Condo Blues

Friday, April 27, 2012

Riding the Cancer Go Round

Canine cancer goes round with ups and downs like a merry go round but it is not nearly as fun. 

Each week of treatment has downs as well as ups.
It is stupid of me to think chemotherapy is like taking an antibiotic for an infection. You’ll feel cruddy for a few days but during the rest of the course of treatment, you’ll feel so fine the doctors will remind you repeatedly to finish your meds.

Three weeks in I don’t’ think I’ve been living with this long enough or at its most severe to be feeling so up and down about the situation but I do.

Down
 The chemo days are rough because they have to sedate Blitzkrieg to do it because of his abuse issues. To this day, he goes berserk if you try to restrain him or wrap him in a towel. This makes Blitzkrieg a less than ideal patient because we never know if or what extent the reaction will be to exams, or shots, or a day long IV full of drugs blasted into his body.

Blitzkrieg was so zonked he fell asleep on the way home from the vet. The chemo upset his stomach so much he didn’t eat for three days.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wine Crate Dog Toy Box or Dog Bed

Blitzkrieg didn’t know what toys were when he first came to live with us. When he stress chewed his fur, I gave him a toy as a positive distraction. Blitzkrieg would look at me as if to say,” I know this is mine because you gave it to me but what do I do with it?” (It still hurts to type this.)

At the time, I whipped up a quickie toy box from a cardboard box. I took the opportunity to try covering the box with wrinkled brown paper bags.

Eh, not much to look at but it works for now I thought. I fully expected Blitzkrieg to stress chew the box. Then I would  take the opportunity to replace it  with a proper toy box later.

Save this recycled wine crate project to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

9 Sneaky Green Ways to Save Money

I always struggle when it comes to writing an Earth Day post because everyday is Earth Day around here.

Frankly, my mind is more on trimming the fat from our family budget to pay for Blitzkrieg’s medical bills, and rebuilding our emergency fund which keeps getting knocked back after last year’s Back Luck Summer

A conversation with my newest sister in law Mrs J2 last weekend lit the CFL light bulb of inspiration over my head. (What other kind of light bulb would expect to go off over my head? An energy wasting incandescent? Pea-shaw!)

She and her new husband (I never get tired of saying that. I’m a gushy romantic - sue me.) are in Newlywed Money Saving Mode. I started kicking around ideas with her from Condo Blues. She politely said she wasn’t into the green thing so much because it is expensive. Her new family is more interested in saving enough money to buy a house.


The funny thing is, back when I was a newlywed and in Newlywed Saving Mode most of the things we did and still do to save money are green, only back then green was a color, not a movement.

Sister in Law, here’s a little list of  ways that save money and just so happen to be green. This isn’t a I Do All of These And I’m So Much Greener than You list. Everyone is different, has different priorities and preferences, and some green ways conflict with other green ways (which most people don't mention.) Consider this list a Swiss Army Knife of Money Saving Green Options, Not Absolutes.

Monday, April 16, 2012

How to Make a Photo Canvas that Won’t Put You in the Poorhouse

Many of my friends and family have my photography hanging in their houses.

Except me. 

Photography is our family hobby. My grandfather started the tradition. He passed the hobby onto his children, my father and my aunt. My dad passed it onto me.



One of the best photography classes I ever took was from my father in his kitchen. One by one, my Dad handed me a different type of camera lens, various telephoto, macro, and specialty lenses. I put them on my film camera body and looked through his kitchen window and at the same pot of flowers to  understand what each lens did to my subject.



Many of my family and friends have my photo hanging in their homes. I’ve been asked to shoot photos for others too.

Photography wise, it’s a cobbler’s kid doesn’t have any shoes situation around here. Here’s my photo collection. One photo of Husband and Blitzkrieg on my desk.

Friday, April 13, 2012

The Week in Review and Some Other Stuff Too


Remember the friend I got into photography? The man is turning out to be quite the photographer. He casually snapped this photo of Blitzkrieg last week. It captures our boy’s personality perfectly.

I love this picture. I also love their stone kitchen floor.

I believe the student has surpassed the master. My friend good-naturedly tweaked my inner geek with some lens envy.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

This Isn’t’ a Real Post. This is Me Being Grateful Instead. You've Been Warned.

There’s a reason why I am a green DIY blogger instead of a Slice of Life blogger. I absolutely stink at kicking the personal and emotional door in and letting my innermost thoughts and feeling spill onto the Internet like the many bloggers I admire. I’m going to try my hand at it today. Please forgive me if I stumble.

First things first.

Thank you.

Thanks to your generosity, we raised enough money to pay for Blitzkrieg first two chemotherapy treatments within the first 24 hours of taking donations for the Blitzkrieg Cancer Treatment Fund.



Please don't think that money is the only way you can help us. There are many people who have said insensitive things to Husband and I once we started telling people the news. They think we're crazy and stupid for treating Blitzkrieg. It is sad because some of those people are pet owners too.