There were only 2 hours left in my 32nd birthday when I got the call.
Joe and I had spent the day white water rafting. When we got home, I had 32 roses waiting from my mom. My Nana had gone in to have her dialysis port moved from her arm to her clavicle. The procedure was successful. The family had gone home, and Joe and I were getting in bed 700 miles away.
No phone call that comes after 10pm is ever good. It was 11:01pm when my phone rang. My youngest sister was on the other line. Everyone was headed back to the hospital because Nana had died. Everything had been fine one second; she'd been joking with her nurses. Then she was gone.
Nana was technically my step-grandmother. She and Dado are my (step)dad's parents, but like my dad, they've always treated my sister and me as if we were there own. Nana actually treated us better than one of our real grandmothers who disowned me -- the last grandchild she had speaking to her -- several years ago.
For several years, Nana had been ill. She'd had numerous heart surgeries. Diabetes came along. She'd had so many procedures and pain was a constant in her life. She was never bitter though and never lost her faith. She remained gracious until the very end.
Nana was above all else, a lady. She didn't shout and wasn't ostentatious. She had a deep voice and the most beautiful silvery gray hair. She could play the piano. I loved to hear her play Danny Boy. She took care of her "four boys" (Dado plus three) and delighted in her first natural grandchild and namesake, Sara Katherine, as well as Halle, her second granddaughter, who came along a few years later. The last time I talked to her, she told me a story about her first trip to New York City. She lived a long, full life, and even though she wasn't surrounded by family when she died, she'd been joking with her nurses. She literally died laughing. Can't ask for much more than that.
I hope one day I can have Nana's grace. I hope she knew how much I loved her and how much it meant to me to be her granddaughter, too.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
A public service
Ever wondered if any of those As Seen on TV products work? I have to admit that for most of my life I have been fascinated with the crazy commercials and demonstrations. I'm a naturally suspicious person. I'm a big believer that if something looks too good to be true it probably is.
Well, I've found out about a few As Seen on TV items, and as a public service, I'm going to let you guys in on the secrets I've found.
Pedipaws claims to be a fast, gentle and easy way to trim your pet's nails. Anyone with a dog or cat that objects to having their nails trimmed would jump at the chance to make it easier. Our 18 lb. bundle of terror turns into a bona fide rabid beast when anyone tries to cut his nails. Watching the commercial, I was convinced those pets were drugged or lobotomized before the demo was shot. Even if there is a dog out there who would so willingly submit to this demonstration, I was sure that no cat would!
I saw Pedipaws in CVS one day while waiting for a prescription. It was only $20, so I figured what the hell. If it worked, it would be more than worth the cost.
I followed the instructions to let Henry become accustomed to the "wand" for a few days before even turning it on. We eased into things to make sure the dog wouldn't freak out. Well, we needn't have worried. Pedipaws wouldn't have filed MY nails, much less my dogs.
Pedipaws = massive #FAIL. If you want to trim your dog's nails, do yourself a favor and buy a Dremel. If you want to do your cat's nails ... you're braver than me.
However badly named, the Sliding Robots came in really handy recently, and not just as coasters. Hubby and I have both injured our backs, so when we bought new bedroom furniture and had to have the old furniture out of the way before the deliverymen came.
The old furniture is incredibly heavy, solid cherry. It's older than me, and definitely looks its age. It survived my college days and more moves than I care to count. We needed to move it one more time to the guest room, but sliding it across our hardwood floors was not an option. I remembered seeing the Sliding Robots, again, at CVS while I was waiting for another prescription. Maybe a refill of the first one, who knows.
Anyway, I got these home figuring $5 was worth a shot to save me a few weeks of physical therapy if I tried to move the dresser. It was well worth it. These things worked like a charm. Hubby easily slid the dresser into the next room without any help from me and not a scratch on the floors. I don't know if these will last very long or anything else, but for $5, I give the Sliding Robots a thumbs up.
Hubby and I have a great love for our dog Henry. His barking tests the boundaries of that love on a daily basis. For being only 18 lbs., he has the bark of a doberman. He's an anxious little man who is extremely territorial. Anything he sees out the window is his. It's not just his yard. It's his street, and anyone walking down it, is trespassing. Our house can be really noisy.
We've tried various types of training, pulling the blinds and anything else we come across. The logical answer is to treat the anxiety, but hubby nor I are ready to start medicating the dog. One of us on anti-anxiety meds in the house is enough. Anyway, someone suggested or we came across online, not sure which, something called a Thundershirt. It's supposed to help calm your dog naturally.
I'm not sure the designers of Thundershirt had the proportions of a dachshund in mind when they created the shirt. He wears a small, but his stubby little legs make it easy for the shirt to twist and he can pretty quickly get out of it. As stubborn as Henry is, we don't expect anything to work immediately or like magic. So far there might be some mild calming effects, but it's been nothing dramatic. I wonder at times if he's not more distracted by trying to get out of the shirt than the things to bark at. We'll see.
There is great anticipation among some friends of mine as to whether this one in particular will work. I bought Bark Off while wandering the "As Seen on TV" aisle at CVS. It was $10, and if it works, I'll consider it the biggest ROI I've ever gotten on any money I've ever spent.
There is a degree of blind faith on this one, as the device does not emit any sound audible by humans. It must be doing something though because right after he barks Henry gets a funny look on his face and checks to see if his boy parts are still where they're supposed to be. It's actually quite hilarious.
It definitely doesn't seem to hurt him, but it gets his attention. He can't figure out where the noise is coming from. I've been trying to add a "hush" or other such admonishment when he starts barking, so he'll equate my command with the need to be quiet even if the device isn't on.
So far, I'd say Bark Off has potential. I've noticed an impact on how much Henry barks. He's never going to be a quiet dog, but if we can get through an evening without a nervous breakdown from all the noise, life will be much better! I'll be sure to report back on the outcome.
Well, I've found out about a few As Seen on TV items, and as a public service, I'm going to let you guys in on the secrets I've found.
Pedipaws claims to be a fast, gentle and easy way to trim your pet's nails. Anyone with a dog or cat that objects to having their nails trimmed would jump at the chance to make it easier. Our 18 lb. bundle of terror turns into a bona fide rabid beast when anyone tries to cut his nails. Watching the commercial, I was convinced those pets were drugged or lobotomized before the demo was shot. Even if there is a dog out there who would so willingly submit to this demonstration, I was sure that no cat would!I saw Pedipaws in CVS one day while waiting for a prescription. It was only $20, so I figured what the hell. If it worked, it would be more than worth the cost.
I followed the instructions to let Henry become accustomed to the "wand" for a few days before even turning it on. We eased into things to make sure the dog wouldn't freak out. Well, we needn't have worried. Pedipaws wouldn't have filed MY nails, much less my dogs.
Pedipaws = massive #FAIL. If you want to trim your dog's nails, do yourself a favor and buy a Dremel. If you want to do your cat's nails ... you're braver than me.
However badly named, the Sliding Robots came in really handy recently, and not just as coasters. Hubby and I have both injured our backs, so when we bought new bedroom furniture and had to have the old furniture out of the way before the deliverymen came. The old furniture is incredibly heavy, solid cherry. It's older than me, and definitely looks its age. It survived my college days and more moves than I care to count. We needed to move it one more time to the guest room, but sliding it across our hardwood floors was not an option. I remembered seeing the Sliding Robots, again, at CVS while I was waiting for another prescription. Maybe a refill of the first one, who knows.Anyway, I got these home figuring $5 was worth a shot to save me a few weeks of physical therapy if I tried to move the dresser. It was well worth it. These things worked like a charm. Hubby easily slid the dresser into the next room without any help from me and not a scratch on the floors. I don't know if these will last very long or anything else, but for $5, I give the Sliding Robots a thumbs up.
Hubby and I have a great love for our dog Henry. His barking tests the boundaries of that love on a daily basis. For being only 18 lbs., he has the bark of a doberman. He's an anxious little man who is extremely territorial. Anything he sees out the window is his. It's not just his yard. It's his street, and anyone walking down it, is trespassing. Our house can be really noisy.
We've tried various types of training, pulling the blinds and anything else we come across. The logical answer is to treat the anxiety, but hubby nor I are ready to start medicating the dog. One of us on anti-anxiety meds in the house is enough. Anyway, someone suggested or we came across online, not sure which, something called a Thundershirt. It's supposed to help calm your dog naturally.I'm not sure the designers of Thundershirt had the proportions of a dachshund in mind when they created the shirt. He wears a small, but his stubby little legs make it easy for the shirt to twist and he can pretty quickly get out of it. As stubborn as Henry is, we don't expect anything to work immediately or like magic. So far there might be some mild calming effects, but it's been nothing dramatic. I wonder at times if he's not more distracted by trying to get out of the shirt than the things to bark at. We'll see.
There is great anticipation among some friends of mine as to whether this one in particular will work. I bought Bark Off while wandering the "As Seen on TV" aisle at CVS. It was $10, and if it works, I'll consider it the biggest ROI I've ever gotten on any money I've ever spent.There is a degree of blind faith on this one, as the device does not emit any sound audible by humans. It must be doing something though because right after he barks Henry gets a funny look on his face and checks to see if his boy parts are still where they're supposed to be. It's actually quite hilarious.
It definitely doesn't seem to hurt him, but it gets his attention. He can't figure out where the noise is coming from. I've been trying to add a "hush" or other such admonishment when he starts barking, so he'll equate my command with the need to be quiet even if the device isn't on.
So far, I'd say Bark Off has potential. I've noticed an impact on how much Henry barks. He's never going to be a quiet dog, but if we can get through an evening without a nervous breakdown from all the noise, life will be much better! I'll be sure to report back on the outcome.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Bigger isn't always better
I’m knitting, I hope, a toy for two of the cutest little girls you’ll ever lay your eyes on. This will eventually be a stuffed caterpillar. Until this past Sunday, it was barely more than a knot that was giving me a headache.
Sunday, I went to Knit Happens in Alexandria to see if one, they could show me once and for all how to knit into the front and back of a stitch, and two, tell me a better way to knit in the round in such a very tiny, tiny circle.
I have pretty big hands for a woman, but my fine motor skills are second to none. I knit more with my fingers than my hands, so the 7″ double-pointed needles were really getting in my way. I couldn’t keep the needles or the yarn out of my way.
The nice ladies at Knit Happens showed me these double pointed needles — only 3.5″ long, and my troubles went away. With the smaller needles I can knit on four instead of three which keeps my stitches more even and makes the transition as I go around smoother.
Bigger isn’t always better. Lesson learned. Now, if only I’d counted my stitches correctly!
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