Friday, March 30, 2007

Taffy Update


So I have finally had the time to get Taffy all groomed up and looking gorgeous. It took a couple of sessions, because I didn't want to do too much at once. She was SUCH a trooper, I can't tell you how impressed I was. She didn't even flinch when I trimmed her nails and cleaned her ears.


She's a really pretty little girl, and so loving. She has continually amazed me with her abilities too. She climbs stairs bravely, and even jumped on the couch tonight! We were ALL stunned! She hasn't had an accident in the house at all, and she's awesome in a crate. She's adjusting well to the dogs - better than I ever thought she would.


I ordered a homeopathic product called Eye See Clearly, which is supposed to promote general eye health and dissolve cataracts. Anecdotal evidence says that it works, from some people anyhow. It's worth a try . . . and it won't hurt the eyes. Taffy has a vet appointment next week to check her general health and get approval for her spay surgery.


Until then, the spoiling continues!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

My Crazy Weekend


So, after signifcant amounts of traveling, I now have a foster dog (Cocker Spaniel, of course!). Her name is Taffy, and I pulled her from a kill shelter on Sunday. She's 6 years old, red, and very blind from cataracts. She stinks to high heaven (although now it's less, since she's had some baths) and is matted solid, but she's really enjoying life in the house. She's had a few litters, and her "udders" are hanging down to her knees, but she wags that nub with all her might. She's a beautiful, sweet, loving girl . . . I know the right home is out there somewhere.

The foot is VERY sore still . . . I slipped on a wet patch of floor at the restaurant tonight, and landed on my foot. That certainly didn't help, and neither did running around at a show all weekend.
Grace showed very well for me - not nervous or unsure at all. She was happy and full of herself, and wanted to love on everyone. Her favourite were other dogs and any kids walking by. She did jump off the grooming table on Saturday morning (my friend doesn't normally use a noose), and she must have injured herself, as she was limping slightly in the ring. We took second out of two on Saturday and Sunday, and then we won our class on Monday. I was just THRILLED that she showed well and had fun.
I also had both Farley and Grace's eyes checked at a CERF eye clinic. Both of them tested clear, which is always a relief. I'm concerned that Farley's night vision is going, but the vet checked him very thoroughly and his eyes are normal. Phew! I know he's not being used for breeding (and has never been), but I still want him to have good eyes. I wasn't surprised about Grace, but I was very happy.


This week is very busy for me - I am going to be housesitting for a friend, so I'm moving over there on Thursday night, along with Grace and Taffy. Taffy needs a grooming, as does the dog I'm looking after, and I have a WHOLE paper to write before April 13th. You know me, I'm a major procrastinator! So that's it in a nutshell for me . . . sorry I haven't been checking in, but the net was down for me for over 24 hours. Talk about frustrating!!!!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

This should be fun

So, after four days back at work, my foot is actually about as sore as it was last week. I suspect that if I was still working from home, with my foot up most of the day, it would be improving. But it's not realistic to expect to be able to work from home for forever . . . and it's not like I'm immobile, just gimpy and slow. My mom bought me a cream from the health food store called "Traumeel" with arnica and other healing agents, so I'm using that twice a day. Hopefully it's helping.

This weekend I'm off to a dog show. It's Grace's first show, and I've been looking forward to it for ages now. I entered her almost as soon as I could, and have been impatiently waiting for this weekend to arrive. Now I'm not even 100% sure that I'm going to be able to do a decent job of showing her with this stupid limp. This is so frustrating! I don't particularly want to hand her off to somebody else, because I want to make sure that her first show experiences are pleasant ones. If somebody else is showing her, I have no control over what happens. And I'm not good at relinquishing control, as anybody that knows me is aware.

So, wish me luck and wish Grace luck. Hopefully she shows well despite her handicap (me!), and we have fun. What more can we ask for?

Monday, March 19, 2007

Back at work


So I'm back at work now . . . hobbled onto the bus this morning, and then hobbled into the office. The foot is still sore, still somewhat swollen, and many colours of the rainbow, but it IS improving. Slowly. It's actually good to be back at work though . . . I missed my friends there. Okay, okay . . . stop laughing. I do SO have friends at work!


I finally finished "The Monk" and now I have to choose what to read next. It's almost stressful having so many choices! At least if this is all the stress I experience, life is pretty tame.


If you can believe it, it's snowing AGAIN. I had to get on the roof yesterday to clear 2 feet of snow (at least) from around the vents up there. It was leaking water into our bathroom. I hate heights . . . getting up there was fine, but I get paralyzed with fear trying to get down. I made it though - must have had my big girl panties on! And for those of you concerned about me climbing on the roof with a sprained foot, my mother was there, and it was all done VERY safely. My mother would NEVER put my health or safety at risk.
Hope everyone is having a good start to their week!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Snow Dog



Yes, rather surprisingly, it is snowing again. Oh well, at least one being in Fort McMurray is happy about it.






Thursday, March 15, 2007

Lots of Reading

So, for some reason, I have recently discovered a whole pile of books that I want to read. A few I am borrowing from my good friend, who has really unique taste in books. She has lent me 2 of the books that are currently on my must read list. Right now I'm reading a book called "The Monk" by Matthew G. Lewis. It was published in 1796, when the author was 19. It was WAY ahead of its time then . . . it was considered very taboo. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it now, and it's actually a really good read. Not full of action or anything like that, but definitely interesting enough to hold one's interest.

On the shelf, ready to go, I have "Stranger Than Fiction" by Chuck Palahniuk, a collection of non-fiction short stories. Looks like a good book - the first short story is about a testicle festival (no word of a lie!), so how can a book with that kind of opening be anything short of interesting?

I just got "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini from my best friend, so I have to get it read. I've been looking at it in the bookstores, so I guess now I'd better get it read! I also have "Talk To The Hand" to read, which is written by the same author as "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" about punctuation, or the lack thereof, in today's society.

On the way, from Chapters, is "The Smartest Guys In The Room" about the rise and fall of Enron. I watched the DVD in class last weekend (a full length documentary), and it was great, so I am inspired to learn more.

So lots of reading to do . . . now to find the time!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Mother Nature . . .


I have to say that Mother Nature is cruel. It is mid-March, and in some areas of the world spring is in full force. But not here in Fort McMurray . . . ooooh no! It is still darned cold (like around -20) and we keep getting these big dumps of snow. It's not fair! I just want the warmer temperatures and the opportunity to see the ground without snow cover. Grace, on the other hand, loves the snow. She would play outside all day long if I'd let her. The reason I don't is that I'm worried she'll lick the metal shed and get stuck. Beautiful girl, just not that bright.


Anyhow, I don't really have that much to write about, since I'm stuck at home with this sprained foot. I am working from home, but there's nothing exciting going on there. The dogs are sleeping and snoring, and "School of Rock" is playing on TV. Life is boring, but good!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

The shoe dropped

Okay, okay . . . I guess posting about all the good things in my life alerted Murphy that the law was being broken (yep, Murphy's Law). Fortunately, of all the bad things that could happen, this is pretty low on the scale.

I was carrying something down the stairs, and my dear boy Farley left a ball on the stairs. I stepped on it, my foot rolled under the ankle, and I fell down 3 stairs. Oh my God, it hurt SO much! It hurt so much that I couldn't even curse . . . I could only say "Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts!." The top of my left foot is swollen now, and it hurts like the dickens. I did go to the hospital, and the x-rays show no fracture, so it's apparently just a bad sprain. But man, it HURTS! So I'm hobbling around like a cripple . . . gonna have to stay home from work tomorrow, because I can't get on and off the bus with my foot like this.

Other than that, it's actually been an okay day (nothing is as fun as spending HOURS in the hospital). My older niece has a birthday tomorrow, so we had the whole family over for supper and presents. That was fun! Grace played with my brother's new Irish Wolfhound puppy for hours on end . . . she should sleep well tonight. Farley had to hang out in my room (he hates big dogs), but he was okay like that.

Other than that, life goes on as usual . . . dogs, school, work and TV ;)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

More good things . . .

Seems like my life is full of good things lately, and I'm not complaining :) You know, sometimes it feels like everything is going wrong, but right now it just feels like it's all going right.

Before Christmas I was approached by my old neighbour about a possible new job. I sent my resume along, and the department manager actually called me and talked to me (this is a bigger deal than it sounds like on paper). Anyhow, I met with a few people in January about it, and then things kind of fizzled for a while. Since I didn't really hear much, I thought maybe they'd found another candidate for the job. Out of curiosity, I emailed the fellow who would be the boss yesterday, to see if they'd filled the position. A lady from Human Resources called me to tell me that I was the successful applicant. I was so sure that I wasn't getting the job that I was quite surprised! And VERY pleased :) It's a promotion of sorts . . . more than just a lateral move, anyhow. And it's an awesome opportunity for me (within the same company). So I can't wait to learn some of the details (transfer date, etc).

I took Grace outside to practise being a show dog tonight. It's finally warming up enough to play outside, instead of trying to work in the house. She was pretty wound up initially, but man, when she got the hang of it she did really well. She can MOVE! It gave me little goosebumps, so now I'm looking forward to her first show. Even if she goofs around in the ring (which is to be expected, since she's a puppy), once she finds her rhythm, I think she's going to be a lot of fun to show.

Farley is doing well. He's started on Missing Link Plus, which is a food supplement with glucosamine in it, and he seems to be doing well. He's not as sore these days, and not taking as much pain medication. So that makes me really happy. I sure do love my cranky old man!

Friday, March 02, 2007

Home Again . . . Thankfully

Okay, I have discovered that I have a breaking point when traveling. And somewhere in the car on highway 63, I hit that point. I'm glad to be home for a while now, because I am so tired of being on the road (or in the air). It's nice to be sleeping in my own bed for a while now. I won't be back on the highway for another few weeks, and that'll be for a dog show. By then I'll have forgotten the tiring part of the trip :)

I saw Van Morrison in concert on Wednesday night (think "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Moondance"). The man was absolutely incredible. He can sing, play sax, play harmonica and probably half a dozen other instruments too. He didn't talk to the crowd at all, he just played for 90 minutes. It was great. His entire band is just so talented . . . it was a pleasure to hear them as well. On CDs I never really notice bands that much, but they were just rockin' the other night!

It looks like Grace has finally figure out the whole pottying outside thing. I had her on a schedule before, which was working okay, as long as I didn't slip. But now I've noticed that I can push the schedule a bit, and she is still waiting until she goes outside. Yippeee! She is just so happy that I'm home - she keeps coming and checking to make sure I'm still here. Too funny. And Farley is just glad to have his mom back. He's been stuck to me like glue since I got back.

It's back to work on Monday . . . sigh. These two weeks off have been wonderful.