Making Headway

I feel like I take two medium steps forward, and then a large step back with Rocky, but I believe I gain a little each time.  He's really a beautiful and sweet animal, but the chewing and excessive pulling when he sees a person or another dog just wears me out.  I'll live through it because mostly he's the most delightful dog and exactly what I need in my life now.

Jeannie took me to Costco yesterday and then came back here for the afternoon and helped me get rid of some junk in a large cabinet - some of it I told her I would look away while she did what she had to do with it, and I stressed that I am sentimental about anything given to me by my kids and especially the grandkids, and rarely throw any of it out!   One of these days I'll let her at it.

I had ordered a pair of Skechers shoes which weren't narrow enough in the heel so I had to take them back.  She's coming back today and will bring me an extra pr of athletic (New Balance) shoes that I hope fit and feel good on me.  I'm getting a little embarrassed as the hole in the toe of my shoe seems to grow larger.  I'm also determined to get my hair cut today.

I bought a new watch and really like the size of the dial - very easy to read - in fact it's a Timex Easy Reader.  The band is a little bit larger (wider) than I care for and is a pink/coral color which I'm not crazy about. But at least when I look at my wrist I can tell the time.

As you can tell my life is the same as usual - the dog takes up a lot of my time, and I really love it when I can get out for any reason, preferably leaving him at home!  When I get excited about going to Costco, or getting a haircut, you know I'm in a rut!

Have a good week ahead - hard to believe we're nearly in mid-January!  Soon they will be messing with the clocks again and what a nuisance that is. 

The morning is flying by!

I'm waiting for Andrew to arrive to take Rocky for his "training" walk this morning.  When they return I am going to crate the dog and walk up to get myself a much needed haircut.  I look very much like a shaggy dog lately!

I think I'm squared away on the medical stuff - I read the results of some of the tests and got all worried, but Jeannie called me (and woke me up) last night to remind me that the doctor said certain results would always be a point or two away from "normal" and that it's perfectly ok.  I wish I had half my memory back and could recall these things.

I love my puppy more each day that goes by, but he's still aggravating me with the chewing and jumping up on people.  He is just so friendly and wants to meet and greet every person and animal he sees.  My arms sometimes ache from trying to hold on to him, and my upper arms look like I've been lifting weights!  I have developed quite a nice set of muscles as good as any gym exercises could do.

 I am so tired of the noise in this place I think it will be such a relief to move to a more quiet location.  There is a constant noise of leaf blowers and other equipment of that type, then all the yapping at the dog park across the street, grass trimmers, and the like.  Trucks go  by pulling carts  that make a rumbling sound, and then there is the traffic - about 2 blocks as the crow flies is Hwy 50, and another 2 blocks in a different direction is Sunrise Blvd - both of these provide traffic noise 24 hrs a day/7 days a week.  I think the leaf blowers are the worst.

I wanted to clean the floors while Rocky is out with Andrew (if he ever gets here) but I'm getting sleepy.  I had to take Rocky out around midnight last night and was so awake I just stayed up for an hour or so.  My sleep patterns are shot and it's hard to function properly.  I think I'll try to sneak in a nap!

I hope everyone has a good weekend!  They sure roll around more quickly than they used to!

All's Well That Ends Well!

My visit with the oncologist turned out very well yesterday afternoon.  She is recommending I get B-12 shots monthly, and Jeannie is going to do the jabbing.  Being diabetic, she knows her way around a needle!  Actually, she is going to be getting a new insulin pump that will continuously monitor and administer the proper dose, and any improvement in dealing with diabetes is welcome.  Especially not having to jab oneself for every insulin dose.

I spent yesterday in a terrible state thinking that I might be developing cancer in a different place.  It was because the dr. at the emergency center I went to last week made a big deal about a couple of the blood test numbers, but I'm assured everything seems to be fine so I will relax and try to get back to being optimistic for 2019!  I'm waiting for Joe to take me to the med center this morning for a fasting blood test to see how my cholesterol is doing.  I truly think this is the worst part of getting old - always being asked to get this or that test, and having to see this or that doctor. If I told them how I actually feel and what isn't working up to speed but I'm not going to do anything about it, they would be surprised.  I'll let the little things go for now. 

I just made the bed and noticed a fairly large hole in the top sheet - looks like someone just chewed a big hole, and it isn't on MY side of the bed!

 Sorry I don't have interesting things to write about but for now this is how my life is.  I'll be back when I have something better to say.  Have a good day!

High Winds and Power Lines

There is a power line on the other side of my back fence that was blown askew by the high winds last night.  I'm not sure what the forecast is for tonight, but I just talked to a rep who came out from the power company and she said they are probably going to send out a crew to work overnight on it - she warned it might be noisy.  I can bed down in the living room if I have to as my bedroom is in the very back of the house and not far from the fence.  I doubt I could escape the noise if they work on it overnight, but I won't complain.  I dont want anything to happen to my puppy!

Jeannie and I crated Rocky up yesterday afternoon and left for a shopping trip which I enjoyed so much.  We brought wine, brie cheese and crackers back and had a great time talking for a while.  I'm starting to get more enthused about moving, and plan to get out with Rocky and hopefully meet other dog walkers in the area.  Also, he will have a very large backyard to play in, although it is fairly steep and I hope I don't have to go down and back very many times a day.  I think the exercise is doing me good - all the walking has to be good for me if I can ever get some decent shoes.  He's chewed just about everything I own, and my big toe sticks out of a hole in one of my athletic shoes.  I should be embarassed to wear them but I'm not.

Donald and the girls (who don't start back to school until tomorrow) took me to my opthamologist this morning, so it was into the crate again for Rocky.  I should have started this a while back but here I am and I'll just start it now.  I am seeing the oncologist tomorrow afternoon, so he will be crated for 3 days in a row.  I should just manage to crate him if only for a few minutes a day until he stops barking when I close the door.

Andrew was back this morning after the week of New Years' absence, and Rocky was ecstatic.  I have been so happy to have his help with the training and have gleaned a lot of good ideas from him.

Don't ask me why, but after giving away a lot of my high quality (and expensive) camping gear to my kids, I bought myself a lower cost sleeping bag and pad last week.  I still have my 4-man cabin tent and maybe the 2-man backpacking tent, and I would like to go camping with the kids this spring or summer if we can arrange a weekend.  It seems that all of the sudden I want to jump back into life and do some of the activities I always enjoyed in the past.  I sure wish I could drive across country with my dog again, but that isn't going to happen.  I hear the call of the road now and then but can't seem to respond back! 

Well, wish me luck with the fixing of the power line.  The rep assured me that there are so many lines on the pole that even if it fell, the many lines would keep it from falling flat.  It sounds reasonable, and I just hope it's so.  I'm not going to worry much though, in line with my new year's resolution to stay positive and happy!  So far it has been working and I can't believe how much good an attitude adjustment can do!  

ADDED LATER:
I almost forgot to mention that I must have had my pill bottles in my purse and found two of the tablets  in the bottom of the purse.  In retrospect I don't think Rocky swallowed any of them at all.  He never showed even the slightest sign of having ingested something he shouldn't, but I will definitely be more careful in the future.  He's growing longer from head to tail, which means he can easily reach the entire kitchen countertop all the way to the back, so I have to keep things cleared that would be bad for him.

Better by the day!

Rocky gets better by the day although he is still a puppy and will be for a long time.  Every day he does things that show me he listens - but he's not ready to be perfect just yet and enjoys his puppy spirit.  I can wait (I think).

The rains have started and will probably last the better part of next week.  I took Rocky over to the dog park early this morning to let him get rid of some energy, and then we took a nice walk.  If the rains continue they will lock up the dog park for a few days as the grass gets really torn up even without the rain.

I've been making my lists of things to do and to get for my probable move this spring.  I decided if I'm going to do it, I'm going to be positive and do it with a smile!  I actually have a lot to smile about but only if I quit watching and listening to the news on the political scene.  What a depressing mess! 

Yesterday I spent some time making chicken vegetable soup, and have enough to freeze several portions of it.  So good!  I don't cook often these days but really find it satisfying when I do.  Now I don't worry about what I'll have for dinner tonight!

I wish everyone a good weekend and send positive thoughts to you all.

Back home and planning!

I'm planning for my eventual move - looking at the things I will be needing, which is a lot!

Rocky really took a turn for the better since the trip, but some of it was my realization that he actually knows the command "heel" and can follow it - mostly.  When I leave him in the house as I did today when drying laundry, he made a total and terrible mess.  Also, Joe drove me to get blood work done this morning and when I got back my house was a mess of chewed paper.  Nothing too bad, but then I found the cap to my bottle of prednisone that I've been taking for the itchiness.  It took me a while to find the bottle which still had some pills in it - I think there might be 2 or 3 of them gone.  I've been watching him and he is doing ok, I think.  From the way he chews everything in sight though, he might be acting like he's on steroids!  Actually he is still sleeping a lot because of all the lost sleep on our mini vacation.

I enjoyed the trip overall, although the distance isn't to my liking these days, traffic was really slow about 2/3 of the way back and then it cleared up, and of course Rocky is obnoxious when he's around a lot of people.   He loves people and just can't help showing it by jumping, licking, etc.  It bothers me more than anyone else.

I'm back to the decision to move to the duplex when it becomes available sometime around May.  I have so much to do to get this place ready to sell, as well as get things I will need for the new place.  I will use mostly the old furniture I have since Rocky would mess up anything new.  With 3 bedrooms to fill, I will probably take all of my ex husband's bedroom furniture.  I've been using a chest of drawers, but will now have room for the triple dresser and queen sized bed.   Ara is especially sentimental about not getting rid of that furniture and it's been sitting in Jeannie's garage so I will do her a favor as well as myself.  And it will make a nice guest bedroom!   I'm not crazy about the 50's style, but they made that stuff well and made it to last.

There is also a small garden patch in the back yard of the duplex, so I've been poring over seed catalogs and might try my luck.  I've never had much of a green thumb, but was too busy raising my 4 kids when they were little to have enough time to spend gardening.  That was my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it.   Why do I even think I can magically turn into a gardener at age 78?  If anyone has a clue you can tell me, but I figure it's the fact that there's no fool like an old fool!

It looks like we have some rainy days ahead, which will clean off the driveway so I'm glad about it.  Rocky pees on it as soon as he gets out the side door, and I am constantly using a scrub brush and pine sol.  The rain does as well and is a lot easier.

I am really tired this afternoon and will be so glad when it's time to go to bed.  Have a nice evening.

 
 

These Were the Best of Days ...

...These Were the Worst of Days!  I think those words were written by Charles Dickens (Tale of Two Cities) and they come to my mind when reflecting on the past holiday weekend.

The "cabin" we rented was actually a B&B in the middle of hundreds if not thousands of B&B's around Donner Lake, as well as the other mountain beauty spots in the Sierra Nevada.  It was a gorgeous huge B&B sitting on the side of a very steep hill.  The driveway was steep and I couldn't walk down very far, and the steps up to the porch were kind of curved and hard for my poor eyes to see.  Rocky was an absolute angel and always helped me get up and down the steps safely.  When all the family arrived though, he turned into a different dog.

He loves people so much and could hardly bear the excitement of all the younger (much younger than me) folks, plus the kids.  He jumped on everyone, licked them to pieces, and I was humiliated by his behavior even though everyone told me he was fine.  They all stayed up until 2am the first night, playing games and card games - adults & children together, and the laughter & fun they had drove Rocky up the wall with excitement.  I knew he was tired so took him to bed where he whined, barked, and cried all night until the noise died down.  That's where I thought "these were the worst of days", and I couldn't understand how I thought he would be good to take along, how I would ever manage the rest of the trip, and how I would never in my life do it again.

The following day, New Year's Eve, was full of fun and excitement and he kept up with it all.  I decided we would just stay up for it, and again the food, games, and fun kept him on the edge of his capacity for enjoying everything and everyone.

On the way home, we came back with Ara and her fiancee, and stopped for food about an hour from home.  I kept him outside and took him to a grassy spot along the parking area where I thought he would pull my arms right off. I managed to not trip and to still keep hold of him, and wondered how I would safely get him back to the car.  I remembered that Andrew has taught him to "heel", so I said "Rocky, heel!".  That dog became a perfect angel and walked calmly to the car.

Today, we just came back from a little exercise in the dog park, then a walk around the block with his regular collar on, and I kept reminding him to Heel!, and praising him for how well he managed.  I think we've turned a corner, even though he has a long way to go and I wish I knew how to do something about the incessant chewing.  But I know everything is going to get better from here on, with some rough patches, of course.

 It was very cold in the mtns, with snow and ice on the ground and in the streets, so I didn't go out except to the dry patch just outside the house when I had to take Rocky out.  I loved being with the family and all the camaraderie involved with these get-togethers, but don't know if I would do it again.  I have been thinking about a camping trip however, maybe this coming spring or summer.  It would probably be very similar to this trip, with more excitement than I can take.  I'm more of a quiet and introverted loner, although I do enjoy my children and grandchildren and they certainly are extroverted.

I didn't take photos but if I get some of Jeannie's I will try to write a post another day about the "cabin" and our stay there.  I just wanted to say though, how relieved I am that there is hope for the team of "Rocky and Marty".  Even a couple of neighbors have called out to me this morning saying how well he is doing.

I hope everyone's holiday was as good and productive as mine, and best wishes to all for 2019!