February 2016

What a crazy mess around here!  Glenda you're just falling apart it seems!!  Lordy!  Good thing your attitude is tougher than any medical ailment, right?!

Ginger, that's scary that all that happened to you!  How long do they think it will take for you to fully recover?  So thankful for your knowledgeable and persistent doctor to make sure you got the correct diagnosis.  I feel like ER doctors go left so easily.

I lucked out and missed the latest bunch of freezing weather.  My BIL asked me to drive his car down to his daughter in FL.  So, I drove from NH to FL and then went over to the east coast of FL to visit with some friends there.  Missed what I'm told was "the coldest weekend on record in the last 100 years." Who knows if that was true. lol  

My flight back home got delayed by weather and I ended up in FL until Thurs.  Woke up the  next morning with a wretched locked up neck.  Morning after that I woke up with a headcold.  I haven't had a cold in a long time!  Took about 4 days for the neck to release, but the cold is hanging on.  Hopefully it will move right along and gone. :)  I really wouldn't be surprised if one was linked to the other.

Tracy, you had asked where I was in PNW - I was in WA, just about 20 mins from the SeaTac airport, I think.  Close enough that I was able to visit with Lani and her Weims.  :)  I feel like traveling is what I'm meant to do.  lol

I was in Arizona-Tucson last week.  Brother called me up to let me know MN was going into the 50F range..  Nice.  We waited out the cold weather and went when MN was warm.  Brother is looking into setting up a date for Sky.  I am sure Sky is willing.  May have to complete his AKC paperwork.  Going to think about it some more.

Going to take me a week to get my body used to MN again-that and eating MN foods and sleeping regular.  26 hours by car or 2.5 hours by plane.

Walked a bit in the Sonoran desert, explored a couple of mountains, visited Sedona, saw a few million cactus.  Fried loves the state, but I can not see buying another home to use for half the year.  Don't need the debt, the work, or the worry.  But it seems to work for quite a few.  There may be some native Arizonians, but all I seemed to meet were from up here.

Glenda, how are you doing?  

Tracy, how are you doing, especially with the changes that Mr. Tracy (and you) are preparing for your mother-in-law? I am ready to garden! I'd fly right out if I could.

Ginger, are you already planting tomatoes? I think I remember you were months ahead of us, too.

We had CRAZY winds here last night--an old (mostly dead) crab apple tree in the front yard came down--fell right in the driveway and completely missed the car (yeah!). Got the tree chopped up and moved. We lost a lot of shingles off the garage--it needed to be re-roofed and now it really needs it. Paige, did you get any of the storm up there?

Doug, did you get some of the winter weather? They were showing pictures of stranded trucks on TV, but I don't know if it was in MN or not. (I had the sound muted.)

Ronnie played  with a "chuck it" today and loved it--he can't tell where the ball is in flight (little or no depth perception) but once it hits the ground, he's pretty good with seeing it bounce. He was having a good time! We're going to start some off lead recall--we'll go to the beach when there's no one there and see how it goes. Rock was supposed to go to Pet Therapy "work" today but the early ferry was cancelled (and the tree in the driveway!) kept us home. Mozey is just glad the storm is over--she does not like wind, rain or anything else that resembles a storm.

I'm good Kate. I have my elbow back and my fingers and the swelling in the fingers goes down daily. The bruising is almost gone.Your weather must have been much worse than ours. Ours was bad enough that Dixie took two steps into the yard, peed and started pulling Todd back to the door, first time since we've had her that she's done that! Sorry you had the hassle with the tree and the roof.

Doug a lot of folks buy a decent rv and leave. It parked year round in the warmer climate. Or driving isn't bad. Some rest areas have rv hookups or you can just flip on the generator for the night.

Tracey that is really hard decision to make. Your MIL sounds like mine. Once she made up her mind to be miserable no one could please her. Life is what you make it. Sounds like they were both charter members of the BOB club....bitter old bi....errrrr use your imagination!

When winter hit, I was in Arizona wearing a cowboy Bob hat and slathering on sun block.  Sunny, high 80s.  Saw some snow when we went into the mountains.

Had Sky at a dog park yesterday.  Mistake.  Slimy mud, smelling bad.  Lots of dogs, dripping muck.  But they were all enjoying a day out.  Amazing how much mud a long haired dog can absorb.  Going to the WMA today to let him run through the weeds and water.  If he gets too muddy, I can let him wade in the creek a bit .  It's open.

Daffodils are up.  Grass is green.  

We watched a woman training a pair of Bobcats at the museum.  The cats were getting aggressive with staff, so they brought in a woman who trains service dogs to teach some behaviors.  Sitting on a mark, making sounds, going into a kennel, lifting paws, wiggling ears, showing teeth.  She said that there was no problem as long as she didn't try to touch them.  At that point, the big male would kill her.  And she was in the cage with them.  It was impressive to watch her chaining behaviors together.

Hi all, Glenda sounds like you are better.  I am doing better also, in answer to Paige's question , that's a good question :)   I have another follow up next week and it is my understanding they will run blood tests and maybe an x-ray to see if my heart is back to normal.  I feel much better but I am still a little  nervous so it would be nice to hear someone say I am ok

Doug I don't know what they call it up your way but we have retired folks here in Arkansas that go to Florida and Texas during the winter months, lovingly called "Snow Birds" .    Most have a RV community that they go to every year and meet up with other  Snow Bird friends.  We are not near as cold here as you are in the winter.

Kate, I am so ready for planting but it will be a month or so,  we will typically have a late winter blast that will kill an early garden and as much as I love gardening I don't love "do overs".  

We have been anxiously awaiting the opening of a bakery right across the street from our office in out little town.  Today was the day and they sold out before 8:00.    Sad for us  great for them.  I would imagine they will regroup before next week.   It very good to see them come in, they have put the bakery in one of the old buildings in town.  Very nice.

Gotta run, have a great day!

Tracy I am so sorry I forgot to send hugs your way.   I know your have struggled for some time with your MIL  it is so difficult.  

Some of our snowbirds go to Arkansas for the winter warmth.

Yard is about snow free and we all know what that means-clean up. Not to bad this year. All the running distributes the piles.

Glenda, it sounds like your managing okay with your cast and that the healing is well underway.  At least you're not having to wear a cast when it's super hot and humid or when you want to be doing some gardening.  

Ginger, I'm glad you're feeling well.  And how nice of your town to celebrate your recovery with the opening of a fantastic bakery!!  :-)  Growing up in New England where there were bakeries in every neighborhood, I was desperate for delicious baked goods when we moved here.  The only place you could get such things were in the "bakery" departments of the chain grocery stores.  NOT the same quality!  We finally got a couple independent bakeries, including one about 1.5 miles from our house, and while they don't reach the level of my favorite Italian bakeries in CT, they at least offer fresh, tasty breakfast pastries and some desserts.  Sounds like your town, Ginger, was desperate for such things, too.  It's awesome when a new local shop like that is met with success right away.  Hopefully they don't get overwhelmed.

Doug, your trip to the SW sounded nice.  Lots of people here have second homes in AZ.  Our winters are mild, but bleak, so they head towards the sun.  We know one couple who decided to buy a second home in AZ when they retired, but after 3 years they sold it because it was just too hot.  They break up the winter with a week or two visit down there now.

Kate, I'm sorry you had the mess of a fallen tree and roofing damage/replacement.  But, at least your car was okay!  High winds are so scary -- we've got gigantic fir trees in neighboring yards, and I get very nervous when we get wind storms.

Thanks for all the well-wishes for the situation with my MIL.  You're right, Glenda, she did decide to avoid doing what she could to ensure her quality of life.  It's not just welcoming feeling miserable -- it's more that she genuinely thinks she deserves to have everyone cater to her, even if she never leaves her bed.  She has said nearly that very thing a few times in the past year or two..  It's not like she worked super hard her whole life -- she was a pampered stay-at-home Mom who made her kids do a lot of the cooking and cleaning.  She's always had an inflated sense of entitlement for some reason.  And once she developed dementia, changing her attitude was impossible.  At any rate, we've started asking around for nursing home info.  We'll at least get on a waiting list, even if she stays put for a little while yet.

We've had sunny weather with temps in the high-60's this week.  It's been amazing.  Ruby has been happy to find sunny spots on the patio when DH goes home for lunch!

Tracy the AL facility where mom is has three buildings all with different levels of care. Aside from her building one has more staff to assist with showers, meal delivery....things like that. Then there is a much higher security building with far more staff for folks who need a great deal of attention to keep them safe from themselves. you might want to check with the director. Of mil's current place to see if they have something else available or can advise as to level of care she requires. Nursing homes are horribly expensive and not often covered by insurance. Might also be more than she needs. Just a thought.

Ginger I'm betting the doc will give a big thumbs up to your recovery. But just to be safe have been keeping you in my prayers.

While in Tucson, we went on a guided bird watch.  We were about $1000 under equipped . There are some serious bird watchers out there. Saw one woman near rapture upon seeing a Lawrences Goldfinch.  Apparently, you need proper boots, clothing, hats, sunglasses, cameras, and especially binoculars.  Even our walking sticks were substandard.  We saw about 30 species of birds, 20 of them new to us. Also saw a number of new cactus species.  

As a result of the walk, wife decided she needed new binoculars.  The new ones, purchased upon return to MN, are really nice.  She tried them out at out garden window and was reading signs across the street.  Using the old ones, we didn't know the signs were there..

Apparently, people in Arizona don't understand "river".  They put up bridges and eagerly point out river channels, but rivers in Minnesota have water.  In Arizona, they have brush and sand.  I am assuming the concept of "lake" is also foreign to them, although I did see a few boats on the highways.

Taking Sky to the big WMA by the river.  Reports of ticks already, so time for the repellants to come out.

Doug, I feel the same way about my photography equipment when I take classes. I think I'm going OK (and I am--and it's what I can afford!) , and then I see some high end stuff that others have. Holy mackerel! The teacher I've been working with is great about providing a lot of low cost options (though he can recommend high cost options, too!)-that works for me!

Oh, don't say it's tick time already--but I know it is! I took Rock for a walk today in what was a high grass/woods area. In typical hound fashion, he had his nose to the ground (unless he was air scenting!). I tried to add a picture, but that didn't work. I'll have to check for ticks before he goes to bed tonight.

I posted a couple of pictures of Rock on a walk--the pix are in the Gallery as I couldn't figure out how to include them in a post.

I guess I am a little slow, but "Rock hound"......

he is a handsome fellow.

Through the process of discovery learning, I found out that you can post multiple pictures in one entry.  Just drag them into the provided box.  Then they open like a slide show.  But I can not post photos  to the forum.

Rock hound--I love it!  I call him Rock-A-Doodle--I'm not sure why, but he knows I'm talking about him. (He has turned into a gorgeous hound after we got the weight back on him. He's a Treeing Walker Coonhound--folks around here think he's a beagle, so I call him my beagle on steroids :-) Got about 1/3 of the yard cleaned up--need to go do the rest before I lose daylight. Watched the mixed doubles curling from MN (mining area?)--I would fall flat on my butt on the ice! Seems like there's a lot of physics/math and skill without a lot of running--I like that!

My Mozey seems a bit under the weather--she is "burying" her food bowl (with food) in one of her blankets. She is a good eater, so I imagine we'll be visiting the vet this week. It's a total guess how old she is--at least 8 or 9, but maybe older. Hopefully, it's something that's easy to deal with. Lyme is coming to mind and that wouldn't surprise me at all.

OK--off to do "yard duty"!