MJC's Journal

Norm had been to work for a while when things started to happen. It seems that someone had gone out and brought in some pallets - but these had hitch-hikers. When the pallets came in so did a couple raccoons - and they were on the run immediately. They couldn't find the raccoons even after they barked over the PA system!! Finally they called a guy they knew that has hunting dogs to bring them in to help catch the raccoons. Apparently the raccoons were smarter then the guys dogs. Another guy was called to bring in his dogs and they knew what they were suppose to do because they got the raccoons. It was a very interesting different day at work for everyone.

Chris took Moca to "work" the other afternoon and when they came home Chris said Moca wasn't going with him until the tick season was over. I just smiled and looked at Moca and told him that I guess he would freeze the next time he went to "work" again with Chris. The ticks (and I am not talking about deer ticks) are really bad this year. On the news today, the ISU confirmed what we had heard and said that you can encontour ticks where it was wet and humid. Moca has a 20 foot rope that he is on when he goes outside and it is only in one area just outside our sliding doors. He has come in several times now with a tick on him and he and Chris were playing on the patio and Chris said he had a tick on his arm after they finished playing. The day that Moca was out "working" Chris said that during the afternoon and until he walked through the door here he found over 10 ticks on Moca and 3 on himself. And we have to watch Moca like a hawk since he chewed up the last two flea and tick collars that we put on him. So the one that I put on him the day after all the ticks we have to take it off before he is placed in the kennel in the house when we are gone otherwise he will chew it into small chunks. I am going to call the vet on Tuesday and see if we can also put some of the liquid flea and tick stuff on Moca so the protection is two-fold.

Last week Norm found out that he will need to have some outpatient surgery again. That happens on June 2 so he will be home for a couple days. Oh, I just realized that you don't know about his "surprise" surgery that happened on Good Friday at 6:00 pm. After a bad week he found out on Friday when he turned a bit yellow and the test from the previous day said his gall bladder needed to come out. While the surgeon took the gall bladder he also did a liver biopsy. Now June 4 he goes to a specialist to see what is going on with his liver - if anything. Beth came home on Good Friday and went back to Chicago on Easter Sunday and Karyol (friend) went over to Ames with me to bring Norm home from the hospital.

The last 3 months have been busy for us and it really doesn't look like it is going to get any better soon. The last several weekends Norm has been working overtime both days - good money but makes for a cranky Norm. But it has worked out since he has taken a day off during the week to go to doctor appointments so he isn't as cranky as if he had worked 3-4 weeks without a day off. I still haven't gotten caught up from Christmas yet with my work. But I have decided that I need to take a couple days off so I have declared weekends my time and no work. I guess you can say I turned over a new leaf with that decision.

We weren't able to go visit Mom on Memorial Day - she is down to just 76 pounds. Last year the doctor explained to my sister that Mom's not eating very much was the body's way of starting to shut down. I am hoping that Beth is able to get home for Father's Day and she can go visit Grandma. I pray every night that Mom will still be with us when Beth's baby is born. When I told Mom that Beth was going to have a baby and in September she was so happy. Mom's birthday is September 17 and Beth's baby is due around the 25th,

Well, I need to finish this and get to bed - it is late. If I don't get another entry up before June 4 I will try very hard to do one that night so you know how Norm's surgery went and what we found out from the specialist about his liver. Please keep him in your prayers.

I love you, Mom! Love you bunches, Beth! Scratch Zulu behind the ears for Moca, Beth. :O)

Tootles!