July 29, 2009

I thought of changing the name of my blog from "Sampson Saga" to a more broad- "Our Saga" since our injuries and ailments have become more and more prevalent in my postings.

A few weeks ago, after playing drums and perhaps straining his left calf muscle, Andy started complaining about a horrible pain in his leg. After limping around for days, he decided to go to a doctor (last Friday) to get an opinion. The doctor thought it could be a deep muscle bruise, or a blood clot. Yesterday (Tuesday), Andy went in for x-rays, and they determined that he has a blood clot in his leg - deep vein thrombosis. He was immediately admitted into Sutter hospital and kept overnight. He was given blood thinners and other medications to try to help dissolve the clot.

Last night, my wonderful brother (Neil) and sis-in-law (Nellie) took me to the hospital to visit Andy. Bob & Cherie Moss were already there with him. Andy was having too much fun, cracking jokes with Adam (our nurse) and laughing at how wonderful the accomodations were (tons of tv channels and AIR CONDITIONING- both of which, we do not currently have). Nellie spent the night with me and Sampson to keep us company, which was incredibly kind.

We were initially told that he would remain in the hospital under close watch for a few days. Thankfully, he was released nearly 24 hours later. Now he is home, resting, and we are figuring out his new medicine routine to help him deal with this ailment. I'm so happy to have him home, and am thoroughly enjoying my new duties of keeping both him & Sammy happy, fed, & comfortable.

Once again... Nurse Linsey xoxo

July 26, 2009

When will our bad luck end? Our air conditioning bit the big one early this week, leaving us sweating inside our house. We've had five estimates on a replacement, and have also learned that our furnace needs to be replaced. Apparently, it's orig to the house and could be a health hazard. We have received some high quotes and some low ones, and have decided to go with the one in the middle. Unfortunately, this requires a ton of paperwork and it may be another week before we have our new unit. Ahh, the joys of owning a home!

On a good note, our Call Kurtis segment aired on Friday night, while my oldest friend from Napa was visiting. We were so excited to finally see what they had put together. You can view it here: http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=57662@kovr.dayport.com

(Fallout from a Fall)

The three of us (me, Andy, & Stephanie) were snapping pictures, taking videos, and laughing hysterically while viewing the clip. Sampson just snoozed through it all.

July 22, 2009

Today marks the exact middle of my week long vacation from work. It has been very relaxing and I feel as though I have accomplished a ton of chores around the house. Sampson has enjoyed my time off as well. We take daily walks to the park and spend most of our time out in the yard. He is now moving around without any problem. He may skip a step or two with his back hind leg, but we've witnessed him sprint, jump, run, walk, and sit without any trouble. Our A/C is currently on the fritz, so we have the house opened up (thankfully, it's only in the 90's) and Sampson loves looking out the front door and barking at the neighbors.

July 16, 2009

This heat is killer! 101 degrees yesterday, and they reported 107 degrees today (although it felt even hotter). Luckily, our AC is pumpin' big time! Sampson has recovered from his fun-filled slumber party couple of days with Brody & Lilly, and I think he's enjoying being the only child once again. He's napping on the couch with Andy at the moment, and will probably stay there for the remainder of the evening. Andy's going on a boys camping trip this weekend, so Sam and I will have the house to ourselves again. Maybe we'll paint each other's toe nails and put our hair up in curlers.... who knows.

July 12, 2009

I was just about to start writing today's entry when Lilly climbed up onto the couch between Andy and Brody. I quickly grabbed my cam and snapped this pic. It pretty much sums up what we did on this lazy Sunday. We spent the morning running around outside, and the afternoon lounging on the couch. I think that Sampson really enjoys having the girls around, as it makes him feel "normal." He is getting a ton of exercise too - chasing Brody, and tugging on a rope with Lilly. All of the pups are now fast asleep- snoring very loudly.

July 11, 2009

Crazy puppy weekend has officially begun!

Brody looks just like Sam! --->

Brody & Lilly arrived early this morning while I was out and about, so Andy got the girls all settled in. I'm sure mom and dad (Abe & Kjer) will be checking up on their babies via blog, so will be sure to post some cute pics.

The girls were super hyper this afternoon, while the sun was out. I took Lilly for a walk to the park and when we came back, she crashed out on the couch. Brody followed me all around the house, watching me clean. Sampson snoozed on the rug in the hallway. It is now gloomy outside, looks like rain! Aaron came over in the evening to hang with us. Each of us grabbed a leash and a dog, and the 6 of us (three dogs, three humans) went for a walk. Now we're watching a movie- Sam is snuggling with Andy, Lilly is snuggling with Aaron, Brody is at Andy's feet, and I'm on the floor.

xoxo

July 10, 2009

Some sweet pics of our dood from the past week...

Isn't he handsome?

July 9, 2009

Sampson and I are hangin' while Andy is away for the evening. Sam is now comfortable hopping on and off the couch (scary). His breathing has improved today. He is asleep on my feet right now, and I can feel him taking nice deep breaths. Can't wait for the girls (Brody & Lilly) to come over this weekend to hang out :).

July 8, 2009

We just returned from taking Sampson on his nightly walk. The past couple of nights, we have noticed that Sampson may be breathing slightly faster than normal. Not sure if this is a cause for concern, especially knowing that there's not much we could do to help him. I thought it could be due to the warmer weather, that he seems to be panting more frequently. So, tonight, I have closed up the house and turned on the a/c, to see if that makes any difference. He's resting next to me now, and seems to be struggling a bit. Hopefully, it's nothing.... maybe, neurotic parents?

July 6, 2009

Sampson has been asleep on the couch for most of the evening - probably still recuperating from his fun-filled weekend. He needs to rest up - we are watching Brody & Lilly this weekend while Abe & Kjer are away and it's sure to be an eventful weekend for all the pups (and us too). Can't wait!

July 5, 2009

This weekend was a nice break from the busy weekends we've had, AND we finally put the house back together- we moved the futon mattress out of the living room and slept on our new bed once again. Got some great sleep!

Friday was a lazy day for all three of us. We bummed around the house during the day. Andy and his friends went out to play music on Friday night, leaving me some time to relax on the couch with a book and snuggle with Sam.

Saturday was the 4th of July, and my bro and sis-in-law came over to BBQ and swim. Sam had a blast floating around in the pool (still not really swimming - but, we'll get there). We were able to see a few fireworks from our back deck.

Today (Sunday), Abe & Kjer brought over their dogs - Brody & Lilly. We had all of the dogs in the pool, one at a time. Lilly and Brody are great swimmers, and we hoped that Sam would learn a thing or two from them... didn't happen. But, he IS starting to use his back legs to kick, a little. The three dogs were very playful in the backyard, and after we ate, all three of them crashed out on the couch- and Sam hasn't moved since.

July 2, 2009

It has been a quiet week in the Fluken/Moss household. Sampson's days are spent inside the airconditioned house, although it's only been in the mid 90's this week (which we consider "cool"). Andy spends his lunch hour at home with Sam, on a daily basis. After work, we enjoy time in the backyard with Sam and a good book, or in the pool while Sam lounges on the deck. Today, while Andy and I were swimming, Sampson decided he was done hanging by the pool. He stood up, walked over to the stairs leading down from our deck, and in about two hops, made it down six wooden stairs to the concrete - with no problem. I held my breath watching this, and immediately scolded him. He looked at me with his "what's the problem?" eyes. Ugh.

The evenings have been perfect doggy-walk weather. The three of us hop over to the neighborhood park and Sam sniffs out the scene. After a few minutes, once Sam startes looking exhausted, we head home to more reading and snuggling. We're looking forward to a relaxing three day weekend, full off BBQs, friends, swimming, chillaxin', and playing.