Recalculating... recalculating... reconfiguring?

New entry to the family room.  I put it up during Thursday's puppy day care time.  Ember has whimpered at the "new" gate, but has yet to breach it.

Too bad it's a bit late for the destroyed couch.  Sigh.

Meanwhile, up three steps and around the corner, the couch where we cuddle together, I'm allowing a bit more access to with this new X-Pen configuration.

On the toys front, I think I can safely declare that the "Indestructible Bear" from Allard & Beaufort lives up to its hype.  We have had this bear since Valentine's day, and while some threads have been frayed, the body and arms and legs are still intact.

Today another such toy arrived in the mail, a duck.  I'm hoping it will have a similar story.  It's from the same company.  Should I blush when I admit it's Chinese made?  

Saturday morning featured another sunny leash walk.  It also featured a bold Prisoner wandering into the house while Ember was loose... twice!  The first time, my attention was somewhere else, and I heard more than saw, but turned and saw the streaks of fur heading back out of the house.

The second time, Ember caught up to the cat halfway down the basement stairs.  Fortunately, she still had her harness on from a car ride to fill Dexter's tank, and I was able to open the laundry room door a bit, grab Ember's harness, work with the cues to "let the kitty get away" and "we're done, thank you" to get the pup to let loose of poor kitty.  

Prisoner escaped into his laundry room luxury suite, I closed the door, and Ember and I went back upstairs.  I praised her for letting the kitty go.  Bit by bit we ARE getting better.  She took a little nap to process her cat interactions.

In the planning phase of "field training"... I looked up prices of those "train your hunting dog" places and about fainted.  My friend hasn't even mentioned money, but I would expect to pay for services, friend or no friend.  "A workman is worthy of his hire."  He says we should meet next week.  I'm still second guessing myself over this whole thing, not just if she's "too old to start training" but if she's too unfit (fluffy), and if I'm too out of shape for the endurance required.  Scott hasn't seen me since I dropped out of the triathlete circles.  And I'm not getting any younger.  Still, if I didn't take this at least to the initial phase I would second guess in the OTHER direction.

You see, back in the day when I had Diamond, that was my one regret, that while she had great pointer instincts, we never had her field trained, despite her field championship breeding.

Diamond, in her later years, still a handsome animal.

Despite the uncertainty circling around these things... Life is Good, and I am taking my own advice to LIVE it.  Spark on.

Carrots and sticking to toys

 

Carrot number 1.  This one is a chew toy that came in the Easter version of the Bark Box.  Will it stick?  

Those teeth marks were made in the first 12 hours this carrot "lived" at our house.  The greens at the top are fabric, and I am impressed that she hasn't managed to detach them from the hard rubber of the carrot itself.

Bark Box, by the way, is a subscription thing.  I started a 6-month (once a month delivery) deal in January.  That's when the dinosaur egg came as a promotion.  So this would be our third such box.  We got one with a Valentine's theme in between.

The boxes have some treats, and usually two toys.  They survey you for what your dog likes and doesn't like, so that they can customize your order to your specific animal's taste.  So far with this small sample, I would say they are doing a good job.  Fabric covers, intended to be chewed off, hard rubber toys inside?  Ember likes some of the fabrics, but others she turns up her nose.  She still has not "hatched" the raptor egg that came in January, nor has she completely opened the heart-shaped "tart" that came in February, although she has at least chewed on it enough to make a small hole in one seam.

Thursday morning, we did get out early, as I had a breakfast presentation that I really did want to attend.  Ember went to play with her doggy friends at day care while I went to it.  

In the aftermath of Wednesday's Spring Blizzard, there were "interesting" features on the roads.  On my side of town, the surfaces were pretty good, dry or wet, with a few small icy patches that I could easily see and avoid.  The tricky bit was that mixed with drift from dust storms a couple of states to our South, the snow had obscured the North-facing traffic signals.  My son reported that he accidentally ran a red light that was so obscured.  Luckily, no accident ensued from his "wake-up call", but not everyone who encountered there situation was as fortunate.

I discovered one traffic signal that was completely not functioning at a three-way intersection.  Two lanes on each of the roads, but one side of the north-south road ended in a parking lot with a couple of businesses attached.  I was impressed with the drivers who were out in this pre-8 a.m. time frame.  Stopped, and treated it in a rational "4-way-stop-sign" fashion, just like they teach you in driver's ed.  Must have been because these were regular commuters?  I don't know, but I encountered this non-functional signal both going to and coming home from the meeting, and the situation was well handled both times!

The fire department got out to power wash the signals that were obscured, so between that and the nature's melting cycle, things were back to normal by Friday morning.

Friday morning Ember was not ready for her crate nap at the appropriate clock time.  We are still adjusting.  I think the "going to day care" schedule is modifying her "at home nap" schedule, as well as the daylight savings shift.  I decided to take her on a practice car ride to where the foster grandchild will be playing soccer this upcoming Spring season.  The first game is this Sunday, and it's at the newest high school in town's fields.  I had not been there before, so off we went.  Ember was very good in the car, and we stopped for a coffee and pup cup on the way home.

Carrot number 2... in the toy bin in the pantry.  She hasn't been introduced to this one yet.  It's plush, so I'm holding off for a while before introducing it.

On Thursday while she was in day care I sifted through all her toys and discarded several that are "finished".  Stuffing removed, or partially so, frayed, replacements already in hand, etc.  I left several from the bottom of the toy bin out in her X-Pen so she had "new toys" when she came home from day care.

Also removed dog hair by vacuum, shaking out, etc.  I always feel better when I bring her home to a "cleaner" house.  I am not going to say "clean" because it's certainly not up to my grandmother's standards!  LOL!

I also did some online dog-shopping.  A new "shitty kit" will be coming, along with a fresh collar and ID tag, and a new seat protector with hard bottoms and folding feature for the back seat.  It should be here well before the May time frame when I'll be playing Grandma the Uber driver as a role in foster kiddo's life.  Meanwhile, I'm thinking it looks a lot more comfy for Ember than the sling version she slips down in.

Life continues to be good, especially if I begin with the attitude of finding the good, every day.  The news may be a bit on the scary side (OK, more than a bit scary in some areas), but there is still good going on.  Keep your Spark lit, and choose to live your own life!

She likes big toys

 

It's a month yet to Easter, but I had them add a giant Easter egg to the heavy chewers box from Barks this month.  Between the horse jolly ball, the dinosaur egg, and the giant Easter egg, Ember is well supplied with "big toys".  

We got a leash walk in on a nice Monday, in between storm fronts.  We are supposed to get gusty rain Tuesday overnight changing to snow between 7 and 9 Wednesday morning.  Snow to continue, accumulation prediction 3 to 5 inches, which would make it our biggest snow of the season.  

I weather wimped Ember's groomer booking Wednesday afternoon, when it could be at its worst.  I'll do a "mommy and me" day with her instead.  The grooming has been moved off to Monday the 31st and will be combined with a day care day for her.  She has the vet on Tuesday April 1st for her Bordetella booster, and it's important for me to be there with her on a vet day.  

Thursday is supposed to be a day care day for Ember, while I go to a breakfast meeting (get the little fur-child up early).  I will see how the storm develops overnight Tuesday and all day on Wednesday before I decided whether to go to that breakfast or weather wimp out on it as well.

Wednesday morning... the wind is howling out there

The precipitation hasn't started yet, it's due in about 40 minutes as rain, and the temperatures are still dropping, so eventually it will turn to snow.  But with that wind, it truly is a blizzard.  Going to scoot and try to get the pup outside before the rain.  Updates later.

Here we go - 9 a.m.

Early in the day, this was just sleet, that started about 6 - 7 a.m. hour.

11:45 a.m. -

It was falling as snow by then.

If you expand the second shot, the neighbor across the street, you can see the wind has blown down their basketball hoop already.

2:45 p.m. - But note, the streets look OK in my neighborhood.

My front sidewalk and driveway were only wet come 5 p.m. after it stopped falling.  I'm not even that scared of the snow blowing arounds.  Too wet and heavy to drift once it's down.

Ember went out for her "last call" about 8 p.m., and we are now tucking in for the night.  Tomorrow is a new day, and believe it or not, the temperature is supposed to rise to over 50.  Whew!  Weather roller coaster.

Fingers crossed for the morning street conditions after a chilly (think refreeze) overnight.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Carl's Birthday party

 

That's my co-mum-in-law, Carl's "other" grandma, along with Carl and Ember, at the dog park, celebrating Carl's sixth (can you believe it) birthday!

Donna and I just tried to avoid getting bowled over by flying canines who were having the time of their lives.

Foster grandchild ran on ahead to climb a tree, then followed the dogs to the water (but not into it, thank goodness).  He then wanted to go build his "dog restaurant" in another section of the park.  The mythical son picked up a big fallen branch to help build the restaurant, using it as a walking stick, and we began the trudge.

There's not much a dog loves better than a good game of chase.  Carl's leading the charge.  

Unless it's a swimming chase, that is.  In this case, it was Ember taking the lead.

When the visit to the park ended, the planned test ride with FGC went very well.  First, DIL got FGC's permission to take the ride.  Then I gave him a brief training session on how to play ItsYerChoice (one of Susan Garrett's Recallers games).  We loaded Ember into the backseat with me beside her, then swapped out the human and buckled the youngster in.

The mythical son crammed himself into the front seat beside me to essentially give FGC security (FGC has never ridden with me before, much less alone and with a dog). We drove to my house, a very short mile.  Once there DIL, son, FGC and my co-Mum-in-law had the 50-cent tour, since FGC had never been to my house before.  

We started in the back yard.  FGC made a beeline for the playhouse over the sandbox and climbed the ladder, poked his head out the window, and ventured onto its little balcony.  No photos, of course, because of foster system rules, but he was so cute in that playhouse.  Last time it had a kid in it was during the weekend of my brother's memorial service, when my great niece came down with her grandma from North Dakota.

Then we went inside. FGC was attracted to Ember's X-Pen, and shut himself into it.  Ember was still out on leash.  He proclaimed that he felt nice and safe in there!  

The people departed after a bit, then I was left with a rapidly drying dog.  She got toweled off, I fed her the evening meal, we chilled on the couch, then I tucked her into her crate "until last call", I told her.  But when I headed upstairs to do my normal thing... barks!  I went back down, she was quiet, laying in her crate, so I headed back upstairs again, and... barks!  This is not a barky dog, so I decided to go back down and take her outside an extra time.  Sure enough... she had not peed when we got home with all the extra people around.  Extended pee.  Good girl for letting mommy know!  Good mommy for trusting your puppy!

Then we cuddled on the couch for a bit before putting her back to bed.  And I came up to find the photos my DIL posted to messenger and FB, so I could pick a few goodies to share here.

Life is good!  Spark on!

Day by Day

 

Day by day, those sprouts grow.

Phone call early on Wednesday morning, from the Dr's office to tell me the mammogram came out "normal" and the bone density test showed it is still osteopenia (not escalated to osteoporosis), I am stable.  They are still advising (pushing) calcium, vitamin D, and weight bearing exercise.  All doable.

Ember came on a longish (for her) car ride with me Wednesday morning, too.  She wasn't ready to go in the crate yet, so I coaxed her into the car, and went to drop off my ballot request at the election commission.  This covers both the primary and the general local elections here.  I will get my ballots in the mail, fill them out and drop them back at the election commission when the time comes.

On the way home we went through the coffee drive-thru and got Ember her dog-treat.  At home, we managed a safe passage to get the cat down to his safe haven in the laundry room, as he'd been outside since first thing in the morning.  Ember was down the steps onto the patio when the kitty decided to jump for the open door.  I got the door closed behind him before she got there, then convinced her to let me go in (good threshold manners, Ember) and go put Prisoner in his room.  

When I came back up and let her in, we played a little while longer before she went into the crate for my human time, part of which I'm using to type this.

Meantime, planning for FGC's week between school letting out and Summer Day care starting up.  He'll be going to Zoo camp.  This is the last week in May, and between now and then I need to get Ember trained to ride in the back seat and allow a human alongside.  The hope is that FGC can ride beside her without getting licked to death.  If all goes well, I'll be on tap for two days that week.

In preparation for this, I vacuumed out the back seat, located the seat belts, and experimented with inviting Ember to jump in while I sat in half of it.  Success!  Come Saturday, we will try a practice ride with FGC from the dog park back to my house, beside Ember in the back seat.  It's only about a mile, and if we survive this, it will be counted as a good sign we can do the transport to Zoo camp.

Wednesday it got nice and warm out, and Ember got not just one but TWO leash walks.  We joined the puppy parade that walks every Wednesday afternoon about 4 p.m.  This is the same time that kid sis Alicia and I used to visit, but since that has dropped off to a "by appointment" sister visit arrangement, it frees me up to join Ember into that puppy parade.  She did well today and then she collapsed onto the cool garage floor.

Thursday morning, Ember was a little slow in terms of morning energy, but she was clearly hungry and went for not just the "chow" (canned food), but the kibble later.  She did ingest a bit of the fabric from one of her newer toys, as I found the regurgitation in the crate in the morning.  Bedding being washed.

After my workout with the trainer, I got my hair cut and laid in groceries for the week ahead.  I picked up my little diva at the usual time, and she was ready to come home and have her supper and quiet time leading up to bedtime.  It is still light when I start "last call" now, since the clocks got moved, but between her day care days and a really active Wednesday, she was ready for her "big sleep".

Thankfully, Friday is a "just mommy and me" day for Ember, and Mommy is ready for a quieter day, too.  

Onward, my friends!  Whatever the world throws at us (and it may not be pretty at any given moment), we can choose LIFE!  It's not a spectator sport.  It's one day at a time, one right action at a time.  It's choosing to be kind.  It's choosing to love.  And yes, sometimes that can lead to us feeling some of the "downside" feelings.  But Life is good!  Spark on!

Sprung forward? Already?

Was Ember singing the song of her people in this shot, or just sniffing the snowy air?  There's something about a dog, all stretched out, with her nose pointed moon-ward!  I think there may have been a fire siren involved when I snapped that photo.

I seem to have worn-out a Smart TV!  Screen is blank.  I tried the soft reset, did not work.  Blank screen, but it does get audio.  Looks like I will be down to a single TV for a while.  Probably good for me anyway.  My computer can stream anything those smart TVs do, anyway.

Next chapter of potential training for Ember?  I am in contact with a gentleman I know (through triathlon and personal trainer connections).  This is the one who ended up adopting his friend's hunting dog after he lost his own, and the dog lost her owner... he's a hunting guide/outfitter, in the midst of snow goose season right now.  I contacted him for advice about local trainers for a lab... I would like Ember to be able to more fully exercise her instincts.  I gave him fair warning that I am no hunter, but he said we can meet after he wraps up the snow goose season, and he will show me what I need to do for the next phase of training for Ember.

He says being a hunter is not required to train a hunting dog.  I may end up putting more miles on Dexter in pursuit of this new phase, this fellow is headquartered in Northwestern Missouri.

This does not mean that I'm stopping the games that Susan Garrett's Recallers program teaches.  It means I am looking at something more specialized to Ember's breeding to add to it.

I've started mixing in "step up" to her training games, in anticipation of perch work.  We continue to do reward zone training in the back yard.  Yeah, we still have chewing / destructive issues, but I figure the more of a "job" she has with the field training, the less she'll feel the need to take down the buffalo in the family room (leather couch).

Ember was not a fan of the daylight-saving time change.  She was not hungry for her breakfast on Monday.  She snoozed around the house for an hour before deigning to eat it.  I had booked her for a Monday day care day, to accommodate lunch plans for my sister's birthday!  We have dropped the routine Wednesday walks, so getting a sister catch up beyond the on-line check in is a good thing.

It was a wonderful, leisurely sister catch-up.  And it was a wonderfully warm day, a preview of Summer to come, breaking the record for high temperature reading for March 10th in our town.

Tuesday was day care again for Ember, and Mommy medicalizing.  The bone density scan and the mammogram were on tap for afternoon.  The trainer was in the morning.  While sitting in the waiting room in bathrobes, I thought a face on another woman looked familiar and that I should know her.  Turned out I didn't but while figuring that out, another woman (younger) heard my maiden name and asked where I had lived growing up.  I named the street, and she identified herself as one of the little girls who had lived next door to my parents!  

Oh, my goodness!  She would remember my younger sisters more than me, as by the time these little girls lived there, I had already moved out to an apartment.  She did remember my brother.  Small world!  The chance to visit was very short as the mammographer came to get me, so I didn't get to ask her for her first name... she was obviously younger, but those girls were tiny back when my mom was fretting over them and their welfare as their parents split up.  

Anyway, that concludes the medicalizing for the year, I'm hoping.  Thinking so much of the old-ers among us, with aging partners in life who are facing health challenges.  Prayers for all battling the various forms of cancer, diabetes, and dementia... getting old is not for sissies, for sure, but I don't know if it's worse having the diseases of aging or worse caring about someone who is fighting one.

Praying, too, for our nation, and its leadership.  We certainly are living through one of those "interesting times" the old curse talks about.

It almost looks like a glow-stick in this light, but Ember is gnawing on a Yak cheese chew in the morning lamplight in this shot.  

Interesting times or no, health challenges or no, LIFE is still good!  Keep the Spark and the Sparkle alive!

Spring? Not just yet!

 

Crocus?  Or daffodils?  Whatever, near to the foundation, the escaping warmth of the house and the warm weather of late is encouraging something poking its little fingers out of the ground!

But first!  Beware, even as I'm seeing these little fingers reaching up, the forecast has us in a high wind warning, with the S word overnight Tuesday (snow, y'know).  2 to 5 inches of fresh stuff possible by the end of this event, sometime on Wednesday.  Will let y'all know if it lives up to the hype.  

Still, the past couple of weeks, with several "above average" temperature days got Ember and her hu-mom outside on leash, and that felt good.  Her eyes sparkled, she smiled up at me, and my heart melted all over again, despite her finding new places on the carcass of the leather couch to tear at!

On the human task front, I started working on the taxes Monday.  Hunting down the documentation, the first phase.  It does not matter whether you hire someone else to do your taxes or do it yourself, you still have to track down all those documents.  Oh, yeah, the transfer of one IRA from one financial institution to another... have to find that collection... it's around here somewhere, I know.  Puppy distractions can end up with things in odd spaces!

In Emberville, the little diva got her first trip through the car wash.  She was most interested when we got home to sniff around the outside of the car.

I went and picked Ember up about 4 p.m., as the wind was up, the front coming through, and the first wave of rain had passed through.  Got her home as it was changing to slush and then snow.  I fed her supper, gave her a chew stick, but the weather was freaking her out.  She continued to destroy the couch, knocking down the baby gate three times.  She performed zoomies in the snow outside, and eventually, I just put her to bed with a yogurt smeared alligator toy and a peanut butter covered Milk bone.

I put the puppy music on the TV, and after a few complaining barks, she fell into exhausted sleep.  I came upstairs to work on my dental routine, listening to the wind howl outside.  We're in a blizzard warning until 3 a.m.  After I get done with my routine, I shall go downstairs and spend the night on the couch.  That's the plan.  Because my baby is troubled by the storm.

Anybody else in the path of this thing, I hope you are home, safe, warm, all buttoned up for the duration!

High Wind warning extended to Noon Wednesday.

Hu-mom spent the night on the couch, as predicted.  Did not offer last call as the weather was too wild at the time.  Did offer a middle of the night "outing" at 11:45 p.m. when the wind wasn't quite as bad, and told her it was OK to pee and poo on the deck if she wanted.  She did pee on the deck but went down the stairs and under the deck, so I kind of expect to find poo there when eventually I get around to poo colleciton!

Finished my night on the couch at about 4 a.m., with weird dreams.  Opened the door for the kitty, who turned up his nose at the very thought, although he was the one who asked for the door to be opened.

Ember got a little braver, once she really needed to go, and continued to pee on the deck, but trotted down the steps to explore the patio.  

We made it to puppy nap #1, and I took a short mommy nap.  My plan was to wait for the wind to die down before I headed out with the shovels.

I shoveled some on the deck.  This photo was taken before that clearing session.

This was a wet, slushy snow, and the temperature is relatively mild, although the wind is strong.

We do have some bright sunshine.  Even when it's cold, the sunshine somehow makes the clearing easier.

It got increasingly milder, and a neighbor helped me with the deepest drifts on the South sidewalk.  Clearly, it's melting and soaking in to the grassy areas faster that I got the cement areas cleared.

In any case, it looks as though this storm is pretty much wound down, leaving room for the next one to come through in a couple of days!

Spring is "just around the corner" but it hasn't quite rounded it yet!

Life is good.  Keep on sparking!