What an end to the summer! Friday was a wonderful last day and went smoothly. After the kids left, we had one final staff meeting, a few last minute projects we needed lots of hands to complete and then everyone headed to the staff locker room to finish packing and check out with me. There were lots of hugs and a few tears, but check out was pretty quick and everyone except PDS and APDA were gone by 4:30. They were both scheduled to leave the next day which was great because it allowed us to go out to dinner one last time. We went to the golf course and had a nice dinner and then returned to camp to pack and hang out.
When we returned, we found that there was no water in my house, their house or the health center. Those three buildings are on the same well and so it made sense that if one didn’t work, none of them would, but it didn’t make sense why they weren’t working.
I flipped the breaker and tried the few tricks I know. I called my dad who was in the city for a doctor’s appointment and he didn’t have any ideas. So the three of us went to the art barn and made some end of the year crafts and I waited for my brother and H to arrive (they were visiting for the weekend). When they arrived, he tried a few things, but ultimately, none of us could figure it out. We filled some jugs of water to brush our teeth and went to bed.
PDS and APDA left Saturday morning and I was very sad to see them leave. I have enjoyed working with them and I consider them not just employees, but friends too. My mom, aunt and grandma arrived at the same time the plumber I’d called arrived. My family has been planning a week of camp fun nearly the whole summer and I was really excited to see them, but I wasn’t excited that we didn’t have water in any of the buildings they would be staying in.
The plumber did everything he could but eventually figured out that it wasn’t a problem with the water, but something electrical, meaning that I needed an electrician.
I was discouraged by that news, tired, and the end of the summer blues was starting to hit. I headed up to the dining hall to eat some lunch. My mom and aunt had taken the other golf cart to fill water buckets because they were planting. I arrived just in time to watch the parked golf cart roll backwards down the hill and crash into the giant propane tank. At that point, I was ready to burst into tears and I didn’t have a reaction left in me. I calmly walked into the kitchen, made myself a sandwich, ate lunch and by the time I was done, my brother had dislodged the cart (which had a few scratches but was fine). A few scratches on the propane tank, but that was fine too. I went to take a nap and pretend that camp wasn’t falling to pieces in front of me.
I couldn’t sleep, but the rest must have helped because by dinner time, I was feeling much better. I was really happy my family was at camp and I appreciated all of the work they were doing. We had a FABULOUS steak dinner and I was really enjoying myself. Right before dinner, Griffin vomited his entire dinner, but he had eaten pretty fast, so I wasn’t too concerned. He had vomited earlier in the week, and so I was keeping a close eye on him, but his appetite was still good, he was going to the bathroom normally and he was running and playing without hesitation. On Saturday night, we played cards, ate nachos and had some drinks and it was SO fun and a great way to relax right after the summer.
Sunday morning I woke up to Griffin vomiting. I was getting more nervous about him, but he begged for breakfast and after he ate, he was ready to play again, so I tried not to worry. My brother and H left, my mom and aunt were keeping themselves busy with projects and I was even able to get some things done.
Monday morning, once again, Griffin woke me up by vomiting and at that point, I was worried. I called the vet who told me to bring him in. I was planning on staying at camp until Friday to finish up some projects and relax, but clearly he was sick. I was so tense with anxiety, I was ready to snap, but he didn’t have any other symptoms- he didn’t seem to be in pain, he was going to the bathroom and eating normally. I worked hard to get as much done as I could and pack all of my stuff. I planned to see how he was doing on Tuesday and decide what to do then.
At that point, we still didn’t have water because despite the struggling economy, apparently electricians are a busy group. We couldn’t get anyone to come out until Tuesday! I felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie because we had to fill buckets to keep in the bathroom to flush the toilets, bring the dirty dishes up the hill to the dining hall, walk across camp to the staff locker room to take a shower… Okay, yes, it could have been much worse (the whole camp could have lost water!), but it made everything just slightly more difficult and overall stressful.
Tuesday- like a new (disgusting) alarm clock, 7:07 for the third day in a row- vomit. I instantly felt like the worst mother in the world because it had been going on for several days and I couldn’t ignore it any more. I loaded my car, said goodbye to my dad and called the vet as I drove home. I didn’t have time to feel emotional or nostalgic or reflect on the summer. I didn’t have any emotions at all- just stress and worry over my sick dog.
We arrived home, I threw everything out of my car into my living room (including Olivia) and Griffin and I were at the vet by 12:30. A quick x-ray of his abdomen showed a stomach full of something foreign and within minutes I was signing a consent form, cuddling my sick baby as I said goodbye and then he was rushed off to surgery.
Apparently he’s been eating pieces of plastic ball when I wasn’t looking. I feel like the most neglectful dog owner because I should have noticed that, but he isn’t a chewer! He doesn’t eat or destroy things, so I never worried about it. When I picked him up the next day, the vet had a gallon size ziplock bag FULL of plastic. Luckily it hadn’t made its way to his intestines, so it wasn’t a full blockage, but it was still a major surgery!
Anyway, now I’m at home and re-adjusting to life in the city. My internet isn’t hooked up yet and aside from my dog, that’s been the biggest source of stress in my life. I feel like I haven’t had a minute to think or feel or process, so at some point, it will probably hit me that summer is over, but right now, I’m busy giving 4 different medications (each has a different schedule of doses) and caring for my baby as he recovers…
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