Ugh…another late start today, but for good reason. My dad came by today hoping that we had some heartworm medication that he could snag for his dog, Heidi. Unfortunately, we didn’t and from the symptoms he described her having, I think that it might be beyond affordable to treat the condition, as it sounds as if it has progressed to full blown adult heartworm infestation.

Heidi is 11 years old and she’s had a good life. She has been my dad’s companion since his girlfriend left  and, although it breaks my heart to tell him that her chances are slim, I had to be honest with him. Things don’t look good.

Trying to remove heartworms in a dog of her age is the equivalent of flushing thousands of dollars down the toilet because the deck is stacked against her. She’s a large dog who has already lived longer than the life expectancy of her breed. Heartworms are difficult to remove safely once they’ve grown to adult stage, which is generally when the symptoms become painfully obvious.

If treated with medication, the heartworms can die and then end up becoming dislodged from the heart and lungs and move through the system to block vessels, which would result in immediate death. To prevent this from happening, many vets suggest surgery; however, surgery costs thousands of dollars and does not provide a solid guarantee that the dog will survive.

I saw the disappointment in his eyes and heard it in his voice when he responded. It breaks my heart to know that he is going to lose Heidi, but it’s a harsh reality that we all have to face when we own pets. We frequently outlive our furry friends. I just hope that we can make what little time she has left as peaceful and pain-free as possible.

Well, on to the topic that I’m SUPPOSED to be writing about!

Somewhere you’d like to move or visit…

Seven years ago, we took a trip with a couple of friends to Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. I was mesmerized with the clarity of the water. You just don’t see that very often, especially not in Illinois. I could submerge myself up to my chin, look down and see my feet and everything around them within about eight to ten feet – and clearly.  In fact, I caught a muskie while fishing, but lost it while reeling it in. I was standing in the water, about waist deep, when it took my line. I snagged it and started to bring it in. Then I saw it and I’m pretty sure it saw me, too, because it suddenly turned and before I knew it, the fish had bitten through the line and was gone.

The lake itself reaches depths in some areas of more than 300 ft., but we rented a boat to reach those spots. There are also numerous little islands scattered here and there that you can pull up to and fish from, relax, explore or just spread out a blanket and have lunch. The entire area is gorgeous. Better yet, there’s not a whole lot of action on the water, so it’s really kid-friendly.

That’s where I would want to move to if we ever had the opportunity. I’d want a lot that adjoined the lake so that we could build a dock for fishing, swimming and barbecues right on the water. That would be my paradise.

Somewhere I’d like to visit? Simple. Anywhere near the water. Oceans, lakes,  rivers or streams – I like them all and would love to be able to see them all, but that’s just impossible. The Mediterranean Sea is high on my list, but I doubt that I’ll ever be able to convince Rusty (my significant other) to go there, but it’s definitely something that my sister and I can do in the future.

Photo Credit: brllnt_harmony

Where would you like to live or visit?