things keeping me up

I lost a lot of sleep in April. No it was not the kids being sick or Jacques snoring after too many beers. We made a big addition to our house, we built a garden. It started off as "trying a small garden box" and grew from there. Jacques and I worked for two straight weekends together to put what we envisioned into a reality. We have talked about doing a garden for three or four years but I always get nervous about actually doing it because I can't even keep flowers alive so why on earth would I attempt to GROW vegetables? So we built a 4*8 raised garden box for our square foot garden of vegetables. Well, then I thought, how can I grow berries, I need a berry box . . . then I learned you can't grow certain vegetables next to other vegetables because they "aren't companions" -- didn't know vegetables had companions. So we built a 2*12 box for popping corn, sunflowers (cause they are pretty) and potatoes. The project kept growing and growing but all in all  we are happy with the result. Now if I can grow some food that would be fantastic. So you are probably wondering where the loss of sleep came in? Well, for one I was so sore a few nights from digging, wheelbarrowing etc that I didn't sleep well but secondly, once I finally planted the seeds it rained like crazy for days/ nights....so I lay awake worrying if my seeds got flooded out. So as I sit in bed on my phone looking at the radar hoping my kids stay asleep so I can finish googling, "too much rain day of planted seeds" & "can seeds get washed away?"                                             

We also had quite the scare a few weeks ago. Wylie was practicing baseball in our driveway and accidentally hit Finley in the head with his aluminum bat.  Wylie may only be 8 but he swings HARD.  Finley instantly was in a lot pain. I again realize I do not respond to emergency situations with calm and ease. *note to self not to go into a profession that needs emergency responses* Anyway, Finley came inside ran up the stairs crying in pain and laid down on her couch. I had a hard time waking her up but finally got her to respond to me. So I thought, this is good she is responding to me and I gave her a handful of food and she ate it. However, as the night went on (she was hit at 7pm) she got much worse. She fells asleep in the living room and at about 10pm when she woke up she could not walk, she couldn't tell who was talking to her or which way to go, her legs wouldn't hold her up, her balance was off and she was screaming in pain. So I called the ER vet and off we go.  They took her out of my car on a stretcher and there I sat in the waiting room for some news on my puppy. Yes, it was actually like a real waiting room. A room with other persons worried about their beloved furry friend. It was a long 2 1/2 hours before they came and gave me a real update. She had a severe brain injury and her brain was swelling. She needed to be up on an iv med and stay there for 12 hours for observation. If she responded to the medicine there was hope for a full recovery. Thankfully, when they called the next morning she did exactly that. She responded to the meds and was improving.  I stayed up all night worried sick about my baby but also worried about Wylie and how he would never forgive himself if something had happened to Finley. Finely came home the next day and was on two different meds. One for pain and the other to keep swelling down. Just one small catch. I had to wake her several times through out the night to check her vision etc. I didn't complain once (well maybe once) because I was so thankful she was okay. I love that dog.  

I may complain sometimes about how much work, money and effort go into these furry friends we love so much but when it came down to it I cried like a baby and was sick with worry over the possibility of losing her. SO thankful she is okay.  They ARE part of our family. *We also learned a good lesson about playing bats on the driveway*

Here is my baby the day she came home. 

So here's to keeping a dog and some fresh produce alive . . . 

~It's My Life