Pooch or parents, mutt or move?

That's my family on the left--Mom, me, Roger, Lori, Cheri and Dad. On the right (above) is Sultan Raven, the famous dog. I'm trying to decide which to blog about today--my parent's sudden announcement of their move, or my pooch's visit to the vet?

Both were rather jolting to the system. I know I shouldn't be surprised by my parents hopping around--after all, they were globe trotters for many years (and after we had all graduated from high school). If not for their world travels, we wouldn't have our Christina who was born in Romania and lived in an orphanage for the first year of her life. Mom always made it back for the birth (or soon afterwards) of our kids. They always made a point of seeing us at least once a year.

Yet somehow, I thought they had settled down to a "normal" life when they announced their retirement. Okay, Georgia was a nice place to spend their "golden" years. But wait--taxes were too high there, so off to Tennessee they went.

Knoxville was nice for awhile. But then they moved on again--nearer to Nashville in Cookeville, Tennessee. They were getting closer to us kids. My brother moved to a neighborhood only 45 minutes away. Finally we had our spy I mean the son in a place where he could keep on eye on things.

We were at my folks just at Christmas time, 2005. I don't know, I think I mentioned that I was amazed that they could keep their nice-sized home so spic and span all the time, knowing that they are spry, but not quite as spry as they were, say, in their 20s.

So maybe that comment is what did it. Or maybe the mayhem of having too many children and grandchildren in the home at one time was the reason for flight. At any rate, Mom and Dad are moving--115.1 miles (I believe that is my dad's calculation) even farther away from us--even away from Roger, the favorite (okay, the only) son.

Well, it will be fun to visit a new home. And I guess the accommodations are limited, so we'll have to get a nearby hotel or bunk with the neighbors or bring our camper. We're happy for you Mom and Dad, really we are. We just wish you were a little closer.

Now on to part two of the blog--Raven at the vet. Those of you with delicate stomachs may not want to read on. Raven had his anal glands expressed today. Uh, huh, you read it right. This time I was in the room because Raven did not want to go down to the lab. The vet tech said it was the worse case she'd ever seen. I assisted by giving her a new glove while the other tech cradled Raven's muzzled head in her arms. Raven also got his rabies update shot, so he's good for awhile now, I think. I also got some stuff for cleaning his bottom and ointment for it. Man, it's just like having a baby with diaper rash. Only babies don't have a lot of fur covering their swimsuit areas, so it's a lot easier to apply this stuff to them.

So, slowly the shock of the move announcement and the trauma and smell of Raven's problem are wearing off. I will look forward to whatever adventure tomorrow holds.

I'm fairly certain Mom and Dad won't be moving too soon after this (but one never knows) and Raven will not need a return visit to the vet (unless something else comes up--or out).

Till next time,


Suzi