Oh, Dear.

So, Ripley officially has auto-immune polyarthritis. It is an auto-immune disease not unlike lupus but in Ripley's case, when her body decides to attack itself, it focuses on the joints. She is on steroids and the hope is that this is her one and only bout. It isn't genetic. It is just bad luck. Given that she also had an ectopic ureter (another stroke of bad luck), this is not the world's luckiest pup.

While in the hospital, they had to tap her joints they were so swollen. Later that day, she looked like this...

Happy to see her Mama but clearly NOT OK. My poor girl. She is home now. She will be on steroids, antibiotics and pain killers for awhile. She is not her normal nutty, chaotic, full of energy self- she is about 40% of that. It makes me terribly sad. To see her so not full of life... That being said- she is LOVING her new home cooked diet! Of course, the steroids increase her appetite so maybe not but I think it is just the magic with which I boil a chicken that has hooked her. Hee hee.

Among the hardest parts, vainly enough, is that in order to tap her joints, they had to shave her legs. They did it for its medical benefit and not at all for look. Yesterday, some old Greek lady walking by, asked me- "why I put socks on dog?". I wanted to shove a baklava up her ass. (Spanakopita in her pie hole?)

Anyway, nowadays, Ripley looks like this...

I think I especially like how someone must have hit her side with the shavers because there was no procedure done there and the shaving doesn't go to the skin...

If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny.

So, that is our crazy scoop. The plague that I have had for almost a week seems to be going away and that's great 'cause I was going to start stealing some of Ripley's antibiotics soon!

In the meantime, I watch her breathe a lot and try to remember we need to take this recovery slow.

And I gotta boil more chicken!

Is there a Sweeter Bouquet?

I have THREE of these in my kitchen!

It is what I imagine heaven smells like....

Rumor Has It...

...the Magic 8 Ball is getting it's own movie! Color me excited as I have depended on the Magic 8 Ball to make many important decisions for me! Will I keep you posted?

Yes, Definitely!

It's Official.

I got a call this morning from my fine, upstanding, stiff upper lip Cornish solicitor.

My Mirage is officially over. Finito. The End.

There's nothing like a judge in a wig getting the final word!

6AM is NOT my Time Du Jour....

So, a week ago, I saw Sondheim on Sondheim with my girls- we sang, we laughed, we shed a tear or two when the Clowns were sent in. It was a very interesting show- Sondheim had a quite a life. Needless to say, I got home around 11:30 and my sweet puppy greeted me with a lukewarm, "You're home." Not that she wasn't excited but normally I get greeted with loving "WHERE THE %$#@$^ HAVE YOU BEEN!". I figured that it was late, she was tired, I sang Being Alive while we walked and we went to bed. In the morning, I woke up of my own accord at 7:30. This is unheard of in life After Puppy. Ripley wouldn't come out of her crate. Then she wouldn't drink. Or move. Her eyes became cloudy, her gait stiff, her appetite non-existent. I carried her out to do her business and she needed to be carried back in. Oh, and steadied while she did it. I took her to the vet. We started antibiotics. I set the alarm every hour through the night to look at her. I carried her ice cubes to lick. By Thursday, it was a bit better and then much worse. By the time we got to our favorite Vet Hospital- Ripley had a fever of 105.8 (102 is HIGH in puppies), mucous coming out of her eyes, and was most definitely not herself.

They did blood tests, tick panels, ultrasounds, x-rays. They put her on IV fluids, uber-strong antibiotics, pain killers. By Saturday, she hadn't walked in days and the blood cultures take time to reveal anything so they needed to tap her joints to know if they could start her on steroids for her extreme swelling in the joints and the pain. On Saturday, when I went to visit- I climbed into her crate and did not wanna leave. Her little shave-n, swollen joints broke my heart. It was awful.

However, the steroids worked wonders. Plus it was Day 4 of uber-steroids and she ate a little breakfast in Sunday. She got to come home last night with a shit load of meds, a crazy look, and no college fund left. (Vet Hospitals are helpful but not cheap). She is still not herself but she is closer. Much, much closer. We are still waiting for the blood/tick results to tell us why this all happened. Apparently, odds are its either a tick borne illness or an auto-immune blood deficiency. Either way... my poor, poor pup.

Whilst she was in the hospital- I got some advice, did some research, had a fever myself (I am going to snitch some of Ripley's antibiotics soon) and decided you are indeed what you eat. I have eaten a box of Oreo's new Fudge Creams today and I fed my mother oyster crackers during her recent visits. So when I say you are indeed what you eat, I am talking about Ripley. (That being said, based on my diet since her return- I am delicious!)

Do you know what is in pet food? Yeah, me neither. So, while we are waiting for the bubble I have ordered for Ripley to live in- I am going to make her food. Yesterday, I boiled my first chicken. I shredded it, I measured it and put some in the freezer, some in the fridge. I made brown rice. I made carrots & peas. I bought the best food avails on the market which is delightfully called Hund-N-Flocken. I saved the broth from the boiling of the chicken. And this morning, I was excited to be feeding my dog the best possible thing. (I had two more Oreos and some Thera Flu).

While getting the broth out of the fridge, I dropped it. Broth (mostly coagulated as I forgot to strain it) EVERYWHERE! While grabbing for paper towels, I knocked the rice down, too. At which point, I should have just thrown down some chicken and let Ripley have at it!

I mean, really. The best, laid intentions...

6AM is NOT my time du jour.....

OMG! (from today's NY Times...)

In a case that could spur the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to set minimum age limits for marriage, a girl who was wed at age 11 to an 80-year-old man has been granted a divorce.

In exchange for a dowry of about $22,000, the girl, now 12, was forced to marry her father's cousin last year.

Part of the difficulty in imposing marriage age restrictions in this strictly religious society is attributable to the fact that Islam's most revered figure, the Prophet Muhammad, himself wed a 9-year-old girl.

In January, however, Sheikh Abdullah al-Manie, a senior Saudi cleric, said Muhammad's 7th-century marriage could not be used as justification for today's child marriages, the Indian Express reported.

Spring Has Sprung!

And my favorite flower is bloomin'! YAHOOO!

RIpley Also Has A New Friend...

...her name is Holly. She is a 10 month old dachsund puppy who belongs to the Jamaican groundskeeper at the mansion next door here in ye olde Hamptons. They are really cute together. They touch noses and run in circles and then Ripley lays down and Holly comes and strokes Ripley's face with her tiny paw. ADORBS! The only drawback? Ripley doesn't always come when she is called (yet) so, I have to crawl through the hedges ('cause Lord knows, I ain't walking the length of the drive to retrieve my dog) to get her. Annoying.

I Have Been Busy...

...keeping my escape artist of a pup contained! After getting out of the kitchen Day 1 in the Hamptons, I locked her down for day two! Gates, chairs, locks... and she STILL GOT OUT!

She got the tiny door off its hinges... I should have named her Houdini!

A Very SNAIL-icious Morning on The Patio!

So, you know how I love Peeps?

I got these delights in the mail awhile back and was waiting 'til Easter to show them off!

Peep salt & pepper shakers- beautifully made by Lenox! They even came with this sweet, gold plated tray! I just love them and brought them to the 'rents to have on our Easter table!

(My Mom loved 'em and apparently had almost bought them for me herself!)

They will be on display all year round here at the BFG Apartment

as they are just as delicious as the real things!

(but I can't eat 'em!)

Auntie Jenn Meets Baby John!

I mean, really?! How cute is this angel? AND he was wearing the "blueberry" bib I made him!

I was so honored! In fact, I need another John fix STAT!

I loves me some Blueberry!

So, anyway Hershey...

...and then she said...

...which was the funniest thing...

...what are you looking at? Are you listening to me?...

And to all... a Happy Easter!

love, hershey & ripley

We Need A Bigger Boat!