Kith and Kin

Last night Vincent and I hobbled over to a restaurant I have been wanting to try,called Kith and Kin (A southern cuisine)

We were there promptly at 5pm (early birds that we are!) and even though they were still sweeping the floors,they were nice enough to let us in!

Bonus point right there!

Vincent started with a lovely sazarac,and I had a wonderful glass of French champagne,whilst we perused the menu...

We decided to have the crawfish agnoloti and smoked oysters for appetizer, the tiger shrimp on grits and the scallops on mashed potato for our dinner...

Oh ...oohhh...I think our tastebuds just exploded with flavor with every bite we took....absolutely smecking amazing....smoked oysters....aaah ooohhh....aaah....

Anyway,we had several more glasses of champagne and sazaracs,a wonderful light and fluffy peanutbutter dessert....and then caught the bus home...(too lazy and stuffed to walk !)

We collapsed in bed,happy...

and now we are enjoying our Sunday morning cup of tea with the boys.

Bad back,steroids and Mri's

So last week I had a trip to Amsterdam,and went to see the Hosjes (and the lovely Ciska...) and my back started really hurting me (again...it must be the 24years of pushing,shoving and carrying heavy suitcases...and probably just old plain decrepitude....)

I had a lovely time at the Hosjes (mmmmm.karbonaatjes,spinazie en aardappelen met roode wijn....)

When I came back to Chicago,Vincent had made an appointment with the doctor,and the next day,I hobbled over to the medical offices around the corner.

Dr Lee prescribed 2 weeks off work (this is after I could not even get off the examination table!) a week of steroids,and an appointment with the Mri next week,so we can take pictures of my back,and figure out what is going on back there....

So I have been on the steroids for 3 days now....poor Vincent...he is anxiously waiting for me to grow a beard, mustache or for my voice to become "manly"...but so far I was just very agitated the first day....and feel funny...but no "manly" bits yet!...

Only 3 more days to go....

Two happy lovebirds in bed!

Two happy puddies!

The CONE is GONE!

Yesterday we went back to KJ,for an update on Dieudone...and the cone came off!...she said that everything was healing perfectly the wound had become smaller,and Dieudone could not reach it anymore!....

Yeah yeah!...We also got a tour of the clinic where KJ works and it is an amazing facility...especially the area where all the surgeries are performed...

We are so lucky to have KJ !

So we came home,opened the carrier...and Dieudone just stood in the middle of the living room,and had this expression on her face of:

"bitches...I am back!..."

Vincent and I got a very restful night of sleep,Alaintje is happy,because he can play with his sister again...and Dieudone just groomed herself clean all night...

All is well again in casa Hos!
Dieudone this morning...fast asleep on her pouf
Dieudone,right before we took her to KJ...last time with the dreaded cone!
Last picture of her burn wound.....

Vincent,Dieudone and a crab...

Yesterday,we could not decide where to eat,so we decided to go to Whole Foods,buy some nice wine and some munchies....and Vincent also decided to throw a whole crab in the basket!

so when we got home,he made some wonderful butter sauce....and started eating...

Of course Dieudone could not resist the crab,and started eating with daddy....

What a pair!

My Atheist,literary cowboy

My sexy,beautiful,atheist,literary cowboy husband getting ready to go to work....

I am such a lucky woman to have him all to myself....

Love my husband.

Vincent on a cold morning

On Thursday,Vincent and I went to work together (I had a 9:45am check-in for a 1day trip) so we took the bus and "L" together,and took this photo of Vincent at the bus stop....

So cute....

Update on Dieudone

We took Dieudone to the vet last Monday for a check up,and KJ took him to the back,and cleaned his wound,and when she brought him back,it just looked wonderful...He does have to wear the cone until our next check up ,which is on Monday the 17th,and then KJ will decide if we can take it off...

The other night,Dieudone was meowing very softly in front of Vincent,and I said,she wants something honey...so Vincent picked her up,and Dieudone just laid in his arms,and started purring like a very happy cat....she just wanted some of daddy's love.....

Christophe

I recently flew with my good friend Christophe...Everybody loves flying with Christophe...He has such a dry sense of humor,and can cuss out a passenger with a smile on his face...and get away with it!...Its a shame I do not fly with him more often,but he flies on weekends only,as he is a professor of history at the University of Illinois during the week...and I do not fly on weekends,because I would never see my husband....so its only once in a while that I get to laugh with Christophe....

This Friday morning

Dieudone was feeling a little blue this morning,so she decided that daddy should give her a little love....so sweet!

Photos of Dieudone

Yesterday,I finally left the puddies alone for a couple of hours...I was meeting Wayne,so we could go to Petco,and buy a decent cat carrier for Dieudone.

I was quite nervous,as I was worried Dieudone might hurt herself,or Alaintje might hurt her,in trying to play with her...but at some point I had to start leaving them alone...

When I came back...this is what I came back to...the photos above...Dieudone was quite content,and I have NO clue how madam climbed up the highest plankje...but she did!

Dieudone so far

On Wednesday night,we had to take Dieudone to KJ,our vet.Since the clinic was only a couple of blocks away,we decided to walk over,as parking can be a bitch in this area at night.

The walk over was not too bad,except that the cheap cat carrier I had bought months ago was too small for Dieudone,and she was quite cramped in there,but Vincent kept her in his arms.

When we arrived at the clinic,there were a couple of kuttenlikkertjes (as Vincent calls these little yapping rats/dogs) yapping away,and this blonde bimbo with an awful voice was yapping away,so Dieudone was quite annoyed and upset.

Luckily we were seen quite quickly by KJ...She truly is a wonderful person,she hugged us and then said...:" Oh my..that is a pretty nasty wound on Dieudone..."

Not something my poor husband wanted to hear!

She gave Dieudone an antibiotic injection against infection.told us the wound would get worse before it got better,Dieudone would have to wear the collar for at least a couple of weeks,and to keep doing what we were doing....Oh and Dieudone was also diagnosed with a heart murmur...

All this time,I had been sitting on a stool with roller wheels on it...and I got so nervous and upset,that I fell off the rolling stool,flipping it in the air,and I landed on my ass....Thank Budha we were in KJ's office and not some unknown vet!

We made an appointment for next Wednesday,and we were on our way home...except...

It was now snowing...Vincent and I were upset because we had caused Dieudone all this pain,so Vincent,in trying to get home started running,and told me to keep up,as I had the keys...and Dieudone feeling the nervousness in her parents,started to yelp and tried to get out of the carrier,which was getting very small for her...

So here we are,huffing and puffing,trying to gasp for air,whilst holding a 15pound puddy in our arms...of course the elevator was not on the ground floor,so now Vincent is running (well..huffing and gasping ) up the stairs,I am on all fours,trying to keep up,thinking...oh my god,our puddies are going to be orphans,as both their parents have died in the stairwell of heart attacks...

We make it up to the apartment,release Dieudone from her torture device,I rip off all my clothes ,as I am sweating from every pore and orifice on my body,and Vincent is just sitting on the couch,murmuring that he must get back to the gym...

All in all...a typical Wednesday night in Huisje Hos....!

Update on Dieudone

As you can tell from the photo,Dieudone is doing much better...Vincent went out this morning early,to get her a shithole that was easier for her to use,and after we fed her,she happily went to her shithole,and peed and pooped! Finally...we were getting worried!....She slept all night,woke up at 5am,so I got up and played with her,and made sure she knew we were there for her...After her breakfast and bowel movements,she very happily started playing and messing with Alain,who by the way,still has it in his head that he is alpha puddy....Especially after he managed to sleep between Vincent and I the ENTIRE night!....A first for him,as usually, Dieudone will saunter into the bedroom at about 1am, and kick him out of bed....

Tonight we are bringing Dieudone to KJ,our vet,for a check up.....

Photo of burned Dieudone...

Dieudone hurt....but ok

Last night we had a crisis at Casa Hos....

Vincent and I were enjoying a nice,hot cup of freshly brewed tea,and Vincent decided to put his cup on one of the katten plankjes...and somehow Dieudone jumped on het plankje...and the entire HOT cup of tea fell on her entire back...

Now we all know that Dieudone does not run around or screams...but we have never seen a puddy scream so loud,and she was running around the house like a crazy fat lady trying to lose weight...and then suddenly a lot of her fur came out,and we could see her delicate pink skin.

At this point,I googled "emergency vet clinics" and found one near our house.Vincent called right away,and they told us to bring her right over.

Have you ever tried to put a hurt,scared,white puddy in a cat carrier?....After a lot of finagling,we finally got her in the carrier,I drove and Vincent sat quietly in the front seat with Dieudone.

The vets at the emergency clinic were wonderful.They took care of Dieudone right away,sedated her and took her to the surgery room,whilst Vincent and I waited in the reception area.

Whilst we were waiting,all these people came in with their hurt pets.One gentleman came in sobbing,holding his unconscious dog in his arms...

You can put me in an emergency room for humans,and I could not care less...but seeing hurt animals...Oh I was so upset,as was Vincent....

Finally Dieudone was brought back to us...They had shaved her entire back,and she was wearing a lovely white collar around her neck...They gave us cat morphine and ointment...

I slept with Dieudone on the floor,and told Vincent to try and get some sleep in the bedroom,as he had to go to work today...my poor man...he felt so guilty about hurting his puddy,but I told him accidents happen,and we did the right thing for Dieudone...

This morning we gave her the morphine and put ointment on her...she ate her food ,but still has not pooped...she is very angry at us for hurting her...and for making her wear the collar...

I was supposed to work to Honolulu tomorrow,but got rid of the trip,as I did not want Dieudone to be left alone,and we have an appointment with KJ,our vet,tomorrow,which I did not want to miss.

Animals come before sunshine and a paycheck in this household!

Alaintje now thinks he is alpha puddy,but we all know,that as soon as Dieudone gets rid of the collar,and is off the morphine,things will go back to normal....but Alaintje is enjoying his status for now!

We shall keep you updated on Dieudone....