One of the more recent toy acquisitions. We are learning to enjoy tug. Sort of.
Both of these photos are from the sunny afternoons on the deck. The temperatures may be low (got into the single digits F in the overnight Sunday to Monday) but it's not as bitterly cold as many January months have been in my lifetime.
Monday had its ups and downs. I knew it would be challenging as the 4th day "home with Mom" before Tuesday's next day care time. We took three car rides.
The first was a "ride to nowhere" in the dark of the morning, just to distract her from the leather couch that she's still working on deconstructing. The second was a trip to the grocery store. This time I left her in the car while I dashed in to get saltine crackers and a small packet of dog chews.
The last one was a sight-seeing tour to go find the KenL-Inn dog place. I wanted to check where the pavement ended and get a look at it, as it has been some years since I went out there. I'm considering it as an alternative boarding/day care space for Ember. I understand they do dog training classes out there, as well as having wooded space on the property for some of their activities when a dog is boarded there. We did not stop, just drove through the lot, as I hadn't called first. Bit by bit.
Tuesday is one of Ember's Day Care days, and my personal trainer day, too. Ember was ready to go early, so I took her on over. It felt cold outside, as it was breezier than Monday had been. While she was playing, I got my workout, a shower, unpacked some deliveries, baked a loaf of frozen bread dough, did some laundry, and vacuumed. The electric company was out replacing a streetlight. They had to get into the pedestal in my backyard to do some fuse work, just as I was getting ready to go pick up Ember.
I started writing this several days ago, then kind of abandoned it...
It's now Friday morning. Ember went to day care both Tuesday and Thursday. She has some new toys (deliveries I unpacked), but I'm pacing when they get introduced. I made it to my trainer sessions both Tuesday and Thursday. Next week looks much the same. What will be different is the weather. We are having a couple of very nice (for January) days, and then over the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday next week (the 19th to the 21st) we will be hit with our piece of the "Polar Vortex" the news folks are talking about. Still, I compare it to January temperatures of the past, and it doesn't sound as bad.
Today's plan: I have recycles loaded in the car, and figure one of our "practice car rides" can be to take them to the center. And today is the day that we will be attempting a "pack walk" with Frank and Susan... and hopefully Julie will be coming along. Once greetings have been established, fingers crossed for another avenue of exercise for the pup.
Keep on making the choice to live your life! Spark on.
Good Friday morning to you and Ember! Interested in how your pack walk experiment will go….you certainly go above and beyond to provide Ember with a variety of activities and socialization opportunities. What a wonderful hu-Mom you are to her!
ReplyDeleteIt is cold in central FL and has been all week…you know the rest of the US is cold when the prediction is snow and ice in the FL panhandle! Yikes! Eissa7 (Karen)
Yikes! Florida and ice just don't seem to go together, do they? Bundle up and stay safe!
DeleteYes, cold here, too, but not as bitter cold as it could be. That said, we’re going to be slammed w/another polar vortex come tomorrow night through Wednesday. Cold I can deal with.
ReplyDeleteGood for you getting to your personal trainer.
Good luck w/the pack walk. Hope all goes well/!
Love the photos.
Hugs and stay warm
Barb
1cd
Pack walk went so much better than trying to walk her alone. Other people and a "leader" dog helped a lot with Ember's willingness to "keep going" as opposed to following up some distraction (like the long grass in the park, or digging in someone else's yard). Planning to do this again if we get another wonderfully mild day in the coming weeks!
DeletePHOENIX1949
ReplyDeleteSounds like healthy routines are falling into place for the two of you.
Had my second cataract surgery Jan 8 and this recovery has some effects not with the first: flickering vision and intermittent swirls of loose paisley designs in yellow/pink/lavendar. Doc says these should go away by week 4.
Had cancer followup yesterday. Surgical biopsy on the near horizon as soon as cleared by eye Doc. The volume of anesthesia I have had since April 2023 is troubling as each surgery takes much longer to recover from. Disappointing, but it is what it is.
I concur "aging is definitely not for sissies" as the quote credited to so many folks says.
Keep warm during your version of the Polar Vortex. We aren't as well-equipped in these parts.
Susan
How interesting to see the difference between the two eyes. I had some differences, too. My brother in law was less happy with his second eye than with the first. I think the first one makes such a positive impact that the second one would be hard pressed to equal it.
DeleteSo sorry about the anesthesia recovery getting harder/longer to recover from. Yep, aging is not for wimps!
Wishing you warmth in the polar vortex, too... it could dip as far south as y'all, and even though not as extreme as what we get (or those North of US do), homes are not built for Winter down your way!
Ember seems to be getting some good socialization! I missed something here. Is that why did you decide on doggie day care? I'm sure it gets her well-exercised. Reminds me of finding kiddie classes so I could breathe.
ReplyDeleteSmart on the rides to nowhere. Oscar had a love-hate relationship with the car and we didn't take him to too many places because of the annoyance. Once Chewy got his elevated car seat where he could see out, his attitude changed and he's so content; no more shivering and whining.
Does she respond to the "no's" in her life or does she shrug her shoulders and continue chewing your furniture?
Socialization and exercise are two of the factors in deciding on doggie day care. The third was that on Christmas morning I left her home alone in her crate beginning with puppy nap #1. She was alone at home, confined for five hours. I didn't get home 'til about 1 p.m.
DeleteAfter that episode, she refused to go into her crate for puppy nap #1 on Boxing Day. I was concerned that this trend could continue into the next week when I had my personal trainer appointment, so I scheduled ONE day of doggie day care for the following Tuesday, to test it out. She behaved, and I started booking her for all my trainer days.
Meanwhile, she forgave me, and puppy nap #1 is still a thing, after I finish my own breakfast. But only on days when she does not go to doggie day care.
Does she respond to "no's"... eh, sometimes. Mostly I try not to use "no" unless it's a "you're gonna get killed" kind of emergency. Like chewing on an electrical cord? I try to distract her and give her something else to engage her mind. Come play tug with mommy. Let's put on your harness (which is a temporary fix, to remind her she's a puppy in training). Progress is slow, but it is progress. Sometimes when I ask her to respect the gate, she does. Other times, not.
The big hurdle to car rides for her was that she got motion sickness as a puppy. She seems to be growing out of that phase, but she still drools a lot (which is a sign that she's still a bit anxious about it). At daycare, I always ask for help loading her back into the car when we leave. She seems to behave very well for other people.
I'm trying to take her just about everywhere with me in the car: to the gas station, the pharmacy drive-thru, stores where I'm just popping in for a bit, and of course the classic coffee / pupcup drive-through. She never knows when I entice her into the car if it's going to be to somewhere that she gets out to play, somewhere that people give her pets or treats, or "nowhere".
Sounds like a pretty good week all around. Ember has lots of busy days I see which keeps you pretty busy too. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteBusy life is a good thing, I have decided, not just for the pup, but also for me. I've been retired for seven years, and it took 3 of pandemic shutdown to get me rested up enough to be this level of busy again!
DeleteHave a great weekend yourself... been enjoying your Robert's writings as well as your own over on your blog.
Sounds like it's been a good week.
ReplyDeleteThanks. All in all, it has been.
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