Just a GREAT DAY!!!

Today my mom and Kimiko came over. I love it when they come over. They brought some tasty blueberry muffins and I inhaled mine. I don’t think I even chewed mine. I had some decaf coffee and the morning was complete.

Kimiko made me a blanket. Homemade!! It has dogs on one side and baseballs on the other side. It is perfect size for the couch, fits the couch and not extra to drag on the floor. It is stunning and very warm. I am touched at such a nice gift. Kimiko made it the night before. Kimiko is my mom’s best friend. I am glad she is my mom’s best friend. They have fun together. She is like an Aunt to me.

As usual, when mom and Kimiko came to the front door, Tess and Nan were the official greeting committee. They bounced, barked and generally were unruly…..waiting for their *Japanese moms* to arrive. I told them to settle down but it fell on deaf ears.

This is the second day that I have cut my daily pain meds in half. I can tell that I can do it but will need my ½ perco by the late afternoon. I feel my chest hurt just a little but not bad enough to take another pain pill. So that means I am healing which is a great sign!!

Mom and Kimiko sprung into action and cleaned the house for me. We had to figure out why the vacuum was not working too well but we finally did. I don’t do the vacuuming. Mom swept and mopped the floor and got tons of hair. She claimed it was dog hair but I think it was my hair, since it was in the region of where I had been sitting for a few days. Then they tackled the kitchen and it was sparkling. I owe them so much for their kindness.

Mom called Rigby and he came running up to the house. He got his usual can of kitty food and then came in for his nap. Kimiko took a picture of him sleeping on the couch. He made sure that Kimiko paid lots of attention to him. Then he made sure mom paid attention to him. He looked at me as if I was going to dote on him but he realized it was not going to happen. Then he decided that mom’s lap was a perfect spot to sit in.

Rigby on the couch. Pix taken by Kimiko!!

It had been pouring rain all day and finally we got a break. We went down to the barn and feed the animals. Actually, I pointed to the alfalfa and mom fed the sheep. It’s so cute to see my mom feed the sheep. The lambs came running to her and she loved it. Kimiko took tons of pictures.

Mom opened the gate and then I worked Tess and Nan. I worked them as a brace and then pulled Nan out, Tess was miffed that Nan was in the pasture with her and she showed her displeasure by going very slow. I let Nan work off some steam and then pulled her out. Then I worked Tess and it was amazing how fast and eager she worked.

I did a demo for my mom and Kimiko. I gave her the verbal flanks, down and walk ups. Tess was very happy and worked like a dream. Emma, the Arabian was content eating her alfalfa and then realized her sheep were gone and then she ran to then. Tess ignored her and worked the sheep around her. Tess was very happy and proud when she came out and ran to mom for her pet. After her pet, Tess went to get her ball so mom could toss it for her.

Tess and her ball. She is very happy. Pix by Kimiko

Mom then spent a bit of time after that tossing the ball for Tess. Kimiko and I were still walking around the barn and chatting while mom and Tess and Nan were at the front yard. Mom was so excited to toss the ball for Tess. Tess adores mom and they have so much fun together. Mom was even tossing two balls at once for Tess. It so nice to see them have so much fun together. I love them both so much!!

We had lunch. Mom made homemade spaghetti. She got some Italian sausage from her local specialty shop and added it to the sauce. The spaghetti lunch was delicious. I ate a normal amount and even ate my meal faster than my mom or Kimiko did. I can say my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I was stuffed and ready to hibernate for the winter!! You know, when the meal is so good, you just have to stuff yourself to the gills!! Mom made me a fruit plate for dessert in which I ate in record time. I remember when I used to just pick at my food. Now I am imitating a Hoover vacuum!!

We had some tea and watched Animal Stars. They had a pet pig that did some awesome tricks. The pig picked letters out to spell pig, did waving with her hoof and head and put a gold ball in a cup. It was neat. Then they had a pair of skunks. One skunk was in a baby carriage and the other skunk pushed it around. They had some dog tricks but the pig and skunk tricks were great. At the end the audience got to choose a winner and they pick a dog that put a basketball in the hoop. We were not impressed. Oh well, guess they won’t be calling us to judge anytime soon.


They left in the pouring rain and the normal hour long drive almost took two hours. The rain was so hard that mom had a hard time seeing. Everyone was going slowly. I am glad they got home safely.

My daily walks are going well now. I am so out of shape. At least I am getting winded now on my walks than tired out. I am up to 113 lbs so that is good. Having the dogs go with me on the walks helps a lot. Tess is miffed that I am not tossing or kicking the ball for them. I am not up to that yet. I will kick it a couple of times but not hard. They will have to deal with that.

Jeff came home early. He can’t do outside painting when it is dumping rain. I hope it will quit raining soon so he can get some hours in. At least, I don’t have to worry about watering my garden.

We had leftover spaghetti for dinner. It was just as good as before. I was still hungry so I ate a bowl of peanuts, a box of Milk Duds. Then I had a bowl of Ice Cream. Talk about an eating machine. I used to measure the amount that I ate in spoonfuls or amount of pieces. Now I measure in bowls.

Nelson called to see my eating progress. He calls each night and I appreciate it. I am glad to tell him that I am eating like a pig. He also makes sure about my walks. I look forward to his calls. He is a good brother.

My friend, Kathy Davis is coming up on Sunday. She stayed with me during most of my hospital stay. It made my time in the hospital a lot less scary. When I was not too sure what was going on, she was there. It meant a lot to me. I hurt so bad and was in major pain and so out of it at the hospital. She was my lifeline. I am so excited to be seeing her. Last time, she saw me I was weak and hurting. Now I feel so much better and want to show her how much I have improved. We are going to have steak and tempura for dinner. Mom, Kimiko and Nelson will be there. Jeff will be cooking the steaks and mom and Kimiko will be cooking the tempura. I am so excited for this Sunday!!

Janet and her husband came over and got Kuro. Janet worked Tess and Scott. Tess worked well for her. Scott and Janet had to work out who was boss but Scott saw the light. Jerill, (Janet’s husband) was in charge of moving Emma so Janet could work the sheep. Emma and Jerill get if off and became buds. He used to train horses so no wonder he had a good time. Janet let the dogs all run free for a bit. Sleat was very happy to be free. Earlier when I passed her in the kennel, she wanted to go out so bad and all I could do was to pet her. Jeff told me tonight that he really likes her. He saw a baby picture that I had of her on my work laptop and asked if it was her. Then he told me that he liked her. She listens to him and is a sweet dog, I got her Carol Campion. Carol has very nice dogs. Sleat will be going to Scott Glen for training. She is a very talented dog and I hope she does well for Scott. Sleat was a bit standoffish last year at the Glens but Jenn spoiled her and then Sleat became a super loving dog. Thanks to Jenn for making her shine!! Jenn is a really good person!!

What is even ironic is that I got Sleat from Carol. Carol and I have kept in touch regarding Sleat. Carol lives in the east. I have a student named Deborah who has a nice working female named Indy. Indy has been coming here for a few months and is about a year old. She works very nice and has good stock sense. Deborah is in college and has to do an internship. She went to the east for a year for her internship and took Indy. I hooked her up with Carol and she will be going to her while she is over there for the year. Small world, huh!! Deborah will have so much fun. Meanwhile, her husband Ben is still in Seattle and he will be taking some lessons so when he gets his own dog, he will be ready!!

We relaxed this evening and watched the Olympics. The USA won beach volleyball and it was a fun game to watch. My pain level has dropped and I am getting better. I enjoy eating and going for walks. I enjoy life…..after all, isn’t that what it is all about?

A Nappy day......

Last night was very humid. I hardly slept at all. I tossed and turned all night. I took my med and went back to sleep but couldn’t. I took only have of my pain med and I think it made a difference. I hurt but not bad enough to take another pill but enough to feel it. Do I take another one or try to see if I could ride it out. I am trying to wean myself off the pain pills. In the end, I tried to see if I could ride it out for a bit. I figure than taking another full Oxycontin I could take a ½ perco. I ate cereal for breakfast. My favorite of course, Frosted Flakes!!

I watched TV and nothing good was on. I strolled about the house for my walks. I was still tired from the lack of sleep so I decided to take a nap. It’s been a while since I had a nap. I went to the bedroom as I was tired of sleeping on the couch. Tess and Nan were so happy that they leaped upon the bed and made themselves at home. Thanks goodness, they left me some space to sleep on!!

We all fell into a deep sleep. Tess made sure that she was touching all during this time. I would wake up and her paw would be on my arm. I would shift and then she would move so her back would be touching me. Each time I woke up, some part of her would be touching me. Nan was at my feet and if possible, she would lick my leg. It was nice to have two devoted Nursemaids.

I would wake up now and then and towards the end I was feeling the chest pain. Finally, I got up and took a ½ perco. It finally worked and I felt better. We had a late lunch of potatoes and carrots. We all then went and watched some Animal Planet show. We lounged around until Jeff came home.

We went for a walk to the barn. Emma saw Jeff and came dashing up. She loves Jeff. He put her into the lower pasture. She was well behaved for him as he led her out. He is really gentle with her. Considering he is not an animal person, all the animals have a genuine affection for him. He not only feeds them but pets them and makes them feel loved.

It was nice to do the barn walk. I look forward to them. I get to see the animals and it is part of the healing process. Mr. McGoo is all healed up now. I think I will let him out soon. I really like him and hope he stays ok. We sure would like to know what killed the ducks. We are also missing some Muscovy ducks. I wonder if it is an owl.

We moved some lambs yesterday to the pond pasture. Jeff put Kodi with the lambs. The ducks are also with the lambs and Kodi. Maybe by having Kodi with the ducks and lambs might scare away the duck killer.

The last few days it has been raining. We are trying to hay our field and then it rains!! Murphy’s Law!! After it, it is the middle of summer!!

You know about simple things in life? Like taking a shower? You hop in and turn on the water, scrub and *poof*….you just took a shower. I was able to do that tonight. I remember a few weeks ago that I had to sit in a chair, have my mom wash my hair and back. I was barely able to wash myself and I couldn’t use my arms above my shoulder or below my waist. I was weak and had to have my mom wash me. So I took a hot shower, washed my hair and just relaxed in the hot shower. It felt good. Simple things make you feel good.

All in all, today was a relaxing day. We didn’t do much aside from our walks. We adjusted the meds and still need to do some adjusting. Took naps and watched TV. I feel better and my breathing is fine. I get hungry and have hunger pangs. I inhale my meals. I get feisty. Little things like that make me know that I am on the road to healing.

Other times make me feel good. Last night, I talked to Lora. She filled me in on some of the runs at Lucama’s. She has done well with Sally. She got Coll, known as Nell as of now. Coll aka, Nell, was one of the Aled Owens’s pups that I brought back from Wales. They are intense pups and I am glad she got Nell. Nell has fallen in love with Dave, her husband. She steals his sandals and decorates them!! She is going to do well with Nell!!

Rochelle Stanford and Koko made it to the LaCamas Double Lift Finals. Rochelle got Koko from me a few years ago. Koko is Tess x Pleat and from the first litter. She is a dynamic red female that loves Rochelle. They are a good fit. Koko needed her own handler as she would be second string here. With Rochelle, she is her main Open dog and it made me so proud to see that see made it to the double lift. What a great team and I am so proud of them!! Congratulations to them!!

Tonight for dinner we are going to have the leftover Flank Steak that Jeff cooked yesterday. In addition, we are going to have the pasta that Audrey made for us. She dropped it off on Sunday. It looks delicious!!

Mom and Kimiko are going to come over tomorrow. I am sure that they will make sure that I am well fed. Tess has been on a diet for a few days so I am sure she will be pleased to see my mom. After all, we finally got her thin enough to see her waist line!!

Reflections

I wasn’t to sure if we were going to have another Thunderstorm so I crated Nan. Since I did that, there was no thunderstorm. Oh well. Jeff let her out and she came running to me. Next thing, I know Tess has hopped on the couch and Nan has taken the spot on the floor. I think they are working as a Brace now.

I woke up at 7:30 a.m. with hunger pangs. So much, that I snagged a couple of cookies that were near me to settle my stomach. That’s good as I have not had hunger pangs since the operation. I had to give my watchdogs a tiny piece of the cookie too…..hard to say no when you have two sets of eyes staring at you in the morning light…..;-)

I had my morning pills and my can of Ensure. I was slow since I had slept past my morning pill time by an hour. When I got up, I felt pretty good. I waltzed about in the house and almost felt feisty again.

I got hungry at lunchtime and polished off my Mexican dinner from the night before. It is about the amount that I would normally eat. That is key to see that my appetite is returning to normal or almost normal. I am hungry and have a good appetite. And I am putting on more weight.

Jeff and I wandered down to the barn. I saw that one pasture needed a break and needed to move some sheep. I had Jeff open gates so all I had to do was give Nan some commands. Nan was so happy to work that she worked at warp speed but took her stops when asked. She moved the lambs from the back lawn to the pond pasture. She was very happy after it was down and just pranced around me, knowing that I was pleased. Tess, on the other hand, was not pleased as we put her in the kennel so I could work Nan.

I got to feed the cow and sheep and finished my daily walk. It felt good to have energy and enjoy my walks again. Nan and Tess just danced around me as we went back to the house. It had rained earlier so it was a pleasant walk. Not blazing hot like this weekend. I was not tired when I got back to the house.

Nan has opened up so much since this has happened. We are a lot more in tune and I felt more connected to her. She has taken a role as a nursemaid also is very loving and concerned. It has helped our relationship. I could see it when I worked her today….yes, she was fast but she did everything I asked of her and I could see the trust and willingness in her eyes. And when we were done, she was prancing around me, just pleased with herself.

You know, sometimes we take these dogs for granted. Tess and I have a long term close relationship and we do well on the trial field; sometimes she knows what to do before I tell her. It’s a special bond we have developed over the years and sometimes I think we are as “one” on the trial field.

Tess just turned ten years last month and we have done really well….it’s that special magic you have. Tess is pretty much retired now but the magic still is there. She is my soul mate.

You don’t have that special magic with each dog. I don’t know why you have it with some dogs and not others. The dogs also have to open themselves up to it also. When you have it, it’s a great feeling.

I think I got it now with Nan. It has taken over a year since I have had her plus the six weeks off for the surgery. She watches Tess and tries to do as Tess does. Tess has been devoted to me and Nan has also stepped up to the plate. Instead of me telling them what to do (such as in herding) they have taken the role of just doing it; they have been next to me when I hurt and give me comfort; they walk with me to the bathroom in the middle of the night. They lick me when my chest hurts and at night when I wake up in pain, they are nudging me with love. We have gotten very close in the last few weeks and my bond with Nan has deepened. Nan has gone from the role of a trial dog to a heart dog. She knows she is family now and her role has gotten deeper. She knows this is her home and she is part of the family.

Today, I realize that I am a very lucky person. I have a great husband, Jeff, a wonderful family, caring friends and my dogs, my soul mates. Life is good and don’t let it rush you by. Don’t take thing for granted and kiss the ones you love each day. You only live once.

Busy but fun day!!!

We had thunderstorms in the middle of the night. Nan was so scared she jumped on the bed and peed. Jeff let her out and she came running to me. It was very loud and lit up the sky in white brilliance. I put Nan in a crate and covered it in heavy blankets. It calmed her down and she was fine. While I was dealing with Nan, Tess snuck onto the couch and took over my spot. She was not worried about the thunderstorm. She could care less. She just wanted to steal the prime location on the couch. So we compromised and shared the couch.

I was awake over half the night and so in the morning was groggy. When Kathleen came over I was barely awake. It took me a while to get started but I did. I had my Cream of Wheat and a can of Ensure. By then, Pam and Nancy and Courtney had arrived. They all came up to the house and we chatted. They all had worked their dogs but for a limited time since it was so hot and humid. Kathleen had sorted a wild bunch of lambs so that made it more challenging for the dogs. Blaze was good for Nancy too.

I managed to get motivated and wandered down to the barn. There was a Calif Red ewe that needed an antibiotic shot and some sheep sorted. I see that they are very efficient in their work as well as being good stockmen. I am very impressed on how far they all have come.

Pam worked Tess who was very slow. Then she worked Scott. That will be good for her to work with an Open dog. Scott was more eager to work for her. Pam has a nice Kelpie named Colin. He is a nice working male with a good heart. He is honest and good to the sheep. I have always been impressed with him.

Emma worked well for Kathleen. She is her pride and joy and I can see why. Today, she did her sheep chores well and with confidence. For a young pup, she has stepped up to the plate.

Courtney worked Mig. What a pistol. She was doing some nice clean outruns and is listening well to Courtney. Courtney has done an amazing job wit her.

Nancy sometimes worries about Blaze but today I saw she handled him quite well. Her corrections were on and Blaze had nice, deep outruns and thoughtful fetches. It was looking nice from my view from the barn.

I was starting to fade so I headed up to the house knowing that the gang was doing quite well. They have come a long way and I pleased to see how well they have progressed.

I took a long hard nap downstairs in the cool basement. It felt great. Monique showed up to say hi and then she went to work dogs. I was still tired from my morning walk and was slow to move. Audrey came over and then Monique came back in from working the dogs. We all sat around chatting about the four huge wolf spiders that were in the bedroom. Then we chatted about dogs of course!! Monique is taking care of Lucy for me. In Sept, Monique will be running Lucy in PN and is working on polishing her up.

Audrey and Monique went out to give Emma her horse shots and then I followed them. Lucy ran up to me and is still the sweet loving dog. She is looking really nice and lean now. Monique has been doing a great job in keeping her fit and getting her to work the sheep correctly. Monique is her god-bitch after all!!

I was feeling pretty darn good and sat in the barn with Audrey after Monique left. Audrey worked Dan and he worked nice and smooth. He is settling down and looking good. They make a nice team. She did a quick sort and put some sheep in the round pen. It was one of the fastest sorts ever done.

She worked Kael and he was a dream to watch. Nice balance went both ways and had tons of presence on the sheep. It was enjoyable to watch. He is one nice pup!!

I go for my four daily walks a day. They are 12-15 minutes each. That just wipes me out.

Audrey, on the other hand, goes for 100 plus bike ride, over 2 mile swim and a marathon run…..she is training for the Iron man. She will be running in the Iron man next weekend in Canada. It’s all I can do for my total ONE hour exercise each day and yet next week, Audrey is going to do an Iron man!! She is one awesome athlete. She will be going for about 10 hours straight next weekend!!! Her arms are super buff. We compared her buff arms to my kindling arms. Last year she qualified and was invited to Kona.

We all wish her well as she is a tremendous athlete and a super nice person to boot! We will be keeping our fingers and paws crossed for her.

I am into taking naps today as when I went back to the house, I took another short nap. Jeff went and got some Mexican food and I ate quite a bit. So this is good that I still have an appetite and have energy. If I keep this up, then I expect it will be soon!!

Still getting better

It’s the weekend. Not, that I live for the weekend since I am off work. But other people have the weekend off and then I get to see them. I look forward to having visitors now since I am feeling much better now.

Tess woke me up in the middle of the night by deep growls and she stood up and faced the windows. She kept growling and stood stiff legged. I petted her and her back was arched and her hackles were straight up. Finally she calmed down and then leapt upon the couch to snuggle with me. I let her have the bottom part of the couch and felt safe. It was about 3:00 in the morning. I assume it was a coyote or something like that. I don’t know.

Jeff went off to the island for the day to hang with his friends. It is the yearly Guemes Island camping trip. He only went for the day. Too bad, I couldn’t make it.

I am trying to eat a lot more calories so I had an Ensure for breakfast and then a Japanese chocolate pastry that my mom had brought. Of course, when my mom arrived Tess and Nan raced to the door but this time, Tess got stiff legged and growled and chased Nan off. Nan scooted back to the office. I called Nan and then made both dogs sit next to me until mom came in. Then I let them race to mom.

They went through their daily routine, a bunch of pets followed by a treat. Nan has really adjusted well to this new lifestyle. She eagerly greets people and gets lots of pets and treats. She is really start to show a new side of her and has gotten really outgoing. Not to mention, she has really gotten closer to me and more protective as well as vocal.

I am feeling much better and hope that setbacks are a thing of the past. It will be three weeks until I get back to work but that I think is pushing it.

We had a huge lunch today. Mom grilled tuna sandwiches with home grown tomatoes from my garden and Walla Walla sweet onions from Nelson’s garden. She also grilled some shrimp. I ate my sandwich and shrimp in record time.

Tony and MaryAnn came over. Tony is like my second father and I have known him for many years. He is my boss at work. I used to work for him over 16 years ago and now. I have worked for him for a good part of my career. He made sure that I finished my EE degree and became an EE at Boeing where I worked for him for years. Then over 5 years ago, he asked if I wanted to work for him at the FAA and I was in heaven. He is making sure that I am ok and healing well and not rushing back to work. I love working for Tony and the FAA. The people at the FAA have donated sick time so I don’t have to worry about that. It’s been five years since I started at the FAA and it is like family. They are good people who take pride and care about their work. They have passion and ethics and I am lucky to be a part of that crew.

It was good seeing Tony and MaryAnne. We had a good chat about animals, life and things in general. They brought some yellow plums and home made cookies. MaryAnne made my favorite cookies. Little shortbread with fruit centers. They are small bite sized and I am sure I will inhale them within a day or so.


Chuck arrived and soon there was a pack of dogs all having fun. He is taking care of Rainey and each time he comes over I get a story on Rainey’s latest escapades. This time it was the chewing of the phone cord. She must be testing his patience as she is doing her best to be a hellion. That is how she was described by a family or friend of his. I think I am going to tell him since he never had any (human) children that she is a substitute for that. Clip, the sibling is looking very nice. He is longer than Tess and is a beautiful rough coat. He is eye candy!!! Teddy, his red male has his paws full keeping Clip and Rainey in line.

I actually felt good the rest of the day. I was stuffed from lunch and didn’t eat dinner until 10:00. It was too hot in the afternoon to do anything but go downstairs and watch TV in the cool basement. Jeff came home at dusk and we watched TV. Mainly the Olympics and music shows.

It is nice not be wheezy, tired or feeling yucky or running out of gas at the end of the day. I must be on the mend as Tess has abandoned me for a few hours. I use her as my healing meter and so far, she has ditched me for over 5 hours. Nan is next to me or Jeff but not sticking next to me. So according to my “healing dogs”, I am good enough to be on my own for the evening.