We had an ultrasound appointment yesterday, we waited 5 hours to get in for our appointment. There were no metastasis on the ultrasound (they didn't do the lungs), the prostate tumor measurements were actually smaller but it's hard to compare since it was a different doctor and different machine who took the last measurements. They have deemed Leonard "stable" and they said "stable" is just as good as "remission".

We hired a Canine Nutritionist last week http://www.thepossiblecanine.com/ . I really like her and am very certain that her diets will make a huge difference. Hopefully we will have some input from her this week.

We went to The Farm for breakfast today, tomorrow is their last day open for the season. Big Bean's 10th birthday is tomorrow, I am trying to figure out somewhere fun to take him up north for the day. He is doing really well.

Dad and the kids.

To anyone who reads this blog for updates on our renovations, this will probably be on hold for a while until we get Leo's dis-ease into remission. Please bear with me, he is our little bean and the most important being in our lives right now.

He has been doing fantastic; he is eating well which I accredit to getting him started on the FO/CC (flax oil/cottage cheese) portion of the Budwig protocol. He had bloodwork done just over a week ago and everything was in range except for a few values that were still close enough to not worry excessively.

Two pics below of him eating the FOCC mixture that he gets twice a day with PB8 (probiotics).

Resting.

My Co-pilot.

Leo & Magda sharing the crate.

Yummm....salmon for dinner tonight.

Right now all of his meals are home-cooked organic meats (except for the Salmon that is Alaskan Wild Caught). He gets a handful of organic Quinoa, some lightly steamed organic spinach or kale or broccoli and a splash of shredded organic carrots. Along with some Prozyme, Standard Process Whole Body Support, Dr Schultze's Superfood, Milk Thistle and/or Desert Defense. I kind of rotate these supplements.

He is also on Enrofloxacin (tomorrow ends his RX), Piroxicam (NSAID for the prostate) and Zyflamend (for the prostate). I also purchased some K9 Immunity and K9 Transfer Factor but have not started them yet.

He is getting daily sunlight and walks, which we abandoned for a while due to the heat and his joints but we are doing them again, they seem to perk him up.

I have scheduled another ultrasound for Friday the 28th. I am confident it will be clean. We will accept your positive intentions and prayers for this outcome as well. :)

Last Sunday we had an appointment for an ultrasound for Leonard, he has had a UTI for months. Well, the ultrasound showed a splenic mass that needed to be removed immediately or it could burst. The vet also noted that his prostate was enlarged, even though he is a neutered dog.

The biopsies showed Splenic Fibrosarcoma and probable prostate cancer (not enough cells to give a definitive diagnosis). We met with Dr Betsy Hershey, the oncologist, this Thursday. The prognosis she gave was grim whether we opt for chemo or not. BUT - we are fighting this, and I will put this in writing for all the world to see - we will heal him, Leonard is strong and Leonard is healthy. I have been assembling my arsenal of anecdotes, treatments, positive intentions and vibes. Mark my words, HE WILL BE HEALED!

Jeff loves the vet office....

Leo feeling miserable just a couple days after the splenectomy...

Leo full of acupuncture needles.

More Griffin Homes

I have been unsuccessful in finding much info on Fred Griffin but have come across a few of his other houses in the valley here and there. I need to compile the info so what better place than here?
A local blogger sent me an article about a home built by Mr. Griffin in Tempe. Recent photo
here. The article was from Arizona Days & Ways and originally identified the home as 1114 Okley Place, Tempe, AZ but according to Google Maps, this home's addres is now 1408 S. Oakley Place.

I was sent another .PDF with a photo and caption only of a super modern triangular fireplace flanked by large built-in speakers, this was attributed to Mr Fred Griffen (sic). I know this is our same architect because he also built-in floor-to-ceiling speakers here, flanking the sliding glass doors.
My home-hunting friends recently came across a great listing for only $235 in Encanto! It is falsely advertised as an Al Beadle. As my friends researched tax breaks for historic properties, they discovered this gem was also by our own Fred Griffin! We drove by it tonight and it's a stunner! Love the pool! This one was apparently built in 1953 as Mr Griffin's residence as well. It is located at 2201 Encanto Drive NE, Phoenix. Pictures from the real estate listing and tonight's drive-by are seen below.

So far, this is what I deduce: lot placement of the home is imperative to Griffin. All of the homes I have identified have somewhat unusual placement of the home on the lot to maximize yard space. That is one element of our home that I **love**. We are built on the far north side of our lot and our home runs from the front of the lot (far east) all the way to the back of the lot (far west). So our yard is really maximized and the entire home has glass windows that look into the green yard.
The home pictured above and our home both have unusual decorative elements on the entry door and sidelights on one side. He builds his homes long & skinny :)
Geometric and linear elements are integrated into the design, whether in the wood construction or the block construction. The Encanto home was built in 1953, our home was in 1959. I am surprised to see the nice glass sidelights above, as our home has white plexi. It is quite possible, however, that a homeowner along the way upgraded those windows.
I have a few other .PDFs I will try and get converted and onto the blog soon...

Oh my gosh, I was so sore today. And it was a somber day because Little Bird died last night. Jeff buried him near Woody.

I absolutely could not bring myself to do anymore sanding, it will have to wait until next weekend. I did however, finish the door. We are screwed if we ever get good lighting in our house because the sliders don't match. When I was at HD yesterday looking at stain for the glue lams, I realized I was supposed to be using Red Mahogany with the Dark Walnut on the sliders. Don't know why I thought it was cherry? So I used Red Mahogany/Dark Walnut on the door I finished today. So...the complete bedroom door still needs to be done, frame and door. But...it will have to wait until Fall now, it's too hot already to have the house open for two days.

Badger has really just made himself at home here....By the way, the "red eye reduction" buttom does not work on cats, it just make them close their eyes....

Ocho

Little Bird died last night. :(

Working on the the sliders again this weekend. Decided to also take on the glue lam beams that are in serious need of resealing - they are splitting... Noticed a little pine-needle bird's nest at the east side of our patio this morning, mentioned it to Jeff. Was walking around a ladder on the west side of said patio and screamed as I stepped on a baby bird. (Birds terrify me, they used to dive-bomb me at college all the time - it was a conspiracy amongst them).

So, Jeff picked up the baby bird and nest and carried it down to Mike, our neighbor who rehabs and saves all the birds we find in our yard. He told Jeff he's not doing rehab anymore, gave Jeff a cage and a cup of Science Diet with instructions "Soak the kibble in water and feed it with an eye dropper". HUH? Crap. So, now we have a baby pigeon to take care of.... It actually loves me and chirps at the sound of my voice. We tried to feed it then set it in the yard and waited...hoping a responsible parent would show up. No such luck. But I called "Little bird, little bird" and it walked across the yard to me. :)

Anyways, I sanded my booty off today, even with 50grit - it took hours. I am going to be SO SORE for the next 2 days and I've got sawdust snot.