My absence from home is not coming at a good time. We’re having electrical problems; due, I’m sure to the loss of power we had during the tornado/microburst. Don put in a call to our neighbor, who is the electrician who put in the wiring when the house was flipped. It’s worrisome.
And then, late last night, Don called in a panic. He was getting ready to go to bed, so he was about to let Scout outside when he noticed her left ear was bleeding. A lot. Big clots of blood. She didn’t seem to be in any pain and he tried to stop the bleeding to see where the injury was, but it wouldn’t stop. So he called our vet and took her in around 10:00. After long minutes of panic on our part, the vet said that it was a fairly common problem. There is a growth inside her ear that had probably been there for a while. It had either been lacerated or it popped. Since it’s in the head, it bled profusely, as all head injuries do. They kept her overnight and today they’re going to cauterize it. And they’ll give her a bath because she is covered in blood.
Needless to say, I didn’t sleep a whole lot last night, but I’m praying Don did because he hadn’t slept very much the night before.
Send some positive thoughts our way, will you? For Scout and for our cottage. And for the abundance needed to pay for it all, which, at the moment, seems to be missing. Sigh.
I managed to get some photos yesterday as I walked through Chautauqua. It was a gloomy morning and I had to use the iPhone. (I do have my big girl camera with me and I promise to use it soon.)
These are on the larger side; my favorites are the smaller, narrower, dollhouse-like Victorian cottages and I’ll take some pictures of those while I’m here. Almost all of the cottages in Chautauqua have cottage-style gardens like the one picture above.
Workmen are everywhere right now; fixing, painting, planting, getting houses that were closed for the winter open and ready for the summer. They have to be done with everything by a week from this Sunday, when Chautauqua officially opens for the season.
By the way, a reader alerted me to an article on Chautauqua in this month’s Victoria magazine. I don’t read that magazine, as a rule, but I bought a copy the other day and the article is very informative.
Happy Thursday.
I hope that everything goes well back at the cottage. We love our doggies like our children.
Thank you, Carolyn Marie.
Sending positive thoughts your way, Claudia.
Thank you, Sylvia!
Oh! Poor Don…Poor Scout…Poor Cottage…Poor Pocketbook…sending healing and positive thoughts and prayers that all goes well. I love seeing the pictures of the different homes and gardens in Chautauqua. Each is so lovely and different from the next one. Hope your work is going well.
It is, Vera, thank you.
Sending good thoughts for Scout and your little cottage. Thank you for sharing the house pictures. I feel as though I’m taking a walk with you. So lovely.
You’re very welcome, Karen.
OMG not what you need right now :( Prayers going up girl, call when you can ;)
I will, Dawn. Feeling very overwhelmed at the moment.
The house pictures are gorgeous!
Any type of home or car problems are always so stressful, and definitely the reason I rent :) I sure hope whatever the problem that it’s something that can be repaired for minimal $$$. And so glad what happened with Scout wasn’t too serious. Sending lots of positive thoughts in your direction, and to Don too.
Thank you, Debbie.
Oh dear Claudia, it is always upsetting when things go wrong but even more so when you are not there to help firsthand. Keep us posted I know we will all be waiting to hear.
I will. Thank you, Cindy.
Yikes! It does seem like the bad things just keep coming. So glad that Scout will be OK, that is scary! As for the cottage and all the other things, lots of positive thoughts and prayers coming your way. I know it’s hard to be away from home when things like this happen. Love the photos.
hugs,
Linda
Very hard to be away. She hasn’t had the procedure done yet…so I’m waiting on pins and needles.
Any news about Scout yet?
She’s home, Linda. Don picked her up around 4:30. I’m just now getting home from rehearsal. She’s okay. Exhausted and moaning a bit, but she’s happy to be home. And, thank goodness, no cone. She has a hard enough time getting around without having to maneuver with a cone. Very thankful she’s okay. I don’t mind telling you I could hardly concentrate all day long!
My dear Claudia, I’m sending positive thoughts and prayers to you, Don and the beautiful Dame Scout. xoxo Dianne Vittone
Thank you, Dianne.
So scary for you to be away! Praying for all of you, your cottage and your bank account! If electrical problems were caused by storm then Insurance may cover it??? Can’t hurt to inquire. Sick children are worse for the parents! Keep your Chin Up.
Depends…and we have at least a $1000 deductible. Ah well!
Hope all is soon well at home! Have you said before that Scout is hard of hearing? If true, might this growth be the reason (besides age)? I’m actually hoping that our soon to be 14 year-old dog would loose a little hearing, I am so tired of having to hang out in the lower level of our home with a terrified dog every time there is the slightest rumble of thunder (frequent this year!) or a fire cracker is set off at your end of the state (slight exaggeration). He already sleeps in our bed, so that is no comfort to him at those times. Spoiled rotten!! ;)
Could be, but she’s been hard of hearing for several years now. She used to go insane during thunder and fireworks, and though I wish she could hear better, I don’t miss seeing her that way.
Prayers for Scout and you and Don!! And, that the electrical problems are easy to fix and don’t cost too much. Hugs!
Thank you, Liz!
Seems like all bad stuff happens at once. I know we have had our share of bad things happen. It will all get better. For all things bad, the good will happen to even it all out. I will keep you, Don and Scout in my thoughts and prayers. Love the pics of the houses.
hugs
That’s why I don’t like to dwell on things like this…because EVERYONE has to deal with things like this. We’re no different than anybody else.
I hope Scout is feeling better today. It’s amazing how animals bounce back from illness and injury. It must be because of their positive and sweet personalities. Keep us posted.
No need to apologize for the IPhone pictures, they are beautiful. Your skills in photography shine through, mine never look so good. I love seeing pictures of little cottages, show us more……..
I will, Kathleen. Thank you.
Oh Claudia, my heart goes out to you all. I am so sorry that this last week
has been hell. Prayers are coming your way along with positive
thoughts. Enough is enough!
Hear, hear!
I’m saddened to hear about all the troubles back home…hope Scout will recover nicely. Those cottages are gorgeous…my fav is the 2nd one with the 3 gables and the porch…oh my! Hope the rest of your day…and Don’s goes smoothly. Sending positive thoughts your way! ;)
Thank you, Donnamae!
Oh My Claudia!!..It must have been such a relief to hear that Scout’s problem was something common and easy to fix..Anytime I see blood I panic..I do hope Don was able to get some rest after going through that…Hopefully you will rest tonight too since you will know that your precious little girl is taken care of..Thanks for showing us the beautiful homes of Chautauqua again..they are a pleasure to look at but I agree with you that the smaller ones are my favorites..Take a deep breath and take care..
Don really did panic, as would I have done if I was there. Huge amounts of blood. She hasn’t had the procedure yet, and I’m constantly checking my phone (when I’m in rehearsal) to see if she’s out of it and okay. Thank you, Nancy.
Poor Scout! And Don – I can imagine how scary that was!
I bet she’ll be glad to see him today when he picks her up from the vet.
Hope the electrical is an easy and inexpensive repair.
He may not pick her up today because, as of about 2:30, she hadn’t had the procedure yet. We don’t want her to come home until it’s the right time. As for the electric, the power company is going to come and check the pole and the line, but they only check that. They don’t come inside. An electrician is going to look at the house tomorrow.
Poor all of you! Although you can’t be at home, you must take some comfort in knowing that you’re earning right now when extra money is so necessary. You have my positive thoughts indeed.
Love the houses. We live in a late Victorian house in a town with a large concentration of them.
I am happy I am earning a paycheck at the moment, though I won’t see it for a while! Lucky you to live in your very own Victorian house!
One step at a time, Claudia. The first priority is Scot, and she’s on the mend. Electrical next. I’m in that predicament too, house needing some electrical work. Positive thoughts your way.
She hasn’t had the procedure yet, Wendy. We’re waiting to hear about her. Power company is checking the pole and the lines today. Electrician is coming tomorrow.
What an amazing town. I know how scary and frustrating it must be to be away from home and have problems there. I will pray that everything turns out well. xo Laura
Thank you, Laura.
Positive thoughts going out to Don as he deals with the homefront and Scout. I know its hard for you to be away right now so stay strong and hopefully enjoy your time there while you work. Keep us posted please.
It’s very hard to be away. Wish I was with my husband and, especially, my little girl!
Claudia, be SURE you talk to the insurance company before you fix anything and let them know what is going on FOLLOWING the storm. Just a phone call in their records so they know about it. That is why we pay those premiums. Our house was hit by a large lightening strike about 23 years ago and we lost 3 TVs, our phones, a small fridge, and a computer printer. They were all covered after our deductible. Be sure Don calls them so it is on record.
Oh, sweet Scout. At least it didn’t seem to be painful for her. When it rains (quite literally) it truly pours, doesn’t it??
It sure does, Chris.
You are all in my prayers! It must be so difficult for you to be away from home at a time like this. Lots of phone calls will help both of you. I am asking that angels be around you, Don, and Scout. It will all get better very soon. Love to all of you.
Ah, thank you, Tana.
Consider the good thoughts thunk. And on the brighter side, how nice is it to have your neighbor be an electrician, not to mention the one who did the work in your own house? What a great bonus to have expert help with something so potentially-scary right next door. Hope Scoutie recovers quickly and with no further issues. Poor girly-girl, she’s going to be glad to come home. Maybe the tumor was affecting her hearing?
Unfortunately, the neighbor/electrician hasn’t returned our call. Don’t know why. Maybe he’s out of town? But Don has a friend who’s an electrician and he’s coming by to check things out.
I enjoy reading your blog every day, especially when you have beautiful photos like you have today. The last few days I have noticed something very strange. For some reason the screen jumps to the bottom and plays a commercial about cotton fabric. If I try to scroll back to the place where I was reading, the ad continues playing so I can still hear it although can’t see the pictures. I think I heard/saw it eight or ten times while trying to read today’s post. I don’t think it is something I am doing as your blog is the only one I have noticed doing this.
Sorry to add something else to your list of problems, but thought you would want to know about it. Also hope your dog is on the way to recovery by now.
There’s really nothing I can do about it. It either has to do with a particular ad that’s running and will eventually stop when the ad stops running or with the server on your end. If you have sound enabled on your computer, that’s why you’re hearing the ad. Just mute the sound on your computer. I never look at blogs with the sound on, for that reason. Also, wait for the blog to fully load before you start to scroll down. If it hasn’t fully loaded, it will jump back until it finishes loading.
Every once in a while, those of us with ads see that kind of thing happening. Although, to be honest with you, it isn’t happening on my end at all. I haven’t had any problems. Clear the cache on your browser – or try another browser. Hope this helps.
Hope Scout is doing better. Take care, Doris
Claudia, don’t worry too much about Scout, I had a dog with something like that on his ear. Took him to the vet and they drained it and it healed very well. He’ll be fine.
Thanks for the “eye candy”, the homes remind me of Cape May, NJ
I love the pictures of the cottages. I look at such pictures over and over and they cheer e up and inspire me with ideas for projects I can do here
I hope all is well at home by now and you’re able to enjoy yourself in spite of the worries.
The houses or cottages are beautiful.
Poor Scout and Don. It is probably a relief to Scout to have that out of his body. I hope he is home soon.
Once one part of our house had power and the other didn’t. We were sure it was an indoor problem. We called the electric company.. They came right out and worked late in he dark. . It is was all in the lines.
I don’t know how you manage your income being free lance. Let’s hope the expensive will be minor.
I am thinking about pet insurance for our new little guy.
Hugs.
Sending lots of love to Scout for a speedy recovery :)
Beautiful. Wish I could spend a little time there this summer. As cute as it is, I’m sure it’s a little $$$.
Got my fingers crossed that things at home will settle down and easy solutions found.
Oh, how I hated to hear this. Of course, I’m praying for precious Scout–and you and Don. The good thing : Dame Scout gets a bath! (hope she doesn’t mind it)
jane-in-tx
I’m so sorry to hear about your electrical problems and for what happened to Scout. Will say a prayer for you guys. Beautiful houses…don’t “worry” when you take photos with your phone; they’re still great photos!
So sorry for your troubles.
Poor Scout. I hope she’s on the mend soon.
It sounds like Scout is going to be okay ~ thank goodness! It must have been so scary for Don seeing her bleeding like that. Our pets can just wrench our hearts out. I will pray for you and Don and Scout. I am a firm believer in prayer. Trust that it will all work out.
Love and Good Thoughts,
Susan and Bentley
I was just thinking ~ if the electrical storm is responsible for your power problems, shouldn’t your homeowner’s insurance cover the cost? When my house was hit by lightning, my insurance covered the damage including the loss of appliances and the electrician’s bill. Just a thought.
Susan and Bentley