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texanpeanut · 6 years

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Lyra

Before I left home for Peace Corps Senegal, I spent a lot of time saying goodbyes. I said goodbye to friends from school, friends from home, and my family, thinking I was done with goodbyes for a while.

As it turns out, I've had to say a lot of goodbyes here, too. At the end of pre-service training you say goodbye to your fellow trainees, older volunteers go through close-of-service, some of your friends terminate their service early or go home for medical reasons, and some people have to switch sites for various reasons. They're always hard for me. It's not the kind of thing that gets easier over time. I haven't gotten used to the feeling of seeing someone you got so close with leave so quickly.

A week ago I had to say my hardest goodbye yet. Not to another volunteer, but to my dog. She was an amazing companion and I don't think her loss can go without saying anything, so I'd like to share her story, our story, here.

She first came into my life December 31, 2017. I was spending time inside my hut with some of the kids in my village when all of a sudden a boy runs inside and tells everyone "the dog came back!" The rest of the kids run outside immediately and when I go outside to see what's going on, I find them all throwing rocks at a tiny puppy, cowering against the fence of our compound. Naturally I'm outraged, yell at the kids to stop, and scoop her up in my arms. I had no idea what to do. I decided to take her back to my hut, give her some water and peanut butter, and let her rest while I figured out the next step. I called and texted some other volunteers and asked my family about it, and decided I would let her stay overnight then see what I would do in the morning. In the morning there was no going back. She had stolen my heart and I gave her a name - Lyra. I had just finished His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and was in love with the story, so it was the first name that came to mind.

Lyra and my host-nephew, Bailo, on the day I found her.

Lyra turned out to live up to her namesake. She was full of energy, super spunky and bitey, and would not let anyone boss her around. She was pretty easy to take care of, though. She loved to snuggle and followed me everywhere, and was always receptive to meeting new people and dogs. She was my running buddy, my roommate, my fur-child, my sweet baby. I poured so much love into her. She was my favorite thing about site - even when I was having the worst of days I was happy to be in village because that's where Lyra was.

When she was a puppy she used to curl up in my lap and fall asleep immediately.

Our first selfie.

Sweet potato nap time :)

One of the weirder things she brought back to my hut.

We had a great time together for about nine months, then things started to go downhill. After several months of trying to set a date with the veterinarian in Kedougou to get her spayed, it finally happened September 25, 2018. The surgery seemed to go okay at first. She was pretty groggy afterward, but perked up the next day. I could tell she was still in a bit of pain but figured that was normal post-operation. We rested in Kedougou for a few nights, then traveled back to site together.

I had only been back at site for two nights, then on Sunday morning September 30th, shit hit the fan. I had slept in and was eating breakfast and watching a movie on my laptop when I looked over at my bed and saw a lot of blood coming from Lyra's stitches. I freaked out and tried to help her, tried to keep her from licking it, but every time I touched her I was met with growling and snapping. So I quickly got dressed, opened the door to my hut in case I needed help, then called another dog-owning volunteer for advice. While I was on the phone, Lyra got up and left my hut to go walk around. The other volunteer and I decided that if she was up and walking she was probably fine - I just needed to go get her and make sure everything was clean. So I hung up, finished getting ready for the day then set off to go find her.

I left our compound and looked around in the cornfields out front but didn't see her, so I came back and told my host family I was looking for her then went to go sit in my hut for a little bit in case she came back on her own. About 5 or 10 minutes ticked by before I got anxious and decided to go look again. This time I walked behind our compound and found her lying in the tall grass.

From afar I could tell there was a lot of blood, and as I got closer I saw that her stitches had come completely undone and her intestines were spilling out of her body. She was still alive at this point, but I was panicking, and ran to go get my host dad. He was not very helpful and told me to stop crying (which wasn't really an option for me at this point). So I frantically called a couple other volunteers trying to figure out what to do, and they convinced me to bring her back into Kedougou. I was scared the journey into Kedougou would make things worse, but they helped me realize it was basically the only option. My site mate called someone from my road town to come pick us up from village, and then we paid for an entire car to get us to Kedougou as quickly as possible. My sitemate sat in the back with her and held her down, because every time I tried to comfort her or keep her from moving around she would bite me. At one point she bit my hand so hard I thought she broke it.

We got her to the vet around 6:00 PM and sat outside with another volunteer while the vet operated on her. About an hour later he was done, and she looked how she did at the end of the spaying operation. Sewed up and groggy. Somehow he had put her intestines back inside of her, and I thought everything was going to be okay.

We walked her over to the house where we were met by other volunteers and were all hanging out together while she rested. Not long after we laid her on the ground, she started throwing up blood. A scary site, but we got her to drink some water and cleaned her up a little and again, I thought it was going to be okay. I went to go take a shower, came back, and relaxed for a little while with everyone else.

Eventually I looked down at her and noticed her chest wasn't rising and falling anymore. We gathered around her and felt her heartbeat for a few more minutes. She twitched a couple times, and then there was no more heartbeat.

It was the worst day. After a day of experiencing the whole range of human emotion, I was left heartbroken. I called my mom on the phone and cried so much I think I used up all the water in my body. I had made so many plans in my head for us. We were gonna go back to America together. We were gonna ride around in my car together. I was gonna take her to the dog park. We were gonna hike the Appalachian Trail together. She was gonna go with me to grad school. She was supposed to be my companion. And then it all ended.

The one good thing about this whole horrific experience was the support I got from the other volunteers in my region, and other volunteers who reached out to me over the phone. Maura and Cason helped me get her to Kedougou, Dustin met us at the vet, and Paige, Chase, Archie, and Ellen helped me say goodbye to her the next morning by helping me have a burial for her.

I wish none of it happened. I wish she was sitting next to me as I type this with her head in my lap. I wish she was here to go running with. I wish I could still pick her up by the armpits and dance with her, like we used to do in my hut. I'm grateful for the times we were able to spend together and the short life I was able to give her, and I'm sorry the end of it was spent in so much pain. However I felt like I did everything I could to help her, and I'm glad she won't hurt anymore.

Doing what she loved most - eating peanut butter. I hope there’s lots of peanut butter in dog heaven.

Her first dog toy sent to me from a friend from home.

Goodbye, buddy. You may not be with me anymore, but your memory will stay in my heart forever.

RIP Lyra, December 2017 - September 2018

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sarahbabbles · 6 years

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So it has been awhile since I have posted in here! but I’mmmm baaaaack.

Here to give you all of the super exciting updates on my life, pregnancy, and all things Sarah.

Well to start off I am a little over 26 weeks pregnant now! ~ due on Christmas <3 We are super excited to welcome Cason Joshua Nicholas Booker into this world. This pregnancy has been SO AMAZING. I have not felt overly hungry, nauseas, or gross as I did with the first one. The kicks are so sweet and the only things that hurt are my hips and groin - but in a normal “your body is stretching” sort of way not a “I can’t deal with this” sort of way.

The only woes I have had to deal with in this pregnancy so far have been Familial Hemiplegic Migraines and Vertigo (that was caused by an inner ear infection) Luckily both - even though they sucked super bad - have still not measured up to how miserable I was when I was pregnant with sweet Dallas Jaymes. <3

We recently abandoned apartment living and joined the military housing community! We finally have a spacious house with a community of neighbors... and the best part? WE ARE LITERALLY RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SPLASH PAD AND PLAYGROUND. Today we just walked out in our backyard and let Dallas run wild out there (with us following close behind lol) while he enjoyed the water of the splash pad! This place is seriously the greatest blessing to us so far and I am thankful for it.

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I also have developed an obsession with Big Brother. I mean really, it is gross how much I like this show. I make Josh watch it with me throughout the week and eat it all up, I just love this season! I am team Tyler but it looks like Kaycee is going to win, which I am okay with that too.

I try to talk about all of these things at work but you know how the other person kind of stops responding and just awkwardly nods while you speak and you feel like you’re annoying them...that’s been how i have been feeling lately? I feel like every conversation is super awkward, but this may be a little bit of peri-partum anxiety, which I struggled with through my last pregnancy and continued after the pregnancy. Hopefully it does not come back as bad as it was back then! That was miserable and the only thing that would work - believe it or not - to relieve the anxiety was the power stance and stretching!

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I am super curious about what I might be doing after my time in OGV is over, it seems that I could be moving up like my friend Carson did and taking her spot since she has orders, but that is a long shot and it could also be true that I end up back on flight here soon working days, nights, swings yet again. This baby pops out in December so they have until then to figure it all out I suppose!

I guess that is all the babbling I will do for tonight

sarahbabbles //

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gokinjeespot · 7 years

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off the rack #1168

Monday, June 26, 2017

It's the last week of June, so Canada Day is soon. With the country celebrating its 150th anniversary, this year is a big deal. I was 10-years-old when we had our centennial in 1967 and I was part of a children's choir that sang at city hall as part of the year-long celebration back then. We're getting together with friends for Canada Day come Saturday and I wish you all a great week and weekend.

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Adam Kubert (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours). Get ready to be assaulted by an explosion of Spider-Man stuff as we near the theatrical release of the movie "Spider-Man Homecoming" on July 7. I still remember picking up Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 off the spinner rack in 1976, happy that there was another comic book starring my favourite super hero. I wasn't sure I wanted to read this new incarnation because I am not a big fan of Chip's writing. I was not impressed with his work on the new Howard the Duck and Jughead books. My problem is that he comes across as too frenetic and eager to please by writing way too much. The double page spread with Peter and Johnny Storm having lunch together is a great example. Look at all them word balloons. The rest of the book is no better. Almost every panel is jammed full of word balloons. And what's with Peter leaving his mask on during lunch? Johnny knows his secret identity already. Wouldn't it have been more comfortable to take his mask off? I know I'm being picky but it's these little details that annoy me. The other thing that annoyed me was that I had to Google two acronyms to get what was being said. I'm an old fogey so I didn't know what NBD and NPC meant. Maybe it was to balance out all the other words used that "no big deal" and "non player character" were shortened. My quibbles are not enough to keep me from reading the next issue however because Chip pulls something out of the asphalt at the end that makes me want to find out more about the surprise person that Johnny meets. Well played Chip Zdarsky, well played.

Batwoman #4 - Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV (writers) Steve Epting (art) Jeromy Cox (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The first story arc ends with Kate and company saving the day. I was satisfied with how the story ended and there is enough mystery to keep me wanting to read more. What is Plan B and who is the shadowy figure in the last panel? I want to find out.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1 - Jody Leheup & Sebastian Girner (writers) Nil Vendrell (art) Mike Spicer (colours) Dave Lanphear (letters). This takes place in a land where Yogi Bear would fit right in. The well endowed Shirtless Bear-Fighter's origin story is part Mowgli from Jungle Book and part Superman and part Punisher. This issue was mildly humorous but I didn't chuckle or laugh out loud. Maybe I'm too old. Is this the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1? Or The Walking Dead #1? Do bears poop in the woods? Buy it, read it and you be the judge. I only read it because Ottawa's own Tom Fowler did one of the variant covers.

W.M.D. Weapons of Mutant Destruction #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I hope you've been reading the new Weapon X comic book with Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, et alia because this is a direct tie-in to what went on there. No worries if you haven't because Greg spells everything out very clearly. The good guys are fighting an evil anti-mutant organization that is creating mutant killers. The Totally Awesome Hulk is one of the good guys so look for part 2, 4 and 6 of the story in that book. Parts 3 and 5 are in Weapon X. I'm reading them all.

Aquaman #25 - Dan Abnett (writer) Stjepan Sejic (art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). This title has gone "Game of Thrones" but that's not why I took this extra-sized anniversary issue off the racks to read. It was the cover and interior art by Stjepan Sejic that made me want to give this book another try. I sure am glad I did. The story of a new power mad King of Atlantis and the return of the usurped King isn’t anything new but the beautiful art makes it more exciting to me. Stjepan knows how to draw hot women and Mera and Dolphin gives him plenty of opportunity to show that off. Aquaman is going back on my "must read" list.

Crosswind #5 - Gail Simone (writer) Cat Staggs (illustrator) Simon Bowland (letters). It's nice to see Gail back on the racks again. Here she does a grown up version of Freaky Friday where a housewife and a mob enforcer switch bodies. Juniper and Cason are introduced pre switcheroo, which happens at the end of this issue. I can't wait to see what happens next. Cat's art is nice and that made it easy to put this new book on my "must read" list.

Plastic #3 - Doug Wagner (writer) Daniel Hillyard (art) Laura Martin (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The "hero" of this story is a psychotic killer but I like him a lot. A damsel in distress who may suffer a fate worst than death (haven't heard that cliché in a while eh?) plays a big role in this issue. Punisher fans will like this series.

Royal City #4 - Jeff Lemire (writer & illustrator) Steve Wands (letters). This is a really cool ghost story. Patrick's thoughts about aging hit close to home.

Archie #21 - Mark Waid (writer) Pete Woods (art & colours) Jack Morelli (letters). OMG (I know what that means) they killed…! You have to read this issue to find out who.

The Mighty Thor #20 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman & Valerio Schiti (art) Matthew Wilson & Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Loved the Walt Simonson tribute cover by Patrick Brown. Speculator alert: it's the first appearance of a new Thor. You won't believe who it is. What motivates this guy to pick up the hammer is heart wrenching and the bad guys are going to get it. I can't wait to see him in action. There's a scene between Jane Foster and the Odinson that puts into question the fate of the Mighty Thor. I really hope she sticks around.

Batman #25 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) June Chung (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). What made last issue worth reading was the kaboom on the last page. This whole issue is worth it for the build up to "The War of Jokes and Riddles". It's Batman versus the Joker and the Riddler and it's super intense. Mikel's art is the cherry on top and it's yummy. Batman is getting really good again.

Wildstorm #5 - Warren Ellis (writer) Jon Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). You should read this. It's all coming together beautifully.

Luke Cage #2 - David F. Walker (writer) Nelson Blake II (art) Marcio Menyz (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is an uh-oh issue as Luke investigates what the scientist that gave him his super powers was up to. Kind of reminded me of Orphan Black.

Superman #25 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Doug Mahnke & Patrick Gleason (pencils) Jaime Mendoza, Mick Gray, Joe Prado, Ray McCarthy, Scott Hanna & Matt Santorelli (inks) Wil Quintana & John Kalisz (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The conclusion to "Fade to Black" has guest stars galore and highlights the core of this title as the good guys prevail. I've enjoyed this book more because of the family values that Clark, Lois and Jonathan embody and the art is spectacular.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). By the way Vader is mowing down storm troopers he must be really pissed at his boss. We find out who he's going to get his light sabre from in this issue. From the looks of the next issue teaser, it's going to be a scorcher.

Nick Fury #3 - James Robinson (writer) Aco (pencils) Hugo Petrus (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). This is freaking awesome. All you fans out there not reading this are missing out on some excellent writing and art. This reminds me of how I felt when I first saw Jim Steranko's art on Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the sixties as a teenager. Aco and Hugo's art with Rachelle's colours is so pretty and pops off the page. Buy this book.

Super Sons #5 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Alisson Borges (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Few writers know how to make young adults sound genuine but Peter is one of them. This issue establishes Jon and Damian as the young dynamic duo. I can't wait to see what they get up to next.

Invincible Iron Man #8 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This sets up next issue's fight with Lady Von Bardas. We'll see how bardas she really is.

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