Tag: Tempeste

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Outside

~ John W. Howell ~ 118 Comments

“Hey, Twiggy. What are you doing?”

“Waiting for Tempeste.”

“Where’s Tempeste?”

“Out in the yard having a sniff-A-thon.”

“Hey, Tempeste. You through sniffing?”

“Yeah, I suppose. Nothing interesting today.”

“Go play with Twiggy. She could use some exercise.”

“Didn’t she just get back from a consultation with a surgeon?”

“Yes, but she didn’t have a procedure. She and Mom just talked.”

“What did they talk about?”

“You know your mom has been researching Twiggy’s illness and came up with some evidence that Twiggy should be on an antibiotic for up to three months before any surgery.”

“She told the surgeon that?”

“Yup. The surgeon agreed and also said Twiggy is not showing symptoms of Meningitis.

“So she is getting better?

“It sure looks that way.”

“I can’t wait until she plays with me again.”

Y

“You two know I’m right here, right?”

“How about chasing me and taking my toy away?”

Maybe later, Tempeste. I think I hear the roar of the dinner dish.”

“Hold on, wait for me.”

“You are so quick. I think dinner is ready.”

“I could eat a horse.”

“I doubt Mom is making horse, but it will be good.”

“That is one thing about dinner. It is always good.

 

Note. We will be continuing Twiggy’s medication and will check with the doctor in four weeks. We are all happy with her progress and continue to hope the surgery won’t be necessary. Thank you for all your good wishes and concern.

Thursday – A little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste on Watch

~ John W. Howell ~ 96 Comments

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“So why the long face, Twiggy?”

“Brother. You know I have a droop.”

“Well, yeah, but I thought you looked worried.”

“No. Everything is fine. Thought I would gaze out for a while.”

“What’s out there?”

“A couple of deer mooching carrots off Mom.”

“I like the term mooching. You know I would be upset with them if I liked carrots.”

“I know what you mean. I hope they never develop a taste for kibble.”

” Looks like they have had enough and are exiting to the right.”

“You are very observant today. You even got the direction right.”

Seems a little lonely when they go.”

“I agree. I know I called them moochers, but it is nice to see them in the morning.

“Hey, look at that. Some wise guy is driving down the street.”

“Yeah. He’s not allowed to do that without a bark.”

“How do we get down from here?”

“Just follow my lead. Don’t get ahead of me.”

“Okay, I’m right behind you.”

“Just point your nose down the stairs and let it rip.”

“Wow. That wasn’t as hard as I thought.”

“The rule is nose before butt.”

“I got it. By the way. Did Mom paint this room? It looks yellow.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Nope, it’s just the lamp reflection off the white walls. There is probably a filter for that, but you know Dad.

 

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Have a Discussion

~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

“Hey, Tempest. What are you doing?”

“You know I was just getting ready to attack cheeseburger.”

“You seem to have a pretty good grasp on the concept of attack.”

“It’s the only way to handle cheeseburger.”

“So what do you intend to do with cheeseburger?”

“I thought maybe we could play tuggy with it.”

“Tuggy is real hard with cheeseburger. Cowie might be better sinceit is bigger.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask how are you feeling today?”

“Well I have been better but all in all I feel pretty good.”

“You went to the Neurologist. What did he say?”

“Well he agrees with my regular doctor that I have bacterial meningitis. He also concurs that I have fluid in my ear canal which will require an operation to fix.

“Oh dear. That doesn’t sound good.”

“No it’s okay. Once done the threat of reinfection will be gone. Also my head tilt should go away.

“Are you scared?”

“No, I have had a surgery on my leg before. and it was fine.”

“That’s good. You know I liked your idea of the cow.”

“Get it and we can play.”

“When does the surgery happen?”

“The doctors all have to get together and agree on the course of treatment. Then we will consult with a surgeon and set a day.”

“A lot of waiting.”

“I will be continuing my antibiotic and prednisone in the meantime so nothing gets worse.”

“You seem calm about this.”

“Yeah, I don’t have a choice.”

“Maybe I’ll worry a little for you.”

A reminder that I will be on a blog break from tomorrow until next Thursday. Totally off the grid

 

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Wait for Mom.

~ John W. Howell ~ 117 Comments

“Hey Twiggy. Where’s Mom?”

“Um, I’m not sure.”

“Not sure? What are you crazy?”

“What does that supposed to mean?”

“If she gets out of our sight, we may lose her forever.”

“I don’t think so. Be patient. She’ll show up.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, patience is not one of my virtues.”

“Well, what are you afraid of then?”

“When Mom disappears, she is out of my control.”

“Well, that sounds a little nuts to me.”

“What I mean is I get concerned about her.”

“Goodness, she has been around a lot longer than you.”

“Okay, I admit it. I get insecure when she’s not in my sight.”

“Like all Frenchies.”

“I’m checking behind the bikes.”

“Yeah, go ahead and hide out. I think I hear her.”

“You do? Where is she?”

“Coming this way from the garage.”

“Oh, I see her. Hey, Mom, here we are. Yoo hoo, Mom.

“She’s coming. By the way, you better figure out what you are going to say about the pillows you messed up.”

“I’m going to blame you.”

“Ha ha ha. She’ll never fall for that, but give it your best shot.”

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy Update and Something New

~ John W. Howell ~ 105 Comments

Twiggy had a follow-up with her regular doctor last Thursday. He was concerned with her head tilt and face paralysis.. He ordered an MRI, which was done on Monday. Preliminary results indicated an inner ear infection, as well as some involvement in her jaw and spine. A spinal tap was done and the fluid showed signs of a bacterial infection. A culture was started, and we should know what kind of bacterial infection by the end of the week. We need to see the type to ensure the medicine is the right one. In the meantime, She is on an antibiotic and Prednisone (steroid). She is resting well and eating, so it appears she is feeling a little better. The side effects of the anesthesia used in the MRI procedure took about 24 hours to subside.

The photos below were taken last Friday, and I decided to let Twiggy rest and use these photos this week. Thank you all for your messages of concern and prayers. I wish I could say everything was okay, but there is still the possibility of an uphill battle ahead.

“I like that new tent. What do you think, Twiggy?”

“I like that it doesn’t move in the wind.”

“I was thinking we could play a new game.”

“Let me guess. Who can eat the most Crape Myrtle blooms?”

“Not even close. Want another guess?”

“Okay. How about who can fall asleep fastest?”

Nope. It is a game that you will love.”

“I’m pretty stumped. I can’t think of something we haven’t played.”

“I’ll give you a hint.”

“Why not just tell me?”

“Believe it or not, it is fun stringing you along.”

“Oh, I believe it, and you are doing a good job.”

“The hint is we will be masters of our domain.”

“Hold on. We have no thumbs, so playing a video game is out of the question.”

“You must come inside to get the rest of the story.”

“Okay, but I hope there is no wrestling involved.”

“Well, what do you think. Mom and Dad put this up so we can see out.”

“We certainly can see. So what part of this is a new game?”

“Don’t you get it. We can see who’s coming. No more reacting to noise. We can observe and bark  discriminately.”

“That is a good thing. And I see it’s a game changer. Discriminate barking. What a concept.”

“You know, deer come up the driveway.”

“Be still, my beating heart.”

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Outside

~ John W. Howell ~ 116 Comments

“You know Twiggy. It’s just too hot to play tuggie.”

“It is just too hot to play anything.”

“I think you are right. Maybe we just take it easy.”

“My kind of activity. Here’s my take-it-easy face.”

“I can almost look you in the eye if I get low enough.”

“Yeah, don’t knock yourself out. Not much to see here.”

“I was trying to see if you are back to normal.”

“As you can see. I still have a little paralysis. It’s getting better though.”

“I’m looking forward to the day when the panther can jump the puma.”

“I would enjoy that too. We’ll just have to wait.”

“As long as you are okay, I can wait for as long as it takes.”

“I’m getting better each day, so I can tell you. I’m okay.”

“You don’t mind if I keep checking up on you, do you?”

“No. Makes me feel special.”

“Well, you are special.”

“Where are you going?

“I need to find a cool spot. This concrete does it.”

“You can go in the house, you know.”

“Yeah, but I like the fresh air.”

“You demonstrate that you are a bulldog every day.”

“That’s good, cause I am.”

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy Not Feeling Her Best – Tempeste Tries to Help

~ John W. Howell ~ 118 Comments

Usually, I roll right into the story, but I must let you know that Twiggy has had an ear infection and a bout of Bell’s palsy. Her symptoms of the ear disease were an unsteady gait and holding her head tilted. This happened when she got up this past Saturday morning. The Producer took her to the emergency vet, and because she was not in a life-threatening condition, the Producer had to wait over five hours. During that time, the symptoms of Bell’s palsy appeared. The right side of her face shows signs of paralysis, and her muzzle is drooping. Once this condition became visible, she was taken into the clinic. She is currently being treated with medication for her ear and is showing signs of improvement. They do not know what causes the palsy, and the symptoms usually subside over time.

She is to be rechecked next week to ensure the medicine has done its work. Since her unsteadiness has improved, it does not appear that there is any neurological involvement at this time.  The check next week will confirm. The photos do not show the extent of her drooping but I felt you should know the circumstances. Now that you know, let’s see how the girls are doing.

“So, Twiggy, since you are not at the top of your game, let me help you.”

“Okay, Tempeste. What do you propose?”

“Well, I think you should go out in the sun, and I’ll keep us safe.”

“Safe from what?”

“You gotta be kidding me. UPS, Amazon, USPS, and FedEx are just waiting for us to show a sign of weakness.”

“Well, you do have a point. We can’t let them get away with bark free.”

“One last check of the front. Nope, no one there.”

“Best give the back a quick once-over.”

“Good suggestion. I’ll do a thorough search.”

“Keep your eye out for water buffaloes and that nasty squirrel.”

“You don’t suppose a water buffalo will try something, do you?”

“You never know. Maybe the panther can do the checking.”

“You know, you may look goofy, but your brain is working really well.  The panther takes her leave.”

“The puma is going to stay right here.”

This area is clear of danger. I gave it a nose sweep.”

“Sounds good.”

“The panther carefully stalks her territory.”

“You are doing a good job.”

“I can report no nefarious critters about. Feel free to sunbathe.”

“You’ve been hanging around Dad too Much. Nefarious indeed.”

“Hey, hold on. There is a weird scent here.”

“What kind of weird scent?”

“It is a fresh puma scent. Cause for alarm.”

“Tempeste. I just walked there. What did you expect?”

“Yeah, you are right. I can tell it’s you.”

“How can you tell?”

“Your feet smell like Frito’s”

“Just what I needed to hear.”

 

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempest Outside.

~ John W. Howell ~ 96 Comments

Well, Twiggy. Looks like a good day to be outside.”

“Yeah. I looked out the front and no wind.”

“There’s no wind in the back either.”

“Dear reader. Do I even need to respond?”

“So what do you say to a game of tug-o-war?”

“I think that would be fun.”

“You know to play, you have to put a part of this in your mouth.”

“I’ve been playing tug-of-war before you were born. Bring that thing closer.”

“Says the queen. Now I’m totally exhausted from lugging it.”

“Oh, quit faking. It wasn’t that far or that heavy.”

“Okay then. Grab one of the legs and I’ll grab another.”

“Hmm. I thought this had gone through the wash.”

“You know washing out toys destroys the eau du dog. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to step over there a little. That eau du dog is a bit ripe.”

“While you do that, I’m going to hunt for some leaves.”

“You know leaves are verboten.”

“Hey Twiggy. There are absolutely no tasty leaves to be had in this entire yard.”

“You can thank our diligent parents for that. Are we going to play or not?”

“I think I want to check out the leaf yard first.”

“The leaf yard? Where is that?”

“Right here in the South Forty. There are tons of possibilities.”

“You know you are not supposed to eat leaves.”

“Oh, I know. I don’t eat them. I just let them lie in my mouth.”

“I’ve heard it all now. It looks like you are eating those Crape Myrtle leaves to me.”

“Naw, just tasting them.”

“You know the rents have a security camera covering this area.”

“Well, all it will show is me lying on the ground licking my paws.”

“Another of the seven deadly sins. You are doomed.”

“Then I’d better enjoy these leaves.”

“You are going to be so grounded you’ll look like this flat toy here.”

Thursday – A Little Personal – Tempeste Makes a Break for It.

~ John W. Howell ~ 120 Comments

“You know Twiggy. I’ve been thinking.”

“Pretty dangerous stuff, Tempest.”

“I’m serious. I want to get outside that fence and see the real world.”

“That fence keeps you from eating everything on the ground.”

“So I’m told. I believe it keeps me from developing my full potential.”

“You keep eating sticks and leaves, and you have the potential of a walk across the Rainbow Bridge.”

“Oh, come on. Haven’t you wondered what life is like on the outside?”

“I’ve been there. Besides, I don’t eat everything in sight.”

“Suit yourself. I’m going to find a weak spot and break out.”

“Don’t come crying to me if you get into trouble.”

“You’re not going to rat me out, are you?”

“Of course not. You are free to be stupid if you want.”

“Hmm. This seems pretty strong.”

“That’s cause there is a support there holding it secure. Look where there aren’t any.”

“I thought you were against this plan.”

“I can’t stand to see you flounder around.”

“Okay then. Where would you try to escape?”

“I would look for a spot that seems shaky.”

“Any ideas where such a spot would be?”

“Try down at the other end.”

“I see what you mean. Thanks a bunch, sis.”

“I know nothing. This step has been used by a beetle.”

” I think I found a place at this end.”

“I hear nothing.”

“Twiggy. Do something to help me.”

“This is another fine kettle of fish you’ve gotten yourself into, Tempeste.”

“Call Mom.”

“You are going to be in so much trouble.”

 

 

Thursday – A little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste as Puma and Panther.

~ John W. Howell ~ 99 Comments

“Want to play Puma and Panther?”

“I’m always up for that game.”

“Want to switch? I can be the panther, and you the puma?”

“Wait a minute. Look at my color. How would that work?”

“You would have to imagine that you were a puma.”

“That would be hard since I have invested so much of my persona in being a panther.”

“All right then. The puma pads through the desert.”

“The panther is on a hilltop overlooking the puma’s progress.”

“The puma is surprised by the attack.”

“The panther roars and demands the puma surrender.”

“The puma roars back. ‘Not on my life.'”

“The panther tells the puma that she will take that wager.”

“Wager? What wager?”

“You just bet your life rather than surrender.”

“Okay by me, panther. You want a piece of me, come get it.”

“I can trash-talk with the best. Your old lady wears combat Boots.”

Where did you get that one?”

“I was watching an old Henny Youngman stand-up routine.”

“The puma has to avoid another onslaught from the panther.”

“The panther comes close to finishing off the puma.”

“Too bad. The puma pulls the old salamander trick and breaks free.”

“Hey, that move was outlawed in 05.”

“Well, tough. It still works. Want to rest?”

“I could go for a breather. Sure.”

“That was fun.”

“It sure was.”

“You okay?”

“I just love my sister.”

“Aw. You are the best.”