Fina's Really Big Adventure with the Emmetts

We have a lot of new raisers in our group, and they are going to be getting their puppies in the beginning of November. So, just like when we got Karleen, Miss Fina got to go out on a really really really big adventure with the Emmetts....she was going to go to their house from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday. They are a family of six, with four children, plus they have a dog. It was a perfect place for Fina to go to, to get a dose of something "different". Let's face it, I'm 47 a pretty predictable at my age. This was going to be a whole new world for her...and I think that Fina needed it!

Tricia was great...she's very technologically savvy, and I got pictures consistently for all of the days. She kept me very up to date on all of the activities, and all the behaviors. I think they only ran into one refusal, one that we've deal with, and it was Fina's refusal to get into the car. She has not done that for us in a long time, and I told them that it wasn't a big deal, if she didn't want to cooperate, she didn't get to join the party.

But Fina got to experience so many new things...being with little kids, being with animals, going to the beach, going to a 4H meeting, going to a mule show! (We actually picked her up at the Mule Show, and it was pretty cool.)

EJ Emmett is actually going to be raising a pup for his 4H project. What a great thing. I don't think my parents would have been keen on the idea if I had wanted to do it when I was a kid (Maggie actually said "hey, when I was in 4H all we did was make a house out of popsicle sticks!"). I think it's awesome that he's doing it, and that the whole family is a part of it. What a great experience as a kid. And, from what I could see, he's going to do an awesome job. All the kids were really great with her.









Here's the rest of the pictures from the weekend....she had a great time, and we got back good reports. All this training (nagging) is starting to sink in!





























I can't wait for them to get their pups. Actually, Barbara and Gretchen asked me to help teach the new pup class, so I'm pretty excited about that. It's like babies...there's just nothing like a puppy. I just have to get this stupid foot healed first....

What's in a Name?

I found a website called "World Names Profiler" and it'll tell you a bit about your last name. I did two of them.

Demers:
934.35 per one million people in New Hampshire
401.54 per one million people in Maine
401.05 per one million people in Vermont
362.77 per one million people in Rhode Island


Now, for Katie and Diane, who I know read this...

Cavalluzzo:
40.58 per one million people in Campania, Italy
18.94 per one million people in Ontario, Canada
14.46 per one million people in Basilicata, Italy
5.36 per one million people in New York
1.34 per one million people in Florida

Worst. Backflip. Ever.

http://view.break.com/569469 - Watch more free videos

Dog Dance

This video was sent to me by my GEB Regional Manager, Barbara, as a great example of relationship based training (which is what we use with the GEB pups).

But the connection that this woman has with her dog, and the absolutely beautiful music, brought tears to my eyes.



It's 4 minutes long, but stay with it. It's worth it.

Freecycle

I've recently joined a Yahoo group called "Freecycle". It's a brilliant idea, very eco minded (unlike me); you list things you want to get rid of, or list things you are looking for. Then people who need or have these things contact you, and everyone is happy. I haven't taken anything in, but I have gotten rid of a ton of things I thought I had to keep...like old comforters, sleeping bags, printer cartridges, etc. I wish I had known about this sooner!

Anyway, there have been two posts that have made me laugh out loud. I'm going to post them here...one of them is ridiculous, and the other one is...well...ridiculous.

My son brought home a plant from school. I am in need of about 2
handfuls of soil to replant it. I might take a while to answer as my
computer is going to be hooked back up this weekend. I will get to
your emails asap. Thanks!

**********************************************************

Hello,
I am looking for a treadmill and a Dyson vacuum or something comparable
to a Dyson. The vaccuum I have does not do a good job picking up cat
and dog hair.

Thanks so much!

First of all, go outside. Dirt is free and very plentiful.

Secondly, we'd all like a $600 Dyson for free. And a treadmill. (The treadmill, she'll probably get.)

I'd probably get kicked off the list for mocking the ads. But I just can't help it.

Cross Post...Is this Me???

This is dog-related, and just funny. I first saw this years ago, and have thought of it often ever since....

Is This Me?????

I saw this years ago, and always thought it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

They Put the "Fun" in Dysfunctional!

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) -- Fountain police say a teen solicited two men to kill his mother so he could sell her car and use her bank account to get breast implants for his girlfriend.

Authorities say the mother, Hyun Weis, was attacked with a small wooden baseball bat at her home Thursday but escaped.

She was hospitalized and then released Friday. The nature of her injuries hasn't been disclosed.

Deputy Police Chief Mike Barnett said 18-year-old Nikita Lee Weis was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Authorities say Nikita Weis also wanted money to pay his rent.

Also arrested on the same charge were his girlfriend, 21-year-old Sophia Nicole Alsept, and the two men he allegedly hired, 18-year-old Juan Antonio Velez Gonzalez and 19-year-old Brandon Michael Soroka.

All are being held on $50,000 bail. Officials didn't know whether they had attorneys and said they couldn't get messages to them.

Barnett says the suspects discussed wrapping Hyun Weis' body in plastic and dumping in the desert in New Mexico or Arizona.

Nikita Weis is due in court Monday.

I Wish...

I Wish I Had The Guts To Put This On My Car....

.

(if you can't read it, it says "I'm a Republican because Everyone can't be on Welfare")

Oh, What a Day I'm Having!

From the Consumerist:

Man Sues Doctors for Amputating Penis

What part of "circumcision" was unclear? That's basically what a Kentucky man and his wife are asking of two doctors who cut off the man's penis while he was under the knife. The doctors say they discovered cancer and made an emergency decision. The man says, dude, wtf, you cut off my penis. It doesn't grow back, and it was kind of important to me.

The lawsuit states that Patterson received consent to perform a circumcision and only a circumcision, and that Seaton did not consent to his penis being removed.

Kevin George, the plaintiff's attorney, said [Dr.] Patterson amputated the organ after finding cancer, but he only had consent to remove the foreskin.

"Sometimes you have an emergency and you have to do this, but he could very easily closed him up and said, 'Here are your options. You have cancer,' and the family would have said, 'We want a second opinion. This is a big deal,'" George said.

We've just made a new note to self: if we ever have surgery, we intend to grab the doctor by the collar and say vigorously to him, "No matter what happens, don't you cut off my penis." Who knew you had to worry about that sort of thing.

Sunday Go to Church?

"You Want Me To Do What? Sit and Stay? What? Ha ha ha ha!"

I chuckled when I saw this picture.

Miss Fina is sitting on the steps of St. Peter's Church in downtown Salisbury; she really wanted to go in for the service. Instead, I made her sit and stay at the top of the church steps.

I think she looks like she was laughing at me. :)

Fina and Ink

Debbie and Ink came over today, and had a great time playing together. Fina and Ink got along famously, and ran and played and swam in the little pool, and explored the big pool together, for over an hour.


Debbie is raising Ink without a fenced yard. I can only imagine how hard that is...
I've heard that little Ink slept very well when they got home!

It's so very nice to be able to spend time with the other raisers too; we all see each other all of the time, yet there is never time to visit. Hopefully, we will be able to have this picnic soon, and have a little bit of downtime with the pups and with the other volunteers.

Good puppies!

The Obama Salute

The Obamessiah crowd now have a double secret hand signal to identify each other. Here it is.

Here's an example of how it will be used:

(These photos may or may not depict actual Obamessiah cult members. )

I guess it had to be a hand signal; the distribution of secret decoder rings would have been waaaayyy too labor intensive.

Secret hand signals have been used forever to help identify Cult Members, er,

Sheep , er changeyoucanbelievein followers, er, members of a sect. Examples to follow:

(Ever wonder how many people were swayed by Adolf Hitler just because of his charismatic speeches? )

I'm starting my own trend. Below is the hand signal for the letter "N". I'm going to pass the word via my own secret society that the following hand signal stands for "NOBAMA". Maybe we'll even get those decoder rings.

I think I'm on to something.

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! :)