Ethan’s Journey

​happy 4 th of July! Today was a leisurely day. I woke up at almost 8:30 this morning! Woo hoo!  Avery was up so we walked the dogs together. It was so quiet. We could hear the birds singing. The cows and pigs at the nearby farm were making a little bit of noise and it smelled a little manure-ish when we walked by them. It was nice out until about 1:00. We had our snacks and sat out in the sprinkle. It was so humid, we didn’t mind getting a little we.  The lake is measuring about 82 degrees in the area we swim in.  Ethan and his friends went out on the paddle boards as well as the paddle boat. They were all laughing and giggling, which is contagious. These boys are hilarious with their language and digs on one another. Scott was shooting Phil in the back of the head with a squirt gun saying “I am shooting you in the bald spot Phil.” Just dumb stuff like that. The slushie machine was used in abundance. I had it set up outside with non-alcoholic juice. Normally you can ad a...

​I had to work today and felt very sorry for myself. Boo! I am observing the holiday on Monday. Ethan and his buddies had a relaxing day. Ethan worked a little bit on his fireworks. His friends went to town. When they got back, they all went in the lake. While they were gone, Ethan starting building things for his show. Ethan asked where the snorkeling gear was. These three chuckle heads put on the snorkeling gear and were just laughing in the lake. I was wonderful to hear. This lake has provided us with decades of lake silliness. Moe got a lake bath. He was warm after one of his walks. I quick gave him a bath to dry off in the sun, in between my calls. Ethan’s one friend shared he is lactose intolerant as he was eating several pieces of cheese and pizza with cheese on it. I was immediately thankful the guys were in a tent and not imploding my camper with noxious gas. I told the other guy in the tent that I hope he rested in peace. Avery and Kendall arrived. Their drive was uneventful....

 I woke up early to drive up to camp with the dogs. As I was packing, these two goofballs packed themselves. There was no way I was leaving them behind! Moe was my co-pilot. He is silly sitting in the front seat like a person.  He sits the entire ride. Looks out the window and stares at other drivers. I can’t imagine my ride without the dogs.  Jiminy let me know he had to go potty mid way into the journey. I pulled over at a school to let him out. The other three jumped out as well. I could hear the Benny Hill theme song playing as I ran around trying to corral all 4 dogs. I have the mostly deaf and blind Ferguson, little Jiminy, Penny that was alerting me to the wind blowing and Moe just trotting around peeing on things. We arrived safely. I was able to log into work and get things done. Our camping fridge and freezer are full to the max. I used my former Tetris skills to pack it. After work I took the dogs for a walk. Moe found a dead bird that he thought was alive. He ...

​it has been a mentally taxing week. Trying to coordinate vacation, while training someone is a lot. Training someone with a reasonable workload is difficult. But with the piled on work load that I have it is a little overwhelming. I think my adrenal glands are working overtime and my cortisol level is just permanently high. I was on a meeting today and had to turn my camera off to get ready to go to work at the vet office. I had to switch to my phone so I could listen to the meeting on my drive. As soon as that meeting was done, I clocked in. We had a small and mighty crew tonight and finished on time. Yay! Teamwork makes the dream work. I had a good and thoughtful chat regarding vet corporations versus private ownership and the pros and cons of each. I enjoyed that and felt like I was able to see both perspectives. I came home and packed up the car for an early departure. I am excited to have my kids together this weekend. We don’t have many instances where we are together these days...

​I was finishing up some work things “after work” and I threw on the documentary The Crash. It is about a 17 year old girl that crashed her car that killed 2 other people but she survived.  It was interesting how they determined it was a murder vs. a medical accident. I am not sure I agree or disagree. I am glad that I didn’t have to come to a determination. It seemed the judicial system based her innocence off of videos, tic Toks, text messages all that built her character unfavorably and painted her as a bratty teen.  I am so glad that I have not had to walk in her parent’s shoes.  I can’t imagine law enforcement going through my phone and picking apart every text message I send or video I have laughed at and shared. 😬 How would you be portrayed in court if your messages and videos that were sent to friends were the only criteria used to publicly build your character?   I have my cute animal videos going for me. Those probably would shine favorably. I have a fair ...

 We have a busy few days ahead of us. They will need to be tackled with precision. I have ordered groceries to pick up, had Ethan check his medication supply got things ready for the house sitter. Paul and I arrived home around 8:45 this evening. It was a mad dash to unload the car and feed the dogs, repack things get the laundry started. I have a list to complete by Thursday morning.  Our ride home was full of slow people. Farm wagons, hay carts, a U-Haul that was in the left hand lane going right hand lane speed. Annoyances! However, Paul drove patiently and we arrived safe! That is all that counts. When we walked in the house, Ethan was in front of the fan with the air conditioning on. It has been sweltering for him at work. He has been using his neck fan, drinking as much as possible and resting when he gets home. It is a lot for him but he keeps showing up and plugging away like a champ! Today at work, I had our new hire shadowing. She did well. We will be working closely...

 Today poison Ivey and myself are in a standoff. While I am still itchy, my back up (prednisone) is really helping to tip the scales in my favor. It is always great when you have the right answer in your corner! Suck it poison Ivey! My rash looks nasty but it just a little itchy at this point. I am winning. (Thanks for having my back prednisone!!!!). Paul didn’t get it! Yay!  Paul spent the day getting our dock in and ready. He and the neighbors were instrumental in getting this dock situated. The sense of community at the lake far outshines the news articles where it is reported that no one stands up for one another or helps one another. I did some weeding in the garden. I spent some time riding the bike while Penny and Moe ran along side it. I cleaned up the camper and prepared to be working all day tomorrow.  I have to train my coworker who is taking over part of my territories! She is so eager to get started. The next two weeks we will be mostly inseparable.  We ...