The Countdown Begins

Just resting

Argus is going to miss motel room beds!  My dogs all sleep in the family room when we are home, but Argus always sleeps on the bed when we travel - on a sheet brought from home, so he doesn't get the comforter dirty.  He'll get a whole week of this at the National, and then "mostly retired" begins, at least for him.  I'm not so lucky, and it promises to be a very stressful summer at work, with the many retirees leaving along with their skills and knowledge, and a new accounting system to learn.  We're supposed to "go live" after the 4th of July.  We'll see . . .  The last 6 weeks of the fiscal year will be spent doing my job, doing JoAnn's job as she is leaving, doing part of Rich's job (they didn't fill his position LAST year), attending 16 (so far) training sessions that vary from two hours to two days in length, plus testing and conversion.  We shall see who survives!  Obviously, I need to purchase more lottery tickets!

Had my property surveyed yesterday and learned that the fence on one side of my yard is actually on the neighbor's property, so in addition to replacing the alley fence, we will be replacing the side fence as well.  That means moving all the dirt and rock along that side of the dog yard.  Major project, and a tough one, but it's gotta be done.  This would be why the city requires the identification of property lines before fences can be installed.  Obviously that was not a requirement when the first fences were put in over 40 years ago, and the fence we put in 25 years ago just followed the original fence lines.  Means I will have to transplant my rhubarb, and take down the vine that climbs on that fence.

Reebok still not in season, but puppies are still in the plan for summer/fall.  Just means we will have a very busy summer!  Pups are an enormous amount of work, but we're all ready for babies.

Checking out training schools is also on my list of things to do, as Argus & I need to get started on that as I want to add some performance titles.  He knows all the basic commands, but needs to learn concentrate on me rather than trying to make friends with all his classmates!

My computer is not coming along with me to the National.  Takes up space and time I will not have.  Hope to check in here from time to time though.  When I get my smart phone this summer, I'll be able to keep my blog updated when (IF?) I travel.   Jess is planning a "travelogue" with pictures on Facebook.  We had a lot of fun doing that on the way to Greeley last summer.

Just 24 hours from now we will be doing the final loading, and heading off to the National in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.  I attended my first National in 1973 and have only missed three since then!  They're held in various places and we've gone to New England, Texas, southern California, northern California, and many places in between.  Next year is Tulsa, the following year St. Louis.