Today in “As The World Burns”
Week 24, Day 165.
This is cabinet week. Photos below. But first, an update on the dog. You know the one:
Tinkerbelle’s most recent vet appointment was a week ago, and her blood work was back in the normal range. That means she doesn’t have to go back on the steroid, and the immunosuppressor is doing its job. Yay!
But she’s been showing some weakness in her hips, particularly the left. Anne asked the vet about that and was told it looks like arthritis. Boo!
But I am not so sure. It’s true she has hip dysplasia, and I have no doubt there is some arthritis as well, but we know how she reacts when something hurts, and I don’t see that reaction in her. Instead, I suspect she has numbness in her hips due to the nerve damage left behind by the cryptococcus infection she had back in 2018 or so. The vet is the expert, no doubt, but we live with the dog and see her in more circumstances.
All that said, here’s the latest canine surprise: the fact that she’s on an immunosuppressor is a major issue. It interacts with all kinds of drugs, so most pain relievers aren’t allowed. Apparently we can still use gabapentin, but otherwise she’s out of luck. And gabapentin makes dogs sleepy, so while it may relieve pain, it also renders them largely inert.
Some time back we tried her on Librella, an injectable that supposedly helps with arthritis pain in dogs, but it didn’t help her.
The alternative is to try other kinds of treatment, including large doses of collagen or vitamin E. Or maybe both.
I’ve ordered some collagen, and we’ll see if it helps. But if the underlying issue is nerve damage, nothing is going to fix it. As with so many things, only time will tell.
Her next vet appointment is in two months, since it seems that her blood work is relatively stable. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
As I said at the start, this has been cabinet week. The cabinet guy has been here all week, and while he’s getting close, he won’t quite finish today. There are a few things left to do, some of which require the floors to be installed.
Here are some in-process views.
That’s the vanity in the new bathroom, awaiting drawer front and handle installation.
Here’s the laundry room. Note that I’ve zoomed way out, and there is a lot of fisheye effect present. The cabinets in that room will provide lots of needed storage space. Again, handles still have to go in.
And those are two views of the kitchen. The upper cabinets and pantry have white doors. The lower cabinets have quarter-sawn oak doors, though technically they are all laminate and not real wood. The laminate should be much more durable than the wood, and it won’t warp, which is a risk with slab doors made of wood.
Before today ends, all the doors and drawer fronts will all go on, handles will be installed, and holes drilled for under-cabinet lighting. In addition, some trim will be installed to finalize things. But certain items, including the gable that covers the side of the dishwasher and the toe kicks, have to wait for the floor to be in place.
While all of that has been going on, our general contractors have been working on exterior issues. They’ve finished some siding patches and related items that had to get done, and today they did more water sealing. Next week we think they will finalize some skirting, put in the new retaining wall, and restore the path, but the weather may have something to say about that.
Last I heard, the floor installation will commence on Tuesday, so next week will likely be nearly as busy as this week.
Finally, a week ago I walked into the backyard one afternoon coming back from walking the dog and noted an odd spot on the side of the house.
A closer look revealed what it was:
Many baby spiders. They mostly hung out on that wall for a few days, gradually disappearing. They were kind of cute, actually, and so long as they are outside, I don’t mind them at all. Go forth and eat bugs!
That ends today’s missive. Next week we should have flooring installed, all the cabinets done, and maybe the backyard will be put back together.
May all your spiders hatch outside!