OKAY--Dr. Kelley is more stubborn than I am

Having been threatened with surgery, I emerge with the CAST STILL ON MY HAND...arrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Well, at least he "sculpted" it so that my fingers are freer to move around and at least I can type an "N" without discovering later that it was a space.....in three weeks I go back and he promised that it would come off then and we'd go to a removeable one with exercises, etc. X-ray shows the bone is mending in proper alignment.

Must go get Garbo ready for her departure for Minneapolis and then Canada. She flies out at noon and we have to get her to Delta cargo at ten. We will miss her like crazy, but Joyce will take loving care to make sure Garbo ends up in a good retirement.

Dr. Ana called to say things were looking good for a breeding of Poppy to Badger via surgical implant either Sat, Sun or Mon. Costing me an arm and a leg for boarding, LH tests and progesterone tests, but if this yields a litter of wonderful fox reds, it'll be worth it.

TipToo is sputtering and seems to be uncomfortable, so she may be headed for Dr. Ana's shortly. Dunno what's wrong, but I won't let anything go wrong with this most adorable and affectionate tortie cat. Always something, huh???

Now that these fingers MIGHT be able to hold a scissors properly, I gotta go start wrapping these presents due next week and Hanukkah. Somehow the thought makes me tired before I begin....more fun to shop and buy than it is to cover everything with jolly paper, but it's expected, so off I go to find the tape.

Ciao for now, MsP in fiberglass but sculpted cast

DID I SAY I HATE CASTS?????

Okay, enough is enough...I am off to the orthopod to demand freedom from fiber glass weapons. I can't sign my name worth a flip or wash my hair or type without making zillions of mistakes. So after a week of "healing" I go see the doc and demand to be cut out of this contraption. It's relatively clean looking but the padding has disappeared and my good fingers have blisters and bandaids on them from where the hard case has rubbed. This cure is worse than the disease IMHO. Surely there is some sort of removable support that I can wear all the time except when I get wet???

Sold the day bed just now. It was like being in Nairobi and dickering with the market folks about something the price for which had already been determined. But the man finally forked over what I had asked and went on his way. Craig's List has helped, but I don't do well as a barterer.

Getting Garbo ready for Canada tomorrow and hoping Poppy is almost ready for breeding to frozen Badger before I leave for FL. House is a mess but isn't that normal?

Off to the saw that takes away my latest nemesis. Ciao and later, MsP

Serendipity in spite of itself

So don't think I never look for the brite spot in things....this hard cast is driving me CRAZY....feel like a bump on a log as my dear Daddy used to say. First, I can't type and second when I do too much and take one of those pills the doc prescribed, they knock me out and put ,e in bed for a day or two. HOWEVER, after doing errands and getting sucked into buying some special popcorn at Cosco on Sat, I finally found the good thing that happened i spite of this bear of a broken bone: The plastic wrapper that held the three popcorn things is just the right shape to slide over my hand and tuck into the end of the cast so I can take a shower without getting the blasted thing wet. How's THAT for finding the positive in a situation? In the past I used a regular plastic shopping bag taped and it was a mess to say the very least. So I now have the absolute perfect shield for this nemesis. If the cast doesn't work you can bet I'm not having surgery and pins which would only make living MORE difficult. I am completely USELESS in this contraption. Georgia senses my frustration and tends to shadow my every move, helping me to dry off by licking my legs when I got out of the shower. Such a love of a dog.

Anyway, I'm exhausted from trying to correct the typin errors and am absolutely NO good at getting anything done during this corraling of my hand in plaster. Think I'll go read and try to forget all the things needing attention. Well, that's one way to attack the day...arrggghhh....p

Don't Ever Ask, "What Else Can Happen???"

Trip to St. Louis was wonderful....loved being with family of Darcie and Anthony and their four-footed creatures. Boogie behaved like she was already a show dog and went second on Sunday to the black bitch who went WD at the Specialty which wasn't all bad. Pickles had a w0nderful time and could have gone home with a bunch of volunteers, but we decided t0 keep her of course. Precurser to the trip was a fall, slipping backwards after stumbling over Georgia's ladder to get up ontoo my bed. Was packing and just stepped back too soon and landed with all weight on right hand/arm...stupid stupid stupid. Hand swelled up into an ugly purple mess, palm and top of h and included. Stoked immediatelyin ice and kept it warmed alternately all weekend. Finally had an appt w/orthopod this AM. Have spiral fracture of t he last bone in my right hand above the little finger. STIFF CAST for who knows how long and if this d0esnt work, surgery nd pins later. Needless to say I CANNOT T YPE WORTH A DAMN s0 this is it until I learn to hunt and peck. SO, don'[t ever ask what else can happen, 'cause something always does. ARRRGGHHH,P

Slow but Sure

Okay, it's been a while. Nothing here to report, but the weather has been worth enjoying. Have tried to work on getting the house in order. Made a firm promise to my financial advisor that the place would be ready to go on the market the first of March, 2011. Humph....maybe....

Some major progress in the development of socializing Miss Marple The Mystery Cat. She's absolutely gorgeous and has just begun to realize that not everyone is out to scare her half to death. When she arrived here about a year ago, she disappeared and we didn't know she was even in the house for a couple of months. Apparently the picking on by guinea hens on the farm where she was born gave her the idea that everyone everywhere was out to get her....sorta a feline version of what's going on now with school kids. Anyway, she has gradually decided that we're here to give her love and affection. Slowly she came out and began to talk to us and observe that her litter sister (TipToo) and Buzz the gray miniature puma/cat were always getting praise and loving attention without being assaulted. Every now and then one of us could actually reach down and touch her without her freaking out. One night last week, she actually jumped up on the end of my bed and stayed for a few minutes while meowing. That worked itself into spending a night there. One morning about five days ago, I was able to pet her for almost ten minutes. That day she began to follow me around and talk to me. Now the bed has become a safe place for her to elicit attention. I actually picked her up and hugged her without a resultant spring for parts unknown. Hope that some day soon she will become more relaxed. She's spay and declawed and we need to find a home for her before the move. I just can't take three cats to Colorado, esp b/c my grandson is allergic to them! Anyway, Miss Marple (the mystery cat) is a love, a beauty of a torti (marble gold and black, sp???) shell girl, and eventually will come to the realization that somebody loves her and wants her to be happy and relaxed.

Had the good news that my chocolate co-own Labrador girl out in Waco, GA, is in season and I'm going to breed her to a fabulous chocolate boy over at Neil and Jodi's who is a Dauber son. This girl has produced some great pups and since this will be an all chocolate litter, I'm delighted to look forward to having some brown pups ready to go out at the end of February.

The Peaches/Albert litter is ALMOST here. She definitely took, so there will be blacks ready the week of Christmas.

Had some pix taken for changes in the web site. (My black girl and boy out of Monkey and Garbo are probably the best pups I've ever produced. Their temperaments are outstanding and their conformation is the same.) The entire web site will be different when Val gets time to work on it. Meantime the info about the black litter will be up there in the old format.

Looking forward to the dog show next weekend since Pam, my dear buddy, is coming and will be staying around for that. She's going to spin my daughter out of her Justin and my Garbo around the ring for the first time. We'll see how that comes out. Pam is a past master at getting the best out of anything she shows, so I'm happy she's willing to do that deed for me and my bad knees.

Have gotten into the habit of watching tv until the wee hours and then not getting up until mid-morning. Only problem with this schedule is I get hungry at midnight and invariably eat something fattening but good at that hour. MUST STOP THAT BEHAVIOR!

Here comes TipToo telling me it's time to go fill up her own bowl. She is by far the most communicative and affectionate cat I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. She talks to me all the time, has appropriated a spot on my right elbow for sleeping and purring, and every time the phone rings, she comes to tell me about it. When I sign off the net, she jumps down from her perch behind my shoulder and meows as she leaves the office area. She even speaks to Jack on the phone! TipToo follows me like a shadow and couldn't be any more of a treasure if she tried. She's not afraid of ANYTHING, a far cry from her litter sister, Miss Marple....how strange that they both came from the same environment and gene pool and are so different from each other.

Well, it's almost one in the afternoon, so I'm gonna stop. Cheerio, MsP

Sunday, Braves and Gators Lost Yesterday :-(

The Fog Has Lifted and The Rain Has Come

Well, I finally figured out the exact combination of dashes and dots and lack of apostrophes, so I can get on this silly blog without having to go around the barn to do it. So the Fog Has Lifted.

And this morning when I let the UNHOUSETRAINEDAT TWOYEARS French Bulldog out, the deck was WET!!!!!! Hardly knew how to diagnose this latest experience....it's been so long since we've had liquid from the sky. And more due for a couple of days. GALRC picnic in Newnan was cancelled because of this unique experience.

I'm working my way like molasses in snow toward getting all the info together for taxes. I HATE THIS S....er, stuff, that is. Also gradually making progress in the closet category.

But I'm having most fun on my new Kindle. Have gotten a bunch of mystery/intrigue novels and am reading upon rising each morning. Trying to cut calories and read instead. My stomach has not exactly taken to this new regime but it's slowly acknowledging the change.

Joseph is doing so well that he's taking Boogie for long walks to give her lead experience. Seems yesterday she took exception to a fire hydrant and then she discovered the gorgeous HORSE! Imagine her surprise when the first one wouldn't move and the second one did. She's going to be okay, and still even though she's a "teenager" is the spitting image of her mother in a much more exuberant package.

Okay, time for my morning coffee and reading period. A REALLY great mystery about a Boston policeman who gets "drafted" at the beginning of the USA's entrance to WWII. He is assigned to his uncle's office (General Dwight D. Eisenhower, for heaven's sake) and gets involved with a murder having to do with espionage and the re-entry of the Norwegian underground as they try to take their country back from the Nazi's....all from exile in England. Needless to say, there's a spy in the works and this guy has to figure out who it is and do something about it. Very well written with humor and swift movement. Called BILLY BOYLE: A WORLD WAR II MYSTERY, free on Kindle.

I got some free and less expensive books to start out with just to see if I like this new method. I DO! It takes some getting used to, but basically, it's a boon of a way to read and take with you. I always have it in my bag and when things come to a wait/halt, there's that option to turn to and be patient....doc's offices, etc., etc. It's less expensive now than it started out to be, and I figure I've probably bought six of them counting all the paperbacks and hard covers I've invested in during the last few years. And this way I don't have to worry about what to do with them when I've finished. I can share these with other Kindle readers or just delete. What a concept. Now what to do with all these in two stacks that are taller than I am next to my bed.....don't want to box them up and take them with when I move. To the library they go!

Ciao for now, MsP

How Do I Get Here?

How Do I Get Here?

Fall Is Upon Us....or Is It?

One would think we were still in July around here. Temps in the 90's for days on end. Sometimes it's bearable b/c it's dry (no rain for weeks), but some days it's like living in a sauna. Rain is on the way in about a month....humph....

Things are looking good for Joseph. He's been to pain clinic and likes the doc, who gave him an appropriate amount of drugs to get him thru a day and now he's his cheerful, talkative self instead of vasillating from grumpy orgre to talkaholic. I hope this keeps up b/c he's REALLY a great person and it is SUPER to see him be comfortable. Evidently the doc is going to do something under anesthesia on the next visit so it might relieve the pressure on his spine. That would ALSO be a blessing. AT LAST we are getting some progress for Joseph. He got his HP lap top the day he came home from the pain clinic and now he's on line with AOL and having a time finding out all the things a computer will do. My major hope is that he doesn't get addicted to it, but in his present state of mind he seems to be aware that might happen and he's not going to let it take over his life. He's using it as a reward instead of a habit, thank heavens.

Other good news appears to be that Peaches (the Simba granddaughter) is "with pup" if all the signs are correct. She's whelping about the first of November, so I've got my fingers and toes and all appendages crossed that goes well. She's at Lori's and will whelp there and the pups will come to me when they are weaned. They should be ready to go out just before the holiday week. If something chocolate emerges, it'll stay here for sure....wouldn't THAT be a surprise???

Am trying like mad to lose about 15 pounds before the Christmas holidays, but it's a difficult task. I had no idea how much of a pain it is to resist that midnight snack until I tried NOT to eat one. Until about a year ago, I never even THOUGHT about a snack in bed while watching tv, but it's become a habit I find difficult to break at present.

Was tickled about the chef who won TOP CHEF, and will be watching closely tonight to find out who got Project Runway. I LOVE the program just after Project Runway....the one where two former winners travel across the country and visit people who would never have a chance to have a special garment made for their special occasion. It's a hoot and a wonderful way to spend an hour laughing and trying to guess what they'll come up with. They've been everywhere from a winery owner to a dump truck driver to the newly wed hills of WVa, and all of it has been delightful. It's on LIFETIME on Thursday nights and repeated often during the following week.

The other program that has me mesmerized is about a South African man who has raised lions from cubs as well as hyenas, and is running a farm to keep them safe. It's called something strange and I never can remember the title, but it comes on Monday nights and is also repeated often during the following week on National Geographic WILD. That's the BEST in animal programs (other than NatGeo, of course, and Animal Planet). It often shows scenes which make me homesick for East Africa. The foliage and the fauna all pull on my memory strings and make me want to go back. I only wish I had discovered that part of the world before I got too old to learn and do something useful in the "wild." If I had my druthers, I'd be over there right now studying cheetahs and lions and the like. It's a comfort to know that someday my ashes will be scattered (even if it's only teaspoon) in Masai Mara.

Off to eat celery and drink low cal OJ....this stomach MUST disappear....it's UGLY! MsP

Some Creative Juices Still Exist!

Yesterday I went back to making some towels with Labradors on them. The experience pointed out to me how much I miss doing that sort of creative work. A dear buddy is going to Germany to judge Labradors and she asked if I would make her some towels to take as a hostess gift and for the winners of the dog and bitch tickets. I jumped at the chance and my trusty little Huskie sewing machine fired up as if it had been waiting at the Start Line for months....it HAD! I got the order out in record time and it went overnight to NY so as to be there for my buddy's departure this afternoon. Now I need to find some way to continue this kind of project....I am selling the Baldwin piano but haven't made a definite decision about the kiln. Still have some unglazed pots and some un-thrown clay that could be processed as a last hurrah in the clay studio. Will decide that shortly. It's a big step to divest myself of one of the most important parts of my past life, but I really don't see taking all that equipment to Denver IF I ever get a chance to move. Am returning the lovely Peaches to her co-owner with hopes that she is indeed pregnant, for pups in early November. It should be a wonderful litter, even if it's all blacks. Also am planning to pick up a new girl who is being co-owned with Joyce Woods. Her father (not Joyce's!!) is Willie, a fox red from Little River Labradors. SO she'll be bred to Badger for a litter of blacks and foxies when the time comes. Joyce says she's nice enough to be shown, so I might just do that, especially if I'm going to St. Louis for their Specialty in Nov. At present the weather here is just glorious, so I'm going to try to do some lead training with the little black monsters and Boogie, who is definitely going to St. Louis and needs the reassurance of knowing that she's in charge of everything even if she doesn't like new things. The little black ones don't have that problem--their confidence level is in the stratosphere. Just caught Georgia chewing up my professional grade box cutter....cheesch, she has about a thousand chewable things strewn all over the house and she climbed up onto the bed and grabbed this thing. It's now reconfigured at the end where the spare blades are kept, teeth marks identifiable to a certain French Bulldog. If she weren't so cute and full of herself, I'd stuff her and put roller skates on her feet and relax knowing that she couldn't get into anything untoward. As it is, she can't be left to her own devices if anything around here is to remain sacred. BUT SHE'S CUTE....just ask her...we are working on sit, down, stay and so far she does it beautifully on the bed and in the house, but outdoors hasn't quite reached that level of success. I'm trying to train her well enough to trust her to go with me to Denver in December. We'll see if she gets that graduation tassel or not. Enuf for now, MsP

Being Old Is A Pain

At the moment I'm having a time getting onto this blog. IF anyone is reading it, please comment below and tell me what you put into the "GO" box to find it. I keep trying www.mspatty'sblog-blogspot.com and nothing works. Even Google is trying to get me to list my cell and when I don't, it cuts me off and won't let me into my blog. I have to go back to the posting on my list of things done successfully a few days ago to find this place. ARRGGHHH....what's wrong with my addlepated brain??? HELP! :-O

The Latest Developments

It's been a long time since I even thought about catching up. We've been thru a bout of kennel cough, a breeding over the Labor Day weekend, a cancellation of the root canal b/c I can endure the pain but not the expense ($1200 or $2400), out of town visitors (FUN), etc., etc. So here we are past the time for wearing white shoes (who would anyway???) and now MAYBE cooler nights without the a/c.

The breeding was somewhat convoluted inasmuch as I didn't do the planned one, but ended up punting. It's not a bad combination AT ALL, even if the expense and time required of Pam I. in trying to get it right was a tax for everyone. Apologies to her, most of all. Turns out the semen sent from Memphis by FedEx on Friday arrived by noon on Saturday, but when we attempted to use it on Sunday evening, all four test slides (more than usual just to make sure) showed dead sperm by the end of a minute! What to do now??? Dr. Ana said to do yet another progesterone test the next morning and we could use the frozen sperm of one of the dogs I have stored, so I chose Albert -- Escape Wizard Can CH BonaVenture's Albert. He's Bc. That means unless Peaches has inherited a chocolate gene from her grandfather, the entire litter will be black, some BB, some By and MAYBE some Bc or Cc, or however they put it scientifically. I don't care as long as there is a spectacular black girl to keep and lots of folks wanting black pups over the holiday season....and of course, pups that are healthy and full of the wonderful temperaments of their mom and pop (MINUS the gene for escape under any chain link fence found within inches of its nose). Peaches is a FABULOUS girl and we'll miss her when she has to go back to her home in Waco, GA, although I'm sure they miss her now every bit as much as we will then.

Okay, now I have two wonderful things to look forward to: The St. Louis Labrador Specialty when I can take Boogie and go see my dear "family" up there for a few days. Darcie and Anthony called during the Braves game Monday night to rub my nose into the loss to the Cardinals. We decided the next good time for a get-together would be that November Specialty, which I hadn't thought about but took right to the idea. Will probably enter Boogie and go up a day before so she can be roped into line by the likes of a professional (instead of me) and maybe show better than her mother ever did. They are practically clones of each other except Boogie takes after her name and is about as outgoing as any Labrador ever can get.

The second wonderful thing is that my financial advisors have me believing since the property dispute and the real estate market are so unpredictable, my best move to be nearer my family in Denver is to spend more time out there at a time instead of just a week or two. The Peaches/Albert pups will be going out the week before Christmas, so I now have reservations for Denver on Christmas Eve for a month! What a thought!!!! Can't wait, but will be patient and keep trying to get this place in order for possible marketing in the Spring.

The black pups from Garbo/Monkey are coming along famously. Of course, this is the time where tails look like rats, ears get too big and heads seem to shrink, rears get high and tail sets get low, and a pup seems to be unable to coordinate any set of bones in movement. I like this sort of development b/c it is NORMAL. These guys will come back together by the time they are a year, but in the meantime, their temperaments are to die for. I'm delighted to have had calls from owners of the siblings which cement this diagnosis....both parents donated their loving and sparkling temperaments to the get and I'm delighted with that result.

Garbo will be going to Canada to Joyce Love as soon as we can figure out how to handle it. She will do well up there and probably produce good things for Joyce. Then Garbo will be retired to a pet home and live the rest of her life in the style to which she thinks she deserves.

Meantime it's time to switch the dog crates from inside (no a/c to enjoy now that cooler days and nights are coming along) to the dog porch, which means a whole day of cleaning and rearranging tools, dust, equipment, etc. I better get to it....

Today is September 11. Nine years. Everyone has a story. I was emerging from Dr. Connolly's vet office where two pick Mariah pups were having their hips repaired so they could go to pet homes. That day will live forever in the minds of those who endured it with horror and pride in the strength of the United States of America in a time of peril. I will spend several moments today in quiet mourning for those in the Pentagon, in the field in PA, and of course, in NYC. I'll light three candles on the front porch at twilight and sit and think about all that has happened since then and the courage and heroism of those who were closer than I to that day. As with all who lived thru that day, worry about family, friends, acquaintances and all those who were trying so valiantly to help, we remember and pledge not to let something so horrific happen again. Strength in our values and our faiths will prevail. Those fanatics of a religion who do such despicable acts in the name of their god will not. MsP

RUNNING WATER!!!!

Eight days later and LOTS of hand sanitizer, bottled water and borrowing of neighbor's shower, we have running water at last. Of course, this situation was fraught with more problems than just a plain ole lightning strike late on a Friday night. First the well pump had to be extracted....190 feet of pipe and a funny-looking silver thing that was the fried pump. When that got replaced (four days) and reattached, it was clear there was a further problem. So what was it? Apparently the wiring from the pump to the house (underground, of course) was also fried. That took another two days. Then came the realization that the newly installed pump had come loose from its housing and had to be extracted AGAIN and reattached (two more days, doesn't that make eight???).

Saturday morning we have running water and can flush toilets once again in a modern manner. Thank goodness the pool had lots of chlorinated H2O available. The dogs drank that with no problem intestinally and we used 5-gallon buckets of it to make the toilets flush when we couldn't stand it any longer.

What a nightmare....once again, NEVER NEVER NEVER ask what can happen next!!!

On the way to pick up a cutie of a red Labrador female originally from Gregg Tonkin, she being transported by dear Kay to me and meeting me at Newnan, well, wouldn't you know....the Chrysler overheated. Yep, the only car I have since the Subaru was in at Bethea's Auto Repair for a NEW TRANSMISSION. So I limped back from Newnan, "Poppy" aboard behaving herself beautifully, and went to Bethea the next day to trade cars.

Here's the NEXT "happen next": When I got thru transferring all the folderol from the Chrysler to the Subaru and charged proudly off with my new transmission, THE DARNED THING WAS MAKING THE SAME SCRAPING NOISE IT WAS MAKING WHEN THEY DECLARED IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. Go figure...better yet, go to BED.

I left the Chrysler there, drove the Subaru as if nothing was wrong, and will exchange cars once again tomorrow. The worst part of this is the exchanging of stuff like the XM radio gear, etc. I'm thinking of putting it all in a single box and just hoisting it from one vehicle to the other with a big smile instead of the laborious method now employed. Tempting but it won't work b/c everything has to be plugged in and set in properly.....ARRGGHHH......

The GOOD thing that occurred was that Lori called to say that our Simba granddaughter was finally in season and did I want to breed her? YEP, you betcha.....want to get some of that old stuff back into this line if possible. So yesterday after a long and involved drive around the Atlanta airport trying to find Continental's version of cargo, I met dear Lori and her boys and left with "Peaches" to get her to Dr. Ana's for a progesterone test.

Needless to say further complications ensued: Peaches may need to be bred on Tuesday. This necessitates getting a proper transport kit to Pam in Memphis so she can send chilled semen from Justin to arrive on the right day. Okay, call the doc who invented this method of procreation to see whether the two kits I ordered on line the night before had indeed been sent. Nope, just a recorded message. He did indeed call me back and left ME a message, and after about four of those, I spoke with him. NOPE, he's at a conference and won't be back in time to even READ his email orders until Monday....oooops...what to do now? CALL the ever-reliable MiniTube folks. Of course, it costs about $125 more to have the kit sent overnight tonight for delivery tomorrow so Pam can get it collected and sent out Monday. BUT what we do for puppies? We spend it, of course.

Keeping all appendages crossed that this plan will work out for black and yellow pups in about 65 days. She's a lovely bitch, sort of a cross between the field and the show looks--reminds me of my old Porsche in a more "English" way--lots of bone and substance and great angles with an old-fashioned head and gorgeous pecan brown eyes. Her temperament is FABULOUS. Reminds me of Old Simba himself. And she's a big girl, so I hope that means she can hold a BIG litter since these pups should be ready to go out sometime around the holidays. All I want is a nice yellow girl whose lineage goes back to my beloved Simba with improvements in some of the places that he lacked conformationally. He didn't lack ANYTHING in temperament or smarts. I miss that old fellow every single day of my life. What a good fortune for him to have been the first real Champion in my Labrador life!

In re-reading this tome, I am reminded that my mother's good friend, Betty, who lived in Miami before it became a foreign country, used to send a Christmas card along with a typed sheet listing all the gruesome things that happened to her and Elmer during the previous year. We used to sit and guffaw at what Betty thought was interesting. We thought it was totally off the wall that someone would want to read about how she survived a whole year of troubles sent along with a cheery card during the holiday season. Guess I'm sounding a LOT like Betty these days!

Okay, enough....gonna go brush my teeth in running water instead of a little glass of spring water for a change...heck, I might even take a shower instead of dousing in hand sanitizer!
More later....MsP

What Can Happen Next? Now I Know

Okay, I'm trying to be positive. Really I am....smiling, assuming a happy attitude, thinking good things....HONEST! That is until last night at 11:30 when I tried to wash my hands before going to bed--NO WATER, just gurgling from the faucet. We had terrific thunder storms and lightning for about four hours, with the tv going out about every three minutes, but it was over by then. Had just finished filling the puppies' bucket for the next morning's exodus and there had been plenty of water to do that. Now NONE! Joseph came down stairs and said, "Aunt Patty, something the matter with the water???" "I dunno, Joseph, but there is none." Nothing amiss in the electric boxes, no switches out, etc. So a text message went out to Jack and I went to sleep to toss and turn all night. At 6:30 AM, he came, turned on the light and declared, "It's probably the pump b/c there is nothing in the water tank and electricity is okay. Call your household insurance. Can't fix it until Monday, so you'll have to make do." Can't brush teeth, flush toilet, wash dishes, clean anything in sink, etc., etc., etc. Shades of the Good Ole Days.

I WON'T ASK THAT QUESTION AGAIN (the one that says What Can Happen Next??) -- So am off to buy gallons of water, hand cleaner, etc., etc. to carry us thru until Monday or Tuesday.

GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED: The Braves won at the bottom of the ninth in Chicago with a three run double and two outs! Ankiel put his best bat forward and hit a line drive shot between Center and Left field with the bases loaded. We won 5 to 3! Boy, those Braves are sumpin else!

"Tiny" went out this morning. The Schrowangs were pleased as punch with the little one. He is SO special and has such a fabulous temperament. I got to see Shadow (one of Mariah's last litter) and he was so excited to be here that he literally jumped up and down in delight....hadn't been here for over five years! Just goes to show you they don't forget!

Bye, Bye -- Wally World, here I come! MsPatty

OH BOY DOES A TOOTH ACHE INTERRUPT LIFE

Okay, I admit it, I'm not fond of going to the dentist, but at this point there appears to be not much choice. I've had funny sensations around my "pre-molars" for about six weeks and now it aches and I'm occasionally dizzy. Unfortunately there's no dentist around who honors Medicare, so the coffers will be reduced once again. Getting old is for the birds and terrorists IMHO. So am off to find a dentist and try not to remember the good ole days when there wasn't so much to make a dental visit more pleasant. I had a horrible experience when in the fourth grade, but not as awful as my sister did when she had her tooth pulled by an old butcher who didn't even give her anesthesia b/c she was crying so hard. Still can remember her screams at the age of four when that happened....even remember his name: Dr. Morrison. Good grief, I know it's not like that now, but somehow an imprint remains.

Good news: the glorious lovely beautiful fandamtabulous black boy out of Garbo and Monkey has finally come out of his shell and become Mr. Ethel Merman. Everyone has noticed....used to be shy and retiring. Now he comes dancing over and solicits attention and kisses like crazy. Think Georgia can be credited for this accomplishment, for he observed her behavior while they were romping in the yard yesterday and it seemed to make a dent in his original reticence. I love this fellow (BG) and hope he didn't inherit his mother's propensity for deciding that once around the ring was all she was interested in doing. We're going to work on this boy to offset any semblance of that trait long before it's time to show him off in the conformation ring. He's a jewel in the making I HOPE!

Okay, I've put off searching for a dentist, so here I go. Thanks for reading, P

WEIRD

Well, after two-plus weeks in fabulous Utah with the family, I'm back and suffering from the heat, humidity and drabness of being here in Georgia when I'd much rather be out there. Also have found that communication with folks who were thought to be part of my family has dropped to zero which hurts my feelings to say the very least. Very depressing.

Actually last weekend was relatively fun b/c five of the Garbo/Monkey pups went to new homes, as did our return beauty, Sassy Salsa. Sassy was returned while I was gone b/c her owners were in a financial bind and couldn't afford to keep her any longer. She was skin and bones at about thirty pounds at five years of age when she arrived, but by the time I got here, she had gained about five pounds and was coming out of her scared s....... mood. Must have been an awful transition for her. BUT she's now living the life of a queen as the companion to the grandmother of one of the families who got a yellow male pup out of the latest litter. What a wonderful break for her and for us as well. We would have loved to keep her, but since she was spay and not very tall, she was meant to be a companion and not a brood bitch.

Anyway, the Utah trip was fabulous and I miss that place and my daughter and grandchildren like crazy. Also the rest of the family which melded together and had a blast together. We went to an exhibit of dinosaurs and 3-D IMAX film about sea creatures, a rodeo, the WONDERFUL Park City Juried Art Show, and several markets where we stoked up on local veggies and treats. It was just perfect and not only that, but there was time to READ without interruption....bliss!

Thanks to Joyce Woods for taking care of my pups during the trip. They were in top shape and I am forever grateful to her for doing such a great job of it. I've decided to keep the big black boy out of the litter. He'll be registered as Sumo's Monkey Bizzness By George and we call him BG. That's in honor of his gorgeous father, CH Fortune's Curious George who's known as "Monkey." There's still a black girl (8 weeks next Monday) who's not claimed and she's a beauty of the first order. She was claimed until the folks on the list for her decided to take an older yellow pup instead, so we have a beauty available now.

I am (can you tell???) in a blue funk and currently believe I'm developing a molar problem...headache, dizziness and ache on the left upper side. No fun after having such a great time out West.

So far, no further news about the property dispute except to note that the bank which has the property now at least sent somebody to re-survey everything. That's at least the sixth survey on this property since it was first sold years ago, including my own at an astronomical cost not to mention the lawyers' fees, etc. Maybe before I kick the bucket this issue will be settled and I can get to selling the rest of this place, assuming of course somebody can qualify for a loan at a level I can afford to sell. At the moment I feel like GIVING it to anybody who asks and getting out of Dodge ASAP.

WEIRD....not very interesting, so to bed now that the Braves have beaten the Nationals. P

PROGRESS!!!

YIPPEE.....THE PUPPIES ARE WEANED!!! That means no more bottle feeding four times and three times and two times a day, especially in the wee hours. Of course, now that Garbo has found out she is invited in to clean up the mush bowl, she's delighted to pay attention to the whelping box. Up until that occurred to her, she was only interested in finding a place to hide when I was looking for her to feed these ten tykes. But now we have graduated to the next stage, and all appears to be in good form, including what's coming out the back....that's the important thing at this stage, believe it or not.

Also progress on the east deck. Joseph has finally put the finishing touches on it and I'm pleased. Now the west deck and the front porch and we're almost finished with the initial list.

Had a wonderful conversation with my very best friend of all time today, having known and loved her since we were young and chipper and didn't know what the world was about. How wonderful to have a friend to share all these years with. When we speak, even if it's been a long time, it's as if no time has occurred. Everyone should have someone like that to go thru life with. I'm lucky!

Georgia came in from playing tonight and apparently she has become a mud puppy. Half of what was on her is now on the bed. This morning before I left for the doc appt about the ringing in my ears, she disappeared. I heard the driveway monitor ding three times, looked for a truck or somebody, and no one appeared. Then no Georgia....all I could think of was how I was going to explain to Joyce in Canada how my brindle bundle had driven off with a stranger. Just when I was getting in the car to go searching (and be late to the doc) here came Georgia flying and sputtering. Have no idea where she thought she was allowed to go, but it's NOT down the driveway. Methinks Garbo showed her the way and she decided she could do it all by herself. NOPE....

Anyway, back to my Tess Gerritson mystery and fall asleep. Eight days to Utah! MsP

What the Wee Hours Look Like

This morning is a blur because the middle of the night was a task to be dealt with. The puppies seem to be unhappy and at 4AM Garbo let me know she was going to get out of the whelping (bathroom) room door if she had to eat her way thru it. So up I got, let her out and tried to quiet the yelping three week olds. Haven't a clue what the matter was, but almost every one of the ten was making some sort of unhappy noise. I turned up the fan, cleaned out the box, held the ones who were the most disturbed, helped them discharge what they could out the back end and wondered what to do next. Decided to worm them. Turned down the a/c two degrees just to see if that helped. Gradually it did. Was praying it wasn't the herpes virus, but their symptoms just don't jibe with that, thank heavens. About 5:30 the crying stopped and everyone appeared to be sleeping comfortably spread out in the box. I didn't awaken again until 11AM and am still groggy. Let Garbo in to tend to them, which she surprisingly did without objection this time, and they all lumbered about trying to keep up with her. They are sleeping again now and tomorrow I'll try exposing them to gruel in the hopes that they will take to that, and their daily care will be easier to manage since their mother has pretty much gone to Unemployment. I'll be placing her as soon as she gets back to normal, for no more pups after this third time. She's an absolute delight and an easy keeper as long as she realizes that she's not always in charge, but she's not a dedicated mother after Day 5, so we won't be doing this again for sure.

Will hope to spend the rest of today cleaning up around here and making things look less congested. It's so hot and humid that doing anything outside will be put off until the evening.

Our boarder went home yesterday afternoon and we are now down to the bare essentials: Rummy, Stuff (The Boss), Garbo and her daughter Boogie, along with the two young pups, Roja and Stone. Of course, Georgia is here trying to assert her leadership over the entire bunch including the three cats, but that might only be possible in her snoring dreams. The 2 quarter sized lesions on her back appear to the vet to be a strange sort of hot spot since scrapings didn't show anything else and she had the EXACT same thing happen a year ago this week! Go figure.....

My sister, Susan, and brother-in-law, Randy, made it to Park City in fine fettle and enjoyed meeting their daughter, Stephanie, went out ahead of time. They said the weather is great and the sales at Nordstroms are even greater. Susan called me from the shoe department wanting to know if I needed any Merrells, but I turned that down in an effort to economize. Can't wait to get out and enjoy the WEST. Almost ten days to go before flying away.

Finished the biography of the double spy for England and Germany in WWII. It is a true espionage story so convoluted that if a movie was made about it, everyone would think the whole thing was made up. Definitely a difficult book to put down. Called AGENT ZIGZAG, it's the story of Eddie Chapman researched by author Ben MacIntyre. Chapman was a bonified British crook prior to his capture by the Nazi's when they took over the Island of Jersey after appropriating France. What happens to Eddie from then on is truly a bizarre and entertaining read. He's a slippery character who pulls off some of the most unbelievable spy stunts. Some of the things the British did to outwit the Germans are truly amazing, and so is Chapman's participation in making sure they succeeded. If you have a chance to find it at one of the big book stores or on Amazon, DO read it!

Heard they are getting a Trader Joe's in Athens. Good for them. Only wish they'd get one in Stone Mountain, although that would be awful for my weight and bank account. As it is, having to drive an hour to get there is probably a good deterrent. If someone has access and hasn't yet tried Trader Joe's, don't wait any longer. I've never had anything from there that wasn't top notch, period. All their foods are well prepared, low priced and reliable for the best gustatory experience. That's the only thing I'll miss about moving to Colorado since they won't be establishing themselves there for various competitive reason, I'm told.

Off to get my morning latte and wake up, maybe.....at least at the moment the pups are quiet. P

KARMA!!

Okay, I DID sit down and TRY to get some stuff entered into the QuickBooks account, HONEST, I did!!~!! Guess what? I couldn't get the darned thing to let me find anything that has been posted since 2005. Go figure.....the last time anything was done on it was back in April, with an accountant helping things out. Evidently he put the new stuff in some hidden place. I called him and wailed away about finally getting down to this damned task and he said for me not to worry. He would come and get it fixed up. BUT he's presently in FLORIDA! Won't be back until Sunday night. Made the suggestion of next Tuesday being the first time he could come fix the puzzle. PHEW....okay, I'm off the hook, feeling guilty about it, and happily watching So You Think You Can Dance and reading my book about a Nazi/British double agent true story. Only thing that troubles me at the moment is I now don't know how I'm gonna get all this stuff up there before leaving for Utah. I promised myself I would at least do that....we'll see.

All puppies' eyes are open and Garbo has decided she will drop by occasionally and clean up the whelping box, but as to feeding this bunch of ten, well, she'll opt out, thank you very much. I've clipped their toe nails and washed them off, but she has quit on me. They are eating from a bottle three times a day, consuming over 32 liquid ounces of formula each time as a total. Boy do they suck that stuff out of a nipple. The smallest one is the most vigorous sucker. Last time he just wouldn't quit and got a belly ache. They have begun to let it out the back on their own now without stimulation. I can hardly wait until they're steady enough on their legs to start eating solid mush. It might be a bigger problem cleaning up, but at least I know they're becoming more autonomous and Garbo needn't be depended on for their total nutrition.

Went to the bone doc this AM. Seems what has been waking me up nights in the hip area (No, I haven't been OFA'ed.) is actually not arthritis but the same thing as tennis elbow or bursitis. Have to start regular bouts of Aleve and do warm, wet towel soaks to make it better, along with some pretty strange exercises that entail sticking one's butt out while putting feet together and leaning over, three times with feet parallel, and three times each with feet crossed to one side and the other. BOY does that pull and I feel it on the right side like a fire. Hope it helps. At least it's not arthritis, as the x-rays showed my ascetabulum, etc., etc., to be free of that plague.

Bought lots of fresh fruits and vegetables at Publix today so as to get on the LOSE SOME WEIGHT band wagon. Actually made me hungry to put them in the basket and go to check out. Am determined to lose at least five or more pounds before leaving for Utah on the 28th.

Off to read. YIPPEE....can't do tax stuff even if I wanted to!!! :-O mP

I'll Do ANYTHING.....

not to have to sit down and do this darned tax stuff. Okay, I've procrastinated enough and tonight's the night.......maybe.....

How about The Braves' Catcher Brian McCann hitting a three run double and letting the National League finally win an All Star game? WHOOPPEEEE....he's been my hero for a very long time. Such a dedicated and intelligent guy. I've said it a thousand times: If I live to BE a thousand I'll never forget seeing Brian and "Frenchie" sitting in the dugout on the very first night they had BOTH been called up to play in the Major Leagues. The grins and looks of sheer amazement and delight on their faces were just incredible. They had been wanting to be Braves since they were young kids in school here in Atlanta and what karma that they would emerge together on the same night. Francour hit a homer that night and Brian has been doing that ever since constantly, elected to All-Star statue every year including his rooky one. Brian was MVP for the game! He deserved it and I've been smiling all day just thinking about how happy he must be. Frenchie was traded last year, but Brian has stayed a Brave, got married in the Spring and they are expecting their first offspring now. His parents were in the stands last night, so they too must be bulging with pride. Such a nice story in this age of awful happenings everywhere!

Went to the ENT doc this morning to see if I have something in my head that's making my ears scream at a high pitch all the time. It was a matter of sitting in a chair with all sorts of wires taped to my face and listening to some burping sounds. The girl said "Try to ignore all the sounds you hear and just relax." RIGHT....try to ignore the sound of a tank mowing you down...the only thing I DIDN'T hear was the high pitched ringing! Anyway, back to the ENT doc next week for her to tell me I am losing some hearing and that's why I get the ringing, called tinnitus methinks. Guess that means a hearing aid of some sort, but I don't know if my ego can take that even at this age. Depends on how much the tinnitus invades my life, especially out West, for it bothered me most in Colorado. ANNOYING AS HELL, pardon the expression, but at least there are worse things that it could be instead of "just" hearing loss. I'll find out next week.

Of course, when I returned home to start work on this tax stuff, there were emails to answer, most about the property encroachment. Then we discovered that my friend who helped me get the screws for the deck rail last week had gotten the wrong size and hidden them in an obvious place, but one we didn't know about. So, OUT I had to go again for more screws from Home Depot. That meant gas from Sam's, a prescription from there, and something else that I can't even remember now. The whole day wasted and nothing entered on the computer for taxes. Boy, am I good at putting this off....

No more waiting.....uh-oh, maybe that was somebody coming down the drive? Do I have anything to make for dinner? Oh, yeah, tonight's So You Think You Can Dance....yippee, two hours when I just WON'T do tax stuff....see what I mean????

msP

Hot and Humid but Some Progress

Things just keep loping along. Joseph finally got his driver's license reinstated but there's still a long ways to go (government paperwork, etc.) to get him on Medicaid and assistance, etc. We keep on keeping on with that issue.

Nothing else to report about the property dispute, as the bank seems to have to make its own determination about whether we've told the truth or not. ARRGGGHHH.....

The Garbo pups have grown by leaps and bounds and I can hardly wait until their eyes open, probably in the next day or two. Garbo has exhibited her usual "I did it for five days, now it's YOUR turn" attitude so we have to convince her that going in to feed the pups is a necessity and not an option. She feeds them sitting up, maybe I mentioned it before, with puppies doing a double helix configuration trying to get fed four times a day and overnight. As soon as these tykes can lumber around and see something, I'll relieve Garbo of the task in a slow but sure fashion. Of course that means ME doing the cleaning up, so it's a win/lose issue no matter how you look at it.

Had a visitor last week from my old Michigan days. She was very helpful around the house getting things fixed up and organized. Unfortunately she delved into the social set up around here and started trouble by spreading information guaranteed to cause problems. I was relieved when she went home and really angry after she left when I found out what she had done to try to "fix" my life in the way she thought it should be fixed. So I have cut off further communication with her b/c I can't trust "friends" like that. We had known each other for a very long time, but apparently she felt it was long enough to try to change my life to something she thought was more correct. Too bad. Some people just need to get a life of their own instead of trying to manipulate that of others, IMHO, huh?

The two pups from Alabama are growing and looking great. We're transferring them to the west pool yard gradually where they'll have more room and more company with the older dogs. At present they are ensconced on the front porch and seem to like it, but they need more exercise than that area allows, and so outside they go for mornings and evenings. They are crate trained for overnight and now eating twice a day with no problems. Their porch "potty" area has been improved by a zillion percent thanks to Elizabeth Bowron's suggestion of using horse stall pellets confined to a 2x4x8 rectangle placed over a 4'x6' horse stall mat. The "left overs" are SO much easier to pick up, the smell is not nearly as attractive to flies, and the whole process was a snap to fix up and maintain. The only problem has been convincing the boy ("Stone") to use it....he insists on doing his business just outside, but the girl ("Roja") took right to it and has ever since Saturday when we put it together.

I'm on about getting all this damned tax information put on the computer this week so as to have that over with by the time I leave for Utah on the 28th. I HATE THIS STUFF....

Later and hope all is well out there in the real world. MsP

A Continuing Adventure in Puppying

Mother Nature just keeps me hopping. I've never had a pup who came out small and stayed that way. He's not a dwarf and he is as active as everybody else, but he's just plain little! Black boy with yellow collar.

Yesterday morning Garbo raced out to do her morning eliminations and she had something in her mouth. Nothing unusual--Garbo ALWAYS has something in her mouth, a toy, a shoe, you name it. I didn't think much about it until I went back to the whelping box and as is my habit, I counted: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10....again:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10....huh? After the third count to 10, it came to me....what was in Garbo's mouth was Number 11, and of course it was the little black boy.

Outside I flew, Garbo leading the way to the muddy corner by the ginger plants to show me her idea of the newest way to house a pup. There he was, covered in red Georgia clay and mad as a hornet. At first I thought she was telling me something I refused to admit--something's really the matter with this tyke. Nope, a few minutes later, Garbo tried to take a yellow girl on a trip. Only problem is that the other pups are too big to carry handily. The black boy fits inside her mouth and the rest dangle and wriggle and don't like it, period. Certainly says something about this boy's obliging temperament--he just goes with the flow! Big problem is he's not getting enough of one particular flow, methinks.

So I HOPE this means it's just part of Garbo's working her way thru post partum somethingorother. Since that time, she's not tried any other Mayflower Moving experience. Guess she got it that only gets her into trouble of the first order.

Meantime, I've come to see that the little black boy just can't make it to a nipple easily b/c his cohorts bump him out of the way. Could also be that Garbo refuses to nurse laying down....she prefers to do it sitting up so the pups make a double vertical helix trying to eat. Leave it to the Garbs to do it her way (see picture on Facebook if you don't believe me.)

I've been supplementing him several times a day but am worried that he's not getting the passive immunity he needs from his mother's colostrum. So this morning four of the biggest are napping in the warmth of a puppy box while the little black boy has a better chance for a faucet on his mom. Guess I'd better start calling him Mighty Man, huh? He never gives up, looks exactly like the rest only in miniature, and just doesn't know he's so tiny. I won't give up.

This morning at four, the frantic sounds of a pup awakened me. In I went to find it wasn't the little black boy (who doesn't complain about ANYTHING) but a yellow girl who was wedged nose first and firmly stuck in a corner. She just couldn't figure out how to turn around. Do blondes really have more fun???? At ten this morning, there she was again, but this time she seems to have accepted her fate and calmly awaited her mom (or ME??) to come retrieve her.

Off to clean the whelping box covers, an every day need. Yesterday I gave up and got some fleece for three new ones so as to have a full washing machine every three days instead of doing it constantly with a small load. Got some awesome fleece with dog biscuits and pawprints on it, then some with MONKEY FACES....'cause that's their daddy's name, of course. I haven't sat at the sewing machine since May, so hope I remember how to do it!

Meantime, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzp

ZZZZZZZZ Again

Hard to believe it's been nine days since the last entry. A great deal has happened, mainly in numbers -- ELEVEN (count 'em, 11) Garbo/Monkey puppies, split almost half and half--five blacks, six yellows; three each yellow girls, boys and black boys, two black girls. Born via section yesterday at Dr. Ana's. After the trip to Pittsburgh, arriving on Sat afternoon in Atlanta, Garbo had begun early stages of labor. So into the bedroom she came and she panted, and she panted, and she panted, pausing every now and then for a quiet nap. Each quiet nap I got up, shined a flashlight in to see if she either contracted or had a water break. NOPE....for forty-eight hours we loped along. I don't do well without sleep....who does??? Not even Garbo, although she remained her usual sweet and gentle self, but she just kept PANTING with no accompanying contractions or water breaks or nuttin. She looked like a large hippo and was obviously uncomfortable. By Sunday night, with a temp rise to 101.8F I consulted Dr. Ana via her cell. We decided to wait thru the night and if she hadn't produced by early Mon AM, away we would go to Alpharetta.

Didn't I get up at sixAM, pack the car and was on the way thru the Atlanta traffic at seven. Arrived in time to weigh Garbo in at three pounds lighter than the day of the x-ray....at which time Dr. Pam had declared there were six for sure, probably seven, maybe eight! HAH! Anyway, progesterone test showed they were ready for the outside, so the section was begun just after lunch. Dr. Ana provided a comfortable couch in the back room for me to rest while we await to begin the surgery. Didn't I sleep right thru it??? Yep, and I thought they were joking when they told me the number. All weighed in at a pound each except for one little 14 oz black boy....no wonder Garbs was dragging in the middle. She NEVER would have been able to safely produce all those pups by herself, so the decision to section was right on!

Anyway, they came home before traffic time and were ensconsed in the whelping box without any problem. Big problem with Garbo is that she doesn't have any milk to speak of just yet. SO wetnurse/granny is feeding them via bottle a half and half version of goat's milk and esbilac. Every six hours. ZZZZZZZZ

Anyway, had a blast judging in Pittsburgh. Honestly can say that was one of the best judging experiences I've had, period. What a wonderful club, how well organized, and how well conducted. Everyone could take a lesson from this group about how to have a back to back Specialty. Cudos to Liz and her crew.

Guess I could be considered consistent as I put up on Friday the same black dog I'd given the points to (his first, then) at a Specialty when he was a youngster! That finished him. On Thursday, Winner's Bitch was Linda Bednarski's gorgeous yellow girl and that finished HER Championship as well.....that makes six for me as far as picking a dog whom I like and then giving that dog enough points to finish its AKC Championship. Maybe I might actually know what a Labrador is supposed to look and move like? I saw lots of different heads, but was pleased with the neck and shoulder assemblies on most of the dogs. Some low tail sets, some coats blowing, some weird movement. I kept my eyes on the dogs and not on the other end of the lead and am sure I disappointed a few who were expecting better placements, but I was happy with my decisions. It was a hot time in PA, but fun. PS, the Pittsburgh airport is FABULOUS...if you ever get a chance to go thru there, enjoy what is certainly one of the best airports in existence. Those people know how to make an airport, believe me!

Now it's to the feeding regimen....good thing these tykes take to bottle nipples. I don't like having to tube unless it's an emergency and fortunately these pups are past masters at sucking already. Garbo's milk has begun to descend, but because of the demand, I'll probablyhave to keep up the supplementing until they are ready for weaning. Just a better chance to see what they're like individually. Am keeping a black girl out of this crew and maybe even a black boy unless some yellow critter sneaks in under the radar.

Off for a nap before the next feeding. ZZZZZZ...p.s., Georgia just doesn't know what's happening around here. She's accepted that the master bathroom has been converted into some strange configuration with a big box, but she's just not sure anyone consulted her about those little squealing funny looking things her mom holds and rubs. On the other hand, Buzz, the grey cat, is decidedly UNHAPPY with the latest development. He is insulted that we thought we needed yet some MORE critters to come here and take away his time. The look on his face as he raised his head and stared at me and then at them was just priceless. Buzz is a wonderful companion and I keep forgetting to consult with him, I guess....zzzzzzzp

YIPPEE...some new pups to come

Yesterday was spent on the road driving to an absolutely GORGEOUS place in the middle of Alabama called Jemison. My dear friend of all these years. Joyce Woods, has a fox red Badger daughter whom we co-own and "Dancer" whelped a litter about six weeks ago. I went over to see how they are coming along. There's only one girl and she's coming here eventually. The litter is smaller than the second one born about ten days later than Dancer's, and we'll be co-owning a yellow boy out of that one. So it's two pups coming here in about a month to grow up together. The girl will be called "Rojo" (Spanish for red) and the boy is "Stone." Funny that both Joyce and I had picked red semi-precious jewel names for our pups-- Rojo will be named Carnelian and Stone will be Cinnabar. Neither of these two pups are actually fox reds, but they have that dark yellow color in their pedigrees and will produce it if bred properly. The purpose of this sort of combination is to extend the fox red gene pool so that we can produce gorgeous, healthy and dark yellow Labradors. That color has been in the background for a very long time even though that color was probably the first "yellow" ever born.

Anyway, today is a day to remember our Dad. He's been gone for a while now, but I still can hear his voice and think about all he's done for us as a family. In this time when families are not always very big and don't get together very often to enjoy themselves and their heritages, I'm grateful that ours was brought up to remember how much all the extended family means in keeping the GOOD in this country. He fought in World War II, a kind of battle that we don't see much of these days. He would have been appalled at what we are facing today. But what he stood for in the way of stalwart loyalty to freedom and all it brings to those who can enjoy it is something we must keep on fighting for no matter the style of battle we face. Thanks, Daddy!

Off to do the refrigerator on a day that I know Daddy would be proud of me. I have my mother's genes for housekeeping: NONE. So if he could see my refrigerator, he'd probably throw up and scream. I'm going to try to make it look like one of those in a Sears advertisement. I've tried that before and somehow time always creeps up and the reefer becomes a cold garage sale of green things and liquids that need a chemical analysis to determine what they were when they were first put in there. I HATE REFRIGERATORS. Somebody needs to make one about 8 inches deep and the length of a wall so somebody always knows what's in there. I KNOW, I KNOW....they do areddy, BUT I can't afford it, so I'm stuck with this one for the rest of living on this earth.

Gonna listen to The BRAVES while I'm doing it so as to make things go faster and I won't have to pay complete attention to the task at hand.

Tonight we give Garbo a bath before she goes to see the Vet tomorrow for x-rays to count skulls and spines. If the Dr. Ana saw her now, she'd think Garbo was a fox red hippopotamus. Garbo's favorite pasttime is to wallow in any red mud she can find. And we have plenty of it, apparently, most of it on HER. Wonder if we have enough shampoo to get it all off??

Later and hopefully with a less daunting reefer (REFRIGERATOR) and a cleaner pregnant Garbo, MsP

Flag Day

Forgot sumpin.....got a couple of emails this morning encouraging me to go to THE DENVER POST FRONT PAGE and see something special. After a few computer clicks, there is MAX SMITH, MY GRANDSON....Cub Scout in the middle, right on the front page of Denver's only daily. Seems that their troop (led by Lolly) attended the Denver Flag Day Ceremonies and some photographer from the Post took their picture. What's SO cute is that there are three Cubs saluting....two on left doing so correctly with their right hands configured with fingers over their right eyes. The cutie on the right is saluting with his LEFT hand over his LEFT eye! Sign of a gifted child if there ever was one, methinks, although the other two are definitely gifted. Apparently this whole thing also made the tv evening news although I haven't figured out yet how to tap into that proud moment on video. Max is the tallest bean pole in his class even if he's the same age and 18 months younger than his sister over whom he towers. Reese is PARTIALLY pictured just behind Max, blond hair and squint on her face. What a hoot! It's reached by going to the web page of the DP and clicking on "Front Page" in case you have lots of time and nothing else to do. ME? I've ordered a copy of the photo, of course! :-)p-alsoknownasgeegeebythesecondgeneration

Blue Skies

Not one cloud in these skies. Blue as can be. AND HOT AND HUMID!

Today is a lazy one except for the need to rearrange the dog porch and make it look like something other than a kennel. We've moved the dogs inside b/c I finally had to turn on the a/c out of sheer desperation. Have purchased from QVC a room a/c for Joseph's room upstairs. Should come tomorrow. After some figuring, decided it would be less expensive to just get one room cooled off than to have to run the upstairs a/c all the time for that one room. Don't have the money for either, but at least I can take the portable (HAH) one with when I move to Denver. Not much need for a/c out there, but there are occasions when it might come in handy.

Am going over to AL on Thursday to see the Dancer pups. SO exciting to know she's produced a good litter of dark yellows. Only one girl, who appears to be quite small, but she's dark!

Garbo looks like a muddy tank. The girls have found a way to get wet and then wallow in the red clay in the garden which is no longer a garden b/c they've killed all the daylilies and made themselves a clay spa. Will have to bathe her before going to Dr. Ana's next week....the x-ray to count skulls and spines won't be able to see thru all that mud to do any counting. Also will be taking Rummy for a wart on her eye and Stuff b/c she's acting old and decrepit lately. Seems that being OFA Excellent doesn't make a whole lot of difference when you're passing the twelve year mark.

Okay, I've put it off long enough....out to the hot and messy porch I go. MsP

Good Grief, It's Sunday Already

Awoke this morning to wonder what day it was.....the last week having passed by so fast that it seems as though LAST Sunday just happened.

OKAY, I GAVE UP. Jack finally brought over some new replacement filters and it was so humid/hot that I actually turned on the A/C. First set it on 75 and waited for things to cool down. By the evening, the thermostat was upped to 77 and this morning it went further, to 79. IF the humdiddy is gone, a higher temp is easier to take. Besides, for reasons that are still not clear, the electric bill last month was almost $300. SO I can't afford to be TOO cool and live until the Fall.

Agenda for today: Moving the dogs inside for the nights and Garborella to my bedroom now that we are getting close to "puppy time." It's still about two weeks, but she's so big that I wouldn't be surprised if she popped them out just to make room. Actually I believe her girth is b/c of having had previous litters and muscles not as "springy" as they once were, but....

Anyway, crate moving and dog porch cleaning are what's happening today. Maybe I'll even read some. Finished The Zookeeper's Wife and was SO taken with this true story. This woman was remarkable and so was the author who found her story and documented it. It gives one a heart's eye view of what happened to Warsaw and the Jews when the Nazis invaded Poland in the early 1940's. Such heroics, such pain and suffering, and yet such resilience. Inspiring in these days of terrorism.

Maybe I won't even go outside today AT ALL......maybe the A/C being on will keep me enclosed. MsP

IT'S JUST TOO HOT AND HUMID

SOMEBODY PLEASE get me to Colorado. I HATE THIS HEAT AND MOIST AIR. And the electric bill was up to almost $300 last month and we didn't have the air on and didn't use anything else more than usual. AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH......

Anyway, had a fab late lunch with my cousin and aunt at a place called ARIZONA....wish we could have been in that state while eating, but at least the a/c was on in the Atlanta version. The food there is ALWAYS delishous. Really took chances and had red meat (hamburger) for a change and it was just as good as I hoped. They make a cream corn with BOURBON and I ordered that for the side. Wish somebody would tell me how they do that recipe, for it's out of this world, and I don't always like or eat corn on purpose!

Garbo is the size of a hippo. Hope she waits until I get back from Pittsburgh to pop these black and yellow things. And hope we have LOTS of them. Can't wait to see what comes out this time.

No calls since Monday on progress on the property dispute. If anybody approaches me with something other than GOOD news on that front, this heat/humidity will guarantee a biting, miserable and very rude response. It was THEIR FAULT and I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, right?????

Tomatoes are appearing by the hundreds, but still green. Peaches are ALL GONE....fur covered rats got 'em all the night before I put out the next in scarey tin foil covered plates to waft in the wind and make them think they better not get up there and purloin any more fruit. Too late for peaches, but still have about 100 pears that IHOPEWILLWAITUNTIL AUGUST....ah well

Off to watch the Braves. They're gonna be a LOT more comfortable in Minneapolis (or however you spell it) than if they were playing in this sauna of an Atlanta metro area.

Did I mention I HATE HEAT AND HUMDIDDY???? Ciao for now...off for a towel, MsP

All Nighters Take It Out on You

After the meeting with my financial advisor about the encroachment yesterday, I was so worked up that my brain just went into overdrive. The new real estate lawyer is a cracker jack woman who has my best interest at heart but is at the same time realistic. During the telephone conversation/meeting, it became apparent that she was not totally aware of the facts of this issue. So to make sure all is clear, I sat up ALL NIGHT writing down everything we had discussed and asking even more questions about what we were doing/going to do/have done/should have done. I just couldn't get to sleep b/c so many things kept popping into my brain that needed to be recorded. I had promised to stay in the background and let my financial advisor take the reins, but after the meeting yesterday I had to make sure everything we discussed was at least recorded.

SO at present I am groggy and not thinking straight at all. This entire process has been an anathema from the moment the buyers called to ask for permission to deed more land b/c they had "mistakenly" placed the septic tank field over the property line. We also knew that they had put the driveway too close to the line. At one point, because THEIR surveyors (two different companies) had mistakenly used the incorrect property pins at the north of this land, it became apparent that I had "sold these folks land I didn't own." Now it looks as though this may indeed have been a ploy on the part of the buyers to obtain land they didn't pay for. They did a number of things that weren't legal before someone called them on it. I have spent A LOT trying to prove all this, and unfortunately the court doesn't appear to care WHO found out the problem. It only wants it fixed and I may not recoup my expenses in the process!!! CHEESCH!

Am reading a FANTASTIC book: THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS NEST by Steig Larrson. This is the third in his trilogy, the first being THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and the second, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE. Characters in all three are the same (including "THE GIRL") and the action continues from the first thru the third. These are translations from Swedish. The author died before the third book was published. I found that the beginning of each is slow, but as endings get closer, things move along so fast that it's difficult to put any of them down. Thank heavens for this distraction. A real tragedy that this man died before he could continue to use his remarkable talents as a writer. Somewhere I have heard they are making a movie about the first one. Hard to see how they can remain faithful to the books, however....too much detail and too many plot turns to include from the true story. Take this recommendation: read them in order. BUT READ THEM.....You won't be sorry!

Off to nap.....zzzzzz once again, MsP

Cucumbers are GOOD

Weekend over. Braves won two of four, lost the other two by one run each.

The cucumber was SO sweet and crispy. Ate the whole thing myself!

Off to see the financial advisor about the property settlement issue. I'm sure he will tell me I'm poor as a churchmouse and getting poorer. Just what I need to know these days.

Weather sunny and hot. Had a delightful and fun time with the two boys and Kristine Hampson yesterday, mid-day. They brought wonderful Spirit who is in such good coat that I hardly can believe she's as old as she is. And Boogie's sister came, too. She's a bit taller than Boogie but looks a great deal like her in the face. The two of them got wet in the pool and so did Georgia. However, Georgia's experience was one of almost complete panic and she ended up recuperating in her crate for most of the day. Guess it's just not meant to be that French Bulldogs are avid swimmers, even when they have pink flowered life-saving jackets to keep their fronts above water.

Got the cutest note from Lolly this morning about their experience at the Denver Sidewalk Chalk Art Show this weekend. Apparently Max felt that he had to acquire as much chalk on himself as he put on the sidewalk in the "try it yourself" section. But both kids (ages eight and nine, for heaven's sake) shrieked "Look, Mommy, it's a Vermeer!!!" when they saw one of the pictures at the exhibit. Pretty savvy for two young ones at that age, huh?

Would you believe that the singular (literally) watermelon plant growing in a pretty large container actually has some blossoms coming??? I'm holding my breath. Sorta.....But the tomatoes and cukes and all the herbs seem to be bursting out all over like the proverbial month of June. Summer brings the BEST eats there are.

Off to the financial meeting about the property settlement. Will treat myself to a REAL Starbucks on the way home, to either celebrate good news or cheer myself up if not.

The really good news is that Garbo spent most of the day yesterday retrieving bumpers from the pool and having a terrific time in spite of her girth. She really looks like a hippo and we hope that means at least as many pups this time as last....maybe more. I can hardly wait.

Ciao for now, MsP

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Okay, I WILL make this one short. Blogs aren't meant to be the length of short stories or even novels!

Last night ended at the Emergency Room at Emory. It had rained all afternoon and evening and Joseph's pain in his back got so bad that there was nothing for it but to make him go get some help. He did. Jack checked on his progress via telephone twice and was told they would probably keep him less than 24 hours, but he wasn't coming home until morning. NOPE...at about ten PM, Joseph called and said they were so overcrowded that he needed to be dismissed. So out into the deluge I drove....once almost forced off the road by a car in the right lane spewing so much water on my windshield that I couldn't see for several seconds. Anyway, they gave him some scripts for pain meds and blood thinners but didn't GIVE him anything while he was there all that time. SO out we drove to find an all-night pharmacy. First place didn't have the pain med. Couldn't get correct directions to the second, and after about an hour driving about in the dark and rain, we found it, waited a half hour and then HOME. It took me about two hours to settle down, so to sleep at 2:30AM.

As I was trying to drift off to sleep, BY ACCIDENT part of a program called Toddlers and Tiaras on which a little tyrant called Mackinzie rode herd on her parents and participants with absolutely unbelievable bad behavior. I don't watch that piece of junk as a regular habit but this one was so unbelievable that I turned it off actually thinking that they had hired some little person to act like a four year old. HOW awful. Where do these parents get their nerve to dress little ones up like prostitutes and send them out gyrating like pole dancers for prizes that are real JUNK and they actually pay money for the privilege????? What has this world coming to???? No wonder I couldn't get to sleep easily.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, MsP

What To Do, What To Do

Hot as hades here, but wouldn't be so bad if the humidity wasn't so high. Presently watching the Braves play the Phillies for the third game of this Atlanta outing, and we're tied in the eighth inning on this sunny hot day.

Joseph has run out of pain meds and isn't worth talking to in this state. He is really a pleasure when he gets proper meds for the back pain, but when he runs out, he turns grey and becomes sullen and difficult. We have heard from Florida, and Joseph now has an appt with the judge on June 28 at 8 AM in Jacksonville. Given what they know of his situation, we wonder how in the world they expect he should make his way down there???? The man is crippled and destitute. What are they thinking? If it weren't for Jack and his taking Joseph down there, and Susan and Randy offering to let them stay there for a night or two, where would Joseph be??????

I'm exhausted and exasperated with the entire situation and even jumped on Joseph last night when we asked how he was doing and he replied, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." RIGHT....what does HE think? Problem with this man is that he doesn't and in this state, probablyl can't! If we could get a way out of this mess and he could get on a pain management course where his meds would be appropriate for his depth of pain, things would be a zillion percent better. However, at present he gets a prescription from a local family practitioner (script is free as long as he doesn't have to be seen in person) and then we pay over $175 for 90 pills of a narcotic. That's as much as she's legally allowed to prescribe each month. In the past he had gotten along well on TWICE that much, so now Joseph trots along with arthritis strength tylenol interspersed with the prescription, and often he doubles up on the latter due to pain and RUNS OUT well before the next script is due. For that reason, we do well for about two and a half weeks and then the next days, are hell on wheels. That's not to say we don't feel for Joseph, but we've squeezed all we can out of other sources for meds, and at this point, Joseph is just having to hold his own in pain that makes him look like death warmed over.

We are trying to convince the State of Florida (with a file of paperwork that's three inches thick documenting his heart valve replacement and ablation as well as all the other stuff) that he is indeed unable to work and hasn't been able to for years. Then maybe they will forgive what he owes in child support and let him get a driver's license and apply for Medicaid and Public Assistance. Interestingly enough, neither the State nor Joseph even knows where this child is, so no one would know where to send any money anyway b/c her caretaker has disappeared.

Without a picture ID, the man can't even get a bank account, assuming he had any money to begin with. Because he's on the derelict dad's list nationally, he's stumped and unable to get ANY form of identification, therefore not able to get whatever aid for which he's actually eligible. Unfortunately the State of Florida has ignored our and his pleas that he's unable to work and earn any money, period--that is up until Jack made so much noise on his behalf that they finally have given Joseph a court date. Been over a year in coming.

This has been a rock and a hard place and a Chinese puzzle from the get go, and I fervently hope we are closer to solving things than we've ever been before, but who knows???

Also, of course, Garbo's pups are due on the day they have to go to court in FL...wouldn't you know??? I looked at her this morning and it appears she's definitely with pup, THANK GOODNESS....YAY!!!! That means I can ready the master bath with the whelping box and start taking showers by stepping o'er it from June 29th on. I can't wait to see the outcome of this litter, blacks and yellows emerging! She's had nine each time so far, so I wonder if one will come out half and half??? HAH....that's what passes for humor here these days.

The legal wrangle about property encroachment seems to be falling into my lap with less and less chance of my recouping much if anything. The issue appears to be that since I signed the sales agreement that listed a survey set of numbers that actually included some of my neighbor's land, I am at fault and they will restructure the survey planes/plat and I don't get anything back. Think MERDE (French for something that comes out the back end). How did I come to be responsible for someone else's mistake? The survey company that did the original survey (now out of business) made an awful mistake by siting the wrong pins at the back of the property, the people who bought the land made some other awful mistakes, and now to straighten this all out, it appears I am the one who is going to pay for it....upwards of $20K when you add in my own survey costs, lawyers fees, etc. I lose sleep over this mess....anybody wonder why? Of course, I always keep $20K in my back pocket for emergencies like this. Doesn't everybody? It has come out of the money I have to live on for the rest of my life, of course, and there was plenty of THAT, don't you know.

Anyway, troubles with Major keep accumulating. I've tried all suggestions for finding a new home for him, all having refused him. Yesterday a call at 8:30AM from the Cannons allowed that Major had made his way to their house....every bit of 1/2 mile away, and he's never done that before. That means he climbs over any fence like a monkey and now has access to the entire neighborhood, which we cannot allow. Today we've tethered him to a tree in the back pool yard and he's spent the whole day screaming his head off b/c he doesn't like it at all. Who would? I loathe the thought of taking him to the shelter, where I'm sure he'll be put down eventually. The other alternative which appears to me to be a better alternative, although not by much, is to take him out to the country somewhere and let him out. He just can't stay here. We have enough to do without a stray and we've done what we can to make him attractive to a family who would be his main loving focus....neutered, brought up to date on immunizations, crate, obedience and leash trained, etc., etc. We (Cannon's and us) are at the end of what we can do and now we're desperate. ARRRGGGHHH.....

Have been working slowly on the elimination of furniture and making a spacious look out of this house. Most of the extra stuff is now in the garage. I was going to put it on Craig's list, but have been warned that might be dangerous b/c some folks look things up on C/L and then go rob the sellers blind. I got enough problems without THAT to worry about! So what to do? Anybody had any experience with either Craig's list or a company that does estate sales, please let me know. I need to get rid of this stuff and it's really nice and probably worth a lot more than I'm willing to get for it....antiques and solid wood furniture, not stuff like one buys today that is put together with screws and falls apart in a few years.

Okay, off to do some more errands as soon as the Braves come to the end of their Phillies third game (We swept 'em, today 2 - 1 thanks to Omar Infante's RBI). One of the things I need to get is a pack of balloons b/c somebody told me that stringing them in the fruit trees would keep the squirrels away. This year I hope fervently to be able to eat at least one peach and one pear from the trees I've so carefully nursed for years. So far, NO fruit has gone down any gullet except those of the fur covered rats that think those trees were put there for them...NOT.

I'm exhausted and it occurs that all that's been related in this message is complaints. Here's one good thing: cucumber is about ready to be picked! Can't wait to crunch into it! AND Georgia continues to entertain everyone....can't help but grin when those ears perk up and she gives me a facial while murmuring and snaffling and rolling over on her back for a belly rub.
Ciao for now, MsPatty

Slow but sure wins the race....is this a RACE?

Didn't get too much done yesterday but at least the kitchen eating area is cleared out and looks like somebody could actually sit down and eat there. Of course, Major has found out that we're in here and made a BIG hole in the window screen trying to get us to pay attention. Yet one more thing that will have to be replaced! UNHHHHH....

Today it's the master bedroom that will get my somewhat undivided attention. Then maybe I'll feel like this past week was successful in edging my way to Colorado.

Yesterday afternoon provided a bit of Mother Nature's excitement. There's a very industrious wren who has built a nest in one of the geranium hanging baskets at the east end of the porch. Joseph went out to water the garden, and in the process with his hose at full tilt, scooted two biddies out of their nest into the front yard. He came in a rush to declare that "a woman's gentle hand" was needed in the front yard, so out I went. Two ALMOST full grown new wrens were screeching in the grass, scared silly, with their mother also screeching in the fig tree. I got some paper towels immediately and went out to chase the first and then the second, hoping that the paper towels would keep my scent away from these creatures so their mother wouldn't abandon them. Meantime Major had made his way over the five foot back yard gate to participate in the excitement. Unfortunately Joseph had a devil of a time holding Major back and at one point one of the biddies disappeared in Major's HUGE mouth. We got him to give it up and the little feathered thing appeared to be still alive but in shock. I put it back in the nest and went after the second one. We had a better time rescuing that one with Major firmly planted in his crate on the back porch. Having left the front watering for a later time to give these birds a chance to calm down, I went back out two hours later to find the two young ones crowded up in what was once their original hole, peeping and looking at me as if to ask why they didn't fit in this darned thing anymore. I truly believe it was time for them to fly the coop, and sure enough upon checking this morning, they were gone. Georgia was sent out on a recognizance mission and came back empty-mouthed, so I assume that the two fledglings are now learning what it's like to be grown up. It was a time for reflection about what goes on around here that isn't so self-centered as to only pay attention to fixing up the house. Those cuties were part of a world which goes on no matter what and I'm glad to have had a moment's part of it. Cheep, cheep cheep, flutter and away.

Crystal Was Robbed!

Okay, it's over and I give in....Crystal Bowersox lost to Lee DeWyze last night on A/I. I suspected something like this would happen. Never did say Lee wasn't good, but NOBODY was as good as Crystal and she'll come to the top in the long run as a talented, beautiful and interesting singer with a long, successful career. Same may happen to Lee, but he will eventually fade into the background as Crystal makes her sustained way to the top over the long haul.

Am in the middle of an quiet uproar here and have to make my way thru a maze of furniture, drawers, books, etc. Jack has been ill with an inner ear problem, Joseph with his back bothering him a great deal and me not knowing how to solve all this mess by myself. It will eventually settle down, but at the moment, it's driving me NUTS. I had been making good progress for the first three days of this week, but am now at a standstill. Presently struggling not to lose the energy in these doldrums.

Time to pay bills....rob a bank....stick up a fast food franchise....what???

The garden in front shows signs of producing some cukes and tomatoes, so that's good news. The weather has cooperated and now if I can find a team to help, we can complete the protecting of the decks with waterproof stain. Have decided to use something brown/taupe to match the other porch parts of this wreck of a home, and maybe it will look like someone cares.

Today the enormity of it all feels like it's catching up to me. But I slog on in an effort to wake up one day with the Rocky Mountains in sight.

BRIGHT SPOT: Got the most WONDERFUL message from Magnificent Max yesterday: "Hi, GeeGee, It's me, Max. Just wanted you to know that I got two RBI's and made a home run at baseball today!" Spoke with his mom and she told me he had been VERY discouraged b/c he wasn't doing as well as the others on his team. Her advice was to remind him that he was three weeks behind b/c of his operation, and he should try hard, concentrate, and be patient with himself....whereupon he stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park! This child is phenomenal if in no other way than his kindness and sweetness and smarts for someone of less than nine years. He has a terrific swing with that bat and when it all comes together, I hope he'll become even more excited about "America's game."

Does anyone else realize just how much of a realist and straight-forward reporter Rachael Maddow is??? I have followed her for a few years now, realizing her agenda is admittedly skewed to the Left, but always delighted with her sense of humor and her ability to get to the core of matters with sound, strong research. The recent take on the "deja vu" of the BP oil spill (compared with a similar spill in '79) is a singular best example of her talents. She is an intelligent, caring reporter with impressive educational background. I admire someone who can be so good at what she does, and look forward to listening to her each night to get a clear overview of what's happened during the day.

Back to the awaiting projectS ... maybe I'll just crawl back in bed and try to ignore what needs doing ... probably not productive, but it fits my mood ... I WILL NOT GIVE IN or will I?????

Amusing or at least mildly humorous aside: Yesterday was a regular doc's visit for the usual blood draw and to see how I'm coming along. After a concentrated conversation about all the damned (MAKE THAT DAMNED) meds I've tried to get the cholesterol (bad) levels down to what appear to be acceptable, she declared that if I'm not willing to try any more (after ten, what's left???), there's not much point in determining what my levels are anyway. Okay, I told her I wasn't interested in finding a cure that's turned out to be worse than the disease....a disease that is defined by someone else's numbers, btw. I don't have diabetes, haven't had heart trouble and still don't, don't have high blood pressure and none of the other tags that make high cholesterol a siren call for something like Crestor.....well, WHY TAKE ANYTHING, for heaven's sake???? My lineage is long-lived and nobody took THEIR numbers while they ate what they wanted and lived well into their nineties....and statistics show that women over 60 with high cholesterol levels live longer with fewer heart attacks than women with LOW cholesterol levels in that age bracket. No medical docs in general want to acknowledge those statistics. BUT after having spent days, even years, in muscle weakness and pain (and STILL am not back to the normal levels I sustained before taking a statin), I won't take another one, PERIOD. Even now it appears that the ads for these things are acknowledging that a statin is important if one has already had a heart problem. But I fervently hope that the idea of putting statins in the drinking water has finally been dropped....what a horror that would have been. High cholesterol numbers have more to do with inflammatory problems than they do with the numbers themselves.

Okay, off the soap box and on to soaping in the shower to try to get the energy level back. Ciao.

UNHHHHH....This Is No Fun, But Progress Emerges

Don't remember if I mentioned this before, but when I got back from Denver in January, I lost the initial enthusiasm for getting this place ready to show in case some weirdo decides it's worth buying. Must have been the cold, but I was overcome by all the things that needed attention and fell into a blue funk and didn't do ANYTHING much. THIS TIME I'm attempting valiantly to maintain my energy and get something done. I know the best approach is "ONE DAY AT A TIME" but before it seemed like a thousand days weren't enough for this huge project. This time I plunged into a little area and have worked my way into a larger one with some progress gradually emerging.

The breakfast room hasn't been my favorite, especially since one of the cats decided to use the breakfast room carpet for a liquid litterbox. There are already THREE litter boxes for THREE cats in this place, but it's unmistakeable that one of them (or maybe more) has decided that the carpet is preferred. When I came back last Thursday evening, walking into the back door made me actually nauseated from the odor. Jack and Joseph had steam cleaned, but it still smelled to high heaven. I've lived here for over ten years and until these past few months, the entire place hasn't smelled AT ALL. Now it reeked. SO out has come the carpeting and IN has come the same flooring that was newly placed in the kitchen a few months ago. It has greatly improved the look of the place--not to mention a delightful absense of smell.

I am also working to eliminate some superfluous stuff that will go to Craig's list for furniture sales as soon as I figure out HOW to do that. I'm getting RID OF ALL THE EXTRA that has accumulated here in ten years. Simplifying and down-sizing, hoping to gain back some of the moolah that I spent on it when I first got here and was going to all those antique sales. Before 9/11, there was a place here which supplied interior decorators and would let plebians in once a month to see what they had imported by carload. (No longer possible b/c of stringent regs to deter terrorist importing bad stuff....the place has closed due to that occurrence.) It was a LOT of fun to go and walk around and decide if I could use some of the things they had brought in, especially since it was mostly solid wood furniture and affordable compared with the junk found at places like WallyWorld and Big Lots and even Ikea. SO I have about twelve pieces of solid wood furniture -- really nice antique-type stuff that will not be making the trip West whenever I EVER get going. Hope to be able to flog it via Craig's List, after having taken measurements and photos of it all. I've been told over and over that this place needs to be cleared out and made to look spacious, so I'M TRYING....it's HARD! On the other hand, it's really good for me to cut down on all the baggage....most of which is just taking up space and much less is never even thought about.

Still not sure of Garbo's pregnancy....hope fervently that the breeding took, for I could not only use a black bitch but the money from pups, especially since it's cost plenty to even get the breeding done in the first place. Her vulva still looks swollen (good sign) and she seems to be pouching out a bit. Has only been four weeks, so it's too early to tell.

Later will watch the last of this year's AMERICAN IDOL contestant night. Am SO impressed with Crystal Bowersox, and have to confess an equal like for Lee DeWyse, so it really won't make a difference who gets it, both deserve it IMHO. I enjoy this program even though it's pretty silly of me at this age. After this one's over, there's SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, a program I also enjoy. My overall favorite is TOP CHEF, but it's off for the season right now. Second by a hair is PROJECT RUNWAY. To me these four reality shows are a LOT more entertaining and interesting than the trumped up ones that don't have a creative bent.

There's the phone....off to see what somebody wants now. Maybe a prospective pup buyer??? Have had quite a bit of interest in this Garbo/Monkey litter in spite of not being out there flogging it. The combination of pedigrees ought to be spectacular. Ciao for now, P

Back to the Grind

Well, Colorado is past. The Shakespeare Festival was a blast--defies verbal description, but suffice it to say that Reese and Max participated and we had a wonderful day out in the Mile High dry air. Reese looked amazing in her costume and had many compliments on it. Seems most actors rented their attire, but Reese has a spectacular one that she actually takes home! Max was dressed in a rental black suit for his part in the sonnets. So cute!

Here's a typical Max experience: we parked in a high-rise next to the big center, walked to the elevator to descend to the Shakespeare site, only to find out that we had to go another way. A very kind man (father of one of Reese's classmates) helped us turn around and go back up a couple of steps to the elevator again. Just as we turned around, about six cups of ROCKS fell out of the jacket we were taking for Max! So typical....he LOVES ROCKS and can't understand why he can't collect them from any and all sources, including gardens and sidewalks. His other grandmother declared she had washed an equal amount in his school pants the other day. Granted, they were lovely, but ROCKS??? Lolly was so embarassed that she apologized to the father/helper over and over, while I just guffawed and chuckled all day.

After this esteemed activity (20th year of the celebration and largest of its kind in the USA), we settled into the daily activities of school, baseball practice/game; homework, reading; sleeping; get up and go to the next. Lolly had a business trip out of town for a couple of days, so I became the major leader, and we had a great time making sure that all our assigned tasks were accomplished.

The weather cooperated, but I don't know who could have packed my suitcase, for whatever ended up there in the pink plastic English thing wasn't appropriate for the weather in May. It was cool--we even got some snow which disappeared within hours....I must have thought I was going in August....ended up having to buy a windbreaker and wear the same warmer stuff over and over. Anyway, we got to see Aunt Leslie and some of Lolly's dear friends and we ate like kings b/c Lolly is such a wonderful cook.

I forced them into letting me watch American Idol and was relieved to find that Crystal B. and Lee DeW. made it to the finals. I liked Leslie from Texas, but have felt all along that the final two are really the cream of this year's crop. I asked Joseph to vote for Crystal here in Atlanta since I didn't have access to a land line on Monday night. Lo and behold, the dear fellow called 275 times in her behalf! Guess she can thank us for the support when she finally wins, huh?

While I was in CO, Joyce Woods called to report the birth of nine pups out of Dancer. Unfortunately, one of the two girls didn't make it, but the pix of the group really look promising. We did it to see if we could get a different set of genes to add to the fox red lines, and in this group there appear to be at least five dark ones to choose from. Additionally, Joyce's other bitch came out with six (3 and 3) and a few of them are dark as well. So we are looking forward to having two little gremlins (one boy and one girl) around here in about six weeks. Then, of course, we hope that there will be a few more a la Garbo and Monkey around June 30. Sure would be fun to have some little pups to watch and wonder over again. I'm definitely in puppy withdrawal at the moment for all sorts of reasons.

Georgia was hilarious when she first greeted me Thursday night. Jack and Joseph had reported that she went into a blue funk the day after I left. She seemed sad and lonely for part of the time, they said because I was gone. So as I got out of the car on Thurs, Joseph had let her out of the kitchen door. She was unaware that I was there. She trotted out to the yard as if to do her business, but she heard noises in the garage, so turned to see what it was. The light in her eyes was SO funny! She flopped her ears back and crept up to me as if I were a mirage. Then all H broke loose, as well as a LOT of sniffing, just to make sure it was REAL and WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????? She velcroed herself to me from that moment on, slept tucked in my elbow all night, and hasn't let me out of her sight since. She's such a dear and so "readable" that it's almost uncanny. And so funny looking. We say she bumped her muzzle into a wall and the muzzle forgot to pop back out. We continue to call her the Administrator and Director of Everything b/c it fits so well.

Anyway, plans are in the works for flying to Pittsburgh to judge their Specialty in late June. Also have my ticket for Utah in July/Aug. Plan to have the house ready for perusal and maybe sale by the time I leave for Utah.

Don't know if Garbo is PG or not. She maybe looks it, but it's really too early to tell. I'm so poor, I don't have the funds to do an ultrasound so we wait to see. Major is still around. He spent the last two weeks with the Cannon's but they are now on vacation and he's back. He is such a sweety, but we can't keep him. I pray for somebody who would do him justice to show up. Maybe.....

Actually the Shakespeare Festival (or maybe the air plane ride?) probably was the scene of the down side of the Denver visit, for within ten days of landing, I came down with something that I've not had before and hope never to have again in this lifetime: Strep Throat! After four days of suffering and no response to OTC meds, I ended up in a doc-in-the-box with a prescription for Penicillin. The second Sunday of this two week + visit was one of the worst in my entire life...headache, sore throat and out of it. I was beginning to wonder if this was like it is to begin to die. But within six hours of having the very first Penicillin on Monday, the world became more bearable and good health appeared on the horizon. I'm fine now, but won't repeat that experience again if I can help it!

Home on Thursday evening on a smooth and uneventful Frontier flight. Friday resumed the attempt to prepare this place for a move. I can't stand it here any longer. If all else fails, I'll just GIVE this place to somebody and head West and sit on a street corner and beg. Having been out there with my darling daughter and beloved grandchildren, I realize even more how much I miss them and don't want to waste any more time being isolated here. Last time I returned from there I lost my enthusiasm for working on a move b/c it seemed so impossible to get anything accomplished. Now I am determined not to let the enthusiasm wane, and am dedicated to doing a major deed every day toward that goal. We'll see.....wish me luck!