I saw my first Monarch Butterfly yesterday. We have a lot of milkweed around here, so there well may have been more of them flying around during my time away. But I have seen less and less of them each season, so I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of this beauty flitting from zinnia to zinnia. The first time I saw her I was outside with Scout and didn’t have a camera. The second time, I was able to run into the house and grab my older camera with the zoom lens.
Aren’t butterflies supposed to symbolize transformation? Good, because we can use some around here with our little Scout. She continues to have a hard time recovering and we continue to be concerned. She was nauseous yesterday and has been since she came home, so we took her back to the vet for some fluids and a shot of anti-nausea medicine. She also got a shot of penicillin, so that we don’t have to try to get her to take a pill for a couple of days. She hasn’t eaten much at all, she’s lost 4 pounds, and her breathing is labored. She has allergies and her breathing has become a bit raspier as she has aged, so some of it we weren’t worried about, but it’s worse now and she sometimes moans. We can’t always tell whether she’s moaning because she’s in pain or because her stomach is upset.
She’s walking around just fine and the doctor says her eyes and color look good. But yesterday, late in the afternoon, she seemed worse and I didn’t know what to do. We monitored her and eventually phoned the doctor who was on call to talk about her breathing. Of course, the minute we made the call and started discussing whether we should bring her in again, she started to sleep somewhat peacefully. So we decided to wait and she how she is today. I slept downstairs with her last night. The sofa in the den is pretty comfortable. She’s sleeping a lot, which is a good thing.
She’s been through so much and she’s a senior dog, so I expect her recovery might be longer and harder. She isn’t snapping back as quickly as she used to. It’s all very worrisome. It’s all I think about.
I came home on Saturday and she’s been to the vet every day since then. I just want her to get stronger and eat something because she needs the strength. She still needs your prayers, my friends.
Not much else to report here. The weather has been beautiful and warmer than usual. Sunny skies and golden light.
Thankful for zinnias that bloom at this time of year.
And the morning glories that nestle alongside of them.
Happy Wednesday.
