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Friday, December 4, 2020

Very Sad Doggie News, Working On The First Window

Well, we have an answer to our sweet little Finnegan's Eating Problem, and it's not good.  

We had x-rays and more bloodwork done.  It seems our little guy has a huge massive tumor in his stomach, and it's probably on the spleen too.  There isn't much room for food anymore. Not a good prospect for surgery. The prognosis is grim. He is only seven years old. It breaks our hearts. 


He is still active, seems normal and has full bodily functions, but he is sleeping more and more. 

We will do what we can to keep him comfortable, and our final act of love will be done at home with a visiting vet. 

The way he runs and and plays with Binney, you would never know.  He can be spurred into active fun, but then he goes to rest afterwards. This was filmed tonight:


That is all I can say 

without bursting into tears

 as I type.

~~~~~~~~

On to other things---

We had a delightful week of time with the grandkids who isolated and tested negative to spend time with us.  I will do a post about that later.... 

~~~~~~~~~

Well, seven of our eight special order replacement windows came in.  The shipping company or the store lost one somewhere along the way. It was one of the two dining room windows.  If they can't find it, they will have to reorder it.  That means another 6-8 weeks.  

We were up at 5:30 a.m. on a frosty cold morning...  and went up to the Marinette Menards at 6 a.m. to pick them up at the special order door before any other people were around. We got 5 on the trailer and 2 in the back of the Saturn.  Then we came home by 7 a.m. and popped back into bed for a while.  Brrrrrrr~! 

We decided the master bathroom window was the first candidate to get replacement.  With all of the air leaks, the moisture builds up between the main window single pane glass and the makeshift aluminum storm window.  When the temps get below 32, this window is all frosted up for the rest of the winter.



The previous owners, sometime over the years, just took cheap aluminum storm windows and fit them over the wooden frame of the old broken storm windows and screwed them right into the house with long 3 inch screws!  So they really weren't a proper storm window on this 100+ year old house. 



The regular inside windows were not in much better shape. In some spots, the glazing was totally missing and you could see the air gap right under the glass!  (by my finger) ACK!   



Steve decided after a few cups of coffee, we should gather up the tools and start on the first window today. Most of the work is done from the inside while the storm is still in place. We can always shut the doors to bathroom and keep the cold air in there once the storm is removed. 



He was able to pry through the many layers of paint on the heads of the old screws that hold the the windows stops in place.  Then he cut through the paint around all of the edges too.  Miraculously, all three pieces of the wooden stops came free without cracking them! Yayyyy that means we can reuse them for the new windows!  Imagine that, the bare wood in this pic has not seen the light of day in 100+ years....



Here are the nice new thermopane windows with UV coating, Low E glass with argon gas and nice latches and they tilt inwards for cleaning.  We had custom ordered them all back in October, and it will be so nice to have them in soon.  We got a few quotes from window installers and decided we would save the money and do them ourselves. 



Of course, the dogs had to be in the middle of everything to see what was going on.  They think they are "helping" and try to find out what each tool does and if it included belly rubs. 


Once he got the inside windows removed, now he needed to get that big makeshift storm thing off the outside.  He got five of the six huge screws out of the wood, but don't ya know, one was stripped and he had to use a pliers to hand turn it out.  All done while balancing on the ladder outside.  Plus, once he came back in, only to find there had been a thick bead of caulk put in all around the frame that he had to cut away in the process. 

For this task, he used his little oscillating tool and a flat blade.  He was able to cut out the caulking and not damage the wood too much. I will touch it up in the spring with fresh paint on the outside. 



When he uses this power tool, the goofy dogs go nuts!  Mainly Binney, but she gets Finnegan all wound up in the process.  So I had to secure them down in the She Shed where they could stay out of mischief and wait until Steve is done. 



While Steve was busy making a mess, I stand by with the tools and wiping rags, and best of all, the shop vac.  I would rather do 5 or 10 little clean-ups as the job progresses, than a big mess at the end.  Then the paint chips and wood shavings are not tracked through the house as he goes in and out to do things on the outside. 

Workspace was at a premium, so I plopped the shop vac in my claw foot tub! (on a towel for padding) so I could just plug it in and take care of the messes as needed.



He finally pried and pounded and got the crazy outside wooden storm frame off the window casing.  Whew!   We will do the touchup work in the spring, but at least he got it out and cleared away.  



The new replacement window fit into place very well.  Steve shimmed it up to be level, plumb and square.  The difference was amazing, and no more frost! 



He made sure it was securely in place, and then went outside to add a layer of silicone to the edge to prevent any future water intrusion.  



From the inside, he filled all the gaps with a non-expanding foam sealant, and then added the original wooden window stops back into place.  There is a slight difference in thicknesses of the old window to the new one. so I will touch up the paint on the trim later. 


NO MORE DRAFTS
NO MORE MOISTURE
NO MORE UGLY STORM WINDOW

I hung some of my Heritage Lace curtains back up for now, but I am thinking I would like to get some nice white wooden plantation shutters in the future.  I looked them up and they are quite pricey, (over $100 a set)  so for now this will be fine.  I might find some at the REstore or on Facebook Marketplace. 


It sure made a difference

and looks much lighter and brighter. 

Tomorrow... the Master Bedroom window, that is the next in order of severity which is needing replacement. It will make a huge difference in our heating and air conditioning costs as well.  


As for tonight, I am going to go and hug my dogs...


35 comments:

  1. I am so sad to hear about Finnegan. We love our fur kids so deeply and when it is time to say goodbye it is heartbreaking. His life was filled with love and you will do the right thing because you love him. My heart aches for you.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! We will do what we can to get through this and make it easiest as possible for him

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  2. So sorry that Finnegan has this issue. But your right he looks so healthy and full of play. It will be a hard choice but I know you will do what is best when the time comes.

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    1. He is playing so good today. He seems more alert and peppy than ever. He even ate a lot more food than he has before. Including shredded rotisserie chicken!

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  3. So, so sorry to hear about your little Finnegan. My prayers are with you. Hope he has some quality time left to spend being loved on.

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  4. Hard news about Finnegan. I'm so sorry to hear it. They steal our hearts away but are never in our lives long enough. Hugs!

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  5. Please enjoy the quality time you can with Finnegan. A dear friend had the same problem and it was inoperable.
    Nice job on the window replacements. Hope they find number Eight soon.

    It's about time.

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    1. Yes, they sent the x-rays on to get looked at. They said her next step could be an ultrasound but they don't hold out a lot of Hope for it being operable. Plus the pain and Agony of putting him through that. Not sure I want to do that. Dogs can never tell you when they're really hurting. I think we will make him as comfortable as we can.

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    2. Oh, PS! They found our 8th window! It got shipped up to a store in Marquette Michigan. They are sending a separate truck up there tomorrow to get it and bring it back down to Marinette so we can get it by Tuesday. They apologized over and over. I suppose if the labels looked close they are handwritten big custom labels from the factory one said Marinette and one said Marquette I guess? And both of them got put together on the Marquette truck.

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  6. I'm so sorry that Finnegan's eating problems aren't just him being a picky eater. Love him up for as long as you can and when it is time, he will tell you. It's never easy and I feel for you.

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    1. I am glad that he is eating a little more and more each day. Maybe he will keep up some energy for a while. Today he ate quite a bit of his Beneful beef stew, a piece of pizza crust, and just now a handful of shredded rotisserie chicken!

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  7. That is heart breaking news about Finnegan . So sorry for all of you .I wish that there were words that could help you through this.

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    1. Thank you for your kindness. We will get through this, step by step. I appreciate all of you wonderful readers taking the time to comment on our situation.

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  8. Sorry to hear about Finnegan. He looks like he still loves life with you.

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    1. We will do all we can to keep him in a loving happy environment until he becomes too uncomfortable. Then it's that last Act of love that only a good devoted owner can do for their pet to spare them any more pain.

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  9. Oh, poor Finney! We're sorry to hear the sad news. On the bright side, he has had a wonderful home and I know you will do all you can for him.

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    1. Yes, it's so much better than being dumped off at animal shelter or a Humane Society when the vet bills get to be too large. It's sad when people do that. He will have a warm loving home in a good bed until the time comes. We will have the vet from right to the house to take care of things.

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  10. So sorry to hear the sad news about Finnegan, our heart goes out to you guys.

    The new window looks great. It will be really nice to get the rest of them in place but what a lot of work.

    Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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    1. Thank you so much. I know what you guys went through with Whiskey. It's hard.
      Yep, the window is looking good and I just finished painting the trim. Steve work today on the next one in the bedroom while I visited outside on the porch with the grandkids. I just finished painting the trim on that one too. Two down, six more to go. The next spring three other ones in the kitchen that we are not doing until then. They will necessitate a complete reworking of the frame and not be as easy as these.

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  11. I am so sorry to hear this news. Your other dog is really going to miss him too. Sad days ahead.

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    1. Yes, we are planning to start giving Binney extra support and taking her out separately on walks, separate from him so she can get used to being an only dog. She relies on him so much. She was a real emotionally damaged basket-case dog from a horrible hoarding situation when we got her, and actually her own litter sister is Finnegan's mom. All of those poor dogs came from such a bad beginning. Their health and their breeding was very poor to begin with, and we need to expect that sometimes these problems are going to come up with such irresponsible breeding. But we will give them all the love and care that we can, and we know Binney already has a damaged heart from being heartworm positive and on severe medications for over a year. At times she pants hard and I I'm sure she has difficulties breathing at times too.

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  12. So sorry to hear about Finney. I know you will enjoy all the time you have left and he will be in a very good place with the two of you in the days to coome.

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    1. We are cuddling him up extra super duper special and giving him the best comfy spots. He has been napping on our bed and cuddled on the warmest blankets. But then he jumps up and runs around like a crazy dog having fun with Binney, so I am thankful that he is still having the energy to enjoy himself and still be a dog.

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  13. So sorry to hear about Finnegan. You will know when it is time, becuse in his own way he will let you know. Until then, love him and do what he needs to stay comfortable. I've been there too many times.

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    1. Yes, sadly we have too. We will do what we can and take care of things to the best of our ability. We have a spot ready in his "Big Backyard" for a final resting place.

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  14. I am so sorry to hear about Finney. I worry about how Binney will cope with his loss.

    Your new window is lovely! You guys and your projects wear me out, though. :)

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    1. Yes, we are going to have to move forward carefully and help her adjust. We are going to start taking separate walks with them and taking one and leaving the other one behind when we go for a short ride. They will learn to not rely on each other so much.
      Yes, the new window sure is nice! We got a second one in today in the bedroom. Six more to go!

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  15. I can’t find the right words.... Not a day goes by that I don’t miss Maggie. I still walk around where her bed used to be in the hallway.
    Although it has been over a year and a half my heart still aches. Dogs should out live their humans.

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  16. I'm so sorry to hear of Finney's diagnosis. I went through a similar situation with my Silas (cat), the vet and I agreed it was best to take him home and love him until the time came. I've never regretted the decision and I know you won't either. Finney will let you know and in the meantime, he'll continue to have fun with Binney and enjoy your love and care.

    Take care, stay well!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, he seems to be chipper and peppy and eating well today. We will do what we can

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  17. Like everyone else, I am so sorry about Finnegan. Time will be bittersweet now.

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