I Have Become One of Those Doggy Moms...

Who dress up their dogs. Yes, that's true. Rolli and Angel aren't thrilled, but I think Max likes his.

I saw the cutest t-shirts at BaxterBoo.com and couldn't resist. At first I bought sizes too small. Their medium would in no way fit Rolli or Max, nor their large for Angel, but the large and extra large fit great. I did find out that it's easier to put them on if the dog is laying down rather than sitting though. The shirts are light enough too so as not to overheat the dogs.

I promise not to go overboard, but for the holidays it's okay, right?

Well, here's some pictures in no particular order.

 Max

 What Rolli's and Angel's shirts say

 Angel

 What Max's shirt says

 Rolli

 I just added this one of Max because I love the way it turned out.

Cold and Snow

We got about two inches of snow yesterday which in itself wasn't so bad, but the cold temperatures made for unpleasant times.

The cold, especially the low teens we've been having with the wind blowing make it not so nice to be outdoors, so we stay in, which makes for cabin fever. But all you really want to do in weather like this is look outside and say to yourself, "It looks so pretty, but I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere in it," and then curl up with a good book, or in my case, a good e-book. I even downloaded a couple more just for that purpose.

That's the way I feel. I hate driving in snow and I get nervous for any of my loved ones having to be out driving in it. The three worse car accidents I was in were when there was snow. Two of those happened within two weeks of each other.

Kenneth and Elicia drove up from Kansas City yesterday, which worried me. Thankfully they made it safely and made it back safely too, but I did worry.

I had to drive David to work yesterday afternoon too, but surprisingly I wasn't as nervous as I usually am. Even though the main roads were fairly okay, the main highway being mostly clear; if need be, I could have taken the back gravel roads most of the way in. They offer better traction with the gravel than the main roads do at times. This was also the first time I drove the Soul in snow and it did really well. Poor baby needs a good washing though.

Got to admit though, the snow does look pretty. I'm glad that I don't have to go out anywhere though. I've also been fighting a mean cough so I don't need to be out there spreading germs anyway.

I Am So Sorry

I have really been neglecting this blog, not even posting anything on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving for us turned out to be just another day. Kenneth and Elicia were supposed to come up but their cat, Charlie died suddenly. So, we did what we do any other day, stayed home and watched TV. We refused to go shopping.

We did, however, go on Black Friday. We didn't buy any gifts, we're not exchanging with Kenneth and Elicia and none of us here really need anything, but we did get a new quilt and flannel sheets for the bed. We had only two sets of flannel sheets, so I wanted to get another and the quilt was just an added bonus. It's red and green patterned, so it looks nice and Christmas-like. We also got a 2013 ornament for the tree.

That went up on Monday after having to go and buy a new one. Apparently I didn't pack the last one well enough and mice got into the box and made a nest in it. So out it went and a new one was put in its place. It's the same type though. Another disaster avoided.

The temps have plummeted, so it feels like winter, even though technically we still have 15 days until the first day of winter. Sunday they're calling for snow too, so it will feel even more like winter and Christmas. Right now not a creature is stirring; the dogs are all sleeping and probably the cats too.

Oh, I ordered vanity plates for my car. I chose PGHN8TV (Pittsburgh Native) as my first choice, but now I wish I had put HI YINZ (HI YOU in Pittsburghese) as my first choice. Maybe I'll still get it, I'll just have to wait another two to four weeks to see. I also had that protective coating put on it too. Just in time too because it snowed a day or two later.

Not too much has really been happening, we are boring people. Dave and I did finally pick out flooring for the bedroom. That will go in after the first of the year. Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to write about then too.

Until then if I don't talk to you before, may you all have a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and happiness throughout the New Year.

Happy Veteran's Day

For a Dear Cyberfriend

Rest in Peace, you will be missed.

 



Here Mousey...

Our cats have become downright sadistic when it comes to mice. I won't tell you what I found this morning, but let me just say that it was something I did not want to see first thing in the morning.

They never used to do it before but the last few times they've caught mice, I have to admit, I felt sorry for the little vermin.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad the cats are good mousers, and I don't know who the culprit was, it could have been anyone of the four, but I'm thinking it was probably Peanut or Pumpkin, maybe Patches. Anyway, who isn't important, but dang, did they really have to go that far? It really would have been so much nicer if they hadn't, especially first thing in the morning.

Mickey Mouse would be smart not to show up at my house if he knows what's good for him.

Did You Know...

That October is "Adopt a Shelter Dog" Month?

Well, it is. It's the perfect time to add that special someone to your family, small, large, or somewhere in between; long coat, short coat, doesn't matter; there is a variety at your local shelter for you to choose from. Young, old, purebred, mutt, they're all there.

Jake was adopted from a shelter. He was a puppy at the time but we had originally gone there to adopt an adult dog, also named Jake. The only problem with that Jake is that he didn't like cats and we had one.

As you all know from an earlier post, Jake passed away in April at the age of 13, but for those 13 years, he was my constant companion. I used to jokingly call him my "shadow," because wherever I went in the house, he was sure to follow.

One thing I can attest to is that any rescue dog, whether they be from a shelter or as a stray, are the most loyal dogs. They know that they were blessed to be chosen by you and will give you unconditional love and loyalty throughout their lives. Jake sure did.

Dang, I haven't Written in Ages!

I have been very neglectful and I'm sorry. I can't blame being super busy; I've been somewhat so, but not super.

Last month I went to have my hearing checked by a professional. Turns out, but I already knew that I have a hearing problem. I have an appointment with an ENT on Tuesday to see what may be causing it. After that, I'll see her again to talk hearing aids, not something I'm looking forward to.

Went to the eye doctor for my scheduled exam and she found a spot on one of my lenses, so it means that I'm probably developing a cataract. If so, it's in the very early stages, but it's something that will be checked every year from now on. I should have had yearly checks before now, but even though my insurance pays for them, I kept forgetting to schedule them. I didn't forget this time. Thankfully my maculars are healthy, so that was good news.

They had a really good pick of frames this time around too, so I had a lot to choose from. Found a pair that I really like that aren't the usual shape that I normally get. Wouldn't you know it though, the day after getting them, I already got a scratch on one of the lenses.

I still love my Soul. It is so fun to drive. We might get personal plates for them this November when our registration is up. We were finally able to get it transferred to our county instead of the next county over, where the town of our mailing address is and thankfully it's a lot less expensive than it would have been had we not been able to. Both cars and the IMark, which we still have, cost us almost $200 less than the vans. Needless to say, Dave was pleased.

The weather is starting to change, but not before bringing some severe storms to part of the state. We were lucky, we got rain which we needed, but nothing severe. Dave had taken the week off, however, to work on the roof and even though the forecast originally called for nice weather all week, it didn't stay that way so a tarp was put up to keep the rain out until he could finish. I did help, but he did most of the work. Hopefully we're now ready for rain and winter without worrying about leaks. Maybe someday we'll be able to replace the house or move, but until then, we need to keep it as livable as possible and also comfortable, for both us and the pets. Today is a cold, rainy day, but at least there aren't any leaks that I can see.

Our neighbors gave us two five gallon buckets of apples from their trees. They are really good. Dave just made some applesauce with some of them and the house smells so good with the scent of apples and cinnamon. Makes me think of the holidays, which aren't that far away. Time has sure been flying.

Not much more to report, but I wanted to let you all know that I didn't forget about you either. Until next time, hope you all have great days.

9/11

Let Us Never Forget

9/11/01

Purina ONE Beyond Recall

From Dogster.com

Purina Recalls ONE beyOnd Dog Food Over Salmonella Fears

The "all natural" effort hits a roadblock.

Michael Leaverton  |  Sep 4th 2013  |  

---

On Friday, Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said that it is voluntarily recalling bags of Purina ONE beyOnd adult dog food because of a salmonella risk.

The recall affects bags of only one flavor of Purina ONE beyOnd -- Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe -- with the following description: 

• Size: 3.5 pounds
• Best-by date: OCT 2014
• Production code: 31071083
• UPC code: 17800 12679

According to the company, one bag from one production run was found to be contaminated with salmonella.

No other Purina products are affected by the recall, and the company says that no salmonella-related illness has been reported to date in association with this product.

According to the FDA, "Pets with salmonella infections may exhibit decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian."

For more information or to get a refund, call Purina toll-free at 1-800-473-8546. 

Well, They've Been Calling For It...

All week and yesterday we finally did it, we hit the triple digits in temperatures. Today is supposed to be ten degrees cooler and next week is supposed to drop into the 80s with a chance or two of rain. We need the rain.

I Did Something That I haven't Done All Summer

I did something yesterday that I haven't done all summer, I put up new clothes lines.

"Why did you wait until this late in the summer," you're probably asking. Well, the reason is one, I was just too lazy to get to it. It's a pain in the neck to get the rope around the trees I use, and two, I really didn't want to use it until then.

For most of the summer the temperatures have been pretty comfortable, so it didn't bother me to use the dryer, because with the back door being open, the house didn't heat up, and quite frankly, it's a lot easier to just stuff the clothes in the dryer rather than lugging them outside and hanging them on the lines.

What made me finally decide to put up new lines is that all this week the weather people have been saying that we were going to hit the triple digits; it hasn't happened yet, but that's not stopping them, the same thing is predicted for tomorrow.

As it turned out, I still had to use the dryer yesterday because the rope I bought earlier in the year, see I was planning on doing it earlier, was too short. I could have sworn that I was able to get away with 50 feet of rope the last time. Anyway, so I had to run to the store earlier than planned so that I could get more rope. I was going to wait until I got all the clothes hung out.

I have these things on the lines that let me pull the line tighter after it stretches from clothes hanging on it and the rope I bought, one package was thicker than the other, even though they were supposed to be the same. I didn't think it would matter and that they would both fit through the little line tighteners, but the one didn't so I ended up using the two rolls of rope I bought earlier in the year and one of the new ones. I may end up replacing the two 50 footers, but then again, maybe not. It ended up taking me almost three hours, with a little water and lunch break, to put the things up. I didn't get done until almost 4:00pm and with the days getting shorter, I didn't want to take the chance on the clothes not being dry when I took them down. I also got done with the dryer shortly after that anyway. I did have David hang his stuff out today and I'll hang the sheets and quilt from the bed out tomorrow.

I use heavier rope than regular clothes line rope, so it lasts longer and isn't in danger of snapping. With the winds we get out here, that's always a consideration. These should last several years at least. I can't remember how long the others lasted, but I know they lasted a good while.

Dog Days of Summer

You would think they would happen in July, but July was actually quite nice, more like May, except this May it snowed, but, well you know what I mean.

Nope this week is going to be our hottest week yet, not even RAGBRAI was as hot and it usually gets hot during that week; it wasn't nearly as hot. So far we haven't hit the 100s, but we've been close, real close.

It's been dry too which unfortunately put us back into a drought.

Poor Max's allergies are bad too, but I'm trying not to revert to having to give him steroids after what happened to Jake. Apparently steroid use in dogs makes them more prone to Cushings and after seeing the way Jake suffered, I don't want to see Max going though it.

The vet told me to try Zertec, yes the same stuff we humans use. He's only been on it since Sunday, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully it will help as more of it gets into his system. I hate seeing any of these guys suffer through stuff like this. Max's allergies are just as bad as Jake's used to be, but I don't think his started as early as Jake's did, in age that is. He, like Jake, is affected this time of year the worse. In winter he suffers from dry skin and maybe minor allergies, but nothing like how bad they get now. Apparently they're saying this time it's pretty bad for everyone who has them.

When we bought my Soul back in May, I bought a new Steelers' license plate frame for it. You know, new car so it had to have a new frame, right? Well on the way back to Pittsburgh in June, the letter h from Pittsburgh and the letter t from Steelers fell out. Now I've noticed that I lost the letter r from Steelers, so now it reads Pittsburg Seeles. I really like this one too because the frame is silver, to match the car color and the letters are a bright gold. Dave said that he may be able to fix it. If not, I may either put the old one back on, only the words are all in one and the word Pittsburgh is coming off, but that one would be easier to fix, or I can just go and buy a new one. Maybe I'll look to see what I can find on EBay.

Oh well, I still love my Soul. Someone here in our area has an Alien Green one and I have to admit that I'm kind of jealous, but mine has more features and I have a hamster, so I can't complain. I'm trying to talk Dave into getting personalized plates in November when we renew our registration. I had them in Virginia when we lived there. That one said MICSZU because I drove an Isuzu IMark. We still have it except it doesn't run. I need to donate it. But anyway, I haven't decided what I want mine to say, but I'll think of something.

I found out recently that an ex-boyfriend of mine passed away last year. What a shock! He's the one I went to all of our formals in my senior year of high school with and have quite a history with. He also inadvertently introduced Dave and I. In other words, he didn't expect it to go as far as it did. I always fantasized about running into him and thanking him, but it's sad that it will never happen now and it's even sadder of how young he was (55) when he passed away.  He was married, but they never had any children. My sympathies go out to his family.

I'm thankful to God that I am alive and well for another day.

What Do You Do When...

You have a lot of lawn to cut but your rider mower died? Well, you pull out the push mowers and start cutting.

That's how Dave and I spent our weekend. I used the push mower and he used the brush mower he bought a few months ago to get the real tall stuff, like in the galley in front of the house. Now the grass is again at a nice height and the yard looks presentable. We had about an acre or so to cut. He didn't cut the lower part but instead made a path through it so the ponies will go in and start eating the grass.

Won't happen. They don't like when it's tall like that. What we need are a couple of goats. We really should look into getting a couple. We can even learn to make goat cheese or soap. Yea, okay, sure.

But anyway, at least we got a lot of exercise this week, with cutting the grass and walking all over the Iowa State fairgrounds on Thursday. We had beautiful weather for both too, not too hot, nice breeze and sunny. We even got a decent parking space at the fair too.

A Dog and Cat Food Recall

This one is from Proctor and Gamble for their brands Eukanuba and IAMs.

Pet Poison Helpline has a list of all of the products affected. They also have other helpful information as well. If you buy either of these brands, please look to see if the bag of food you bought is affected by the recall and find out what to do.

Another Dog Treat Recall

Another recall notice from Dogster.com

Dogswell Recalls Chicken and Duck Jerky Treats Made in China

Heads-up, dog people: The treats contain residue of an antibiotic that's not approved for use in the United States.

Michael Leaverton  |  Jul 31st 2013  |   3 Contributions

---

Dogswell is voluntarily withdrawing certain Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck with a “Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or any earlier date. 

The culprit is one we've seen before: trace amounts of an antibiotic residue that has not been approved for use in the United States, though it is important to note that this antibiotic is accepted for use in other countries, including the European Union.

The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets discovered the residue during routine testing of a sample of Dogswell Happy Hips Chicken Breast Jerky. The department notified the company during the week of July 22, and the company voluntarily recalled Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the following brands: Breathies, Happy Heart, Happy Hips, Mellow Mut, Shape Up, Veggie Life, Vitality, and Vitakitty. 

This recall covers brands that are labeled with a “Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or any earlier date. The company says the jerky treats were made in China.

The company stresses that the rest of its products are safe, that no animals have become sick, and that there is no evidence that products containing trace amounts of this antibiotic pose a health risk for pets.

 

Interestingly, the company explains why it uses products made in China, which is ground zero in the ongoing chicken jerky treat debacle. It says that most Dogswell products are made in the U.S., but "some" are made in China. Why? The company explains:

"China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. Dogswell believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible."

The company also explains its treatment of chickens: "Cage-free chickens are kept in barns where they can roam, scratch and perch as they please. Our chickens eat a natural diet, have plenty of room to roam, and live and grow free of stress."

For more information, and to received a full refund for an affected product, you can call Dogswell at 1-888-559-8833. Visit the website here.

Posted in RECALL ALERT, IN THE NEWS, DOG FOOD

Headaches, Now I Know

I've been getting daily headaches and I thought for sure that they were the chronic kind caused by taking daily Tylenol, Excedrin, what have you. I've had them before, so I've been weaning myself off of the fore-mentioned for the last two days. Before that I started drinking more water or juice, thinking that I was also dehydrated. I hate drinking plain water, so I've been adding those little packages of mix in with them.

Well, I was wrong.

You see on top of taking the Tylenol or Excedrin, no I didn't take them together, but on top of one or the other, and sometimes ibuprofen, I would take a caffeine pill, the generic version sold at Walmart, called Stay Awake. Well, as it turned out when I had a headache today and yesterday, I took one of those rather then a pain reliever and my headache went away. So I have concluded that it was more the caffeine pills than the pain relievers. So now, not only will I try to wean myself from the pain killers, but from the caffeine pills too. What a bummer.

The doctor told me a few months ago to cut down on the caffeine and I did. I quit drinking coffee, unless we went out and even tea, or drinking the decaffeinated stuff, and pop with caffeine, but I didn't cut out the pills. I only took them once, maybe twice a day, so I didn't think that they would matter. Well, at looking at the contents, one of those little buggers has 200mg of caffeine. I don't know how much a cup of coffee has, but I'm sure it's less than that.

I already know that I have OCD to some degree and I guess that may make it easier for me to become addicted to things; I don't know, scientists are still out on that; but I do stay away from alcohol for the most part, because of that and because of the medication I'm on. I also know that caffeine is a drug, but I never had a problem with it before. Now I guess I've developed one. :(

It Rained...

...and rained a lot!

We were getting to where we really needed it, like last year, but the skies opened up big time!

I don't know how much we got, but I can tell you, it made for some white knuckle driving when I was taking David to work earlier this afternoon. At times I could barely see and some cars even pulled off the road. It hasn't rained like that for awhile, but boy am I glad it rained!

Rest in Peace, Mom

Today marks one week since my mom passed away. She was 86 and would have been 87 later this month.

Dave and I were fortunate in that we were able to be there for the service, but unfortunate in the fact that we were en route when she took her last breath. We were able to say our final farewells, however,  later that day at the funeral home. They did a fantastic job at taking care of the arrangements my siblings had requested.

Mom has one sister that we know of who is still alive. She is now the last living aunt that we have from either side of the family. I am in touch with her daughter though and we learned a lot from her about Mom's early years.

I'm surprised that I didn't cry at the service, but that morning when I woke up, I felt such a sense of happiness and relief that she was no longer in pain and was with her brother, Freddie in heaven who was killed in WWII. We found out two days before she passed that she had lung cancer and that it had spread and was terminal. Why it wasn't found earlier, I don't know.

Now it's just us kids. I hope we can all stay in touch. I'm scared that we won't but I will try my hardest so that we don't drift apart like so many families do when the one who was holding them together, is no longer there. I'm the only one who lives out of state, so I guess I'll be doing a lot of calling, although for the life of me, I don't know what I'll talk about.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday America!

Hello Summer!

And boy does it feel like it!

It is hot, around 90 (I know, it could be worse) and humid. There are spotty thunderstorms around, but so far, none have come this way, or they broke up before they got here. It makes me appreciate when we had the cooler weather some, but not the late snow. That was a bit much.

Now the days are going to start getting shorter, YUK! Hopefully though it'll be like last summer when I didn't really notice it until the sun started setting around 7:00. Hopefully also, we won't have many, preferably none, 100 degree days like we did last year. I think we broke the record for the number of days it was 100 or more. That and the drought really made it miserable.

Do you ever put ice cubes in your dog's water when it's hot? I just put some in the pups' water. I also had David put the two jugs we use to fill their bowl in the refrigerator. That way they'll have cool water to drink. We're also lucky in that it comes out of the tap pretty cool too, except in the winter, it's really, really cold then.

I also keep thermal drapes and liners up all year to better keep out the cold in the winter and to help keep it cooler in the summer. I'm also trying to keep myself hydrated, something I don't do too often because I hate the taste of plain water. I'm trying to change that too.

Another Pet Food/Treat Recall

This from their website: http://www.naturapet.com/recall

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Natura Pet Consumer Relations–800-224-6123

June 18, 2013

Natura Pet Issues Voluntary Recall of Specialized Dry Pet Foods Due to Possible Health Risk

FREMONT, NEBRASKA, June 18, 2013

–

Natura Pet Products is voluntarily recalling specific lots of dry pet food because it

has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms:

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely,

Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

These products were packaged  single production facility.

During routine FDA testing, a single lot tested positive for the presence of Salmonella.

There have been no reports of pet or human illness associated with this product.

In an abundance of caution, Natura is voluntarily recalling all products

with expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014.

The affected products are sold in bags through veterinary clinics, select pet specialty retailers, and online in the United States and Canada. No canned wet food is affected by this announcement.

The affected products are:

BRAND

LOT CODE/UPC/SIZES

EXPIRATION

Innova Dry dog and cat food and biscuits/bars/treats

All Lot Codes, All PC’s, All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

EVO dry dog, cat and ferret food and biscuits/bars/treats

All Lot Codes, All UPC’s, All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

California Natural dry dog and cat foods and biscuits/bars/treats

All Lot Codes, All UPC’s,All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

Healthwise dry dog and cat foods

All Lot Codes, All UPC’s, All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

Karma dry dog foods

All Lot Codes, All UPC’s, All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

Mother Nature biscuits/bars/treats

All Lot Codes, All UPC’s, All package sizes

All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014

Consumers who have purchased the specific dry pet foods listed should discard them.

For further information or a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123.

(Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

 # # #

About Natura Pet Products Natura Pet Products is recognized as a trusted name behind natural and holistic pet foods and treats. Founded more than 20 years ago by John and Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins, Natura is dedicated to providing the best natural nutrition.

Natura is committed to making premium pet foods and treats based on nutritional science and high-quality ingredients,

combined with trusted manufacturing processes, for complete pet health. Lines include: Innova®, California Natural®,

EVO®, HealthWise®, Mother Nature® and Karma®. To learn more about Natura Pet Products visit www.NaturaPet.com.

Media Contact:

Jason Taylor 513-622-1111

One Step Closer

We are one step closer to having fiber optics here at the house.

They connected the cable to a new box and now all that needs to happen is the house getting connected to the box.

We are becoming so high tech. :)

Panic attacks

Anyone have them? I used to very frequently in my sleep (they started when I was a kid), but not since I was pregnant with David while I was awake.

Well, I can't say that anymore.

Of all times to have one, while I was washing my hair in the tub. It started this morning, I got up too fast this morning and had a dizzy spell. Okay, no problem. Then I went to take a bath and wash my hair. The dizzy spell had been on my mind and I was worried about having another. I did and that time it turned into a full fledged panic attack. My hair was still full of shampoo, so I rinsed it as best I could with a plastic cup sitting on the side of the tub. Thankfully I was able to calm myself long enough to get out and dry off. I was really afraid of falling, so I was really careful getting out of the tub.

I had planned on running into town today, but didn't trust myself driving, so that'll have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm on medication for them, but it's been quite awhile. I wonder if I need a re-evaluation of it. I'll have to ask my doctor when I see him next month.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!...and Other Things

I did a DNA test on Rolli and it turned out that she wasn't what we thought she was. As it turns out, instead of being part border collie, she is part Shetland sheep dog (think miniature collie), boxer, and chow chow as the three main breeds, with a mix of others. Actually shelties may have border collie in their breeding.

I'm assuming that the sheltie was on her dad's side, since she resembled him more than her mom and the boxer and chow chow were on her mom's because those two were on the same side. I could see the boxer resemblance in her mom when I looked at pictures of her. Rolli gets her coloring from her, all the puppies did. She and her brother were the only ones who resembled her dad in looks, the other three resembled their mom.

Kenneth and I both agree that she gets her size and build from the sheltie in her. I think her coat is a combination of all three. The way her tail circles over her back is probably the chow chow unless shelties' tails do the same. I also noticed that when she gets upset with them, Rolli will nip at Max's and Angel's heels, especially Angel. That's a sheltie trait along with ACDs and corgis.

If you look at this picture of Rolli along with the one of her dad and mom, you'll see what I'm talking about. Rolli is her daddy's girl though, she acts just like he did. :)

Rolli

Rolli's dad

 

Rolli's mom

The pictures of both aren't that great, but they were taken 13 years ago with a regular camera and scanned, no digital camera back then. I'm also not a very good picture taker, but thank God for digital cameras because you don't waste any film.

Last night Dave and I did something we haven't done since we lived in Fairfield in eastern Iowa, went to see a movie. We usually wait until they come out on DVD, but on Monday when we were in town, David noticed that the new Star Trek movie was playing at the theater. Dave and I are both Star Trek fans, so I told him and we made a date for last night. There's a Mexican restaurant in town too that I had been wanting to try so we went there for dinner before the movie. The prices we really reasonable for both, the tickets for the movie were only $5.00 each. We enjoyed both very much. We're going to have to do that more often.

Time to venture to the store. I've been putting it off all week, not wanting to get my car dirty since I washed, waxed the outside and cleaned and vacuumed the inside. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Let Us Always Remember

Between the barbeques and whatever you have planned for today, make sure to take some time to stop to remember what this day is about and to give thanks to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. For without them and those who proudly served and are serving in our military today, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. Let us never take those freedoms for granted.

It's Rambling Time Again

I know I've sounded really depressing this past month and I do thank you for your patience in me. I'm doing much better.

I have gotten a lot of uncluttering done. Yesterday I managed to reorganize the shelf in my closet and get rid of a lot of stuff that I really don't need that has been taking a lot of space.

I had one of those space bag cubes that I had stored bedding in. I bought another and was able to fit our oversized king comforter, another comforter and I can't remember what else in it, but it all fit and after I sucked the air out, I was able to fit it on the shelf next to the other, which I redid by getting rid of some things out of it and putting other stuff in. I also bought two plastic containers to put my shoes in and was able to separate them into dress and casual shoes. I was also able to put those on the shelf on top of the cubes. It felt good to get the other stuff out of there.

I refinished the box I have Jake's ashes in. It was one I bought at Hobby Lobby some time ago and realized I had after Dave and I went looking for another. It turned out really nice. I am really pleased.

I don't now why, but I have seemed to have lost my love for chocolate. The other day, I was in the mood for chocolate so I called Dave at work and asked him to stop on his way home and pick some up. He picked up my favorite, Hershey's but the miniature kisses instead of the regular size. The miniatures aren't wrapped like the others, so maybe that's the problem. They don't seem to taste as good as the wrapped ones. Maybe it's just me. I guess I'm just so used to getting the others and these ones just threw me off a little.

I gotta tell you, I love my new car. It is so fun to drive and I love the features it has. I'm really glad that I went with a Soul+ and our salesperson was the same one who sold us Dave's. I like mine better. :)

I did one of those mixed breed DNA tests on Angel and found out that she is Australian Cattle Dog on one side with Basenji mix on the other. We already knew that there was ACD in her, but it was a real surprise to find out the other. That side it turned out was a real Heinz 57 variety. I sent in Rolli's on Friday, so if it turns out, I forgot to let one of the swabs sit to dry, that should be an interesting combination as well. I'm sorry now that I didn't get one more test and did Jake's before he passed away. We always thought that he was part Brittany, it would have been fun to find out if he was. I might get one and do Max's though. I should, shouldn't I?

It was so funny right now, Max is being a brat as far as the cats go and Oreo just came up behind him and swatted at him. Max turned around at that point and saw Oreo and he took off running and Max took off after him.  So much for finally being a brave kitty.

Rolli is still trying to get her way as far as the cheese, but I have since put my foot down and cut it down to just in the mornings after their vitamins. I know she'll try again though. One thing about Rolli, she is one little stubborn dog. The word "no" is not in her vocabulary.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Moore, Oklahoma who were affected by and lost their lives from the horrific tornado on Monday.

Healing

Just wanted to let you all know that I have been doing fine. I still miss Jake terribly. I picked up his cremains on my birthday, I could have waited until the following Monday since Rolli was going in for shots, but decided that I didn't want them sitting there all weekend. I wanted him home, even though he was not his physical self anymore. Know what I mean? I still find myself tearing up when something reminds me of him, but he was my dog for a very long time. His loss is one that I can't get over in a day or two. Even now it's hard to fully accept that he's gone, that instead of four, there are now only three. He definitely took a piece of my heart.

I have gone on with living and have been letting the other three know that they are loved and very important to us. They still bring so much laughter and joy with their separate personalities. I'm so thankful that they were guided to us and not someone else. Just this morning, Rolli had to have her one ear flushed out and as soon as I was done, she headed for the kitchen and sat in her spot for a piece of cheese. When I told her that it wasn't time, she laid down and stayed there until I gave in. But, I got the last laugh and got a few pictures of her. She hates getting her picture taken.

Rolli having a "lay-in" in protest of not getting cheese.

Rolli in the toy box after my giving in to her protest. 

Don't ask me why she went to lay in there, but she does that sometimes.

Some good news, I got a new car. It's a 2013 Soul +. This one has some really cool options in it such as a sunroof, speakers that light up to the music on the radio, and a backup camera. I also like that I was able to sync my phone to it and use its voice command. I can call someone by just the push of a button or change the station on the radio. I can even switch to Syrius satellite radio. It has that too, free for three months unless I decided to subscribe to it.

We couldn't have gotten it at a better time either since gas prices shot up to over $4.00 in what seems like overnight. The Soul gets around 30 mpg, whereas the van I had got about 20. Also, it's nice not having gas spit out of the gas tank when I'm trying to put gas in it like the van did. Yesterday I put gas in the Soul for the first time and I kept expecting it to do that, but of course it didn't. It's also nice not having a 26 gallon tank to fill. I do miss the roominess of the van, but I love driving the Soul. It is the most fun I have had driving a car in a long time, maybe since I had my Chevette, remember those? :)

The Snow is Gone!

And we are back to spring!

It didn't last too long, most of it was gone by Saturday, but all that melting did result in fog. Today the sun is shining and it's supposed to get up to or into the 70s.

Hopefully that was the last of the snow we'll see until next winter.

Snow?!!

Yep, you heard right. Here it is May 3rd and we have snow on the ground. This picture was taken this morning.

Absolutely amazing, isn't it? Actually the latest there has been snow here in Iowa was May 28. Let's hope that this is the last we'll see of the white stuff until it's actually winter again.

Since it's wet, heavy snow and the temperature has risen a little above freezing, some of it has melted and there were areas that didn't stay covered at all because either they were covered by trees or blocked from the north, which was the way the snow was falling and blowing. But still, I feel like I should be singing Christmas carols.

My daffodils have already bloomed and my tulips were starting to bloom too and I have buds on my lilac bushes. I hope those didn't get damaged.

I would say that it looks pretty, but this is May! This shouldn't be happening. Just three days ago it was around 80 and now this. And to top it off, it's my birthday. What a nice birthday present, not! Where did summer and fall go?

Thankfully spring will be back by the beginning of the week.

All I can say is that this has not been a typical week all around, so why not end it with snow on the ground? Hopefully things will start getting better again.