No Medical Miracles Around Here

Here's Ella at 5 weeks post-breeding, 4 weeks to go. Looks nicely pregnant for this stage. Cheryl does not want 10-12 pups, so we will hope for 6-8 which should give her plenty to pick from without all the hassle of a really big litter. I just referred another potential puppy person to her when I got an email from some an old friend who used to show in breed and obedience years ago and is now ready for a new puppy after being dogless for 5 years. I can't imagine being dogless for 5 years!

Paid a visit to the doctor yesterday for xrays and we did not have a Medical Miracle, as I had hoped. Things are going well and my ankle is mending, but the boot stays on for 3 more weeks. Fooey. That gives me just one week to get my ankle ready for showing at the National, something that I may not be able to accomplish. If I showed something slow, like Pekingese perhaps! We know that Jess will be able to show Argus well, but I really want to be able to show him myself. Oh well, what will be will be.

Dogs are playing with a Santa Claus covered plastic bottle. They all really enjoy those toys and it's easy to replace the bottle when it gets all squashed. Only problem is that so many of the bottles are really thin plastic now.

Things are up in the air about going to Columbia this weekend. Judges I'd really like to show Argus too, but things may not work out for Jess to go. I COULD stay home and clean house, I suppose. Everything is starting to look fuzzy and gray around here.

Started doing water changes on my poor fish last night. Not easy to do when I can't carry the heavy buckets - actually I can, but hate to put the extra weight on the ankle. We did all the tanks when Laurie was here, so they all need to be done this week. Martha Marmorkreb continues to hide out during the day and come out to eat when the lights are off, so I am hoping she is carrying little clones now. Her colors are fabulous, bright red and blue, but she's suddenly very shy and retreats to her cave when she sees me. Odd for a critter who used to stand on her tail to beg for algae wafers, so something is going on. I really need to sell off some of the young HRPs and Firemouths, as they are outgrowing their tanks. The little A. sequoia are growing well and will be ready to BAP whenever I can get to another fish club meeting, probably not until May. Same with the little L. melanogaster. Still waiting for the L. triden pairs to spawn. I'd like to keep more of them and in a larger tank as they are really beautiful small fish. Limias have a lot to offer - small, hardy and very pretty.