Backyard play time

 

I loved this teething ring for Ember when she was shedding her baby teeth.  It was a little softer than some of the others, and I could pop it in the freezer before handing it to her, so it would soothe her gums.

Yesterday, her adult teeth broke it, and it's on its way to the trash heap, hopefully without her having swallowed any of it.

Friday morning began well.  Ember played games and was quiet in her kennel in time for what Mommy anticipated would be the visit from Tim, the estimator.

Only there was a goof-up at the office, and Tim, the estimator, never showed up!  At about 10:15 (he was due at 8:30) I called their office, only to discover it had not been scheduled!  Yikes!  Ember was starting to bark in her crate by then.  The office lady apologized for her error, and said, "you can let the dog out of her crate".  I laughed.  A different estimator, Eric, came at 2:30 p.m., and Ember stayed in her X-Pen while he did his work.

While waiting for the call-back about when the new estimate appointment would be, I decided to take Ember on a short car ride just to fill the tank before my "points" expired.  When we came back, met Barnaby and his daddy out for their walk, and we took advantage of the fact that Ember was confined, and Barnaby and his daddy were free to settle into the back yard while I got her out and through the house.

This worked out so much better than our last back yard visit.  I opened the door and ensured that Bill was "anchored" and Barnaby off leash before unclipping Ember's leash and releasing her into the back yard.  I figure I didn't have the freedom to take her to a dog park while unsure of when this estimator thing was going to happen, so... perfect.

The two pooches rolled around in the yard, and Bill and I caught up.  You know something amazes me... how many people I meet who have some sort of relationship with the foster care or child protection community.  Turns out Bill's wife worked in family mediation.  Some of those big team meetings I hear about are something his wife might at one time have participated in!  

When the pups wound down, I went and got cheese out of the fridge, then Bill and I called the dogs over to our post by the fence, and he caught Ember's harness so I could clip on her leash while I tempted Barnaby with the cheese to distract him from following Ember.  Bill and Barnaby safely exited the back yard, and Ember and I came back inside, where the scent of crock pot roast beef removed any possible resistance!  The humans are getting smarter about this!

Do I smell roast beef?

Ember is now fed and bedded down in her crate until "last call", having been served a small bit of that roast beef atop her kibble.

Eric the carpenter has two dogs, one older, one younger, both highly intelligent herding breeds (Australian cattle dog, border collie mixed breeds).  That's a handful.  

He gave me a figure that I can live with to replace insulation, tape and mud where the drywall was cut, and patch and paint the siding on the outside.  He will use the rest of the paint the handyman used on the woodpecker repairs last spring!  Yes!  Finally, something left behind will be of use, and not just dry up in the can.

It will take a bit of time for the estimate to get through their office/app system and the official bid to land in my e-mail, but it's not something I have a choice about fixing.  I hope it can be scheduled yet this month.  It simply has to be done, at least the functional part, and it sounds as though this gent knows his stuff... do the part that is needed, don't do extras.

Life is good.  Spark on!