Today was a pretty good day. I got a flyer recently at Tractor Supply, showing that they offer a vaccination clinic on Sundays. I guess I need to provide a little backstory...
Ideally, I'd add a "Read More" link here that you could click on if you wanted to read some of my personal history, then follow that with the rest of the story NOT hiding behind "Read More", but I can't figure out how to do that. So if you want the whole story, scroll past the photos to "Read More". If you want the short version, you don't have to click on anything.
I knew the people he'd been with had kept up with his shots and heartworm, but I didn't know when he'd be due again so I decided to handle everything today. He was such a good boy! The temperatures have been in the teens, so I improvised a sweatshirt for him to wear to stay warm. (I've tried numerous tops made for dogs, but Dexter's chest has been too big for any of them. If anyone has a good recommendation, I would be delighted to hear.)
I spoke with the vet, and he also recommended a Lyme disease vaccination for Dex, so I got him that as well. The vet said they were less common in the south, though he'd seen it as far south as Warner Robins, GA, but it got more prevalent the farther north one goes... and I suspect we will head north for more of our adventures than south.
As reward for being so good, and because I was itching to get outside for a bit, after being such a recluse, we went to the mini-trail that's nearby.
Thanksgiving 2015, I met a guy online... Craigslist of all places. (I'm introverted and quite a recluse, but it's easier for me to open up, and to be more forward, online.) He accepted (was the goal) my depression, anxiety, and my addictive nature (after my grandmother passed away in 2011, I went on a downward spiral- all the way down to rock bottom. This lasted for several years, abusing drugs, alcohol- and my body- pretty badly. But like one of my totems, the phoenix: from the ashes I rose to work on making myself into something better, something I could like and respect more. It was during this time that I got Dex as a puppy.), and the goal was for me to move onto the farm he lived on with his parents so I could get away from everything and heal, being in and around nature more, and with him.
Six months in, I found out he'd been in love with his ex, messaging her about how he couldn't live without her. Two days after that, I also found out he'd been emailing escorts from CL, asking about their rates and when they could meet. I flipped out.
At this time, his mother had been having some health issues, and thought something may be wrong with her heart. I will give him that. When I flipped out, in front of both of his parents, he got incredibly angry. He punched me in the face, half-dragged me down the hall to outside, where he shoved me down several stairs to the driveway. He refused to let me go inside for my phone or my car (claiming the car was his since he'd made some payments on it). Basically, I was stranded in the middle of nowhere- miles from any store or gas station. Finally, he let up and realized what had just happened. We went back inside and began the process of building up trust again. Sadly, things would never be the same.
I've spent a LOT of my life chasing romance around the country. I've been stranded in Seattle with a man who swore he would help me get back to GA if things didn't work out. They didn't work out and I did the only thing I could think of to do: put my car at a long-term parking facility, put all of my belongings besides what could fit in a carry-on in a storage facility, sold the little bit of stock I'd bought on a whim a couple of years earlier- Ford, which I ended up making about $450 on, and bought a plane ticket home, working until I could afford to go get my belongings.
I've moved to Houston with a man I'd married after meeting once in person. Online, we were great together. I'm sure you can imagine how that one turned out... although he was kind-hearted enough to help me move back home (Georgia is what I call home, as most of my family has pretty much always lived here).
So Farm Boy wasn't my only ride in the romance rodeo, but I gave up the most for him. 2013 was when I was hitting rock bottom, and decided to go to rehab. Since then, since getting on the right medication, since being lower than I ever want to go again, I've done the best I can for myself. When I met Farm Boy, not only did I have my own place. I was in the process of making it MINE. Giving it an all ME-vibe. I, for the first time ever, was holding an 8-5 job, one that I really liked. I was doing great without a man in my life, but then when he did come, I lost all of that.
As I said, things would never be the same once we went through what we did. I tried for another year, and then I was just done. One weekend, when I knew he was going to be out of town, I arranged for my family and best friend to come down. I had about 24 solid hours to not only put everything in the UHaul I rented... but to PACK too. We managed it, with the help of my daughter's friends as well.
He likes to tell people I "ghosted" him. I don't think it counts as "ghosting" if you leave without telling the other person because you are truly afraid to.
I became the ex he couldn't live without (while he immediately chose a younger woman- a new "love of his life" with specific characteristics he thought would make me jealous). I became the one he messaged so often I had to threaten to file a harassment charge against. This is where Dexter comes into play, with Farm Boy using him as a pawn against me.
When I left, his mother was at the house. I asked her if it would be okay for Dexter to live with them, and she said yes. Of course, I wanted my dog, but I didn't want to deprive him of the luxurious freedom he had gotten used to on the farm- miles and miles to roam, pretty much whenever he wanted to. The other option was for me to bring him to live with both my mom and I in a much smaller space, including a front yard with a 30-ft lead. Farm Boy, who travels A LOT, ended up taking Dexter on the road with him- the opposite of why I'd left him there! But he'd post photos on Facebook, and Dexter looked like he was doing fine, and I figured Farm Boy should keep him if he needed the extra comfort a pet can bring when you're going through a rough time, as, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I assumed that was why Dexter was traveling with him. I figured either A) Dexter really was providing comfort or B) this was another ruse to try to ruffle my feathers.
Two months later, they called with some excuse for my needing to either take Dexter or let them find him a home. Happily, I got my dog back.
Ideally, I'd add a "Read More" link here that you could click on if you wanted to read some of my personal history, then follow that with the rest of the story NOT hiding behind "Read More", but I can't figure out how to do that. So if you want the whole story, scroll past the photos to "Read More". If you want the short version, you don't have to click on anything.
I knew the people he'd been with had kept up with his shots and heartworm, but I didn't know when he'd be due again so I decided to handle everything today. He was such a good boy! The temperatures have been in the teens, so I improvised a sweatshirt for him to wear to stay warm. (I've tried numerous tops made for dogs, but Dexter's chest has been too big for any of them. If anyone has a good recommendation, I would be delighted to hear.)
 |
| Waiting on vaccinations at Tractor Supply |
I spoke with the vet, and he also recommended a Lyme disease vaccination for Dex, so I got him that as well. The vet said they were less common in the south, though he'd seen it as far south as Warner Robins, GA, but it got more prevalent the farther north one goes... and I suspect we will head north for more of our adventures than south.
As reward for being so good, and because I was itching to get outside for a bit, after being such a recluse, we went to the mini-trail that's nearby.
 |
| Happy hiking with Mama AdultBallerina! |
Six months in, I found out he'd been in love with his ex, messaging her about how he couldn't live without her. Two days after that, I also found out he'd been emailing escorts from CL, asking about their rates and when they could meet. I flipped out.
At this time, his mother had been having some health issues, and thought something may be wrong with her heart. I will give him that. When I flipped out, in front of both of his parents, he got incredibly angry. He punched me in the face, half-dragged me down the hall to outside, where he shoved me down several stairs to the driveway. He refused to let me go inside for my phone or my car (claiming the car was his since he'd made some payments on it). Basically, I was stranded in the middle of nowhere- miles from any store or gas station. Finally, he let up and realized what had just happened. We went back inside and began the process of building up trust again. Sadly, things would never be the same.
I've spent a LOT of my life chasing romance around the country. I've been stranded in Seattle with a man who swore he would help me get back to GA if things didn't work out. They didn't work out and I did the only thing I could think of to do: put my car at a long-term parking facility, put all of my belongings besides what could fit in a carry-on in a storage facility, sold the little bit of stock I'd bought on a whim a couple of years earlier- Ford, which I ended up making about $450 on, and bought a plane ticket home, working until I could afford to go get my belongings.
I've moved to Houston with a man I'd married after meeting once in person. Online, we were great together. I'm sure you can imagine how that one turned out... although he was kind-hearted enough to help me move back home (Georgia is what I call home, as most of my family has pretty much always lived here).
So Farm Boy wasn't my only ride in the romance rodeo, but I gave up the most for him. 2013 was when I was hitting rock bottom, and decided to go to rehab. Since then, since getting on the right medication, since being lower than I ever want to go again, I've done the best I can for myself. When I met Farm Boy, not only did I have my own place. I was in the process of making it MINE. Giving it an all ME-vibe. I, for the first time ever, was holding an 8-5 job, one that I really liked. I was doing great without a man in my life, but then when he did come, I lost all of that.
As I said, things would never be the same once we went through what we did. I tried for another year, and then I was just done. One weekend, when I knew he was going to be out of town, I arranged for my family and best friend to come down. I had about 24 solid hours to not only put everything in the UHaul I rented... but to PACK too. We managed it, with the help of my daughter's friends as well.
He likes to tell people I "ghosted" him. I don't think it counts as "ghosting" if you leave without telling the other person because you are truly afraid to.
I became the ex he couldn't live without (while he immediately chose a younger woman- a new "love of his life" with specific characteristics he thought would make me jealous). I became the one he messaged so often I had to threaten to file a harassment charge against. This is where Dexter comes into play, with Farm Boy using him as a pawn against me.
When I left, his mother was at the house. I asked her if it would be okay for Dexter to live with them, and she said yes. Of course, I wanted my dog, but I didn't want to deprive him of the luxurious freedom he had gotten used to on the farm- miles and miles to roam, pretty much whenever he wanted to. The other option was for me to bring him to live with both my mom and I in a much smaller space, including a front yard with a 30-ft lead. Farm Boy, who travels A LOT, ended up taking Dexter on the road with him- the opposite of why I'd left him there! But he'd post photos on Facebook, and Dexter looked like he was doing fine, and I figured Farm Boy should keep him if he needed the extra comfort a pet can bring when you're going through a rough time, as, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I assumed that was why Dexter was traveling with him. I figured either A) Dexter really was providing comfort or B) this was another ruse to try to ruffle my feathers.
Two months later, they called with some excuse for my needing to either take Dexter or let them find him a home. Happily, I got my dog back.
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