young and old

seems like every time i turn around, some peepbody is having a birthday and gets to do what they want.  plus, they get a wish. apparently 'leeeen has a lot of these birthdays, and she got her way. she wanted to go to the ocean. we have a new traveling rig, and she wanted to see if all three of us could sleep in there. 

off to St. Augustine.  made sense.  it was the first city in amerika, and why not the first city for us to try our rig.  plus, it has some importance for aging. 

this is not only our car.  we can sleep in it!  which means it's a traveling bedroom.  supposedly we want to travel! i'm in.  and Anastasia State Park is a mighty fine place. we could hear the real Atlantic waves crashing as we walked toward our site

Rahhhn is building--

a Sandwish???   i always wish for a sandwish.  

oops i went a little too far.  wow these peeps eat great food as they age.  any excuse to break the rules.

ok, so a night listening to waves, Not having a bed of my own, listening to peeps' sounds and roars, wrestling with them when they asked for it, waiting, waiting for morning... more sandwishes, perhaps???

no, not exactly.  off to the Destination--at least they chose a place i could enjoy too.  'leeen called the shots and picked an interesting place to go.  

appropriate for a birthday...

way back in the 16th century, this guy, Ponce d'Leon landed in this beautiful native village, and since he was looking for the Fountain of Youth, he declared this spot to be IT!  he's still here, so i let him take me for a walk....

peacocks didn't want me to enter, but

water jugs?

the native people had apparently declared that i could... 

 btw these people had no scent or motion. and i thought my peeps were strange...

the mineral water bubbles up right here and boy does it smell good!  the peeps all go around holding their noses, but i love it! many things it reminds me of...

bubble, bubble, and they gave me a cup of my own. yummy smell.  

good to the last drop.  best water i ever had.  'leeen really knows what she's doing.

 ok, party's over.  we're all young (at heart) and it's time to go.  but first a peek at the ocean. the crashing waves i do so love.  we pulled over for one last look, and smell, and sound...

  life is good. 'leen's real birthday wish was very important:  she made it at the vet's when i had my final test for those nasty worms.  drum roll...   the Worms Are Dead Hey Ho The Worms Are Dead.  i have survived the treatment, i went camping, i have been to the fountain of youth ,i'm So back....  she's old, but i'm new again!!!

My Florida...yes, it's all coming back to me now

That's one mighty fine Gulf, with Seahorse Key floating on top

This is a Rest Stop! They really know how to give R and R to travelers


With only two seizures during the last month, i can remember who i am. those peeps are making more sense--they're coming around.  they've started taking me places again, and they give me tons of treats with medicine inside.  i'm gaining weight.  it's one Big, happy family.

Bird Watching is my favorite sport, and this is the place to do it.

must be messy--glad we're not hiking

Holy Mackerel!  'leeeeen got a fishing license for her birthday, so now we're serious about seafood.  spotted sea trout are the usual fare, but these guys were good!

yummm

rahhhn does this all the time. how come They get to ride??

and now i can do what i do best

life is good. dreaming is my strong suit

don't even need a bed

oops.  i opened my eye.  night, friends...  looks like i might make it after all.  blood tests soon will tell the tale.  if the worms are gone, grrrreat.  if they're still here i'll be too depressed to write.  

who am i? why am i here?

i am a little confused.  i don't know where i've been. as a matter of fact i don't know where i am now.  i'm feeling ok.  for a while there, i was having a storm in my brain--electric shock therapy or seizures or strokes.  that was horribly unpleasant. now it's been a few days and it hasn't happened...

these days, the only place i go is to Dr. Allison Wonderland and Dr. Yester. They act like they like me, but then they do some very aggressive and outlandish things to me, so i am not sure.  i'm not sure of anything much.  

i have no idea--who i am or where i live
do i have a home?  a pack?  where is the food?

i am not allowed to play, so i rest a lot. twice or more a day the other pack members say something like "BEE-ti,  BEE-ti, BEE-ti" and then hand me food with little white pebbles in them. 

i can sometimes peel away the food and eat the good part--leaving the small white rocks on the floor.  but on the frequent occasion that i'm just too hungry, i eat the food quickly--nasty tasting pebbles and all, and next thing i know it's Night nIGHT.    

seems like a nice enough place.  it's certainly hot here
there are geckos. i like geckos.
that's the only thing i know for sure.i hear them rattling around in those leaves. 
finally, i have a purpose.

yes. this is where they live.i only care about them.
i have been placed in some sort of contraption
and there is a force constantly pulling me back from what i love.

outside the laundromat
i hear geckos
i can almost taste them

the force drags me to the dock.
no geckos.

on second thought, these are not geckos but
they are fiddler crabs and they will do, but wait...

the force drags me away from my hunt

and into this white den.

the pack members are very hard to understand. sometimes when i relieve myself they are delighted. other times they are distraught.  very unpredictable pack members.  i assume i am dominant, but i'm not sure. the larger one may be.  or that other one.  

i'll just have to give them time. perhaps things will improve.  just please whoever is in charge--don't let those shocking episodes return.  

don't you have days like this?  bury thy head and wait for things to get better....

i wait outside my house.  where did i go wrong?

have i mentioned the shaved patch on my back that now itches?

that patch that drives me insane???

ok, i think i'm going to make it...in spite of that itchy bald rectangle on my back...




they took away all of my toys because Dr. Hop Along said i can't play for 60 days. she doesn't want the worm bodies to move to fast and give me a stroke.  i have a whole basket of toys, but they hid it.  after they went to bed,  i showed them.  i made my own toys out of TP.  i found the roll that waits in the shower, and made the best of it. 

couldn't help myself

i'm ok.

i'm better than ok, especially when i get my tummy rubbed...  rahhn is my hero.

this is not a silent scream.  this is my happy face.

it's just me in a rough'n tough world.  glad i've made it So Far.  thanks for caring   

Friends, I'm not picture-worthy yet, but I am doing better. They're feeding me fancy foods with medicine inside. It's worth the trade off if you ask me.  Also, they're carrying me outside like a movie star chihuahua or dainty poodle. Those are the upsides of this experience.

But I'm resting comfortably, perking up my ears, and wagging my tail. Only a little--it curls back and tickles that bald spot they shaved on my back.

All in all, the worms seem to be dying quietly, and I'm coming back to life.

My attitude is still positive. I do not hold a grudge. Thank you for your concern and good wishes...

Holy Cow

oh boy

you can't imagine.  the nausea.  the pain.  i can't wag without hurting

close up of the shaved area where they put that needle nice and deep into the lumbar muscles

i can't even eat.  no way to get comfortable...

there is no relief.

it's just a big OUCH. and Dr. Hop-Along called ibuprofen pain pills.  I don't Think So!  

let's just see whether my worms go embolize or they exit through my lungs...

please, folks, be religious in your use of preventives.  Advantix has heartworm protection.  on behalf of all of us, please spend the extra $4 and do the heartworm preventive.  it's WAY cheaper than what my peeps have done...

good night.   i'm so gone.  but alive, so far...