Updates

I thought I'd write a quick blog post updating folks on the various things going on in my life.

1. I'm coping very well with the death of my father (not to be confused with my stepdad, whom I refer to as my dad). I had a few rough days early on, but my emotional roller coaster seems to have come to a complete stop, and I feel like I'm on much more of an even keel these days.

2. Farley continues to do okay. He has good days and bad days, but regardless of his mental state he's always happy. He's taking SAMe to support his liver, Omega 3s to support his brain and kidneys, and Anipryl to help prevent confusion. I'm not seeing much change (if any) with the Anipryl, but it's early days yet.

3. Grace has recovered beautifully from her spay operation. Within a couple of days she was totally back to normal, as if she had not just had major surgery. It boggles my mind that she bounced back so quickly when women spend weeks recovering from a hysterectomy. I guess if I ever get spayed I should have my vet do it LOL

4. Fall is most definitely in the air. Overnight our temps are pretty close to the freezing mark, although we haven't had frost yet. August has been a write-off with more rainy days than not. It's been so wet that I haven't been able to cut the grass in the backyard, and it now looks like a jungle. They're forecasting a couple of days of sunshine, so I hope I can get that grass mowed before my dogs disappear in there one day.

5. I'm tired. Really, really tired. Which means I'm not exercising enough. When I get up and move, I sleep better and feel better. Hopefully with the cooler (but DRY) weather, I can get out with the dogs more, and get back into a good fitness routine. July was scorching hot and August was soaking wet. Maybe September will be just right?

Sad News

Please pray for my brother and I, as well as our father's other family.

On Saturday night I got a phone call that my biological father passed away unexpectedly, from a massive heart attack. He was 64 years old. We have not had a relationship over the past 10-12 years - my parents divorced when I was about 6 years old, and he was in and out of our lives while we were growing up. I did visit him while I was in university, but then we lost touch. My feelings are all over the map right now, and I'm just trying to think it all through. I think that right now, my mourning is for the relationship that we never had. Now we never can. I always thought that losing him would be effortless, since we had no relationship or closeness. I'm surprised at the intensity of my emotions right now - sometimes I'm completely fine, and sometimes I have the lump in my throat and just want to cry.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

At the Hop!

One of my very favourite blogs is the FIDO Friendly blog. FIDO Friendly is a very cool dog magazine, and the blog is updated daily with product reviews, hot news and all sorts of other topics. I have guest blogged there twice (talk about proud!), and am looking forward to writing for them again in the future.

FIDO Friendly is taking part in a blog hop. A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS. When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog. Basically you'll see a long list of pet-related blogs (primarily dogs, but there are some funky kitty ones too), and you can add your blog too!

My Niece

Today's entry is not diet-related at all. It's a post of memories.

Today my niece graduates from kindergarten. Now, when I went through school (and it wasn't that long ago!) we didn't graduate from kindergarten. We had a Grade 8 graduation, because after that we were in high school, and then we had a Grade 12 graduation. Kids these days have all kinds of graduation ceremonies to celebrate their passage into the next stage of their education.

I really, honestly can't believe my niece is even old enough to be graduating from kindergarten! I still remember when her mom was pregnant with her, and seeing that first ultrasound picture. I remember having no real idea of what I was looking at, but feeling something swell up inside of me nonetheless. I remember the day she was born - holding this brand new life, that somehow already looked like her grandma, my mom. I remember the first time I babysat her, and being totally freaked out about looking after such a young child. I remember the time I was looking after her and she rolled off the couch - I almost had a heart attach right then and there.

So many memories, it's amazing that my heart and mind can hold them all. She used to love the word "soup!" - it would always make her smile. She has loved dogs since before she could talk, and they have loved her back equally as much. Her Poppa (my dad) is the light of her life. She thinks and feels everything passionately - there's no holding back for her. She's smart, funny and she loves to sing. She lacks pretension or falseness, because it just isn't a part of her life.

I guess that this post is about time passing more quickly than I'd like. But mostly I'm writing it to dedicate some time thinking about and loving my niece. I wish I could be there for her graduation today, but I have to work. Today will be her day to be the center of my thoughts, though

Dog Show Weekend Report

This is a dog show weekend report, in layman's terms (hopefully). The weekend consisted of four all-breed dog shows (Friday through Monday) and two Specialties. A Specialty is a limited breed dog show - usually limited to a single breed. In our case, we had the American Cocker Spaniel Club of Canada National specialty (the premiere show for our breed in Canada for 2010) and the Midwest Cocker Spaniel Club specialty.

I had hired a handler to show Jack for me, so that I could concentrate on showing Grace in obedience and rally obedience. My handler ended up not showing Jack in the end (it was a mutual agreement), so on Friday I showed him in conformation (beauty pageant) and showed Grace in two Rally trials. I was running around like crazy! In between the trips into the ring, I had to groom Jack and get other stuff done too.

Saturday I showed Grace in Rally and obedience, then showed Jack in the Specialty show. Jackie showed him in the regular show, and I helped show some other dogs. Saturday night I was totally wiped. Saturday was the National specialty, which took most of the day. My 5 year old niece came and showed my old dog Farley in Junior Handling (a special class for kids, non-competitive). Everybody enjoyed that - they made a very cute team.

Sunday I groomed Jack and showed him in the Specialty. I showed Grace in two obedience trials, but skipped the regular show. I was just too tired.

Monday I skipped the show altogether and drove home. Smartest move I ever made, since it rained at the dog show, and I got home a day early.

Jack Jack won his class every time he was shown, but got no points. Those darned teeth aren’t helping things at all L He showed well and had fun, even though he wasn’t feeling well. I noticed that his mouth smelled bad, but never thought to check it. Turns out his lower lip folds are infected (especially on one side). I feel so bad for not noticing sooner, poor guy. I went to wipe his mouth on Tuesday night and he cried. I’ve been cleaning it and it seems to be improving a bit, but I’m taking him to the vet today in case he needs antibiotics. Poor little dude.

Grace was a superstar. She passed two out of three rally trials. She would have passed the third one (and earned a new title), but her stupid handler (me!) missed a station, so we failed. In obedience, she passed all three trials with awesome scores (equal to around 90% if you look at it that way) and won two High in Trials. That means that out of all of the Cockers that competed, she had the best scores. I was so proud of her – you have NO idea! I never expected that we’d have such an awesome result. She got some really large ribbons and some lovely prizes, so that was nice.

Overall it was a good weekend, but very exhausting. Lots of grooming and tons of prep work for the cookies and goody bags for each exhibitor and stuff. I am still pretty tired, but a few more nights of good sleep will help with that.

More Flowers

Backyard Photos

I got my new lens on Friday - an 18-200mm lens. I wanted it as a more versatile lens for doing both close up and zoom photography. So far (in very limited use) I'm very happy with it! I won't bore you with more dog pictures - here are some backyard photos.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a long, long time since I did a Thankful Thursday post. I know I've said this before, but I felt like they were becoming trite and contrived (no, I didn't read the thesaurus before writing this post!), and so they weren't fun to write anymore. But today I feel inspired again.

Today I'm thankful for Gracie-Lou-Who, my little girl dog. Grace is the quiet, mellow one in the bunch. She is content to be loved, and even if she's not getting your full attention, she's content to be noticed. She's a very gentle, loving soul.

When I first started training her in obedience, she was a marshmallow. If I applied any pressure at all (not physical corrections ever, but even just a verbal reminder), she'd shut right down. It wasn't very easy for either of us, but I couldn't let it go. Eventually I started clicker training her, and it was the answer for both of us. She started to enjoy training, and I started to enjoy training her.

She has since earned a rally novice title, as well as a pre-novice obedience title. For all of the trials we competed in, her head was up, her tail was wagging, and her eyes were sparkling. She wasn't perfect (handicapped by her handler), but she was happy. And a happy dog is always fun to watch. Now we are gearing up to compete for her novice obedience title and a rally advanced title. Every day when I reach for the training bag, she races to the front door, with a doggy smile. She runs out the door with zeal, and is eager to work with me.

I am so thankful that this girl is always forgiving me. She has forgiven me for not teaching her things right the first time, and she has forgiven me when I've given my attention to somebody or something else. Instead of pouting, she simply forgives and forgets, and loves with her entire soul.

When I look into her deep, brown eyes, I see only love, trust and devotion. No matter how late I am from work, or how long I make her wait for supper, she always shows those same feelings. And for that, I am thankful.

My Heart

Man, I LOVE this dog!

Ch Silverwood's Northern Light Am Can CD, RN, CGC

I took the third picture last night with an aperture around f4.0, no flash. Lots and lots of crappy pictures, and that one good one. He's a handsome dog!

Kids Say The Funniest Things

I want to start out by wishing all of the moms out there a happy Mothers' Day. Whether your kids are human or furry, I hope you had some special time with them yesterday. My dogs were very sweet - they got me a card and gave me some money to buy myself (or possibly them!) a treat. Such thoughtful dogs. I didn't even know they got an allowance! I'm cutting off their treat and toy supply until they pony up some money.

But really, today I wanted to write about a couple of very funny things my 5 year old niece has said over the last little while. She really does have a wicked sense of humour. A few weeks ago she was up visiting us for my company's Family Fun Day (around the time of the "And Police" post). She was walking around with my mom, sticking her belly out as much as possible. For those of you that haven't seen my mom, she's a bit overweight. Whatever, no big deal. Anyhow, when my mom asked my niece what she was doing, she replied that she was walking like Baba. OMG, I almost wet my pants when I heard that! And of course, you can't laugh, because you don't want her saying that kind of thing to just anybody. Anyhow, my mom just kind of laughed it off, and we forgot about it.

This past weekend my mom and I went to visit my brother, his girlfriend and my niece (and the dogs, let's not forget the dogs!). My niece ended up staying overnight in the hotel room with my mom and I, as a special treat. She shared the bed with my mom (let's face it - I've been single a LONG time, and I just can not share my bed with anybody other than a Cocker Spaniel). She was sprawled on the bed as my mom got ready, and my mom told her to move over. She looked at my mom (I was in another room - the hotel room was a suite) and said "Is that because you're kind of big, Baba?" Again, I'm crying with laughter, but trying to be quiet. My mom just said "Yes, it's because I'm kind of big."

We want to discourage her from saying stuff like that, since the general population doesn't appreciate comments about their weight or the size of their belly (although being a cute 5 year old takes a bit of the sting out). However, she's not saying it meanly, just matter of factly, so how do we explain the nuances of social acceptability? It's not easy.

Anyhow, my abs are still a bit sore from laughing (does that count as exercise?) so I wanted to share with my faithful readers. Enjoy!

Okay, Sometimes It's The Small Stuff

I've always thought that I was a little bit OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Ever since I was a little girl, I've liked order, straight lines and geometric shapes. A picture hanging slightly crooked will drive me nuts - I have this need to straighten it. Similarly, I like things to be neat and tidy (those of you that have seen my room need not comment OR laugh out loud). My desk at work is tidied at the end of every day, and my most commonly used areas (other than the bedroom *sigh*) are tidied and neatened up regularly. That's just how I work.

At my place of work, I think I'm going slightly crazy. We have a ladies' bathroom on the first floor with four stalls and three sinks. There is always toilet paper on the floor - every time I go in there. I have yet to figure out why people can't just pick it up? People throw their paper towel towards the garbage can and miss, but just leave it on the floor. Why? I seriously doubt that they'd leave the same mess at home.

In our little kitchen area, there are always dirty dishes in the sink. Now, if people want to wait to wash their dishes until the end of the day, I can deal with that. However, some of those mugs and bowls sit there for days, with cold, gross water in them. Ewwww! Again, I can't imagine that these people would leave such a mess at home (although I could be wrong). I've been known to leave dishes overnight, but I rarely leave them more than that.

It's gotten to the point that I now utter a small sigh of disgust when I enter the kitchen (which is also the printer/copier room) or the bathroom. Why oh why are people so messy at their place of work? These "small things" are driving me nuts!

Okay, rant over . . . enjoy your weekend folks :)

Manual Photos

No Auto for this girl anymore! I shot these entirely in manual . . . using the shutter speed to adjust to the aperture (f-stop) I selected. They were all shot with my external flash as well.

It's Official

I'm a nerd. Now, those of you that have known me a long time will not be surprised by this comment. For those of you that are surprised, let me just say that it's only because we haven't known each other that long. I try hard to be cool (who doesn't??), but my nerdiness does shine through on a regular basis.

Last night was Week 2 of my Certificate in Digital Photography course. On the way to class, I wasn't as excited as I'd hoped. I'm really, really busy, and I was feeling tired and wanting to go to bed. Boy, am I glad I didn't skip the class! Last night we focused on Exposure - lighting, shutter speed, aperture (the size of the hole that the camera takes the picture through) and sensitivity (ISO - film speed). You wouldn't think that talking about that stuff could take 3 hours, but it did. In fact, we went over the allotted course time AND didn't get through everything.

I think the most exciting thing for me last night was taking a picture with my camera set on Manual. Now, for most photographers (at least semi-serious) this isn't anything to get excited about. But for me, who's always used idiot-proof cameras, it gave me a real feeling of empowerment and excitement. Not only did I shoot in Manual, but I understood how and why!
The other simple pleasure for me was the critique of the photo that I submitted for the Week 1 assignment. We were told to take a picture of an ordinary object in an unusual way. I had a lot of trouble with this assignment - I just couldn't get inspired. On Sunday, while photographing Jack Jack in the backyard, I started taking pictures of an orange tennis ball among the grass and dead leaves. I did a recomposition shot (focussed on the ball, kept the shutter button pressed halfway down, and then re-framed the picture so the ball was in the lower left quadrant of the frame). It turned out well, but I kind of thought it lacked inspiration. Well, the teacher said he thought it was quite good, so I felt good about that.

Next week we'll be talking about creative composition of photos, and I can't wait to see what I learn from that!

An ordinary object

Photographed to be made unusual . . . Not sure if I achieved anything breathtaking, but it was fun shooting tennis balls!

The And Police

Yesterday my mom, Old Dog and I made the road trip to go pick up my niece from my brother's place (four hours away, one way). This weekend is the company-sponsored Family Fun Day, with all kinds of games and activities for kids, a petting zoo, entertainers, lunch and awesome prizes. Every year for the past four or five years, my mom and I have taken the kids, and this year is no exception.

The road trip was pretty uneventful. Farley chewed on a bully stick for most of it (say, 6 hours) and stayed away from my seatbelts (last time I made this road trip with him, he chewed the back seatbelt for four hours, in the old car). He was a pretty good dog, and he enjoyed the ride. Mom and I listened to satellite radio and talked about all kinds of stuff.

The trip home was a bit more entertaining, since Tashie asked every 20 minutes if we were there yet. I used to laugh when TV sitcoms would show kids asking that every five minutes. Now I know better. It's not funny! But some of the conversation was funny. Like my niece informing me that the year is "two thousand ten," NOT "two thousand and ten." She told me that if I say it the wrong way, the And Police would come and arrest me. The And Police? Wow, I guess her teacher is zealous about how the kids say the year . . . mom and I laughed so hard we cried (which isn't completely safe while driving at highway speed). Something about the solemnity of how she said it made it hilarious. It probably loses a lot in the re-telling . . . so I guess you had to be there.

My Furkids

The Old Dog, looking pensive

That's not 'tude, that's just how he rolls . . .


The grace & elegance of a princess

Haughtiness defined.

All shots taken with my Canon Rebel XTi, with a 28-80mm lens (f2.8:4.0). I used a lens hood due to the brightness of the sun, and shot on TV with a shutter speed of 1/160. I have already learned from my photography class, and am having fun experimenting!

Great Class!

So, besides dogs and reading, one of my passions is photography. I'm a novice photographer with a good camera - which can be a dangerous thing! I've had my Canon Rebel XTi for 2 years now, and have had a ton of fun with it. I now have four lenses for it, as well as an external flash and a cordless remote. I've shot everything from pets to people to plants to buildings. Even though I've gotten lucky and had some good shots, I've been wanting to take a class for ages.
Well, I finally did it! I finally took an "Introduction To SLR Photography" class the other night. It was a 3 hour session, and not at all expensive. It was taught by the owner of the local photography shop and studio, and he was excellent. I've read many websites and books about aperture, shutter speed, ISO and more, and never really understood any of it well. The way that this fellow taught the class put it all into perspective for me, and I can finally try out some of the other settings on my camera, instead of letting it do everything for me.

He had a great handout for us, which I supplemented with my own notes too. He had several examples of how changing one setting can totally change a picture, which was very helpful.
I got home on Tuesday night totally pumped about taking pictures. Last night I took a few quick snaps of my dogs (well, the two youngest) and am pleased with what I got from just playing around. If you're interested, check out my photography website at http://kladckrs.zenfolio.com. The latest pictures are in "My Dogs 2010."

Next week I start a 6 week class all about digital photography. It'll go into lighting, composition and more. I can't wait!

Walking The Dogs

Last night I took Farley for a walk, and convinced my mom to come too. She has type 2 diabetes and is very overweight, so she's trying to make changes to her life. We did a short, slow walk, because that's what she could handle (and the old dog is too stiff for much more). Then I took Grace & Jack Jack for a more brisk, challenging walk, so that they could get some fresh air too. I'd had one of "those" days, and I needed the air to blow out my bad attitude.

Anyhow, Jack Jack is in long coat because he's going to be shown in June by a handler. He decided to find the muddiest spot, with the most dead leaves and twigs, and roll around like a buffoon in it. He is now filthy and full of stuff. But he was one HAPPY dog! I washed up Grace & Jack Jack up as much as possible, and the water was just disgusting when I was done. It was seriously almost the consistency of mud! Full baths coming on Friday (or maybe tonight).

Movie Report

I saw four movies while I was on holidays (three on the plane and one in the theatre).

The Blind Side - an extremely good movie, definitely worth watching. I thought it would be just another sports movie, but it's not. Sandra Bullock definitely deserved her Oscar. I highly, highly recommend this one!

Alice In Wonderland (3D) - This movie was one I'd been looking forward to for ages. I think I expected something similar to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, or the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. It had Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, but really, it was different than those other movies. Far less light-hearted and more serious. It wasn't bad at all, but different than I expected. If you like movies directed by Tim Burton, check it out.

Up In The Air - This was a movie I wasn't sure about seeing, since it got mixed reviews with people I know. It wasn't horrible . . . but it wasn't fabulous either. Really, it was just okay.

New Moon - The second movie in the Twilight series, I mostly watched it because I've read all of the books. It was okay. Definitely geared towards teenage girls. If you want a light-hearted movie (fluff), it's good. If you're looking for in-depth plot development, you may want to look elsewhere.

From Vancouver

So we're not perfect!
We never claimed to be perfect
That means we’ve learned to be humble
We say excuse me and I'm sorry as well as please and thanks.
Even when its not our fault we apologize.

Sure one arm of the torch didn't rise,
But when the earthquake struck Haiti,
Canadians raised their hands to say we’ll help.

And yah, there is a fence around the flaming torches,
But you can walk right up and shake hands with our prime minister and most famous Canadians.
We put Gretzky in the back of a pick up, in the rain, not surrounded by police and he was okay.
By the way... the great one is Canadian and HE wasn’t complaining!

We do have security at the games, of course, but most people don't even have a gun they have to leave at home.
The medals ARE under lock and key but our doors and our hearts are open to the world. I

t has been pointed out that some buses broke down last week, but let’s not overlook the fact that our banking system didn’t.
We didn't get the "green ice maker" right this time. but we will, eventually
Just like we did when we invented the zamboni.

Citius altius fortius
If you don't reach higher how do you get faster and stronger ?

Was the first quad jump perfect? S

hould we not have given snowboarding to the world "in case" it didn’t take off?

So, big deal one out of four torch arms didn't rise.
Good thing we had 3 more!
It’s called contingency planning!

But remember the Canadarm works every time in outer space, and insulin turned out to be okay.
We couldn't change the weather but maybe we can help to stop global warming.
We don't have the tax base of the US or the power of the Chinese but, per capita, we ponied up for some pretty kick-ass venues in the worst global recession ever

Sure, some folks couldn't afford tickets but our health care is universal.
We have shown the world that we can raise our voices in celebration and song but moments later stand in silence to respect a tragic event...together spontaneously and unrehearsed.
What's more, we don't need permission from anyone to have a slam poet, fiddlers with piercings and a lesbian singer tell our story to the world while our multilingual female Haitian- born, black, head of state shares a box with her first nations equals

We’ve shown the world that it doesn’t always rain in Vancouver, that you can strive for excellence but not get hung up on perfection
And we’ve learned what it feels like to be picked on by some no namenewspaper guy and we don’t have to take it lying down!

So the point is not the snow, or the hydraulics or a couple guys being 5 minutes late to a ceremony
We know we’re lucky that these are the biggest problems we had to deal with in the last couple weeks.
So take your cheap shots.

Guardian newspaper and cynics of the world
We're bigger and better than that.
What's more we're finally starting to believe it!

Do you believe?