Our Tiger, is it time?

How do you know when is the “right” time to euthanize a pet?  I recently asked this question on Facebook, because my buddy Tiger is struggling a bit.  He has been sick for quite some time – possibly a brain tumor, but we don’t know for sure because we are unwilling (don’t hate me) to spend the money on a CT scan simply “to know”.

I will spare you the details of his treatments and our struggles.  Suffice it to say that every time we think it is “the end”, he seems to bounce back and though a little wobbly and crooked, becomes his old self again.  When he bounces back, we wonder how we could have ever considered putting him down.

The truth is though, that he is 12 years old, and there will be a time that he does not bounce back.  How will we know?  I’m still not sure, but the great advice I was given on Facebook will help, as will this article I recently found:  How to Know When It’s Time to Euthanize Your Pet

Our veterinarian says that Tiger is not in pain.  And indeed, he had gained weight since our last visit.  His latest symptoms are being (mostly) successfully controlled with medication.  For the time being, our buddy will stay with us.

On the advice of our veterinarian, we will take it day by day, and love him while we can.

Our Tiger in his younger, healthier years
Tiger with our other fur baby Lucy

My First Haiku

I’m not sure what prompted me to google Haiku – perhaps my recent fascination of origami and other beautiful things originating in the Japanese culture.  This Wiki-How article does a great job of explaining the difference between a traditional Japanese Haiku, and the English version (5, 7, 5 syllables) which is longer.  It goes on to say that the 5-7-5 rule is no longer considered the standard, though that is what is still taught in American schools.  I much prefer the Japanese view, that a Haiku should be able to be expressed in one breath (according to WikiHow that would be a total of 10-14 syllables).  And who wants rules imposed in their creativity anyway?

With all of that in mind, as well as inspiration found in the rest of the same article, I looked out the window and my brain immediately formed the following thought – my first (10 syllable!) Haiku.

~~~~~~
Rain showers
A new beginning
Believe
~~~~~~
What do you think?

Flat Stanley Adventures Continue

Remember Flat Stanley?  You can read about his last adventure here, when Alex sent him to Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.  Most recently, our family was requested to host him right here in Chelsea, Michigan, so the Flat Stanley adventures continue!

A big thank you to sweet Dayton for sending Flat Stanley here – we had a great time with him, and hope he enjoyed his visit.

Flat Stanley returned to Dayton with the following letter:

Dear Dayton,
Thank you for sending me to Chelsea, Michigan!!  I arrived on Wednesday, May 1, and it was 84 degrees and sunny.  Surprising, since just a week or so before that it had been snowing.  I sure am glad I had nicer weather for my visit.

I spent my time in Chelsea with the Davis family – Tressie and Rob, and their kids Riley (10), Alex (7) and Robby (5).  Dominic is away at college so I didn’t get to see him (though I had a great visit with him earlier this year when Alex sent me to visit him at Wittenberg University in Ohio).
The Davis family kept me busy.  The first thing we did was choose an outfit for me so I would fit in here in Chelsea.  Do you like my University of Michigan t-shirt?  There are a lot of UofM fans in Chelsea.  There are fans of other Michigan schools too, but… those people don’t really count. (haha)
Chelsea is a really great city, with so much to do.  A vibrant downtown boasts great food, art and entertainment.  This is even more apparent during the warm months when Chelsea hosts Sounds and Sights every Thursday evening – sculpture walks, food, local brew, outdoor movies, and literally music on almost every street corner with diverse line up of musical artists performing at staged areas.  It isn’t quite summer yet though, so spring sports and site seeing is what we did.
On Saturday Riley had a softball tournament that was an hour and a half away (first tournament for a long summer of softball!).  I decided to stay with Alex and Robby and go to their hockey and soccer games since those were in Chelsea. 
The first stop was Robby’s hockey game at the ArcticColiseum.  Brrrr…it’s cold in there!  But it sure was fun watching the super cute mini hockey players. 
After the ice rink we had a little extra time before Alex and Robby’s soccer games, so we stopped at Pierce park, where the Chelsea ROCK is.  The ROCK is a giant boulder that people in Chelsea paint to send messages of all kinds – from congrats, to happy birthday, or other fun things.  The day we visited it matched my shirt – how cool is that?
I have sent you pictures of some of the cool sites in Chelsea.  The clock tower is a favorite of many residents, isn’t it beautiful?  It used to be a water tower for the Glazier Stove Company in the early 1900s. 
Directly across the railroad tracks is the Chelsea Depot – a gorgeous historic train station built in 1880.  Service at the station closed in 1981, but through the efforts of the Chelsea Depot Association, restoration efforts began in 1986.  In 1987 Chelsea Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic places. 
Just to the west of the clock tower is something very yummy.  Did you know that Chelsea is the home of Jiffy Mix?  Their cornbread muffin mix is my favorite.
There are lots of places that I wanted to visit, but didn’t get a chance to on this trip – like the Purple Rose Theater, The Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory and Timber Town.  
 
Maybe next time I visit you can come with me? 
Love,
Flat Stanley
xo
 
ps – want to see a cool video made about Chelsea by Jeff Daniels?  You can check it out HERE