Time Out

My house is so quiet, just me and the dogs.  Well, THEY are not always quiet, but you know what I mean.  Had been hoping the pups would continue to sleep until 7:00 AM, but they've moved that back to 6:30 and you can bet they will opt for a 6:00 wake up call tomorrow, Saturday.  Because they still sleep in a pen in the basement I'm not yet a puppy doorman, but that will change in another week.  Time to get serious about housetraining pretty soon.  Wonder how many puppies I have trained over the years?

After a difficult winter, a stressful spring, and an irritating summer, I decided that Ron and I needed a break.  He has a condo, but spends most of his time here.  An ever increasing amount of time.  Have always suspected that was because of the dogs, not because of me, but that's OK too.  It worked fine when I was off to dog shows every weekend, but with Argus retired and me home so much more it became way too much.  I found myself angry all the time, needing some space, some My Time.

Two days later I am so much more relaxed, sleeping better, enjoying my house and yard.  I can eat what I want and when I want - sauteed zucchini at 6:00 PM, ham salad on toast at 8:00 PM, whenever the mood strikes me.  A weekend to myself, with just my spotted friends for company sounds wonderful.  Laurie will be back Sunday afternoon and after taking puppy pictures of Jess's litter, we can go to Sea Salt for dinner, which will be fun.

Hopefully this is just a temporary situation, but it was exactly what I needed.  With all the stress at work, I do not need it at home too.  Life is so full of changes . . . 

Dog Birthdays



Which toy should we play with?


Argus seemed to enjoy his birthday! He went along when I picked up Laurie at the train station.  She had to catch a later flight, but everything fell into place, and she caught the light rail to the station closest to my house.  Handy!  Although we went out for burgers without Argus, we did bring home an Angus Deluxe for him to share with his housemates.   Everyone approved.  A trip to PetCo resulted in two new toys, although the one that quacks may drive me crazy before the dogs destroy it.

Why is it that we celebrate dog birthdays?  Is it for the dogs or for us?  Fun for all!

Laurie will spend the morning at the house which the dogs will enjoy, and Jess will pick her up later.  Laurie gets to spend the weekend at Jess & Don's, playing with Penny and the pups while Jess and Don go camping.  Jess and Laurie will be back here on Sunday afternoon so we can take puppy pictures of the Crupens (Cruise/Penny pups), then Laurie and I hope to go to Sea Salt on Sunday evening. Looking forward to seeing the Crupens again.  Busy weekend for all.  Wish I did not have to go to work this morning.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

It's Argus's Birthday and he's 6 years old today!  How can that be?  Seems like only yesterday he arrived from California, a happy-go-lucky, flop-eared puppy.  What adventures we've had!

Before Argus, I'd lost interest in dog shows. I started showing dogs as a teenager, finished my first champion in 1968, bred many homebred champions, campaigned several successful specials, and was suffering burnout.  Time to get out of showing dogs and just keep a few Dals as pets.

But I missed my show friends and went to the National just to socialize.  Then I saw "Marlin" - what an absolutely lovely dog, and he went back to and resembled my beloved Rob.  A Marlin pup would be nice!  And I saw "Olivia" for the first time, getting an AoM from the Veteran's Class.  She went back to "Jocko" and other Paisley dogs.  I had judged and given majors to a number of her littermates, and absolutely loved her, so I asked my friend Carrie Jordan if Olivia would be bred again.  And when she was bred to Marlin I reserved a puppy.  It was to be a puppy bitch, but I really prefer brownie boys, and Argus eventually came to Minnesota.  And I went back to showing dogs never realizing how much Argus and I would be able to accomplish.  Thanks Argus!

Tonight we'll do burgers on the grill, one for each of the dogs, with ice cream for dessert, and then we'll go down to PetCo so Argus can pick out a new toy. Ever a puppy, he still enjoys his toys.  Later he can go along to the airport when we collect one of his favorite friends, Laurie who will be going to Jess's to visit Penny and her puppies.

No Time

Poor time management skills this morning.  No time to blog and I really need to write to get my mind in order as it is going to be a very busy week with the Arbok's to deal with, Laurie staying for a day or two, so much going on at work, and Ron with a nasty bug that won't go away but leaves him mopey and useless.

Why the heck won't Ron go to a doctor?  Time for a major showdown here, yet again.  I dread these confrontations but it's the only way things actually get done. He's a good guy but SO stubborn and I have run out of patience with this kind of behavior.  He has good health coverage and needs to use it.

Lots of time spent with the Arboks this weekend, taking them for individual visits to local pet stores and for individual walks.  Tried an excellent recipe for stuffed peppers - came home from the Farmers Market with so much good stuff, made a batch of veggie mix for the dogs, and the peppers for us.  Excellent!  Got the basement put back together and spent some time doing fish chores.  Took Argus to the dog park, went to the fair, took Gram out for burgers and beer and Groveland Tap, and even did a bit of house cleaning.

Now, back to work.  Laurie is coming for a few days, and I will see Penny's pups this weekend.  Need to think of things to do with the Arboks, but Laurie can put some time into them too, which will be good.

No time for proofing.  Hope the grammar is OK!  Arbok pictures tomorrow.