Sirius Sighthounds

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

2009-11-26T11:08:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday

No Needles for the Needle Nose....At Least Not Today....

2009-11-11T16:16:00.005-05:00

Nick and I set off this morning for our appointment with Dr. Tracey Sasher at Loving Touch Animal Center. As I mentioned yesterday, I went expecting acupuncture as a pain management tool. After taking a look at Nick, she thinks we may be able to rehab him so that he can maybe even lure course again. I’d totally given up on the idea and had only hoped to be able to manage his pain without regular use of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. I can’t stand to let him be in chronic pain if there’s anything I can do to avoid it though. She did adjust his back. The adjustment, as well as all the excitement and new experiences left him pretty tired though and he’s spent the afternoon sacked out on his bed. She also suggested some herbal supplements in addition to the fish oil, and glucosamine/MSM/chondroitin combo he’s already taking and also told me where to get a carpal brace for him to wear at times. She felt that though acupuncture wouldn't hurt him, my doggie healthcare dollars could better be spent elsewhere. You've gotta appreciate advice like that!

We’re going back next week for a rehab evaluation. She’ll measure the range of motion in his leg joints, and a will formulate a rehab plan that will likely include, swimming, exercises at home, and some message techniques. They have a tank with a tread mill where he can walk in the water, and eventually swim. The hope is to improve his muscle strength so that he compensates for the damage he did to his carpal joint. I feel like I got a Christmas gift early. I expect there’ll be a lot of work in this for both of us, but I’m really excited about getting started. I really wish I’d found Dr. Sasher sooner. Though she won’t replace my regular vet, I hope that she’ll be a great complementary resource.

Thought You Were Rid of Us, Didn't You???

2009-11-10T14:19:00.019-05:00

You know, it's kind of funny, but the less you have to say, the less you can think of to say. I've been pretty silent on the blog front for months - about six of them, so I find myself having a difficult time deciding what to talk about today. Lots has happened since my last post on May 19th. The problem is that most of it is old news. We had all the usual summer excitement. The pups, Wheeler, and I managed a couple of camping trips. On one excursion, Wheeler's cousins came along, and Rob joined us for the other.

We also, snuck in a very relaxing beach trip, so no complaints on that front.

The only unrecorded activity that still haunts us is our last coursing foray. Nick, Rosie and I went coursing over Memorial day weekend. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time until Nick came in lame. He hyper-extended his carpal joint and is thus retired permanently from the lure coursing field. I am, of course, racked with guilt about the whole thing. That particular course lay out started at the top of a hill and made a hard right turn at the bottom. I considered pulling him that morning, and now really wish I had. He was in good shape though, and really wanted to chase the plastic bunny, so I let him run. I guess I’ve been lucky up until now having run my dogs for three years with no lasting injuries. Nick must have taken that turn too tightly, at least that’s what I think happened. He finished the course and didn’t appear lame until he stopped at the finish line, so I’ll never be sure exactly when and how he was injured. In hindsight though, I don’t think he ran the second half of the course with his usual gusto.

Here's poor Nick all bandaged up at the field thanks to my friend Iva - we're very lucky to have a vet who lure courses with us.

After lots of x-rays, and a couple of trips to the veterinary orthopedic specialist, he recommended that we hold off on surgery at least for now. His leg may worsen over time though, and we may eventually end up going that route. The vet recommended that we leash walk him for several months in hopes that his muscles would strengthen and compensate for the damaged joint. We did that, and didn’t let him run free until about three weeks ago. He’s now walking and running without a limp, though I can see that he has some discomfort at times. We tried him on a few days of a metacam, and with that on board, he showed no pain at all. I’m not really willing to start a four year old hound on NSAIs for the rest of his life though,and I want him to be pain free, so we’re headed off tomorrow for acupuncture to see if that helps. The acupuncture vet we’re going to see also does doggie physical therapy, so I hope she’ll recommend some exercises we can do to help his leg strengthen. With luck, it will help. After my experience with Sugar and her chronic neck pain though, I’d rather do surgery sooner rather than later if it will buy Nick a pain free life.

Return From Blogcation

2009-05-19T18:26:00.002-04:00

If anyone is still out there looking at my blog, you know that I’ve taken a little deserved, but much appreciated computer/blogging break. I’ve mostly read the blogs I follow and have sometimes commented, but for the most part, I’ve stayed computer free for a little over a month. This little sabbatical started as pure laziness, but was extended by phone line problems that have had me offline for more than a week.

For what it’s worth, I still don’t have a dial tone on my home phone. I have to say that I haven’t missed the phone at all…but that’s easy to say since my cell phone has gobs of available minutes. I’m now questioning whether or not I actually even need a land line. In fact, maybe the phone company should consider the effect of just such epiphanies on their primary line of business.

I first reported my phone out Saturday before last (over a week ago), they promised that it would be repaired a week and a half later - today at midnight. As of right now - about 6:30 PM - still no dial tone. That’s a week and a half with no dial tone folks. No there has not been a storm in the area or any other reason for widespread outages. There’s only an automated line to call. I did try to hold for a customer service person once, but after 50 minutes gave up. Didn’t want to waste any more of those precious cell minutes holding for the phone company since the rep likely was going to tell me to buck up a and tough it out…they’ll fix my line when they’re good and ready. I’ve gotta ask myself, if I can get along for over a week with no phone, do I need one at all?

Anyway, haven’t missed the phone, but I do find that I miss the internet. No map quest, no quick orders from Amazon, no online bill pay, and no reading up on the exploits of my fellow bloggers. I do have limited ability to surf on my cell phone, but it’s very slow and a PIA. My DSL connection does go up and down (mostly down), so I’m writing this off line with the hope that it will post at some point in the near future. It’s kind of been my week for utility problems. My cable also decided to go on vacation last week. The cable company managed to show up a couple of days later though and run a new line from the street to my house. I called, talked to a real person, and scheduled a time to meet the technician when I could be at home. Works like a charm now….

The point of this post was not to gripe about local utility service (though I managed a pretty good rant), but to comment on the extra time I’ve had on my hands while computer free. It’s amazing…I had time to tackle a couple of closets that have needed cleaning out for quite some time, and even had time left over to read a book.

The pups and kitties are great. Nick is sacked out on the couch next to me “supervising” as I write this post. Rosie is stationed on the couch looking out the window toward the street. She’s perfectly positioned to alert me of any intruders…or people walking down the street… whichever happens first. I’ve attached a pic of the grancy greybeard tree that’s directly in Rosie’s sites at the moment. It’s beautiful this time of year with its big fluffy blooms and will always remind me of my father-in-law who died three years ago. He gave us this tree soon after we moved into the house and he, Rob, and Wheeler planted it. OK Wheeler was still in preschool and didn’t really help…he managed to get in the way though. Anyway, I always think of him in the springtime when it blooms.

Be Funky.......

2009-04-06T14:12:00.009-04:00

Both Hope and Greyz and Nuttin But Hound Dogs have posted cute pictures of their pups tweaked at BeFunky.com. I, of course, couldn't resist playing around with some picutres of my own crew to see what would happen. Be warned,....it's fun and is therefore is a huge time waster.

Lure Crashing........or the Attack of the Killer Ex-Pen

2009-03-26T07:00:00.007-04:00

Nick, Rosie, and I attended the Southeastern Greyhound Club’s field trial last Saturday. Saturday was an ASFA trial followed by a NLCC trial on Sunday. We didn’t make it on Sunday due to, among other things, the events that transpired on Saturday.

It was a gorgeous day. One of those days that couldn’t have been more perfect if it was made to order – chilly in the morning but warming up to shirtsleeve weather. The field was perfect, not to hard and not too soft. We were running on a new field that hugs the banks of the Chattahoochee River. The location could not have been more picturesque. How could we fail to have a perfect day? Unfortunately, my hounds forgot to read up on trial deportment before we left home. Nick had a nice though not stellar first run, but enjoyed chilling out in the sun in the ex-pen while Rosie had her turn. Rosie ran very well, but stopped to tinkle midway thru her course. Umm…the judges frown on that sort of a break.

Then the real trouble started. After Rosie had cooled down, I decided to let her join Nicky in the ex-pen. When I opened the door, Nick thought that it must be his turn to course again, and tried to push his way out past Rosie. In the process, he managed to knock the whole contraption down. Problem was, he was inside it at the time. While I was trying to free Nick before he was hurt, Rosie got loose. Final outcome – both of my hounds loose at the same time. Very embarrassing!!! Nick also managed to hurt his shoulder – that can happen when you struggle inside a collapsed ex-pen – and had to be pulled from the afternoon course.

We’ve had a serious talk about the day’s events. Rosie promises to take care of her business before she goes out on the field, Nick swears he’ll refrain from charging the ex-en gate, and I’ll be more careful with my gate management techniques in the future. The good news is that, although Nick’s shoulder is still sore, it’s improving and he’ll be fit as a fiddle in another couple of days.

"Mom, my shoulder hurts!!"

"Why the heck are we home on such a beautiful day? See, I have my leg muscles all stretched out and everything."

P.S. I know better management on my part would have prevented all the mishaps of the day. I should have made sure Rosie went before she ran and I should have had everyone leashed before the ex-pen gate was opened. My fault - not theirs.

Nick and Rosie's Spring Break Adventure....Take 2

2009-03-24T14:59:00.006-04:00

I’m going to try this post again as I had a couple of folks say they couldn’t see the pictures when I posted earlier. I have no idea why as I could see them on my end. I decided it was easier to take the previous post down and start over rather than fight with the cantankerous Mr. Blogger. The pics were the point of the post so….

I had to share a few pictures of Nick and Rosie’s spring break trip. No, they didn’t go with us to Disney World, but they did have a blast with Kate Crawford at her Manyhounds Inn. She runs a sight hound only kennel in the Atlanta area with lots woods for running around in and exploring and many hound buddies to explore with. I think my pups are sorry to see me coming when I pick them up from “camp.”

Nick enjoyed his own private trip to Disney arranged by Kate’s travel service.

After filling in for Mickey, he put in some time at the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride.

Rosie says she went swimming with the dolphins at Sea World.

I want to know if Kate will act as travel agent for the humans when we plan our next trip.

Thanks Kate!!

P.S. Please let me know if my pics don’t come thru this time so I can have a serious talk with Mr. Blogger.

Our Visit to the House of the Mouse and Other Spring Break Stories....

2009-03-24T11:02:00.006-04:00

We recently returned from a spring break trip to Orlando and also tacked on a couple of days visiting Rob’s Aunt at Atlantic Beach outside of Jacksonville. You might ask why a family of three with an almost 15 year old son would voluntarily subject themselves to Disney World. After all, the Magic Kingdom is heavily attended by members of the stroller brigade. There are lots of things to do though that appeal to teens as well as to their parents and well had a great time.

The last time we hit Disney City, Wheeler was seven or eight. We still had tickets with three days of park entry paid for, so we figured that without having to buy any tickets, a Disney trip was a reasonable option. I have to say, I enjoyed the whole experience much more than last time as we had no small children to worry about losing. We also spent a day at Universal Studios where we rode lots of roller coasters. Now coasters are something that I guess you either love or hate, but all three of us love ‘em. We were flipped, spun, and rolled until we couldn’t take it anymore. It was a blast. Also, at almost 15, Wheeler actually has an attention span, so we could take in some of the shows and exhibits the aforementioned stroller brigade misses. What could be cooler to a teen boy than learning about gruesome make up techniques. Trust me, our visit to Universal was well worth the time and I wish we’d had more that one day there.

One scary note though, there were virtually no lines at any of the theme parks. Good for us, very bad sign for the economy. Spring break should be one of their busiest times. We didn’t wait longer than 20-30 minutes for anything, and that was in the middle of the day. We could often walk straight onto headline rides. Very scary!!

We also managed a stop for lunch in St Augustine and a quick tour of Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

We had beautiful weather in Orlando, sunny, low eighties, but weren’t so lucky at the beach. Jacksonville is a little too far north for early March beach fun, but it was nice just to relax for a few days.

I do love the beach in the fog though.

All in all, we had a great time. If you're still with me, thanks for letting me bore you with my vacation pics and stories.

Memed from A to Z

2009-03-11T14:04:00.006-04:00

Several week ago, Alex at Hope and Greyz posted a meme, and tagged all who read it to play along. If you’re interested, consider yourself tagged!! The object is to describe yourself using each letter of the alphabet.

So here is mine:

A- I live in Atlanta

B- I like Blogging

C- I need to Clean out all my Closets

D- Dogs

E- I want to visit Europe -again

F- I love wildFlowers

G- Well duh - Greyhound

H- Honesty

I- Ingenuity

J- Jewelry (not necessarily real - I like the costume stuff too

K- Kanga - My favorite Pooh character

L- Leather - love the smell

M- Music

N- Nashville - went to school there

O- Ocean - I love to visit the beach

P- Pharaoh Hound - gotta love em!!

Q- Question

R- Reason -Wheeler is always asking me the reason why he can't.....

S- Save - I'm always looking for ways to save money

T- Time - never enough - also I love to Travel

U- Umbrella - I never carry one - Maybe I'm too optimistic :-)

V- Violets - Love them!!

W- West - I love visiting the American West

X- xercise - OK I'm stretching - but I need more of it

Y- Yard - I need to landscape

Z- Zan - That's me

They Stole My What.....???????

2009-03-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Somebody stole my recycling tote. I don’t get it. It’s a plastic bin used to carry old papers, aluminum cans, and other stuff that can be reused to the street. You can buy one for less than $10. No one that doesn’t care about the environment bothers to recycle. Seems kind of ironic doesn’t it? A thief went to the trouble to steal my recycling tote so they can be environmentally conscious. Huh??

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights........

2009-03-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

I’ve been sidetracked by life lately and haven’t paid enough – OK any – attention to my blog. Alex at Hope and Greyz posted a meme the other day that I have every intention of spreading; I just haven’t gotten to it. I’ve also had several good blogging opportunities present themselves and I’ve let them pass me by. For example, how could I miss writing about snow in Georgia. I mean, it never does that here. I even got a couple of decent shots of the pups enjoying the frosty air.

"What the Heck is that???"

"It's kind of fun out here!!"

The aftermath!!

There are several reasons for my failure. First of all. I’ve been Facebooked. I joined Facebook not too long ago as I felt like I should keep up with Wheeler’s cyber life to be sure he’s safe and not divulging sensitive info. Turns out he’s no idiot in that department and has done, at least so far, an excellent job. He doesn’t have anyone on his friends list that he doesn’t know in real life, and he hasn’t revealed any info that shouldn’t be out there for all to see. I, however, have found that Mr. Facebook can suck up way more time than this blog. I have managed to find a few old friends that I feared I’d permanently misplaced – and that’s a good thing. But I’ve also found that it is a phenomenal time waster – it will take every minute that you allow it. I herby pledge to be more careful in the future as I enjoy this blog too much to let it fall by the wayside. It lets me free form rant at will. What could be better???

Secondly, I had my eyes checked the other day and got a new prescription. I also got new contacts that are supposed to be great. Correct my astigmatism and let more air through. Much more comfortable - yeah rah hooray!! NOT!! The pair I’m wearing was great for about four days. Problem is now they get all dried out by noon and I can’t see thru them. I feel like I’m looking though a sheet of plastic or something. Gotta go back to the eye doctor. Can’t write if you can’t see. I know, I know, pull out the glasses you say. Well I would if they weren’t really, really old. The script is so old I’m not sure I’d be any better off, and the frames are refugees from a decade or more ago. Everyone would laugh at me, trust me they would.

Thirdly, I’ve just been lazy. Bad, bad, bad……..

I’ll do better….I promise!!

Living Vicariously Thru My Kid and My Dog........

2009-02-18T11:01:00.007-05:00

We had a very busy weekend; so busy in fact that I’m just getting around to blogging about it. I was exhausted and needed recovery time. I actually have a two brags to record here, so if you don’t feel like reading the ravings of an unabashed proud mom feel free to skip this post.

First and foremost, Wheeler is going to wrestle in the Georgia High School Association State Tournament this weekend. In order to qualify, he had to finish in the top four in his weight class at our Area Tournament. After spending most of the day last Friday and all day Saturday in Social Circle, GA he qualified. Needless to say he’s really excited, and I’m very proud of him. Here’s a picture of him wrestling.

I can’t guarantee that this pic is from the match that qualified him, but I think it is. They all look the same when they’re rolling around on a mat – ya know.

The Area Tournament felt like it lasted forever. There were about 14 teams there and only two mats – made for a very slow pace. I thought my rump was going to take root on the bleachers. But in the end it was all worth it. Here’s a shot of Wheels relaxing in the stands after his win. He’d more or less recovered from his match by the time I snapped this one.

We’ll spend this Friday and Saturday at the Gwinnett Arena. All good thoughts for a safe and successful completion are appreciated.

I spent the day on Sunday lure coursing with Rosie and Nick. Rosie was one of two Pharaoh Hounds running that day, and the only one running in open, so she could only get four points for the day regardless of how well, or poorly, she ran – assuming of course that she ran the course and didn’t just stop. The good news here however is not how she ran Sunday, though she ran well, but that those four points were enough to earn her Field Champion status. Yeah Rosie!!

We couldn’t have had a better day for coursing. The temps topped out in the high 50’s and it was clear and sunny. The ground was not too dry and provided near perfect footing. My friend Sandy brought yummy BBQ for lunch. The company and the vittles were both excellent, though we missed several of our regular coursing buddies. Sandy also brought Rosie a celebratory bottle of Champagne to commemorate her achievement. Sandy and I drank it at lunch and didn’t even share with poor Rosie. Before you picture two drunk women careening around the field, let me point out that the bottle we shared was small (about ¼ the size of a regular bottle.) Here’s Rosie posing with her spoils.

And another of her passed out on the couch. See how she gathers the sofa pillows and uses them for extra padding. She certainly is no dummy :-)!

When I think about it, wrestling and lure coursing have a lot in common. In both sports lots of time is spent sitting around waiting for your child, or dog as the case may be, to have their turn. Then, although I always wish for success, I mostly pray that they finish their match unhurt.

A Funny Thing Happened in the Lunch Line..

2009-02-12T09:00:00.008-05:00

Remember back when you were in high school and went to the cafeteria every day for lunch? I don’t know about you, but I always was scared of the lunch ladies. Back in those days you got what you got – no choices – and you’d better not complain. Some days we had hamburgers with stripes painted on to make the patty appear to have been grilled. On others, fried frozen fish sticks were the hot menu item – usually swimming in tartar sauce – yum!

Rob came home from work several weeks ago all excited. Said he’d been in a commercial that day at lunch. I think my response was along the lines of “That’s nice honey.” I then proceeded to forget all about it. Well yesterday this YouTube creation appeared in my inbox.

I think I was right to be scared of the lunch ladies!! At least he got a free sandwich out of it.

It's All About The Chase.....

2009-02-06T09:37:00.012-05:00

Nick, Rosie, and I spent the weekend before last lure coursing. The three of us really enjoy it for lots of reasons. First and foremost, I really like watching my pups run flat out as fast as they can and, well, I think they like doing the running. I love this picture taken by Uma Rapiti Photography of Nick. He appeared to be looking at the camera as he came in on the bag at the end of the course. I always like Lee’s pictures, but this one is a personality shot that I’ll always treasure.

We had a wonderful weekend. The trial was sponsored by the Southeastern Greyhound Club. Saturday, was an ASFA event. My hounds had a good day. Nick won open, defeating 3 other hounds. Rosie also took open, but it was a hollow victory as she was the only open Pharaoh running that day. Sunday, was the inaugural National Lure Coursing Club trial. The format of the trial was new. The hounds ran in braces and rather than tallying scores from two runs, winners were determined thru a modified double elimination format. I liked some things about this new format and didn’t like others, but all in all, it’s about the chase. The pups don’t know or care how or if they’re being scored. Also, instead of wearing blankets, the pups (at least the short haired breeds) wore wide red or white collars - much easier to deal with from a handler's perspective.

I’ve attached a slide show that I made comprised mostly of pictures from this trial as well as from the Winter Challenge at GANG Park in Calhoun, GA. That ASFA trial was a five day event that culminated on New Year’s Eve, and really tested the hounds’ endurance. We only made it to three of the 5 days. My hounds might have been able to handle five consecutive days of coursing, I couldn’t though.

My Father's Eyes.....

2009-02-02T10:42:00.011-05:00

Weekend before last, I was at the Southeastern Greyhound Club’s lure coursing field trial where we had a really good time both on the field and visiting with old friends. This post isn’t about that event though (I’ll cover that later after my pictures come), but about a comment made by my friend Toni about Nick’s eyes. She asked me if Dutch Bahama was in his pedigree. Now I’m not a big studier of hound pedigrees, so I had no idea. She pointed out that his eyes looked like he came from that line. She went home and looked it up, and sure enough, Dutch Bahama was Nick’s great great grandpa. Cool!!

Now that got me thinking about why exactly we chose to adopt Nick. After Speedy and Sugar died last summer, we resolved to be a one dog family for awhile. I was considering getting a puppy that I could show as well as lure course. Though I knew in the back of my mind that I would eventually get another grey, I thought the hurt was too fresh and I wasn’t ready. In fact, I didn’t think I would be ready anytime soon. Then I saw Nick’s picture on SEGA’s adoptable page. Here's a copy.

He was a small male (small equals less likely to get hurt coursing) with beautiful eyes that reminded me of Sugar's. Now Nick and Sugar look nothing alike. She was a pretty white female with one brindle ear. He’s a red male – but those eyes.

See what I mean!!

I had to meet him. Well of course once I met him, I had to bring him home. The small black “Speedy kiss” on the top of his head sealed the deal. Funny thing is, I looked back as Sugar's pedigree this weekend. Guess what, Dutch Bahama was her grandpa. What do you know about that?

Now being related to Dutch Bahama is not so unusual. According to Greyhound Data, he sired 2557 pups, but of course not all of them were bred. He was a pretty famous guy though and was inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame in 1990.

Turns out that Nick and Speedy are also related through Downing, another famous racer found in both of their pedigrees. He won the World Classic in 1977.

Speedy - also a handsome fellow

I’ve been missing both Speedy and Sugar lately; I guess I always will. Maybe they got together at the Rainbow Bridge and sent Nicky to me. I find that thought a little comforting.

More Meme Madness....

2009-01-29T13:03:00.006-05:00

There’s no question that I love meme’s!! First of all, they give me something to write about when I’m stumped – or when I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to think hard enough to come up with a reasonably clever topic. Also, I like reading them when they’re posted by my blog buddies because they help me get to know you a little better. I stole this one from Miscellanea (thanks Kathy). It was particularly hard for me though – really made me use my noodle. You try coming up with the right answers when they have to start with Z. People with names like Ann have it easy.

Ann and Andy are archeologists and wear apricot aprons while allowing apple martinis to be abandoned in the abbey.

The object is to answer each question, The catch is the answer must start with the same letter as your name. So here goes:

What is your name? Zan
A four-letter word: zany
A boy's name: Zeus
A girl's name: Zena
An occupation: zeppelin pilot or zookeeper
A color: zebra striped (OK I’m stretching it – you think of a z color)
Something you wear: zinnias - you know –flowers in your hair
A food: zucchini
Something found in the bathroom: zinc oxide
A place: Zululand
A reason for being late: zipped past your street
Something you shout: Zounds!
A movie title: “Z”
Something you drink: Zinfandel
A musical group: ZZ Top
An animal: zebra (OK I cheated and used zebra twice - you think of another animal that starts with a z)
A street name: Zephyr Way
A type of car: Zimmer
The title of a song: Zipity Do Dah
A verb: zoom

If you read this, and feel like continuing to spread this particular meme virus, have at it!

Memory Maelstorm.....

2009-01-23T07:00:00.007-05:00

I was tagged by the Greytblackdog to post the 6^th picture in my 6^th picture folder and explain it. Since I was already tagged with that meme a while back, I won’t repeat myself, but the tag did get me started looking back at old pictures. Not too long ago, Wheeler’s English teacher gave them what I thought was a kind of interesting homework assignment. They had to find an old picture of themselves and write about what they were thinking and feeling when the photo was taken. Since the pictures that they had to choose from were very old, I don’t think any of them could really remember what they were feeling. In fact, Wheeler said it was more like writing about a complete stranger.

I decided that this exercise might make an interesting blog post, or at least might be fun for me. Of course, I’ve never been one to follow rules – and besides, since I’m almost always the one who pulls out the camera, there are very, very few photos with me actually in the pictures. I decided to make my own rules, pick one of my favorites, and write about what I was feeling when I took it.

During the summer of 2007, we took our first ever long vacation – a two and a half week road trip up the Pacific coast. We started in San Francisco and ended up in Seattle. To add to the excitement, in addition to Wheeler, two of my nieces, Amanda and Alexandra, came along.

This picture was taken while sailing on a catamaran in San Francisco Bay our first day there. We’d gotten up at the crack of dawn and taken an 8AM flight and were sailing by that afternoon. What could be better? We were all excited about our trip – on the first day it felt like we had all the time in the world. Everyone was tired, but very pumped. I guess if I had to write a caption for the photo, it might be “Anticipation!”

I really tried to choose only one pic from that trip (see I can’t even follow my own rules,) but I couldn’t resist including this shot of the kids acting like total tourists and hanging off a cable car. Goofy and touristy – absolutely – but we were just having so much fun!! The picture was taken the day after the silliness on the sailboat. That trip shaped up to be more fun that we ever expected and I wish we could go on just such an odyssey every year!

I had so much fun taking a trip down memory lane, I think I’ll pull out old pics and subject you to them from time to time.

Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens, These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.....Memed Again...

2009-01-22T09:16:00.011-05:00

Alex at Hope and Greyz posted this meme on her blog and tagged anyone interested to respond and pass the meme along. I love this sort of thing; it sort of lets me get to know myself better while I’m learning about my fellow bloggers. So here goes:

1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? Sadly, I can’t remember. We watch tons of movies on DVD though. We’ve been on an old (or old to Wheeler) war movie jag lately and watched Platoon last Friday. We try to watch a movie as a family once a week when we can and try to appeal to teen boy tastes. He complains about having to hang out with us, but usually ends up enjoying the flick if I’ve picked well. Platoon had just enough explosive stuff to keep him interested.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? At the moment Marley and Me is accompanying me to wrestling matches to fill in the copious waiting time between matches. I’m also reading Harvesting the Heart, and a travel guide for Washington, DC.

3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Monopoly or Risk

4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE? Hmmm, I guess ”Whole Dog Journal.” Does that count?

5) FAVORITE SMELLS? Freshly cut grass, the air after a spring rain, popcorn, campfires, puppy breath

6) FAVORITE SOUNDS? Waves crashing on the beach, gulls calling, rain falling on a tin roof

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? That punch in the gut feeling you get when you see you child hurt

8 ) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP? Is it morning already? Can I hit snooze at least once and still get Wheeler to school on time?

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Willy’s

10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? Too late for more now!!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D....give more to charity.

12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? Probably

13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? No, but one of my dogs sleeps on the foot of the bed. Does that count?

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Cool- I love watching thunderstorms over the ocean.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? A ‘66 Chevrolet Impala in a stunning aqua color

16) FAVORITE DRINK? Dirty Martini, Woodford Reserve (bourbon) straight up, hot chocolate

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT - IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD...be way more organized

18 ) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Yes

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Ummm, I do color my hair and I guess I do dye it the color I want.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? My list is very boring and quite short. Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN(only if college counts)

21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Gymnastics, diving, and baseball if I’m at the game

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Greyhound lover, great mom, and sculptor extraordinaire!!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Dog and cat hair – and the pump for my air bed (which I love)

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? Sure, why not. Who else could I be?

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl – definitely!!

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Neither – omelet please

27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX? My big leather chair with ottoman in my family room

28 ) FAVORITE PIE? Are there any I don’t like?

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chocolate chip

If you’re still with me and want to participate, consider yourself tagged. If you get a chance, leave me a comment telling me that you got the tag and responded. I don’t want to miss your answers!!

This post is About Nothing.......

2009-01-20T17:10:00.007-05:00

I’ve been very quiet lately. It’s amazing how much time blogging takes up…and that’s without ever actually posting anything. I am working on a real post, but I keep getting sidetracked playing with my blog. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted more words and less blank space on the page. I also wanted a signature. Once I added to the wish list a snazzy banner (still haven’t figured out how to achieve that goal to my satisfaction) I managed to burn up a whole lot of time accomplishing a whole lot of nothing. Actually I’ve had fun playing around with the html code, but I still have a lot to learn. I guess it’s the modern version of tinkering around under the hood of a car except you get to keep your hands clean.

Meanwhile, I’ll bore you with a couple of kitty Christmas pictures, just because I think they’re cute. Zach is the orange tabby and Harry is the flame point siamesish kitty.

See, I warned you that this post is about nothing....

I'm an Airhead and a Spendthrift......

2009-01-09T13:50:00.012-05:00

I feel like a complete idiot. Why you ask am I making such a broad self depreciating statement? Well stick around a minute and I’ll tell you, but first I need to fill you in on a little background.

Last night Wheeler came home from wrestling practice and headed upstairs for his usual long teenager shower. Those of you with teen know what I mean. When he finished we ate dinner and then I washed the dishes. OK nothing unusual yet. I found that no matter how long I let the water run, it never warmed up. At the time, I thought Wheels had used all the hot water and chalked dishes washed in cold water up to living in the house with a teen aged boy.

Fast forward to bed time. As I ran the water to warm it up so I could wash my face, I discovered, yep you guessed it, still no hot water. A trip to the basement revealed the pilot light was out. OK, no biggy, I can light a pilot light. I’ve done so before, although not on this particular appliance. In fact, in my younger days I lived in a apartment with only a gas space heater and a stick to control the temperature. If I’d waited for the maintenance guy to light the pilot light in the fall, I’d have frozen to death. But I digress; back to the story at hand. It was late, I was tired, and apparently uncoordinated. After some cussing, I decided that something was in fact really wrong with my 4 year old hot water heater as the stupid thing wouldn’t light and stay lit.

Fast forward to this morning. Yep, you guessed right again, I just paid a plumber $175 to light my hot water heater's pilot light. I still don’t know why it went out. The plumber was a nice guy and tried to make me feel less like a dumb ass. Why it wouldn’t light for me I'll never know and I could kick myself for not trying again after a good night sleep. So now can you see why I feel like a complete idiot?!?

Back to Normal

2009-01-07T11:38:00.013-05:00

The holidays are over for another year – thank god ! The decorations are down and safely packed away except for the wreath hanging on the garage that requires two people and the ladder to take down. I’m going to tackle it by myself anyway if I can’t enlist aid before the week-end. It’s driving me nuts!! I thought the holidays had left me with lots of blog fodder, but every time a start a post I end up deleting it as it sounds whiny or stupid or something. Oops!! See I’m starting to sound whiny – sorry :-)!!

It’s been wet and rainy here, between that and holiday obligations, the hounds and I've sort of gotten off schedule with our daily walks. Today the rain has finally given way to a semi sunny blustery day, so we set out for a good long tromp in the park. Rosie was, as usual, overly exuberant for about the first mile, then settled down once the excitement of being out walking and smelling the smells wore off. Blustery days are always fun. My guys are not only interested in the stray squirrels, but blowing leaves are also fodder for a second or third look.

It’s always interesting to watch people walking in the park. Most folks are just trying to get some exercise in a place where they don’t have to constantly worry about being hit by a speeding car. You pretty much see the same people every day. There are the friendly people who obliviously consider their daily walk a social event. We’ve made friends with several of them over the years. One older couple doesn’t have any pups of their own anymore. They travel a lot and have moved into a small condo, but always carry dogs treats and love seeing and loving on friendly pups. It’s amazing how much you learn about people after years of quick park conversations. I’ve come to expect seeing these folks, and miss them when they aren’t around.

There are also the people who walk on the wrong side of the trail. Instead of keeping right, they keep left. I never know quite which side to pass them on. Are they refugees from the UK and just haven’t noticed that the convention here is to keep right? Not that it really matters where they walk, it just sometimes make for confusing meetings – kind of an I go right, you go left, – oops sorry, do- si- do dance. I guess you could call them the rebels of the trail ;-)!

There’s lots of interesting wildlife also and our park by the river attracts birdwatchers. I don’t know a finch from a sparrow, but most of the hard core bird watchers are willing to tell you what they’ve seen and when. I met a guy last fall who made it all sound so interesting I resolved to get a book and do some bird spying. I haven’t actually done it, but he convinced me that someday I might like IDing some birds myself.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this little essay. I guess the point is reflected in the title of this post. Holidays are always fun. I get to go to several parties and catch up with folks I only see once a year. I feel popular because my mailbox fills up with greeting cards and the house feels all festive decked out in Christmas colors. But at the end of it all, it’s really nice when everything gets back to normal and I have time to walk in the park with my pups. See how happy they look all tuckered out after their outing!!

Edited because I posted the wrong picture of Nick

Photo Tag - I'm It!!

2009-01-02T09:14:00.009-05:00

I was tagged by Hiking Hounds to post the 6th picture in my 6th photo folder, explain it, and tag six other bloggers to do the same - so here goes. This is a picture of Rosie sitting in what she likes to think is "her" chair.

I tag the following:

Hope and Greyz
Confessions of a Trophy Wife
Halfway Home Hounds
In Patti's Place
Whirred Up
Hillbilly Heaven

Tagged!! The Saga of the Everlasting Doughnut

2008-12-31T07:30:00.006-05:00

First I have to explain the background to this tale. There is, or was, a box of doughnuts that has been passed around among the members of Georgia Team Pharaoh for more than a year now. It started when someone tucked what was left of the morning’s munchies in Brianna’s car after some event. Her passion for doughnuts is well known!!. Apparently, they stayed in her car for quite a while, and still looked ready to eat. They were so hard, you’d break a tooth on them, but there was not one speck of mold to be found. They were perfectly preserved. Kind of a scary thought if you’d actually eaten any of the original doughnuts. What did they put in them to preserve them for so long?

That box of stale doughnuts became sort of a boobie prize to be secretly or creatively pawned off on an unsuspecting victim – sort of like a hot potato. They even made an appearance at the Pharaoh Hound Nationals back in October and were presented to Brianna as an award for being the Raw Food Educator of the Year. I’m sure I don’t have the back story exactly right. I know my Pharaoh phriends sometimes read this blog so please feel free to comment and set the story straight.

Anyway, I guess I need to explain why I'm telling this pastry adventure story here. I got to the coursing field Saturday ready to set up camp and was presented with a very nicely wrapped present from my friend Bekki. I should have suspected something when she made me open the package then and there. I’m sure you can guess what it contained. Yep, the original donuts have now finally gone to the great dustbin in the sky, but have been lovingly and creatively replaced with the toy pictured here.

Now I’ve got the doughnut and I’m already plotting it’s next adventure. You guys watch your backs!!

Christmas Wish Fulfilled....

2008-12-30T09:12:00.003-05:00

Or, be careful what you wish for….

I haven’t posted in awhile as the holiday rush washed over me like a tsunami. As a result, I have lots to report, but will start with Christmas Day and its aftermath.

As a kid, I always wanted to sleep by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. For obvious reasons, my parents never allowed me to do so. Gee, I wonder why? Even as an adult, I really like to turn all the lights off in the house, plug in the tree, lay on the floor, and just watch the tree. It’s as good as a campfire, and better than TV. Why you ask, am I giving you all of this unsolicited information? Wait a minute, you’ll see.

On Christmas Day, the whole crew, by that I mean my mother, my sister, her husband, and her four kids, all came to my house for dinner. No big deal there, I cooked some, my sister cooked some, and my mom made her famous cheesecake. Just as an aside, her cheesecake is to die for. I had ten hungry people in my house on Christmas looking for food, drink, and Christmas cheer. The kids were also looking for presents! Just before my sister’s crew arrived, I opened the fridge door and the butter dish fell out and hit me on the foot. After muttering some expletives not in keeping with the spirit of the day, I looked around for the stick of butter that should have been on the dish. No stick of butter was to be found, so I assumed that someone had put the empty dish back in the fridge so they didn’t have to wash it. If you have kids in your house, you can understand how that might happen.

After everyone arrived, Rosie managed to find the butter that had escaped the refrigerator. Unfortunately, I only realized her discovery as it slid down her throat. I briefly considered pouring hydrogen peroxide down her gullet to bring the butter back up, but decided that such a cure was probably worse than the problem, especially since we had a house full of folks who wouldn’t appreciate my dog running around the house foaming at the mouth. I figured I was in for a long night as the butter worked its way through her system.

Yes, she had diarrhea, pretty much all night just as I expected. The fun part however, occurred at about three in the morning, After just coming back inside following about the sixth or seventh trip out to the potty, she jumped up on my bed and puked – all over my pillow and about every other sheet and blanket on the bed. Then she jumped down and continued the barf-a-rama in various locations around the bedroom. My poor girl was about a sick as I’ve ever seen her. The good news was it seemed that other than a couple more trips outside, the butter was pretty much out of her system. The bad news was that even if I could have managed to get the carpet cleaned in the middle of the night, the bed was gross, right down to the mattress.

Rob and I looked at each other, laughed pretty hard (it was either that or cry) and went downstairs and slept in the family room on an air mattress right next to the Christmas tree. Be careful what you wish for; your wish might just come true!!

P.S. I’m doing my part to stimulate the economy by purchasing new pillows for my bed. The sheets wash, down pillows, not so much.

Wishing You A....

2008-12-24T11:21:00.008-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

It really is A Wonderful Life!!!

May you and your family have a
safe and happy holiday...

Weekend in Review

2008-12-22T09:01:00.004-05:00

First of all, I learned that one of my loved ones has an addiction. It’s serious and I think he needs real help. I’ve never dealt with substance abuse before and had hoped I’d never have to go down this path.

Now some of this problem is my fault. I brought the offending substance into the house and I encouraged some moderate use. What I didn’t know was that the problem would get so out of hand.

Nick is really and truly addicted to marshmallows and I think Wheeler is his enabler. You see, Wheeler likes munching on mushies too, and has been making regular trips to the pantry to sneak a sweet treat. Apparently, he’s also been sharing with Nick. For the record, Rosie still thinks they’re disgusting and is holding out for liver treats. She takes the mushie in her mouth, I guess because Nick seems so excited about them, but she spits it out every time.

The irritating part about it is that now, every time anyone opens the panty door, Nick rushes over and starts bouncing around. Not exactly behavior I want to encourage. Wheeler on the other hand is unrepentant and continues to share.

In other news, we finally got our Christmas tree decorated. I know, I know, we’re very late on the draw this year. We’ll leave it up though until the 12^th day of Christmas though. I must admit, now that it’s done, I’m glad. This is Nick’s first Christmas, and I can see the wheels turning. He’s filed this one under “people really are crazy.” He’s wants to know why, if we go to the trouble to bring a big bush in the house, he can’t use it as a potty, especially since it’s so cold outside. Rosie, on the other hand, is probably encouraging him to water the tree figuring that any misbehavior on his part will make her look more like an angel.

Procrastination - Wordle

2008-12-18T18:59:00.004-05:00

I have tons to do – it’s that time of year when I have to make a list and check it twice just to be sure I remember to do everything I’ve promised. Tonight, I’m supposed to be wrapping presents. So what am I doing? I’m creating a wordle and posting it here. Kinda crazy, huh?

You can procrastinate and make your own at www.wordle.net. Try it if you haven't already, its fun!

Edited because I posted the wrong image.

It was a Mommy Kind of Weekend

2008-12-15T13:41:00.003-05:00

I spent this weekend doing mom stuff. Wheeler had a wrestling tournament that lasted all day Saturday. His school was hosting so, of course, we had volunteer duties. I agreed to a three hour shift at the door. We charge a small admission, just enough to cover the costs of putting on the tournament. What amazed me were the excuses I heard from people trying to get out of paying to get in. “I just want to come watch my kid wrestle. Do I have to Pay?” Well duh, I don’t think there are tons of attendees that aren’t here to watch someone. “I only have a $100 bill, can you break it?” Lady, this is a high school wrestling meet, no, I don’t have ton of change. I started the day with $50 in ones. Eventually, I’ll have change, but not first thing in the morning. Now bear in mind that most of the people complaining were carrying cups of coffee that cost more than our paltry admission fee. They didn’t seem to have a problem with paying for that.

Door duty also makes you the complaint department. One lady harangued me because the sign pointing the way to the tournament was not big enough. There was a sign on the door that said “Wrestling” as well a much larger sign indicating the gym building. Call me crazy, but even if I missed the small sign on the door, I’d probably look in the gym before say, one of the classroom buildings. The school’s not that big anyway. Even without any signs, close your eyes and listen for the sounds of ref whistles.

Truly, those whiners were the minority. I really love door duty because I get to meet and talk to lots of folks.

All in all, it was a good day. Wheeler wrestled well and no one got hurt. Sorry, no pics though. He made me promise not to post one as he says he looks like a dork in a singlet. News flash Wheels, so does everybody else - but they are better than the Speedos the swimmers have to wear.

Comfort Food

2008-12-07T11:57:00.005-05:00

Everyone has different favorite foods remembered from childhood. You know, that consumable that always makes everything, no matter how upsetting, seem better. For me, I remember afternoons with my grandmother who believed, and rightly so, that what she called a Black Cow could fix just about anything from hurt feelings to a skinned knee. They’re simple and easy to make with very few ingredients, and very, very tasty. It takes only about 2 minutes to pour a Coke over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, stir in a tad of vanilla extract, and top with a cherry…mmmm!!!

Not everyone has the same childhood associations and some may not even like my grandmother’s Black Cow whether they’re in a funk or not. In fact, my fizzy favorite may sound downright disgusting to you. The funny thing is, apparently my two canine pals, both adopted as adults, have a difference of opinion when it comes to one of Nick’s favorites. Reading Patti’s blog reminded that greyhounds are often given marshmallows by their trainers at the track as treats. They’re cheap and the dogs find them to be yummy – well usually. I used to buy them for Speedy and Sugar, but have fallen out of the habit in recent years. The other day, I walked past a shelf full of marshmallows in the grocery store and tossed a bag in my basket, thinking that the pups would love them.

When I got home, I pulled out the bag of white, fluffy goodness expecting both dogs to love them. Nick recognized the bag before I even got it opened and began bouncing around excitedly as soon as he saw it. Now Rosie is no dummy; even though she's not a greyhound and had most likely never seen a marshmallow, she could tell Nick was expecting something tasty, so she also began a happy dance. Nick happily gobbled up his prize. Rosie also seem thrilled to get the marshmallow. I wish I had a video of what came next. Rosie got a horrified look on her face and promptly spat the offending white, fluffy morsel out. She nosed at it for a minute or two, obviously trying to figure out what Nick found so wonderful about marshmallows, then walked away. Nick was happy to take care of her leftovers.

I guess marshmallows are an acquired taste…..

Who Stands Outside for Two Days in Cold, Rainy Weather?

2008-12-01T10:24:00.004-05:00

Apparently , I do! The Metropolitan Atlanta Whippet Association hosted an ASFA field trial Friday , Saturday, and Sunday. What better way is there to fill out the Thanksgiving holiday? Actually, we only coursed Saturday and Sunday, but the trial went for all three days. My pharaoh phriends are always prepared for all sorts of weather, so we didn’t suffer much from the cold rainy weather. Bekki scored a great deal on a tent at the black Friday sales, so we were dry and warm inside with heaters going. Sandy outdid herself with hot soup and BBQ for lunch and Brianna brought tempting sweets. Despite the weather, it was impossible to be unhappy as we were warm and well fed :-)!

Despite my reservations, I let Nick run on Saturday. I was scared as it was wet and the course at Calhoun is hilly. I’m used to coursing Rosie. Pharaohs are lighter and not as fast as Greyhounds and aren’t as likely to get hurt if they fall. In fact, Rosie has tumbled more than once and never been the worse for it. Nick though, moves faster, weights more, and isn’t as experienced. Obviously, I’m a Nervous Nelly. In the end, I let him run and he did very well. He was the only open Greyhound, but he outscored both field champion greyhounds that ran. He tumbled down the hill on his first run (my worst fear realized) and skidded in on his shoulder when he “came in for his landing.” After I got my heart out of my throat, I checked him over – he was fine. He ran well in finals in the afternoon, and managed to keep all four feet under him. I didn’t wrap his legs at all for that run, but did in the morning, so I don’t know if that make a difference. He didn’t run as well in the best of breed run off though, so he only came away with 4 points for winning open. I think is was probably sore from his fall when he ran for best of breed, and I can’t blame him. He woke up Sunday morning pretty stiff, so he stayed home, much to his dismay. He was fine by the time I got home, and didn’t let me out of his sight the entire night. I think he was afraid I’d sneak off with Rosie again and leave him home.

Rosie, the trooper that she is, ran well both days and took best of breed Sunday. All the Pharaohs ran well, including Femi, who at age eight, has decided she wants to try her paw at coursing. Apparently, she was never much interested when she tried as a youngster. She won open on Saturday, but lost by a hair to Reign for best of breed. We teased that she just didn’t want to over obligate herself in her younger days as she’s had great success in agility and in conformation. Trey won field champion Sunday, so really the Pharaohs passed the honors around with everyone having a chance to run off for best of breed.

All, in all, it was a great weekend. It was fun for human and hound – despite the weather!!

Random Act of Kindness!!

2008-11-26T17:24:00.003-05:00

I got an early Christmas present today! OK, not really, but it sort of felt like it.

As you may or may not know, Wheeler is into wrestling. It’s the perfect sport for him since he’s very agile and slightly built. Practice started a while ago, and their first meet is this Saturday. He had practice this morning and came out afterwards to tell me that his wrestling shoes are way too small and he needs some more before Saturday. Now all this is fine, except that I like to order those sorts of things since they’re generally lots cheaper online. Of course, being a 14 year old boy, he hadn’t told me that his shoes didn't fit, which I would have realized if I thought about it at all, and that he couldn’t find his knee pads. Off we go to the local big box sporting goods store to load up on expensive shoes and knee pads so we’ll have them before the meet on Saturday. Grrr!! Now I know this last minute dash is partially my fault – I didn’t ask – but you’d think that since he’s been practicing for a month he would have thought to tell me that he’s been wearing tennis shoes because he can’t shoe horn his foot into last year’s shoes.

After finding a pair of shoes that fit, some knee pads, and a mouth guard, we got in line to pay. While we were standing there, we were approached by a complete stranger who gave us a 20% off coupon!! Said he hadn’t found what he wanted and it looked like we had lots of stuff. Wow!! Now, the coupon was about to expire, so it wasn’t really any skin off his nose, but he really didn’t have to do that. Sometimes I get the most pleasure from the unexpected.

It Was A Beautiful Fall Day....

2008-11-23T12:03:00.006-05:00

Actually, we had two beautiful fall days in early November for the CHASE Veteran’s Day field trial at Old Mill Farm in Cartersville. I’m finally getting around to posting about the weekend. The field was neither too hard nor too muddy, and the air was crisp, but not cold. As an extra bonus, the leaves were about at the peak of their fall color, making for really nice pictures. Both Rosie and Nick ran well. Nick especially so on Saturday when he placed second out of four greyhounds. Not bad for his first weekend out. Lee Gearhart of Uma Rapiti Photography was there taking pictures and got some good ones of both Nick and Rosie. Here’s Nick running with the greytblackdog on Saturday.

And here's another of him running alone.

Saturday also went well for Rosie. Four Pharaoh Hounds were there and Rosie placed third. I can’t complain about that one bit. Her buddy Reign, who placed second Saturday and first on Sunday, earned his ASFA Field Championship that weekend. I love watching her run; she alway has such a ball!!

On Sunday, Nick didn’t run as well. I think he was still tired from Saturday, but he’s still new at lure coursing and two days in a row of vigorous running is tough. Rosie clearly wasn’t tired on Sunday, (she’s like the Eveready bunny), and managed a second place finish.

The best part, and really the most important part, of lure coursing is the fun and satisfaction the hounds get from it. Also, they snooze so peacefully after a weekend of running.

Six More Things....

2008-11-20T11:37:00.008-05:00

Addie tagged me with a new Meme. The idea is to think of the six things you would change if money was no object. This one has really made me put on my thinking cap. The first things that came to mind were things I would buy, and don’t get me wrong, we could definitely use lot of things that plenty of money could buy. Next, I started thinking about what I could do to make me feel good inside. So here goes.

1. I’d set up a college fund for my nieces and nephew and so they could go to any school in the world without worrying about money. I’d also beef up Wheeler’s. Though we’ve been stashing cash for his school since he was born, tuition has gone up faster than inflation and even with the money we’ve saved he’ll have to consider cost and scholarship money (keep those grades up kid) when the time comes.

2. I’d set up a charitable trust with trustees to administer it to which I could refer folks with hard luck stories. You know, the ones that you hear about on the evening news – firefighter dad killed in the line of duty leaving wife and baby with life threatening disease. When I hear those stories, I always wish I could help. With a trust in place, if the story checked out, I could. The trust would have significant funds dedicated to animal rescue too.

3. My first thought on the home front was to move. Get rid of my 60’s ranch style house and move up in the world. But I basically like my house, and with just the three of us we don’t need any more room. I’d do all the fixing up we’ve put off (like get rid of the 60’s paneling in the basement) and call a real landscape company to fix the yard so it works for human’s and dogs.

4. I’d look for a piece of land with acreage where I could build a house to move to after Wheeler graduates from high school. Then, the location wouldn’t matter to us and I could have all the dogs I want – and maybe even a horse.

5. I’d hire a full time cook and maid. It’s no secret that I hate house work. Trust me, one visit to my house and you know that I’m not a neat freak. I’m also not the best cook. Oh I kind of like making special meals and trying new dishes. In fact, before I had a family to cook for every day, I would have said I enjoyed cooking. But coming up with dinner ever night is wearing especially hearing “Oh mom, are we having chicken again?”

6. Last, but certainly not least, I’d plan, and execute, lots of trips. I defiantly suffer from wander lust and there’s pretty much nowhere in the world (absent places where bullets fly regularly) that I don’t want to visit.

So there you go. Now you know my self-serving desires should some long lost and currently unknown relative pass on and leave me untold millions. And now to pass this game along, I tag Heather, Patti, and Denise. What six things would you change if money was no object?

Queen Bee

2008-11-19T09:20:00.003-05:00

You know how in every group, there’s one person who wants to tell everybody how to act, what to do, and when to do it. At work, its’ the person who is constantly trying to organize pot luck lunches. You know the kind where everybody brings something, plus you have to chip in for a ham or something to share. Then she (or he) wants you to say ahead of time exactly what you are bringing. Often the green bean casserole (or whatever you offered) isn’t good enough. “Can’t you just whip up a simple crabmeat soufflé?” This person then goes over the top decorating for the lunch and gets upset is everyone doesn’t want to participate. As an aside comment, I have nothing against pot luck meals. In fact, I enjoy them – it’s just when they become overly organized and turn into a party planned in detail by one self appointed office “queen bee,” and then executed through coercion by the worker bees that I object. In reality though, we need those “queen bee” types. As much as we complain about their methods, we all kind of like the lunches.

There’s no doubt who the “queen bee” of dogdom is at our house. In truth, I think Rosie is in charge because Nick could care less one way or the other about most of the day to day doings at our house. He figures as long as he as two square meals a day, a good walk (unless the weather is really nasty,) and a soft place to sleep, he’s good. Rosie on the other hand, wants to be sure that everyone knows that she rules the roost. Which dog is always first thru the door? Who always claims the prized dozing spot? You guessed it. Rosie. Now I’m not sure what makes one dog bed preferable to another but in Rosie’s mind, she gets first pick.

Nick, on the other hand, is Mr. Easygoing. I don’t think he cares one bit whether he sleeps on the dog bed on the left or the dog bed on the right. While Rosie is strutting around at feeding time hoping to move up her dinner by a minute or two, Nick is quietly waiting for the bowls to come out. In his mind, does it really matter who goes through the door first? So in reality, I think Rosie is the “Queen Bee” at our house, but I think she earned her title by default.

Science Project...

2008-11-18T10:41:00.005-05:00

My life of late has been consumed by Wheeler’s science project. Why, you ask, is my 9^th grader’s science project consuming my life? Because it’s a group project and he can’t drive himself to his friends house or on the multiple trips to the hardware store necessary to acquire the parts to build the small steam engine he’s trying to construct. Also, even if they work at my house, I’m reluctant to leave two or three teenage boys alone in my house building said steam engine. The explosive potential is real, and I don’t know if my homeowners insurance covers damage caused by the explosion of a home built steam engine boiler. Since 14 year old boys don’t always use common sense, I feel the need to stay relatively close by to monitor progress.

Did I mention that I hate group projects! Teachers think that they are a wonderful way to teach kids the skills that they will someday need in the workplace. Obviously they have never tried to find enough time for three boys, who all have other school work, sports, family commitments etc to get together at night and on the weekend for long enough to plan and construct the project du jour. Realistically, they aren’t going to build a steam engine, or anything like it, in one afternoon, so it really is a scheduling nightmare and ends up being a pain in mom's rump. Not to mention that I’ve had various sizes of duct taped up cans with copper tubing sticking out scattered around my kitchen for weeks.

Hopefully, one of the prototypes built over the week-end will work. Wheeler plans a test run tonight as he thinks the silicone caulk that’s supposed to hold the thing together will be dry enough by then. Here’s hoping it works – and my house doesn’t blow up.!!

Bad Mommy... Good Dog!!!

2008-11-11T15:24:00.005-05:00

Yesterday morning I set out for my daily walk with Nick and Rosie. We walk almost every day on one of the trails by the river. There are some great trails both just inside and just outside 285 in Atlanta that are very lightly used – a great thing in a city of our size. First order of business is always a potty break for the beasts – I hate carrying poop bags after they are filled and prefer my pups to take care of business before we start.

Yesterday, just as I was leaning over to recover Nick’s deposit, Rosie saw a squirrel and bolted toward it. I don’t know how exactly it happened, apparently I didn’t have the leash properly secured. The bottom line was, I wasn’t paying close attention. Off she went into the woods after the squirrel dragging her leash behind her. It’s amazing what goes through you mind as you see your dog’s butt disappearing up a hill through the woods. There are so many squirrels and other things to chase out there, I imagined her running forever tracking first one critter and then another until she thoroughly lost herself. There have also be reports of coyotes in the area. Something else to worry about.

The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “Rosie, leave it!” At that, she whipped around and looked at me. I couldn’t believe it, she broke off from chasing a squirrel and actually listened to me. I’m more confident of her sit/stay than I am her recall, although we’ve worked on both. She came to me with some leash aggression issues, so for quite awhile, every time we passed another dog I asked her to sit and stay until the other dog passed. I still do at times if the other dog looks like it might bark and lunge at her or if there a bunch of dogs coming toward us at one time. That way, I can get between her and the dog(s) and make her feel safe and under control.

Anyway, I asked her to sit and stay. Amazingly, she did, and Nick and I walked into the woods and got her. After lots and lots of treats, we went for our walk. I’m not sure I needed one at that point as my heart rate was already way up. I was very proud of my girl. She did what I asked when I asked it just when I most needed her to do so. Next order of business – more recall proofing so next time I don’t have to hike off trail. She actually would most likely have come this time if I’d called her. I just felt safer with her butt on the ground and her eyes on me.

Jen, if you’re reading this, thanks for all the training tips over the years. Your example and tips really saved my bacon yesterday.

See Spot Run!!

2008-11-07T16:47:00.006-05:00

I only bought one shot from Rosie's runs as I've already got a bunch. But I couldn't resist several shots of Nick as it was his first time out.

See Rosie run!

See Nick Run!

See Nick Run fast!

See Nick catch the bunny!!

OK, sorry for the 60's Dick and Jane reader reference. I'm showing my age ;-)!

I just got the CD with these pics in the mail today from The Southeastern Greyhound Club trial on Oct 26^th and I can’t resist showing off a few. Both Rosie and Nick had a blast. All photos were taken by Dan Gauss of Shot on Site Photography.

I'm a Believer!!

2008-11-06T13:24:00.004-05:00

Nick has had an odd gait ever since I got him back in September. Watching him from behind at a slow trot it was clear that something wasn’t quite right about the way he moved his right rear leg. Whatever it was didn’t seem to affect the way he ran, and all but vanished at a fast trot. It wasn’t a limp, really it was more just an odd way of moving. He didn’t show any signs of pain, but I wanted to be sure that he didn’t hurt, and that I didn’t cause him injury by lure coursing him.

First stop, my vet’s office. Dr. Amy Mathews at The Buckhead Animal Clinic has been taking care of my animals for around 20 years. I can’t say enough good things about her. Most importantly, she doesn’t get irritated with all my many questions and always explains what she thinks and tells me why. In addition, she got Sugar through a couple of really scary medical scrapes.

She spent a fair amount of time watching Nick move and also manipulating his limbs and in general giving him a good once over. She did see the odd gait, but couldn’t find any indication of pain, or any restriction in range of motions in any of his limbs. We x-rayed his lower spine and saw no skeletal problems. We discussed x-raying his hips, but elected to put it off since I really didn't want to put him under anesthesia and she didn't feel strongly about it. She said she didn’t see a problem with letting him course. OK, so why does my pup have what I can only describe as a “hitch in his getalong??”

Second stop Dr. Lance Cleveland, an animal chiropractor I found through a friend. He treated her horse and she believes he helped dramatically. I called him on the number she gave me last Friday afternoon. Turns out, it wasn’t his office number, but was his personal cell phone. He was in Atlanta at an American Veterinary Chiropractic Association conference. He lives in Mississippi, but travels around the southeast to various barns and is in Atlanta treating patients about once every two or three weeks.

Even though he wasn’t here to treat patients, he agreed to meet me Sunday afternoon at one of the barns where he regularly works (conveniently very close to my house) and take a look at Nick. Wow!! I never expected him to do that. Anyway, to make a long story even longer, he also saw Nick’s “hitch”, worked his magic, showed me some stretches to do daily, and guess what, vast improvement in Nick’s gait. He also said that in his opinion, coursing him would do him more good than harm, and I shouldn’t take his fun away. We’ll see him again when he’s in town just before Thanksgiving.

I was amazed at the good he did for my boy, and wonder now if maybe I should see a chiropractor too, as I also have one or two “hitches in my getalong!!”

If You Were Elected President.....

2008-11-05T13:22:00.005-05:00

Now that the election is over and we know the outcome, it’s time to see what the next four years bring. While I was sitting in a meeting this morning and thinking about the election - anything but pay attention to another long boring meeting - my mind started to wander and to consider what it would be like to actually be President.

Now mind you, there’s no way I’d want that job. There’s way too much 24/7 pressure and besides, you always have to worry about folks being out to get you. Also, have you noticed how much older all Presidents look after four years in office. I don’t think there’s enough beauty cream in the world to counteract that rapid aging.

There are, however, certain perks. What would it be like to never have to straighten up or clean the house again? I’d never have to plan or cook another dinner. The White House Chief would have to listen to Wheeler when he complains “Meat Loaf again!!” Air Force One would be available to whisk me off to my chosen destination. No more standing in long security lines at the airport clutching my small plastic bag of liquids in one hand and my shoes in the other.

I’m sure there are lots of other pleasant perks that go with the highest office in the land. What would you like best about the day to day life part of being President?

P.S. I'm in no way making light of the importance associated with holding the highest office in the land. Just wondering what everyday life would be like, minus the heavy duty responsibility.

Get Up, Stand In Line, and VOTE!!

2008-11-03T15:28:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is election day and if you haven’t already voted please do so. I think that we take our right to vote for grated way to often in this country. It's actually refreshing to see so many people voting early and to hear that really longs lines are expected tomorrow. Don't let lines discourage you. Remember, if you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain about the way the country is run. Stand up and be heard. I just ask that you vote for what you really believe in. Please think it through carefully, and don't be swayed by media hype one way or the other.

Tis the Season...

2008-10-28T13:38:00.009-04:00

Ok, it’s not Christmas yet, but it sort of felt like it to me this week end. I’ve really been looking forward to lure coursing with Nick since I got him and also couldn’t wait to get back to the field with Rosie. The Southeastern Greyhound Club hosted the ASFA National Greyhound Specialty on Saturday and an all breed trial on Sunday. We couldn’t make it Saturday, but were there bright and early for roll call on Sunday. Rosie and Nick were entered, Rosie in open and Nick in singles.

The field at Bear Creek Farm in Moreland is one of the nicest around. I was really excited about seeing Nick run for the first time. Rosie, as usual, was chomping at the bit to have her turn. She started bouncing around as soon as she saw the crates go in the back of the van on Saturday afternoon. Nick didn’t know what was going on, but picked up on Rosie’s excitement.

Nick ran very well, especially for the first time out scoring a 154 in the morning prelim run. They did certifications at lunch, so he ran again, and certified. Now he can run in open at our next trial. I pulled him from finals in the afternoon, figuring that two courses in one day were enough for his first time out. He ran as beautifully when he certified as he did in the mourning, and most importantly, he seemed to love it.

Rosie also had a good day, taking first in open. She lost best of breed to a Pharaoh from Texas.

I don’t have any pics of them running, but will post some as soon as the photographer updates his site with this weekends pics and I can order a few. Gotta have pics of Nicks first outing. Dan Gauss from Shot on Site Photography was there, and I’m sure took a few I won’t be able to resist. I didn’t look on Sunday as there were too many others in front of me gathered around his computer. I’m way to impatient to wait long, especially when I know I can see them later on-line. I also think I buy less when I wait until I’m at home alone and can think about exactly how much I’m spending.

Here’s a shot of my crew in the back of the van.

And a couple of them after we got home. Two exhausted, but happy, hounds.

Can't I Just Take a Walk in the Park???

2008-10-24T10:48:00.004-04:00

Ok, I’m not usually a complainer, but I’ll be really glad when this election is over. I’m older that I care to admit and have lived though more presidential elections than I want to fess up to, but I don’t remember people being as emotional about their choice before. Now I fall solidly into the independent, middle of the road camp, and won’t reveal which candidate will receive my vote here. I don’t want to argue about it. I’m tired of being accosted while going about my day to day life by random strangers badgering me about the subject. There is one woman in particular who started showing up at the park where I walk the pups about a month ago. The first time I saw her we had the following exchange (I’m paraphrasing as I didn’t record the conversation at the time)

Random Jogger: “Someone with such beautiful dogs is bound to be a democrat right.”

Me: “I don’t discuss politics with random strangers in the park.”

Random Jogger: “You can’t vote for McCain. He hates women and will overturn Roe vs. Wade”

Me: “I don’t discuss politics with random strangers in the park.”

Random Jogger: “That must mean you’re voting for McCain. He wants to let babies die in our country because their parents can't afford health insurance. Obama is the clear choice for right thinking, intelligent people.”

Me: “I don’t discuss politics with random strangers in the park.”

Now after that, she jogged off and attached herself to another lone woman walking. I’m sure she intended a similar conversation. I was annoyed (OK pissed off) that this woman had disturbed me during my walk. It’s the only time in my day that is mine. I like to clear my mind and think about nothing while I walk. Now don’t get me wrong, I have my morning walking buddies that I see most every day. We speak, some of them pet and admire my dogs. I pet and admire their dogs if they have them, speak to their babies in strollers, etc. I’m not ant- social. I just don’t want to engage in a political debate with someone with extreme views on either candidate during my morning meditation/walking time. Truly though, about a minute after she left, I’d forgotten all about her.

That is until I bumped into her again a couple of mornings later. Similar conversation – slightly different versions of why John McCain is the anti-Christ and I’m a complete fool if I even consider voting for him. To sum things up, I’ve run into her five or six times in the last several weeks. Yesterday I finally, very abruptly, told her to leave me the heck alone. Hopefully she will.

Now she’s not the only evidence that emotions are running higher in this campaign than most. One of my closest friends has told me that I’m an idiot if I don’t vote for the candidate of her choice. She thinks we need real change in this country and there’s only one way to get it. Just about everyone seems to have firm views as to who they support. That’s fine – I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with the I’m right and anyone who doesn’t agree with me is an idiot attitude, and I’ve seen it from supporters of both candidates. I have a right to my opinion, and you have I right to yours. I may not agree with it. In fact, I may stridently disagree. I don’t even mind discussing it. Real debate on the issues can be helpful and interesting. Name calling is hurtful and polarizing. I just don’t see the point.

Ok rant over!!

Hound High School.......

2008-10-19T14:16:00.006-04:00

Think back to your high school days. When I remember school, I don’t remember much about studying. What I mostly think of is hanging out with friends. Primping with girlfriends before big parties. Late night gossip at sleepovers with the same girlfriends. What’s really neat about it is that my best friends even today are those same girlfriends. We’ve kept up over the years and are still very, very close. Anyway, I digress. Perhaps that’s fodder for another blog post.

Watching Wheeler this year has reminded me of the less fun part of high school – studying. He’s had a round of tests in the last week or two, and has been really burning the midnight oil. Wheeler is more of an auditory learner than a visual one, so before his elementary and even some middle school tests, he had me quizzing him and helping him memorize facts. Now realistically, I can’t keep doing this forever. He has to figure out a way to learn and remember on his own. I’m not in high school, and I won’t be going off to college with him. But the fact remains, he learns better when he goes over what he needs to know aloud.

He’s tried a couple of study methods this year – some more successful than others. His most recent idea may actually work pretty well. That is, if I can quit laughing about it. The other day, I came home from running errands and found him in the family room reading The Odyssey to Nick and Rosie. They both seemed to be listening raptly. He was also explaining to them who the characters are and how they relate to one another.

Later in the day, he was teaching them Ancient Egyptian History. Now Rosie, the Pharaoh Hound, may have more of an aptitude for ancient Egypt than Nick, but they both seemed pretty interested. It didn’t hurt that he, and as a result they, were snacking at the same time. I’m sure Nick and Rosie were more interested in the finer points of the Pharaohs than in the chips Wheeler was sharing with them - yeah right! At least he was making them offer a down before receiving the very nutritious potato chip snack.

All in all, I don’t think I’ll let him know I see humor in his new study method. Maybe it will help him learn, and the dogs love the attention even without extra snacks!!

Zoomy Man and the Wild Child.....

2008-10-07T08:00:00.004-04:00

Nick is fine. Three doses of Pancur and some metronidazole (sp) and Nick is much better in the poo department. Also, he doesn't look like he's lost any more weight since last Wednesday when we went to the vet. He may even have gained a pound. In fact, he looks pretty good to me. He also acts like he feels better - not that he ever acted like he felt bad, but he's much more animated that he was. I guess I'd be less energetic if my guts where in a knot!!

I've got to get some action shots of Rosie and Nick careening around the house and yard. My father in law's house, which I guess is our house now since his death a couple of years ago, has about three quarters of an acre fenced. The yard is built into a hill. The dogs love to run in a big circle up and down the hill. Rosie, being the wild child, instigates rambunctious chase games up and down the hill and into the wooded, un-landscaped (read wild and out of control) part of the yard. There are several large boulders at the top of the hill that she delights in jumping on top of and sort of lording over Nick. He barks at her - I can see her laughing at him. Silly greyhound, can't you even climb a rock. Nick, on the other hand, isn't sure why you'd want to climb on top of a rock when there's plenty of room to run in rock free zones.

I haven't been able to get any good pics of their antics mostly because they're both a lot faster than me. Rosie is really enjoying having a buddy her own age that she can play with. I'm liking watching them together. They are so different - sort of like fire and ice.

I'm a Little Concerned About Nick...Warning Graphic Poo Discriptions - Skip Post if Easily Grossed Out

2008-10-03T07:56:00.009-04:00

Nick will celebrate his four week anniversary at my house on Saturday. We have been struggling with pudding poo ever since he got here. Also, he has been steadily losing weight. When we adopted him, he weighted 68 lbs. on the scale at the adoption kennel. The following Thursday, I took him to my vet where he weighed in at 63 lbs. I had them check the weight twice, but in the end chalked it up to the difference in scales and was unconcerned at the time. Also, his racing weight was 61 pounds, but his racing records show that he weighed about 66 when he ran 17 of his 22 total races. Why was his official reported weight lower – I don’t know. Anyway, he was ribby when I got him and didn't look overweight; he look just about right. I wasn’t initially worried about the pudding poo either, assuming it was caused by all the upheaval in his life. We also started treating itchy inflamed ears at the first vet visit. They weren't horrible, but you could definitely smell them and he was scratching at them.

I’ve fasted him for 24 hours twice and started him back on a rice/boiled ground beef mixture. Both times his poo has firmed up, but deteriorates when regular food is added. I’ve also been giving him canned pumpkin and plain yogurt every day. Sometimes I get reasonably formed poo, and sometimes I get liquid. Also, he looked like he was losing weight – so off to the vet we went again yesterday. He weighed in at 59 pounds. Now I’m getting worried. Also, his ears are still bothering him.

I feed my dogs raw meaty bones in the evening and a veggie/ground beef mixture for breakfast. Nick has never really worked up to the ground meat mixture. I’m feeding him a ton in a effort to get him to gain a little weight, way more than twice what Rosie, at 38 pounds gets and more than either Speedy or Sugar ever ate. Nick’s not a picky eater and relishes his meals. He loves to eat. I don’t think further upping calories is going to help. My vet suggested worming, metronidazole, and a prescription diet. I bought a bag of the food, and fed it last night and this morning. I’m not a big fan of prescription diets though and am kind of scared to read the ingredients. In any event, she’s not suggesting it for life. We also started him on another ear drop to try to clear up the ear inflammation.

I can’t tell how he feels, but on the surface he doesn't seem sick. He gets excited at meal times and when we come home. He likes to be loved on, but he doesn’t enthusiastically jump in the car when it’s time to go to the park for a walk. He often tries to stop to pee or sniff when we walk. Don’t know if he’s tired or if he’s just trying to walk me. He hasn’t won at this – it’s my walk and I let him come along :-)! The fact is, I haven’t had him long enough to really know him and how he acts when he doesn’t feel well. Don't picture a poor sick mopey dog though. He appears happy and engaged in our household.

Bottom, line – I’m more worried about the rapid weight loss than the pudding poo, but since they are likely related we need to address both issues. I’m hoping that the only problem is some worms and intestinal upset associated with the recent upheaval in his life. I'm likely just being a worry wart, and he will be fine in a few days. I'm open to suggestions though.

Nick Has Settled in Nicely......

2008-09-17T13:40:00.003-04:00

I think he looks kind of tense myself, but Rosie tells me he likes it here.

It's fun getting used to a new pup though. He reacts to noises from the TV. When he hears applause, he jumps up and runs to the window barking. He also reacts when he hears bells (like the phone ringing). He doesn't bark for bells, but he does look like he wants to do something when he hears one. I'm not sure what's up with this behavior. When he hears the applause, does he think he won something? Judging from his race history, he doesn't have much experience with winning so....?

Of course every time he and Rosie go outside, he wants to pee in the exact same spot that she used. I know he wants to be sure to mark his new territory well, but how do I tell him he needs to wait until Rosie finishes. She hates when he sprinkles her!!

Rosie seems to like having a playmate her own age though. They romp and play together. It's fun to watch...:-)!!

Nick's First Walk in the Park.....

2008-09-09T11:40:00.004-04:00

I took my first walk by myself with Rosie and Nick this morning. Walking one feisty Pharaoh Hound and either one or two senior Greyhounds is totally different than walking the same Pharaoh with a young, just off the track Grey. Actually, all in all, it went very well, but I did have to keep telling myself that things will improve with time and a little training. I was very, very glad that I remembered to pack my sense of humor.

First of all, Nick may be cat friendly and pretty much ignore my cats when they walk by in the house, but he is defiantly not squirrel or chipmunk friendly in the park. Secondly, he walks pretty well on the lease, but does at times seem like he’s drunk. He weaves all over the place. :-)

The outing was a definitely success though. Rosie didn’t explode at another dog once and Nick pretty much figured out which side I wanted him to walk on. Now if I can just teach him to jump into the van himself instead of just standing there waiting for me to lift him in.

Here’s what Nick had to say -

This morning my new mom took me for a walk. A walk is when you get in the back of a big vehicle and ride awhile then get out and walk around for awhile. There are lots of little animals running around to chase, but you are on a leash, so it’s hard to catch one before the leash stops you. I was unsuccessful today, but I’ll keep trying. Oh yeah, the best part is that you get lots of treats for walking where mom wants you to walk. She doesn’t like it if you walk into her, but sometimes laughs if you weave around a lot. When we were finished, she led me to the back of the vehicle and acted like she wanted me to do something. I’m not sure what she wanted though. I guess I’ll figure it out eventually. She kept waving a treat under my nose and putting it in the back of the vehicle. Doesn’t she know I can’t reach it there?

2008-09-09T11:40:00.003-04:00

Introducing Nick......

2008-09-08T10:23:00.006-04:00

OK, it’s time to pull myself out of my blue funk and post something. I’ve really been missing Speedy and Sugar, and haven’t been able to write about it. I’ve missed them both, but in a weird way, I’ve missed Speedy the most. Probably either because he was my first adult dog and thus a sentimental favorite or because Sugar had so many health problems I was kind of expecting her to go. Speedy left me unexpectedly and suddenly.

Anyway, I’ve wallowed in self pity long enough. I’d like to introduce our new family member Nick. He raced (not very well I’d like to point out) as Highwind Ruckus and met all the major criteria for a hound in our house. First of all, Rosie didn’t hate him on sight. She was even nice to him while she was on lead. Rosie, as I’ve mentioned before, has issues with leash aggression. We’ve worked hard on overcoming, or at least controlling her problem, and have made lots of progress. We can now walk in the park with only an occasional outburst, unless someone else snarls and lunges at her first - then all bets are off. I’ve gotten better at reading other dogs from a distance and trying to avoid any that look like they might be lunger/snarlers. When we run into one, it tends to set us back. Anyway, she greeted Nick well on lead, then romped and played with him off lead. She liked him because she could get him to chase her. He’s not one bit shy and seems confident and sure of himself. He’s also young at three years old, and is cat friendly. The fact that I think he’s gorgeous is an added bonus!!

He’s settling in nicely and may even try his paw at lure coursing if I can find someone to show me how to wrap his legs and explain when and why you need to do so. Pharaoh’s are easy, just make sure they’re in good shape, lead to the line and release. I guess they are smaller and sturdier, so are less prone to injury. I don’t know how good he’ll be as a courser. His prey drive at least in the house is low (doesn’t try to eat cats). I took him out yesterday on a long lead, with a plastic bag attached to a lung whip and he went nuts trying to get it – so maybe he’ll chase a plastic bag across a field.

I know that I’ll eventually come to love him. At this point he makes me smile and is I know he’s what I need to heal. In a weird way, I think Speedy sent him to me. Rob and I hadn’t planned to adopt a hound yet as we felt we weren’t ready. We had thought to foster for a while and then maybe adopt later. There was something about his picture that made me want to meet him though and the hint of black on top of his head (Speedy’s mark of approval) sealed the deal.

Six Things No One Knows About Me....

2008-08-10T15:21:00.006-04:00

OK, GreytBlackDog tagged me to spill the beans and tell everyone six things they don’t know about me. I found the exercise very difficult, but also kind of fun. Here goes:

I’m neurotic about planning. Whenever I do anything new or different, I read obsessively and plan every detail beforehand. For example, before any trip we take I buy at least 3 books about the area and obsess about where to stay etc. I know exactly how may miles lie between each destination, what activities are available everywhere, and where the best places to eat are located. My sister on the other hand, just wings it. She says I’m crazy and they have a good time too – without obsessive planning. She thinks part of the fun is figuring it out you go. Probably, but I’d be miserable if, for example, I went to Disney World and without planning the best order to hit each attraction in order to minimize line waiting time. OK, maybe I do suffer from a mild form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder!!

My house is exploding with books. I love to read, which is a major contributor to the problem. Also, my obsessive planning is a big contributor. I love to haunt the aisles at The Book Nook. It’s a great place where, for just a few dollars, you can find used books about anything. It’s impossible for me to resist picking up books about places that I might just want to visit someday, or hobbies that interest me, but I’ve not tried. I can’t ever bring myself to get rid of any of them either. So, if you ever need a book on anything from travel, to photography, to growing roses, just ask me. I might have one. Problem is my collection is very poorly organized, so I might not be able to find it.

I read a lot of junk. Everything I read, in fact most of what I read, isn’t teaching me anything or expanding my mind. I love to read junk. Things like trashy romantic novels and suspenseful detective stories.

I’m really very, very, shy. Most people who’ve been around me much don’t believe it because, once you get me started talking, I don’t shut up. But it’s very hard for me to come into a new situation. I guess I always feel like everybody else knows more than I do about just about everything.

In my teens and early twenties, I did a lot of rock climbing, camping, and hiking. In recent years, my idea of camping out has been the Holiday Inn – but I think that’s about to change. My son has been bugging me to take him camping and we recently spent a week-end at a campsite in North Georgia. I had a blast. How many dogs can you fit in a tent?

I love liver and onions. OK, I know most of you are running for the barf bags, but I really do love it; it’s my dirty secret.

So there you go.

Now to pass the torch, I tag Scott and Maria.

And Then There Was One.....

2008-08-04T12:13:00.003-04:00

Can we actually be a one dog house? It feels very strange here. Having only one dog bowl to be filled for breakfast and dinner does not seem right at all. I guess I have to get used to it though. It’s the norm now. No meds to be given to anyone, hound or human, before and after meals. It’s been at least 10 years since the critters in my house were totally med free. Starting with my now departed Casey cat and her tapazole for hyperthyroid, someone has always needed something. I’ve felt like a pusher for the last few years between Sugar’s pain meds and Speedy’s heart drugs. Although trying to get two dogs to take a handful of pills each, some before and some after meals, and at assorted times throughout the day was somewhat of an ordeal, I feel kind of lost and empty with out the routine. Maybe I just feel lost without my two pups!! Their bowls and beds have been put away, as well as the ex-pen that has been set up in the family room for Sugar for the last several months. The house looks much neater, and somehow very empty.

Rosie has missed her buddies really more than I thought she would. Speedy and Sugar were very much a bonded pair. Even though Rosie played with them, and seemed to like them, she really always thought they were oldsters who couldn’t keep up with her. She’s been very subdued for a couple of days, and still obviously looks for them at times. She must be as lonely for them as I am.

Two Much!!!

2008-07-31T10:58:00.008-04:00

Sugar
racing name Golddust Sugar
3/21/98 - 7/30/08

Two good-byes in one day are really too much for me, but sometimes too much is what you get. I’m sad to record the passing of our other Greyhound, Sugar. As has been reported here, she's battled neck pain for years and I’ve been struggling with whether or not it was time for her to go for several days. Yesterday afternoon, I decided that Speedy was trying to tell me something. He went ahead to help her, her friend and comforter to the end. The two of them have been together for years and were truly devoted to one another. She was in a great deal of pain that no amount of drugs could seem to control. Keeping her here with me was clearly very selfish. We decided to let her go.

Sugar was my second greyhound. She came to us as a foster – just for one night - until the family that was supposed to become her forever home could pick her up. That was in the old days when SEGA didn’t have a kennel. She was a bounce returned for some reason I can’t remember now. Well, she never left our house. Her intended family got cold feet about her and she became a member of our family. Their loss was our gain. Sugar is one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever met. She was a bit on the shy side, but loved kids. She would seek out a child in a crowd and nuzzle their hand until the petted her. She loved being petted more than food and relished snuggling up with her stuffies. I'm going to miss her more than anyone can imagine.

I love you Sugar Lump!! Run fast, free from pain.

Sometimes Things Just Come out of Left Field.

2008-07-30T11:23:00.006-04:00

Speedy
Racing Name Santas Clipper
8/18/97 - 7/30/08

I’ve spent the last month, and in some ways the lat several years, worrying about Sugar. She’s been the one with all the health problems.

I’m sad to record the passing of my precious Speedy just 19 days short of his 11th birthday. He had a catastrophic cardiac event in the middle of the night last night. A trip to the emergency vet was to no avail, and Rob and I let him go. He was apparently ready. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur a couple of years ago, but has gotten along quite nicely with drugs to manage his condition. His heart issue never really slowed him down. He loved his walks, playing with Rosie and Sugar (especially tug of war with Rosie), being strong for Sugar, and mostly being my shadow. He was the quintessential momma’s boy, the only remaining vestige of the separation anxiety he suffered from in the first year or so he lived with us. He was my first dog as an adult and my heart.

Yesterday was a normal day for him in all respects. He felt good, ate well, and mostly just hung out with me. I guess he wasn't the sort for lingering. Maybe he wants to be there to help Sugar when it's her turn. I'll never forget you my Speedy Boo! You taught me so much and gave me much more than you got in return over the years. I still remember the first day we got you. You've been my friend and my rock and I already miss you terribly.

Is it Time???

2008-07-29T13:17:00.005-04:00

If it's not time now, it will be soon unless Sugar's pain improves.

Pain is a terrible thing…especially when no one knows its source. Sugar continues to fight neck pain and I’m about to give up on its resolving itself as it has in the past. We added yet another drug to her pain med arsenal last week, but it hasn’t helped much. She had a very bad night last night, and I’m wondering if it’s time. I don’t want to give up on her too soon, but I don’t want her to suffer unnecessarily. It would be easier if I knew why she hurts, but I don't. It would be easier if I knew whether and how soon she might feel better, but I don't.

The last month has been a rough for her and for us. Some days she seems better - not great mind you - but better. Those days give me hope that she is beginning to improve. Then there are the bad days, we're having one of those today, when I wonder if there is really any hope of true improvement. Am I just being selfish - wanting to keep her with me?

Surprise!!!.....Go, dog. Go!!!

2008-07-16T15:28:00.010-04:00

Wheeler and I went on a mini trip last week. I call it that because Rob wasn't with us. We went to the beach for a week. We had a good time, but it would have been better if Rob had been there.

I learned an important lesson on the trip though. Forty something moms should not ride a banana boat with teen age boys. One afternoon, Wheeler and I decided to pony up a little money and take such a ride. On the banana were Wheeler and I as well as two boys about Wheeler's age. Now just think about the dynamics of this for a minute. The object of the game as far as the boys were concerned was to fall off as many times as possible. Forty something moms want to stay on said banana to avoid the embarrassment of having the others watch her struggle back on. Somehow, teen age boys can simply hop back on.... a little harder for mom. Also, they took great delight in helping mom fall off...all in good fun of course...:-)!! Sorry, no pics of me hoisting myself onto the banana!!

After my banana adventure, Rob forwarded me an email with this picture of Rosie attached. A friend, who is a graphics artist, worked his magic on a picture taken of Rosie when she got one of the legs of her JC last spring. He's really very talented and I'll treasure it. Thanks Kirby!!!

Behind Bars Again.....

2008-07-02T07:21:00.006-04:00

Sugar is back in jail. That is to say, back in her ex-pen on crate rest. Her struggle with neck pain continues in spite of a very aggressive drug campaign. I'm considering trying acupuncture again. It did help before, but unfortunately the effects only lasted a few days and it took a couple of treatments a week to keep her comfortable. She hates going to the vet so much that I was never really sure the reward was worth the stress going for acupuncture put her through...not to mention the cost. If I was convinced it would help, the cost wouldn't matter. I'm just not sure it really helps on balance. Whatever this is, seems to be aggravated by stress. The ex-pen really just helps her to feel protected. When just resting on her bed, she jumps and cries out when someone walks past her bed. They don't even need to pass particularly close to her, just in the vicinity. I guess she's afraid someone will run into her and hurt her already sore neck. The ex-pen convinces her that she's protected. She feels safe, and can rest better. We still let her come upstairs to bed at night.

Wheeler and I are going to the beach next week, but Rob is going to stay home and dog sit. If she's still this painful when we get back, it will be time to make some hard decisions. Problem is, this neck pain has disappeared in the past as mysteriously as it appeared. How long do I give it to get better before I give up? I really don't want to let her suffer unnecessarily, but I don't want to give up on her too soon!! The good news is , she's eating better (not great mind you) and she seems more relaxed. But then she's still taking enough pain meds to stop a train.

The Monster is Back!!!

2008-06-25T10:11:00.005-04:00

Sugar’s neck pain is back. If you think you hear a deep sigh of fear and frustration coming from me, you’re right. She’s felt good since late January and I guess I thought we’d hit on a regimen of drugs that had her pain controlled. We switched her from Rimadyl to meloxicam about a month and a half ago since meloxicam is on the $4 list at Wal-Mart. The hope was that it wouldn’t make a difference and would save me a little money. She takes a boat load of pain drugs – enough to stop a train as her vet says – so any cost break is welcome. Don’t know if that switch has anything to do with her increased pain now, but we are switching back. She seemed fine after the switch until last Thursday when she started showing some signs of discomfort. Unfortunately we have to endure a 5 day wash out period before we can start the Rimadyl so I guess it is going to get worse before it gets better.

We’re not talking about a little of discomfort. She cries a lot and isn’t eating well, if at all and isn’t resting comfortably at night. Last night she paced and cried all night. I know that if we can’t control her pain, I have a difficult decision to make. I’ll make the best one for her, not for me. What makes this hard, is that her pain comes and goes. She has periods of extreme, difficult to control pain, followed by months of feeling really good. Was her pain level lower anyway when we made the switch to meloxicam so we couldn't tell whether it worked as well as the Rimadyl? Would she be hurting this much anyway even if we hadn't made the switch? I guess this will teach me to leave well enough alone. If I had my way, she wouldn't be taking a NSAID at all. I know there is risk associated with this drug class. But for her, the Rimadyl was working and my choice was euthanasia. I don’t want to give up on her too soon; because, well, I love her and when I look in her eyes I don’t think she’s ready to give up.

What a Morning!!

2008-06-08T11:02:00.003-04:00

This morning I tried to poison Rosemary! With two senior Greyhounds in the house, one with chronic neck pain, medication time is a big event in our house. They don’t know they’re taking pills, they just think they get lots of peanut butter treats. FYI crunchy peanut butter makes a great pill delivery system – they can’t tell the pills from the peanuts. Anyway, as I already mentioned, Sugar has chronic neck pain. She had disc surgery two years ago and was pain free until last fall. When she began showing signs of neck pain again, we thought she had ruptured another disc and returned to the neurology docs at Auburn. After an MRI, a spinal tap, and countless blood tests and x-rays, no one could find the source of her neck pain. They did help us with a pain management program that seems to be working. In order to be comfortable, she needs a combination of several pain meds. Add to this mix, Speedy has a heart murmur and is low thyroid. Some days I feel like their pusher.

The morning routine is to get up and immediately give Sugar a pepcid and a Tylenol 4 w/ codeine. That takes the edge off the neck pain so she will eat breakfast, and protects her tummy for the meloxicam that follows breakfast. All three pups line up for their morning peanut butter treat. This morning, somehow, I managed to give Rosie Sugar’s treat, including the Tylenol with codeine. Now remember that Sugar at 65 lbs outweighs little 38 lb Rosie. After a self flagellation session, I dosed her with hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting and called the emergency vet – of course these things never happen during business hours. It looks like all will be well. Still don’t know how I managed to confuse a 65 lb white greyhound with a 38 lb red pharaoh hound. Obviously I was still asleep at the time!!

Speedy and Sugar Go Lure Coursing...Well sort of!!

2008-05-28T14:33:00.007-04:00

Memorial Day Week-end had a little something for everyone this year. Saturday the whole family went lure coursing. OK, in reality only Rosie coursed, but the whole family went along for the ride. Friday, I packed the van with Rosie’s crate and the ex-pen for Speedy and Sugar. I also packed a tarp for shade as well as shade screen, water bowls, lots of water, snacks for human and hound, extra beds and blankets, and a battery operated fan to assure hound comfort. By the time the van was loaded with three hounds and all the necessary gear, Rob and Wheeler had to follow me in another car. Jeez, talk about taking everything but the kitchen sink!! In reality, they didn’t want to get up and leave as early as I needed to make 8:00 roll call in Calhoun anyway, so the extra gas would have been wasted in any case.

There were lots of Pharaoh Hounds in attendance. Eight running in open – it’s rare to have so many; often there are only two or three open Pharaohs and we’ve even run alone more than once. Rosie didn’t have a very good day as far as the judges were concerned though. She came in 5^th and got zero points. Rosie’s problem is that she is too smart for her own good - she cheats!! Why run the whole course behind the lure, if you can see where the line is going. She figures she might as well cut a loop off and head the lure off at the pass. This strategy is very effective if the goal is to get to the lure first, but not if you’re being judged on follow. She out smarted herself. All in all, she had a blast and came home tired and satisfied. She doesn’t care how many points she got or how she placed. She just thinks she had fun!! I'm not telling her she wasn't the star.

Sunday, we cooked out at a friend’s house where Wheeler enjoyed hanging out with the other teens. On Monday, we did nothing. Also a very good thing.

Memorial Day Weekend Plans

2008-05-20T14:16:00.007-04:00

Speedy, Sugar, and I are going coursing Saturday, probably for the last time before next fall. It just gets too hot for the hounds in the dead of summer – especially in Georgia!! In reality, only Rosie will be running, but Speedy and Sugar already have their duds packed; they are planning a nice day in the country. Sugar plans to nap in the expen, in the shade, in front of her fan. Speedy will do the same, only he will be wistfully watching the festivities while staring at me with those big eyes designed to make me feel guilty. You see, I never took him coursing when he was young enough to safely run. Unfortunately, at almost 11, he has a heart murmur and some sort of orthopedic issue with his hips. Even absent those issues, he’s really to old to run a course of around 900 yards at top speed. He is very interested in the lure though and I truly wish I’d discovered how much fun lure coursing is for both hound and human when he was young enough.

Sugar on the other hand, shows absolutely no interest in chasing a plastic bag. She’s much too smart for such things. She does enjoy reclining on her soft bed in the shade though while the others “play their silly games!”

Sugar’s pain is now pretty well controlled and she is eating well. She feels good has even joined in a play session or two with Speedy and Rosie. I’m felling pretty good about her now.

Sunday we'll cook out at my friend Jenny's house to celebrate all of our birthdays. Can you believe Wheeler, Rob, and I all have May birthdays. Here's a couple of pics from Wheeler's birthday. He turned 14 on the 8th and will be in high school next fall. Wow!!

The Winner of the Old Mill Stakes and Recipient of the Old Mill Cup is........the Pharaoh Hound - Rosemary!!!!!

2008-05-05T17:27:00.010-04:00

Rosie and I had an awesome weekend. The Old Mill Stakes is an ASFA lure coursing event and has been run the first weekend in May for the past twelve years. There is no daily Best in Field, but each day's Best of Breed is eligible to run in Best in Event on Sunday if they run both Saturday and Sunday. Rosie won Best of Breed Saturday and came in second on Sunday for the Pharaohs. Her run in Best in Event was spectacular. She soundly beat the competition and is the first Pharaoh to have won the Old Mill Stakes. The perpetual trophy is a huge. It's a fancy silver cup on a large wooden base with the names of all the previous winners engraved on the base.

I was so proud of my little rescue hound I almost cried. Goofy I know, but she's come a long way from the county animal control.

Speedy and Sugar were both along for the ride and I think enjoyed themselves. Speedy clearly wanted to chase the bunny too! He went nuts when the lure zipped by. I'm sorry I never coursed him when he was young enough.

Catch Up!!

2008-04-11T10:00:00.005-04:00

I haven't updated here in a while. Rosie got both legs of her AKC JC back in February. Here are a few pictures. I was so proud of her. She then went on to earn BOB in an ASFA trail in March.

Sugar is out of jail and feeling much better - though still not pain free. Speedy is well...Speedy :-)!! Always with momma!! Gotta love it!

Pecking Order

2008-02-20T10:31:00.003-05:00

Sugar had always been the lead hound at our house. Since he's been under the weather, Rosie has been challenging her authority. What kind of respect is that? Dogs clearly don't subscribe to the golden rule.

Sugar is beginning to feel some better, or at least we've found a pain control regime that works pretty well. Since she's felt better, she's set about re-estblishing order, with her as leader. Go my old girl!!

Six Weeks in Jail, Grrr!!!

2008-01-15T10:06:00.002-05:00

Sugar is beginning week six in jail. OK, not real doggie jail...she was put on crate rest by the wonderful vets at Auburn Vet School. Sugar has been suffering with neck/back pain since September. We thought she had slipped another disc - she had surgery to correct two herniated discs in her neck a year and a half ago. After a MRI, spinal tap, and a bunch of blood tests, no slipped discs. No cancer either. Yeah!!

OK, then why is my dog screaming in pain. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm very, very happy that my dog doesn't have cancer, or some exotic infectious disease, but we've got to do something about the pain. I don't mean an occasional whimper, I mean screaming. The only thing they turned up was an elevated titer to neospora which is apparently a parasite associated with cows. Now how did my dog, a city dweller, pick up a cow parasite? Anyway, it can cause spinal pain so maybe that is her problem. Unfortunately, the pundits at the afore mentioned vet school are unsure as she only showed a very low positive titer. Suggested crate rest and some antibiotics to see what happens.

Five weeks later the pain is better, but only if she stays in the expen and takes a bunch of pain meds. Waiting to see if new blood tests show any change in her neosposa titers after the round of antibiotics.

Meanwhile, Sugar wants to know where she can pick up a get out of jail free card. She does see certain advantages. Rosie can't steal her stuffies and she gets extra treats and scritches, but enough is enough already!!!!

OK. Getting old sucks!!

2008-01-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

Or rather, watching your mom get old sucks. My mom is wonderful, I really like spending time with her, but recently noticed that although I call her almost daily, I don't see her all that much. We live in the same town, but it seems like life gets in the way. Don't get me wrong, she keeps herself busy. She's a Bridge addict and plays in games and tournaments all over the place. She's recently started playing online. I feel bad for her because since my dad died a few year back, she can't always fine a regular, reliable partner. I'm no help because I don't know Bridge the card game from the kind of bridge you drive over.

She's having some mobility problems lately that I'm afraid will eventually make getting out on her own hard. She has no endurance, and she's begun using a rascal to scoot around the grocery store. Although she never complains, she really needs a knee replacement and foot surgery, but is putting it off. I know she gets lonely at home at night. She always accepts any invitation for dinner or a visit quickly.

New Years Resolution - spend more time with my mother....

Why a blog???

2008-01-12T16:27:00.003-05:00

A very good question. Didn't think I ever would. I want a place to write my thoughts and feelings as well as the triumphs and frustrations around trying to train....ah tame...Rosemary the Pharaoh Hound we adopted a little over a year ago. She's come a long way since then. Now she can be walked on a leash without having to wrap the leash around my back. She took leash pulling to Olympic proportions. She still lunges and barks when we pass other dogs walking in the park. Don't know why...If I introduce them, she's fine.

She went lure coursing for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I think we have both discovered that it's lots of fun. We've taken a pet store obedience class, but I think we may want to do more training and see where it takes us. She'll do about anything for a treat, so she should do well!!

I don't know what else may turn up here. Just a place to put random thoughts and ideas!!

A Rescue poem I like...

2008-01-12T16:08:00.001-05:00

I posted this here because it made me cry....but then my husband and son say everything makes me cry!

A Rescue Dog's Story

Here in this house...
I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other
dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake, my needs will be met.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house...
There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to, and even if I don't understand,
I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!

Here in this house...
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher
for blame.

Here in this house...
I can trust arms that hold and hands that touch...
knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.

Here in this house.....
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and valuable.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility...... not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can be kind and fair.

Here in this house...
I am finally home.

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