Pippa's Place

Well, since my last post, there still hasn't been any work done at my house. The backhoe man was supposed to have come at the end of the week ending March 18 and then he was supposed to come at the end of this week (March 25), and now he is supposed to come on Tuesday, March 29. I'll believe it when I see it. I think the most frustrating part of construction is waiting to get started. The backhoe man didn't put any jobs in front of mine, but he was apparently backed up on jobs he already had scheduled because of all the rain we have had recently. Of course, it's supposed to rain next week as well and so I am not very hopeful that he will start then. I'm just really ready to get the show on the road because I've been out of my house for two weeks and nothing has been done and that is super frustrating. 

I know I wrote a little bit about finding Pippa a place to stay in my last post, but apparently I wanted to write even more about it in this one. Finding a home for Pippa has been a nightmare. She was originally staying with my brother's "friend", but then the "friend" had to go out of town because of a family situation and Pippa was left to her own devices. Long story short, when I went to check on The Pip while the "friend" was out of town, there was a note on the door from animal services and other things I wasn't too happy about. 

I arranged for Pippa to go out to New Hope to meet the dogs of some friends of my parents. They had said that if Pippa got along with their dogs they would keep her for me. Well, Pippa did fine, but two of the four dogs that belong to my parents' friends did not like Pippa. We all felt like if the dogs were left alone they would try to attack Pippa and no one wanted that. Then I tried her at my cousins house (the house where I am staying), but my cousins' dog Rosie and Pippa didn't get along too well. 

So, Pippa ended up staying at our empty house a couple of days by herself and was let out in the mornings, evenings and afternoons by whoever could make it by (primarily my cousin Randy who lives across the street). I did some searching on the internet and found a web site with insured, background checked, trained dog sitters and emailed a few of them. I corresponded back and forth with one lady and made arrangements for Pippa to go to her house on Sunday afternoon to meet her dogs and her and to look at the place. We arrived and Pippa got along great with all of the dogs. The lady worked with me on a price that I could afford. It's about half of my monthly house payment which is a lot less than the original price I was quoted. I was hoping to save that money while the house is being renovated, but paying for peace of mind is worth it in the long run. I think. 

The first night Pippa did great. The lady emails me in the mornings with an update on how Pippa is doing and sends a picture almost every day as well. The lady and her husband let Pip sleep with them and so, I'm sure she felt right at home. The second day, however, Pippa didn't do as well. She had some behavior problems and tried to bite the lady and another man who came with his dog. The lady is working with Pippa on her behavior problems and I'm hoping Pip will improve and not get kicked out. I'm also hoping the lady will teach me her methods because goodness knows I need to learn a few tricks myself. 

Overall, I think this is the best situation I could have found for Pippa. She has a great yard to roam around in and gets to stay inside like she is accustomed to. I'm sure she's staying clean and getting lots of love and the people who are caring for her are just super nice. I'm just pleased as punch about founding Ashley and her husband Shawn and I am hopeful Pippa will have a great experience there and also not forget about her mamma!

Photos From My Phone - July 2015 Edition

It's been a while since I've done a "Photos From My Phone" post; probably because most photos from my phone are added in to whatever I'm writing about. I did, however, find a few that I don't think have previously been posted and thought I would share them here today. 

Pippa is not spoiled.  

These chairs belonged to my cousin's grandmother and I bought them from her. They are super cute and comfortable. One day I may have them recovered but for now I'm sticking with the old fashioned floral. 

My cousin Tyler and I in a very blurry picture at his engagement party. I was feeling less than stellar and I'll blame my terrible looks on that. 

Finally found a Coke with my name on it. Still searching for the elusive Diet Coke with Natasha but for now, this Coke will do just fine! It was discovered in the cafeteria at work, in case you were wondering.

My favorite Toms and my white legs on a boat. 

Sometimes I color a picture with the pre-schoolers at church. 

The parking lot at work on Thursday, July 2 when I arrived. It was slim pickings that day. 

Pippa has a hard life.  

Did I mention she's not spoiled?

Pippa and the Fence

I made a decision on the fence. You may recall my plight that I recently wrote about which was that Pippa was escaping under the fence in my backyard. I got a couple of quotes for privacy fences and a quote for Dog Watch, the underground dog fence. While the privacy fence would have been very nice and I think I would have really enjoy it, the price was high and I didn't want to get a loan for a fence. So, I went with Dog Watch which was still expensive but a lot less expensive than the privacy fence.

I had scheduled the fence installation for Wednesday, May 6 at noon and my dad was kind enough to go over to my house and wait for them until I could get there about 2:30 p.m. As I was leaving work around 2:00 p.m., I noticed a text from my dad that said the fence people still had not shown up. So, I called them and long story short, after confirming the Wednesday appointment, the guy put it in his calendar as Thursday which was extremely frustrating and annoying. Alas, we are all human and make mistakes. He apologized profusely and offered to knock the price down a little (which ended up being a whole $49 - a disappointing discount to say the least). 

Finally, they were able to come out on Thursday, May 7, and install the line and then on Monday, May 11 they came over and installed the transmitter inside the house thanks to my great cousin-in-law who was able to come over and let them in and hang out until they were finished with the installation. That afternoon the guy came to start working with/training Pippa. The training was all of about 20 minutes which was a little odd. I guess I expected it to take longer. During this "training" session, Pip ran into the line, got shocked, and jumped about five feet off the ground. Seriously, I've never seen a dog jump so high in my life. Unfortunately when she jumped, she jumped back into the line and got shocked more. This was rather traumatizing to say the least - for both me and her. 

We then moved to the front yard where she got shocked a couple of times. After each shock, the plan is to get her to the middle of the yard and reassure her. At this point, after being shocked a few times, the poor dog was stiff as a board and wouldn't move. I finally got her to go back inside and I finished up the paperwork with the fence guy and when I went back in she was no where to be found. I finally found her curled up in a ball on the guest bed. 

The next couple of days we walked inside of the white flags which are there for training until she gets used to hearing the beep that goes off before the shock zone. If the flags were on my right, she stayed on my left and vice versa. She didn't want to have anything to do with the flags. It basically got to the point where she didn't want to go outside at all and when I got the shock collar out to put on her, she would run away from me. Bless her! 

Thursday afternoon, the guy came back to evaluate her progress and we worked with her in the front yard some and she ran into the fence and then ran back to the porch and hid behind a chair. So, the fence is doing it's job. After the trainer guy left, I let her out back without the leash and she stayed as close to the house as possible but then started venturing out into the yard some. I think she will get livelier the more she gets used to having the fence there. Her behavior is completely normal according to the fence people and he said it would take a couple of weeks or so before she's back to her old back yard ways. In the next few days, I'll start taking flags up a few at a time and I'll be anxious to see how things go once all the flags are gone. Surely she will get to a point where when she hears the beep she'll turn around, that is the point after all. 

Needless to say, it's been quite a shocking adventure, but at least she won't be sneaking out under the fence any time soon. 

Panoply, Pippa, and Privacy Fences

Well, here I am, writing a long overdue post which I'm sure you've all been anticipating. I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for not writing on the blog. I'll blame it on a series of things which are...

1. I haven't felt like writing anything

2. I hate logging on to a computer in the evenings

3. Life hasn't been too interesting

4. I don't think anyone but Erika reads this blog and I can just call or go out to dinner with her

I'm sure there are other reasons too, but I'm sticking with these four for now. I'd like to promise I'll do better because I feel guilty when I don't write anything; but let's be honest it's probably not going to get any better until I get out of this funk. Moving on....

Last weekend wasn't too adventurous. I did manage to venture out to Panoply with my friends Lauren and Margaret Anne. We went to listen to the Indigo Girls. They sounded great and the weather was nice and it was an all around lovely evening until the lesbians in front of us started making out towards the end of the show. It was at this point that we packed up our belongings and decided to head out. As we started leaving, the fireworks began so we stood by the pond and watched the fireworks and then went home. Other than my outing to Panoply, I really didn't do too much. 

Pippa has discovered that the fence is no match for her prowess. When I first got her, she found some holes in the fence between my yard and my neighbor Tina's yard and she would scoot under the fence and run over to Tina's (usually when Tina was outside). Tina sealed up some holes by stacking up bricks and I sealed off others by sticking bamboo in the ground where the holes were so Pip couldn't run through. So, for over a year, she hasn't bothered with trying to escape. 

Well, apparently she must have gotten bored or mad while I was gone on vacation because she discovered a hole in the back of the fence and also a way to open up the back gate. So, I got a lock for the gate so that she can't maneuver it open and my neighbor Mary Beth put some chicken wire and cinder blocks around the hold in the back. That worked for about five minutes until Pippa discovered she could just push the fence and crawl under it. So, I drove some stakes in the ground where there were other holes and loose spots.

Then she discovered more holes in the fence between my house and Tina's and is again escaping through those. I drove stakes in the ground along that side of the fence too and she got out again! So, basically she's either confined to the leash while in the back yard or I sit in the backyard with her and yell out every time she gets close to a weak spot which is basically every 30 seconds. 

All of this to say that I now have two companies coming out to provide estimates for a privacy fence. This is about the last thing I want to spend money on at the moment and I certainly don't have the funds to pay for it at the moment. Both companies have financing options so when the sales guys come out I will be discussing the financing options with them and then will probably cry after they leave because of the enormous expense of a privacy fence and there go my hopes of getting a new couch any time soon. Seriously, what 38 year old has a couch with giant holes in it? Me, that's who! My large chair is heading that way too. So, I'll have to gather my senses and remember that a privacy fence will add value to my home, it will look nice and it will allow me a moment of peace while Pippa runs around in the back yard and I enjoy silence. 

I'll keep you posted on how it all turns out. 

Dogsitting Dilemmas - Solved!

I'm heading out of town soon as it is once again time for my annual vacation with my dad. This year we are heading to Washington, D.C., our nation's capital. I haven't been to DC in ages. We went when I was either 10 or 12 which was 1987 or 1989. I honestly can't remember when it was; but, I do remember that I enjoyed it despite the fact I have yet to find a picture of myself smiling on the trip. I'm beginning to think I was a grumpy kid. Anyway, DC has a lot of offer in the forms of museums and monuments and even more so than they did in the 1980s and so I'm looking forward to the trip and I think I will appreciate it a lot more at the age of 38 than I did as a grumpy pre-teen. 

The upcoming trip presented me with a dilemma in regards to Pippa. I didn't want to leave her at the vet's office again this year because as you may recall, that didn't work out so well last year. When I picked her up last year, she had no voice because she had barked the whole time I was gone. I paid extra for her to receive special attention and she was so frazzled when I picked her up, I'm inclined to think she received no special treatment. The Pip is a kind of dog that likes to be around people and also be free and I hate the thought of her being couped up in a crate all day, especially now that she has freedom from the crate at home. So, I have been on a mission to find a solution to the age old question, "What should I do about Pippa?" 

I had a friend who used to stay at my house with The Tide when I went out of town, but she has since gotten married and I doubt she would want to leave her husband and her own dogs to come stay with Pippa; so, I marked her off the list. One of the nurses at my chiropractor's office has kept Pippa for me before, but her dog, Hooch, is very old and probably in the last stages of life and so I marked her off the list too. Since my dad is going with me, I marked him off the list and the girl who stayed at my house and watched Pippa when I went to the Biltmore a few weeks ago couldn't do it so she was marked of the list too. I was basically starting from scratch. 

One of the ladies at my chiropractor's office recommended a friend of hers who does dogsitting in her home. So, I contacted that lady and set up an interview for this past Saturday. I took Pippa to her house to meet her and her dog, Scooter. My first impression was of the backyard and it wasn't that great. Scooter was a poodle but was very dirty and the backyard seemed a little unkempt as well so I was skeptical. She then asked if I wanted to go inside and so I did. The house smelled like animal and was filthy. I have a nose that can smell things a mile away and I thought I might gag while I was there. Thankfully I kept it together. There was pet hair all over the floors and clutter everywhere and dust an inch thick. As someone who dusts every week and vacuums and mops multiple times a week, I was horrified. She invited me to sit down and I politely did, much to my chagrin. Pippa sniffed around and I don't know if her allergies were acting crazy of what, but by the time we left, she had slobber all over her muzzle which usually only happens after she has been running round outside acting a fool. 

Needless to say, I was torn because I certainly didn't want to leave her in a dirty smelly house (even if the people were going to take good care of her) but I was running out of options. Fast forward to Sunday night when I went out to dinner with the Denney's. Mrs. D. and I have birthdays one week apart and her sweet husband had agreed to take us out for dinner to celebrate; but, with the bad weather and conflicting schedules, we haven't been able to set a date until this past Sunday night. We talked about all sorts of things and somewhere along the way, she mentioned that their granddaughter K dog sits for people in their homes. She is in college at UAH and pet sits for extra money. She will stay at your house and will even let the dogs sleep with her. Y'all, it was like a sign from God. I got so excited I almost leaped out of the booth. I got Kelly's number and called her not long after I got home. Thankfully she is available the dates I'm going to be gone and she is going to stay at the house with Pippa and Pippa will be able to stay at home and will have someone to cuddle up to at night. 

Mrs. D. and K are coming by Tuesday night to meet Pippa and ask any questions about routines, etc. 

I'm so happy that this has worked out so well. I hate leaving my house empty for long periods of time and so I'm glad K will be able to stay there and Pippa will be able to stay home too. It could not have worked out any better. 

She's Growing Up

It's been a while since I've written a post about Pippa and I figured this is as good a time as any as we've had some pretty big developments recently.

Over the weekend we went for a walk down to the local pet store in Five Points. The weather was so nice and I thought we could both use some exercise and some practice since we are doing the Bow Wow Fun Run at the Botanical Garden in about a week. We walked to the store and she got her nails trimmed and I got her a walking harness which made walking with her so much easier!

When we got home and I took the walking harness off, I noticed she had a rope burn where she had gotten chaffed from the harness. The good thing about the harness is I can certainly return it; but, when I tried it on her again, I believe it was on too tight. She was acting like a deranged animal when the lady was trying to fit her so it's not wonder the harness ended up too tight. I think we will try it out a few more times now that it's been loosened and see how it does.

Most of you probably know that Pippa has been crate trained. I got her a crate before she came to live with me and it expanded as she grew and she has always stayed in the crate when I've gone out. As she's gotten older, I have felt so sad for her being in the crate. She's such a big dog and loves to roam around and look out the window and it makes me sad to put her in her "cage" as some people call it. However, for months now, she's so used to our morning routine that when she comes in from going outside she immediately goes inside the crate and waits for her treat.

Lately, there have been a few times where Pip has escaped the crate. I've come home and much to my surprise, she's waiting for me by the front door, sitting in the chair by the window, and surprisingly nothing in the house has been demolished or eaten. How does she escape you may be wondering? Well, she gets so mad about being in the crate that she pushes against the door of the crate so hard that the locks come undone and then FREEDOM! This usually happens when she's been put in the crate for the second or third time in one day.

So, over the weekend, I decided I would experiment and I left her out when I went to church Sunday morning and again when I went to Huddles on Sunday night. Both times, she didn't bother anything. The house was just as I left it and she was waiting by the door and window when I came home. So, I left a note for Naaman (who lets her out during the day) that he could leave her out after he let her outside. Both Monday and Tuesday mornings she came in and went straight to the crate and I locked her inside and then when Naaman came to let her out, he left her in the house with free roam and she has done great so far. I'm so proud of her and maybe soon she will be able to stay out all day long. Now, if she would just learn to not act a fool when I have company, all would be well.

It Wiped Us Out

Y'all, this past weekend was exhausting and really I don't know why because I feel like I accomplished absolutely nothing. I didn't even get the sheets changed on my bed which is usually the first thing I do on Saturdays. I'm usually a very good planner, but had a lot of oddly times activities going on Saturday and so mostly I just felt like I was running around like a crazy person all day. 

I got up around 6:00 a.m. and started some laundry, ate some breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and spent the next few hours doing something. I know I watched some TV, but I feel like I also did some straightening or putting things away but for the life of me couldn't even tell you what that was. I had an appointment for an oil change at the Goodyear downtown at 10:00 a.m. and so about 10 minutes til, I headed out the door.

The oil change took about an hour and I used that time to clip and sort coupons and plan out my shopping trip to Publix. After the oil change, I had about 45 minutes - an hour to kill before I had to pick up my produce basket for the week. I didn't want to go to the grocery store until after I got my basket so I could see what was inside and determine what I might or might not need to add to the grocery store list. 

So, I went by the new Wal-Mart to pick up a sweatshirt and some fabric paint because some friends and I were planning to decorate sweatshirts on Sunday night for next week's Galaxy of Lights Fun Run. Have I lost you yet? While on the way to Wal-Mart, I decided to get a car wash, but as I arrived at the wash, I remembered it was supposed to rain on Sunday and so I decided against a clean car and drove on to Wal-Mart instead. 

I picked up the things I needed and some things I didn't and then made my way to pick up my produce basket. This week's basket was kind of disappointing I thought. Two whole things of celery (which I will be lucky to eat before it goes bad), cranberries, garlic, sweet potatoes (only three, but they were huge), one pound of green beans, one pound of brussels sprouts, a few oranges, a few apples, mushrooms, a pineapple, and a few bananas. I'll probably eat the majority of the items, but for some reason, I was a wee bit disappointed. 

After I got my basket, I headed to Publix and spent about an hour there spending way more money than I ever intended. I left with two shopping carts of groceries by the time they got it bagged up. I blame this on the fact that I needed stuff for Thanksgiving and also because Publix had the best sale ad ever this week and it was hard to pass up some things which I know will be used and will carry me through the Christmas season. With all the in-ad savings and my coupons, I saved $110 and really, despite the fact I came out of the store with two carts and spent more money than I intended, the price was surprisingly reasonable. 

By the time I got home, unloaded the groceries and put away the cold stuff, it was nearly 2:00 p.m. and time for me to shower and change into some decent looking clothes because Pippa and I had plans to have our Christmas card picture made at Green Mountain. We left the house around 3:15 p.m. to meet my friend Kristen at 3:45 p.m. for our photos. She had a shoot before us which was running a little late so we walked around until about 4:00 p.m. when she wrapped up with the other family. The park closed at 4:30 p;.m. so we didn't have a lot of time; but, in those 30 minutes, Kristen managed to take over 400 photos of me and my insane dog who was being anything but cooperative. There were so many people and so many other dogs roaming around that Pippa wouldn't sit or look at Kristen when her name was called or really do anything at all that we wanted. When the park closed, we finally gave up and hoped there might be one good photo in the hundreds that were taken. 

Of course, as soon as we got into the car to go home, Pippa laid down in the back seat and went to sleep. Heaven forbid she be that calm for picture taking! Since she had rolled around in the leaves all afternoon and had been playing outside quite a bit lately, I decided to stop by the dog wash on the way home, but the wash was booked until closing time. So, The Pip just got her nails trimmed and we scheduled the bath for the next day. 

When we got home, it was close to 5:30 p.m. and we were both worn out! I changed clothes, laid down on the couch and more or less fell asleep immediately. Pippa laid beside me and also fell asleep. I think I got up around 8:30 p.m. and changed out some laundry and then crawled in the bed and slept the rest of the night. Like I said, I didn't really accomplish much, but for some reason, I was worn out and Pippa was too and it made for a very quiet evening in Five Points.

One Year Later

Believe it or not, this past Saturday, August 16 was mine and Pippa's one year dogiversary. Y'all, I've got to be honest, I really wasn't sure we would make it this long. When I got The Pip, it had been over a decade since I had dealt with a puppy. So, I think it goes without saying that we had some rather trying moments the past year and sometimes still do. Overall though, The Pip has been a real joy. She has definitely not taken the place of The Tide,  but my heart did make some room for loving another dog which I wasn't sure would be possible. So, a happy dogiversary to The Pip! Here's to hoping we have a few more!

The Pip's First Birthday

As mentioned in my last post, The Pip's birthday was this past Saturday. She is now a one year old dog, or seven depending on how you look at things (human years vs. dog years and all that). We didn't do anything to celebrate. I think I mentioned I tried to put a birthday shirt on her and take her photo but it didn't work out to well. For one, the shirt was way too big and for two she wouldn't sit still. The shirt says, "It's my birthday and I'll bark if I want to." Maybe next year it will work out. In honor of Pippa's first birthday, here are some photos of her from the first year of her life. You may have seen most of these before, but I'm sharing them again because, why not?

This photo was sent to me by the owner of Pippa's dog mom. She was about three weeks weeks old here. Clearly she looks terrified because the person holding her is wearing a Barner shirt. 

These next couple of photos are from when Pippa was five weeks old. Jackie and the kids and I went out to Hazel Green to look at the litter of pups and decided that Pippa would be the one I would eventually take home. We liked her Brindle coloring and she seemed relatively calm. Clearly she was putting on a show for everyone. 

The next two photos are from August 16, the day she came to live with me. She weighed 10 pounds and was still rather little. Those first few months were interesting/trying. 

She started to grow and the hound in her began to come out.

Pippa became a good snuggler/pillow. 

She learned that hanging out with children at Fall Festival can be exhausting. 

She graduated from puppy training, although I dare say she should probably go back for more. 

She learned that all the good stuff comes from the stove. 

Here she is on the day of her first birthday. 

She's turned out to be a pretty good dog. Happy first birthday The Pip!

Mowing and a Trip to the Movies and a Birthday

Other than our dreadful softball loss, the rest of the weekend went rather well I think. Friday afternoon after work I went home, changed clothes and immediately began the yard work. I knew if I sat down for even one minute I might not get up again; and so I just got after it so I wouldn't be tempted to lie on the couch all afternoon. 

The lawnmower was a wee bit finicky which was not surprising in the least. I have bad luck with lawnmowers it seems and so I just kind of expect to have problems each time I'm ready to mow. This time around, the problem was that after the lawnmower started it would shut off after running for all of five seconds. You may (or may not recall) that I had this same problem last year and my cousin Chris was able to get the mower working again. Then a month or so later I had the same problem and I had someone else look at it and that time it appeared to be bad gas (no pun intended) that was causing the mower not to run after more than five seconds. This time... I have no idea. 

I got busy picking up dog poo and other things while I left my mowing frustrations subside and then got the strange idea to run with the mower after it got started so I could get five seconds of mowing in instead of no seconds. After running with the mower three or four times (and still having it stop after about five seconds) it miraculously worked better on the fifth go and as long as I ran with the mower it would keep running. I'm sure it was an interesting sight. Finally, thank goodness, after it got warmed up, it worked without my having to run behind it and I was able to mow like a normal person. I was done with all the yard work by 7:00 and even finished my little project I mentioned last week. I need to take a photo of it so I can let you all see how it turned out. 

Saturday morning I got up early and did a little cleaning and laundry and then went to the 9:45 a.m. showing of Captain America. This movie has been out for weeks, but I haven't had an opportunity to go see it until last Saturday. For a while I thought I was going to be the only one in the theater, but then a pre-teen boy and his mom came in and sat a couple of rows behind me and then a pre-teen boy and his dad came in and sat a couple of rows behind me as well, and then a pre-teen boy and his grandma came in and literally sat right in front of me. I was just as thrilled as you can imagine. Apparently Captain America is the movie for pre-teen boys. Thankfully the grandma group didn't sit in the seat directly in front of me, but the two to the left of the one in front of me and so I was still able to prop my feet up from time to time. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was very, very good. However I got a little perturbed at grandma on more than one occasion because not only was she was a talker, but she was a LOUD talker. I shushed her on more than one occasion. 

After the movie, I went to Publix for my weekly shopping trip and then back home to watch some TV and do some more of those chores that don't ever seem to go away. Saturday evening, I went over to my parents' house to celebrate my brother's birthday. He turned 34 on Saturday. My dad cooked a dinner of Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp and fish and also made some sweet potato pies which my brother wanted instead of cake. (I know, he's weird.) The Pip came to the party too and learned a new trick of how to lie down. I've been practicing with her ever since and she is doing pretty good. 

When the party was drawing to an end, I took my grandmother home and then took myself home. I needed to put sheets on the bed and finish up some things around the house before calling it a night. It was another good weekend; but, as always, just not long enough. 

Easter's Here and a Strained Voice

It's been a busy week and I'm more than ready for the weekend. How about the rest of you? It's Easter weekend and I'm sure a lot of you have big plans. I think there are quite a few people at work who are taking Friday off or leaving early. I don't have any big plans myself so it will probably just be a regular day. 

My dad asked me last weekend if I wanted to do a big lunch. My answer was no. Hopefully he was okay with my answer. To be honest, this weekend is the first in a sweet forever that I have had absolutely nothing planned and I just wanted to keep it that way. I have a lot of things I need to get done around the house and a lot of TV to catch up on and I just don't want to be obligated to anyone or anything. In other words, I plan on thoroughly enjoying some me time. 

We've had a cold streak of weather here and I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever be able to put away my coat for the winter. Hopefully the cold winter will make for a cooler summer and we won't have to suffer too many 100 degree days. 

I have been meaning to write about The Pip and her voice. I briefly mentioned that when I picked her up from the vet she was very hoarse and could hardly bark at all. Since then, I have taken her back to the vet and she has been on steroids and an antibiotic for a couple of weeks now. Her voice still isn't fully restored and I'm beginning to think it never will be. I'm inclined to thin she must bark a lot when I first leave in the morning and therefore it strains her voice more. Apparently she barked from the moment I left her at the kennel until I picked her up, thus the hoarseness, Hopefully she will be much better soon. 

I hope you all have a very happy Easter and that the Easter Bunny brings you lots of delicious treats! Have a great weekend, y'all!

On Sunday She Escaped

Well, hello, there! I hope you all had a very lovely weekend. I'm sure many of you had weekend plans that included something Valentines-y. I, on the other hand did not. I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day and I'm not about to start now. I did, however, spend my Valentine's afternoon/early evening in a place I love - Publix. 

I made two grocery stops on Friday afternoon. The first was to Aldi to pick up what few items I could find there. Aldi is significantly cheaper than any other store in town and they do occasionally have things I need so I made it my first stop. After Aldi, I stopped by Publix where I had reserved a movie from RedBox and then just decided to go ahead and get the few things left on my list. As you might expect, the card and flower and candy aisles were packed with men doing their last minute Valentine's shopping. This is another thing I hate about Valentine's Day -all the menfolk seem to shop at the last minute. I feel like if you have to wait until the 11th hour to get me something, just don't bother. Seriously, I'm not keen on a last minute gift. Not only was the place packed with these last minute shoppers (causing me to have to park at the end of the lot in the rain), the shelves were also completely bare in various areas of the store. I guess this was because of the recent snow? That's the only conclusion I could come to. 

I finally made it home after dodging numerous cars on the way. I'm certain if someone could have pulled out in front of me, they did. I was cut off more than once and by the time I arrived home I was a little frazzled and thankful to be alive. Between the full moon, Valentine's Day and the rain, it was a triple threat on the roadways and I had no desire to leave the house again. I spent the rest of the evening watching TV/a movie and hanging out with The Pip

On Saturday morning I had a haircut appointment, after which I headed in to work for a few hours. Everyone came in for a little while to get caught up from our snow days last week. I stayed for about four hours which wasn't too bad. After leaving work I stopped by The Fresh Market because they had crab cakes on sale and I do love crab cakes. I picked up 3 for $6.99 to have for lunch on Sunday. Next on the agenda was returning the RedBox movie from Friday and picking up something for Saturday. I managed to make it home by 2:00 p.m. which was my goal and spent the rest of the day doing laundry, watching movies and playing Candy Crush.Seriously, why are games so addictive? 

On Sunday, I spent the morning at church and then came home to cook the aforementioned crab cakes for lunch. It was a nice day out so I opened up the back door and left it open so Pippa could run in and out and hopefully let loose a lot of her energy. At one point, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed the cat from next door was walking towards the backyard and I knew that as soon as Pippa saw the cat, she would run under the fence after it. 

Sure enough, about that time, I heard a bark and I went outside and Pippa was gone. I grabbed a box of treats, turned off the stove, grabbed a pair of shoes, the leash, a blanket to put in the car and the car keys and headed towards the front door. As soon as I stepped out the door, I saw her. She was standing by the car. So, I went out to the car, opened the door, put the blanket in, and she thankfully jumped inside and I was able to get the leash on her and get her back inside. 

I finished cooking my lunch, ate, and then attempted to take a nap. The nap didn't work out so well though because Pip wouldn't leave me alone. Sometimes she will, but not this day. 

Sunday evening after church, I headed over to Erika's and watched Downton with her and Kendra. Even though I've seen the whole season, it's still fun to watch and especially fun to see their reactions. Only one more episode this season! That, dear friends, sums up the weekend. Hope yours was good as well!

Electrical Problems and an Incomplete Set

January continues to be the slowest of all months and yet, we only have one more week left before it is February. It's a bizarre phenomenon. So, in an effort to, you know, continue posting, I'm just going to ramble today and see where it takes us. Some of you like that kind of thing and so do I because I don't have to think too hard. 

Last Friday, I plugged in my curling iron, pressed the "on" button, and nothing happened. It was perplexing. I was bewildered and then I was full of dread at the thought of having to go shopping for a new curling iron. If you're anything like me, then you probably don't like shopping for a new curling iron or hair dryer. It's hard getting used to the feel and the ways of a new one. Then I decided to plug it in on the outlet in my hallway and lo and behold it worked. Sadly, this meant something was wrong with the outlets. I didn't have time to tend to it that morning, so I filed this nugget in the back of my mind and for the next few days, curled my hair in the comfort of my bedroom. 

Finally on Monday night, I remembered to take a look at the breakers and see if there was anything I could do with the outlets. I was unsuccessful. So, Wednesday night, my friend Meri and her husband Miko stopped by to check out the  situation. Miko, while not a licensed electrician, does know about electricity and dabbles in voltage (or something like that). Long story short, Miko was able to solve the problem by replacing both outlets in my bathroom and miracle of miracles, I was able to curl my hair in the bathroom once again. 

I think I mentioned I took Pip to get her nails trimmed at the local pet shop over the weekend. The toy I bought her was made by Planet Dog and looks like a hockey puck. The Planet Dog toys have a peppermint smell and this one also has a slot for treats. Let me tell you, this was a great $10 investment. Pip has been playing with that thing a lot and it has been a great distraction for her. 

Speaking of Pip, lately she has been gathering some of her favorite things and placing them atop the guest bed where she leaves them and then goes and plays with them when she takes a notion. It's really quite hilarious - almost as though the guest room is her room and you'd better not move her favorite things. Yes, the aforementioned hockey puck is also placed atop the bed when not in use. 

The other night, I was laying in bed watching TV and Pip would not leave me alone. I sat up and turned over and kind of pushed her with my body and she proceeded to fall of the bed. I felt terrible. I had no intention of making her take a tumble. She then walked off and went to play in "her room" and didn't want to have anything to do with me for the rest of the night. I'm hoping she will find it in her heart to forgive me as I still feel just awful about the fact that she fell off the bed. 

I started playing Candy Crush on New Year's Eve thanks to my mom. It seems like I had looked for it on my Kindle before but either couldn't find it or didn't realize it was called Candy Crush Saga - who knows? At any rate, I'm very late to this addictive game. In the three weeks I've been playing, I've managed to get to level 85. I realize others of you are in the 190s or the 300s, but I'm rather pleased with reaching level 85 in three weeks' time. 

Back in the fall, I ordered four College Game Day Bobblehead Dolls from  My Coke Rewards. I ordered the Desmond, Chris, Lee, and Kirk and was so excited when I got a notification earlier this month that they had shipped. Meri and I had big plans for these guys in our cubicle. Sadly, they shipped me two Desmonds and zero Chris Fowler (my favorite) and so now our set is incomplete and the excitement has been replaced with melancholy because it's just not the same without Chris. 

I suppose that's all I have to ramble about today. Come back soon for more posts about nothing in particular because that's what January is all about! 

I Guess You'd Call It Separation Anxiety

I'm beginning to think Pippa might have a little bit of separation anxiety. I don't really know how you would diagnose this in a dog, but I'm certain that she would fall into this category. Generally speaking, she does okay when I go to work and church. After five months of living with me, she has a firm grasp of the morning routine for work and church and doesn't make a fuss about going into the crate. 

It's all the other times at home that I'm talking about. In other words, when I am at home, she does not ever leave my side.  A few times over the past couple of weeks, I have let her out when I got home in the evening and left the back door open as well. I usually go out with her and leave her on a leash because I'm quite sure she still knows where all the holes in the fence are and I feel like she would try to burrow under them if given the opportunity. While I would like a Pip free evening every now and then, I wouldn't want her to run away forever; and so, since I don't trust her, I keep her on the leash, especially at night when it's dark and I cannot see all the corners of the yard. At the same time, I need her to learn that she should stay in the backyard and hopefully one day she will become like The Tide and when she is done running around outside she will come to the door and bark. I've really got my fingers crossed on this one. So, anyway, a few times in the past couple of weeks I've managed to get home when there was still some light out and I let her out without the leash and I left the back door open so she could come in when she was ready. I would stand out with her for a couple of minutes and then come inside to fold laundry or do some other sort of chore. As soon as she realized I wasn't there, however, she would come on inside and find me rather than staying outside to play. Strange, considering you would think she would want to run around like a crazy dog since she had been in the crate all day, but no, she'd rather be right underfoot or beside me instead. 

Sometimes when she is driving me exceptionally crazy (with the biting or the barking or both), I will go to my bedroom and put the gate up so she cannot get to me and she still has run of the house. I will peek in on her during times like this to make sure she isn't destroying anything, but sometimes I would just like a moment of peace instead of being trampled upon by a dog. Most of these times though, she will still just sit outside of the bedroom door instead of taking advantage of her freedom. At night, I will sometimes go watch TV in the bedroom around 9:30 but won't lock her in with me and instead of running around the house, she will jump up on the bed and not leave my side. 

This is often the case when I'm showering or taking a bath as well. The Pip just sits in the bathroom, patiently waiting for me to finish up. Sometimes she will just go sit in the den (in the mornings anyway) but a lot of the time, she just sits or lays by the bathtub waiting. It's kind of sweet and kind of strange. 

In other Pip news, I'm not sure if I ever mentioned, but my neighbor Jeff now lets her out instead of my church friend Pat. Pat is older and was afraid Pippa might cause her to fall because Pippa is quite strong. So, my across the street neighbor Jeff now lets Pip out once a day. Jeff is seriously the best neighbor of all time. He also brings in my packages if I have any, sometimes leaves me food in the fridge and always brings up my garbage can or recycle bin from the road. As far as neighbors go, I wouldn't trade Jeff for anyone else in the world. As far as dogs go... well. The Pip is getting there. 

She's a Graduate

This past Saturday morning, Pippa made up her final class at PetSmart and graduated from puppy training. Her last class was supposed to be on Saturday, November 16, but because I was in a car riding back home from Dallas. So, I called the trainer on Monday and rescheduled for Saturday the 23rd at 9:30 a.m.

We got to PetSmart a little early because I wanted Pippa to have her nails, or talons as I like to call them, trimmed. After the nail trimming, we headed over to the training area. It was just us since the other dogs in the class had graduated the previous week. The Pip performed some of her learned tricks and then got a stubborn streak and wouldn't do anything. As Linda the trainer said, I know she can do it, but she's just being stubborn. I think she also needed a natural break which apparently deters her from performing as she should.

 

Linda took Pippa's photo for the graduation board and I snapped one with my camera as well. Linda then gave us a goody bag of treats and a scoop and also a certificate of completion and a magnet that says, "My Dog has Class". We discussed the Intermediate Class which I might do with Pippa some time next spring after I get back from vacation. Linda said she needed to mature a few more months first.

So, The Pip is a graduate and can perform a few tricks. Minding on the other hand we need to do a lot of work on because she has a mind of her own. 

The Fifth Class

Well, last Saturday was Pippa's fifth class in her training at PetSmart. In this class she learned to stay and shake. Sophie wasn't able to make it as her parents had a conflict at the last minute, but Latte was there and ready learn. 

Since both Pippa and I and Latte and his mom were early, we were able to get started early and were also able to ask Linda about some of the other classes offered at PetSmart such as Click a Trick - I'm a big fan of pet tricks. She told us a little bit about it and at some point I might take Pippa back for more classes but I think first I may just try out You Tube and see if I can teach her some tricks from there. The Pip's main issue is that she is easily distracted and so when there are a lot of people or other dogs around, she doesn't perform so well. The next class available is one that helps with this but I haven't decided yet if I will take it or not.

Pippa was very uncooperative last Saturday. For the first 10 minutes or so, she did okay with Linda, but then lost interest in the treats Linda was offering and so I started working with her and she was having none of it. Linda said that there is always one class in which the dog just doesn't want to participate and clearly this was going to be the case for Pippa. I began to wonder if she might need a bathroom break and when Linda suggested I take her out for a minute I did just that.

We walked out the front door and I headed towards the back of the store where the delivery trucks come and there is a grassy knoll along the roadway. I thought I could take her over there in case she needed to take care of business. Well, apparently she couldn't wait that long and she pooped all across the parking lot. I, of course, had no baggies with me so I just had to leave it in hopes that no one saw us. Thankfully it was not an area where shoppers are walking around. We finally made it to the grassy knoll where she finished her business and we then returned inside.

After we got inside, she still wasn't all that into the class, but eventually we got her to cooperate with "Stay" and eventually she also did "Shake". We've been practicing "Shake" a lot since last Saturday because it is one of my favorite dog tricks and I want to make sure she is a pro. Since there were only two dogs in the class, it went a lot smoother than it usually does, although we were still both very tired by the time we got home.

Pippa has just one more class which includes the graduation left in her puppy training. It's supposed to be this coming Saturday, but since I'm taking my impromptu trip to Dallas, I will have to reschedule after I get back. I'm sure putting a graduation cap on The Pip will be a trick unto itself.

Classes Three and Four

Well, Pippa had her third and fourth training classes last weekend and overall I would say she is doing rather well. We have two classes to go, one this Saturday in which she should learn to shake and then one more (which will have to be rescheduled, more on why later) in which she will graduate. I might enroll her in another class some time next year, probably after my vacation in March since I am saving up for that.

 

The third class was last Friday and was a make up since we had missed the week before due to Pippa getting fixed. This class was drop it, leave it, and down. Drop it  is obviously to drop an item and leave it is to leave something alone, and finally, down is to lie down on the floor/ground.

 

The Pip did really well with leave it and in fact is still doing pretty good. We practice this with throwing treats on the ground. I really want to use this command when she is going to town on my foot or arm or any other random thing she should not have in her mouth. She has been "leaving it" with random objects on occasion, but needs some practice and she does really well when I throw a treat on the floor and tell her to "leave it." For whatever reason, we didn't even practice drop it, but I think I can work with her at home on this one. Even The Tide knew, "drop it."

 

As for down, well, that one didn't go so well. She still is not able to get down when tempted with a treat. Her butt always pops back up and she ends up standing again. So, this one definitely needs some work. Sophie joined us for the make-up class since she too was fixed on the 24th and missed the same class Pippa did.

 

We were back the next afternoon for class number four which was "Come"! We used string cheese for this class and it was a big thrill for all the dogs. Sophie was back as was Latte and even Latte, who you might recall is deaf, did a really good job. Linda, the trainer, has been using a laser light with Latte and it seems to be working great. 

Pippa did a good job with "Come!" but this one will take a lot of practice because her attention span is shorter than that of a gnat, I think. We also worked on loose leash walking and "leave it" while walking and she did rather well on those too. After class was over, Linda gave us some free treats which a sales rep had left at the store. It was a full size bag and I, for one, was really grateful to receive them

 

As mentioned, this coming Saturday we will learn shake, which I'm really excited about and I think there is something else too that I cannot recall at the moment. So, we've got two classes left and then she will be a graduate of the puppy training class. Now, if I could only get her to perform these newly learned tricks when there are a lot of people around. That, my friends, will take lots of practice.

The Second Class

After the first week of puppy training, we had a week off because the trainer was out of work for "vacation" when really she had some kind of surgery. So, after a week off, we all gathered back in the training circle at PetSmart this past Saturday to have a review of "sit" and "watch me" and also to learn and practice loose leash walking. Try saying that fast three times.   

We arrived a few minuted before 1:00 p.m. which is the time our class starts. Sophie the Dog and her parents were already there. We were told that Little Bit and her owner were not going to be joining us because of a conflict for the next four weeks and then told us that it was okay because Little Bit needed one-on-one training anyway, which was not surprising to me. We did, however, have a newcomer named Latte. Latte is a deaf Matipoo with an extremely loud bark. Poor Latte probably doesn't realize how loud he is. Latte and his owner had already completed one class and so they were on the same schedule as the rest of us. I'm not really sure how it is that Latte had completed one class and then got moved to our class, but nevertheless, he is now a part of our Motley Crew.  

We had a quick review of "watch me" and "sit" and Pippa did great. Those two commands she has down to a fine art with the exception of when there are a lot of people around and she doesn't want to pay attention. Then it was time for loose leash walking. We went to the back of the store to learn this. Linda (the trainer) worked with Sophie first and took what I thought was a lot of time with her. We were able to see what we are supposed to do when teaching the pups to walk with a loose leash. Each time Sophie would pass by, Pippa would want to run over to her and it was taking all my energy and strength to hold on to her. 

Then it was Pippa's turn. The Pip did great with Linda and Linda didn't have to spend as much time with Pip as she did with Sophie. When it was my turn with Pippa, she did okay but not as good as she had done with Linda. Of course, Linda has been doing this for years whereas I have not. We practiced for a while more while Linda went to work with Latte and soon it was time to corral all dogs and humans back into the training circle.  

When we were back in the training circle, we practiced going up to each other and asking if we could pet their dog. The point of this was to try and get the dog to sit so that the person asking could pet the dog without being jumped on. Poor Pippa. She did not do very well with this exercise. It took me a long time to get her to sit so she could be petted. Linda also told us all about a walking harness that is good for dogs and of course suckered us all in to buying one. Let me tell you, going to PetSmart every week is not easy on a girls' wallet.  

At the end of class, Sophie's parents mentioned they would be out of town this coming Saturday and could their son bring Sophie to class. I mentioned that Pippa is getting fixed this Thursday and asked if she should come to class. Linda said she doesn't like for dogs to come back to class so soon after being fixed because they have stitches and might be sore. So, long story short, Sophie's parents are going to try and arrange for her to get fixed this week as well and then we can make up the missed class together next week.  

By the time the class was over, I was exhausted and Pippa was too. I made a quick stop to get a handful of things from Target and then we headed home. Pippa even laid down and started sleeping on the way home, which she never does. Usually she stands up with her front paws on my shoulder. When we got home, we napped for almost two hours and Pippa even spent the rest of the night being less than rambunctious. I think this is the thing I love most about training class!  

So, we are to practice out loose leash walking for now and in the meantime, I will be scheduling a make up class for the one we are missing on Saturday.  

I'll keep you posted on the puppy training progress, but so far things are going along smoothly.

The First Class

Well, this past Saturday was Pippa's first training class and I'm happy to report that she was, in fact, the star student. The class started at 1:00 at PetSmart in Jones Valley; but, before we went into the store, I needed to pick up three things from Target (next door) and left Pippa in the car and was basically running through Target. I had only left her in the car once before and that was the first Saturday I had her when I ran into Star Market for one item. Since her personality has blossomed and she's wild as a buck, she has not been alone in the car so I was terrified that she would start eating the car seats or something. Thankfully by the time I got back to the car, everything was intact and she seemed a-okay. 

 

I dropped the Target bag in the car and hooked up Pippa to the leash and went inside to PetSmart. They were having a pet adoption outside and I was afraid Pippa might start acting a fool around the dogs outside (The Tide did this sort of thing) but thankfully she didn't and we went right on inside with no problems. I had to purchase a non-retractable leash before the class started because the only kind I had was retractable and that is not the kind the trainers like to use in the class; so, I made the purchase and we headed to the training area. 

 

The trainer's name is Linda and she is very stern with her training, which is fine because Lord knows Pippa needs some sternness. There were two other dogs in the class as well. The first is a Corgi named Sophie who is the same age as Pippa and the other is Little Bit who is a two-year old teeny tiny dog who belongs to an elderly lady. The lady just recently became Little Bit's owner and is apparently having some issues. 

 

The class got started a little late and began with a basic introduction and description of what was going to be covered in the class. Then Linda started working with the dogs on "sit". She worked with Sophie first and then Pippa. Sophie had apparently been practicing "sit" at home and was able to do it fairly well. Pippa learned "sit" from my dad weeks ago and is an old pro by now so she did a great job. Little Bit on the other hand....well, she didn't do so great. She would not sit at all and her sweet owner also had a difficult time understanding what action to use to help Little Bit learn "sit". I must admit, it was a frustrating process to watch. Linda eventually got tired of trying and moved on to the next exercise which was "watch me".

 

Once again, Linda started with Sophie who did okay after a few tries. Pippa, on the other hand, was also already familiar with "watch me" from her Poppa (my dad) and was a star student. She was even called a "show off" by Sophie's parents. I assured them that she would probably not do so great in coming classes as she already knew "watch me" from my dad. Little Bit...well, once again she didn't do so great. Linda hinted that Little Bit may need to have one-on-one lessons and that she would be able to determine that for sure after the next session. I've got to tell you, I tend to agree with Linda here. I think that all the attention that is being spend on Little Bit is not really fair to Sophie and Pippa and it's also frustrating to watch. So, I'm hoping that Little Bit will get the boot and we will be able to continue on with just Pippa and Sophie. That sounds kind of mean, I guess, but I want to make sure we get an adequate amount of time with the trainer for the money I paid. 

 

The class was supposed to last an hour but because of the late start, it went a little short. Pippa and I headed home and she slept most of the rest of the afternoon and evening with the exception of waking up to play for a few minutes here and there. She also slept through the night which was nothing short of a modern day miracle. Apparently training at PetSmart will really tucker a young pup out.  

 

Next week we do not have a class because the trainer is on vacation, so we will pick back up on the 19th. I'll be sure and keep you posted on everyone's progress and on the impending fate of Little Bit.