the game is flyball

this past weekend, my dog club (Piscataqua Obedience Club) and our flyball team (Maine Coast Runners) were the hosts to a new england regional flyball tournament. This is the fifth year that we have hosted a tournament and they get better and better each year. As usual, our horse trailer was pressed into service to transport mats, jumps and the various equipment that is needed. I love pulling my trailer and so, am more than happy to help out in this department.

I used to play flyball with Moxie, but sadly (and rarely does this ever happen) she was "hit" by another dog from another team that we were racing. After that, she would not play.... we tried for months to get her back in the game, but she was either too smart or too scared and never went back. I did pull Trevor out for awhile, and he picked up enough points for the first two titles, but somehow after that, I guess I just lost interest and now, am more of a "moral support" to the team.

For those of you who may not know what this is all about.. here's a quick run down. You have a team of four dogs racing another team of four dogs... it's a relay race. The idea is to have the dogs jump over four jumps to a box that has a ball in it, the dogs catch the ball and race back and the next team member is sent. The team that gets all their dogs down and back and have no mistakes... wins the heat.

Any dog with a drive for running and fetching can play. And since the height of the jumps are based on your smallest dog, teams often look for little ones to play.. they are called "height dogs"... which is what Moxie and Trevor were. Really fast teams can do all of this in about 16-18 SECONDS!!! (which is hard to get a good picture of the race, the dogs are just way too fast!!!) Each race is worth is certain number of points and as dogs wrack up the points, they are awarded different titles.

There were 39 teams that raced this year... they came from all over new england and we even had a couple of teams that came down from Canada.

It is great fun, and I do miss having a dog to run. I sort of am toying with the idea of bring Trevor out and see what he thinks of all of this. He is "crazy" about a ball, and now that he is older, perhaps he will be a bit more settled than he was in his younger day. We'll see...

but, it made for a fun weekend, it was nice to see a lot of my "old" flyball friends and have dinner out with the group... and, as with anything of this size... plans for next year are already in the works.....

visitors........

"let this be your warning!!!" It isn't that we don't want visitors to the barn right now.. but, I am telling you... DON'T COME!!! unless you don't mind a little bit of walk and you bring your boots!!!

I have always heard that here in Maine, we have 5 seasons... summer, fall, winter, MUD and spring. Now, I do know mud season, just take one look at my kitchen floor this time of year (with little spaniels that run in and out the doggie door).. but, I don't think that I really "appreciated" mud season, until we started being up on the farm.

THIS is the drive in.........
And this is what one little red truck looks like, after it has made the drive in.. you definitely need four wheel drive to even think of making it......

Oh, and one more thing to remember.. this used to be a cow field, so from what I am told... not only do you get to enjoy the visual side of this wonderful mud... you get to enjoy the "smell" side of it as well....

So, just in case you don't get an invitation to come and see us.. please don't be upset, I am just waiting for .....

spring!!!!!

saddle season

This is the "look" I got when I told Tonka that today was "lesson day" and it was time to get on the trailer!!! I have officially declared it to be spring and riding season once again!!!!

It's a funny thing, though... I still get "butterflies" on this first day of lessons. I ask myself all sorts of silly questions like... "do I remember how to ride?? do I really know how to handle this 1300 lbs. horse? do I know how to drive with my trailer? why do I like to do this?" but the moment my foot hits the stirrup, all the questions melt away, and it's just "me and Tonka" taking a lesson with Laura.

Right now, I feel amazing, our lesson was grand!!! Each year when we begin again, we are further than the year before and practically picked up where we stopped last December. Course tomorrow will be another story, once the old muscles find their place again. I wish that I could do more winter riding, but where the boys live at the moment, there really isn't good riding... that should all be different next winter!!!!

Tonka loaded like a champ... walked right on the trailer... WHAT a difference that is... oh, the first summer I had him.. I would plan at least a three hour time frame for just getting him on the trailer... we even missed a couple of lessons, because he absolutely refused to get on!!!! Hours of "work" have paid off for certain!! I would just spend afternoons, loading and unloading and loading again. I would feed him on the trailer and have all sorts of his favorite treats AFTER he got on.. and one day, it seem to click with him, and now... for the most part... I just tell him to "step on"....

These pictures are little dark, but I assure you.. that's me in that saddle!!!!

The nice thing about the horses being able to come and go as they please, is that Tonka has kept a lot of his muscle tone and suppleness over the winter. He was very "giving" to the bit, and though we did keep this first lesson on the light side, he was hardly warm when we got done... and that's with winter coat!!!!

We rode for about 45 minutes, and it was a good place to stop... you always want to stop on a good note. And for the first day back... trailer loading, tacking up, the lesson itself, and the ride home was more than enough to begin "saddle season".....

And as we pulled back into the yard...

here was the "welcoming committee"......

it is spring!!!!!

almost forgot!!!

I almost forgot that today is Titus's one year anniversary with us!!! He was last year's birthday gift, and to this day, I don't even know why I thought I wanted a turtle!!!

I am guessing it had something to do with my childhood. Probably like a lot of you, we got these little green turtles at the department store. I had "hundreds" of them, mainly because they were pretty cheap to buy and usually died within a month. I remember you could get a plastic bowl with an island in the middle of it, and the "fancy" ones had a "palm tree" on the island. You were suppose to put your turtle in sunlight a few hours each day and feed it bugs and things, and if your turtle didn't escape, he sadly didn't live long either.

Now, that I have "properly owned" a turtle, I feel very sad for those poor creatures and what they went thru for our entertainment. Turtle keeping is exactly "easy".. they are a reptile (as you know) and they have some very specific needs. If I had done more research before getting Titus, I might have thought differently. Because this "free" turtle has been a rather expensive "pet".

You see, last year, my family got me a ten gallon turtle tank for my new pet. But when we got to the shop, they did not have any babies... as I had been told. Disappointed, I sort of "complained" to the store manager, and to try and make it right, he offered me Titus for nothing. He told me he was a male turtle about three years old.. "they" say the males are better pets, because you don't have to worry about "eggs being laid"..... and the fact he was an "older" turtle, got me past that crucial stage... so, I took him.

Well, the 10 gallon tank wasn't nearly large enough for him, so within the first couple of weeks, we had a 20 gallon tank.... which was ok, because the same filter, sunning lamp, sunning rock and such all worked fine in the 20 gallon. After about 6 months or so, we noticed that Titus was getting bigger!!! I thought he was pretty much full grown.. but, I guess not . The 20 gallon was getting squishy and on top of that, he could escape from it!!! More than twice we have had "turtle hunts" in the house. I began to look at bigger tanks... and found a 75 gallon that looked like it would work for a bit. Course that meant new filters, lamps...etc. etc...... well, the clerk in the store was trying to "get rid of a 120 gallon tank" that had been special ordered and never claimed. She "gave" it to us for nearly the price of the 75 gallon tank... a REAL bargain!!!

I didn't exactly realize how big this tank was, until we got it home!!!! You need a lot of space for such a big tank!!! and it took us a few months to get it set up.. one thing was ---Ed needed to make a base for it... 120 gallons of water weighs a lot!!! and with a special size, you can't just go and buy a base. So, that done, and a corner in the living room, Titus moved into his third tank within a year!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong... I wouldn't trade him for the world.. I have spent many hours watching him and amazed at some of the things he does. He is also quite personable, he will "follow" you back and forth when you stand by the tank... he paddles like mad in the corner when he is hungry!!, He does his "stretches" when on the sunrock, and has been a fun pet overall. but, if you are thinking about turtle keeping.. do a little a homework... AND plan for a pet for a long time, I understand that with proper care... turtles can go 15 to 20 years!!!!! Certainly a long way from the ones we had as kids!!!

April Fool's Day!!!!

The first thing to be said about "April Fool's Day"... is HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Deb and to my brother-in-law, John!!!! From some stories that I have heard from the two of them, I think this can be a "hard" day to have a birthday on..... but, we are lucky, because these two great folks were born on this day, and we have them in our lives!!!! many, many happy day wishes to you both!!!

As promised, I shot some pictures of the neat presents that I received for MY birthday... the first is this cool "turtle stool" that Kas and Nate found for me in a little shop somewhere near their home. I guess this store has TONS of turtle things, and IF we get the chance to take a trip south... I will be sure to check this out!!!! Dancer is quite taken with this little stool, and I am keeping it near Titus tank, so that when me little niece comes to visit, she will be able to stand on it and see what Titus is up to.







My second very cool gift is from Deb (and Dave) and so happens to be yet another turtle!!! He is very nice and I can think of several places for him to live, but for now, I have him out on my antique sewing machine. I thought he looked quite comfty near the basket and the dog lamp. Several folks have noticed him already!!!

The next gifts come from Ed and Sadie... now, what do you get a girl who is expecting a new barn, and will have plenty of chores to do??? Barn stuff, of course!!!

So, here we have... a leaf blower.... I have swept enough ally ways to think there has be an "easier way" to do this.. and I am thinking that a leaf blower will do just the trick. Afterall, you're only moving dirt, hay, sawdust about and I am anxious to see if this idea is going to work out. Course the horses will have to get used to the sound of it.. but what a great "training opportunity"!!! Next we have two metal cans. I currently store my grain in two plastic cans, and it has worked fine for all these years, but Ed thought that the metal would be easier to wash out, and will certainly keep out any unwanted critters (though I won't be allowing any of those "sorts of critters" in my barn!!!!) There is also a broom, and a 5 tier metal shelf unit.. and last but not least... a new wheel barrow... the TWO wheeled kind!!!! After mucking stalls for the past 11 years, I have used a number of different wheel barrows, and for manure!!! THIS is the only one to have. Nothing is more upsetting then dumping a one wheeled barrow that is filled to the brim!!! (been there / done that). I am very excited about my new things!!!

When I opened up our barn door (the York barn that is) and got all excited about my things, Sadie said to Matt "you have to understand that only MY Mom could get excited about such things".. However, I know that isn't true... I bet some on you out there are thinking... "I could use some of those things!!!" must just be the circle of friends that I "chum" with!!!!!

Ok, April... you are suppose to be the start of "good weather"... let's just check out the Farmer's Almanac and see what's up for the month Solar, then doler; must this month be so bipolar? Wondrously warm, followed by thunderousy storms: Boom! Rain's a-fallin';streams a-risin; but there's hope on the horizon. Daffodils garland the hills. Doesn't sound too bad overall......

Happy birthday to.....

ME!!!!

Today is my 48th birthday!!!! I can't tell you what it's like to be 48, because if one must "feel" their age... I can tell you... I don't feel that age!!!

I am a little girl, watching my barn come to real life and waiting to play with my horses!!! Playing "kennel" with my dogs, and hanging out with my best friend (Ed)!!! I like birthdays... I like mine.....

My Grandfather (who sadly passed three days after Ed and I were married) always loved his birthday. When most "older" folks said things like.. "I don't celebrate birthdays anymore or it's just another day"... my grandpa always said his birthdays were the best... it meant that he had been blessed to see another year, and he always looked forward to the year to come. I "adopted" that idea years ago, partly because of him, and partly because it's very true. I have been blessed with another year, and I am certainly looking forward to the one to come!!!!!

I received some pretty nice presents.. which I will show you tomorrow (as it was too dark outside to get a good pic tonite)... and as much as I love presents... it's my "gifts" that I really appreciate....

Ed, Kassy, Sadie, Nate, my folks, and sisters... neices, the "Flaggs"... friends that are almost too many to name...

my cockers, cats, horses, guinea pigs, bunny ...turtle...

a farm.....

the list is endless..... Happy birthday to me!!!!!

who ordered this???

I think Kas and Nate left one day too early.....

look at what they missed!!!!

AND if you are the one that ordered this.. please let me know, because I will gladly share my part......

One good thing about spring snow.... it really doens't last that long.....

happy 11th

I just couldn't let today go by, without wishing my little Moxie dog a very happy birthday!!! I can't believe that she is 11 already.... it makes me wonder... where did 11 years of my life go???

But, here we are 11 years later, and I am so happy that she is in good health and attending dog classes every week and is my little shadow...

love you, Moxie girl!!!!!

heading home

It's a very good thing that Kassy loves living with Nate so much, and that she also loves living in the warm southern states, because it does make saying goodbye at little easier for me. I know she loves her family, but I can also see how happy she is being in North Carolina right now, and so, it's OK to say goodbye when we have to. We all met for breakfast this morning.. Ed and I, Deb and Dave, Kas and Nate... and then said our goodbyes in the parking lot.

So, this past week didn't go exactly as had been planned, but it was a very good week just the same, and it flew by!!! We had plenty of time with Kas and Nate, enjoying their company and being all together with both the families, talking about some of the plans for the up coming summer, and how it will be when Nate's term of service is completed.

We "sort of" talked about planning another trip south, but after the way things have gone around here... I have decided not to plan TOO far ahead... on anything!!!!

The "goodbye" hug looked SO much better than the "hello" hug last week... at least Ed is on his feet!!!! He was so surprised when the "kids" showed up in his hospital room last week.....

Oh, I forgot to say.... in case you didn't notice... this isn't the little blue beetle bug anymore... Kas and Nate traded it a month ago and got this little Jetta. It's a better car for them, with four doors and a "real" back seat.... should take them quite a distance.. and will certainly be a good "family" car (when the time arrives!!!)

I asked Kas to ship us some warm weather when she gets home... she said she will see what can be done about that!!!!!

spring project

Kas was saying that she would like to have a nice spring wreath for her door at home in NC. She hasn't had the chance to live in the south during the spring time, as Nate's past deployments have always been during this time of year, and Kas has found herself back in Maine. The wreaths that she had looked at were quite pricey, so I told her it would be easy, fun (and cheaper) to make her own. She wasn't so sure she could do it.......

But on their way over to Brentwood, Kas and Nate stopped at a craft supply shop and Kas picked up the things she would need to make her own wreath (or at least give it a shot). Last night, we went over to Brentwood as well.. to check out the progress on Deb's kitchen and to have a wonderful supper with them. After dinner, Kas pulled out her wreath making supplies and we got to work (actually I just got her started and she went from there).

It was a quick and fun project, and as you can see, Kas did a great job making up her own wreath (she can't wait for you to see it, Mandi!!!!)

since she did such a great job, I am thinking that I want to make one for my front door... might be a good project for today....

an outing....

Ed has been so tired of being "within four walls" that yesterday, he needed to get out and about. Kas and Nate had stayed over the night before, so we asked them if they would like to go to breakfast and then take a run up to see the barn. (they haven't seen it since December). We all packed up, including Sadie and three cocker spaniels and headed to Acton. Ken and Steve had planned on working on the barn while we "were on vacation", so, we knew that things would be done in our absence.

We were so pleased and surprised to find out how much they have gotten done!!! The "shed" roof on the "road side" is now in place, the one on the "wood side" is all framed and ready for roofing, most of the windows have been put in.....

AND, the framing for the tack room is in place!!! This is SO exciting for me, because I can really see what sort of space I have to work with now!!!!

The other thing that I am so happy about, is how bright the barn is inside!!! We knew it would be with all the windows that we had planned, but this is amazing. I have a "thing" about dark spaces, and I really wanted to be certain that the barn would be as bright as possible.... guess I got my wish!!!!

The other "surprising" thing is how much snow is still in Acton. I keep forgetting that when we have rain on the coast, they get snow inland, and there is probably a good three feet of it in the field. Kas and Sadie just had to climb "the mountain" and get this shot (and no it isn't all snow, there is a dirt pile under there). No flowers or leaves here, but the day was beautiful and we were certainly happy to be out and about, and all together!!!!!!

On the way home, we stopped by a place in Eliot , we had heard that they build barns, and carry the supplies for stalls (doors, hardware, dividers). I will blog a little more on this later, but will tell you that we bought some "leftovers" and "slightly used" stall hardware for a fraction of the original price and now have almost all the material to get the stalls into place. Needless to say, it was a wonderful, wonderful day and we in the hopes that it only gets better from here....

family affair

It took Camille all of five seconds to find her favorite spot in her "daddy's" lap yesterday when Ed arrived home for the hospital. Of all our dogs, I would have to say that Camille and Hunter really "belong" to Ed. He can hardly sit a moment in his chair without having one or the other up there with him. (Camille just happened to be faster!!!, but Hunter was hanging out beside the chair and "grumbling" to Ed!!!)

So, HOPEFULLY, we are really on the mend now!!! Ed is doing so much better and is very happy to be back at home, though we have to say time and time again, that York Hospital was (is) an outstanding facility and when you feel awful, it's the place to be.

I ran and did some errands, as we were having the "family" over for a cookout and celebration of being all together. It is so great having all the kids around again, I miss them when they are away, but such is the way of life.... families do grow and go about their business.

Now, Deb and I have birthdays coming up.... but, I wanted (needed) to give her her present a little early. You see, she is now the proud owner of a new guinea pig!!!! Since Sadie has decided to keep Penelope and I am keeping Curly, we wanted to give Dottie to Deb. Deb always liked to check on the babies when she came to visit and talked about the guineas that she has had in the past, and it's nice that Dottie can still stay in the family. (that way I can visit her often!!!)

I wasn't sure what Deb had for a cage (she is probably like us and has a "million" of them some place or another,) but, for her birthday, we got her a nice new set up for Dottie!!! Deb seemed surprised, and little Dottie went to her new home last night with Deb.

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie-- I sometimes wonder if he would rather be a fish than a dog. He absolutely loves the water (can't keep him out of it at the lake or anywhere else that he can go swimming) and he spent much of the "cookout/party" last night watching Titus!!! Deb has a fish tank at her house, and when Charlie is there, she says he will sit for "hours" watching her fish. Kas and Nate have fish, too, but had to put their tank up high where Charlie couldn't watch them, because he almost pushes the tank over.

What a funny dog he is....... but it's certainly nice to see him buzzing around the house with the other cockers.

The next few days promise to be busy ones with the kids home and Ed on the mend. I feel like I can finally take a breath........

the mountain comes to Mohammad...

It's been quite a day.. first off, Ed is almost back to him old self!!! He actually called me on the phone first thing this morning, and the moment I heard his voice, I knew that the worst of all this was OVER!!!! I raced to feed the dogs, and got to the hospital and we had breakfast together!! It was wonderful... and even better news, he will be allowed home tomorrow!!!!! I am so happy, that I don't even know how happy I am!!!

Now, as you all more than well know..... we didn't get to Williamsburg, which meant, no Easter with Kas and Nate. When we cancelled out on the trip, Kas asked me if she should come home. I told her no... it's a very long drive (usually about 18 hours) the weather here isn't that much fun, and with Ed being sick, we didn't know how long he would be in the hospital. Kas didn't believe me, and she even called Ed at the hospital and asked if they should come home, and he told her the same thing. Aside from the long drive, it also meant that she would have to get another day off from her nanny job, and Nate would have to be cleared for more leave.... we just thought that was too much of a hassle.

Kass told me that they would go to Ashville instead, she and Nate really wanted some time out of Jacksonville, and they haven't had the chance to see the mountains of North Carolina, and I thought that would be a good idea. So, it was settled, Ed would work on getting better and the kids would have a nice weekend in the mountains.

I got home from the hospital last night and Kass called... I asked her where they were and got this long pause.... she finally said "Maryland".... "what are you doing there?? thought you were heading to the mountains"... and she said "no we're heading to Maine".... I broke down and sobbed on the phone. It was only then that I realized I really, really, really (!!!!) wanted them home!!! "Don't tell Dad we're coming" she said, and I promised not to.

After Ed and I had breakfast, I came home for a bit to get things done, and wait for them to arrive. I was so excited when they pulled into the drive. We all went up to the hospital together... I went into Ed's room and said "something arrived at the house for you this afternoon".... "what's that" he asked... and Kas and Nate walked thru the door......Ed was completely surprised!!!!!

We had a wonderful visit together, I think that .. along with the good care... has helped Ed turn the corner!!! I guess if Mohammad can't get to the mountain... the mountain comes to him!!!!

Just because we were all together, and the quilt was in the truck (read the next blog)... I thought it would be fun to pull it out.... so, here is Kassy and Nate with their wedding gift... which is only coming about two and half years late..... but it's DONE!!!!

So, Easter doesn't look as "gloomy" as I had feared... the kids are here, Ed will be home tomorrow.... and right now, life is very, very good..... "thank you so much our Dear Heavenly Father!!!!"

"the" quilt

It is FINALLY finished... only took me two and a half YEARS to do it, but it's done!!! Here's the story...

The summer before Kas and Nate were married (2005), Kas and I were out and about , we came across this little quilt shop that I had never found before. As we entered the shop, we soon discovered that they were going out of business (which is really sad, because it was a really nice shop). Anyways, they were having amazing sales on everything, and Kas noticed a pattern for a "wedding ring quilt". She asked me if I could make one for her as a wedding gift. I told her I would, but not to expect to have it done by the wedding, and she said that would be fine.

She picked threw all the material, and got the colors that she liked, and we bought everything to make the quilt. I didn't really start on it until after they were married in October, I wanted to make it queen sized to fit her bed, and I knew that I would hand quilt it.... there is nothing like the feeling of a hand quilted quilt. The wedding ring pattern is complicated, but I took my time and worked on it here and there, and got the top done by the end of that winter. Then it was time to begin the quilting.

Finding the quilting pattern itself took long enough, and I tried several patterns before I got the one that I liked. I also quilt in a lap hoop, which isn't as efficient as a quilt frame would be, but it is portable, and since I don't have a spot for a big quilt frame, it's what I have to work with.

Like the top, I worked on it here and there, I knew it would take a long time, but I never really thought it would take two years!!! Kas would ask "how's the quilt coming" and that would spur me to pick it up and work on it again. But, after a bit it would be boring and I would put it to one side.

When we began to talk about our trip to Williamsburg, I decided that one way or another this quilt was going to be done, so I could take it to her. I worked on it solely, spent many a very late night, and even carried it anywhere that I thought I would have some time to put into it.... ask Julie, it was with me last weekend as we delivered puppies!!!!!

I finished the quilt late Monday evening, and got it washed and packed on Tuesday thinking we would leave on Wednesday... well, as you know ... we didn't leave... but, if you have read the previous blog... you know that Kassy has this quilt!!! The funny thing is... it will be right back in this house next fall when she and Nate come to live here... guess it could have just stayed here, but at least it will have some time in North Carolina!!!!

five star accommodations

WELLLLL....... it isn't exactly the five star accommodations that we had been planning on this weekend.. but when you don't feel so great, THIS is the place to be.

So, as you all know from the previous blog, Ed hasn't been feeling so great. Well, Wednesday morning we got up, and Ed said "let's not leave until noontime" but at noontime, the fever was back and so was the headache. I wanted to run him back to the ER then and there, but he wasn't quite ready to go. We had a very long afternoon together and decided that the trip was out of the question. I called Kas and Nate, and Dave and told them we wouldn't be going.. they decided to not go as well. Ed felt terrible about this (had a bit of a meltdown!!!) but the way he was feeling, it couldn't be helped.

Finally around 10:00 pm, he decided that we better go back to the ER, his fever was extremely high again (103) and the headache was more than he could bear. They are so wonderful at that ER, everyone said "oh no, you're not back again"..... they ran all the tests, which surprisingly came back normal. The doctor said, "I need to do a spinal tap" (which just about gave me the horrors!!!), but good thing they did, because they discovered that Ed has viral meningitis!!!! (which of the two is the "good" kind).

Needless to say, he was directly admitted and has been there ever since. However, this morning, he CALLED me on the phone!!!! (I felt like we were dating again when I heard his voice on the line!!!!!!) and I ran up and we had breakfast together!!! He is feeling so much better, but just sitting up for awhile was about all he could take.

So, I am home for the moment to attend the puppy dogs (do some blogging) and then I will run back up to be with him. I think he might actually be on the mend..... so.. that's the news dear blog readers.... I'll keep you up to date.....

NOT on the road

This is a 'trusting" day.. so I am "trusting". We were suppose to be heading the Williamsburg this morning, but for some reason, God has decided to keep us home. I don't know why, I probably won't know why... but traveling is not in the cards.

Ed went to the doctor's yesterday and got the final word about the kidney stone... it's gone, and so he had to have the "tube" pulled from the kidney. It wasn't a "fun procedure" and he had been dreading it for days, but he got thru it, and was pretty happy to have that behind him. I spent the afternoon getting my truck ready to go.. we have decided to take mine instead of Ed's.. his gets better mileage, but diesel fuel is so much more than gas, that we figured we would make out better with my truck. And if Ed isn't up to driving, I feel more comfortable driving mine... SO... I was getting it ready when he returned from the doctor. He began to help me finish up and then quite suddenly said "I don't feel great, I think I will rest a bit". I came in shortly, made us some dinner and then I flew off to Saco to teach class... and meet up with Bobby's new owner.

When I returned, Ed said..."please get me to the hospital".. he was cherry red and HOT!!!! We raced in... he had a temperature of 103.5, they moved us to the top of the list (they were busy last night in the ER). They gave him IV fluids, and meds for the splitting headache that he had. About midnight, they said they were keeping him to monitor his heart and keep an eye on the temp. "Sadly" nothing came back.. blood work good, urine good.. white blood count up, but negative on the flu test. I came home, let dogs out, did the nightly routine and climbed into bed. It was a long day, I had been up since 5:30am. I wasn't in bed but an hour, when he called from the hospital ---they were releasing him... his temp was down to normal, heart was in rhythm, headache nearly gone... so now there was no reason for him to stay. I got dressed and picked him up.

This morning, he is still feeling pretty punky. I went and got the meds they put him on.. and about noontime, we decided not to head south, but to give "this" the afternoon and see what things look like in the am. He is napping as I write, rest is a good thing.

To say that I am not disappointed would be a lie. But here is where faith comes into play. We are suppose to be home and so it will be. I hope that we can still make the trip, but we'll cross that bridge when it appears, and be ever grateful that our Heavenly Father keeps careful watch and we must trust.

Bobby

I think we are on a roll with "foster dogs" in this new year of 2008, because it feels like they have been flying in and out of here since the holidays..... this is "Bobby" (our third dog), he is another Maine cocker rescue guy. I picked him up last Tuesday, and today he is heading out to his forever home.

I don't know much about him... except that he was picked up as a stray up in Augusta, he is probably about three years old, and a sweeter boy you could not find!!!!

Because they fly in and out of the shelters pretty fast, things like grooming at not top on the list. When I picked him up, he has just been neutered, so I had to give him the week to heal before we could get these mats off and give him a proper bath.

Sadie is so much help to me with these guys. She isn't afraid of any dog and knows just how to hold them for me. Until we get them on the table, we have no idea how a grooming session will go. I am happy to report that Bobby was as sweet on the table as he has been here in the house. He had to have been someone's pet, he is comfortable in a crate, uses the doggie door (hasn't had one accident in the house) and aside from being a little "goosey" with his feet, he was excellent on the grooming table.

When possible, I like to leave a little coat on them, but sadly this boy was too matted to do that. So, it was take him down, and let his coat start all over again. He is in bad need of a excellent diet and plenty of it... he is very thin!!!! He also had quite a battle at some point and time with ticks, because there are tons of tick scars all over him!!! But he won't have those kinds of worries this summer!!! I have a good feeling that with his new Mom, he will find himself in the pampered pet department for sure!!!!

So here's "our" little guy, a bit on the naked side, but feeling so much better now that he can move about without his hair being pulled....

Happy life, sweet Bobby..... keep in touch.......

we got snow...they got

Just for the record...

while we had rain, ice and snow in New England today...

look at what was going on in North Carolina!!!

While Charlie and Evie play in the ocean.....

the "bums".....................................

are wearing SHORTS!!!!!

got puppies??

It's been a busy week around here, thus blogging has taken a bit of a back seat... so what have I been up to? Well, first off I have a big project in progress that I can talk about right now, and second, I have been on "puppy stand by". For those of you who may not know, I am (brag, brag) an excellent puppy mid wife, and when my friend Julie has a litter on the way... she always calls on me.

This is Jesse... the Mom to be... I asked her if she had any puppies in there... do you suppose she is thinking "you got to be kidding, silly human... just look at me!!!"

Sadie has been so excited about these puppies and wanted some "lessons" in whelping, so she couldn't wait for Julie to call us!!! Yesterday, just about 4:00 pm, the phone rings... it's Julie telling Sadie and I "it's getting to be time". I am happy... an early evening litter, what could be better... we rush to get on the road. We arrive just about 5:00 and fine a very anxious Jesse... a good sign. We all get comfortable, chat for a while, and notice Jesse has gone to sleep and is quite comfortable herself!!!.. NOT the sign we are looking for...about 8:00 we have pizza, and about 10:00 Sadie and I head for home.... no more signs of labor and a dog napping on the couch... it's going to be a long night and I decided we might as well head for home.



1:30 AM... phone rings... "it's time again"... I wake Sadie and we head out. It's pouring rain and very dark... this will seem like a long ride. We get "inland" about 5 miles, and the rain is turning to snow.... inland another 5 miles... pure snow... roads aren't great and we have no choice but to go slow and get there. When we arrive Julie and Jesse have one puppy on the ground... a sweet little girl... it's begun and going well..... not too much longer and we are at two...... here's sister and brother.... just minutes old!!!!




The progression is slow and steady... no real problems, couple of big puppies that take a litttle time on their way out... but everyone arrives into the world with puppy cries and great gasps of air..... we're up to four in this photo.

It continues to snow .... I have to run out for a couple of hours to teach my Saturday morning classes... I leave the "birthing" to Jesse, Julie and Sadie....

I return to NINE puppies.... seven girls... two boys..... we stay a bit longer, but for the most part feel that Jesse is done and has done an amazing job. Julie has a vet appointment later today....

But this is one Mommy Dog who is happy that she can curl around again and takes a much deserved rest!!!

I myself, am close to crashing... I have only been up 15 hours!!!!!