Friday and Saturday, we made our first longer trips to a very big park-like area where dogs are allowed to run freely, and we had so much fun! We met very few people and Pippa could enjoy just sniffing around and running a bit and looking for ducks and birds and stuff. I still have to keep her on a leash, but I don’t think it’ll take very for her to learn to stay with me even without a leash, because she always comes back to me when I call her.
I was very tired afterwards, almost too tired to sleep, and my feet and legs hurt, but for the first time in years - I was happy. Despite all the crappy health stuff I have going on.
My cat was very happy when we came back and came to cuddle, and it felt so good to crawl into bed near him.
Pippa instantly went to sleep and took a two hour nap, so I really could relax for a while before I had to go outside with her again. And she was fine with just playing around with her toys and stuff for the rest of the day, so it wasn’t too exhausting for me.
The last couple of years haven’t been easy. I went through an unhealthy relationship that ended in a not very nice breakup. I moved to another city where I only knew one person who a few months later decided that we couldn’t be friends anymore because of how I deal with my chronic illness/disability. Another friend, whom I had known for 10 years, also ended the friendship, apparently because I had changed. Almost none of my contacts survived my moving away. So I was alone in a new city when Covid arrived. In addition to that my heath got worse. It hadn’t been good for years, but at least I could do some things. But by the end of 2019 I wasn’t able to take care of myself anymore. But a few months had to pass by for me to ask for help. The people who saw that I needed help and supported me saved my life. It’s been a year since and staying at home doing nothing but concentrating on my health really has helped me. It’s been a lonely year, but that’s okay.
Normally I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but when 2021 came around I suddenly had gained enough strength to set three ‘goals’ for this year. Or let’s call them 'projects’, because whether I finish them or not - it will be a better year than the last few were. So the projects are:
- lose weight (yeah, I know, but I’m doing it for me and not because anyone says so)
- declutter my appartment
- get a dog
The last point actually was my therapist’s idea, because it would give me a reason to leave the house. And since I’m capable of taking care of a pet, we decided to put it on my list.
So far, I lost 13 kilos (28 pound), my flat is ¾ done - and I got a dog. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to own one and I still can’t believe it has come true. Her name is Pippa, she’s about 5 months old, and a Hrvatski Ovcar (Croatian Sheepdog). She’s such a lovely dog and I just love her. She spent her first few months roaming the streets of Gospic before being rescued and brought to Austria where I adopted her. She likes to cuddle and play ball and is just so happy all the time. My cat is not as happy as I am, but I’m pretty sure they’ll get along well.
This being said, I will dedicate this blog to Pippa’s and my journey getting to know each other and finding a way to live a life together - despite me having CFS/ME.
It’s been two and a half weeks now since she moved in and there’s one thing that I noticed the most: Some people suffering from CFS/ME say that they really benefit from pacing - doing something for a short while, resting, doing something and so on. I was never able to do that, probably because of my ADHD-brain being not satisfied with 'doing something for a short time and not finishing it before resting’. But ever since Pippa moved in, I’m forced to do pacing: She’s not house-clean yet, so I have to go outside every 1.5 hours. She’s still a puppy so she sleeps a lot - that’s when I can rest for an hour or two, before I have to go outside again. I never thought I would benefit from pacing, but I really do. It’s not that I’m healthy all of a sudden, but it helps me cope with the tiredness and fatigue.
To wrap things up… My life has changed big time and I’m so happy it has.
This fluffy girl was picked up, vaccinated and spayed by Dog organization Georgia in winter. It was hoped she would find a family at the Christmas Fair hosted at the Radisson; however, while a number of people expressed interest, nobody adopted her. Bochka is going to be a big Shepherd type dog, however her personality is soft and lazy. She would do well in a yard, laying in the sun all day.
Would you like to adopt Bochka? Would you like to volunteer at the shelter to walk and help take care of her and other dogs? Please contact Dog organization Georgia!
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ჩუქდება!
ბოჩკა, 10 თვის, რუსთაველის გამზირი
ეს ფუმფულა გოგო Dog organization Georgia-ს მოხალისეებმა ზამთარში იპოვეს, თავისთან წაიყვანეს, აცრეს, სტერილიზაცია გაუკეთეს და იმედი ჰქონდათ, რომ რედისონში გამართულ საშობაო ბაზრობაზე პატრონს იპოვიდა. მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ბევრმა ადამიანმა გამოთქვა ინტერესი, დღემდე თავშესაფარში რჩება ეს გოგო. ბოჩკა ქართული მეცხვარის ზომის გაიზრდება, თუმცა მისი ხასიათი მეცხვარისგან განსხვავდება, ეს ლამაზი გოგო მოსიყვარულე და ზარმაცი ვინმეა, თავს ბედნიერად იგრძნობს ეზოიან სახლში, სადაც მზის გულზე იქნება გაშოტილი მთელი დღით.
გსურთ იშვილოთ ბოჩკა? ან გსურთ რომ მოხალისე გახდეთ თავშესაფარში და ასეირნოთ ბოჩკა და თავშესაფარში მცხოვრები სხვა ძაღლები? მაშინ დაუკავშირდით Dog organization Georgia-ს!
(my family is so sick of receiving art from me as gifts but I think this is an adorable idea, if anyone else would like a woodsy painting contact me anytime www.marnegrahlman.com)
I’m going to take my puppy for a walk in about 15-20 minutes. Any tasks that don’t need lots of planning or that area against limits mentioned before I will do. So If anyone thinks sub needs to have a more Dominated walk let me know.
We walk through a semi built up area, then across lots of fields. I can go out towards a woodland bit, but I don’t normally walk that way. It’s pretty sunny and mild-warm today (unlike the freezing yesterday!), but the ground is quite wet and muddy out still.
First come first served (so if I’m doing something in an early dare which makes a later dare not work, sorry, you should’ve been quicker haha). Got it?
Edit:
The only thing I’ve been asked is to go out without underwear. So that will be done.
