Maybe Granny Can Boil Me Up Some Medicine For A Poultice In Her Kettle Up At The Cement Pond

Puppy Jack and Mrs. Hillbilly Mom both have medical appointments tomorrow. With different doctors, in case you feel the need to ask.

Puppy Jack gets the early bird's worm. He has to be in the office at 8:00 a.m. The office gal asked if I knew how to get there. "Yes. I'm really old. You're in the building that used to be Pizza Inn, right behind where the old 7-Eleven used to be, by the park." She laughed. "A lot of people tell us that." So apparently, we are going to the geriatric pet-owner's veterinarian of choice. We used to take our pets to the one way over in bill-paying town, but I'm ready to cut down the travel time with a pooping, yapping, captive passenger.

Jack is just getting a new-pup check-up, his first shots, and a re-de-worming. The gal said the shot will be $20, and the de-worming is based on the dog's weight, and will probably be around $10. Farmer H found that funny. "I doubt that dog even weighs a pound-and-a-half. It won't be that much."

Mrs. Hillbilly Mom's appointment is at 3:00. No early worm and no de-worming for her! Just an old-gal check-up. She'll be lucky to be out of there by 6:00. That's closing time. Once, years ago, she thought they forgot about her, back in the exam room, because she could hear them getting ready to lock up. One thing is for sure. She won't be getting in at the stroke of 3:00.

I'm taking a book. Maybe two. My original appointment was for 9:00 a.m., but it was on the day before school was out. My last full day of school EVER! So I changed it, and they made my lab work that day, so I could still make it to school. Now I will be an afterthought after Doc gets 30 minutes behind in the first half-hour after lunch. One good thing about that, though. He won't dwell on my ailments. Just give me the once-over, discuss the lab results, and give refills on my meds. There IS one little thing I'd like to bring up, though.

Mrs. Hillbilly Mom has a rash around her belt line.

Not that I wear a belt, of course. And this rash just appeared TODAY! What grand timing! It's a little red pin-point sandpapery rash that reminds me of when my kids had a strep rash, known in pioneer days as scarlet fever. However...I am not in the least bit feverish or sick.

It all started when I began sitting out on the porch pew playing with Puppy Jack once I RETIRED. I got a really itchy rash, solid red, along that area. Funny thing is, the bottom border of that rash was a straight line, just above my belly button. And it was darker in the middle, in a kind of V shape. I think I got a sunburn! Where my shirt gapped a little, and through the white cotton where I was covered. It was powerful hot out there. Juno was panting like a DOG!

Anyhoo...today I checked the status of my red rash, which was kind of getting less itchy and going away until YESTERDAY, when I sat in the sun again, and the middle V got all red and itchy. Imagine my surprise to see that pinpoint red rough rash! That part didn't itch or hurt. So we'll see what dog disease I might have succumbed to.

Maybe I should ask the vet what she thinks...