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!

Birthday and the weekend

 

Birthday pup cup, the day after her birthday.  It was a cloudy and cool day (not frigid, though).

I was noticing Ember's gait being "a little off" favoring the left hind quarter as she started chasing balls Saturday morning, so I kept it a quiet "mommy and Ember" day.  We did go through the drive-thru between puppy naps and got her a pup cup to celebrate her birthday, but we didn't leash walk or go to a dog park.  We did some playing with big toys, and we chased balls in the back yard.  We practiced Reward Zone games. 

After supper, I put on the dog TV, and she fell asleep on my knee, and she volunteered to transfer to her kennel when I slipped out to go to the bathroom

Melts your heart, doesn't she?

I waited to take my third Covid-19 test until today, which by the way, is the expiration date of the three tests.  Negative.  So, I managed to escape catching it from either son or daughter in law.

They gave the foster grandchild a Covid and a flu test on Thursday at his first doctor visit.  Ugh!  Negative for both.  The decision to do the surgery on his swollen hand was made by an orthopedic specialist his regular doc referred them to on Friday.  So far, so good, as of Saturday afternoon.  The HUGE bandage still looks clean in the photos DIL shared.  Two days to go 'til back to the surgeon for follow up check.

Sometimes we forget the perspective of a child, but here are a couple of insights from this experience:  when the drugs kicked in, the joy of "Mom, it doesn't hurt any more!"  We had to tell him that was because of the painkillers, and he shouldn't test it too far, lest it hurt more later.  Saturday morning, when bandages were removed from the other hand, where the IV had been placed during surgery, his surprise and relief that the needle wasn't there any more!  We forget that there are things one learns the first time... and this was his first time.  It dredged up a lot of memories for me, of my own son's first encounter with x-rays, and getting his arm set, when he was in second grade.

Sunday morning, Ember had a grooming scheduled.

Here she is post-grooming, with her cute little bandana.  We played some fetch but mostly had a quiet remainder of Sunday.  Across town, they took foster kiddo to the Sonic 3 movie, and out for donuts afterward, so we didn't do any visiting.  She napped on the couch for a while between games, had her supper, and got put to bed according to her normal schedule.

Onward to a new week!

Keep on choosing to live your life, no matter what swirls around you and in the news.  Be kind.  And Spark on!

Finding her voice

 

Another size comparison photo of various Ember toys.  From tennis ball sized glow in the dark to the horse jolly ball (10 inch diameter).  The blue ball, partially skinned, with the "4" on it is my old, weighted exercise ball, and is the heaviest of the lot.  The jolly ball may well be the lightest of the group.

Ember has not yet played with the jolly ball or the soccer ball with all the tags on it.  The others are already well marked by her teeth or her slobber, or both.

The little one was excited to see her mom after day care on Thursday.  When she went into her kennel for the "Mom's getting ready for bed" time, she wasn't quite emotionally ready.  Mom went out to collect a poo and then trundled the garbage bin to the curb.  Ember barked in her crate.  She does not do this often, so mommy responded, checking on her.  

I ended up letting her out for another trip outside, which did not appear to be the need.  Then we sat on the couch together while she fell asleep and only after a bit of snoozing with her adoring mom watching her did she consent to being crated (gently) with a treat.  Love swells watching her sleep.

Friday morning and she was off to daycare again.  I saw the doctor for my annual physical and he said "carry on, see you next year".  I do still have to get my bone scan and mammogram, which will happen in February, along with a dental cleaning.  

She tried a couple of barks again after being put in her kennel for mom's prep for bedtime, but on Friday Mom didn't respond, and after those couple of trial barks, she settled right down.

When I went back to get Ember, she was wearing a bow on her collar, for being the birthday girl.  I tried to get a photo, but she wasn't in a posing kind of mood.

Meanwhile, across town, the foster grandchild was being treated for something that happened with his hand.  It started out as a blister, and the blister grew.  He ended up having surgery Friday afternoon and is recovering at home.  The child is a six-year-old, full of energy. Keeping him still and the dressing clean until Monday (when he goes to have it changed at the doctor's office) is going to be a challenge for the foster mom and dad!  

I had thought to do a Saturday afternoon trip to the dog park, but now we have called that off due to "too many temptations for the child".  Since Ember has a groom session on Sunday morning, we are holding out for a drive-by petting afterwards, as reward for both boy and dog, if all goes well.

Going to tie this one off, at the puppy nap #1 point here, as hu-mom wants a nap, too!

Keep on choosing to live your life, your way!  Spark on!

Tuesday and Wednesday

 

Ember's first Tuesday morning mission:  let's skin the indoor football!

We also played several rounds of glow in the dark ball retrieve outside.  When she gets going on that rotation, it's a joy to watch.

Mom's Tuesday rejoicing:  What is it about running the vacuum, sweeping the tile floors, and shaking out the rugs that makes Mom feel so much better?  Dog laundry being done is also a good feeling.

Ember did not want to get in the car Tuesday morning.  She wanted to go rip up the wingback chair that never made it to the curb.  It is still sitting in a corner of the garage.  I had to resort to dragging her back to the car, then playing "hide and seek" to entice her into the back seat.

Nonetheless, she had a fine day at daycare and came home good and tired.

She waited patiently for me to brown the ground turkey that I then topped her kibble with, and she "licked the platter clean".  Good girl.

We had an uneventful evening.

Wednesday morning, this hu-mom was feeling kind of weary; she had a bit of a headache.  She took second Covid test.  Still negative.  I'm thinking the headache is most likely caffeine management I've been drinking more coffee and my dietary standards have been tossed out the window, showing that I'm still an anxiety over-eater (the uncertainty over the foster child and his siblings is a huge worry point).  I should be behaving myself better, with the medicalizing last Friday and this coming Friday. 

Regardless, I started feeling better after a couple of mugs of coffee, so my thoughts of caffeine management are reasonable.

I dragged out the dinosaur egg after puppy nap #1 so she would have something to play with on the patio and deck in the sunshine (it's a really nice day).

 Link to video of playing with it on the patio.

Anyway, here's your Wednesday "old, blonde, female" giggle:  noon time, I made Ember her "puppy salad" and put it down in her spot.  She ate some of it, but then after, I wanted to let her out on the deck to play with her dinosaur egg, only to be met with a sliding door that would not open!

I start to freak out.  I crate Ember long enough to take a screwdriver and the key and walk around the house to look for any obstacles that might be blocking that door.  Nothing.  I turn the key in the lock, it does its thing.  I go back inside, the latch locks when closed, but when unlocked, stops at about a quarter of an inch open.  

I look up the company that installed that sliding door (six years ago) and called their service department.  They could not schedule a tech to come out and diagnose the problem until the 10th of February.  Now, keep in mind, this is Ember's potty outside door!  I'm not thrilled with the "you have to take her on leash outside, around the house into the back yard to do her business" for two weeks!

While the lady on the other end of the line is looking things up... and I'm pacing anxiously, anticipating a $225 service charge if they try to virtually diagnose and still have to send a technician out.  I try the door one more time, and mutter to myself to stop, already, it's not going to change by simply trying again and again.  And then I look down, and see a little bit of metal, and a feature I had forgotten about (because I never use it) to "lock" the sliding door at a partially open position.  Guess what one of those positions is?  Yep, the quarter inch open position.  Looks like Ember must have scrabbled that foot switch (or I did, but I don't remember).  I can easily see how going in and out and manipulating that dinosaur egg over the threshold she could have flicked that switch.

When the window/door lady came back on the line, I gave her the church lady line:  "Never mind!"  Sigh.  Yep, I'm still old, blonde, and female.

When you stop laughing at this, choose to live your life, your way!  And keep on Sparking!

Monday's Mayhem

 The crazy thing is if I went through how Monday unfolded, could I even get it in the right chronological order?  I'm not sure.

Let's start with early morning.  I let the Prisoner in before I got Ember up and out, then fed.  We played glow in the dark retrieve.  We played with the Tearrible toy.  We played tug.  All the usual stuff.  Before 6:30 a.m., though, I got a message from my daughter in law that she had tested positive for Covid.  Yikes!

That kind of set the tone for the day.  During Ember's puppy nap #1, I looked up the expiration dates on the Covid tests I have on hand.  Three of them are about to expire, and three tests negative on days 1, 3, and 5 after exposure should ensure you don't have the thing.  So I took a test.  Granted, I only saw DIL and son through the car window on the opposite side while everyone was fussing over Ember Sunday, but if they are going to expire anyway...

Negative!

Anyway, took Ember on a practice car ride and picked her up some treats and a new toy between puppy naps.  When I took a bathroom break and did not contain her, she bit through my internet wire!  Yikes!

I managed to call the Internet company, and they looked up my account and said I was on the list of folks who were eligible for same day service calls.  They had a guy out here within the hour.  He not only replaced the wire, he also replaced the wireless router.  And there is joy in the web again. 

Ember had to cool her heels in the crate while the technician worked, but for the most part, she was clueless as to having done anything wrong.  

Got her up for her "follow the leader" walk with Frank and his hu-mom Susan.  Frank is a little touchy about energetic Ember, and kind of snapped at her a couple of spots in the walk.  She balked on the last leg (like she does) on the way back.  Susan slipped me a note with the name of an e-collar company on it.  This is one of those "the levels", the sound, the vibration, and at the highest level the shock.  She used it to help Frank over his pulling at the leash.  My heart sank at the very thought of putting such a thing on Ember.  Susan said she never had to use the shock, the vibrate seemed to be enough to remind Frank of her expectations.

Carl has such a collar, too.  I only ever put it on him once, and never used more than the jiggly vibration, either.  Mostly I have not used it with him at all.  The very suggestion that I might have to put on his "bark collar" (his particular issue was his barking) was usually enough to remind Carl that Grandma likes a quiet puppy.

Anyway, I sulked a bit internally over the very suggestion but eventually came to peace.  Just 'cause someone suggests something doesn't mean you are obligated to do it.

Simultaneous to the internet drama and the co-dog walk, the fur was flying (figuratively) across town.  Remember the foster grandchild?  Yep.  He, his older brother, and his younger sister were removed from their birth dad's home again.  Son and DIL have their little one back since after school, and Carl and the birds were rejoicing!  

My heart goes out to these kids and their being kind of yo-yo'd around by the system!  Thankfully, my son and DIL had kept his space and special things safely there for "respite" times he might visit, so he should feel loved and cherished tonight.  He's only been back with birth dad for less than a month full time, with a couple of weekend overnight stays before that.

Lots of last-minute arrangements for transport (the other foster grandparents are stepping up for school transport tomorrow) and some shopping because when they remove these kids they come with a bare minimum of "stuff".  DIL sent videos to the private group of the reunion time.  They will have him until the next court thing changes something.  Praying for children in such situations!

To top off the day, got a text message from the trainer, who has been ill today, and is waving off tomorrow's training sessions with me and a couple of other ladies.  After today, I'm totally OK with that.  Ember will go to daycare, anyway, and I'll work on housecleaning.

Choose when you have a choice.  Find a way to choose your attitude if you can't choose anything else.  Choose to LIVE your life.  And Spark on.

Weekending with mom

 

Still working on the dinosaur egg.  It's pretty indestructible, but Ember gets very excited when it comes out to play, so Mom limits the time that it is.  Ember loves BIG toys!  Which is probably why she likes to destroy furniture.  Would she have made a great member of a pack that brings down big game?

On Saturday we did quite a bit of toss and retrieve in the yard.  With the rubber rocks and with balls, both.

It was chilly and mom didn't want to freeze her hands off with a leash walk.  We did get a car ride to take recycles to the center, and that earned us a trip through the drive-thru when Ember got a dog-bone (but no whipped cream, that's a one day a week thing, on Sunday).

The Sunday morning family health news is good.  Nobody testing positive for the 'vid beyond my son.  His wife, her mom, and I are still good to go.  

Ember and I practiced "going out and going in" on the leash at the front steps today, before going on a car ride.  We also pulled out a new Tearrible toy.

These toys are velcro'd together, intended to be torn limb from limb by the puppy, then put back together for another round.  

Carl loves his, Ember loves hers, too.  We pulled this little one apart three times today, and when I put it back together during her puppy nap #2, I inserted the "optional" squeaker, as when she pulled it apart the first time, she uncovered the pocket where the squeaker goes.

We did take a Sunday afternoon walk around the block, as the temperature got up to nearly 40℉.  We had some stubborn pulling toward the park.

I ended up invoking Carl's name to convince her to start heading toward home.  "I know where Carl lives, and we can go for a ride in the car.  Mommy has to drive us to see Carl and his people."  At this point she gave up on trying to pull me down toward the long grass and accepted treat enticements to head home.

Shortly after we got home, I fed her, then we did go for a ride in the car, to the high school where the former foster GC and his brother were practicing basketball.  The boys and my son and DIL came over and petted her through the car window.  Her tail and whole back end were wagging.  She does so love people!

She tucked in for the night quite happily, having had "a good day".  I texted the lady next door and we made arrangements for a "follow the leader" leash walk tomorrow afternoon.  It's supposed to top 50 and will be a great day to be outside!

This next week we will have three daycare days, as I have the second half of the annual medicalizing on Friday, then on Sunday the 2nd, she'll get her "spa day".  

Keep on choosing to live your life!  Spark on!

Meanwhile

 

Ember looks very "puppylike" in this photo from Wednesday afternoon.  She had gone down to the basement level and found my 4-pound weighted exercise ball (they used to call these "medicine" balls, never quite understood why).  She picked it up, and wagging tail in full use, proudly trotted it up the stairs and into the X-Pen to begin deconstruction.

Aside:  she really has not grown into those paws yet, has she?

Yes, I had to run the vacuum on Thursday while she was at daycare, to clean up the little fragments she chewed off.

It reminded me of once upon a time when my baby brother (you'd remember him as MOBYCARP from SparkPeople) and I skinned and unwound a golf ball just to figure out what it was made of!

Anyway, the blue cover is a very thin layer, then there is brown rubber stuff under it.  At about this level of deconstruction, I distracted her, got her settled for the evening, then put the ball away.  To be continued, of course.

My little girly is going to get an extra day of daycare on Friday, because I have my annual Medicare wellness appointment, and a fasting blood draw coming up.

Things started getting interesting Wednesday afternoon/evening.  My son had been feeling ill since Monday.  I asked if he'd taken a Covid test and could rule that out.  He had not yet, as of Wednesday afternoon, so he took one, at his wife's suggestion.  Sure enough, after five years of "the virus" being present on our shores, my son had his first positive test for it.  I'm still a unicorn, but I was with them on Sunday the 19th and of course hugged my kid!  

So, the two elders who were at the basketball clinic, DIL's mom and myself, are monitoring our own health.  So far, so good.  But also taking precautions.  I called my doctor's office to ask advice about Friday's appointment.  As long as I'm symptom free, they said come on in, and if I do develop symptoms, still come in, but wear a mask.  I was already masking for my trainer workouts... started up again when I was anticipating my cataract surgery last October, and just never stopped masking there.

Friday Ember went to daycare on a non-trainer day so that I could go to my annual Medicare wellness check without worrying about her being "stuck" in her crate at home.  I was fasting, no symptoms showed up, and I opted not to wear the mask, even though I carried it along.  I took my breakfast with me and munched on it while talking to the PA.  She duly noted the weight loss since a year ago, I credited the puppy, as I generally do.

Saturday morning as I'm typing now:  still symptom free.  I asked the PA on Friday about when it would be considered "safe" to have my next booster.  My last one was in May, 2024.  She said as long as I remain symptom free for another week or so, blessings on getting my next Covid shot.  But if I *do* get Covid, wait 3 months after recovery before getting another shot.  It has become part of the "normal", after five years in the wild.

Keeping on.  Choose to live your life!  Spark on!

Dog TV

 

When it's cold outside, let's snuggle on the couch and watch Dog TV.  When I was checking Facebook today, I saw a post from a friend who has recently (with her hubby) adopted a pair of Spaniels.  Cutest pups, of course, but the photos she posted were of the dogs watching TV with their paw-rents.  She captioned the one where the pups were awake and the ones where they were sleeping with the team names of the football games they were watching when the photos were taken.

I had to laugh just a bit.  Ember really does watch what's on the screen when it's Dog TV, i.e. videos of dogs, in slow motion, with their humans, doing fun things like running at the beach, or in the woods, or in a park... with soft piano music playing and sometimes nature sounds.  It's a calming thing for a pup, and I use it as Ember's sleepy time music, leading into her naps / crate time.  She also watches a bit of old episodes of Murder She Wrote with me.  I'm on a "news fast" of late, but I did notice Sunday morning that TikTok had gone dark on my phone, overnight.  I'm not a frequent user, but my kid sis finds things on it that she likes to share.  

Later in the day, TikTok went live again.  Can we ever keep up?

Sunday Ember was really starting to feel the confinement associated with the cold weather.  I foolishly had put out the raised dog bed again.  This time, she totally destroyed it.  

This is only the beginning.  She shredded the fabric, gnawed off the plastic connectors.  Can't do a whole lot about the metal posts, and it's now all in the trash.  Until next time.

Every so often I give her a plush toy that I know she's just going to shred to bits.  Sunday it was a fresh one, a burlap wrapped steer head toy.  The fluff flew almost immediately.

I fed Ember her supper a shade on the early side and tucked her into her after-supper crate time.  Then I went over to watch Foster Grandkid and his brother practicing at basketball in a YMCA clinic.  This brought back a lot of memories of my son's childhood.  We had him in organized youth sports from about age 5 or 6 onwards.  Basketball was his favorite.  FC's brother's "One more shot" begging brought back strong ones of fading light at the schoolyard when my son was young.

Many moons ago.  I think he was six or seven at the time.

I bypassed the family "McDonald's" trip afterward.  I got home, gave Ember her "last call" on schedule, and got to bed myself.

Monday morning I woke to the phone app proclaiming it was -1℉.  My kid sis translated that to -19℃, but my little calculator app would clock that as being -2℉.  Perhaps across town at her house it was.  Either way:  BRRRRR!

Ember agrees!  Too cold to stay out longer that essential.  She still kept asking, as though I could control what the door opened to.  But when pressed on the "in or out" issue, she consistently chose to come back in.

OK, I admit it, I have been watching the frou-frou in DC, and whatever my innermost thoughts about DJT, I have to admit he knows how to put on a show.  PT Barnum had nothing on him.  He views himself as a producer, and one of his biggest criteria for selecting folks to serve him is do they present well on TV.  

'nuff said about that.

Choose to keep on living your own life!  May all be free to do so.  May all the worries and fears be just that:  worries and fears, and not realities.  May we each keep making the best and kindest choices we can in our own daily spheres.  Spark on!

Oh, and I brought out the dinosaur egg today!