New life in Mishref

I'm loving my new apartment.  We finally got curtains up this weekend and a few pictures on the wall (thanks to Bunny and his power tools).  Its coming together and feeling like a real home.

I finally got Desert Dawg (Lilli Putian, my 18 year old Maltese-poodle mix) home this weekend also. She took a while longer because I was travelling and she is more work than Mikey and I didn't want Dorothy to have to clean up after my 2 dogs. Lilli  really is a shell of her former existence. She's so frail and after a doggy stroke, paces around in circles with her head tilted to one side.  My friend who she was staying with, Hair Girl, very kindly bought her a soft-sided playpen (which she must have had to scour the country for) so Lilli  wouldn't bump her head on the wall.  

When DD is out of her pen, I have to keep a close watch on her because she will get stuck on/under/in just about anything even the slightest bit potentially dangerous (like TV cables or under a dresser).  Then, she lets out this horrible wail like a banshee coming for your soul late at night.  It's awful.  I don't think she can bark anymore and this sound comes from someplace other-worldly.  She gets frightened, pees on herself, and starts crying.  Having an aging dog is not for the faint of heart.

Anyways, when we got her home, Mikey walked over and kissed her face.  Louie, Dorothy's cat, put his little paw on DD's face to welcome  her in.  They were both very gentle with her.  

Yesterday morning, something amazing happened.  Lilli has suffered from eye issues for her whole life.  If, 18 years ago, there had been a specialized vet for eyes in Kuwait, it was a problem that could have been corrected through an operation.  Her problem was diagnosed a few years ago, but she is too old to be sedated.  So, I put antibiotic drops in her eyes whenever the problem gets really bad.  Mikey has also had an eye infection when he was a puppy, also treated with drops.

Mikey was running around the apartment.  Lilli had disappeared somewhere.  The drops were on the kitchen counter and turned around to do something.  I went to see if Lilli had food and water and there, in between the bowls, standing upright, were the eye drops.  I believe that Mikey knew that Lilli needed them.  He's a smart, compassionate guy.

Mishref is so quiet and the people are so decent and friendly.  People smile and say "good morning" and admire the dog instead of looking like they are hoping to bash his head in.   Mashallah.  I really love the area and I'm so glad that things have turned out like this - even if it was a bad start and things were thrown together so quickly when I found it.