Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all !!!

Holy Week

Wishing everyone a most blessed and meaningful Holy Week.

not tough enough

We got a dog bed for doggie. Knowing his propensity for chewing, we went with one from K-9 Ballistics. I put it in the crate for him. Doggie wrestled that bed as if were another dog. The first thing that went was the K-9 Ballistics logo. And within an hour, he had chewed the teeth off the zipper and was into the stuffing. So I took it out and sewed the top to the bottom every 2 inches or so, covering the zipper. He broke those threads in no time flat. So I took it out again, this time I sewed the top to the bottom, all the way across that side, in three separate thread segments. That lasted about a day, whereupon he broke through one segment and was sufficiently satisfied with that since it was enough to let him pull all of the stuffing out of the bed. When I have time, I will sew it up again. This time I will put in two rows of threading and again in three segments. Eventually, we might try a Dura-Bull bed. Right now, I am determined to get some use out of the $80+ investment. In fact, when he stops chewing (I'm assuming he will), I will replace the zipper.

sick

Sick as a dog. I started getting sick yesterday and I'm still sick today. I'm totally exhausted. I won't be able to make the Dominican dinner. :(

busier with doggie

Busy. How do people with kids manage to keep their schedules? I'm so whipped.

Doggie had first vet visit this past Saturday. Vet did not favor the raw diet approach and pointed me to www.petdiets.com . I'm so tired I'll take any excuse to drop the raw diet. I have a bag of Iams ready to go.

Doggie is so big I often forget that he's a pup. This past Saturday was also his first time to run around the house unleashed. Eventually he went off to a spot he thought was out of the way and attempted to potty. I got him out. It didn't occur to me that he doesn't know how to ask to go out, nor does the know that he's NOT to do that in the house.

He has an infection in one ear. Applying ear ointment to that cyclone of a dog is a real challenge.

Doggie loves his Doggie Hoots toy. I thought he would tear it up in one sitting, but nope. That toy is still intact after three separate encounters. He's normally like a bucking bronco anyways and with this toy, he' like two bucking broncos. Sometimes it's hilarious but I know it's not going to be funny if he flings his toy into our supper.

Anyhow, because he's such a destructive force, he doesn't get to come out of the crate unless I have him on a leash. So he doesn't get out much. And when he does, he takes alot of my time because I do want him to have some time to run and play.

We ordered his pet tag last night.

In a few more weeks he'll be back to the vet for the follow up and to be neutered.
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Tomorrow I have spiritual direction. Friday I have dinner with the Dominicans. Right now I'd like some zzzzz's. But I have to take doggie out one more time. in the cold and rain. and mud. and I still have to wash his bowls.

the other Seeking Something

I must have a twin some where. Years ago I walked into a gas station to pay for my gas and the cashier said, "Weren't you just here? Didn't you just pay already?"

Another time I was in a restaurant and the waitress said she thought I was her former boss, where she used to work. She said I looked like her.

A few months back I was at a drugstore and the cashier asked me, "Did you run the marathon?" (There had been a marathon, one of the city's big events, just that weekend.) "No." "You look like the lady they showed on TV."

And tonight the waitress at the Mexican restaurant thought I was the lady that drove one of the city's transit buses. hmm ... well I have *dreamed* quitting my job and go drive a UPS truck, doing the mindless job of delivering boxes upon boxes upon boxes ... (I'm kinda stressed out these days).

And these are just the instances I can remember. I think there has been a few other times.

coconut

In my foray into raw eating, I have discovered the young coconut (photo). And here is one way to open one. I have also discovered that zuchini is not bad; it's mild like cucumbers. And that papaya tastes sort of like cantaloupes, and that they need to really ripen for me to enjoy. Butternut squash is a different animal; it's hard like carrots. I don't yet know how I might enjoy a butternut squash in its raw form. But the young coconut is a real gem of a find, along with the Asian grocery store that stocks it.

Timberkits

Timberkits is absolutely marvelous. Check out the U.S. website for videos.Check out the UK website for the story behind them.
http://www.timberkits.com/
http://www.timberkitsus.com/store/index.asp?default=1

recommended dog training

It's been a soggy week; doggie didn't get to go out much. But we did get some training in. For bull-headed dogs, I highly recommend the Koehler method of dog training foundation longe line work. (On the webpage, it starts at "The Foundation" heading. It's not all contained there but that's the gist.) This has absolutely magical results.

I DON'T recommend it for ALL dogs. We've had a Golden Retriever and a very good German Shepherd dog and those two did not require this. For puppies, I'd recommend a more friendly method. But if you have a difficult dog on the leash, big or small, who couldn't care less about you, nothing beats this method.

Doggie and I have had 4 sessions of this. I don't follow it exactly since I don't have all that space. Also, I'm not home to regulate his water intake and we typically start as soon as I'm home and changed into my "anti-muddy dog" clothes. But the method works nonetheless. According to the webpage, 2 more sessions should do it. The sessions are already becoming less eventful. Guppy came out last night to see what I was doing. He did give a few tugs and that helped with the demonstration. I've used this method when I first started training dogs and by experience, I repeat that I do NOT recommend the method for ALL dogs.

As far as following the rest of the method. I probably won't. For one, I no longer have the book and have forgotten. Another reason is that I'm not that disciplined a trainer. I just get to a point where the dog and us can live peaceably together and I quit. No polish to the training.

06/08/2012 update: I no longer recommend this method.

more plumbing

The faucet handle in one of the bathrooms has been broken for a few weeks now. In the same bathroom, the toilet tank has been leaking water into the bowl, causing it automatically refill every so often. So today I worked on those things. The toilet flapper replacement is easy enough. The tub faucet is a new adventure for me. Replacing the handle would not be good enough, since the reason it broke was that we needed the strength of a bull just to open the valve and get a flow of water. So what got replaced was the faucet cartridge (photo) as well as the handle. After three trips to the hardware store to finally get the right parts (first trip a guess, then a trip for the correct cartridge, then another for the correct handle), all is now well with the bathroom.

vocation retreat (sticky)

Hearing with the Heart - A Weekend Retreat: Friday, February 22, 2008 $125.00
7:00 PM-10:30 AM (086-023)Register
Presenter: Debra Farrington

What are God’s desires for your life? How do you know what God hopes for you? Discerning God’s will for your life isn’t just for major crossroads moments; it’s something you can use everyday to be more in tune with God. Come discover some of the ways in which you can learn to listen for God more deeply - with your heart - in both the ordinary days as well as the extraordinary moments when big decisions loom. This retreat will include quiet time for pondering. You may wish to bring a journal.

Friday, February 22 - Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday evening 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Saturday 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m • Sunday morning 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Cost: $125.00

Retreat Leader: Debra Farrington is a popular retreat leader and award-winning author. She has written eight books of Christian spirituality, including Hearing with the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s Will for Your Life. Her website is http://www.blogger.com/www.debrafarrington.com

finally

I finally took down the shrub Christmas lights outside. That concludes the undecorating effort. Weather was bad yesterday, but today it is beautiful.

vote for a hospital

Please vote for a hospital of choice to receive a fun center courtesy of Colgate.

Voting ends March 31st

http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/Corp/CommunityPrograms/Starlight-Starbright-Childrens-Foundation.cvsp

Thanks.

raw

Our dog is on a raw food diet.

By chance I stumbled upon proponents of raw diet for humans too. Apparently eating a raw diet helps the body to heal itself. Google it for yourself and see.

It started with a toothache out of this world. I was looking for relief. Eventually the internet links got me to raw diets. I think it's worth a shot. My dentist said the tooth would have to be extracted, that it's already loose and the body has rejected it. Once I can chew again (after this regimen of antibiotics and pain killer), I will attempt the raw diet. It'd be great if the body can heal the dentals. I'm supposed to return next week for the extraction; I'm going to stave it off to see if I can get some healing instead.

All those with health problems (i.e. you're taking pills), please investigate the raw diet.

doing well

Doggie is doing well though he's taking up all my off time. He's quiet in the crate and has never soiled it. He's urinating regularly in the designated bathroom area, though the hasn't learned NOT to urinate elsewhere. He doesn't potty much, but so far it's been in the bathroom area. He still pulls on the leash but we can work on that. He more readily tries the food I put down for him (raw meat diet). His supplements came in yesterday (kelp powder, alfafa powder, vitamin C powder, fish oil, and we already vitamin E), he's well on the way to a good diet. Twice he's been allowed on a leash next to me while I eat my dinner. He must learn to ABSOLUTELY NEVER put his nose anywhere near my food. Even the cats understand that my dinner time is sacred; they don't EVER mess with me whenever or wherever I'm eating.

*fog*

Still here. Just really swamped. I seem to be in a constant fog of fatigue; that is, it seems to be the story of my life. It's after midnight and I still have yet to take my shower. Then I really need to work on some stuff for work.

There was a meeting with the Dominicans this past Monday--a continuation of the volunteering I had signed up to do. But I skipped the meeting because I had to go take care of the dog. I have spent a huge amount of time dealing with dog stuff. I sure hope it gets easier, it's been exhorbitantly time-consuming. Oh, and the "start-up" costs have been significant too even though there *are* some things that we didn't have to buy anew, thanks to having had previous dogs.

We now have the added task of taking care of Skip's property. Gumby has seen to it that the utilities are straightened out (oh boy, more bills). Security is a concern. There is not anything particulary valuable in that house, but thieves won't know that until after they've broken in. We'll need a faucet lock to prevent others from stealing the water. We also need to make regular treks to pick up mail and to check on the property. Further down the line would be to go through the stuff and schedule times for relatives to come in; they want to claim their stake. There will likely be meetings with legal people because we sure don't know now to figure all this out.

big dog

We just got a very big puppy. Physically, he's pretty much full grown, but else he's still a pup to me. Some puppies eventually grow to be big dogs. And people who don't know how to handle dogs eventually relegate their dogs to the backyard. That was the case for him. We're going to help them out and take the dog. This big fella is not going to get to rule our backyard like he did with his previous owners. He's going to be in the house with us. And he's going to have to learn some manners. He was barking up a storm in his crate this morning. He did it again after I took him out just now and put him back. But he's already quiet now. And he's already thinking twice about jumping up on me. It's not out of him yet but he's getting the message. We're off to a very good start.

I'm waiting for the sun to warm us up a bit more then I'll give that stinky dog a good bath out on the driveway.

crazy busy

yeah, crazy busy. At work. At home. I have no idea what's been on the news. I finally got more than 3 hours of sleep last night. I'm so out of it. Our Christmas decorations outside are still up. I had simply unplugged the lights so they don't light up. I'm hoping next week will be better, with the funeral behind us.

making arrangements

We've been busy with funeral arrangements. We met with the funeral director on Friday afternoon. Then left there to get clothes for Skip's burial and gather what few photos skip had for printing in the program. Yesterday morning we were supposed to meet with the pastor of the church where funeral services will be held. We were very late and the meeting didn't happen but we looked around. Then the remainder of yesterday was spent working on the contents and layout of the program. It's not finished yet;still working on it. Today we've not revisited the funeral activities; maybe we will resume later tonight after the MLK mass with the bishop. We have to deliver the requisite things to the funeral director on Tuesday, with viewing for approval on Thursday. Then visitation Friday night. Funeral this coming Saturday morning.

Spidey

I've been eyeing Spidey since before Christmas. I was hoping the price would drop after the holidays, but it did not. I finally went ahead and nabbed him yesterday. Here he is on top of the TV along with my mini Pokey and Gumby, and a quarter for size reference. Ain't Spidey cute?