Flashback

My Mother has a portrait of our family that was taken somewhere in 1970's. My Brother, Father and myself are proudly wearing our leisure suits and floral polyester shirts smiling for the camera. Just put that image in the back of your mind while I explain our latest adventure.

During the last yearly maintenance of our heating system, our maintenance technician mentioned we might think about replacing our oil tank that was in the basement. It looked like the tank had some oil on the outside of it, but wasn't dripping on the floor so I figured we had some time. So I talked to a couple people and got an estimate for what it would cost to replace.

The only difficult part to this whole project would be that the oil tank was hidden behind a wall with absolutely no access. When a previous owner decided to finish the basement, they just sheetrocked the whole thing in. I knew there was going to be a little demolition involved, so I got started on it this weekend.

As I pried the paneling off, I discovered the wall had been papered at one time. Look at this beauty! Instantly, that picture of my family in our leisure suits popped into my head. The '70s sure were a strange time...

Happy Birthday Cooper!

One year ago we adopted Cooper from SGRR. We believe that he is 6 or 7 years old. What a year it has been. Life with Coop is a roller coaster - keep both feet on the floor and hold on tight!

At times the lows threaten to overwhelm us: cancer, seizures, oncologists, radiologists, and more medical testing than you can imagine.

The greatest high is that Coop is HAPPY! Coop's tail has not stopped wagging since he arrived. Coop has an abundance of smiles and kisses that he gladly shares.

Coop has turned into a beautiful, sweet, crazy dog. Coop always keeps us laughing with his unique personality.

Today we celebrate Coop and his love of life. If Coop could talk, I think he would say,"Life is great and if the sun is shining it is going to be a Coopity -Doopity day!"

Missing Kiawah

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about Kiawah. Kiawah Island, SC is our favorite vacation spot.

We try to get to Kiawah as often as we can. This year our upcoming trip to Alaska means no Kiawah vacation.

We usually go to Kiawah in early Sept, after the kids are back in school. The beach is almost deserted at that time.

I miss the sand, sun, and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean. The instant my feet touch the sand, troubles seem to disappear.

I am hoping that this time next year you will not find me in Wilton.

Gotta Hate When That Happens!

From FailBlog.org:

Sunset Grille

We had dinner at the Sunset Grille at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk. Being a weekday, there were only a few diners, but I have a feeling it gets extremely crowded on weekends.

The Sunset Grille is located on a boat dock and has beautiful water views. The sun was setting as we ate dinner and the sky was full of pinks, purples and oranges.

If you go, I would suggest bringing a sweater. The high temperature was 75 during the day and much cooler in the evening with the breeze blowing off the Sound.

The food was good and the desserts were great. The Sunset Grille is a casual restaurant and a nice place to relax.

Another Bird Story

Yesterday's mourning dove incident reminded me of a Jake story.....

Our first Golden, Jake, once caught a baby bird. We were in our NC yard and I looked over and saw tail feathers sticking out of Jake's mouth.

Amazingly, when Jake opened his mouth, the bird was unharmed. The bird was scared and its feathers were damp, but there were no bite marks or broken wings.

I took the bird from Jake and it eventually flew away.

At 90+ pounds, Jake could have easily crushed the bird. Was it instinct that gave him such a soft mouth when holding the tiny bird ?

State Business

The State of Connecticut Legislators just passed a budget for the fiscal year that started July 1st. You would think that they would be fighting tooth and nail to keep state spending as low as possible in order to fight the immanent 1 billion dollar shortfall. After all, they just raised taxes on every smoker and every person that makes over half-million a year.

While House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. was speaking on behalf of his constituents, what where Jack Hennessy and Barbara Lambert doing? They decided it would be a great time to play solitaire.

The guy behind them with ESPN.com on his computer was spared by the camera.

I hope the residents of Milford and Bridgeport let Mr. Hennessy and Ms. Lambert know we expect them to pay attention to the State's business!

Mourning Dove

This morning, Oti was barking and banging against the open front door. All this fuss was over two birds sitting in the driveway. It seems that Oti has a strong retriever instinct.

When Jeff let Otis and Cooper out before going to work, Oti started to bark and pulled Jeff towards Danny's tree.

Jeff said when he got close to the tree, he heard a rustling sound. It turns out that a mourning dove was trapped in the deer netting which protects the tree.

Jeff put the dogs inside and then freed the bird. Isn't it ironic that Oti's desire to hunt the bird ended up saving this animal's life.

Missing Sneaker

I always leave a pair of old sneakers in the basement. This makes walking the dogs very easy. Also, I do not track dirt across the upstairs hardwood floors.

The other morning, after walking the dogs, I took off my sneakers and put them near the door. When I got home in the evening, I went to put my sneakers on, but could only find one shoe.

I searched all over the basement and could not find my missing sneaker. I thought that Oti may have been chewing it, but doubted he could eat the entire shoe. Surely, there would be some evidence of the crime!

I found my shoe later that night. It was in the living room, under a pile of dog toys.

It seems Oti had decided that this new toy belonged with all the other ones. The amazing thing is there were no bite marks. When I picked the sneaker up, Oti grabbed it and pranced around the house.

Panting

Otis has decided that 5:00 am is wake up time. Since we get up at 6:00, Otis jumps on the bed for an hour.

This would not be bad, if Otis did not step on me during the process of getting up on the bed. Having 80 lbs of dog land on you, tends to wake you up.

Even if I could ignore this, once Otis is on the bed he pants. The panting is non-stop and incredibly loud!

All of this noise and commotion eventually wakes Coop. Coop will then hop on the bed and we all shift to make room.

Every day Jeff says we need to get a king bed. All I know is I need to get more sleep.

Color Blind?

Dear Internet, I'd like your opinion. I was looking for a gray pair of pants this morning and just couldn't find them. I asked Valerie and she pulled this pair out for me.

"Um, dear, those pants are brown."

"What? You're color blind" she tells me.

OK, I was in a hurry. As I ironed them, I continued to doubt myself. I tried to pair them up with black socks and black shoes and I wasn't convinced. I swapped them out for an olive pair as a safe bet.

So, what's your opinion?

Are these pants Brown or Gray?
	Brown
	Gray
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Fall

Even though the weather is the hottest it has been all summer, there are signs that fall is coming.

On our morning walks, I have noticed that the leaves on several trees are starting to change color. Also, there are now acorns being dropped from the oak trees.

I have noticed the sun setting earlier in the evening and football is back on tv.

I wonder where the summer has gone.

Lightning Does Strike Twice

When we lived in Oxford, our home was struck by lightning and major damage occurred.

Fast forward to 4:00 am yesterday during the severe thunder and lightening storm. We were all sleeping when suddenly I heard the garage door opening. The Otis security system immediately sounded, making sure that we knew something was wrong.

My first thought was someone was trying to break in. Why choose the garage as the point of entry ??? I don't know, but after all I was still half asleep.

Jeff and Otis (now acting as security guard) went to check out the situation. Our best guess is there was a power surge (due to lightning) which caused a short in the garage door opener. The door was open and had to be manually closed.

We assummed the garage door opener was dead and with racing hearts, went back to sleep.

I was almost asleep at 5:00 am when there was another noise from the garage. Once again Jeff went to check it out. It seems that the door opener motor was endlessly spinning. Pulling the plug fixed the issue.

It seems we will have to buy a new door opener.

Where are the Monarchs ?

The butterfly bush out front has been covered with butterflies.

I love to watch these fragile creatures glide softly on the wind. I often see several butterflies floating above the back deck or outside the kitchen windows.

What I find odd is that the butterflies are always swallowtails. I have not seen any monarchs, with their bold orange and black coloring.

Where did they go ?

Tumbling Coop

I took Cooper out in the yard yesterday to try out my new camera. Here's a couple shots I got of him rolling around in the grass like there was no tomorrow.

5 minutes

5 minutes is the average lifespan of a tennis ball, once Otis discovers it.

Coop will gnaw on the tennis balls, but Oti just shreds them.

Thankfully, we have a good supply chain in Westport ;)

House For Sale

Jeff and I bought our Wilton home about 3 years ago. We looked at many homes, before deciding on this one.

I was viewing Wilton real estate listings yesterday and was surprised that 3 of the homes that we had toured were back up for sale! All 3 homes sold just about the same time we bought this one.

I was really shocked by this, especially in a down housing market. Jeff reminded me that our type of home in Wilton is a starter home and many people want to move into something much bigger.

I can't argue against wanting a newer, grander home. However, people must be well off, if they can lose significant money on their current home and still purchase a larger one.

I forget that we live in the land of the Wall Street traders. Jeff said, imagine what will happen once the big bonuses start flowing again in December.

Furnace

Poor Oti cannot seem to get comfortable in this hot, humid weather. Even with the A/C on, Oti is always panting. His favorite spot is stretched out on the tile floor.

Coop and Oti do not spend much time on the bed at night. I think it is just too hot for them.

When Coop is on the bed, it is like sleeping near to a toaster. When Oti is on the bed, it is like sleeping next to a furnace.

Oti throws off a tremendous amount of heat. This will be welcome in Nov, but not August. I am thinking that we will not need an electric blanket this winter.

Shredder

Ever since Otis arrived, loose papers are no longer safe in our house.

It seems as if Otis has decided that anything on the floor is a toy. I have found shredded papers, napkins, and Kleenex.

I am not sure that these items fell off the table or were helped along by a wagging tail or extra large paw.

While putting away groceries, I left an empty soda box by the basement door. 30 seconds later, Oti strolls thru the kitchen proudly carrying the box! He was obviously excited about this new "toy".

First Images

Here are the first images from a new piece of equipment I got for our upcoming trip to Alaska.

Sleepy

Ever since we adopted Cooper, lazy, sleep late weekends are a thing of the past. Cooper's internal alarm is set for 6:11 am and Otis wakes up at 6:00 am.

Luckily, Otis seems to have a snooze alarm option.

When Otis came over to me at 6:00 am this weekend, I ignored him. Otis sighed, and then hopped up on the bed for a 30 minute nap. At 6:30, he was insistent about us getting up and going out.

Coop was tired and did not stir until the lights went on.

Glads

When I was growing up, each spring my Mom would plant hundreds of gladiola bulbs. Each fall they would be dug up and put into storage.

Whenever I see glads, I can't help but smile and think of my younger days.

While at the grocery store, I saw these sunny yellow flowers with their orange blush. I knew I had to bring them home. They immediately went into my grocery cart.

Dogs Smarter Than Toddlers

As a dog lover, I was NOT surprised to read that dogs are smarter than toddlers. As the article on MSNBC states:
"...average dogs can learn 165 words (similar to a 2-year-old child), including signals and gestures, and dogs in the top 20 percent in intelligence can learn 250 words. While dogs ranked with the 2-year-olds in language, they would trump a 3- or 4-year-old in basic arithmetic"

What did surprise me was that Golden Retrievers ranked 4th in intelligence and Shetland Sheepdogs ranked 6th. I know that our Sheltie was much smarter than any of our Goldens.

This news makes me think that Cooper does understand the commands he is given, but is smart enough to know he can ignore them without punishment.

Butterfly Bush

I think that we may have one of the tallest butterfly bushes in Wilton!

Jeff trimmed the bush to about 2 ft in the spring. Since then, it has grown straight up. My best estimate is that it is 8+ ft tall.

More Tests

Coop spent yesterday at the Norwalk Vet Hospital. Dr Duffy wanted to have an x-ray and blood tests run to see if we could find a cause for the seizure.

We are waiting on the blood test results. The x-rays showed no issues.

The staff at the hospital said that they LOVED Coop, because he is such a happy dog! I smiled at that comment. Poor Coop had no food or water in the morning (in case anesthesia was needed) and still he was wagging his tail and smiling.

Dr Duffy said that we should observe Coop and if there are no more seizures to come back again in 6 months. If the seizures become more common, he will be started on phenobarb.

Setback

While we were in NY, Cooper had a seizure on Sunday morning. Coop jumped off the bed at 4:30 am and Jeff heard him thrashing. When Jeff turned the light on, he could see Coop was in the midst of a seizure.

After the seizure passed, Coop could not get comfortable. He would pace, lay down, get up and start the entire cycle over again. After about 3 hours of pacing, Coop finally began to relax.

I am greatly saddened by this latest setback. It seems that every time we get some positive news, we immediately have a new hurdle in front of us. I wonder if Cooper will ever get the lucky break that he deserves.

Road Trip

We went to upstate NY to visit Jeff's family this weekend. When Otis saw the suitcases, he began to get a little apprehensive. I am sure that he thought he was being dumped at yet another strange home.

Considering that Otis has only been with us 2 weeks, I think he did pretty well. The two biggest issues are jumping on the couch and getting too excited (jumpy) when meeting new people. It seems that Otis was allowed to lay on a couch previously, so trying to teach him that this is unacceptable now, will be difficult.

There are several cats in the neighborhood running lose. The growl when Otis saw one curl up in the driveway was menacing. Otis met Jeff's nephews and enjoyed the attention.

Jeff did NOT enjoy being awoken at 3:30 am on Sat morning. Some people were walking by the house and the Otis security system went off.

Fighting Canine Cancer

We received a catalog from Orvis and on the cover was a picture of a beautiful Golden and the caption help fight canine cancer! The cover dog, Dylan, is a cancer survivor.

It seems that Orvis and Eukanuba have teamed up to double canine cancer donations.

For more details, you can go to: Orvis/Eukanuba Canine Cancer Campaign

Having lost Brandy, Jake and Danny to cancer, I can honestly say that this is a cause worth donating to. Coop's battle with cancer is going well, but more research and better treatments are needed.

Our online donation is on its way.

A Runner's Body

When Coop and Oti were at the vet, Dr Duffy said that Coop has a runner's body - thin and lean with an extremely low heart rate. Oti, on the other hand has a much larger frame and a broader more muscular chest.

It seems the runner anology is a good one. Oti and Coop went to Molly and Mable's house. Carol said that Oti played fetch with the other dogs, but could never get to the ball. It seems he is much slower than Coop or the Weimaraners.

I can picture Coop sticking out his marble tongue as he races by Oti.

Sadly, fetch ended when Coop got the ball and destroyed it by chewing it.

The Great Lowes Heist of 2009

Every now and then, you find a deal so good that you just can't pass it up. The Great Sears Heist of 2007 was one of those great deals.

On Saturday we made a trip to our local Lowes to pickup some supplies so I could finish my projects on Sunday. As we were walking past the tool aisle with a full cart, I spied a big box with a clearance price sticker on it. It was a Kobalt Pneumatic tool set with an Impact Wrench, Air Hammer, and a Ratchet. In addition, it had all the accessories to go along with those tools. The regular price on this set was $99.94.

Now, I don't really need an Impact Wrench. Or even an Air Hammer. In fact, I'm not sure I'll ever use either one. But for $20, I just couldn't pass it up. Now I'm looking for reasons to use one of them! I'm definitely using that tire gauge, though.

Getting by with a little help from your friends

What's Chris Dodd up to lately? Apparently he's still dodging questions about his sweetheart mortgage deal that he received from Countrywide Financial. Former Countrywide executive Robert Feinberg testified before Congress that Dodd knew he was getting a sweetheart deal from the beginning. You can read about it here.

Vet Appointment

Cooper and Otis had appointments with Dr. Duffy today. Cooper was great in the waiting room, sitting quietly and ignoring the passing dogs. Otis, on the other hand, barked long and loud when a dog walked by.

Dr. Duffy examined Otis first. He said that Oti was beautiful and wanted to know how he ended up at a Golden rescue group. Oti has an ear infection. We have to put drops in for a week, but other than that he seems healthy. Surprisingly, he said that Oti was not overweight! If Oti was a show dog, he could be 3-4 lbs thinner, but as a pet, his weight is fine.

I was most worried about Cooper and if the cancer was spreading. Dr. Duffy said Cooper looked GREAT! Coop's lymph nodes and thyroid are normal sized. Dr. Duffy commented on how he loved Cooper's smile. Blood was drawn for a thyroid test. I thought Coop's coat is not quite right, so we want to see if his thyroid levels are normal (abnormal levels can impact hair grwoth).

I asked Dr. Duffy what we need to do for Coop. He said to just keep checking for an enlarged thyroid and come back in 6-12 months. Dr Duffy is very optimistic about Coop's prognosis and we are hoping he is right.

Thanks to everyone who said a prayer or crossed their paws!

Screens

When we picked Otis up, Linda mentioned that Oti had gone through the screen on her back door when he saw something in the yard. Keeping that in mind, we have kept the back door half open, to discourage his running through the screen.

All seemed to be going well, until today. Jeff and I were working in the shed. Coop and Oti were on the deck. We were in full view of the dogs.

We left the shed to get some supplies and noticed Oti was not on the deck. I thought Oti had jumped the gate again and was running around the yard.

Imagine my surprise to see Oti IN the house! It seems that Oti wanted to be inside and had ripped the screen to get in. With such a strong desire to be inside, I expected that he would be sprawled on the couch ( a BIG no-no) or on the bed.

Instead, Oti was laying on the floor in the kitchen, with his nose against the screen. Cooper, was still happily chasing shadows on the deck.

Needless to say, our Lowes shopping list is growing.

Who is Chris Dodd working for?

Christopher Dodd has been in the Senate for 29 years. Six years prior to taking his seat in the Senate, he was a Representative for Connecticut's Second District. He's been a career politician for Thirty-Five years.

Chris Dodd has been in the spotlight as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. For example, he was one of the champions of TARP which put the American Taxpayer on the hook for $700 Billion dollars. Joe Courtney was the only part of the Connecticut Delegation to stand with the people and vote against the TARP.

Dodd was also the loudest voice when AIG employees received bonuses that they were contractually owed. When the voices got loud enough and the executives were pressured enough, Dodd proclaimed a victory for the American people. AIG Financial Products is a Wilton, Connecticut company.

Senator Dodd was an instrumental player in the $787 Billion Stimulus Plan further burying the American Taxpayer. While Barack Obama asked Congress to open the spigot, Chris Dodd grabbed with both hands and couldn't open them fast enough.

While Chris Dodd is off in the marble palaces of Washington, people in Connecticut are hurting. They're getting laid off in record numbers. We already pay some of the highest Federal taxes and get back sixty-two cents for every dollar we send to Washington. Now Dodd and his buddies in the Senate want to raise your taxes because you're not paying enough.

And while Senator Dodd rubs elbows with Political big-shots, his leader yanks funding for the F-22 Raptor and 3,000 Connecticut jobs with it.

Exactly who is Christopher Dodd working for? Voters of Connecticut, it's time to retire Chris Dodd.

Dump Dodd in 2010.

Bed Hog

I woke up at 4:30 am to use the bathroom.

In the two minutes that I was gone, Otis decided that this was his golden opportunity. When I came back to bed, Otis was stretched out with his head on my pillow.

I did not want to wake Jeff up, so we compromised. Otis moved to the foot of the bed and I got my pillow back.

It is obvious that Oti is used to sleeping on a bed. We did buy him a new dog bed, but he has shown no interest in this.

Peaceful Coexistance

Cooper and Otis have been trying to figure out who's going to be the boss in the Hunter household. At this point, it looks like Cooper is getting the upper hand but negotiations are still ongoing.

Valerie was out with her girlfriends last night, so I got to feed the dogs. Otis is still trying to figure out which food dish is his. Or maybe I should say, Otis is still trying to figure out why he can't go to Cooper's bowl when he is done with his dinner!

I put Otis' bowl down and he went to work on it. Since Cooper's tummy has been a little freaky since he swallowed half a chew toy, I decided to fry him up and egg and mix it with his food. By the time I got done frying the egg, Otis had finished his dinner.

I put the bowl down and Cooper started picking at his dinner. Between bites he paused and looked at Otis and went back to eating. I swear it took him twice as long to eat tonight.

Advantage Cooper.

Butterfly

I had Coop on a long lead in our backyard. As we were walking around, a butterfly floated overhead.

The butterfly's shadow was reflected on the ground. As the butterfly zigged and zagged, Coop happily chased after it.

I couldn't help but smile at seeing how happy Coop was to be chasing after a butterfly on a sunny day.

5:30 am

Otis woke up bright and early at 5:30 am on Monday. I heard him wander over to me and thought, it is much too early to get up.

I listened for Coop, knowing that if they both woke up, there would be no hope for another 30 minutes of sleep. Coop was still curled up on his bed.

Oti hopped up on the bed, squeezed in between Jeff and I, and was soon snoring. When the alarm went off at 6:00 am, he seemed surprised that it was time to get up.

60 and 76

We took Cooper and Otis to PetSmart to buy a few things. While we were there, we put them both on the scale. Coop is a svelte 60 lbs and Otis is a whopping 76 lbs. We already know that Dr. Duffy will want Otis to slim down.

This picture clearly shows the size difference.

While we were waiting to get Oti's id tag engraved, a young man approached us with his much smaller dog. It was obvious that he was working on socialization skills. I was pleased that Coop and Oti gave a polite sniff and then lost interest.

High Jumper

Otis woke us up at 5:45, even before Coop's internal alarm went off at 6:11. I would have made him wait, but being his first morning, I thought he might really have to go out. So, at 6:00 am, we were walking down our street.

We decided that both dogs could use a bath. We first bathed Otis (bottom photo)in the driveway with the hose. The water was cold, but Otis was very good and did not try to get away.

We put Oti on the back deck to dry out and brought Cooper (top photo) out front for his bath. About five minutes later we heard a loud bang from the back deck. I figured Otis had knocked over one of my planters.

Imagine my surprise when I heard Jeff yell "Otis!". Otis did not like being left alone on the deck,had jumped the gate and was running down the front yard.

The bang must have been Otis landing. I don't know what surprised me more, that this big dog could jump a 4 ft gate or after clearing the gate, did not harm himself on dropping 6 feet to land on the grass.

When Jeff yelled, "Here, Otis", Oti ran to the front door and waited to be let inside. The lesson I learned is that Otis does not want to be separated from his pack and we will need to keep a close eye on him.

Linda never mentioned Otis was an escape artist or that he was so agile. Maybe he is trying to find his way back to Maine ?

To Maine and Back

We left at 7:30 am from Wilton and arrived in South Portland, Maine around 12:45 pm.

When we pulled up to Linda's house, she was waiting with Otis. Coop and Otis sniffed each other, but Coop was more interested in exploring Linda's home than in Otis.

When Coop saw Linda's big basket of dog toys, his tail wagging went into overdrive. By the time we left, an hour later, Coop had managed to destroy two of the squeaky toys.

The drive home was fairly uneventful. Otis panted for the first hour and then stretched out and went to sleep. At 5:30 pm, with half an hour left to drive, both dogs began to whine and pace. I think they may have sensed that both Jeff and I were sick of the car at that moment.

Poor Otis is pacing and panting as I write this. I know it will take a few days for him to feel comfortable. I also know that Otis is missing his Mom, Linda F, and Callie, Madison and Frankie.

Surprisingly, Coop seems rather unphased by having another dog in the house.

Back to the Vet

Cooper has an appointment at the end of July with Dr. Duffy.

The main reason why Cooper is going to the vet is to get his annual shots. While he is there, Dr. Duffy will check Coop's lymph nodes and thyroid to see if the cancer is spreading.

The oncologist said that at best Coop would survive for 12 months. 4 months have already flown by since his surgery. We know the clock is ticking,but I am hoping that we may get a reprieve.

When I look at Coop, I see a happy, healthy dog. Let's hope Dr. Duffy agrees.

Our house

Scenes from our yard

Adopted

Sunshine Golden Retriever Rescue approved our application to adopt Otis.

Cooper will soon have a brother to play with. I hope that Cooper will be accepting of Otis.

When I look at this picture, I think what a sweetie.

For our readers who only like to follow our dog's adventures, you can use the following search label to read about Otis.
http://wiltondiaries.blogspot.com/search/label/Otis