Tough Times

Last Wednesday, as all of you know, the 35-W bridge collapsed over the Mississippi River. Not since 9/11 has anything put such a pit in my stomach. It's certainly amazing that the loss of life wasn't larger. My prayers are with all those who lost loved ones and who suffered an injury. Since I live in a suburb of Minneapolis this isn't a bridge I traveled very often. This weekend was the first time since the collapse that I went out on the highways. I have to admit feeling a bit nervous. It will certainly be interesting to watch how things unfold with the clean-up, investigation, and rebuilding. Just yesterday they opened up a bridge downriver from the site. We might go out there and have a look today or tomorrow.

Yesterday I had to take our dog, Sadie, to the vet. The pupil in her left eye was completely gone. Her eye was just a red hazy glow. I knew something was terribly wrong. After some quick blood work the doc determined that she has a platelet disorder. Her platelet level was 3 when it should be about 250. This can be caused by a number of things including mouse poison, cancer or an autoimmune disease. We have her on 3 different medicines. The good news is that her eye is looking much better this morning. We'll re-check her platelets on Friday to see if she is responding well to the medicine. Hopefully she'll be alright. She's really a great dog.

In better news...I finished my first bear for Mother Bear Project! I think he turned out really cute. My next bear is almost done. This time I made a girl bear with a skirt. I'll post her picture when she is finished. These bears are really fun to make. I'm having a blast experimenting with different stitch patterns and design elements.