Pumpkin Pie, Oh My!

Pumpkin pie for breakfast - what a treat! I've been thinking about pumpkin pie but also thinking about the calories. We don't often do desserts, but every now and again I have a craving for one. Odd that we never think of pumpkin pie the rest of the year, but in the fall it's a different story. Perhaps it's because of all the pumpkins stacked up in the stores and laying the the fields, and all the Pumpkin Festivals they seem to advertise this time of the year.

Making a traditional pumpkin pie without the crust seemed like a way to cut at least the fat calories, but I did a search on the Internet for a Crustless Pumpkin Pie and found one that sounded good. It went together easily, although I made a few changes. I ALWAYS make changes to recipes, and if they don't turn out I can just blame the recipe rather than my changes. This time I substituted half brown sugar for the cup of white sugar, fat free condensed milk for the cup of whole milk, and extra pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Could have used egg substitute too, but it was frozen so I used the real deal. The recipe includes 1/4 flour and is supposed to make it's own crust. It was easy to put together, was just the right amount for the rarely-used glass pie plate and appeared to be done when the timer went off after 60 minutes.

Wow! It was very good!  Doesn't really make a "crust" although I guess you could call the cake-like edge a crust. Rich, moist, spicy and very pumpkin-y. Definitely a keeper of a recipe. We both enjoyed a piece before bedtime, and later I had a dream about pumpkins. Wonder if I could have a piece for breakfast?  Hey, I'm adult and I can eat what I want to eat. I can tell myself pie for breakfast is healthy too, and it certainly is no less healthy than a sweet roll or bagel with cream cheese. Maybe I'll even have a second piece!

Have a great day!

The Eyes Have It!

"Silly question for you. I was reading an earlier post about eye color and it brought a question to mind. Are green eyes acceptable in Dals? I have a liver pup and her eyes were bright blue two weeks ago when I brought her home but it appears as though they are now taking on a greenish tint. The standard says brown or blue eyes so if they turn green, will she be disqualified from showing?
Thanks so much!"

Argus's mother Olivia has beautiful eyes!

Although the genes that allow Dalmatians to be either black or liver (and we will leave a discussion of lemon, orange, brindle, blue & tri-color for another time) also affect the color of the eyes, there are modifiers that affect the shade of that color. The eye color on black dogs may range from virtually black to very pale yellow, while the eyes on liver dogs range from deep brown to the same pale yellow, or virtually colorless. In general, black dogs have brown eyes while liver dogs have gold or light brown eyes. (Both blacks and livers may have blue eyes of course, but that’s a separate issue.)


In general, black dogs with dark eyes can produce liver dogs with dark (for a liver) eyes, while liver dogs with the dark eyes may produce blacks with very dark eyes. Light eyed blacks are often blamed on the fact that there may be liver in the pedigree, but that is only because breeders tend to accept light eyes on livers. While livers can not have near-black eyes, they can have dark eyes. By accepting pale eyed livers, we will also get light-eyed blacks. Many liver Dals have darker eyes than blacks.

Guessing eye color on Dal pups can be difficult, but my experience has been that the eyes on black spotted dogs will only get lighter (never darker) while the eyes on liver dogs often will darken with age. If the eyes on a liver pup show a narrow rim of dark gold around the pupil, or if they appear green at 8-10 weeks of age, they will normally be darker liver eyes. If the eyes are a light hazy bluish gold, they will generally be lighter, but they will normally darken somewhat by maturity.  People are often concerned when they see a distinct green color in the eyes of a liver spotted Dal.  Although greenish eyes do happen in a few breeds, I have never seen or heard of it in a Dalmatian.

The Last Day Of Summer, All Over Again



Forecast for today, 77 and sunny.  It's been an amazing month with temperatures 20 degrees above normal and several record-setting days.  Tomorrow it cools down to the mid-60s, still well above normal.  We've had no rain since the 3+ inches several weeks ago, which is perfect for the farmers who are harvesting crops, but the trees, lawns, and perennials need fall moisture to get them through the winter.  We watered everything last week and will pay particular attention to the flower beds, trees & shrubs this week.  The Tiger Eye Sumac is in prime color right now, redder than it was when I took that picture, but the leaves drop quickly and it will be bare in a week.



Tess placing in the Group as a youngster.

Waiting to hear from Paula about Tess.  Because Tess is older, fertility will be a bit more of an issue, but she should be showing by now.  Hopefully I will hear from Paula today with the affirmative. She said Tess sure acted pregnant, right from the beginning.

One of my Facebook friends is a Dal owning photographer in Florida, and she will be going over to Janey's to take pictures of Tess's pups.  Can't wait to see what she gets.  The pups are a month old and it's a perfect time for them to have visitors too.  Wish I lived close enough to drop it!

Argus has a Vet appointment this afternoon for a follow up and some chiropractic work.  I'll stop at Jess's office on my way over so she can gait him and I can see how he is moving.  Unfortunately, I don't think he is improving.  I still see the same issues, a stiffness in one stifle and a tendency to let his topline drop when he gaits.  Something is still not right with him.  He hasn't been as wild and crazy the past two days either, which tells me that he is hurting.  Somewhere.

Nice Day For A Picnic!



Josie & Penny are Cousins, and certainly look it!

 Jess & Don invited us out for a picnic on Sunday. We picked up my mother who made her famous potato salad & a home made apple pie, and included Josie in the group as well, so she could chase her Frisbee and play with her cousin Penny. Josie rarely goes anywhere, and although she does not love riding in the car, she sure had a good time at Jess's.

My mother enjoys picnics and really seemed to have a good time.   I think it's very cool that she still makes The Best potato salad & apple pie at the age of 85+.  We brought several bottles of wine, but the best wine was a bottle of French that Don had gotten as a gift.  It had been sitting around for years, and was outstanding.  Ron copied down all the information off the label, but doubt we will ever find it again.

The Tiger Eye Sumac is gorgeous!

My Tiger Eye Sumacs look fabulous right now.  When they color they put on an outstanding show, but it only lasts for a few days and then the leaves drop.  This year I actually got some pictures before that happened.  It's been in the lower 80s the past few days, amazing weather for Minnesota in mid-October.  We need some rain, but the weather is perfect for harvesting.   Ron watered the lawn on Friday, and we'll give the flower beds another dose today as it's important the shrubs & perennials be well hydrated going into winter.

A number of puppy inquiries this past week.  Just waiting to hear from Paula that Tess is definitely pregnant.  Hope Janey sends some updated pictures of Sugar's pups today!

Too Nice For Blogging

The tomatoes are ripening quickly.

"No time for blogging," I said, but I DID post a book review to the raw foods blog and added pictures to yesterday's block.  Weather is so lovely, this will be a work in the yard day.  Tomorrow we are picking up my mother and driving out to Jess & Don's for a picnic, most likely the last one of the year.  The weather continues to be sensational.

Last night I froze tomatoes for winter use,  They will be a nice addition to chili or hotdish.  Tonight I may just try the Fried Green Tomato recipe sent in response to my posting on green tomatoes.

Something's Fishy

Drat, the blog is done but no time to add the pictures.  Guess that can wait 'til this evening, along with the links.

What a “Fishy” week! Seems as if “all things fishy” have kept me busy. I guess it’s really about time to concentrate a bit more on the fish anyway, as I would like to achieve my goal of reaching the next level of Fish Breeder in the Minnesota Aquarium Society’s “Bap Program”.

Breeder Award Program Introduction, via The Minnesota Aquarium Society website.

Breeder’s Award Program exists to encourage members of the aquarium society to breed fish and share knowledge concerning the spawning and rearing of fish. Additionally, it provides the means to recognize the achievements of society members concerning the breeding of fish, to promote an interest in and make available a wider variety of fish. Finally, BAP seeks to make more members active participants in the society.


The BAP Committee consists of the BAP Chairman, the BAP Data Keeper and additional club members as designated by the Board of Directors.

Everything is back to normal now.

The week did not get off to a very good start when I was doing water changes on Monday and got distracted by a phone call. At the time I was pumping water from a 34 gallon aging barrel into a 20 gallon tank (from which I had siphoned out about 5 gallons of water), a chore that normally takes a few minutes. It was not the first time I’ve forgotten to watch the water level, but it WAS the first time I ran one of the aging barrels dry. Ugh. The shop vac, mop and emergency towels got quite a work out, but the fishroom floor was very clean by the time I was done! Because the tank I was filling was on the 3rd shelf, water ran into tanks on the 2nd and 1st shelves as well, causing them ALL to overflow. Fortunately the fish stayed away from the overflow and none of them ended up on the floor. The water ran out the fishroom door and across the basement toward the floor drain, but most of it just puddled up along the way. That is precisely the reason I built a fishroom in my basement. The tanks were originally in an upstairs bedroom – where inattention would have caused a much larger problem.

Two of the new Bettas are sparing with one another..

Two weeks earlier, I had purchased 5 new Bettas from a breeder in Thailand. They were purchased through Aquabid, and paid for with my PayPal account. The fish were shipped the next day to a transhipper in Colorado whose job it was to clear the fish (and many others) through customs, repackage the fish (fresh bags, clean water), and send them on to the buyers. I contacted the transhipper immediately to check on costs, but never heard back from her. I’ve had previous dealing with her in the past and knew that she was not real prompt in her response to emails, but 10 days later I had still not heard from her despite 4 emails inquiring about my fish. The seller in Thailand also tried to contact her, with no response.

Suddenly on Wednesday I got a phone call from her, with some excuses about “sending out an invoice” that I must not have gotten. Nope, I didn’t get it, nor did I get any response to my emails . . . I bit my tongue, she promised to ship my fish out that day, and agreed to send her the payment that evening. The fish arrived safely the following day, in good condition, and are now living in boxes on the top of one of the fishroom shelves. I’ll move the females to a tank later, but the males may stay in boxes. Because Bettas breathe air, they do not necessarily need cycled tanks. Remember the Beanie Baby boxes? Small acrylic display cases, perfect for keeping Bettas as long as the water gets changed often enough, at least 2 or 3 times a week.

Thanks Tiffany, I love the castle.

And last night there was a fish club meeting. Minnesota Aquarium Society is a very active club with many members. Our meeting are well attended and we host excellent speakers from all over the country and beyond. Just recently we hosted Neale Monks from Great Britain, who spoke on Puffers and Oddballs, real favorites of mine. Last night’s speaker spoke on West African fish & aquarium plants, which was also quite interesting. I also picked up a very cool castle to put in one of my tanks. One of our club members is very talented and creates all manner of items to put in aquariums, some that are useful such as spawning caves and others just for fun.

Puppies!

Such pretty babies!  This is the 3+-week old Argus/Sugar litter enjoying real food.  It looks as though they will wear as much as they ingest, but no doubt Sugar will be more than happy to clean up afterwards.  Such a cute age!  Sorry I am missing these pups, but I hope to fly down and see them in a couple of weeks.  There are several nice girls in the batch for me to pick from if I decide to take a pup.  Of course I'd rather have another Dal boy, but when I do it has to be liver.

Paula said last week that Watson's daughter Tess was acting pregnant, so there may be more pups on the way.  This is a breeding I really wanted to do, and I purchased Argus with the idea that he might work well bred to Watson descendants.  New Champion "Echo" is from just such a breeding (see below).

And to make things even more exciting, "the other Tess" mother of beautiful "Tia" will be bred to Argus again.  Her owner just called last night to tell me that Tess was in season and she'd decided to repeat the breeding.  It will be chilled semen again, since that was quite satisfactory last time.  The possibility of another stud fee pup, so I may go from being "pup-less" to having a houseful.

Argus & I paid a visit to Mary-with-the-magic-fingers yesterday and he made a donation to our frozen semen "bank".  The storage fee is the same no matter how many "breeding units" are stored, so we decided to add to our stockpile.  Because my beloved Rob was sterile shortly after he turned 6 years of age (and still managed to sire 60 champions), I'm taking no chances with Argus.   Argus thoroughly enjoys the "procedure" and Mary always jokes that she will add him to the book she writes some day.  He does not need a bitch in season to tempt him - looking at some accommodating canine through he doorway is enough    Last time it was a neutered male Tibetan Terrier, this time it was a recently spayed Golden cross.  Oddly, he is not at all horny otherwise, just knows why he is at the clinic.  Saves a lot of time!

Argus's 12th Champion finished last weekend.  "Echo" also sports a CD in obedience, a NA in Rally, and a TD for completing her tracking title, definitely a multi-talented girl!  Congrats to owner-trainer-handler Carol Wells!

Received the following question on my blog, and it's a good one.  Out of time now, but this will be a great topic for tomorrow's blog.

Silly question for you. I was reading an earlier post about eye color and it brought a question to mind. Are green eyes acceptable in Dals? I have a liver pup and her eyes were bright blue two weeks ago when I brought her home but it appears as though they are now taking on a greenish tint. The standard says brown or blue eyes so if they turn green, will she be disqualified from showing? Thanks so much!

Fried Green Tomatoes?

Not something I have ever eaten, or wanted to eat, but I think Fried Green Tomatoes may be on our menu this week!  This pile is just part of the green tomatoes that are sitting on a table in the basement.  Some will ripen and be frozen for chili or hot dish this winter, but some will have to be eaten green (if at all).

Ron took down the volunteer tomatoes in the dog yard so the dogs are pleased to have their yard back.  Josie and Watson could not be left out unsupervised as they enjoyed hunting mice (or chipmunks) in the tomato patch.  Argus & Coral were more inclined to respect the fence I put up around the plants.

Fried Green Tomatoes don't sound very healthy, but they are said to be tasty.  I found some recipes on the Internet so may have to give them a try.  Bet they'd go well as a side with Chili.

Such a nice weekend!  Ron & I went antiquing and had a blast.  Before I started campaigning Argus we did a lot of antique shows and shops.  Guess we'll be able to do more of them again next year.   We don't buy a lot but love looking at "pieces of history" and particularly enjoy chatting with dealers who know their stock and have a passion for it, especially for old household gadgets.  We actually purchased a lamp this time, a charming brass lamp by the Rembrandt Company.  It will work perfectly in the corner on the "fish table" where I display fish collectibles - no I do not buy them, but get them as gifts and some are pretty cool. 

I love the old 50s Formica and chrome dinettes.  Wish I'd had a place (and the money) for this table!  It was in amazingly good condition and the chairs were lovely.  These tables take me back to my childhood, and the story of how I took one of my figure skates and used the front of it to punch small holes in one of the brand new plastic chairs.  Guess the Devil made me do it!  The family that owned this table must have had better behaved children - or none at all!

On a different note, it is amazing how much better a Dalmatian can do in the show ring once its nose & tail are "fixed".   What a shame.  Think we can blame the handler in most cases.  These things happen in other breeds, but it REALLY bothers me when it happens in MY breed.

Musing

Is there anything cuter than puppies?  Just love watching them wrestle with one another, everything done in slow motion.   These are Sugar's pups at
2 1/2 weeks.  Wish I lived close enough to visit!  Hope Janey sends lots of pictures!  Good news so far, all pups hear, no blue eyes, nice markings, and most of the eye and nose trim is already finished.

Because mama Sugar has a blue eye, I'm particularly pleased that all pups have dark eyes.  Although blue eyes are acceptable according to the U.S. Dalmatian standard, most Dal breeders prefer two brown eyes.   I've owned top quality blue-eyed Dals in the past and finished titles on many of them, including three consecutive generations of blue-eyed champions.  I rather like the way blue eyes look, but if I keep a puppy it will have to have two DARK brown eyes, not just brown, but DARK brown.. While it's not necessarily true that blue-eyed Dals are deaf (even though we get asked this quite often), blue eyes and hearing issues tend to show up in the same litters.  It's argued that this is not true in all bloodlines, but my own experience certainly matches up, and my blue-eyed Dals generally did a higher percentage of deafness.  I once bred a bitch with a single blue eye to a dog who (I did not know at the time) was a high producer of blues himself.  I got 2 double blue-eyed pups, 3 single blue-eyed pups, and 2 deafs - the deafs were unfortunately the 2 brown-eyed pups - but the relationship was still there.  That was before we had BAER testing available, but I am quite sure that some of those pups were also unis.

The other blue-eyed bitch who was bred to Argus was a double blue and her litter had 2 single blue-eyed pups, but fortunately all 5 pups had bilateral hearing.  Some breeders do not accept blue-eyed or unilateral hearing bitches for breeding, either because they do not believe that they should be bred from or because they don't want to take a chance on their stud dog siring blues, unis or deafs.  I don't agree with that notion, and feel that good bitches should not be discarded simply because they blue-eyed or a uni. They just need to be bred more carefully.  There are always males in this breed who do better than average hearing numbers - most of them do a higher than average percentage of patches, but produce good hearing numbers no matter how they are bred.  You can produce blue eyes or deafs even when breeding from brown-eyed bilateral stock.  We have tools (such as BAER testing) to help us reduce the incidence of deafness, but because the whole thing is related to the extreme-white-piebald color gene (that all Dalmatians have), we will not eliminate deafness without changing the look of the breed.  And who wants a solid black or liver Dalmatian?

Blue Screen Of Death

Twice in the past week the Blue Screen Of Death has come up on my computer.  I've been working along when suddenly the screen goes black, and then THE screen comes up.  In each case my computer has rebooted fine and everything still seems to be working, but something is wrong.  What?  What can I do?  I run virus software and keep it updated, I also run another program for spyware and malware.  I never click on suspicious links.  OTOH, perhaps my computer is just plain tired!  It gets an awful lot of use . . .

I've been thinking how much of a person's life resides on their computer(s).  Most of my pictures, all of my correspondence, so many articles I have saved, my contracts, and my address book.  I don't track my finances on my computer, but do almost everything else.  I DO have a little backup drive that I use periodically (as I did this week after the first blue screen), but I don't even know if it works!  I just followed the directions and trust that Clickfree actually did what it was supposed to do.  I ought to KNOW that I can't trust either advertising or technology!

So what's the option?  Reams of paper and boxes of pictures?  Nah, guess I'll just rely on technology.  Or maybe investigate an on-line backup service so I can have two sets backup that I probably can't figure out how to access or use.  Sigh.  Folders of letters and boxes of pictures might have been easier!

A Proper Celebration

"Cassie" finished her Championship on Sunday and is enjoying an appropriate reward - her first cheeseburger!  I hope her owner John had one too, or better yet a nice steak!  Cassie is Argie's new champion offspring and finished her title novice owner-handled.  John's daughter got the first few points, then dad took over and he and Cassie were quite the team, although they didn't get to the shows very often.  Cassie finished by winning her 4th major (take at least two major wins).  We love seeing new people finish their own dogs and only wish we had been there to cheer them along, but John & Cassie live in Florida. 

Cassie's mother Reggie was bred to Argus via chilled semen - we never had the privilege of meeting and entertaining Reggie.  The semen was collected here, processed & packaged and shipped off to Reggie's vet in Florida.  This has been done in livestock for years and is becoming more commonly used with dogs now.   Because shipping is so expensive, weather is often an issue, and particularly because the airlines are so difficult to deal with, chilled semen breedings (and frozen as well) are becoming increasingly common.

Things are looking better with Argus.  I picked him up yesterday and took him over to Jess's office so we could work with him and see how he is stacking and moving.  He's been on buffered aspirin, Arthrisoothe Gold, leash only walks (one to two miles a day), daily stretching, and NO wrestling or tugging with Josie, no treeing squirrels, no flying off the deck.  When he goes into the dog yard it's only with Coral who I KNOW won't wrestle or tug with him.  We're also using the Fitness Ball for a few minutes every evening - he LOVES that.  Jess and I both agree that things look much better.  He's standing more squarely on the leg that was injured, and carrying himself a lot better when he moves.  He's surviving the restricted activity a lot better than poor Josie is.  Nothing she likes better than tugging with Argus!

Another weekend shot, but after a cold start Saturday morning it really was a nice one.  Trees are starting to color up now, and the fall flowers are at their peak.  My Dahlias didn't do well during the miserably hot summer, but are making up for it now.  The Begonias and the Sedum are also looking lovely.  One oak tree on the next block is bright scarlet, but the rest are still very green.  Many of the Maples are multi-colored, and lovely mix of orange and green.  Hopefully we will have good color this fall.  I'll have to find an excuse to do a road trip to somewhere, just to see the colors.

Dinner on Friday evening at The Barbary Fig, a Mediterranean Restaurant in St. Paul.  We had liked it in the past and enjoyed it again this time.  The location was originally an old house transformed into an excellent deli that we used to visit regular when Jess was a small child - wow, that must have been 30 years ago.  Barbary Fig has been there for quite awhile.  Not sure why we don't go more often as we like that kind of food.  Just too many places to eat, too little time!  I had an appetizer of warm olives sauteed in oil with garlic and cayenne - excellent!  My entree was a bit different and I had Tangine Of Rabbit, I think the first time I had eaten rabbit.  Cooked with sweet potatoes and dried cherries, it was very good.

Saturday afternoon we picked up my mother and visited Pine Tree Orchards to buy apples.  Mom wanted Harrelsons and I bought Honeycrisps.  We'd both have bought Regents had there been any.  Pinetree has a wonderful bakery too, so I purchased Apple Cookies, mom bought Apple Donuts, and Ron got a loaf of Apple Bread.  We all enjoyed a slice of their excellent Apple Pie.  Wish I'd purchased a pie to bring home.  We normally go to Aamodts, but their pie is so bad I was a bit suspicious.  This pie was awesome, even the crust was good.

I had a long list of chores for the weekend, but didn't do a very good job of crossing things off. Too many of the chores required staying inside (things like dusting and vacuuming). There will be plenty of time for indoor chores later, but for now I will enjoy as much lovely fall weather as possible.

One thing that happened was not on my list - I ordered some Bettas. My fishkeeping affliction started with just one Betta, but I've been Betta-less for about a year. Lots of other fish, but no Bettas. I had removed the link for Aquabid.com off my computer screen to cut down my temptation to check in and look at available fish. This time I checked in anyway, saw a two lovely Red Dragon HM males, contacted their seller in Thailand to check the availability of matching females and bid on the two males. Got them and ordered the three females as well. They were shipped on Sunday to Linda Olson in Colorado, a Transhipper who clears the fish through customs, repacks and sends them on. I should have my new fish later this week!

Another Project

My second blog is progressing nicely, one on the topic of raw feeding for Dals. I've planned for a long time to do that. I'm also finishing up a booklet on the topic, one that I started quite a few years ago. Maybe get it done, this time! Raw Feeding Blog

Our new dog fitness ball arrived yesterday, a peanut ball. It took forever to inflate and is as big as the fridge, but Argus thought it was such fun. I got him used to fitness balls using a regular round one about 60 cm. high. He learned to put his front feet up, and rest comfortably, but it was not large enough for him to sit on it safely. The peanut ball is long enough for him to stand on comfortably - actually long enough for a St. Bernard to stand on - think I could have bought a bit smaller one! He caught on quickly, ate his treated, lashed his tail, and kissed me whenever he was close enough to my face. It's a lot easier when your subject is such a willing participant.

Made another appointment with the Sports Med Vet for next week. We'll do an adjustment, and I need to ask some questions. Was very tempted to enter two shows yesterday before the deadline, but I have to accept the fact that this may take awhile, if it works at all.

The poor fish were somewhat neglected during our busy mid-August to mid-September period, but I've been busy playing catch up for the past two weeks.  All tanks have had major water changes, I've removed and discarded gallons of duckweed (and to think, I once PAID for some duckweed).   Sadly, I lost one of my older fish, the Knight Goby known as "Argus's fish".  That was the first fish Argus always visited when he came to the fishroom, a large silvery fish with black spots, and exotic finnage.  I'd had him for at least 4 years and he'd been looking pretty rough for the past few months.

Alright! Who Stole My List?

This picture should be called "Dalmatians Live Here"!  A nice combination of dog hair and dust.

What would I do without my list(s)?  Seems I am always starting a new one because I mislaid the old one, but they do make my life go somewhat more smoothly.  Because of short term memory deficits, in my case not necessarily age-related, lists allow me to function is a more-or-less normal fashion.  Generally less than more, I might add.  Of course lists are only useful if you can find them and if you check them over regularly, but I do find that the process of writing something down often helps me remember it, list or no list.

Right now, my list is in the car.  Does a lot of good out there, but when I get to the office I can check it over and will be pleased if I actually did a few of the things on the list!  It always contains a shopping list to remind me of ingredients for recipes I might want to try.  It also contains things that are always on every list, such as "brush dogs", "cut nails", "sweep & vacuum", and "dust".  Not sure why I bother to put those on the list as I can gotten very good at not seeing those items.  We talk about dogs (and husbands) as having "selective hearing loss".  Guess I have "selected reading loss"!

There is a lot of satisfaction in lining out most of the items on a list, which I am sometimes able to do on weekends.  I know I can cross off, "buy grass seed", "fertilize lawn", "pick tomatoes", order "Arthrisoothe Gold", and "work with Argus on therapy ball".  BUT, the nagging reminders to "brush dogs", "sweep & vacuum", and "dust" will STILL be there.  On every list.

Someone Needs Therapy, But It Might Be Me

Sitting on my fitness ball, working at the computer.  We'll see if doing this really helps with nagging lower back pain.  It's actually pretty fun.  Because a fitness ball has been suggested for Argus on several occasions, I decided to take the plunge and try one myself.  We've already been told that we can not use them at work, which actually would have been a hoot!  The suckers take forever to inflate with their dumpy little hand pumps, but seem to be worth the effort.  Need to do everything I can to stay healthy and keep my spirits up as we've approaching the time of the year when I have to battle the gloom.  As long as I stay on top of it, I'll be fine, but a few years ago when things were so awful at work I ended up on medication for a short period of time.  Must be related to the shorter days and the fact that fall is so often cloudy in this part of the country.  Too early to know if it helps, but had someone tell me that by replacing her home desk chair with a fitness ball, she got rid of nagging neck pain.  Hope it works for me as well!

Because a judge friend AND the Sports Med Vet both suggested a fitness ball for Argus, he's learning the basics with mine and seems to enjoy it.  Puts his feet up and will rest on his chest while eating high value treats.  Last night he really wanted to sit on it, but we'll wait for that until his peanut ball comes - that will be long enough for him to stand on.   The theory behind this is improving core strength, the muscles in his body that are hard to exercise otherwise.  I downloaded a great video on ball work from the Clean Run website - this is really popular for Agility dogs.  If nothing else we will have fun with it, as Argus seems to be a willing participant.

Only time will tell if this gets Argus back in show shape.  I still wonder if there is a piece missing from the diagnosis puzzle.  I could see and feel the arthritis in his stifle, but am not convinced that is the only thing responsible for what he is doing with his topline when he moves, and why does he still sometimes pick up the other foot when he is standing?  I got the picture back from the Amanas and can see these issues in the stacked shot too.  Something is "off" with him.  The x-ray of his back looked great, but of course that is only the bones.  What about the muscles and such?  Ball work sounds logical, and improving core strength might be the key, but I hate to think that I might be missing something here. Guess my problem is (and has always been) impatience!   We are both going to miss the dog shows this fall, but I won't show him again until he is 100%.

What A Weekend!

Although I sat home this weekend, I had a great dog show weekend. We had all decided that the judging panel in Rochester looked good for Pauli, so she was entered and I kept checking my cell phone for a text message. Pauli's co-owner Wendy was at the show of course, but Jess & Don were camping. Wendy always keeps Jess posted. About 2:00 I heard from Jess that Pauli had won the Group! Wahoo! Her first group win. I texted Rosie, Pauli's breeder, to advise her of the good news. About an hour later I got a call from Jess who informed me in a cracking, shaking voice that Pauli had gone Best In Show. I thought she was joking at first, but the tone of her voice was way too emotional for a joke. Wahoo! I called Rosie to share the exciting news, then called Ginger to tell her that Argus had a Best In Show winning daughter. In the meantime of course, both Jess and I we were on Facebook, sharing the exciting news. Pauli went on to win the Group again on Sunday to make it a MOST successful weekend.

Penny spent the weekend and it was a long one for both of us as she is extremely bored.  All she wanted to do was get out and chase the squirrels that are terrorizing the neighborhood this year.  They are everywhere, which made walking her almost impossible as all she wanted to do was get a squirrel.  Because Argus is on restricted activity, she was not allowed to wrestle with him, and she hated being out in the dog yard. She's a bit of a whiner too, and I am tired of yelling SHUT UP.  God, how I hate whining.  I never keep whiners - let someone else deal with it.  Most people don't mind, or consider it "talking".  Not me.  I don't like it from either dogs or people. This morning Penny came over the dog yard fence - argh.  Her mother did the same thing when she was here.  Good that Penny is going back to Jess this morning.  I won't be so quick to offer my dogsitting services again.  She is now officially known as Bad Penny - perhaps that will help her show career!

If you're a long time reader, you'll remember that Pauli was a challenging puppy and that she & I were often at odds. She always had a terrific temperament, but I found her personality difficult.  For some reason, I always connect better with Dal boys and find most Dal girls do NOT appeal to me.  Marla, Josie and Gemmie were exceptions though.  I could have easily kept Gemmie who was a doll, but when the right home came along for her I let her go.   My feeling is that the dogs one keeps should always fit your home and your personality.  It's best for all concerned.

Pauli grew up as Bad Pauli, but I always felt she would be a wonderful show dog and could have a fine Specials career, but not shown by me.  Jess finished her with a wonderful record, and Wendy wanted to give her a try in the Specials ring, and was willing to pay a good handler to show her.  Wendy had seen Pauli when Jess showed her at some UKC shows, and although Wendy is a Labrador person, she liked Pauli from the beginning.  This is Pauli's first year out and she's been shown very sparingly as she is still young.  She seems to have justified our faith in her!

Saturday At Home, Sort Of . . .

Sleeping 'til 7:00 is such a luxury, and coffee to drink while reading in bed is even more of a luxury. No shows for at least three weeks, although depending on whether not Argus heals sufficiently, we may be done for the year. That's not all bad (although it would be very disappointing) as there are many things that need to be done around the house and yard.

Wondering if I want to start a new blog, one on raw feeding, Do I have time? It would be handy to be able to refer new raw feeders to a day by day discussion of feeding raw diet, but would I be able to keep it up?

Just checked the calendar to see when Tess's pups (assuming there are some) will be due, ready to be picked up, and when they will need vaccinations and BAER testing. ARGH! It could hardly be less convenient, as they will be 6 weeks old at Christmas. Even if I wanted to get BAER testing done at the Vet School (which I don't), they probably won't be scheduling appointments over the holidays. If I have to drive to Chicago for testing, what will the weather be like? Oh, well. Too early to know if she is pregnant yet, so we'll worry about these things later.

Plans are falling into place to bring Lucy down from Canada for the spring shows. She's one of the Argus/Boji kids and turned out very well, so it would be nice to finish a 5th champion from that litter.

Car goes in for a wash and vac this morning, so I can add the 3rd seat. We'll pick up my mother later today and take her out to dinner, as I know she's feeling neglected.

My list of chores is long. Better get started!

Cheeseburger With Everything

Argus and I had an interesting day as I continued my attempt to understand what is going on with his back and leg. We had an appointment at a new clinic anticipating an acupuncture treatment, but ended up getting a total workup and a few concrete answers. Very cool to find a vet who does both chiropractic and acupuncture and is an advocate of raw feeding! She went over Argus carefully and adjusted a small spot in his back, and while going over his hindquarters found some arthritic changes in one of his stifles. When she showed me how to do it, I could feel it too - so why could the other vets not find it? She thought the issues I was seeing in Argus's back might just be compensation for some pain in his stifle, but had suggestions on things we could do to improve that - involving both stretching and exercises. In addition to the exam and discussion she did several xrays. Argie's spine looked perfect, absolutely no sign of injury or arthritis, and his hips still looked very good (he is OFA Excellent), but the arthritis in his stifle was confirmed by xray. She explained that it would have started with a small injury and progressed from there. He's not lame, but I can tell it bothers him occasionally, and she advised putting him on one of the joint supplements - which I had already done, Arthrisoothe Gold.

So, we will see what happens now. It's nice to have some kind of concrete answer to at least part of the problem, and I am curious to see if the stretching and exercises make a difference. We spent about 1 1/2 hours at the clinic, I learned a great deal, and really feel as if I got my money's worth. Argus behaved wonderfully. A little too happy and enthusiastic as he loves all the attention, but extremely friendly with everyone, even under some difficult situations, and had only kisses and a wagging tail for everyone. We got through the back xrays OK, but he did have to be sedated to get the hips and stifles done without wiggling too much. Because of the sedation he did NOT get the "cheeseburger with everything" that I had promised him, so I will make up for that this weekend.

Fighting The Evil Giant

For years I made an effort to use NW Airlines only when I had no other options for flying or shipping dogs. In addition to gouging the locals for flights to anywhere, we fought many a battle with the cargo and VIP people over crate size. A Dalmatian bitch should be able to travel in a 400 sized Vari Kennel, and they always could with every other airline, and from every other place NW flew. Here, they often insisted that the dog was "too tall" and needed a larger crate - so they could bleed us for more money. One cargo office employee confided that the "animal rights" folks would come down and check things out - but I ask you, how would "they" get through the locked cargo area door to do that? And what police powers did "they" have?

We anticipated that when NW was eaten up by Delta that the policies might change and we would be able to ship dogs just as they could/can from other airports. Yesterday we tried to ship 44 pound Penny in her 400 Vari Kennel. She was to fly Delta Dash to Richmond, Virginia because the only direct flight was on Delta, and because the cargo office would be closed by the time she arrived, Penny had to fly Delta Dash. Laurie made arrangements and was quoted a price of $400.00 or more - which is ridiculous to begin with as she should have been able to get a seat for that price.

So, we set off for the Delta Dash office which used to be the NW VIP Small Package office, and stood around waiting for half an hour (and only two people ahead of us). When it was finally our turn the woman at the desk decided that Penny was "too tall" for the crate. She pointed to the drawing of a dog in a crate, where the dog is rocking back on its front legs and standing with its neck extended and told us that Penny had to be able to stand with her head straight up like the dog in the picture. Excuse me, but the dog in the picture does NOT have her head straight up, and Penny would be able to stand just like that in her crate. The real argument of course is that dogs should NOT stand up in their crates anyway. I finally lost my temper and went back to the car leaving Jess to fight the battle I have fought all too often. The woman actually followed Jess out to the car, arguing her point. Yeah, right. Like we will be coming back with a 500 size crate to ship with Delta. So they can bleed us for $600.00 or so for shipping, a 2 1/2 hour flight.

Regulations exist for animal safety, but when they applied too rigidly it becomes a joke - except of course to the people who are trying to ship. When we shipped NW air cargo things were bad for awhile because of one particular employee at the cargo office. Once I figured out when she worked and avoided those times for shipping we had no more trouble. Before we learned that, I took Coral out to be shipped to Southern California to be bred. A nice direct flight, but I was told she needed a taller crate. So I shipped her American the next day in the same crate. We've had bitches come in for breeding, accepted in their crates at some other freight office, but been unable to send them home on NW in that sized crate. Why all the hassles at MSP???

So now we know that Delta is just as difficult to deal with as NW was, but of course it's the same employees. Should have canned them all. We will NOT be flying this Evil Giant either. Hope they go bankrupt. It's a very good thing that we are able to ship chilled semen nowadays, rather than having to ship bitches via Delta/NW . . .

Gloomy Day

Eeewww, not a very nice morning. Raining and cold, but we do need the rain. Hope it lasts all day as they are predicting, but with no thunderstorms when Penny needs to be dropped off and loaded for her return flight to Virginia. Penny's crate is all ready, Jess took her in for her health certificate yesterday, and her direct flight to Richmond Virginia departs about 7:30. She will need to be at the airport by 5:30. This will be our first time shipping a dog since Northwest became Delta, so Penny will be flying Delta Dash instead of NW VIP. Because the cargo office in Richmond will be closed by the time Penny arrives, she is going "counter-to-counter" rather than cargo. The advantage is that the crates are last on, first off. I don't care for shipping dogs, but it does come in handy, and the dogs never seem to mind. It IS particularly handy that I live less than 15 minutes from the airport BUT not under a flight path. All the convenience without all the noise.

Finally unloaded all the dog crates and assorted dog show gear and will get the car cleaned and vacuumed this weekend - hooray! The hair really builds up during several months of traveling, and so much sand and gravel get tracked in on my shoes. Carpet will not need shampooing (I did that last spring because of all the road salt and chemicals that were on the floor in front) but it really needs a serious cleaning. I COULD do it myself, but the Downtowner Car Wash does a great job and it is well worth the money. No more multi-dog trips for awhile, so I will vacuum the mats that cover the cargo area and reload just one crate instead of three. Gosh, I might even put a third seat in the van so Ron doesn't have to sit on the floor when we take mom to dinner - he'll definitely appreciate that!

Acupuncture appointment tomorrow. Argus is definitely better, but something is still off, and during his walk last night he still held up his right rear foot a bit when we stopped. Back looked a lot better when I had Jess gait him on Sunday, but not sure that problem does not come and go. Hopefully the acupuncturist will have an answer. Can't say I mind sitting out for a few weeks as the judging panels were not appealing anyway, but I will probably get Cabin Fever after awhile.

Waiting for pictures of Sugar's new litter by Argus! If the girls look nice I will fly down to see the litter - November should be a nice time to visit Florida!

Done For The Season

A most successful summer, with Penny & Charlie finishing their Championships with terrific records! Jess did a great job of training and showing both of them. Penny will be flying home until spring, when she may come back for the Specialties and to finish her Grand Championship. Charlie may give his Grand a try too, but we will have to see how he looks next spring. An injury he received as a puppy may be a problem for him showing at that level. He moves quite well despite having hurt his left rear leg, but it may become a bit more obvious over time. I'm going to suggest to his owners that he goes on glucosamine as I worry a bit that he may become arthritic in that leg.

Someone asked how many liver champions that makes for us and I honestly don't know. Something over 60, I think. Having always had a passion for brownies, we've shown a lot of them over the years, and both my Best In Show dogs were livers, and both of them (Morris & Argus) are in Penny & Charlie's pedigree. Also in their pedigree is my gorgeous liver Torch who won many Best In Shows in Brazil where he was the #1 dog of all breeds for several years.

Argus seems to be moving more soundly with rest and aspirin, and he has his first acupuncture appointment on Thursday. I'd like to get him back in the ring as I have a few more goals for him before he retires! Next year I'd like to get a few performance titles on him too, at least a CD.

We Did It!

Did what?

Lots of things. Survived an incredibly busy 5 days. Got Tess picked up,bred, and returned. Finished Charlie Brown. Had some fun. Had a very successful summer!

Last Wednesday I drove to Iowa to pick up Tess who was to be bred to Argus. Got her bred on Thursday and Friday, and also got Argus in for a Vet appointment on Thursday. Collected Charlie Brown and drove to Des Moines for shows on Friday evening (oh yeah, I worked all week too.) Argus was pulled while he mends, and Penny came along for the ride, so only Charlie was shown. I've been dying to go antiquing, so we hit two of my favorite antique stores on Saturday, after visiting one of my favorite fish stores. Had not been to the Majestic Lion for quite a few years, but it is still a fabulous store, full of real antiques, not just "collectible" junk. Also a few quaint things, like the metal animals Jess is pictured with above. The large pink pig and the flying pigs were pretty cool! I even found some not-antique spongeware items I could afford. Although I love spongeware bowls, I am not about to pay $125.00 to $175.00 (or more) and the one I found looks the part for $12.00. Found matching salt & pepper shakers. Nice!

Charlie showed well and went Best Of Winner both days to finish his championship. He became Argus's 10th champion, so Argus is now a Register of Merit sire, and his kids have finished with a large number of Specialty majors. Charlie finished under Mr. Patton who remembered him from our Specialty, and how silly he had been in the ring that day. Also remembered Penny and wondered why she was not entered at Des Moines, and remembered Argus too. Said there was something "off" when he stacked. (There sure was, but he seems to be mending nicely.) Am always impressed when judges remember dogs. Will try him again with Argus if the opportunity comes up.

Jess waited for a show picture and I went out to see a litter of pups, then we headed for home, stopping only to buy a round of cheeseburgers, courtesy of Ginger. Dogs all enjoyed their burgers, although they left the lettuce and onions (in Penny's case, in very small bits). We dropped Charlie off, partially unloaded the car, snapped a few pictures of Tess, and then I hit the road again. 240 miles home from Des Moines, then 190 each way to Waterloo where I met Tess's owner Paula. Had a MOST interesting trip home from Waterloo, dodging giant farm equipment on two-lane roads in the dark. NOT fun.

check later today

Good Catch!

The athletic brown dog in the picture is Puck, a Jonah/Josie son who lives in California. Josie seems to have passed the Frisbee-catching gene on to her kids, and most of them are just as athletic as she is. Puck lives the good life, going to daycare several days a week (rather than sitting home alone), and accompanying his owners when they eat at outdoor restaurants. They even plan vacations around things that Puck likes to do. Definitely is good home and a much-loved dog.

Tess is here now, and she and Argus will be introduced this evening. She's a Watson daughter owned by my friend Paula. I normally see Tess only at dog shows where she generally acts extremely bored (dog shows are not her thing, I guess) but she's got a ton of personality outside the ring. Once Tess is bred she will go home and Paula will whelp and raise the pups, then they will come here at 6 weeks. I wanted to lease Tess and raise the pups, but Paula would rather not have Tess gone, and she loves doing little pups, so this compromise should work fine for all of us. Timing is lousy, as pups will be ready to go about New Years, not the optimum time for placing pups, but we've had winter litters before. It's actually a great time to house train pups because they quickly learn that once they do their business outdoors they can come back inside. We've house-trained many winter pups, so if there is a keeper in the litter we are prepared.

Argus has a vet appointment today and hopefully they will be able to identify the issue that is causing him pain in his right rear leg. Then I will make an acupuncture appointment as well and see if we can figure out what is affecting his topline. Argus looks and acts "fine", and moves "normally" - BUT because I watch him all the time I can tell there is a problem of some sort. He does not limp, but something is not quite right, and I would like to get it fixed/adjusted/healed or whatever.

Two shows this weekend, one point each day - hopefully Charlie can win them and finish his championship. Because there is nothing coming up this fall, Penny will fly home to Virginia next week. She'll be back in the spring to work on her Grand Championship (she finished her regular Championship in Colorado last month). Good time for Jess and me to stay home and save our $$$ and vacation time!

Hectic!

We had a lot of fun with Argus's birthday yesterday. A Facebook announcement, trip to Chuck & Don's to pick out a toy, and a special birthday dinner. Guess that's what happens when you are an empty nester without grandkids! Dogs certainly DO play a variety of roles in one's life. I try very hard not to treat my dogs like people (it puts too heavy an emotional load on the dog) but they do enjoy a bit of spoiling! Ginger suggested that Argus should get a steak dinner for his birthday, so I picked up a small ribeye, grilled it just a bit, and served it with sweet potatoes and cabbage (his favorite veggies). I made him do a sit stay while I took the picture - hence the pleading expression! Wasn't actually sure his sit would be this reliable, but he was perfect.

It's definitely going to be a hectic week. Later today I drive to Mason City to meet Paula and pick up Tess who will be bred to Argus this week. Argus has a vet appointment on Thursday to discuss what might being going on with his stifle and back - can't keep him on aspirin forever and something is not right. Shows this weekend with a chance to finish Charlie's championship. Penny is not entered but will ride along, Argus is entered but I will not show him, and Charlie must be picked up for the weekend - hopefully he remembers everything and does not need to be retrained. He's not entered anywhere else, so if he does not finish this weekend, it will be awhile - assuming we can even find points and competition anywhere else. Then I need to get Tess back to Paula - and can't take her along to the shows with us or poor Charlie would lose his mind. Teenaged boys can NOT travel with bitches in season . . .

Tried to get an appointment with the top local veterinary acupuncturist but she is not taking new clients. Bummer. Hopefully she can provide me with the name of someone else I can try. There is something going on with Argus's back, and perhaps it is related to the stifle injury, but maybe not. Acupuncture might be useful. Chiropractic did not help. Something has changed his topline and I need to get that taken care of. It's not the ideal time to breed a bitch, but we have been waiting all summer for Tess to come in season and I really want to see what this breeding produces. She's a Watson daughter and I would really like a good bitch that combines the best qualities of Argus and Watson. Fingers crossed.

So for now Argus is sitting out. He's comfortable, but not 100% and I don't want to show him again until we get this taken care of. Am concerned that the stifle injury is a cruciate ligament problem that might require enforced rest or surgery. Please cross your fingers! And paws!