Visitors

When I was maybe 23 years old I worked in the medical school of my university while I worked on my first master's degree. I met several nice new friends there. One was also in some of my classes, and she is the one who talked me into take a 'temporary' job with the state as a social worker, even though I told her that was one job I never wanted to do. I stayed 27 years. She didn't.

One of the other ladies I met was a couple of years younger than I was. She married, got divorced, became a nurse, moved to Phoenix, moved to Albuquerque, then remarried a man in the air force or army air corps, whatever it is. I forget. Maybe it's the navy.  Anyway, they have moved all over the world on assignments. Both are nurses with master's degrees. They have finally settled for good in New Mexico, close to El Paso, Texas.

Every year or two they come here to stay with her parents and we visit back and forth. I consider this friend to be one of my very best. I haven't been to her newest home yet, but I assuredly will, especially since it has a winery. In the meantime, we get a friendship fix starting tomorrow. She and her husband will be in town for 10 days. I will be doing a lot of driving back and forth, visiting with her, her husband, her parents, and possibly her sister and her family, too. I am always so glad to see long time friends :)

Also, this weekend, I expect a short-term guest at my house. A member of Molly's Addison's Dogs group is going to rescue a very abused great dane and offer him a forever home. This dog doesn't have Addison's, but the rescuer has a heart of gold and is willing to drive from the outskirts of Winnipeg, Manitoba to Midland, MI  for 20 hours each way to get the dog. I am on the way, so have been added to the route. He is trying to visit with a few ADDogs along his route. The cause of the need for a support group can be very emotionally fueled. He was so happy that our group was able to provide him with enough information regarding how his vet was improperly treating his dog that he "paid it forward" by fostering an incorrectly medicated standard poodle with AD, getting her properly dosed and stable, and sending her on to a forever home, obviously with a rip in his heart. 

Addison's disease is rare, and many vets have never treated it or are not familiar with how to treat it optimally. My vet has learned a lot from my suggestions, and Molly has thrived beyond the vet's expectations. I hope other dogs learn from her new knowledge. I think my vet only dealt with this once or twice before in her career. It's easily misdiagnosed and overlooked.Many dogs die before they can even be diagnosed, and many undergo unnecessary major surgeries in an attempt to locate the cause of the problem.

Molly will meet him first. He has to pass her inspection. I will have a friend here with me when he comes, anyway. I err on the side of caution. Even Remo had to pass inspection with my nephew's Great Dane, Golden Lab, and Pit Bull.

Once I peeled the dogs off Remo and made them stop licking him, we went to lunch.