The last half of 2016 has been a tough one. Just when we think we can recover from one incident something else happens. With all our drama we had to cancel all of our planned travels for what remained of 2016. We have only been out twice since our last outing in May. These two short trips have just been in the last few weeks and within an hour of the house. This has been the longest period of idle time for the Airstream since we owned it. Here is the short list of what has transpired:
Christmas at Lake Louisa
One week after our return from our month long trip in May Tim's mom fell braking her pubis ramus in 2 places. Basically she broke her butt bones/pelvis in two places. Along with some other injuries from the fall she spent a week in the hospital. Then moved to a nursing home. Right before her move to an assisted living community ... she fell again. This time braking her hand. By the first week of August we successfully moved her to assisted living community nearby. Anyone who has gone through this with an elderly parent understands all that is involved in this process. She just turned 90! And is having a blast where she is currently residing.
José
On top of that ...
A large oak tree on the bike trail that we live on fell into our yard almost hitting me and José. So glad Jett wasn't out there at the time. José is Tim's moms chihuahua ... we are fostering him for her until she can take care of him again. José is 14 years old ... was un-handled and unsocialized. Not a good mix with a 14 month old lab. With some patience and love we have brought José to a point that we can all manage to mingle in peace most of the time. Tim and I had planned on getting another puppy this past summer ... a yellow male this time and we would name him Dash. We decided to put that off for at least a year and I even said 'Who knows maybe a dog will find us.'
And on top of that ...
The AC went out at the house in the heat of our Florida summer. My work has been BUSY!!! Hot water heater went on the fritz. Lawnmower broke. No power for 16 hours during Hurricane Matthew. House flooded ... Okay just one room and the garage. Just a little leak from a copper pipe in the FOUNDATION. No need to even do an insurance claim. The repair cost of less than $500 wouldn't meet our $500 deductible. Just as Tim was in the process of re-plumbing the entire house a second leak reared its ugly head. This time taking out the flooring and some drywall in FIVE rooms. Time to make a claim! We had no running water in the house now. It took three days to get the master bath back up and running. With our busy schedules it then took a few more weeks to get the rest of the house re-plumbed. It took six weeks to hear anything back from our insurance company! After much searching for new flooring we were finally able to order our new flooring which just arrived two weeks ago. Tim and I will begin the process of laying the new floors after the Holidays and the first of the year. At this point I'm just grateful that I have a roof over my head. So many other tragedies have happened to others in this world ... fires, earthquakes & entire towns flooded. A little water in the house is nothing to complain about. Just pick-up the pieces, figure out how to put them back together, be grateful for what I have and move on!
Back to the 'WHATS ONE MORE?!' ...
What seems like ages ago I was at the dog park just a few days before Hurricane Matthew hit Florida. I was inside the big dog park fence with Jett and half a dozen other large dogs and their owners when a guy walked up to the gate and said 'I just found this dog down the road by a trailer park. She almost got hit by a car. I put her over in the little dog fence.' Before we all knew it the guy was gone and we all decided to go check this dog out. There stood what looked to be a black lab mix and what a cutie! (Love at first sight!)
Jett and Mattie
We all decided to just leave her hoping her owners would come find her there since she was from nearby. By this time the Park Ranger had found out and came over. He told me that if we were to leave her, his protocol would be to call the pound. I called Tim to tell him my situation. He was not the most receptive. I then put this sweet dog in my car with Jett. Drove around for a bit looking for a 'trailer park' nearby. Uh ... all the houses nearby are on the lakes and no trailer park to be seen! I figured I would find her worried parents by days end or at least within a few days.
Luckily for this sweet girl, when I got home, she jumped out of my car, ran to Tim wagging her tail and licked him! Long story short after a chip scan that showed no chip, social media postings, many fliers all over town we now have ONE MORE dog in the house. We've gone form zero to three in a flash! We named her Mattie after Hurricane Matthew and guess she was about a year old. Mattie didn't know what a toy or a ball was and didn't even know a sit command. She was also in HEAT when I rescued her. And I recall the guy who dropped her had a leash in his hand and had probably really dumped her. Why did he put her in the fence where no one was? How do you just happen to have a leash to rescue a dog?
Mattie has come a long way. Everyday we continue to watch her evolve coming out of her shell and becoming herself. She plays with toys now. Has a blast playing tug of war with Jett. I love it when they get a big chase going in the back yard ... Mattie being about 20 pounds lighter/smaller than Jett is a bit faster! Jett and Mattie are the complete opposites. The girls get along great and I now realize one would not be happy without the other nearby. She is the sweetest dog I have ever owned and has been the perfect fit into our home! Life is good.
Jett happens!
Jett is now 20 months old, Mattie 14 months and José 14 1/2 years old. What a mix! There is never a dull moment for sure. I'm always counting to three to make sure all the dogs are in check. Everyone continues to learn to cohabitate ... dogs and humans alike.
Oh ... almost forgot ... I got to work with Buzz Aldrin a few months ago!!! The heck with the Olympians, famous football players, Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, Princess's (RIP Princess Leia), Mickey & Minnie. I got to work with a real astronaut! A world famous icon and true hero who walked on the MOON!
Our big news has been delayed due to all the chaos. Hoping we can make that announcement sometime in the next few years. Tim and I are hoping to be able to get out more in the Airstream in 2017. Mattie was able to go on her first camping trip and handled it like an old pro.
Here's to knowing 2017 will be a hell of a lot better than 2016!
Cheers ... Bring It On!!!
