Goal: tire out the dogs

 

Just Carl and his two grandmas, Ember is off in the foreground, closer to the photographer.  It was a great romp for all the dogs on Sunday afternoon, when it was over 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  December, the last few nice days.  Monday afternoon the rain even comes, as it will still be above freezing, but it is forecast to change to snow if it continues into the overnight.  And then we will be returned to our "normal" (whatever that is) weather for a while.

But it's been great taking advantage while we can!

A tired dog is a good dog, as Ember collapses on her "hot zone" towel in the kitchen while mom prepares her supper after that outing.

I returned home to the news of Jimmy Carter's passing.  I always admired him for his fidelity to his own faith.  Whether you agreed with his politics or not, he did his best to live his beliefs, before, during, and after his time as President of the United States.

Rainy Day also known as Monday

The forecast called for rain to begin at 10 a.m.  That would be just at the end of puppy nap #1.  We needed a pre-nap car ride, and we took another car ride post-nap just as it started to rain.  On car ride #2, we got a pup cup.  Have to have some rewards on car rides, to keep her interested in getting into the car.

After the pup cup we did achieve a sugar crash, and some good couch puppy time.  I can feel my own body relaxing as I sit with my pup and stroke her gently as she naps.

After the sugar crash we got outside between some of the light showers to take care of business, and I cooked a couple of eggs, one for her, one for me, at lunch time, and then she kenneled up for a proper puppy nap #2.

On the human front, I cleaned off my vanity and vacuumed under my computer chair.  It's not much, more like what my mom used to call "a lick and a promise" rather than a full cleaning, but it counts.

She may have destroyed the couch, but it saved the area rug... temporarily, at least.  My son says she no doubt knows I'm not pleased with all the destruction, and she'll not do it as much.  I remain skeptical!

The weather made it a tough day for Ember.  It took quite a while and luring to get her into the crate after supper before "last call".  Same story after last call.  

Tuesday morning, last day of the year 2024!

Made it through the morning and the drop-off to doggy daycare.  I have a spare 20 minutes until I need to leave for my workout, so I'm going to wrap this blog up.

In retrospect, 2024 had its ups and downs.  Ember and I had our own ups and downs.  But on the last morning of 2024, we had some precious couch time as well as a happy drop-off.  I may not be very good at "managing the environment" to stop her from rehearsing undesirable behaviors (like chewing up my furniture), but nothing matches feeling yourself relax into your bond with your dog.

"Look, Ma, I skinned the cow!"  

In 2025, there won't even be the start of the pebble calendar.  It went away in 2024 when Ember's reach got to the buffet/sideboard where I had kept it.  My bookshelves are either empty or behind closed doors.  I don't keep the computer where she can get to it.

Later, after my workout, I may do some rearranging of things, or I may choose to go get my hair cut!  I have let The Prisoner back inside and opened doors for him to wander.  Before I go get Ember, I will have to button things up again.  But in the meantime, the kitty has his domain back!

I hope that Ember will come home good and tired, with her extroversion satisfied.

Life is good.  Spark on!

Taking advantage of nice weather

I am taking full advantage while the weather is mild this weekend!  

My "broken" puppy is slowly mending.  Saturday morning, we went on another pre-sunrise car ride, not stopping anywhere, but with 40-degree temperatures at least the streets were not slick, and I could drive us around and look at the lights.

I did not take her leash walking because Friday's leash walk was too challenging for me.  She had dragged me down to locate dead things in the long grass again.  Then I foolishly tried to "help" her along by assisting in carrying a large fallen branch she wanted to chew on.  The conspiracy theorist in the back of my brain recognizes that this was giving her permission to chew more.

Ember accepted the return to the normal routine of me heating up the oatmeal and putting the Dog TV on the YouTube playback and went into her crate for puppy nap #1.  When she got up, I had already cleaned up the family room most recent clutter and done poo patrol outside.  But I still did not want to take her out on leash in the neighborhood.

I tried some ball toss.  Meh, says the puppy.  Then I offered her another car ride, and we went to the dog park.  There she found an Australian Shepherd puppy about her age, named Ollie, and they hit it off.  Round and round and lots of running.  There were other playmates, too, and several of them were within a month of age so good developmental playmates.

Ollie's human was kind enough to help walk Ember out to the car.  I fed her the puppy salad when we got home and she settled well enough to go to puppy nap #2 in her crate.  Yay!  Routine for the win!

I am so glad that car rides have become a tool for puppy management.  I don't know if we're completely past the car sickness that plagued her early months, but it appears to be getting a little bit better.

The garbage man came and took away the big load of couch destruction waste Saturday morning, but here's Ember, tipping over the additional that had not made it to the garbage bin before they came.

After puppy nap #2, we just had some backyard time, enjoying the high temperature of 60℉.  Pretty nice for December 28th in Nebraska, and that's a fact.

Ember, gazing longingly at various groups of people coming and going from neighboring homes.  Shopping for new humans, perhaps?

Sunday morning

Gradual improvement of the puppy bond continues.  We did not need a car ride this morning.  The couch is pretty much denuded of padding and has become a "puppy perch" couch.  No padding for humans to sit on but look who can fit on it just fine!

Sunday morning, we played Recallers games, not being in a frenzy of couch deconstruction.

We played hide-and-seek (find Mommy).  Ember was not in a mood to chase the glow in the dark balls today, so that was a pass.  We did play some crate games; we're still working on trusting mom.  We did some hot zone work on her raised dog bed beside the destroyed couch.  We played tug in a couple of different venues.  "Follow Mommy" games and some food dispensing toys were put to use as well.

It was the day for her Simparica Trio (pest control) pill, so she got extra peanut butter.  Yum!  We practiced some cuddle time on the couch in the parlor (the one she hasn't yet destroyed).  Mommy loves the cuddles as much as Ember does.  

After Mommy's breakfast and a trip outside to collect the morning poo, Ember went back into her crate for puppy nap #1.  However, it took the lure of a schmear of peanut butter on one of her chew toys.  

It is supposed to be another mild temperature day, for this time of year.  Looking forward to an afternoon romp at the dog park with Carl, and the human crew associated with him.

Life is Good.  Spark on!

Is dog training the new dieting? For me?

Seriously, didn't I try a different system for managing weight every time I "got serious" about it?  Am I doing the same sort of thing with dog training?  One YouTube channel, then the local classes, then Susan Garrett's online support.  Recently I'm being bombarded with all kinds of schemes for "miracle" results... but let's be real, results depend on execution and planning.

Things just got worse with the couch as Boxing Day went on.  By the time I got Ember into her crate for her nap before "last call", you could see the springs.  I've been cleaning up the fluff as we go along.  

Friday the destruction expanded to the other side of the couch.  I left the gates down all day Friday.  No point.  She just pushes them down.

We had a long leash walk Friday morning, and Ember continued to refuse to nap in her crate.  I finally got her to agree after feeding her supper and enticing her with a yogurt and blueberry pupsicle.  She also went back in easily after her "last call", with a peanut butter and cheese enhanced dog biscuit.

Trash day is Saturday morning (delayed by a day, due to the Christmas holiday).  My bin is full to the rim for this collection day.

I am thankful that the weather was mild on Friday, considering the attitude/trust issue Ember and I are working our way though.  I took her on two car rides.  One to fill the gas tank.  The other to the place where I buy her bigger chew sticks.  That store allows leashed dogs to be brought into the store, but I had never taken her into a store before.  It was pretty overwhelming to her, so we made it a short visit.  I decided she needed to go back into the car, and a kind clerk helped walk us across the parking lot and held one door open and coaxed Ember in.  She even offered her a doggie treat.

I returned to the store and bought three things:  her highest value crate games treats, the big chew sticks, and a beef center cut bone.  I figured the bone would keep her busy and distracted from the couch deconstruction mission.  It "sort of" worked.  But that couch is done for as a functional piece of furniture.  At this point I can perch on an arm, but she has taken out the seat cushions completely and is working on the footrests at this point.

To be honest, I don't know how to "manage the environment" to prevent her "rehearsing" this undesirable behavior.  I can try my best to manage her exercise, physical and mental.  That is the current plan.  Are we up to "theta" yet?

Ember napped on my lap on the living room couch for what should have been puppy nap #1, although it was a couple of hours late starting.  

She sacked out on the floor of the family room, beside the destroyed couch in the afternoon.  I had turned off the lights, you're seeing a dark room because it was a dark room.  You can tell the puppy has just worn herself out.  The bright spots are pieces of the couch stuffing I had not yet cleared away.

Looking ahead to the next time I need to leave the house in the morning, I called the place where I take Ember to be groomed and boarded.  We will be trying that out on Tuesday morning (New Year's Eve day).  

I will drop her off, then go to my personal trainer, and pick her up after I come home and shower.  Anyway, that's the plan to wear her out in the Winter... see how it works out.

Meanwhile, we have a play date with Carl and his humans on Sunday afternoon at the big dog park.  One day at a time, right?  As for now, Life is Good, but I'm tired and headed for bed!  Spark on!

P.S. Today would have been MobyCarp's 69th birthday.  Hard to believe it's been 10 years since he qualified for The Boston Marathon in his first marathon run.  I miss that man!

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

 

Ember did not get a lump of coal.  She got a rubber rock for Christmas.  My warped sense of humor turned to my brother, who has been gone five years now.  He was one to quote Charlie Brown from The Great Pumpkin film:  "I got a rock!"  He would have got a sparkle in his eye over this one, as would my dad.

To be honest, this rock bounces in unexpected ways, compared to how a ball might bounce in predictable angles and patterns.  Ember loves it and chases it with enthusiasm.

I had to pretend to make my own breakfast on Christmas morning, because it's part of the Ember "puppy nap #1" sequence.  I did not eat it but put it into the 'fridge after I tucked her in, then I took the cheese balls and cookies over to my son's house.

The cheese puffs baked up beautifully at my son's house, and we enjoyed Christmas breakfast of cranberry tart and cheese puffs with coffee.

Between breakfast and the planned "early lunch" meal, we played a rip-roaring game of Pokémon.  Gave me memories of game time at Grandma's during Christmases of my youth.  It is a way to keep the kiddos busy while the grown-ups do what needs doing to pull off the feast and the cleanup.

Luncheon was a bit early for our appetites to have recovered from that substantial breakfast, but the schedule was predetermined by when the foster kiddo was to go for his visit with his birth family.

DIL had been wanting to attempt to make her Grandma Leona's pasta sauce.  It was cooked over the course of two days, and served with linguine and four, count 'em, four different kinds of meat:  pulled pork, roast beef, sausages, and meat balls, all of which contributed to the sauce flavor.  Pasta, sauce, meat, all topped with fresh ground parmesan and accompanied by toasted garlic bread.  It was delicious.  

Breakfast

Everyone was sent home with a "care" package from Donna's (DIL's mom) kitchen wizardry.  I left about the time they were getting ready to drop the foster kiddo off for his visit, as Ember had been crated for about five hours, which is long for her.

For her part, Ember gave me the once-over with her nose, and "talked" me into both a leash walk and a car ride before supper time.  Clearly, she could tell I'd been with other people and with Carl!

Luncheon/dinner

Carl put his head on my knee, same as Diamond used to do.  After living with Ember all these months and watching her grow, seeing Carl in isolation showed the sharp contrast in breeds.  Ember has a lower center of gravity and is muscular in a different way.  Carl is taller and thinner, built for running.  I love them both, of course, who could resist?

We had another party crasher.  Two in fact.  The cockatiels escaped their room to come perch on the ceiling fans between the two meals.  I got the action shot as my daughter in law retrieved one of her birds to return him to his own safe space.

Proof of presence, in my mixed history shirt.

The kiddo had some really cool gifts to open from "Santa" and one of the most precious was a book of photos of his various adventures with his foster parents and grandparents, and of course the pets.  I flipped through the pages and savored how many great memories have been packed into a few short months.

There were of course gifts that were more "kid-normal", like a Lego Batmobile, and a dinosaur blanket and an atlas... and candy, what's Christmas without sweets?  The kiddo snagged his box of "Black Panther" themed shampoo and soap when it was time for his shower, which made it plain that gift was a hit, even if toiletries aren't what a six-year-old might normally think to ask for.   

A nerf-shooting Black Panther glove was a favorite, though.  Kiddo was teaching the two of us grandmother-types how to wear, power and shoot the thing!

Boxing Day morning

I had the breakfast I made on Christmas, but Ember was "in a mood".  Clearly the long crate time on Christmas day had an after effect.  I have continued to try things to protect the carpet/pad in the family room.  The most recent attempts backfired on Thursday morning.  

Ember left the area rug and its pad alone but went after the leather couch with a vengeance!  Putting the harness on was not enough to quell her energy directed that way, she just leapt back into the fray with harness on.  Learning the wrong lessons here!

I eventually got her away from that activity with the distraction of a car ride.  After the car ride, which had no "fun" stops for her, we went out the front door on leash.  I let her explore the long grass area in the park, and then on the second half of the walk she behaved beautifully walking down the "middle" of the sidewalk, and waiting not pulling toward a dog on the other side of the street.  

Once we got home again, she had a chew stick, then bedded down for puppy nap #1, about an hour late.  I went back in to try to clean up the family room, but... that couch ... sigh.

Here's the photo of what it looked like before deciding how to leave it.  This goes into the "Collect your crap" file, as Susan Garrett would dub it.  Seems like two steps backward to me.  I'm having trouble "managing the environment" as she can push the baby gates down when she feels like it, and the X-pen panels I put beyond it for the family room were not a sufficient barrier.  I was trying this morning to turn it into play space (so that the rug is just floor, right?) until this happened.

I need another plan!

How I left it.  Yes, I know some of my readers could see this coming when I let her chew on the cat-tree!  

Hope everyone else's holidays were less disrupted!

Despite all this, life is still good (Pangloss, anyone?)!  Limpingly Sparking... that's me!

Christmas eve day

 

Well, we know the answer to yesterday's blog question about whether the area rug and its pad would survive any training.  Didn't even make it to 24 hours.  The new rug was enough to entice the pup to knock down the gate, multiple times, and she loves to tear into the pad.  This morning, I pulled out the harness again and enticed her into the car for a ride before puppy nap #1, even!

I also sacrificed another stuffed toy to be used for distraction and even allowed the cat to tease her from the deck rail to save that room.  One day at a time, Barb, one day at a time.

After puppy nap #1, I was hoping for warmer temperatures, but they did not materialize.  The pup looked expectantly at the gate to the front hallway after being put into her harness to distract her from the family room temptations.

We went on a leash walk in the 30F overcast day.  My fingers near froze during that 45-minute walk.  Naturally we revisited the dead mouse (that she has visited on the last four walks) and crossed the street to find the (probably bunny?) rib cage she had carried out of the park on Sunday.  Of course she rolled in it.  Repeatedly.  

Frozen fingers inside gloves, I picked that foul thing up and hurled it to lure her onward to get us home.  At home, she sat by the garage door until I opened it, and then she hopped into the back seat all stinky when I opened the car door.  While she was clipped inside the car, I went back out and retrieved that stinky body part and put it in the poop garbage pail.  Then went inside, washed my hands and threw the gloves in the laundry!

Thus, my smelly dog and I went through the Scooter's drive thru nearby.  I rolled down the windows to air us out.  Ember ended up with her first professionally prepared pup cup, while I indulged in a Mr. Mint Mocha, kid's temperature.  238 calories of sugar and fat!  But it's Christmas Eve, so who's counting?  (Me, that's who.)

The Prisoner was sitting on the deck outside the sliding door when we got back into the house.  It took some doing, but Ember finally consented to go down for her next puppy nap and I shuffled The Prisoner back inside so he could have his own treats.

It may not look like much, but this is The Prisoner's domain.  It has a nice, solid latching door between him and Ember's domain!

Baby gates can no longer contain Ember, if she's determined not to honor them.  That new area rug with the pad under it are way too tempting for her to honor the gate.  She pushed it down again, and my games and such were not sufficient distraction.  I put her in the harness which settled her down, in the end.  She was not in the harness when the episode began.

After I finally got her down for puppy nap #3, I put in another layer of containment, stealing a couple of panels from her x-pen in the parlor.

This is not to keep her in, this is to keep her out.  The x-pen is to keep her in a safe space.  This is to protect an area I want to use under supervision only.

One of these days I am going to run out of ways to contain her, and I can only hope that some of the self-restraint has kicked in better by then.

Today on our leash walk she very nicely met a young couple who were leaving a house they were visiting.  The young man was holding an infant/toddler age child in his arms, and she was good, keeping paws on the ground wagging tail, savoring the pets.

It's the contrast between the times she's very, very good, and the times she's feral that will drive a hu-mom nuts!  All told, it was a pretty good day.

Life is Good.  Sparkle a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, a belated Festivus... whatever, happy holidays!

Coffee mugs are the new T-shirt

 

Lunch with my former co-worker on Sunday was a lovely catch-up.  She included me as an "Emerita" member of the team by presenting me with one of the mugs she got for the whole team.  She said she had considered T-shirts, but coffee mugs are one size fits all.  I'm cool with coffee mugs, in fact have quite the collection already, and I prize the design she worked on herself, representing not just the team but the tool we used to produce our piece of the system.

We sipped on coffee (decaf in my case) and noshed on salads while filling one another in on lives and pets and kids and what's happening at the old stomping grounds.  

The weather moderated even more Monday, getting up into the 50's, and Ember and I took advantage with a long visit at the dog park.  She came home from that nicely tired out.  I am grateful for the days when we can do this.

During puppy nap #1 Sunday I baked the Oatmeal Scotchies, the original recipe, that I haven't yet told "the kids" I shall be bringing on Christmas morning.  Now to just keep my own hands out of the cookie jar!  I gave some of them to my former co-worker.

During puppy nap #1 on Monday, I unwrapped and laid down the area rug in the family room.

Like everything else this year, there's a doggy reason for this.  It is to give her better footing for some training games that I want to do in that room.  It is yet to be seen if the area rug will survive it.

Sure enough, as soon as she was let into the room, she went after the far side of that rug, digging to chew on the pad under the rug.  I distracted her and put the gate back up.  I figure we'll have to do a few "introductions" to the room with some other things, like simple commands, games, treats, etc., to make that attractive nuisance less attractive.

We had an appointment for her heartworm test at the vet's office.  This is required once a year to have her on Simparica Trio for pest control.  The test came out negative, which clears her to continue on the preventative for 2025.  She has moved up a weight class for her dosage now, at about 90 pounds (she wiggles on the scale).  But the old weight class topped out at 88, and this one goes up to 132, so it will probably fit her adult weight.  I ordered six months' worth.  

Interesting observation of the day:  I notice that if Ember's doing something I'm not happy with and I get her jazzed about putting on her harness (the new one), she seems to become "all business" ready to go on our next mission.  It worked to get her away from that area rug and head over to the vet's office.  It worked again after puppy nap #2 when I figured we'd try this into to the area rug again.  We just went out in the back yard on harness and leash, took her off lead and the two of just existed out there, watching people walking by, listening to sirens or dogs barking in the distance.  It was something like 47F, a really pleasant afternoon to be outside.

After I fed Ember her supper, I decided to tackle the cheese puffs.  The plan was to form them, freeze them, and have DIL bake them Christmas morning.  I thought I might do this during puppy nap #1 on Christmas eve day, but I was feeling it Monday after supper, and I started my annual tradition:

Prep the dough.  16 ounces mild cheddar cheese, cubed, 3 Tbsp softened unsalted butter, 1 cup flour (barely had a cup), sifted with 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper.  Process in the food processor until it is in crumbles and can be worked.

  

Shape each ball, a good handful of the crumbles.  Add more until you have enough dough to cover the filling.

Insert the filling (in this case it's a sausage bite).

and in this case, it is a green olive with pimento.

I made about a dozen of each filling and put them in separate containers so I can tell which ones are olive and which ones sausage.  Yay!  The son and I will get our olive ones!

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in a hot (450F) oven for 10 minutes and serve hot.

Merry Christmas!  I am now a bit ahead of the game!

And Happy Festivus to those who Seinfeld celebrate!

Life is good!  Spark on!

Tempting the naughty list

Sigh.  This is the reason Mom started putting Ember in the X-pen more.  Seems Ember wants to redecorate the hall outside the bathroom.  

Friday's weather was colder than before, but not as windy.  I did not take Ember on a leash walk.

Saturday brought better resolve to mom and better temperatures to the area.  We got out for a leash walk.  During this walk she once again found the dead thing. She carried part of it halfway home to get an extra roll in its scent, plus took me around an extra block to check on the dead mouse we've already examined on three separate walks.

Friday one of her plush toys that had survived since August also bit the dust.  The orange iguana got eviscerated, the squeaker and stuffing removed.  To be honest she worked on that project both Friday and Saturday.

  

The formerly called treat counter has been barren ever since Thursday's episode of counter-surfing... no treat bag, no treat tubs, just flat, empty counter.  It was amusing to watch her stare up at that empty counter, expecting it to produce chew sticks or cookies.

During puppy nap number two on Friday, I added a braid of laces to the second "Holee Roller" ball.  It was a hit.  Ember headed straight for it and took it out into the yard to play with it.

We played retrieve games in that yard with squeaky balls and tennis balls during the warmest (26 degrees F) part of the Friday.  I know that next month 26 will seem "nice".  We might as well get used to it.

We worked on training games in general to make up for the lack of a walk, too.  Exercise the brain!

Saturday morning, we had a biting incident.  Mommy is not happy about this one.  I figure I caused this one with my clumsy mechanics on the "Treats in a corner" game.  I can go back and second guess all day what I did there, but the bottom line is I triggered Ember into a frenzy of flashing teeth.  She stripped off my protective sleeve; I slipped into the laundry room and closed the door while I took off my coat.

I put the calming dog TV music on, for her to settle while I prepared and ate my own breakfast, then we went outside on poo patrol, and returned inside where she went into the kennel for puppy nap #1.  Order seemed to be restored, and Mom has plans for next steps involving that particular training game.

During puppy nap #1, I browned the sausages for the Christmas cheese puffs. When I announced I had enough for a whole batch with sausage bits at DIL's birthday dinner later, three faces lit up (DIL and her parents) and one face fell (son).  Sigh.  Guess I'll be making a mixed batch, some with olives.  Have to keep them separate for transport so that son gets some of his favorites.

Dinner was at Tandoor.  Very good food, very good company. Son's classic "forced smile".  DIL making the best of her birthday being marred by it being the first day they woke up without little foster kiddo, since he had spent the night with his birth family.  She was feeling a bit grumpy and worried for the kiddo, and quipped to her husband, "Is this how you feel every day?"

His reply was "Yeah, it kinda sucks, doesn't it?"

Son's father-in-law, his usual calm self, held down the other end of the table.  And yes, I was there, too.  

That about covers through Saturday evening, as the shortest daylight of the year faded as we enjoyed our early supper.  I came home and let Ember have her "last call", and she of course sniffed me all over before bedding down for the night.  

Life is good.  Keep Sparking!

Staying on the Nice List - a three day report

 

Photo of Ember greeting the sunrise, Tuesday morning!

Ember earned her leash walks on all three days, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Beginning on Wednesday she was wearing her newest harness.  It was purchased at the same time as the one she is rapidly wearing out.  This one is a sturdy one, the style that Carl wears.

In between naps and walks, we've been practicing being a lap puppy, a cuddle bug on the couch, every day this week.  I give her gentle massage pets and she seems to just relax into it.

Planning for the Christmas main meal continues, back and forth in family message thread.  There remains some uncertainty of the timing.  Foster grand kiddo will be spending Christmas night with his birth family, but the timing of when he leaves for that visit is at this point unknown and could affect when "dinnertime" will be.  Sure enough, the detailed schedule, leading up to his reunification with his birth father and siblings on January 3rd, arrived in DIL's email today.  Looks like an early "dinnertime" for a mid-day drop off.

I'll be making the baked cheese puffs, but this time I'll be doing half of them with brown and serve sausage bites instead of olives.  Seems we have a couple of family members who are not big fans of olives and are intrigued by the possibility of an adaptive recipe!  I shall have to be careful about when I cook and how I store the sausage and the cheese puffs resulting, as this is definitely not a dog-safe treat!

Here's Ember, noshing on her pig's ear, a regular before supper treat, Wednesday afternoon.  I am always interested in how she approaches the pig's ear.  Sometimes she dances around it, tosses it in the air, jumps, or runs from it, and leaves it lying on the floor while she plays with other toys for a bit.

I got my Prevnar 20 vaccine on Wednesday morning, during puppy nap #1.  My vaccination planning got thrown off when I scheduled that cataract surgery in October.  If all goes well, in a couple of weeks I will go for the next Covid 19 booster.  January will bring the annual "checkup" medicalizing.

Tuesday and Thursday both had trainer sessions for the human in the household (me).  Now we'll have a week off, while the trainer enjoys the same vacation week as his wife.

On the way to the Thursday trainer appointment, my four-wheeled companion, Dexter, turned 50,000 miles!  Not too shabby for a 2012 model, eh?  The classic little old lady driving habits don't wrack up the miles much!  Those miles include one driving trip to Florida, one to Wisconsin, and one to New York state.  But those are offset by the three years of the pandemic, when I went practically nowhere.

In Thursday weather news we've had big gusty winds, to offset the mild temperatures.  I decided to brave going into the park with Ember, and I let her direct our path.  Did she find something dead?  In the long grass?  Of course she did.  And rolled in it and came home completely stinky... and after a fresh groom on Monday!

Ember also came home with attitude. She pulled the treat bin off the counter and absconded with it, outside.  It was getting down to the last couple of days' worth of kennel treats, and I abandoned it to her attention.  Then I did not give her "kennel nap" cookies the rest of the day, since she'd already gone over ration.  When I got her settled for puppy nap #2, I went out and acquired two small bowls, in preparation for playing "Vito's Game" when I deem it ready.

I've also ordered an area rug and the pad for under it, to fix the footing for playing said game.  Excuses to spend money are endless, aren't they?

Looking ahead to the weekend, it promises to be a people-y one.  Saturday is my daughter in law's birthday, and we have a family dinner planned at a local Indian Cuisine restaurant.  Sunday I'm meeting the gal who took over my position when I retired, for lunch.  Monday Ember has a vet visit scheduled.  Then suddenly, it's Christmas eve and Christmas Day!

Life is good!  Keep on Sparking, my friends!

Sunset over nativity

 

Sunday night's sunset was stunning, and I captured a small slice of it over the nativity on a lawn across the street.  Ember had her paws up on the deck rail watching the world go by.

Monday was a return to mild (for December) temperatures and sunny skies.  Ember's grooming drop off was at 9, and I spent the time sweeping, dust-mopping, vacuuming, etc. so that the clean dog coming homes would not immediately pick up the same sort of thing Tony had just washed off.

Ember loved her spa day and came home the way many dogs do after their grooming, sporting her bandana and carrying herself with joy!

She was more worn out than she was willing to admit, and sacked out, first on the kitchen floor, then on my lap, then the couch beside me, then back onto the kitchen floor.  After being fed some supper, she moved back into her kennel until "last call".

How can one not love a sleeping puppy?

By the way, Tony still ties the best knots.  She was still in the bandana at 5 p.m.  It only came off at "last call".

Onward to Tuesday!  We will see what this new day brings!

Life is Good.  Spark on!

Earl Grey, hot

 

To quote Jean-Luc Picard, that is, "Earl Grey, hot!" to the replicator on board the Enterprise, in Star Trek, TNG.  Yes, that's how I take my tea.  Earl Grey, hot, no milk or lemon, just tea.  It makes the perfect complement to Christmas cookies, which are, imho, too sweet.

Ember and I worked on snuggles and lap puppy skills on Sunday.  

After tucking her back in for puppy nap #2, Mom packed up the gifts, and most of the contents of Frosty's belly and headed over to her son's house.  The University of Nebraska was playing volleyball against Wisconsin, and that was the backdrop for the gift exchange.

The foster grandson arrived shortly after all us "grands" did, having been on a visit with his birth family.  We shared eggnog and cookies.  Son fixed the eggnog with whiskey for the adults who do imbibe.  He put mine in a different shaped glass to identify it as the one without booze.  Foster grandchild turned down the offer of eggnog, preferring root beer!

Carl had on his jingle bell collar.  It was nice having a one-dog gathering.  Foster grand kiddo and Carl did a lot of tug with the velcro-destroyable tugger.

There was a game of Pokémon cards played at the kitchen table, but foster grandchild wasn't going to play by the modified rules.  Kiddo wanted to deal every hand, and control who got the high value cards.  He wanted to win every hand.  My son quit the game when it became clear that rules were not going to be followed.  

I followed my son's example, as it was getting close to the limit of the time I was willing to let Ember chill at home alone, anyway.  After we both left the game, the other grandma and my daughter in law talked the kiddo into at least rotating dealers.  

The three adult males shared the couch as the volleyball match was wrapping up.  Nebraska goes on to the Final Four again!

As a reward for her extra-long crate nap, I browned ground beef to top Ember's kibble when I got home.  I let her stay up later than usual before going down for the night, essentially combining puppy naps #2 and 3 into that one long crate time.

Ember, on her part, sniffed me over really thoroughly, and gave me that look your dog does.  If you have a dog, you know the one, the one that says, accusingly, that they know (their nose knows) that you've been spending time with other people and another dog, and you didn't take them with!

Yes, yes, that look!

We worked on couch-cuddles again after the sun went down, and eventually she went back into her safe space, and I came up to my room to watch the end of Christmas in Connecticut and get ready for bed myself.

Monday Ember has a grooming appointment, with Tony, her favorite groomer! 

Life is good!  Spark on!