A hunker down week has begun

It was snowing overnight Sunday, with a dusting accumulated by morning.  It continued actively but lightly falling all day.  Ember went out and froze like a pointer with her eyes on a squirrel who was atop the far fence.

We had only one "middle of the night" trip outside, about midnight, and I got up about an hour early to let her go explore that new snowfall.

I can tell she's feeling better, but also that it's the fourth day she's been cooped up with "just me".  As such I can tell she really needs more people and other dogs!  

We played indoor fetch down the stairs, and she got bored.  She begged to go out into the garage, and in the afternoon, we drove out to get Dexter's tank filled.  Coffee and a dog biscuit treat completed the trip, and after supper, as though she has a clock in her head, she hopped off the couch and trotted into her crate for her pre-last call quiet time.

While she chilled there, her hu-mom went out and did the first session of shoveling.  I estimated there was about two inches of new snow at that point in time.  

I did all three sections of the sidewalk, but with fingers ready to freeze, did not clear the steps or the driveway.  I'll save that for tomorrow.  Hopefully we won't have a lot more overnight.

Monday morning my personal trainer texted that he was cancelling his sessions for Tuesday, due to the predicted extreme cold (we're under a warning from the weather service), and I texted back I'm thinking cancel the whole week for me... it's a "hunker down and survive" week.  Between the interruptions to sleep and fretting over Ember's tummy troubles, plus not being able to even see what her poos are like in the snow. We'll take it one day at a time.  

I did do a sleep on the couch "just in case" again on Monday night, and when I got up to potty a bit after midnight, offered her an outing in the sparkly night.  The moonlight, streetlights, and snow still fresh from Monday made it so.  The contrast of dark dog and bright snow was magical, but it was cold so I did not stay out for the whole time, preferring to start unloading the dishwasher.  When Ember came back in, we snuggled on the couch for a bit before I put her back into her safe den (crate) and came up to my own bed.

Tuesday morning BRRRR!

Would you believe minus 9, Fahrenheit?  Yep!  Nobody wants to be outside.  Ember came back in promptly and curled up on the couch.  She didn't even beg for her normal "threshold" spot.  Nonetheless, when it came time to go to daycare, she was OK with putting on the harness and getting in the car... OK, I played a game of "chase the broom" to get her into the car.  But she seemed happy to see her greeter and headed back to the daycare area without complaint.  

At home, the emboldened kitty sniffed around the dog toys.  The Prisoner doesn't want much to do with the outside, either.  

I vacuumed, shifted furniture, did laundry... you know, the usual housekeeping chores I prefer to do when the dog is out of the house.  So she won't, you know, chew up the dryer vent outside if it's puffing steam out.  

The weather man says we might get more snow this afternoon, so I'm planning a dash to the grocery store before I go back to collect my canine fur-baby.

Wednesday morning arrives

Still frigid out there.  Mr. Weather Man says we are likely to break the record low temperature overnight Wednesday night. Brrrr!   

I slept the first half of the night on the couch again and got up about midnight and took Ember out in the backyard for a bonus trip, then spent the rest of the night in my own bed.  Didn't waken until after 5 a.m.  The adventure of the overnight was "losing" my keys.  Being old enough to know better, I looked only in a couple of spots, told myself I knew I had them when I laid down on the couch, and I'll find them in the morning.  Which I did.  They had fallen out of my sweatpants pocket onto the floor under the couch.  Seeing Ember sniffing in that spot found them.  Good Girl!

I woke up congested, so it was a slow start to the day.  Ember was very nice to me, not going crazy, obediently coming when called, and playing mostly quietly.  She kind of turned up her nose at "indoor fetch" and we played "gentle tug" and then did a couch puppy watch of an old Murder, She Wrote episode before I fixed my own breakfast.

I started feeling a bit better.  Ember was sitting with an expectant gaze at the garage door, so we went on a quick store run.  She was pretty good about getting into the car.  I think she was hoping for another daycare day, but this was not it.  I picked up a new toy for her to destroy at the store.  I let her play with it for a while, before calling crate time.  Then I gave her the "thank you" cue, to give me back the toy.  I picked up and discarded the non-food bits she had already chewed off it. The toy is not wholly destroyed just yet, so I put it away for later.

She's getting better and better all the time at manners.  She recognizes when her mouth is on my hand and lets up on the pressure or lets it go easily.  She's even getting better about some distractions.  The weather is not freaking her out as much.  Methinks my puppy is growing up.

Now I'm heading for a bit of a nap myself!  Hope you have a good mid-week, all.  Stay safe and warm, best you can.

Life is good.  Spark on!

Chimney rock in snow?

 

Those of you who played Oregon Trail in school might be aware of one of Nebraska's great landmarks along that trail, Chimney Rock.  Well, the neighbor kids across the way kind of recreated its silhouette, although they might not have done so intentionally.  I spotted it from my deck and immediately decided I had to snap its photo.

One of the classic joke traits of labs is that they sleep in odd poses.  Trouble with snapping Ember in such poses is that she generally wakes up and moves before I can get the photo taken.  Today, I succeeded in getting this oddity inside her crate.  Clearly the crate is big enough for her, she's all stretched out!  LOL!

Here she is, gazing longingly at Bill and Barnaby out for a walk.  I am not walking her on leash without accompaniment these days.  And just now with her little digestive issues?  Nope.  She peeks over the deck rail at her friends walking by.

Reporting on her health, yeah, we had two extra trips outside overnight Saturday to Sunday, at about 9:50 p.m. and 12:45 a.m.  Then mom actually was able to sleep for a couple of hours in her own bed, getting up at 4 to the alarm to make sure I would be able to respond to a whimper from that point forward.  

Have you ever tried to convince a yearling puppy that 4 a.m. is still "the middle of the night"?  Well, the darkness helps, but a puppy who normally gets fed between 5 and 6 a.m. wants some companionship and play time.  She did go back in after I had breakfast.

It was sunny, and no wind, so even though the ambient temperature was 11F, it didn't feel that bad in the afternoon, and we did get a little bit of fetch off the deck.  We also had a bit of retrieve practice down the basement stairs, played some tug, and "follow mommy".  After I did one round of poo patrol she escaped into the garage while I put it out in the special garbage container that I keep out there for poo.  Consequently, we had a round of garage/car games for a bit.

No car ride Sunday, but I did make a grocery run during her normal puppy nap #1 time.  

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Quiet and healing time

 

The couch where Mommy slept Friday night.  We prevented any more soiled crate bedding, but we are still dealing with symptoms like soupy poo, one episode of vomit (looked like a rubber band as part of what came up... wonder where she got hold of that?  Garage surfing?  Out in the yard?  Destroying some toy?).  

She is eating, and drinking and peeing OK, though clearly taking it kind of easy, and I'm pampering her.

We are adapting to the snow.  A new toy, one of the tough indestructible kinds that has a second toy inside is on the deck beside her, with the fresh dusting of snow.  She will take an inside toy outside, it gets covered in snow, it's cold on her mouth, but she's not getting zoomies over it anymore, she knows it's coming.

I am curious as to what's inside those covers on these toys!  So far, there are three that she hasn't taken the covers off and has not ripped up.  I am confident that eventually she will either become bored with the covered toys (she has already with one of them) or will defeat them, and I'll find out!

Indoor puzzle games are also being employed to keep her mind busy.  In this case, treats are not under every toy, some of the cups are empty.  She correctly identified which toys didn't even need to be removed... nose work!

The indestructible bear made it past the "blockade" of USPS for things shipped from Mainland China.  It arrived Friday, and as of 5 p.m. Saturday, not a rip in it.  It is a great lure... "Mommy's got the bear!"  (Bear pronounced as two syllables...)

I have been napping off and on Saturday to try to make up for the time NOT sleeping in the overnight hours.  Ember has been good about voluntarily going in for crate time, so I was able to nap and get a shower in.  We also did a little afternoon napping side by side on the couch.

Mid-afternoon, Ember noticed other people out clearing snow, and other dogs walking.  She went to the garage door and whined.  I took it as a sign of improvement in her health situation, and we put on harness and leash and took a ride in the car, through the Scooter's Drive-Thru.  I don't know how wise it was, but I let her have the full Pup Cup today, and it included a heart-shaped doggy safe cookie for Valentine's.

Progress of a different sort:  Saturday morning, after puppy nap #1, I went out and started walking across the patio to accompany her out to find potty spots.  She took exception to my gloves (y'all know from prior blogs she has this thing about gloves) and grabbed my hand with her mouth.  I let her strip the glove, told her to take the glove inside, as I moved ahead of her to take myself (and my bare right hand) inside.  She knows what it means to take a toy "in the house" or "outside".  We've also worked on the "bring me" game, so I could tell her, "Bring Mommy the glove", and the "thank you" cue to release an item in exchange for a treat.  I got my glove back, intact, though drooled upon.  Training takes time and patience and persistence.  It's never as fast as one would like it to be, but it's magical when you notice the successes!

We are about to enter a truly Winter weather week, in terms of temperatures.  Cold every day with highs in the single digits Monday through Thursday predicted, and lows below 0F.  Brrrr!  We might get some snow on Monday, but the snow we got on Saturday was very minor.  It did come floating down, and it was a good educational (without being overexcited) experience for the pup.

"The kids" are at Ponca State Park at a cabin for the weekend, with their foster kid, so I've been entertained all day with videos and photos of their adventures.  Carl got pressed into sled dog duty for the foster kiddo, a large cardboard box substituted for a sled, and it's just hilarious watching all the various play time, including the dog trying to figure out how to keep his three people "herded".  He is neither a herding breed, nor a "working dog" in terms of sled or cart-dog, but he didn't do badly at the exercise.

That's about it from here for now.  I'm thinking it's another night on the couch for me, "just in case". Life is good!  Keep Sparking!

23 Years

After much self-debate, I did drive over to the periodontist appointment on Wednesday morning.  I was mega early.  The hygienist told me I was one of two (of her appointments) who actually showed up.  The early one drove in from another town, about 55 miles away.  He said the roads were not as bad as they could have been.  That was my assessment as well, but I was still grateful that schools were closed and traffic was light.

They could have started me when I arrived, except that, like unto the hair salon where the girls do each other's hair when customers cancel, the hygienists in this office clean one another's teeth.  My gal was having her own teeth cleaned as I was waiting for the actual time of my appointment. 

I gave both the dentist and the hygienist big hugs and best wishes on their retirements at the end.  They tell me I've been going to them for 23 years, based on patient records.  That's where the blog title comes from.

The 23 years got me to thinking.  I started going to them in June, 2001.  That's before 9/11, the twin towers coming down.  During those 23 years, I lost a lot of weight, took up running and triathlon, got divorced, saw my son off to overseas deployment, twice, lost my sister in law to ALS, lost my brother to undiagnosed heart issues, etc., etc., etc.  23 years is the lifetime of a young adult!

They have taught me well.  They tell me I don't really need a specialist anymore, and I will be fine with my regular dentist who is very good and will keep a close eye and send me to another specialist, if I ever need it again. 

The rest of Wednesday, the wind kept blowing.  I timed shoveling sessions for when Ember was napping.  I did three sessions, clearing as I normally do, coming inside to thaw out between sessions.  When I went out for each session, I found that most of what I had done before was drifted in.  I did the next section, then came in again.

Across town, DIL's dad is had a family birthday dinner at the China Buffet, but I begged off.  Ember and I have had enough adventures for one day.  I am missing seeing my foster grandchild by skipping this, but as I said to them via messenger, "I know my limits".

Couch puppy time!  This was shortly before she fell asleep and then transferred to her crate.  She was being my heated, weighted lap-puppy blanket.  I can just feel the stress drain when I have my pup on my lap!

Thursday - cold!

At 3:56 a.m. I heard my puppy whining.  I put my feet on the floor, and went swiftly through my morning routine, but I did not skip steps.  Guess I should have.  I was downstairs to rescue her before 5, but she had soiled the crate bedding already.  Poor baby!  She tried to alert me, I just wasn't fast enough responding.

So that's how our bitterly cold Thursday morning started out.  Puppy out in the snow, Mommy rinsing things out in the toilet and starting a load of laundry.  We played some indoor fetch down the stairs, and she played "take an inside toy outside, be startled by how cold it got when you rolled it in the snow, then get zoomies that range both into and back out of the house".  We calmed down and napped as a couch puppy until a little after seven.

I texted my own trainer to bow out of today's human training session, in favor of dealing with the remains of Mother Nature's gift.

In the pre-dawn streetlight it did not look too terrible, but you know how slick side streets can be, even with a little bit of cover.  

Cold as it was, I tried to keep the day as normal as possible for Ember.  It took fully half an hour to get her into the car, and we carefully crept over snow-packed streets to the day care.  Her workers met her at the door, and she was so excited to be there.  A couple of her fur-friends were also there, and the workers took them back to play.

Back home, the sunshine made the shoveling not quite so bad.  The temperature had risen above zero to 2F for my first shoveling session, which was pretty much clearing out parts that had drifted in.  I had not cleared the driveway on Wednesday, so that is part of my puppy day care agenda, too.

I call this next photo:  "Things I have done for my dog that I never dreamed of doing for my cat."

Yes, I shoveled off the deck as part of my puppy day care activity.  I did wander out to do "poo patrol" but could not find any visible... I imagine when the snow melts... or someone steps in it...

Meanwhile, a month in to having "daycare" days for the puppy, the kitty is getting bolder about coming upstairs to see mom during Ember's absences.  

The day care worker told me Ember had loose stools during her time with them, a couple of times, but it got better as the day went on.  Now I've got just her and me for the next four days so I can keep a close eye on her.

Life goes on.  It is full, and it is good.  Keep on Sparking, my friends!

The Calming Duck

 

Ember went to day care, after being picky and not eating her breakfast on time Tuesday morning.  I let them know that she might be super treat-motivated today, having skipped a meal.

I myself went off to work out with the trainer, and did my "human things" for the rest of the day, getting my nice long shower, a quick grocery trip, and vacuuming out the X-Pen.

The "treatment" section of the daycare place called me about 1:30 p.m. to let me know that Ember and another dog had been playing rough, and Ember ended up with a nick on her ear.  These photos were taken after day care, and you can't see it.  They had applied pressure but wanted to alert me, in case I noticed.  I would not have noticed. No bandage was needed, but had it started to bleed again, they would have put a pressure bandage on.  One of the advantages of having day care at the same facility as her vet, I have the added knowledge that if mishaps should occur, they have the expertise on staff to assist!    

The widely advertised "Calming Duck" showed up in my mailbox on Tuesday, as well.  I gave it to Ember when she came home from daycare.  The question became:  how long before she destroys it?

Truth to tell, I noticed toward the end of the purchase windows that it was offering an "are you sure you don't want the large size duck?"  For $30 more, of course!  I did not bite, so the duck that arrived looks like about a mouthful for my pup.

Ember performed a squeaker-ectomy and lipo-fluff-ction.  Within half an hour we were looking at "remains".

When she goes to day care, we have our little arrival routine.  She goes out in the back yard to secure the perimeter (she's not as much a guard dog about this as Carl is, but she does investigate how far the squirrels or the cat have encroached) and "take care of business".

Tiny flakes were starting to fall as we did this Tuesday afternoon, but the snow in earnest isn't due until a little later in the evening.

I fed her the breakfast she didn't eat this morning (I had saved it in the 'fridge, covered).  She was much more interested this time, and licked the platter clean.

I generally then put on the Dog TV soft music and give her a chew stick to settle down.  About 5:30 she was ready for crate time, and that's where she is now.

I have canceled Ember's daycare reservation for Wednesday morning, as I decided it was just too much for me with the forecast snow to drive extra on the potentially slick roads.  She will do fine in the crate long enough for me to go off to the Periodontist.  And I won't put us both "at risk" in traffic either in the morning, or the after-school hours, when I normally would be picking her up.

The forecast calls for 3 - 6 inches of snow starting right about now for the next 24 hours.  Expect changes in the forecast, of course!  I'm a weather wimp when it comes to driving.  However, this is my last appointment with the periodontist before she retires, and I'd like to keep it if I can.  We shall see!

Life is Good!  (Back to MOBYCARP's theme!)  Spark on!

Crate lover

 

Total transparency, this photo is two months old.  I wanted to find one of Ember in her crate, because my heart is full with something she's been doing lately.  I have been letting her fall asleep beside me on the couch, then when I wake up (I nod off, folks, I'm an old lady), take a potty break, or open or close the drapes, and I suggest to her that she might like to chill in her crate for a while.

This past week, three times, when I've done this, she has voluntarily moved into her crate, trusting that I'll give her a treat or just give her that safe space.  My baby!  She loves her crate.

Yes, I've been playing Susan Garrett's Recallers games with her, but not in much of a structured/planned way.  Today we played the game of the week, "Smoke Ya" even though we haven't got all the way through five games that lead up to it.  But it was so much fun.  Even for me, with my post-vax side effects (mild, and didn't last terribly long, thank you!)

We got into the car today without much hassle.  OK a little hassle, but not much.  We went through the Scooter's Drive-thru as a reward.  Today she got a Milkbone, but no whipped cream.  I only let her have the full pup cup experience about once a week, and she got that on Friday.

We had neighborhood activity to observe as a big truck showed up to deliver furniture to the people next door.  She was real interested in that.  We played with our tug toy and the soccer ball with the handles on it while keeping a sharp eye on those workers with the truck.

During Puppy Nap #1 I went out to acquire a few things and bumped into a gal from the neighborhood whose phone number I had been wishing I had.  You know, nowadays, not only do we not have telephone books, but we also often don't even know one another's names.  I know Susan "Frank's Mommy", and have her phone number, but I don't know her last name.  We today, accosting this gal at the grocery, I acquired both her full name but also her phone number, and I can now text her for help walking Ember!  

On Sunday I got out the Horse Jolly Ball for the first time for Ember.  She immediately attacked the handle, and has already chewed it up pretty badly.  But she loves this toy.  I used it for our Sunday "get in the car" enticement, as well as using the car as a circuit center for a game of Smoke Ya inside the garage.  

The Scooter's Drive-thru was busy on Sunday.  We had people walking about for Ember to watch.  That makes the car ride so much better, don't you know?

Sunday's Super Bowl game... yikes... y'all know I live near "Chiefs Nation", right?  Some of us were both appalled by the loss, and relieved to not have the volume of fireworks that would have accompanied a win.  I stopped watching at halftime, taking Ember out for her "Last Call" so I didn't see the halftime show.  I did watch the first KC possession of the second half, then turned it off, mercifully.

Monday morning, Ember was not ready for breakfast at breakfast time.  I worried (as paw-rents do) that she might not be feeling well, but then I remembered I fed her extra and later in the day on Sunday.  When she perked up a couple of hours later and ate her breakfast and we went through our normal pre-breakfast (for me) routine of games, I felt better.  She has now settled down in her crate for her traditional time after my breakfast, although about an hour later than most days.

Life is good.  Keep living your own life, your way!  Spark on!

The week in Emberville

 

In the drive-thru at the pharmacy, Monday.  We continue to work at practicing getting into the car.  She continues to show signs of being stressed by car rides (drooling).  But we're working on it.

How, pray tell, do you work on it?  We play "get in the car" games.  I bring her Tearrible toy, or "Shortie" the fur-tug, and of course treats, opening both car doors to make a tunnel, I crawl through the tunnel, and eventually she gets in, I clip her to the seat belt, and off we go.  I have plans to do some games where we don't go, just get in, get treats, get out, go play something she really likes, etc.  

Overcoming a dog's anxiety about certain things takes time and patience.  Since she has that history of upset tummy in the car, we're kind of late to the game in this particular area.  Many dogs LOVE going on car rides, knowing there are good things on the other end.

I read something, don't remember which dog training resource it came from, but it was explaining the differences between male and female dogs.  Turns out the laying in the threshold thing that Ember does?  Is what a lot of female dogs do.  According to this particular source, they are protecting the den, keeping watch.  And yes, that fits what she does.  She wants the door open so she can see out and watch the cat or passing traffic, or whatever!

I see in the news that the postal service will not be accepting parcels from China.  Guess a couple of toys I had on order will be late arriving.  If I ever get them at all.  Yes, I was drawn in by the ads for the calming duck, and ended up also ordering a bear.  Both are supposed to be "indestructible" for super chewers.  But if you are waiting for all the circus to impact you personally, here's my first one.

{insert blogger's block that lasted two days here}

Sigh.  Meanwhile, across town... the kids have their foster child for at least two more weeks while the court kicked the can down the road, due to system access being down.  The judge wanted to check precedent for one lawyer's argument.

Anyway, it's prolonging the drama, but at least they have two more weeks of the little guy being with them.  And no one knows what happens beyond that.  But the wheels are turning.  And DIL is busily helping FC plan out the valentines for his classmates and his teacher!

Ember had day care on Tuesday and Thursday.  On Friday we did a little leash practice in our own yard, and she wanted to pull me places I did not want to go.  So more work needed on that front.  We did not leave our own yard except to try to pull me into the neighbor's yard where the cat likes to hide.  

We went on to play car games and she got her weekly pup cup.

While Ember was puppy napping, I went out and got my Covid booster.  I had escaped catching it from my son and my daughter in law, and this was about how long the PA said to wait to consider myself clear for the next shot.  I am now finally caught up on vaccinations, based on what the doctor told me to get a year ago.

When I got home, I called my older sister for her birthday, and we caught up.  I am continually startled by how quickly children grow up.  Her grands in Utah will both be in high school next year!  

There are more "follow up" / "maintenance" health care things in the weeks ahead.  Next week, Ember will have day care three days in a row, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday because I have a dental appointment on Wednesday.  The following week it will be Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with her in day care, to accommodate my bone density scan and mammogram on Friday.  Hopefully, at that point, this particular collection of scurrying about will be over.

Hope y'all are staying well, and warm (or cool, as your side of the planet dictates).  Keep on choosing to live your own life... and Spark on to health!