Time Passes

A friend of mine on Facebook is taking her daughter to kindergarten orientation today. And she's shocked at how quickly time has gone by. I have some bad news for her... it's going to start speeding up now. The world will soon turn much too quickly to suit her needs as a mother as she helplessly watches her child grow into this new world. Can't it be slowed or stopped - just for a few more hugs, a few more snuggles, a few more bedtime stories?

I speak from experience - it won't stop. The world will keep turning and won't stop for you - so you need to savor every moment of your time with that child because that child won't stop either.

This past week, my boy turned eleven. And I thought ten was a shock. I can only imagine what twelve and thirteen will bring. These days are arriving and leaving so fast now. ZBoy has more grown up tastes. When asked what he wanted for dinner on his birthday, he said chinese food! And not just the stuff at the buffet, but the custom cooked stuff that he gets to pick out raw and take to the chef!

He enjoys his birthday cards now. He used to open them just to see who gave him a present. Now he actually reads them - and laughs!

I had a really hard time buying him a present this year. He's almost done with toys; he's got his own taste in books and music which he doesn't always share with me. In fact, about the only thing I can think of that will guarantee a smile is Star Wars stuff. He's still a kid that way!

For a somewhat subdued birthday, he had a good time.

He got a mini-cake from Wal-Mart on his day (it was really, really good - Darling Man is still raving about it) and blew out all his candles from that distance. I hope it was a good wish.

Last weekend, we had a cookout and cake and ice cream with all the grandparents. I made that cake, which was also raved about and mourned when it was gone. Darling Man grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and it was a wonderful afternoon.

In a couple of weeks, when the pool is ready, we'll do it again for his friends. Another cookout, another cake and swimming - but no presents. We all agreed that he didn't need any more stuff - that the pleasure of his friends' company was gift enough.

I hope he got his wish - I know I got mine. A good boy. A caring boy. A loving, healthy, strong boy.

The only part I didn't get was the one where the world stands still so that I can keep that boy in this moment for a while. Time keeps passing.

Fun Monday - Ready for Closeups!

Hey, ya'll - sorry I'm late, being the host and all, but this has been one crazy, jam-packed week of stuff. Birthdays, anniversary, parties... And now it's time to get back on track.

I wanted to see your pets close up. I will actually only focus on my dogs this time, because Revan (pictured below) was the inadvertent inspiration for this topic.

We've had Revan for about a year and half. He has A LOT of hair. But this spring, he'd been more itchy than usual. No fleas were in evidence, but he did have some nasty hotspots and his hair was falling out from his back.

We tried a antimicrobial and bathing, thinking it was maybe ringworm or just some weird dermatitis... But the fact that it was everywhere, even his big 'ol paws made me wonder.

We took him to the vet, who diagnosed a staph infection and prescribed two very strong antibiotics and a special shampoo. Lucky Rev, he got to have two baths a week - his favorite (smirk). That did seem to do the trick though... his belly and feet got much better and he began regrowing his hair on his back.

He was feeling much more normal, resuming his greeting duties and lap-warming duties with lots of enthusiasm. But then he started with the scratching and licking again.. His skin was starting to go red again, and after reapplying the antimicrobial, I realized that his hair was definitely getting in the way of applying medication. So I decided to shave him.

He laid down for most of the shaving... I had to roll him over to get the other side and then roll him on his back to get his tummy.

This is just a small pile of his hair... The rest was in a bag.

I didn't shave-shave him. I left enough hair to cover his skin so he wouldn't be totally exposed to the sun or the bugs.

He feels so much better now! No more licking or scratching. I'm putting the antimicrobial on him every night, which appears to have stopped the re-infection. He'll be a lot easier to bathe now too.

And this is Kida...

One of the things I have always found so fascinating about her is that she look like she was sewed together with mis-matching pieces of material. This is her belly.

Notice how there seems to be a line going down the middle of it. One side is all blonde and the other side has black stripes!

These are Kida's claws. They grow amazingly fast. And she doesn't like us to trim them. I'm kind of scared to - her claws are really black and the last time I did it, I cut her. I've bought a nail grinder, which we're using a little at a time. It kind of freaks her out, so I only do a little bit at a time. Hopefully we'll eventually get them down to a normal length!

Thanks to everyone for playing along! Here's the list of participants - and don't forget to visit Joangee for next week's topic:

Debs (1Crazy Stitcher)
Jan (Jan n' Jer) if she can borrow an animal...
Jan (The Prytz Family)
Joangee (Musings n Waffle) OUR HOST FOR NEXT WEEK
Faye (Summit Musings)
Gattina (WritersCramps)
Church Lady (Living Life in PA)
Pamela (The Dust Will Wait)
Thom (Thom's Place)
Sandy (Myanderings)
Karmyn (Dreaming What Ifs)