Thursday, March 4, 2021

Birthday party, and the evening after

My 73rd birthday was a week ago today, and this is the first chance I've really had to sit down and write about it. 

The whole family had not been together since November 1. There was school, there were rising cases in our state, those in authority advised that families not get together for the holidays, and we all decided it was best to stay in our little local pods. Yes, it has been very hard, but the health of all my babies is more important to me than anything! We've all been well, there haven't been cases in their schools, and we're all very careful so we decided we could get together during February vacation. As a birthday surprise, Michael, Estée, Campbell, and Indy showed up down at Margaret's. Tom was down there, and texted me there was a birthday surprise. I walked down and three kids raced to me. What joy!!

You may notice that my coat is buttoned unevenly. That's because the wind kicked up as I was walking down and I was struggling with one hand, grabbing at random buttons and buttonholes to get my coat buttoned. 

At the outside fire


Margaret made the cake. This is the recipe the family pretty much agrees is the best chocolate cake so why make any other! You may find it here. In that big bowl is chocolate whipped cream for the frosting. It was perfect!

A late Christmas present for Hazel - a dressmaker's kit with a model, material, and all the accoutrements of the sewing world. Estée has a business making clothes and doing repairs/adjustments to older clothes. They worked together for ages.

While Margaret taught the boys how to play Mario Monopoly. 

My grown-up babies.


We all agreed it had been the most perfect day, except for missing Matty who had to work.

And then ... when we got home, we saw that Lucy had peed on the kitchen rug. That is not like her. She has never peed anywhere except outdoors. Also, the water bowl was almost empty. We had been noticing for a few days that she seemed to be drinking more than usual. These are both signs of possible medical problems, so off Tom went to the local emergency vets who work the hours the other vets are closed. 

There was quite a line of cars when he arrived at five o'clock when they open. Someone came by to get information about what was wrong. He told them, and they came back after an hour and told him he could walk her to the door, and then they took her in. In about half an hour, the vet called and asked some questions. After another half hour or so, the vet called again to say Lucy's sugar levels were elevated. To make a long story short, she has diabetes, and Tom gives her insulin shots twice a day. They gave her a low dose to start her off, and said to go to our regular vet as soon as we could. He said she needed more insulin, so we upped it, and so far she is doing well on it. It has been a fraught few days as we've adjusted to this, but honestly you wouldn't think anything was wrong with our dear girl. 


They've told us that she is otherwise very healthy, and should be able to live with this a long time.

Addendum: On Friday Lucy went back to the vet, and he said the insulin had to be upped again because her sugar levels weren't what they should be. (I think that's the medical explanation) He said it can take a while to get this settled. She goes back again Monday morning. So she has gone from 10 units, the base amount the emergency vet gave, to 14, and now to 17. 

27 comments:

  1. What a wonderful birthday celebration for you!! Those grandkids are getting so big, too. How fun for the aunties to spend time with their niece and nephews, each teaching them something fun. Great memory builders. Margaret has good taste... I have the same LLBean flannel shirt. It's one of about a dozen! I'm glad you were able to get Lucy's diabetes under control She's a sweet pup.

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    1. Thank you for these words. I've just put up an addendum about Lucy.

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  2. Even the dog looks like you had a wonderful, exhausting day:) Happy Birthday Nan

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  3. Happy Birthday. What a nice surprise. Have you had both of your shots now? we get our second in West Lebanon on the 23rd. Then its off to Buffalo to see the rest of the family.

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  4. What a wonderful birthday you had! Great surprise and I know that all of you had the most marvelous time. Just perfect. So sorry about Lucy's diabetes, but I'm also happy that treatment is possible and hope she'll be with you for a long, long time. Love the pictures!!!

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  5. Happy Birthday, Nan! This is one you will never forget. The pictures are wonderful, as usual...beautiful family.

    Happy to see, too, that the pup's problem has been sorted successfully. If that last photo is any indication, life is good for Lucy. She's making the most of it.

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    1. Yup, you are right!
      One thing the vet suggested is senior dog food since she will be 7 come September.

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  6. Happy birthday and well done on catching Lucy's illness in good time.

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    1. Thank you, and I do hope so. I just put up an addendum.

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  7. What a delightful surprise! The best birthday in a long time I bet. It looked like fun too.
    Poor Lucy. Glad you caught it before she had serious side effects. A friend of mine had a cat that developed diabetes. They had to watch her diet and give shots for some time. Then all of a sudden it went away. They never knew why or what happened.

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    1. That is a miracle. I wonder what on earth happened.

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  8. What a joyful birthday, and one I'm sure will remain a special memory! Poor Lucy, hope things are under control now... the joys and sorrows of life in one beautiful post.

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    1. Wow, your last words. So very true. That's just how I felt.

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  9. It makes one happy to just see you and the three children - smiling behind your masks :-)
    What a lovely day, with your loved ones and the best chocolate cake.
    Good job Lucy was diagnosed quickly and the treatment is going well.

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  10. Happy Belated Birthday! So glad you were able to celebrate with your family. Love the photos. Sorry to hear about Lucy, but glad her diabetes is manageable.

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  11. Happy belated birthday, Nan. What a glorious, delightful day. Thanks for sharing your photos. I had no idea dogs got diabetes.

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    1. A friend of mine didn't either. It is quite rare. 1-5% I think I read. Mostly females, pure breds, older. Check, check, check.

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  12. Nan, my birthday wishes are even later. What a lovely day and great pictures. And a birthday in the snow!

    I see that your hair looks as long as mine. Mine is so long now, but with a nice curl on the ends. My husband loves it. Mine is only white when it is first washed and dried, then seems greyer later. I have never understood that.

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    1. It was just so perfect!!
      I haven't had a haircut since the fall. It is usually a couple inches shorter than this. And mine seems to have some blonde in it, which probably connects to my childhood when I was blonde until second grade. haha. Not a curl to be seen though unless it is humid in the summer.

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  13. I'm glad Lucy is sorted out and when I started to read about the excessive water consumption I feared it was renal failure. Glad you can manage with medication. Sweet Lucy!

    My coat is perpetually buttoned wrong because I am trying to do it while heading out the door.

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    1. Thank you. It has now been upped again, but not nearly so much. The vet is pleased that her numbers are getting better.
      Very funny about the coat!

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  14. That was a perfect birthday party. I love that the cousins played with the Aunts ... great examples of what family means. ... I hope the news has continued to improve about your sweet pup.

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    1. I love that, too!
      Lucy goes every week and so far they have increased the insulin each time, but the vet has been happy seeing her numbers go down. She is more herself, we think. Not as sleepy. Thank you for asking.

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