Latest tip for housetraining:
Brainwashing. "It's FUN to not poop in the house."
He and Taylor talked about posting signs around the house to this effect. In bark language, of course.
Showing posts with label Bear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bear. Show all posts
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Yoga+Jazz=WipeOut
But it's a good wipe out.
I've been doing okay in Jazzercise lately...able to hold my own for the most part. But there are a lot of classes where I'm just fatigued and sore during class and don't have the flexibility I'd like.
So I decided to try doing a yin yoga practice before Jazz by way of a warm-up. Yin yoga is a style that calls for holding poses for 5 minutes or so (or working up to that if you need to), and relaxing every muscle that you don't need to hold the pose. It's pretty darn hard. You have to take an inventory of your body during the pose and figure out if you need each muscle. If not, then you make it relax. The good part of all of that is that having the muscles relaxed allows the fascia to stretch. And when you get those deeper tissues stretching you get a very nice, fluid feeling in your body. I just started doing some yin yoga this weekend I like it very much. I've been doing a sequence I found in The Yoga Journal. Here is the link: Sweet Surrender.
So anyway, I did the practice Sunday by itself and then decided to try it last night before Jazz. It was a great experience! With the exception of a little muscle over my right hip, I felt great through the entire class. But man was I tired when I got home! And sore. I took a couple of Tylenol before bed last night to ease the sore muscles and slept like a baby. I'm going to see if I can get Mensa Boy to do some of those poses too. I think he'd find it would help his running a bit.
So it's raining today. Bear was not interested in going outside, so we did the backyard thing rather than trudging around the block in the rain. The garden looks joyful this morning as it soaks up the water.
I've been doing okay in Jazzercise lately...able to hold my own for the most part. But there are a lot of classes where I'm just fatigued and sore during class and don't have the flexibility I'd like.
So I decided to try doing a yin yoga practice before Jazz by way of a warm-up. Yin yoga is a style that calls for holding poses for 5 minutes or so (or working up to that if you need to), and relaxing every muscle that you don't need to hold the pose. It's pretty darn hard. You have to take an inventory of your body during the pose and figure out if you need each muscle. If not, then you make it relax. The good part of all of that is that having the muscles relaxed allows the fascia to stretch. And when you get those deeper tissues stretching you get a very nice, fluid feeling in your body. I just started doing some yin yoga this weekend I like it very much. I've been doing a sequence I found in The Yoga Journal. Here is the link: Sweet Surrender.
So anyway, I did the practice Sunday by itself and then decided to try it last night before Jazz. It was a great experience! With the exception of a little muscle over my right hip, I felt great through the entire class. But man was I tired when I got home! And sore. I took a couple of Tylenol before bed last night to ease the sore muscles and slept like a baby. I'm going to see if I can get Mensa Boy to do some of those poses too. I think he'd find it would help his running a bit.
So it's raining today. Bear was not interested in going outside, so we did the backyard thing rather than trudging around the block in the rain. The garden looks joyful this morning as it soaks up the water.
Monday, April 20, 2009
What will I find in the garden?
This morning I woke to a pounding rain. When that happens, the first thing I think about is whether I can get Bear outside long enough to do his business. Because if I can, then I can leave him all day without having to come walk him at lunch. I was successful this morning, so now I can get off at 3:30 instead of 4.
But the other thing I wondered, and am still wondering about, is what has happened to my new little plants that I put out last night. I planted my herb pots. They will probably be okay. But I had plants that were too large of the pot so I split many of them and put part in the flower bed. Some of them were fairly fragile when I put them out there. Will they be okay? Or are they broken and flattened by the downpour? I won't know until after school today.
My mail order plants have not arrived yet, either. If they show up today I'll be in good shape. I can plant them tonight after Jazzercise. But tomorrow night is the Friends of the Library meeting at 6 and I don't know how long that will go on.
Gardening is stressful! It's a little like parenting!
But the other thing I wondered, and am still wondering about, is what has happened to my new little plants that I put out last night. I planted my herb pots. They will probably be okay. But I had plants that were too large of the pot so I split many of them and put part in the flower bed. Some of them were fairly fragile when I put them out there. Will they be okay? Or are they broken and flattened by the downpour? I won't know until after school today.
My mail order plants have not arrived yet, either. If they show up today I'll be in good shape. I can plant them tonight after Jazzercise. But tomorrow night is the Friends of the Library meeting at 6 and I don't know how long that will go on.
Gardening is stressful! It's a little like parenting!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Life's Not a Beach for Bear
We are back from the beach and I think Bear is glad. He didn't think much of it. After considering his behavior I concluded that he doesn't like it because there is no grass. Bear is a typical walker, stopping at many posts, mailboxes, trees and clumps of grass to leave a liquid note that he was there. But there are no such things on a long stretch of sand. And so he ranged back and forth in front of us, at the end of his rope, occasionally stopping to see if we would pick him up.
He didn't think much of the water, barely sniffing it as it wafted toward our feet. The beach was pretty clean of debris too, so no dead jellyfish to check out, not even any interesting garbage. As we headed back to the walkway that took us to the street, he perked up and almost sighed when we relief when he saw a clump of grass ahead.
It was a short, restful visit. It rained off and on and was fairly cool, so we really didn't spend any time by the water. We roamed around Barefoot Landing and had supper at The House of Blues. We read books and Taylor played video games on his Gameboy and watched videos of Corner Gas on the little DVD player. Monday we had our Easter dinner...ham, deviled eggs and salad. Fresh strawberries for dessert.
And so here we are at home. A mountain of laundry to do and the flower garden to gently clean out. I'll do some yoga and Jazzercise this week and some reading. I like Spring Break.
He didn't think much of the water, barely sniffing it as it wafted toward our feet. The beach was pretty clean of debris too, so no dead jellyfish to check out, not even any interesting garbage. As we headed back to the walkway that took us to the street, he perked up and almost sighed when we relief when he saw a clump of grass ahead.
It was a short, restful visit. It rained off and on and was fairly cool, so we really didn't spend any time by the water. We roamed around Barefoot Landing and had supper at The House of Blues. We read books and Taylor played video games on his Gameboy and watched videos of Corner Gas on the little DVD player. Monday we had our Easter dinner...ham, deviled eggs and salad. Fresh strawberries for dessert.
And so here we are at home. A mountain of laundry to do and the flower garden to gently clean out. I'll do some yoga and Jazzercise this week and some reading. I like Spring Break.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Bear is Moping
We finally have fixed his bark collar so that it is about 90% effective. We thought we'd fixed it before, but his barking has gotten worse with the nicer weather. Finally last night I told the guys that we needed to adjust things again. He was on my lap and went into a barking fit. I held him and pressed on the collar and he really yelped mid-bark.
"He needs to have some hair on his neck cut," I told them. "Someone that doesn't love him as much as me needs to do it. Maybe Dad."
I'm always teasing Mensa Boy about how he doesn't kiss the dog like the rest of us do.
Today I got a text while in yoga. "The bark collar is finally working!" Taylor said.
"Yay! what did you do?" I asked.
"Tightened it two notches and Dad shaved his chin like you said," he replied.
He's been pretty quiet now. A minute ago he ran to the door barking quietly when the ice cream truck came, but then cut himself off with a shriek.
Poor him. But good for us!
"He needs to have some hair on his neck cut," I told them. "Someone that doesn't love him as much as me needs to do it. Maybe Dad."
I'm always teasing Mensa Boy about how he doesn't kiss the dog like the rest of us do.
Today I got a text while in yoga. "The bark collar is finally working!" Taylor said.
"Yay! what did you do?" I asked.
"Tightened it two notches and Dad shaved his chin like you said," he replied.
He's been pretty quiet now. A minute ago he ran to the door barking quietly when the ice cream truck came, but then cut himself off with a shriek.
Poor him. But good for us!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Cleaning for the Cleaning Lady
I've never understood it. "Must clean up. The cleaning lady comes tomorrow."
Now I have one, and I do the same thing.
No. I don't CLEAN clean. But we do tidy up. We only do that so we'll know where everything is after she's left!
Don't get me wrong. She and her daughter do a fantastic job. They have made our lives so much easier, even on the weeks when they don't come. We just do a little vacuuming and bathroom cleaning every other weekend and we're done! We leave the dusting and the detail stuff to them.
But? They move stuff. Not far, mind you. Just around. On the same table most of the time. But when you are used to having the earbuds in the same place on the dresser, it can be a little frustrating groping around for them in the dark! Consequently, we've taken to short of shifting things a bit before they come. Most the time everything is fine.
I think Bear, though, should consider organizing his toys before they come. He leaves them scattered all over and so our ladies scoop them up and toss them in the wood box next to the fireplace before they vacuum. The wood box is just a little bit too high for Bear, so he ends up hanging his head over the edge and whining until someone can get his toys out for him. I know how he feels. When I'm groping for my earbuds at 5 freakin' o'clock in the morning, I feel like whining too!
Now I have one, and I do the same thing.
No. I don't CLEAN clean. But we do tidy up. We only do that so we'll know where everything is after she's left!
Don't get me wrong. She and her daughter do a fantastic job. They have made our lives so much easier, even on the weeks when they don't come. We just do a little vacuuming and bathroom cleaning every other weekend and we're done! We leave the dusting and the detail stuff to them.
But? They move stuff. Not far, mind you. Just around. On the same table most of the time. But when you are used to having the earbuds in the same place on the dresser, it can be a little frustrating groping around for them in the dark! Consequently, we've taken to short of shifting things a bit before they come. Most the time everything is fine.
I think Bear, though, should consider organizing his toys before they come. He leaves them scattered all over and so our ladies scoop them up and toss them in the wood box next to the fireplace before they vacuum. The wood box is just a little bit too high for Bear, so he ends up hanging his head over the edge and whining until someone can get his toys out for him. I know how he feels. When I'm groping for my earbuds at 5 freakin' o'clock in the morning, I feel like whining too!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Writer Lis
Lis has been with Taylor and me as we've traveled to and from Minnesota. Here she is writing a letter in our hotel room the other night.
We arrived home last night around 7:30 or so and after about 90 minutes of unpacking and settling in, we chilled out (as well as you can when it's still in the 80s after dark) on the patio with some crunchy bread, rotisserie chicken and hoop cheese. A very pleasant wind-down to the journey.
Today will be church and then probably I'll have to look at this enormous stack of mail we have here, as well as assess the damage to our checkbooks. As I write this Bear is settling in too. He has a bone that was left in the garden, RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!, and is walking around with it trying to find a new hiding place. He's wearing a new harness I bought for him. It's a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness with the leash ring on the front of his chest. I'd like to use that when walking him to keep him from pulling so much.
That's it for now. Here's a photo of the dying butterfly we saw in the grass at a gas station in Illinois:
We arrived home last night around 7:30 or so and after about 90 minutes of unpacking and settling in, we chilled out (as well as you can when it's still in the 80s after dark) on the patio with some crunchy bread, rotisserie chicken and hoop cheese. A very pleasant wind-down to the journey.
Today will be church and then probably I'll have to look at this enormous stack of mail we have here, as well as assess the damage to our checkbooks. As I write this Bear is settling in too. He has a bone that was left in the garden, RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!, and is walking around with it trying to find a new hiding place. He's wearing a new harness I bought for him. It's a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness with the leash ring on the front of his chest. I'd like to use that when walking him to keep him from pulling so much.
That's it for now. Here's a photo of the dying butterfly we saw in the grass at a gas station in Illinois:
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Bear the Traveler
Here's Bear in the hotel in Bloomington, IL. We are staying at the Baymont Inn, a pet-friendly hotel. We stayed here on the way to Minneapolis (see the Beep Beep Flash Flash entry).
Bear seems to be quite the natural traveler. He sleeps well in the car and doesn't make a sound when we start or stop. He drinks when we give him water, and pretty much makes no demands on us. Last time, on the way up, he basically held his appetite and bowel habits most of the trip...except for that deposit he made behind the couch at Chris' (sorry!)...
We are staying here tonight (obviously) and then going on to Nashville tomorrow to sponge off Chris and her family for two nights. We'll pal around town with her on Friday and then head out for home Saturday.
It was a great visit, a good chance to see the family and hang out with buddy Julie (even though she about wore me out yesterday ripping wallpaper off the walls in the parsonage kitchen!). But I will be glad to have a couple of free-and-easy weeks at home before going back to work on July 31.
My friend Debbie Burgess, she of the Hungry Fox, has taken it upon herself to try to blog for 21 days straight to try to establish the good habit of blogging every day. I think I may try to do this with photography. I kind of gave up the 365 day flickr group because of the stress of coming up with self-portraits every day. Maybe just to take a photo every day will be a good step toward working on my photo taking and editing skills.
Bear seems to be quite the natural traveler. He sleeps well in the car and doesn't make a sound when we start or stop. He drinks when we give him water, and pretty much makes no demands on us. Last time, on the way up, he basically held his appetite and bowel habits most of the trip...except for that deposit he made behind the couch at Chris' (sorry!)...
We are staying here tonight (obviously) and then going on to Nashville tomorrow to sponge off Chris and her family for two nights. We'll pal around town with her on Friday and then head out for home Saturday.
It was a great visit, a good chance to see the family and hang out with buddy Julie (even though she about wore me out yesterday ripping wallpaper off the walls in the parsonage kitchen!). But I will be glad to have a couple of free-and-easy weeks at home before going back to work on July 31.
My friend Debbie Burgess, she of the Hungry Fox, has taken it upon herself to try to blog for 21 days straight to try to establish the good habit of blogging every day. I think I may try to do this with photography. I kind of gave up the 365 day flickr group because of the stress of coming up with self-portraits every day. Maybe just to take a photo every day will be a good step toward working on my photo taking and editing skills.
Monday, June 09, 2008
I Think Bear Saw the White Light
Some may think I was being overly dramatic, but I have to tell you I've seen many pets near death in my life (when in high school I helped out a veterinarian twice a week) and I'm quite certain I nearly lost my puppy last Tuesday.
We got up and walked at 5 a.m. Tuesday like we usually do. We were rounding the last leg of the block when Bear stopped to investigate what looked like a paper towel on the curb. He's a fast little devil and before I could yank him back he had it in his mouth. I snatched him up and stuck two fingers in his mouth to flick the object out. I had it in my grasp but he swallowed before I could get it out. He had some kind of slimy drool dripping from his lips. My thought was "egg... paper towel."
We continued on. About 20 or 30 feet later he started heaving and spit up something on the opposite curb. It was still dark and I didn't really stop to look at the item but it seemed like maybe he'd spit up as much as he'd taken in, so I was good. He was good.
But he wasn't. As we came around the corner toward our house he started slowing down and then finally plopped down. This? Never happens. He's still pretty much a puppy. Incidentally, it was his first birthday on Monday.
I got him into the house where he spread out on the tile floor and went still. Very, very still. His respiration slowed and his heartbeat slowed even more. I bent over him and tried to turn him over and he felt like molten lead. His eyes were glazing over and he really looked bad. It was 5:30 a.m.
I ran upstairs to put on clothes (I was pretty much wearing my pajama top and sweatpants) and told Bob I was going to rush Bear to Charlotte to the Veterinary ER. I didn't know exactly where it was, but had a general idea. He asked if he should come and I said "yes," but then it became obvious that he would want to brush his teeth and put on clothes. I told him I couldn't wait. He put Bear in the car next to me and I lit out.
I called Sarah as I drove down the road. She was fast asleep, but popped wide awake when I told her something was wrong with Bear. She told me where the clinic was. As I drove toward Charlotte, Bear didn't seem to be getting any worse, but he was not getting better, either. He was just lying there, eyes partially opened and still.
I turned onto Westinghouse and then onto Tryon and he suddenly sat up and looked around. As we pulled into the parking lot of the ER, I saw one vehicle there and it was lit up and unlocked. I carried him into the building, but he was not prone by this time. He was up, looking around, and I was carrying him upright with my hand between his front legs and on his chest. He seemed alert.
No one came to the desk when I entered. I wandered around the clinic, but did not go through the "Authorized Personnel Only" doors. I called "Hello? Hello?" several times. By this time Bear was wanting to get down. So I snatched one of their disposable rope leashes off a hook on the wall and walked him around more, still calling out. No response.
So we went back outside and wandered around on the grass, Bear acting completely normal and me watching his every move.
He seemed fine. I told him we'd go home and then see Dr. Curtsinger later if he was still not feeling well. He seemed to think that was a good idea, going over to the car and looking up at me to be put in.
And so we drove home.
He was fine the rest of the day, although pretty quiet. Especially considering we still had my parents and their dog, and sister Julia and nephew Jake all here. I took the day off. There was just too much stuff going on, with Bear and the visitors and Dad's brake problems. And Nate had an interview with the Leroy Springs Foundation about their loan program. Throughout the day Bear stuck close to me, but he does all the time, and I periodically looked at him and said, "I'm glad you're not dead."
The next day I went back to work. We had an all-day planning retreat off-site and at 4:45 Nate called and said, "I think we should take Bear to the vet. He's acting weird. He doesn't act happy to see me and he just lays there." So I told him to pile him in the car and drive straight up to Curtsinger. I'd meet him there. Nate walked in just as they were closing up shop, but they very cheerfully turned stuff back on and ushered him in.
They ran a bunch of bloodwork and determined he had no serious system issues. "He's quite depressed though," they said. "Definitely not our Bear." The final verdict was that whatever he ingested probably had irritated his esophagus and stomach. They gave him fluid under the skin to pep him up a bit and then a shot of something to sooth his gastrointestinal system.
Bear was back to normal in just a couple of hours and by the next morning he was is usual peppy self. Curtsinger's office called to ask about him and they were relieved to hear of his recovery. And here I will tell you: there is no reason that you can't have a vet that treats your pet like a valued member of the family. If your vet doesn't give you this kind of personal attention, then fire him or her.
We got up and walked at 5 a.m. Tuesday like we usually do. We were rounding the last leg of the block when Bear stopped to investigate what looked like a paper towel on the curb. He's a fast little devil and before I could yank him back he had it in his mouth. I snatched him up and stuck two fingers in his mouth to flick the object out. I had it in my grasp but he swallowed before I could get it out. He had some kind of slimy drool dripping from his lips. My thought was "egg... paper towel."
We continued on. About 20 or 30 feet later he started heaving and spit up something on the opposite curb. It was still dark and I didn't really stop to look at the item but it seemed like maybe he'd spit up as much as he'd taken in, so I was good. He was good.
But he wasn't. As we came around the corner toward our house he started slowing down and then finally plopped down. This? Never happens. He's still pretty much a puppy. Incidentally, it was his first birthday on Monday.
I got him into the house where he spread out on the tile floor and went still. Very, very still. His respiration slowed and his heartbeat slowed even more. I bent over him and tried to turn him over and he felt like molten lead. His eyes were glazing over and he really looked bad. It was 5:30 a.m.
I ran upstairs to put on clothes (I was pretty much wearing my pajama top and sweatpants) and told Bob I was going to rush Bear to Charlotte to the Veterinary ER. I didn't know exactly where it was, but had a general idea. He asked if he should come and I said "yes," but then it became obvious that he would want to brush his teeth and put on clothes. I told him I couldn't wait. He put Bear in the car next to me and I lit out.
I called Sarah as I drove down the road. She was fast asleep, but popped wide awake when I told her something was wrong with Bear. She told me where the clinic was. As I drove toward Charlotte, Bear didn't seem to be getting any worse, but he was not getting better, either. He was just lying there, eyes partially opened and still.
I turned onto Westinghouse and then onto Tryon and he suddenly sat up and looked around. As we pulled into the parking lot of the ER, I saw one vehicle there and it was lit up and unlocked. I carried him into the building, but he was not prone by this time. He was up, looking around, and I was carrying him upright with my hand between his front legs and on his chest. He seemed alert.
No one came to the desk when I entered. I wandered around the clinic, but did not go through the "Authorized Personnel Only" doors. I called "Hello? Hello?" several times. By this time Bear was wanting to get down. So I snatched one of their disposable rope leashes off a hook on the wall and walked him around more, still calling out. No response.
So we went back outside and wandered around on the grass, Bear acting completely normal and me watching his every move.
He seemed fine. I told him we'd go home and then see Dr. Curtsinger later if he was still not feeling well. He seemed to think that was a good idea, going over to the car and looking up at me to be put in.
And so we drove home.
He was fine the rest of the day, although pretty quiet. Especially considering we still had my parents and their dog, and sister Julia and nephew Jake all here. I took the day off. There was just too much stuff going on, with Bear and the visitors and Dad's brake problems. And Nate had an interview with the Leroy Springs Foundation about their loan program. Throughout the day Bear stuck close to me, but he does all the time, and I periodically looked at him and said, "I'm glad you're not dead."
The next day I went back to work. We had an all-day planning retreat off-site and at 4:45 Nate called and said, "I think we should take Bear to the vet. He's acting weird. He doesn't act happy to see me and he just lays there." So I told him to pile him in the car and drive straight up to Curtsinger. I'd meet him there. Nate walked in just as they were closing up shop, but they very cheerfully turned stuff back on and ushered him in.
They ran a bunch of bloodwork and determined he had no serious system issues. "He's quite depressed though," they said. "Definitely not our Bear." The final verdict was that whatever he ingested probably had irritated his esophagus and stomach. They gave him fluid under the skin to pep him up a bit and then a shot of something to sooth his gastrointestinal system.
Bear was back to normal in just a couple of hours and by the next morning he was is usual peppy self. Curtsinger's office called to ask about him and they were relieved to hear of his recovery. And here I will tell you: there is no reason that you can't have a vet that treats your pet like a valued member of the family. If your vet doesn't give you this kind of personal attention, then fire him or her.
Monday, April 07, 2008
it's all about poop
Not our dog this time. Sarah's. We are taking care of buddy Sarah's aged golden retriever, Kelly. She can not really go to the kennel anymore when they go out of town. The stress upsets her gastrointestinal tract and she ends up sick as a...well...you know...for several days. Sarah's husband Rick likened Kelly going to the kennel to taking your grandmother to the dorm. How appropriate!
Kelly's got an upset tummy this time anyway. She got into their puppy's food and the richness of it all caused her bowels to basically explode. She had been pretty clear by the time she arrived here yesterday morning, but she's not producing much solid waste...just small amounts of watery discharge. So I'm taking her out, then Bear out, then her out...feeding her, then Bear, etc. The gates are back up all over the house to make it easier to take care of them both. And we use them to separate the dogs so that she doesn't get into OUR puppy food!
She sleeps in Taylor's room. He let her up on the bed, he said, where she slept all night. But this morning when I went in to get her she was on the floor next to him. Kelly has quite a bit of hearing loss, so I had to turn lights on in the hallway, then open Taylor's door, to let her know I was there. I can see her startle sometimes when she's sleeping and I come around the corner or walk through a door. She's a very sweet dog.
Today I got a call from the school district. They are very sorry they have not contacted me before to take care of paperwork for the new job but apparently my file was in the pile of terminations! hmmmm
Kelly's got an upset tummy this time anyway. She got into their puppy's food and the richness of it all caused her bowels to basically explode. She had been pretty clear by the time she arrived here yesterday morning, but she's not producing much solid waste...just small amounts of watery discharge. So I'm taking her out, then Bear out, then her out...feeding her, then Bear, etc. The gates are back up all over the house to make it easier to take care of them both. And we use them to separate the dogs so that she doesn't get into OUR puppy food!
She sleeps in Taylor's room. He let her up on the bed, he said, where she slept all night. But this morning when I went in to get her she was on the floor next to him. Kelly has quite a bit of hearing loss, so I had to turn lights on in the hallway, then open Taylor's door, to let her know I was there. I can see her startle sometimes when she's sleeping and I come around the corner or walk through a door. She's a very sweet dog.
Today I got a call from the school district. They are very sorry they have not contacted me before to take care of paperwork for the new job but apparently my file was in the pile of terminations! hmmmm
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A Watershed Moment
For 13 years I've worked part time. A very flexible part time. It has allowed me to be home when I need to be, run errands during the daytime, be one of the "ladies who lunch," and watch the occasional movie in the middle of the day.
Starting today, and for at least 210 days a year, that will all be different. I'm reporting to the fulltime work world for duty. I'm dressed and ready to go. I have my new steno pad, a note-taking technique I have not used for 13 years, and my bottle of water.
And I also have a tiny bit of anxiety. One would think I might be anxious about performing on the job. But that's not it. I have all the skills. I have willpower and energy. So what am I anxious about?
Bear.
Yup. My little dog has been my constant companion since August. Following me around, sleeping at my feet, and licking my elbow when he wants to go out, Bear has been a wonderful little buddy for me. And now he'll go in his bed and stay there all day. He'll handle that fine. I wonder how I'll do with it?
We'll see.
Starting today, and for at least 210 days a year, that will all be different. I'm reporting to the fulltime work world for duty. I'm dressed and ready to go. I have my new steno pad, a note-taking technique I have not used for 13 years, and my bottle of water.
And I also have a tiny bit of anxiety. One would think I might be anxious about performing on the job. But that's not it. I have all the skills. I have willpower and energy. So what am I anxious about?
Bear.
Yup. My little dog has been my constant companion since August. Following me around, sleeping at my feet, and licking my elbow when he wants to go out, Bear has been a wonderful little buddy for me. And now he'll go in his bed and stay there all day. He'll handle that fine. I wonder how I'll do with it?
We'll see.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The photographer and His Subject
Actually, his real subject was peanut butter. A tiny dab on the back of the camera.
Mensa Boy had the idea for this shot. I came in from Jazz and said, "I haven't done my self-portrait for today." And he right away popped out with this idea. I have no idea what I'll do today. Tomorrow is upside-down day in the group.
Mensa Boy had the idea for this shot. I came in from Jazz and said, "I haven't done my self-portrait for today." And he right away popped out with this idea. I have no idea what I'll do today. Tomorrow is upside-down day in the group.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Bear's Christmas Gift
It can be difficult to tell where the gift ends and the recipient begins! 
Bear's Christmas Gift
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving
How do you like this? Two blog entries in less than an hour. I was sifting through my recent photos and thought I'd stick these up.
This is my friend Tambri (left), Chris and me in front of part of our meal. Peeking out behind Tambri is Chris' daughter Samantha. I have to say it was one of the best Thanksgivings we've had. Food, talking about food, preparing food, laughing, games....just a wonderful day.
Bear also had a good day, even though he didn't get a single bit of people food. The poor little guy hasn't figured out how useful chairs can be:
This is my friend Tambri (left), Chris and me in front of part of our meal. Peeking out behind Tambri is Chris' daughter Samantha. I have to say it was one of the best Thanksgivings we've had. Food, talking about food, preparing food, laughing, games....just a wonderful day.
Bear also had a good day, even though he didn't get a single bit of people food. The poor little guy hasn't figured out how useful chairs can be:
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Poop Watch
Our evenings have turned more chaotic now that super-puppy has turned into a canine juvenile delinquent. What used to be the arsenic hours of 4-6 p.m. has now morphed into a (sometimes) 4 hour "Poop Watch."
Dogs are pretty regular in their toileting habits. Bear certainly is. I can count on a deposit being made first thing in the morning, again around noon, and then another at suppertime. He eats at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and never in-between, which helps with the regularity.
The morning deposit is pretty easy. Outside, go, walk, inside to eat. But it gets trickier as the sun comes up and the birds and squirrels warm up and start moving around. Neighbor Mary starts stirring around in her garden, her cats are out milling around. And those distractions are just a bit much sometimes. He forgets what he's out there for. And so sometimes at lunch I find myself wandering circles in the yard for 20-40 minutes watching his hind end for any sign of the tell-tale arching. Sometimes I just gut it out, stalking around on the end of the leash, thinking about lunch. Other times I bring him in and put him in his kennel for a while as I go about my own stuff. The other day I did this for something like 4 cycles. In the kennel, do something, out of the kennel for a "try," back in the kennel. Over and over.
But the evenings? The entire family is on high alert watching Bear's every move. Announcements of "I'm going upstairs, you're it!" or "Hey! He's at the door! Somebody!" Each time he goes out and comes back in, the poop watcher is asked by the other 3 family members "How did it go? Anything?" Because then we can all breathe a sigh of relief that, once he makes that evening drop, we will have several hours of relative safety.
Dogs are pretty regular in their toileting habits. Bear certainly is. I can count on a deposit being made first thing in the morning, again around noon, and then another at suppertime. He eats at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and never in-between, which helps with the regularity.
The morning deposit is pretty easy. Outside, go, walk, inside to eat. But it gets trickier as the sun comes up and the birds and squirrels warm up and start moving around. Neighbor Mary starts stirring around in her garden, her cats are out milling around. And those distractions are just a bit much sometimes. He forgets what he's out there for. And so sometimes at lunch I find myself wandering circles in the yard for 20-40 minutes watching his hind end for any sign of the tell-tale arching. Sometimes I just gut it out, stalking around on the end of the leash, thinking about lunch. Other times I bring him in and put him in his kennel for a while as I go about my own stuff. The other day I did this for something like 4 cycles. In the kennel, do something, out of the kennel for a "try," back in the kennel. Over and over.
But the evenings? The entire family is on high alert watching Bear's every move. Announcements of "I'm going upstairs, you're it!" or "Hey! He's at the door! Somebody!" Each time he goes out and comes back in, the poop watcher is asked by the other 3 family members "How did it go? Anything?" Because then we can all breathe a sigh of relief that, once he makes that evening drop, we will have several hours of relative safety.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Colors of Fall
Today Tony asked me to come shoot photos of his tree. It's beautiful...this photo really doesn't do it justice, but I like the depth of field I managed to get with this little camera.
I went over to the site for our new library today and walked it with our library director. We've scheduled our groundbreaking for Dec. 2. It's going to be an exciting day for our community.
And now? Supper must be prepared.
I went over to the site for our new library today and walked it with our library director. We've scheduled our groundbreaking for Dec. 2. It's going to be an exciting day for our community.
And now? Supper must be prepared.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Our Weekend
We napped while Mensa Boy screwed down a metal strip on the family room carpet where it connects to the kitchen floor tile. Why was he doing that? Because SOMEONE found an errant thread sticking up from the carpet edge and managed to parlay it into a 2-inch wide HOLE before he was caught!
So that was our Sunday.
We worked hard to get to Sunday this weekend. We began Friday afternoon by piling into the car. Nate forgot something, so had to go back into the house to get it. I saw no reason to make it easy for him:
We stopped at a BBQ place called Westwood sometime around 6 p.m. and had a wonderful supper. And then proceeded into Darlington.
Where the transmission on my car started to act funky. Not shifting over 45 mph. Check engine light came on. After an hour in the company of a local gentleman named Charles Parker, who led us to two different auto parts stores, where we were able to hook up to a handy-dandy device that told us the engine light was on because of a "transmission control sensor," we decided it might be best to head back home rather than on to the beach. (take a breath after that long sentence. I don't plan to edit it) One of the deciding factors was when buddy Tambri said she'd be happy to come rescue us if we were stuck somewhere between Darlington and home. But there was a silence on the line when the idea of proceeding to Myrtle Beach came up. Apparently her friendship only goes so far! (wink wink)
And so we were home by 9:30, and the next day mused to our friends that we had driven to Darlington for some good 'Que the night before.
Saturday was a pretty usual day, ending with a sad farewell to buddy Chris and her family. Late at night, wine and chocolate involved. It was a bit teary, but we'll all get through it.
Oh! I finally saw some cotton up close! Every time we travel to the beach in the fall I wonder why I don't stop and shoot some. Natives don't understand the Yankee fascination with cotton, but it's there. We grow up hearing about this extremely important crop (that and tobacco) and all the prosperity and heartache involved. And marvel at how our clothes are made from a plant. To see it up close is just...cool. So before the transmission deal, I had stopped at a field to shoot some up close:
Thursday, October 04, 2007
It's a Thursday. Running out of Week!
Yesterday I worked all day on one CD project. Very very frustrating. I went to Jazz in the afternoon and pretty much wiped myself out, too. Today I hope to get the rest of these done, but Mensa Boy returns from Uruguay today and I need to put together a nice family meal for supper, as well as do a little work on the floors here.
Bear's last puppy vet visit was yesterday. Quite traumatic. He has tapeworms (caused by swallowing fleas), and so had to be given medication for that. And we microchipped him, which is a little painful. The needle used to embed the chip is quite large. It actually drew blood. The poor little guy climbed up my chest and wrapped his paws around my neck. But after all the worming, rabies, bordetella, lepto, parvo, etc, he is now official. Bona Fide. Has a rabies tag. There is no pet registration in our county, so the microchipping the rabies tag are the best ways to get your dog back if he gets lost.
My neighbor, Mary Jean, lost her old dog at the beginning of the summer. He wandered off when she let him out to the bathroom at 3 in the morning. She sat down on the couch to wait for him and fell asleep. He was found 4 hours later on the other side of the road in the back part of our neighborhood. The woman who found him called the vet phone number from the rabies tag and the vet called Mary Jean.
He's coming along on the housetraining. He goes to the door more and more now and each time he does go potty when he gets out there. But he also likes to just get out there, so I know he's going out more than he really needs it. But for the time being, we'll need to respond every time.
That's it for today! I have another product review for tomorrow.
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