10 and no one was there to call in to anyway. The lady said I could just come in and wait, and see if there was an opening between patients if some of them were done with their appointments early. I had to carry Soni in because she just wanted to lay down wherever we were. We arrived at 8:30 and only had to wait about 15 minutes before we got in. I think they could see that she needed help, as she was hiding under one of the chairs which is SO uncharacteristic of her and they knew it. The doctor was very concerned because she was so droopy, and a dog of her age and breed definitely shouldn't be droopy. I told him she is prone to eating underwear and socks and such, and he said he would take an xray. The xray revealed something in her stomach that appeared to be stuck. He said they would try a barium test and call me in a couple hours to let me know the results. Halfway through my shift at Family Video, they called me an told me that the object had not moved, and that they would have to do surgery. I was so worried not only about her, but also about paying for everything. He had told me that it might total $1000 by the time all was said and done.
In the end, they found a pair of underwear, removed it, and she is now recovering. They are keeping her until Monday to make sure she can keep food and water down, and that she doesn't become septic (bad stuff in her blood). I have taken advantage of a bad situation and used the time without Soni in the house to clean the apartment top to bottom, removing all dog hair. I also cleaned the car. So at least I feel good about that. I'm hoping Soni will be ok to ride in a car for a bit when she comes home. I'm hoping to go home to West Salem for a get away and recover from stress before school starts.
I will keep everyone posted about Soni's condition. Hopefully soon she'll be back to her hyper, annoying self that I love so much.

Soni the Cripple

This weekend we had a family reunion at our cabin on the Mississippi near Kellogg, MN. I brought Soni along and she was so excited to play with Dad's dog Baxter and Dean, Katy, Gabriella and Ben's yellow lab named Marley. They were outside running around most of the day and definitely got their exercise! Soni was tearing around in circles having a grand old time, and in the process she must have sprained or twisted her right front paw. When we got home she could hardly walk on it at all. It seems to be better the more she is forced to use it, I think because it gets stetched out a bit. Yesterday morning I had to carry her down the stairs to go outside because she would just lay down at the top of them and refuse to go down. She limped around outside for a bit until she saw a butterfly. She chased it around on all fours and seemed just fine until it was time to go back up the stairs. What a little kid she is sometimes!

Country Jam

Yesterday I went to my first Country Jam ever - but poor Soni had to stay home. She must have slept all day, because she was much more interested in playing than sleeping when I finally made it to bed around 1am.

Country Jam was a blast though! Yesterday's lineup included Tim Sigel (new guy out of St. Paul, MN), Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton and TIM MCGRAW!! Tim Sigel was pretty good, but only played covers. I would have appreciated hearing at least one of his songs, if one existed, but I'm assuming he's so new that he's just trying to get his name out there and be heard right now.

Jamey Johnson was super boring and didn't interact with the crowd at all. He didn't even say hi or thank you or anything! The other performers all talked about how excited they were to be here, which is good to hear even if they didn't mean it. I'm not a fan of Johnson to begin with though. All of his songs are the same, and his voice annoys me. His song "In Color" is so overplayed on the radio that I change the station every time it comes on.

Blake Shelton is my all time favorite. He's a great entertainer and interacts with the audience in a creative and funny way. It doesn't hurt that he's good looking and a GREAT singer!! I saw he and Miranda Lambert in La Crosse last November, so I knew he put on a great show and was looking forward to it. He performed many familiar songs such as "This is Austin," "Some Beach," and "Nobody But Me." The time went by way too quickly and I was sad to see him leave the stage.

It was cool to see Tim McGraw, but I was disappointed that Faith didn't make an appearance. I also thought he was feeling a little sick or something. His voice wasn't as strong as I'm used to hearing, and "Stars Go Blue" was definitely started in the wrong key. He is a good entertainer though and I'm glad I got to see him. I shouldn't be such a music snob.

Getting out of the parking area was a disaster. We sat in the car waiting for quite a long time. It was interesting to listen to people yell at each other though. I haven't decided yet if I will go again tonight. It's supposed to rain and I would like to go to a friend's going away party. Plus - I have to get up early to go home for a family reunion in Winona. We shall see!

Rainy Day

I guess a walk is out for today! It is pouring rain and Soni and I are stuck inside. Of course it was nice out during my 11-3 shift at Family Video this morning, but now that I'm home... I do enjoy thunderstorms though. Soni and I relaxed on my bed for a while, looking out the window at the rain running off the roof of the porch. It even hailed for a while, which reminded me of a family vacation to Yellowstone where we got hailed on in the middle of Hayden Valley. We had hiked with a group and a ranger into the valley, away from our cars and relatively close to a herd of buffalo. Fun times! :)

Off Leash!

I've decided to try something new with Soni. I get so sick of hunting down her leash and hooking it up every single time she needs to go outside (really not that much work, I know, but...) that I decided to test how much I actually trust her to be off leash for less than 5 minutes near a relatively busy street. She's been doing very well so far and is very proud of herself. She is especially good when it's time to eat. I'll bring her outside and she'll go as fast as she can before sprinting back up the stairs to wait for her food. I take my time coming back inside, but she's there at the top of the stairs, peeking around the corner ready to chow down!

Time for a Walk!!

After dinner, we usually go on a nice walk around our neighborhood. Today, after Soni wolfed down some lovely Canidae and I ate some spicy food from Soni's favorite Sri Lankan friend, we took off on our latest adventure.

Now, rule number one of dog walking in town: pick up the poo! No one likes to step in someone else's laziness! This is where we find our stash of beautiful blue baggies.

The bridge pictured to the left extends from 1st Ave to Phoenix Park, across the Chippewa River. Today being Thursday, Phoenix Park was hosting its weekly "Music in the Park" event that takes place (weather permitting) throughout the summertime. We enjoy walking on Thursdays because we can hear the music throughout our whole route. The park was already starting to fill up (those specs on the right are people, really) when we walked over the bridge.

Soni waits very patiently as I stand and take pictures of random things. She does however, get VERY excited when someone rolls by on roller blades. Bikes get her excited sometimes, but it depends on who's on it. I have to keep a very close eye on her to make sure she doesn't run off with me. But generally she is a very good walker.

To the right and below are some pictures from Phoenix Park, once we have crossed the bridge. We make one big loop through the park, over another bridge, through downtown, over yet another bridge and then back around to home. Just over the other side of the second bridge is a cool old building with paintings in all of the windows. It always reminds me of my sister Corissa. :) At this point in the walk I like to turn around and look behind me at where the two rivers meet.

Then we walk down Barstow St, which curves into Graham, a one way. Soni likes to watch all the cars driving by, mainly because she gets a lot of attention from the cars' occupants. Sometimes they wave, but most the time they just smile. It's not unusual for us to be stopped by other pedestrians either. She's definitely a people pleaser. It's the toothy grin I think. Very appealing.

The next bridge we cross is on Grand Ave. I never realized that Infinitea Teahouse was on that side of the river until we moved to 1st Ave and started taking walks in the area. It really is ideal - Infinitea on one side of the bridge, Grand Ave Cafe on the other!

Soni likes to pause to take in the scenery on bridges. This one for some reason is her favorite. She likes to smell the metal. Sometimes lick it. Yum? Doubtful.

Whenever I reach the other side of the bridge, I have an overwhelming urge to stop into Court N' House. They have 2 for 1 burgers on Thursday nights! The only thing stopping me is the fact that my dog would eat everything in sight including the napkins, and the fear that I'll get suckered into karaoke. Oh, and I'm pretty sure dogs aren't allowed. If only they knew that Soni can drink the most seasoned frat boy under the table! It would be entertaining at least!

After my cheeseburger craving subsides, we take a right and head on home. Phoenix Park is now across the river to our right. The trail is surrounded by trees and nice and cool during the summer. It's kind of buggy though if the breeze isn't blowing. There's a creepy old house that I always hurry by, and never walk by in the dark. The fact that it looks creepy, and is next to a funeral parlor is just enough motivation for speed walking!

Tonight we were almost home, back near the bridge to Phoenix Park, when we came across some friendly drunk, homeless looking fellows. They were hanging out at a pavilion that I wanted to take a picture of, but thought they might get the wrong impression. I didn't want them following me home or anything. One of the guys asked me if I had a boyfriend and I had to say yes, of course, for my own safetly. Most weirdos back off if a girl tells them they have a girlfriend, at least in my experience. He said "Darn, I can't flirt with you then." He told me he was jealous of my dog because she gets food and water and a home. Poor guy! Soni yipped and told me it was time to keep walking...

There's a house on our street that always barks at us. And by that I mean there's a little doggie inside the house that always barks at us. I don't know how it knows we're out there, because it looks like all the blinds are closed. But regardless of how quiet we are, we still hear "Grrrroooowwwlll YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP-" -"SPARKY, SHUT UP!!" Ok, I don't really know if the dogs name is Sparky, but that's what the yelling sounds like. We just keep going, one foot, er, paw, in front of the other until we are home.

And at the end of the day, Soni is tired and so am I. :)

Migraine Cuddle Buddy

The past few days I have had pretty bad migraine headaches. Yesterday I had to leave work at 11 because I couldn't even read my computer screen. I came home, closed all the blinds, turned off all the lights, and slept on the couch for a couple hours. Soni loves to curl up on the couch with me when I'm not feeling well. Now that I live by myself, I really don't know what I would do without her...although I could deal without the dog hair all over my apartment. She is currently pouting on her chair in the corner because I am otherwise occupied. Her big brown eyes say "Can't we just call it a night already? I've had an exhausting day of taking care of you."

Life with Soni isn't all roses though either. It's taken a lot of work to get her trained: puppy kindergarten, beginner obedience, help from Dad... She still loves to eat my toilet paper and basically anything she can get her teeth on. She ate the wooden knob off my night stand last night. She has also been known to eat an entire pack of gum and a couple pairs of underwear. Tonight she stole my lipgloss and proceeded to run around the apartment like a chicken with her head cut off. I'm pretty sure my downstairs neighbor was wondering what the heck was going on... Soni ran around the living room, on the couch, under the coffee table, behind the recliner and next to the TV, which unplugged my cable and internet. But...I love her anyway.

My first blog posting ever

Well...I thought I would check out this blogging business. Since most of my time is spent with my crazy Blue Heeler, Soni, I found it appropriate to call it "Soni and Me." :) You may notice that Soni has some white stuff on her ear. It's white paint. My landlord and his entire family decided to paint my house yesterday...beginning with scraping and pounding at 8am. Anyway, I wanted to take the doggie for a walk but I was trapped! They had set up a huge ladder right outside my door. We managed to squeeze out, but not before Soni got a faceful of paint, poor girl! On the upside, at least my house doesn't look like a rundown shack in the ghetto anymore.