Thanks, everybody.

Two days ago, my dog Lois had a stroke. I was at work when my mom called me and told me that Lois couldn't get up, and, being that she is fourteen, the likelihood that we would have to have her euthanized was very great. Of course, I was totally devastated, and two of my associates with whom I was digging fence-post holes had the pleasure of seeing a thirty-two-year-old man cry.

When I got to my folks' house, I expected to see Lois on the ground. When she saw me, however, she got up. She promptly fell over, but she got up again and stayed up. She staggered around like a drunk for the next three hours, seemingly wobbling a little bit less with each passing hour. Pretty soon, she seemed to have recovered enough to be up to her old tricks of mooching as we ate a small lunch--indicative, we thought, that she was feeling better.

The vet informed us that Lois appears to have recovered to the point that perhaps euthanasia is not the best option for the short term, but we should expect that other strokes are likely and her condition will worsen with each. He told us not to be too optimistic in having her with us for much more than a few more weeks, and that we should be prepared.

Thanks, everyone, who showed me your love and support. If you know me at all, you know how I love the pooch, and all your kind words and gestures mean the world. In the meantime, as we are watching the clock and counting the seconds, I'm trying to keep it together. I had a post in the works about my little sojourn to a town called Centralia, in Pennsylvania, but it's kinda on the back burner for now. I'll be back to my senseless rants soon enough, I guess.

Anyway, thanks again, everybody, and remember that all the love you've sent me goes back to you tenfold.