Random Pictures from the recent past

At the Little League field, so many distractions!

On our "Treasure Hunt" at class, finding new surfaces and new steps.


At Salisbury University, where we got to watch the Pepsi man unload his truck and deliver soda. Big noise!




Swimming with mom. I really like water.


If I had to go live on a deserted island and could only take two things, I think they would be the hose and my little pool.

Size comparison

If anybody wants to see the size difference, here goes.

First picture, April 5th, 2008.
Second picture, July 25th, 2008.

Like a weed, I tell ya.

My mom made a comment that I believe to be true.

"Richard never looks happier than when he's with that puppy."

Agreed.

Pictures

We wanted to get some decent pics of us with the dogs. I had almost none of me with Fina (due to the fact that I hate my picture being taken!), and I had wanted to update the one of Richard sitting on the front porch with her.

We came home from the night-before-the-anniversary-party-dinner (whew) and since we were halfway dressed up, I said "now's the time" and we headed outside with both dogs.

Do you remember those commercials where the family is trying to take pictures and the baby keeps running away, and then the dog keeps running away, and there's lots of pictures of people heading away from the camera, chasing things?

That was kind of how it was. Below are the good ones.

Now, here's the rest. I'm making them a bit smaller so I can put them all together.

All in all, we got the shot. I really would love a picture with Richard and I and the dogs. Maybe someday!

Catching Up

Wow. More people than I knew read this drivel that I write! People, let me know you're out there! Comment, tell me I'm crazy, tell me you love me. But no more excuses or apologies, I'll start writing and "reporting" again.

The summer has been extra busy, with raising Miss Fina and having the 50th Anniversary Party for my in-laws (now we can say something about it!); the sun has been shining all the time so the yard work is endless. The garden is huge, with corn, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers...in spite of the puppy.

We've been hosting play-dates at our house, and having big fun with the pups.

The first one was when Robin, who was sitting, brought over Hawkeye.

Hawkeye and Fina went in the little pool, and the big pool. In the first picture, Fina seemed to be showing Hawkeye how to do it! They played for a little over an hour, and went home absolutely exhausted.

Our next playdate was again with Robin (God bless her!) who had Fabio for the week. Fabio is Fina's brother, and I was curious to see if there would be anything special between due to the fact that they are littermates.

Fabio seemed a little shy and unsure of himself at first, but after awhile, he relaxed and enjoyed the play. When the hose came out, he and Fina had a wonderful time playing in the water. They would then go and roll in the dirt. The cycle was repeated many times.....but ended with getting washed down with the hose and toweled off!

When I look at the two of them side by side, I can see the resemblance. But I think Fina is the one that looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth :)

Our most recent date was with Elton, the big boy Linda K. is raising. I love Elton. He's big and goofy and funny, and I think he's going to be a great working dog.

Fina and Elton got along like two peas in a pod. Elton didn't have any water experience, but by the end of the afternoon, he was in the little pool like a koi.

It was such fun having everyone come and play; hopefully Ink and Debbie will be coming soon.

Linda and I talked about having a end of the summer bbq for all the pups and raisers, plus Barbara, Randy and Gretchen. Hopefully we'll get that idea up and running soon.

Now I'm off to accomplish things while puppy naps.

How I Beat the Heat by Miss Fina

Other than kibble, squeaky toys and children, water is Miss Fina's favorite thing. She's not too confident in the big pool, but in her little pool, with the hose as her "fountain", she's in heaven.

Oh, to be a dog. Such simple pleasures!

Tony Snow

I was really sad to wake up today and hear such sad news. Tony Snow died early this morning. A month or two ago, Richard and I were talking about him, wondering what he was doing, as we hadn't heard anything about him in a long time. He had left the Press Secretary position, claiming he needed to make more money for his family. But then CNN announced he would be working for them as an analyst. But we wondered if he was sick again.

I guess he was. From what I heard people say today, nobody really knew how sick he was. He didn't want people to pity him.

He used to be on our local radio station from 9 am until noon every day. Being the news/political/talk radio junkie that I am, I listened every day, and I really liked listening to him. He was smart, and funny. When he went to work at the White House, he brought to the job a level of intelligence, humor and humility. He once said to Helen Thomas "Thank you Helen for the Hezbollah view"; Helen Thomas (and everyone else) laughed. He stopped mid-answer once, and said to the room "Look where we work! Look where we live! This is what it's all about." He tried to convey his love for his country and his family at all times. That's classic Tony Snow.

One day I was listening when I was on my way to Sams Club, and the topic was something that got me fired up...I don't remember exactly what it was about, but it was something about Teddy Kennedy. I took out my cell phone, and dialed. On the first try, I got through, and was put on hold. So I held. And held. And held. For two hours, I held. When I was finally put through, I was so nervous....but it was a great conversation that probably lasted about a minute and a half, although it felt longer. What a nice man he was to speak to.

There's not very many people I would wait two hours on hold for. I walked around Sams for the whole time, and probably spent more than I would have if I hadn't been on the phone waiting!

When he announced that he had cancer, I always thought he would beat it. That's what he said he would do. And he did, for a while.

He leaves behind a wife and three children.

Breaking News......

A Shooting Star

What am I doing Here


This girl is my new favorite.....something.

The Start of the Middle of Summer

It's already almost the fourth of July. Summer is whizzing by.

In a change of pace, I've been in the pool almost every day! With the dogs, of course. It's been so darn hot. All outside activity (except for the pool) has been reserved for very early mornings and very late evenings....except for today. I woke up and it was 65 degrees. Glorious. Miss Fina and I took a long walk this morning and came back actually refreshed, not drenched and exhausted. It was a welcome, wonderful thing.

I'll now update the rest of my life for anyone who wants to know.....

Richard: After waiting patiently for about 50 years, Richard was given a promotion at TMI. He's got a new title, a bit more money, and the promise of less travel and more management duties. That's the upside of the promotion. The downside? He still is doing his old duties, until they find someone to replace him. TMI is converting to a brand new database, which Richard is in charge of. Problem is, the old databases that they use now won't migrate to the new one. All the information is going to have to be put in by hand. (We're trying to work out a deal where I can be the input person.) Put this all together, and you have a man who's traveling every week, sometimes four days out of five, and coming home and working in the office the days he's not on the road. This is, as we have started calling it, the means to the end. I try not to be resentful of the time he has to spend on work, but I'm not always successful. I know it's not something he wants to do.....he resents it as much as I do, probably more. I wish I could help him with it, but unfortunately it's a one person job. We both are so looking forward to having more time together.
Maggie: Maggie's life is full; of work and of Roger. She's got "bride" on the brain, and she's so excited about the future. Roger continues to be a really nice guy, and everybody really likes him. They had to do a very difficult thing yesterday...they surrendered Moose to a Chesapeake rescue. It broke their hearts; knowing it was the right thing to do for Moose doesn't make it any easier. But having a Chessie, actually having any dog, right now for them is close to impossible. They are so busy, and don't have the time. Moose made friends immediately at the rescue, and already has a girlfriend. The sadness will get less and less over time; but at this point there aren't any words that will make them feel better. It's hard for a mom to see her child upset and not being able to do anything about it. It was a very grownup decision they had to make, and they made the right one. There will be many dogs for them in the future, I'm sure; now is just not the time.

Max: Max is trying hard to have a summer, but Wal-Mart keeps interrupting. He was hired there a little more than a month ago, and they are keeping him busy. He's working a lot of hours, but when the paycheck comes, he's not minding it too much. We had an interview with UTI; a successful one at that. Max will be going to school in Houston, TX; the program runs for one year straight, with very few vacations breaks (actually the holiday schedule is more like a business than a school). Max is very excited about this; it's going to be expensive and difficult, but he's up for the challenge. I think it's going to be good for him to be on his own (sort of); he'll have to have an apartment and at least one (or two) roommates. I think it's going to be a wake up call for him to have to do everything for himself. I think that I'm not going to know what to do with myself when he goes!

Mookie and Fina: The rabble rousers are having a good old time, and I'm (as usual) encouraging it. Mookie got a haircut by mom, and it looks like a two-year-old did it. But he doesn't seem to mind. Miss Fina is growing by leaps and bounds. Almost 50 pounds, and full of piss and vinegar. The cats are all....well, they're cats. NO MORE CATS. NO MATTER WHAT.

That's it for today...I'm going to go and get something done. Maggie took the DS with her last night, so I have no Super Mario or Sudoku to tempt me away from my duties.

But, there is always Tumble Bees on the computer.......

The Horse Show Outing et. al.

Fina had her first encounter with a horse, or, as she saw it, a very large dog. The horse show was down at the equestrian center this past weekend, and, in need of some out-of-the-neighborhood training, we took a ride over there. Miss Fina didn't want to go (more on that later), but once we got there, she was fascinated.

We started out across the street from two horses that were tied to a fence. She was so curious, and wanting to pull, so it took a very long time to get across the street. (The more she pulled, the further away we got.)

Miss Fina was all courage and bravado....until we got close. I think that this was the first time I actually saw her retreat from something....when the horse put his nose down to sniff her, she lost her nerve. The horse was great though, very friendly, and an excellent candidate for Fina's first horse exposure.

Walking through the park and the different rings was another story. We kind of stayed back and observed, under a tree and in the shade. Too much for her. She kept trying to run with the horses when they would run by in the ring. Plus there were children (ooh, my favorite), other dogs (ooh, my favorite), and lots of people (ooh, my favorite). As a training experience, it was a good thing to do, but we still have so far to go when we're out in public.

In the past few days, Miss Fina has decided she does not like to get into the car. We go out the front door, and when she realizes we are not going for a walk, but going into the car, she plants herself on the ground, either sitting or laying down. No toy, no treat, no lure can move her. I actually have to pick up this 50 pound puppy and put her into the car. I don't know where it came from, or what made her decide she was done with car rides. Unless she's guiding a blind agoraphobic, car travel is a big necessity. I'll have to address this with Barbara.

We're starting bi-weekly classes this month. With gas at almost $4.00 a gallon, it's going to be a good thing.

I've been so lax in posting....will post some videos and photos that we've taken over the past few weeks.

Trying to get back on track here.......almost miss the days when there was almost no obligations. But then again, I wouldn't trade Miss Fina for anything! :)

Hello Hello....is this thing on?

Hi all. Sorry for the disappearing act....it's been a bit of a struggle for me lately. But things are good. All good.

Puppy is getting big, and getting easier to care for.
Swimming pool is no longer green. After only three and a half weeks of work, chemicals, and much swearing, we are swimming. Every single year it's something with that darn pool. Why do we have pools? Because they are so relaxing. Right.

Summer has finally arrived, with a vengeance. I should just open a vein and send it directly to Choptank Electric Cooperative. $400 last month for electricity, and it was a month without A/C or heat. I can't wait to see this one. But to not having the A/C on, it's like full-on menopause all the time.

Max is working at Wal-Mart, Maggie is still at Best Buy. Spending their summers making money. Yippee!

Richard's promotion has kept him super busy. He's doing his old job, and trying to do his new job. We don't see each other very much, it seems. Poor guy. This too shall pass...but I hope it passes quickly.

I know I know. This is boring. I took a pill about 40 minutes ago, and it's making me very sleepy and very unwitty.

Let me end this before you all fall asleep....zzzzzzzzz

But wait, wait. Before I go, I leave you with this, the world's largest underpants.

Miss F....where she came from, where she's going....

Miss Fina is HUGE. She's also becoming quite the young lady, and I'm starting to see the kind of adult she will be. We still have so much to learn, and we have a bit to correct, but I'm seeing the result of practice, practice, practice.

Of course, all this practice makes us very very tired. She fell asleep with her head in one of her favorite toys....one of Roxanne's old food bowls.

Upon perusing the GEB website, I found pictures of her Mom and Dad, Zola and Merwin. What beautiful parents. I can't decide who she looks more like. If I remember correctly, Zola was raised up in Maine, and is a superior dog, a great girl. I haven't heard anything about Merwin (I love his sort-of-nerdy name).

Merwin Zola

Aren't they something? I think she's got her Mom's eyes, and her Dad's coloring.

I must apologize to all for my lack of postings. Twenty lashes for me. My moons haven't been in the seventh house, and all that...it's been a couple of tough weeks. But we move forward.

I promise that I'll update more. I didn't realize how many people read this....but I've heard from them on my lack of postings!

Onward and upward, puppies!

A Night Out...a Week Later

Lord, I don't have the free time I used to!

We had a great time at the DC Improv. We were out until 12:30 a.m....dirty stay-outs. It was fantastic....a really fun time. We just about laughed all the way home too.

After the show, there was a meet and greet, and we got autographs and pictures; John said that he wanted to take a picture with Richard where he was scolding Richard for not eating.

Of course, the flash wasn't turned on.

But it's ok...we got some (dark) pictures, and a reason to go back next time he comes near!

A Night Out

Richard and I are going to see THIS guy tonight. We're taking a trip to Washington, DC to laugh a bit.

It's going to be fun. I think we both need it!

The Lange Foundation

I want to write about a wonderful Mother's Day gift I gave. Not to pat myself on the back, but to hope to get the word out about this place.

It's called The Lange Foundation. It's a phenomenal program that I saw on the Oprah Winfrey show, the show she did highlighting puppy mills. Someone gave this gift to Oprah, and when I saw it, I knew it would be something that my Mom would love. The following I took right from their website.

Every year in Los Angeles County, several hundred thousand pets are taken to animal shelters, simply because they drastically outnumber the homes available to them.

They are alone, they are voiceless, and most of them are euthanized. As their lives silently end, several hundred thousand more pets are being born.

The Lange Foundation was founded in 1993 by Gillian Lange, recipient of the 1980 City of Los Angeles St. Francis of Assisi Award for her rescue work with impounded pets since 1974. She founded Amanda Foundation in 1975, and to date the two Foundations have rescued and placed over 13,000 cats and dogs who would otherwise have been destroyed at shelters.

Lange Foundation is dedicated to saving impounded companion animals, and preparing them for a journey to a new, safe, loving world.

The dogs we rescue come to us in all shapes, colors, sizes and ages. Some are victims of abuse or neglect; others starving strays; some are purebred and some are obedience trained. Owners who take their pets to the Shelter mistakenly believe good homes will be found for them, but , because of lack of space, most are kept for only five days. The pets we are able to rescue are cared for at our "Half Way Home Haven" in West Los Angeles, where their personality is evaluated and they are given T.L.C. by our staff and volunteers. Once adopted, we assist with training in their new homes if they have problems not easily solved by their new owners. We stand behind those we place.

The shelters continue to be over-crowded with cats. The kittens' chances are slightly better than adults...20% of those impounded find homes. Only 1% of adult cats are chosen for adoption, even though among them are many Siamese, Himalayan, Persian, Manx and All-American purr machines. The ones we are able to rescue are tested for FELV/FIV, sterilized and given health care as necessary. They are placed only in indoor homes.

They have a gifting program. For $75.00, the Lange Foundation goes to a local kill shelter, and takes an dog or a cat off the death list. They take the animal to their own no-kill shelter, and keep it until it is found a forever home. The recipient of the gift gets a photo of the dog or cat that was saved in their name, and a letter with information about the animal.

Since being highlighted on Oprah, the Lange Foundation has been flooded with donations; it takes about two to three weeks to process the gifts. That's the best backorder I could think of.

My Mom called me yesterday in tears; she had gotten her gift. I don't think that I've ever gotten her something that meant so much; we always agonize over the perfect gift. This was so simple. As the saying goes, there is beauty in simplicity.

On a further note, there was a poem included with the package, and it was referring to dogs "in retirement". My Mom said it was like a sign for her; there is a 13 year old Golden Retriever available from a rescue group who needs a home; the owner relocated to Europe and the dog would never make it through quarantine.

Guess who's taking the dog.

He probably doesn't have a whole lot of time left. But his time will be made special by my parents. And my parents time will be made special by him.

What a great thing.

We decided yesterday that this is going to be the birthday gift. The Christmas gift. The anniversary gift. The everything gift.

Let's see how many dogs we can save.

Getting Big?

Has she grown? You tell me. The first one is from yesterday, 5/6/08. The second one is from about three weeks ago.

Like a weed.

Maggie (or, as she likes to say, Maggy)

My first-born, my girl, is a legal grownup poobah today. Happy Birthday Maggie!!!! I keep saying it over and over in my head. It doesn't compute. It can't be 21 years since I missed the last episode of Cheers with Sam and Diane due to giving birth.


Maggie is 21 today. Holy cow.

How fast it goes. I know it's said all of the time, but it's really scary how little time we have them. I cannot say it seems like yesterday, but it seems like only a couple of years ago that she really needed me; depended on me for almost everything. And I remember thinking that she would be a kid forever, that her becoming an adult seemed so far in the future.

It's true. Once they start walking...everything after that is just a blur.

Maggie was born with the biggest heart in the world, and she has always been compassionate to a fault. As a baby, she looked like a porcelain doll, with her blue eyes and long curly hair. Her great grandmother used to dress her up in navy blue pants and shirts, ugly clothes, so the spirits wouldn't know she was a girl; they would only steal a boy. I would dress her up in girly-girly dresses in the morning, and when I'd get home from work, I'd be faced with a couture-challenged child.

Maggie's childhood was hard, and as a Mom, I failed her in countless ways. I made many, many mistakes that she had to pay for. She lost much of her childhood due to the poor choices of her parents. I'll spend the rest of my days trying to make up for that.

But we have flourished in the last ten years; Maggie has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I couldn't be prouder of her. She is truly her mother's daughter, which I hope isn't too much of a curse.

She has direction and purpose in her life. She's got a wonderful boyfriend who treats her well and who she loves. She's got an incredible work ethic. She's gorgeous. She's funny as hell.

We're so proud of her.

She's going to go far in life; she can conquer anything she will set her mind to.

Except tequila.

Kennel

I've had lots of comments about Fina's first video regarding her kennel.

Thought you'd like to see the progress we've made!

And we progress!

Painting? Beans?

I'll never know.

Update

We've been progressing nicely...Fina is growing like a weed! We had class last week outside at Bicentennial Park, and it was a challenge. I think that next time I'll take Miss Thing for a long walk before we go, just to get her a bit tired. She was feeling her oats, for sure!

Yesterday we went to the vet for our shots, and she's now almost 24 pounds. Weight is perfect...I'm so happy. We're very careful with measuring and all, but it was something that I was worried about. Other than a little ear infection, a clean bill of health.

And, best of all, Healing Hands Animal Hospital (of Salisbury, MD) is going to donate all her office visit fees. They are the nicest people, and I'll gladly promote their business.

Today we had our first bath. We were not happy.

Somebody forgot to tell her she's a water dog.

Hello from the Netherworld.....

I'm not dead. I have a puppy. I've gone from up-to-date and current, to "what day is it"?

But I do have one observation to make. Richard and I have been talking about what life will be like when the kids are gone; it's kind of looming in the near future. We talk about walking around with money falling out of our pockets...think of what we won't be buying. Groceries cut more than in half. Car insurance....no teens or young people? Mr. Gekko will give you insurance for almost free, plus there will be only two cars in the driveway! Choptank Electric will send us a "miss you" card, because our electricity usage will go way down. The amount of laundry soap used in this house will dwindle.....shampoo, conditioner, body wash, gel. Corn dogs? Nada. Frozen pizzas? Non.

The amount of socks populating our downstairs will dwindle, placing the "stray sock" population at a dangerously low level, possibly close to extinction. Chairs in the living room? We may actually see the seat cushion one day.

Nobody will tape Survivor or Big Brother on the DVR. There will be no sounds of killing, shooting or race car driving coming from the XBox, along with the requisite laughter or groans.

Crackers and cookies will be closed properly. I think that kids believe advertising way too much. Take the following pictures, for example.


When I went to get these wonderful Cracker Crisps out of the pantry, I found that they had been closed in the manner shown.

I'm guessing the "magic tab" will keep all the air from entering those two large gaps in the bag on either side of the "magic tab".

Miss this? Not so much.

Miss all the other stuff? Probably a whole lot.

Except for the socks all over the house.

Puppy Poop and the Roomba

Note to self:

Make sure that puppy has been outside and/or is not gastrointestinally challenged before cleaning rug with Roomba.

Yes, that is a wheel-track mark of puppy poo.

One Small Step for Fina, One Giant Step for Mom

She went in the crate by herself without a lure.

I can't tell you how many times we've tried this over the past week, and she's done it.

It was almost zenlike.

Video from the Playground

She's not only smart, but funny too!