Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

December 21, 2018December 20, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 65 Comments

“This is what Friday’s are meant to be.”

Friday again. It is the last Friday before Christmas. I hope you have all your shopping done. I know I do. (Thank heavens)

This week has been busy. I finally got some help from Grammarly. Guess what they came up with? Uninstall the existing program and reinstall a new one. Can you say DUH? I mean if that was the solution why give me a trial and error week? I should have just done that myself. (Gotta stop again. After all, it is the Holidays and I have a working program.)

Bailey is beginning to be picky about her food. We just got in a supply of the food she loved and she now doesn’t like it. We have gone to chicken which she thinks is fine for now. If and when she is no longer interested in food, we know she is telling us the time is near. We will keep offering her choices in order not to make the mistake of thinking she is asking for some relief. As long as she is eating we know she is interested in being with us. Sadly the end result is known and it is hard to imagine we will have to let her go. Bailey came to us nine years ago on Christmas.

As her stewards, we need to keep her interests as primary. Today’s John Ku tries to avoid the obvious and talks about the best Christmas gifts.

The best Christmas gifts,

Are not measured by how much. . .

But rather by love.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 61 Comments

“You say it’s Friday. How do I know you are telling the truth?”

Another Friday is here. I had hoped to report that Gwen and my MS is in the hands of the editor. It is still with me. I wanted to run it one more time through Grammarly but I can’t sign on. I have been in a loop with their customer care for two days. They have no live reps so you have to go back and forth with a robot. So far the care sucks. I’m still here with no on-line Grammarly even though I pay a Premium for it. Ugh, spit. I have to wonder what causes services that you use constantly, all of a sudden refuse to let you in. I think I’ll stop here since I could go into a full on rant. Y’all don’t need that now.

Bailey has had a good week. She is still eating well and in good spirits. She is interested in her surroundings and does wag her nubby tail on occasion. We can only hope she continues.

Today’s John Ku talks about customer satisfaction. (I just can’t leave it alone) I hope you have a great weekend.

Your issue not fixed,

Some genius thinks a survey . . .

Will solve the problem.

Also:

The Contract Kindle version is $0.99 Today.

Here is the Trailer.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

December 7, 2018December 6, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

“And who’s bright idea was this?”
“Looks like a Twiggy repellent device to me.”

The week has flown by. I’m not sure if it is because I don’t have my Christmas shopping started yet, or just a busy week. I always get a sense of panic when I don’t have my shopping done. This year is unusual in that I don’t even have an idea of the items to shop for as yet. Usually, I am ahead of the curve, but with all that’s been going on, I haven’t had the mental capacity to really concentrate.

Bailey takes a good deal of attention and time. She needs to go out every two hours which makes for a regulated day. On top of that, her medications and general care eat up some time as well. It isn’t the amount of time but the frequency of delivery.

We found out last week that the chemo treatments were causing some increased heart stress. So, for the second time, the cancer treatment was creating life-threatening problems. We have now stopped the chemotherapy. We know that in the end, this will shorten Bailey’s life. We also know that Bailey feels better without the treatment and so we are defaulting to quality vs. quantity. We tried everything, and now the objective is to make sure she is comfortable and loved for as long as she has.

Today’s JohnKu talks about hard decisions. I hope you all have a peaceful and fun weekend.

Decisions by John W. Howell © 2108

Some are easier,

Others are extremely tough. . .

All need to be made.

Friday JohnKu – AKA- TGIF

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 55 Comments

Lucy, Bailey and Twiggy — “Hey, Lucy. It’s Friday. Let’s get ready to rumble.”

Friday is here and time to get ready for the weekend. This week was pretty productive. The edits are pretty much finished on the next book. Gwen Plano and I have written the sequel to The Contract and now we are trying to get to a name. The manuscript is due to the editor in January and hopefully, we will have a name by then.

Bailey is doing quite well. She is eating (Knock on wood) and appears to be comfortable.

Today’s JohnKu is about adaptability. I hope you have a great weekend.

When you think all’s well,

The unexpected rises. . .

Alter and adapt.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

November 23, 2018November 22, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 69 Comments

Lucy and Bailey — “Uh, Lucy. It’s Friday. Time to get up and party.”

Black Friday has physically arrived. It has been preceded by virtual black Fridays since the fourth of July (Obvious exaggeration). This is the only day of the year where you can save tons of money by spending tons of money. (only in America is this possible)

Today’s JohnKu explores this phenomenon. I hope you have a super weekend

Invest your money,

In gifts, toys, appliances . . .

Think of what you saved.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 62 Comments

It is Friday and time to start preparing for the weekend. This is the last Friday before Thanksgiving. It is hard to believe the holidays are on us already. I’m not sure if we are ready or not. I guess there really is no choice since the day comes around and ready or not it will be Thanksgiving.

We have had another pretty challenging week with Bailey. She has had some difficulty with nausea. We have some new medicine, and so far it looks like it is working. Bailey, bless her heart, does not like to take medication. We have to grind pills and then get some media that she will accept. She used to take her medicine in baby food. Now she is on to us. The only way she will take it is in a suspension that I give her by syringe. No needle, just the syringe into the mouth behind the molars. Even as I write she has decided to keep a clamped jar. Well probably TMI, but all in all, Bailey is hold ing her own.

Thanks to everyone who has offered such kind words of support. Those words do help.

Today’s JohnKu talks about what words can do. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Words can encourage,

When all seems dark and hopeless . . .

Kind thoughts work wonders.

Friday – JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

November 9, 2018November 8, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Friday and another weekend is almost here. This week has been a matter of caring for Bailey and continuing the work on the WIP edits. We have an appointment with the editor in January, so the deadline is getting near. My productivity has not been the best this last week, but I have managed to keep plugging.

I am actually writing this post from the Oncology office of the Blue Pearl Animal clinic in San Antonio. In conjunction with the vets, we have decided on the course of treatment which will include chemotherapy and regular blood panel checking. Unfortunately, Bailey’s liver has been compromised, and the easiest treatment is also the hardest on the liver. So we will have to do intravenous therapy rather than a pill.

This means a greater chance of side effects and rules out home treatment. Will will have to travel to get the treatment and Bailey does not travel well, but we will all have to bear a little inconvenience to keep her feeling well. Today’s JohnKu talks about worthwhile effort.

An effort by John W. Howell

Inconveniences,

Can be well tolerated. . .

For a noble cause.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

November 2, 2018November 1, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 55 Comments

“Welcome home, Bailey.”
“Nothing feels as good as home Little Stuff. This grass is divine.”

Friday is here, and it has been quite a week. Monday saw the need to rush Bailey to the Emergency Care Clinic in San Antonio. She was continuing to deteriorate, and we needed some advanced tests and scans that were not available locally. They kept her and did all the testing to confirm the diagnosis. Baily has stage V Lymphoma. As you can guess the prognosis does not include a cure. The best we can do now is focus on her quality of life which we intend to do with additional treatment. We will be concentrating on continuing the drugs that make her feel the best she can for the time we have left.

Thank you for all the good wishes we have received since Bailey’s illness became known and know we appreciate your kindness.

As those of you who have faced the loss of a pet know, it is a hard road that requires courage to do whatever is in the best needs of your loved one. We hope Bailey has the six to ten months of relatively good health that the vet has projected. None of us are ready to say goodbye. We feel blessed to have the time to continue our love for her. When the quality of her life is in jeopardy though we will need to be strong and do what is right for her.

Today’s JohnKu talks of responsibility. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

The news is not good,

Whose welfare needs protection . . .

Yours or the loved one?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

October 26, 2018October 25, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

“So Friday. You’re here finally. What took you so long?”

Another Friday. Hopefully, your week went well, and you were not too disturbed with the correction in the stock market. I also hope you were not too disappointed with not winning the Mega Millions Lottery. (Well except for that one ticket sold in North Carolina.) I guess we are all happy no one won the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, and we can still dream of winning $700 million plus. The next drawing is Saturday so good luck to us all.

This week has been a bit of a challenge, and I normally wouldn’t share these details, but you have come to know Bailey through this blog. She has not been feeling well, so we are in the process of trying to find out the cause of her symptoms. We have had blood testing and an ultrasound and have narrowed the possibilities. It will in all probability require a cat-scan to rule out the last potential if other treatments do not work. In the meantime, we are eliminating the other variables as we wait for a cat-scan appointment.

I hope you have a great weekend.

It is just a dog,

Some would say about Bailey . . .

Family I reply.