Wahoo!

As of this very minute, I am officially on Summer Vacation!!! Yippee!!! I do not have to report back to work until mid-August. I'll drop in from time to time just to take care a few odds and ends, buy WAHOO!!!! I'm now on BREAK!

I'm not going to be doing anything all that exciting. We've got plans for to help my Mother sort through alot of things and that will take up a great deal of my time. And hopefully, I'll be able to get my house in better order (emphasis on hopefully) and I'll be able to spend more time taking care of Russell and our newfs. And I'll get to sleep in some. That is definitely something I'm going to enjoy!

My Cell Phone and the general craziness of this week...

Well, it happened. I ran out of minutes on my cell phone! Never ever did I think that this would happen, but it did. I think the trip to Iowa didn't help matters.... because we traveled mid-week. My plan offers free weekends so once Saturday came it wasn't a big deal.

My sister and I have been on the phone practically 24/7 the past few weeks in regards to my Mother. I realized that I was getting low on minutes, and warned Lilli, but to no avail. She kept calling and calling, and suddenly I was over. So off went my phone and I was in-communicado.

And THAT is a weird feeling. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I knew that if an emergency popped up I could still make a call. I warned Russell and he understood. I just can't underestand where those 300 minutes went!!! I've never gone over before, so it will definitely be interesting to look at the statement! LOL!

Juggler extraordinaire!!!!

Upon reflecting about this past weekend, I've come to the conclusion that I've become quite proficient at juggling. And given my lack of coordination and balance, this is actually an amazing accomplishment. At this point, I should clarify that my newfound proficiency in juggling is not physical. Instead, it's actually "time" that I've come to juggle quite well! Now if I could just conquer the physical side, I'd be doing really really well!

From this, you may gather that I had a busy weekend. Yet it was a good one... filled with activities that I like, including, dog club events, ballet recitals, dinners with family and friends! Can't beat it! And the best part is that Russell took the day off today... yet he drove all the way to work (we both work at the University) to take me out to lunch. What a guy!!!

Rain or not, things are dripping wet!

I was outside with Ben this morning, and saw this wet leaf. I thought it would make and interesting picture, so after I had walked the rest of the dogs I grabbed my camera and luckily "the drip" was still there.

You may notice a "fine" hair hanging from the drip. Could it be a newf hair? It's white, I think... so perhaps a remnant from Sailor. I'd like to believe that's what it is!

Here another picture:

Finally, a good picture of Ben!

This is Ben. We've been fostering him for quite awhile and have decided to adopt him. He's a regular goofball but is all heart. The poor boy suffers from major anxiety. Prior to coming to live with us, he jumped through 5 windows trying to get to his people. When he arrived at our house, we were quite concerned about this. However, he settled right in. We had him on medication for quite awhile to help take the edge off. Though he'll always be anxious, he's improved a great deal.

Ben has the greatest personality... yet it's not easy to describe his personality. The closest I can get is to describe not one, but two character's from television.
The first is "Kramer" from the television show "Seinfeld". Ben's hair sticks up on his head much like Kramer's. And he also enters rooms just like Kramer does. It's always quite comical!

The second is "Barney Fife" from the "Andy Griffith" show. Ben is a self appointed deputy sherriff. He's constantly on patrol, and if he thinks anyone is doing anything wrong, he takes it upon himself to let them know. He also considers himself Russell's "back-up". He's definitely a deputy without a bullet...
Despite his many quirks, I love this boy with all my heart, and I'm proud to call him "ours".

Today is the best day....

...because it's my beloved husband's birthday. Not only is he my beloved, but he's my soul mate, my best friend and the most honorable man I know. Happy Birthday sweetie. I do love you with every ounce of my being... and appreciate all you do for me, all you put up with. I appreciate your tolerance, your good nature and your patience. You are always there for me, in good times and in bad... you are my everything.

Godspeed Sweet Quentin

I've just learned of the very sad news of the death of a friends beloved dog. His name was Quentin, and he's been very sick for some time. His Mom wrote about him:

"My Quentin's brave battle with hemangiosarcoma is over. He slipped away this morning, laying on our love seat cradled in my arms. Quentin lived life to the fullest, greeting each day with enthusiasm and joy, right to the end - he truly loved his life. Always a puppy at heart, he loved to swim, run through the woods, play tug of war and wrestle with the Newfs. He was such an incredibly happy boy who was dearly loved and will be sadly missed. He made us laugh each and every day for the last 10 1/2 years....the world is a much sadder place now that he is gone."

My heart, my thoughts and my prayers are with his family. He was such a brave sweet boy.. he fought the good fight... and I have grown to love him as I love "my own" these past few months. I'm going to light a candle when I get home... and I look for his star tonight... it's going to be a clear night here... and I'm sure it will be among the brightest of stars. Please join me.... and blow him a kiss. He has a page on Dogster... you can visit it by clicking here:

Quentin's Dogster page

Godspeed Sweet Quentin...

Silly Cora

Good Girl Cora?!?!?!?

There are times, when even the best behaved dogs are naughty. They don't mean to be. Something just happens to make them that way. In this particular instance, I'm referring to our good girl Cora. Cora is our best girl. She's not perfect, and can be "impish" at times... And yesterday was one of those days... and poor Ben paid the price.
We had just returned home from work, and Russell had taken Cora & Ben outside. Instead of concentrating on taking care of his business, Russell quicky aware that Ben was paying more attention to Cora. Russell looked over towards where Cora had been milling about, and all he could see was her rear end sticking out from beneath a bush. And then suddenly, a rabbit bolted out from the other side of the bush.

Poor Ben was beside himself. His inner "DEFCON" status was raised to the highest limit and he was totally on alert. No matter what Russell did to distract him, Ben's focus remained on the spot where the rabbit was last seen! Of course at this point, the rabbit was more than likely in the next county!

Russell and Ben came back inside after about 20 minutes. Russell was most annoyed and Ben was quite excited about the whole matter. I'm sure that he somehow communicated the entire chain of events to Kira and Yelda... in what ever "dogspeak" they use. And I do have to say that Cora appeared quite smug about the entire matter!

A Boy and his Dog

On our way to work yesterday, Russell saw a dog lying under a tree in a cemetery just adjacent to campus. One of my fellow co-workers also saw it and sent an email out to several known dog-lovers on campus. I went with her at lunch to try and catch the dog. We had no luck, and met again after work. Once again we were unable to find the dog. We left food and water for it and made plans to resume looking the next day and then parted ways. I drove through the cemetery. I stopped and visited my Father's grave and then visited a memorial that is legendary in Dayton. It's of a boy and his dog. I've visited it before, however, for the first time it occurred to me that the dog might be a newfoundland!

In 1860 there was a boy, Johnny Morehouse, the youngest son of John and Mory, who lived with them in the back of his father’s shoe repair shop. One day the five-year-old was playing near his home by the edge of the Miami & Erie Canal (which used to run along the present Patterson Blvd. in downtown Dayton near the library).
The boy accidentally fell into the canal water. His dog, playing by him, jumped into the water and tried to save him. He pulled the boy out, but not in time to save his life. The boy drowned and was buried in Woodland Cemetery.

Legend has it that, several days after the burial, the dog appeared next to the boy’s grave staying by it morning, noon, and night. Visitors to the cemetery saw him and began to worry about his health. Some began leaving him bits of food. Passersby still bring small toys and other trinkets to decorate the grave marker to express their spontaneous outpourings of sympathy. Some visitors put money there. A lady who walks the cemetery every day collects the money and buys something for the grave often. As you can see on his grave marker, he already has toys to play with – his harmonica, his top, his cap, his ball. There are several reports that Johnny and his dog have been seen walking through the cememtery at night. Reputed experts in the paranormal field have confirmed this.
I felt a bit silly, but I left a biscuit on the base of the statue. I think the dog looks sort of like a Newf.... specially from that era. Johnny's story reminds me of another great dog story, which, as it turns out, is from the same era. It's the story of Greyfriar's Bobby

In 1858, a man named John Gray was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard. His grave levelled by the hand of time, and unmarked by any stone, became scarcely discernible; but, although no human interest seemed to attach to it.
The sacred spot was not wholly disregarded or forgotten. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872. The famous Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby was so devoted to his master John Gray, even in death, for fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave only leaving for food.

It is reported that a daily occurance of people from all walks of life would stand at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

As for the stray dog:

We haven't gotten him yet. The good news is that of all places for a dog to be lost, a cemetery is pretty safe. There's plenty of shelter and water. We've left food for him. My friend Diane actually had her hands on him twice yesterday... he ate biscuits out of her hand, and dog chow (only thing we could find at the local convenience store). He's hanging out near a large pond, and is pretty savvy about hiding under thick brush, so he's got shelter and shade. Diane met a couple of women walking... one walks the cemetery daily, and is a dog lover. She's got the animal shelter's # programmed into her phone. She's also going to try and get him. The shelter knows that Diane will be happy to foster him, so if we can just get him, he'll get the care he needs. He's limping a bit, and is scared. We thought he was a puppy, but after getting a better look at him last night, he's older. He has a collar, but no tags.

Diane hopes that by going back alot and leaving food that he'll grow to trust her and get in her car. We're not going to chase him anymore... because the worst thing that could happen is if he'd leave the cemetery grounds.

I've called the cemetery office and asked them to call us if one of the workers does catch him. The workers have been very nice about helping us.

Local Team Trains For A Triathlon

Ok.... I've figured it out. Several members of our neighborhood are training for what has got to be some sort of triathlon. I'm certain that it's not the standard triathlon because instead of swimming, bicycling, and running being the three events, these individuals seem to be training for jumping, climbing and running. And bless their hearts, they are training hard. And while I am really quite envious of their dedication and focus, I have one small complaint. You see, their training schedule conflicts with our schedule, and their training routines create total havoc with our routines. You see... these individuals are squirrels. They run marathons through our yards, climb trees and jump from branch to branch... and they never quit. The seem to enjoy having an audience... because the really start this training process when we're walking our dogs. And as you can imagine, our dogs are fascinated! So much so, that they want to investigate and participate. And this is the crux of the matter. It needs a resolution.. one of which remains a mystery to me.

Obviously, it would be easiest if the Official Country Lane Squirrel Triathlon Team would cooperate and find another yard in which to train. Somehow, I just don't think that's going to happen. I think that this "Official Country Lane Squirrel Triathlon Team" has conspired to train in our yard, so that they can receive the highly entertaining benefit of driving "The Newfs Of Country Lane" out of their minds. Isn't this one heck of a conspiracy theory?

So, it appears, that we'll have to work on our own training regimen... and really work on the "Leave It" command..... among other things. Pawsitive reinforcement is called for, and I'm certain that our Newfy team will respond well to that. I just know that it is essential to get a grip on this before the walnut trees start dropping their treasures on to our yard. That's another conspiracy theory I need to deal with, but first things first.

Happy Birthday Daddy...

The first picture is of my Mom and Dad the summer they got engaged. They had just won a canoe race on Long Lake in Fifield, Wisconsin. The second picture is of my Dad as a very young man. He is in the middle. The two other guys were his very best friends… and they remained best friends forever. All three are now in heaven…. And I like to think of them up there together, tapping another keg and having a rip-roaring good time

Today is my Father’s birthday. He would have been 75 years old. Unfortunately, he died in October of 1983, at the young age of 52. Sometimes it seems as though it’s been a very long time since we lost him, and then there are times when it seems just like yesterday. My Dad was such a vibrant person. He had a wonderful sense of humor and at times could be outlandish. He loved being silly and teasing us… especially when we were young.

We had lots of pets growing up. Often, one of the conditions of be allowed to get a pet, was that Daddy would be allowed to chose the pet’s name. As an example of this, we had a guinea pig named S.O.B., a hamster named Horace. There were always lots and lots of pets. My Dad loved dogs, but was also fond of cats. He walked the Dogs every night, and it wasn’t unusual for a cat to follow along.

He was a loving man… a loving husband and father. While he was not a saint, he was a good man. Certainly, he had his flaws… as all of us do. He was honest and loyal. He had lots of good friends… and made new friends easily. He was the favorite Uncle. Everyone loved Uncle Jack, and whenever we were on some sort of family expedition, all the kids would want to ride in his car.

He loved the outdoors and his most favorite place on earth was the Northwood’s of Wisconsin. He called it God’s Country. No matter where he was, he was an early riser! Fishing was his passion. He enjoyed hunting too. And while he enjoyed a good catch, I think he was just happy being on the water, or in the woods. He loved bird watching, and passed that passion on to me. In fact, I have his binoculars. I’ll never forget when he got them. At the time, they were “top of the line” and quite expensive. My Mother gave them to me… and whenever I watch a bird through them, it feels like I’m almost watching them through my Dad’s eyes.

I miss him so much… I feel badly that Russell never got to meet him. I feel badly that my nephew’s never knew their Papa Jack. I “know” that my Father is nearby…. Loving us and watching… and for that I am grateful.

Stormy Night

It's been a stormy night here. We've had storms on and off since around 7PM. Luckily they've not been severe, and seem to be slowing down. I hope they are, because poor Yelda is terrified of storms and is quite anxious. I put her to bed thinking they were over, and she's not settling down too well. I'm going to go and give her some rescue remedy. Poor baby!

Rain Rain Go Away!!!

I took this picture yesterday. The sun finally peaked out, and as we were returning home from our 1st Mother's Day activity, I saw these leaves, and decided to try and photograph them. We're due for more rain... we've been lucky in that we haven't gotten as much rain as those of you in the northeast, but it's pretty soggy here too.

Mother’s Day was full of activity, and we spent much of the day in the car going to and fro! We started out by attending Mass and then having breakfast. We then spent an hour or so at home with the dogs before heading to Effie’s and then on to Peter & Kim’s. We got home shortly after 4PM and had a couple more hours to spend with the dogs. (It was at this point that I photographed the leaves). We then spent the evening at my Mom’s. Everyone had a lovely day.

Kanga Newf?

The other morning, I was outside with Yelda, trying to convince her that if she did her "business" that breakfast would soon follow. She of course, really didn't seem to care much, because she was so distracted by all the little birdys and other critters.

There were several incidents of her tricking me into thinking that we were getting somewhere. She'd walk around, sniffing and hunting for the spot... then she'd sort of squat... and....
(I've learned from experience to pay very close attention to their faces)... she'd get this intense look on her face... and WHAM! She was up and off.... just like a kangaroo! She uses her back legs to spring about 2 feet in the air. Actually, the more appropriate word would be "launch" because she really does launch! Anyway, she was totally intent on investigating whatever had caught her attention.

Of course, I would get her attention... and we'd start the entire process over again!!!
She did this about 4-5 times this morning, and it occured to me that I have a "Kanga-Newf" on my hands!

Cora in the Dogwood

These are the pictures that I took of my sweet Cora this past weekend. It occured to me that it's "The Year Of The Dog", and since our Dogwood tree has been so beautful this year, it would be fun to get some pictures of our dogs in the midst of all the blossoms.

They didn't turn out as I had hoped, but they're still cute. And Cora was an angel for putting up with another of my whacky whims! Bless her heart!

I am going to try and get some of Kira, Ben & Yelda, but I think I'll need some help from Russell to do that!

Weekend Report

The weekend is over, and I'm back at work writing this, instead of working. It was a relatively quiet weekend. Russell left on Friday for the Spring camp-o-ree, and I was on my own. You'd think that after almost 12 years, I'd get used to it. And while I don't get as distraught as I once did, there's always this empty feeling as I watch him back out of the driveway.

After he left, I went back in to let the dogs finish their dinners, and get a good drink of water. I then left to run a few errands. I went to Petsmart to pick up more dog food, and then to Wendy's to get a quick dinner. Of course, any intentions of it being "quick" went right out the window as I really got into the book I was reading. I enjoy reading in restaurants... it's a place where there are few distractions... and I can really read! Almost 2 hours went by, and any thoughts of "going Krogering" disappeared! I hurried home and took the dogs back out, and we then settled in for a quiet night.

Of course, Yelda being Yelda, any solitude was hard to come by. She seemed determined to keep me from relaxing, and I knew that she was bored. I did my best to entertain her, and she finally settled down for a bit and chewed on her favorite bone. Cora, Kira & Ben were all very good. I was on the phone with my friend Susan, talking about her Grandmother, who was quite ill. It seemed though that medications had started working and she was finally stable. Then I heard this loud noise coming from the living room. I told Susan that I needed to go and check, and sure enough, it was Yelda. She had somehow gotten her collar stuck on her crate, and managed to pull it out into the living room. Now this would have freaked out most dogs... but not Yelda. Unless it's a thunderstorm, she's basically fearless!

I managed to free her and put her crate back. At this point, I was weary, and decided it was late and time for bed. We all snuggled in for the night. I never sleep well the first night Russell is away. It didnt' help that the phone rang around 3AM! Of course, it was a wrong number. Our phone number is very similar to the phone number of a local escort service. So it's not uncommon for us to get calls in the middle of the night from people in need of an escort!

Saturday dawned and it was a beautiful day. I spent a lazy morning at home with the dogs. It was so nice not to have to rush off somewhere. I left around noon, and went to Meijers to pick up some things and then over to my Mom's for a visit. As with many Mother-Daughter relationships, my relationship with my Mother has it's ups and downs. There is a weird dynamic between my Mother and myself, and Saturday's visit left alot to be desired.

My Mother is becoming a recluse. She's decided to become bed-fast and refuses to go out. It's so frustrating, and really a waste. My Mother's health isn't the best, but it's not bad enough to keep her in bed. This is her choice, and Lilli & I are at our wit's end as to what to do about it. My sister Lilli & I are a unified front and that's a good thing, not to mention that it's also a huge comfort. So my Mother and I had an odd interlude. It wasn't really an argument... more of a philosophical disagreement. And, I decided it was time to call it a day. I headed back home for a couple of hours, and took Cora outside to take some new pictures of her. I also photographed a dandelion, which I've included in this post. I picked up some chinese food and headed over to the Fletcher's to watch a movie. Scott and Aaron were at the same Camp-o-ree as Russell. After the movie (Zathura) was over, I headed home, and watched another movie (Sabrina) and then read late into the night.

I went to Mass at Mary Help on Sunday. Russell was waiting for me when I came out and it was so wonderful to see his smiling face. We had lunch and drove over to his Mom's to visit. He then had to run to the office for an hour, so I went to the store, picked up stuff for dinner. I fixed chicken, corn casserole and green beans with almonds. Russell got home just in time to eat, and we had a quiet evening.

Robin Family Update

I thought about the nest all night long. I checked it while out with the dogs, but saw no sign of Mama Robin. There were Robins around, but none seemed to go to the nest. When we were leaving for work, I didn't bother looking... because it made me feel totally helpless and very sad.

Russell had gone outside ahead of me, and as I started to get into the car, he said "you'll be happy to know that the Mama Robin is sitting on the nest. I jumped out of the car, and walked quickly to where I could see for myself. Sure enough, there she was. My prayers were answered.... and the babies still have a chance, thanks be to GOD.

Happy Birthday to our Newf Kira!!!

Happy Birthday to our Newf Kira. She turns 6 years old today. She is still full of the vim and vigour she's known for. I love you girlie girl. I hope you enjoyed your cheese and peanut butter crackers, and all the other treats you had today.

You can get to know Kira better by visiting her webpage! All you need to do is click here!

I'm worried....

I am quite worried about our Robin family. As I posted the other day, Ben (one of our Newfs) saw a Robin sitting on a nest. I got some wonderful pictures of it, and the nest was positioned in a place that was easy for us to keep watch over it.

However today, when we were outside doing some yardwork (and yes, I was participating!) I looked up and saw that the nest had disappeared. At first I thought it might have been knocked down by the Hawk I saw this morning. Russell pointed out that there is no way a hawk would get that close to the house. And I think he was right. We had heavy rain showers earlier in the day, and quite a bit of wind. We think that it was the wind that blew the nest down.

Russell went behind the bushes, and sure enough, there was the nest. Upon further investigation, Russell found 1 baby, and I found another. They were both alive. Remembering an article we read a year or so ago, debunking the myth that we shouldn't touch the babies, we carefully placed both babies back into the nest, and the put the nest back in it's original spot.

Initially, there was no sign of the Mama Robin, but as we were putting the nest back, a couple of Robins flew to a nearby branch and were visably agitated. We got out of the way as fast as we could, and watched from a distance. We never saw one of the adult robins go to the nest. Russell thinks that they will return to the nest when things quiet down outside. He finished mowing the lawn, I worked around the yard, trying to stay as far away as possible.
I hope and pray that the Mama Robin returns to the nest... and tends to her babies.....

The verdict

The verdict on this past weekend is in: it was a good weekend! I went to an art auciton with my cousin Barbara on Friday evening and we had a blast. Saturday was spent doing errands, visiting with Russell's Mom and then going to our friends' house for dinner. We spent the evening on their deck, chatting and enjoy the lovely spring evening.

After Church on Sunday, we spent a quiet and very relaxing afternoon at home. Sunday evening saw us celbrating my Mother's birthday at Mother's house. All in all a delightful weekend!

I managed to snap a few pictures on Sunday. While outside with Russell, Ben spotted the robin sitting on it's nest. Our dogwood is magnificent, and this morning I saw an Indigo Bunting in our backyard!