Lets try this again

so.. the year has come to an end and i have to admit that i have really lapsed in my daily writing. I do apologize to those loyal readers and for one of my reolutios, i will try to do better. Now. I have many things to be thankful for. I have had a blessed year with health and happiness for my family, but also for the dogs, which many of you care about. Tanner ended the year number one and did it in grand style. In california he was Select dog with me on the end of the lead. He won several regional specialties and took a group 1 at the national dog show which many of you saw televised on tv Thanksgiving day. That was a thrill for all of us. He now ends his extensive show career with me showing him occasionally. I am really looking forward to having some real fun with him.

Ii wish all of you very blessed and Happy New Year. talk to you soon.

Raining cats and dogs

So here it has been raining. Raining
and raining. Floods, evacuations and blackouts. Fortunately we have been fine. Our house is on higher ground. The lady's biggest problem was keeping us all dry and clean. The man on the other hand was worried about our pool. Day after day the pool level was over and above the side. T night he would come home and pump the water down to keep it under the rim. Well, the last day he forgot. He forgot he was pumping the pool and pumped it way down. He came down and said the rain had stopped. How did he know that? Well. He pumped the pool so low that he needed now to out the hose back it and fill it backup. So when everyone else was bailing out their basements and flooded houses, we were filling up our pool with the hose. Only us,

Saying goodbye

Where do I fit in here? I don't know. I came here just a baby. I am the son of the big dog. The people seem to like me. I made friends with the others pretty easily. Just not him. I was leery of him and he wanted no part of me. I tried to figure out what my role was, where to fit in. Looking back I took some risks and made some mistakes.

My first thing was to focus on the man. He was often outside with us. He would pick up toys and toss them around. No one paid much attention, but I figured out that if I licked up what he threw and brought it back to him, he would throw it again. It was a game. It was fun and it was something him and I had together. This was going to be my niche, being his friend. I would get him to like me best since everyone else like my dad best.

I grew up. I grew up big, bigger than my dad. I started going to the shows and did really well, but still second fiddle to dad. How was I going to change this? So I made my move. I challenged him. I figured I was bigger, I could take him. I walked up to him all puffed up and in my fiercest growly voice said I was there and was going to be the new king here. Well dad wanted nothing to do with this and answered me back. Then the lady intervened, very upset with both of us. But... Dad was put inside and I was put in the pen. And that was where I stayed when he was around. We lived separate lives. I was not allowed near him. My big calculated move had backfired. I was not going to be #1 after all. So I began to refocus on the man. I knew he loved me and I wanted to have some p,ace here. I had an old toy tire that he and I would p,ay with. He would roll it out and I would bring it back to him. We would do this for hours. I loved this.

After a while I thought I could make another move. I was in my pen and everyone was out, even dad. I began to climb the fence to get to them. The lady saw me and screamed NO... But it was already too late, I was over, but not really. On the way down I got stuck. My back leg was caught in the fence. I panicked and yanked it really hard, ouch that hurt. I could not put any weight on my leg. She was so upset. It looked like I messed up again.

I got better , but not 100%. She took me to the vet and I just knew it wasn't going to be good news. I also knew that being a show dog meant I needed to be healthy. So now what? In the car we drove for hours. We eventually met up with people that the lady knew. They seemed really nice and they had a girl dog that seemed afraid, but not of me. When everyone seemed like tit was time to leave, I didn't know what to do. Bt the. The lady took my tire, the one I played with the man with, and put it in the other car. So this was it. I hopped in and began my new life.

Weekend in and weekend out

So on any given dog show weekend there are a variety of dogs in the truck. That is what we call Heather's set up. We usually have some Goldens, maybe a few Flat Coats and always some Bernese, like me. These dogs change and go home as they get their championships. but also, weekend in and weekend out there are a few of us that are always the same. I like to think of them as my dog friends. These are like me. They have already earned their championships but also like me in their breed they are considered of excellent quality that they continue to be shown as a "special". That is another dog show term. I am a "special".

Some of my other friends, Nacho, Trader, Rita, Panda and Tuck. Each of them have their own personality and their own needs. Nacho is a big Bull Mastiff. He has no hair so there is very little grooming required, but he does drool and slobber so having a rag around when he is being shown is always a good idea. Trader is an Akita and like Nacho not a lot of grooming. trader doesn't like too many of us and so he doesn't spend too much time with the gang. He is shown by Kevin and than back to hang out by himself. Panda is a corgi. He is small and a bit of a spoiled brat. He gets to hang out with Heather and Kevin I their RV. None of the rest of us get to do that, only Panda. We are a little jealous of Panda. Rita is Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She left us before the summer to have her puppies, I think she will be back when they go to their new homes. Tuck is an Australian Shepherd and like me needs to be groomed before he is shown. Him and I spend a lot of time on the grooming table getting groomed and waiting to be shown. And like MD, Tuck's people travel with him to the shows. Also, like me he wins a lot. Him and I are almost at the same level. I did say almost. I am what they call the "Priority". What shows we go to usually depends on what judges like me the best.

When we all win, everyone is happy, and when we lose which sometimes happens, everyone is sad. But weekend in and weekend out we travel to the different shows doing our best.

It Sucks getting Old

The familiar saying for Bernese Mountain Dogs is "3 years a young dog, 3 years a good dog and 3 years an old dog". Well, I am approaching my 9th year and I am certainly beginning to feel the aches and pains of an old dog.

But.. let me back up. My physical issues didn't start as I got older. My big issues happened when I was a young mother running around the backyard. After my second round of babies, I remember it like it was yesterday, we were all in the backyard enjoying a beautiful day when the man pulled up in the driveway. All of us ran to meet him like we always do and I led the way. Suddenly, I felt something snap in my knee and I couldn't use my rear leg. I was in a lot of pain and my lady was worried for me. She quickly got me settled down and tried to assess my injury. I could tell she was concerned because we went right off to the doctor. He confirmed what she had feared. I had torn a ligament in my knee and needed to have surgery. This was no easy undertaking. The surgery was done and I came home. Leg shaved and in a cast and pretty much immobile. This was going to be a long and hard comeback. I was made to stay still. My lady walked me on a leash and than made me lay back down on a blanket. But.. when I began to feel better, keeping me still was harder for her to do. I wanted to go out and play and be my old self again. But I listened to her and did what she wanted me to do I eventually healed and was almost good as new. But what is typical with these sorts of injuries, just like in humans, once you do it to one side, the likelihood of doing it to the other side increases. And a few years later it did just that. The other knee.. Well this time I wasn't as young. My lady was afraid of the surgery. So instead she hoped that I would heal on my own. I did, but not 100%.

So. now the knees hurt all of the time. The one with the surgery and the one without. I walk very slowly and won't run up the hill anymore. I prefer to just sit by the door and watch everyone else run around. And even though I am very careful, sometimes the young ones get out of control and hurt me. Calley did that very thing last week. She accidently ran into my shoulder and now that hurts. The lady was upset, but I know Calley didn't mean it. She was just being herself.

Sure does suck to get old.

Irene

All night long the wind and the rain howled and raged. We laid on the floor listening to the furniture outside getting thrown around. One chair even ended up in the pool The people were upstairs sound asleep. Couldn't they hear what was going on outside? Certainly there would be no dog show tomorrow. But what were we thinking? There is always a dog show.

The dog show is never cancelled. It seems that nothing stops the show from going on. Even last year when a blizzard was coming, we loaded up the car and headed for the beach area where the blizzard was headed, but where the dog show was being held. As the storm headed right for where we were going, the lady was optimistic that it would be OK. We stayed in a hotel that was better suited for the summer time than the cold winter. After the first day of shows, I heard the lady talking to the man about maybe she had made a mistake, maybe she should head home. But he said it was too late. The storm had already begun and we would be driving right into it. So we stayed. The hotel was right across the street from where the show was, but certainly the show would be cancelled. Everyone said so. The snow began to pile up. We made it back to the hotel to settle in and batten down the hatches. During the night the power went off. Surely this was not a good thing to happen. No heat, no electricity. Now what? Well what do you think we did? We went across the street to the dog show. While the town was bracing for evacuations and setting up temporary shelters, we were at the dog show.

We waded across the street to the building. The snow was up to my chest and my lady's waist. But we trudged through. I guess there was some comfort for her to be with people of the same mindset. and trust me there were a lot of people at the show. All of the dogs just looked at each other and thought the same thing. Our people are crazy. We rolled our eyes and shook our heads.

We did finally leave the show after the snow stopped and roads were cleared two days later. It took forever to get home and when we finally did the man rolled his eyes and shook his head. I guess he thought the same thing, dog people were crazy. So on this morning with the weather channel on and the man on the tv telling everyone how to prepare and stay safe during the hurricane, we were watching our people get ready and we knew it was not to be safe but to go tot he dog show. And so we went, the rain was driving and the wind was blowing but we arrived at the dog show with all of the other crazies.

Disappointment

It is hard for me to know that I have let her down. I can see it in her face and feel it in her vibe. Today we found out that there would be no babies for me. I was sent to Colorado for a while to be near where the boy was. I was treated like a queen while I was out there and my only job was to come home with babies inside of me. I have let them all down.

After it is all said and done, the girls that stay have one job, have babies. They kick the ball down the road, advance the generation. My mom did it. The Old Lady. She had her puppies and from her came me. I was chosen to carry on the line. She picked me early and I did not let her down. I was great at the dog shows only needing a few to get my championship. I passed all of my health checks. And I have even given her several babies. The problem has been that these babies have not been nice enough to keep. She has tried from each of my litters to keep a girl, but in each case they did not work out. And believe me my boyfriends have been pretty nice.

My first by was a handsome German dude. We traveled far to see him and in the end we kept Secret, but alas she was not to be. The second by was just as nice. From Mexico. Jada came from this litter and once again she was not going to make the grade. Our last boy was a great guy from Canada called Matten, but again the same story. Even though there were five girls to choose from (I think my lady has pretty high standards).

She found this last boy in Colorado which is why I spent some time with our friends out there. He was nice and we got along just fine. I am not sure what happened. Maybe the plane ride was more stressful than we thought. I just know that all of them are devastated. I am sorry it didn't work out this time, hopefully next time

Rock Star

That is who I am. In my breed I am "the Man". for as long as I can remember, everyone thinks I am great. At the house, the only other one with as much clout as me is "the Old Lady". Anytime people come to the house it is usually to see me. They all love me and I love that they do. Not only am I beautiful ( which I am) but I am smart. And not just regular smart, I am dog smart. I can figure out what the people want and then I do it for them, they love that and I get rewarded for it. It is a pretty sweet deal.

My life. Pretty much going to dog shows, being pampered, meeting girlfriends, being pampered and hanging out at home while being pampered. I travel to the shows, mostly with my lady, but sometimes with my handler. When the lady doesn't come with me it is not as much fun. I am treated more like the others, I spend more time in the crate, I don't get too much attention. But when my lady comes it is a totally different experience. It is then all about me. I get brushed and blow dried. I get to lay on my table and watch the people go by and admire me which I love. I am a big suck up. Everyone who sees me thinks I am great. I do a lot of winning at the dog shows I usually am the Best of my Breed and that makes all of the people happy. I love the applause and I feel just like a Rock Star.

And then there are the lovely ladies. All of those beautiful girls that come my way because of how famous I am. They come from all over. And when they do come, it is a super priority in my family. No time is a bad time for the girlfriend. Last Christmas a girl came from far away. There we all were, on Christmas Eve in the backyard. The people make this happen. I just sit and wait for the "girlfriends" to come. That is what my people call them. My girlfriends. Isn't that cute?

So there you have it, dog shows, girlfriends and than my down time at home. I pretty much drive the bus around here. They worry and fret about Did I eat? Did I poop? Am I feeling myself? How is my coat? Do I look my best? This kind of stuff preoccupies my people. And me, well I just hang around on the couch or in the bed. King of my castle. The man even saves part of his dinner each night for me. Not for anyone else, just for me.

the only time there was ever an issue was when there was another boy here. A while back a boy name Echo lived here. Evidently he was a son of mine, like I cared about that. When he came he was just a baby so I could pretty much ignore him. But than he started to think he was like me. He went to the dog shows and won. He started to get some girlfriends, which I pretty much thought "I don't think so". We started to growl at each other in the backyard. That made the lady very mad and nervous. So we than could not go outside together. We could only be together in the house. She pretty much kept us apart from each other. We led separate lives which was fine by me, as long as mine was not changed. I was still the king, even though he may have thought he was the prince. And than he was gone. Where? I don't know or care. It was just as it should be, me and my girls. For now.. it seems that another boy has arrived. Another son of mine. He is a baby now, so I am not worried. We will have to see how this works out.

Traveling Man

Here we go again. I am watching them pack. Uh oh!!! Where are we going now? It seems that whenever they plan to go somewhere these days I am going with them. And more and more it is me in a crate in the belly of a plane. I am getting really tired of this, but I should be used to it.. I have being doing this for as long as I can remember.

My first trip on a plane was when I was just a baby. One day I am at my house with my mom, brothers and sisters and the next day it is all changed. One by one my siblings left with people I didn't know. For a moment I thought I was staying. That would be nice. Here in Colorado, amongst the beautiful mountains.. This would be a nice life, with mom and all my relatives. But just like that things changed. Literally in the middle of the night, I was packed into the car with my crate, given a kiss and left in the airplane hanger to go who knows where. All night traveling.. Where? Where? Where? and then in the morning again by myself waiting for what would happen next. And then this woman out of nowhere showed up. Calling my name. How in the world did she know my name? I had never seen her before. She opened my crate, picked me up, gave me a big hug and kiss and held me very tight. I didn't know what to make of her, but I thought I would give her the benefit of the doubt. I really didn't have too many options. And at the moment she was all I had.

I settled in pretty well in my new house. There people were certainly nice enough and the others were OK. I respected the older ones and made friends with the one girl who was my age. She became my best friend. Frieda, that is her name.

My life seems to be one of traveling. I mostly go in cars, vans or trucks and we usually go to the dogs shows. But at least once a year they load me into a plane to make a long trip far far away. Flying is not my favorite thing to do. I do like the attention I get at the airport, but the time away from my people is pretty stressful. I have travelled pretty much all over the country, but my biggest adventure by far was my trip over to Europe to stay with my friend Tuuli in Finland.

We have driven to the show, but something was different. My lady was different. She seemed anxious and nervous the whole trip. She packed and packed and much of the stuff was for me. That wasn't too unusual. But the really weird thing was once we go to the show, I was not in the show. I am always in the show. That is what I do. For an entire week I hung around the hotel room. I went out and met people, I even saw my first lady from Colorado. She made a big deal about seeing me. I really didn't recognize her, but she certainly was glad to see me.

And then it happened. That last morning. I thought we were going home, but she packed my stuff and brought me to another room where there were two young girls that I didn't know. They certainly seemed nice enough. Now, I am the kind of guy that is pretty friendly and I climbed on their bed and made myself at home. That seemed to make them happy. And then my lady started to cry. They were all crying. They were hugging each other and hugging me. What was going on? And then she left. Where did she go?

So now what? I am in this hotel room, with two people that I don't know. And so began my greatest adventure. I was back in the airplane but now when we landed, all of the people were strangers to me and I did not understand them at all.
Our first stop, yes there was more than one stop, was in a place called Paris. I think this was not the plan because I was taken out of my crate by a man and he and I just stood and watched and waited. I finally saw the night young lady running toward me with panic on her face. I stood up happy to see her, at this point she was all I had and at least I could understand what she was saying to me. There was something about volanoes and closed airports, but finally we were back in the air and to our final destination, Finland where I would spend the next several months.

This new place was different from what I was used to, but also very exciting. We lived in the city in a small apartment, so there was no backyard, but we went for long walks which I loved. One of the first things that happened was that Tuuli introduced me to two beautiful foreign girlfriends. Maybe I was going to like this place afterall.

I settled in there pretty quickly. That is kind of who I am. "If you can't be with the one you love"... You know the rest. I made it work, Lemonade out of lemons so to speak. And than one day I heard my lady's voice. She was here. I ran to the door to see where she was. I ran all over the house. She was calling my name. But Tuuli called me over to her to go on her lap and to look at the machine. That was where her voice was coming from. She was telling me how much she loved me. That was great. I loved to hear her voice. So, when she would call on the box, I would lay on the bed and just listen to her. I felt that one day I would see her again.

Than just like that it was over. We were packing up and getting ready for another trip. This time not just me, but two puppies were coming with us. I learned these were my daughters, but I didn't really care too much about that. Another long ride and than there she was . My lady.. Crying again, struggling to get me out of my crate. I jumped into her arms and hugged her. Boy. I missed her, it was good to be home.

My Humble (or Horrible) beginnings

So, I wasn't born here, but this is where I ended up and boy O boy am I grateful. Where I was born was a very different place with a very different sort of people. The house was completely different from the one I live in now. First, I was the only one of my breed there. Don't get me wrong, there were others, but none like me. All of my siblings were sent away with other people to live, but I stayed. I spent most of those early days outside in my pen. I wasn't with the other dogs because they were bigger than me and liked to fight with each other, and quite frankly I was just has happy to be in my own place away from them. I really didn't like them very much. I didn't have a back yard to run in, but it was my home and I didn't know any better.

Like I said, outside was where I lived. Never in the house Even when it snowed or rained, I would be left outside just a small shelter to protect me. When the weather would come, I would stand outside, looking at the house hoping she would let me in, but then I would be wet and dirty making my chances of going inside almost non existent. So. there I would be, standing out in the weather cold, wet and lonely. But again, I didn't know any better.

Maybe this was when I became afraid of the thunderstorms. When they would come, I would look for the woman hoping that she would bring me in, which she never did and so I would go into the shelter trying to get away but never really able to The pounding and the flashing would really get to me, but I had no other options.

And then it all changed one day. A real nice lady came to the house and took me in her car. We drove to her house. There she had many dogs, but all of them were just like me. I now had friends that I could play with and run in the backyard with. There were no pens outside, we all lived inside the house with the family. I really didn't know how to do that, but I learned quickly from the others. When I would have an accident in the house, she would not get mad but showed me where to go and when I did go outside there would be lots of praise. I wanted to stay here so bad. I did nothing wrong, No barking, no chewing. I just wanted to become invisible so she would never send me back. I wanted her to love me because you see.. Now I knew better.

The Old Lady

So, that is what they call me now. The Old Lady. Ok, I guess in many ways I am. And for the record I have earned the title and wear it proudly. I am 9 years old, and although it may not sound old to you, in big dog years, I am getting up there. I am the oldest one here and have been here the longest. I command a certain amount of respect, not only from the others but from the people as well.

I am pretty set in my ways. Nobody really messes with me. They leave me be to eat and to be outside. I even have the people trained. For example, when they call us all in from the outside, the others are not allowed into the rest of the house. They are restricted to the porch area and family room. When they call us in, they have put a gate up that blocks the way to the rest of the house. The others don't even know there is another part of the house.. But I do. When the call comes, everyone rushes in, but not me. I peek my head in the door to see the status of the gate. If the gate is up, than I remain outside, preferring to be outside by myself than cooped up with the rest. They will call me and beg me, but I refuse until they realize the gate is up. They then will take the gate down and I come in happily to run into the other part of the house where I can go where I please. I can even motion a bit with my head and they will respond to my request. I have them trained pretty well.

I sometimes try to venture up the stairs to where the people sleep. This is hard for me because of my bad knees, so mostly I remain down in the living room on the carpet. Unless we have a thunderstorm. They frighten me and when they come I drag myself up the stairs to sit by the people while they sleep. That makes me feel better and not as afraid. And if the storm is really close I try to climb in bed with them. I always go on the woman's side, she tries to help me up even though the man says no. She is nicer than him, I like her better.

There are a lot of us here. But many of them come and go. Mostly puppies. They stay for a while and then other people come and take them away and I never see them again. I don't get too attached to them because they will probably end up leaving anyway. So, I just do my thing. I find a cool place to lay in the shade outside and I find my own private spot in the house away from the others. The people don't ask too much of me anymore. The others, they get baths and go to dog shows and training classes, but that is all in the past for me. I just lay around and watch their lives while I enjoy mine. And mine is pretty great.

But... it wasn't always like this...

Something new

So.. this is what I am now going to do. I am starting to put my thoughts together for maybe a book or memoir. I am going to use this forum to test out the stories. I will be writing these from the voice of the dogs. Each story will be from a different dog. See if you can guess...

Freida

So Freida threw up... I know that this doesn't mean a whole lot but in the dog breeding world about 2-3 weeks after breeding this is one of the early signs of pregnancy. Nothing else changes with I the dog until almost 6 weeks but there are some subtle changes and this was one of them, I am more hopeful now that this whole production might end with a good outcome. Keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed.

Typical dog breeding story

So. Freida went out to Colorado to be bred. As it turned out, Andrew was going out there and he took her with him. Too easy right? She was due to come into season the early part of June. Chris was going to drive her tot the dog and it all works out.. Not so fast.... Frieda does not come into season. Week after week nothing.. Now the problem is, chris's daughter paulie is getting married the end of July and getting freida to the dog was getting to be dimmer reality. So plan b.. We need to find another dog. Done. Now. We wait. Freida comes into season. Yea. Kim comes and get Frieda and she is bred over the week. As it turns out, she needed to be bred on the very day of the wedding. She came home last night with mike. Now we wait. Who said this was easy?

Too hot for wine

So folks you heard it hear. I went to the shows this past weekend in Centre Hall. As usual I brought my bottle of wine to relax with at the end of the day. Friday was so hot there. We showed and sweated. I was miserable. I took my shower and yes, it was just too hot for wine. I drank water... That might be my answer. Move someplace where the temp is like a sauna...

How to mess up a perfectly good plan

So.. Frieda is being bred to a dog in Nebraska. So.. Chris says, send her to me and I can get her to the dog for a live coverage. Great plan. Andrew flew out to Colorado in April, Frieda in tow. She was to come into season June. Well, June came and went and still no Frieda in season. Now it gets interesting. Chris daughter Pauli is getting married at the end of July and Chris is having the wedding reception at her house. So begins our talk about what to do is she comes into season when the planning for the wedding is going on. So. yesterday, I am thinking,, this may really work out. If she stays out another week or so, than we are in the clear for the breeding since when she will need to be bred will be after the wedding. Well, you guessed it. She came into season yesterday. She will need to be bred, the day the out of town guests come in, the day of the rehearsal and the day of the wedding. Only Frieda would take a perfectly good plan and mess it up for her own pleasure. What to do?? What to do???

too hot for words

So.. I got up yesterday and it was just so hot... I worked out and than decided to clean out my car before it got tooo hot. By the time I was done, I was drenched. The dogs came inside and parked themselves right in front of the air on the porch. I put on m bathing suite, but it was too hot to swim. Too hot to swim?? you may ask. Well, the pool was outside. The pool needed to be inside in front of the air conditioner. I was going to jump in and sit in front of the air soaking wet. Instead I took a nap. It will be hot like this until Thursday. Oh boy...

Hot but Good

So I did it. I bit the bullet and took him back into the ring on Sunday. He won BOB at the Supported entry and he showed great for me. I also finished his daughter Callie and that makes 10 Champions for Tanner. Now on to Fiona. Heather can't get home soon enough. This was hard work. And it was really hot.

Heather Come home

So.. Heather and Kevin have gone on a vacation. But not like everyone else on the planet that goes for a week. THEY WENT FOR THREE WEEKS. This weekend is the show down at the Howard County Fairgrounds. It is a home game for me. So I entered the dogs. Calley, Fiona and Tanner. I have been a nervous wreck about showing Tanner. I dont want him to lose, because it is me showing him. And that could easily happen. Friday.. all went well. Tanner won.. yesterday I chickened out and left him home. I did win the major with Calley, so my confidence level went up a bit. Today, I am going to bring him. I hope I do him well. Please Heather come home, Tanner needs you.

To show or not to show

So.. To Oreos tanner is entered at the show and as you know he had surgery last week. So normally I would just leave him out of the show, but tomorrow's judge loves tanner. So I a, thinking I may just go ahead and show him and if the judge says anything about him being shaved, well I will just say he ate someone he should not have.. We will see

We could have danced all night

So what a great time at the wedding. Everyone looked wonderful and the place was great. Everyone wanted to be tyler's dance partner and he did not disappoint. We boogie woogied until we couldn't no more. Even newell was caught shakin his booty. Fun, fun, fun.

Here comes the Bride

So sitting out here early Friday morning. Everyone is home for the weekend. We are going to our dear friends daughters wedding. It should be a great time. It is really heard to believe though that Jana is getting married. She is the same age as Andrew. Graduated with him and played basketball with Meredith. Where does the time go. It was just yesterday that we were cheering for them at the state championship game in Hershey, and now.... I am feeling old.

Seeing Zebras

Chris and I have a saying " seeing zebras", it means imagining the worse. Well that is what happened on Tuesday. I was seeing zebras for sure. Tanner was sick, and I was certain that it was just really bad. Well, I am happy to report that although he needed surgery, he now seems to be back to his old self. He ate last night and has that beautiful devil look in his eyes. I guess now I can get mad at him for eating something that he shouldn't have. I mean, he is five years old, he should know better.. I have a backyard full of puppies that eat stuff they shouldn't now I have to worry about him as well. Well, I just cant bring myself to get mad. I am just so relieved that he is ok, I don't care that the vet bill was enormous, or that he won't be shown next weekend to the judge that loves him, or that his girlfriend from Canada has to probably visit another boyfriend. I am just so damn happy he is ok, I just can't be mad. But, heather doesn't know yet, she on the other hand will be mad at him, so he will have to deal with that.

What a Day

So.. two nights ago when it was time to go to bed, Tanner wouldn't come inside. That was strange. He was stuck under the bushes. We dragged him in and he seemed fine. Yesterday though was a different story. Not feeling well. I was very worried. He is a 5 year old Bernese mountain Dog and they get sick and it goes fast. Temp was up, not eating.. Called Jess and she said to keep an eye on him. I took him to work with me and watched him. he slept, i worried. At 12:30 I took him to Jess to get him better. This is Tanner now. No messing around. She xrayed him and felt he may have eaten something. We gave him some Barrium and watched it pool in the stomach. She felt something was there and needed to go in and take a look. My heart stopped. After what seemed like forever, she called. Nothing in there but the intestines were very inflamed and she felt something indeed was moving through the colon. This morning.. Big incision. Shaved belly. But temp is down and he seems a bit better although in pain. I wonder if we needed to open him up. But now the second guessing will drive me crazy. Had we not, and something was in there, we may have had big trouble today. So I should focus on the positive. He is no longer running a temp, and he is on the mend. he will get some time away from the ring, which he will like. Big breath. What a day...

Really?

So you should see us. With our iPhones, iPads, iPods. We are quite ridiculous. So mere asks if she can borrow my laptop for her recruiting and I say sure, I have my phone, and my iPad. Well, neither of these are charged. I can't believe it. And to make it worse, I can't find one charger in my house. I have searched my whole house and no charger to be found. I should have so many chargers I should be able to sell them. But noooo. So what do I do. I plug the iPad into the car charger and drive around town for a while. What we do when we are not connected. I can't remember what it was like before technology. Probably better

Dont' Call

So.. I have this rule in the afternoons. Don't call between the hours of 1 and 4. That is when I take my nap. How many times have you laid down and the phone rings. It is just so annoying. So I made this rule. My family has honored this rule so much that Mere has even called at 12:58 just to be in under the wire. Well, today it was just ridiculous. At 4:01 the phone began to ring. One call after another. It was just too funny. i guess they are really listening.

Really???

So, with all the complaining and whining I did when we had 40 days and 40 nights of rain and cold, that I would not say a word when it got nice and hot.. But really??? 95 degrees??? It has been like the desert here.. No where to put the poops, because it is so hot.. Can't leave them in the house, well you know what happens with that.. poops and poops, but too hot outside. So.. We compromise. out in the morning and the late night and than we hold our breath during the day. We have started to put the two babies, Delia and Aiden in the crate together over night. Seems like that is working. I guess they look at each other and say.. don't you poop on me, and the other says don't you poop on me.. And well, they haven/t Now I have to find a big enough crate for Tanner and Willow together..

The jungle across the street

So.. the lady across the street has run into some bad times. She is not well. She was the foster parent for the local pet shelter and she had way to many dogs and kids at her house. Well, this spring all the kids and the dogs were taken and now she is there by herself. She has decided not to cut the grass. Well, if you know anything about where we live, we have had some rain. Like Noah rain. 40 days and 40 nights of rain. So.. Her grass is way long. Like a jungle. Yesterday I took Newell outside and asked him if he thought anything looked odd. Looking across the street, I asked him if he thought maybe cutting this woman's grass might be in the best interest of the neighborhood and as a by product we would be helping her. He agreed, but only the front yard, not the back.. Why?? Well, it is so long in the back that he is afraid there are animals living back there and he doesn't want to break his tractor. I guess I can agree, but at what point does the back yard literally take over the house, and than what???

Thunderstorms

So.. last night. In the middle of the night... I end up with both Willow and Tanner sitting on top of me in bed. Why?? you may ask.. There was a thunderstorm. Not a bad one.. but rumbling. Both dogs, both neurotic dogs, jumped up on top of me and drooled and panted in my face for a half an hour. OMG>> What the heck is going on? They are nuts...

Opportunities

Both of my children have great opportunities available to them. The question is do they take advantage of them, and the bigger question is how hard do I push. I learned my lesson a few years back, than when I didn't push, the opportunity passed and than I regreted not having said more. Here I am again. I see things a bit differently than they do, but I always do. And I only want them to be all that they can be. Sometimes I have to go head to head with them, but I know they know deep down that I want the best for them and want them to be spectacular. So, yes I am gearing up for a fight, one that I have been in before, but...I can do it. I hope they still love me in the end.

When will I learn?

So.. when will I learn? If it doesn't directly involve me, I should just stay out of it, no matter how good my intentions are, it only ends up biting me in the butt... Lesson for today...

Stupid, stupid puppies

So,, after a long weekend of shows and now working as the assistant to Heather and Kevin.. I finally get home late last night. Newell and I sit down and have some dinner. We are eating. The dogs are outside.. I hear a noise. I say "What in the world is that noise" Newell responds.. "it is probably the puppies doing something they shouldn't" He gets up, and says " PUPPIES IN THE POOL,, PUPPIES IN THE POOL!!!".. We both run out and fish out both Aidan and Delia who are batting their little arms trying to get out of the pool. I can't find Fiona.. "Where is Fiona?" I scream.. Well, she is plastered up against the house. Her look.. I am not going anywhere near the big hole that just sucked in my friends. Wow!!! catastrophe diverted.. When will these guys realize they are not Jesus.. They can not walk on water.... WHEW!!

Still no BIS

So, we travel all the way to West VA in the hopes of snagging that elusive BIS. The end of the weekend brings one Group 2 and three Group 1's but still no BIS. I feel that if we could just get one it would be like the flood gates opening up and then we could start rolling in them. But we have to find that one judge who can overlook the Scottie or the pekinese and give it to the Berner. Maybe it won't happen at all. Oh well.

36 points

So.. Tanner this weekend is in West VA. Somewhere way way far away. He is down there because the judges looked good for him and we thought it was a good opportunity to grab some all breed points and maybe even that elusive BIS. Well, last weekend in Baltimore he won the group and got 300 points. That was really good. The first day in W. VA.. he took a Group 2 and got 36 points. What??? Heather says this is a really small show. Really? 36 points. She said the Terrier group took 3 1/2 minutes to judges. There were only 4 terriers in the group. I thought this might be one of the funniest things I have ever heard. yesterday he won the group. 53 points. Wow. This is a really small show. If he did end up with a BIS, it probably still won't be as many points as his Group 1 in Baltimore. Sometimes you should just stay in your area.

It seems like just yesterday

So, here I am. Up at 5am watching the TV.. Watching as millions of others are watching across the world. I remember doing this nearly 30 years ago. Working at our Fire Dept, on Summer break from college. Watching in awe as a young woman walked down the aisle and just amazed at how beautiful she looked. And thinking this really was a real life fairy tale. And now again, I watch. The bride is beautiful. More beautiful than words can say. I am crying.. I don't know why. I don't know these people, but for some reason they have touched my heart, like I guess so many have been touched. I watch as this young man marries his bride, without him mother by his side, and I think this is very sad. I am truly touched.

Who knew?

So, Newell got this cold over the weekend. Stuffy head, runny nose. Endless blowing and sneezing. Really pretty annoying. But,, in my care and concern I searched through my medicine cabinet and loaded him up with Nyquil, Dayquil, sudafed.. really anything I could find to end the bothersome noise. Well, he calls me yesterday from work, that after he had taken the sudafed, he looked at the box and it had expired in 2007. Well, does it still work? I asked him. He thought maybe it was now poison and he would probably die. That didn't happen. But I really had no idea that the stuff actually expired. Who knew?

The longest day

So, begins my long day. My heart, Frieda has left to go and visit with Chris in Colorado. Andrew is flying to Denver with Frieda in tow. She has never done this, but I am sure she will be fine. it is me that will fret and worry all day. Once out there, we wait for her to come into season,, and then be bred. After she is bred, Newell and I will go out and get her. It is a great way to visit with the Mann's. She is wonderful for doing this for us. Just to make the clock mover faster till I get the call from Andrew that all is well.

Thanks for nothing

So, you know what really sucks. Volunteering for a job, and than getting endlessly criticized for the job you are doing. putting your heart and soul trying to make it work and sticking your neck out only to get it chopped off. No wonder no one wants to got he extra mile, or lend a hand, it only gets slapped. Well, this girl has learned her lesson. Over and out...

Easter with the family

So, we had a wonderful EAster holiday. Mere came up on Friday evening. She met us a the Italian Restaurant and we enjoyed pizza and salad together. We get a phone call from Andrew that night, he is on his way to the emergency room. His girlfriend's dad who is a doctor says he has pneumonia. Well, isn't that nice. No it was just bronchitis. Saturday he comes home. The dog show with Mere was a disaster. Every dog of mine lost, except Fiona, so that was a bust. Saturday night was a beautiful dinner in Leesburg. Mere wanted to come along with us, but that was not to be. Sunday,, EAster. We went to church. We went to the early Mass since it is the non singing Mass, and I can't sing. Well, we sang. mere sang loudly, (which she really shouldn't do), but it was Church and I think even the bad singers sing at Church. Off to Aunt Barb's for Dinner and than the dog show. Tanner won the Breed so the four of us headed over to cheer him on the group. Well, what a difference a day makes. TAnner Group 1. YEA!!! So. all in all , great weekend with the kids and even at the dog show.

Somebody has to win

So.. A few weeks ago we had some friends over for a bracketolgy party. You know. March madness. We all have such high hopes in the beginning and then they actually played the games. Well we are all in the weeds. Every one of us was slammed. All of our teams lost. No one (except mere) has no one in the final four. It has been exciting. We will see if mere wins. I guess someone has to win

Trip across the country

So.. the last of the babies leaves today. Not just to a new home, but to a new home on the west coast of Canada. i have been speaking with a potential buyer, and after much soul searching decided that she was of quality to send her. We have her little health certificate, her sign on her crate, a baggie of dog food and off tho the airport she will go this morning, to meet her new mom. It should be a long day today waiting and worrying that she will be OK> I hope that everything goes smoothly and around 5pm I should get a call from Ingrid that my baby girl has arrived safely and she loves her.

Mark you calendars

This morning, the first morning in I can't remember when, there were no poops in my house. I mean none. None in the crates, none on the floor, none on the carpet. It was a miracle.. A mother's day miracle. I love my dogs... today..

Get me outa here

So.. I wake up this morning and Delia is running around the house. How in the world did she get out of her crate and why would she do it? When we put her to bed at night, she is exhausted. She runs in and plops down and goes right to sleep. So, what would make her want to break out of her crate and be out? Well,, let me see. What has changed? Oh yeah. The puppy Aidan is right next to her.. And what he does is scream, holler and cry, pretty much all of the time. So I am sure, my Delia decided that she had enough of this, and just wanted out. When I came down, she was just sitting at the door, saying "Sorry, I just couldn't take it anymore". What could I say? I couldn't agree more.

All Gone

So.. I have been away for a week because.... THE PUPPIES HAVE LEFT FOR THEIR NEW HOMES!!! Yea me. I have bleached and washed every inch of my house and am getting ready for new carpets. I love those little guys but they were ready to go. Interesting was that three of them went to friends.. They will grow up with their litter mates as buddies.. I think that is pretty cool. Now, I have to raise Aidan to be a nice boy. He is a bit of a cry baby, more on that later.

Te count down begins

so the vet appointment is tonight and they begin the journey to their new homes on wed. Yeah me !!! Having them outside has made a huge difference in my feelings. They could stay forever. Or not. Sending them to their new homes is key. They crave their own families, their own attention. I am anxious too. I am looking forward to bonding with Aidan. I am excited to see how he grows up and if he can fill the awful big shoes that are in front of him

Suicide puppies

So.. in an effort to tire these little monsters out, I take them for a bit of a walk around my backyard. They should follow me like little lambs, but not these guys. These guys run over to the wall by the pool and than launch themselves off the side onto the stone patio, nearly killing themselves. OMG.. they need to go home, or I am going to throw myself off the side of the wall and commit hari kari with them.

Suicide puppies

Suicide puppies

I know why

I now know why the Europeans let their puppies go to their new homes at 7 weeks.. BECAUSE THEY ARE READY TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE.. OMG... This is the longest time... It has done nothing here but rain.. Now what am I going to do with 7 13 pound puppies that can't go outside. All I do is try to keep them clean and prevent my house from smelling like a kennel. We have candles going, and windows open. I have bleached the floors so much my poor hands are peeling. Please, please, let them go home soon..

Because they can

I know that I have been on a bit of a rant about the poops, but... it has become an issue of not if they poop, but who will poop. For example.. yesterday morning we are awoken by the familiar smell. I go downstairs to find Delia literally covered.. She has pooped, peed and thrown up all over herself, the crate and her surroundings. I get her outside, the crate outside and begin the clean up. It was a mess. The little babies are not even an issue. This was gross. So bad, I gave her a bath in my 19 degree garage just so I could get a feel for if she was not feeling OK. I took her over the vet, because she was not acting herself. 140.00 later, yup she just ate something that upset her stomach. I came home with her after work, ready to clean the babies, when lo and behold Roxie had pooped. Now come on. Roxie, who has not had an accident even during the raising of the babies when she was eating 12 cups of food a day. I looked at her and could do nothing but laugh. As I was cleaning her up, I look outside and Tanner is lifting his leg on the outside table. Have we all just lost all of our dignity? Everyone has regressed to the level of the six week old babies. Anyway,, this morning, Roxie again. I give up.

Disgusting

My puppies have decided that eating the poop in the backyard is about as great a thing that there is. Even my new girl, Delia has gotten into the mix. I have banished Kendra to the pen because of this, and now Fiona has taken up the slack. This morning, in my pj's I was out there running after her as she was going from pile to pile and I was trying to scoop before she could get there. Then they look at me, licking their lips, yum... yuck. They will all be banished is this sort of thing doesn't stop.

rain, rain go away

Well, I thought the snow was the worst thing to happen.. No scooping, just ice and mess. I was wrong. The worst thing is rain. I have 15 dogs at my house if you count the puppies and the two that don't belong to me. I have no where to put them. I put two of them in the pen up at the top on Sunday when it was so beautiful.. And now they are so covered in mud they are banished up there until the spring. Everyone else is on the porch. Yesterday I thought,, should I vacuum and mop? Why in the world would I do that? It is a mess, and the puppies need to go outside and they just can't. The next three weeks should be long, dirty and smelly.. Can't wait.

Dawn and the Remote

So.. we are watching TV last night and as usual there is NOTHING on. When this happens I get a little frustrated because we end up watching some sporting event, which most times doesn't bother me, but after all day of basketball, really how much can we really watch. So, I say (very nicely) is there what we have decided to watch? That usually gets me the remote. Well, last night was a revelation. Evidently, according to him, I am the worst controller of the remote. He said he sometimes wants to come over and strangle me. Now, according to him, this is what I do. We start to watch something, usually on Bravo (like the housewives or top chef) or reruns of law and order and than the commercial comes on. Than I begin to surf, ultimately stumbling on something else that I might find interesting, maybe a cooking show or a rerun of NCIS. So we stop there until that commercial comes on when I begin my surfing again. Never returning to the original show, which he says he was interested in in the first place. Well, EXCUSE ME!!! So.. that is when the remote goes back to him and we than watch the basketball game and I go to bed.. This is about 7:30 pm. And you wonder why I drink wine. When I drink wine, I really don't care what we watch. See, be careful what you wish for...

My morning routine

So each morning I am awakened around 5 am to the howls of Delia my 3 month old Berner. She needs to go out. I lay in bed thinking, "do I let her cry or do I go down and save myself the extra work of cleaning out her crate?" I usually get up. Well, once that happens, everyone has to go out. So out goes Fiona and Kendra ( who the last two nights has pooped in her crate) Roxie who barks at everyone, Willow, Frieda and Shiloh. (Shiloh is visiting for Tanner).. So Tanner has to wait to go outside until Shiloh comes back in. While they are out, I begin the puppy process. I make their bowl. Than I move 7 puppies into the clean xpen where they eat. While they are eating, I clean up their box and put down new papers and start the laundry. I let all the girls back in and Tanner goes out. I make up the big dog bowls and begin to feed them. TAnner in the kitchen, Roxie in the puppy room, Delia in her crate. Kendra, Fiona and Shiloh in their crates in the garage and Willow and FRieda outside on the porch. I gather up the bowls and wash them out. By that time the puppies have finished their meal and have (hopefully) pooped. I put them back into the clean box, where they will poop again. ( It is like their deal, they have to poop on the clean bedding) than I clean up their xpen to make it ready for them to go back in. 7 puppies out, 7 puppies in.. all day.. The washer never stops, the washing of the dishes never stops. Hopefully I can soon put them outside where some of the pooping will occur. This is why I don't go away and travel.. I could never explain this process to anyone..

700 poops and counting

So.. we have 7 puppies who poop 5 times a day.. That is 35 poops a day.. And they have three weeks to go that is 21 days. So you do the math.. We have at least 700 more poops to go before they leave. And that doesn't even count the big dogs. I am way over the poops.

So much easier

Well, I spent the better part of last week de-pooping my yard. With all of the snow and ice, it was just pretty much a mess. And than last night another 8 inches. Well, it is just plain easier to deal with a million dogs when there is not tons of snow outside. The little one was nearly lost in the drifts. But she plowed through and made it back. She of course was the only one that ran out and did her stuff to get back in. I like her. Kendra and Fiona just ran and plowed and had a ball. I went inside and said let me know when you are done. I am ready for spring.

Back in Business

So, I have been away for a week. Started off in NY with the Garden. We picked up our new puppy Delia and had a great visit with Tuuli.. The Garden was fairly disappointing in terms of the show, but both Mere and Andrew, Leslie and Tyler came up and we celebrated my birthday and that was wonderful. The week flew by and then the Regional Specialty on Saturday where FINALLY Tanner won the breed. It was very exiting and the best was that Tuuli was there to see it. We said goodbye to her on Sunday.. We hope to see her this summer in France. In the middle of all of this we had some really warm temperatures and the snow in the backyard melted leaving a backyard full of poop. I mean FULL OF POOP. It took me two full days and a big wheelbarrow to clean up the backyard. Wow.. it was overwhelming. Now the babies are almost 5 weeks, and hopefully we get back on a regular routine. Hopefully working out and losing weight.

Lost Again

So.. another week and I lost another 2 pounds. So maybe this no drinking wine thing really does work. This week will be a challenge though. Monday we leave for the Garden. We'll eat out Monday night, and Tuesday ( the big day) I mean my birthday, not the dog show, although it is the dog show day as well, than Tuuli comes in for the weekend. So, the challenge will be to try to stay on track and not eat myself into the weight gain department again. We'll see.

Chew Toys

So, if you come to my house and didn't know any better you would think that a two year old toddler lives here. We are covered in chew toys. Every toy known is strewn over my house. We even have a toy basket that the dogs go over to all night as they pull the toys out and distribute them around the house. Then why O why do they continue to chew on my things?? I have two bad dogs, I won't name names. ( Kendra and Fiona) Kendra more than Fiona.. I think Fiona just goes along for the ride, but Kendra.. OMG. In the last several weeks she has eaten the inside of my work shoes. This is where my 400.oo orthodics are, she has eaten my snow boots. she has eaten the rings off the pool cover and the worst is, she ate the wiring that connects the pump to the pool filter and nearly dislodged the pump. We were so upset with her, that we put her in the crate in the garage, where she proceeded to eat a hole in the dog food bag above her and pretty much free fed herself like a goldfish. Now, you might say all of this is my fault. I am clearly leaving my things around the house for her to chew on and am not keeping a close enough eye on her, and I accept that. But really, the pool pump wire? Why in the world would that even be appealing to her. Well, what can I say. She is a challenge, and I am sure that if she doesn't kill herself by eating something toxic she will turn out to be just a wonderful dog. Getting from here to there though may be the question.

Kicking my butt

So.. I have now been going to Gold's gym since Jan. Now I haven't really gotten myself into a real routine yet. With puppies, dog shows , weather, it has really been pretty hit and miss. But I can now say that I have tried all the classes and they ALL KICK MY BUTT.. There is not one easy class that I can say,, "Oh I really like this one". They all make me feel like I am going to die. And the worst part of it, the other people in the class, don't seem to be reacting like me. They cheer and clap like this is fun. Are you kidding me? What is fun about almost falling off your ball or step and nearly breaking your ankle. Or doing billions of squats, lunges, push ups, jumping jacks. This is not fun, this is torture. But there is one class that I haven't tried yet and I am tempted. It may be right up my alley.. I am reluctant though, because if I can't master this one and if I am the only one that struggles I may just have to throw in the towel. It is called "Silver and Fit" If this kicks my butt, than what?

The Circle of Life

So. Saturday night the family ( minus Newell) went to the Kennedy Center in DC to watch the National Symphony preform some of our favorite Disney tunes. The Little Mermain, the Lion King, Aladin, it was all there. We enjoyed ourselves. We had a nice dinner before, and then the show. After, we returned to the parking garage where it was a parking lot. Everyone trying to leave at one time and everyone going nowhere fast. The group of us were saying our goodbyes, since we had different cars. As I was hugging Mere, this guy honked his horn at me because I was standing in front of his car. Now, again we were sitting in traffic. So I looked at him and said "what are you doing? We are really not going anywhere, so chill out". Well, Mere lost it. She started to yell, don't honk the horn at my mom.. We were just in the Disney show listening to all these really nice songs about getting along and It's a small world, and you are beeping your horn. Well, the guy in the car starting yelling back.. It escalated pretty quickly. Tyler went over and began to yell at the guy, who then got out of the car. Tyler shoved Mere aside to get her out of harms way, I went into the middle pulling Tyler away and yelling that it was done. Well, finally we were able to difuse the situation and we all walked away. Pretty scary stuff. Grandma was shaking, Mere was still fuming, Tyler was no happy.. I think Andrew was having a cigarette.

I hate to admit it

So.. after a full week of no wine ( until the weekend, which we decided by committee does indeed begin on Thursday) I got on the scale and lost 3 pounds. Now. I did go to the gym 4 times and almost killed myself, and ate most of the week like a rabbit, I will have to admit, although I hate to, the wine might have something to do with the weight. We'll see how week two goes. Oh and by the way, if a Superbowl party happens to fall on Sunday, than Sunday is considered the weekend as well.

Balancing Act

So yesterday at the gym I took a new class. It was called Ball Fitness, or something like that. I figured it was laying around on the giant ball and doing sit ups. Boy was I wrong. There was a ball alright, but only half of one. The object was to stand on the ball and balance yourself while we did things like squats, leg lifts and push ups. Well, I spent the entire hour just focusing on trying not to fall off and kill myself. To make matter worse, the class was about 20 women and 1 guy. And you know the guy.. Older, really loud and over the top. He was positioned right behind me. Well, he couldn't stay on the ball to save his life. But when he fell off, he made a big dramatic move that I caught out of the corner of my eye which then would mess me up. I almost said something, but figured I just wouldn't go there. Anyway, I feel pretty achy today, because I concentrated so hard on not killing myself, I think I might have pulled a muscle.

Friday is here

So.. Friday is here the official start of the weekend. So, again when does it begin. Newell says not until after 5 o'clock.. But ya know... It's 5 o'clock somewhere, so happy weekend.

2 hour Delay

So. I get up yesterday and head out to the gym for my step class. Well, imagine my surprise when there was no one there. I waited, I checked the board and than finally went to the front desk to ask what happened to the class. Well, she said, when the schools have a 2 hour delay, the morning classes are canceled. What? I said incredulously. Are you kidding. Is this kindergarten or what? So, now I have to watch the weather to see if there is a snow delay.. And for the record, it was raining...

When does the weekend start

So.. you know I am not drinking wine. Well, that is not entirely true. Not drinking wine during the week. Only on the weekends. So the discussion at my house now is when does the weekend start and end. Some believe, ( like me) that the weekend begins on Thursday.. I remember in college that Thursday nights were often the beginning of the weekend.. Newell says that it doesn't begin until Friday at 5:00. Well, Ok than, so when does it end? Sunday night is still the weekend than, right? Well, he says Sunday at 5pm ends the weekend. Well, that just doesn't seem very fair. No Thursday night and no Sunday night. Not much of a weekend.. HMMMM...

I hate to admit it

So.. it seems that no matter how little I eat or how much I work out, I can't lose weight unless I stop drinking wine. What is a girl to do? The prediction is ( from Mere and Newell) that without the wine, the weight will just fall off of me. Well, we'll see. I am going to give it a try. So.. just a warning.. I am not drinking wine, and I anticipate that I will be fabulous looking very soon, I may not be nice anymore, but I will look great. Stay tuned.

There Here

So.. today we welcomed 7 new Tanner babies. 3 boys and 4 girls. The momma is our Roxy who did a great job.. All day she panted and pushed and we encouraged. It all went so well and I am so happy. I can't remember the last time we had puppies here that were not born by c section. My faith in the dogs has been renewed and I now know that if you let mother nature takes its course, all will be well. I am now having a glass (or two ) of wine and off to bed. Georgeanne is spending the night, so she will sleep on the couch. I will have couch duty for the rest of the time.. YEA!!!

Watching the Temperature

So.. Roxy is due this weekend. We xrayed 8 babies. 7 are all in a row and one is off by himself. Hopefully not to cause us any trouble. I have started to take her temp and I think my thermometer is off. I have now taken it three times this morning and I have gotten 3 different temps. She seems fine, and ate all of her breakfast. Maybe I'll go and buy a new thermometer. Off to the dog show and hopefully not coming home to puppies.

Timing is Everything

So.. Frieda came into season 5 weeks early. Her boyfriend lives in Nebraska about a 20 hour drive for us. So... we are going to try the fresh chilled method. I have been progesterone testing and as of Monday she was still early. But looking back she usually breeds her 12-13 days which are Thursday and FRiday. Well, my vet is not available on Thursday and the boyfriend's vet is not available on Friday. What to do? What to do? So, without the number support I had them ship some fish for today.. and then some for Friday. Hopefully my instincts and Frieda's regularity will be enough. Timing is everything.

This was the worst blog ever

So how wonderful... First thing this morning.. Meredith calls to tell me that my last blog gets a grade F. Worst blog ever.. No effort.. Now not only is she the clothes, weight and hairdo police, she is the blog police as well. How do I live my life every day without her constant appraisal of me. I just don't know. Well,, I am trying my best. It may not be up to her standards, but I am trying. Off to the dog show.. No laptop so probably no blog this weekend. Sorry Meredith.

Here I am

Well, I guess I am back in business on the laptop. Maybe Andrew will help this weekend when I see him and show me how to post to the Ipad. Anyway.. Tanner was BOB both days so far in Fredericksburg and looks as good as he has.. He has puppies coming at the end of the month and all is well. Frieda is getting ready to have her fish flown in from Nebraska, we'll see how that goes.. I will keep you updated.

Where have you been?

So.. I have been getting a lot of flack about why I haven't been posting. Well, besides from having the flu and driving back and forth to Lexington KY... the biggest problem was this. I got a IPad for Christmas. It is the coolest thing. but... that means I don't spend as much time on the desk top and for some reason I can't blog from the IPad.. If one of my techy kids can change that for me, than I promise you will hear my endless and blathering thoughts daily.