What is it w/my dog & skunks????
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| Sun, 09-14-2008 - 12:47pm |
Good Morning all!! Here w/my once in a blue moon check-in again.
Maggie Mae is yipping at the door because I won't let her in til I soap her down w/the hydrogen peroxide/white vinegar/baking soda concoction that seemed to work well last time she decided to corner a skunk. Luckily this time the windows are still closed w/the A/C on and she apparently was far enough away from the house that the odor is only coming from her - not wafting thru everything close by...(last time it seemed to be right under our bedroom window!!!) But it was a quick wake up call when she tried to slip in from her rounds quite early this AM & got as far as under the bed where I had to drag her little behind from to shoo her back outdoors...
I am feeling better, tho still limiting myself from doing anything that requires twisting or turning. Went thru my month of physical therapy and the gal decided we met about 60% of the goals - I can now sleep a 5 hr stretch rather than 2 to 3 at a time, get by most of the time w/the mild ache across my upper mid-back tho depending on what I try to do, it seems to cause burning in my lower back, & the base of the neck & shoulders tend to cramp up quite often - but not getting the bad back spasms. This week will see the next in line of docs - the spine/pain mgmt guy to see what's next. But for what it's worth I guess it is a slight improvement from a month ago. They keep telling me these things just take time.......(I know, but it's been 3 months...)
Since I am still so limited & it's still too hot to try to even get outside to walk for exercise, I am again taking classes. I am now officially in my Masters of Secondary Ed. program - but in order to get the loan $$ had to take 2 classes & had already signed up for the last viable math class thru our local JC. So am now knee deep in HW all the time again - all internet courses. They say each Masters level class is akin to 20 hrs per wk work by itself. But one of the classes I'm really excited about cuz it's what I've been wanting - an actual different teaching method (based on the Japanese model of lesson study) for teaching math particularly. Even D32 sounded interested in reading the books when I'm done as she was disappointed w/her comparative education course expecting something more like this. It's definitely keeping my mind otherwise occupied & I'm back to subbing on average a couple days a week - except for the "traveling" teacher at the jr hi. He has to push his stuff around on a cart to everyone elses room during their preps to hold his classes - & they've called me to sub for him at least 3 times now. That one I just won't take on yet - even w/their offer of a student aide to push the cart.
We've finalized our flights to Maine/Massachusetts for end of October to visit w/S21 at Harvard Law in Cambridge, Massachusetts & my sis in Raymond, Maine, so I'm also trying to work my way ahead in the classes a little at a time to keep from having to spend so much time trying to do coursework while we're on vacation tho I will have to check into the discussion boards quite regularly from wherever. DH always carries a laptop so that's not a problem & he's now loaded the programs I need for my math class & screen shortcuts set up so I can access the way I'm used to etc (me and my computer illiteracy), now to set my bookmarks for iVillage & I'm set for keeping connected. I really want to avoid having to haul books. One of the teachers in the lesson study class lives & teaches HS in Martha's Vineyard. I'm trying to make it work w/our group here in western Arizona to include some long distance collaboration w/her & make a trek to do the observation & followup part of the process w/her out there. It would be a kewl excuse to go to Cape Cod for a day that we wouldn't do otherwise. And right now we're still working around everyone's still unsure schedules anyway - it will be S21's flyout/interview week for 2nd yr summer internship arrangements & my sis is a bit jazzed about a new supervisorial role she's taking on that week at LLBean. We're quite flexible & have a couple other things we know we want to do to work around seeing everyone + doing kind of an early Thanksgiving back there (it's the closest DH could get his vacation to the holidays). I just know it's gonna be COLD by our standards!!
Our mornings are getting to be quite nice, but we're still hitting triple digits during the days - & this past month the monsoon humidity has hit records out here - they even had a truck drive thru our lower valley neighborhoods to spray for mosquitos a few weeks back. Which was promptly completely neutralized by a microburst the following week. We lost another tree across the driveway, and a few more very large branches downed in the yard - not near as bad as the one a couple years ago. The power poles down the highway a mile away were all snapped in half & the little farm airport just other side between the highway & the river lost all it's hangars, our whole end of the valley including Needles was without power for about 6 hours - tho there was a pocket that didn't get power back til the next mid-day...Fun, fun fun!!!
A/C just kicked on again, & I still have to get dressed & go wash the dog so better get to it before hitting the math for the rest of the day.
Take care & have a great rest of the weekend...




Hi Jo
Good to to see you here. Darn dogs and skunks sometimes you just cannot keep them apart huh? I sure hope by now you have your doggie smelling much better. Our cocker used to love to corner a skunk when she go the chance, thank heavens that was not too often.
I am glad you have some progress even though you are still experiencing some pain and
Jo I've heard tomato juice neutralizes skunk spray. Of course I learned this after we deskunked our dog.
Visiting Cape Cod for any reason is wirth is albeit out of the way. Good luck with the course and possibly meeting your instructor. Many positive vibes coming your way for a speedy resolution with your back.