02/09/15 start???

beautiful pics.....but shoot, if I took a picture right now, all anyone would see is snow, snow and more snow.  Since I last cleared off the patio table after last Mondays storm, it has an additional 26" of snow on it.  Seriously?????  At least 10 new inches today, and naturally the plow guy who has been pretty much ignoring our street for the past week and a half decided today would be a great day to fill everyone's driveway with the stuff he's been ignoring.  I had to shovel just to get to the street so DH could pick me up for PT.  Where the heck is a nice tropical island when you need one????

Oh, and even better news....all the local folks are OUT of pellets.  Bah, humbug!

Loved the pictures of your beautiful dog, Doug,  He is growing so fast!  Glenda sorry about all your snow and bad weather, it really is a bummer, I do not venture out anymore in any kind of bad weather, I'm so afraid of falling now.  Today is my Birthday, I am now 83, in good shape though for an old gal, still go the the health club 3 times a week and get around just fine.  My little Ava ( not so little anymore, she needs to go on a diet) is now 4 years old.  Time goes to fast anymore when you get old.  Hope everyone else is doing good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIVIAN!!!

Happy Birthday, Vivian.

I've noticed that after the first 60 or so birthdays, they just aren't that big a deal.  I told the kids "no Party",   Told them to just send a bottle of brandy and leave me alone for a while.

A front is moving through, probably on its' way to the right coast, and it has moisture.  We moved from rain to sleet, and it is supposed to go to snow later.  The roads are getting interesting.  I may just stay in today.  I know weather is cyclic, but this open winter and the way it changes is not normal.  I saw a truck parked on river ice yesterday, even though cars are going through lake ice.  IT'S  A FISH.  YOU CAN BUY FISH AT MOST GROCERY STORES.  Apparently it costs about $5000 average to pull a vehicle out of a lake, and you have to pull it out.  Even if you are still strapped into the drivers seat, the vehicle has to come out.

But ice fishing gives you a different view of the Bible.  When a Minnesotan hears about Jesus walking on water, we don't get surprised or see it as a miracle.  It just explains how he got the fish to share with the multitudes.

'

Skys' class last night went well.  He had a good run first, no food beforehand, and only marked the inside once.  He did it well, but only once, with piddle running down the steps on the training ramp.  My little over achiever.  We used a Halti collar, as he doesn't respond well with a regular or a chain.  The instructor doesn't like Haltis', saying the dog is just trying to avoid pain and doesn't really learn what you want.  He was quietly attentive, heeled nicely, and was guidable around treats and other dogs.  He paid attention, which seems to be a positive.  Any thoughts on nose hold collars and training.

If the phone lines stay up, I'll talk again later.

Ummm, Doug?  Could you just keep the darned front please?  We already got 19 inches of snow yesterday....we really don't need anymore.

I agree about the b'days after 60.  I don't feel a day over 30 until I look at medical records and see my age in writing......

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a halti.  I personally don't see a halti as a source of pain.  Even a properly used prong collar is not "painful", although even tho I used one with Thor, I do not recommend them as too many people don't use them properly.  A halti serves as a reminder as far as I'm concerned.  A choke chain is far more aversive and painful.   An ignored regular collar can cause pressure on the larnyx and in some cases, serious damage.  Any of these are training TOOLS.  How the tool is used is the key.  I seriously doubt that you are inflicting pain, intentionally or not.  Did you ask the trainer what SHE would suggest?  Sounds to me like you are doing a good job so a discreet middle finger salute might be in order.....

Embracing my inner curmudgeon, I just go my own way.  I paid to be there.  If I disagree, I will do it my way.

Dog is going nuts,  Really wants to go out for a run.  I don't want to beak a hip.  Wife played tug with him most of the morning so I got down to wrestle with him for a while.  Head to head, then I threw my arm over him.  May have bursitis in that shoulder.  Wanted to cry.  Standing up, my thigh tried to cramp up.  Wanted to cry.  Only thing stopping me was wifes' laughter.  Knee hurt as I limped off (knee was hurting also).  Hid in the office for while.  I may actually be getting old.  May go to liquor store later for pain meds.

Happy Birthday, Vivian!  Even without having met you, I just know if I did that you would seem not a day over 70, at the most!  Good for you fitting work-outs in 3 times a week.  I can barely get to a yoga class twice a week.  I hope you have something special lined up for a birthday treat -- maybe a favorite fattening meal or chocolate dessert?!  

Glenda, from the reports I'm getting from my mother in CT and my sister in Boston, I can only imagine what you're dealing with at your house.  I remember cursing the plows when we lived in CT -- they always seemed to come by the end of our driveway right after we'd cleared it to pull out for our drive to work.  Grrrrrr!

Doug, once again your photos are lovely.  That blue sky looks so brilliant.  Sounds like you've got a great training system going with Sky.  I agree with Glenda about the tools -- we tried the Halti on Ruby but it shut her down completely, and she kept rubbing her face on the sidewalk, so we quit using it.  

I also agree with your sentiment about ice fishing -- that's what the grocery store is for!.

I'm sorry to chuckle at your story about injuries from playing with the dog, but I can totally relate.  The first year we had Ruby, I hurt my shoulder playing tug with her -- it was weeks before I could reach to an upper shelf or cupboard without some pain.  And the arthritis starting in my hands becomes "louder" when I grip tug toys too tightly.  I can see why small dogs or even cats are good choices for the average older-bodied person!  

Loads of rain and high winds yesterday -- even lightning and thunder Sunday night, which we rarely have.  Today it's dry and there's some lightness to the clouds, but no sun showing yet.  However, I did see my first clump of daffodils in full bloom on my way to work today.  They've been budding for a week or so.  A couple flowering plum trees are showing a little pink, too.  Wish I could send some spring to you guys in the north east!

Junior is so handsome!

Tracy, please don't tell us about your daffodils. Now I'm really bummed. JK!

Busy day again, going home with a fried brain.

TTFN!

Stopping in for a quick visit. Happy belated Birthday Vivian. Thanks for sharing the pictures Doug. No ground showing around our area. Snow, snow and more snow. Been building snow forts around the bird feeders. :) It helps to protect the birds who are feeding on the ground . Have a couple hawks around. I like hawks and they've got to eat too.....but I feel like I've lured these birds out into an open area  and so have to try and protect them a bit. It'll be a long while before we see any daffodils around these parts Tracy. Had a fun agility class today. Gus the older dog had been sick awhile back and between that and the bad weather he hadn't been to a class in about a month and was raring to go. Corey the wild one, well he was his normal fast and crazy boy. It is just amazing how hard the dogs try to do what you want. They watch your every little move and it can take just a bit of a turn of your shoulder, for one, to either have them go in the correct direction or not. Can't wait to start going to trials again and start earning qualifications to Nationals. We didn't go last year, as it was in California, but hope to go this year, as it is back in Tennessee where it was 2 years ago. Hi to all and those in the land of the snow and freeze stay warm.

Happy Belated Birthday Vivian!  

Maureen, Tracy sent me an adorable news story about a young pig doing agility. Very cute. Good luck with the trials and getting to Nationals this year.  I know what you mean about trying to protect the birds at your feeder from the hawks. A snow fort sounds like and interesting solution. Not possible around here. :)  I also hated it when the grackles would get the baby birds from the nests. Nature is not the least bit sentimental.

I've got daffodils blooming but that's not unusual for our area. We've had some great weather this week.  Upper 70s and sunny. Today it's a bit colder and windy and next week we're supposed to get fairly cold, for our area. My Meyer lemon trees are covered in blossoms and the honey bees are deliriously happy. The blooms smell so good I want to eat them myself. I hope the possible freeze next week doesn't do too much harm. I had no lemons last year due to freeze damage.

I really do feel bad for those in the grip of all the cold and the snow.

Charles had a bad few days but is feeling better. He's got a ways to go but one day at a time.  The dogs are all doing well.  They bring me joy no matter how down in the dumps I am.

The livestock show and rodeo is in town. The trail riders are converging on the rodeo grounds. I was doing a site visit for work and on my way back to the office I had to wait for some trail riders going down a major road on their way to the grounds. Over 750 riders from all around our region participate in these trail drives.  They  are in groups of up to 100 riders but many don't make it the entire way for one reason or another. Of course, it's not like the old days but still it looks like it would be fun. If only I  had a nice trail horse and was able to take off from my real life for a few weeks.

That's about all from here. Take care everyone.

Maybe someday the powers that be will remove some of the stupid spam threads.  So sad to see this forum so devoid of any real activity. Thank goodness for this non dog related thread.

Jackie, the fort building gives this 61 year old  an excuse to play like a kid again. We have more than enough snow. We were supposed to get only 1 to 2 inches today,Thursday, and got more like  8 to 12. I had appointment in nearby Oswego, about 15 miles. Roads were perfectly clear when I went in but coming home was another story. I knew I should have cancelled. It was 20 mph all the way home. Had a car in front of me and  was glad for that, as I could follow them. I knew for a good part of the drive they were having one heck of a time seeing though. I was hoping that I didn't follow them right off the road and into a ditch. Blizzard like conditions and visibility was very poor. It took me about an hour to travel those 15 miles. At one point I had to pull off in a gas station/convenience store to clean off the windshield and wiper blades. Glad to hear Charles is over the few bad days he had. Stay warm those of you that will be in the land of the deep freeze, as it has returned again. Our 20  plus degrees, heat wave, is leaving us again and some super cold temperatures are returning.

Snow forts!  We loved making those as kids.  Maureen, if I were closer I'd come over and help you build more!  Your drive sounds terrifying.  We had one day like that last February.  I live 7-8 miles from my office and took me nearly an hour to get home that afternoon.  The visibility was bad enough due to snow, but because we have few road crews out here AND few people have experience driving in bad snow conditions, it was a recipe for disaster.

Jackie, I wish I could have kept my Meyer Lemon tree alive.  We got one as a gift and it struggled -- finally dying 3 years later.  It did very well in the summer with all our sunny, dry weather.  But, winters were hard on it.  It's too cold to leave it outside, but inside it suffered due to all the dry air in the house and even in a south-facing window, there's just not enough sunlight here for 6 months of the season.  We had ONE lemon during the time we had it, and it was incredibly pretty on the tree and very juicy when we picked it.  I felt really bad when the tree finally died.

Our news outlets here are going bonkers -- our Governor just resigned.  They recently started an investigation into allegations he allowed his fiancee to use her relationship with him and his office to secure private consulting work for herself.  They also uncovered some shady things she did years ago before she was dating him (which he didn't know about until the media dug it up).  Maybe the investigation will find he was complicit in her actions, but the investigation will take months and he realized that all the media attention and upset swirling on in the meantime would prevent him from governing effectively.  It's too bad - he was in his fourth term and had been quite popular (we used to see him around town shopping during his first two terms, very approachable).  They may end up finding out that all he's guilty of is falling in love with a woman who lacks some integrity.  Hardly a crime, but it may indicate poor judgment.

Enjoy the weekend everyone -- no plans for me other than maybe some yard work since it's supposed to be dry and reasonably warm.  Wish I could send some warm temps to those of you in the freezing cold!

Somehow snow seemed much more fun to play in when I was a kid.

My stray kitty is surviving. I'm waiting on a call back from the local TNR group for assistance trapping him since I am 99% sure he is feral.  I don't mind him hanging around or feeding him, but needs to be altered.

I found a very large denomination of money on a snow bank on my way back to work after lunch, so I feel lucky despite it being Friday the 13th. I wasn't 100% sure it was real, so took it to the bank to ask. It is real. Go me!

DS got a major promotion at work. I'm proud of him. It's been a long road at times.

Heading home to bundle up for the weekend. Good grief, I'm glad I don't work outside.

Have a good one, everybody!