An addition to the family~~~

Hello My Darklings,

After a period of gray, gloomy, rainy days, we are now having some sun-shine and relative warmth, which isn’t bad for an elder Goth, but still one has to use the sun screen and the wide brim hats because even now one can get a sun burn. I know Darklings, a sun burn?? In early Spring??? Well, yes. After all those months of winter and being in doors and covering up the skin has not had a chance to build up protection.

But if one wants to preserve ones’ skin it is not wise to try and get a tan, it prematurely ages you, you can develop skin cancer, and without UV ray sun glasses you can develop cataracts. But if you go out for just 15 minutes a day, even at 10 a.m. you will get enough vitamin D to help you. Although if you shun the Sun completely then it’s best to take vitamin D tablets.

And because of the rain I have not been able to do much on the foundation, however my construction major domo is seeing about upgrading the wiring and fuse box to handle the needs for the 21st century.

I have decided to go with a gas dryer, since the connections for one are already in place and we’ll include a smoke alarm as well as a carbon monoxide detector.

But that is why I’m not posting today. It’s for another reason.

I’m down sick with the flu and it’s a “beauty”. I was fine until Wednesday evening, but I had taken the day off to see about installing the new dryer, and I heard this whining coming from my neighbors’ yard. Now here is the sad thing Darklings, my neighbors’ house was into foreclosure, frankly I was glad to lose him, he and his family were hideous people. The kind that you Don’t want to be neighbors. And the rest of the neighborhood were also glad to see them go, but there was this whining from the back yard.

I looked over the fence but couldn’t see anything and it was seriously sprinkling but the whining was so pitiful, my friend was with me and he said it sounded like a small dog, so I called out “Here Baby, come here!” and out from under the neighbors’ back porch stairs was a little Chihuahua dog all black with tan markings, I knew immediately it was my neighbors dog “Bella”----they had abandon her! I was furious!

My friend brought out his double sided ladder and in the rain we climbed over the fence and rescued Bella, I knew her owners had been gone for nearly 5 days, they should have come back in that time to get her. I knew she had been drinking water with all the rain, but she was shivering.

So we took her into my house, dried her off, and I carefully fed her, I didn’t want her to throw up, and my friend and I tested the dryer to dry our jackets. It worked fine.

“Bella” fell asleep in the box I fixed up with a blanket. I tried my neighbors’ cell phone number but it was disconnected. What do I do? I took her the next day to this vet that had been recommended to me by my friend. After having a complete check out and with booster shots, she was given a clean bill of health she didn’t have a micro chip so I chipped her at this vet with my information and became her “Mommy” and for my efforts I came down with the flu. Oh well, one has to on occasion make sacrifices.

She’ll be going back for a follow up check up and the best we can determine is she is just over a year old.

“Bella” is now “Belladonna”, an appropriate name for a dog for an elder Goth, and I have to admit I went overboard on things for her, but I felt that she needed to know in some way she is loved, yes my Darklings, I’ve fallen in love with “Belladonna” and although I’m recovering from the flu, she cuddles up to me, lets me know when she needs to go to the bath room, she stays close to me, she let me bathe her (she needed it) and she has no objection to wearing doggie sweaters and t-shirts, even if they have skulls on them. She has also learned that going potty on special doggie pads is fine provided she knows where they are, she is a quick learner.

So is it appropriate for an elder Goth to have a pet? Yes, My Darklings, provided that you have the time and the inclination to care for and commit yourself to being its caregiver/provider, it is a long time commitment. If your life is very busy and highly social then a pet is not for you unless you can incorporate your pet into both your work and social life, fortunately “Belladonna” is so small that I can. I just have to be careful while work is being done on the house so that she doesn’t get hurt.

Right now as I type this she is sitting on her own little chair with a cushion and I hear her contently sighing. There will be times when I cannot take her with me as I know most places ban pets, and what I do recommend Darklings is to find out what places can and cannot take or deal with pets, Bella’s vet has also recommended several places that give excellent doggie day care for those times where it’s best for her to be cared for and if you are a pet owner look into that it’s worth the expense. So plan your trips and excursions carefully, the good thing with Bella is she can fit into a small carry bag or purse and seems to not have an issue with it.

It know it sounds so non-Goth, but who says you have to be pet less, you don’t and those times when you are home alone and watching a really frightening movie or the news, cuddling up to a warm, little thing that loves you unconditionally can be very good therapy.

Now I’m going to lie down and take a nap and try to get well, and Belladonna I know will snuggle right next to me.

Later Darklings.