February 2016

iDog

A kennel specifically for long term members to chat
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    • Gold Top Dog

    February 2016

    Apparently yesterday was Alaskan day at the dog park. Sky loves to play rough with the big dogs. Guy showed up with a beautiful little Alaskan pup-5 months old. Their faces are fantastic. Kid was there with a nice lab that really needed training. Kid was using a collar, but you need to train the dog first. Dog ignored the collar. Kid had to chase down the dog (great game) and carry the dog back to the truck. Comment from the group was that some people should not be allowed to have dogs. Almost gave the kid an leash to use.

    My dogs vocabulary seems to be increasing, and he is getting us well trained. At the park when he gets tired or overwhelmed, he comes up, stares, and if you say "walk", he woofs and heads for the gate, wanting to run the trails for a while. Yes, he is a wonder dog. I walked him to the vets Saturday and he was tugging the leash all the way. On the way back, I held his head firmly and told him I expected him to heel. He did. Apparently, I just need to explain things to him better-that, or he was tired from the walk and just isn;t that excited about walking home.

    Beautiful day again today, so will visit the park again. It rained yesterday Blizzard warnings for tomorrow, maybe up to 4 inches expected, and I prefer to start the snowy with a tired dog and maybe a little hard cider on hand.

    Saw Antigone at the college Sat PM. One act, as they learned their lesson about Greek plays years ago. Give the audience an intermission and they may go home. Actually the play was well done. But I just don't enjoy Greek tragedies. Too tragic. Everybody dies. The University did a play about 12 years ago that involved Greek myth, a swimming pool, and coeds in white bikinis that was very impressive and enjoyable. The next play is a Neil Simon play and should be fun.

    • Gold Top Dog

    gosh was just thinking this morning that the forum had been awfully quiet lately. Along comes ultra reliable Doug to change that. How about a standing ovation for our mod!

    Dixie got up this morning and asked to go out right away. Did both and was back inside in nothing flat. Why can't she do that on cold days? When we got home I put her on rhe tie out so ahe could be outside with me while i cleaned up the car and then we had a rousing game of chase me. Wore us both out. Dixie has been napping ever since. I've been cleaning. Hmmmm. Who's the dog?

    We stopped by the vet on Saturday and put our girl on the scale. At 19 months she is 27 inches at the shoulder and weighs 87 lbs. Not an ounce of fat on her but she's going to be a BIG girl.

    Have been going through enough testing to insure that seversl offspring of the local doctors will not need student

    loans. Yay me! I've already had thw mamogram and both abdominal and pelvic ultrasound m. Still to come are the thyroid ultrasound the ever popular bone scan, the urologist and the endrocronologist. I'm sure I have forgotten something......Getting older wouldn't be so bad if ALL the body parts didn't revolt at the same time. Sigh. I really do enjoy meeting new people but I might prefer a few who aren't M.D.'s! Ah well. Such is life.

    Proud to say that I got through the roughest week of the year for me with minimal angst. January 24th was the forth anniversary of Michaels death. The 26th would have been his 38th birthday and my birthday was the 30th and of course came with bittersweet memories of 38 years ago celebrating withy first born. Even after 4years it hasnt gotten much easier. Perhaps it doesnt or isnt supposed to.

    Ahhhh. Dixie just announced that she is ready for a walk! Off we go.

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    • Gold Top Dog

    It's coming.  Uff da!!!

    I was going to run Sky a bit.  Looked out the south facing windows.  Usually can see three miles to the river bluff edge.  Now, a wall of snow.  Not here  yet. Backed out of the garage, and flakes hitting the windshield.  Now, visibility is about three blocks.  This could be fun.  Trees were starting to bud out yesterday.  Grass was showing through.

    Seems like a persons duties in life change as they get older.  At a certain point, you become responsible for boosting the economy by contributing to the health care system.

    Helped out the dentist yesterday.  Didn't like that tooth anyways.

    Bought an electric toothbrush.  Wife took a brush, I took one, and that leaves two to use with the dog.  

    While I've been typing this, the snow has closed in to about one block visibility.  Had to tie down the moose.    Winds could get up to 50mph.  Schools started closing last night.  High winds, with some snow, and tundra geography make for dangerous driving conditions.  Most schools in the area have some kind of back up plan for storing sleeping students overnight if needed.  Would not want to be caught overnight with hundreds of teenagers.  TV and phone come in underground but the electric is on poles.  Got enough food and firewood for a while.  Need beer, but have wine.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Glenda, I feel guilty for complaining about how much I dislike January -- the whole post-holiday season thing, never feeling motivated to make a solid New Year's resolution, my birthday, all during a month when I have the most work deadlines of any month during the year.  But those are trivial reasons compared to the emotional reminders and "anniversaries" that you face each January.  I'm glad the month is behind you now and that you had Dixie with you for loving support.

    And speaking of Dixie, she's probably not 100% full grown yet, right?  I think the extra large breeds keep maturing and growing until they're around 2 years old.  Or maybe that's a myth.  Our Tonka didn't get to his full size and weight until he was close to 2.  I wonder if Dixie will reach 100 pounds?  Surely with her thick coat, she's got a couple pounds right there!

    Doug, I hope you're hunkered down as comfortably as possible -- I'm sorry you're without the beer, but if the wine isn't cutting it, you can always make some hot cocoa and add some peppermint schnapps!  

    Yes, the increase in medical office visits as we age sure can get tiresome.  It's pretty sad to see how many medical professionals make up my contact list for phone numbers!

    DH's sister and her husband arrive tomorrow.  Third set of house guests since Christmas.  Just sat down after doing the whirlwind "event cleaning" tonight.  Just have to run the vacuum tomorrow right before they arrive.  No sense doing it any earlier because Ruby will track in stuff from the yard immediately after I put the vacuum away!

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    • Gold Top Dog

    11 inches of snow on the picnic table.  Sun is now shining  and its about 19F.  Highway looks slippery.  The snow packs hard when the roadway is warm then covered with snow.

    Cleared out the drive way twice.  Had to make more room for the last of the snow.  My 16 year old snowblower started right up and did the job. It isn't big, only 5hp, but it does the job.  I don't know how they do it, but the Minneapolis morning paper always gets through, and the highway can get really nasty when the wind blows.

    Wife bought tickets to get us to Tucson for a week.  One of my brothers lives just south of Tucson and is apparently going to get flooded with Germans from Idaho the first of March (my sisters family) so we will visit in Feb.  Also have friends that have a winter home north of Tucson.  We will see who sets the best table.  I've been in N Arizona before, but never that far south.  Should be interesting.  Flying, along with being faster, will probably be cheaper than driving.  But i do like having my own car along.  Sky will stay with my daughter.  Her husband  has a business trip so Sky will get free run of the house most of the time.  Like the neighbors dog does when they care for her.  Sky has met a neighbors dog already, and they played well together.

    No schnapps, but do have Irish Creme that is getting old.  may have to get rid of it.

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    • Gold Top Dog

    Glenda, I'm sorry for your sad anniversaries.  I would say Happy Belated Birthday, but it seems more like "glad you got through it" could be more welcomed?

    Tracy, Happy Belated Birthday to you?  Maybe?  Or should I send my condolences your way, too?  If we flip it, consider how lucky we are to be alive for another birthday when some have missed theirs.  The end of this month will be the one year anniversary of the day one of my close friends from high school died from a brain tumor that he was originally given just 8 days to live.  Instead, he fought from about June until February.  Sadly, his best friend is a close friend of mine, too, and he lost his best friend Feb 22nd, then his mom (breast cancer), on July 23rd.  Cancer is such a thief.

    Doug, Tucson in the spring is gorgeous.  Probably my favorite time of the year when I lived there.  All the cactus in bloom and you get to see the most green then. :)  Baby bobcats walking through the backyard isn't bad, either. lol  Hope you get some good weather, good greenery, and enjoy your trip!

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    • Gold Top Dog

    Goooodness!  My dad just grabbed my hand and demanded I let him test my blood glucose because I "eat a lot of sugary things" according to him.  Welp, my reading was 84, in the Excellent level. Phew! lol  I was scared of the needle ***.

    • Gold Top Dog

    thanks for the thoughts ladies. Most of the time I'm able to be grateful for my advancing and for the almost 34 years that we shared with Mike. The holidays are tough and tje last week of January but the other 9 months or so are darned good.

    The urologist ordered more tests. Oh goodie. The regular docs office called to let me know my pelvic ultra sound was inconclusive. Yippee. Oh and she wants to have it repeated....hopefully without the internal probe next time. Yippy skippy. Im gonna glow in the dark pretty soon! LOL!. If my health insurance had a deductable it would have been met by the second week of the year!

    Tracy you are right. Dixie is not expected to reach her full size until she's at least two. But the good news is females go from 27-29" full grown. I doubt we'll even notice a couple more inches!

    Speaking of my little devil......Monday she decided check out what I had on the stove. It was a couple pounds of raw ground beef for the chili. Fortunately I had gotten distracted and mot turned the burner on. We have sealed burners so when ahe tried to explore the contents of the pan it slid to tje back of the stove. If the burner had been on her paws would have been right on it! Yikes. Yesterday I apent a couple hours adjusting and installing the barrier so I could get her crate out of the car. She made absolutely no effort to degeat the barrier when I was taking Todd to work. No effort as I drove to the grocery. However I came out with my loan purchase. ..a gallon of milk...and there sat Dixie in the front seat. Arrrgggghhhh. All the time I thought she was being so good the little bugger was probably studying the barrier trying to figure out how to quickly defeat it. So home again, crate back in the car and I made the mistake of usingthe bathroom. Dix goes and knockes her bowl on their floor from the elevated stand. Metal bowl. Lots of noise. I'm trying to get out there before she starts tossing the bowl in the air and her something else. Dixie had managed to flip open the top of her plastic food bin. Shaking my head. Yep she can be a little demon.

    Paige....yikes! Tell your dad not to do that!

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    • Gold Top Dog

    The snow is deep, the sky is gray, flurries are forecast, and the dog is driving us nuts.  Dog is going to the park for a run.  Wife also needs a good run at the park.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Snow is on the way here, too, but I don't think we're supposed to get the totals you're seeing in MN! I was supposed to have a meeting in Boston tomorrow, but it's already been cancelled. I guess I'll watch the late news to see what the forecasters are predicting now.

    Rock started his second  Pet Therapy internship today--he's visiting with college students and loves it, though he was exhausted by the end of our visit.

    Glenda, sending you lots of good thoughts--three months--holidays and January all in a row--so much to deal with.

    • Gold Top Dog

    All of my meetings yesterday and today were cancelled  because of the weather. We got 6-8  inches of snow and the dogs have loved it! Miss Mozey comes in full of snowballs on her feet and lower legs--which she promptly has to removed! The boys both have really short coats, so no snowball harboring in their worlds. I decided to break out in hives today--Glenda, I thought of you! For me, hives mean I am seriously worrying about something, so I have to figure out what. The OTC meds are working.

    Happy Super Bowl Sunday (a day early)!

    • Gold Top Dog

    gosh we maybe got an inch! But. Dixie loves it. She was so cute when she came in yeaterday morning and had to be dried....all fluffy and puppy looking for a girl her size.

    Kate my hives were brought on by an allergic reaction to the acid relux meds. They kept recurring because wasn't takem off that one. It in turn led to major stress on the immune system. ..gee, ya think? Which triggered the eczema. All that SEEMS to be in the rearview. Fingers crossed!

    I have been wanting to trylamb. Finally came across a recipe for Lancashire hot pot that I could "hide" the meat in. Its basically a stew but everyone liked it.....even after I told them what tje meat was

    Will definitely get more when can fimd it on sale

    That stiff is pricey.

    thinking I'll avoid the political agenda tonight and curl up with a book and a glass of wine. Can only watch just so many reruns of NCIsbor Law And Order.....v

    Apologies to the football fans, but I do enjoy the commercials!

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    • Gold Top Dog

    Spring time in Minnesota.  Light snow with 40mph winds.  Apparently that is a blizzard.  Highways south of us closed, schools closed all around us.  Talked with a guy at the meat market who had driven to Duluth, Willmar, and back to Mankato today.  Said the roads were not too bad, but he was north and the storm was south.

    Wife is cleaning house and I have no where to hide.  She bagged up a bunch of old toys.  Sky checked them out and decided to keep the stuffed whale.  It won't last long, but for some reason, all the rest of his toys were in my truck.  I've explained to him that he should bring them in, but he figures I will when the truck fills up.

    I've given up on football.  Too many years of the Vikings almost doing well, never going all the way.  Real men play on grass, so you get mud and snow, frostbite, and grass stains.  May have to dig out the long underwear for the next few days when running Sky. Somebody built a big snowman at the dog park.  I wouldn't roll that snow with my gloves.  I don't even like walking into the house with my boots now, and Sky gets his underside washed each time we go. (He's laying on my feet with his whale right now)

    Ordered out some ink for our color printer by internet.  Saved a bunch, and should be good to go for quite a while now.  The cartridges that come with a new printer are low volume and tend to empty quickly.  I bought 2 sets of refills.  Then I ordered out some leather and kydex to play with.  Tuned up the table saw.  I may have to actually do something one of these days.

    I would like to avoid the political agenda.  Once, I would like to vote for someone, not against someone. 315 million of us, and these are the best we can come up with.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Snow day here; ferries cancelled because of the wind and the schools were all closed. I needed the day at home to grade tests. (The students had until Sat. night to take the test.)  Just finished with those. I have no idea how much snow we got because the wind kept blowing it around. I think the dogs are ready for some serious play time without the wind (though Ronnie is sound asleep snoring right now). My Mozey just does not like the wind.  

    I didn't watch the football game but I made some blue cheese bites (blue cheese in puff pastry)--served with a bit of fig preserves. Yummy!  They were supposed to be "bite size"--mine were more like credit card size--worked for me! Made some andouille sausage things, too.

    OK--off to get ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone is safe and warm.

    • Gold Top Dog

    ah snow. Lovely if you happen to actually like it. I do not. Got a couple inches today and was not impressed. Supposed to do this all week. Apparently this is the winter version of Chinese water torture.

    Came home from my CT scan with and without contrast to find that Dixie had torn a dewclaw and was bleeding all over.. It looks she broke or ripped the nail off down to the quick. The exam was cursery since wasn't real happy with being examined and bandaged. She's leaving it alone....for now.

    Ok let me just say that whatever they inject for contrast is not much fun. I could deal with what felt like the world's worst ht flash but feeling like I had just emptied my bladder took it a little beyond my comfort zone. I didn't but the feeling was soooo not fun! Shall see what fun is in store tomorrow with the thyroid scan. I'm just having so much fun. Not.