Storm Damage

Yesterday’s monsoon was gigantic. The rain at my house lasted more than 30 minutes, and that’s very abnormal. This morning, I woke up to find out that yesterday’s winds took down a lot of trees in our area. Roads were closed all around us due to downed pine trees. It’s a bit nerve-wracking having all of that storm damage so close to our new house. Trees fell a few streets west of us, a few streets north of us, and just a couple blocks south. I feel extremely grateful that our property is okay and my husband made it home safe from work (I get so nervous when he has to drive during a storm).

Luckily, Achilles doesn’t really care about storms. In fact, he doesn’t react to them at all. Yesterday, the winds were banging up against the sides of the house so much that it was making a lot of noise, more noise than during a normal storm. The monsoon was scaring me, but not Achilles. I was home by myself with Achilles as my protector.

We might get another storm this evening. Right now, the sky is blue and the sun is shining, but that could change in a matter of minutes. It’s going to be like this for the next couple of months, that’s why they call it ‘Monsoon Season’.

The Start of Monsoon Season

Monsoon season has officially begun! It normally starts one week into July and end in mid-September. This year, Monsoon season started a bit later, but it made a grand appearance. Yesterday was the first monsoon of the season. It moved fast across the valley, lasting for only about 5 minutes at our house around 6:45pm. The winds were monumental and it was pouring rain. My back yard was flooded in just a matter of minutes (it’s all soaked now). We’re lucky that none of our tree branches came down. There was no damage to any of our property.

Achilles did great during the monsoon. He barely had a reaction to the noise that came from the winds hitting the house and trees. The only thing he did was come close to us for minute to feel secure, then he went and laid down in his bed.

What’s Happening Today

Today has gone by a lot quicker than I expected. I had a lot to do today, and of course, none of it was fun. I had to pay a bunch of bills and do a whole lot of chores around the house.

Yesterday, I took Achilles to the vet for a wellness visit. Some of his vaccinations needed a second dose. However, when the vet was doing the physical exam, Achilles snapped at her. I’ve never seen him do anything like that. He must have been having an off day. However, from now on, every time he goes to the vet he will have to wear a muzzle. Achilles hasn’t snapped at anyone since that one time yesterday, and hopefully it stays that way. I had to fill out an insurance claim form for Achilles. Getting the claim together is a pain in the ass, but it’s worth it. This claim will probably have us meet our yearly deductible, but that means that we will get refunded for the next claim.

Just now, it started pouring rain heavily. Apparently it’s the first monsoon of the season. The winds are extremely strong and the rain is coming down in buckets. I’m not sure how long this storm will last, but I’m grateful that both me and my husband can stay home. We’re lucky that we don’t have to go anywhere or do anything tonight. The picture for this post is one that I took looking out a back window in our new house.

Pushing Myself Further: Wearing Shorts In Front Of New People

I wore pajama shorts again today. Actually, my husband forgot his wallet when he went to work, so I brought it back to him. I drove to his workplace in my pajama short, with our dog, Achilles. While I was on my way, my husband called and said that one of his co-workers (who is also a friend) wanted to meet Achilles. I was nervous because I was wearing pajama shorts, but I know I could do it. I could feel my heart beat increasing, my skin was dripping with sweat, and my hands/arms/legs were beginning to shake with small tremors.

Wearing shorts in front of another person was making me nervous, but I knew I could do it. I had to do it. The only way out of it would be to turn around, drive home, change, and drive back to my husband’s workplace. I decided to stick it out, and to be honest, I don’t think my husband’s friend even noticed. He was completely focused on Achilles, not on me, which was wonderful.

I pushed myself beyond my point of comfort, and it worked out wonderfully. I can keep moving forward a little bit each day or week, and maybe I’ll be comfortably wearing shorts as regular clothing in a few months.

I’m thinking about posting an actual picture of my legs. Nothing inappropriate, just a picture of my legs, (the ones I struggle with and hide all the time). I think that it will help me get over some of my issues. What do you all think? Should I post a real picture of my legs?

Achilles Did Great Last Night

Achilles did really well last night. My husband and I were a little worried that he was going to freak out during the fireworks last night. However, we didn’t hear any fireworks last night. While we were home and when we took a walk (around 10:30pm), we heard a few loud noises, but Achilles didn’t bark once. He still almost never barks. He’s only done so about 5 times since we got him, which was just over 5 weeks ago.

He’s a really good dog, but he can get himself in trouble. Earlier today, he was running around the house playing catch (with his Kong ball) and he ran into the wall. It didn’t phase him at all, but he did take some of the paint and even some drywall off the corner. My brother-in-law will help us fix this. Now, Achilles is resting peacefully.

Happy Independence Day!

I went to lunch this afternoon with my husband, his mom, his aunt and uncle, and his brother. We went to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. I’m extremely proud of myself for eating healthy. I ordered a lunch sized Cobb salad and I ate until I was full, not completely stuffed. Also, I did not order a piece of cheesecake and I didn’t have a bite of anyone else cheesecake, no matter how many times it was offered to me.

Today has been a good day. I’ve been productive, healthy, and even in a fairly decent mood. Normally, on Independence Day, I worry about my dog and how he will handle all of the noise. For some reason, I’m not that concerned about Achilles; I know how to handle him if he does get scared. Our new neighborhood has a lot to do with how I’m feeling. It’s a secure neighborhood; it’s a place where I feel safe (very different from our last community. I’m hoping that the rest of the day continues to go well.

I will let you all know tomorrow how Achilles handled the fireworks. I hope all of your pets stay safe tonight while we all celebrate the Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day!

Preparing for the Fourth of July

I’m trying to prepare myself with the Fourth of July coming up. I’m not a big fan of large groups of people, so I usually stay home to celebrate. I’m not sure how Achilles would handle the fireworks. This will be our first experience with him during fireworks. I don’t think he will bark because he almost never does, but I’m not sure if he will be scared or anxious.

We just moved into a new house, and it is in a great neighborhood. Throughout the previous years, we had to deal with all sorts of people setting off their own fireworks as well as listening to gunshots. I would jump all the time because the noises made me so nervous. Luckily, we live in a much better neighborhood. We won’t hear gunshots in this new neighborhood, which is such a relief. There’s still some anxiety, but celebrating the holiday will be much easier this year.

A Pack Of Coyotes

My husband and I took Achilles for a walk last night, as we always do. We wait until late, about 10pm, to make sure it’s cooled off enough for Achilles. The high yesterday was 114 degrees. Even when the temperature cools down, the pavement is still hot and takes extra time to cool off. During our walk, we saw a pack of coyotes, there were three of them. They were about 200 feet away. I’m not scared of one coyote, but when they’re in a pack, they are much more powerful and very scary, at least to me. Luckily, Achilles didn’t notice the coyotes. If he did, he probably would have wanted to investigate. Instead, they pack went on their way, probably hunting rabbits. One of our neighbors let us know that there are coyotes around, but I never thought I would run into a pack, especially at night when we were walking on the main road. I was really nervous for the rest of the walk, but I made it through until we got home. I won’t let this stop me from taking walks. I will just make sure I’m prepared for any issue.

Things Are Improving; Feeling Better

I’m feeling better about taking care of my husband. Just a day or two ago, I was all stressed out and worried about not knowing what’s wrong with my husband and about being the one to take care of him. I was worried that I couldn’t take care of him well enough. However, with the help of some of my followers and my family, I now know that I can take care of. My job is not to diagnose him or fix him. My job is to love him, take care of him, and make sure he complies with doctor’s orders. It may not be an easy task, but it is something I can do. I want to thank everyone that helped me to feel better about this situation, I couldn’t have done this without you.

On another story, last night, we had Achilles sleep in our bedroom, in his crate, and it went very well. He didn’t make one noise, he slept soundly. We are going to continue having him sleep in our bedroom, in his crate, for a while, until he gets more comfortable in our home. I’m afraid that if we have him sleep in our room, outside of his crate, we’ll trip over him when we get up. He definitely has separation anxiety.

Achilles Got Sick In The House

I have been sleeping on the couch for the past couple of weeks. I didn’t want to leave Achilles alone in the living room. He’s not allowed on the furniture (we put pie plates up on the couch to keep him off of it). Two nights ago, he jumped up on the couch, despite the pie plates, and woke me up. We decided that he would have to sleep in the crate.

Last night, he slept in his crate and I slept in my bed for the first time in two weeks. I woke up at 4:30am and let him out because he was making a lot of noise. I decided to use the bathroom and then I would let him outside. When I came out of the bathroom, he had gotten sick all over the carpet. So I’ve spent most of my morning cleaning up the white carpet. It’s not an easy task.

My Side of the Pole

Bipolar – Mental Health

Tag: Achilles