Dec. 1st is World's AIDS Day; but as I mentioned at the end of last month, Eightball is foremost on my mind right now.

Way back from Randy and I were living on 12th, running the pet store and breeding spaniels, we sold one of our pups to Richard (Jodi's big brother). But when he got married, had children, and moved into a new home, he had to turn Eightball over to his mom. Eightyball lived with DO for several years (during which time, Eightball had her litter that gave us Triumph, and his brother George (Gabby's and Joxer's daddy). While outside one day, Eightball vanished. We never found out if she just went on an adventure or was dog-napped. I spent a week driving and walking around the neighborhood searching for her, determined that if I found her, she would become MY dog and come to live with me. About a week after I had given up my search, Eightball re-appeared, slightly dirty, but none the worse for wear. That afternoon, she officially moved in with me and the rest of her family (her mom Apple, sister LBB, half-sister Elektra, and son Triumph).

About this time of year last year, Eightball had cancer surgery to remove some tumors (just like her sister Elektra). She recovered quickly and things were well with her until this Labor Day when she became unable to walk. Although the vet was not optimistic about her recovery, I am eternally grateful to the vet for all his care and treatment of her since she recovered somewhat and was able to come back home. However, just after Thanksgiving, she took a turn for the worse. Her breathing became very labored; she began to sleep most of the days; was restless at night; her eyes became very red; and her walking was once again impaired. Jodi and I discussed the problem and agreed that she was starting to be in pain and that the end was approaching. I contacted Richard, and when he came by, he concurred with our conclusions. Although, I had hoped that Eightball would be able to make it through the winter, I realized that I would be losing her before Christmas. After several bad days, rather than have her become more distressed, I made the final appointment with the vet. So for a second year in a row, I have lost two of my children. Even though, I am very sad about losing her, I am very glad that Eightball came "home" to live with me for several years and was able to be with not only her mom and sisters, but two of her grand-babies.

On a personal health note, this is the last week with my own teeth. Friday, I'll swing by the dentist's to pick up my new dentures which I will have "installed" next Monday. Make sure to check here next week to see new pictures of me with a GREAT smile. (At least, it better be a great smile after spending $4,000!!)

Play with me not that computer. I'm cuter!

The Holiday Greeting Page!

More Pictures have been added
and More are coming!

And wouldn't you know it. I don't know what I did to my back; but, boy, does it hurt. I can hardly walk. And right as it was starting to get better, I wrenched it again. So, instead of doing any Christmas shopping, I'm lying on the couch in pain. The UPside is that the pain in my back is so strong that I don't notice any of the pain still in my gums!

Thankfully, my gums aren't doing too bad. Everything seems to be healing up very well. I can even nibble at things, although I still cannot chew at all. I'm getting tired of eating such tiny bites of everything, and can't wait until I'm able to actually start eating again!!

Well, this year is almost over, and I, for one, am glad. Although there were a lot of good things that happened, there were also a lot of bad things. I'm not really certain how to classify what's happening this last week of year - it's SNOWING!!

As you can see from these pix, the fountain is gone for the winter, and the hedges sure don't need a trimming. LOL

I hope that everyone enjoyed this site during the year. And I hope that it helped you feel a little closer to me. But, never fear, I'll be continuing to update this site all through the next year, so don't forget to stop by at least once a month to catch up on what's happening in my life.