The Most Depressing Christmas Ever…

Good Morning, Earthlings!
Let’s jump right into the nitty-gritty, shall we? As per life and the gods laughing at all your plans, ours have gone awry. In November, we had to work many extra hours, Sparking, because Andy’s new job pays once a month. So, we were an entire month without his pay and got no audiobook recording, Dueling Pens recording, or writing accomplished.
First thing in December, I got a bronchial infection that landed me in the ER, and I had to rest for a bit. Then things started getting back on track. I made a snow globe for the door decorating contest, pictured below. I probably didn’t win, but it wasn’t too shabby.

Then we got our vacation, our 12 days, which was supposed to catch us up on our goals. Andy came down with the creeping crud Saturday, the second vacation day. Then our dog Enzo, who has Epilepsy, started seizing Tuesday morning. He has cluster seizures, and he’s a 160-pound Mastiff, so he was still seizing through all the meds they could give him. He took several days to get them under control, and we were at the vet every day for the rest of the week. Big shout out to Dr. Dawn’s Pet Stop for seeing and taking care of our boy nearly every day the week before Christmas.
I came down with the creeping crud on Wednesday of that same week. So, we were both sick, running in and out of the vet while consuming Zicam, Airbourne, and Dayquil in mass. Enzo sometimes goes temporarily blind with his seizures, and with the amount of meds we had him on, we had to kennel him in the living room. Andy slept on the couch to keep an eye on him all night because the stairs weren’t doable for Enzo. So, also, a massive shout out to my husband for always being our family’s MVP and caring for us all.
Enzo started getting better around Sunday, but Andy and I were getting worse. This year was the most depressing Christmas we’ve ever had. I didn’t get anything wrapped and didn’t finish 1/10 of my projects, so people will still be getting gifts in mid-January. We were so sick. I handed Andy everything I got him unwrapped, and our family left food for us on the porch because we couldn’t go out and spread the disease.
I was supposed to return to work on the 26th but had to leave and go to the doctor instead. I was not improving, and my breathing sounded like a Rice Krispies commercial. They gave me cough syrup with Codine, Predisone, and antibiotics, which I’m still on but am considerably more functional. I had to take the rest of the week off, and even though I was well and truly sick, calling in when you’re supposed to be coming off vacation feels like a dick move or at least like no one is going to believe you’re carrying the plague.
I should have gone to the doctor sooner, but the vet also wants Enzo on extra medication and new food, which puts us at almost $400 a month for his care alone. Thirty bucks is thirty bucks when you’re counting your pennies. I hoped to save the copay and put it in the Enzo fund, but my dad would have said, “Want in one hand, s* in the other, see what fills up faster. ”

The Humane Society is looking into doing some fundraising for us since we got him from them last December. They didn’t know he was sick, and we’d barely had him three weeks when this started. You can contact The James River Humane Society in Jamestown, ND, if you need a spare dime. All funds will go directly to our vet and be held in an account there so we can pick up what he needs.

In theory, Dueling Pens will restart this week, and I will pull my short story entry for The Plainsong out of my a** right before the deadline on the 31st. We’re starting out this year behind, but we have a plan and a schedule, so hopefully, life will find a way to help us stay on track.
Stay tuned, and expect more from Andy and me in the coming year!

XOXO,

SamiJo