Wednesday wanderlust

shock and ... awwww

Recognizing and appreciating the many sacrifices of our military men & women this Memorial Day holiday.... including their painful separation from their beloved dogs during their deployments. 

The link below has a great compilation of touching canine reunions when they return home.  {have a tissue handy}

If you ever doubted that animals have emotions.....

Military Members' Emotional Reunions With Their Dogs

a long week

I have a new appreciation for what caregivers endure.

Things have been quiet here at WITW? for a while because I've been overwhelmed with caring for Buddy & Aruba.  Juggling lots of appointments with veterinary specialists, and constant dispensing and refilling of medicines... our kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy.  Worst of all tho is the sadness of watching my precious pups age.

The good news is that, with all the care + meds, they are stable, comfortable, content.  They are not in pain--- my biggest concern!!  The bad news is that Buddy's eyes are deteriorating rather than healing (the corneas of both eyes are perforated, the right much worse than the left), something that happens with age.  Earlier this week, his opthalmologist said that it's just a matter of time before he'll need his right eye removed.  Could be a month. 7 months. A year. We have no way to know.  We're putting off this surgery because Buddy's overall health is just not ideal for it; according to his cardiologist, the anesthesia could be life-threatening.  

Tough decisions.

This miracle dog has survived lung cancer (against the odds!) and congestive heart failure.  So I'm grappling with the cold hard fact that it might be his eye that is the ultimate threat to his life.  Huh ???

I hope you have a pleasant weekend (it's a 3-day holiday here in the US)... I hope to get some rest.

Wednesday wanderlust

Wednesday wanderlust

One of my favorite travel quotes!

to all my fellow scrapbookers....

Enjoy today! :-)

Wednesday wanderlust

4 years ago

It was 4 years ago yesterday that our precious Buddy had surgery to remove a large cancerous tumor from his lung. Some lung lobes also had to be removed. The surgeon told us it was a complicated surgery, and I remember so clearly the sadness and anxiety of that day.

But Buddy came through it !!!

And as I've done every year on this special anniversary, I e-mailed his surgeon at Palm Beach Veterinary Specialists (PBVS) with an update on Buddy + a photo, again thanking him for saving Buddy's life. And as busy as he is, every year he takes the time to send a thoughtful and caring reply.

We didn't really get to celebrate this year tho, because we spent part of the day back at PBVS with Buddy needing to see a specialized veterinary opthalmalogist. (I am thankful for this resource--- he is one of only 200 such animal eye experts in the world!) Buddy has been treated for some trouble with his eye over the past month, but it worsened all of a sudden. After a thorough exam, the doctor determined that there's a hole in Buddy's right eye, and that eye fluid is leaking out and his eye is collapsing. :-( Another devastating diagnosis for Buddy.

Sal and I are heartbroken.

The obvious fix would be surgery. But with Buddy's other serious health concerns, he's not a candidate. Instead, a series of eye drops + eye ointment + pills will relieve the pain and hopefully help the eye heal itself over time. If not, Buddy's eye will have to be removed.

Sal and I are devastated. :-(

Lately I've been overwhelmed with caring for Buddy & Aruba... I can handle dispensing the myriad of medicines, supplements, doctor visits. It's the emotional strain that's so difficult. It's so painful to watch their health deteriorate. I feel them slipping away from us.

Thanks so much for your continued concern, thoughts, and prayers for our precious Buddy & Aruba. Our precious little family.

thoughts & prayers for Boston

pawsitively ready for the weekend

What a long week it has been! For you too?

I was at the veterinarian for 3 hours with Aruba yesterday, poor thing. So tiring and stressful for both of us!

She has a couple of infections (source unknown, but doesn't appear stroke-related) and I'm worried and want her to feel better right away! She doesn't seem to be in pain, but has a bit of discomfort. She kept walking toward the exam room door, wanting to leave, sweet angel. We're waiting on some lab test results, but in the interim she's on meds that I hope will have her feeling like herself again soon.

I just love her!! Isn't she pretty?

colorful winged things in Costa Rica

Things are settling down here a bit... Aruba went for a follow-up exam with the neurologist yesterday and altho she isn't 100%, the doctor sees definite improvement! With time, more physical therapy, and more neuro exams, Aruba will continue to recover well. Thanks again for all your concern and prayers!

So I'm back to post more of our last few days in Costa Rica.... we left the Manuel Antonio area on the Pacific coast (and our villa with that hammock--- I've been missing the serenity!) and headed northeast to the center of the country. We stayed in a cozy B&B, a converted traditional Costa Rican home, called Casa de Las Tias. It's in Escazu, a suburb of the capital, San Jose. With Escazu as our base for a few days, we took some exciting day trips and attended a local festival too! I'll highlight the day trips here, and the festival in a separate post.

We visited Poas Volcano National Park, which is unique among the many volcanoes in CR because you can walk up to the edge of the crater and peer directly into an active volcano! Kinda surreal I thought, or maybe I was just overcome by sulfur fumes? We were super lucky to be there on a clear day--- word has it that many visitors arrive only to stare at clouds, which roll in frequently and completely obscure the view.

Rather than rent a car, we opted to hire a private driver-guide. It was wonderful to spend the day with a local Costa Rican, learning more about the country and culture, and Sal really enjoyed chatting in Spanish with her the whole day!

From Poas, we journeyed on to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Aside from hiking trails thru lush rainforest leading to several (stunning!) waterfalls, there was a butterfly garden and aviary. There we encountered gazillions of the famous Costa Rican Blue Morpho butterfly... when it closes its wings, it's brown... but when it opens its wings, brilliant shades of blue flutter all around--- so pretty! And I made a new friend--- a Toucan landed on my arm in the aviary! We had spotted one on a previous rainforest hike, but only from a distance... like most rainforest creatures, they live way up high in the treetops. So it was special to meet this spectacular bird up close. Gosh, they're pretty! I had a strange craving for Froot Loops afterwards. {couldn't resist}

happy Easter!

Buddy & Aruba surprised me with this sweet Easter basket this morning, complete with hand-shredded paper "grass"!
(thank you Sal)

crafting marathon!

Really enjoying the 24-hours of scrapbooking shows airing on HSN today! :-)
Loving the ideas & inspiration!

I'm "that girl"

Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the weekend?

The 4 of us needed to rest after the trauma of Aruba's stroke... Sal and I were emotionally spent.  We see Aruba doing a little better each day!  She still has balance issues, sometimes tilts her head to the right, and her left side is weakened.  But she's taking meds for this and I've already begun physical therapy that will hopefully help strengthen her.  And her appetite has bounced back--- but she needs to be hand-fed from a spoon, or with her dish elevated.... the vertigo won't allow her to lean down to eat.  Poor angel.  I asked the neurologist about dietary supplements that will help Aruba, and she suggested "omega-3 fish oil".  Well, being vegetarian, we're not proponents of fish oil... but after some online research and a visit to a specialized vitamin shop, we found NutraVege, a high-quality potent vegetarian omega-3 substitute!  We're SO relieved to see Aruba improving!

On a lighter note... have you seen this new TV ad from Expedia?  The timing is amazing given that I had to "find my courage" to go ziplining in Costa Rica!  I'm "that girl" the ad describes... careful, safety conscious, logical thinker... and I too am really glad "that girl" stayed home when I went to Costa Rica!  ;-)

Aruba's home !!!

Another thanks for your continued concern for Aruba... your thoughts and prayers have meant so much!

Aruba was released from the hospital last night .... we're so happy to have our precious angel back home with us !!! And she seemed pretty happy on the car ride home.

She'll need some recovery time; the stroke left her with vertigo (she's taking meds for that--- between hers and Buddy's meds, I'm running a doggy pharmacy here! LOL). The stroke also left her with a weakened left side. :-( To strengthen her and prevent muscle atrophy, we'll be doing some basic range-of-motion physical therapy with her here at home. After she goes back to the neurologist for a follow-up in a couple of weeks, she might need more advanced physical therapy.

For now tho, we're all just so tired after a trying week! She and Buddy snuggled-up and fell asleep together, so sweet! He missed her.

Come back soon... as we get settled down here, I plan to blog our last few days spent in Costa Rica. We have some amazing experiences to share!

Aruba's recovering

Hi everyone and thank you SO much for your comments, emails, texts, calls expressing concern for our precious Aruba... it's so appreciated!

Yesterday was a day of worry and uncertainty here. Unfortunately, the neurologist said that Aruba had a mild stroke. :-( She is still recovering in the ICU. We are so sad about this, but with testing and diagnostics we're trying to find out what caused it, to make sure there's not another underlying medical concern.

The good news is that when we visited Aruba last night, she was alert and fairly bright-eyed! She also began eating again... and this morning, the overnight nurse said that Aruba ate even more through the night and is walking better! :-)

Her head is still tilted to the right, and this may never go away.

Our precious angel Aruba... she has always been so strong & healthy, it's so hard to see her like this. And after Buddy's battle with lung cancer and congestive heart failure, my heart is so heavy for my furbabies.

Waiting on more test results and another neuro exam today... then hoping that Aruba can come home with us tonight. Buddy is looking for her too.

prayers for Aruba

It's always 'back to reality' after a trip. I know this.

But sometimes reality is a big bucket of cold water splashed in our faces.

Our precious Aruba was admitted to the hospital last night. So hard to go home without her. {sad} I want her here to hug and comfort, but that won't make her better.

After thorough examinations by 2 veterinarians, it's still not clear what's wrong. She is stable this morning, and even ate a little. A neurologist evaluated her early this morning, waiting to hear....

The overnight nurse said that Aruba is "so sweet"... warmed my heart!

Will be back with updates.....

hasta luego, Costa Rica!

Heading to the airport soon, time to go home... Costa Rica, we absolutely loved you!

Natural beauty!
Exotic wildlife!
Warm & friendly people!

We'll be back!

Pura vida!

'pura vida' meets 'la dolce vita'

After bidding a sad farewell to the hammock yesterday, we took a 4-hour trip back to central Costa Rica, to a quaint town called Escazu, outside San Jose, the capital, where we'll wrap-up our journey through Costa Rica.

We arrived at our pleasant B&B, a traditional Costa Rican home, and were warmly greeted by the owners, Pilar & Xavier. After resting on yet another fabulous balcony outside our room--- this time with a comfy wicker chase lounge instead of a hammock--- we took a walk to a nearby Italian restaurant called D'Amalfi (btw, Costa Ricans seem to love Italian food!). It was different to see a menu describing Italian dishes in Spanish! Turned out the chef was Italian, from Milan, so he and Sal had a great chat at first in Spanish, until they realized they're both Italian, then it was 'parliamo Italiano'. (Sidebar: the B&B owners love to visit Italy, and they speak Italian also, so we had a lovely time chatting.)

Our dinner was fabulous, lots of vegetarian delights.... starting with a bruschetta appetizer with a local flavor twist-- a fried plantains garnish. And I had a ravioli dish that amazed! Throw in some live music, al fresco dining, and a lemon sorbet for dessert--- served in a frozen lemon rind! --- and it was a recipe for a perfect evening.

But wait, there's more! We were walking past a shop on the way back to our B&B when I spied scrapbooking supplies in the window! Get out of town! Really? Had to stop in and check it out (excuse how bedraggled I look after a long day!)... according to the clerk, scrapbooking is big here in Escazu!

Today we woke to a delightful breakfast, including Costa Rica's famous tasty coffee and fresh tropical fruit, served outdoors, before heading to a fabulous local festival for the day. More about the festival in my next post.... need rest! ... that chase lounge is beckoning!

I just couldn't leave....

.... the hammock (oh that hammock... from which I am blogging again! I even saw Sal enjoying it, and he's not really a hammock kinda guy)
.... adorable monkeys peeking into our balcony in the early morning
.... the sweet scent of gardenias wafting onto our balcony
.... the sight and sound of the ocean (from my hammock!)

So, since it was (thankfully) available, we stayed an extra day & night here in our villa! It'll probably mean one less volcano hike when we get to Escazu, but that's ok --- we'll do it when we return to Costa Rica sometime --- oh yes, we'll be back!

Time to go in a few hours... kicking and screaming! LOL

(I also loved the towel art that housekeeping left for us, and the new little feline friend we made, he hung out with us on our balcony every day--- look at those stunning green eyes!!)