Greta: The ultrasound confirmed our worst fears, that Greta had a tumor. She has a mass at the neck of her bladder. The worst possible place. There are no real options. One of her groin lymph nodes is swollen which means that it has likely spread beyond the bladder. I'm going to try a therapeutic treatment for 2 weeks that has shown some success. If her quality of life does not improve (meaning more energy and movement) then we'll have her euthanized. I hope that if and when I get some sort of debilitating, untreatable condition that I might have that choice. (This is not an invitation to debate the subject, but merely an expressed wish).
The internet is a wonderful thing, for I was able to read about the options prior to talking to my vet. It made the conversation more productive, as I felt that I could ask specific questions and draw conclusions. What I've learned, took, is that the incidence of bladder cancer in dogs has increased. It is attributed to herbicides and insecticide usage. And....Scottish Terriers have a many-fold rate higher than other breeds. Likely because their lawns are manicured. But it's worth noting if you have animals and you use the likes of Chemtreat or an EPA-banned substance to give you a beautiful green lawn or to rid your lawn of pests.
Dryer. Our dryer stopped working. Well, though I'm religious in cleaning the filter every darn time, there was a huge blockage--both in the vent external to the machine as well as the machine itself. Please make a note to yourself to check your dryer's external vent and ensure that it is clean. Such a blockage, particularly on older machines that do not have an automatic shut off (as my machine did), can cause a fire.
Asia Market: Will watch carefully to see the response. There is higher trade deficit news, weaker dollar, higher oil, concerns about sub-prime and the consumer (to include the warnings by HD and SHLD). No real good news, frankly. Those Asian Markets pay close attention to those issues. I believe that if the Asia markets take our market performance in stride, then we may have a chance to bounce. Otherwise, we may just be catching our breath on the way down further.
May your portfolio and your sanity weather whatever the market brings.
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