Ashes to Ashes, Dirt to Dirt

Sigh! Had a migraine this morning. I felt it coming on last night, probably because I only had one cup of coffee. Took advil and went to bed on time. Jessica woke me at 3 a.m. She was so Happy!! Cooing and moving around. She was so excited when I tried to tuck her back in and turn on her Harry Potter CD. No luck--she did not go back to sleep and my nagging headache kept me tossing and turning. Then I would get up, tuck her in, and go back to tossing & turning again.

So, weary and in pain, I got up to pack lunches and get the girls out the door. Thank God for husbands!! Joe pitched in, finished lunches, finished meds, all while I hung my head over the sink and lamented the fact that I had taken advil on an empty stomach!! Once everyone was gone, I contemplated going back to bed, since I could only see out of one eye. But Oliver needed tending. First I heard the gnawing sound I have come to dread! There he was, chewing up the bottom of my rocking chair again--underneath where Joe had anointed it with insanity sauce!! Did I say this dog was unintelligent--NOT! So I shooed him outide, but left the door open. Hoping that the nausea had subsided, I got up to eat some oatmeal and Low and Behold--there stands my dog, with Ashes dripping from his jowls. He had been eating the ashes which had fallen in the catchplate under the grill. I gagged!! He lumbered over, opened his mouth and then I saw the dark, hummus like dirt embedded in tongue and teeth. I ran for the bathroom!!

Why, why, why??? I guess ash washes out the flavor of dirt. Who knew?? I made the decision and drove to PetCo--please give me the bitter stuff to spray on my house.....

Jessica's & her attendant situation

When Oliver eats nothing but his food during the day--things sure are mundane around here. But it does leave me to ponder how Jessica's role in our life has evolved over the past year or so. She is 19 now, and as of 1-2 years ago, we started having more attendants in the house. We have someone here from 3:30-9:30 or 10 most nights. This has been helpful in many ways. I don't have to worry about beating the bus home from work, carpool or errands. Joe and I can go to dinner or a movie, because someone is here. But what it caused was the increasing absence of Jessica from our events. We have a race or meeting or special service at church--and Jessica stays home with the attendant. Mary or Libby have a concert or a play, and Jessica stays home with the attendant. I have become increasingly sad about this situation. Our afternoon attendant gave us 2 weeks notice and I am starting to consider not filling those hours right away. I have to look at summer and how to arrange things, and I actually find myself looking forward to having to take Jessica along to events again. Funny how you desperately need help, but when you get it, you feel you lost something in the process.

I am not buying another Dog Bed!!

Such an unintelligent dog somtimes! Oliver was obvoiously bored outside during my Girl Scout meeting today..... Because when Joe went out to start repairing the lawn mower--he fins Oliver resting in his lawn chair and the new dog bed, now with a huge hole chewed into it, surrounded with brown stuffing. Aaauuugghhh! That darn bed was $40. Why chew up your own bed? Okay, I know he did it to the first one, but I was so hopeful that if I covered it with a blanket--then he would not think to chew it up. It hasn't lasted but a month so far. Sometimes I could weep, but I think we have an appointment to meet with a man about a second foster dog names Leslie--another clumsy, sweet and clueless boxer in need of a home and someone to play with.

Am I just asking for the loss of more furniture? Or will this be the answer to our house eating dog's need for a friend?? Time will only tell....

One chair leads to another

Having disposed of 2 raggedy old blue chairs to the curb due to Oliver's gnawing, we moved my beautiful purple rocking chair into their place. I love my rocking chair. And when I came home today after walking/jogging a 1/2 marathon with my dearest friend and neighbor Joni, what did I find?? Shards of wood and purple paint, hewn from the front of not one, but both front legs of my beloved rocking chair. If I hadn't been cramping, swollen and in pain--I might have chased Oliver around the house, but no, I allowed Joe to begin his ingenious new program to deter the wonder dog from eating every belonging we are attached to. Hot Sauce. Not just your run of the mill hot sauce, but Insanity Sauce. The only sauce Joe has ever eaten and actually been in pain due to its ingestion. So onto the gnawed tips of my chair. They are now chewed, purplish and red/spicy! You can smell my chair. Oliver went over, sniffed and sneezed and walked 2 feet away, head bowed--Defeated!!!!

Okay, so maybe I can take the smell of insanity sauce applied throughout my house. But now I will worry about the other items which are, as of yet, unadorned. Will he go eat those instead?? Or will the smell drive us from the house?? Two items are anointed--but I may have to put my foot down on this behavior modification plan. With the rising heat of Texas summer coming--rancid hot sauce might keep us all away!

Another cushion bites the dust!

Just when I think I can sit down and check my email.... The remaining couch cushion, torn but safe up on the table, was placed back on the couch by a considerate spouse or child and......

A little about the Geisingers

Who are these busy, overscheduled, overcommitted Geisingers? Meet Husband & Dad Joe, bread-winning, mechanical engineer, small business owner, runner, cyclist, duathlete, paddler, Scouter, friend and all around awesome guy!

Meet Wife and Mom Patty, volunteer extraordinaire at Texas Parent to Parent, Oak Hill Girl Scouts, SJN Catholic Church, Small Middle School, VC2100 Mom who is training for Philmont, not running enough to do a 1/2 marathon this soon, extrovert.

#1 and only Son Joshua, College Redhead, UT Men's swim team manager, UT Cycling Team crazyman, Economics/Kinesiology/Dietician student all rolled into one, who is crazy enough to agree to accompany Mom and Sister to Philmont to hike 60+ miles this summer.

Jessica, our curly red-headed angel, 19 and enjoying her school Rosedale every day, music loving, sleepy, tube-fed, undiagnosed with multiple disabilities whose life we all revolve around! Please don't call me "Annie" again switch hitting fiend!

Libby, Libby, Libby on the label, label, label is daughter #2. A darling girl who is a sweet as she appears, but can have a core of iron if you tell her what her homework is--it will get done or ELSE! Girl Scout Cadette, wonderful friend, hiking maniac and all around really Nice Girl!!

Mary, Mary quite contrary, but #4 child is one of a kind!! How her wild youth has given way to Middle School delight. Friends and fun surround her, she runs, bikes and climbs. Throw in a boat and she is your girl!! All activity, all the time--but oops I forgot to turn in my homework makes her Mother groan!!

Oliver the Wonder Dog. Adopted before Christmas, is a Boxer and American Bulldog mix who eats everything left unattended!! Lonely, needs a friend other than Mr. T, the new hampster in the house. Do we see a Buddy in the Geisinger future?

Mr. T (formerly known as "Can we adopt him if he doesn't have a tumor?), Whew--no tumor so Mr. T, also known now as Houdini--has escaped from his cage twice but was found!! He is the love of Oliver's life--who can sit for an hour and watch him running on his wheel. Libby loves him dearly and we have only had him a few days!

Wow, I started a Blog as an experiment

We have had a joke going in the family since Christmas that I should start a blog called "What Oliver ate Today", because everytime we turn around, Oliver has eaten another part of our house or another belonging. To date Oliver has eaten:

the bottom of 2 chairs (now sent to the curb for bulky item pickup)
an old stool
4 remote controls (2 replaced and 2 duct-taped)
2 phones (both replaced)
multiple used Kleenex (in the hundreds--ewww)
hair scrungies (found in the after digestion stage in the back yard)
socks, socks and more socks (of every color and also in the backyard)
a wallet (salvaged)
a watch (salvaged)
1 box of Girl Scout Peanut butter sandwiches (ate all of them)
pens, pencils of every type
2 paperback books
1 Barbie doll
2 cushions of the couch
all 4 cushions on the outdoor bench
his 1st dog bed (shredded)
the arms off of the lawn chair
the seat and hand rests of the tandem bike
multiple stuffed animals which were not his for the playing
14 packages of pepper and parmesan cheese from Mr. Gattis (that stopped him up a bit)
drawstrings for the window shades
the rocking chair (saved)

BUT

He has yet to chew on Jessica's wheelchair, feeding pump or feeding tube......
but he did gnaw on the feeding bag once--sigh!


So on we go, I wanted to write a short article for our volunteer newsletter at Texas Parent to Parent and although I have watched

Julie & Julia

I have never ventured into BlogLand. I hope to write more about Jessica and her multiple disabilities and undiagnosed medical condition. Either way, we are a bunch of silly, crazy Geisingers who love life, each other and Oliver the wonder dog