thanksgiving day, 2006

two years ago this month, the baron, the husband, and their good friend lalee traveled abroad, to italy. the baron and lalee left early in the month, landing in milan. they first worked their way eastward, to venice, then southward, to bologna, then florence (one of the baron's VERY FAVORITE CITIES) and finally to rome. the husband, only able to take one week's vacation, met them in rome, at a beautiful hotel in the via veneto area of town.

it happened that the last days of their trip corresponded with thanksgiving... and you know what, reader? no one in rome gave a damn about the americans' holiday. however, feeling like expatriates in a new and exciting city, the three decided to celebrate thanksgiving the best way they knew how: with a good meal. fortuitously, there was a vegetarian restaraunt near their hotel, il margutta ristorarte.

so.

the photo below is from that meal, and is kind of representative of all their photos from that trip, which is to say, they rarely - if ever - got a good one of all three of them.


also from that trip, this photo of the husband and lalee on a bridge (the name of which escapes the baron) near the vatican. the baron LOVES this picture because they look like they're posing for a catalog... though not the same catalog... lalee is maybe advertising sportswear, and the husband is maybe advertising spywear?

every good dog deserves a bone

a couple of weekends ago, the baron and the husband made the command decision to treat the dogs - REALLY TREAT the dogs - by getting them bones. actual, animal with-marrow-still-in-the-middle beef bones.


each dog got his or her own leg piece; the bigger dogs got bigger bones, the smaller dogs, smaller bones. it wasn't long, though, before the bones and the dogs were all mixed up.


the purchasing of the bones wasn't so bad, as each bone was vacuum-sealed in its own plastic shell. the opening of the bones, though, was ghastly: fyi, vacuum sealed is good for keeping skin from actual bone contact, until it's time to open the packaging. armed with scissors, the baron tried her best to open and distribute the tasty treats without actually touching them.

this didn't work. she washed her hands REALLY good afterward, and discarded the scissors. they were just too gross to contemplate.


for special days, like holiday ones, the baron and the husband give the dogs a special dinner. the baron makes this for them, right along with the humans' dinner; it only seems right, that if the baron and the husband get a special meal, so too should the dogs? usually, this meal consists of tofu and/or lentils with a grain, and a vegetable, and sometimes brewer's yeast for flavor.


the other evening, the baron and the husband were debating what the dogs would eat on thanksgiving:

the husband: let's get them chicken, from chicken mart.
the baron: actual chicken?
the husband: yeah... it might be a nice treat for them.
the baron: like, real chicken, from bones and stuff?
the husband: i dunno... yeah. it might be nice.
the baron: what's chicken mart?
the husband: that place, with the commercials, where you see the chicken?
the baron: do you mean boston market? you want to buy a chicken from boston market?
the husband: what?
the baron: i'm not touching it.

so.

it was decided, lentils and quinoa and sweet potatoes for the dogs on thanksgiving!

bazaar

a couple of weekends ago, the baron and the husband attended the harvest bazaar, hosted by the local elementary school. the bazaar occurs every year; parents of students who attend the school pool their baubles, electronics, books, and other junk, sort it by function (for example, you will see a fry pan and an ice cream maker sharing shelf space, as they can both be broadly defined as 'kitchen'), and invite the neighborhood en mass to attend. it's kind of an awesome tag sale.

last year, the baron and the husband got a bicycle, a cement paw making kit, and a really lovely birdhouse.

this year, they got these fu lion bookends...

and these delicate, green-stemmed glasses...

which immediately brought frangelico to the baron's mind...

which in turn reminded the baron of the first time she tasted frangelico, at a restaraunt in playa langosta, costa rica, on lalee's 28th birthday... sigh.

steady diet of nothing

the baron is subsisting on a steady diet of non-foods, like jello and mashed potatoes, as well as 'tru calling' and 'the real housewives of atlanta'. also, she did not shower yesterday, nor did she brush her teeth. she did floss, though, and she drank the correct amount of water for the day (as directed by her physician). it's not an ideal week off, not really, but at least she's getting some holiday shopping done.

the worst weekend

some conversation from late friday afternoon into evening:

the baron: baron has bloody diarrhea. i think i'd better take him to the doctor?
the husband: call the vet and see what they say.
the baron : ok.

and later:
vet tech (coming out of an exam room): can you move to the other side of the waiting room? this dog coming through isn't very friendly to other dogs.
the baron: ok.

and later:
doctor (approaching the baron and baron in the waiting room, hand extended to shake the baron's hand): hi i'm-
baron: BOOMING BARK
doctor: (quickly withdrawing her hand)
the baron: i'm sorry! he's got a little guarding thing with me.
doctor: it's ok. i'll just take him away from you to do the examination.

and later:
the front desk guy: your total is $225.
the baron: ok.
vet tech (looking for a customer in the waiting room): gandalf? is there a gandalf here?
the baron (under her breath): did he just say gandalf?
front desk guy (under his breath): i think he just said gandalf.

some conversation from saturday into sunday:

3:40 pm-ish:
the baron: hello?
the husband: hello.
the baron: where are you?
the husband: i am in lovely newark, new jersey! the flight is delayed until sometime after 5.
the baron: my stomach still hurts.
the husband: go to the emergency room!
the baron: ...

5pm-ish:
tech: fill this cup with urine. here's a wipe.
the baron: ...
(10 minutes later)
the baron (handing a teeming full cup of urine to the tech): here you go.
tech: thanks.
tech 2 (observing the urine level in the cup): she got her money's worth today...

5:30 pm-ish:
the husband: flight delayed until 6:15.
the baron: ...

7:06 pm:
the husband (via text message): On tarmac still haven't left.

8pm-ish:
a nurse leads the baron into an exam room.
nurse: put this gown on and remove all your clothes.
the baron: all my clothes?
nurse: yes. all your clothes.
the baron: am i having pelvic exam?
nurse (with a nurse ratched-esque cock of the head): mostly likely.

11 pm-ish:
the baron: do you have any chapstick?
the husband: no.

12:30 am-ish:
doctor: how are you feeling?
the baron: fair. i'd say my pain level is around a 4 or a 5.
doctor: hm. unfortunately, the ct scan shows that your appendix is enlarged, with symptoms consistent with appendicitis. we'll call the surgeon, to set up surgery for tomorrow.
the baron: well, can i go home until then?
doctor: uh, no. you'll be staying here.

1 am:
the baron (calling her high school friend, a doctor): hello?
doctor: hello the baron! how are you?
the baron: doctor, i have to ask a professional question of you: i'm in the er and have just been diagnosed with appendicitis. they want to operate on me later this morning. should i do it, or should i get a second opinion?
doctor: you should NOT wait. have it done as soon as possible. if you wait, there's a chance that your appendix could burst, which will complicate the surgery. if your appendix is intact, they can do the surgery laprascopically, which is fairly easy. also, the healing time is shorter.
the baron: ok. thanks for the good advice. the husband will be in touch to let you know how it goes.
doctor: you'll be fine. i'll be waiting to hear from the husband.

1:30 am-ish:
(the phone rings in baron's er room)
the baron: hello?
surgeon: ms. the baron? this is the doctor. you're having abdominal pain?
the baron: yes.
surgeon: for how long?
the baron: since about 7:30 saturday.
surgeon: and where is it?
the baron: in my abdomen, on the lower right side.
surgeon: as you know, your ct scan came back with signs of appendicitis. it's important that we operate soon to remove the appendix. we will most likely go in laprascopically, which means we'll make three small incisions in your abdomen. using cameras, we'll remove the appendix that way.
the baron: uh. have you done this surgery before? are you good at it?
surgeon: oh, yes. i have done it many, many times before.
the baron: uh, if the incisions are small, how will you remove the appendix?
surgeon: we'll put in a bag, inside your abdomen, and then we'll pull it through one of the holes. the holes will stretch.
the baron: uh.

7:30 am-ish:
(phone rings in the baron's new hospital room)
the baron: hello?
surgeon: hello, ms. the baron? this is the doctor. i've scheduled your surgery for 8:30 am.
the baron: ok.
surgeon: someone will be in to get you around then.
the baron: ok.

8:45 am-ish:
anesthesiologist: have you had surgery before?
the baron: yes. last november.
anesthesiologist: what'd you have done?
the baron: thyroidectomy.
anesthesiologist: how did you do with the anesthesia? handled it no problem?
the baron: fine, it was fine.
anesthesiologist: ... so, november's not a great month for you.
the baron: i know, right?
the husband: maybe next november you can have your ovaries removed!
the baron: ha!

2 pm-ish:
(post surgery)
the husband (opening the baron's hospital room door): hello! i brought some stuff for you.
the baron: yay!
the husband (unpacking the bag): here. i brought some chopsticks - a single one from home, and a pair of takeout ones.
the baron: is there food in that bag?
the husband: no? i thought you could only have liquids?
the baron: (thinking)
the husband: and, here's your t-shirt from the rinard gallery! and here's your shoes, and a sweatshirt because it's coooold outside!
the baron: did you bring any chapstick?
the husband (holding up the chopsticks): yes, right here!
the baron: i said chapstick. why would i want chopsticks in the hospital?

3:30 pm-ish
(on the way home)
the baron: can you believe i had surgery this morning?
the husband: well, if you have one organ removed every year you won't have to worry about weight gain.
the baron: true.

blog this

the husband is in new orleans, at a conference that is teaching how to, um, blog.
so far, his morning's work:
dr. donkey kong

the second bathroom, the nasty one

reader, the baron is embarrassed about the photos below, of the master bedroom bathroom. it's a rather smaller bathroom than the first one, and has just a shower. a pop-in fiberglass shower. with a travertine tile border at the bottom, laid out OVER, and stuck to, the fiberglass. you know what? the baron is throwing up in her mouth a little right now.

in this before photo, the narrowness of the bathroom is obvious, right? it's just a tiny, tiny room. this bathroom has the same 'before' tile as the first one, and the same faux-marble style laminate vanity.

the baron and the husband wanted, of course, to remove the shower and replace it with a tile shower, which meant building a lip where the glass door would sit. this - the laying of the shower basin - was beyond their bathroom related experience. so... the baron and the husband hired someone to do it for them! below, you can see the walls are removed, though the fiberglass shower basin remains.

below, no fiberglass remains, and the shower walls are on their way! also, at this point, the toilet and the vanity are gone. the baron and the husband, by the way, decided to use the same new toilet and pedestal sink as they had in the first bathroom.

the shower, the shower basin, are complete. if you look closely, reader, you can see that the subway tile also extends onto the walls of the bathroom. isn't it so pretty?

next, the floors and the shower doors are installed. still no toilet, but don't worry reader... they got one eventually!

lastly, the paint and the shower fixtures. pink isn't for everyone, the baron and the husband realize, but it's a much more muted pink than appears here. also, they got the paint from the sale table at home depot for $5, and frankly, after what they had already spent on the bathrooms, settling for cheap pink paint seemed like a grand idea. also, there's the baron, caulking the shower head.

the first bathroom, the ugly one

the west willow house came equipped with standard bathrooms and bathroom fixtures... standard for the 1970s. the baron and the husband saw potential in those bathrooms, though: once they moved in, they immediately began plans to renovate them. the first one, the guest one, was actually rather large. large enough to fit the usual bathroom suspects (sink, toilet, tub/shower), but also a narrow wardrobe and a chair. also, reader? the houses in phoenix come with cement sub-floors, which made the tiling SUPER easy for the baron (one day, the baron will regale you with the story of how SHE HATES HER CURRENT BATHROOM'S FLOOR BECAUSE IT WAS TOO HARD TO TILE DUE TO THE WOOD SUB-FLOOR. ahem.).

so.

behold the ugly bathroom, as they found it:

so ugly. so, so ugly.

so, so ugly. the baron threw up a little in her mouth, just remembering this bathroom.

they couldn't salvage the drywall behind the shower tile, so they just cut it all out. also, the husband hated the fixtures, so this big gaping drywall hole? easy access for new, better plumbing.


the toilet and that so, so ugly vanity were the next to go. the husband, teaching himself plumbing on the fly, shows the sink pipes who's boss. or rather, he tries to show the sink pipes who's boss... the end of this picture is that the husband called a plumber.

the floor tile was also pulled out, as was the old tub. the baron and the husband stripped the room to the studs, and to the sub-floor. below, the baron is installing drywall.

below, reader, you can see the results of the baron's hard work (and her mad joint compound skills). around the shower, they used hardibacker over vinyl 'repels water and mold' sheeting. pretty tidy looking, eh? also, notice the new floor creeping in? the baron did all the tiling in this bathroom, and - if she does say so herself - it looks pretty good.


new sink, new toilet, new baseboard and wall tile. the baron and the husband decided on 3in x 6in high gloss subway tile for the walls. they wanted the bathroom to be bright and clean, and reminiscent of an old-timey subway station.

new fixtures, including a brushed stainless steel light fixture and simple black mirror.

new bathtub, and - eventually - a new shower head and knobs, all in brushed stainless steel. though you can't really tell, reader, the bathroom is painted a pale, minty green... this bathroom, this beautiful bathroom, became the baron's favorite room in the house!

the life

phoenix, though ultimately not for them, was good to the baron and the husband. below, scenes from their life there. and, reader? the dogs totally did that to themselves.

the yard

the baron and the husband were delighted with the yard at the west willow house. the front yard boasted 4 orange trees; the husband would make fresh orange juice every morning. the back yard was not VERY large, but was perfectly sized for three dogs. there was a nice patch of lawn for them to play, and to, ahem, do their business. additionally, there was a diving pool, and room for a box garden and an herb garden too. it was quite the life!

here is lettuce the husband was able to grow early in the spring and long into fall... the best thing about phoenix, it turns out, is the length of the growing season.

lavender, gifted to the baron and the husband by the baron's mother. the baron's mother gave them two tiny plants which, aided by the good phoenix sun, grew into monstrously fragrant bushes.

the pool, and in the corner there you can see the vegetable boxes built by the husband. also, to the left of the pool is the herb garden.

and speaking of the herb garden, here's a closeup. there's a rosemary hedge to the left there, with cilantro, lavender, basil, oregano, parsley, peppers, oregano and a dwarf lemon tree all planted behind it.

those vegetable boxes? here's the closeup... they've been built, though not filled. and in the middle there? that's collard greens and one tomato plant.

here, tucker helps the husband built the patio around the vegetable boxes. eventually, and despite tucker's 'help', the patio would be entirely filled in. the baron and the husband placed a bistro set in the center of this patio and would often take their morning coffee there.

one of the many planting beds in the back yard. here, the dogs take a break to pose for a photo... but doesn't harlan look like his image should be titled 'thug life'?

baron's big day, winding down

reader, this morning the baron took baron to the vet, to meet with a doctor who would give him an ultrasound. the ultrasound would determine whether baron's cushing's disease was pituitary gland dependent or adrenal gland dependent, the former necessitating medication, the latter, surgery. the ultrasound, the baron learned, is a live test, one that enables the doctor to see RIGHT AWAY whether or not there were any tumors on baron's adrenal glands; if there were not, the doctor's assumption would be that the cushing's was pituitary dependent.

so. that ultrasound seemed to take a LONG time. the baron had her fingers crossed for no tumors, no surgery.

some conversation during the ultrasound:
doctor (while rubbing the sensor around baron's belly): you can see some gas in his stomach there...
the baron: yeah. that's as per usual.

doctor: so, baron's quite thirsty. any accidents in the house?
the baron: not so much accidents as... purposeful.

doctor: his adrenal glands and his liver are enlarged, which is consistent with cushing's. i see no evidence of tumors on either of his adrenal glands, so we can assume that his cushing's is pituitary dependent. the tech will see you into an exam room. i'll be in to talk to you about medication for him.
the baron (heaving a sigh of relief): ok.

the dogs

the west willow house was a nice change for dexter. she was adopted by the baron and the husband from the san francisco animal shelter; she had spent her whole life - all three years as of 2004 - in northern california. the last two years were spent in a very small apartment on the lower haight, in walking distance to alamo square. while city life afforded her the chance to meet lots of interesting people and lots of interesting dogs, the baron imagined dexter was glad to have her own yard. below, sexy dexy shows the tennis ball who's boss.


tucker was adopted from the county pound. the baron has no idea where he came from, if he was surrendered or was a stray, but she does know that she and the husband lucked out... tucker is the happiest dog around. below, he gets his lounge on.


harlan was a stray, and the baron and the husband are VERY thankful that they were able to adopt him. below, he catches some sun... though doesn't the photo look like it should be titled 'thug life'?

phoenix, i hardly miss you

has the baron mentioned that she and the husband once lived in phoenix, az? they lived there from 2004-2006, and reader, those were LONG years. phoenix is good for gardening, but not much else as far as the baron could tell. they picked their house based on it's affordability rather than it's location... it was their starter house, after all, and - coming from san francisco - money was tight. the house, on west willow avenue, was $130,000; at the time, the sum staggered the baron. over time, and especially after the purchase of their maryland home, 130k began to seem reasonable, so reasonable that the baron and the husband decided to keep the west willow house as a rental property. 'maybe we'll use it in the future,' they said, 'and anyway, the market in phoenix is tanking. may as well keep it, right?'

they found renters pretty quickly, and for the past two years things have run fairly smoothly (though the husband will shake his fist in the air and bemoan the state of their formerly beautifully landscaped yard). four weeks ago, though, the renters gave notice that they had bought a house and were leaving. sigh.

the renters left the house in rather poorer shape than they found it. the landscaping IS an issue - not only for the work the husband and the baron put into it, but because a dirt front yard will make the house harder to rent. also, the carpet - newly installed by the baron and the husband four years ago - needs to be replaced. this information, about the state of the house, comes second hand to the baron and the husband from their property management company. the husband will fly to phoenix next week to suss it out for himself... and to meet with contractors to spruce the place up.

the baron, this morning, was thinking about that house and about all the work she and the husband put into it. about how they thought it was their forever home, about how they customized it for themselves, with crown molding and new bathrooms. this was, of course, before things fell apart. for a time, though, it was a happy and hopeful place. the baron has decided, in her reminiscing mood, to post some pictures of that house. reader, bear with her.

rakey rakey

last weekend, the baron was in the mood to rhapsodize a little over the trees in her yard. they were, after all, turing colors in a very beautiful and striking way: yellows, crimsons, burnt oranges, and even some brilliant inky pinks appeared on the trees. it's startling to see all that gorgeous, natural color!

but.

the baron's love for fall foliage ended abruptly saturday afternoon. reader, she realized that all those pretty, pretty leaves would, in fact, not be staying on the trees.

instead, they would, in short order, fall onto the lawn.

so.

the baron's new attitude is 'screw you trees! drop those leaves somewhere else.'

outside living, on hold

it occurred to the baron that she never completed her thought regarding the newest of the new retaining walls. reader, the wall is done, though the project is not... the patio, shed, and formal garden will wait until spring. the baron and the husband have run out of time (highs in the low 50s this week!) and money (their rental house is recently vacated, which means the baron and the husband get to carry two mortgages until the house is occupied... yay!), so the back of the yard will just keep looking like this until the spring thaw:

this latest wall taught the baron and the husband a couple of lessons:
1) don't start a MASSIVE yard project with winter just around the corner
2) masonry saw blades are a real and helpful thing: see the corner, below

and the closeup (see those cut pieces? pretty nice, right?)

the long shot: if you squint, reader, you can see the wall at the back of the yard.

the baron's new favorite thing

recently, the baron discovered something new and exciting in the world of dog accessories. well, maybe not NEW, since this product has been around for at least a little while, but it's definitely EXCITING!

reader, it's the furminator.

the baron had heard about the furminator from friends, and had read about it on the interweb. she had doubts, though - could anything really remove THAT MUCH dog hair? also, 'furminator' sounds complicated, like a magical, dog-hair-eating vacuum or something, right?

in reality, the furminator is a teeny, tiny, fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand, rake-esque brush. she finally decided to order it last week. see how small it is, below.


when the package finally arrived at the baron's house, she tore it open and wielded the furminator at her two furriest dogs. 'i am going to furminate you so good!', she said. they blinked.

below, see the results... dog hair, dog hair everywhere.