Busy Start to 2022
Life, Blog, Charlie, Florida Hilary Wiza Life, Blog, Charlie, Florida Hilary Wiza

Busy Start to 2022

We have had a crazy January!

I am writing this post from the house we’ve rented in Florida. I will have to do another post about all of that, but I want to try and keep things chronological for my own sake. This post will be about the start of January.

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Beach Day
Charlie, Blog, Life Hilary Wiza Charlie, Blog, Life Hilary Wiza

Beach Day

Two Creeks Beach

Last week, I had a beach day with my friend Anna and her 4-year-old daughter. We went to Two Creeks Beach about 45 minutes from De Pere. It’s a small beach, but a nice one. Sort of secret. Unlike Bay Beach, it is actually a beach.

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Walks
Life, Health, Charlie, Pandemic Hilary Wiza Life, Health, Charlie, Pandemic Hilary Wiza

Walks

Mental Health

It has been unusually warm (over 70!) for the past week! That is unheard of for November in Wisconsin. I have taken advantage of the gorgeous days by taking walks each day.

The weather has been good for my mental health, especially this past week with all of the Election drama. All of the walks I have taken help me clear my head a bit.

On Wednesday, the day after the election, I took Charlie over to Voyageur Park and we walked around all of the pathways. It was so pretty, despite most of the leaves being gone.

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The Charlie Chronicles (Part 5)
Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza

The Charlie Chronicles (Part 5)

I was on my exercise bike this morning when the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center finally called with Charlie’s biopsy results.

I ran upstairs to get better reception.

Dr. Leonard, the vet, let me know that the tumor was unfortunately malignant. 

Not the news we wanted.

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The Charlie Chronicles (Part 4)
Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza

The Charlie Chronicles (Part 4)

We got updates from the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center (FVARC) throughout the day letting us know Charlie was doing well, eating a bit, getting love from the staff, and spending time in the sun.

The staff member who seemed to be spending the most time with him told us that he would probably be ready to come home the next day, assuming things kept progressing as they were.

YAY!

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The Charlie Chronicles (Part 3)
Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza

The Charlie Chronicles (Part 3)

We got a call from the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center at around 2 am. Charlie was apparently not as receptive to the blood transfusion as they were hoping, so they were going to try different blood (I think). They needed our permission to proceed.

They got it.

Around 10 am, we got the text that Charlie was headed to surgery. We had been told it would take about hours. So, for the next two hours, we tried to busy ourselves around the house.

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The Charlie Chronicles (Part 2)
Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza Charlie, Life Hilary Wiza

The Charlie Chronicles (Part 2)

The following day (Sept 2), the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center (FVARC) called us and we learned that it was indeed a tumor they had found.

They asked if we wanted to proceed with an exploratory surgery to see what was happening with the tumor/mass.

They told me that they may find that the tumor had spread and he may not have a lot of time.

It could also be benign, and hopefully, something that could be taken out and biopsied.

It is an expensive procedure, and they said choosing to euthanize was an understandable decision.

I cried.

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The Charlie Chronicles (Part 1)
Life, Charlie Hilary Wiza Life, Charlie Hilary Wiza

The Charlie Chronicles (Part 1)

Last week was a tough week with Charlie, our Cairn Terrier.

Tuesday morning (Sept 1), I woke up to Charlie whining at the foot of the bed, wanting to come up. I got up and put him to bed.

A little later, I found 2 piles of dog poop. One in the hallway and one in the living room. This was unfortunately not an unusual situation. Charlie often goes potty in the house.

I also found 3 puddles of urine, one against the wall (also not unusual) and 2 other separate puddles nearby (that was a bit unusual).

I went back to bed to cuddle with Charlie and noticed he was acting really lethargic and shivering.

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I plan my life out a day at a time, so my posting schedule can be erratic.

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