Two whole years...

As of the 24th (yes, I'm a few days late), I have been in this house for two years. Seems like it should be time to move again, doesn’t it? Don’t worry…I’m not planning to go anywhere. Its amazing to me that I’ve lived here that long, and that I don’t have to pack up and do it all over again anytime soon.

With the exception of grass (I don’t really have any – two big dogs will take care of that), the back yard is almost the way I want it. I’ve planted some more trellising plants along the fence, and I have some great flower beds and hanging plants. And most of them are safe from Duncan. The front yard is slowly coming along, with a couple of flower beds and a small tree that will hopefully do something this summer. There’s no good grass to speak of, thanks to the previous owners killing most of it and my slack self not replanting in the fall, but one of my coworkers promised to come over this fall and aerate, lime and fertilize.

I’m still working on a few touches inside, but I’m not as stressed over those as I was my first year here. Although, I probably need to get someone a bit more artistic than myself in here to stencil my hall door...I’m pretty sure I would mess that up. Now, if only I could decide what to do about my floors...

Belle and the Door

This is what Sam was thinking of (see comments on Belle's birthday post). When she was a kitten, Belle would jump from the floor to my dresser, and then on to my bedroom door. She would lay there, draped across the edge of the door, like it was the most comfortable spot around.

Happy Birthday, Mirabelle

Mirabelle will be 9 years old on Sunday. She came to me during the summer of 1997, after I returned from England. Belle has been a wonderful cat all these years, very sweet and affectionate, and definitely a Mama’s Girl. She hates the dogs - actually rode Reyna once - but has come to accept (eventually) all of the other cats that live with us. No matter what, tho, she maintains her position of honor as Head Cat, and is the only one allowed to sleep snuggled up to my chest.

Happy birthday to my sweet Belle. May we share many more years.

CF #7

Two lessons ago, Reyna wasn’t particularly interested in working. That’s understandable, we all have our off days. She was really balking on her spins, tho, which was a bit odd for her. As the week passed, my sweet, stubborn girl decided she wasn’t going to do any more spins. At all. No matter the reward (bribe). She would simply stop and look at me. And then she began to stop moving and look the other way. And then she just started walking off when I asked for a spin. I’m not too stupid…I got the hint. At our last session, we totally redid the routine, taking out all of the spins, except for a couple of spirals that she seems perfectly happy to do. She’s still refusing to do any spins, the little snot. Thankfully, tho, she seems happy with the new routine. I’m just really grateful they gave us an extra month to send in our video, since we revamped the routine Saturday, and were originally scheduled to tape on Sunday.

To the Kittens!

The kittens all turn 1 year old this month. I know Khar’pern’s birthday is April 16, so it seems reasonable to celebrate all three at the same time. After all, Parm and Per’la can’t help the fact that there weren’t any people around to mark their entry into the world.

Happy birthday, Kittens!

Scary Thought

Duncan, who is not yet 9 months old, is now taller than Reyna. I haven’t had him weighed in a while, but I think it’s a safe bet that he’s heavier, too. He’ll never be as long as she is, but he could potentially get a bit taller. GSDs usually don’t reach full height and weight until they’re over a year old, so he could easily get bigger. And I’m thinking he’ll hit 100 pounds, easy.

Weekend

Khar’pern actually came out while the pups and I were outside working Saturday. I’d left the baby gate down, so she came under the hall door and wandered out on the porch. Reyna was a good girl and left her alone. Of course, to Reyna, if I’m outside, there’s nothing more important than the soccer ball. Duncan spent most of the rest of the time we were out there on the porch with Khar. He was nice the entire time, nosing at her a bit, and then just laying down next to her. He really wants to be friends with the kitties. He spends a lot of his spare time with his nose and a paw under the hall door, waiting for one of them to come play.

I brought out the wading pool Saturday, too. Reyna kept running through it every few minutes, and occasionally plopped down in it to cool her belly. Duncan wasn’t so sure what to do with it, but he finally walked through it a few times, and once I even got him to lay down in it. Poor guy, his black fur was so hot.

I also started back to putting out birdseed – I put a feeder up outside the bedroom windows for the cats. Turns out a squirrel heard about the new buffet, and has been snacking. The cats are thrilled, but its making Reyna nuts. Every time she heard him with those big satellite dishes on her heard, she would go streaking out the door. I hate to hurt her feelings, but she will never be able to sneak up on it, especially not if she keeps barking.

Moans and Groans

After the epidural last Monday, and a week of physical therapy, my back finally seems to be doing better. According to the PT, all the sitting I do is one of the worst things for it. Unfortunately, being active is also bad for it. So that leave standing, which is terrible for my knees. No winning this one. The therapist (who has already labeled me a problem patient because of my activities, by the way) informed me last week that, because I feel better from the shot and want to go do things, I could actually aggravate the disc and make things worse without evening realizing it. My theory on that is, if I don’t realize it, how bad can it be? So I spent some of last weekend raking, and this past weekend cleaning, raking, putting up some fencing and sowing some grass seed. What can I say? It was pretty out, and chores needed to be done. Yes, my back is now sore, but nothing too out of the ordinary. In fact, it is other muscles that are protesting the most. They seem to be complaining because I haven’t done anything with them in over a month and a half. Go figure. My poor knees got a double whammy, tho...not only did I somehow manage to wrench my bad one a bit, Reyna accidentally caught it with a tooth as she ran by me to get her soccer ball. So now I have a big old bruise on the inside of my knee. Serves me right, for being between her and that soccer ball.

Second doctor much better than first.

Today was second opinion day for my back (I got lucky - the neurosurgeon had a cancellation and they managed to squeeze me in)….turns out this guy isn't so quick to hop on the "slice 'em open" bandwagon. He also thought that just sitting and waiting - especially while trying to do normal activities - was totally insane. Of course, that means I'm back on light duty, so no vacuuming or poop-scooping. Of course, since no one else is volunteering to scoop poop, I’ll just have to figure out a way around that. Assuming I can bribe my dear, sweet, wonderful brother John into driving me to Cary Monday morning, I will be getting my first epidural shot. I can get up to three in six months, no closer than two weeks apart. If they work, great, if not, on to plan B (whatever that is). Hopefully, the shot will ease the pain and inflammation enough to where its not the only thing I think about all day long. And, I get a day off from work. Apparently, they don’t like people to drive after getting loads of meds in their spine. Go figure. How effective the shot is will determine when I go back for round two. I also have a physical therapy evaluation tomorrow. Doc wants me to start doing things that will help loosen the muscles in my back and legs, which should also lower the pain level - lucky me, I'm gonna get a doctor-ordered massage. I know the first doctor said that stuff like this will just delude me into thinking I'm doing something useful and that it really doesn’t speed the healing process at all, but you know, I'm okay with that. Delusion is a good thing, sometimes.

CF #6

We have our routine choreographed, and we're dancing to "Man, I Feel Like a Woman". Now it’s a matter of me learning it and getting Reyna to dance for one minute and twenty seconds without needing treats or losing focus. She does pretty well for short bursts, so we’ll have to build that up a lot between now and April 16. I’d hate for a simple thing like needing a treat bump us down from the novice level to the fledgling level. Plus, if we have to participate at the fledgling level, we have to do a minimum of two minutes, which means we’d have to adjust the choreography. I know she can do it...I just have to convince her its worth it.

I hate doctors

So, I went to the neurosurgeon yesterday morning, hoping for something that would at least reduce the constant pain, if not totally alleviate it. Before I even got to see the doctor, we had a lovely insurance saga in the waiting room. Apparently, the receptionist at my regular doctor was confused about my insurance, which had changed. They didn’t have a copy of my new card, but the new information was written in my file. Unfortunately, no one had transferred that to the computer. When he scheduled the appointment, he asked if they took my old insurance, which they did. They do not, however, take my new insurance. So, my options were to skip the appointment and wait who knows how long for an appointment with someone else, pay upfront and file the out-of-network claim myself, or pay from my FSA. I paid with my FSA. I was not going to wait another two weeks to see someone.

After that fun, the doctor told me, based on my films, he didn’t know why I was in pain. But then he said a guy was in earlier yesterday with a ruptured disc that covered the entire vertebrae on his film, and he was just mildly annoyed. Obviously, pictures only tell them where the problem is, but not how bad. He then told me that my two choices were to wait it out or surgery. He said that the average healing time is three months, but that those numbers really aren’t any good, as the time ranges from two weeks to a year, depending on the person. He then said that, with surgery, he’d recommend I stay out of work for three to four weeks, but that people frequently go back within one to two - they just takes longer to heal – and that he tries to be out of the patient’s life within two to three months. Hmmm...let’s think...potentially a year of waiting, or three months...

I asked about other options, and he informed me that things like physical therapy, steroids, anti-inflammatories, and going to the chiropractor don’t actually speed the healing process, they just delude the patient into thinking they’re doing something useful. I say, delude me. Especially if it’ll make it stop hurting. He wrote a prescription for a pain killer that he said might not make me so drowsy I can’t be at the office – but it also might not really get rid of the pain. Gee, that’s useful. Doc also said I could go back to doing my regular activities, but to be careful, because overdoing it could hurt my back worse. But not doing anything could also hurt my back. And I shouldn’t walk the dogs, because if they pull and jerk me, that could hurt my back. And I should make sure I’m facing forward when I sneeze, because sneezing while twisted could hurt my back. But I’m allowed to go be active. And then he told me that when I reach the point that I’m really frustrated with how this is affecting my life (um, now?), to give him a call and he’d schedule my surgery.

He’s the first doctor I’ve ever been to that’s been that quick to offer surgery. Usually, they suggest a lot of other things, first. And you know, I’m not exactly eager to have another operation. I’d willingly wait this out, if it just didn’t hurt so freaking much. And so constantly. I am pain-free approximately 10 minutes a day – just when I first wake up, before I get up and start moving around. Once I start moving and putting weight on my leg, it flares back up. Its ridiculous.

My regular doctor agrees that the “two options only” idea is a bit insane. So I’m waiting for a call back from a different neurosurgeon, who will hopefully have a few other ideas. And, if nothing else, I am fully willing to be deluded into thinking I’m doing something useful.

Yay, Duncan!

Duncan graduated last night from PetSmart’s Basic Obedience class. I had originally planned to take him directly from Sylvie’s into the Intermediate class, but PetSmart teaches a lot more in their basic class than Sylvie did. And it worked out for the best, since we missed a couple of classes, courtesy of my back. We’ll probably hold off on the next level until May, to give my back time to heal before we have to start working again. Especially since I have two trips for work coming up.

For Carlos and Natalie.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown

Canine Freestyle Seminar

This past weekend, Reyna and I attended a canine freestyle seminar in Hampton, VA. Duncan and Natalie both went with us. I had asked Natalie to join us when I first planned it, thinking the company would be nice, and that a second set of hands would make things easier if I decided to take Duncan. Because of my back, having Natalie along proved to be invaluable. She was a huge help, with loading and unloading the truck and dog crates, exercising Duncan, and video taping the instructional and demo portions of the seminar.

The dogs were both very well-behaved, and Duncan learned how to climb up on the bed all by himself (he’s taken that to the next level, and will now climb up on the couch without assistance). I don’t think Natalie much appreciated cold wet snouts in her face at 6:00 AM, but that’s part of the fun of big inside dogs. The only behavioral issues were Reyna occasionally barking when she saw dogs doing stuff and she was stuck in her crate, and Duncan’s incessant whining every time Reyna and I were working. A fair chunk of the video has the background noise of him whining and crying. The boy has some serious separation anxiety to work through. Reyna did have one outburst that I remember while we were working, and she and a male Dalmatian just did not get along. But other than that, I was very proud of her behavior.

The seminar was a nice refresher on some things, and really made me feel like Reyna and I have come a long way in just a couple of months. We had to choreograph two short routines – one was a minute, the other 30 seconds. At the first seminar we went to, we had to do the same thing, and we did relatively well, considering all we really knew was sit, down, stay, come, and spin. This time, though, I was proud of both of us. We did several variations of turns and spins, but we ended the first routine with me straddling Reyna and both of us backing up. Got lots of applause for that, and even Carolyn Scott said she hadn’t been expecting something like that. For the short routine, our big move was Reyna’s “stick ‘em up” trick, and that got a really nice reaction, too. We also did some music matching, with “I’m from the Country” being the crowd favorite, followed by “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

One obnoxious thing that occurred was a lady who said she’d worked at a GSD show kennel for years started insisting that I needed to be showing Duncan. She just kept oohing and ahhing over him. Which is fine, but as soon as she realized Reyna doesn’t have papers, she totally ignored her. All she was interested in was Duncan. She wouldn’t stop insisting I show him until I pointed out that he’d been neutered. She seemed to have no real concept of having a GSD as a pet.

But ignoring the crazy pushy lady, several women complimented Reyna – both her looks and her skills – and one woman was genuinely interested in learning more about GSDs, specifically about why some have sloped backs and others don’t. I even got a couple of compliments for my handling skills.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the seminar schedule, but I don’t think I’ll be putting my back through that again until its much better. I had a blast, but I am now paying for the fun I had last weekend, and I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if Natalie had not come along.

Jake

Jake has been officially adopted by a very nice couple. They have two yorkies, a lab, a grandchild, and a granddog. And a good-sized fenced area. The guy told me yesterday that the only thing Jake has done was chewing up his vet paperwork the very first night there. So, yay!! Jake has a home!

Oh, my aching back...

So the MRI results came back with an L5 S1 left-sided disc herniation, and my regular doc wants me to see a neurosurgeon/spine doc. The appointment was set for March 16. Since it was going to be so long, I was a bit stressed about what I needed to do between now and then (especially since the nurse kept saying they were going to get me in this week or early next).

So, after several very annoyed phone calls to the doctor's office, I finally got a nurse willing to provide actual information. The herniation is more centered than left, which is apparently better than being fully to the left. Since it is pinching a nerve, though, they want me to wait to see the neurosurgeon rather than an orthopedic surgeon. The regular doc doesn't want to prescribe treatment, and prefers the neurosurgeon do that. The nurse gave me a few suggestions on ways to help alleviate the pain, since I can’t take the painkillers they gave me last week and actually function. She also gave me a list of activities I am not allowed to do at all, as well as tips on how to do some of the more basic stuff that has to get done in a house. Sadly, I am not allowed to vacuum or mop… The majority of the suggestions were fairly obvious, such as crouching to pick something up rather than bending over, or using tongs to get items out of the washing machine instead of bending. Basically, no bending. And no twisting. That's going to cause some difficulty with more than a few household chores, so I have to ask for more help than my stubborn self would like. I'm also not to lift heavy objects, which makes me question how I'm supposed to get my laptop to and from work. Oh, and she told me to try not to sneeze.

Last night, my brother, John, and my friend, Natalie, came over for dinner and helped with a few of the chores that needed to be done. And we successfully strapped the pups’ travel crates on the roof of the truck for this weekend’s trip. John also told me to start writing up a "honey-do" list, and he'll take care of things in the afternoons after work. My friend, Kim (mother to Dante and Mia, Reyna and Duncan’s buddies), is coming over while we’re out of town to sweep and mop and vacuum. I will SO owe Kim for that.

Happy Birthday!

My sweet Reyna is 2 years old today. Happy birthday, precious girl!

Stupid People

Why do people think that animals have to become best friends in 24 hours or less? Why don't they understand that animals can learn to coexist, but they need more than a few hours?

CF #5

Reyna was very good in class today….she showed that she really has been paying attention during our practices sessions. And she worked for a full hour today. The poor girl was so ready to leave when we were done. Today was mostly about picking some music, so I had a CD already burned for class. I’m going to take it with me to the seminar next weekend, and ask for opinions from Carolyn Scott and the other freestylers. The songs we’re considering are:

Find Me Somebody to Love – Ella Enchanted
San Antonio Stroll – Tanya Tucker
I’m from the Country – Tracy Byrd
Girl’s Just Want to Have Fun – Cindy Lauper
Man, I Feel Like a Woman – Shania Twain
Brown-Eyed Girl – Van Morrison

I decided we needed something a bit slower than I had originally thought, because even though Reyna heels at a fast pace, some of her moves are slower than others. Her spins are fast only if she’s chasing her tail. Having a song that’s a smidge slower than I’m really comfortable with should help her, as well as accommodate some of her slower patterns. She has some faster moves, and we can choreograph those into the faster spots.

Fingers Crossed

It looks like Jake has a potential home. The dad and kid love him, and the mom likes him, but she's worried about her cat. I tried to make sure she understood that most cats won't become friends with a strange dog (especially if it is the first animal ever seen outside the vet's office), but I'm not sure she fully realizes that. They're keeping him for the weekend, and I'm hoping they'll decide to keep him permanently. Once he settled down, he totally ignored the cat, but that certainly doesn't mean he won't chase it if it runs. I got the impression they aren't as strict as I would be, but that's totally up to them. So, anyway, keep all your fingers and toes crossed that this house works out for him.