Dogs, Cats and Other Phenomena

Very Sad News

2011-02-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

My beloved cat, Callie, died early this morning around 4 a.m. 8 months earlier, her little bro', Max, died. He was 15, Callie was likely 17, 18 or 19 years old.

This is very hard ....

Yvette, a blue point Siamese, needs a home!

2011-02-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Sad ...

2009-05-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

See the old orange tree in the previous post? Well, it just died and went to tree heaven. It's sad coz it's way over 50 years old and was part of the original orange grove.

I have to have it torn out and the stump ground tomorrow. Or actually, it's today (it's after midnight). I'm going to miss this tree ... I have a picture of me as a baby, being held by my mom, with the tree in the background.

Memories ... are the color of my mind ....

Sentimental, ain't I?

The Backyard Re-Do

2007-09-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the before photo. You can see all the rocks lining the planter bed. Oh, see that huge hole right where the old orange tree is? That was "dug" by Sable when she would race by, with little Milo tearing after her. Now you see why I need deer fencing! I have my own, private "deer." LOL!

Here's how it used to look. The straggly cactus was near the corner, and the rocks were haphazardly thrown there ... and the rest was dirt, coz I had taken out all the old plants. Sable loved to dig and throw dirt all around. It was always quite a mess.
These were taken towards the end of the first day of work.
The guys took the rocks that had lined the perimeter of the old planting bed, threw out the little rocks that were dangerous and then leveled it out. Then they filled it up with rocks. There were 3 cactus in the corner, so they scattered them T/O. What's great is that Miss Sable (or Sablelinsky, as I call her) will no longer be able to dig and I don't have to put sprinklers here. Yeah!

Can you imagine that my parents brought home all these rocks? I mean, I don't get it. How many trips did they make? They didn't have a truck, my dad must have been in his 70s, and yet they brought these home from Lytle Creek. I can just see my mom pointing out the rocks to Dad and telling him to pick them up. And I'm sure you're not supposed to take them, anyway!

Anyway, so far, this is my favorite part of the yard. It's my own little rock garden, and better yet, the dogs can no longer dig here.

This was taken on the next day. The pavers were taken up and more sprinklers were laid. Click on the photo, and you'll see Sable peeking out from behind the old orange tree.

OK, let's put this to a vote. This orange tree is very old - at least 60 years old or more - and was part of the original orange grove. It's probably the only one from the old grove left in the neighborhood. It's dying, but still gives off small oranges, etc. Should I tear it out and replace it with another tree? For a better look at the tree, scroll back up and check out at the first photo.

If I replace the tree, do you have any suggestions? I'd put the new tree a bit father back and over more to the left. I don't want too much tree litter, and I'd have to consider the dogs. They eat everything.

2007-06-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here's my new logo for my graphic design business, South Coast Design. I'm still trying to decide between these two colors for the sun. Which one do you prefer? Leave comments and let me know!

Well, I'd write more tonight, but Sable just nipped me, the little brat. Well, she's not so little. She at least 81 lbs. and is a GSD/greyhound mix. Seems I better let her out to go play with Milo.

Later!

I'm Back!

2007-05-21T23:08:00.001-07:00

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've blogged, but I just wanted to say hi and to update everyone.

Since I last touched base, I took on two foster dogs, Sable and Milo. It's been quite a ride so far ... my hair has practically turned white! Well, almost. I'd post their pictures too, but if you read on a little further, you'll find out why that's a little difficult right now.

Sable swallowed a rock while out with her future owners, but after a stay in the hospital, she passed the stone. Well, then a week later, Nikki had to follow suit, but she ended up having surgery! She's got the biggest cone on her head in the world. My little goofball.

Here I've posted a couple of photos of her. Note the rock in the plastic bag - that's what I call the million dollar rock! For more details, check out Nikki's diary, photos and videos on Dogster. Plus you can check out Parker and Sable's pages too.
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/359223

Then my computer crashed and I lost all of my files (including pictures) ... and then Sable ate a lamp cord ... let's see, what else?

Oh, I adopted a new cat named Baxter. He was hangin' around my house and made his way into my heart. Now I just have to introduce him to my 3 cats ... they'll just love that, I'm sure!

Well, back to finals!

Ciao!

Illustrator Creations

2006-12-15T01:18:00.000-08:00

Did some work in Illustrator during the past couple of days so I figured I'd post them.

Glass bottles in various shapes and sizes. I love the feeling that you can see through the glass.

A logo for a mythical company using specified elements.

The next piece is a drawing of a maid. Creating the maid was more complex than it looks. First I drew her, using an old clip art with horribly jagged edges as a template. She was then filled with black and then basically the details (face, dress, legs, cuff, etc.) had to be drawn and filled with color. Then the highlights were added. It felt like I was drawing and re-drawing her numerous times. The time consuming part was really magnifying the drawing, sometimes up to 1600X, and tweaking all the points. So in other words, you draw it and refine it.

The original clip art that I used as a template.

The maid, as drawn by me.

Here she is with some fun effects and a background added.

The American flag as a bowtie and as (gasp) a flag!

A menu for a restaurant specializing in spicy foods, again with specified elements.

Here are some Illustrator works that were created about a month ago:

Parker is 2 Years Old Today!

2006-11-21T00:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's after midnight, so technically Parker has just turned 2 years old! Oh my. It'll certainly be Frosty Paws for him and Nikki later on today. And to visit all of us on Dogster and Catster, just click on their pictures.

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Dog Fights

2006-09-07T11:27:00.001-07:00

I had posted this in Nikki's diary on Dogster, but got some feedback about taking some of it off, so am going to post this here instead. It is written as if Nikki herself was writing it:

True, we play fight a lot with lots of biting and true, Parker growls at me when I want to chew my chews (MY chews!) He likes to commandeer my toys and everything, especially the squeaky ball. But today, Mom was playing Fetch with him, which gave me a chance to chew on my old chew that he had dropped. Everything was going great until I dropped the chew near him. I made a dash for the chew and so did he - and then we got in a for-real fight!! Mommy was scared and shouted at us but we didn't stop. She thought of turning the hose on us but was too worried about me, so she pulled Parker off.

Mommy says we play differently than my bestest friend and I play. So tonight, she uploaded a video of Kayla and me playing a few weeks ago. Tomorrow, she wants to take new video of Parker and me playing together and then you can judge for yourselves.

I don't know, sometimes he won't even let me go to the bathroom in peace. If any of you fellow Dogsters out there have some advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Woof!

OK - here are some videos. The first one is Nikki and Kayla at play. You can see that they don't bite and they're very good with each other.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Now here are two of Nikki and Parker at play today. Definitely a mild version - not quite so many body slams, but you still see the biting, etc.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Videos On My Blog!!

2006-08-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! Just joined DropShots (which is free) and found out that I can publish videos on my blog and also on Dogster and Catster. See you upload your video (in this case, a .mov file) to DropShots and they turn it into a Flash movie. You just copy and paste the URL they give you especially for blogs and that's all there is to it.

Well, actually, there was a learning curve for me. I upgraded to the StarUser - in other words, you have to pay, but otherwise you can't show videos longer than 2 minutes. I had an abridged version of my movie Three Cool Cats ... A Study in Fur that was slightly over 2 minutes, which meant that the last few seconds got cut off. So I upgraded. But it didn't change anything, so I finally emailed them for support. Seems because I'm on a Mac, I have to upload via the website.

Anyway, I threw this very short video together of Nikki as a puppy, complete with musical assistance from the Beatles. Nikki is so little and cute in it ... I think you'll really enjoy watching it. Oh, and to see other videos and read their diaries, go to Nikki's Dogster page, Max's Catster page, Callie's page and Joey's page.

Nikki, the Little Puppy
Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Dogster and Catster

2006-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Dogster and Catster, two fun websites devoted to dogs and cats, of course! The first pet I posted was Nikki, my Golden Retriever. Then, of course, I followed that up with pages for my three tabby cats, Callie, Joey Bear and Max.

Here's Nikki's page on Dogster (see link below her photo):

http://www.dogster.com/?359223

And Callie's page on Catster. She even garned a rosette! And did you know that she's considered a patched tabby? I had no idea. (See link below her photo.)

http://www.catster.com/?359513

Joey's page on Catster (see link below his photo). Oh, and read their diaries, too. That's lots of fun .... And check out their Pet Pals for more fun.

This is definitely one of my favorite photos of Joey. Isn't he handsome?

http://www.catster.com/?359528

Max's page on Catster (see link below his photo):

http://www.catster.com/?359536

Nikki's Check-Up PLUS Dr. M's Take on Mel Gibson

2006-08-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

Nikki, my golden retriever, went in to the vet yesterday for her "well-baby check-up" and to get her shots. Yep, it's already time to renew her dog license! Luckily, it was a fairly cool day so I didn't have too much of an ordeal getting her into the car. This does not mean it was trouble-free, but it could have been worse. I bounced her favorite ball into the car and eventually it worked. She hopped in.

The vet is only a few minutes away, and normally she enjoys going there. However, I think the last time she went there, she had been induced to throw up her diet of electrical cords and what-have-you, plus she had to spend the night, so I wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. She got very excited when we pulled into the parking lot and happily went inside. I was afraid that it was going to be crowded since we arrived around 5 PM, but we were in luck. There were only a few people waiting and they all had little, tiny dogs.

Nikki happily put her paws on the counter and peered over it, letting the staff know that she had arrived and that they should pet her! They obliged willingly and even Bart (the vet’s huge mastiff) came to check out my very cute, excitable teenager. I was surprised that he came over to check her out, as he never does that! Usually, he just lies on the floor with his tongue hanging out.

I took Nikki to the end of the waiting room so we could sit away from the other dogs. To my amazement, Nikki sat down next to me, leaning sweetly on me. A waiting couple remarked on how well behaved she was and how pretty she was. They asked me her age—15 months, I replied—and then they told me that they had a Golden also, but that their dog was 7 years old. I then said what all Golden owners have often remarked to me, "Great dogs, aren't they?" They agreed. Later, I heard them whispering to each other about Nikki—how she was blonder than their dog, that she was adorable and well behaved.

Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well behaved Nikki was! She sat when she was told and was very good. Stephanie, who is on the staff and has looked after her for me in the past, remarked on how she was calming down. Of course, when Stephanie finally called us in to see the doctor, Nikki balked. She was lying on the floor by this time and refused to get up. I pulled on the leash, and because she was lying on linoleum, she slid beautifully. Everyone in the waiting room burst into laughter at this—oh, dear! Guess she's not so well behaved after all! Somehow Stephanie and I coaxed her to her feet and we went into the room to wait for Dr. M (whom I'll call Mark in this post), the vet.

Stephanie gave Nikki a treat, but she only ate half, as she was too excited. Nikki and I had to wait for a while, which afforded her plenty of opportunity to sniff everything in the room. When the tech came in to get her so he could weigh her and give her shots, she balked again. Yep, the kid lay on the floor. He told me to walk to the door, which would make her get up. I did and it worked. The big news is that Nikki now weighs 74.6 pounds! Big girl!

Afterwards, Dr. Mark came in and joked, "How's the meanest cat in the world?" referring to my Max kitty.

I smiled and replied that he was doing fine, making sure to add that he wasn't really mean, he just didn't like going there. (See previous posts for the back-story.)

"Maybe he doesn't like Jews!" he laughed.

I laughed, too, and pointed at him, as if to say, "Yeah, that's it," but I was a little confused by his remark. Then it dawned on me what he meant, and I said, "Mel Gibson."

Mark told me that it's all he's heard about from clients for the last 2 days...that they ask him what he thinks about this whole brouhaha as he's usually the only Jew that they know. I hadn't realized he was Jewish, but now it explained his joke about Max Cat not liking Jews!

He said he'd have much more respect for Mel Gibson if he just admitted the truth about his feelings for Jews instead of trying to backpedal and make amends with the Jewish community. Alcohol lets down barriers and you usually end up saying things you truly believe, so Mel should just confess that this is what he really thinks, he said. He also said that there were more Jews in Hollywood than in Tel Aviv and that Mel should just come out and say that he's worked with many Jews in Hollywood, that he thought they were pushy and that he didn't like them! Mark sure wouldn't like him for his beliefs, but he'd have a lot more respect for him. For Mel to apologize for what he obviously thinks about Jews, and to try to pretend that he doesn't really believe this —that it was the booze talking—well, Mark felt this was insulting his intelligence. Mark said that there was a tape out there with Mel’s remarks, which I didn’t know. Then we talked about Mel’s dad, who is a bit of a nut. I mean he must be a nut to believe that the Jewish population went up during WWII. Anyway, enough about Gibson!

The examination was over but because Mark had talked only about Mel Gibson, I felt I better ask him how Miz Pup was doing.

"Fabulous!" he said.

“So she's not overweight?” I asked.

"No, not at all!

I then told him that so many people have told me that she was overweight and he basically told me to ignore them. "This dog is fabulous!" he exclaimed.

Isn't it great to have a healthy pup?

As Nikki and I were checking out, the staff was talking to another client who said how terrific Mark was. Boy, the girls behind the desk sure sang his praises, saying he was the best boss ever and how understanding he is when personal issues crop up. They all love him and it's so wonderful to see that! They are lucky people to have such a nice boss. Believe me, I've had many lousy bosses, so it was enjoyable to hear.

I don't recall how the next part came about (my memory is hazy here)...maybe it was when they were talking about how they loved him, but Mark came back up to the desk, and apropos of the conversation, pointed to me and said, "You—I love!" Cute! Stephanie then teased him that she had a key to my house but that he didn't! I, of course, told him he could have a key to my house anytime! (And just so that there’s no misunderstanding, Mark is a happily married man who just had his third child.)

It was time for Nikki and me to go home, but as I feared, she would not get into the car. I tried everything. Nothing worked. She lay down on the ground and balked. I really wish she wouldn't do that! It sure isn’t the safest thing in the world to do. I finally gave up and knocked on the office door (they were closed by now) and had to ask one of the girls if she could help me get her into the car. Luckily she agreed or otherwise we'd still be there!

Nikki and I went on a walk after we got home and she had even more fun. One of the dogs that lives down on the cul-de-sac, Bear, lumbered up to her with tail wagging. He was off-leash and I couldn't see his owner, so I was a little nervous. But I realized that Bear was an old, overweight, possibly arthritic Lab and all he wanted to do was say hi to Nikki. They sweetly sniffed noses. Very cute indeed.

When we got home, I grabbed the camera and took pictures of the Nikkster. I told her to Sit/Stay and she did! Maybe she was too tired to disobey, but I shot 48 photos of her as she posed for me!

Nikki is Sometimes a Very Good Girl

Furniture For Sale & More!

2006-07-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Certainly haven't blogged in awhile! I've been pretty busy ... I would have loved to been able to keep all of my parents' and grandparents' furniture, but have nowhere to put it all. So, first I had an estate sale, which was a lot of work. Then a neighbor told me about posting online on Orange County's craigslist, so have been busy fielding offers for the items that still remain. I chose craigslist over eBay so I don't have to deal with shipping items to people in other states. Only people in Orange County, CA will be buying the items, so they will pick up the item(s) themselves. I also will be listing some terrific china and stoneware in a few days, so keep an eye out for those items.

Here's what I have for sale ... if you're interested in any of the items, please email: sale-185395193@craigslist.org and supply your name, the city you live in and what item you're interested in.

Thanks!

Dresser - If you love to collect 50s furniture, then this is for you! Mid-century birch dresser with 5 dovetailed drawers for sale. The drawers slide beautifully. Some scratches but is in good shape. 41"w, 20"d, 36"h. - $100
Here's a close-up of one of the drawers so you can really see how well made the dresser is. They don't make furniture like this anymore!

Headboard - This solid wood mid-century headboard + bookcase is just the right size for 2 twin beds or a king. In great condition. My parents bought it from a Long Beach store back in the 50s and have been the only owners. The style was very popular in the 50s and was known as Early American. If you don't know what that means, watch I Love Lucy ... they make reference to that style often. 80"w, 10"d, 44"h. - $100

Chair - This lovely vintage 1950s chair is just waiting to find a good home! It's in good condition. The fabric is ultra-suede & the chair is very comfortable too. - $120

Woman's 10-Speed Mountain bike. This is a Huffy White Mountain-Free Spirit. Was ridden less than 10 times by a woman who was 5'5". In good condition. Rust on the back rim but was always stored indoors. Tires need air. Is in ride-able condition.

Sharp Carousel Microwave - This black Sharp Carousel Microwave belonged to my parents, is in good working order & is easy to program. The only reason I'm selling it is that I already have a microwave. 21"w, 15.5"d. - $35

Golf Cart - Lightweight Aeromax golf push/pull cart is in excellent condition. Like new! - $20 ** SOLD! **

We Want A Pool! We Want A Pool!

2006-05-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Chant and maybe we'll get it, right?

It's decided. Nikki and I want a full-blown, in-ground pool installed in the backyard now! Yes, the idea has always been simmering in my head since I was a little girl, but now Nikki agrees whole-heartedly with me.

See, it all started today when Nikki and I went on our walk. I had been hoping that we'd run into a neighbor who lives around the corner from me. He saw me walking Nikki a long time ago (when she was still quite the young pup) and he told me that he had two golden retrievers and it was too bad that he was leaving right at that moment, otherwise they could play. Well, today must have been our lucky day.

Nikki and I were walking and she kept turning to look behind her. Finally, I turned too and there they were - the two Goldens and the neighbor, Bill. The dogs, Molly and Lacy, were well trained and stayed on their front lawn until Bill told them that they could greet Nikki. They ran towards us and the sniffing commenced. Molly, a blonde Golden who was heavier than Nikki, growled a bit, but Bill assured me that that was just her way of showing she was dominant dog. I was surprised to see that Lacy looked just like Nikki, only much thinner.

Bill invited us to his backyard so the dogs could play. I knew he had a pool, so thought this would be interesting for Nikki. Bill had a cover on the pool, which meant that Nikki didn't realize that this was not solid ground so she plunged right into the pool within a minute of entering the yard. She was very surprised, plus she was in the deep end, so I was a little concerned. She somehow made it over to the edge and Bill pulled her out.

Molly and Lacy kept diving into the deep end to retrieve the tennis ball that Bill threw into the pool. Nikki wanted to play too, but wasn't sure about this pool. She even had to learn how to walk around the side of the pool as she kept slipping. Bill and I coaxed her to go into the pool but finally, since his shorts were already pretty wet, he pulled off his shirt and went into the pool. He dragged Nikki into the pool with him and held her. Then we kept showing her the steps to teach her where she could get out. It helped guide her when I stepped on the first step ... my sweat pants were soaked anyway, so it didn't matter.

Nikki had to learn how to swim but it sure didn't take her long. Besides, Goldens love the water! She got to be a pretty good swimmer and got over her anxiety rather quickly. She even got the ball several times and paddled back to us. Naturally, she didn't want to give up the ball easily. True, her splashing was pretty noisy - she didn't glide through the water like Molly and Lacy - but that will come in time.

Nikki, Molly and Lacy had no problems adjusting to one another. In fact, the adjustment was rather seamless. I wonder if they somehow recognized that they were all the same breed, so that trust was pretty much built-in. That's my explanation for it anyway!

We had such a great time! I sure wished I had my video camera on me to record Nikki's first swimming lesson. But I'm serious here. Nikki and I want a pool. What fun we'd have together!

Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour

2006-05-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour is an annual Southern California garden tour which is made up of exhibitors that are Real Gardeners. Jan and I visited eleven out of 25 gardens on the self-guided tour today. We had hoped to visit gardens in Old Towne Orange and Long Beach, but we ran out of time. One garden in San Juan Capistrano boasted a 350-400 year old oak tree, which we didn't get to see, as it was too far away. As it was, we started on the garden tour around 11 a.m. and kept going until 5 p.m. We didn't even get to stop and eat lunch; we had to eat Del Taco in the car!

As you can see, the gardens were lovely, so I took lots of photos—90 pictures to be exact! Unfortunately, my digital camera settings are not the best, so I am trying to color correct each photo in Photoshop in order to bring out the proper contrast and colors. I hope you enjoy my photos. Be sure to click on each of the photos to enlarge them; you'll be sure to enjoy the gardens that much more.

I'd describe the gardens on the tour as cottage-style gardens with lots of whimsy and water fountains. Some had secret garden rooms. This back yard garden in Fountain Valley has swings for their grandchildren covered with bower vines, which was a lovely touch, while the English garden-style plants are designed to attract birds and butterflies.

The ladder being used as a plant stand doesn't take up much space so can be used to great effect in this small side yard. Seeing this painted ladder gave me an idea for my parents' old ladder. I have left over exterior paint - maybe I'll paint the old ladder and use it as a plant stand! I have lots of potted cacti that I must put up and out of the way, since I have Miz Pup now and have to keep her out of harm's way. However, now that I think about it, all of the cacti are pretty big, so will have to get another Baker's Rack to hold them instead, I'm afraid! But I may try this idea anyway and put small pots on it.

The gardener, Virginia Sheen, has this to say about her garden in the newsletter, "There is serenity in this yard that comes from the water and the trees .... The yard is anchored by magnolia, redbud and crepe myrtle trees. They all bloom at a different time of year to provide us with beautiful color."

This is the Radecki residence and in their own words, "A mixture of roses, daylilies, perennials and annuals brighten the front garden of our home, which is anchored by mature trees, a crepe myrtle grown from seed, and a large potted plumeria."

I liked the stonework at the Delange's home used to create terraces in both the front and the back yard. In the gardener's own words: "The Challenge: Creating a did-it-all-ourselves Japanese woodland garden in a desert climate. The Result?: You be the judge."

"The garden is now some thirty-five years growing. It’s undergone several incarnations. The hardscape is notable for its water elements and some 300 run feet of unmortared flagstone walls hand laid by the gardener herself. Those flagstone terraced beds are home to some fifty Japanese maple cultivars. Given that it doesn’t chill enough here for fall color, the maples were selected for their new leaf colors. If you’ve never seen a collection of acer palmatum cultivars leafing out in all their springtime glory, now’s your chance."

"Some of the highpoints include a sedum tapestry bed (think the botanical version of a watercolor quilt), a leaning tree of pear, a mini and dwarf conifer tapestry (sort of like Alice in Coniferland miniaturization), and a Schefflera."

This Huntington Harbour home had a pool in the front yard and the channel for its back yard. When you first enter the enclosed front garden, the first thing you become aware of is the wonderful scent that fills the air. The owner also likes to fashion tussie mussies (beautiful nosegays), which she had for sale.

I'm not sure where I took this photo, but this close-up came out just right. Isn't it beautiful? Actually, I think the photo was taken at Mary Blagg's home where she has over 92 rose bushes and 8 climbers. She also uses an old ladder as a plant stand; however, hers isn't painted.

The gardener of this lovely Rossmoor home, Cindi Samuelson, states, "Our very active family (three boy children and two young Australian Shepards) makes low maintenance a must! I use perennials and foliage contrasts, both color and texture, to create interest. And just in case you wonder, yes, I am the Real Gardener here. Did it all! The front garden carries a mountain theme, with 15-year-old Liquidambar trees, a meandering rock river and a colorful display of perennials and annuals. But the back garden is my baby, our own Tropical Paradise. The fifteen year old creeping fig “wall”, huge Orange tree with trumpeter vines, and bougainvillea create privacy while a large crepe myrtle shades several tree ferns, variegated ginger, agapanthus, hosta, bromelia, purple flax, nandina and bloodleaf. And don’t miss the cutting garden!"

"But the focal point, and by far the most popular, is the secluded “sanctuary” approached via a sandstone path and through an arbor covered by two passion flower vines. Inside the sanctuary is seating around a fountain, a lounge chair for reading, and a spa, cleverly concealed by a privacy screen of Egyptian papyrus grass and bamboo. Take a moment to sit, breathe deeply, and – ahhh, share our bliss."

This Rossmoor house was not even on the garden tour, but it was so nice, that I had to take this picture out of the car window anyway!

I really enjoyed the gardens on this tour and am now longing to rip out my poor old back yard and plant away! I came home and tried to visualize my yard with a secret garden like the one above, complete with spa and water fountain. I am going to do that! Now if I can just win the lottery....

A fun little Guide to Garden Etiquette straight from the Mary Lou Heard Newsletter ...

• No matter how sincerely your neighbor says "help yourself" to his prize roses, it is not polite to dig them up after dark and plant them in your own garden.

• Even if you are desperate for a date, it is considered gauche to spell out your phone number in decorative shrubbery. (Now they tell me!)

• If a guest's bratty kid is stomping on your prize perennials while his parents look on passively, it is considered rude to pull up a stout plant stake and render him unconscious.

Max and Nikki

2006-05-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Max's cone came off Tuesday, but I don't think I'll put it back on. He washed himself all over but didn't tear at the stitches - and he's SO much happier with the cone off. He's healing nicely, so all is well on that front. That is, until I have to take him back in to the vet to remove the stitches! I'm hoping that I can hold him and that they can take the stitches out that way. I don't want them to put him under again.

The first photo of Max was taken a few days after he came home from his surgery. He sure didn't feel too good! For two days he hid out in the den. By the 3rd day, he was feeling braver and joined the rest of the cats in the bedroom. The funny thing was that Max felt insecure with the cone on and stayed away from the other 2 cats. Callie didn't want anything to do with him when he had the cone on; she'd stare at him and not come near him! Guess she didn't realize that she looked like this herself a year ago after her surgery! The 2nd photo was taken today as Max was napping. Doesn't he look much improved?

As for Nikki, I took her to training on Tuesday. Could not get Missy into the car. She balked and then laid down on the ground. I almost gave up. Treats didn't work. She got out of her harness (Miz Houdini.) Finally got her in to the car through a different door - the passenger's side in the front. After I got in, she hopped into the back seat all by herself, which surprised me.

When we finally got to class - late, thanks to her - she was very excited and wouldn't sit still so I could put her harness back on. Then she kept laying down on the ground! First time she ever did that! What's with that??

One of the ladies in the class told me it was all about my attitude when I take her leash. (You know me, I'm too nice.) So she took Nikki's leash and told her very business-like to sit. She did. Then she tried to get her to walk - and she laid down on her too!! Now I didn't crow and say, "See!! Told you so!" It was more, "Why is she even doing that with you?" I mean, normally she responds better with others. If it had been a firm man though, I bet she would have listened better.

But seriously, I have a nut on my hands, I swear. Couldn't get her back into the car after class. Talk about dangerous. Dark parking lot, at night. Dog laying down on ground. I tried different doors, etc. Didn't work. I finally got her through the door she normally uses by shoving her butt in - somehow had just the right amount of leverage.

If anyone has good advice on how to get a big, huge dog into the car without a fuss, please let me know. I thought she was afraid or something, but it's not that. It's all about who is boss.

Guess it's back to the Gentle Leader for her. And yes, I have lots of fodder for a book - or at least an article - so I guess getting Nikki might finally get me started on that writing career I've always been contemplating! :-D

Update!

2006-04-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Read yesterday's post (the one below this one) before reading this update.

8:15 a.m. - It's a little after 8 o'clock and the Garden Grove Dog & Cat Hospital called. Nikki had several things in her vomit: several pieces of orange plastic (the toy), electrical wiring, copper wiring and 2 shoe laces. To the last two items, I say this: Huh?? I have no idea where she got copper wiring and shoe laces.

They did a 2nd x-ray and all looks clear. They're keeping her until 2 PM to ensure that she can keep food down and they'll clean her up for me. I'm to call first before going to pick her up, however.

All I can say is that when I find that Nikki has destroyed something, I have to assume that she has eaten it, which means another trip to the vet for x-rays and probable vomiting. The plastic toy pieces would have been no big deal as she would have been able to pass them, but if the other items had gone through her system, she would have had to have surgery.

6:50 p.m. - Picked her up around 5 p.m. as she wasn't dry earlier (they washed her.) The electrical wiring was the extension cord that she ate and the copper wiring most likely came from my mom's 40-year-old-lamp ... she had stripped it. O-K. So I know where she got everything but the shoe laces. (Again, the cats??)

When she was weighed yesterday, she was 73.1 lbs., which was a 2 lb. increase since I had her weighed 8 days ago, which didn't seem right. So either the scale was set wrong or all that stuff she ate weighed her down. Today she was 70.7 lbs., which is a slight weight loss from 71.1 lbs. on the 10th. That makes more sense.

I asked the doctor if she was overweight, and he said no. She's on I/D for a couple of days; she needs to be on a bland diet.

Nikki's Been a Bad Girl!

2006-04-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the Nikkster did it again. Last Tuesday (after I fell asleep on the couch watching TV), she ate a brand new plastic toy I had bought her approximately 2 hours earlier. Then, last Friday, she ate some electrical cords that were in the living room - again while I was sleeping on the couch. My mother's lamp had survived for 40 years but I have Nikki in the house for 10 months, and she destroys the cord!

This morning, she threw up right after getting up in the morning. I tried to clean it up, but she wanted to eat it. Yuck. Sorry. I tried to get it away from her, but she picked up the mess and ate it. (Hot lunch. Ooh. Sorry.)

I saw that there were 2 plastic pieces from the toy in all that mess that she upchucked, so I tried to get it. All I could manage to get was one of the plastic pieces, but not the other. I knew then that she should go to the vet. Well, surprise, surprise. They did an x-ray and found all kinds of foreign bodies! Something that looked like shoe laces, electrical cords, the plastic piece and Lord knows what else. The vet induced vomiting per my suggestion and she coughed up all kinds of stuff, including the plastic piece, the electrical cords plus one orange shoe lace and one white one. How she got shoe laces, I don't know. I never wear any ... wonder if she found some left behind something by my parents?

She's spending the night and they are x-raying her again tomorrow to make sure they got it all.

This all makes me wonder if the cats have had a hand in this. Shoe laces? I'm beginning to wonder if they plant things around the house in an effort to get rid of Nikki. They sure seem pretty happy tonight that she's not home. And maybe they're lacing my drinks with knock-out drops so I am off my guard. I'm sure that's it. Yep. Gotta be.

Nikki's Birthday Party

2006-04-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

Nikki is going to be one years old on Tuesday, April 11th, so Robin and Kayla threw Nikki a birthday party today. The 2 girls hadn't seen each other for awhile, so there was quite a lot of joyous jumping, wrestling and some non-threatening growling to re-establish the pecking order. I was surprised to see that Kayla seemed taller and filled out a bit since we had last seen her. She's over a year old now, so I hadn't expected that.

It was a lovely day out, so they had the requisite pool party. They ran up and down the yard, and, of course, ran into my almost fully recovered left knee. Luckily, I had gone to the doctor, so was able to take an anti-inflammatory right away, which helped immensely.

We had fun trying to get Nikki to pose with her party hat on ... as you can see, they're still quite damp from their "swim" (and so is my floor.) Luckily, she was fairly tired so the party hat remained in good shape.

Robin and Kayla brought Nikki some beautiful dog cookies, cannoli plus a huge cupcake, all in a great dog bowl with the apropos word "Diva" written on the bowl. Nikki seems to love her treats from this Belmont Shore dog bakery more than the Three Dog Treats bakery in Newport. I'd love to get a collar with the word "Diva" on it for Nikki. It would suit her so! Robin gave me some Easter candy from Sees that was quite yummy!

All in all, Nikki had a great birthday party and a good pre-birthday week. She saw more people than usual, including playing with the 2 boys twice, plus she got to see her best friend, Kayla! She's one happy and tired dog - which makes for one, happy Mom. :-)

Boot Camp Sucks!

2006-03-31T23:46:00.000-08:00

I met my sister for brunch today and then had to do errands, so Nikki was left at home all morning and part of the afternoon. She was crated, of course. I fed her and then decided to do the exercise before taking her outside to play so that her food could digest. All I can say is, Boot Camp Sucks!

It was going badly and I was so desperate, that I called the trainer but found out that he was out of the country. His assistant advised me to email him as he'll probably check his emails at an Internet Cafe. So afterwards, I wrote him this email:

Hi Dan,

I need your advice already about my stubborn girl, Nikki. I went out and bought the bed yesterday plus some toys. I did the exercise with her and succeeded in getting her to stay on the bed for 15 minutes. (She fought me, of course, and at first was only on the bed for 5 minutes, then another 6 minutes, then 15 minutes after that. I only got to do it that one time yesterday as it was late.)

Today I was gone in the morning and didn't get back until the afternoon, so she was crated that whole time. I fed her and then did the exercise. An hour and 10 minutes later ... she still hadn't stayed on the bed for more than 5 seconds. I'd drop the leash and off she go. I was exhausted, she was exhausted .... She lay down once and I couldn't get her to stand up. She finally did. She even started to snap at my hand when I would go to get her leash (usually it was tangled around her so I had to put my hand near her chest to untangle it.) I called you in desperation and Christine called back, saying you were out of the country. She suggested I email you. Finally, since I was expecting company, I just stood next to the bed, holding her leash. At least she stayed on the bed then - standing - for more than 5 minutes. Then she tried to get off the bed again. I did that several more times with her and then I released her when I decided, not when she decided. This whole session lasted 1 1/2 hours.

I expect she'll do this again and again. How long should I keep trying each time and is it OK to stand by her bed holding her leash (if I can't get her to obey)?

Too bad you're out of the country. I'd say "Take her now!" :-)

Thanks!

Debbie

After this fiasco, I let her drink water and then put her outside. The neighbors came over to talk about the fence and she kept banging at the door. I ignored her. I let her back in, hoping to have a nice night with her - was going to play with her. She did not improve much in attitude, so I put her to bed early.

Dan isn't coming back from his trip until April 18. How am I going to last??

Nikki Goes to Boot Camp

2006-03-30T23:13:00.000-08:00

Nikki is buckling down to some serious training. She now weighs 70 lbs. and since she tries to be the master in this relationship, life isn't always fun. So I have turned to Dan Atkinson who owns Kind to Canines. Nikki and I went to meet Dan at his kennel a couple of weeks ago ... I brought a list of 20 items that need correcting. "Everything is on this list!" he told me. Yep.

He assessed her by herself a few days later when I left her at his kennel. She was a big fraidy cat - spooked easily at noises, etc., but she did play with the other Golden that was left there that day. He felt that the training would take place at my house.

Dan came by the house for his first visit today. Nikki was in her crate when the doorbell rang, and she didn't bark quite as much as she usually does. I let her out. She was excited of course and was all over him - but she also remembered him and seemed a trifle subdued. (She probably thought, "Oh, he's the guy who makes me do things." Although whether he actually tried any training with her when she was at his kennel, I don't really know.)

We went into the den where she proceeded to leap onto the couch. He asked me if she does this when we're alone and I said, "Oh, yes!" and explained how she bites at me when I try to get her off the couch. He was surprised at that. He asked if she had a bed. I showed him the now-torn bedding that I had had in her crate and he said no - did I actually have a bed? Oh, yes - I showed him the one that I posted the story on - The Monster That Ate Her Bed.

So we worked on the exercise, "On Your Spot." He put his Gentle Leader on her and led her to the bed. "On your spot," he said. She got off the bed. He led her back on to it. This went back and forth. He had mild success. It didn't matter if she stood, sat or lay on the bed. All 4 paws had to be on the bed, however, until permission was given to get off of the bed.

My turn. She really resisted me, even more than she did him. She kept getting off the bed. "No!" I'd say, with a tug on the Gentle Leader, guiding her back to her bed. "On your spot." All 4 paws on the bed? Good. I'd drop the lead and sit back down. Oh, up again because she got up and is sneaking away. Step on the trailing lead to stop her. "No!" Tug on GL, guide her back ... well, you get the picture. This was a fight for dominance.

After a long struggle, Nikki gave in, tired. Stressed. Panting, legs splayed as if she had been through the most horrible thing ever. Dan said she was a very stubborn, dramatic dog. He told me to buy a bigger bed for her and special toys only for this bed. This bed is put up for the most part and is only brought down for her to go to her spot. I'm to work on this with her 4 times a day for 2 weeks. If she improves greatly, then we'll continue working at my house. If not, he may have to take her for a week and train her for 6 hours/day. He said she was one of his bigger projects. Of course.

Dan told me to use the GL only when I work with her on this exercise and to give her treats only when I play ball (so she'll Sit and Drop It), put her in her crate and to get her to sit nicely when I put the GL on her.

Nikki and I went to PetsMart and bought her bed and toys. She was very excited to see her new toys. We did the exercise one more time today. She started out not too badly - lay on the bed, played with some of the toys a bit .... Right away, we got up to 5 minutes and then she was off the bed. "No!" And then the struggle commenced. I finally got her back down for 6 minutes and then she was off the bed again. Really stubborn. Finally, she lay on the bed, tired, eyes starting to close, panting for 15 minutes. OK. Took the Gentle Leader off of her.

Anyway, On Your Spot teaches her who is boss and teaches her boundaries. After we master this, then we'll work on having her go to her spot when the doorbell rings. We'll also work on her front yard boundaries - where she can go and where she can't. This will also help in the house because she'll only be allowed in the front of the house while the cats will have the run of the entire house.

It's too bad that I waited to take her to Dan. I had thought of taking her when she was much younger - before I started Puppy Training at PetsMart, but I and others figured we could try the cheaper way first and then go to Dan if necessary. If I had realized that she was quite the little hard-headed kid (more so than other dogs) - that, coupled with my inexperience - I would have gone to Dan first and then to PetsMart. You know - better to show her who is boss right away with this more intense training and then take her to PetsMart for the general training.

This should be very interesting!

Kayla is Thrown a Surprise Birthday Party!

2006-02-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today, Mommy and I threw Kayla a surprise birthday party. It was all my idea. Mommy will try to claim the credit, but don't believe her. Anyways, Kayla is a big girl now - she'll be a whole year old on Valentine's Day, so we - I mean, I - thought it would be fun to get her a birthday cake, goodies and party hats! Oh, and she also got a fun toy to play with, plus a card in which I wrote a special message to my bestest friend, Kayla!

Kayla and her Mommy, Robin, knew that they were coming over for a pool party but didn't know about the rest of it. So yesterday, I pulled Mommy (coz that's what I do - pull) to a bakery just for doggies like me. It's called Three Dog Bakery - in Newport Beach, no less - and boy, did the stuff look yummy! They have all kinds of things there, made of peanut butter and carob and yogurt .... I picked out all kinds of pretty stuff for Kayla. First we got her cake, then the goodies. There was even a cookie that looked like a tuxedo. Snazzy, don'cha think?

I helped Mommy with the display, even though she kept telling me that she didn't want my help. Hah! Like I listened. Anyways, when Kayla came over with her Mommy, I jumped all over them, yelling "Surprise!" over and over again. I wanted to eat the cake right then, but for some reason, the grown-ups decided to let us have our pool party first and put us outside. We sure did have fun and the weather was nice and hot.

Finally, we got to eat the birthday cake and goodies. They were sure yummy! Mommy and Robin wanted to have some, too, as they looked so pretty, but I guess they were just for doggies. And then we put on our party hats so Mommy could take some pictures. Kayla loved the trim and ripped it off while I was wearing it. Her Mommy kept the other intact party hat for Kayla's baby book.

Mommy made sure to take videos of the party and she made a slide show, too, for all of you to see. For the slide show, go to
http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/slideshows.html

and for the videos, go to
http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/videos.html

Happy First Birthday, Kayla!
From your bestest pal, Nikki

Huntington Beach’s Central Park West

2006-01-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

Big day for Super Pup! She went to her first big park today and, thanks to the Gentle Leader, she did quite well! I was hoping to eat at Alice's Breakfast in the Park but we didn't get there until after closing time. Now I thought I had eaten there before, but when I got there, I didn't recognize it. Still, Nikki and I had a blast walking around the lake and seeing all the ducks, the 4 big geese looking for handouts and all the people with their kids and dogs.

Nikki was fussed and petted over by many, but others thought she must be some kind of rogue dog. They mistook her Gentle Leader for a muzzle. I had to tell one guy that no, she doesn't bite. She pulls. She'd pull me down into the lake if I didn't have the GL on. Anyway, pretty funny how people mistake it for a muzzle when it clearly does NOT cover her mouth.

Anyway, I didn't have my camera with me, so these 2 photos are off of the Breakfast in the Park's web site (shush!) Check out their other photos, baked goods and their menu, etc. on http://www.breakfastinthepark.com/

For some reason (maybe because of the massage that I had the day before - he worked on my calf muscles), my knee was in good shape. I was able to walk with no problem - slowly, but still, I walked! And it was such a pretty day! To think we had such a nice, mild day in January when others around the country are up to their eyeballs in snow.

Finally, Nikki and I left the park to go to PetsMart (where she was also fussed over and petted). Soon after leaving the Central Park West, I saw the other place. This is the one that I thought I was going to ... the Park Bench Cafe! (Their photo, too. Double shush!) It's also on a lake, although the other lake is prettier. This is the one that also has food that you can buy for your pets so they can eat while you do. And if I had seen it when I first passed it, I could have eaten there as it closes after the other place. Oh well. Check out their menu - both people and dog menus. http://parkbenchcafe.com/

Obviously, you can't bring your dogs inside either establishment, but you can order your food at both place and eat outside. So can't wait to go back and try both places. Hopefully Robin and Kayla can go with us next time. Now THAT should be funny!

Nikki's Latest Adventure, Plus High School Memories ...

2006-01-19T23:39:00.000-08:00

Cathy, Nikki & Magic, Near the Balboa Pier

Nikki and I had been looking forward for several weeks now to having another play date with my sister, Cathy, and her cocker spaniel, Magic. At first we were going to go to Fashion Island but then we deemed it would be better to go to the beach instead. We decided to go to Newport Beach, meet at the Balboa Pier and walk around. I was pretty happy about that as this would be Nikki's first exposure to the ocean!

Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, I had one of my accursed headaches. The debillitating kind that make you cry, which makes it worse. I took 4 Advil and I finally began to feel human around noon. So a very slow start to the day. The Advil helped my left knee, for which I was glad. I had worried that I wouldn't be able to do much walking but my knee felt good. Later, I took 2 more Advil just in case.

OK, sounds like background time about my knee. My left knee began feeling odd several months ago. Suddenly, it was hard to bend, stuff like that. It's now gotten much worse in the last month and sometimes I hobble around. I need to go to the doctor, find out what's wrong with it and get it rehabbed. I don't know if it has been caused by Nikki but I think it's been aggravated by Nikki, at the very least. And no, I'm NOT old! I'm just temporarily a little messed up, thank you very much. You would be too if you had an exhuberant Golden Retriever 65 lb. puppy tackling you.

Anyway, Cathy had things she was doing, so we ended up meeting after 3 PM. It was pretty windy by the beach and the air was clear and cold. Felt good once you got used to it and Nikki didn't mind it as she has a double coat and is only 9 months old. But Magic doesn't have a double coat plus, since he's an old gentleman of 14, I think it was a bit nippy for him. It was too cold for Cathy, too.

I was able to get out of the car without wincing or having to put both feet on the ground before standing up (like I've had to the last couple of days). I got Nikki and we went over to Cathy's car. Nikki and Magic sniffed hello so we went back to my car to put my stuff away and start walking.

Nikki, however, stopped in front of me. I had to stop suddenly and since I was wearing heavy tennis shoes, my left foot felt like it was stuck to the ground and my knee kept moving to the right. Ow!! Pain! And that was the end of walking for me.

Sure, we walked around but I was so debilitated that it killed me to go down a ramp. We wanted to go on the Balboa Fun Zone ferry (wouldn't that have been fun with the pups!) but I could barely get down the ramp to the ferry, and then I couldn't step off of the ramp. This little 1/2 inch step and I couldn't do it. Cathy pointed out to me that there was no way I could get on the ferry as it would be quite a step down, etc. Disappointed, I hobbled back up the ramp.

I wanted to take Nikki down to the ocean for the first time, but I would never have made it across the sand. Here's hoping I'm better next week! Maybe we can try again then.

Nikki did quite well (Gentle Leader) and had a good time despite the fact that she was forced to walk at a crawl. I thought she'd be interested in the bay, etc., but for some reason she was more interested in sniffing trees! Can't understand why!

High School Memories ...

Greg Hulka and Abby

Last night I was doing research on the Internet ... I was trying to find out some information on a murder that happened in 2004 down the street from me. This murder has always bothered me. An elderly 84-year-old woman stabbed in the neck by her 23-year-old great-granddaughter because she was tired of her family having to care for her .... Sick! I always hoped this sick person would serve lots of time for this crime, but I haven't been able to find out what happened. Somehow in my searches, but I don't know how, I stumbled onto a guest book for my old high school, Bolsa Grande.

Lots of old comments left by many people I had never heard of - but then I was amazed to read a comment left by an old 10th grade boyfriend! Then I saw that many people had died ... some from cancer, some were suicides, some were car accidents. Many didn't give the cause of death or when.

But then I saw a name on this list which surprised me. Greg Hulka. He had been in my younger sister's class, plus he had been a friend of my best friend, Marianne. I found out that she knew he had died in a car crash. I searched the Internet and was surprised to learn that he had been a consul general. In another article that I read it appears that Yuri was driving the car. Greg is mentioned on Google many times, plus I found this photo of him and Abby.

So sad. Even though they died in 2001, for me it's as if he died yesterday since I just heard of it. So tragic.

http://english.pravda.ru/usa/2001/11/14/20936.html
14:44 2001-11-14
Alexander Gorobets: The tough luck of American diplomats in Ukraine

The bodies of Gregory Hulka, the US embassy’s consul general, and his 10-year-old daughter arrived today in Kiev to be transported further to the USA.

The consul general of the US embassy in Ukraine died in a car crash late at night in the Vinnitsa region. According to the traffic police, a Fiat car containing the US diplomat and his daughter suddenly moved onto the contrary traffic lane and collided with a Mercedes minibus driven by a resident of the Zaporizhzhya region. After that, the US embassy in Ukraine announced that apart from Mr. Hulka and his daughter Abigail, their relative Yuri Kotik, a Ukrainian citizen, also died in the crash. The crash occurred on the road between the cities of Uman and Nemirov. The three were heading for the Khmelnitski region from Kiev to attend a wedding party held by another Ukrainian relative.

Greg Hulka, 44, first arrived in Kiev in early September and filled the position of the consul general in the consul department of the US embassy in Ukraine. He had been longing for this appointment for many years. His previous appointments included Moscow, Tegucigalpa (Honduras), Beijing, and Guanzhou (China).

From another article:
Gregory Paul Hulka was born October 31, 1957, in Inglewood, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and three children, Andrew, 12, Alexander, 6, and Aaron, 3.

The Interfax news agency reported that the Fiat in which Mr. Hulka, his daughter and Mr. Kotyk were riding was trying to pass a KaMaZ tractor-trailer on a curve and collided with a Mercedes minibus. The accident is under investigation.

Another Bolsa Grande death that I just heard about was Kevin Cartmel's. I remember him well from the 9th grade ... he loved golf. I wonder why he died and when.

So many people have moved to other states and other countries. I hadn't realized that our old Matadors were that well traveled. Still, so many people that I don't know what happened to ... hope they're all well and doing fine.

Max Cat is Ill

2006-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

After the last two days, I figured it was time to take some photos of my 3 cats tonight. Here is Max (left) & his brother Joey Bear being affectionate with each other.

I was hoping this year would turn out better than last, but I can't say it's starting out to be very promising.

Max suddenly got sick Monday night. He was vomiting, which could have been fur balls. But he acted so oddly afterwards. He lay on his side and didn't move when I stepped over him. He was in pain. Then he hid from me. He hid under the chair in the den, just like Callie had done when she first got sick. I called All Care coz I didn't know if I needed to take him in immediately or not. I finally decided to go to bed at 1 AM. When I got up, I checked under the chair. He was still there but I could tell he felt better. He came out, had some water. I didn't know what to do - called my vet for advice. Finally took him in to my vet that morning. But I couldn't just drop him off there because he would have been SO stressed. He does NOT do well at the vet.

I told the vet that he could do a physical as long as I was in the room. He didn't believe me, but it worked. Max is not afraid as long as I'm around. If I'm not around, that's when he lashes out. We weighed him - I was concerned because he suddenly seemed fatter to me. Sure enough, he weighed 17 lbs. (last time he was 15 lbs.) So they gassed him right away so they could put him under briefly in order to draw blood and do x-rays. I was able to pick him up in an hour.

He was awake and growling in his cage when I got there. I gave the assistant his cat carrier and he immediately went right in. I took him home right away and he was happy to be home.

I got a call from the vet today. Nothing conclusive - of course. The x-rays were negative but his blood work came back with changes. His white blood count is elevated, his liver elevations have changed, and the test for Feline AIDS came back inconclusive.

We could do more of a work-up but I think I'll treat the symptoms for now, meaning a bland diet (which he's already on), antibiotics and something to settle his tummy.

This last photo is of Joey Bear - still playing with my lens cap - and Callie. Joey is so funny. He loves to bat things around with his paws. Things like my contact lens case. He's very handy that way.

Those Two Kids

2006-01-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

Robin brought Kayla over today and they had the best of times, of course! Nikki and Kayla happily got wet and dirty and so did Robin and I. Well, maybe not so happily. Afterwards, Nikki took a long nap and so did I!

Oh - Kayla now weighs 50 lbs. and I'm guessing Nikki weighs 65 lbs.

Nikki, Kayla & Big Fluffy Golden Dog

2005-12-31T00:04:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Nikki and Kayla got together after a respite due to the holidays, and boy, were they glad to see each other. Robin and I were ecstatic that these two could thankfully burn off some energy. They romped and played in their pool and generally had a wonderful time getting very dirty and muddy.

As you can see from this picture, the water quickly got very black as my Golden turned into a Mud Dog. Water was everywhere ... all over the patios, everywhere. I couldn't do too much because my knee and my low back was killing me. Four Advil helped and I was finally able to participate more in the end. But of course, I took videos which I'll post at http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/videos.html over the weekend.

Here, Robin is attempting to dump out the dirty water but Nikki had other ideas. That's my girl! Anytime she can "help" ....

At any rate, the plan was for my friend from high school, Marianne, to come over either before or at the same time as Robin and Kayla so she could meet Nikki and watch the pups in action. However, her plans changed so she didn't come over until after Robin and Kayla left, so she missed "The Show." But she did get to hang out with Nikki and me for quite a long time afterwards. Nikki was on her good behavior as she was tired, plus I kept the Gentle Leader on her. Good dog! Marianne and Nikki really hit it off.

After their play date, Nikki was a pretty dirty dog. Yes, most of the dirt fell off of her and on to my kitchen floor after she got dry, but I felt it was time for her to go back to PetsMart and have a bath. So I took her in on Friday and now she is the Big Fluffy Golden Dog.

And she is getting big, I tell you! I wonder if she now weighs close to 65 lbs. The lady at the grooming salon said that Nikki's collar was getting tight and that she needed a new one. That surprised me. But it really does seem that she's filled out quite a lot in the last week.

I took these last three photos after her grooming. You can see the mark of the Gentle Leader on her face, but I wanted to capture her all fluffy and clean before she went and got muddy again. (My back yard still is a bit of a muddy mess from emptying out the wading pool several times.) Here she is, trying to get me to play Fetch with her again. She's not a Golden Retriever for nuttin'!

Don't forget to check out the videos at http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/videos.html
and have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Nikki & the Heil Street Tradition

2005-12-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

My friend and I were going to look at the amazing Christmas lights display that people traditionally put up at their houses around Heil Street in Fountain Valley, but she wasn't feeling good. I was disappointed but it made sense that she stay home and rest. We made plans for going after Christmas ... hopefully the lights will still be up.

My aunt suggested I take Nikki with me and go see the lights anyway. I thought about it but wasn't sure I wanted to do that. But then I figured I'd go through a drive-thru and grab a bite to eat, so I put Nikki in the car. She was in the back seat sans harness, which I had forgotten. I didn't want to go back in the house to get it; I figured it'd be OK as we were just going to go up the street.

Suddenly, however, I was in the mood to see the lights, so off we went. Once we got there, Nikki got very excited at seeing all of the lights and people walking around. There were parents with their kids in strollers, dogs, teenagers ... everyone was out to view the Christmas displays. Last year about 250 homes were decorated; I imagine it was about the same amount this year.

Nikki and I had a blast looking out of the car windows; she even ventured into the front seat and panted in my ear. Very cute. I'd like to look at the houses in more detail, so hopefully my friend and I will go, but it was fun to see Nikki get into the Christmas spirit!

Of course she's in the spirit! She knows it's Christmas! I've told her all about it.

Stop the Presses!

2005-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true! The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived—Nikki has graduated from Intermediate Dog Obediance School at PetsMart. Yeah! She has learned to Sit Stay, Come with Distractions, Stand, Leave It - Take It, Down Stay, to name a few. She performed in class so why not at home. Because she wears the Gentle Leader in class, that's why! You can see her in the foreground with the Gentle Leader (the red) around her head.

The other 3 dogs graduated today also. I found out that Bella, the blond Lab who is 16 days older than NIkki, now weighs 65 lbs. It will be interesting to see if NIkki catches up with her.

All of us are interested in the Advanced class. I'm also interested in taking her to a personal dog trainer. The better trained she is, the more fun things we can do together.

Nikki Goes to the Vet ... Dog Flu ... Distemper

2005-12-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Took Nikki in to the vet today for her heartworm blood test. I have to wait until the results tomorrow to give her the preventative heartworm medicine but I'm sure she's fine. I wanted to know how much she weighed as I suspected she was at least 58 lbs. Yep! Nikki weighed 59.2 lbs.!

She isn't even 9 months old yet and she already weighs almost 60 lbs. I wonder how big she is going to be? The standard for a female is 55 to 65 pounds. I keep thinking that she's going to be at least 75 lbs. if she keeps up this growth. I need to measure her. Females should be 21 1/2 to 22 1/2 inches at the withers.

When I told the vet, Dr. Malo, that she knocked me over the other day, and about my arm and my knee, he asked if I thought of getting her professionally trained. Actually, I have. He highly recommends the trainer that trained his son's (Dr. Mark) huge bull mastiff. Dr. Malo knows him and I guess Dan has worked with vets, etc. In fact, I had called him when I first got Nikki. He costs more per day than PetsMart but he'll do the training. I will have to wait on taking her to this trainer until my financial situation is on more secure ground.

He said Dan is very careful about the dogs' health, as I was concerned about that. When I brought up the problem of dog flu, he said that the amount of cases that he's seen has gone down considerably. There had been lots of cases that he saw personally, but by the time that the media was reporting the dog flu, cases were already winding down. In other words, they were late in reporting it.

Dr. Malo did say that the amount of distemper cases has gone up. This is easily preventable if PEOPLE WOULD VACCINATE THEIR DOGS!!

Obviously, this reporting about dog flu and distemper only pertains to Garden Grove, or at the most, Orange County.

I also asked Dr. Malo about dog parks - he doesn't always think they're safe - and he's not too thrilled about dog beaches either. And I understand what he's saying. You don't know if these dogs are healthy or not, vaccinated or not. So I'm hesitant about them too.

These photos, taken today, show my little girl - oops, change that to BIG girl - engaged in her favorite activity, retrieving. That instinct is strong in her. This "basketball" is her favorite and is easier on her mouth than a tennis ball. She usually shoves this ball into my lap several times per day. This last photo is typical Nikki. She's retrieved the ball, wants to continue playing but doesn't want to Drop It either.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the mark on her nose, it's from the Gentle Leader. I had put it on her earlier today because I expected someone to put the trim around the windows today and I needed to control her without her ripping my arms out of their sockets. He didn't show, so I took her to the vet instead. It's an amazing Dr. Jekyl, Mr. Hyde experience with or without the Gentle Leader on.

Wanted: Good Home for Golden Retriever!

2005-12-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

8 1/2 month old female Golden Retriever is the perfect family pet! She is docile, calm - placid even - and never chews, jumps or bites. She is a joy to behold, a real snuggle bunny. Owner must sacrifice; has gone around the bend to Funny Farm.

OK, OK. Ya wanna know what's going on? Nikki did it again. Last night, I was in the breakfast room with her, watching TV. She was at my side, in front of the back door, chewing. She had a chew right there, so I was glad she was happily occupied. She was chewing and pulling for quite some time. I finally got up for something, looked down and screamed!

Nikki had chewed a huge part of the linoleum! Meaning she probably pulled on a bit of the floor that had curled up, and then kept pulling up and chewing.

I put her to bed immediately and then I collapsed on the den couch and escaped into a 2-hour nap.

I hadn't planned on redecorating the kitchen just yet. Now it looks like I'll have to put in a new floor at the same time I have the bathroom floors done! So might as well take down the wallpaper and paint, too. Oh well, it does need it.

I am still recovering from the fall I took on Sunday night. I had just come home and was throwing away the trash. I was just about to play with Nikki when she decided to pounce on me with her two front paws, knocking me over! I fell on my right side onto a concrete step. Ouch! Saturday, Nikki stepped on my big toe on my right foot and now THAT'S infected! Oh, yes, and my whole left side is messed up. I'm limping because of my knee plus my left arm hurts and I have no strength in it anymore. I believe this all can be blamed on the dog too.

As my friend Marc pointed out, I got this dog to get in better shape! This, however, does not appear to be the case.

(I'm only kidding about giving her away but she is on waivers.)

Callie Cat's Health Update

2005-12-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Took this picture of Callie this morning - didn't get a chance to clean her eyes like I usually do, so she would have looked better. But notice her poor little nose (click on photo to enlarge). If you look back at previous photos posted of her earlier this year, you'll see how she's changed.

Had to take Callie in to the vet today for her re-check; it had been a week since her last radiation fraction. She saw Dr. Milo at All Care, who seemed quite nice. He remarked how sweet Callie is, and added that most torties and calicos can be rather fractious but that Callie was amazingly sweet. Which is so true. Everyone at All Care fusses over her and they all comment about her sweet personality. One day when I couldn't pick her up on time, apparently many of them visited and petted her.

Her overall outlook isn't too bad. Luckily she doesn't have any oral ulcers, which many cats develop. She does have some redness of her gums but it's not too bad. She's losing fur on her nose. When I took her out of her cat carrier at the vet, I noticed that her nose began to run. It hadn't started until we had left the house. I'm glad the doctor got to see that as she may be developing a secondary infection in the nasal cavity; he put her on Clavamox. She's now on 3 meds: prednisone, Clavamox and Metronidazole Syrup. The pred is administered every other day, while the other 2 are twice a day. Callie will love that.

She's lost more weight. Her original weight of over 11 lbs. was too much (but I thought she looked cute - she was my little chubette) and the vet said that this weight was OK for her. But he didn't want to see her continue to slide downwards. I can give her chicken baby food in addition to the I/D. I didn't know that the I/D was basically chicken and rice, so if I feel the need to pump up the flavor a bit, I should only use chicken. Oh. And here I've been giving her fish - stuff like Friskies Salmon, etc. Anyway, I'm to take her back in next Friday for another recheck. She'll see the oncologist then.

I ran a few errands afterwards with Callie in the car. Even went through a drive-thru to grab a bite to eat. Callie was so happy to NOT be at the vet that she happily sat in her carrier and observed these new surroundings with great curiosity. She was very calm, unlike a certain hyper Golden puppy who shall remain nameless.

Weird.

2005-12-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

Having a hard time getting to my blog. Very weird. I think Blogger did some kind of update; after that you can't find my page. Figured I'd post this little comment. Here's hoping that will help.

Hey, ever hear of Michael Buble? I love how he sings the song Feeling Good.

The Mad Twosome Strike Again!

2005-12-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

They're bad, they're fierce and they're back! Yes, the Mad Twosome are back for bigger and badder adventures. (Badder - is that a word? I didn't think so.)

Yes, Nikki and Kayla are back, with Kayla showing off her famous pugilist style - the Front Paw Slap - and Nikki displaying her famous defensive poses. Action couldn't GET any wilder! (Believe me, Robin and I were there and we can attest to this.) There was chasing, splashing, rolling, leaping, wrestling plus lots of shaking excess water off of coats!

These two pals had the best time and again went at it non-stop for 2 hours. Robin and I got quite involved with the madcap pair, especially in the vain attempt to get them to leave my little pine tree alone. We tried the ole' distraction technique, which consisted of "Where's the ball?" "Get the ball!" and throwing the ball and yelling "Fetch!"

Finally it worked. I threw the ball (filming all the while) and Nikki and Kayla chased after it. Playing Fetch with Nikki last night and growling in her ear when she brought it back to me so that she would meekly drop the ball, seemed to help greatly with today's game. This time Nikki willingly gave me the ball each time, so it was quite a fast and furious game! When they'd run back to me, I'd bend down which caused them to run faster, and both dogs would streak through my legs. How I kept my balance and kept filming them, I don't know!

It was getting late so we encouraged the puppies to get back into their pool and get off some of that mud. Then Robin and I attempted to towel-dry the little munchkins. Have you ever tried to towel-dry two happy, excited, leaping LARGE puppies who lick your face and mouth? No-?? I can honestly say then that you haven't lived. A-hem. Robin and I then bumped heads while trying to dry off these crazy pooches, which caused us to laugh even harder.

Robin did make the comment that we probably should NOT be going into the dog grooming business together as we could only handle two dogs per day. We would go out of business soon, that is, unless we had this business in Beverly Hills and charged $200/dog. At least!

The good news is that both Nikki and I took 2-hour naps afterward. She got up, was VERY sweet and docile, chewed happily on her compressed rawhide, ate 3 scoops of food and then toddled back off to bed. A Very Happy Puppy Indeed!

Dogs and Heartworm

2005-11-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Just went to my regular vet to buy cat food for Callie when I figured I should also get the heartworm for Nikki as I used the last of her puppy pak. I was surprised to learn that she needs a blood test first. Seems it takes 6 months for heartworm to show up so they don't bother doing the blood test. They give the preventative stuff. When the initial puppy pak runs out, it is important to take in Miz Pup for the blood test. I'll buy her heartworm medicine then.

So in case you haven't done this for your pup yet, get the blood test and get your dog on the preventative medicine. From the Humane Society:

It's a devastating, debilitating illness found in every corner of the United States. So why, despite the fact that the disease is easily preventable, are millions of dogs, cats, and other animals across the nation heartworm-positive?

According to Dr. Amy Attas, V.M.D., founder and owner of CityPets, a veterinary house call practice in New York City, pet caregivers often don't realize that heartworm is something that could affect their pet. Others are deterred by the cost of the preventative medicine.

But, despite their constraints, caregivers simply can't afford to wait until this indiscriminate illness strikes their pet before taking action.

"Heartworm is a common disease, and treatment is costly and dangerous," says Nancy Peterson, issues specialist for Companion Animals at The HSUS. "Educating pet owners about heartworm prevention is good medicine."

Hope for Heartworm Positive Hurricane Victims

Of the thousands of animals that have been rescued and triaged by animal shelters this hurricane season, it is estimated that up to 80% are heartworm positive. To help provide a clean bill of health to these pets, The HSUS has teamed up with the ASPCA, the Humane Society of Greater Miami & Adopt-A-Pet and American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) to create the Hurricane Heartworm Treatment Program.

Grants of up to $500 per animal are available for heartworm treatment at AAHA-accredited practices. To be eligible for the treatment the animal must have been rescued by one of participating 200 shelters nationwide.

For more information about the program, visit the AAHA web site.

Attas agrees. "This is a devastating, even fatal, disease that we can safely and inexpensively prevent. Without prevention, animals are exposed to this disease which, in its early stages, has no symptoms."

Heartworm is transmitted to animals through a bite from a mosquito containing the infected larval form of the heartworm. When an animal is infected, the heartworm larva can grow and develop into worms. These worms live inside blood vessels within and surrounding the heart and lungs. The adult worms mate inside the blood vessels, and their offspring—which are called microfilaria—circulate in the bloodstream. These microfilaria can be picked up by another biting mosquito, and then passed to another animal.

The disease can be easily prevented, but it does require a visit to a veterinarian. Dogs must be tested to ensure they don't have heartworm before putting them on preventative medication. By federal law, heartworm preventative medicine is only available through a prescription. Pet caretakers should consult with a vet to discuss their pet's individual needs.

Vets may tailor medication depending on the type of pet. Although cats can be infected, heartworm is typically more serious in dogs.

"Cats can also become infected with heartworms, and in some cases the disease progresses in the same way as it does in dogs, where the worms settle in the blood vessels and heart," says Attas. "However, because the parasite is not as well adapted to cats, sometimes the immature worm is unable to complete its migration."

Another consideration is geographic location. In some parts of the country heartworm is much more common in certain areas than in others.

"Although heartworm infection has been found in dogs in all 50 states, it is much more prevalent around the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts," says Attas. "The temperature and humidity in these regions support mosquito populations, which are the vectors that transmit this disease."

Once infected, animals with heartworm can be treated if the disease is caught in time, but there are several drawbacks.

"The treatment, although effective, is painful, expensive, and can have side effects," says Attas.

If the disease goes untreated, the results can be fatal.

"In dogs, the adult worms live in the cardiovascular system and cause a great deal of physical damage. Severely affected dogs develop heart failure because the physical presence of a large number of these worms can actually obstruct blood flow through the heart. Untreated heartworm disease causes serious cardiovascular complications which can be fatal."

Pet caregivers can start making heartworm prevention a priority by scheduling an appointment with a veterinarian in their area.

Birthday Fun Plus Nikki's "Gift"

2005-11-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

Today was rather an eventful day. It didn't start out too promising ... up at 4:30 a.m. to take Callie to the vet for radiation. Trying to find a hiding cat at 4:30 a.m. isn't too much fun and also vacuuming up a spider in the hallway isn't my idea of a rollicking good time either. Dragged poor Callie out from behind the couch and off we went. Came back home, went to bed and slept rather badly. Headache. Got up too late so couldn't spend too much time with Nikki. Put her outside with a big chew while I took a shower.

I was in a hurry as I had to pick Callie back up, return home and then meet my sister and her daughters at the old Lido theatre in Newport Beach to see the movie, Pride and Prejudice. I looked out the dining room window and was horrified to find that Nikki had decided to make me a birthday present. She had totally ignored the chew I had put out there for her and was EATING MY WELCOME MAT!! Thanks but no thanks, Nikki! I brought her back inside and left the clean up for later. I hurriedly took a picture of it through the slider screen.

Luckily, the rest of my birthday day was far more pleasant! I met Cathy, Angie and Allie and right away they gave me a button to wear that said, "30 and Loving It!" Works for me! We saw the movie ... I hadn't been inside that theatre in years. It's a very beautiful Art Deco theatre and when the lights go down, the fish motif mural, painted with fluorescent paint, lights up. Plus, they serve herbal teas, coffee, etc. Rather nice concession stand.

We ate next door at a very cute diner-like restaurant. I had scampi over a bed of fettucine. Very good. Got lots of nice presents off of my Amazon wish list, including a book about a true-life murder. When they wondered why I wanted this book, I explained that the murder had taken place back in the 80's around the corner from my house. In fact, Cathy and I had grown up with the original inhabitants, the Donovans. I wonder if Tommy knows what happened in their house after they moved?

I was surprised with apple pie a la mode delivered to me by singing waiters. Stuck in the middle was a BIG, BLACK CANDLE with my true age on it. Aargh! :-)

All in all, a very nice birthday thanks to my sissy and my nieces. Got a phone call from Mari and her hubby singing happy birthday to me - very nice - plus emails from people wishing me a happy birthday, so that was great too.

Oh, when I came back home and let Nikki out, she immediately picked up the pieces of the welcome mat in her mouth. I had to clean it up right there and then, otherwise she would have been swallowing those pieces. What a kid.

Nikki & Kayla, Together Again

2005-11-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Mad Twosome got together again for 2 hours of rollicking fun on Sunday! (As you can see, Nikki is thankfully back to her old self, after NOT ingesting a grocery bag.) The two really get along great and have the best time! They go non-stop ... playing in the pool, rolling in the dirt, running into my kitchen and getting mud everywhere, jumping up on Robin and me with their dirty paws, wrestling, chasing each other, skidding across the concrete patios .... Ah yes, it's a dog's life!

Here is Kayla checking out my back gate. Something intriguing must have been on the other side of that gate! She was pretty cute when they were leaving. We were in the front yard and suddenly Kayla began barking at something only Kayla saw. Nikki looked around, trying to find this scary thing Kayla was barking at - she wanted to bark too, you see! Nikki was puzzled over her friend's behavior. (Yeah, like SHE'S never barked at herself in the reflection of a TV or window.)

I threw a chew into the back yard, thinking that the two of them could chew on it together (like they did at Kayla's house), but this time Kayla would grab it and run around the back yard with it. I kept thinking how one shouldn't run with scissors in your hand .... Hey, same thing, right?

Kayla's pretty smart. Robin said that when they got off the freeway, Kayla began to whine as they got closer and closer to my house. Seems Kayla recognized her surroundings and was eager to get to her buddy's house! Additionally, when Kayla and Robin left, both dogs were a little upset. Nikki tried to get into Robin's car with Kayla, which was pretty funny because she doesn't always enjoy getting into a car. And they both whined.

I was hoping Nikki would be asleep for hours after her play date but nope, she only had a short nap! She must be building up her stamina.

Anyway, took lots of pictures and videos of course. Plus I made an 11-minute short featuring last week's doggie rave. (Rave of 2.) Oh, and today Nikki is 32 weeks old.

The Big Scare

2005-11-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

I've been wondering how much Nikki weighed and wanted to get her on a scale soon. The good news is that Nikki weighs 53 lbs. and is still growing. (She won't reach her full height until she's a year old and it will take another year or two to reach her full weight. Nikki will be a BIG dog!) The bad news is that I had to rush her to the vet today, so that's how I know how much she weighs.

When I got up this morning, I immediately saw that Nikki was acting very subdued. Since she sometimes is a bit slow to wake up, I didn't think too much about it. But an hour later, she was still very subdued, almost as if she was depressed. She didn't eat anything, but she doesn't always eat her kibble right away. But when she turned her nose up at a treat, that's when I knew something was wrong. I mean, this kid doesn't say no to a treat.

I threw the ball around for her a bit, thinking perhaps she was bored. She perked up a bit but didn't play very much and didn't run hard. And again, wouldn't take any treats or food.

Yesterday, while she was in the back yard alone, she had gotten into the construction crew's stuff and shredded a grocery plastic bag. When I came outside to get her and saw what she had done, I was very worried. After all, if she had swallowed part of a plastic bag, it could kill her. So I put that together with her lethargy and appetite loss and figured I better call the vet.

They advised me to bring her in right away, so I did. Jan and I were supposed to go to the movies this afternoon, so I called her and told her what was happening. I didn't know if I had to cancel or not. We ended up canceling it right then. I was bummed about that because I haven't been to a movie since I took my mom to the movies in 2003.

Nikki sure perked up at the vet's. All those people and smells! The vet looked her over. I asked if I was overreacting and he said no. Anytime a Golden Retriever pup doesn't eat, that's cause for concern. They x-rayed her but plastic doesn't always show up. The doctor only saw gas. He gave her a shot to settle her tummy and I'm supposed to pill her too. If her appetite doesn't come back by Tuesday morning, I'm to take her in and they'll do a barium. Vet bill was almost $170. (Plus Saturday I took Callie to the vet, today I took Nikki to the vet and tomorrow I take Callie in again for radiation.)

I also called Rock Bottom Construction and left a message, asking that they get all their stuff out of my back yard. My back yard should be a safe haven for Nikki. I really try hard to have a safe environment for her so this was rather upsetting.

I bet it is just an upset stomach ... looking back, I bet she had too many treats yesterday. I took treats on her walk as part of her training. Next time I'll bring kibble.

But talk about stressful! And Callie is so thin!! Not good. She isn't eating her regular food. She did want the cooked chicken that I bought today so I fed her some. Not too much as I didn't know if it would upset her stomach. The other 2 aren't eating much either. Food is going to waste.

The good thing that happened today was that Nikki (who seems a bit better) was so much more docile! I put on her leash and we went into the den. Max was sleeping on my mom's throw blanket which was on the sofa. Nikki didn't even see him at first. She sat at my feet and played with her bed. (The one she ate.) She turned it over and sat on it. She was pretty good and for the first time, Max, Nikki - and also Callie - and I shared the den. Sometimes Nikki would get the urge to chase the cats but I held on to her. I hope to try it again tomorrow! I thoroughly enjoyed this quieter, calmer Nikki. Even though she liked the smell of the chicken, she actually didn't give me a hard time while I was eating my chicken and rice. Nice to get through a meal without having to shove her out of your lap.

Nikki still hasn't eaten kibble yet but she did eat a small portion of a healthy treat.

Wish us all luck!

The Monster That Ate Her Bed!

2005-11-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

You see this bed? This bed was new. This bed was just bought last week. It became Dog Fodder today.

Everything was going so well. Nikki had chosen the bed herself at PetsMart. It was warm, cozy. Just perfect on these chilly fall nights. Nikki played with the bed when I had it on the den floor, so I put it in her crate instead. Took out those uncomfortable sheets and towels that had been her bedding.

Did she appreciate this kind and loving gesture on my part? No, I fear not.

It all started about noon. Nikki had been taking a nap but began to cry to go outside. When I walked into the kitchen, my heart stood still. Very briefly. There was Nikki, looking up at me with those big brown eyes. Surrounded by little pieces of Styrofoam that were everywhere. Just everywhere.

Somehow, this ingenious pup had managed to unzip the bed and then tear at the Styrofoam inside. She ripped about half of the bed.

I let Nikki out. She drank water ... any thoughts on why she was thirsty?

I cleaned up the mess. Zipped up the bed and put it into the den. Tonight, Nikki began tackling the bed. I think she'd make a good football player.

Nikki, My Little Goof & Callie, My Brave Girl ...

2005-11-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Ah, the Nikkster was in rare form last night. She backed out of her car harness in the Petsmart parking lot and then almost backed out of her collar too! Luckily, a woman helped me get her under control and she tightened Nikki's collar. (See, I took her to Petsmart the day before to be groomed and they put the collar on too loose.) Talk about scary. I had to drop everything and grab her so she wouldn't take off. Again, was I lucky that lady stopped to help me!

Another mistake I made was getting to Petsmart too early last night ... 1/2 hour before training. I thought she'd get there and calm down, but I don't it quite happened that way. I was worn out before training started!!

We worked on Sit with distractions and Come with distractions, also Heel, Leave It and Drop It. I had brought her new Big Mean Kitty toy (really cute!) to class but that didn't distract her enough. Luckily the teacher also had brought toilet paper rolls. Nikki covets paper. I could be reading something and she'll leap up and tear it out of my hand. She did that to the election booklet. Anyway, when we first practiced Come, she stopped to grab the TP rolls but then later, she came when called. I need to work on that one with another person.

Oh, and guess we're no longer going to use Let's Go when we walk, but Heel. Heel is more formal and you start on the same foot as the side she's on. So it's Heel (walk 5 paces or so), then Sit (clicker, treat), OK, Heel. OK is the release command. The clicker is the same as saying Yes. Good idea to click and say yes at the same time as you won't always have a clicker in hand. Nikki tends to sit in front of me and that isn't good enough. So I have to make her sit on my side. Then she gets the clicker and the treat.

Took Callie in for more radiation today. Luckily, we don't have to go back until Saturday. I think she's not eating as much and she keeps blinking and has more eye discharge. I'm sure it's related to the radiation. Again, she lost weight. Callie is happy to be home. Very cute. On the way home, I opened up her cat carrier and petted her with my right hand while I drove. When we were almost home, she rested her head against my hand. What a little love.

Joey Bear still sneezes a little bit. Max and Callie are fine, however, as far as sneezing goes!

It's been threatening rain all day but we've had nothing but a few sprinkles. The gardener hasn't shown up in weeks and Noe (the guy who needs to finish the construction job) hasn't shown up yesterday or today. I may put a sealer on the stone to bring out the color. Guess there are different sealers to choose from ... have to ask if there's pros and cons to applying the sealer.

Went to Dunn Edwards to pick up new paint combo books. Unfortunately, the new ones won't be out for another 2 weeks. But they'll have even more combo books in January. Darn. I think Travertine might be too dark for the body. I might be interested in Cashmere for the Stucco and Coral Clay for the siding. Whisper for the trim. Not sure about the accent ....

Well, how's this? Cashmere for the stucco, Coral Clay for the siding, Swiss Coffee for the trim and Burnt Crimson for the shutters, etc. Also, there's this possible combo: Barley for the stucco, Whisper for the trim, not sure about the siding ... but it would be 2 shades darker than Barley ... and Woodlawn Green for the shutters, etc. I really like the Burnt Crimson but wonder if it's too close to the door color? Woodlawn Green would go with both combos. The Cashmere combo is more subtle, more taupe. The Barley is more on the browns and tan side and is brighter. Barley is darker than Cashmere. But keep in mind that I need to tie in my gray roof with my paint choice. This is vital.

Feedback please!

Trying to start my children's story but am having a hard time deciding if it should be a practical story or a whimsical one. Not easy to decide tone, what "person" to tell the story in - and age group!

The Kids

2005-11-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of ferrying around my 2 girls. Callie went in for her 2nd radiation treatment at 5 AM and 7 1/2 month old Nikki went to get a much-needed bath, her nails trimmed and her teeth brushed at PetsMart.

I must admit, Callie has lost weight already! I noticed it when I was petting her and sure enough, she weighed .75 lbs. less. I don't think she ate much today. I'll have to try to encourage her to eat tomorrow, if I can. I'm not sure if her eyes feel OK - her left one bothers her. I wrote a note about it when I checked her in, but not sure what was thought about it.

Nikki did pretty good. She's excitable so she jumped around when they were trying to bathe her, etc., but she's a good girl. It was funny, last Tuesday when I took her to class, I stopped to purchase items. (PetsMart has a good racquet. Every time I go there for training, I buy something!) Anyway, I was busy at the cash register and a little girl stopped to pet her. Nikki was great with her! Well, today, two very little twin boys (that have their own big dog) stopped to pet her and she was great with them! They jumped but it didn't bother her. Luckily, their mom was watching. Nikki just loved the attention. I'm so happy that she appears to be so good with kids.

What can I say? She'll do anything for treats and attention. Mommy? Who's that?? That's my girl! :-)

Callie, Joey Bear & Max

2005-11-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well, Callie had her first radiation fraction yesterday. I took this picture after getting her home because I wanted to show the white marks - as you can see, the marks are V-shaped and have the texture of Wite-Out. You see, the radiation is done in between those marks. They can't get the machine to do it any smaller so her whole nose is getting radiation. That means that her little nose will not be in good shape by the end of the month ... she'll have mouth ulcers and other yucky stuff. Poor little thing.

We're supposed to keep the white marks on so they don't have to re-do them, but I wasn't too successful with that. I always clean the cats' eyes, so I bet I wiped away part of the marks! Oh well. I think they charge for that too. I'll learn.

She has to go every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday for 4 weeks. Which means tomorrow, both Callie and I have to get up around 4 AM and drive in the dark to the vet. Not very much fun, especially for her. They put her under briefly. I believe that just the treatments alone will cost over $2,000.

The second picture was taken Saturday morning ... it was chilly and the kitties were seeking some warmth. Max scratched his way to get under the comforter while I was in bed. Later, I found Joey all snuggled up in my comforter, so I just had to take his picture.

I took several pictures of the cats playing with my dangling lens cap. Here's one of Joey and Max. Cute, aren't they?

Callie, House, English Comedies, Ugh.

2005-11-04T23:05:00.000-08:00

I have to take Callie in tomorrow morning for her first radiation treatment. I wish this all wasn't happening. She's such a little doll - loves to sit on me and purr, attacks my feet, gently, and is generally very loving. So this is weighing on me very heavily. I think she's going to feel lousy afterwards. And it will probably burns her face.

We have to be there at 5 AM, which basically means getting up at 4 AM. Another UGH.

The pilasters are almost done, thank God. They're looking good. I had a landscaper stop by to talk about an estimate, etc. He said that they were doing a good job.

Today wasn't a good day really. I need to really start working on my other issues, such as finances and writing and graphic design .... Ugh. Fear. Feel overwhelmed. Feel alone. Not fun.

Don't really have a lot to say. Should be in bed already. I fell asleep on the couch with a cozy blanket on me, watching my English comedies on TV - Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By, Waiting for God and Fawlty Towers. They're on channel 50. You know, I totally slept through Are You Being Served, which isn't a favorite of mine anyway. So saw bits and pieces of my shows. Callie slept on me, which was nice.

As for poor Nikki, I keep trying to set up play dates for her but no one calls me back. OK. Whatever.

Oh, and a big birthday is coming up - a lousy one - and that ain't helping. And my parents are gone. My mom was lucky. When she hit this birthday, she had both her parents, her husband and her kids. Not at all the same for me.

Am I feeling sorry for myself?? You bet! :-0

Intermediate Training for Miz Pup, Etc.

2005-11-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, last night, Nikki and I went back to PetsMart for our Intermediate Training. Actually, my little goof did surprisingly well. I actually got her in the car without balking (her, not me) and off we went! We got there early on purpose, as I wanted her to calm down before training started. She did, so I put the Gentle Leader on her. Just then, the rest of the pups showed up - 4 large dogs, I believe. There was one little guy, but since he thinks he's a large dog, he does OK. Another one barked a lot and was a bit overwhelming in general for Nikki. The one that was close to her in temperament was a female lab. I could see them becoming Buds in the future.

Nikki greeted all of them and her Gentle Leader came off; it had been too loose. So we adjusted it and got it back on her after she calmed down. Then we all walked up and down aisles, practicing Sit, Wait and the clicker. She did pretty good! The Gentle Leader really changes her behavior.

At the end of class, I mentioned to the trainer about what my sis had suggested about getting Nikki her own pet bed to sit on as I planned to buy the bed that night. She said yes and that we were actually going to have a class in it! Wow, so that's cool. I guess we're to bring the bed or blanket and have them Settle on it. So we went over to the pet beds, the trainer picked one out and put it on the floor. Nikki immediately went on the bed and snuggled in it! So Nikki chose her bed. (Naturally when I put it down on the kitchen floor, she decided to play with it instead and pull on it with her teeth. O-K.)

Nikki was so tired out by the end of the class that she didn't have the energy to jump up on this young girl that began petting her. She just leaned on her and enjoyed it. I was so surprised ... I mean, Nikki hasn't been around kids very much. I told the girl that Nikki really liked her, which made her feel good! It was very cute. People walked by and said how cute Nikki was.

So back into the car for us. I got in the back seat and tried to coax her in but she balked! So I got out, and somehow she got her front paws in the car, so then I got the rest of her in.

Nikki thoroughly enjoyed herself and conked out pretty soon after we got home!

The construction crew is back today. I don't know about the color of the concrete ... it's such an important element, especially as it would be impossible to fix without spending lots of money. As for the pilasters, they're getting closer to finishing. Finally.

But if you take a look at the planters, I'm not sure I like the color so far. We'll see how things go. Talk about confusing. So will acid washing lighten it? I think I need to look up information about colored concrete. If any of you out there have had experience with it in the past, please tell me what you know about the process.

Oh, and the gardener didn't show up today. I was sure he was supposed to turn up last week and he didn't. Then I got a bill stating that they came on the 19th, but I'm trying to remember if that was true or not. Grrr. I remember after my father died, the grass (or shall I say the weeds) got about a foot high, yet they were charging us as if they had been to the house. Same gardener. I'm trying to wrack my brain here.

Aha!

2005-11-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

The penny has dropped ... I think. Looks like Pebble's # is 641 and so is the color for the concrete that Jeremy wanted me to use. So it's just a matter of mixing it according to the color chart, which obviously the worker knew nothing about. The other colors that had been under consideration have an entirely different number.

So now the question is, how light will the planter cap dry? It will take longer there because there is no direct sun. The guys didn't show up today. I love it how they tell me first. I'm assuming that they'll come back when the concrete is dry. But they're still working on the pilasters. I would have thought they would be done by now. They can't be that hard to do!

Not Thinking Pink; Nikki & Halloween

2005-10-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

This is the sidewalk while it was still wet. I had a devil of a time trying to choose a color. I thought that the color that the contractor suggested, Flagstone Brown, was too dark, so I polled family and friends. Finally, I chose the color Pebble. This however, looks nothing like the online color chart!

Well, in this photo, the sidewalk is almost dry but I think the sidewalk came out pink! I don't care too much about the sidewalk but I sure don't want the caps to turn out pink. After all, I'm paying to remove PINK! After a confusing 45 minutes talking to the guy who worked on the concrete (whose English isn't that great) and then finally talking to the contractor, I think what happened is that not enough color was added. The lighter the brown, the pinker it gets. But the odd thing is, I looked at the box and it had the Pebble number on it but instead of being marked "Pebble," it was marked "Medium Brown." Huh? So I told the contractor to go with his original choice in color. He instructed the guy to add more color. Frankly, I have a feeling that the guy mixed the concrete sidewalk wrong, but it's OK as it will be hidden.

The concrete caps on the planter look very dark but hey, so did the sidewalk originally! So who knows what it will look like after the concrete dries and is acid-washed. But the form is pretty, don't you think? It has a bullnose design.

Neither Nikki or I dressed up for Halloween. In fact, I just concentrated on not having her freaked out too much by the ringing doorbell. I put her in her crate and that worked for awhile. She'd cry when the doorbell rang, but she'd settle back down when I ignored her. This worked for the majority of the time, but at the end I had to take her out. I brought her on leash into the den, making sure to bring a chew. She was bouncing off the walls a bit, but not too bad. I sat in the blue chair, and amazingly, she settled down on my feet and chewed. That's the first time that she really just kind of hung out with me in the den for some time - normally, she's too hyper to do that.

Twice, when the doorbell rang, I kept her in the den while I answered the door. But at the end she would have no part of that, so I had to take her with me when I answered the door. The kid was a bit older, but he eyed my jumping puppy and asked, "Does she bite?" It's funny that people interpret her craziness as a desire to bite, when in reality she wants to examine this new person and get petted! I reassured him and succeeded in keeping the puppy away from him.

All in all, Nikki did OK and the kids were sure cute!

Oh, and trying to get landscapers to come over or call back ... same with gutter guys. Customer service isn't their forte, perhaps?

Nikki Turns 7!

2005-10-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

7 Months, that is! Isn't she adorable? She is still as nutty as ever and is even more of a handful! I took a bunch of pictures of her even though she could use a bath. She looks good, but she's done some rolling in the mud. Tracks dirt in the house ... sigh. The kitchen floor stays clean for about a minute. She drinks and then water drips all over the floor. I need to buy more of those puppy wipes!

I'll be uploading new photos of her taken on Monday at
http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/slideshows.html

"Chicago"

2005-10-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Looked up "Chicago" on Amazon - seems there is a 3-disc version out - the Razzle-Dazzle edition - which has much more stuff on it than the original DVD. So put it on my Amazon Wish List (found under my married name). Looks like I had put Roxie Hart with Ginger Rogers on it awhile ago! How funny. Also added that book "If You Really Loved Me," which is about the murder that happened around the corner from me.

Nikki, Some Thanks and "Chicago" ...

2005-10-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

I came home today after an afternoon spent getting my hair done, and boy, was Nikki happy to see me! She was full of vim and vigor, practically knocking me over. In the back yard, she pounced on a piece of wood my parents had brought back from somewhere. It was gnarled and pretty but she was going to chew on it and swallow the pieces. So I took it and threw it over the fence that hides the easement. Nikki was so hyped up, plus she wanted that piece of wood so bad - and hey, she is a RETRIEVER - so she began backing up, measuring the fence height. You could see the wheels turning in her head. I had to shout, "NO!" and got her back in the house fast! That's all I need. She wouldn't be able to clear the fence, she'd probably hurt herself, plus she'd knock the damn thing down. Let's hope she forgets about that one soon! On, and then later on tonight, she ate some of these blue sticks that my mom had in a vase by the fireplace. Max would eat them too. I would think that they could damage her tummy. I read that pine needles could do damage and those are comparitvely soft! Oy! Nikki will be 7 months old on Monday. She's getting big and she sure is strong!

Saw cute Golden retriever calendars at PetsMart today. There were the daily calendar and the puppy monthly calendars. Those adorable faces. Hey, if Nikki ever calms down, I can get her modeling jobs!!! :-0

The thanks are to those who either left comments or emailed me to tell me that they DO read the blog. I even had a response to my paint question. I'm not sure that there is a way for me to post the colors that I'm thinking of ... if anyone has a solution to that, please let me know. Dunn Edwards paint.

The other problem I'm wrestling with is gutters. I'm getting 2 different schools of thought here ... I don't really have gutters - just one I think and it takes the rain off of the back of the house, I believe, and dumps it almost onto the driveway. I say almost because it doesn't come out far enough and the water empties onto the dirt. I'd rather have it empty onto the concrete driveway. I can get those roll-up extensions for that one - try it at least. But I have no gutters on the front, side and by the breakfast room. I am not sure that they're going to add to the curb appeal but the rain comes off the roof and makes a deep line in the dirt, splashing the dirt on the house.

So, will landscaping stop the rain from making deep divots in the ground? Or do I need gutters? Decisions, decisions.

Saw "Chicago" for the first time. It was on Channel 4. Missed the first 1/2 hour so missed my favorite song, All That Jazz. I remember Liza singing it back in the '70's. I used to go around the house singing that one ... "Rouge my knees and roll my stockings down ... and All That Jazz." Very fun, sexy song. I even saw Gwen, Chita and Jerry perform it here in L.A. (Speaking of Chita, did anyone catch her cameo in the movie?) Talk about lucky. But did I appreciate it then? I don't think I did. I hardly remember it. I wonder if the old program is here in the house. I used to keep all of them but my mom finally threw out a bunch, I bet. Darn. Some of them almost could be collector's items

Anyway, liked the movie. Good direction. Too bad that they didn't have singers and dancers perform the leads (Catherine was the one with the experience, which showed) but they were very good. I think they could have done a bit more vocally with the songs - worked on the nuances, really - but still very good. I'd like to buy the DVD. Is it out yet?

To Blog or Not to Blog?

2005-10-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

That is the question.

Am totally wondering if anyone is really interested in all this stuff. Doesn't seem so. I thought this would be a fun way to share thoughts, etc., but now I'm not sure if I should continue. Maybe it's just my need to write, so perhaps instead of spending time on this blog, I should be catching up on sleep - or start writing that children's book that I have bits and pieces of churning around in my head. But really, I think the blog could have been a good way to "talk" to others (after all, anyone can comment all they want) but perhaps my topics of choice aren't topical enough.

So we'll see.

The House and Callie

2005-10-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Just in case you're looking for the post about helping me choose a painting scheme, then please scroll down to read the previous post entitled "Rain Interrupts Us!" (I wrote that one yesterday.) And please, leave comments.

Today was interesting. Dealing with the construction crew and trying to make decisions in the morning, plus juggling Nikki is always interesting. In fact, trying to hold on to a 50 lb. (or so) Golden Retriever who is charging at the end of a leash is always a challenge. We were trying to figure out how to lay out the pilasters and the "winged walls," so I called Jon, the architect, several times. At least Jeremy will be by tomorrow so it will be good to have him eyeball it. The curve of the path was really throwing me off; I couldn't tell how it looked!

In the meantime, I had a power outage in the kitchen and could not get the darn thing to come back on (I have a problem with that fuse). Finally, with the help of one of the workers, we got it back on. I needed the power to come back on because my refrigerator was affected. All because I tried to use my microwave to heat up my morning coffee, which had gotten cold because I had been interrupted by the crew.

Callie needed to go to the vet today to get a check-up so we could decide on the start date of her radiation treatment. She will have 12 fractions (treatments) in a month. 3 per week. At any rate, there was a guy behind the desk that didn't quite seem to have a handle on things. He tried to take a picture of a dog who was just being a dog and didn't pose for the camera. I'm sorry but there were plenty of times he could have taken the darn picture! Then he said the dog's name very loudly and whistled loudly, which neither the dog or I appreciated. His owner hastily told him to stop, that it made it worse. Yeah, HELLO! I was rolling my eyes by this time.

This same guy took Callie and me into a room and temped Callie. He exclaimed, "OH, MY GOD!" He freaked me out. He then said that there was some kind of weird discharge ... I thought it looked like poop?? Maybe she has to go to the bathroom, I suggested. Oh, no, it seemed to come from the side and he had never SEEN anything like this before and I better ask the doctor.

He left, leaving me rather upset. I had all kinds of thoughts ... the cancer has metasticized, my little girl is dying .... The vet comes in, looks at her, says she's fine.

Believe me, I wanted to say something about this guy. Like he shouldn't be working there! I didn't tell the dog-picture story (he couldn't even do that properly) but I did say that he had exclaimed loudly and had upset me. (I really think it's their duty to try to remain calm so that everyone remains calm. Ya know?) But the vet and the tech didn't take the hint. Oh well. Next time I'll be ready for him.

We got in and out of there so fast today, it was great! Plus they didn't charge me. Yeah! Callie starts her radiation Nov. 5 at 5 AM. I have to get here there at 5 AM. Ooh, that's 3 days a week for a month, getting there at 5 AM.

Several neighbors stopped by to tell me how great the house looked, which is always nice to hear. In fact, the neighbors, who helped me escape from the master bedroom the morning after I moved in, even stopped by to tell me how good the house was now looking. They wanted to put in a new pathway at their home too. So maybe some will be inspired to do even more upgrades.

Notice they're almost done with the chimney. Also, they painted on the ground and used string to "draw" the lighted pilasters in front.

Rain Interrupts Us!

2005-10-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Do you want to hear something funny? I had to call the plumber as the toilet in the guest bath was leaking. I knew about the leak only because the wood underneath had become swollen, pushing the linoleum up! I called the guy that my dad had used for years, plus I had used him to replace my kitchen and bath faucets last year. He came today to fix the leak. He told me that it had been leaking for years, before my parents died. The wood is totally shot underneath the toilet so I need a new floor and underlayment. (Oh goody. I wasn't going to tackle this bathroom for a long time.)

The funny part is this: the plumber didn't recognize my house and had passed it several times before realizing it was the correct one! :-)

This chimney picture was taken yesterday after the guys left. They ended up leaving early - around 2PM - because of the rain. In fact, they got caught in a deluge and had to take refuge by my front door. It rained all last night, so that's probably why they didn't show up today. I haven't heard from anyone but I'm sure that's the reason.

I'm trying to pick paint colors and could sure use input. I'll be using Dunn Edwards paint because that's what the painters use. However, I have a funny feeling that Benjamin Moore has more paint choices. Also a good paint.

I think the paint colors could be in the earth tone family - and shouldn't the stucco be a bit lighter than the middle range of the stone? If I use 4 colors, I would have 2 accent colors. See, the biggest decisions deal with the siding, the eaves, the doors (including garage door) and windows.

So how does this sound?

Stucco - light to medium earth tone - body color
Siding - 2 shades darker than stucco - accent #1
Eaves, Doors, Windows and Column - white, including garage door - trim
Wood Trim around Windows - accent color #2 (such as a blue or green or whatever)

Or do you prefer this 3 color combo:

Stucco - light to medium earth tone - body color
Siding, Windows and Eaves - 2 shades darker than stucco - trim
Doors, Window Trim and Column - accent color (such as a blue or green or whatever)

I just can't see the eaves being a dark color, though. Or maybe it should be something entirely different? Feedback on this please! Scroll down to see the house pictures to help you decide.

Nikki's First Rain

2005-10-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Nikki's first experience with rain. The only time that it has rained since I got her in June was when she was getting spayed, so she missed out on that. This morning, when I took her out in the backyard, she kept turning and trying to look at what was hitting her in the back! Pretty funny. Later on tonight, she didn't seem to be bothered at all by the rain. She's in bed and there has been thunder and lightning - and no reaction at all! I'm amazed by that. I'm also amazed at the fact that we have a T-storm. 2nd time this year! What is this world coming to? Never happens in So Cal!

House Remodel, Trees Gone, USC WINS!!!

2005-10-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

Busy Saturday here at the ole' homestead! The crew showed up around 7:15, per usual. I spent much of the morning with Nikki, my nutty dog. At first she was fine as she was chewing on her bone. Suddenly, however, she went into super-hyped-up mode so I took her on a walk, hoping it would help calm her down. It didn't. I was expecting Jon, the architect and Alex, the A/C guy, to come over, so I was just about to crate her when the doorbell rang. Try answering the door with a fully charging 50 lb. (or so) dog on the end of the leash! Then a minute or two later, Jon came over! I knew that would happen. Alex showed up about an hour later than he said he would, so I ended juggling both of them - and the dog - at the same time! :-)

Alex was here because after he put in the new A/C, the old Honeywell air filter never crackled when dust hit it, like it used to. I should have called him back immediately but I kept forgetting. Turns out it was a loose wire. Plus, when Alex first looked at the existing system, he said the filter needed to be cleaned and that he'd do it. After he put in the A/C, he said no, it was fine. I knew it couldn't be fine but it was at the end of a long day. So now I ended up paying him for a service call when in reality it was stuff that should have been done when he changed out my air and heat. I would still recommend him to people but just wish he hadn't ripped me off here. I could have argued with him, but didn't. Jon was outside waiting for me ... hindsight says I should have negotiated that better, but oh well. He cleaned out the filter as, for me, it would be difficult to get the darn thing out.

My friend Marc was going to come over but he was rather late, so I would have felt better if he could have seen him take the filter out. I'll never remember how to do it. So, if I want, I can pay another $400 and update the air cleaning system. I like hearing the crackling noise though, coz I know it's working. That's how I knew it WASN'T working this time. No crackling when the dust hit it. But the darn thing s/b cleaned every 2 to 3 months, and I'll never do it. If I update it, it will be much easier to clean, but no crackling noise.

Jon came over and we went over the front yard and driveway landscaping. I had to crate Nikki; she was just too nutty. Jon was great with her and calmed her down pretty fast. He also laughed at her because she was so excitable and just plain goofy!

Anyway, we're thinking of putting in Podocarpus as screening hedges on both sides of my house. It's a necessity so I can hide both neighbors ... er, junk! I read up on the plant and it is supposed to be an excellent choice. Just not sure yet if that's what I want.

Then, I had Jon look at the back yard. The tough part of re-landscaping the back yard is the 2nd patio and overhang put on in the '60's. I have no roof-line there so have to put some kind of overhang. But then, how is it going to look?? What would the patio be like there? What kind of shape?

Marc showed up while Jon was still here. After Jon left, Marc turned off the water at the toilet; he needed a wrench to do it. I've called the plumber but haven't heard back. Took Nikki out of her crate so she could visit with Marc. Again, nutty dog. She had grown so much since he had last seen her. She was racing through the den and living room so he got to see her run. Then Javier, the gardener, showed up to tear out the rest of the existing ice plant. Marc took this opportunity to leave.

I gave Javier a copy of the plans so he could give me an estimate on sprinklers and landscaping. Now I just have to get other bids.

I also asked Javier how much it would cost to tear out the fruit trees on the perimeter of the front yard; he said $80. So since he was here, I gave him the go-ahead. I felt bad ... my dad had put them in. I had never liked them there, thought they were odd, plus my parents had just let them grow wild. When I moved in, the darn trees looked like shaggy hippies, reaching down to the ground. But Marc had shaped the orange tree beautifully. Last spring, the orange blossoms were just wonderful. I'd enter my front door and I could smell them. It was great. The tree was full of fruit, ripening.

I then had made the huge mistake of asking my regular gardener, Bestgreen, (whom my dad had hired) to prune them again. Marc had started on the lemon tree but never finished, so that needed pruning, but I also told him that the orange tree needed very little work. When the guy he sent showed up to prune them, Marc and I went out to lunch. We came back to RUINED citrus trees. Especially the orange tree. Horrible. Cut back to nothing! I cried. I complained to the owner who said that was how you're supposed to prune them. That is such crap! You never do that. You ruin the tree that way. That's the way to get very little fruit. The poor tree grew back its leaves, but the shape was terrible. So now there was no point in trying to save the citrus trees. But I guess because my dad had planted them, it was very sad to rip them out.

What's also a bit frustrating is if I think of the amount of money I have spent in the last 2 years, having shrubs and trees pruned, and then slowly having them all ripped out. I have no plants left, so have to start over from scratch.

My niece had called me in the meantime, asking me to tape the USC/Notre Dame game for her. See, we're all big USC FANS!! My dad graduated from there and so did my sis. Cathy and I grew up on USC football. I turned on the game at the end of the 3rd quarter; they were tied. A few minutes later, Notre Dame scored a field goal early in the 4th quarter. I ran out to get a bite to eat and came back just in time to see Javier taking an axe to my orange tree. Did I tear up! The orange tree was being chopped down and the football game was playing inside. Oh dear.

Did any of you see that 4th quarter? I was trying to be quiet because I finally had Nikki asleep in her crate. But forget about it! I was screaming at the end, scaring Max, my cat, and Nikki. First the Fighting Irish think the game is over and that they won, so they start to swarm the field. Then, no, the ball had gone out of bounds, so it stopped the clock. 7 seconds is put back on and we scored a touchdown! In 7 seconds! GO TROJANS!

Read the full story here: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/4991924

Here's an excerpt: After USC coach Pete Carroll sprinted down the field to plead his case, officials put 7 seconds back on the clock and the ball inside the 1.

With another chance, Leinart pushed and spun his way into the end zone with 3 seconds left to cap a thrilling but chaotic finish as USC escaped with its 28th straight victory, a back-and-forth 34-31 win Saturday over No. 9 Notre Dame.

"You gotta believe you're going to win the way that happened," Carroll said.

Remodeling Update, Callie Cat & Life in General

2005-10-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

Something odd happened last night. I had actually posted this last night. It needed tweaking and I was so tired that I kept making mistakes. So I went to bed, checked the blog and realized that this post wasn't there. So now I have to change everything from "today" to "yesterday," etc. So here it is!

Yesterday, the workers put much of the stone on the house. It's beginning to take shape! Definitely the warmth of the stone is at odds with the old paint color. Can't wait to get the house painted; it will make such a difference. Picking paint colors is going to be hard. Now that the stone is up, I will hopefully be able to make better decisions. I had always thought that the wood siding beneath the two windows in the front should be white. But now that the stone is up, I see that Chevy's choice to put a darker color there will make more sense. (Chevy is from SharpDots, the painting company.) Can't wait until my sissy gets back from Hawaii coz then she can help me pick paint colors!

Now to Life in General, which can be not so fun. I was not in a good mood yesterday. Lack of sleep had something to do with it, I'm sure. To add to it, I had placed a phone call to someone regarding money and left an important message, but this lovely person did not even have the curtesy to call me back. Things are not good anyway; don't make them worse by blowing me off! Grrrr.

Also, my left knee has been bothering me for quite some time now ... don't know why. Maybe it happened when Nikki, my huge puppy, hurled her substantial body directly into my knee, causing it to overflex! Pain!! The problem is I don't know if that was my right knee or left knee! It looks like I will have to go to the doctor soon. It's swollen. Great!

Then last night, before my friend Marc came over, I realized that the floor next to the toilet in the guest bath was raised! I rarely use that bathroom but it doesn't matter. Looks like I have a leak! I'll have to call a plumber. :-( And was I smart enough to ask him to turn off the water by the toilet? Nope!

Also, I've been worried about my cat, Callie. She was supposed to start radiation over a week ago but they never called me to set up the time. I called twice before I got a call back. So I'm to take her back to All Care on Wednesday for another evaluation. If the tumor appears to be growing, they'll get her in ASAP. If not, they'll fit her in at a little later time. I talked to the doctor and he said that there would be burning, etc. And that it would get worse before it got better. Oh no. Her little face. He offered to fax me the information on radiation but I said no, I'd just get a copy when I came in. Believe me, I'll have to occupy myself there somehow. The wait is always horrendous and very hard on my back. Was already depressed so didn't want to deal with it then.

I wonder if this means that she'll be scratching at the burn? I hope not. I hope she doesn't feel bad but it's either this or she dies from cancer. So there really isn't a choice, is there?

We will have to go 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Sounds just awful. I better stock up on fun books to read! The last time I was there, I read an entire novel in 2 sessions.

Tomorrow should be busy. Alex needs to look at my A/C, I have to call the plumber, the gardener and look for a landscaper, the workers will be here, my friend Marc will stop by for a little bit and Jon, the architect, will stop by with a copy of the plans. Finally I can talk to him about issues such as screening and the back yard.

Remodeling House Plus a Gorgeous Tree

2005-10-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

More work done on the house today, as you can see. The first picture shows the stone being delivered to my house. When it hit the ground, a plume of dust rose up, which was pretty cool! Also, they were cutting some stone and I wanted to get a picture of that because sparks were flying. Rather dramatic, I thought. It didn't happen, so maybe tomorrow it will!

The new stone will be placed a bit higher than the old brick was, so that should be nice, plus it will meet up at the door. There will only be one larger planter instead of the three smaller ones. The new planter will be in the center. The contractor suggested a different shape than the plainer one that the architect designed. I think this will be nice. It will be covered with the stone of course.

Also, I had always told the architect that I was going to keep the camellias - they bloom beautifully in January and were a favorite of my mom's. On his landscape plan, they were nowhere in sight. They have a cute little round shape now (not the case when I moved in), plus I'll plant other flowers around them. Should be fun to showcase them! I had also told him that I was keeping the hydrangea, but he forgot and that isn't on the plan either. But I'm keeping it. The plant was moved to the back during construction, but will be moved back to the front and planted back in its old spot. It's a very old plant, as are the camellias, - maybe 40 years old or more? - but this past May, it bloomed better than it ever had! I even had compliments from Clare, a neighbor. Anyway, still looking for a landscaper. Need to have sprinklers put in, new sod, trees, etc. If you can recommend anyone, let me know!

These trees are still in bloom on Chapman Ave. This particular tree was planted at the gated entrance of some townhomes. Isn't it just incredible? Click on the picture to see the detail of the flowers and the bark - very striking. I've been told that it's a crape myrtle. I wonder what variety it is. Does anyone know? I would love to have one at my house. I wonder if I could plant it in the backyard? Of course, Nikki would pick up all the flowers and eat them, so it would have to be completely non-toxic. Comments or thoughts would be great! :-)

The Cats Need to Show Off Too!

2005-10-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, the cats posed for some very adorable photos the night before last. I think that in these shots, Joey Bear looks noble and beautiful, Max is fetching - as always - and Callie and Joey look quite cozy together.

I was in my home office and just happened to see Max sleeping on his back. I just love it when he does that. So I picked up my digital camera that was nearby and just began clicking away. Don't think that these shots just happened. Nope, I think I took over 50 pictures. I just love snapping away. The problems with kitties - or dogs for that matter - is that they MOVE, or the lighting isn't right, or they've got one eye closed ... so in a very short period of time, I had taken 50 shots. Joey Bear kept doing this great upside-down face on my desk - his eyes were simply luminous - but he kept moving. Unfortunately, the 2 shots I did get of him like that were blurry. Oh well.

Luckily, I enjoy taking photos!

House in Progress

2005-10-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

They worked on the chimney today, smoothing it out and prepping it for the stacked stone. The old chimney had seen better days and even sagged in the middle! I think it looks better even as it is! They didn't quite finish the prepping of it today. Should be interesting to see what they do tomorrow.

Oh, and just realized this ... if you want to see any of the pictures bigger, you just have to click on them and they'll open up in a new window. Should make it easier to see the details!

Pictures!

2005-10-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of the work on the house in progress. Scroll down to the previous post to read all about the changes. Oh, just discovered this ... if you want to see a larger image of any of the pictures, just click on it. So scroll down and get a closer look at some of your favorite pictures! (Is that assuming a lot??) :-)

Changes and Sneezers

2005-10-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well, FINALLY, the construction crew is back after a 4-month break! I had hired Rock Bottom Construction (owner is Jeremy) based on the advice of the company that I had signed a contract with last November to paint my house, SharpDots. They've all known each other for years. Then I got plans drawn up, based on Jeremy's suggestion. Finally we were ready to go and they put in a stone path in front, widened the stoop and put in a stone sidewalk by the curb to make it easier to get in and out of cars without stepping in mud. I then put in my new front door, which I just love.

Phase II was supposed to be to take the existing, ugly, painted brick off of the house and non-painted brick off of the chimney and replace it with stone. (Believe me, if it had been old brick, which is beautiful, I would not be taking it off of the house and I would have done a brick pathway, which is so much cheaper than stone! But this brick in its original color is a weird pink, has a porous appearance and is stacked.) Anyway, I did want a break from construction, especially since I had just gotten Nikki, but not that long! Oh well, a guy is outside right now, tearing off the old brick. The pounding isn't too bad. Hope all goes well! I'll be putting up Before and During and After photos.

After Rock Bottom finishes their work, the house can finally be painted. Oh, wait - Kevin has to put in the new laundry room door first. Then the house can be painted. Then sprinklers and landscaping. It will be years before I can afford new windows (I want Pella windows with the panes on both sides of the windows), but this house really needs them. The den is SO drafty in the winter. You freeze sitting on the sofa. And it gets way too hot in the summer. Oh, just remembered about insulation. I have very little in the attic and none between the walls. If I'm going to do that now, that needs to be done before the painting. Otherwise I'd have to wait several years again until the house needs painting again! When you own an older house, or any house for that matter, lots of upkeep!

So that takes care of the Changes. The Sneezers are the cats. Yep, they've been sneezing for about a week now. Joey Bear started first, then Callie and Max. Max is the worst. Clear discharge and all, but suppose I should take at least Callie in. I'd love to take Max in, but he got so traumatized last time that they had to put him under to examine him! I'm tired and sneezy myself today and don't feel quite up to it today. So probably will take in Callie tomorrow. I'm hoping they'll put her on some kind of antibiotic. If so, wouldn't it be nice if they gave me some for Max and Joey. The good thing is that they do have their weight charted, so that would help. But the vet is a stickler for proper procedure, so I'm not sure they will go along with it. They may, though, in Max's case since I don't think they relish handling him! Keep your fingers crossed!

Nikki Graduates From Puppy School!

2005-10-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

And these two classmates dance for joy! Actually Dakota (left) and Nikki (right) had a fun last day of school. They got to play (despite Dakota's mom's seemingly unwillingess to have the two dogs play together all "semester"), try out agility and then they had their graduation ceremonies, complete with certificate and hat!

Nikki aced the agility training on the first try! She had to be coaxed down the tunnel the first time, but after that she did great, even off-leash. She did much better than Dakota, which I fear was a bit of a blow for his mom as she is quite used to him being top dog in class.

The two dogs went through the agility course several times and then played, which got Nikki pretty tired. Then I video taped Nikki going through her paces, and one time as she was weaving through the weave poles, she got tired and just sat down for a second! Of course, it had to happen while I was taping her. Oh well.

Some cute photos of the two dogs playing together, huh? I also took videos of them playing, so be sure to check out the link on the side panel. Do you notice how much alike the two dogs are in color? Nikki is still much taller than Dakota, who is 5 months old. But his paws are big, so I'm sure he has a lot of growing to do yet. Interesting also how Dakota seemed to be alpha dog ... it takes Nikki awhile to warm up and get confidence and then she can hold her own.

Here Nikki is with her trainer. Isn't her graduation hat adorable? I've signed Nikki and me up for the Intermediate Class, which should be interesting! It will meet on Tuesday nights, and there will be more dogs plus the classes will also deal with distractions, etc., all good for Nikki. So far, Nikki has only met one or two dogs at a time, so this will be good for her to have to make friends with dogs of all sizes, from small to larger.

The other good news was that Nikki was so tired out from playing with Dakota that she was so much easier to handle going home. I had to buy some items and she didn't jump on people at all ... just let them pet her. Oh, and I want to buy some agility items for her. Good training and exercise, and it would be fun for other pups when they come over for play dates. I'd also like to enroll her in an agility class - she has potential there!

A Tribute to Cleo

2005-09-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Cleo was one of the Great All-Time Cats. He had led a charmed life in Belmont Shore as he made friends wherever he went. His former owners had abandoned Cleo so he then adopted my boss' neighbor. For some reason, he gave him the feminine name of Cleo.

Cleo was our company mascot, always coming over to nap or be petted, or try to bum food off of me, or sprawl all over Ericka’s desk, making it pretty difficult for her to use her computer. Even though he had a bell put on his collar, Cleo could be counted on to catch many birds – and even a rat! Ugh. He would happily bring them in to show my boss his trophies. One night, my boss woke up to a dead rat in his bedroom. Cleo had climbed in a window to show him this great prize!
Imagine my shock yesterday when I went to work and my boss told me he had some bad news. Before I even had time to react, he said, “Cleo is dead.”

He had been run over in his own driveway by the neighbor who lives over us. Cleo’s owner suspects the guy had been drunk and had pulled into his driveway very fast and very wide the night before. The guy had run over Cleo’s head! The neighbor felt bad (he liked Cleo) but couldn't quite fess up. To his credit, he talked about making a memorial in Cleo's memory on my boss's patio. That way, the neighbors who walk their dogs will know what happened to Cleo, because they'll all miss him.

Poor Ericka was the one who found Cleo. She had the presence of mind to put a towel over him. She had already gone home by the time I had gotten to work. I sat and cried for about an hour and then had to go home.

Cleo will be sorely missed. He was a terrific cat, smart and adorable. I do not relish going to work and not having him there to pet and make a fuss over. I'm glad I had taken these photos with my cell phone on September 1st. Who knew he only had weeks left to live?

The morale of this sad tale: keep your cats in the house. They will be safer and will not miss going outside, especially if they have a cat tree to climb.

Scroll down to see the rest of the Cleo photos.

Nikki Gets Cone Removed!

2005-09-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Nikki finally got her stitches and her cone removed yesterday, and is she one happier dog! It was too darn hot to take her on a walk - and the air quality wasn't too healthy either - so we celebrated by playing Fetch in the living room. Boy, was she happy to be let loose in the living room! She hadn't eaten her food, so I gave her her kibble each time she brought me back the ball. However, she then took it upon herself to jump on the living room chair, which is a decided no-no. At that time, I was on the phone, so I tried to drag her off the chair but she would have none of it, the little brat! Nikki can be one stubborn dog when she wants to be.
My 6-month old dog also gained 3 lbs. during the 10 days of her recovery from being spayed - she now weighs 44.7 lbs. She's getting pretty big!

I then tried to clean up the back yard so she could run around. I had 2 oleanders removed and now I'm trying to pick up the loose leaves. She still tries to pick up everything in her mouth - including little rocks - so she's a danger to herself. I borrowed a shopvac from a friend, but now it doesn't have suction ... probably clogged or full? So I ran out of time and didn't get to finish the job. I wanted to let her play in her new wading pool yesterday but that didn't work out. I'm hoping I can finish cleaning up the yard and let her play today in the pool. Tomorrow she has her training class and then she'll get groomed. She needs it, as she couldn't keep herself as neat and clean as she'd like during her convalescence.

Hurricane Rita and Lake Charles, La.

2005-09-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's rather amazing that the news seems to ignore Lake Charles, La. because it only has a population of 75,000, yet this is one of the hardest-hit areas. Rita has caused much havoc. There is flooding, trees and power lines are knocked down, roads are closed and the people are not allowed back in to the city. There is also a curfew from 7pm to 6am. If it wasn't for a local news station, KPLC, no one would know anything!

If you live in Lake Charles or have family there, like I do, then here's a link that will provide much information.
http://kplctv.com/Global/category.asp?C=4382&nav=menu66_1

Photos: http://kplctv.com/Global/category.asp?C=70803&nav=menu66_1

Major Brown in Lake Charles said, "Lake Charles has lost electricity and water, and it will be some time before these services are restored. Temperatures reaching the high 90s coupled with high humidity make life very unpleasant to those already in distress."

Mayor Randy Roach says there is extensive wind damage and that it is practically impossible to get through the city. Storm surge is still a problem. Bord du Lac Drive is flooded over onto Lakeshore Drive. The Mayor urges people to not drive at all in the city at this time. Buses to temporary shelters will be picking people up at the Civic Center between 2 pm and 3 pm. Lake Charles residents should boil all water until further notice.

Also, power is not going to come back on for weeks, plus I found this quote, "We are going to err on the side of safety." They DO NOT have dates set for entrance into Calcasieu Parish. "It is not safe to come back yet."

So, c'mon CNN and FoxNews, and all those other big stations! Let's have some coverage and photos here. Lake Charles has evacuated and these people need updates too!

Callie and Radiation Therapy

2005-09-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we haven't started on Callie's radiation yet. Probably not until Oct. 4. But last night, I could see that the tumor has grown. Has me worried. It had grown before but I picked at it. I'm not going to do that now. I have a horrible feeling that the radiation won't work. And the problem is, it's in the nasal cavity, which makes it easier to spread.

The doctor I talked to last night, Dr. Kitchell (I believe she usually works at Michigan State University) had never seen this either. The main thing is for all 3 doctors to agree about how to do the radiation. Dr. Kitchell said she put a call in to Dr. LaRue to discuss how they'd do the radiation. But Dr. Kitchell was only at All Care for the day. Dr. Ravi S. Dhaliwal, DVM, MS (Callie's actual doctor) is a 1986 graduate of the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, India and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine - Specialty of Oncology. He completed his residency in clinical oncology and MS at the University of Illinois in 1998. Dr. Dhaliwal’s special interest is in clinical oncology and hematology. Since 1995, Dr. Dhaliwal has been the Staff Oncologist for VCA All-Care Animal Referral Center. Additionally, Dr. Dhaliwal is a Clinical Oncologist for South Bay Veterinary Specialists, in San Jose, CA.

Dr. LaRue, in CO, is the big radiation specialist (with whom Dr. Dhalival consulted)- I believe she's the Program Director at CO State University. I bet this is her web page:
http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/erhs/faculty/larue/larue.htm

http://cvm.msu.edu/news/InsideCVM/archive/V28/V28N9.htm, Found this about Dr. Kitchell. She's a high mucky-muck too, so I feel better about all this! "Dr. Barbara Kitchell, one of the nation's leading veterinary cancer experts, will join Michigan State University as director of the College of Veterinary Medicine's new Comparative Oncology Center. Kitchell's appointment, approved by the MSU Board of Trustees at its June 5 meeting, includes a tenured professorship in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. The appointment is effective July 1, 2003."

Callie may not survive this but at least she has a good team on her side!

Found this about Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy along with surgery and chemotherapy is one of the major treatment modalities for cancer in both human and veterinary patients. CSU began doing radiation therapy on pet animals in 1958 and in 1981 had the first linear accelerator dedicated to the treatment of veterinary patients installed in this room. The current machine was commissioned in 1994 and is a 6 MV Linear Accelerator with electron treatment capabilities. This allows us to treat very deep tumors as well as superficial tumors. Radiation therapy is used for the treatment of a wide variety of tumors including nasal tumors, soft tissue sarcomas of the body and extremity and mast cell tumors. This machine is also used for intraoperative radiation therapy where an animal’s tumor is exposed at surgery and then placed in front of the beam so the normal tissue can be limited from the radiation field. Radiation therapy is generally delivered in fractions each day over a 3-5 week period. Because our patients are animals we need to anesthetize them so they will not move during the treatment. Because we can not be in the room while the radiation is being administered we have two cameras in the room, one focused on the patient and one focused on the monitoring equipment. Radiation therapy is not painful and the procedure lasts only a few minutes. It is important that the patient be precisely set up each day. There are two lasers intersecting at a point in space that aids in the positioning of the patient.

I also found this webpage about a dog named Goldie. You have to read it. Great dog but many health problems! Awful. But the family swears by All Care.
http://www.mydogwonteat.com/goldie.html#pro-pup-train

Here's the cute part of the story: Goldie was an incredible animal. We received Goldie as a gift from good friends. Goldie's mother was a Great Dane and her father was a Doberman/Labrador mix. The litter was planned. Our friends wanted one litter out of the Dane because she was such a great dog so they bred her with another one of their beautiful dogs. She was taken from her litter at 3 1/2 weeks and weighing 9 pounds because there were nine fast growing puppies and the vet felt that the mother would have trouble feeding them all. Since one of us was home most of the day I was able to bring Goldie home. However, we made one important stop before going home and that was to our family vet. Another incredible source for care for Goldie had been and will be for all of our current and future pets is All-Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley, California. All-Care is open 24 hours a day and provides Mayo-Clinic type of care for your pets. When your family vet is unavailable or unable to provide certain care for your pets All-Care is the place where we go and suggest the same to our family and friends.

Goldie's 'puppydom' was pretty normal if you consider the chewing, jumping, running and the house training. The best chewing story and a strong reminder to leave your laundry secure was when she decided to eat a brand new suit my husband got in Italy - thank God for American Express. We had left the dry cleaning basket at the front door ready to be taken in the next day. Goldie took the opportunity that evening, after we went to bed, to take out the brand new suit and shred it. American Express sent us a long form that needed to be filled out and reviewed before they could consider a refund. We filled out the form and decided to add a photo of our 80 pound puppy - we sent the form along with the shreds and the picture to Amex. In two days we received a phone call with laughter in the background - it was American Express. Amex wanted us to know that they just received their package and that we would be receiving a credit on our next statement (they loved the picture).

Very cute story, huh? I have an active puppy too, so I can just imagine!

Nikki and Callie

2005-09-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I picked Nikki up today from the vet. The poor thing had to stay overnight as she was spayed yesterday. So now she wears a great big cone and careens around like a drunken sailor. I'll be dealing with my big cone-head for 10 days. Then the stitches come out.

When I went to pick her up, I commented that she'd probably be fairly quiet today but I was quickly corrected. "No, that was yesterday!" This gave me pause, I tell you. It seems that Nikki was back to her very excitable self already. It must be pretty bad when the entire veterinarian's office comments on her behavior. Seems that every time someone walked by her cage, she jumped up and down. Of course! That's my girl. And when they brought her out to me, she walked into a wall. I called her name, she ran over to me, and crashed her cone into my leg. Ouch! She was fine but I'm not so sure about my leg.

She was so happy to be home and played with her toys immediately. But soon she was very tired. I could tell she didn't feel quite as chipper as I thought she was. Poor thing.

The irony to all of this is, of course, the timing. I had been anticipating Nikki's first exposure to rain, specifically getting her to go outside to pee in the rain. Would she or wouldn't she? Well, it finally rained - T-storms no less - but where was Nikki? Overnight at the vet. Oh well. Next time.

Weight Update: she now weighs 41.7 lbs. Her growth has slowed down a bit, which can only be a good thing!

Callie seems to be doing fine so far. I was waiting for a call back from the oncologist as he was going to touch base with Dr. LaRue in CO re: her course of treatment. When I got home from Nikki's play date, I had a voice mail waiting for me from All Care. Seems Callie is a candidate for radiation, which is sure better than lopping off her nose! They needed my permission to email Callie's MRI to Dr. LaRue, so I called them back. No call back. I called them today and left another message.

When I went in to pick up Nikki at Garden Grove Dog & Cat Hospital, Dr. Malo (the doc that gave me Callie's diagnosis) came in to talk to me about Nikki. He had a sad look on his face, which I didn't understand until he asked me for an update on Callie (he knows how much she means to me). I told him that I couldn't get a call back from All Care so he said he'd fix that. He joked that they were scared of him. He got on the phone and instructed them to call me today, no matter what, before midnight. I got a call back at 7 PM! I didn't get to ask all of my questions as the oncologist is still out of town but I instructed them to email the MRI to Dr. LaRue. The doctor I talked to said that a problem could occur if there is one cell that metastasizes. They wouldn't know it until it showed up elsewhere in the body (sigh).

All Care will be in touch with me again when they get a radiation plan going. So in the meantime, Callie is happy to be home. The funny thing is that she runs and hides when she sees me pick up my purse. She thinks I'm taking her to the vet. Smart kid!

Callie's Health

2005-09-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, Dr. Malo called with the final results of Callie's biopsy. Melanoma. I was amazed. I didn't know cats could get melanoma. He said it wasn't a "hot" cancer but not one of the better ones either. Plus, since it's located in her nose, he didn't know what choices were available to us. He referred me to All Care. Been there, done that, with Mignon who eventually died of lymphoma. So I called All Care and made an appointment for Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Callie and I went for her appointment, but I bet it was harder on me than her. One, she has no idea that she has a malignancy and two, it was all too much déjà vu for me. I kept telling myself that it wasn't possible that I was back there again, this time with Callie. The staff was very kind to me during Mignon's year-long illness, but still .... And the waiting. Endless hours of waiting.

We saw the oncologist (naturally he did not remember me) and we talked about treatment. Melanoma is treated best via surgery but this was in her nose, so possibly radiation would be the way to go. Surgery is more effective, however. I could have saved costs by not running more tests, but I felt it was best to know if it had metastasized or not, so we'd know exactly with what we were dealing. He kept her that afternoon and did X-rays. He wanted to keep her overnight so they could do the MRI first thing in the morning, but I said I'd rather take her home. I knew she'd be far happier that way and less stressed. The doctor kept insisting that I had to be there at 5:30 a.m. and that I could not be late. OK, I said. And then I was to return at 1:30 p.m. to talk to him about the results.

Saturday - Woke up at 4:30 a.m. Ugh. Not even 5 hours of sleep. Got Callie to All Care a few minutes before 5:30 a.m. I still had to wait! I didn't get out of there until almost 6:15 a.m. Drove home, stopped for gas, tried to crash for awhile, then had to get up and get ready for Nikki's 9AM training class. Threw Nikki and myself into the car (no small feat) and rushed over to PetsMart. Got there late, which stressed me out. Nikki was highly excitable so it was an interesting class. I broke out in a sweat. Actually, I always do when I take her to her training class, something which surprises the trainer, I think.

I had scheduled an appointment for Nikki to be groomed for the first time. I was surprised to hear that it would take almost 2 hours. I had to leave her there and go home. I crashed again. Ate a quick lunch and dashed back to pick her up. Took a few pictures of her there and at home. Then I crated a very tired Nikki and raced back to All Care. And then I waited.

Callie's MRI Results - The oncologist brought me into a conference room. He began to explain how small the slices were that they had taken. I had seen my friend Robert's MRI of his head (and believe me, the human head, especially the eyes, looks so weird) so I wasn't too taken aback by Callie's MRI. In fact, Callie's MRI was much easier to look at than Robert's had been. The doctor pointed out Callie's brain and began to explain the various views we were looking at. My stomach was in knots. He hadn't started off with the conclusion, so I was imagining the worst.

Luckily, the cancer has not metastasized. However, the tumor is located in a bad area - her nose. The oncologist, with all of his years experience, has NEVER seen melanoma in a cat's nose before. Oh, great. Callie is a test case. Not what we needed. Normally, you lop off the tumor and you're done. But this is her nose. If we do surgery, the doctor informed me, she'll be badly disfigured. She will lose her nose, her beautiful, charming little nose. Her adorable nose with the white stripe dividing it will end up looking like a pig's snout. Because of this, the oncologist wants to email another doctor to get a second opinion about the course of treatment - surgery or radiation. He is hoping that she has had experience with this type of cancer in this location before. This will probably take up to two weeks to get a response, but since the cancer is a low-grade melanoma, it will be OK.

I'm seriously considering getting a third opinion somewhere. I want to save Callie's life AND preserve her face, if at all possible. If any of you feel comfortable contacting your vet, maybe you get feedback for me about Callie's condition. If your vet knows of a cutting-edge oncologist in my local SoCal area, please let me know ASAP. I have only about 2 weeks to try to figure out what I'm going to do for my little girl. Thanks!

After the consultation, it was back to the discharge room to wait for them to release Callie. I waited so long that I almost finished the novel that I had started yesterday in the waiting room! (I did finish it later that night.) They couldn't find the cat carrier so this delayed things quite a bit. Finally, Callie and I were out of there and we dashed home. I was happy to see that they didn't have to shave her tummy after all. Then, I immediately dashed back out as I had a 4:45 p.m. appointment - happily, for a much needed massage.

A busy day. I bet this is how a soccer mom feels when you have several kids you have to ferry about!

Save the Pets Hurt by Katrina

2005-09-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Please donate to the Humane Society to help save the pets hurt by Hurricane Katrina. These animals desperately need your help. Many pets have been left behind in basements, attics and garages by their fleeing owners. The clock is ticking as these pets need food and water immediately! They need to be rescued before they die from starvation and dehydration. Please do what you can to help these animals in need now.

Yes, it's tax deductible! And please, tell your friends! Thank you!

Go to the Links Section on your right in the side bar
or go to http://www.hsus.org/ to donate.

Callie Has Her Biopsy

2005-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Callie Cat had her biopsy today (Friday) and she came through like a trouper. It is a growth and the vet snipped a bit off. She's on RX for awhile and I'll find out the results in 3-5 days. It could be a tumor or fungus. Let's hope it's a fungus!

Everyone at the vet's tells me how docile Callie is. Dr. Malo said that she was a really neat cat. And she is! Very special. Amazing that someone abandoned her many years ago.

Friday night, Callie slept on my dad's desk chair and then hid behind the couch after I gave her some RX. She didn't come into the bedroom and sleep with me as she normally does. She was still behind the couch Saturday morning. I got her and brought her into the bathroom where she began to relax. She used her litter box but still didn't eat or drink. I petted her and she began to purr loudly. Gave her the RX. She briefly stopped purring. She soon relaxed again and began to purr. When I opened the door, she gladly left the bathroom and headed for my bedroom. She hid under the bed but I could tell that she was beginning to feel a bit better. Her right nostril (where they did the biopsy) is probably clogged up with dried blood so it may be hampering her breathing a bit. Nothing serious but perhaps uncomfortable.

Callie surfaced twice later in the day, which was a good sign. The second time she popped up, I noticed she was trying to lick her nose; it must have started bleeding. I tried to clean the area a bit—hope that helped her. She hid back under the bed again. As bedtime approached, I was getting worried as I was supposed to give her more meds, but she was under the bed and wouldn't come out. She still hadn't eaten anything or had any water all day. To my surprise, Callie finally surfaced for a third time, so I was able to take her into the bathroom and give her some quiet time away from the other cats. After I petted her, she actually ate some food, which made me very happy. And of course, she was given her meds, which didn't make her very happy. Oh well.

On a sad note, my sister's cocker spaniel, Magic, had to have surgery on his ears and his eye Friday. He's now stone deaf and has only one eye. Poor little thing. Let's hope he recovers fast.

Nikki is 5 Months Old!

2005-08-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. My little Nikki turned 5 months old today! We celebrated this momentous event by taking lots of pictures and videos of her, which hopefully I'll be able to upload tonight to my website. Even got a clip of her running in the back yard, which is something she loves to do, especially after I water the grass.

This is supposed to be the beginning of the "difficult" times, the teen years. The problem is, she was never a hugely obedient puppy so I can just imagine what I'm in for!

Yesterday, I took Nikki for a ride in the car so I could get some errands done. I thought she'd enjoy it. Nope, doesn't appear that she did. I had to get out of the car briefly (3 minutes or so) and that set her off. When I came back, she had twisted herself all up in the harness and seat belt! Her leg was caught in it! It was very hard to untangle her. After that errand was done, we drove to a couple of other destinations. She ended up throwing up, eating a "hot meal" as my aunt calls it, and then snarled herself back up in her harness and seat belt! All in all, not a red-letter day!

Callie Update

2005-08-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just heard from Dr. Malo, Callie's vet. Her bloodwork and x-rays look great so we're on to the next step, the biopsy. I need to bring her in Tuesday AM before 9AM, so no food after midnight. And then we'll go from there.

Callie seemingly is fine. She's her usual adorable self, so that's good. She was jumpy when I first brought her home - I think she kept thinking I was going to take her back to the vet. I'm so glad that I brought her home and didn't leave her there. They didn't get the test results until today. Can you imagine her sitting in a cage at the vet for several days? Too traumatic! Pets - especially cats - should stay at home as much as possible.

DOG COUGH GOING AROUND

2005-08-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

HEALTH ALERT: Nikki's trainer told us that there is a dog cough going around, especially at dog parks, training kennels and kennels in general. I don't know if this is limited to Orange County or if it's also true for Los Angeles County, but it might be smart to keep your dog away from these places for now.

Nikki's 2nd Training Class

2005-08-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

The photo to the left was taken last Monday. I'm sure she's even bigger now. She's 19 weeks old.

Nikki had her 2nd puppy training class at PetsMart on Saturday. There were only two puppies this time; Nikki and the other Golden, Dakota. Nikki and Dakota were delighted to see each other and wanted to play right away. But first, we had class. Nikki was SO excitable, that it was hard to get her to calm down. What finally worked, might you ask? Hey, if you saw the video of her in her last training class, you already know the answer! Give her a treat and she'll do almost anything. So we worked on Sit, Down, Stay, walking on a leash around the store. Very interesting! It's a lot for me to remember ... palm up when luring her to Sit, palm down when luring her to Down .... We have lots of homework!

The puppies got to play. We kept the leashes on this time, but pretty soon couldn't hold on to them. Nikki was having a wonderful time and played like an old pro! She would leap over the much smaller puppy and pretty much had the upper hand. Suddenly, for a short period of time, it reversed, and Dakota chased her around like he did last week. But that didn't last long. I brought the camera again but didn't use it.

I found out that this PetsMart in HB on Edinger is the only one that has an enclosed area for training. So we're lucky that way!

After class, while I was trying to juggle her, the equipment I haul to class and the treats that I was buying, people were coming up to her, making a fuss over her and petting her. She loved it, of course! A couple came up to me and cooed over her, telling me that they had an 11 month old Golden - or was it 13? Anyway, they asked me, "Aren't they just the best dogs?" And I of course said, "Yes." They turned to each other and said, "Isn't she cute? Do you remember when our dog was this small?"

I wanted to laugh - or was that cry? Nikki is a pretty big dog already. It was interesting to hear her referred to as small! I guess it's all relative. :-)

Callie Cat Goes to the Vet

2005-08-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I've been worried about Callie's health for several months. She's now 11 years old (that's a guess as she was abandoned by her former owners 10 years ago) and is a senior cat - but don't tell her that! She's perky and playful and gets along with Max again, although Joey Bear tries to be macho with her, the little brat.

I took her in to the vet today and I was happy to hear that she had gained weight - about 8 oz. She's back up to 10 lbs. (I can't remember what her original weight was - I used to call her my little chubette. Very cute.) Callie does have something up her right nostril which the vet tried to remove. Even though she didn't put up any fuss at all, he couldn't get at it. It could be a foreign object (like a piece of cat litter), a fungus or a tumor. So I had a big decision to make. Work it up (expensive) or play a wait-and-see-what-happens game. I decided to do the work-up. Callie had blood tests and a chest x-ray today; I should get the results over the weekend. The x-ray was to make sure that if it was a tumor that it hasn't already spread to her lungs. The vet offered to keep her overnight at no charge but I said, no, I'll pick her up. Callie is sitting on my desk as I write this - very happy, I'm sure, that I brought her home! When I picked her up, one of the techs said that Callie was so docile that she could do her x-ray without any help from anyone else, I guess which is not the case in over 90% of kitties!

If the tests come out clear, we'll go ahead and do a biopsy. If it is a tumor, that is NOT a good place to have it, and options depend on what type of cancer it is. If it's a foreign object, no problem! If it's a fungus, there are pills. So think good thoughts for Callie!

I posted a new video of Callie on my website. Long download but she is just adorable in it.
http://southcoastdesigner.com/web-content/videos/callie_825.mov

Nikki ... Flowers

2005-08-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Nikki is now 19 weeks old. She's seems to be quite big for her age - and she was the runt of the litter! My three cats have not warmed up to this bouncing, joyous pup so, for the time being, ours is a segregated household. She had her first training class last week, so now I just have to keep up with the homework! Soon I hope to introduce her to the ocean. That should be very amusing!

Love this photo. I had discovered other features of my digital camera so had lots of fun taking tons of pictures the other day.

Yes, I enhanced the picture in Photoshop. Besides removing the blue color cast and lightening up the shadows, I also tried some other "tricks" to enhance the flower's beauty.