Settling In

State Government Shut Down - Day 2 aka Lay Off - Day 2
Wow, I could get into this if it weren't for one little issue - money.  Like so many others, my lifestyle is based on my disposable income.  A full pay check yesterday (we have direct deposit), a partial paycheck in two weeks, and then nada.  We were assigned a specific day to apply for Unemployment, based on the last digit of our SS number, so I will be applying on-line on Wednesday.  Having never applied for UI before, this will be a whole new experience.  Apparently I have to go one week with no pay at all, then I will receive 50% of my regular pay for x number of weeks/months.  Let's not go there - hopefully this will not be for THAT long.

This stool will benefit from being refinished!

My list of projects is getting longer, not shorter, but it now includes little things that I would never get around to otherwise, like stripping and refinishing an antique (well at least it's OLD) stool that is currently covered in layers of chipped blue paint. Because it is solid wood and not a veneer, it should be quite nice when stripped, sanded, wood-filled, and repainted.


Yesterday was spent bumming, running errands, and checking out a new place I've been wanting to visit called The Betta Store.  The young owners are very nice and I wish them well in this venture.  Hard to believe they can sell enough Bettas (they also carry a few other fish plus supplies) to make a go of it, but because of our large Asian population, "fighters" are big sellers, especially the Five Star Fighters who are large, solid, short-finned fish supposedly bred for fighting.  Fish fighting is presumably illegal, but it is said to be very widespread in this area. Like dog fighting and cock fighting, bets are placed on the fish.  Does it bother me?  No, actually it does not.  I am totally against dog fighting, and not so sure about cock fighting, but I would not mind going to a fish fight. 

Aggression is very common in many species of fish, and it's mostly about territories.  It is not "meaness" but the way a species is able to survive, find suitable spawning sites, and sufficient nutrition.  Many of the Rift Lake Cichlids are extremely aggressive, and that is true also of Bettas.  In the wild, Bettas live in shallow ponds and mudholes.  They are anabantoids (air breathers) because warm shallow water does not contain sufficient oxygen to support other types of fish.  The males fight for spots to build their bubble nests, and guard the sites and nests from other fish. 

Long finned Bettas retain some of this aggression but are not bred for aggressiveness.  Even so, it's almost impossible to keep two male Bettas in the same tank, although multiple females can live together if given enough room and some hiding spots.  Bettas are fine with other fish, just aggressive with their own kind.  Short-finned Bettas are known in the trade as Plakats, and fighters are just Plakats bred for aggressiveness.  They tend to be stocky, drab and particularly hardy.  Plakats can also be bred for ornamental purposes, rather than fighting ability, and are much different in appearance than the "fighters".

Did I buy a fish?  Well . . .   Yes I did. I purchased an ornamental Plakat, suckered in my his handsome appearance, great attitude and the fact that he was red, white & blue!  The store also carries Giants, the first I have seen.  The ones in stock were rather plain looking (but large!) fish, but apparently the store gets attractively marked fish from time to time.  Guess I will have to go back!

Practicing For Retirement

Lay Off - Day One
Here I am at home on a Friday, a day I would normally be working.  There was no last minute budget resolution, so the State Of Minnesota is basically closed for business.  Troopers, prison guards & other people essential to the safety of Minnesotans are still working, and there is a skeleton crew of MNDOT people to take care of road safety issues such as pavement blowups which will most certainly occur today as the temperatures move into the mid-90s again.  There was no last minute Lights On Bill to keep the state running for a few more days.  The Governor had said he would not go that route because it would only postpone the real problems, and he was as good as his word.  The Republicans vowed there would be no tax increase, not even for the wealthiest Minnesotans, and they did not back down either.  So the rich will continue to be rich, and the middle class and under classes will continue to get poorer.  Such a sad state of affairs . . .

Our office has been under an enormous amount of stress recently as so much needed to be done to prepare for the lay offs, in addition to all the training and testing required for the new accounting system which was to have gone live - today.  All the contractors sent in up-to-the-minute bills as they often need their payments to meet their payrolls.  So much paperwork to be done in notifying all the state's vendors and so many payments to be made.  In my area we had a number of large upcoming condemnation actions that required payment during July, and and those had to be taken care of (just in case) and even yesterday I was making payment for parcels in the Central Corridor Light Rail project.  Payments would have been due in August, but who knows if we would be back in time, and the Central Corridor project continues.  All regular road construction is cancelled for now, but not the Light Rail which is a Metropolitan Council project (but we purchase the right of way for them).

I thought I was ready for this and would enjoy a "vacation" but when I turned in my badge, put prepared messages on my phone and computer, when I made arrangements for my office plants, rechecked to make sure I had everything completed, and packed up any personal items I might need at home, I felt sick.  As if I had been kicked in the stomach, and perhaps in the heart.  This kind of thing should NOT be happening in a civilized country.  In a civilized state.  When did things get so crazy?

It was a pretty glum evening too, but this morning I am OK with everything.  I feel so bad for the people who will be affected by this much more than I will.  I have some savings, and will be able to collect unemployment which will help, and I've never had a REAL vacation at home as I normally use my days off for dogs shows, and generally just a few at a time.   Like most of the rest of my office I NEED a vacation, a chance to get my head together, and get caught up on my sleep before the new accounting system goes live. 

Lots of projects lined up, but first - breakfast!  No more peanut butter toast breakfasts for me.  Today we are starting with an asparagus, onion, red pepper & tomato omelet.

The giant blue Hosta does not fare well in the heat

Then off to set up a sun tarp to protect my gorgeous blue Hosta which really suffers in the hot sun.  The sprinkler is already running in the alley garden and the rest of the flower beds need watering.  Then I'll take a look at the multi-page To Do List.  Yep, I plan to make the best of this, and yes I will make a point of doing a blog entry every morning.  No excuses now!

Alley Gardens

An Alley Garden award flag

Many years ago our Mac/Groveland Community Council started giving out Alley Garden Awards, in part "to prevent crime and encourage residents to clean up and beautify their alleys, the community's most neglected spaces."  I won an award the first year, before I even knew the program existed, but since then have kept the alley area weeded and mowed but nothing more. I enjoy "doing alleys" when I walk the dogs and admire the winners every year.

When the new fence went in last month I decided to work toward an award.  The alley already had hostas & ferns and reasonably good grass, but there were no flowers, and the area near the garage door was a pile of discarded sod & soil covered with weeds.  Ugh!  When the half barrel planter proved too large to fit in the area where I had to move the side fence, it was moved to the alley (what a chore that was), planted and mulched.  The heap of soil was dug up, weeded, smoothed out and planted as well, and rocks were added along the sides to keep the soil from washing.  It was heavily mulched since that area is hot and dry and hard to reach with a hose.

Judging is a mysterious process, with flags suddenly appearing when its been completed.  When I came home last Friday, there was a note in my door telling me that I had (almost) won, but was missing one piece.  One of the requirements (I've never seen the requirements before) was house numbers prominently displayed which is apparently a law.  Who knew.  The note said to get that taken care of and notify the Council for rejudging.  Argh!  So close!   No way to put the numbers in a readable location on a stone garage with minimal wood trim (which is why there were no numbers there) so they were put on the fence even though I cringed at the idea of pounding nails in my new fence.  A quick email went off to the chairman, and a few days later the flag was in place and there was a note in my door inviting me to an awards ceremony in the fall and asking permission to take pictures if they wished.

Just a small thing really, but something I wanted to accomplish, and something that gives me great pleasure.  When Argus and I go for our evening walk, we'll stop to admire all the award winners in the area and perhaps get some new ideas for next year.

Friends & Family

The guest room is ready and waiting for Laurie & Nikon who will be coming for a visit, just in time for my birthday.  They're driving from Virginia to visit relatives north of the Twin Cities, then staying here for a few days.  Laurie is originally from the Twin Cities, but we were introduced years ago by an mutual friend when she was already living on the east coast.  Nikon is one of Coral's daughters, one of Argus's "ex-wives" and mother of Penny.  Both are great houseguests and we always have such a good time.  Because Ron is a typical close-mouthed Finlander, it's also nice to have someone around to talk to, other than the dogs of course.  (Yes, I talk to my dogs as if they were people.  Don't you?)

Duderino & friend

An email from my brother to see which weekends I'll be home this summer.  All of them, I told him.  No money, no plans.  Al is planning to come up from Costa Rica for a week or ten days, stay with mom, get together with family and visit old friends.  He also stocks up on things I can not buy in Costa Rica, although they have an increasingly large number of "American items" available - which probably means they were made in China.  We all wish that his wife Alison would come along too, but she's content to stay in Costa Rica and tend to her projects and their pets.  Their newest family member, who I refer to as Al's foster son, is pictured above - a Capuchin Monkey, aka Organ Grinder Monkey.  Duderino is a "rescue" who was illegally owned, and because Alison is involved in dog rescue she was asked to take in the monkey who can not be returned to the wild.  My mother says that Al has many humorous stories about their adventures with Duderino, so I'm sure I'll have a few to relate.  The monkey spends his days outdoors swinging from the trees and harassing the dogs, but he comes when called, eats anything except bananas (!) and takes twenty foot leaps from lamp to lamp.  Very glad that Duderino will not be traveling with Al!

Puppies In Ohio

Nati and friends

Love this picture of Nati, who long time readers may remember as Naughtia, the puppy I kept from the Argus & Boji litter.  When she was about 5 months old Naughtia went to live in Ohio with Ann & Dave.  Ann's family had shown Dals and raised a few litters of pups, and Ann thought she "might" want to get back into the sport.  I sold the pup with the agreement that she could be shown and eventually bred if Ann was truly interested.   Shortly after Nati joined their family, Ann & Dave came to the Dal National and watched Argus go Best Of Breed.  Welcome back to dog shows!

Fast forward three years.  Nati is now a GCh with a CHIC # and is expecting her first litter of pups in August. Ann DID get hooked on showing, finished Nati's Championship with a specialty major, and then continued on to her Grand Championship.  She also completed all of Nati's health testing, including eyes, hips, elbows, thyroid & cardiac (the BAER hearing test was done here when Nati was a pup) and Nati received her CHIC # for that.

Nati was bred to a handsome, well-bred Champion Dalmatian who also has all of his health testing.  James comes from a "good family" and we are all anticipating a nice litter.  Hope to be able to see the pups before the go to new homes.

Have fun, Ann & Dave!

So Where Did My Weekend Go?

Charlie Brown at two.

Got lots accomplished this weekend, so why is my To Do List still so long?  Maybe I am subconsciously planning for the upcoming layoff.  Only four more days of work unless a budget agreement is in place very soon, and the list of projects to be done during an "enforced vacation" continues to grow.

I went to the office on Sunday morning intending to stay for "a couple of hours", but ended up staying for five.  Way to waste a weekend, BUT I got so much done!  End of fiscal year, preparing for shut down, new accounting system soon to be launched, AND doing a second job as well as my own makes it impossible to keep up during a normal work week.   Actually, NOTHING is normal right now.  Just wish I got paid for overtime.

On Saturday Jess & I met up at Charlie Brown's to get some current pictures.  We had not seen him since last fall and he was in beautiful condition.  Brook & Michael have done such a good job with Charlie.  Wish all puppy buyers would listen, ask questions, and follow through as they have done.  Charlie is well socialized, has nice manners, and is in perfect condition.  And he knows that he is a dog.  They have not treated him like a child, which will make it so much easier on everyone if they have children some day.  Dogs do NOT benefit from being referred to and treated like Fur Persons.

Reebok with 2+ weeks to go.

After doing pictures of Charlie, Jess came over to meet Reebok and help me get some pictures of her.  Thanks Jess!  I have not had any company since Reebok came to stay, so I wanted to see her reaction.  Excellent!  She was incredibly friendly and acted as if she had known Jess all her life.  Just wanted to be sure that Reebok did indeed have the kind of personality I breed for - friendly, outgoing, enthusiastic and silly!  She passed with flying colors.

Argus and I went walking along the Mississippi later that day, but he did not get to swim off leash.  Had to content himself with swimming and splashing while on a Flexi Lead.  With all the rain, the river is flowing strongly, and he's not (yet) an experienced swimmer.

It was a great weekend for Argus kids, with lovely Tia going WB at the Mt. Hood Specialty to finish her Championship (with 2 specialty majors, 2 Bests In Sweeps, and 2 Group placings).  Number 13 for Argus.  Son Wills picked up a couple more points, daughter Cassie picked up 11 more points & 3 majors towards her Grand Championship, and both Pauli & Krash earned Bests Of Breed.  I considered driving up to Cambridge to cheer Pauli on, but decided that I am better off staying away from dog shows so I am not tempted to enter shows I don't need to enter.

Discovered a lump on Coral's back on Saturday, a small dark lump that at first looked like a wood tick, but oozed when we fussed with it.  She's due for a blood panel anyway, so I'll get it looked at this week.  Hopefully it can be removed with a local anesthetic as I can't see subjecting a 13-year old to more than that.

Time to get ready for work.  Going in early and donating more time to the Minnesota taxpayers.  Bet they won't thank me either. . .

Sun!

Thank goodness!  Some time last night the clouds moved on, the sky cleared, and the sun is poking it's head up over the trees.  Hooray!  Everything is so lush and green, but we really need sun and should almost be able to hear things grow today.  The cardinals are singing, "What, what, what cheer. What cheer."  Me too!  It's been a really tough week at the office, far too much to get done, and I have not been sleeping well. Gray skies and endless rain didn't help.  Why is it that sunshine makes things more bearable?

Josie got her stitches out and everything checked out great.  She was not very happy to walk back into the clinic until she remembered that they have CATS that wander around.  When the Tech took her into the back for the suture removal, I had to warn her that Josie considers cats to be "house squirrels" and fair game. Dr. Jim took a look at her foot and said it turned out perfect.  She hasn't been bothering the wound on her cheek at all and it's almost completely healed.  What a great patient she was, never fussed about not getting her walks or spending extra time in her crate.  Although Ron normally walks her, Josie & I did a celebratory walk last night and I annoyed her by not allowing her to grab the rabbit that crossed the sidewalk in front of her or the bird that flew right over our heads.  Josie the hunter.

The parents of my new fish

New fish arrived on Wednesday.  Another species of wild livebearer Phallychthys fairweatheri "Dickfish".  Know I need to recheck the spelling on the genus - that does NOT look correct.  (It is.) These are "pedigree fish" because they came with location information which is important for wild fish - those not being commercially bred.  Pedigree fish are direct descendants from the originally imported fish, with no other strains mixed in.  The location info for these fish is Collected by Jaap-Jan de Greef in Rio Pucte, Guatemala in 2005.  I paid for 6 babies and the seller sent 10, all of which survived the trip and are doing well. 

I now have two tanks of new livebearers, as the Illyodon cortesae youngsters are also doing very well.  Hopefully they will grow up and produce for me some day.  The problem this summer will be keeping the fishroom from getting too warm. Because the whelping area is also in the basement, and because I will use a heat lamp for Reebok and the babies until they are 3 weeks old, the basement will get warmer than is ideal for the fish.  Wish I could afford a portable ac unit for the fishroom itself?  The dehumidifier that runs in the fishroom gives off quite a lot of heat.

This area has to be turned into a nursery

Where to start?  This weekend I have to turn the front side of my elderly basement into a whelping area, not an easy chore!  I have always envied people who actually have a whelping room.  I have extra bedrooms, but they are in the upstairs of my two story house, and it's too difficult to keep mom and babies upstairs - NOT handy for getting anyone outside.  So this weekend will be devoted to fixing up a whelping area in the basement.  Reebok will be comfortable with it, as she stayed in the big crate on the right when she was in season, and enjoys following me around the basement when I do fish chores.

Turning The Page

Josie and Argus

And still it rains.  Am so glad I have smooth-coated dogs and that I have a rock-and-block dog yard so they can be outdoors for awhile without tracking in mud or tearing up the yard.  None of them are bothered by rain, so as long as it's not raining too hard we just go about our business.  Am not sure how people survive where this weather is common nine months of the year.  I NEED SUN!  And pretty soon I'll be complaining about too much of that, along with heat and humidity.

In addition to the two responses to yesterday's blog I got three emails from other Dal friends, all older, all forced to cut back on their dog show activities because of age, finances or both. They could identify with my situations and my sadness. I'm fortunate that I am still able to show, that I have good hips and knees, and no age-related health issues.  I hope to be back in the ring eventually when I have a youngster to show, and Argus may get out for specialties from time to time, but I'll never be able to campaign a dog again.  It's just too expensive and too time consuming.  And so much work . . .

The nice thing about dog shows is that you can do it at many levels.  Once a year if that's your choice, or every weekend if you have the time, money and drive. While many people (like my daughter Jess) prefer to show in the classes, I love showing a Special.  The lows are so low, but the highs make up for it, and nothing really compares to going Best Of Breed over a large entry of quality Dals, showing in a Non-Sporting Group full of top specials in a variety of breeds, and winning the Group.  Best In Shows are more exciting at the time, but they are so often a case of being in the right spot at the right time.  For owner-handled dogs, there is a lot of luck involved in going Best In Show.  To consistently win Non-Sporting Groups is the thing that gets my juices flowing.  I'll miss that most of all.

Next goal is a really fine puppy to show & finish from the Bred By Exhibitor Class.  I've done that before, but not for quite awhile since we've had so few pups, and because I've concentrated on Specials while Jess does the class dogs.  My turn now.  Perhaps Reebok or Penny will do the right pup for me, or maybe Pauli will do that next year.  Because I will be involved in Lucy's eventual litter and have selected the dog she will be bred to, I'll ask to be signed on to her so I will be a co-breeder of her pups as well.  A breeder is always looking forward to that next litter!

Can't wait for puppies!

Unpacking My Life

For the past three years, ever since my return from judging in Australia, my small purple suitcase has been laying on the chest under the window in my bedroom.  It got temporarily replaced by the larger purple suitcase once a year for DCA, and this year for Westminster as well, but normally it sits on the chest, waiting for me to finish packing for a dog show weekend.  Because it was often used two or three times a month, there seemed little point in putting it away.  Some things were always packed and ready, including a blow dryer, curling brush, some over the counter meds, a few cosmetics, panty hose, a few "coffee bags" (like tea bags), and a small flask of rum.  I'd just add whatever I needed for the weekend, and I'd be ready for another dog show.  The suitcase was like a piece of furniture, always sitting in that spot.

While cleaning house last weekend, I suddenly "noticed" the suitcase, still sitting there, still waiting.  For what?  When would I be using it again?  When could I reasonably expect to travel again?  Maybe this fall?  Maybe not.  So I unpacked the bag, put everything away, and sadly stowed my trusty purple suitcase in the extra bedroom, and then wiped away a few tears.  That chapter of my life is over.   Onward.

Several pictures to use today but my computer seems to have been hijacked again.  The CPU is running hard and I can't get the pictures uploaded to the blog.  It's not the virus software or the spyware software, although it sure sounds as if it is updating something.  Must be the aliens.  Well, maybe I can add the pictures tomorrow.   Sure wish I understood what went on behind the scenes in my computer!

Things are dreadful at work and we are no where near ready to go live with the new accounting system.  And yesterday the old one was not working either, or at least MY appropriation wasn't working.  Millions of dollars that I could not access - all payments from that approp received the error message of "invalid budget fiscal year".  Obviously "someone" made some kind of change over the weekend, but no on is available to help me figure this out.  All personnel are working on the new system, rather than supporting the old one.  NOT a good deal for me, with tons of work to get done by next Thursday when we turn out the lights because no budget is in place for us to work in the new fiscal year . . .  Ah, such fun!

Breakfast with Sue



Breakfast from White Castle, umm umm good!

Woke up groggy & hungry this morning.  It rained much of last night and I don't sleep well when we get heavy rain.  Living in an old house with a marginal basement, elderly gutters & a middle-aged roof, heavy rain is always a concern, especially when accompanied by strong winds.  I was awake much of the night, got up to check things out a couple of times, and when sleep finally came it included a dream about a leaking roof and collapsing ceilings.  Far too realistic!

If it was Sunday morning, I'd walk Argus around Como, and then head off to White Castle for breakfast.  It amazes me to see the lines for breakfast at McDonalds when White Castle does a much better job.  I find McMuffins to consist of cardboard muffins, rubbery eggs, equally rubbery cheese and grainy tasteless sausage.  White Castle breakfast sandwiches are made with tasty muffins, freshly fried eggs, cheese that actually melts, and tasty sausage.  Plus the counter people greet you with a smile and seem genuinely glad to see you, and the drive through people wish you a good day.  What a difference!  I'm told that White Castle treats their employees well - it certainly shows, and their breakfast sandwiches, potato cakes & coffee are all delicious.  Not something I could eat every morning as it's still high in calories, sodium & cholesterol, but I've always felt that if I am splurging on something that is not exactly good for me, it had better TASTE good!  Try it, you'll like it!  Argus certainly approves.

Reebok is doing well and has settled in comfortably with us.  She runs with Argus & Watson, and I'm very careful when she is out with Coral & Josie as she worries about them.  Although my girls are quite friendly, get along with other dogs, and are used to visiting girls, Reebok has had some bad experiences and worries about them, so I don't take any chances.  She's doing well on Pro Plan Lamb & Rice (that's what she's used to eating at home) for breakfast, and raw for dinner, usually chicken backs which she absolutely adores.  With three weeks to go, she looks to be carrying a good-sized litter.  We go walking every night as it's important that pregnant bitches get enough exercise and she's puffing pretty good by the time we get back.   Need to start planning my whelping set up, I guess.

Reebok as a show dog.




Three weeks to go.



Bad Weather On The Way

The yard is looking good

Rain in the forecast, ugh!  We just got 2.5 inches, certainly don't need another 3 or more.  So far I have not had any water in the basement, but always worry about that.  My planting is done, the dog yard is pretty much finished (you can see it in the corner surrounded by privacy fence), the grass looks great after a slow start, the perennials all survived, and the annuals are all planted.  Flower beds have no room for anything to be added,  and even the alley along the back fence is planted!

Argus enjoyed splashing in the lake.

A pleasant and productive weekend, although most of the chores on my list remain undone.  It's such a novelty to think that if I don't get them done THIS weekend, I'll be home to do them NEXT weekend.  After three years of being gone at least two weekends most months, I'm still not used to this.  One of the things that did get done was taking Mr. Argus to Lake Como for a Sunday morning walk/splash. Unfortunately there was some kind of 5K walk/run so the first part our walk was done with a lot of joggers, walkers, and people pushing those large-wheeled baby strollers made for joggers.  Even saw several guys pushing double strollers.  The scary part was how many obese people were trying to jog.  Hope they all survived!  They need to start with walking until they get their weight under control!

This blog was longer, but Blogger did not save it before the page froze up.  How annoying.  I'll save my griping for tomorrow, I guess.

Feet And Flowers

Josie gets her wrapping off

Josie got her wrapping off yesterday and the stitches will come out in a few more days.  We still have to keep the stitches dry so Josie wears a plastic boot when she goes outside, but we're almost done with this.  She's bothered the stitches in a cheek just a bit so will have more of a scar on her cheek, but nothing serious.  Can't believe how good she's been about her foot, but that's typical of Josie who has always been such a good dog.  Lively, playful and obsessed by squirrels, but always sweet, co-operative, non aggressive, never destructive, and rarely barks or whines.  Good girl, Josaly Posaly!

The Show Lady Slipper is flowering right now.  The plant has been in the family for many years,first with one of my grandmothers, then with my brother, and when he moved to Costa Rica it came to me.

The Minnesota State Flower


Seems as if I should be in Fort Dodge Iowa at dog shows this weekend.  Argus did well there several years in a row and when I woke up this morning I thought I was in a motel in Fort Dodge!  Must have had a dog show dream, but I don't remember it, or how Argus did.  

No dog shows for us!  When I finish up here my little doggy and I will head over to Lake Como, and if it's not too crowded, perhaps he can swim or at least wade for awhile!

Training

Spent yesterday at training, learning the new accounting system that we won't need come July 1 when we are all laid off.  Well, just learning part of one component of the new accounting system.  The rest of this lesson today.  Then two more days next week, to learn another portion of the system.  This is a "from the box" accounting system that does not really address the way we do business.  Instead of designing a system that does what we need, we will be trying to change our work processes to fit a pre-made system.  Rather like trying to put square pegs in round holes.  When we take these classes, we hope for pieces that are relevant to our jobs . . .

Class ran until 3:30 so I went back to work for awhile, trying to stay ahead of the game.  Because I have no backup, my work waits for me.  So does JoAnn's work, since she retired and her work became my work.  And the Republicans want state government to cut 15% of the work force.  Hahahaha.

No movement on the layoffs.  The Republicans met with the Governor to make another non-offer at compromise.   Unless they stop reciting the "no new taxes" mantra, this will be a long and expensive strike.  Why SHOULDN'T the ultra rich pay their fair share?  Why shouldn't they pay the same percentage in taxes as I do? Even the preparation for shut down is expensive and time consuming.  And wait until the 4th of July weekend when all the parks are closed . . .  That will be just the beginning.  Critical services are most likely to receive emergency funding, so the state patrol and the prison guards will be working.  There are quite a few essential services that need to be provided, but building roads is not one of them.

Josie gets her bandage off tonight.  She's been wonderful about leaving it alone, but will surely be glad to have it off!

Need More Coffee!

My get up and go has gotten up and gone.  Just can't get started this morning.  Even went to bed early, before 10:00 PM which is early for me.  Slept really hard but kept waking up from weird dreams, like an aquarium flooding the car floor and guppies hiding under the seat.  Wonder what prompted that?  Pizza at 7:30, followed by Chocolate Pecan Crostini?  Need more coffee.

A nice birthday dinner with my mother who celebrated number 87 yesterday.  We stopped at Davannis to pick up our favorite sausage, mushroom & onion pizza and drove out to mom's in the rain.  Came home in the rain, sent the dogs out in the rain, and woke up to rain.  No complaints as long as it stays out of my basement.  Still raining, but we needed it.  Need more coffee.

Things are very busy at work as I do my regular work, JoAnn's regular work (she retired a few weeks ago), close out federal projects, plan for the shut down, encumber/purchase as many r/w parcels as possible before the shut down, and train for the new accounting system that will go live July 5th.  IF we are not shut down.  I've still got 2 2-day classes to attend, Thursday & Friday this week, and Monday & Tuesday next week.  Bad scheduling, but you have to take them when they are available.  Looks like I'll be coming in for some evening and/or Saturday catch up.  Nope, no overtime either.  Oh well.  Need more coffee.

I'm going to need the shut down to catch up on my rest!  If it doesn't last too long I'll be OK, but sure worry about all the people who are just scraping by, especially the young single parents in the lower paying jobs.  The working poor are really going to be hurt by this, but if the Conservatives prevail the working poor are going to suffer a lot more later on.  Stand your ground Governor Dayton!   Need more coffee!

Reebok is settling in well and seems comfortable with us now.  Have not been able to get a cute picture of her though, because the minute I look in her direction she gets up and comes toward me, exactly like Argus.  They seem to constantly be saying, "Did you want me for something?"  Hope a few of these pups end up in performance homes as they sure ought to be focused on their trainers!

Need more coffee!

Health

Watson - Little Scarface

Watson used to be called Little Fathead and his great grandpa Morris was the original Fathead.  They got the nickname because of their blocky heads.  Watson could also be Little Scarface as he sports a sizable scar over his left eye.  A few years ago Watson had a growth on his forehead that we had surgically removed.  I chose not to have it sent out for a biopsy because I would not have treated Watson for cancer if it had been cancerous  I can't see putting an already middle-aged dog through long, expensive and painful treatment to give him maybe another six months of life.  Perhaps a young dog, but not an older dog.  He's been fine ever since, so we dodged the bullet.

Coral's horny growth was not sent out either.  Dr. Ann said it was most likely benign and again I opted to just have the growth removed and to enjoy Josie for the rest of her natural life.  She's doing great, has left the wrapping alone, and her cheerful outlook on life is not diminished in any way.

It's very fortunate that Dals are one of the breeds with comparatively low cancer rates.  Cancer is not uncommon in dogs and is unfortunately very common in some breeds.  In general is more common in larger breeds.  I just read an interesting article on the subject and was pleased to find that Dals had the lowest cancer rate of all the medium and large sized breeds in the survey.  Their rate is actually very similar to that of many of the small breeds.

Although several health issues in Dals are well known including deafness and urate stones (although the latter is routinely blown out of proportion) Dalmatians are actually an extremely health breed with a very low incidence of many of the health issues that are common in other breeds.  They are also comparatively long-lived and the vast majority of well cared for Dals live to be 12 - 14 years of age, with a fairly good number of them living even longer.   

Reebok Arrives

Dinner with mom & Ron

Lovely weekend, cool and partly cloudy, perfect for yard work.  We got about 1/4" of rain but could use a serious thunderstorm right now as everything is getting dry.   Lawn looks fabulous, the flower beds are done, and just some pots left to plant.  I even planted the alley this year because I'd like to earn an Alley Garden award.  If the neighbor would stop backing her truck over the flower bed it would be a little easier though!

Reebok & Ron

Reebok is here and has settled in quite nicely.  She looks "quite" pregnant for still having a month to go, so hopefully she'll have a nice sized brood with plenty of attractive, healthy, out-going pups to pick from. She's a real sweetheart, very mild-mannered and easy going.  So far we have just run Reebok with the boys who are being very nice to her.  Not sure if I will introduce her to Coral & Josie.  Silly Josie will insist that Reebok should play, and I don't think Reebok is feeling very playful right now, plus Josie is supposed to be taking it easy, easier said than done!

Need to decide how to set up the basement for puppies, and what to use as a whelping box.   Generally it's a cardboard carton reinforced with a lot of duct tape.  It's hard to find them for free, but suitable boxes can be purchased from a place that provides shipping cartons of all size, some of them double-walled and very sturdy.

Illyodon cortesae

New fish arriving this week, Illyodon cortesae, an endangered goodeid from Mexico.  I found them on Aquabid, got them for a reasonable price, and selected 6 fry rather than a pair as I like watching young fish grow up.  The Empire Gudgeon lost her mate, so she will be giving up one of the planted tanks and the little goodeids will move in there.  The Gudgeon will move to the widow tank that contains singleton fish or those I am no longer trying to breed.  I have a small widow tank and  large widow tank, since some of the larger ones would EAT some of the smaller ones!

No time for proofing, hope this reads well enough!

Recovery



Josie is trying very hard to stay awake!

 Josie had her surgery on Thursday and everything went well.  The bill was even less than anticipated!  She had a small growth removed from her cheek (only because she was being put under anyway) and a large horny growth removed from her foot.  She's got stitches both places but seems to be managing everything well enough.  No scratching or licking (yet, knock on wood) so no need to use an e-collar.  Hardest thing will be keeping her quiet as she really wants to play!

Got a great picture of poor Josie brooding on the dog bed while the other dogs were all outdoors.  Because the incision is on the bottom of her foot, and because footpads tend to heal slowly (according the the Vet Tech) we'll have to be careful for quite awhile.  No walks, no rough playing, no running around the dog yard (or digging holes) with Argus. 

Poor Josie wants to be outdoors with her friends

We need to come up with ideas to keep Josie busy and happy, as she's a very playful athletic dog who spends much of her time wrestling with Argus or playing with toys.  Fortunately she loves treat balls and similar toys that can be stuffed with tasty tidbits, and will spend hours working to get at the food.  Those toys become "bones of contention" however, and we have to supervise, provide an equal toy for each of the other dogs, or have Josie in her crate or out by herself.

One for each, as Coral says all treats are HERS!

The proverbial "pink slip" arrived yesterday, announcing that I, like all other non-essential state employees, would be out of a job on July 1st.  Hopefully this will not last too long, but I completely support Governor Dayton's stand on the budget issue.

Up early tomorrow to pick up Reebok and get her settled in here.  I'll take Argus along with me so he will accept the fact that she is no longer in season, and she will be comfortable with him.  She'll move to the kitchen this time (she was in the basement while she was here for breeding) and we'll run shifts at first until we know for sure that she will get along with Coral and Josie.

Posting Early, Or Is It Late?

Lily Pad is an Argus/Lilly daughter.

Because Josie has her foot surgery on Thursday morning, she has to be dropped off at the vet clinic before I go to work leaving no time for blogging.  Not sure how long she'll stay and whether I'll be picking her up at noon or after work.  She never favors the foot unless she bumps it on something, but it sure looks ugly.  Josie is very stoic so it's hard to know if it causes her any pain.  Hopefully she will not have to wear an e-collar for very long as it will hurt her feelings.  She's such a sweet sensitive soul I hate to see her embarrassed.  Hope this all goes smoothly.

Coral did not eat her breakfast. Coral never misses a meal, but has been eating with less enthusiasm lately. She just sat and looked at her meat, veggies & egg, even when I added some tuna to the mix.  Hopefully it was just an upset stomach, as she ate her chicken back for dinner.  If she skips breakfast again I w'll take her in for blood work.  Her kidney values had changed a bit when she had her last blood work, and chronic kidney failure is common in elderly dogs.  We need to recheck her BUN & creatinine levels, and perhaps her liver enzymes too.  One nice thing about a raw diet is that it is easily adapted to deal with a variety of health issues, and for things like age-related kidney failure high quality protein is important - meat & egg protein is MUCH higher in quality than a grain-based kibble diet.  Of course if the dog won't eat . . .

Argus & Penny are both entered at Chicagoland this weekend, but probably won't get there.  Penny was just bred, and I really can't justify taking Friday off work - just too much to get done.  With Josie having surgery and some questions about Coral, it's probably best that I stay home.  Because I was to retrieve Reebok from Rosie this weekend, I'll have to make other plans for that.  I still have another day to make up my mind.

Thought I'd be dying to get to a dog show by now, but that's not the case and I'm enjoying my weekends at home working around the house and in the yard.  Guess it WAS time for a break.  We'll need to do some shows his fall when Lucy comes back to finish her championship, but until then perhaps I can manage just fine.

Black Or Liver?

Black Lucy & Liver Penny are half-sisters

Puppies this summer.  Reebok is due in July, Penny in early August.  Thank goodness my daughter Jess will be raising Penny's pups.  I once did two litters three days apart and survived, but I was younger then, and Jess still lived at home.  Both litters were mostly liver boys!  Oh my!

Reebok could be liver factored and produce liver pups bred to Argus, but I'm betting she isn't.  There is a DNA test available to test for color (it would also tell me whether or not she might be carrying lemon) but we'll know soon enough about the livers, and lemon is not very common in the breed and not likely to show up in this pedigree.

Liver Penny was bred to liver-factored Cruise.  Because his mother was a liver, we knew Cruise would do both colors when we bred Josie to him 5 (6?) years ago.  Penny has two liver parents, Argus & Nikon.  Nikon also has two liver parents Ed & Coral.

There was a time when liver Dals were relatively uncommon, except at MY house as I have always had at least a couple of liver Dals.  We had lots of livers in the local show rings because the breeders here started with dogs from me - generally livers.  Now livers are very popular in the show ring, and liver companions are quite common in most parts of the country.  I've always had plenty of reservations for liver pups, and never have a problem placing them.   So many people have come to be interviewed certain that they wanted a black female, and ended up with a liver male and been very happy about it.

Brownies are beautiful!

Books & Birthdays

Ah, the fun of selecting a new audiobook.  As a member of http://www.audible.com/ I get one credit to use every month and always look forward to that.  I keep a Wish List and watch the just-published lists for interesting additions.  There are many book sales on Audible, but I use the credit to purchase full priced books or at least one of the more expensive ones, and buy the sale-priced books out of pocket.  It's nice to have a backlog of unread books in "My Library" on the Audible website.  Today's purchase was the newest John Sandford mystery featuring Lucas Davenport (Lucas "lives" in my neighborhood), "Buried Prey".  Can't wait to start it.

Journey still enjoys treat toys at 15.

Happy Birthday, Journey!  15 years old today!   Last year there were still 5 littermates alive and well, but at least 3 passed away between the ages of 14 and 15.  We are so fortunate to have such a long-lived and healthy breed!  15 is not unusual for Dalmatians, and a few live even longer than that.

Journey lives in North Carolina and still has a career as a Therapy Dog, and in fact she "went to work" yesterday, but today she gets to stay home and be spoiled.  She is very fortunate to be owned by Pam, who takes excellent care of her dogs.

And Suddenly, It's Summer!

Hostas are lovely in June

An absolutely perfect weekend!  Temps about 80 degrees both Saturday & Sunday, brilliant sunshine, and low humidity.  We got lots of yard work done, cooked on the grill, and I got the dining room & living room thoroughly cleaned.  Even got the webs out of the ceiling corners (while worrying about spiders dropping on my head) and cleaned the hardwood floors on my hands and knees.  Wish I could afford to have them refinished - or had the energy to do them myself, but . . .

Biggest project of the weekend was getting the two window air conditioners installed.  One of these years we will be unable to manage the unwieldy things, but we managed it again this year.  NOT a job for seniors!  Each year I hold by breath when I turn each one of them on, wondering if they will still work.  Both are getting elderly - as I recall, we purchased the large one when Rob was alive.  Actually, Ron purchased the large one because the heat was bothering Rob that summer - and Rob's been gone for 11 years.  The technology has changed a lot, and the newer models are lighter and more energy efficient, but Mr. Frugal (Ron) figures that if they still work, why replace them?  I'm the one who pays the energy bill, but there's no point in arguing.  As long as the house stays cool . . .

Argus blowing bubbles in Lake Como

I promised Argus that when he was done being campaigned we would do Pet Dog things together, things like swimming in the city lakes and the Mississippi River, things we never did when he was being shown.  Because there is always the risk of a cut foot, coat problems related to less than pristine lake water, and ear or eye infections, I kept him out of the water, knowing that he would LOVE to dabble in the water.  I kept my promise.

On Sunday morning after dropping my mother off at church, we stopped to walk around Lake Como in St. Paul.  My folks owned a house a few blocks from the lake, so I had taken that walk many times - but not for at least 30 years.  My, how things have changed as far as city lake management!  Natural vegetation has been re-established along the banks, the walking and biking paths are separate, traffic has been rerouted, the Pavilion has been redone, and the lake looked and smelled so much better.  We walked the lake, stopping to let Argus swim & dabble.  He loved sticking his head under to blow bubbles, and raced up & down the shore, and in & out of the water like a puppy.  We had such a good time, we re-walked the lake in the other direction.  Argus practiced his sit-stays while I took some flower pictures, "talked" to some other friendly dogs, and had a thoroughly good time.  Promise kept! 

Please, No Storms



Iris time!



Severe weather in the forecast.  Hope they are wrong!  The proverbial "strong storms" . . .  Ugh.  The forecast for rain has been off the mark for the past week, so our luck is due to run out.  The yard is looking so good right now with the Coral Bells and Iris all flowering and the young Hostas just lovely.   Several people brought Peonies to work, so it must be the time for bad weather.  My mind has stored so many images of once-gorgeous Peonies squashed flat by heavy rain or shredded by hail.  That's probably what keeps me from adding them to my yard!


The fish all bagged up and ready to travel

Wish I could figure out how to edit some of the html coding on these blog pages, as I can't aways place things exactly as I wish.  I can manipulate coding on my own web pages which are hand-coded, but can't always figure out how to change coding that is generated for these blog pages.  Maybe when I am laid off in July I will take the time to update my skills!  Interesting that most everyone at work has a list of projects they want to accomplish during the lay off.  Yes, everyone seems to be expecting that will happen.

At the fish club meeting last night we had a speaker on salt water aquariums and the potential for making money by breeding marine fish and propagating corals. With the the popularity of reef tanks, the coral business is particularly good. Rather than depleting the reefs, coral is commonly grown for resale.  Breeding marine fish is far more difficult than breeding freshwater fish.  Proper conditions, spawning triggers, and appropriate food for incredibly tiny fry are far more difficult to manage, but it is being accomplished with an increasing number of species.  Raising Clown Fish has always been on my To Do List, and Clowns are supposedly "easy".  Or comparitively easy!  We'll see!

Got my fish safely bagged and auctioned off.  The Synodontis petricola brought the best price of course, but were purchased for a fraction of their retail price.  Am pleased they went to Rodger.  The Limias sold quite well too, and Dale who got them will do a good job.  He often purchases the fish I BAP since we like similar types of fish.  I was able to purchase a bag of very unusual Corys, bred by Rich who is a fabulous fish breeder, and a bag of "pedigree" Green Terrors (they are considered pedigree when they come with location information - where they (or their immediate ancestors) were collected in the wild.  Fun to see my old friend Garrett now sporting some interesting tatoos, and made arrangements for friend Alex to come over and pick up the rest of my Limia melanogaster. 

Getting the Fish Keeping Bug back!  Need more fish!

Something's Fishy

Fish club meeting tonight!  It's been a long time since I've gone to a meeting - they always seem to conflict with something, generally getting ready for a dog show.  With Argus retired from active campaigning, I need to get back to all things fishy!  I have four empty tanks right now, still up and running and ready for new inhabitants.  A number of my fish are elderly too, so it's time to add some new young fish.  Yes, I let my fish live out their days in peace and do not normally hurry their exits.  Several of my Cherry Barbs are over 5 years of age, and Edd my Puffer as well.

Four species of young fish to take along to the meeting tonight for the BAP table.  Members get points for spawning and raising different species, the number of points dependent on the presumed difficulty doing that particular species.  The bags of fishes are auctioned off to club members, and the club uses the money to support it's various activities including excellent speakers.

Assuming I get them all caught and bagged, I will be taking along Synodontis petricola, Gambusia affinis, Limia tridens, and Black Mollies (they are a hybrid and have not official Latin name).  We have to take at least 4 fish, and because I have only the 5 Mollies I will take them all.  Love the little Mollies - hope the parents spawn again.

Really need to get back into serious fish keeping.  I miss my fish club friends, and am ready to try some new species.  I have 300+ BAP points and need 500 to get to the next breeder level.  I think these are all 10 point species except for the Petricola which will be worth more.

Good news on Josie!  The growth is a large wart with a long root.  It will require surgical removal (scheduled for next week) but she'll be fine.

Where Do The Robins Go?

Baby Robin perched on the dog yard fence.

The baby Robins must have left the various nests over the past weekend.  Hopefully they survived the ordeal, as we encountered several of them in risky situations.  This one was perched on the back fence, while another landed on the deck near the patio door, probably caught up in a gust of strong wind.  Fortunately the dogs didn't see either of them. 

We always get several broods of Robins in May/June, before the adults all disappear during the heat of the summer.  No one has explained to me where the Robins disappear to, but they do, and although we see many of them in spring and early summer, we see very few later on.  Where do the Robins go?  Hopefully the prowling cats don't have anything to do with it!

Vet appointment for Josie tonight.  She has a horny, warty growth on her foot, coming out of the side of her pad.  I've been watching it for awhile and it had not changed and appeared to cause her no discomfort.  Suddenly it's started growing, and when I came down yesterday morning I noticed some tiny drops of blood on the family room floor.  A bleeding nail I assumed, since the dogs had all had their nails done the previous evening.  Then when Ron & Jose were playing catch in the family room, she banged her foot on the side of the chair and it started to bleed.  It was the warty area, so that must have been the source of the blood the night before.  We'll see what Dr. Ann has to say about it - was glad I could get an appointment with her.

Josie with her Grandma Coral

Of course I immediately think cancer, but hope the overgrowth of tissue is something less serious.  Concerns me that it's grown quickly this past week.  I've always said I would never put a dog through cancer treatment, but would just give supportive treatment, enjoy the dog as long as it was relatively pain free, and then let it go with dignity. Hopefully I will not be forced to make this kind of decision with Josie any time soon.  Having lost both Morris & Sid to old age in the past decade, and seeing that in 13 year old Coral's future, I am not prepared to give up charming Josie as well.

Please include Josie in your prayers.

Holiday!

. . . But let us never forget those brave Americans who gave their lives that we might live in freedom.


A Do-It-Yourself Dalmatian kit

So much accomplished already this weekend, but my To Do list is still way too long.  Yard is looking terrific, tomatoes & herbs are planted, lilies & rhubard transplanted, lattice fence covering the new chainlink (looks a lot less institutional), a wood strip added to the new privacy fence gate so it really IS a privacy fence, deck in cleaned, kitchen & family room swept (oh my, the hair!) & scrubbed (on hands & knees) but so much left to do.   With most of my weekends at home in the forseeable future, I have no excuse for not getting caught up!

Immediate project is what to do with the dog yard.  I made it larger, including what was previously part of a flower bed, but now I have to figure out how to keep Josie from digging holes.  Really don't want to bring in another load of rock, and not sure if the existing rock will cover all the mud-to-be.

Not a perfect weekend for a picnic, but we decided yesterday would be the most suitable and it was.  Wonderful chicken kabobs from Whole Foods - a one day sale at $3.99 a pound - that's $6.00 off the regular price.  They were excellent!  It was a good excuse to make my always-good 4-7 Bean Salad (depends on what I have on hand), and my mother made her excellent potato salad.  Why do we all prefer potato salad like our mothers made?

Have been fielding puppy inquiries this past week.  It's nice to have pups on the way!  Rosie quite sure that Reebok is pregnant - I was sure within a few days of breeding her.  She'll be back in two weeks and we're expecting pups in July.  Penny's hip x-rays were good, so she'll have her CHIC number soon, and the dog we want to use had a sperm count done (he is an older dog) and everything looked good.  So, Reebok & Penny will hopefully have pups about a month apart, Reebok here, Penny at my daughter Jess's.  All four parents breed ring champions with their CHIC (health testing) numbers and wonderful personalities.  Am guessing Reebok is not liver factored (she could be, but I bet she's not) so her pups will probably be all blacks.  Liver Penny is being bred to liver-factored Cruise, so she should have pups in both colors.

Hopefully things will fall into place for Lucy to be bred this winter or next spring - have two reservations on her litter, plus her family wants to keep a boy.  After so many years with so few pups, we're really rockin' now!