Blog Archives

Slip sliding away…

 

     What’s worse than having several inches of snow dumped on you?  How about having freezing rain on top of it.  Ah, yes freezing rain, this means a coating of ice over everything.  The yard is a skating rink that neither the dogs nor DH and I appreciate. 

     Early yesterday morning, when DH took the dogs out as usual, he made the trip with Gavin safely but the trip outside with Patty was a real trip (or was that slip?) and fall.  Patty, unencumbered by her daddy on the end of her leash managed to beat him inside.  He, due to the ice coating everything, couldn’t get to his feet and had to crawl indoors.

     He says that Patty thought that was great fun to watch and as he dragged himself in the door she thought it great fun to bounce around him and plaster his face with kisses.  I don’t think he was amused but knowing Patty, she certainly was.

     DH is a tad stiff and sore from his slip but none the worse for wear.   He’s glad I wasn’t awake and nearby with a camera to catch the action.   😉

What are your comfort foods?

 

     Everyone has their favorite comfort foods and when it’s cold outside we crave them.  Who doesn’t like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup?  Then there the hearty meals DH loves like a pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and lots of gravy.  I go for old family favorites like scalloped potatoes and ham or a nourishing home made soup.

     We both love breakfasts for dinner like sausage and pancakes or French toast.  We don’t eat them often but often enough to make us happy.

     Even the pups have their own form of comfort foods.  They love having left over egg-foo-young gravy and rice on their kibble.  They know that when we have Chinese food delivered they will get some so they get all excited when it arrives.

     How about you, what are your comfort foods?

I hope you dance

 

     Too often, as we grow older we forget the joys and dreams of our youth.  I feel it’s time for me to recapture those feelings.  Anyone else want to join me?

     I’ve taken to dancing with the pups every afternoon.  Gavin and Patty love it.  It’s undivided attention from Mom.  I put on some favorite music and grab some dog cookies and we dance.  We dance for the fun of it.  We dance for the joy of it.  We dance because it makes DH smile.  We dance because we can.

     It’s not fancy dancing as you see on some of those dancing dog and people videos.  It is plain Jane foot tapping silly dancing.  Mostly we leap about and act like idiots but it is fun for all of us.  It is certainly a lot more fun than going out in the cold.

     As for dreams, well I’m still working on my books.  I won’t give up them.  I only need to have more hours in the days so I can finish them.

     Remember to keep the joys and dreams alive.  Maybe you too will dance.

Bingle jell pups

 

     A little after midnight I picked up the leash and the sleigh bell collar.  Gavin danced to the front door eager to be off.  Patty tried to push ahead of him but I told her she had to wait her turn as I put the collar and leash on him.

     After nine years of doing this, Gavin knows our route and he strutted down the street with bells a ringing.  He kept to a fast pace, no leisurely stroll for this dog he was all business.  An elderly couple got out of their car and wished us a Merry Christmas. 

     Once we returned to the house, it was Patty’s turn to take another direction.  She was as excited as Gavin had been to do her part.  We stopped and hid behind a car when I saw the door across the street open at the sound of the bells.  I could hear an adult telling the kids inside they’d better hurry to bed because that had to be Santa out there.  Squeals of delight followed and then the door closed.  Patty and I stepped out from behind the car and continued our jingle bell walk.

     Once back in the house, the two dogs leapt about begging for the cookies that they’d earned giving their very special Christmas present to the neighborhood.

Dogs and the theory of levitation

 

     Gavin and Patty will always try to mooch food.  DH was munching some cinnamon toast this morning and both dogs stood in front of him.  All the while he ate they never took their eyes off him.  Their concentration was so intense I swear they were trying to levitate the toast from the plate to their mouths.

     “Abracadabra!”  Said Gavin.  “To me, to me, come to me.”

     “No, no!  Alakazam, it’s mine.”  Patty moved in tighter.

     Each time DH lifted his toast to take a bite both tails would wag, more drool would drip, and four dark eyes never wavered.  If from my desk I called their names, I received no response.  The toast, oh, the marvelous toast, all slathered in butter and covered in cinnamon sugar drew their attention to the exclusion of all else.

     DH saved them each a small piece and they gulped them down with joy.  Let’s not tell them that they don’t know the theory of levitation. 

A quick recovery

 

     Gavin is feeling terrific today.  He’s been driving Patty and us crazy.  He’s even begged for and eaten cookies all day.  I think we can stop his pain pills now. 

     Last night he was back to his old self, screaming for his dinner.  He was HUNGRY!  His remaining teeth are nice and clean and he’s even been chewing on his favorite Nylabone.  Dogs are lucky in this way. 

     Last time I had a tooth pulled I didn’t bounce back fast.  I sipped liquids for over two weeks and pain pills were my best friends.

     Did I chew on anything harder than bread for at least two weeks?  No way in hell.

Almost toothless Chicken Dog

 

     No, I’m kidding.  Although Gavin did have three teeth removed, he is far from toothless.  Our vet was surprised since he only expected to remove one.  He removed the one we knew was bad and another next to it.  Then while he was cleaning the rest, he discovered a bad cavity on the other side and removed that tooth too.

     First thing Patty wanted to do was jump all over him.  It’s a good thing he was in his crate before we let her see he was home.  She drove him crazy for a while bowing and barking at him through the crate door.  However, he soon began to snore content to be home and in his own little den.

     Tonight I’ve been alternating between cuddling a still whiny dog (the sissy), taking him out, and putting him in his crate to continue to sleep off the anesthesia.  .

     Since I rarely go to bed before four in the morning, I stayed up to take him over at eight.  We made it in the door and easily weighed him.  Then the tech came out with the hospital lead to take him to the back.  I offered to do it but she said she could handle it and I could leave.  I know my Chicken Dog, so I chuckled as I walked outside.  I didn’t leave instead I stood where he couldn’t see me and peered in the window.

     A couple of minutes passed and I didn’t see the tech hauling him across the slippery floor.  Next thing I know another tech came to the door and asked me to come back in.  There was Chicken Dog Gavin backed under a chair and not coming out, no sirree not him, not for anyone.  He’d managed to back under the entire row of chairs like a rocket in reverse.  The techs were giggling about that. 

     As soon as my hand touched the lead, he obediently followed to the back room and the waiting cage.  I had him in the cage and locked down in mere seconds.  Oh, yeah that one is a Momma’s boy for sure.

The death of a theater?

 

     I finally had a chance to see the new Harry Potter movie.  The time went quickly G and I quite enjoyed it and can’t wait for the final one.

     Our favorite theater will likely close one of these days.  We practically had the place to ourselves.  We were two of six people at the show.  The attendance is bad enough that they canceled the early matinee, which we had arrived to see, and we had to go kill some time before the next show.

     That also meant we didn’t get home until after seven tonight so DH had a late dinner.  However, he did feed the dogs so Gavin got a meal before his seven p.m. no-food-after instructions for his tooth extraction kicked in.  The poor boy will shrivel up and die without his breakfast in the morning.  I wouldn’t want to be the techs at the vet’s when he wakes up hungry.  He will let them know all about it.

Meanwhile, back at the vet’s office…

 

     Chicken Dog willingly hopped into the car to go for a ride.  Getting him out when we got to the vet’s office was not as easy.  I went in to tell them Gavin was there. 

     “We’re ready for him, come to the side door.”

     I went back to the car to get him.

     Paws braced against the crate bars and head down Gavin as good as said, “Nope, not gonna come out of the crate.  I know where we are.” 

     “Come on let’s go.”  A few tugs on the leash and he relented.

     He had to stop and pee on a bush.  As soon as his nose passed the doorway, he tried to back up.  “Oh, no you don’t.”  I kept him moving.  Once we got into the exam room, he began to tremble and look for an exit.

     I decided to make a dash for the car and get the back massager.  Back in the exam room with Chicken Dog, I plugged the machine in and began to run it up and down his back.  He didn’t melt as usually does but he did stop shaking.

     Dr. O came in laughed and said, “I wondered what that noise was coming from this room.”

     “Back massager.  I was hoping to relax him enough for you to get a good look at his tooth.  DH can’t run this on his own back without giving Gavin some time under it.”

     I’m here to tell you that even though Gavin was not in melt mode, he did allow Dr. O to check his tooth and take a blood sample without a fuss.  Tuesday it’s back to the vet’s office at eight in the morning for a tooth extraction and he’s having the rest cleaned.

Recaps and updates

 

     DH’s mother isn’t doing well.  Most days she doesn’t recognize him.  The stress has caused some problems with his MS.  The other day when he woke he had trouble getting out of bed and walking.  The same thing happened today.

     DH has new neurologist and she’s sending him to a rehab center for aqua-therapy.  I think he might benefit greatly from it.

     Since I’m writing this at two a.m. Gavin hasn’t been to the vet yet.  He goes at three in the afternoon.  I’ll probably post about his visit there tomorrow.

     All that heavy rain and strong winds not only caused me problems with my server but our roof leak came back.  It only leaks when it rains and the winds are over 25 mph.  The wind hit gusts of over 45 mph.  The leak was very small this time, thank goodness.  Our roofer has tried to stop the leak for years.  His offices are two doors down from us and since he did the main repair work years ago, he’s been trying to stop the leak free of charge for years.

Another vet visit with Chicken Dog

 

     Gavin has a vet appointment on Thursday.  Oh, fun.  I get to take chicken dog in to the place he likes the least.  This time I have a plan on how to keep him relaxed.  I’m going to take the back massager along. 

     It will crack the staff up to see Gavin melt.  He’s normally so tense at the office that he loses enough hair to knit another dog.  He’ll still lose hair but he might not be his normal basket case self.

     He’s not going to be thrilled because I’m pretty sure they will keep him over night, remove a tooth, and clean the rest.  He hates sleepovers.  He’ll be even less happy when I tell them that while he’s out for the tooth I want them to trim back his claws. 

     Maybe I should leave the back massager with him…

Our dogs sleep in weird positions

 

     A loud thumping came from Gavin’s crate.  I wondered what he was doing so I peeked.  All I saw was a white butt and four white feet in the air.  Can you say relaxed?  He loves to sleep upside down in his crate.  He’s done it since he was a puppy.  I’d try to snap a picture but that never works.  As soon as I get close to the crate, he springs to life and his feet.

     In the meantime, Patty had sacked out on the couch with her head buried under a pillow.  I have no idea how she can breathe like that but she often sleeps that way.  Then there’s her butt on the pillow position, which cracks me up.  Look on the Bullpen page and you’ll find a picture.

     Our old female, Sadie used to sleep next to DH on his chair.  She’d sleep so soundly that when DH went to bed and shifted her onto the entire seat cushion she never noticed.

     Our old male, Malcolm was another one who regularly slept on his back with all four feet in the air.  They look like bloated road kill when they do that in the middle of the floor.