Happy New Year!!

I'm just popping in for a minute today. My vacation has been really good. Casey and I have done A LOT of relaxing. We had meant to get a whole lot more done to the house, but it has REALLY felt good to take a rest. We've enjoyed each other, the dogs, and just lounging around. Wednesday, it will be back to the usual routine. Where does the time go, when you're on vacation?

We don't have any big plans for New Year's Eve celebrations tonight. We are just going to stay home and ring in the New Year with the dogs and my mother. We do have a nice bottle of champagne chilling, and Casey's planning a fantastic New Year's Day breakfast. I hope that you all have a happy and safe New Year!!

BTW, I also wanted to let you guys know about the ASPCA Pledge to Fight Animal Cruelty. I took it earlier today. Why don't you guys drop by and check it out.

Merry Christmas!!

The Christmas madness is officially here. I just have a little bit more shopping to do. I'm off in a bit to get that accomplished. Just checking things off the "to do" list now. Tomorrow is my family's big Christmas gathering. Then on Christmas Eve we'll have a little snack meal and another big family meal on Christmas afternoon. I'll have to be sure to swim the Wednesday after....

I'm on vacation after today, so I won't be dropping in until at least New Year's Eve. So, I hope that you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I hope that you get everything you asked Santa to bring you!! I'll be back after the holidays.

Gettin' Crazy

The days are starting to blur now. I've been busy for most of the day with a holiday party. Too much food and sugar. Great. Now, I'm comatose!! I've got to make the finishing touches to my Christmas list, and make my list of the shopping that has to get done tomorrow. I'm off to crazyville!!!

Preparing THE List

Casey has asked me for my Christmas list for the very first time. Usually, I'm the list-y one in the relationship, but I've been too busy with my sweet puppies this year. So busy in fact, that I haven't given much thought to what I even want. So, I'm sitting here this afternoon, trying to come up with some sort of list. Does anyone have any suggestions? So far, my list includes: L.L. Bean, Old Navy, a Foo Fighters CD, and a used bicycle. Not really impressive. I know that I've thought of things here and there, but I can't seem to remember them, when it counts. DRAT!!! I suppose that I could include the need for a new swimsuit, but Casey said that didn't really count. Yeah, tell the other folks that have to watch me swim that!! Anywhooo, I guess I'd better get back to the list. Oh yeah, just because I have to share it with you guys, here's this:

Crunch Time

The time is getting short. Time to shop is almost out. I guess I need to be scolded, since I've saved most of my shopping for this Friday. I feel that I've had a good excuse. Another cute, four legged girl has been keeping me busy. I don't have a whole lot to buy fortunately. The family parties start for us on Saturday. I just can't believe it's that time of year again!! Lookout mall!

Sugar Alert: Prepare Yourself

You may want to have your toothbrush ready. This may rot your teeth out, it's so sweet. On Saturday, Casey and I attended Bedford County Animal Control's Open House. It was Christmas themed of course. They served goodies and had Santa available for pictures with pets, children, or even yourself. They had a good crowd and the food was fantastic! There were several fur children there, mine included. Shingo did really well, especially with the kids. He just sat down and let them pet him. That's the only time he's been still for anything! Molly did really well, considering she's only been with us a week. She was a little shy, but she did well. Here's a picture of Shingo and Molly with Santa...prepare for tooth decay:

Photo by: Kimberly Warren

Looking Forward

I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend. I only have one big thing planned. I'm glad, since tomorrow looks yucky weatherwise. I do hope that we get those snowflurries. It would make everything feel so Christmas-y! Tomorrow morning, I'm going to Bedford County Animal Control's Open House. They are serving refreshments. You can also have your pet's picture made with Santa. I'm going to take both Shingo and Molly and have their picture made. I'm especially looking forward to taking Shingo, since that's where I rescued him. Other than that, no big plans. Casey and I might go and see a matinee and pile up and watch some DVDs. I think it is a good weekend to sit and read too! Everyone have a great weekend and stay warm!

ARRRRGH!!! Where's My Camera Battery?!!!!

Well, this is the best I have at the moment. Just pics from the cell phone that aren't very good to start. Presenting: Molly and Shingo

Report: Day 3

Things are still just going swimmingly with Miss Molly/Princess Buttercup. Everyone, Casey and me included, are sleeping well at night. The housebreaking is going well. She's just no trouble at all, and she keeps her brother, Shingo, out of trouble too! I couldn't have asked for a better addition to our home. Now, if I can just get some pictures made!

Wonderful Weekend!

Casey and I had a FANTASTIC, busy weekend! Sunday was busy with the Christmas baking. Casey made sausage balls, cheddar cheese crispies, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate chip cookies all from scratch for our gift baskets. We decided to wait and save the sugar cookies for my students at work. We'll be making those tonight. While Casey was busy baking, I cleaned the rest of the house up.

Around lunch time, we prepared for the little experiment that I hinted at on Saturday. Shingo is now nine months old. He's right at that age, where he's all play all the time. He requires less sleep now. Last week, he kept waking us up at 3 a.m. wanting to play. Needless to say, Casey and I were really tired all last week. On Friday, after a particularly bad night previously, Casey suggested that we might try a playmate for Shingo. It just so happened that we had another dachshund mix at the humane shelter that is 1 year old. She's already spayed and housebroken. She lookes so much like Shingo, and they are nearly the same exact size. I called my humane lady on Saturday and asked if we could come and get her for a play date on Sunday. She said of course, so we were all set. Her name at the shelter is Molly. At first she was a little shy, but after about an hour she started to relax. A little while after that, she and Shingo started to play. They haven't stopped playing yet. It's so funny to watch them play. They look like they are having the best time! Shingo usually can take down my big dog, Fergie, so it's really funny that Molly rules him. I think that we've found the perfect match. She and Shingo are best buddies now and even sleep together. As you all can probably guess, we never took Molly back to the shelter. She's ours now, and we're SO happy to have her. All of the dogs just love her, and we do too! We might change her name. We are thinking of naming her Buttercup (as in Princess Buttercup from the Princess Bride), but she really knows her name, so we don't know how successful we'll be. But for now, here's Molly:

That's all I have of her right now, because we lost the battery to our digital camera. I've got several on my cell phone, and I'm trying to get them transferred.

Prayers Needed

One of my good friends, Robert, lost his only son this past Sunday. He was only 17. It was unexpected, tragic, and abrupt. Please keep my friend Robert and his family in your prayers.

Christmas-ey Weekend

I consider this the weekend that will kickoff my 2007 holiday season. Today there is the:

Tonight, I'll be doing my yearly tradition of the Shelbyville Christmas Parade. It's been raining all morning, so I hope it lets up in time for the parade. It's just drizzly right now, so I hope they don't call it off early. I've been doing this tradition with my mother and brother for close to the last 20 years. We're there every year in our best holiday frocks, and I've always looked forward to it. This year, I think we are going to arrive on the square early and have dinner at Bocelli's. It's been yonks since I've eaten there, so I'm really looking forward to it. My mom is treating us this year!

Tomorrow, Casey and I are cooking up some holiday goodies to make Christmas baskets. We are delivering them to our Dr.'s office, Dr. K's office, and to some of the most wonderful neighbors. So far we plan to include: old fashioned sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, cheddar cheese crispies, and sausage balls. It makes me hungry just thinking about it. Since Casey has a Dr.'s appointment on Monday (he's got a nasty sinus infection again), we'll get them all delivered this week.

We are also trying an experiment this weekend. I don't want to say much about it, until I find out if it's going to work. I really want it to though, so everyone cross their fingers for us. I'll keep you guys up to date....

Everyone have a terrific weekend!

Family Frustrations

Casey has a favorite aunt. He has always had a very close relationship with her. In the past few years we haven't gotten to visit as much, because of life, children spreading out, etc. He never let that bother him and always enjoyed the phone conversation and catching up. Lately, we've always been invited to go and visit, but only one visit has been made to us, lasting only five minutes. This past weekend, Casey ran into some other family at the local Wal-Mart. They spent some time catching up and sharing life. At some point, they mentioned that they had run into the aunt in town at our local Bicentennial Celebration. Now, Casey was off from work that Saturday for the whole day. Never left the house. He was absolutely CRUSHED that the aunt spent the whole day in town and never even bothered to give him a call. He would have gladly met her on the square just to visit for a few minutes.

Casey's been really, really, really hurt over all of this, and it has made me furious! Casey doesn't have a lot of family. His mother passed away from breast cancer ten years ago, and he wouldn't know his father, if he passed him on the street. He's his mother's only child. So, this aunt was very precious to him. I would love to think that this slight was unintentional, but how can I be sure? There's been drifting for a while, but we always thought it was just one of those things. It breaks my heart for him. My first reaction is to pick up the phone and just have at it. My logical side knows that it is between Casey and his aunt, and I shouldn't make things worse. But when Casey hurts, I hurt. It's beyond me how family can treat each other like this, but I know that it's not unique to just one family. It happens in my family too. I really would like to see them work it out, but I know it will take Casey a long time to get over this. I'm not sure this hurt can be repaired.

First Walk

Shingo has been so antsy in the house lately, that I decided to take him for his first walk last night. I WOULD have to pick one of the coldest nights in a while. I bundled him up in his little doggie sweater and bundled myself up like Nanuk of the North, and twenty minutes later, we were on our way. Even though the wind was howling and it was quite cold, he did SO good. He just trotted along beside me. The only time he would stop to sniff was when I stopped. It looked just like something straight from The Dog Whisperer. As cold as it was it was like Bear was there with us in spirit, because Shingo started meeting and greeting all of the neighbors that were coming and going. Our walk was short, only lasting about 15 minutes, but I wanted to keep it fairly short for the first time. Now, I know it was too short. He was still fairly antsy, when we got home. We'll go back out tonight and hopefully last a little longer.

First Party Weekend

Casey and I attended our first holiday party of the Christmas season on Saturday night. It was the annual Christmas gathering of the 501st Legion, MidSouth Garrison. We waffled a bit at first on our attendance, because I woke up not feeling well on Saturday. After a quick nap, I decided that I felt well enough to go. It was at the Sportman's Club in Ft. Campbell, KY. We had a really good turnout. The Christmas party is a good way to see folks that only troop at Christmas. It's always good to see friends this time of year. We had a buffet dinner, cake, and drinks. After dinner, the annual awards were given out. All in all, it was a good night.

On Sunday, Casey and I both had slug disease and just sat around watching t.v. and movies. Season 1 of Airwolf had come up on Netflix queue, and I had lots of fun watching the old episodes. Airwolf was a childhood favorite t.v. show of mine. I would sure love to have an old Airwolf flight suit costume!

Yesterday, Mom and I went to get some Christmas shopping done. That's always one of the advantages of having Mondays off. It's a great time to Christmas shop. I'm not sure that the throngs have started yet. Mom and I didn't wait in a line the entire day. In fact, the shops and mall seemed a bit vacant. Maybe everyone is waiting later this year. I got a couple of things for Mom and some things for Casey. I still have just a little left. I guess that I'll be out in the crowd after all!

Animal Open House

Mark you calendars!! If you live close enough, we'd love for everyone to come out!

Bedford County Animal Control is hosting an open house on Saturday, December 15, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Light refreshements will be served. Kimberly Warren is taking photographs with Santa for $3. Photos will be available on the spot. Photos can be made of your pets, you, or your children. Many various animals will be available for adoption at the event. Everyone is invited to come by and visit. For more information contact:

Bedford County Animal Control

205 Lane Parkway

Shelbyville, TN 37160

Phone: 931-685-1130

FAX: 931-685-1227

Email: michaelgregoryjr@yahoo.com This is our local county Animal Control, and is not the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association that I volunteer for, although I volunteer for Animal control too!

Holiday Tour of Homes

If you're anywhere near Bedford County, consider doing Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association's 1st Annual Holiday Tour of Homes.

Advance tickets are available at: First Community Bank Peoples Bank Regions Bank Pinnacle Bank Merle Norman Cosmetics Puppy Palace

That Time of Year

Casey and I had a really nice, quiet Thanksgiving. We decided to cook our own dinner this year, so we could have LOTS of yummy leftovers. Boy, do we have LOTS of leftovers!! I'm not quite sure what we were thinking, when we bought a 12 lb. turkey for three people. I'll know better next year. Casey smoked the bird, and it came out beautifully. We had all of the yummy sides to go with it too: dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, fried corn, and cranberry sauce. Since the turkey took most all day to smoke, I made my traditional Thanksgiving breakfast (Sausage, Egg, and Cheese casserole, and Garlic Cheese Grits casserole) to hold us over. After all of that cooking and eating, we really didn't accomplish much else.

On Friday, Casey and I just decided to lounge around and rest. We both had good books we were reading, and we continued to do just that. On Friday night, we had the annual humane association volunteer chili supper. It was really nice to get together and eat some chili, after all of that rich food. The desserts were out of this world, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, and the best strawberry cake with glaze that I have ever eaten. We practically had to roll ourselves home!

On Saturday, there was even more eating! We went up to Clarksville to have Thanksgiving dinner with all of our 501st Legion, MidSouth Garrison friends. It was a covered dish meal, and there was more food there than you can imagine. I went home Saturday night miserable again!

Sunday, Casey and I put the stop on all of the eating. We had chili and grilled cheese sandwiches. I can honestly say that for once I was sick of eating! We watched movies all afternoon. We were so rotund by that time, it was all we could manage to do!!

On Monday, I finally hauled myself up off of the sofa to clean house. It felt really good to get back up and moving again. Casey and I decided to snack for dinner again and watch yet another movie that night.

WHEW!! What a Thanksgiving break! I have to say that I really did enjoy my time at home. After this fall, I needed a few days to decompress and de-stress. I had a great time with Shingo. That's the longest break that I've had off from work, since we got him in September. He was like a different little dog, while we were home. Mostly because he stayed awake all day. When we work, he just naps all day and is crazy, when we get home. I could tell with us home correcting him, that we really did change his behavior. I'm really looking forward to what happens when we both have two weeks off at Christmas!!

That was my Thanksgiving. How was yours?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it has begun. The yearly travel season is on us, and everyone is hustling and bustling to get dinner in the works. I can't believe it's time for Thanksgiving already. Even though I've had a difficult fall, I still have LOTS to be thankful for this year:

1. My wonderful husband

2. My wonderful mother

3. The health and happiness of the two above.

4. My pets

5. My terrific friends

6. My health

7. My home

8. A great job that I truly love

9. My freedom

10. The fact that there are those willing to fight for my freedom.

11. I'm so thankful that God has granted me so many blessings.

There are many others, and the list could go on and on.

One of the things that I'm most thankful for today is that one of my longtime, bestest friends ever, Jennifer, had her 2nd cochlear implant activated yesterday. Not only can she hear, but she is hearing things well this time! Now, I'm going to smile all day!!

I'll leave you all with the words of one of my favorite hymns:

Count Your Blessings

Verse 1

When upon life's billows You are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged Thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings Name them one by one,

And it will surprise you What the Lord hath done.

Chorus:

Count your blessings Name them one by one.

Count your blessings See what God hath done.

Count your blessings Name them one by one.

Count your many blessings See what God hath done.

Verse 2

Are you ever burdened With a load of care,

Does the cross seem heavy You are called to bear.

Count your many blessings Every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing As the days go by.

Verse 3

When you look at others With their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised You His wealth untold.

Count your many blessings Money cannot buy,

Your reward in heaven Nor your home on high.

Verse 4

So amid the conflict Whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged God is over all.

Count your many blessings Angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you To your journey's end.

Goodbye

Goodbye Mr. Perkins. You were one of the sweetest cats I've ever known. You were a faithful friend. You will be missed.

More of the Same

I haven't posted much this week. Well, frankly because there has been nothing much going on worth posting. It's just been the usual work, eat, let the dogs out, sleep sort of thing. Everything has pretty much been the status quo, until yesterday. One of our furkids, our outside cat Mr. Perkins, has been feely puny lately. So, we took him into the vet. His news isn't good. Dr. K thinks that he's gotten into something toxic, and his kidneys are starting to fail. I've always known this was a possibility with outdoor cats. Mr. Perkins is one of those cats that is impossible to keep inside. He's the consumate door dasher and impossible to catch once outside. He pretty much likes to either go in or out, whenever the door opens. So after months of wrestling him, when he was young, Casey and I finally decided to let him be an indoor/outdoor cat. Now, that decision has come back to haunt us. Casey will talk more with Dr. K today to see if the situation has improved. If not, it may again be a hard weekend for us.

I HATE this fall. I'm ready for this to stop now!

Restful Weekend

I had a very restful weekend. I've felt better the last couple of days than I have in a while. Casey and I didn't get into anything big over the weekend. On Sunday, we drove over to Mufreesboro to walk around The Avenues. We really enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards, we went to have dinner at Carrabba's. So, we really just relaxed. Yesterday, I got some much needed cleaning done around the house. With the events of the last couple of weeks, I had kind of let it go. So, I had A LOT of catching up to do. Getting everything clean and organized always makes me feel better.

Now, I'm beginning to look forward to the Thanksgiving holidays. Casey and I are planning to make our own dinner this year. We decided that we would like the yummy leftovers. Casey's planning on smoking our turkey. He's become quite the smoker king lately. I want to contribute to the feast, I've just got to figure out what I want to make. I usually don't like to cook at all, but the holidays are different. I'm sure that I'll make my traditional Thanksgiving Day breakfast, but other than that I have to figure it out. Any suggestions?

Scenes from Barkaroo

Well, Barkaroo was fantastic! So many dogs and their humans. No one let the cool weather stop them. Here's just a few shots of the event. I took these with my cell phone, so please excuse the quality.

The scene at the gates.

The other side at the gates.

A lady with her well warmed and oh-SO-Cute chihuahua. Look at that hat!!

Oh yeah, I can't believe that I never shared this here. Here's what Shingo looked like after we spent the day at Nashville Dog Dayz back in October.

Shingo had a BIG day!

Heading to Barkaroo

I'm really excited about lunch today. Jennie, from Kindred Spirits Dog Training and Boarding, is stopping by and we are going to Barkaroo in Mufreesboro. I really enjoy going to events like this. Plus, it helps me do research for my own event, Celebration Pet Day. I hope to make new contacts for vendors and also for future guests. They have some pretty neat events lined up, and I hope that I get there for at least a few of them. It sounds like fun, I can't wait to get there!

Thankful for a New Week--Long!

Hello everyone! I know that I haven't been around much lately. It was just SO hard to get my head together last week. It was first one thing and then another. I've taken Bear's loss really hard. Much harder than Slate's for some reason. I guess with Slate, I knew it was coming. I consider his problems to go along with old age. Bear's was sudden and unexpected. He was still what I consider a "young dog". He was still playing and appeared health and happy. I'm better though. Hopefully it won't be long, until I'm back to my old self.

Last Wednesday I was heading out the door for lunch, when I was met by the sight of Casey by the car with the hood up. THAT can NEVER mean anything good. The car had started to make a weird noise and smoke. Rather than take a chance of doing more damage, we decided to have it towed to the shop. It turns out that we had some bad belts, because of a bad idler. The idler is usually no big deal. Notice that I said usually. The big problem was that Nissan, makes the idler into the engine casing that is usually a factory part. Our great mechanic, Bill, shopped around for us for some aftermarket parts and found one for $60.00. The factory part would have cost us $445.00! We had to leave the car overnight, so we had to figure out a way to get home. We finally decided to take the easy way and rent a car for the night. We got ourselves a nice, comfy Corolla. Now, I'm a fan of Toyotas. I've had four in my life. Every one was a fantastic car. When I traded my last Corolla in for the car we have now, it was eleven years old and had 297,000 miles on it! I had never had anything done to except regular maintenance. GREAT car! I cried when I traded that car off! I've missed having a Toyota ever since. Don't get me wrong, the Altima has been a great car, but it's just been little things the whole time. Not to mention the fact, that it SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS on a wet road. Doesn't matter if I'm going 20 mph or 60 mph, it wants to hydroplane. I don't need to tell you that I hate wet weather, because of this. SEVERAL times, Casey and I have done complete 360s in this car and have been lucky enough to tell about it. We're looking to trade it SOON!

Thursday night our spare dog, Trixie, didn't show up. It's not unusual for her, since she's somewhat of a neighborhood dog. We didn't think much about it. When she didn't come up on Friday morning, I started to worry. After I got to work, I started making phone calls. I had my friend, Elaine, making calls and searching too. Turns out, a Pitt Bull had gotten loose in the neighborhood and attacked Trixie, while another neighbor's three year old grandson was petting her. No one knew if she was dead or alive. After more investigation we found out that Trixie was alive, when she ran off. So we started the hunt. Casey and I suspected that she was under our house, and we were right. Casey coaxed her out. She was hurt, but not badly. We took her into the vet early Saturday morning to check her out. She had several puncture wounds and a LOT of bruising, but she was lucky. They gave her a shot of anitibiotics and pain medication and sent her home with the same in pill form. She's still limping this week, but she is doing better.

As you all can probably tell by Friday afternoon, I was ready to run screaming and throw myself off a balcony or something. I was physically and emotionally drained. The whole week had just been the worst kind of awful. That's why Casey and I decided to take a short trip on Saturday. We decided to join all of our friends in the 501st Legion, MidSouth Garrison at a March of Dimes, black-tie, fundraising event in Chattanooga. It was a chef's competition gala with a space theme. We were all dressed in costume and there for atmosphere and to participate in the sketches. One we finished our schtick, we were pleasantly suprised when we found they had reserved us two tables and served us the $500 meal. It was a really neat event, and we all enjoyed it very much. The most fun for me was watching all of the ladies come in wearing their evening gowns. It was like a red carpet fashion show. To see a few pictures taken by my friends Kell and Alex, you can check HERE and HERE. It was just nice to get out and have a great time, after a long, hard week.

Before I finish, I want to give out a big HOORAY for one of my bestest friends, Jennifer. She had her second cochlear implant this week. She had her first, on her left ear, last fall. It has been successful. Everyone stop by and visit her and wish her well on her second!

Happy Halloween!

Please keep in mind that while we humans enjoy Halloween, many pets do not. Please take precautions and keep your pets safe tonight. Just a few things to consider:

Chocolate is not safe for pets.

Most pets do not enjoy a costume.

Make sure your pets ID tags are on with their info.

Make sure your pet doesn't door dash, while handing out candy.

The ASPCA has many other GREAT Halloween safety tips for pets. Click ,HERE for the whole list.

Everyone have a safe and happy Halloween!

Another Sad Day

I'm just popping in for a quick minute today. My wonderful, sweet Schipperke, Bear, passed away suddenly and quite unexpectedly yesterday morning. He didn't feel well on Sunday. We just thought his arthritis was bothering him. By 3:00 a.m. yesterday morning, we knew something was seriously wrong. We flew out the door for Dr. K's office, where he was waiting for us. We were all with him, when he crossed the bridge. Dr. K feels that it probably was a blood clot brought on either by an auto immune response or a disease called DIC. He assured us, that there was nothing that we could have done.

Bear was such a bright light in my house. I know that it will be dim for a while, and never quite as bright before. Bear was a friend to everyone who met him, whether it was another pet or person. He became the official greeter of my neighborhood. We made rounds to visit all of the neighbors. He hadn't been getting out quite as much, because of his arthritis, but he still liked to visit.

Casey and I are still in quite a bit of shock. I may not be around for a couple of days, and I hope that you all understand. I'm still processing. This was an exceptionally hard blow, so soon after losing Slate the first of September. Please send good thoughts and prayers this way.

Goodbye Bear. You were a loyal, uplifting friend. You will be terribly missed.

Halloween Weekend

This weekend, I'll be celebrating Halloween a little early. Casey and I are joining our 501st Legion Garrison (MidSouth Garrison) for Ghouls at Grassmere. We'll be there as your favorite Star Wars Imperials. Oh yeah, there will be some Rebels there too. So if they kids are looking for something Halloween-ie to do this weekend, they'll probably enjoy this. If you come out and see these people:

Be sure to say "hello"! Here's a few shots from last year:

Hehehehehehehe

Ever just wanted to stay in bed?

Updates

Yes, my posts have been lacking lately. It seems that I'm in some fall doldrums. In all honesty, not much is happening in my neck of the woods. With all of the excitement of the past couple of months, it's nice to just sit back and relax. All is well at the house, but there is just not much going on that is blogworthy at the moment.

Refreshed

Well gang, I'm finally back from my hiatus. I'm actually back a day later than I had planned. The old back decided to act up on Tuesday making it necessary to stay home on muscle relaxers on Wednesday. I'm feeling much better now. I had no idea that just relaxing for a few days would recharge me so much. I can tell that I was definitely overdue for a rest.

The weekend went great. The weather was beautiful on Saturday, so it was the perfect day to go to Nashville Dog Dayz. Casey and I decided to take our time getting up and getting ready. We had a nice, late breakfast and were on our way by noon. We got there, and luckily, found a parking space quickly. We parked on the backside of the duck pond. Shingo rode all the way to Nashville like a little champ. He was SO well behaved for the hour and twenty minute trip. He worked on a chewie part of the way and slept the rest. He's not exactly well leash trained yet, but he still did well walking around the park and events. The only part that bothered him was when we walked around the duck pond. The swans were all honking and walking around, and I think it scared him a little bit. Those swans were WAY bigger than he is. We finally paid our admission and got into the event. We had a great time going to all of the different booths. Shingo especially enjoyed all of the free treats. I met LOTS of great people from great animal organizations. I made some really good contacts for Celebration Pet Day next year too! Shingo got lots of attention from other attendees, and he just ate it all up. After about two hours, Shingo was worn out and so were we. We decided to head out and grab a nibble, before heading home. Shingo was zonked for the ride home.

After we got home and recovered for a bit, we went to our friend Loki's house for grilled steaks with the trimmings. It was nice to get together and relax with good friends. We stayed out pretty late on Saturday, but it was a GREAT day.

Sunday and Monday, we just slept in and lounged. I caught up on some reading, and we had several good movies to watch. Casey also cooked up some things to eat for the week; pot roast and swiss steak. Yum! It was just nice to not have anywhere to be or anything to do. I badly needed a few days like that.

Even though I'm back to the normal routine, I can't wait to have a "relax" weekend again!

Fall Break

Ah, Fall Break. This year, I'm actually taking it with the students too. Well, mom has dr.s appointments on both Monday and Tuesday, but I'm still not at work. I don't have much planned intentionally. I just want to rest and relax. I haven't had a lot of down time lately, and I'm really starting to feel it. The only thing I really have planned is to go to Nashville Humane Association's Dog Dayz Festival tomorrow. . I'm going there partly for research and partly for fun. I want to network with other humane folks and make connections and get really good ideas of what works for them and what doesn't. I'm also going to have fun and to get Shingo out of the house. So, if you see this dog:

I'll be attached to the other end of the leash.

Other than that, I have several days of book reading, movie watching, and lounging to catch up. I'll be back on Wednesday. Everyone have a great weekend!

Window to My World

I know this isn't exactly on time, but I just got them. What's them, you say? Well, I FINALLY have the Celebration Pet Day pictures. This year I was so busy, that I didn't even snap the first picture. That's o.k., because one of our volunteers, Kimberly, is a professional photographer and much better at it! To see the pictures, click HERE.

SQUEEE...FINALLY!!!

The trailer for Hayden Christensen's new movie, Jumper, is out!! I'm now looking forward to President's Day.

Back to Normal

I've been lazy updating the past week. It's not that I don't have plenty to share, but I've just been so tired. I spent all of last week playing catch up with the things I had let go during the Pet Day frenzy. I really feel like I've just been going through the motions. It seems that I just can't get enough rest. I think maybe it's just the season. I tend to do this in the fall.

Mostly over the weekend, I just tried to rest. I spent most of the day, Sunday, just lazing around. I did go out in the afternoon for the annual Blessing of the Pets in honor of St. Francis Assisi at the local, Episcopal church. Since Bear had already been twice, and Shiloh and Fergie aren't much for outings, I decided to take Shingo. They had a lovely little service in the back courtyard. It was nice and shady, so the heat wasn't bad at all. Shingo was SO well behaved, especially with so many other dogs there. I held him in my arms most of the time. He just sat there looking around, and kissing everyone that came within reach of his tongue. He just loves everyone. Reverend Peter Whalen conducted the service and had a mass blessing during. Then afterwards, he came around and blessed all of the pets individually. In addition to the blessing, each pet received a certificate and a St. Francis medal. It was REALLY nice. I'm looking forward to next year's service.

Celebration Pet Day: Recap

It's taken a while, but I'm finally back. It didn't help that I got some sort of nasty stomach bug, right after the event. Everything went even better than I could have imagined. The programming all went smoothly, along with the dog show. The Society of Secret Identities was GREAT! Everyone just loved them. I don't have the total yet, but I think we made a little over $2200 profit!! I don't have much time to post all of the details today, since I'm SOOOOO behind. I'll have a more detailed post soon. In the mean time, here are some photo links of the event that you can enjoy (I'm relying on others photos, because like a goof, I ran off and forgot my camera!)

Here's some pictures that John over at Lake Neuron took. Click HERE.

My friend Derek, a member of the Society of Secret Identites, took THESE.

Oh, and check out our local police dog, Remy!

Come One, Come all!!!

Celebration Pet Day is fast approaching. I've been busy getting all the last minute details worked out. Tomrrow is food donation pickup day and set up at the Ag Center. If any of you are close enough, please come out and spend the day with us. Here's what's planned:

Program schedule for 2007 Celebration Pet Day, Saturday, September 29 from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

10:30 a.m. Official kickoff for Celebration Pet Day by County Mayor Eugene Ray and City Mayor Wallace Cartwright.

10:45 a.m. - Amanda Oliver presents an informational program about Tellington T Touch Therapy for pets.

11:30 a.m. - Pamela Johnson-Bennett from Cat Behavior Associates gives a basic informational program with an audience question and answer session. Afterwards, she will do a book signing.

12:30 p.m. - Equine specialist, Sam Powell, the "Horse Whisperer".

1:00 p.m. - Celebration Pet Day Pet Show

At 11:00 a.m. get ready for the Society of Secret Identities Super Heroes and Villains! Come out and meet Spider Man, Bat Man, Super Girl, Poison Ivy and many others. Be sure to bring your camera!

Kay Allen from Blessed Assurance Farm will be there with the minis all day. She will be giving Donkey Cart driving demos and Coon Jumping demos throughout the day.

Dog Agility demonstrations will be given by the 4H Dog Club led by Regan Mercer.

Jennie Jones from Kindred Spirits Dog Training & Boarding will be giving obedience tips and tricks during the Celebration Pet Day Pet Show.

Tracy Nelson from the Shelbyville Police Department, along with her K9 Remy will be doing demonstrations throughout the day.

Raymond Pimental will be at a special booth giving out information about trail riding and the 7th Annual Strolling Jim Memorial Trail Ride.

There will be LOTS of other activites as well. Come on out and join us!

I'll be out of pocket until next week. I'll try to post LOTS of pictures, when I get back.

Meet Shingo!

C-R-A-Z-Y!!

This week is CRAZY!! My big fundraising event, Celebration Pet Day is this Saturday. I'm just tying up loose ends, but I always feel like I've forgotten something. I'm also taking Friday off too. I have so much stuff to pick up, that it takes all day to do it! Right now, I'm making vendor/rescue booth lists by number and business name, getting the guest programming times lined up, and trying to make sure we have enough volunteers to work all areas. I just know that I'm going to forget something BIG!!!

Forgetful

GAAAAAH!!! Why can't I remember to bring my camera with me! I want to share pictures of the new puppy. BTW, his official name is now Shingo the Dingo, and he's answering to it pretty well. There's a story behind the name Shingo. He's named after Shingo Yamamoto who is my favorite competitor on Ninja Warrior. I have an addiction to that show. Shingo is the only contestant that has competed in every tournament. Shingo is a bouncer, so Shingo the dog is aptly named.

Home Alone

First off, I forgot the camera. AGAIN!!! How can I possibly forget that darn camera every day this week! I keep thinking every night how excited I am to share the new pictures with everyone, and then I sleep. Sleeping makes me forget important things. Things like call and reschedule that appointment or remember to takes Kim's cat carrier back to her, or things like that camera with the pictures of my new, precious puppy!!! GAH! *headdesk*

I am SO happy to report that I DID NOT find my house in shambles upon my return yesterday. Everything was in its proper place. Nothing was destroyed. Nothing was chewed up. There was one flip flop that had been used for entertainment, non-chewed, just used for amusement. I ended up getting home much later than I had planned too! Of all days, yesterday I got caught in some horrible afternoon traffic. I had decided to keep my swim date, so I was nearly 7:30 getting home. It was GREAT that he was without human supervision that long and nothing was destroyed. It was NOT good for his housebreaking routine, but whaddya going to do? Hopefully, over the weekend, I can instill some better potty habits. He just gets SO distracted out in the yard!

So far the vote is leaning towards the name Shingo. He's actually starting to answer to it, so I may be stuck with it. We'll see.

Now, if I can just remember the camera tomorrow!!

New Family Member

I went and picked Digger up on Sunday morning. He is such a happy little thing! I had taken the crate with me, but he's such a good little rider that I didn't even need it. Mom rode with me to be an extra set of hands, and he just settled down in her lap like a little gentleman. Even though I had been told he wasn't leash trained, he did really well with his harness. He walked around like he was old school or something. I let him wander about and inspect the yard, before I took him in to meet the "herd", as we like to call it. When he was ready, we headed in. He walked in just like he had lived there for years. He was great meeting Shiloh, Bear, Fergie, and Trixie (the spare dog). No one raised their tail in dominance or was agressive at all. Everyone was very welcoming to the new tenant. It has been painfully quiet at my house, since Slate passed away. When Digger came home, my house came back to life!

Within twenty minutes, he and Bear were best buddies and were playing. Even Shiloh, who never plays, played with him. Fergie served as referee to break up the ruckus, when it got out of hand. So all of my worries were quite unfounded. Digger spent the day learning his new environment. He didn't offer to pester the cats at all. If he bothers them now, he only wants to play. He's all puppy and on the go all day long. At night, he starts to unwind and relax. He's very respectful of our sleep time and either amuses himself with a toy or sleeps himself. Even though he's like a little bullet, if I pick him up, he's very calm and still.

He's a quick learner too! I've already taught him to sit and to sit up for a treat! He takes corrections really well. I just hope he's as quick to housebreak. It will probably take several months, since he's only six months old. Patience.

Yesterday, he made his first visit to Dr. K. He had all of his vaccinations and was neutered. It didn't stop him for a minute. They said to keep him quiet for the next 10 days. Yeah, right. I'm just trying to watch him to make sure everything's o.k. That's about the best I can do. There's no slowing him down. Dr. K gave him a good once over, mostly for my own piece of mind, and he's completely healthy!! YAY!

He's at home, unsupervised for the day for the very first time. Mom is going to look in on him, but other than that, he's into the normal routine. I tried to puppy proof the house, but we'll see. He's not really a chewer upper. He just likes to pick things up and run around with them in his mouth. I may have a different opinion on that tomorrow though. So far, so good. Everything's just peachy keen, and I'm totally happy with my decision to bring him home. I have new pictures and even a video. In my hurry to get the pet day stuff this morning, I left it at home by mistake. I'll have them tomorrow. Now, if I can just decide on a name. Casey likes Shingo the Dingo. I'm voting for Hopper or Murphy. Which do you guys like?

Coming Home!!!

Digger is coming home first thing tomorrow morning. I'm taking a long weekend to make sure things go well with the other dogs. I'll be back Wednesday with LOADS of pictures, I'm sure. I'M SO EXCITED!!!

View 2

I just realized that I have a second shot of Digger. So here he is:

Visiting

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement for me to adopt Digger. I'm hoping to get back into town early enough today to go and visit him. We stopped at PetsMart yesterday and got him a toy (we call it a "woobie") to keep in the kennel with him. We took the squeaker out, so he won't drive the office staff and other dogs crazy with it. I hope that they'll let him have it. It's made flat with no stuffing. I've only got the one picture of him at the moment, but I'm going to try and take some this afternoon. He's got so much energy and bounce, that it he may make it difficult for me. I'll also try to get some little video clips of him playing. Does anybody have any suggestions for new names?

The Meeting

I didn't think the day would ever end yesterday! By 3:00 p.m., I was so excited. We had told the office that we would be there to meet Digger between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. They have recently added a really nice adoption room, so you can be alone and get to know the dog. They brought Digger in, and let me tell you, he's as cute as a little button!! He's a little younger than we had originally thought. He's between 6 and 8 months. He's a dachshund/chihuahua mix and weighs just under 10 lbs. He's got such a nice personality. Of course he went bonkers at first playing, because he had been in his kennel all day. He likes toys and plays a rough little game of fetch. He would let us roll him over and rub his belly, so he doesn't seem to have any dominance issues. He also likes to cuddle!! I somehow got the details wrong, because he isn't neutered yet. We spent nearly an hour getting to know him, and YES, we are going to take him. He's still there right now, while we work out neutering arrangements and the best time to get him. I wanted to make sure he was neutered, before we bring him home. I want to avoid any issues with Bear. I'm going to go back down tomorrow afternoon and visit him. I'm SO excited. Now Casey and I have to decide, if we want to keep his name or give him a new one. I like those kinds of decisions!

Taking the Plunge

Well, we've decided to go and meet Digger. I really do appreciate all of the encouraging comments! I got most of his details yesterday. He weighs just under 10 lbs. So far, he's very friendly to other dogs and cats. I just hope he's as nice as his picture is. Today's meeting is only preliminary with me and Casey. If everything goes well, I'll take Bear down to meet him. Casey and I have to be at a 6:00 p.m. meeting tonight, so we are just heading straight home after work. I'll give you all the details tomorrow. Cross your fingers......

Should or Shouldn't I?

I'm only into my second week without Slate. Last week, I promised myself that I would take my time to heal. I wouldn't rush out and get a "replacement" dog to fill my emptiness; one would find me in good time. Then I received a picture of a tiny dachshund mix named Digger yesterday to post at my newspaper blog. His picture spoke to me and is still speaking today. He's on borrowed time at the county animal control facility. I've e-mailed my friend that works down there with several of questions. Now I have to decide if I should go meet him. What do you guys think? Should or shouldn't I?????

Digger

Something to Make Me Smile

Now THIS puts a BIG smile on my face. A mama chihuahua adopts a litter of baby squirrels click HERE to watch.

Weird

I'm trying so hard to get back to normal. It seems that I have one good day and one bad day. It's been so hard to blog this week. I just hate going back to the house right now. Slate had such a big spirit that the house just feels so empty. Even the rest of the dogs are acting weird. They just know. Even though Slate was a little dog, it has taken us most of the week to get his little grave ready. The drought sure has made the ground hard. We're supposed to pick him up this afternoon, and I'm dreading it. We decided to wait until today, so we'd have his place ready. My good friend, Elaine, bought me a beautiful stone to mark the spot, and I have his little backyard stepping stone, with his name, that I made years ago. My brother has LOTS of marigold seeds that he's going to plant on top, and they will come back every year. Hopefully, afterwards, I can begin to move on a little bit.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful and the most bestest husband in the whole world!! I love you!!

Goodbye, My Friend

I just wanted you all to know that Slate crossed the bridge on Sunday morning. All last week, his stomach had been swelling. When we dropped him off at Dr. K's on Friday, we asked for a recheck for his stomach. Dr. K had to draw fluid off on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. His heart was just giving out. Dr. K called me around 10:00 a.m Sunday morning to give me the news. He said that he'd eaten a good breakfast and gone out to potty. He came back in and just laid down and went to sleep. Dr. K said that he'd planned to meet us Monday afternoon at pickup to let us know that it was time for "the decision", so this was definitely the best way. He said that he didn't suffer, and he wasn't in any pain.

Although I miss him terribly, I'm glad that he did it on his own terms, and didn't suffer at the end. He's at peace now and not sick or suffering. His little spirit was HUGE, and there is a large vacancy at my house right now. I'll always miss his sunny attitude. Hopefully, someday, I'll see him again. Goodbye Slate. You were my faithful friend to end, and you will be missed terribly. I had planned on posting the passage "The Rainbow Bridge", but decided on the following:

The Journey

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey - a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage.

If you allow, the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life's simple pleasures - jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.

If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf, or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower - except when heading home to the food dish - but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field.

Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details - the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders, each day an essence all its own.

Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen, (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!), or noting the flick and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life's most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie - with a cat in hot pursuit, all in the name of love.

Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound. You will learn the true measure of love - the steadfast, undying kind that says, "It doesn't matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together." Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.

And you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be - the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet go down.

And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet's time on earth is far too short - especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for awhile, and during these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love, every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.

The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken.

But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead - young and whole once more. "Godspeed, good friend," we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.

~ Written by Crystal Ward Kent ~

Outta Here

Casey and I leave first thing in the morning for Dragon*Con. I'm sure I'll have LOTS of great pictures for you guys. I'll be back on Wednesday. I hope all of you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!

OH SQUEE!!!

I got some good news today!! Thanks to Cindy Sherrill of Sharpei Rescue of Tennessee, Inc.. Celebration Pet Day is now an official Purina Rally to Rescue event!! WOOT! WOOT! I couldn't be happier!

Overwhelmed

I'm sorry that I've neglected to post here the past few days. This past weekend was kind of crazy. All of the pre-DragonCon stuff has started. I'm trying to finish the alterations on the costumes we're taking with us, get the last few props finished up, and get things squared away at the house. All of this, while all the promotions start up full swing for Celebration Pet Day.

Last Saturday started out well. By the end of the day, I was flat on my back on the couch. I've been exercising REALLY hard the past couple of weeks, and I guess it took its toll on my back. I strained it good. So, I just lounged for most of Saturday afternoon and night. I hit the muscle relaxers, so I got over it pretty quickly.

On Sunday afternoon, I met my pet day committee at the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration grounds. The Celebration has a dog show every year. Their office is so nice. They gave us permission to pass out our Celebration Pet Day and pet show flyers there for advertisement. We gave out nearly 500 flyers. Not bad for an hour and a half of work. It was SO hot there, but I'm sure it was worth it.

Yesterday was the first day of the fall semester on campus. It's always crazy the first day. There's always SO much to do, and everyone's in a hurry. I was exhausted by the time I got home yesterday. I just fell into bed early last night. Today is a lot more settled, and things seem more normal.

Now if I can just finish getting ready for DragonCon, before I go crazy! There's always so much to do that I feel overwhelmed. BUT, I'm always like this before a trip. We leave on Friday, so it's almost over.

Everyone have a great afternoon!

Look What I Did Today!

Members of my Celebration Pet Day Committee are going to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Dog Show this Sunday to pass out our event flyers. I realized earlier in the week, I hadn't even made flyers yet. So today, I got down to business. I've posted it over the Celebration Pet Day blog too. Let me know what you guys think.

The Habit of Sleeping

On Tuesday night, Casey was scheduled to have a sleep study done. He sleeps enough hours at night, but it's really hard for him to go to sleep. When he gets up, he feels like he hasn't slept at all. What all that equals down to is poor sleep quality. After feeling like crap for the past several years, he finally decided to mention it to our doctor. Our doctor scheduled him for a visit with the pulmonologist/sleep specialist. After Casey's initial visit the specialist felt that he may have some sort of sleep apnea, so he scheduled him for a sleep study. Poor Casey. He never worked so hard to just go to sleep. For some reason, whoever had his Festiva, before him, hard wired the clock straight into the battery. So whenever it's parked for a few days, we have to jump it off. We went to jump it off, and the main fuse box started sparking and smoking. When Casey went to check the wires, he noticed that they had burnt through. So, no going in the Festiva. He took our nice car, which meant I was stuck at home. That was o.k. with me, because it earned me an extra day off!!

Casey finally made it to the sleep study. He said of all nights, he slept like the dead. His results were just plain weird. Instead of like normal people, who start apnea as soon as they are asleep, Casey doesn't start the apnea until he reaches REM sleep and starts dreaming. The doctor said he'd never seen that before and said he was "different". Casey said, "I call it different, but my wife calls it difficult." He also told Casey that he didn't snore much. I BEG TO DIFFER with that statement. I think I need to place a call to that Dr.! Anyway, they scheduled Casey for another sleep study using a CPAP machine. If it helps, they are going to get him one. They also said that he clenches his teeth quite a bit. They suggested that he get himself a mouthgard to help with that problem. Casey made it back home around 1:00 yesterday, and we just lounged for the rest of the afternoon.

Sleep is such a fascinating thing.

Charity Blogger Award

This morning, I received a really sweet comment from Laura over at Dog's Eye View. Laura has awarded me the Charity Blogger Award.

I'm excited and thrilled that she was sweet enough to think of me. The Charity Blogger Award is part of the Writer's Reviews Blogger Awards. There are several categories, i.e. Creative, Charity, Inspirational, Thoughtful, and Coureageous. It's now my pleasure to award five wonderful blogger friends with awards of their own. To learn more about the different awards, go to Writer's Reviews.

I'd like to award the Coureagous Blogger Award to Jennifer at Happy at Home.

Jennifer is a long time friend of mine and is one of the most courageous people I know. Jennifer lost most all of her hearing at age 4. She recently underwent surgery for a cochlear implant, when she lost what hearing she had left. Despite many obstacles with her implant, she has stayed the course and is now reaping the benefits. Soon, she will be undergoing her second cochlear implant.

I'd like to award the Inspirational Blogger Award to Scott at Unashamed.

Scott is a long time friend and professor of faith. He has served as a church pastor and youth minister. Scott is truly inspirational to me. He "walks the walk and talks the talk" everyday. He is truly a shining example.

I'm awarding the Creative Blogger Award to Pennie over at Why Rush.

Pennie is a friend and fellow animal lover and one of the most creative people I know. Whether she is out working in her garden, remodeling a room in her house, or doing some of the most beautiful needlework I've ever seen, she is creative in most every facet of her life. Visit her site to see beautiful gardens and lovely pet pictures.

I'd like to award the Charity Blogger Award to Leigh-Ann over at The Blog Pound.

Leigh-Ann is a fellow animal lover and the director of Wee Paws Animal Sanctuary. She is currently in the process of becoming a Vet Tech. Visit her site for animal stories and information. The last award is Thoughtful Blogger Award. I'd like to give this award to John over at Lake Neuron.

John is a multi-faceted writer. He works for the local newspaper. John blogs about blog issues, his dedication to his church, local events, and many other topics. His blog posts are always interesting and informative. He also includes some great pictures too!

Better Day

Imagine my suprise, when Dr. K's office called early Saturday morning to tell me that Slate was ready to come home. Unbelievable! I figured that he would stay through the weekend at least. I was a little nervous, to say the least. Dr. K had given him some stomach meds, and he'd started feeling better almost immediately. He supposes that his stomach is still really sensitive from the virus, and it's just going to take him a little while to fully bounce back. Dr. K sent us home with a pack of stomach meds to give him for the next week. As soon as Slate was brought into the exam room and saw us, he started going nuts! I knew that he felt better then. On the way home, we stopped by a Hawiian shaved ice shack and grabbed ourselves a cherry shaved ice. Slate and I shared the treat on the way home. I knew then that I wouldn't have a problem getting him to eat. Dr. K also said that it looks like he might be responding well to his new heart meds. He is breathing easier, and we were able to cut his diuertics in half! Slate felt really well the entire weekend. He's been up and around a whole lot more. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the progress continues.

Thanks SO much to everyone for your kind comments and support. They really mean the world to me!

Horrible Day!

This has been the most horrible day I've had in a while. Mom called late yesterday afternoon for me to come home that Slate wasn't doing well. He had stopped eating and started throwing up again. Casey and I took him into the vet this morning. I've done a LOT of thinking today. I don't want him to suffer, and if Dr. K says it's time, then I'll give him the go ahead. It's selfish of me to keep him here just to suffer. UPDATE: Casey just talked to Dr. K. Slate's bloodwork doesn't look bad at all. His breathing, heart, and lungs are as good as they can be for his condition. Dr. K thinks that we are still just mainly dealing with a stomach issue. He's going to keep him overnight and try some more things. He says that he doesn't think we are to that point yet. Even though I still stand by my original decision, I trust Dr. K implicitly. I'm still worried, and we're not out of the woods yet, but I do feel somewhat relieved.

Something New Everyday

I tell you guys, Celebration Pet Day is going to be great this year. It just keeps getting better everyday! I got a really nice e-mail from Kay Allen this morning. She's the one coming with the minis from Blessed Assurance Farm. Not only is she going to bring her minis, but she is also going to do several demonstrations. She is going to do a donkey cart driving demonstration. She is also going to do a coon jumping demonstration. I had no clue what coon jumping was for donkeys. I found out that it looks a bit like dog agility or steeple chase. Those mini donkeys have spring-a-lators for legs. Kay says, "If you have not seen a donkey show these little guys are pretty amazing. They can jump higher than their own height from a standing start". Well, you DO learn something new everyday!

To see some GREAT pictures of donkey cart driving and coon jumping, click HERE.

Too Cool!

The last week or so I've been so focused on Slate, that I haven't spent a lot of time working on Celebration Pet Day. So, I decided that I would do better this week. CPD is just around the corner, and there's still A LOT of stuff to do. We had an update meeting last week. This week, the whole humane association got together for a meeting on Monday. I gave a short report to the group about CPD and how it was going for this year. We had good attendance and a lot of interest at the meeting Monday, so it got me fired up. I made a couple of calls yesterday and managed to book 2 more special guests. One of the guests is Kay Allen of Blessed Assurance Farm. Blessed Assurance Farm specializes in miniature donkeys, miniature horses, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and standard donkeys. Kay was SUPER nice and agreed to come out and bring some of her animals with her. I can't wait. I just love the minis!! Kay is also the secretary of the Tennessee Donkey Association, so she is brining information on their organization with her.

This year's CPD is going to be the best ever! We are going to have so many different things to do and see. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Slate Home Finally!

Casey and I had the craziest weekend. After running around after work until late on Friday, we found out that Slate still needed to stay at the vet's over the weekend. He was having a little trouble breathing. He hadn't absorbed all of his meds properly, while he was battling the stomach virus. The vet wanted him to have a couple extra days to get a little more stable. So right after work yesterday, Casey and I picked him up. Bless his heart. He is SO thin. He's always been a thin dog, but after a week of not eating, he's REALLY thin. He has a VORACIOUS appetite, so I think we'll be able to remedy that problem rather quickly. He's still weak and a little wobbly, but I'm not suprised after feeling so bad and being in a kennel for an entire week. He just seems so proud to be home. Dr. K put him on a brand new heart med just approved out of Canada called VetMed. It's especially for dogs with congestive heart failure. They say that dogs have really responded to it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If it works, we can scale back some of the doses of lasix, which will help his kidneys out in the long run. We should know within a week or so. Like I said he's happy to be home, and we're happy to have him home. Thanks to everyone for the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes.

On the Mend

Slate's morning report was encouraging today. They said that he had been up and around. He'd also eaten all of his food and gone out and pottied. So, I'm encouraged. They were doing another blood test this afternoon to check his electrolytes, I suppose. They said that he "might" get to come home tomorrow morning. I'm supposed to call them in about an hour for the afternoon update. I'll let you guys know the details, as I get them. UPDATE: Slate's still doing well this afternoon. They said he'd probably get to come home tomorrow, if his progress remains steady. YAY!!

New Update

Sorry that I wasn't around yesterday folks, I was battling a nasty stomach bug. The past couple of days have been like a roller coaster for me. When I checked on Slate Tuesday afternoon, they were waiting for the blood test results, x-rays, and had ordered a new EKG. He wasn't feeling well at all. At yesterday's update, Dr. K said he was some better, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was exactly. He said that the EKG didn't really show any new information, and his x-rays didn't really show anything different than the set from early last month. He did say that he had thrown up several times. When he said that, that's when it hit me. Both Fergie and Bear have suffered from some kind of stomach bug the last week or so. It started with Fergie and the vomiting and diarrhea. It took her 3 or 4 days, but she finally got better. Then last weekend Bear got it, and he's still getting over it. Dr. K said that was REALLY useful information. He seems to think that, indeed, is the problem. He tried a couple of different things last night. When I spoke with him this morning, he said that overall, Slate is feeling better. He is still weak and his electrolytes are out of wack, so he still wants to keep him another night. Hopefully, this afternoon's update will be just as good. Thanks for all of the good thoughts and prayers that have been sent our way. We really appreciate it!

Slate Update

Casey and I had to take Slate back to the vet this morning. I'm not really sure what the problem is exactly. He seemed fine yesterday morning. He was eating good and going about his normal business. When Casey, Mom, and I got back from the Dr.s in Nashville, he was VERY lethargic and refused to eat. He seemed really out of it for a little bit last night. He was still lethargic this morning, but more of his usual self by keeping his routine. Casey and I just decided to take him in and see what's going on, cause we don't have a clue. We're not sure if it's the heart condition or what. He was just acting weird. The other dogs have been passing around some kind of stomach condition, and we were wondering if that may be what's going on, but we're just waiting to hear back from the vet. We didn't hear anything right away, so we've assumed that he's not critical. I'll update, as soon as I know something.

Melting!!!

WOW is it ever hot out there today!! I nearly melted, and I was in the pool doing laps. It doesn't help that the humidity is at nearly 50% either. Just miserable. Since the heat is cranking up, please remember to take extra special care of your furry family members. Let them stay indoors or please make sure they have enough shade and clean water to drink. NEVER EVER leave your pet in a parked car during the summer. It only takes a few minutes for them to get overheated. Once again, here are some hot weather reminders from the ASPCA.

School's out for the summer! It's time to play and have fun in the sun! But sometimes it's not so fun for pets. Do you know how to protect your kitties, pooches, and all other furry little friends when the temperature soars? Here's how to help them beat the heat.

There's no place like home! Bring your dog indoors when it is too hot and let him relax in the coolest part of your home with you. Keep your kitties indoors, and always provide all of your furry friends with plenty of cold, fresh water.

Help, I'm lost! Never leave your animal loose outside. Your animal friend might become lost, injured, or even stolen!

Hot! Hot! Hot! In really hot weather, don't leave your pooch standing outside too long, and keep his walks short. He is closer to the street than you are, and his little paws can burn!

Let's play! Have fun and exercise with your animal in the early morning or at night, when it is cooler. Do not play with your animal after he's eaten or in really hot weather.

If your kitty or doggie is a little pudgy or old, have him stay indoors as much as possible.

Never leave your dog, cat, or any other animal friend alone in a car in hot weather! The inside of a car can heat up very quickly—even with a window a little open—and your animal will suffer. So, if your animal friends go on a trip with you, make sure you and your family take them wherever you go. Carry plenty of fresh, cold water.

Splish! Splash! If you take your pooch to the beach, make sure he has a place to rest that's away from the sun, and give him plenty of fresh water to drink. Remember to rinse him off if he takes a dip in the ocean.

Opportunity

Once again, I was away yesterday. I've really spent my time focusing on the new Times-Gazette blog. This is such a great opportunity for the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association. I finally have a venue to speak to the average citizen of my town about animal issues. I've been getting some really nice feed back about the blog too! That makes me REALLY happy! Earlier this week, I had sent an e-mail to the director of Bedford County Animal Control as well. I asked to work with him to promote his county shelter as well. I had a really nice e-mail back from him yesterday, and I'm happy to say that I will be working with him, as well, on my newspaper blog. This is my chance to really do something good in the community, and I intend to make it count.

If you would like to read along to find out how it's going, click HERE.

Time Gets Away!

I apologize for letting my blog go unattended for the last few days. Just when it seems that I can slow down, I peak the hill and craziness ensues. The new edition of our little hometown newspaper, went online this morning. I spent a while over there making the first posts on my blog there. Just go to the site and click the BLOGS tab to see our group of community bloggers. One of my posts there was about Celebration Pet Day and the Celebration Pet Day blog. I had made a new post for the details of this year's event, but I hadn't updated it this week. Since I mentioned it, I figured I had better give the readers something new to see. So, I raced off to make a good update. Here's the event's information just for my special readers here: The Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association is gearing up for it's 3rd Annual Celebration Pet Day. I'm coordinating this event, again this year. This year's CPD is going to be bigger and better than ever!! Here's the information you need to know:

WHEN: Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. WHERE: Bedford County Agricultural Center

We have LOTS of fun events planned for this year's event including: The Celebration Pet Day Pet Show sponsored by Puppy Palace and George and Kathy Houk.

Appearances by:

Pamela Johnson-Bennett of Cat Behavior Associates . Ms. Bennett is one of only a few cat behaviorists in the country! She has appeared on CNN, Fox News, and the National Geographic Channel, and she is the author of six books. Her session will include an audience question and answer session, as well as a book signing!

Amanda Oliver, Executive Director of the Beesley Animal Humane Foundation will give a short, informational session on Tellington T Touch Therapy for pets.

. The Society of Secret Identities will bring your favorite comic book Super Heroes and Villians to life! Come on out and meet your favorite characters, and don't forget to bring the camera!!

We'll also have vendors, other area pet rescues, dog agility demonstrations, other pet information programs, food, and fun!

For more updates and in depth coverage check out the Celebration Pet Day Blog

Dog Fighting

It's taken me a while to digest all of the information about the Micheal Vick / dog fighting case. The video footage is just horrible, and the parts that I've been able to watch have broken my heart. Dog fighting is a heartless,cruel, torturous sport. It's horrible to think that civilized people could treat an animal that way. I can't believe that he's pled not guilty to the charges. I mean, he's right there ON THE TAPES!!! It's situations like this that prove to me that we need much stricter animal cruelty laws. Not only should Vick be punsihed for running a dog fighting ring, but the spectators of events like these should be charged with felonies too. I'm glad that all of the big animal advocate organizations: American Humane Association, Humane Society of the United States, and the ASPCA are all bringing charges and contributing to his prosecution. It also makes me happy that there are federal, not just state charges against him. I believe that he should spend A LOT of time in prison. It scares me to think about the link between animal cruelty and violent crime. It's there. It's been proven. I feel like they should lock him up and throw away the key. He should be done the exact same way he's done those animals. No mercy should be shown to him.

If you'd like to encourage your legislators to stop dog fighting, click HERE.

To see what the animal cruelty laws are here in Tennessee click HERE.

Hometown Musings

Since it's official, I feel that I'm o.k. posting this. Our local newspaper, The Shelbyville-Times Gazette is currently undergoing a "facelift" of its online edition. With this new revamp, the newspaper has put the call out for local bloggers. Yes, they are dedicating a space on their new frontpage for the voices of local, blogging residents. Since it seems my friend, John, is heading up the project, I've answered the call. I received all of my login information yesterday, and I've ventured over to do my introduction post on the new site. As far as I know, the new version isn't ready yet for readership, but it's coming soon. I plan to make my space there much like it is here; giving a voice to the voiceless, the animals. It's a great way to make the residents of my own hometown aware of the homeless and abandoned animals right in our own city.

When I signed on this morning, I was pleased to see a good group of local bloggers. When John ran an article last summer in the paper about local bloggers, there were only the two of us that came forward. I'm glad to see that others have now come out as well. This should be fun!

Now, I'd like to welcome any and all that havefound my home here on the web from the link over from the paper. Please pull up a seat and stay a while. You're more than welcome here. I hope you find the information helpful. Feel free to vist anytime!

Without A Hitch!

The Bedford County Fair Dog Show went off without a hitch. The weather cleared off just in time to start. It was sunny and cool, and it remained pleasant after dark. We had a really good turnout for the show. We had a lot of entrants (not sure yet, I haven't tallied them up) and LOTS of fans in the stands. Our announcer, George Houk was wonderful. He kept everyone in stitches by interviewing not only the competitors, but also the fans on the sidelines. He also did a great job of running and announcing the classes. His wife, Kathy, was the judge. All of the dogs were just precious, and I had to try and pet them all. There were two dogs there that were named Germs and Measles! Measles ended up taking ribbons in quite a few classes. I can't remember what kind of dog Measles was, but he had a mohawk!! I remember one other dog's name and that was Rusty. Rusty was a fiesty little Schipperke, and an exact replica of my Bear. He even had Bear's personality. He won first place in the Lap Dog class. The best in show went to a little boy. He was so cute and sweet. He and his dog were dressed as pirates. I'll have names to go with the winning classes soon. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from last night.

This is the little boy and his dog that took Best in Show.

I'll post the rest of the few I got tomorrow. Enjoy!!