Riley goes to radiation

Come back soon, Riley!

C'mon, let's go, people!

Laying on the pillow in the car.Let me out of here!Okay, if you're not letting me out, then I'll lay down right here.

A really swollen joint

Jennifer killing time at Dunkin Donuts

And at Hobby Lobby, and the outlet mall, and Target... you get the picture without needing all the pictures...

Let's go home!

All marked up

Sometimes he's so sweet, I cry

Last night while getting ready for bed, C-man says, "I wanted to say a prayer for Riley today, but my teacher wouldn't say it. And I had it all thinked up." "Was it Mrs. D?" (Mrs. D knows about Riley) "No, she was getting our hot lunch, it was Mrs. B." "Oh, do you want to say it now?" "Yes." "Dear God. Please take care of Riley and make him feel all better. He really needs that. Amen." I don't think I've ever heard a better prayer in my life...

Dog Tired

Everyone has been working, well, like dogs around our house lately. Well, except for Harry who actually is a dog. He just gets his daily dogwalk while poor Riley has to wait behind because he still isn't walking so great. As soon as Rusty sits down Harry pounces on him like he is his own personal dog massager. But 9 p.m. seems to be as late as anyone can handle these days.

But the good news is that the roof work is progressing nicely. (Sorry, cellphone photo and it was dark when I left this morning). Hopefully the rain stays away long enough to get this project done.

***********

In Riley news, his bisphosphonate treatment last week seemed to help a bit, but not to the success we wanted. So, I'm taking Friday off to truck him to Aurora, Illinois for a radiation treatment. (I live in a city of 1.5 million and there is no friggin' radiation facility here. So frustrating!) His oncologist said that we'd know after the first treatment what effect it would have, if at all. I figured with that response verification, I'd try it out before going ahead with an amputation. I'm really not optimistic about the radiation. The cancer just seems to be moving so quickly. But, I'll try it and see.

Tuesday Favorites

1. David Tate Denver boots I just got these from Zappos, and am pretty much in love with them. They're soft, comfy, and cheap.

2. Laura Mercier stick foundation in bare

I got this the other day when I got my facial with cousin R. (She goes by her full name instead of her shortened nickname at work). I'm in love with not having to goop any liquid on or throw powder on after. 3. Voltaren Gel

My hands have been pretty useless the last couple of days. While normally an 80 wpm typer, I think I'm about 30 wpm today. This is what keeps me from shouting in pain while doing it.

4. The Borowitz Report

It never disappoints with articles like this and this.

5. Certainteed shingles in Burnt Sienna

Nothing says "Oh my God, I think they're on the downside of this damn project that's causing me to hemorrhage money" like seeing those sweet, sweet brown shingles up on my roof.

Pound.Pound.Pound

Why is it that even after the workers are happily snoring away, that pounding is all I can hear in my head? I'm so thankful for those who have come to help us, namely because it's saving us tens of thousands of dollars but man, I am going to be glad when this project is done.

Still Roofing

The back of the house is officially "sheeted". WAY too many punch-drunk jokes about that, by the way. Working hard on the front:

It looks like a roof, and the neighbors can't believe their eyes:

Trying to finish the garage before dark

Bill, Rusty and Eric on the garage:

Beerman and Dad cutting the sheets:

Walking Away Arthritis

Day 2 - We have a roof!

Roofing in the rain

Making sure it's all straight

Pound, pound, pound inside tarp city

Eric the roofer man

Sheet after sheet after sheet

Caught in the corner

Geriatric construction crew has a Pedialyte party

Here we go

Working late into the night.Chimney down...Junk overboard... At least it's not raining yet. Piles and piles of wood. The crane arrivesBring on the trusses First truss in place

Raising the Roof, well, sort-of

The roof work has begun. At least the tearing things off it and putting on "headers" has begun. (Apparently those are so our windows don't break. Which is something I would really appreciate not happening, so "header" away!) Last night they said they'd be inside in "45 minutes" to eat dinner. An hour and a half later, I had to go out and ask how many "45 minutes" they meant. It's supposed to rain this afternoon. How miserable. I hope it holds off for them. Harry, who hates thunderstorms, has been shaking in the corner since they started the incessant pounding. He must think it's one big can of whoopass from God. At least he's found a bit of refuge in the basement. Which is where the only real guest bed is. I ordered a fabulous pillow-top mattress and frame from Sears which got delivered yesterday. Yup, forgot the boxspring. So, we have a mattress on the floor. Ahhh, sometimes I'm so frickin' brilliant, I amaze myself. ************* Riley still won't put weight on his leg. The vet said wait a week. I'm not very optimistic, though. He's totally in love with all the extra attention he's getting from the houseguests though. He was even sassy enough this morning to give Harry a big thump. So we've got that going for us. ************* In case you haven't gotten over your political junkie needs... I find Newsweek to usually be a pretty biased pain, but this is a fun little read: http://www.newsweek.com/id/167581

What a great day to be an American

Yesterday C-man wore his "I Voted" sticker from the polls to school. Apparently he swayed he fellow 3 and 4 year olds to all start rooting for Barack Obama too. I was told this morning by a teacher that a couple of parents were surprised when their kids started talking about Barack Obama for President. (Apparently they didn't have the same sentiments and were assuming the teachers were doing the indoctrination since it's pretty inplausible that a 3 year old would start talking politics). I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of my little politician. :-)

Get out the vote!

The lines were long, the atmosphere was kind of electric, and I have to admit - I choked up a bit. My only regret was not bringing a camera.

Snack Partner

On the way to school this morning, as C-man is petting Riley (who is in the car because after I drop off C-man I need to drop off Riley for his bone biopsy) he says, "I'm going to ask to be snack partner today?" "Why?" "Because the snack partner gets to pick the prayer, and I want to say one for Riley." I almost had to stop the car.

Daily Riley and Gratituituous C-man Photos

"Mom, can we make an apple pie? Please, can we make an apple pie? I really want to make an apple pie. That would be so good. So we'll make an apple pie? That's our deal, right, Mom?"

My new favorite TV show is old

I am completely addicted to The Shield. It's on FX, and I'm too cheap/stubborn/resistant to new things for cable, so I've been watching the episodes on DVD. If you haven't watched, I highly recommend starting with Season 1. But beware - you'll be addicted in no time at all, so set aside some time for yourself.

Ramping up

This morning I did Costco trip #1 and purchased a ton of food for next week. I'll have to make trip #2 for some fresh stuff on Thursday or Friday so I can feed all these people coming to start getting the roof put together. Now I just have to get the bed delivered on time so we're not sleeping on the floor. ************ It's pretty sad how quickly Riley is slowing down. This week, he only needed 2 doses of pain medication a day. Today, he needed a mid-day picker-upper because he wasn't putting weight on his back leg. I'm hoping it's just because we're home and he was moving more, but I don't think so. This is going to be fast. I know that some people don't understand why this all makes me so incredibly heartbroken. They hear about it and don't give it a second thought because, "He's just a dog," they'll say. And I guess I don't understand those people. Yes, he is a dog. But he's never been "just" a dog to me. So in the meantime, I'll do what I can to make his life worthwhile, including buying him a new bed today. So far, it's a hit. ************ I have a facial scheduled for today. Good thing, since this will probably be my last indulgence before we start paying for Riley's treatments. So that will make me happy. As does the creativity of C-man. This is his "bridge" for all his cars.