My newest addiction

I am now hooked on cross stitch and also really interested in learning other types of embroidery.  For now I am just doing cross stitch but I did buy a kit that has some blackwork in it.  I really love the way that looks, especially in color.  I initially started in the last few months of 2015 when I made a few small Christmas kits.  I kept at it through November and then I quit for 2.5 years.  I started again this year in May and I seem to have been bitten by the bug.  I can't think of anything else now. 

Here is my first finished cross stitch that I completed this year.  It is now framed and hanging on my wall. 

I started a new blog for just my cross stitching so I won't keep posting about that here... unless I want to show off something I finished.  I love that frame I used for that cross stitch and I found it at a thrift store.  The mat came in the kit.  The mat looks darker there than it actually is.  It is a teal color.  I didn't want to use that mat since it has a crease in it on the right side but it looked good and my husband said I should use it.  For once, I listened to him.  

Buddy tried to help me a lot when I was working on that.  I worked at the kitchen table and he would jump up and snag something off the table and run off to play with it.  A few times he stole my pattern and took off and a few times he grabbed the actual piece.  When he took the cross stitch he would run somewhere away from me and stand there look at it like he wanted to know what was so interesting to me that I couldn't pay attention to him.  I had to wash it to get the dog slobber off.  

I will put a link to my blog somewhere on the sidebar of this blog.  I have to get up and move around now.  My left arm is causing me trouble.  

Feeling better

Currently reading: Ghosts of the Titanic by Charles Pellegrino

I woke up at 5:30 am this morning and I could breath. My nose is completely clear and I feel pretty good. I have the usual achiness that is always there but I'm used to that. I started a roast in the crockpot and now I am taking a small brake before I do some cleaning.

I was really dreading the really super cold snap they said was coming with -40 to -50 F temps. Anytime the temperature drops like that I can't get out of bed. It was supposed to happen yesterday but it never did. I got a new Special Weather Report that said instead of the cold we are getting more snow. It did snow yesterday but I'm not sure how much. I was either reading or sleeping the whole day. Today I need to get up and do some things around the house. I have been doing little things the past few days while I've been sick but I couldn't handle much. I did vacuum yesterday and then took my canister apart and washed it and the filters that are washable.  They get caked in dust and dirt and dog hair. I thought I was going to have to take the bottom apart again because it was making a weird noise but I found the problem pretty fast and didn't have to unscrew anything.

Buddy my beagle puppy is really happy that he can still go out and play in the snow. He really likes to dig and if he doesn't get to go out and dig in the snow he starts trying to dig in my house. He's been really sweet today. He comes up and sits by me because he wants me to scratch his back. He does this super cute face where he looked shyly down his nose. I will be able to play with him a lot today since I'm feeling better.

Meaning of blog name

Currently reading: Medals in the Attic (Annie's Attic Mysteries #2)

I just realized that not everyone will understand the meaning of my blog name so I thought I'd explain. I took medical terminology so I learned a lot about how to break down a word to learn what it means. I have Fibromyalgia and it has really changed the way I live so of course it is going to be mentioned a lot in my blog. If you break down the word Fibro/my/algia the "Fibro" means fibrous tissues like tendons (connective tissue). "My" or myo means muscles and "algia" means pain. So then Fibromyalgia is pain in muscles and connective tissues.

My blog name is a play on that. I enjoy crocheting and knitting and often use those hobbies to distract myself from my pain. Mainly I resort to crochet since I've been doing that since I was a kid and it is something I don't have to think about. It is a great therapy for me.  Thus you have Fiber (yarn) plus Algia (pain) = my life.

I do mention the things I make on this blog but I have another craft blog where I post more craft related posts. That blog is called Creative Aspirations. I know that some people don't like to read my crafty posts because they don't crochet or knit. I haven't posted there for a while because I've been more into reading lately.

This blog has the two tabs at the top to show what I'm currently reading and the books I've read for the year.

Okay, Buddy the beagle is trying to dig a hole in the kitchen floor so I better go let him outside for a while.  I hope everyone is warm!

Welcome to a new year

Currently reading: L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton

I am hopeful for this new year and ready for the blessings it can bring. Every year I choose a word and phase to focus on and this year I've chosen "Move" and "Get up and move!" I print up images to put in places around the house to remind me. This year I really want to focus on pushing myself to move more because I really need to lose weight. It is so hard to exercise when just regular movement hurts but I have to do it or I will keep gaining and not losing. I have been trying to lose weight for years and only managed to hold steady, however, a new drug I started taking causes weight gain and I found myself losing the fight. I started to gain even though I've been careful about what I eat and how much. That medicine is actually working so I am pushing myself to move more and build up muscle that I've lost. I started this week and I feel the muscle soreness plus the extra pain from the Fibromyalgia but it isn't the worst pain I've had. Getting the inflammation under control has helped the worst of the pain and I have more energy and want to clean up. I found myself wanting to do some super early spring cleaning and started yesterday on my kitchen. I'm feeling ambitious but know I have to hold myself back and take breaks so I don't over do it.

I looked back at my reading goal from last year and the books I read and I'm happy to say I did meet my goal. I did play it a bit safe since I know how frustrating it is when I can't focus to read because of bad pain or fibrofog. I set my goal at 24 books with the stipulation that half had to leave the house to make room on my shelves. I actually read 31 although a few of those were children's books or other short books. I am upping the challenge a bit this year by setting my goal at 40 with needing to be books I already have and those books have to go.  I am also choosing to read more historical fiction this year. I have only read a few and I really liked them.  I think it will be good to broaden my reading horizon. I also really want to finish reading the Sue Grafton Alphabet series. I have all but 2 of those. I also want to start over again reading the Blossom Street Series by Debbie Macomber.  That is one of my favorite series and I noticed that there were more books in the series that I never read. I've been acquiring those though Paperbackswap.com and I am anxious to reread my old favorites and see what the other books are like. I'm not big on romance so I hope the newer once don't get too far into that territory.

My little Buddy is getting big and seems to be close to full grown though he still looks like a puppy in the face. I love him so much. He is not at all like my old friend Blue that I lost who was a sweet mellow lady. Buddy is hyper and loves to play. He loves everyone and doesn't bark at everything like Blue did. He is really quite and the only times we've heard him bark or yip are rare, only one bark each time and he seems startled by his own voice. Everyone in the house stops to play with him every day and my youngest son spends the most time with him. Buddy loves him so much and looks for him every day. Yesterday my son wasn't feeling well and slept in late and Buddy actually moped about watching his door or laying by it. He was so happy when he finally came out. It is so sweet to see how much Buddy loves Riley but he loves everyone else too and squeals with joy when anyone comes in the door and loves to see new people too. He's brings us so much joy and that is good since our hearts still hurt missing our old friend Blue. I know I think of her a lot and miss her presence.

Crazy beagle puppy moments

I thought I would share a few funny moments I've had with my beagle puppy Buddy recently. He's about 8 months old now. The first thing was actually not so funny at first but I find it interesting now. I've been sitting at the kitchen table working on a cross stitch. My eyes are not the best and the fabric I'm stitching on is black so I need a bright lamp to see with. That means I have to stay there at the table.  I have Buddy in his fence area close to the kitchen table so I can talk to him while I'm working. Well I started noticing that when I let him out he goes right to the table and takes something I had. The first time I looked over and saw he had something black and went to investigate and about fainted when I realized it was my cross stitch I'd spend days working on. He didn't hurt it though; he just wanted to check it out I think. I mean, if I had it it must be something really great right? The next time I actually saw him run up to the table, poke his head up there (he stands up like a weasel) and take my reading glasses. The next time he got my pattern for the cross stitch.  He just lifts it off and after it lands on the floor he stares at it like he's trying to figure out what it says. Another time when I was filing my nails I caught him watching me and later he ran and grabbed the nail file and was holding it in his paws like he was working on his nails. He always grabs something I was previously using or holding and wants to squirrel it away so he can investigate it without me taking it away. Also, whenever I feed my fish he stands up like a weasel and watches the biggest one for a while.  He can stand up like that for a lot longer than I would have thought. It always looks so funny to see him do that and I'm hoping to get a picture of him doing it sometime.

This weekend we got about 3 inches of snow here.  Buddy is new to snow and is still getting used to it.  The first time it snowed he was scared to go outside because he didn't understand what that stuff was. We had to go outside with him before he would go out to go potty. It wasn't a lot of snow so after a while he would grab his ball and run a lap around the yard and come back inside. Before there was snow he would run a lot of laps around the yard until he was dizzy. Now it is cold so he runs one lap, comes inside to warm his feet and then goes for another lap. Well today he grabbed his ball and ran outside and when he dropped it expecting it to bounce it just disappeared. He kept staring at that spot like he was waiting for it to pop back out but it didn't so he looked at me for help.  I just used my foot to move the snow to show the red ball and he started pawing at it.  He played with it a little while before he dropped it again and once again it disappeared lol  It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there. There are so so many times I wish I could get a picture but before I can get the camera he moves.  

He sure does make me smile.

Ups and downs

I'm still waiting for the ups but I'm sure they are coming.

I had a very bad flare up about a week ago when we had snow one day and then it rained the next.  I can't even remember what day that was now.  I was in so much pain I couldn't get out of bed and I couldn't even read or focus on anything.  It was bad.  Well, usually I just have to wait it out and when the flare up is over I start to feel better.  This time that didn't happen.  I kept having pain all over in my joins and also migraine headaches.  The last headache may not have been a true migraine and it just wouldn't let up.  I had that one for 3 days straight with no relief from meds.  I finally talked to my Rheumatologist and he prescribed some new meds - a steroid to get things under control and then a med that is used for RA (methotrexate) along with a folic acid supplement.

I started them yesterday.  I started the steroid pack first and after half a day my headache faded away to nothing.  I am so so glad.  I'm still really achy all over but so relieved to be headache free.  I really hope this new drug helps and that I don't have any bad side effects from it.

I really want to read or knit but I just can't.  I also don't have the patience I need to spend with my 6 month old beagle puppy.  We have a fence thing that makes a circle to keep him in that is in the living room.  I have been trying to let him out more and opening the fence to make a wall to block off areas I don't want him to go.  He gets very hyper at times and he wants to chew on everything but he has to learn.  It just takes a lot of energy because he is always getting into things or chewing on something he shouldn't.  I got him a bed and I've been trying to teach him to go lay down on his bed like my other beagle did.  She understood when I said that and would go lay down. I just can't do it right now though.  I don't have the patience and get too frustrated.  He really is like a toddler who gets out of control and fussy when he's tired and fights sleep.  Sometime I just have to stick him in his crate to get him to take a nap when he's like that.  I would just rather he learn to lay down on his bed or anywhere and take a nap.

Today Buddy will have play in his "cage."  The temperature has obviously dropped outside and I can feel the chill in the house.  I am still waiting for the house to warm up.  I think I am going to stay in my pajamas today and lounge in bed under the covers and hope for my brain to come back so I can at least read some.

Rainy Day

I've been so achy today and didn't get out of bed till late.  I did drag myself up though (with the help of my friend Excedrin Extra Strength) and I'm working on a crochet project while Buddy is busy with a rawhide bone.  Buddy the Beagle Baby doesn't like to go out to go to the bathroom when it's wet out so I've been cleaning up accidents today.  He does have good days though and he let me know he needed to go outside once for the previous 2 days in a row.  I'm pretty sure he is teething now so there are bound to be accidents during that time.  I guess it is a good thing he is so cute!  My main goal is keeping him away from my crochet project which has a lot of work into it.

Anyway, I'm hoping for a good day tomorrow.  I'm planning to cook some salmon that my son and his friend got in Valdez, Alaska.  I'm going to try this recipe for Asian Salmon in Foil.

There is a perfect time for everything

Buddy is 3 months old now and managed to survive a shot and micro-chipping. 

The vet also gave us some great advice on training a puppy.  

Currently Reading: The Wake-Up Call of the Wild

I remember, a long time ago at the Tanana Valley Fair, I was walking though the big building with all the art and poetry exhibits and booths for everything imaginable.  I was mostly saying, "No thanks.......sorry, not interested" (not interested in filling out a slip for a drawing so you can call me and pester me about buying what you sell later).  Anyway, I walked by this table where a "nice" looking woman sat with some books.  I always stop when I see books.  One of the books said something about chocolate on the back so I decided to get that one.  The woman was the author, Nita Nettleton, and she was this instantly likable person that somehow felt more REAL than most people. I chatted with her a bit and then she signed my book.  She spelled out my full name and then wrote "I hope you enjoy this story - (never strand yourself without enough chocolate!) and then signed it and left her email address.  hmmmm I wonder if it is still a good email for her.  This book isn't that long but I've found myself savoring it.... just like I used to do with life-savers when I was a kid and chocolate now that I'm older.  I read a section and then I like to stop and think about it for a bit, imagining myself in her place.

This is a book about a woman that wakes up bruised and battered with a bandage around her head at a remote cabin in Alaska.  She doesn't remember anything, not her name or how she came to be out in the middle of Nowhere, Alaska.  But, she does find an unlikely friend in a young female badger and realizes she likes being there and spending time with her own thoughts.  

I can't tell you more than that because I'm still reading.  I'll probably be done with it tomorrow.

I've been feeling better since sometime yesterday.  I made myself a hair appointment for yesterday

afternoon and really hoped I would feel better by then.  I just had a two week long horrible fibro flare up that left me so tired I couldn't get out of bed most of the time.  I had decided to lose a ton of hair weight if I could get my butt out of bed to get there.  It has been WAY too hot for long, thick hair. I looked through tons of pictures and printed out a handful of similar cuts but wasn't totally feeling any of them. I decided to show them all to my stylist and let her work her magic.  I've also been wanting to get some highlights in my hair in this electric purple color that reminds me of the innards of a blueberry.  I just needed to make sure my husband didn't freak about the cost of it so I only scheduled for a haircut.  On the way I mentioned the color to him and after I was sitting in the chair he texted me a "go ahead" message.  I was surprised when she said she could do it AND she looked totally thrilled to do it too.  I guess she doesn't get to use that color much.

It was so liberating to watch the chunks of hair fall to the floor.  This other lady came up and was sitting close to me waiting her turn for a haircut while the stylist was painting my head purple. She looked familiar but I couldn't place her. I talk to everyone though so that was okay.  I was just startled when she suddenly said my name.  I realized it was a friend of ours and I just hadn't seen her in a long time.  I haven't seen anyone in a long time unless they live with me actually. Well, she usually has really short hair so seeing her with shoulder length hair was really strange and I'm sure that is why I couldn't place her.  It was really good to talk to other people for a change and it was so fun getting my hair done. Since I was sitting there for quite a while steeping in purple I talked to everyone who came in for a haircut.  It was a good day for me.

I was really tired today (Wednesday) so I took a nice long nap but so far not having bad pain.  I'm so glad since I really needed a break from that for a while.  I really enjoyed reading outside in my chair parked in the sunshine this afternoon while Buddy played in the shade.  It is such a beautiful summer day!  I just love the days when I can get out and enjoy the beauty of my world and warmth of the sunshine.  Life is good and I'm loving my Buddy Boy!

Buddy sleeping by me on the couch

Getting back to blogging

It seems like so much has happened since I posted here.  I was kept pretty busy taking care of my elderly beagle Blue who was going down hill fast.  I loved her so much and had her so long that it was so hard to lose her.  I knew the time was coming but just hoped it wouldn't some how.  She was my shadow, always at my feet.  When I realized the time had come all I could do was go to my husband and cry and cry.  He knew.  He took care of everything for me because he knew I couldn't do THAT.  I still step over shadows in the hall thinking it is her laying there like she used to.  

This is a picture of her last attempted walk.  She didn't really walk much though.  She seemed lost and just stood there and stared out into space.  I let her over to the park where the spruce trees are.  She always loved sniffing and following the trails of the squirrels but she must have forgotten about them. 

She squatted to pee and there was blood in it because of the cancer.  It always bled when she had an infection and she got a lot of them.  This time though, the antibiotics didn't help her to feel better and didn't stop the bleeding.  I also had medicine to help shrink the tumor and keep down the inflammation but it wasn't helping anymore.  Going back to the house she couldn't remember how to go up the steps to get to the door.  She just stood there looking at the door and cried.  I had to carry her up.  

I knew the time was coming faster than I wanted it to.  

She started to cry one night after that and I gave her extra medicine and it only helped a little.  She was still very uncomfortable and I knew she was suffering. My husband called his brother and he came to visit with Blue.  Then, he drove my husband and my youngest son to the vet to let her go.  I stayed home and just cried.  I was so so hard watching them drive away.  I wanted so bad to make them stop and take her back but I knew that wasn't the best thing for her.  That is what I selfishly wanted - I wanted to keep my friend forever.  So I let her go.  

For several days after that I dreamed about her and then when I woke up I would think I needed to get up and take care of her.  Then as I remembered I would just lay there and cry.  My husband would put his arm around me. He is a really good man.  He bought me a new beagle puppy and even though he can't replace my Blue girl he does bring up my spirits.  He makes me smile when it was impossible before.  

This is Buddy.  That is the name he came with and it just seemed to suit him so we kept it.  He is so sweet and he loves the toy fox we got him with squeakers in both ends.  When he gets tired he will grab his fox and jump up on the couch beside me to go to sleep like in the picture.  Most of the pictures I have are of him sleeping because otherwise they come out blurry since he is always in motion.  

I am working on house-training him and teaching him not to bite us or our clothes.  We just took him for his first vet visit and our vet told us a lot of helpful information.  I'm also reading a lot online.  So far he is pretty good at sitting and sorta understands "lay down" but usually needs prompting at first.  

Below is a picture of Buddy with the bone I crocheted for him.  (You can find the pattern I used here.)

Okay, I'll post more later but for now I really should be sleeping while the baby is sleeping.  

-Donna

p.s. comments let me know people actually read what I write.  I'd love a few of those <3

Happy birthday to you the dog got sick on your shoe

It wasn't my birthday.  My youngest son turned 18 on the 19th of January.  So that means it is official now.  I am old.  I've been looking at lots and lots of pictures of him (I always do this when one of my boys has a birthday) and I feel like I've had an army of kids.  They change so much at each stage of their lives and I always think I really miss when they were a baby or when they were 2 or 4.  They were both very special at different ages and I feel sad when the stage is over and that child is gone. There was always a new wonderful older child in their place that I enjoyed getting to know.  They both have such wonderful personalities.  Now that they are both grown I miss all of those children they used to be.  It makes me sad but now I have these two young men that I love and I am proud to call my sons.

Happy Post Halloween

I'm so glad that Halloween is finally over.  I used to enjoy handing out candy to the cute little monsters that come to my house but since I've been feeling bad most of the time I have come to dread it.  We mostly get the really young kiddos here, especially since I never put up really scary things, and by 9 pm everyone is usually heading home.  I had a migraine today and ended up staying in bed all day.  I didn't even look to see if I recognized any cute little kids.  We usually get a few that come to say hi to me.  Son #2 stayed out in the living room and tried to get to the door before anyone knocked or rang the doorbell because our beagle Blue goes ballistic and barks like mad.  She is old and barks at the slightest sound now and it really scares the little kiddos so Son #1 keeps her shut up in his room until after 9 pm.

Speaking of Blue the crazy mad beagle monster, I think it is pretty ironic that I'm just randomly started Bones from the beginning again and just happened to get to episode 5 of Season 3 on Halloween Night, and it is a Halloween episode.  This song was on that episode and I actually recognize it.  I think it was on a Halloween CD I bought for the boys when they were young and still cute.

Anyway, after a while I decided to get my butt up and make something for everyone to eat but I couldn't stand to walk on my feet.  I decided to try what the doctor suggested sort of...  she isn't very clear really and makes me feel like a kindergartner again back in school getting snarked at by the teachers who didn't want to bother paying attention.  This doctor is very snarky and I don't like her much.  I have to go in at regular intervals to get my meds refilled and I tell her how I've been doing (which is always bad) and she just blows it off as nothing.  She looks in all the holes in my head and listens to me breathe and writes down that I am stable or improving.  Anyway, I've been complaining about this pain in my feet for a long time.  She always just told me to walk more even though I told her it hurt to much to walk. Finally, the last time I saw her she said to get some tennis shoes with arch support.  My husband was there that time and told her I rarely go outside so I never really wear shoes. She had no reply so that was it. Well today I decided to pull out a pair of tennis shoes I used to wear and clean them up to wear inside only.  I put gel insoles with arch supports in them (which I robbed from my boots) and I've been wearing them for a few hours.  I made another quiche and it seems they do help.  I was able to make the whole thing and clean up without having to ask for help.  I am pretty excited that this is helping because I'm really tired of being stuck sitting down. Being able to be on my feet more will also allow me to get more exercise.  I'll start on that tomorrow.  For now, my dog is very happy to see me so I need to go spend some time with her.

Here is a song from Episode 1 of Bones Season 3

I like this song.  Now that I have these shoes that help my feet I want to get up and do things. I may not be able to "see the world" but being able to do anything makes me feel better.

A Red sweater for a dog named Blue

“Dogs are our link to paradise. 

They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. 

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be 

back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” 

― Milan Kundera

I am happy to say Blue seems to be doing a lot better.  She has her spunk back.  The antibiotics and the anti-inflammatory meds are helping a lot.  She is not peeing blood now and she has been eating and drinking again. When my husband comes home she does her little dance for him to give her a treat like she used to.  Everyone is so happy to see her happy again.

I have been playing phone tag with the vet. I've been having some bad pain days.  It has been snowing so I usually have flare ups when the weather changes.  Anyway, since I haven't been getting out of bed until after 3 or 4 pm I've been missing her calls.  I call her back and then miss her return call.  She finally said on the message the the pathologist isn't convinced that the tumor is a Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC).  It could be a connective tissue tumor or just a large mass of inflammation.  Whatever it is, she definitely feels a lot better.  She has arthritis in her back legs and usually has trouble going up the two steps to the back door or hopping up on the furniture (which is not allowed unless I'm not looking).  She had a different med she was taking but they had me switch to a stronger one to help bring down the inflammation in her bladder and now she is skipping around like she's a puppy again.  She's my 13 year old puppy.

Anyway, I have been working on a sweater for her since I know the temperature could drop any time. We have some snow but it hasn't been too cold for her yet.  I had to alter the pattern because she has Cushing's Disease so her belly is big like a pot bellied pig.   Most dogs are bigger in the chest and then get smaller around the belly but she is one inch large in the belly than her chest measurement and she also has some swelling that the vet said should get better over the next little while.

I found a pattern on Craftsy.com by Copper Llama Studio that looks like it would be easier to alter. I'm pretty new at trying to alter a pattern.  I took a lot of measurements and with some tips from a friend I was able to make this sweater to fit Blue.  I made it in bright red just in case she had a job interview to go to.

I added some extra stitches onto one side of the belly section to make a flap with button holes so it can wrap around her tender belly and fasten with buttons to the back.  That makes is so much easier to get it on her without hurting her.  It is a little snug on her around the middle but the vet said her belly will start to be smaller as she get her meds.  I also made the neck piece a little too big so I'll probably fix that later. It looks like a stylish cowl neckline lol  It is more important that she be warm than stylish.  Now I need to get busy and sew her some new booties so she wont get frost bite on her feet.  

Sad day

My beagle, Blue, is doing a little better.  The antibiotics are helping fast and she has been getting a lot of rest.  Yesterday it was like the back door was a revolving door.  She was constantly going out.  We both slept all night and most of the day without her going out much at all.  She hasn't been drinking much either.  She did want food today though and I was glad to see her eat.  I gave her the anti-inflammatory medicine this morning and I noticed she wasn't passing as much blood when she peed. I'm just so worried about her though.  I've been watching her and snuggling with her all day.  I just can't imagine her not being around here with me...... at my feet all the time.  

I'm still waiting to hear from the doctor if they were able to figure out what type of tumor it is.  They sent her scant urine sample off to a pathologist to see if they can find some tumor cells mixed in with all the bacteria and white cells.  The vet thinks it is transitional cell carcinoma.  The tumor is not blocking her urine output so that is good.  

I wish I could just make it all go away.

Sad songs and my dog Blue

Blue at the vet with Son #2

I'm so sad right now.  My sweetest companion, my beagle Blue, is not doing well.  I was up all night with her (Monday night) letting her out every hour and sometimes every 5 minutes.  She threw up her dinner and I just wasn't sure what was wrong or what to do.  In the morning I was so exhausted I would let her out, hooking her up on her chain, and then I'd lay back down and drift off for a few minutes until she scratched to come back in.  Sometimes she would just look at me and then turn around and go back to pee again.  I knew it was strange that she hadn't wanted to eat or drink anything and I was very worried.  A little later when I woke up I noticed by the back door there was blood with some dark, pea sized clots on the kitchen floor where she had peed.  I went outside and looked around and since there is a little snow I could see a few spots where she had peed and it was tinted with blood and one spot I could see dribbled blood.  I called the vet right away and took her in.  She has a nasty bladder infection but also a large tumor in her bladder. They caught a small sample of urine and they are going to try to find some tumor cells and hopefully can determine what type it is.  They gave us some antibiotics for her and an anti inflammatory so that should make her feel better at least.   I am so worried for her.  She is pretty old for a beagle too.  She'll be 14 in February.

On another note,

I watched the pilot episode for season 2 of Bones (again, yes, again) and this song, Be here now by Ray LaMontagne,  caught my attention.  Here is a video tribute to my favorite Spartan warrior that just happens to feature that song. You really have to pay attention and listen to the lyrics because it is so quiet.

It is so sad that he passed away.  So many talented people die much too soon.
There are too many angels and some have four legs.

Here is another song from that episode called The Greatest by Cat Power. I love her voice.