Jerry Update and Meet Jacque

My Goodness!

I am shocked at how much family Jerry and I suddenly have.  Tammy, my daughter, always comes over as soon as she hears we are in town.  We just got here yesterday.  She was here shortly after we arrived.  She left and we got a call from her son, Jacob.  He wanted to know if he and his girlfriend could come over to pick up some CD's I had purchased for them.  SURE!  Come on over.  They stayed for a long time, and we watched several episodes of Andrew Wommack's programs on the TV.  Jacob loved them and wanted to keep watching more.  They left after 10 PM, and we headed right to bed.

Then it was today -- chemo day #2.  Jerry was scheduled to be there at 9:00.  He woke up feeling horrible though.  Chest congestion and a cough.  Took his temp and it was 100.5 which is the EXACT number requiring a phone call to the doctor.  We called.  The doctor said he needed to come in for a chest x-ray and chemo would be rescheduled.  We went.  He was seen by a PA who about fell over when he looked inside Jerry's ears.  He said they are PACKED solid with wax and he can't even see his eardrum.  Jerry's ears don't even hurt.  

NO WONDER the man can't hear half of what I say.  He uses a thermometer that goes "beep-beep-beep" when it is ready to read.  It beeps so long, I finally holler at him to turn the thing off.

He says, "What are you talking about, Joy?  I don't hear a beep?" 

He said Jerry needed his ears washed out by a doctor so the ear drum could be seen.  I asked him why HE couldn't do it.  He said Jerry had to see his primary care physician.  AARRGGHH!!!!  Not THAT again!  How many doctors do you have to have before you don't need any more doctors?  The PA suggested we go to one of those waste-of-time clinics today, but Jerry just did not feel like it.  He rested in his recliner all afternoon.

While Jerry rested, I was fooling around in my office putting together a return of jewelry items that I don't need when someone knocked on the door.  I went to the door to see who it could possibly be at 3:30 in the afternoon, and it was Tammy, Hollie ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND my adorable, precious new puppy!

You may remember me telling you that my daughter and her husband have a kennel.  They raise several breeds of dogs, but they have recently been breeding a Poodle with a Golden Retriever which makes Golden-Doodles.  You can google it and see I'm telling you right.  I have wanted one ever since she told me about them.  They usually sell them for $600 a piece and have no problem selling litter after litter.

All the puppies were gone except for this ONE girl puppy.  She told me about her and how she hadn't sold.  I told her that I WANTED that puppy myself.  She told me that was impossible with her Dad being so ill, but I kept telling her I really did want her.  She asked me how I was going to take care of Jerry -- two cats -- and a dog.  I told her she was probably right.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  I open the door, and there they are.  I was SO EXCITED!  I took lots of pics, but this is the only one I can attach right now.  Hollie is married to my grandson, John, who is stationed in Alaska with the US Army right now.  Hollie came home for the holidays, but John couldn't get leave.  Hollie had just been to the gym to work out so had no make-up on.  I asked her to let me take a pic before they took my puppy back home:

I need to tell you that as I had been talking to Tammy about me wanting this puppy, Jerry had been VERY outspoken about his opposition to the whole idea:

"We CAN'T be hauling a huge dog and two cats back and forth between our houses, Joy!  It is ABSURD!  It is CRAZY!  Don't even think about it!"

I had not ASKED Tammy to bring the puppy over here, BUT all of a sudden here she was in all her fluffy cuteness.  Tammy, Hollie, the puppy and I all landed in the middle of the living room floor -- RIGHT NEXT to where Jerry was resting in his recliner.  The puppy -- who, by the way, was temporarily named "Shannon" at that point -- was perfectly well-behaved.  Just stayed right there with us.  She was as calm as could be.  Not hyper.  Didn't make a sound.  Came right to me and let me hug and cuddle her to pieces.  

Tammy told me that she and Len had decided to let me HAVE the puppy after all.  She said they were really getting attached to her, but they knew I wanted her.  She said that they would keep her for us when we had to go to Kingston to check on the house.  PERFECT!  She told me if I didn't like the name "Shannon", that I needed to name her.  I thought about it and thought about it, but I couldn't really come up with a name because I didn't know her well enough yet.  

ALL OF A SUDDEN -- from the recliner where Jerry was supposedly NOT paying attention, we heard:

"How about Jackie?"

"WHAT?", thinks me.  Jerry is actually going to LET me name her?  He must be going to let me keep her!!!"

I looked at Tammy -- Tammy looked at Hollie -- Hollie looked at me -- and we all said, "We LIKE it.  Let's call her "Jackie".

We played for awhile and then they had to leave.  The dog is still taking antibiotics for a virus, and Tammy didn't want to leave her here until she is all better.  That was good.  Plus I needed to buy dog food and a gate and some toys and ....  They all left.

I wandered around doing some things and Jerry went back to napping.  A little while later, Jerry came into my office, and you WON'T BELIEVE what he said to me!

He said, "Joy, the puppy's father is a poodle, so she is "French".

"I want to spell her name "J A C Q U E".

I KNEW that was a MAJOR confirmation.

NOT ONLY was Jerry allowing me to have the dog, the dog had already become HIS!

Just as Tammy, Hollie and Jacque were leaving, my phone rang.  It was Jacob.  He wanted to know if he and Kourtney could come over tonight.  I told them to come on and I started dinner for four.  We had a marvelous time.  Kourtney worked my 1000-piece puzzle that I got for Christmas while Jacob helped me with supper.  

We got through eating our dessert of four different kinds of ice cream I found in the garage freezer when my phone rang again.  It was Tammy's husband, Len.  They were at Petco buying things for Jacque that I had told Tammy I was going to need.  HOW NICE WAS THAT?  They bought me dog food, doggie toys, a doggie collar with name tag and a doggie gate.  I had to have all those things before I could keep Jacque here.  We have a fenced back yard, so that isn't a problem.  She is already potty trained at 11 weeks old.  How AMAZING is that?!

While Jacob and Kourtney were still here, Tammy and Len came over with all the things they had bought at Petco.  We have had LOTS of company today, and it has been very, very heartwarming and wonderful.  Everyone just gathers around Jerry as he rests in his recliner; and he, being the type that could sleep on a rock in a tornado, just comes and goes as he pleases -- never leaving his chair.  He is surrounded with love from everyone that comes here, and it is as it should be.  We are a "family".  There have been years and years when I wondered if we EVER would be that again.  Whatever has caused it, I can only say, "Thank you, God, and PLEASE don't let it stop."

So much more, but that's enough for tonight.  Just had to show you our new baby.  Tammy says she won't be small for long.

Hugs, Joy