Helen

A visit to the vet for X-Rays confirmed what I already knew in my heart – Helen has bone cancer.

When she started limping a few weeks ago, I was a little concerned so I googled “limping greyhound” and read all about osteosarcoma. I tried not to think the worse and took her to see the vet. At that point, Dr M said the limp was “worrisome” but did not make the official diagnosis, and we decided to treat Helen with pain and arthritis meds (in case it was just a fracture or tear or something “minor”), and I’d continue to keep close a watch on her. Things were pretty bad after the appointment (and I cried whenever I’d take her on a bathroom walk), but after a few days she seemed to have more energy and was limping a lot less. Good, I thought, maybe she’s ok. But the limp came back last week, so I talked to the vet and we agreed it was time to X-Ray.

Her left front leg definitely shows an area of deterioration and we got the official diagnosis just about an hour ago.

So, what’s next? I will continue to give her the medication & up the dosage. I want to make the last days/weeks/months of her life as comfortable as possible. That being said, I’d leaning on the side of not wanting her to suffer just so we can have her around for a few more days/weeks/months. (And it really is that up in the air. Usually when osteosarcoma is diagnosed, they live for a few more months (untreated by amputation and/or chemotherapy). But there’s no rulebook, and the vet said Helen could have been silently suffering for several months already. As I’m typing this, I haven’t even talked to the Mr. yet. We obviously have a lot to talk about. I’ve never dealt with the decision of when to put a pet “to sleep”, and it is something I need to think long and hard about. It’s especially hard knowing that the Mr. will only be home for a week before he goes to Europe for 2 weeks, but I don’t know if it’s too premature to plan for “it” to coincide with all that. 

I am not quite ready to eulogize my sweet Helen yet. That will come after the shock of all this has worn off and we have decided what to do.

Of what value are spiders?

I got a fun book at the goodwill today (50% off day!) called "The Little Quiz Book" (©1956). 

You guys know i am a sucker for illustrations like this, and I think they'd be perfect for Gocco cards or something (what's the statute of limitations for stuff like that? are they considered to be in the public domain yet? i haven't been in college for 11 years so i can't remember...).

The book contains answers to fascinating questions, such as "Is the Black Forest in Germany really black?" and "Who was the first President to travel under water in a submerged submarine?" (In case you're wondering, no and Harry S. Truman). I also scored some cute vintage drinking glasses and a few other novels.

And if you're wondering of what value are spiders? They destroy countless millions of noxious insects each year, --flies, mosquitoes, bugs, and grasshoppers.

new favorite song

i jumped on the beach house train very late. i know people were talking/blogging about them years ago, but i just got out of a years-long phase in which i didn't seek out new music/bands. sure, i'd buy new releases by bands i already liked, but i really didn't get into many "new" bands. anyway...this song kills me.  i am really looking forward to seeing them next month. Ticket info here. 


PS: thinking about starting a music-only blog/memoir-ish thing in which i recount my past concert and musical experiences. would you read it? i think i need a more focused topic and some sort of goal. just like julie & julia (HA!)

the panda sews: sewing and pillows

i used a sewing machine for the first time ever over the weekend and ended up with super cute pillows!

sewing (along with knitting and countless other crafts and hobbies) has always been one of those things i've been curious about, and after a few friends got into a google buzz discussion about it, it was decided that carolyn would teach a beginner's class at her house (pillows!).  i used a target gift card to purchase a brother sewing machine, and it sat in the box for a few weeks.  (side note: i tend to psyche myself out when learning something new like this. "i'm not gonna "get" it!" or "i'm gonna suck!"  had it not been for our class on the 27th, the sewing machine would've stayed in the box for weeks. or months).   i got to go to textile fabrics on 8th ave to pick out my fabrics - that place has TONS of great stuff, but i settled on a cute squirrel-with-a-buried-nut-treasure print, with an orange pattern to go on the back.

the sewing machine wasn't very complicated, but i still haven't quite gotten the automatic-threading system down.  my very first 12X12 pillow was a success!

i decided to try my hand at another pillow today to further hone my skills (i.e. try not to forget the things i learned the night before). i went to hancock fabrics in murfreesboro for more fabric and found a few cute things. i got a brown woodgrain fabric to compliment the squirrel design for pillow #2.

front

back

other hancock fabric purchases 

(the one on the left is pretty orla kiely-ish, isn't it? it was only $6.99/yd!)

i really think i could get into this whole sewing thing - looking forward to trying curtains and other things soon!

15/365: backyard

i started doing a 365-photo-a-day thing on flickr after reading this & this.  my buddy alexis is doing it too. i won't post my all my photos here, but i thought this one was a lil' pretty.

i forget that my backyard is a nice place.

15/365: backyard
Originally uploaded by pandaparables

Mister Wister the Time Twister

i was looking at a japanese website where i saw these cute things -> which prompted me to look up "petit ours brun" -> at which point i learned it was a french cartoon. so then i ->searched for other french cartoons on youtube and found the following video (i just wanted to explain how i ended up here. i love how easy it is to end up random places on the internet.)  anyway, this cartoon just exemplifies everything i love about the art of mid-century cartoons.






if you're a fan, be sure to check out Cartoon Modern Blog. I got the book for christmas - yippee!

the Stubborn Cowboy

please spend the next 6 minutes of your life watching this short cartoon from 1967 - "the stubborn cowboy".  it will make you smile, and if it doesn't, i don't know if we can be friends anymore. it's funny to imagine a time when it was perfectly acceptable to show a cartoon figure rolling his own cigarettes.




here's another one called "my daddy the astronaut".

vegetarian matzo ball soup

since the number of jewish vegetarian readers i have is approximately ≤ 0, i don't really know why i am posting this link. but - i made this vegetarian matzo ball soup over the weekend.  this is my first time attempting mazto ball soup (normally the task falls to my catholic dad - go figure - i don't think my jewish mom ever made it).  anyway, it turned out ok - it's hard to judge because i am used to the way my dad's tastes, and this is my first time ever eating a tofu-based matzo ball.  i actually like matzo balls when they're a little hard, and these were a little too fluffy/soft.  but there may have been a critical error on my part (mine didn't do the float/drop thing when i lifted the lid, but after reading the comments on the recipe site, i should've lowered the temperature after putting the lid on the pot).  the broth was fantastic.  and i also made yeast rolls, but they were gross.  too yeasty and no flavor. but it's fun to see dough rise and i'd love to attempt other breads in the future.

my balls, pre-boiling

• if you're wondering, "what is matzo ball soup?" - click here.

• other traditional jewish food info here
  

yum sandwich

I put these halves together for a little sandwich:

earthgrains thin buns + leftover kale pesto sauce sauce + sliced peppadews + smoked havarti + cherry tomatoes + sprouts + avocado = yum sandwich.

(first i put the pesto, peppadews and cheese on the bread & placed in the toaster oven for a few minutes, so it was a little melty and warm. then i topped with the other stuff).

coffee cozy

i attended a craft night this week and we made reusable coffee sleeves. i was a little nervous because i have no sewing skills whatsoever, but i gave it a shot and here's the end result:

the buttons are there for decoration only (and to hide my bad stitching!) 

directions are on the craft nashy blog. if "sloppy fingers haas" (self-imposed nickname) can make this, you can too!