Thursday, October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Mysterious Ankle Ailment

I have never, ever heard of this happening to anybody before, and a Google searched revealed nothing, so I thought I'd reach out to the World Wide Web for information.

Since early September I've been wearing All Rounder shoes by Mephisto. They're a Mary Jane style, but a bit high in the back, so I find they rub on my Achilles tendons somewhat uncomfortably. It's not painful, just irritating. So in early October I decided to go shoe shopping. I wanted runners or sneakers with good tread, for walking the dogs every day. I knew that I didn't need top-of-the-line shoes, but I didn't want to cheap out either. I ended up buying a pair of Natural Balance #645 cross trainers, for just over $100. Out of all of the shoes I tried on, they were the most comfortable by far. I wore them to work a bingo later that evening, and my feet felt great. Sore from standing, which is par for the course for me, but no other pain.

Thanksgiving weekend I bought a pair of insoles to put in the shoes, since I am a pronator (my feet tend to roll inward somewhat, flattening my arches). I paid $25 for the insoles - I got them at a sporting goods' store.

By the Sunday, my ankles were sore, but not along the Achilles tendons. The pain was on the front of my ankles, where the tibia (shin bone) meets the top of the foot. It's not an electric or shooting pain, but it's not a dull ache either. Since then (the day before Thanksgiving), my ankles have been sore. They didn't start out swollen or bruised, but I do think that my right ankle is just slightly swollen on the front, and behind the inside ankle bone). The right is more painful than the left, but both are sore.

Thinking that it might be the new shoes, I wore a completely different pair of shoes for the dog show (Josef Seibel shoes). I did find that my ankles were way less sore. However, they are still sore, especially the right one. And now that I'm back home, they're almost as sore as they were before. My theory is that it's some kind of tendonitis that developed from wearing the shoes. It's not muscular pain, and it's not bone pain (at least, I don't think it is). Any guesses or ideas? I do have a doctor's appointment next week to get them looked at, if I don't have to go to the ER before then.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Time Flies . . .

I think I've used this blog post title more than once . . . typically when life gets the better of me, and I seem to miss out on posting on my blog. It just seems like every now and then the universe implodes, and my time just disappears. Last week (and the week before!) was like that. My favourite co-worker (well, I have two favourites) informed me that he wouldn't be returning to work on our site anymore. He's from the US, and due to tax complications, he had to go home. I'm mentally able to do my job without the early coaching and mentoring he provided me, but I will miss the mental and emotional support. He's still available via email and telephone, but it's just not the same.

This past weekend I had a dog show to attend. I have been in somewhat of a dog show dry spell - my last show was in early June (except for my trip to California, but I didn't show anything there). Before June I showed in early April, so it's been a sparse year for shows. Anyhow, when I go so long between dog shows, my expectations grow. I start thinking of dog shows on a more glamorous and industrious way than they typically actually happen. Fortunately (for me, anyhow), this past weekend didn't disappoint one bit. Oh yeah, there were still some of the usual scandals or what have you (scandals is the wrong word, but whatever . . . ), but everybody managed to play nice and get along. We had some beautiful dogs being shown in our breed, and a nice big entry. We had a number of dogs in obedience (more than usual), and a few successes, which is always a positive.

Personally, I had a really nice weekend with my girl Grace. Gracie passed all three days to earn her Pre-Novice obedience title, officially known as the PCD in the Canadian Kennel Club. It is a pass/fail class that judges the dog on modified Novice Obedience commands, making things easier for the dog and handler. It is not required to have a PCD in order to compete in Novice, but it's a good class for new dogs or handlers. Gracie is now known as Silverwood's Elegantly KLAD PCD, RN, CGN - bred by Valerie Richardson and Vicky Bennett, and owned, loved and trained by me. Her sire is Am Can Ch Buttonwood's Crown Royal, and her dam is Ch Silverwood's Pretty In Pink. Gracie is my therapy dog, as well as an agility dog in training.

I am so proud of Grace and everything she has accomplished for me. She missed out on puppy classes and foundation obedience classes - she was home-schooled and suffered from my own lack of knowledge. Despite me, she's a pretty dog to watch (when the mats are clean and she isn't sniffing for food), and she never hesitates to trust me and to do what I ask of her. I hope to have her ready for Rally Advanced and Novice Obedience next year, in time for our National specialty.

We also had our club's Christmas party (yes, yes I know it's early) . . . we took advantage of the nice weather and the great location (Camrose has a new casino that was a FABULOUS venue in which to have our dinner) and got everybody together in one spot. It involved a gift exchange, awesome food and a ton of laughs. I don't usually get to attend the party, because I hate braving the wintery roads in November, so I was glad to take part this year.

All in all, it was a great weekend that exceeded expectations. Who can ask for more than that?

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Last week I went back to where my mom grew up (we call it The Farm) for my grandpa's funeral. It was a sad week, obviously, but in other ways it was a good week. I am so VERY thankful for the family I have. As my blog readers know, I'm close to both of my parents, so being thankful for them is a given. But I am very fortunate to have a close-knit extended family too. We don't email or call regularly, but every time we get together, it's like we were never apart.

I saw cousins that I haven't seen in several years . . . but I honestly felt like we hadn't missed a beat. Some are married with kids (kids I hadn't seen before, other than in pictures), but still, our relationships are comfortable like they've always been. Other cousins are more distantly related (primarily by marriage), and yet we act as though we're as close as *true* cousins.

I love the feeling of having a large, warm, welcoming family. I'm sure others would feel smothered by the constant presence, interrogation and whatnot, but I find it comforting. I'm not sure if it's because most of them live so far away, so we see them infrequently, or if it's more that my mom always taught my brother and I that family is above all else. Either way, it was really, really good to catch up with my cousins, aunts and uncles, despite the sad circumstances.