As we say here in the South. The present tense of which is “wring”. Wringing is a process of twisting hand-washed laundry until as much water is squeezed out as possible before hanging it up on a clothesline to drip-dry. Also used to describe the process of killing a chicken by twisting its neck. I can’t decide whether I’m a chicken or a pillowcase. Either fits.
This week I learned that my dog may have something called Wobbler’s disease (or Syndrome). The vet, who is eminently qualified, suggested it very tentatively, but I’ve learned to translate. He means, “I really think this is what it is, but I don’t want to alarm you, and I don’t want to totally commit myself unless we can confirm it with a lot more expensive tests”.
I’m not suggesting he’s trying to make money. It’s that vets are as hesitant as people doctors. They get blamed and sued when someone dies. Ergo, let’s do more tests before we tell you we can’t help you.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. My dog either has Wobbler’s, or something like it, and the symptoms and the treatments are the same. He’s a Doberman who is 11 1/2 years old. Something had to happen sometime soon. It’s just that I’m not ready. I’ll never be ready. You could give me another 11 1/2 years with him and I would still not be ready.
But I will be. That’s the thing about dogs. You get the joy of them when they’re young, but in the end, you have to be the grownup and let them go.
Meanwhile, there’s a possibility my job may be ending. I’ve been pretty good at denial until today, but today I realized that I need to treat this possiblity as if it was a done deal, and hope to be pleasantly surprised instead.
Meanwhile, there have been the usual petty issues that annoyed me and those that made me laugh during this week. It’s taken me many years of self-training to get to the point where I deliberately focus on the good stuff and the funny stuff, because it really works to counteract the bad stuff. But this week I feel defeated, like I just don’t have to resources to do it.
Small bad things are easy. I think these are two big bad things. That’s part of my philosophy too. Don’t attach major importance to small bad things. I just wish that when big bad things happen, they would space themselves out, and not happen in the same week.
This week I intended to blog about Horseshoe crabs. There was a beautiful tribute to them in the newspaper last week by Ann Rudloe of the Gulf Specimen Marine Labaratory (in Panacea, FL). Maybe another time.
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