 |
| Hiccapup and Rosebud ... (Rosebud to the right ) |
Hiccapups, we now know, does NOT
have cancer, though he does have something they call a “hematoma” which basically
is a bruise with fluids. It’s scary in size and it needs to be drained.
Rosey, (Mama to Rosebud and Hics)
has 2 staples left from her spay surgery 2 weeks ago, and said staples are in need
of…well, surgical removal.
TJ (Ok. Even as I’m writing this, in
my head that “Green Acres” theme song is playing and I’m seeing Mr. Haney and
Arnold, the Pig with their heads encircled and credits beneath...) But back to serious…TJ is Rosey’s
brother…Uncle to the pups. He’s losing some status around here cause 2 out of 4
of these dogs are coming and going in and out of the house for surgical things
and for farm dogs, this just ain’t right.
But back to the theme of all this
(this is where Rosebud’s goofy grin replaces Arnold, the Pig in the opening
shots)….Rosebud…She’s my family Switzerland.
So on today’s agenda—Hics must go
under the knife again, to have a drain put in. (I know. Sounds like a house/
plumbing problem. Only in this case, it involves my dog and it involves blood.
I’m not so much looking forward to it as I’m ready to get it over with. This’ll
be my second surgery in as many weeks and all inside my house …Can we just do this thing?)
To confess... I’m not a great nurse. I
just have great nurturing instincts. To prove this theory I must confess I don’t know
the difference in a tumor coming back and some scar tissue that felt like a tumor (which my vet
spotted right away). Bottom line (hooray! Hooray!) Hics needed no surgery
today! Hics just needs to keep on healing as he’s healing….(But while you’re
here, Dr. Vet…Could you maybe remove Rosey’s belly staples?)
So with half the meds set aside for
Hiccapup, we sedate Rosey (Trust me. This was our only shot at getting near said
staples in her navel.) Three hours later, Rosey rouses…ready to eat!
I feed her immediately. Then 4 hours
later (her real supper time) we take it all out to the pen so everyone can eat
along with her, after which (after dark) 3 out of 4 of my dogs get a romp. (TJ
never leaves the pen. It’s his job and he takes it seriously. And I love him
for this.)
But babies and mama…well, they do
their thing…only not so much this night, for today has been a backwards one.
They more or less hover…just checking and sniffing one another (after all, this
has been a rough day).
But because it’s been such a rough
one (Some thinking they’re going under…another one never seeing it coming) …I
say “OK. You can come in for a minute…I’ll hug you….give you treats…and in the
end, we’ll all revert back to our natural habitats.”
For Rosey, no problem. Her guard
duties are me. Yeah, there are goats in the background…but mostly there’s me.
(Thurman warned me this would happen.)
For Hics…he too, finds there's healing inside that door…Though he’s not nearly so comfy as Rosey to be
inside…He’s still male enough to scope it all out.
But Rosebud….Nothing here for her.
Rosebud is developing a personality
all her own. She’s in love with her uncle. She’s feeling his solitude. She’s respecting
that he alone, is standing guard over the goats. She loves her mother and her
brother, but she’ll just hang outside the front door if it’s all the same to
us… “I’ll be here when you come out, but mostly I’ll be right outside the gate
in case Uncle Teej needs me (after all, he may need back up while you goofballs
are all hugging one another and singing Kumbaya on the inside of that door).
Rosebud.
Every family has one.
She’s the Jan Brady of my bunch…My
little family Switzerland.
Every farm …every planet needs their
Rosebud.
And while some might think them goofy, or
weak, or sheer pushovers…
Anymore, I think the Rosebuds of the world just may be
the most important link of all.
