The Best Christmas Ever!

"This is the best Christmas ever!!" Music to every parents ears when they hear their children shout those words. It means we've succeeded in finding that really hard gift, the one we had to go to the ends of the earth and back to get. We do it as parents. Why, we ask ourselves, who knows maybe it's just to hear those words, to know we've brought joy to their little hearts. Well this Christmas, I want to shout, "This is the best Christmas ever!" and it truly was. For starters, the husbands 94 year old Grandmother and his Aunt moved down from Alaska to stay. It's been so wonderful having them here, as a matter of fact, we decided against tradition and celebrated Christmas at their house instead of ours. With all the family around, minus our oldest and youngest sons, we gathered for breakfast then later, prepared for the of sharing of gifts.

Being empty nester's, the husband and I relished having our middle son home from college to join in the family festivities. Then, I was introduced to Skype. What an amazing computer program. By downloading Skype, we were, not only able to see my sister in law and her family in Colorado, but also have our oldest son join us in the family circle of gift sharing. We put the computer in the family room and he was able to see all of us, and we were able to enjoy having him be a part of Christmas. Later in the afternoon, we talked to our youngest son, who is serving a mission in Mexico. He did not have a time limit on the phone so we exhausted ourselves talking to him using the speaker phone. It was so good to hear his voice and catch up on what he's been doing and how his mission is going for him. Even though we only had one out of three children home for Christmas, I felt as if we were all together.

We may not have gone to the ends of the earth, but we were close. By connecting with Colorado, Idaho, Mexico and having relations from Alaska share in the Christmas celebrations, I can definitely say, "This has been the best Christmas ever!"

Back in the Saddle

Can't hardly believe it, it's been way too long since I've ridden my black beauty but today was the day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the ground was slightly frozen, which is a good thing considering all the rain and warm weather mushing things up. Oh yes, I was going to get on my girl. After catching her, putting on her pink halter and brushing every tangle out of her mane and tail, I was ready to saddle her up. She stood perfectly still while I placed the tack on her, I'm sure she was enjoying the attention as much as I was anticipating riding her. I was busting at the seams with excitement, it's been over two months, at least 10 weeks and if we're counting days, try 65 since the accident. The therapy has been going well, and my knee is making great progress in the bending department, I was sure I could get my foot in the stirrup, which actually I did, but that's as far as I got. There was no way I could bend my leg far enough to pull myself up. Dang it! Determined, and Jaycee actually waiting for me standing so still, I had to find another way. The chair, yes the chair in the barn, I'll use the chair!! I left my horse standing untied to get the chair, she is so good, I came out of the barn and she was in the same place I had left her, didn't move an inch. I placed the chair right next to her side and climbed on. Victory!!! The joy of being on my horse felt so good, I can't even describe it. We didn't go far, just stayed in the arena and rode around and around and around, it was one of my best rides of my life, seriously.

The Ugly Christmas Sweater

We were invited to attend a Christmas party. Not your usual festive party for this time of year, you know the kind where you get all dressed up wearing your fancy Christmas clothes, hair just right and adorned in sparkling jewelry. On top of dressing fancy you have to bring a white elephant gift for the gift exchange. I never seem to get the right gift, as my version of a white elephant gift is like a gag gift. Everyone at these type of parties usually bring some over the top present that cost more than the amount stated. No, the party we attended the other night was more up my alley. The only requirement was to wear your ugliest Christmas sweater and bring a REAL white elephant gift, this I can handle. You see, I didn't have to look far for my sweater, I have bins of ugly Christmas sweaters, sweaters I would never wear in public but are perfect for the preschool room. My shopping took place in the attic. As for Ken, he went down to the local thrift store and found, what he thought was going to win the ugly sweater prize. He was so proud of his purchase, that he took it to places where he works and received the confirmation that he, indeed, will win the prize for having the ugliest sweater.

I showed our son his dad's sweater and the first words out of his mouth was, "It looks like a sweater a guy from India would wear." I got a chuckle and shared what he said to the husband as we were getting ready. After he saw himself with the prize winning sweater on, all he could think about was looking like a convenient store owner from India. Too say the least, he didn't win, but the party was a blast!

Crib's and Baby Gates

Crib's and baby gates, sounds like we have a toddler in the house. As long as Archie is around, I consider we do. We just recently purchased another gate and installed it in our laundry room door. The laundry room is where we have the kitty litter, you get where I'm going with this. Archie loves to eat kitty poo. How do I know it's Archie you ask, the stinky breath, and the residue left on his mouth is a pretty good give away. Besides the baby gate, I also have something that I call his crib. The couch has become a place where I can put Archie, not really to keep him safe per say, but to keep the house safe and him out of trouble. Sometimes I just don't want to have to babysit him and always worry about where he is and what he is chewing on. Usually, when he steals something he knows he shouldn't have, such as a shoe, slipper, boot or whatever it may be, he'll take his loot and book downstairs to indulge in his treasure. I try to puppy prof the house but he can open cupboard doors with his curious Beagle nose, and I don't know how he does it, but he can always find something that he shouldn't have. It is a bit of a problem, luckily since I've discovered that the young pup hasn't figured out that he, technically, is capable of getting off the couch, I can put him up there and know that the house is safe for awhile. Oh, he'll teeter on the edge, but the baby in him won't be brave enough to try to get down, so he'll give up and go to sleep. A great crib indeed. I'm sure the day will come and he'll figure out that he can jump down, but for now....It's nothing but couch!

Merry Christmas

I didn't send out a Christmas letter this year, then I remembered last year my neighbor teased me for not doing my annual poem. I guess I'm slacking and I couldn't give them a card without a poem so this was written for them. I change the ending for my blogging friends.

The year has blown by and coming to an end,

I can't believe it's possible we'll be in 2010.

Allow me to reflect on our activities of 09,

So much has happened with this family of mine.

The men went to Alaska for fishing and fun,

They all caught their quota of Halibut and salmon.

I took a trip, spent time with my sister,

Three weeks of bliss, it couldn't have been better.

The house was updated, new floors, paint and decor,

The transformation is amazing, had you'd seen it before.

Ken's a farm boy with tractor in hand,

He enjoys his new machine and tilling up the land.

We added horses to our animal crew,

One wasn't enough, so we now have two,

George left for his mission, in Mexico he resides,

The native language he speaks and the gospel he provides.

Derek's still in school at CWU,

One more year and that boy will be through.

Emerson's job is teaching dogs to mind,

The Alpha of the pack, he understands the canines.

I've had a bit of surgery but I'm on the mend,

The leg is healing, it's getting the knee to bend.

I hope all is well, and wish you the best,

You are wonderful bloggers, to this I'll attest!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Lil' Pooper

"Hey guys, you want to eat?" Of course they do, but the question just adds to the excitement. So today at feeding time, I go down to release the hounds from the family room, where they stay during the day, and ask them the exciting question about eating. The barking frenzy started and they raced up the stairs. Archie ran straight to the garage door as Jimmy hopped about, but Oskar sat on the front door mat and didn't move. Usually he runs directly to his bowl and barks uncontrollably. I kept calling him over but he just sat there, this is so out of character for him. I tried again, thinking he wanted to go outside. "Oskar, come on, lets eat, why are you just sitting there?" Then he starts shaking, OK this is weird, I bent down and started petting his shivering little body, wondering what the heck is wrong with my baby. He kept staring at me with this pathetic look. Then, just as I was going to pick him up, he walked slowly over to his bowl. He took a few steps then sat down again, he was really freaking out. I made him get up again, but he kept wanting to drag his bottom. Then I noticed he had a piece of poop dangling from his be-hind. Oh my gosh Mr. drama king, this is why he was acting so weird, but to shake and carry on is a little much. He's like, "Mom I can't walk, I don't know what to do...Help!" I removed the dangling number two, and you'd think I'd saved the day, he, gobbled down his dinner with much enthusiasm and danced around. Ya know, my kids are grown adults and I'm still wiping butts, go figure.

Evaporation? I think not...

See this naughty kitty sitting on my stove next to the fish bowl?? Yes, he is very naughty indeed, as we do not allow the cats to be on the counter tops or tables. They know the rule and usually scatter when they see us coming. But for some reason Mr. Bootsie Boo is becoming quite comfortable in breaking the rules. I've had the fish for a few months now, left behind by one of my college sons, and as you can see, they reside in the kitchen on my stove. I keep the light on under the hood for them and it seems that every other day I've needed to top off their bowl with water because I thought it was evaporating. I've been doing this for months now. Well, just lately, I see that evaporation is not the case here. Bootsie Boo has been using their water as his personal drinking fountain. I guess I should feel lucky that he hasn't tried to go fishing, because that would be a disaster in it's self, but seeing him sitting there with this nonchalant look about him as if saying, "What? Is there a problem here?" makes me wonder, who does he think he is?

I understand the animals in our household out number us, but it is OUR house! I believe it is time to start really cracking down on these pets of ours. Maybe I should invite Cesar Millan to come over and set things straight....

V.A.C. Free

Who would ever think mopping a floor could be so glorious? For me it is! I went to my Wound Care appointment today and the nurse said the V.A.C. has done it's job. Which means, since the tissue has grown to the height of the surrounding skin, I no longer need the V.A.C. and my, once crater, can now start it's closing process!! YAY!! Jump for joy. I feel so free that all I can think about doing is cleaning!! I want to mop, scrub, dust and prepare my house for Christmas decorations. Oh the Joy!!

The Good Doctor

I met the good doctor on the day my leg was about to give birth to the creature. Luckily doctor G made the executive decision to abort it. I've never met this man before, and since my attending physician was out of town, per the Thanksgiving weekend, I really had no choice. The thing had to go, so I consented for the stranger to drain my leg. But that wasn't the end of it, my new doctor also scheduled me for surgery the following day. The leg needed to be cleaned and flushed out. Once again, I put my trust in a man I've only met once, but after the drain my leg felt so much better I was ready to move forward with what ever needed to be done. I woke up from surgery with a V.A.C. attached to my wound site which, collects and sucks out unwanted fluids. Fine, but seriously, I understand the concept of it needing to be air tight and all, but my thigh looked like somebody gave a three year old some cellophane and tape and let him go to town wrapping my leg. I had so much tegaderm stuck to my skin, I knew removing wasn't going to be pretty. As it turned out, my leg required another surgery a day later, so I asked Doctor G not to apply so much tegaderm, as this time I would not be asleep when it needed to be removed. He was kind to my request and did a better job. Although there was less tegaderm, it was still stuck to my skin. Two days later, he wanted to see how the crater looked. I was so nervous about removing the sticky dressing, not only was it going to hurt, but I knew it was going to take skin with it. The doctor started out removing the adhesive, but I intervened and asked him if I could do it myself. He obliged me and handed over the scissors. Very patiently he waited until I removed all the tegaderm, then looked at the wound, saw that it was good and sent me on to the Wound Care Center at the hospital where they finish tending it. Well today, a week later, I had a follow up appointment with Doctor G. Since he was running behind due to a surgery, he told his attending nurse it would be alright if I wanted to remove the dressing and the V.A.C. myself, knowing I would want to anyway. A smile crossed my face and I thought, now there's a good doctor, I've seen him a total of four times and he already knows me. There is no complaint, I am truly in the best of care.

V.A.C. or Lyposuction

So back in August I decided to do a little experiment, which was to eliminate sugar from my diet. I had heard, just by dropping sugar one can loose weight rather easily. Something about sugar triggering a hormone that doesn't allow the body to burn fat as well as store it. At my age, that is one less hormone I need in my system. Within a couple of months, I actually was pleased with the weight I had lost, which was at least 10 pounds. Well ever since my surgery, and being hooked up to this Wound V.A.C. my body went into some kind of repair mode working overtime burning calories. You would think since I am less active and mostly sitting around blogging about my stupid leg, I would be gaining weight, but this is not the case. I've been eating healthy, the nurses gave me the low down on what to eat for good healthy tissue to grow, doing everything they said to do and even dipping into all the wonderful goodies that friends and family have been bringing over. The sugar thing flew out the window since the accident. I don't really get it myself, and I have lost another 7 pounds in the last week. Whether it be the V.A.C. sucking everything out of me, or my body working extra hard to heal, I'm not complaining, at least something good is coming from all of this.

What Lies Beneath

The Creature is gone. Aborted, flushed out, cleaned, dead skin cut away and every cup of fluid drained, now my leg can finally start to recover. The problem, is the huge hole that was left. The good doctor is confident that my leg will heal and all will be well, as a matter of fact, the nurse's that have been attending my crater simply call it a, "flesh wound." I guess they've seen worse. I'm now hooked up to a Wound V.A.C. that sucks any unwanted fluid out of the affected area, as well as, promote tissue and cell growth, which over time, will actually close the wound. It hasn't been all that bad carrying around my consent companion because this isn't a temporary devise, I'm attached 24/7. The quick version to a much more painful recovery is a skin graph. Doctor G feels after my tissue is at the right stage, they can harvest skin from another part of my body and adhere it to the gaping hole. With this procedure I will now have another area that will be sore, probably worse than the actual injury. More like a bad road rash or burn for a couple of weeks but then it should all be over with and healed....I'm guessing. So the question being, do I stick with the V.A.C. and let it do it's thing? It's not painful, just more of an irritant and it would take longer, or do I suck it up and go with the pain of another surgery and sore spot??

What would you do???

As You Wish

Anybody that has seen "The Princess Bride" knows that it is the all time fun, adventurous and yes, romantic movie of all time. It is by far one of my favorites. In the opening scene, Westley is Buttercups farm boy. What ever she asks him to do, he replies, "As you wish." "Farm boy, fetch me this pail." "As you wish," Westley replies. "Farm boy, fetch me some water!" "As you wish," he answers tenderly.

By saying, as you wish, he's really implying that he loves her. It's also evident that Buttercup loves her farm boy as well. She gives her feelings away when she asks him to do even the simplest of chore by looking lovingly into his eyes and melting when he replies, "As you wish."

I can relate to Buttercup. Ever since we decided to be horse people, the husband has turned into quite the farm boy. He has made it part of his morning and evening routine to clean stalls and shovel manure twice a day. When the manure pile was getting rather large, he took his tractor and manure spreader and dispersed it into a larger pasture area. But the clincher has been this past week. The lady who owns the barn and pastures where we board our horses has been out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday. She leaves every year and as a favor to her, I would feed and care for her horses. It's what I love to do. Unfortunately this year I have been laid up and unable to do the annual feeding....Well, there's always the farm boy. The husband has not only cleaned and mucked stalls for our horses, but hers as well. He has taken the responsibility of feeding them twice a day, not just the ones by the barn but her other horses across the street. I am truly amazed and in awe that the husband has enjoyed becoming a farm boy...Not just any farm boy, but my farm boy. I can honestly say, by him sharing in my passion is the all time demonstration of, well how Westley bravely says it as he is close to dying is, True Love......

Best Friends Forever

The Pin Cushion

After aborting the Creature, I needed to go into surgery to have it's dead skin removed as well as a flushing and cleaning. I don't want any trace or hint that, that thing was ever inside me.

So like all surgery's go, they include an IV. Yes, they stick your veins with a needle, tape it securely to your skin and administer fluids and drugs through the needle into the vein. I am covered with great veins, they flow through my arms like little streams. Hooking up to an IV shouldn't be any problem...Right?? The first attempt was in my right hand. Oh the vein was ripe and ready, but for some reason the nurse managed to break the wall and had to remove the needle. Attempt number two. The anesthesiologist tried in my left hand, again the vein was right there. Let me tell you a little secret, even though I have great veins, they wiggle around and don't like to be poked. I'm sure this is why they are having problems. You see, the anesthesiologist failed as well. I tried to tell them their best bet lies with the big vein at the elbow. But there is some IV rule where they have to start low and work their way up. If they start high and miss, they can't move down. Whatever..They used my elbow vein and the IV went straight in without any problems, I'm good to go! Saturdays surgery went really well, they removed the dead skin and cleaned out the wound. Well, Monday rolls around and they want to do another cleaning. It's back to the IV. Different day, different nurses. I showed them my bruised hand and mentioned it wouldn't be a good idea to go there and said the elbow is a great place to hook me up. She agreed but wanted to try the vein in my wrist. Looks pumped and ready but remember the little secret? My veins like to wiggle. She seemed confident and was sure she could get it in. Well she was wrong, she apologized and said she should have listened to me. The nurse used my elbow vein opposite of the one on Saturday..Whoa la, no problemo. Monday's surgery went just as well, but my hands and arms resemble a pin cushion.

The Abortion

The creature is really becoming a problem and seems to take advantage of me in the mornings. It wakes me up with it's scratching and clawing, I'm even beginning to think it has teeth. But with a full day a head of me I downed a pill and and kept moving. 8:00 am physical therapy, 9:00 hair appointment followed by a 1:00 quilt class. I had no time to worry about the beast. When the physical therapist saw the creature trying to ooze it's way out of my leg, they called in a doctor to examine it. There was no doubt in his mind what needed to be done. The creature must be aborted. If I was to wait any longer, it would have come out on its own making a mess of everything. He took me back to his room, prepped the leg and made a slice. Oh my, that angry beast had no choice but to spill out, and out it came. I've never seen anything like it, there was so much fluid, blood and puss spewing out, my leg looked as if it was barfing over and over again. But how it felt good to be rid of the creature. To make sure it's 100 percent drained, I go into surgery tomorrow morning and they will flush, clean the leg and cut away all that is left of the dead alien... Monday morning I go back into surgery where they will flush it out once again. I'm hoping after all this I should be coming down the home stretch and my leg, who was once host to the creature, can now finally heal.

Scratch and Claw

Woke up this morning to the creature trying to claw it's way out of my leg. It's very determined to break free. I'm doing my best to suppress it, I know the country is fighting this "War on drugs" but in my home, the drugs are helping me keep the creature at bay. Four times a day I attempt to kill the angry menace with Cephalexin, an antibiotic that helps the body fight the creatures growth. Maybe it's my imagination, but I actually think the "thing" is reducing in size. It's temper still flares and I can feel the scratching and clawing as well as the burning sensation as it's fighting to stay alive. Once again I turn to the drugs and take Vicodin as well as Ibuprofen, these two pain killers helps with the rage the creature is inflicting on me. It may be determined to continue it's fight but I'm just as determined to fight back. This is a battle the creature is not going to win..

The Creature Within

Deep beneath the skin of my upper left thigh brews a creature. It just started to show its self last week. Much like a baby without any room left in the womb, a mother can feel it kicking and stretching and although it can be a bit painful, the mother rubs her belly and talks to her unborn child. As for the creature, before it started to surface, I too could feel it, burning my leg from the inside out, causing blisters to form and the slightest touch felt like sandpaper rubbing on my tender skin. Yes, the creature was growing. A black spot appeared, could it be it's head, a hand, maybe a foot? Truly, it's the unknown. Now that it's growing at a faster rate, I think it could be close to a very painful birth. The skin is starting to weep, leaking fluids and the black spot is getting larger. The doctors give it a 50/50 chance of either it reabsorbing into the body or a possible cesarean in which they will go in and cut it out...I'm hoping for the reabsorption. The pills I'm taking are not prenatal but antibiotics. I'm all about "Pro Life" but I turn my back on this one, it needs to go. Monday is my next visit with the orthopedic surgeon, I've seen him twice this week, he says it's still not time to cut into my leg and wants to wait for me to finish the antibiotic. In the meantime, I watch and wait to see what this thing, the creature, is going to do next.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Here we are folks, four weeks later and my knee looks like the accident happened just yesterday.

Amazing actually, it's really not about the knee, which seemed in the beginning, was the victim. But after all the swelling and bruising went away the real culprit surfaced. Underneath the skin dead tissue was brewing causing all kinds of calamities. Where I once was able to walk with a limp I now depend on my crutches, when things were slightly looking up, I don't even want to look down because my leg looks like something out of a freaky Halloween movie, "The Living Dead" Or could even pass for an "Alien" movie. If the bubbling surface decided to open, I can image a monster exploding screaming, "I'm free, I'm free" causing yellow slime to splatter all over the place. Yes, the real trauma lies within the thigh. Doctors, qualified nurses, and Physical Therapist are carefully monitoring the freak show, or maybe they just like gory movies. But non the less, I will survive. I think I'm going to pop some popcorn and wait for the next showing..

To Be or Not To Be.......

Lil' Boo came to us as a baby kitten, cold, hungry and really freaked out by dogs. Even though he was small, he would hiss and arch his back when he saw our dogs, but later realized our canine friends meant him no harm and he started bonding with them. Then when Archie came into our family, Boo really had a good friend. This is where I started wondering if the cat knew he was a feline. Boo would do everything the dogs would do. He slept with them, went on walks with us, chased our other cat and tease her unmercifully, he even would play and rough house with the dogs. He acted more like a dog than his own species. But today, I see that Mr. Boo's instincts kicked in:

He caught himself a bird, and by the looks of his fur it wasn't easy. So I guess I need not worry about our cat-dog, he has proven that he knows exactly what he is.....

Jack of all Trades Master of None

Hmmmm, where do I begin?? Mr. Archie has been the husbands work companion for some time now, but lately he has had to stay home due to the schedule. I don't know, maybe Archie doesn't know when to stop working because he has become quite the helper around the house. Just recently our painter has come to prep the house for a paint job. While Craig is on the ladder caulking, Archie will try to steady the ladder for him, actually causing it to sway...Not good! When Craig sets down his brush, Archie makes off with it..Maybe he is thinking he can help in someway. Except, the painting is being done on the outside of the house, so why Archie is bringing the brush or rag inside is beyond me..

Archie likes to help with the dishes and will open up the cabinet under the sink and pull out the cleaning supplies and scrub brushes..He also thinks he is being helpful with the laundry by sorting the already folded clothes and laying them out on the floor. Archie also likes to take out the trash. He will get into the bathroom garbage, spread it all out and eat what he feels doesn't need to get thrown away. As far as gardening goes, he will pull the weeds and bring them into the house to show me what a green paw he has. He also brought in part of my drip system so I can see all the holes in the line. I'm convinced he's the one that punctured it in the first place, but really, could it be him?? He likes to rearrange the throw rugs downstairs, and trim the foam mat under the elliptical machine. If there are any shoes left lying around, Archie will make sure to carry them off for you. I think he even likes to tinker with electronics, which makes sense since his dad is an electrician, because he will chew on any cords that are within his reach..Maybe he thinks he's being helpful by checking the power.

Yes Archie is our little helper, but like every apprentice they must be supervised and can't be left to work alone...

Bailey

Bailey is the newest addition to our empty nest. Is it even fair to say we have a empty nest? The boys are gone, two attending college and one serving a mission, which means the children are out of the house leaving the husband and I home alone. So in every sense of the word, we fall into the category of being "Empty Nester's" But what about the four dogs, two cats, two guppies, and now two horses? Usually when people are in this stage of life, they get out of commitments that tie them down so they have the freedom to do other things, such as travel, weekend get aways, road trips etc....Yes our children are gone, but we have Old MacDonald's Farm living with us, so I'm not sure we can rightfully say we are empty Nester's.

On the other hand, Horse riding has always been my passion and since the husband is a part of that, life couldn't be better. Now when we travel, we attach the horse trailer to the truck and away we go. Travel yes, weekend get aways yes, road trips yes again. There's plenty of room for the dogs, and as for the cats....Well, they can stay home, and if they get hungry....there's always the guppies.

As I see it, we have everything going for us, the boys may be gone but our life is still full and exciting with something always going on.

Rumor has it......

Two weeks ago I had a slight incident with my horse.....The husband and I were just about to go riding on a beautiful fall day. He was mounted and ready, I shut the gate and mounted Jaycee. Just as I turned around to head out, BAM she dropped out from underneath me. What the heck just happened, all I could think about was to get off her fast and see why my horse fell. As I was dismounting and she was scrambling to get her footing, her left leg and mine got tangled. After this split second accident I realized what caused her to go down. Her right foot stepped on a plastic lid to an irrigation valve box, which caved in and down she went so her right leg was in the 2' box and her left leg dropped to it's knee. So as she was trying to regain her footing she pawed my left leg. All and all, it could have been worse. Jaycee escaped injury and I managed to, well..limp away.

Due to my physical job of chasing developmentally delayed preschoolers and our active classroom, I haven't been back to work in two weeks and looks like it's going to be at least four more at that.

The girls that I work with know the story and have seen my injured leg. But the funny thing is, when I called the District Office to check on my benefits and make sure my paperwork is in order for my time off, the gal that helped me already knew that I was hurt due to a "car accident." "Car accident!" What the heck!! Then the other day, I was at Walmart picking a few things up, riding around in the provided scooter, I saw another district employee, she stopped and asked how I was doing and wanted to know about the "car accident."

Not sure where that story came from and maybe by the time I return to school, the story will have grown. Can't wait.......

Grandma's Treat

Every Sunday our family gets together with the husbands parents and have family dinner together. One Sunday it will be at our house, the next at theirs. I love this arrangement, and so do my doggies. They would like it better if it was at our house every week but will settle every other Sunday, if it means they get to see Grandma.

You see, we don't give our dogs people food and what they eat, they eat in their bowls. When Grandma comes over she is the only one that gets away with giving them a taste of what us humans eat. Let me tell you, they know when you say, "Where's Grandma?" They get all excited, run to the door, then to the window and back to the door. When the Grandparents drive up the barking starts...Yes, they love their Grandma, and well, the treats she brings with her.

Oskar and Jimmy are so on to her, Archie is learning....When he was just a puppy we didn't want granny to start him so young, but he's right in there with the other dogs now. As a matter of fact, he is more obsessed with the treats than his fellow canines, but then again, we're talking about a Beagle.

One particular Sunday the family gathering was at our house so after dinner, treats, and a nice visit, the Grandparents were ready to leave. Archie followed them out the door and even to their car, but when they drove away, Archie started running after them baying all the way out of the col de sac. "Baroo, baroo, wait Grandma you forgot to leave the treats, come back, baroo, baroo!" It was the funniest sight I ever saw. That little Beagle with short stubby legs and long flapping ears running as fast as he could, and baying just as loudly, was hilarious! He seriously couldn't believe she left without leaving the treats and by golly, he was bound and determined to get them back!

Queen of the Road

Ever since we brought Jaycee home I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. I love this mare, she is so sweet and a joy to ride. She loves to explore and approaches scary objects with curiosity instead of the normal horse mentality which is to bolt.

It wasn't long before the husband decided to get a horse as well. Talk about romantic! Now we can ride and putter around the barn together, I never would have thought I'd see the day, but I'm not complaining, heaven just keeps getting better and better.

We brought the husbands gelding home, Bailey. Another Tennessee Walker with a flashy look, man that horse is beautiful! Although, Jaycee wasn't so impressed and didn't waste anytime letting this new intruder know who the pasture boss is. With ears flat back and a squeal Baily learned quick not to mess with Jaycee. But out on the trail, the two do rather well together. I was showing the husband where I had been riding, which happens to be his mountain bike trails. Jaycee was her normal perky self, walking her Tennessee walk, ears forward and happy to be out. Bailey followed enjoying the ride as well. As we got into the trails a littler further, the husband took the lead as he knows them better than I. This is his biking ground and he can ride these trails blind folded. Bailey and Ken pulled ahead and kept going. Jaycee, on the other hand, started pitching a fit. She was ancy, dancy, and getting all excited. Arching her neck, hopping along and really working up a sweat. As for the husband and Bailey...They kept right on a going, totally unaware that we were way behind. I finally got it through the dancing mares head the more she continued to tantrum, the further away they were getting and I moved her along until we caught up. Once Jaycee was, either side by side with Bailey, or in front of him she was fine, walking along as if nothing had happened, but man she does not like being in the back!

I can tell I have my work cut out for me. To be a good trail horse, Jaycee is going to have to learn that it is OK to pull up the rear once in a while, which means more riding time....I tell ya, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Toto

It was a dark and stormy night....OK, so it wasn't stormy, but it was dark and it was Halloween. Out where we live only the brave will tackle our col de sac at night, especially with a German Shepard dog barking at the scary trick or treater's. 16 courageous souls made it to our door and lived to tell about it. Since we never get but a handful of trick or treater's, I usually buy the really good candy, something the kids would never expect, nor forget. It's my way of assuring they might come back the next year.

Among the families that came, all dressed in Halloween attire, was one in particular who came in the Wizard of Oz theme. Each child was a character, there was the Tin man, the Good witch Glinda, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and of course, Dorothy. Dorothy was the three year old chatter box who isn't intimidated by anything. She was so cute dressed in the blue and white plaid dress, white shirt and sparkling red shoes with her hair divided into two cute ponytails.

After the initial trick or treat, we invited the family from Oz in to visit. The children were exploring the house while we talked with our friends. Little "Dorothy" went downstairs and saw our three house dogs in the family room behind a gate. We kept the dogs enclosed so they wouldn't jump or run out every time someone came to the door. The three little dogs are a Beagle, Miniature Schnauzer and a small terrier.

"Dorothy shrieked with delight when she saw our terrier, "Toto, I found Toto!"

The husband went downstairs and brought up our Jimmy, of course we called him Toto and Dorothy couldn't get enough of him. It was the cutest thing ever and I still giggle to myself every time I think of her smiling face thinking she had found the dog from Kansas.

Somewhere over the Reinbeau

When you start getting into your forties birthdays don't seem to be much fun. Oh having good friends and wonderful family members always manage to make you feel special and for the day, it works but then the realization sets in, your youth is gone, growing dimmer with each passing year. Luckily for me, I try not to dwell on such things and try to move passed it. With the children grown and gone, I'm finding more time to do the things I like to do. Quilting, scrap booking, beading, girls night out and the freedom to hang with the husband doing what we do without a schedule. It's actually quite liberating. Lately something from within has been calling me to own a horse. I've grown up with them, been in horse clubs, and spent countless hours riding, grooming, and confiding in my childhood friend.

With the big 47 this year my determination for a horse was greater than ever. I got on line and looked at every horse selling website. Night and day, hour after hour I was a Dreamhorse, Horsetopia, Equinenow, Craigslist junkie...Then I saw him, a Tennessee Walker in Otis Orchards. Can you say, "Road Trip!" It was the day of my birthday and I wanted to go to Otis Orchards just to "look." My supportive husband obliged me. He had to go to work in the morning but we would leave by 11:00. Eleven rolled around and I was ready!! He walked through the door and asked me to come and look at something first. Low and behold attached to his truck was a horse trailer....OMG, are you serious!! I laughed, jumped for joy and cried at the same time!!

The trip was wonderful, about 3 1/2 hours from Yakima. We arrived at Reinbeau Ranch, and there before my very eyes were 90 head of beautiful horses...I was in heaven! She saddled up Jazzy and I rode him in the arena..Beautiful black gaited former show horse. He was a dream, smooth, kind and so gentle, but since we were there, why not look around...Standing in her own paddock my husband saw Jaycee, she too was for sale. I gave her a try, she was a little more jumpy but once she got going, her gait was also amazing..There was just something about this mare that changed my mind. We took her home on a two week trial and within one week I knew she couldn't go back. I called the seller and confirmed she would be staying.

Once you have horse in your blood, it doesn't matter whether you are 7 or 47, there's just something about those amazing, majestic animals that never leaves you.

It's a Dog's Life

What a life these dogs have. Lay around most the day, casually bark at something gone by, happy to see their family and always willing to eat. So carefree with little worries....They don't know what it's like to go to the Department of Licensing, pick a number and wait. Yes, I had the pleasure of testing my patience today. The husband needed me to run a few errands, and since I had some of mine own, this was a good time to get everything done. My first stop was the County Court House, he needed me to renew some license tabs as well as order a new license plate. Normally all this can be done on line, but he had some extra special transactions that required me to handle this face to face with a county employee. "Number 26," a voice calls from behind a desk. Hey that's me! I give her my envelope of paperwork and a list of instructions. As she is typing the information into her computer she asked me how I would like to pay for it. Credit please, I tell her...Uh, not an option. Cash or Check, in which I have neither. The helpful lady told me I could go get some money and come back.... I wouldn't even have to pull a number, just come to the front and she would handle it. Fair enough, but the time is 3:30 and they close at 4:00. Off to the Credit Union I hurry! Once again I wait in line, this time for a teller to help me as the clock continues to tick. Five people later and a check in hand, I race back to the court house barely making it.

As instructed, I casually walk past everyone and hand the check over, but at that very moment the computers crash and she is unable to finish processing. Seriously is this really happening? At least my efforts weren't in vain, she said she would mail the tabs in the morning. Now it's off to the other licensing building across town, this is where I need to transfer our sons car titles from our names into theirs. I guess the transaction fee is cheaper at this place, I also need a few travel permits. Again, I wait in line...a long line. I finally get called only to find out, I can't transfer the titles, it's something the boys have to do themselves. OK, how about the travel permits? I can still get those, as long as I have cash or a check! Not again, by this point I'm laughing, I feel like I'm in the movie Groundhog Day reliving the same thing over and over. The lady doesn't get why I'm giggling, and it's too long of a story to tell, especially since the room is filled with people patiently waiting for their turn. So I leave, go back to the credit union, get my cash and head straight for the nearest grocery store. They happen to have a licensing place, but their fees are higher. I take my place in line behind half the people of Yakima and wait some more. A song from Sonny and Cher pops in my head and I start smiling.

Oh it's true, life would be a lot easier if I could lay around, have someone feed me and scratch my belly, but then, it wouldn't be nearly as fun......

The Pedicure

I've always enjoyed going to the nail salon, sitting in a massage chair and having someone massage my legs, file my heels and paint my toes. There's just something relaxing and rejuvenating about the whole process. As for my dog Oskar, he has a whole different opinion on pedicures, in fact, if he could talk he'd tell you that having your nails clipped and filed is like someone taking a hack saw and sawing your nails down to the bone. His phobia is so terrible, the vet would have to muzzle him just so they can clip his nails. I used to take him a groomers when it was time for his hair cut. Standard procedure was to clean his ears and clip his nails along with the actual grooming. He always came back looking spiffy and sharp, eyebrows perfectly angled, beard neat and tidy, body cut short with some length on his legs. Yep, he looked like a show dog, too bad the only thing he had to show was his haircut. Anyway, after a few trips to the doggy salon, I decided to take over and do his grooming myself. He was a good sport as long as I gave him his cookie when I was finished. He allowed me to angle his eyebrows, cut and trim his hair, even clean out his ears. But when it came time to clip his nails, the fight was on. He would whine, wiggle, twist and turn and eventually Houdini his way out of my clutches. It didn't matter how much I bribed him, he was not going to let me clip his nails. I would lay him on his side and literally sit and straddle him wrapping my legs around his neck just so I could keep him still as I attempted to, what he would call, butcher his toes, all the while crying and yelping in pain. Just for the record, it was not painful but he had it in his head that I was sawing off his phalanges with a chainsaw. To save the wrestling match, I would have the vet trim his nails when he would go in for his immunizations. Even with a muzzle, you could still hear him moan in agony.

Then I saw it......An infomercial on Pedi Paws, the fast, easy and gentle way to trim your pet's nails! Hmmmm, sounds too good to be true. Could be.... you know these kinds of commercials, the pet is some highly trained animal and the owners are just actors. Yeah, I'm not going to give out my credit card number, I mean really...."Won't crack, splinter or break nails," as the commercial is demonstrating a dog sitting on his owners lap allowing them to file his nails with a "rotating filing head that gently and safely files it to a smooth rounded finish." Naw, Oskar is just gonna have to endure the torcher.

But then I saw it again, this time in a pet store. I'm beginning to think a doggy angel is dropping a major hint....Buy the Pedi Paws.....buy the Pedi Paws....Ok, OK! It was the same price as the one on T.V. $20.00 bucks, I'll buy it!, I'll buy it! This could be interesting, actually I'm rather excited to see how this, "Incredible Pet Nail Trimmer," is going to prove its self.

I gathered Oskar into my lap and turned on the rotating file, then continued to rub it all over him so he could get used to the noise...Something the instructions suggested to do, but enough of the orientation, it's time to see how this miracle file works. At first he was a little freaked out, he could tolerate the file being rubbed over his body, but having it touch the nails...thats when he started to quiver, so I squeezed a bit harder with my legs indicating to him he was going to go through with this, "fast, easy and gentle way of nail trimming," and to my surprise, he settled down and relaxed. Wow, maybe there really is something to this file that, "eliminates fear and stress of nail grooming." Since he was actually cooperating, I continued with the rest of his nails....Amazing, what a good boy! After I completed trimming and filing his nails he sprung from my leg grasp and told me in his very enthusiastic bark, "My cookie mom! I get a cookie!!" This time I couldn't agree more, yes Oskar, you get a cookie.....

It Takes a Thief

Oh Missy, as the old saying goes, "You can take the girl off the streets, but you can't take the street out of the girl." We have had Missy for at least 5 years. I rescued this big German Shepard from her old home when the family that raised her, moved and left their dehydrated dog and 5 nursing puppies behind. It was a cold November afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving, when one of the school bus drivers noticed the empty house as she was driving by. The kids were not out waiting to be picked up, the cars were not around and the once active little home with 4 children were gone, moved elsewhere. The only familiar sight was their dog and her puppies. Janice, the bus driver, told me of the abandoned Shepard and her litter, then continued to express how mad she was that they up and left her. Wanting to see for myself, I waited for school to get out, went home and got one of my boys and we drove to see the poor mama and her babies.

Sure enough, they were still there. The female was whining and the puppies kept trying to latch on to her. It was clear that the family had moved, and by the looks of the dog, it had been awhile.

The only thing left to do was take the dog home along with her 5 little suckling puppies. I didn't have a plan, all I could think of at the time was, I needed to get her home and fed. The first thing she did was down a couple of bowls of water before she started in on eating. The puppies were also interested in the food and didn't hesitate to gobble up their mama's meal. I put everyone in the back yard for safe keeping until I devised a plan as to what I was going to do with them. Mama dog, seeming content that her puppies had a good meal, felt this was a good time to start the weaning process and jumped the fence. She didn't go anywhere, just stayed in the front yard and took a nap.

OK, so now what do I do? The husband was still at work and I have a large dog and 5 puppies to worry about.....So I called him, he wasn't as surprised as I thought he'd be, although he did suggest I should take them to the pound. Puppies are a hot commodity and get adopted rather easily, but what about the female, adult dogs aren't so lucky. No, I was just going to have to come up with a different plan. Then the husband came home and after seeing for himself, he too realized they couldn't go to the animal shelter. We put the word out and after two weeks all the puppies had new loving families. We decided to keep mama dog and named her Missy. She was happy and settled in, but whenever we went somewhere she would run behind our car, obviously worried we were going to leave her. This is when she came up with a back up plan and started hanging out with our neighbors. Missy would lay on their porch and play with their children. With her gentle nature and sweet disposition the neighbors took to our new dog and Missy became part of their family as well.

Missy has the best of both worlds now, she has two families. Eats at our house and sleeps in theirs. She gets dog treats on a regular basis along with big raw hide bones - complements of the neighbors.

So why does she continue to steal?? This dog brings home a variety of loot, and where it comes from, I don't even want to know. We get baseball mitts, other dog bowls, dirty diapers, big ham bones, gloves, shoes, bags of cat food, the list is endless. This time she brought a full size steelhead home. It had been gutted and cleaned I'm betting it was someones barbecue dinner. I'm sure the thieving stems from her abandonment days, necessary for survival, but that's all in the past. She has a wonderful life now with everything a dog could ask for. I'm beginning to wonder if she has become a kleptomaniac and feels the need to steal. I just hope no one finds out who she belongs to. Although, I suppose I could always refer them to my neighbors.....

My lists of 8

Ok, so I've been tagged ( thanks Susi ) For those of you who might read my blog, I'll give you my list of 8, here goes............

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Got up at 8:00 and started preparing dinner - made a marinade for the salmon, a jello salad, defrosted the salmon, and fixed a green salad. The rest will wait for after church.

2. Made a peach and blueberry coffee cake for breakfast.

3. Got ready for church.

4. Went to church and bawled my eyes out listening to George talk and play the piano.

5. Actually attended all the church meetings with my parents thanks to Sheila for teaching my Sunbeams and Mary for doing Nursery. I owe you both big time!!!

6. Came home from church and finished making dinner - garlic potato's and BBQ salmon.

7. Took pictures with my parents in the back yard - even snagged my unsuspecting husband into a few shots as well - he hates when I involve him in a photo shoot...It could be that I'm never satisfied with just one or two pictures....just one more....one more...

8.Watched a movie with the family - "The Best Two Years"

8 Favorite Shows:

1. Dancing with the Stars

2. Survivor

3. American Idol

4. Desperate Housewives - This should be #1, I can't wait for the new season.

5. 18 kids and counting - I don't know why this show intrigues me - could it be the fact that they have 18 kids and their life is so organized and perfect? I keep trying to find a flaw but it hasn't happened yet...Maybe they edit that part out.....

6. Seinfeld - A total classic! I could never tire of this show.

7. Friends - Another good one, Joey is my favorite!

8. Bachelor/Bachelorette: I don't know if this one counts since I vowed never to watch the show again.....Although, I might take a peek every so often.....

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Red Robin - Silly I know, but those bottomless fries......

2. Second Street Grill - Steak salad, the best!

3. The White House - love that little place.

4. What's that Japanese place called that cooks the meal in front of you?? Can't recall the name but it's amazing!

5. New York Teriyaki

6. Outback - Their salmon is out of this world!

7. Olive Garden - Can't beat the bread sticks with soup and salad...

8. Domino's Pizza - A quick fix....They deliver!

8 Things I look Forward To:

1. Next Summer - School starts Monday..uggg

2. Meeting the girlfriend this Thanksgiving.

3. Did I mention summer??

4. My thirty year class reunion - Facebook has been an amazing tool helping to reconnect with old friends!

5. Having my house completely done....Just a few more things need to be hung.

6. Celebrating our 25th anniversary cruising through the Mediterranean - Two years and counting!

7. Grandchildren!!!

8. I don't know how much I look forward to this, but I'm glad he's going and wouldn't want to change it for anything: George going on his mission...he's going to be an amazing missionary and I'm excited for him!!

8 People I tag:

Let's be serious, there aren't eight people that read my blog and the rest of you have already been tagged!

The Rule Breaker

"Rosie, get on the blanket!" I am continually reminding our cat, the one who thinks this is her house and feels rules don't pertain to her. We have special pet blankets on both our couches and one on our bed for the dogs and cats. The animals are not allowed to be on the furniture otherwise. The dogs don't have a problem with this rule, and neither does Boo, our other cat. Even my kids forget the fluffy sheepskin blankets are for the animals. I don't blame them, they are soft, cozy and warm, perfect for snuggling, but the purpose is to keep the furniture clean and looking nice. When we have guest over, I remove the blankets, put the animals down stairs and whoa la, the company sits down on nice clean couches without taking a clump of cat or dog hair with them when they leave. Every day, over and over I remind Rosie she needs to be on the blanket. Especially her, she leaves behind the most hair out of all of them. I'll pick her up to place her on a blanket and boy does she get mad, she'll growl at me, dig her claws into the fabric giving me quite the resistance, and growl some more. This cat really thinks she is the Queen of Sheba, once I have moved her, I'll try to settle her by petting behind her ears and stroking her back, but the damage has been done, she flashes me the evil eye and jumps down. We go through this daily.

So this morning, after shooing Rosie off my bed because, once again, she would not stay on the blanket, I came in to the living room and sat on the couch. After a few minutes, I noticed a lump in the pet blanket. I lifted the corner of the blanket and saw the Queen of Sheba, lying underneath. Now tell me, do you think she's knows what she is doing or what??

Rosie favorite spot to sharpen her precious claws are the stairs. This is NOT ok and I have placed all kinds of cat scratching post and pads on each landing of the stair case for this very reason. Again, she feels rules don't pertain to her and she will scratch where she feels fit.

It is a constant battle with Ms. Queenie and I really don't know why we put up with her. Maybe every family has their one child who likes to push the boundaries, ours just happens to be a cat..

Down and Out

"Let's eat!" I call to the dogs as I open the gate and release them. Feeding time is such a happy time, they bark, run up the stairs and dance around their prospective bowls. All but Archie, the one dog who lives to eat, who won't rest until he has sniffed out every nook and cranny looking for anything to ingest, who checks and double checks the other dog bowls making sure nothing has been left uneaten. No not this time, instead he slowly walks up the stairs through all the commotion, heads to the garage door and waits quietly and patiently for me to let him out. Archie dines in the garage because of how fast he can put away his food and how quick he can go after everyone else's dinner. I'm beginning to grow concerned as to why he is so disinterested in his meal. He doesn't bay when I put the kibbles in his bowl, no dancing around, just sadness. Then I bring myself back three months ago when our little Beagle was diagnosed with a condition that he will live with his entire life. At four months of age Archie had symptoms of lethargy, depression, fever, loss of appetite and when we held him, he would yelp in pain. Watching him waste away was too much for us to bear so we took him to our veterinarian for a full examination. He stayed in their care for a couple of days but were unable to diagnose him. The Vet suggested we take him to the University in Pullman where they have an animal hospital and staff who specializes in hard cases. The husband didn't waste any time, he loaded up his puppy and headed straight for Pullman. After three days of testing and blood work Archie was diagnosed with immune mediated polyarthropathy disease. A condition which can be precipitated by any inflammatory, infectious or cancerous process. It's treatable through medication but we've been advised not to continue with future vaccinations as it could stimulate his immune system and cause a relapse, as well as experiencing any trauma or stress. We can handle giving him medication, we can handle no more vaccinations, we can even handle keeping him safe as long as he is a happy puppy. That's one thing we can say about Archie, he is a happy puppy. But every so often he has a down day where he's just not feeling well. Not sure what triggers it and it never really last long, usually by the next morning he's ready for breakfast baying, dancing and ready to attack his food. Insidentally it takes an episode like this to remind me, although he's on medication, he's not cured. I also find myself missing his silly antics and loud obnoxious baying, because a happy puppy is a baying puppy. Keeping this in mind, I will never complain again.....

Caesar's Palace

Alaska or bust! The husband planned a fishing trip with the boys, a guy trip where they can all be together one last time before everyone goes their separate ways. Our oldest son was at college but came home four days prior to the trip. Not much time to get ready if you ask me, but he didn't seem worried. As a matter of fact, his mind was more on his new pet than on preparing for his Alaskan adventure. He was home one day and the next thing I know he went out and purchased a fish, a Crowntail Betta to be exact, a tank with all the trimmings, a book on Betta's, and four different types of food. Apparently Betta's get bored with their food so it's recommended that you give them a variety to eat. He named his fish Caesar and decorated his tank with Roman columns and plants. It didn't take Caesar long to live up to his name, he made it very clear right from the start what food he likes and dislikes. He had crab, freeze dried blood worms, shrimp and frozen blood worms to choose from. The tiny red blood worms became his favorite on the menu, shrimp and crab being the least. Emerson was determined to stick with the books recommendation and put Caesar on a eating schedule. Freeze dried worms in the morning and frozen blood worms in the evening. The night before the guys leave, Emerson wrote down all the care instructions for his Betta, as I would become the fish sitter for five days.

Instructions:

- Use the tank water to soak the food

- Remove any uneaten food

- Feed twice daily

- Dried worms in the morning/frozen worms in the evening

- leave the light on during the day, turn off at night

After the first day, Caesar was spitting out his breakfast. Freeze dried worms was not what he wanted and he already made it clear he didn't like the crab and shrimp, the only thing left on the menu was the frozen blood worms, but what about wanting a variety to eat? The book said to give them a variety. Ahhh, to heck with the book he's in my care now. The finicky fish had more than enough to choose from and all he wanted was the blood worms. Fine with me, if that's what Caesar wants, then that's what he's getting. But personally speaking, if you rescue a fish from the store, give him a larger tank and feed him better than he's ever eaten before, wouldn't you think he'd be a little more grateful? Maybe his name should be Oliver, and instead of columns and plants for his tank decor he should have plastic trash...Just a thought. Anyway, I explained to Emerson Caesar's new eating habit and how he perfers the frozen worms over the freeze dried worms.

Still not convinced that he should only have one type of food, Caesar's slave went out and brought back guppies. Another recommendation from the Betta book was to feed them a live fish every so often, this is a good way for them to get the protein they need to stay healthy. Emerson chose the smallest guppy to be the guinea pig, or the sacrificial lamb as I see it. The chase was on. Caesar swam after the little guppy, but the baby fish was much quicker darting here and there. Soon the Betta grew tired of the chase and came to the surface to rest. He tried once again to capture Mr. Swifty but the little guppy would have none of it and kept darting all over the tank. Finally Caesar gave up entirely and had this look about him that said, " Just give me my blood worms." Four types of food and three guppies later, and all the Betta wants is his blood worms, so much for doing it by the book. Emerson was only home for a day before he had to go back to school. He packed up his fish supply, put Caesar in a traveling tank then headed back to college. What about the baby guppies? They were left behind.....I am now the new owner of three baby fish...Great....

The Walk

"Want to go for a walk?" Silly question, of course they want to go for a walk. What I should be asking is, do I dare take them on a walk. It's just not as simple as most people would think. Sure, hook the leash on the well behaved dog who is patiently waiting, then he walks by your side without the slightest tug. Well, this is how it really is. Knowing what the answer is going to be before I even ask, you see, they know when I'm putting on my walking shoes, then they see the leashes. Already the barking has started, but I ask anyway, "Want to go on a walk?"

Oh yeah, they want to go alright! Oskar grabs the leash as I'm trying to hook it onto his collar and starts to pull in a tug of war sort of way. Archie is baying loudly and Jimmy is hopping around. I finally get the leash on Oskar and as I start hooking Jimmy's, Oskar grabs Jimmy's leash and begins pulling him. Archie is still baying loudly. Now it's Archie's turn, As I'm trying to hook his leash onto his collar, Jimmy and Oskar start leaving without us while Archie continues to bay..... loudly. I call the other two dogs back, pick up their leashes and Oksar starts in with his tug of war again. I'm trying to get the crazed dog to come along but he keeps pulling on the leash with his teeth while shaking his head. Archie is still baying loudly and Jimmy is getting all tangled up. This carries on for the first 5 minutes as I'm trying to walk, Oskar tugging Archie baying and Jimmy getting tangled. Did I mention Missy comes along? Can't leave her behind, she likes to run ahead and chase birds, which makes Oskar want to run too. He quits tugging and starts choking. He some how manages to make the weirdest strangling sounds. They're very indescribable, but he sounds like he's dying and gasping for his last breath. Archie is still baying....loudly. Then I notice our cat is following us. I swear it's like a three ring circus. All I want to do is go for a nice walk and I get a strangling dog whose hacking and coughing, a baying Beagle whose voice carries into the next canyon, and a cat that's tagging behind. Seriously, if I actually want to get some miles in, I have to sneak out of the house without the little dogs seeing me put on my walking shoes and holding a leash. Then, if I'm lucky enough to accomplish that, I'll take Missy and go for my walk...The only thing is, I still have to keep a watchful eye out for the cat....

Kids and Cats

Ever wonder if kids and cats have the same personality? Think about it, kittens are the cutest thing. They love to romp and play, they get into everything, they're curious, love to cuddle and crave attention. Now relate that to a small child. Wondering where I'm going with this? Lets move on, now the cute curious kitten has grown into a cat. It no longer craves attention and will act put out if given any, sleeps all day and is out all night, comes home only to eat and lay around before it wants out again.....Hmmmm, sounding familiar - perhaps something that of a teenage child/young adult. I don't know but it seems to me that the human child and the feline are closer than one could have thought possible.

Gluttony

The thing with Beagles is, they have no limit as to what they think they can consume when it comes to food. Everything I've read about Beagles always comes back to the same, "Beagles can be possessive with their food, they don't care if they are eating gourmet food or garbage, a Beagle will eat everything indiscriminately." What I've learned from having a Beagle first hand, everything I've read has proven to be true. Not only does Archie inhale his food similar to a shark in a feeding frenzy, his main focus in life is all about when he's going to eat next. His nose his constantly sniffing the ground looking for that last little of morsel of food, actually it doesn't have to be food. Archie will eat anything and everything. The husband gave his Beagle a little stuffed duck that quacks if squeezed. Archie plunged at the toy and started to devour it, ripping his legs off and swallowing them. Quack, quack says's the duck as Archie tears into his wings with the same vigorous motion as he did with the legs. Gone now is the beak, the dog is ingesting a stuffed toy, I truly believe if he could, he would swallow the duck whole. I can't stand watching this any longer, the poor little mallard meant to be a toy, is now being ripped and torn for only one purpose, to be eaten. I finally had to take the toy from him but that didn't stop him from wanting it. Some dogs who gets the taste of blood, whether it comes from chasing a chicken, goat, rodent or anything they can run after, never loses that urge for another one. This behavior in dogs can cause riffs between neighbors that have chickens or livestock. Archie's basic instinct kicked in with the taste of polyester stuffing. I hope my neighbors don't have any stuffed animals laying around. It's not as if he wanted his toy back for the sake of having it, he acted as if I took away his prize bone layered with meat. He kept sniffing the ground in circles, looking at me, sniffing some more. I decided to distract him by putting him outside for a minute, that took his mind off the duck but he sniffed around until he found some left over kiblets of food Missy had dropped. Yes, Beagles have wonderful qualities that make them the perfect family dog, they are outgoing and tolerant, energetic and friendly, and insanely optimistic with a tail that keeps wagging, even when they're sleeping. The only requirement a Beagle expects from his family, is not being late when it comes to his dinner!

The Pilot

The husband has learned to fly, which hasen't been easy especially with his busy schedule, but as the old saying goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way" and he has found a way. He has been getting up in the wee hours of the morning, when the rest of the world is still snuggled up to their pillows, to pilot his plane.

Being that I am not a morning person, he demonstrated his flying skills in the evening. The family and I went out to watch him and I was very impressed.

Not only has he become a pilot, but he has learned the mechanic's of his plane. He does all the repair work himself to make sure his plane is in tip top flying condition.

Way to go husband, we are so proud of you!