I took Shell in this morning to have her blood drawn and then will return later this afternoon with her for her other appointment. The vet did manage to look in her mouth (he was in surgery when we got there) The message relayed back to me is it is still a bit of a mess. The larger rodent ulcer that had adhered to her tongue (the ulcer that was lanced and drained) looks much better and he will probably end up lancing some more tonight. Poor kitty- she is so strong in spirit and the girls said she did really good when they took her blood. Hopefully the results will be back by the time the second visit rolls around.

I have her in the cage right now because I don’t want to have to chase her in a few hours when she has to go back. I imagine for her now, the carrier holds the same fear as when I know I have to go to the dentist. I know, there is pain and great cost ahead, but in the end, there is the pain leaving and things rightening themselves once again. For her, I hope her pain ends soon.

I’ve been asked to tackle a new project this weekend. A young man, in his prime really, deployed to Afghanistan had come home to spend a short time with his family. A few days ago, on a dark street, he crashed his motorcycle and died. I have been asked to write a piece to memorialize his life. These types of jobs are difficult. Grief is hard to bear, no matter if it means a human or an animal has left. Even those grounded in faith and knowing there are better things ahead, doesn’t minimize the sadness that comes when one so young meets his end. Ironic really- being overseas and being safe in chaos then coming home to relative safety and losing your life.