Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
I need to go back to work to rest
My weekends are killing me.
Last weekend it was three days of agility, this weekend it was an all day softball tourney on Saturday. Actually, it started Friday night. It was a Friday night Barkpark, so Chelsie went to the park. She found a bumper toy that became her obsession all night, and she only lost it once - but got it right back. We then drove to Westerville for softball (from north Dublin - yeah, its a long way) only to not have the other team show up. They could have at least called - not very good Christians!!! Chelsie got to chase her ball for a little while longer, so she was happy.
After running home from softball, I had to go to the grocery store - I had not been in 2 weeks and wanted to take some snacks to the tourney on Saturday. I was out the door at 6:25 because we went in a caravan to the field, and back in the door at 11PM Saturday night. 6 games, 2 rain delays, spotting 7 runs in the top of the first in the semis and run ruling the opposition in the finals, we won the whole enchilada. I am just a sub on this team, but with the victory, they clinched a berth in Worlds in Flroida in September. Good to do early in the season. But it wiped me out. Grand Paw was nice enough to come get Chelsie and bring her home, so she spent the day with him. I talked to him after they had some pretty good thunder, and he informed me she did not like thunder, that she was trying to climb in his lap. I informed him I was well aware of this dislike. As I write this, she is sideways across the bed - not sure why she is tired, she did not do a darn thing all day...
It took a lot to get out of bed and do the weekend chores. I put them off last weekend, so putting them off this weekend was not an option. I played soccer at 5:30 - weather was perfect, but we lost 4-3. A few minor defensive breakdowns got us. It was a good, hard, physical game - so physical, there were 2 Pk's! One for each team - 1 is rare, I have not been in a game as of late where each team had one. I had other things that still needed done, but I got on the couch and never got off. Despite what I think, life will go on - admitting this is a big step for me!!!
Tomorrow is D-Day - day 1 of sprinkler installation. I am so excited. I did not cut the grass for fear I would cut away the utility markings, and the grass is very long. Again, I will survive. The thought of not planning my nights around dragging the sprinklers around in the dead of summer is blissful. Please pray for minimal destruction to the yard...although I don't know how you do something like this with "minimal" destruction.
I hope everyone had a fun, action packed weekend. Today, my mom watched my 10 yr old cousin Jennifer march in the Main St Electrical Parade at Disneyland. Jen has taken up baton twirling, and her troupe marched in the parade today. They won the competition yesterday at training camp that made them the first troupe to march out. Go Jen!! We will be seeing them in a few weeks, when they come for their annual trip. I am looking for suggestions for girls night out/girls day. Michelle and I have an AWFUL habit of staying up 2/3 of the night when they come...then we walk around like zombies all day. But we can't help it. :)
Have a great week!
Last weekend it was three days of agility, this weekend it was an all day softball tourney on Saturday. Actually, it started Friday night. It was a Friday night Barkpark, so Chelsie went to the park. She found a bumper toy that became her obsession all night, and she only lost it once - but got it right back. We then drove to Westerville for softball (from north Dublin - yeah, its a long way) only to not have the other team show up. They could have at least called - not very good Christians!!! Chelsie got to chase her ball for a little while longer, so she was happy.
After running home from softball, I had to go to the grocery store - I had not been in 2 weeks and wanted to take some snacks to the tourney on Saturday. I was out the door at 6:25 because we went in a caravan to the field, and back in the door at 11PM Saturday night. 6 games, 2 rain delays, spotting 7 runs in the top of the first in the semis and run ruling the opposition in the finals, we won the whole enchilada. I am just a sub on this team, but with the victory, they clinched a berth in Worlds in Flroida in September. Good to do early in the season. But it wiped me out. Grand Paw was nice enough to come get Chelsie and bring her home, so she spent the day with him. I talked to him after they had some pretty good thunder, and he informed me she did not like thunder, that she was trying to climb in his lap. I informed him I was well aware of this dislike. As I write this, she is sideways across the bed - not sure why she is tired, she did not do a darn thing all day...
It took a lot to get out of bed and do the weekend chores. I put them off last weekend, so putting them off this weekend was not an option. I played soccer at 5:30 - weather was perfect, but we lost 4-3. A few minor defensive breakdowns got us. It was a good, hard, physical game - so physical, there were 2 Pk's! One for each team - 1 is rare, I have not been in a game as of late where each team had one. I had other things that still needed done, but I got on the couch and never got off. Despite what I think, life will go on - admitting this is a big step for me!!!
Tomorrow is D-Day - day 1 of sprinkler installation. I am so excited. I did not cut the grass for fear I would cut away the utility markings, and the grass is very long. Again, I will survive. The thought of not planning my nights around dragging the sprinklers around in the dead of summer is blissful. Please pray for minimal destruction to the yard...although I don't know how you do something like this with "minimal" destruction.
I hope everyone had a fun, action packed weekend. Today, my mom watched my 10 yr old cousin Jennifer march in the Main St Electrical Parade at Disneyland. Jen has taken up baton twirling, and her troupe marched in the parade today. They won the competition yesterday at training camp that made them the first troupe to march out. Go Jen!! We will be seeing them in a few weeks, when they come for their annual trip. I am looking for suggestions for girls night out/girls day. Michelle and I have an AWFUL habit of staying up 2/3 of the night when they come...then we walk around like zombies all day. But we can't help it. :)
Have a great week!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Thunder Rolls, and the Lightning Strikes..
Nat, the thunder...it did not get better...in fact, much worse.
Last night, I was tooling around on the internet shopping with Natalie for some new bedding for Naomi (we were doing this via IM). As I was signing off, I mentioned to Nat the thunder had started and I had animals on alert. Nat says something to the effect of hopefully, it is a passing storm, which was my hope as well. It was not to be.
For the next 4 hrs, we had a lightning storm like I have not ever seen - consistent flashes of lightning that literally lit up the sky. They were so bright and so extreme, the weather man on channel 4 said he was able to see a rotating cloud over the Scioto River. I thought to myself, Hm, the Scioto River is practically in my backyard, I better pay attention. Well, by this time, tornado sirens were going off - although one had not actually been seen, the rotation pattern in the clouds was enough for the weather service to issue a warning. There were three huge cells going west to Southeast - right over Hilliard and in my area. Although I am Dublin, I still live a little south toward Hilliard and was definitely in the pink. At 12:30 AM, they lifted the tornado warning - by this time, cell one had moved to southeast Franklin county and the news peeps were focused on that part of the cell, but I was like - guys, I think you need to look at the pink over Hilliard again. By that time I was more than a little nervous. Chelsie was really agitated, and pacing at this point. I got out the anxiety dropper I have for storms and pumped her full of them, as well as the DAP (dog appeasing pheromones) spray, which is supposed to emit calming pheromone similar to what mothers would give off in moments of stress. Finally, right as I was about asleep, a huge crack of thunder shook the house. All this took place from 11:30 until 2AM. Can we say zombie is what I feel like right now??? Among all this, my poor parents were worried - my daddy even called me twice to make sure I was Ok. I had left my cell phone upstairs when he called, so I am sure there were a few moments of panic, but I called right back.
I think we are supposed to have more storms again today - it is super humid outside, but I am thinking that it would be hard to have 2 nights in a row like last night. My parents are up in Cbus this morning, and my mom asked her usual question - Is there anything we can do for you? I said yes, get daddy to figure out what kind of battery back up I need for my sump pump. The ground is absolutely saturated - the rain was coming down in sheets last night - and my sump pump is working very hard. I know this because I have an older house and quiet is not a word I would use to describe my sump pump - however, I am ok with it, because I know it is working. I tend to lose power at my house very frequently, and am actually somewhat shocked I did not lose power last night. Saturated ground and sump pump not working due to a power outage = flood in basement = very bad. I have been meaning to do this for awhile now, last night's storms just kicked me into gear - for right now.
On a good note, my grass is super green and my day lilies have lots of blooms about to open. I will send pictures when they do. And finally, this morning - not that I need it - the utilities have been marked for the irrigation system!!! WOO HOO.
Ok, the grind calls - I may have to stop for rest period later today...
Last night, I was tooling around on the internet shopping with Natalie for some new bedding for Naomi (we were doing this via IM). As I was signing off, I mentioned to Nat the thunder had started and I had animals on alert. Nat says something to the effect of hopefully, it is a passing storm, which was my hope as well. It was not to be.
For the next 4 hrs, we had a lightning storm like I have not ever seen - consistent flashes of lightning that literally lit up the sky. They were so bright and so extreme, the weather man on channel 4 said he was able to see a rotating cloud over the Scioto River. I thought to myself, Hm, the Scioto River is practically in my backyard, I better pay attention. Well, by this time, tornado sirens were going off - although one had not actually been seen, the rotation pattern in the clouds was enough for the weather service to issue a warning. There were three huge cells going west to Southeast - right over Hilliard and in my area. Although I am Dublin, I still live a little south toward Hilliard and was definitely in the pink. At 12:30 AM, they lifted the tornado warning - by this time, cell one had moved to southeast Franklin county and the news peeps were focused on that part of the cell, but I was like - guys, I think you need to look at the pink over Hilliard again. By that time I was more than a little nervous. Chelsie was really agitated, and pacing at this point. I got out the anxiety dropper I have for storms and pumped her full of them, as well as the DAP (dog appeasing pheromones) spray, which is supposed to emit calming pheromone similar to what mothers would give off in moments of stress. Finally, right as I was about asleep, a huge crack of thunder shook the house. All this took place from 11:30 until 2AM. Can we say zombie is what I feel like right now??? Among all this, my poor parents were worried - my daddy even called me twice to make sure I was Ok. I had left my cell phone upstairs when he called, so I am sure there were a few moments of panic, but I called right back.
I think we are supposed to have more storms again today - it is super humid outside, but I am thinking that it would be hard to have 2 nights in a row like last night. My parents are up in Cbus this morning, and my mom asked her usual question - Is there anything we can do for you? I said yes, get daddy to figure out what kind of battery back up I need for my sump pump. The ground is absolutely saturated - the rain was coming down in sheets last night - and my sump pump is working very hard. I know this because I have an older house and quiet is not a word I would use to describe my sump pump - however, I am ok with it, because I know it is working. I tend to lose power at my house very frequently, and am actually somewhat shocked I did not lose power last night. Saturated ground and sump pump not working due to a power outage = flood in basement = very bad. I have been meaning to do this for awhile now, last night's storms just kicked me into gear - for right now.
On a good note, my grass is super green and my day lilies have lots of blooms about to open. I will send pictures when they do. And finally, this morning - not that I need it - the utilities have been marked for the irrigation system!!! WOO HOO.
Ok, the grind calls - I may have to stop for rest period later today...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Quiet night at Dodd
Tonight was a very quiet night at Dodd. It was a little strange considering we have been there so late for the last couple of weeks.
We got there and as usual, Chelsie's fan club greeted her. The nurses, about 6 of them, were gathered in the nurses station, and just made a huge deal over her. Of course, she ate it right up.
We only saw one patient we had seen before. A lot of doors were closed and beds empty - this is a good thing, hopefully, the families had gotten them out for a walk, as it was a beautiful night tonight. As we were done by 7:30, I thought about taking her down to three, but then did not. I am still wiped out from this weekend and had a hard time functioning at work today. We came home and mowed, as it is supposed to rain either tomorrow or Thursday.
We hope this finds everyone well. We are of to la-la land.
We got there and as usual, Chelsie's fan club greeted her. The nurses, about 6 of them, were gathered in the nurses station, and just made a huge deal over her. Of course, she ate it right up.
We only saw one patient we had seen before. A lot of doors were closed and beds empty - this is a good thing, hopefully, the families had gotten them out for a walk, as it was a beautiful night tonight. As we were done by 7:30, I thought about taking her down to three, but then did not. I am still wiped out from this weekend and had a hard time functioning at work today. We came home and mowed, as it is supposed to rain either tomorrow or Thursday.
We hope this finds everyone well. We are of to la-la land.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
On the road to MACH
Well, we did it...we earned our first 11 MACH pts!!! Chelsie had a spectacular day - was 2-3. Mom's handling on her jumpers run was #*$&% again - I pulled away from jump 2 and she knocked the bar down, so I challenged her on some skills we don't necessarily excel at. Of course, she did every one of them....UGH!!!! I will work to be a better handler for her.
This weekend was a great agility weekend for us. I was only really unhappy with one run, our jumpers run yesterday, which was totally my fault. She got three Q's in 3 tries on her std run, 2 Q's in three tries on her FAST run and one Q in 3 tries on jumpers (UGH!!! MOM SUCKS!!!!) In the fast runs, you can earn a maximum of 80 pts - we need 55 to qualify in our level. In her 2 runs, she got 67 and 70 pts...pts typical of what the speedy border collies get. I was so proud of her FAST run today.
This weekend has wiped us out...my lunch is not made for tomorrow, my clothes are still in the dryer, and basically I am feeling dysfunctional right now. I treated my sore feet to a nice hot bath...after hauling equipment around the courses all weekend, we have to load it into a trailer and take it back to our building. I probably moved 50 sandbags and walked about 8 miles...and I am whooped. We were "resting" in bed before dark.
Hope this finds everyone well.
This weekend was a great agility weekend for us. I was only really unhappy with one run, our jumpers run yesterday, which was totally my fault. She got three Q's in 3 tries on her std run, 2 Q's in three tries on her FAST run and one Q in 3 tries on jumpers (UGH!!! MOM SUCKS!!!!) In the fast runs, you can earn a maximum of 80 pts - we need 55 to qualify in our level. In her 2 runs, she got 67 and 70 pts...pts typical of what the speedy border collies get. I was so proud of her FAST run today.
This weekend has wiped us out...my lunch is not made for tomorrow, my clothes are still in the dryer, and basically I am feeling dysfunctional right now. I treated my sore feet to a nice hot bath...after hauling equipment around the courses all weekend, we have to load it into a trailer and take it back to our building. I probably moved 50 sandbags and walked about 8 miles...and I am whooped. We were "resting" in bed before dark.
Hope this finds everyone well.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday Agility
Well, unfortunately we were not nearly as successful as yesterday, we were 1-3. Many guys in the major leagues make big $$$ for a .333 avg, so I guess I can't complain. However, she picked a great run to Q in - her std run, as she earned her excellent std title with this run.
Not to worry, though, mom made it interesting. My handling in her jumpers run was $*&$^#, so I decided I needed to pick up the pace for this run - her title run. Well, we picked it up so much we almost went flying off the table!!! I had a slight miscalculation about the speed in which she would exit the weaves and get on the table!!! I wanted her to be in her "down" facing forward, so I ran out to get in front of her...and I am never in that position when she is on the table. So she comes flying across the table, and hangs on by her claws. I am crouched down, directly in front of her, screaming DOWN at her...we have to stay there for 5 seconds...and she is so confused...she was in a crouch position, but unfortunately, her butt was in the air. We finally managed to communicate, and by this time, I know our Q is in jeopardy, because of time. So I really picked up the pace...yelling "HURRY UP, CHOP CHOP" all the way through. We crossed the finish line at 62.3...and to get our Q, we had to finish in under 63 seconds. A Q is Q.
We are now on the road to our master agility title, our MACH - the ultimate prize in AKC agility. Every qualifying run we get in our standard runs will earn her points toward the title. We are still 2 Q's away from our jumpers title, and I hope to be 1 Q away after tomorrow - assuming I show up to handle! Once we get our excellent jumpers title, we will be able to count points in both events toward our MACH. Our MACH title will require we get 750 pts (std course time - dog's time = pts to MACH) and 20 double Q's - getting 2 Q's a day 20 times. The challenge is to show speed and consistency. We are at the very beginning of our "Road to MACH" - so, here's to 750 pts and 20 double Q's!!!
I am so, so proud of my girl. Every person in my club that saw us at the beginning of our career would all agree - YOU"VE COME A LONG WAY BABY!!! (let's be sure to go just a little further tomorrow, please!!!)
Not to worry, though, mom made it interesting. My handling in her jumpers run was $*&$^#, so I decided I needed to pick up the pace for this run - her title run. Well, we picked it up so much we almost went flying off the table!!! I had a slight miscalculation about the speed in which she would exit the weaves and get on the table!!! I wanted her to be in her "down" facing forward, so I ran out to get in front of her...and I am never in that position when she is on the table. So she comes flying across the table, and hangs on by her claws. I am crouched down, directly in front of her, screaming DOWN at her...we have to stay there for 5 seconds...and she is so confused...she was in a crouch position, but unfortunately, her butt was in the air. We finally managed to communicate, and by this time, I know our Q is in jeopardy, because of time. So I really picked up the pace...yelling "HURRY UP, CHOP CHOP" all the way through. We crossed the finish line at 62.3...and to get our Q, we had to finish in under 63 seconds. A Q is Q.
We are now on the road to our master agility title, our MACH - the ultimate prize in AKC agility. Every qualifying run we get in our standard runs will earn her points toward the title. We are still 2 Q's away from our jumpers title, and I hope to be 1 Q away after tomorrow - assuming I show up to handle! Once we get our excellent jumpers title, we will be able to count points in both events toward our MACH. Our MACH title will require we get 750 pts (std course time - dog's time = pts to MACH) and 20 double Q's - getting 2 Q's a day 20 times. The challenge is to show speed and consistency. We are at the very beginning of our "Road to MACH" - so, here's to 750 pts and 20 double Q's!!!
I am so, so proud of my girl. Every person in my club that saw us at the beginning of our career would all agree - YOU"VE COME A LONG WAY BABY!!! (let's be sure to go just a little further tomorrow, please!!!)
Friday, June 20, 2008
She was awesome!!!!
Today was the first day of our three day agility competition. It started off with a bang - three runs, three Q's. Let's hope we can do half as well for the rest of the trial. She is running so AWESOME right now, I am so proud of her. I even turned the AC back on for her tonight....
Mom is whipped. I was hauling agility equipment all day, and think I washed more mulch off me than is left in the horse barn (our competitions are in and indoor riding arena). I put some tea tree oil spray on my feet, which has helped immensely. Thankfully, it is not nearly as hot as it was 2 weeks ago and the rooms where we keep the dogs have powerful AC. My little girl was very comfortable today. Tomorrow, her grammie will be there to sit with her - grammie sits in the room with her so the door to her house can stay open in between her runs. She is much calmer when grammie is there. Also, after her last run, grammie takes her to Tim Horton's for her Timbits treats and then takes her home to rest. What a grammie - she takes very good care of us.
We hope everyone is doing well and has a great weekend!!! Pray to the Q gods for us!!!
Mom is whipped. I was hauling agility equipment all day, and think I washed more mulch off me than is left in the horse barn (our competitions are in and indoor riding arena). I put some tea tree oil spray on my feet, which has helped immensely. Thankfully, it is not nearly as hot as it was 2 weeks ago and the rooms where we keep the dogs have powerful AC. My little girl was very comfortable today. Tomorrow, her grammie will be there to sit with her - grammie sits in the room with her so the door to her house can stay open in between her runs. She is much calmer when grammie is there. Also, after her last run, grammie takes her to Tim Horton's for her Timbits treats and then takes her home to rest. What a grammie - she takes very good care of us.
We hope everyone is doing well and has a great weekend!!! Pray to the Q gods for us!!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Quote of the Day
Straight from my boss, in a meeting yesterday:
"It's like trying to push water uphill with a fork".
We all kind of looked at him strangely, but we did laugh. So if you hear me say that, someone else said it first....
"It's like trying to push water uphill with a fork".
We all kind of looked at him strangely, but we did laugh. So if you hear me say that, someone else said it first....
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
One of those days...
Despite the stellar organization under which we operate in this household, today was one of those days where I felt a step behind in everything - one of those days where someone would ask me something and I was like, Yeah, I know, I am working to get there...I did not leave work until 5:45.
That also meant I got a late start to the routine of our Tuesday evening. I came home, fed the pooch, ate a frozen dinner and off we went. Thankfully, it has cooled down here and it was not too hot in the rooms at Dodd. We were only about 10 minutes behind schedule, but given that we had a hard stop at 8PM and we were at Dodd until almost 9 last Thursday, I was anxious to get going to see Mr. K and Mr. Smith, both of whom were still there.
That's where things took a turn. I saw the nurse that wanted us to go see Mr. K last week, and told her we had gone to see him. She was so appreciative, told me it made his day, he was so happy. I guessed correctly he had a stroke, but I was in no way prepared for what she disclosed to me next. Mr. K has cancer...throat cancer, that is cutting off the blood supply in his corroded (sp?) artery, and he is terminal, very short term. I was so upset...I mean, I knew the guy was in pretty rough shape, but had no idea. I guess the one thing that is comforting is when the end comes it will be quick, and his suffering will be minimal. Talk about a lousy booby prize.
When we went in there, I was amazed to see despite his condition, he had made dramatic improvements. He was out of the wheelchair, walking around and when he saw us, he smiled and came over and gave me a firm handshake and rubbed Chelsie's ears. We had a real nice conversation...apparently one of his dogs, Odie the beagle, decided he needed to eat his bed last night. his wife woke up this morning to find foam rubber all over the living room. I laughed and told him she would be finding it for the next three months. Mr. K (or Koz as one of the nurses called him) will hopefully go home Friday. One thing I am thankful for is that the stoke did not impair Koz's ability to write. Because of the trach (hole in his throat to help him breathe) he cannot verbally speak - he mouths, but does not speak. His pen is his primary method of communication, and thankfully, the stroke did not impair that.
We saw our other friend, he is getting cut loose on Thursday - yea! We really enjoyed our visits with him, but it is good to see him go home. My grandma always used to say "East west, home is best". You bet. He will be home with Casey, his Golden. He had a magazine about how to train Casey to help him, as his mobility has been impacted by his condition (not sure what landed him in Dodd) I broke a hard and fast rule tonight...he had saved some of Casey's treats for Chelsie. He started talking about it, Chelsie knew it. Let me tell you, she was right there on the edge of her seat, I told him watch out, she may start drooling on you. He is very excited to go home.
We did not leave until 8:10 and barely made it to agility on time. This was our last class of the session, so we ran a course, like we would run in a trial. There were some tricky areas and I got there a few minutes after everyone started walking...and of course, my handling was not the greatest. I got a few looks like "what the hell are you asking me to do mom? Why that way?" But we managed and there were lots of cookies for her when we were done. We are excited for the trial this weekend - in fact, I have all the timing equipment in my garage to get to the trial site on Friday morning. I am taking Friday off, so we will get to play for three days!!! Hopefully, she gets her excellent "A" titles and then we can start working toward the ultimate AKC title...her MACH!!! But her most important title will always be "CGC/TDI" (Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dogs International).
On a positive note, I got confirmation from the company installing my irrigation system that they had received my deposit and were coming to mark utilities. My parents are coming up tomorrow so my dad and I can discuss what we need to get to finish the garage and a few other projects - yea!!! It never ends...I need to replace the trim around the garage now. But our little McMansion is so close to being just the way I want it!!!!
We hope this finds everyone doing well!!
That also meant I got a late start to the routine of our Tuesday evening. I came home, fed the pooch, ate a frozen dinner and off we went. Thankfully, it has cooled down here and it was not too hot in the rooms at Dodd. We were only about 10 minutes behind schedule, but given that we had a hard stop at 8PM and we were at Dodd until almost 9 last Thursday, I was anxious to get going to see Mr. K and Mr. Smith, both of whom were still there.
That's where things took a turn. I saw the nurse that wanted us to go see Mr. K last week, and told her we had gone to see him. She was so appreciative, told me it made his day, he was so happy. I guessed correctly he had a stroke, but I was in no way prepared for what she disclosed to me next. Mr. K has cancer...throat cancer, that is cutting off the blood supply in his corroded (sp?) artery, and he is terminal, very short term. I was so upset...I mean, I knew the guy was in pretty rough shape, but had no idea. I guess the one thing that is comforting is when the end comes it will be quick, and his suffering will be minimal. Talk about a lousy booby prize.
When we went in there, I was amazed to see despite his condition, he had made dramatic improvements. He was out of the wheelchair, walking around and when he saw us, he smiled and came over and gave me a firm handshake and rubbed Chelsie's ears. We had a real nice conversation...apparently one of his dogs, Odie the beagle, decided he needed to eat his bed last night. his wife woke up this morning to find foam rubber all over the living room. I laughed and told him she would be finding it for the next three months. Mr. K (or Koz as one of the nurses called him) will hopefully go home Friday. One thing I am thankful for is that the stoke did not impair Koz's ability to write. Because of the trach (hole in his throat to help him breathe) he cannot verbally speak - he mouths, but does not speak. His pen is his primary method of communication, and thankfully, the stroke did not impair that.
We saw our other friend, he is getting cut loose on Thursday - yea! We really enjoyed our visits with him, but it is good to see him go home. My grandma always used to say "East west, home is best". You bet. He will be home with Casey, his Golden. He had a magazine about how to train Casey to help him, as his mobility has been impacted by his condition (not sure what landed him in Dodd) I broke a hard and fast rule tonight...he had saved some of Casey's treats for Chelsie. He started talking about it, Chelsie knew it. Let me tell you, she was right there on the edge of her seat, I told him watch out, she may start drooling on you. He is very excited to go home.
We did not leave until 8:10 and barely made it to agility on time. This was our last class of the session, so we ran a course, like we would run in a trial. There were some tricky areas and I got there a few minutes after everyone started walking...and of course, my handling was not the greatest. I got a few looks like "what the hell are you asking me to do mom? Why that way?" But we managed and there were lots of cookies for her when we were done. We are excited for the trial this weekend - in fact, I have all the timing equipment in my garage to get to the trial site on Friday morning. I am taking Friday off, so we will get to play for three days!!! Hopefully, she gets her excellent "A" titles and then we can start working toward the ultimate AKC title...her MACH!!! But her most important title will always be "CGC/TDI" (Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dogs International).
On a positive note, I got confirmation from the company installing my irrigation system that they had received my deposit and were coming to mark utilities. My parents are coming up tomorrow so my dad and I can discuss what we need to get to finish the garage and a few other projects - yea!!! It never ends...I need to replace the trim around the garage now. But our little McMansion is so close to being just the way I want it!!!!
We hope this finds everyone doing well!!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Random Weekend Pictures
All 11 pillows in plain view for the world to see - there is a third pillow like the one she is laying against behind the pillows she did not knock down on the other side of the bed. Maybe next time, she could make herself more comfortable.
My little West Virginia dog, clamoring with excitement at the very utterance of the word "Barkpark". I was putting my shoes on and she was quite curious - this was the look I got when I asked her if she was ready to go to Barkpark. If you look in the middle of her mouth on her bottom jaw, she is missing a tooth - thus, she has earned the nickname of WV dog. Sorry to any WV people out there...who knows what happened to it, it was loose when she got her teeth cleaned in December, so the vet pulled it.
Trapped behind the fence at Barkpark. Every weekend, they cook hamburgers and hot dogs, and all that money goes to the rescue of the weekend as well. I decided I did not want to be accosted by dogs while trying to enjoy my hamburger, so i retreated to the safety of the detached garage on the property. You would have thought I was leaving her for the duration...come on sister, I don't bother you when you eat..not usually.
I got the picture of her swimming with multiple rubber duckies. This was before she became fixated with a Zora's bumper toy. Zora was an easy going chocolate lab who was happy to share her toy with Chelsie. Zora's owner threw ducks for her and I threw the bumper for Chelsie - all dogs were content, but I told Chelsie she was lucky Zora would share her toy, because I don't think she would have been that gracious!
Our McMansion, front and back. Like father, like daughter. My dad loves his yard, and so do I. My mom sent us to Home Depot today for a bbq brush, and we came back with plants...there was a greenhouse at HD that had many beautiful orchids in it...even one with 2 vines!!! There were also some very well established orchids that would have made beautiful flowers (vigorous is the proper term) but we showed restraint.
John, Karla and Kaitlyn came over for Father's Day dinner. Kaitlyn was getting fussy and Karla was still eating, so I took a turn at feeding her. Too tired to eat, poor thing. We had a really nice day.
GAB (Great Aunt Becky) holding Kaitlyn. All my second cousins call my parents GAB and GUB - great aunt Becky and great uncle Bill. No, my mom's name is still Margaret, she has always been aunt Becky to my cousins...long story. 
Not freakin' funny...
To the piece of crap that rang my doorbell at 3AM this morning, you are not funny.
At 3AM this morning, my doorbell rang - and Chelsie flew off the bed barking like a nut case. I thought I was hearing things, but when my precious started barking, I knew I wasn't. My heart was in my throat, and I was terrified. It was fabulous. I did not mess around - I called the Cols. PD dispatch number and asked them to send a car out to look around. I mean, who had any business being out at 3AM to begin with, and then ringing my doorbell??? Someone up to only no good. Thankfully, they showed up promptly - within 5 minutes.
The officer was quite nice - Chelsie sounded her alarm when he knocked on the door, and the guy looked at me and smiled and acknowledged how her carrying on like this could be a little unnerving. Before he knocked on the door, he looked around the side of the house where my bedroom was - and I saw his flashlight, which scared the hell out of me again. He asked if I had any problems with kids in the neighborhood, and I said no. He also said this was the first official weekend of summer, as all the schools were out. I apologized for being a pansy, and he said not to worry, they take these things very seriously and that they would send a car to drive by for a few nights. Another car came rolling up just as we were done - I was very grateful for their fast response and not thinking I was crazy.
What makes me more angry than anything is that now I am somewhat jumpy in my own home. I have become much more aware of my security as of late, but tonight, am walking around making sure windows lock, all the doors are locked, shades down, lights on - because some punk thought ding song ditch em' at 3 AM was funny. Not so much.
The last thing the cop says to me last night - try to get some sleep. Yeah, right buddy. We will see how long it takes me to fall asleep tonight.
At 3AM this morning, my doorbell rang - and Chelsie flew off the bed barking like a nut case. I thought I was hearing things, but when my precious started barking, I knew I wasn't. My heart was in my throat, and I was terrified. It was fabulous. I did not mess around - I called the Cols. PD dispatch number and asked them to send a car out to look around. I mean, who had any business being out at 3AM to begin with, and then ringing my doorbell??? Someone up to only no good. Thankfully, they showed up promptly - within 5 minutes.
The officer was quite nice - Chelsie sounded her alarm when he knocked on the door, and the guy looked at me and smiled and acknowledged how her carrying on like this could be a little unnerving. Before he knocked on the door, he looked around the side of the house where my bedroom was - and I saw his flashlight, which scared the hell out of me again. He asked if I had any problems with kids in the neighborhood, and I said no. He also said this was the first official weekend of summer, as all the schools were out. I apologized for being a pansy, and he said not to worry, they take these things very seriously and that they would send a car to drive by for a few nights. Another car came rolling up just as we were done - I was very grateful for their fast response and not thinking I was crazy.
What makes me more angry than anything is that now I am somewhat jumpy in my own home. I have become much more aware of my security as of late, but tonight, am walking around making sure windows lock, all the doors are locked, shades down, lights on - because some punk thought ding song ditch em' at 3 AM was funny. Not so much.
The last thing the cop says to me last night - try to get some sleep. Yeah, right buddy. We will see how long it takes me to fall asleep tonight.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Violin Music
Tonight, we graced the halls of Dodd with our presence. I was supposed to go boating on Tuesday, but the weather was not good, so we did not go - I also ended up subbing for Renae's women's team since boating got cancelled. The plan was to go tonight before my game (I play at OSU on Thursday with Nat) and then go take 2 games for the championship. The rain derailed that - there were some loud cracks of thunder and some bright streaks of lightning all over Cbus tonight. So we went to Dodd, and were able to take our sweet time - and boy, did we. Tonight was a record - 2 hrs.
It was a really neat night at Dodd. We only saw one patient we had seen before - I was disappointed to have to wait until today, because I think Angel went home this morning. But we made lots of new friends tonight, and I think we will be seeing some of them for a few more weeks, at least.
The night started when a lady walked by the main desk and looked at Chelsie - I said, go ahead, pet her, it is what she is here for. Her father was in the day room, with what I assume was her sister, mother and grandson. She asked if we would stop in, so of course we did, and they just loved her. Chelsie was a little distracted by the food on the table, but did great. We sat and visited them for a long time.
So up and down the halls we went, stopped in and saw a few people here and a few people there - she was being really good and super cute. She was concerned about the lightning and thunder, but we were managing. As we finished up one side of the hall and started walking back toward the nurses station, I hear this beautiful music...I can't imagine where such music is coming from in Dodd Hall. We walked back down to the day room, to find the grandson of the first family we visited playing the violin for his grandfather. The kid was probably about 16 years old, and played the violin just beautifully. We did not go back in the room, but when I stopped to listen, Chelsie laid down and listened to the music. You could totally tell it relaxed the grandfather, and it was easy to see how proud of him his mom, aunt and grandparents were. I am sure the people that heard that music felt better.
So back down the hall we go...all the way to the other end. We go in one room and nurse Lisa (one of Chel's many favorites - she knows how to scratch her back end in the right place) asks the patient in the bathroom if he wants to see Chel. He says, Oh yes - so I said we would come back when he was done in the bathroom. I forget this guys name...maybe Mr. Smith - that is what we will call him...he was the nicest man. Had a golden himself, who was coming to visit Sunday, I think his name was Casey. Anyway, I had the nicest conversation with this man...we were probably in there for 40 min. We had nothing else to do tonight, and Chelsie was parked at his feet and he just loved her...was so glad to have a dog around, so I just went with the flow as long as she was behaving. I really enjoyed talking to him. Toward the end of the conversation, his roomie came back in - it was the man whose grandson played the violin. His daughter and her husband brought him back, and they must have been the parents of the musician..I told them how talented their son was and that he played beautiful music. Apparently he had also put on a concert for them in their room. I was glad they were roomies - although the musician's grandfather was not real talkative, I think the two of them will do just fine together in that room.
And lastly, we went into a room one of the nurses had asked us to go into when I got there and never made it. It was our lst room of the night...and another 40 minute visit. We will call him Mr. K (god bless HIPAA). My medical degree tells me he had a stroke - very limited movement on his left arm (but could move his left leg), trach, unable to speak, but could write and move both legs very well. Super sweet guy - the nurse told me he had 2 dogs he missed, and he was so excited when I brought Chelsie in. We had a really nice conversation - he wrote, I talked. He had 2 dogs, Odie and Snoopy. I was so, so proud of Chelsie. Our carriage was definitely turning into a pumpkin at that point, but somehow, she knew Mr. K needed her and she was SO GOOD. She just sat in her chair, shook his hand many times and calmly sat while he would converse with me. She was interested in his trach and sniffed it and gave him many kisses. I am most amazed at how she just sat there, so calm, after almost 2 hrs. I could tell Mr. K was really glad to have here there, and she was being good, so I just went with it. Finally, I decided not to push my luck and left before her good behavior ran out. It was sort of sad to leave him because I think he enjoyed the company...but it was pushing 9PM and I was probably going to get kicked out of there anyway...
I can't rightly put into words the work she did tonight. She always does good work, but tonight, she stepped it up a notch and really made the night of the people we saw better. I know a talk a lot about perspective on my Dodd nights...but each time I go, I leave with a different perspective from when I got there, and each patient impacts me in their own way. I always enjoy visiting, but there was something about tonight that was truly special. I will think about this particular visit for a long while.
We hope this finds everyone well. TGIF and have a great weekend.
It was a really neat night at Dodd. We only saw one patient we had seen before - I was disappointed to have to wait until today, because I think Angel went home this morning. But we made lots of new friends tonight, and I think we will be seeing some of them for a few more weeks, at least.
The night started when a lady walked by the main desk and looked at Chelsie - I said, go ahead, pet her, it is what she is here for. Her father was in the day room, with what I assume was her sister, mother and grandson. She asked if we would stop in, so of course we did, and they just loved her. Chelsie was a little distracted by the food on the table, but did great. We sat and visited them for a long time.
So up and down the halls we went, stopped in and saw a few people here and a few people there - she was being really good and super cute. She was concerned about the lightning and thunder, but we were managing. As we finished up one side of the hall and started walking back toward the nurses station, I hear this beautiful music...I can't imagine where such music is coming from in Dodd Hall. We walked back down to the day room, to find the grandson of the first family we visited playing the violin for his grandfather. The kid was probably about 16 years old, and played the violin just beautifully. We did not go back in the room, but when I stopped to listen, Chelsie laid down and listened to the music. You could totally tell it relaxed the grandfather, and it was easy to see how proud of him his mom, aunt and grandparents were. I am sure the people that heard that music felt better.
So back down the hall we go...all the way to the other end. We go in one room and nurse Lisa (one of Chel's many favorites - she knows how to scratch her back end in the right place) asks the patient in the bathroom if he wants to see Chel. He says, Oh yes - so I said we would come back when he was done in the bathroom. I forget this guys name...maybe Mr. Smith - that is what we will call him...he was the nicest man. Had a golden himself, who was coming to visit Sunday, I think his name was Casey. Anyway, I had the nicest conversation with this man...we were probably in there for 40 min. We had nothing else to do tonight, and Chelsie was parked at his feet and he just loved her...was so glad to have a dog around, so I just went with the flow as long as she was behaving. I really enjoyed talking to him. Toward the end of the conversation, his roomie came back in - it was the man whose grandson played the violin. His daughter and her husband brought him back, and they must have been the parents of the musician..I told them how talented their son was and that he played beautiful music. Apparently he had also put on a concert for them in their room. I was glad they were roomies - although the musician's grandfather was not real talkative, I think the two of them will do just fine together in that room.
And lastly, we went into a room one of the nurses had asked us to go into when I got there and never made it. It was our lst room of the night...and another 40 minute visit. We will call him Mr. K (god bless HIPAA). My medical degree tells me he had a stroke - very limited movement on his left arm (but could move his left leg), trach, unable to speak, but could write and move both legs very well. Super sweet guy - the nurse told me he had 2 dogs he missed, and he was so excited when I brought Chelsie in. We had a really nice conversation - he wrote, I talked. He had 2 dogs, Odie and Snoopy. I was so, so proud of Chelsie. Our carriage was definitely turning into a pumpkin at that point, but somehow, she knew Mr. K needed her and she was SO GOOD. She just sat in her chair, shook his hand many times and calmly sat while he would converse with me. She was interested in his trach and sniffed it and gave him many kisses. I am most amazed at how she just sat there, so calm, after almost 2 hrs. I could tell Mr. K was really glad to have here there, and she was being good, so I just went with it. Finally, I decided not to push my luck and left before her good behavior ran out. It was sort of sad to leave him because I think he enjoyed the company...but it was pushing 9PM and I was probably going to get kicked out of there anyway...
I can't rightly put into words the work she did tonight. She always does good work, but tonight, she stepped it up a notch and really made the night of the people we saw better. I know a talk a lot about perspective on my Dodd nights...but each time I go, I leave with a different perspective from when I got there, and each patient impacts me in their own way. I always enjoy visiting, but there was something about tonight that was truly special. I will think about this particular visit for a long while.
We hope this finds everyone well. TGIF and have a great weekend.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Personalized Plates - what would yours say?
On my way back in from lunch, I noted what I would call an interesting (for lack of a better term) personal plate. This is what is read:
GZUSFRK
Now, I am all about God and Jesus, but in the overall scheme of things that come to mind to put on a personal plate, this is not one of them. I would definitely play into the hands of the owner of this vehicle and stare as I drove by.
GZUSFRK
Now, I am all about God and Jesus, but in the overall scheme of things that come to mind to put on a personal plate, this is not one of them. I would definitely play into the hands of the owner of this vehicle and stare as I drove by.
Monday, June 9, 2008
And its only June...
I am sorry to tell you my sweetheart, it is only June..it is going to be this hot for a few more months...thankfully, it is only supposed to be 81 tomorrow, as opposed to the 91 today....
This weekend's heat really sapped us. I went to kickboxing tonight also, which was yet another opportunity to sweat profusely. We were in bed, trash out, lunch made, showered before dark...um, how pathetic is that???
This weekend's heat really sapped us. I went to kickboxing tonight also, which was yet another opportunity to sweat profusely. We were in bed, trash out, lunch made, showered before dark...um, how pathetic is that???Sunday, June 8, 2008
Update on Chel's Vet Visit
On Friday, we went to the vet to deal with the itchy skin issue.
Fortunately, she does not have red, irritated skin or open sores, but unfortunately, it makes the source of the itchiness difficult to pinpoint. My vet and I both agreed medicating her would not be appropriate, as there are no signs of infection or open wounds. We left with omega 3 fatty acid pills to help her skin (I have to puncture the capsule and squeeze on to her food every morning) and some shampoo to use if the itching gets bad. I am also supposed to wipe her down when comes in from doing her thing, to remove any allergens that might have been on her.
Overall, I am satisfied with the options, and hope it helps. She seems to be better, but hard to tell if it was just too damn hot to itch this weekend. Thanks to everyone who has asked.
Fortunately, she does not have red, irritated skin or open sores, but unfortunately, it makes the source of the itchiness difficult to pinpoint. My vet and I both agreed medicating her would not be appropriate, as there are no signs of infection or open wounds. We left with omega 3 fatty acid pills to help her skin (I have to puncture the capsule and squeeze on to her food every morning) and some shampoo to use if the itching gets bad. I am also supposed to wipe her down when comes in from doing her thing, to remove any allergens that might have been on her.
Overall, I am satisfied with the options, and hope it helps. She seems to be better, but hard to tell if it was just too damn hot to itch this weekend. Thanks to everyone who has asked.
Our Agility Weekend
This weekend, we competed at a NADAC trial in Zanesville. I have participated in trials put on by this club before, and they do a really nice job. The judge was a judge at our club's NADAC trial in October.
Overall, Chelsie was spectacular - only nine qualifying scores on 11 runs and 4 titles. (not that I am a proud mom) She earned her novice jumpers title, her novice "touch and go" title (course of A frames, dog walks and tunnels), her novice chances title (where I have to work with her at a distance) and her open tunnels title. As usual, she worked so very hard for her mom. On the 2 runs she did not Q, she knocked a bar down and mom displayed bad handling skills. I handled her in a manner I don't normally handle her in..for good reason. We ran into each other, and she got behind me and took an off course jump. I think I was spectating, because I had plenty of time to get where I needed to be...I did manage to stay on my feet, thankfully! Otherwise, the run was perfect. I am very, very proud of her.
Unfortunately, there was no AC in this building...and it was in the low 90's and about 190% humidity this weekend. It was incredibly hot in that building. I did not realize how hot it was in her crate yesterday, so today, she was only crated when I had to walk the course and when I needed to use the facilities. Otherwise, she was parked next to me with a fan blowing on us..and it was still hot. The heat and humidity has sapped us both, we are now resting.
Hope everyone had a good weekend. It appears summer is here in Ohio!!!
Overall, Chelsie was spectacular - only nine qualifying scores on 11 runs and 4 titles. (not that I am a proud mom) She earned her novice jumpers title, her novice "touch and go" title (course of A frames, dog walks and tunnels), her novice chances title (where I have to work with her at a distance) and her open tunnels title. As usual, she worked so very hard for her mom. On the 2 runs she did not Q, she knocked a bar down and mom displayed bad handling skills. I handled her in a manner I don't normally handle her in..for good reason. We ran into each other, and she got behind me and took an off course jump. I think I was spectating, because I had plenty of time to get where I needed to be...I did manage to stay on my feet, thankfully! Otherwise, the run was perfect. I am very, very proud of her.
Unfortunately, there was no AC in this building...and it was in the low 90's and about 190% humidity this weekend. It was incredibly hot in that building. I did not realize how hot it was in her crate yesterday, so today, she was only crated when I had to walk the course and when I needed to use the facilities. Otherwise, she was parked next to me with a fan blowing on us..and it was still hot. The heat and humidity has sapped us both, we are now resting.
Hope everyone had a good weekend. It appears summer is here in Ohio!!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Oh, the memories...
Today's lunch conversation centered around the fact the one my staff participated in OSU's senior crawl last night. His sister in law is graduating, so he and his wife went down to campus and participated in the festivities (remember the average age of my staff is about 24-25) He was saying they started all the way up a Ledo's - I was like, isn't that in Clintonville???? But apparently they made it all the way down to South Campus...
Thankfully, my boss was with us - he is a few yrs older than I am and I recognized some of the bars he was talking about...The Cornerstone, Flying Tomato, Mean Mr. Mustards, Panini's (apparently still there, in a different location) Not Al's, Not Al's Too (still there) Of course, nothing could compare to Papa Joe's... there was a tear in my eye as I relived the night Jodi, Natalie and I watched in horror as it burned down in our backyard....
Those were days - those were also the days were afternoon naps were still appropriate...
Thankfully, my boss was with us - he is a few yrs older than I am and I recognized some of the bars he was talking about...The Cornerstone, Flying Tomato, Mean Mr. Mustards, Panini's (apparently still there, in a different location) Not Al's, Not Al's Too (still there) Of course, nothing could compare to Papa Joe's... there was a tear in my eye as I relived the night Jodi, Natalie and I watched in horror as it burned down in our backyard....
Those were days - those were also the days were afternoon naps were still appropriate...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Someone Needs to talk to all God's creatures...
Someone needs to have a discussion with all of God's creatures to let them know that my deck is not their haven. The bee issue seems to be resolved, but I was walking back into the house tonight when I noticed some suspicious tree like earthiness on the deck. Thankfully, my daddy was there to take it down for me and there were no eggs in the nest. (definitely a man's job)
This poor creature of God has had a rough week. At the vet's instruction, mom has fed her a diet of Benadryl all week to see if that would help her itchiness. It has - only because the Benadryl has knocked her out. Last night, when we bonded before bed, her skin was on fire - and mom has the AC set at a nice, comfy 72 degrees. Mommy called Dr. Watters this morning and she agreed it was probably best for her to come in. Hopefully, tomorrow morning, we will have some resolution to this.
And finally, the pride and joy of my back landscaping. This is by far the most expensive tree in my backyard (a Japanese maple for all you non green thumbs), but it is definitely the one that brings me the most joy when I pull the shade up in the morning. I made the decision to part with a substantial amount of money today when I signed a contract for an irrigation system. I have so much sweat equity in that yard I firmly believe every dollar will be worth it!! Wednesday, June 4, 2008
All hope is gone....
With the last crack of thunder, I have lost all hope of a decent night of sleep...sounded like shotgun went off behind my bedroom wall and shook the whole house. People say thunderstorms are cool, romantic, etc...I guarantee you there is absolutely nothing romantic about this.
Um, I guess it is free water for the grass and flowers...as another huge clap of thunder just came and shook the whole house again...
Um, I guess it is free water for the grass and flowers...as another huge clap of thunder just came and shook the whole house again...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Inclement Weather
As I sit here and listen to the thunder, I am hoping and praying we do not have to seek cover tonight. For the first time since I have lived in Ohio, I retreated to the basement Friday night/Saturday morning. I woke up to the sirens going off at ~4AM, in a pitch black house. As the power was out, I could not turn on the TV to find out where the storms were. I thought the sirens sounded like they were coming form the north...but did not want to take any chances. As I am sitting in the basement in the pitch black with the dog, the power came back on briefly - I knew this because the AC was right outside the window in the basement, and I have the little vents in my glass block windows open to keep air circulating down there. The AC scared the crap out of me...as if I were not already scared enough. Unfortunately, it was only temporary and the power went back out. Came on about 5.
Poor Chel hates the thunder too - she was just staring at the window as a clap of thunder rocked the house, and lays on the side of the bed furthest away from the window...I don't blame her. One time, we had a crack of thunder so close to our house that the vibrations turned on a touch lamp I had in my room. The light went to the basement the very next day....
Pray for sleep for me...please. Thunderstorms are NOT my favorite...
Poor Chel hates the thunder too - she was just staring at the window as a clap of thunder rocked the house, and lays on the side of the bed furthest away from the window...I don't blame her. One time, we had a crack of thunder so close to our house that the vibrations turned on a touch lamp I had in my room. The light went to the basement the very next day....
Pray for sleep for me...please. Thunderstorms are NOT my favorite...
Night At Dodd
Our night at Dodd started out with some SERIOUS attention from the nursing staff - all Chelsie's favorites were gathered at the main nurses station on the 4th floor, just telling her how cute she was, what a good dog she was, scratching her butt...she was groaning and leaning into the one that really found the right spot, and everyone got a kick out of that.
Tonight, we saw some new patients, saw some ones we had seen before and said goodbye to a few. We have seen one older lady who had a brain tumor for 4 weeks now, and she will be going home on Thursday. I told her I better not see her in here again! She promised me she would continue to get better. She is very excited about going home.
Angel, the stroke patient, continues to progress. Next week is the last week we will see her. Her mom and 2 of her friends were there tonight when we came in, and Angel was in a wheelchair sitting up. She continues to improve every week from a mobility perspective, and used both arms real well tonight. Her speech, although still difficult to understand, is getting better. It was good enough for me to understand her telling me that I should take Chelsie to go see other patients, that they needed her more than she did. I told Angel it was her turn and I would get to all the other people. I mean, how unselfish is that? She and her family are such nice people - she has pictures of her pets and I know she is ready to go home and see them. The doctors decided to keep her an extra week so she could get therapy sessions multiple times daily to make it easier on her when she went home, and her mom thinks this was the best thing for her. I may cry when we say goodbye to them next week.
I am still amazed how much my 4 legged furball does for the staff and patients. The staff seemed to need a little therapy tonight, and she was so good while they loved all over her. She was so good in her chair for the patients, so good for mom at class...she is just one great puppy. She still continues to scratch more than I would like her to, but I am doing what I can for her. She has been on a diet that includes 6 tablets of Benadryl a day (at the instruction of the vet) and got a bath in medicated shampoo tonight. Between the hospital, class and Benadryl, it is not any wonder she is dead to the world on the floor of the bedroom...
We hope this finds everyone well!
Tonight, we saw some new patients, saw some ones we had seen before and said goodbye to a few. We have seen one older lady who had a brain tumor for 4 weeks now, and she will be going home on Thursday. I told her I better not see her in here again! She promised me she would continue to get better. She is very excited about going home.
Angel, the stroke patient, continues to progress. Next week is the last week we will see her. Her mom and 2 of her friends were there tonight when we came in, and Angel was in a wheelchair sitting up. She continues to improve every week from a mobility perspective, and used both arms real well tonight. Her speech, although still difficult to understand, is getting better. It was good enough for me to understand her telling me that I should take Chelsie to go see other patients, that they needed her more than she did. I told Angel it was her turn and I would get to all the other people. I mean, how unselfish is that? She and her family are such nice people - she has pictures of her pets and I know she is ready to go home and see them. The doctors decided to keep her an extra week so she could get therapy sessions multiple times daily to make it easier on her when she went home, and her mom thinks this was the best thing for her. I may cry when we say goodbye to them next week.
I am still amazed how much my 4 legged furball does for the staff and patients. The staff seemed to need a little therapy tonight, and she was so good while they loved all over her. She was so good in her chair for the patients, so good for mom at class...she is just one great puppy. She still continues to scratch more than I would like her to, but I am doing what I can for her. She has been on a diet that includes 6 tablets of Benadryl a day (at the instruction of the vet) and got a bath in medicated shampoo tonight. Between the hospital, class and Benadryl, it is not any wonder she is dead to the world on the floor of the bedroom...
We hope this finds everyone well!
Heartbreak in OKC...
I was completely devastated for the Texas A&M pitcher tonight - anyone watching that had a heart had to be, even if they were the biggest Sun Devil fans out there. All you pitchers out there (me included) know that when a team gets hot, you can throw the ball anywhere (meaning nowhere near the documented strike zone) and the other team will have the game of their lives in the batters box. That poor Texas A&M pitcher will probably only remember this for many moons to come as opposed to all the great things she did in her career to get there. I was willing the ASU coach to empty his bench to end the 7th inning.
On the flip side, ASU displayed complete and total domination. When 1-9 is batting over 300 and is in double digits in long balls...might be indicative of a team that swings some big bats. It is fabulous to see how far the game we love has come. Poor John Kruk will have to get over the difference in strategy between baseball and softball - he is not a big fan of the number 3 hitter bunting!!!
On the flip side, ASU displayed complete and total domination. When 1-9 is batting over 300 and is in double digits in long balls...might be indicative of a team that swings some big bats. It is fabulous to see how far the game we love has come. Poor John Kruk will have to get over the difference in strategy between baseball and softball - he is not a big fan of the number 3 hitter bunting!!!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Whooped...
Since last Thursday, I have been to kickboxing twice, played 4 softball games and 2 soccer games. No wonder I am tired and my feet hurt. Seems like with each passing soccer game, recovery time is longer and longer. I had the pleasure of trying to chase this guy Sergei down in my soccer game this afternoon - I kept telling the guys on my team I needed help...somehow, we managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit. We also came back from an 11-7 deficit in my evening softball game (in which I participated at the request of Nat) and won in extra innings 12-11.
I need another day off.
I need another day off.
Is it really that bad?
Apparently, it is. I have been trying to capture this picture for many moons now, but until this morning, I had not been able to. This is a favorite nap place, especially in the morning when I am drying my hair. This was after a busy few days - she chased her ball at 2 softball games Thursday night, had a private agility lesson Friday night and went to Barkpark on Saturday. After getting home from Barkpark, the chocolate lab was there, as was her grammie. Grammie being there immediately induced panic, as the fear of having to leave mom and go with grammie is very real to her.
I was really aggravated at barkpark on Saturday. There was this dog that was chasing Chelsie for her precious rubber duckie...this dog was a pain, but his owner was an even bigger pain. He totally just sat there and watched his dog harass Chel, and never once moved his can out of his chair to throw a toy for him. I am usually a proponent of letting the dogs work it out themselves, but I was really aggravated with this guy - esp because he was at the complete opposite end of the pond and still sat there and watched this go on. However, mom was slick - managed to come up with a Wubba toy, which in the end, she much preferred over the rubber duckie.
Poor little Chelsonator will be making a trip to the vet this week. After her trip to Barkpark last weekend, she has begun itching and can't seem to stop. I thought it was the shampoo I used there, but I took my own this week and we are still having issues. I told her that mom would get it fixed for her.....I just hope I can hold up my end of the bargain.
I was really aggravated at barkpark on Saturday. There was this dog that was chasing Chelsie for her precious rubber duckie...this dog was a pain, but his owner was an even bigger pain. He totally just sat there and watched his dog harass Chel, and never once moved his can out of his chair to throw a toy for him. I am usually a proponent of letting the dogs work it out themselves, but I was really aggravated with this guy - esp because he was at the complete opposite end of the pond and still sat there and watched this go on. However, mom was slick - managed to come up with a Wubba toy, which in the end, she much preferred over the rubber duckie.
Poor little Chelsonator will be making a trip to the vet this week. After her trip to Barkpark last weekend, she has begun itching and can't seem to stop. I thought it was the shampoo I used there, but I took my own this week and we are still having issues. I told her that mom would get it fixed for her.....I just hope I can hold up my end of the bargain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)