BECOMING MORE MYSELF AGAIN

Every once in a while I will try to give you an update on my depression here. Mostly I have been doing very well. I consider this year from August 2017 - August 2018 a year of healing. I am trying to give myself that much time to get healthier, but it sometimes seems like a slow road. As a veterinarian, I - as you can imagine - like to fix things.

I was on five medications for my depression and Claritin for my allergies. (I was on way more for my allergies, but Claritin and no cats seems to be the trick!)

Recently my physician's assistant allowed me to discontinue two medications, including trazodone, which I was taking to help me sleep.

I have been sleeping well for the past several months, and anymore, trazodone seemed to just be making me groggy and dull in the mornings. Now I feel sharp and more myself again. I am by no means a natural morning person, but I enjoy mornings and getting so much done at work so early. I still was getting things done and enjoying it, but it was sure a struggle. Now mornings are back to normal again and so much better.

So that's the latest. Otherwise things have just been steady, which has been nice.

My spring container garden!

SIBLEY GUIDE TO BIRDS

I received this beautiful bird book from Chewy.com to review.

It is The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition, written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley.

The pictures in the book are beautiful. It would be easy for a novice bird watcher like me to find and identify birds in the book that I had seen in real life.

I liked it so much that we gave it to my Mom-in-law Karen for her birthday.

10 out of 10! Would order again! (and might...)

ABBY'S CROSS STITCH PILLOW

Another my kid is so talented post! Abby made this pillow of her and the dogs...

Luna in the bottom left corner, Abby (with her pink hair!) at the top and Joy in the bottom right corner

MY AUNT SENT ME A PICTURE!

This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!

I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.

This is a Real Life picture from my awesome Aunt Jeannine. I love her so much!!

SECOND ANNUAL ARBOR VETERINARY SYMPOSIUM

A few weeks ago, VCA MidWest Vet hosted the second annual Arbor Veterinary Symposium at Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City.

Russ and Abby and I stayed at the Arbor Day Lodge overnight. Amanda stayed home (for the first time! She did great.)

It was - like the first year - a wonderful conference in a beautiful building.

The first day I got to sit with a vet who graduated in 1960 and had some great stories.

The second day I sat at the same (lucky) table and looked up to see Dr. Clemans and Dr. Cooley! Very fun to see them both.

The speakers - including those two awesome women - were excellent. I had a very fun weekend with you all. Looking forward to next year!

Nebraska City must have had a thing with tree statues like Chicago had with cows and Omaha had with people. This was the prettiest one I saw. It is called "Flowers of Nature" and is privately owned.

This one was pretty too. It was at Arbor Day Farm. The words say, "We live our lives in bits and pieces, random encounters, colors, sounds, and moments. Some reappear in different form, some repeat themselves, some are never to be seen again." The piece is called "Do You See the Forest or the Trees?" by Sue Kalicki.

LUNA LOVEGOOD, CHAPTER 20

Our little dog Luna is doing so well you guys!

She is over halfway through with her chemotherapy for lymphoma.

I JUST learned from Dr. Clemans, her internal medicine specialist doctor who is directing her care, that Luna gives them all kisses! I am so happy she is such a good sport there and is sweet to them. She IS sweet, but she is onery too, so I was not sure which Luna she was at VCA MidWest Vet. Apparently, Good Luna. Yay.

Here are some recent pictures...

Luna says "I love you" with her eyes.

She always has to be touching one of us!

Good night Luna!

CRYING EYES

My eyes once went two years without crying. I would cry, but there would be no tears. It was at a time in my career when I was burned out, and I think my eyes just had nothing to give.

I only told Trey, a vet tech I worked with at the time, because I thought everyone else would think it was weird. “That’s not weird,” Trey said.

Now my eyes cry again, and they get carried away. When Huckleberry died, my eyes cried for a day. The day after Huckleberry died, as my eyes were recovering, a client came in to tell us thank you for taking care of her dog who had recently passed, and my eyes started crying again. They stopped long enough for another client to come in to show us her engagement ring, and my eyes started up again. It could have been the glare from the beautiful ring, but I am pretty sure they were real life tears.

So if I seem overwhelmed with emotion by the sight of your beautiful, healthy dog...I am...but my eyes may also be still crying over a sad (or happy) thing. Give me a minute...or a day. I always pull it together eventually.

WHISKEY

She was a gorgeous grey Standard Poodle who was anything but standard.

She didn't board with us. Rather, she sat in the front area with Hannah or Stephanie or Nicole and greeted everyone who came in. If it was Russ, she barked at him. If it was a client she didn't know, she held back. Everyone else was a friend.

Her hair was crazy, the good and wild kind. She often had it up in clips or a scrunchy, and other times had it out in curls and waves all over the place.

She was living well with an impressive list of conditions. Until she wasn't. Then she was just done.

Whiskey is survived by her Moms, her Standard Poodle friend and her kitty. And she leaves behind a heartbroken veterinary team.

We sure loved you Whiskey Girl. Rest well sweet friend. Until we meet again.

LINCOLN CHILDREN'S ZOO

Russ and Amanda and Abby and I went to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. It was amazing! I feel silly for never having gone there in college.
 

I love flamingos! I had never been so close to any before.

Flamingos are just the most gorgeous birds! Look at those feathers!

This bird bit me! I said "C'mere! Will you bite my finger? Please? Bite my finger!" and he did! It was so cool! I have a way with animals.

This camel has the cutest face.

Do you think he knows how cute he is?

I got to pet this tortoise!!

These Bald Eagles are unable to return to the wild. They are scary beautiful. I did not realize how big Bald Eagles were.

Amanda and Abby <3

Ver' small monkey

Naked mole rat! Don't you just want to kiss his tiny wrinkly forehead? Me too!

Turn around...

...Bright Eyes...

EVERY NOW AND THEN I FALL APART! Okay, that's enough.

Happy goat!

Abby petting the giant bunny

"Go home!" said the llama. And so we did.

HUCKLEBERRY

Have you ever loved a patient so much that you know his last day will be your last day in medicine? So you decide that day just can't come. You know if it does, you will set your stethoscope down and walk out the door, never looking back.

But then that day comes, and it crushes you. It crushes the team, it crushes his family and it even crushes his sweet neighbor. The little guy had a huge reach.

And you hold your dear broken client tight, and you vow to be there for her the next time and you put your stethoscope back around your neck, talks a deep breath and step into the next room, never looking back.

Later, in a happier time, you wonder, “could one little dog really have been that extraordinary?”

And you remember Huckleberry and smile. He sure was.

YOU ARE A DEMON FROM HELL

This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!

I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.

I wish I still had this plant! It was a kind gesture after everything!

OSCAR AND FELIX UNWISELY SAY "YES" TO DRUGS, PART 2

Rercently, Mom and Dad's little Poodles, Felix and Oscar, got into Mom's medicine. I rushed to the house to treat them.

Photo by Liz Middleton/Photos by Liz

Felix and Oscar were super happy to see me. They jumped around my knees and laughed.

Photo by Liz Middleton/Photos by Liz

I gave them both apomorphine, a medication that causes vomiting. Despite the injections, they were still having great fun. Until...

They both suddenly stopped dancing and hung their heads. Remember the story about the pie eating contest in Stand By Me? The next ten minutes were full of a parallel sort of story, only instead of people and pie, it was puppies and pills.

I called ASPCA Poison Control. THANK YOU kind team for your excellent help.* Mom cleaned up barf. THANK YOU Mom! We accounted for all the lost medication and determined, with the ASPCA Poison Control doctor that they had not had a toxic dose of any medication.

I gave both boys Cerenia, an anti-vomiting medication. They quickly returned to their happy, non-barfy selves. Dad came home and we all sat for a while holding the Poodles and enjoying, with great relief, how perfectly things had turned out.

Felix (black) and Oscar (white) Photo by Liz Middleton/Photos by Liz

*DID YOU KNOW? If your pet has a HomeAgain microchip, a consult call to ASPCA Poison Control is free!

OSCAR AND FELIX UNWISELY SAY "YES" TO DRUGS, PART 1

Before Cotton died but after we learned how sick he was, Mom called me at work, frantic. Mom and Dad’s little bonded pair of Poodles, Oscar and Felix, had gotten into Mom’s vitamins and medicines and eaten some.

On the way over to meet Mom and treat the Poodles, I alternated between knowing everything would be fine to knowing that truly one or both of the pups may not be fine.

Bailey and Cotton were heavy on my heart. Bonded pairs get split up. Pets die young. Sad things happen. I pulled into the driveway and went inside.

Felix (black) and Oscar (white) Photo by Liz Middleton/Photos by Liz

COTTON AND BAILEY

Cotton and Bailey were best friends.

The two dogs boarded at the 120th and Blondo Gentle Doctor location, and we got to know them and their family well.

Cotton was blind. Bailey would walk next to Cotton’s shoulder and guide him, never letting him hit a wall or bonk a doorway (which is more than you can say for me - Sorry Cotton!)

Bailey himself recently went blind. They were both dealing with managable, age related issues, and handling them well. Then Cotton became fatally ill and had to be euthanized. It was that sudden. Cotton's family, his friends and his little partner, we were all devastated.

We humans knew we would survive the heartache, as much as it hurt, but none of us were sure if Bailey would.

He comes in to board. He sleeps with Cotton’s toys and his blanket. He is hanging in there.

We miss him too buddy. And we sure love you.
 

EASTER CUPCAKES

My kid is so talented! Amanda made these cupcakes for her Dungeons and Dragons group and for the family at Easter. They were delicious and beautiful!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and Easter weekend and are having a wonderful Passover and spring season <3

Tomorrow we will return to daily pet stories and pictures here! Thank you for being patient with me as I went through a down time. All is well, and I am excited to write again : )

EASTER 2018

We had a very good Easter at Mom and Dad's! Nelsons and Finches and Rasmussens were there. We missed you Travis!

Abby made amazing pies - cherry, blueberry-lemon and pecan, and Amanda made amazing cupcakes.

They both set up an Easter egg hunt for the small cousins which they loved.

Here are some pictures from today...

Olive got a head start on the Easter egg hunt!

Arthur's first egg!

Good job Olive!

This kid will have the GOOD photos.

Robert discovering the eggs are full of candy

Robert, Olive, Mom and Oscar search for the next egg...

Arthur and his eggs...

Robert and his candy...

Hi Felix!

Mom's table always looks beautiful <3

Happy Easter!

The little kids got baskets from Grandma, and the big kids got cards. No one has to be a grown up at the holidays!

Mom got these bunnies for Bill, Dave and me when we were kids.

Dad fixing the pond

The Nelson kids each got a bubble blower.

Abby <3

Robert <3

Robert waiting for Dad to unwrap his bubble blower

Arthur gave Abby Legos to unwrap for him. He did not mention that they were Olive's.

Amanda reading a book to Olive <3

Grandpa and Arthur

Hi Oscar!

Mom and Dad's neighbors decorated their yard! The girls said, "They didn't do a very good job finding eggs." :D

Happy Easter All!!

I QUIT

This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!

I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.

In Real Life, this is one of many situations that caused me to leave my first job.

DAILY MEANS EVERY DAY FINCH

Daily blog posts will resume Monday. Thank you for your patience, Friends.

Tomorrow is a new comic.

Have a blessed Easter weekend and Passover.

I am anxious to get back to interacting with you every day. I miss you Readers, and I miss writing.

See you Monday : )

If you get a chance, watch Love, Simon.

Love,

me

GETTING BACK TO DAILY WRITING

I will get back to daily writing as soon as I can guys.

YAY PETS!

This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!

I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.

I still have a sweatshirt with this dog on it :) I was very proud the exclamation mark and heart were over his thoracolumbar junction, which is where most back injuries in Dachshunds occur. This too is a true story, and the dog did great!