I got a haircut on 7/21 so afterward I stopped at the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went and took some sunset pictures by Contzen Pass on 7/23.
Nathan's first day of school was 7/25. He got up, took a bath, got dressed, ate breakfast, took the garbage out and was ready to go! He even smiled for pictures. He tried to bribe me, but I convinced him to just smile and make mom happy. Nathan had a good first week back to school. A lot of subs to start which is kind of crazy. No homework the first week. Unfortunately, I picked him up on Friday, 7/29 and he said he had to go to the nurse (front office) because he got overheated during recess. They gave him an ice pack and he was able to go back to class. He felt better that night, but the next day he said he had an awful headache, his chest hurt and he wasn't feeling good. We took him to urgent care. They did an EKG which was fine, but they were concerned about his high heart rate and chest pain. He didn't have a fever. They suggested we go to the ER. So we went to the ER. They did another EKG, a chest xray, gave him some pain meds and then tested him for COVID. The COVID test was positive. They said to just treat with ibuprofin and tylenol. He was to stay home from school until Thursday, 8/4. We informed the school. They never returned our messages, though, to confirm that he could return on 8/4. Then they told Paul that he had to get a negative covid test before he could return. We couldn't find any place to do one that quick so we bought an at home kit from CVS. It was positive. The next day we scheduled a free test through the Walgreens drive-thru. It was positive, too. Many people told me that it is common to get a false positive after having covid for up to 6 months. Paul called the school again and they finally told him that he could return on Monday, 8/8. There were numerous other kids with COVID at the school, too.
7/28, I went to the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Reid Park Rose Garden and Pima Prickly Park.
So Nathan went back to school on Monday, 8/8. Some of the kids were back who were sick, but others were gone because they were sick. They took a reading readiness test and he said he scored the highest in the class. He said they are learning cursive this year, but he already learned that at Leman. He said there are other things they are learning or reviewing that he already knows, too. He's kind of bored so far. He had chess club on Monday. He said there were about 9 kids there. Some of them had never played before so he won against them. He seemed to enjoy that. He has it again on Friday.
I went to Saguaro National Park, The Desert Museum and Gates Pass on 8/8. Saw a desert tortoise on the side of the road going through Saguaro National Park!
Today, Nathan and I got stuck in a monsoon on the way home from school. Got close to home and Linda Vista was flooded. So we turned around and went back on the highway to Cortaro. We decided to get Panda Express and Starbucks. After we ate, most of the storms had passed and we were able to get home.
Bella had her 6 month vet appointment on Saturday, 8/6. The vet said her blood tests and exam did not give very good results. She is a super senior at 14 1/2, She is also a large breed dog and large breeds do not usually live as long as smaller breeds. We knew she was having problems. For awhile she was getting so picky about food that she wasn't eating much so then she wasn't pooping much either. Her arthritis was getting bad and she was having breathing issues. However, I found her a dog food that she really likes, Purina moist and meaty. She has been eating more and her poop has been more normal, except she can't stand still to poop. I think her arthritis hurts too much. The blood test showed that she is anemic. She also lost significant weight, but some of that was because she wasn't eating much for awhile. He says she may have some internal bleeding and/or a tumor and that her liver could be failing. He said he would support any decision we would make in regard to her quality of life. We just lost Tulla about a month ago. Bella is my baby and I really don't want to lose her yet. But I also don't want her to be in pain. For now, we decided to switch her from Rimadyl for her arthritis to a new med that is easier on her liver. He also gave her a 2nd med to take for pain. However, it isn't a chewable and she's supposed to take 4 of them a day. They only had 9 left so I need to get more. However, Sunday she was having problems even standing to eat. Her back legs give in. I pretty much concluded that it is probably time to put her down. The next morning she seemed to eat better on her legs and she was getting around a little better. It's such a hard decision. I don't know if I should get more pain meds or put her down. I will probably get more tomorrow, but we are still taking this day by day and I suspect she only has weeks left, if that.
