First day without Our Ruth Girl

Today begins our life without Ruth. She will be dearly missed.

I can't seem to come up with what to write today... I need time to grieve, be sad, and reflect on our life with Ruth before finding a "normal" life again.



Thank you, my dear sweet Ruth, for bringing such joy to our lives.



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How quickly life can change

Ruth is not doing well this morning. At first she seemed better. She jumped off the bed (4:28 a.m.), albeit slowly, and walked in the living room, then outside and down the steps. She was a little wobbly while she pottied, but then, coming back up the stairs, I noticed how she was dragging her right foot. Bud had gone back to the bedroom and I realized she might need to do a poop, so back outside we went. She managed to take care of business and as we came back inside, her right foot kept getting worse and worse. Bud came back into the living room and, with her standing in the same spot (she tried to move closer to him, but the foot wouldn't work correctly), we did our usual morning routine... a "tooth brush" and she ate it just fine. Her walking was non existent so Bud picked her up and put her on the couch where she's been since.

I gave her a peanut butter covered baby aspirin about 5:00.

Bud & I are thinking about making her a boot of some sort so she doesn't have to worry about which way her foot is positioned. Putting weight on it doesn't seem to be a problem. It's just the position. We will see how that goes once she's moving, or at least trying to move off the couch.

Ruth fills my prayers....

I started a blog to detail our journey.

Ruth feels poorly

Yesterday evening we noticed Ruth not acting as perky as usual. Every now and then she would be her normal self. She even played with Beth on several occasions.


This morning, she is the same. When we went outside, she took care of business then came back on the porch and stood next to me with head cast down until Beth and I were ready to go back inside. She seems dizzy. She won't get up on the couch. I put out a blankie near me, but she selected her other "safe" place, underneath Bud's desk. Before she settled in, I gave her an 81 mg aspirin covered in peanut butter. It was after she eagerly cleaned off my finger that she went underneath his desk. She has not stirred since. Hopefully, she'll feel better by the time Bud wakes up.


Bud just came into the living room and Ruth greeted him, along with Beth. After getting bunches of scratches and loving from us both, and encouragment from her Daddy, Ruth got up on the couch. Still she seems like she's dizzy.

I know, she's 10 years and 5 months old, longer living than either Sara or Sadie. She's a trooper and my prayers are filled with her getting better soon because my heart is not ready to let her go.

UPDATE: Ruth ate a good breakfast. She actually got up, went into the kitchen and watched as Daddy prepared their food. Afterwards, we all went outside and she found the perfect spot to potty. We are all back inside and I've turned up the heater and Ruth found her place in front of it to get warm! (It's not all that cold outside - 36 - but the wind chill factor most likely makes it about 28)

She still wobbles some while walking, keeping her head down for the most part, but she did eat good and has kept her food down. Several days ago, she did throw up an hour or so after eating and after she got a big drink of water. Yet, between then and now (last night) she was seemingly feeling okay.

Generally productive

I completed another '09 Christmas gift yesterday and have started two more! One is computer based... collecting thoughts and jotting them down... the other is a yarn project. It seems that January is a good month for me to do these things. I am still filled with the spirit of giving and we have days it's too cold to do much of anything else.

Bud repaired the flagpole and we got it back up! The Marine Corps flag is flying!!! When we get another set of attachments we will fly both US and Corps flag. That will be an awesome sight!

Bud also worked on the wooden crochet hook handles for me! I tested one out last night before he glued the shortened hook in the drilled hole. Only minor sanding adjustments are needed before they will fit my hand perfectly! Already I can tell what a difference to my hand/fingers the thick wooden handle will bring!

I am so blessed that he has changed, modified, and constructed so many things around here to help me deal with the Rheumatoid Arthritis. He is always showing me how to utilize tools ... such as a screwdriver to open those new pop off vegetable can lids... or like to use a can to roll over the tube of toothpaste to squish the remaining paste toward the end... so many things we take for granted until our hands don't work right anymore!

Well, the status toward my organizing/cleaning/de-cluttering: I am still working on the bathroom. I will finish today! I trashed bottles and bottles of vitamins and supplements I bought YEARS ago and put away in a plastic tub to "organize" but, because they were out of sight, they were also out of mind.

NOTE: Just because something is not used in the last several months or even a year, it cannot be my test to trash or keep. Because living out in the country, some things are needed to keep on hand "just in case" and I can't get rid of them!

Things in the bathroom are looking much nicer... it's not Martha Stewart... but it's much better than what it was!

It was the 12th Day of Christmas

Yesterday, more specific, last night, I removed the last bit of Christmas from the living room!
Another season has come and gone.

Already I am preparing for the next series of gift giving! Some projects are completed, a couple are almost done, and I have ideas mulling around in my head for more! The majority of Christmas 2009 will be handcrafted gifts using different mediums. Hopefully, I will not purchase any new materials but utilitize/recycle those cluttering up the back bedroom!

Last Deer for the 08 Season!

Bud did good yesterday morning with a nice size doe! We were amazed how easy field dressing went with the new buck knife I got him for Christmas.

(I started to take a picture when we got her in the pole barn, and post here, but decided maybe too much info for some!)

The temp wasn't all that bad yesterday, but the wind... geezzzz.... had north gusts 30-35 mph! Next year, WE WILL, have a tarp ready to go to block that north side! Needless to say, we did the processing in stages, coming inside the house to warm up! We'll process the shoulders and hind quarters today, taking our time and long breaks between the sections.

It's suppose to rain today... we will see if the forecasters are correct!

Homemade cleaners

While working through the organizing process, I realized I have so many half filled store-bought household cleaners of varying types! That means a couple of things... one, I didn't like the product and rather than tossing, I put it in the back of the cabinet! Or, two, forgot I had it and bought another one! This is so wasteful!

I won't buy store-bought chemicals anymore (other than Palmolive). The Internet is filled with recipes for tried and true formulas using items such as vinegar, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid. Not that I'm going "green" but it only makes sense to use what is commonly on hand.

I discovered the same situation in the bathroom. For example, I have so many different hand lotions! Goodness gracious! Rather than tossing perfectly good lotions, I've put one out and will use until it is totally empty, then on to the next one (before I use the one I just bought last week)! If I run across one that has soured (because it is sooooo old) I will toss immediately!

I found it perplexing how unorganized my cabinet had become and it's only my fingers/hands that get into that area! It's indicative of how unorganized all areas have become and I must get a handle on it before it drives me crazy!

Yesterday went well...

Yesterday, I started off very well working toward my goals.... (and today, too, I have my faced washed & make up on, dressed to my shoes (ready to field dress a deer).)

I baked Bud's favorite cake, Spice with Cream Cheese Icing. We had tv-dinner type stuffed cabbage rolls, because a very nice lady took the last head of cabbage (right before me!!!) from the bin at Walmart!!!! Anyway, it was probably much better than what I would have prepared from scratch! We also had the traditional blackeyed peas!

I did manage to pick up some things around here and put them in their proper place, or tossed into the trash can! I completed a crochet project for Christmas '09 and picked up a knit project I started months ago to work on for MIL's birthday gift.

So, today is another day to work on my goals. Being prepared is the tough one today.... but, I'll keep trucking along... I always do.

The beginning

2009 Goals ....

Now that I've set my goals, I need to get up and get dressed!

• DUN .... I even have on makeup!

While getting dressed, I pondered over my goals and what I hope to accomplish through this blog. It is accountability... so, my postings will be how, every day, I have worked on each goal!

Earlier, when I went outside with my two girls (four-legged variety), the sky was full of brilliant sparkling stars. The crescent moon was out last night, so the stars did not have to compete this morning. And, of course, there were no clouds... rain eludes us again!