We started pondering ways to be able to stay up there during our time off. We’d tried the tent method before, but it always seemed to either be stiflingly hot, or it rained. Figures. Our next option was one we weren’t sure we could swing financially, but after researching, we realized the benefits outweighed the added expense. So…we went for it…and bought…

…a travel trailer! The photo above was taken while it was still sitting on the lot where we first saw it, across the road from a local campground. It’s a 2003 Forest River Cherokee, 27′ long with a slide out (sofa and dinette).

We had to do some “yard modification” to make a nice spot for it, which required doing something we’ve been meaning to do anyway – tearing out some of the seemingly endless forsythia.

Before:

After:

Since we don’t have a tow vehicle, it took a couple of weeks to get it to the homestead, but one of Dave’s co-workers knew someone who was skilled at towing, had a very capable tow vehicle, and was willing to do it for a fee we considered reasonable.

Here’s the whole setup. (The tent is our “guest house.”)

Once we got it there, there was lots to do…got it leveled, ran an extension cord down to get power, etc. We found that the antenna on top of the trailer would actually pick up the digital signals of several of the local stations, so we got a TV…then added a DVD player. There were some modifications made, too. Since the trailer is only hooked up to the 15 amp house line (for now) instead of a 30 amp service, the air conditioning kept tripping the breaker. Oddly enough, this problem was remedied by simply replacing the stock thermostat with a digital one! Dave also switched out a few of the lights for LED replacements – very nice, highly recommended mod.

Of course, if we’ll be staying in it for days at a time, we should probably have dedicated hookups, both for electric and water. This required renting a trencher and digging long trenches from the house to the trailer (and to the shed)…on some of the hottest, most humid days of the summer. The lines are now buried, but getting the hookups finished has been hampered, once again, by the unusually hot and humid weather.

The trailer, though it’s quite an added expense, will make it much easier to work on the house. We’ve been spending weekends there, though the heat and humidity hasn’t been cutting us much of a break. Still debating, too, what exactly we should do with the house. More on that later.

We have some other big news (again, those on Facebook already know), but I want to wait until our precious cargo finally arrives before posting it here!

Our beloved Snoopy, the best dog ever, went to the bridge on June 14.

I can’t even begin to describe the emptiness of losing a dog we loved so much and who had been a part of our lives for 11 years. We did everything we could to help him in his fight against chronic renal failure, but by the time he’d been diagnosed, it was so far advanced that the treatments only served to make him comfortable for as long as possible. He even got so anemic at one point that he needed a blood transfusion. That helped for a few days, and he actually seemed to be improving, but he then started back on another downhill slide. During his last few days, we stopped all treatments, as we didn’t want to stress him out and make his remaining time uncomfortable.

We got Snoopy in June of 1999, when he was just a fluffy white puppy. He’d gone through so many things with us in his 11 years, including a move, the death of my brother, getting custody of Dave’s sons, the loss of our first cat, the “adoption” of Lucy, seeing the boys move out/get married/start their own families, job changes, vacations, buying the homestead, etc.

Through it all, he was an amazing companion. We could not have asked for a better dog. We returned the favor, loving and caring for him even when it meant giving him daily subcutaneous fluids, pills, several vet visits, and hospitalization. He even had another family who loved him – his “grandparents” (my parents), who took care of him while we were at work. After my brother died, we started letting Snoopy spend more time with them to keep them company. (It was easy, as they live right next door.) He was still steadfast in his loyalty, though…he got restless in the evenings and knew when it was time to come home to us.

It’s been almost a month, and if you visited us without knowing what happened, you would still think a dog lives here. His lounging bed is here between our recliners, with his favorite toy bear laying in his place. There are still dishes (now empty) in the laundry room, dog food in the pantry, toys in various places, and a crate in our bedroom. There’s even a leash and harness hanging by the door.

We had him privately cremated, and his ashes came back to us in a beautiful wooden box engraved with his name, birth and death dates, and the terms we used to refer to him most often – “big dog” for Dave and “best dog ever” for me. They even clipped some of his hair and included it in a card inscribed with the Rainbow Bridge story.

I don’t know when we’ll get another dog, but it will most likely be another Bichon. When the time is right, Snoopy will bring another dog to us.

Rest in peace, Snoopy – you truly are the “best dog ever,” at least to us. We still love and miss you so much and think of you every day. Thank you for being a part of our lives for eleven wonderful years and for giving us your unconditional love and devotion. I wish we could have had many more years with you, but I’m so thankful for the time we did have together. Thank you, too, for the life lessons you taught me – lessons in love, patience, loyalty, kindness, and so much more. You will always be loved, and never forgotten. I look forward to seeing you again someday…

Snoopy of Walnut Grove – April 8, 1999 – June 14, 2010

I did want to post an update and explanation for those who are wondering what happened with Snoopy. Those who are on my Facebook list have been seeing bits and pieces, but here’s the whole story.

A few weeks back, Snoopy started getting sick – more than the usual “Bichon sensitive stomach.” He was also lethargic, didn’t have an appetite, and had really bad breath. Lucy was due for her second round of vaccinations, and we were able to get Snoopy in to see the vet at the same time. After a blood test, he was diagnosed as having severe chronic kidney failure! Really?!

I researched and found out that dogs (and cats) can still be fine as their kidneys start to fail, and they usually don’t start showing any recognizable symptoms until at least 70% of their kidney function has already been lost. Yikes! Snoopy’s test results were so bad that the vet was surprised he wasn’t in worse condition. His creatinine level was 6 mg (normal is about 1.5), and his BUN level was 141 mg (normal is anywhere from 6-24)! He also had iron deficiency related to the kidney failure.

We had to put him on a low protein, low phosphorus diet immediately, as well as having to give him daily subcutaneous fluids (Ringer’s lactate). I have become comfortable giving him the fluids myself at home, which keeps him from having the stress of going to the vet several times a week. It does bother me a bit, though, that he’s associating me with the discomfort of the needle. I can only hope that he’s realizing it’s helping him to feel better.

Of course, he wouldn’t eat the dry or canned version of the prescription kidney diet food, even when it was mixed with other foods. We had to start researching low protein/low phosphorus foods and have been making all sorts of things. (His grandparents have mainly been doing this part, as they’re home all day.) He was still having a hard time keeping food down, though, and was lethargic. We were also having a hard time getting the “horse pill”-sized vitamins down his throat.

We took him back to the vet this past Wednesday for the tech to do his fluids that day; I wanted to check to make sure it was normal for him to occasionally bleed during fluid administration (he hadn’t been doing that). While there, we were able to get him some vitamins in paste form and some liquid Tagamet. When we told the tech about the food problems, she also recommended something that has really helped – baby food! Baby food is low in protein so as not to damage a baby’s developing kidneys, and it’s also phosphorus-free.

It was admittedly odd for someone who is childfree to be buying baby food, but it has definitely helped! He loves the taste, and it’s easy for him to digest. (The Tagamet has also helped with the stomach issues.) Grandma has still been making him homemade foods, especially things like pasta with butter, which is easy on the kidneys and helps give him calories and energy.

Now that he’s starting to keep down some food, he’s regaining some of his old vitality. He isn’t out of the woods yet, though, and he goes back to the vet this Monday for follow-up tests. Hopefully the fluids and changed diet will help his kidney function. We still expect to have to do some fluid administration here at home, but we’re hoping he won’t have to go through it every day anymore. We’ll see…

Here are a couple of photos. The first two were taken with my cheapy cell phone, but there was some nice natural lighting, so they’re not too bad. On the last day of winter, we actually had some very mild temps, and Snoopy spent a little time doing one of his favorite things – sunbathing on the picnic table! He wasn’t feeling very well on this particular day and didn’t have much energy, but the sun seemed to help comfort him.

At one point, he lifted his head and seemed to be basking in the sunshine…cuteness!

A couple of days later, he was feeling better and had more energy, so I took some pics. This was still before starting on the baby food; he has even more energy now, although he’s still not back to normal.

I’ll keep posting updates on Facebook and here. In the meantime, here’s a preview of the spring arrivals on the homestead. This is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring and has become a favorite of mine – it’s Siberian squill (Scilla sibirica taurica)!