A Touch of Spring

The cheerful flowers remind me that Spring is almost here.

Cooper Update:
Cooper is still not eating. Jeff took Coop to the vet and they immediately tested for Lyme Disease. The Lyme disease results were negative. The vet gave Coop a complete exam and did not feel any lumps along his stomach and spine. The vet manipulated Coop's hind legs and was unable to find any issues.

The vet said that Cooper could be lethargic because he was not eating.  The vet suggested that we put Cooper on a bland diet. Blood tests are being run and we should have the results on Saturday.

What's Wrong with Cooper ?

For the past few days, Cooper has not wanted to eat breakfast. I was not too concerned, because Coop was still eating dinner and  milkbones. Jeff thought maybe Coop was having too many snacks and was not hungry.  When Coop showed no interest in dinner last night, I really began to worry. Memories of Danny's loss of appetite and cancer still haunt me.

We also noticed that Cooper is limping and seems stiff when getting up. When Coop could not get comfortable lying on our bed, Jeff ran out to the pharmacy for buffered aspirin. I don't know if Coop's stiffness is from too much rough housing with Otis or possibly arthritis.

Next week is Cooper's cancer-versary. I am extremely aware that we already  have had much more time with Cooper than the oncologist predicted. We have decided that if Coop does not eat breakfast tomorrow, we will make an appointment with Dr Duffy.

Rally O #2

These sweet faces hide the terrors that Cooper and Otis become during Rally O training. Otis spent the majority of the class barking at the other dogs. Cooper's attention was focused on a squeaky toy that someone brought as a training device.

This week's lesson focused on changing gaits, timed sit/down and down/sit , stand and weaving thru cones.

Jeff and I both left with headaches and wondered if we should skip the remainder of the classes.

Steak

We have not seen our Weber grill since the first big snow storm in December. Every time I looked onto the porch, I would see a huge snow pile on top of and in front of our grill.

Our back deck gets very little sun, so the snow melts extremely slowly. After two months without a barbeque, I was craving a steak. I stopped at the store and picked up a luscious porterhouse. Jeff cleared a path to the grill.

Dinner was fantastic!

Congratulations, UNC!

Congratulations to the UNC men's basketball team for beating Duke and becoming the ACC regular season champions!

With March Madness just one week away, I am hoping the Heels will continue to play well and bring home another title.

Walkway

As the pictures show, our existing walkway is an eyesore. It certainly does not increase our home's curb appeal. Even worse than how it looks, is the fact that the stairs are not evenly spaced. Obviously, this was yet another  project that a previous owner did incorrectly.

One of the biggest problems with our home, is that the front door is eight feet above the driveway. This is a huge distance to have to cover in a relatively short space. How to balance a large quantity of stairs  and not look like a Mayan temple was a problem that we struggled with.

We spent this winter interviewing landscaping companies and discussing designs. We have chosen Young's Nurseries and the construction should begin in April. It will take about one month to complete this project.

I thought a month was a long time.  However, I was told that building an 8 foot high stone wall takes a lot of time, skill and material.

The First Sign of Spring

Safe from the snow, these daffodils are beginning to grow.

Snapped

I went downstairs one morning and found that our 4 foot tall amaryllis had tipped over. The flower stalk had snapped during the fall.

Since there were still 4 unopened buds, I cut the stalk and put it in a vase. Luckily, the flowers are continuing to open. This may be the best $2.50 I ever spent.

What's Down There ?

Every day when we walk Otis, he stops and peers into this snow hole.  There is a run off grate at the bottom of the hole. Otis seems fascinated by the running water.

One of our neighbors has a stream in his yard. On rainy days, Otis likes to stop and stare at the rushing water.  I think Otis might dive in if he wasn't on a leash.

Oh No! Rally O!

We attended our first Rally O dog training class. Upon entering the classroom, we saw a line of traffic cones. It was obvious  this would NOT be a traditional obedience class.

The instructor said that we had 9.5 seconds to weave in and out of the cones, turn around and repeat the weave. 9.5 seconds sounds like a lot of time, unless you are dragging an 80 pound dog, who is more interested in the other dogs than in following you.

After the weaving exercise, we practiced turns. 270 degree turns, pivot turns, left around (passing the lead behind your back and keeping the dog on your left). The goal is that you and the dog move fluidly as one. As you walk, commands are called out and you and your dog need to follow them.

All four of us were hot and tired by the time class ended. We now have many new skills that we need to practice.

Piles of Snow

We heard from our LI family that most of their snow has melted. We are not so lucky.

Even Otis is tired of having cold feet.

Rally O

We have signed Cooper and Otis up for advanced obedience training (Rally O). I was concerned about taking Coop to the class, because he still struggles with the down command. The instructor knows about Coop's past and said we can adapt much of the training to use a sit instead of down.

I am sure that the next 6 weeks will be yet another adventure. To learn more about Rally O click here

The Dog Ate My Gift Card

I purchased a gift card as a birthday present. I placed the card and the receipt on the floor in preparation for wrapping.

I became distracted with another task and heard Otis crunching on something a few minutes later.  I assumed Otis was enjoying his new Nylabone and did not go in to check on what was happening.

When I did check, I saw a small piece of the receipt, the rest had been eaten. Even worse, the gift card had been chewed and there were teeth marks in the plastic.

I was furious that Oti had destroyed this gift. There was no way I could give someone a chewed card! Otis showed no remorse for his transgression.

I went back to the store and explained what had happened. The clerk looked a little confused, but agreed that I could use the chewed gift card to purchase a new gift card. When I got back home, the new card was placed high out of Oti's reach.

Postal Rules

I was waiting on line at the post office. The woman ahead of me stepped to the counter holding a large box. I heard the clerk say we need to talk about basic postal rules. Thinking about my past history of working on postal products, my ears perked up.

The clerk politely explained that the return address goes on the upper left and the destination address goes in the middle. The woman had written the TO: Address at the top and directly below it the FROM: Address. The clerk explained that as it was addressed, the box would be delivered back to her.

The woman's response was, but it's a box! The clerk looked stunned and was silent for a moment. He then kindly took out a marker, crossed out and rewrote the address.

I got called to the counter by another clerk. Upon seeing my Golden Retriever address labels, he asked if I had a Golden. I said I have 2 from a rescue organization. He said his dog was from Yankee Golden Rescue. I said there are too many dogs in rescue. His response was that Goldens were big rambunctious puppies until they turn 6. He thought most people could not deal with their high energy. All I could think was, how will I ever survive 2 more years of Oti's crazy antics!

Severed Ties

Our Westport family suggested that we look at consignment shops for dining room furniture. On a cold and windy day,  we headed to New Canaan , CT. Unfortunately, we did not find any dining room sets that we were interested in.

While visiting Severed Ties, I spotted a beautiful Waterford bowl. The bowl had been discounted several times and was reasonably priced.

Never having bought from a consignment store, I was not sure if you could request a discount. Jeff said it couldn't hurt to ask. I asked the clerk if the listed price was the best they could do. I was pleasantly surprised when she calculated a price even lower than I was hoping for.

It seems like consignment shopping could be dangerous - you enter the store with one item in mind and leave with something completely different!

Yeah! CT is #3 on the list!

Too bad it's not a good list:

Sand, Sand Everywhere

Due to the endless snow, the streets are covered with sand and salt. This means that the dogs end up bringing piles of dirt into the house with them.

I keep vacuuming, but it seems like a losing battle.

Borders

Borders Books is in bankruptcy and the Wilton store will be closing. I was sad to hear this.

When we rented a condo in Wilton, we would walk to Borders once a week and browse their books. The bookstore was always a warm and peaceful place.

Jeff said that he thinks bookstores will become extinct in the next 20 years. I hope not.

Finally

The paperwhites are in bloom! After 12 weeks of waiting, it is wonderful to see and smell these beautiful flowers.

What melting ?

 

As you can see, the snow is melting extremely slowly. Cooper and Otis still have not seen any grass. We are supposed to get 2+  inches of snow  tonight/Monday. At least we had a temporary reprieve from the heart of winter.