Cuddle buddies

One of the rare moments when Sissy lets Baxter get close without barking his head off. Too cute, though, it only lasted a moment. He just snuck up to her and laid down. I think when she realized we were watching, she decided to end the snuggle session. At least we were there to catch the shot! It's one of the few pieces of evidence we have that they really do like each other - or let me rephrase that, that Baxter adores Sissy!

Our weekend fun!

Well, for anyone whose ever gone through this, you can feel our pain. Saturday evening, just as we are going to get cleaned up to go out to one of the few fun events in this town, a BBQ cook-off in the local canyons, we discover water is running outside. What do we find when we go to the source, you might ask? A FLOOD! The main pipe that runs from the city main to our house busted. Turns out it must have been leaking for quite a while, as was the city's water meter. Long story short, after getting the on-call city guys out to replace the meter late Saturday night and a night without water, Clint and his dad got everything back in working order mid-day Sunday. It was quite handy that Clint and his dad have been renting this cute little Caterpillar for work. It made quick work of the digging, although, our lovely flower garden looks like pig slop now. The pipe should be good long after we're gone as they used some special corrosion-proof, freeze-proof, unbreakable tubing. But, alas, we missed the cook-off. I guess there's always next year.

July 4th a big day for Baxter

http://picasaweb.google.com/jjTexas424/DogVideos?authkey=ppvdK1HmauI

Clint and I, along with the dogs, went fishing at his family pond on the 4th. We didn't catch anything but a few mudcats, but Baxter learned a new trick!

He fell in the water a few times, being his usual graceful self, and sunk like a rock. We were really having to watch him closely, but he still seemed to enjoy it. When Clint pointed out an area where he could touch bottom, he played and got so excited, running and jumping and splashing in the water. He wanted to venture out farther, but he was so scared. We started encouraging him by throwing out sticks just out of his reach. Finally, it was his love of Coors Light that gave him the courage to bite the bullet, no pun intended. Next thing we know, he is begging us to keep throwing the can so he could go fetch it. Check out link to the little video I got on my camera - no sound. The first video he sunk the can, so the second one is better. He eventually learned to swim to the area where he could walk out of the water on his own. Needless to say, Baxter's Papa was very proud. Yes, indeed, it was a big day for Baxter. Sissy on the other hand, was not impressed or amused. Still, she suffered through, being the good sport she always is.

I hope everyone had a good holiday!

New Walls

The walls in the living room are de-wallpapered, textured and freshly painted. After that horrendous task, we think we are going to try to seal the other existing wallpaper in the house and paint over it. Considering there is only one room in the house that doesn't have wallpaper, it's certainly the easiest route, if it works!

Here are some before, during and after shots.

Live everyday like it's your last

Well, yesterday at the vet was quite the scene. I had to bring both babies in so Baxter could get his infection from the rattlesnake vaccine treated and then do all the testing on Sissy to figure out what is wrong with her.

Baxter did fine and after another round of antibiotics, he'll be good as new - minus the now, count them, 4 bald spots he has from all the shaving for the procedures he has had over the last month or so. He's a patchwork quilt!

Sissy, on the other hand, well, we know what she doesn't have, but we are not sure what is wrong with her. It could be a liver infection, liver failure or possibly cancer. Her bloodwork came back pretty good. Nothing was extremely off, just a little anemic and then one of her liver enzymes was slightly elevated, but nothing to cause alarm. Her X-rays came back pretty good, too. No major masses standing out. There was one round spot that could be problematic near her stomach, but it also could have been just her intestine. They sent me home with a round of antibiotics and would like to take more X-rays in a month or so to see if anything has changed. If they see a mass at that time, they could do a biopsy and possibly exploratory surgery, but I think if it comes to that, I need to let her go. She already has a very slight heart murmur and surgery would be really hard on her. Needless to say, I didn't go home happy. In fact, I cried all the way home. The logical, reasonable part of me knows that she is 14 and I should not expect her to live forever, but my heart wishes for something different. She has been with me more than a 1/3 of my life and certainly all of my adult life. She has seen me through some of the toughest times, when my mom died in particular and some of the happiest times. She has always known when I was sad and when she would see my tears she would start her "laughing" and bring me a ball to raise my spirits (for those that don't know her well, she loves to laugh and playing ball is her favorite thing to do - EVER). She has been fortunate to have lived a very healthy life with very few health problems and still has all but 1 of her teeth! It's just really tough to imagine life without her. I do my best to take comfort that she is currently in good spirits and seems to feel fine and is surrounded only by those that love her dearly, including Baxter, Clint and all of Clint's family. There is still a chance that this will pass and I'll have her a little while longer. All I can do is watch her closely and enjoy her as much as I can. That's really all we can do with each other every day. And not take one minute for granted.

Recent happenings.

So, I don't have photos of the living room walls yet, but I decided to write anyone because it's been awhile. Yes, we finally finished something. The living room walls were textured and painted weekend before last and we're very excited to be moving on to something else. Er, so we thought.

That's the next topic. We pulled up the carpet to expose hardwood floors in the living room months ago. But, we didn't want to refinish them until we pulled the rest of the carpet up in the kitchen, dining room and both front and back halls. Well, this past weekend, while I took a Dremel tool to the guest bathroom's 1 inch floor tiles to prepare it for re-grouting, Clint started to pull up the carpet in the front halls working his way to the kitchen. Not good news. There was more vinyl under the carpet (there were two layers of vinyl at the entry way) and the kitchen hardwoods are ruined at least beyond repair we want to get into. So, we brainstorm and decide we'll just do alternate flooring in the kitchen and dining room and refinish the wood floors in the front hall along with the living room. That's when it gets sticky. See, I did some research, being the thorough person I tend to be, and found out that there is a 99% chance the vinyl flooring we pulled up has asbestos in the backing. Not good. After careful thought and consideration, and weighing our options we've decided the safest and easiest thing to do would be to cover up the hardwoods in the entry, front halls, kitchen, dining and back halls with vinyl. His grandpa recently had installed some pretty floating vinyl tiles that interlock and have a wood backing that are supposed to be just awesome. It's not the warm hardwoods we envisioned, but with the expense of a complete kitchen remodel in the fall, we figured this is more than we want to spend on this place. So, onward and upward.

More flowers continue to bloom in the yard. I'll spare the photos, but I did find out we have several batches of Calla lilies. I was excited. That coupled with the neighbor's cherry tree that happens to have most of it's branches over our fence. They were yummy! Even Baxter got in on the action and would happily gnaw on the cherries and spit out the pits to play with them. He bats things around with his paws like a cat. He's a strange one!

We have some potentially troubling doggie news. Baxter's had the same reaction to the rattlesnake vaccination as he did to his initial one so he's going to the vet tomorrow to get his second "hunchback" lanced and drained. Gross. The scary part is Sissy. Yes, I know. In the back of every one's mind they've been waiting for something to happen to sweet Sissy. Well, after doing some research (there I go again), I think she has what's called Cushing's Syndrome. Her symptoms: darkening of the skin, excessive thirst, pot belly (though hers is slight), panting, lack of regrowth of clipped hair on her trunk, lethargy. She has all the ones they list on several different websites so I think it's a safe bet. The cause: well, there's two potential causes. Either a tumor on her pituitary gland or her adrenal gland. Either could be benign or malignant. The treatment is the same so they may not even do diagnostic testing to determine which gland is affected. There is a drug that treats it very effectively and most dogs do very well and have good prognosis. That's the best news. I hope and expect Sissy will do as well. This is common disease among aging dogs (horses and cats, too) and is often undiagnosed because people attribute the symptoms to old age. I knew there was something really wrong when her hair didn't grow back from her clipping 10 weeks ago (she usually has to go every 6 weeks) and her skin started to get dark which really shows under those blond locks of hers. We all go to the vet tomorrow afternoon so I'll keep you posted.

So, that's the latest. Adios, amigos! Let me hear from you!

Here's to dear old Dad!

Father's day is coming up and while I was looking at some old family albums I saw a whole bunch of pictures of me and my dear old Dad. He used to have black hair and was really skinny! Ok, so he's not so old, but lately he feels pretty old. He's been working triple time since his company acquired a new paper in DeQueen, AR. Good luck with that Dad!

This photo was taken at our home in Jacksonville Texas. That's Brownie, my mom's little dog that decided we were going to be her new family when we lived in Sweetwater, TX. One of Dad's favorite things to do would be to sit on the patio and look at the backyard and the little forest behind the house. I would just want to be near him so I often sat with him. I remember the first time we got a bug zapper, I sat out on the patio with him and wrote on a piece of paper every bug that fell victim to the wonderful zapper. I've always been good at or enjoyed analysis so I guess I knew that at an early age. It was probably my way of evaluating the cost/benefit analysis of our new purchase. Hee!

So, anyway, here's to you Dad. Love you bunches!

Feathers, tutus and taps

A friend of mine from Houston sent me a photo of her oldest daughter's first dance recital and it reminded me of mine. I thought I'd share a photo I found. My mother kept that silly costume for YEARS! I finally tossed it when she passed away. I sure hope, if Clint and I have a daughter someday, that I'll be able to find dance lessons for her around here. Anyway, I still remember my first dance classes (in Sweetwater, TX) and the teacher had a real pianist, just like they used to do (and still do at some good studios). She would have us all line up in a row and bow with our heads up and our mouths open to receive a candied cherry like a little bird. I can't eat candied cherries without thinking of that.

The other photo is one of my mom and I practicing our tap routine. My mom always wished she had taken lessons when she was a kid and so when she enrolled me, she signed up for a beginner tap class. We learned the same routine so we could practice together. Aren't we cute?

CODE RED

We are in CODE RED with Baxter. I started it last night. He peed on our bed the day before our camping trip, did I mention that? Yeah, we had to sleep in the guest room while I let the enzyme cleaner get the smell out and stuff. Then night before last, he peed on my grandmother's quilt that we use for covers in the living room when we watch TV. Thank God for Simple Solution. It really gets all pet stains out for good. I always lock him up in the bathroom with me (like a baby!) when I take a shower in the morning, even after he's been out b/c he often has to go twice in the morning and he hasn't learned to hold it until we make the second trip. Well, yesterday morning, he crapped in the bathroom and I almost stepped in it. So, I came up with Code Red. Code Red means that he LIVES in one of this houses (plastic kennel) unless he is outside pottying or playing, or we are sitting on the floor playing with him, or he's eating. Period. That's it. He can hold it all day while we are at work, but he seems to forget to when we are home. That, coupled with he doesn't seem to know how to let us know when he has to go. I just think confining him to a tiny space is the next to last resort. I know it sounds harsh, but I'm at my wits end. He's still getting neutered in the next week or two, but I don't think even that will be enough. Now if Code Red fails, we're moving to CODE BLACK. Code Black is sending him to a training school or something. I've just got to do something. I'm getting desperate and the sad thing is I've grown attached to him so I can't give him back. I've got to get this figured out. Can you read the desperation?

On a lighter note, it's the weekend, and from what I know, we don't have any plans of living on the sand or in a tent this weekend so I'm happy. Now, perhaps sandpaper is in my weekend plans. My walls are calling....got to go!

Camping Memorial Day 2007

Well, I survived the camping trip. Besides the heat, sand, and no running water, it was a great time! Attached are some highlight photos.

JD is notorious for winning the "most stuck" award EVERY time. This trip was no exception. He 'claims' he had no brakes, but funny, his brakes worked after the swim in the water -hmmm (scratching head). It took both Jared and Clint's rigs working together to get him out. I got to hand it to him though. He got it running again and didn't miss out on the action the rest of the weekend. Despite his casualties of two cell phones and a camera (the camera was never seen again).

The other shot is Clint holding the rattlesnake I found when looking for a pee spot. Yep, you got it. I was paranoid the rest of the weekend. Luckily, it was the only one we saw all weekend. Clint let me keep the rattler as a souvenir after he shot it in the head.

I got to say, there was more time spent fixing rigs than playing in them. About 3 or 4 more times fixing than playing. I guess that's part of it. I have to give the guys credit though, they can fix anything. I saw Jeff and Isaac use cardboard from a beer box to fashion a gasket. That's creative.

I learned alot, too. Since this was my first camping trip, I learned that next time I should not come so prepared. We brought way too much food and we didn't fix all the elaborate dishes I had planned like 'Hot off the grill Apricot Pie'. After seeing how the boys camp, I was embarrassed to bring out any more of what I considered necessities. However, Clint did fix me a wonderful breakfast Sunday morning on our new camp stove that included fried eggs, sausage, bacon and hash browns. Yummy! It was bad enough Clint and I were the only ones in a tent sleeping on an air mattress, while the guys slept in the back seats of their trucks, wearing their dirty jeans. They were very kind and gracious, though, considering I was the only girl intruding in their 'men's world'.

If you want to see more of the action, click here http://picasaweb.google.com/jjTexas424/CampingMemorialDay2007?authkey=M6_6_l5sxHI Unfortunately, I didn't get many human subjects in my documentary. What's new.

Newspaper

So, the local area newspapers are always a good source of news and... entertainment. Besides posting generic wedding and shower invitations in the newspaper for just anyone in town to read and attend, which is so frequently done that they often forgo mailing formal invitations entirely, they also use the paper for clearing up any personal identity conflicts that might arise. I suppose, that's one way of getting the word out.

Safe and Sound

Just so everyone knows, for you weather watchers, we are safe and sound from the storms last night. They did blow the siren and we headed to the basement. There was a whole bunch of hail. I'm still not used to the hail. Some of it was quarter size, but most of it was more like a dime. It got so loud! Even in the basement, you could still hear all the racket going on. However, for this area, since it is a farming community, the biggest scare was for the wheat. It's going to be a big wheat harvest this year from all the rain we've had, and all the farmers are so pumped because they have not had to irrigate so there are big profits in sight. Hail is very threatening to the wheat crops, especially when it's in the "green stage" as it is now. From what I've gathered this morning, the damage was minimal so that is great news. In town, our handy John Deere rain gauge (provided to us free of charge from our "in" at the local John Deere house, Landon) shows we got 4 inches last night. For those readers from Houston, I know you are thinking that's nothing, but for here, that's a flood. What's even more exciting is that just southeast of town, they got 12 inches! A lot of folks in the country are stranded in their homes because the roads are impassable.

On a sour note, we did have one casualty last night. The flower bed under the tree at the office that we recently planted with vinca, after long tiring hours of shoveling out old lava rock, was completely washed away. It must of overflowed and we lost most of the baby vinca plants and a great deal of the dirt. We do have some replacement dirt available to us, free of charge. From where you might ask? Well, the Old Hansford Cemetery of course! EEWW! The good news is, we do plan to rebuild. hee!

That's all folks!

Swinging from the rafters

This is one of my favorite funny pics of Clint. Swinging from the rafters of our log cabin he rented for a vacation in Red River, NM last year. It was a perfect get-away vacation and beautiful country. I think this photo says it all - we had a blast!

Tribute to Adele

Well, you asked for it! I know I need get some human subjects in my photos, so I thought I'd take a step back and show some from the past. So, here are some favorites of Adele and I in various shots including Adele's birthday bash entitled, "Getting Down on the Yard" and Hawaii. Aah, takes me back.

Ok, I promise...last ones...

Just a few more pics of the pretty flowers. I just never saw so many! Those are red poppies in the butterfly garden, and a really pretty eggplant-colored vine making a second archway by the back gate.

Ahh, the smell of fresh roses...

We have the most beautiful rose bushes at the house. Take a look while they are in their full glory!

Spring at the office?

My boss and I took the opportunity to brighten up the place a bit. There is a new baby Red Delicious apple tree. Isn't it cute? The wine barrels have new life with geraniums and petunias and we removed the old lava rock in the bed under the tree and added a vinca bed. Still to do? A "Transpetco" sign and a brand new bed under the concrete lattice work for honeysuckle.

On a brighter note....

Check out the cool flowers in our flower gardens! Mrs. Graham, the former owner, was quite the gardener and so we've had all kinds of surprises come up this spring.

Be gone wicked carpet!!

So, the carpet is out of the living room. We are waiting until we can get the remaining carpet out of the halls, kitchen and dining room before we rent the dreaded rotary sander. Here are some before and after shots. It was that old sculptured stuff! The worst part is definitely getting the paper backing from the vinyl that was in the entry hall. Not fun. It definitely needs to be refinished, but we are enjoying being carpet free in one room at least!

Oh the joys of wallpaper

So, I haven't got any photos of me actually removing the stuff, but I have some before pics and some after dewallpaper but before paint pics. One section of wall had multiple layers of wallpaper. Wonder what the story is there? We have spackled and now we are in the process of sanding. After that, we will clean, prime and finally PAINT!

Playful pup

So, I am finally getting around to adding some more photos, as requested by many. Here are some more of Baxter doing what he does best - playing!

New addition

We have a new addition to the family. He's a 5 mo. old Brussels Griffon named Baxter. Sissy is being a very good sister as she is very tolerant of his puppy antics and is generous in sharing her toys. If anything, he is jealous of her whenever we give her attention! He is quite the character and brings lots of new life to the house!

On a side note, Sissy will turn 14 on May 25 and she is still doing great.

Welcome!

I'm new to this blogging stuff. My friend, Michele, suggested it and at first I could not come up with anything to say, but then it just hit me. Plus, since I'm horrible at keeping in touch with my friends, I thought this might be a good way to let everyone know what's new.

I hope to keep seeing things from a new perspective (since my relocation from Houston) and sharing that with everyone. Also, since Clint and I are redecorating our house, I thought I might share the progress on my blog. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to send me a line and let me know what you think!