Chance: A Harness?

My turn!  My turn!  I think I should have turns more often.

Far Side ordered me a harness.  She said “That boy needs some help sometimes getting up the steps and into the car.  His arthur-itis is getting worse.”

The harness came in the mail and she unwrapped it joyfully and set about making it the right size for me.  She is so easy to entertain.

I am a little “fluffy.”  They are working on exercising me more so I feel better but sometimes I talk Far Guy into a few extra treats….he is a push over.

Far Guy tried to get me to use a step stool to get into the vehicle…I didn’t like that at all.  I was ready to stay home all by myself if I had to use that thing to go for a ride…and you know how much I like my rides in the car. I can only get in on the passenger side and only if the seat is way back so I can jump to the floor then to the seat and then into my very own hairy back seat.

I was having a hard time jumping up on the bed too…Far Guy had to help. Pushing off on my back legs is problematic sometimes.

Far Side likes red so my new harness is red and black.

She says I look snazzy and the harness is perfect, it even has a handle for a quick assist if I should need one….whatever.

I don’t have to wear it all the time, just on days when I am having troubles. 

Far Side says that these kinds of troubles happen to the ageing…and I guess I am 11 years and 4 months old now.  Nearing that average age for a Border Collie, their life span is from 9 to 17 years with the average being 12.  Of course I think I am way above average for a Border Collie!

Wistful Wednesday: Watch Deacon Grow

Our middle granddaughter Maddie has a deep love for animals…most all kinds but especially horses, dogs and cats.

When Jade had her puppies Maddie’s heart was won over by Deacon.

He was little then.

November 22 2014

Lets all say AHHH together.  I knew from the size of his paws that he was going to be good sized.

Maddie “arranged” to get him as a Christmas gift, I think he was the only item on her list.

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2015

He did what puppies do best…grow.  He really needs to go to an obedience class.

Maddie sometimes calls him Goose instead of Deacon or Deakers.

Maddie is undecided where she will go to school next year but she is interested in Equine Science and has been accepted at a school in Wyoming.  I am not sure dogs are allowed in a dorm.

For the Birds

It was still stormy all day on Monday. We stayed put, no sense being out there on the roads unless you have to…and we didn’t. My other baby brother came by with his huge snow blower and took care of our driveway and yard.

The little Red Polls were really hungry.

The wind blew and we shoveled the walk and part of the patio.

We watched the birds from inside.

It was a quiet day, I put a roast in the oven along with 2 Ibs of carrots …some comfort food on a stormy day. Cooked carrots are one of my favorite vegetables.

I watched a movie, The Best of Me I kept watching mesmerized by the drama as it unfolded one tragedy after another…what does this writer have to write such tragic love stories?  How many good people can get shot in a movie and it still be considered a love story? ( I really liked the part where Gerald McRaney shot up the pickup truck.) If I had paid more than a Netflix subscription for this movie I would have walked out half way through. It just gets 2 out of 5 stars from me.  Then last night I watched The Bachelor…good old Ben Higgens must have bought stock in Chapstick…but he surfaced from kissing his girlfriends long enough to get rid of the two troublemakers …so I am encouraged…his parents probably would have seen through them anyway.  

Snowy

It stormed, it started raining Saturday night or maybe it was sleet and then it snowed. Then the wind blew….and blew.

We had a quiet day at home.  Far Guy went out and shoveled the walk once.

There was some big game yesterday, we didn’t watch.  The Food Network was more entertaining.

Kinda nice to have fresh snow, but with it comes the hazard that it has covered up some icy spots. 

Quiet

I am sometimes quiet, but not very often.  Sometimes when I am quiet I am just thinking, and sometimes I am just pissed.  Sometimes I just lose what little bit of tact that I have.

Some quiet things have been happening. Deaths, weddings and health concerns.

I hope when I croak that some people know about it before reading it on Facebook.  Social media is fine but how about an email to relatives first? Guess I better check my status every morning to make sure I am still alive.

Recently I was asked to keep quiet about some important things that concern me.  I have taken it under advisement but it would be totally out of character for me to shut up.

Recently Far Guy was shopping unaccompanied in a store, a lady blocked his path with her cart…he was trapped.  He said “Excuse me” several times…apparently she was deaf to all male voices.  She rammed him with her cart and his body was thrown into one of the shelves.  He was stunned that someone would intentionally try to hurt him…and he was quiet…I told him he should have fallen to the ground and screamed bloody murder.

Mums at the Trial Gardens in Grand Rapids Minnesota September 2014.

Jo

Our neighbor Jo has a very artistic flair.  She paints, sews and creates all kind of fun stuff.
This was our Christmas gift.

Can you tell she knows me well?  The designs are wood burned into the wood utensils.

I told her they are too pretty to use.  She said she uses hers all the time. 
This is Odda. OR Odda come to visit.

Odda belongs to Jo but every so often something clicks in this girls brain and she takes off and comes to our house about 3/4 mile away.  It happens most often when Jo is gone, but not all the time…sometimes she is home…there doesn’t seem to be a real rhyme or reason for Odda’s behavior.

She is happy at our house, Chance likes her and they get along quite well.  However…we would rather she stay at home…we are afraid that she might get hit by a car or someone might shoot her thinking she is a bear.  She doesn’t have a mean or vicious bone in her body…but just the pure size of this dog can be intimidating. We have known this dog since she was eight weeks old. (She loves us.)

We have tried paying no attention to her until Jo shows up to fetch her…it doesn’t work.  She is always so happy to see us…we know she is here by the whack, whack, whack sound of her bushy tail hitting the kitchen window.

Hooch, Chance and Odda  May 14, 2009

We wish we knew what we should do or not do…having a dog that runs away from home is not a good thing.  She is about seven years old now…and not likely to change her behavior…so we give her a good amount of loving and answer the phone “Lost and Found.”

Friday Fragments

It is Friday again…before I retired the days never went as fast as they do now.

Chance is becoming real bossy.  He wants both of us up early in the morning…and knows when I am awakened by his cold nose, I will take him outside and make sure he goes potty.  Far Guy just sends him off by himself to potty all alone.  Often times after we are both awake for the day Chance goes back to sleep…he must think it is one of his new jobs.

I am still waiting for some W 2’s for the Income Taxes.  I did our taxes years ago. Never again.  We have been audited twice and had a few greetings come in the mail…and that is with an accountant doing the computations.  Last summer we were sent an IRS bill.  Of course we contested it…it was obviously an error on their part…but they are never wrong.  Our accountant wrote them a letter on our behalf and about six weeks later we got a letter saying that we owed them zero $.  That was about the time that there was an IRS Scam going on in this area…whoever it was called us three times in one day saying that if we didn’t pay up right now we would be going to jail.  Buggers anyway…kinda scary when someones says you are going to jail…but then I thought hey they have to cook for me and I would have lots of leisure time…

I cleaned out part of the pantry and donated some real smelly laundry soap and a few other items to the local food shelf.  One of our local stores had a coupon for a free can of Hormel Chili with Beans….we like ours without beans so it is a really good item to send to the food shelf…and it didn’t cost anything.

The funny this week:  We were in Wallyworld shopping, Far Guy had his list and I had mine.  On his travels…he likes to walk up and down all the aisles getting his steps in when he saw an old woman he knew, she warned him to keep his distance as she had a bad cold.  She also said “Don’t talk to my husband either, he has a bad cold also.”  Well low and behold..a few aisles later Far Guy saw him taking stuff off the shelf, looking at it and then putting it back.   I said “Maybe there should be a rule, if you touch something you should buy it.”  Far Guy said “We would have a lot of shampoo then.”

Guilty, I am guilty of reading labels on shampoo bottles, if fragrance is one of the first three items listed in the ingredients it is returned to the shelf.  Good grief…I am also guilty of standing in the shampoo aisle smelling shampoo to see if we can live with it or not.  Prell gives me an instant sore throat and sinus problems…it has been years since I have used it….but it always looks so pretty in the container.

Shell Lake

One day we took off to see what was happening over at Shell Lake.  Shell Lake is one of my favorite places.

Looking north, you can see the sled dog trails along the edge of the lake.  See the hill on the far right, that is where the sled dogs live…my Uncle Hugo and Aunt Mia used to live there.

Shell River winding its way toward the hills.  You can see the bald part on that big hill…years ago that was called Pine Point.  If you walk to the top you can see for miles.

The CCC built this structure…years ago when I was little there was a concrete walkway that went across those posts.  It is good to see the water is flowing.

From what we could see there were only two fish houses on this part of the lake. 

We were way north of that big winter storm “Kayla” but we did get about a hundred flakes.

Wistful Wednesday : The Five 2003

These are photos of the Grands in the spring of 2003.
They were all together in Nebraska.  Far Guy and I could never both leave the greenhouse at the same time…so we were absent from many spring and early summer activities.

I ran onto these photos recently and they made me smile.

What a bunch of cute kids…and look at Adam… his little legs don’t touch the floor.

Madison, Paige, Adam, Noah and Savannah…almost 13 years ago.

Here they are making their best funny faces.

I think Jen took these photos, one of the photos had a pin hole at the top, I probably had it tacked up to the bulletin board near the cash register in the greenhouse to show off to the customers…especially those that would ask…how many grandchildren do you have now?

Five…the best five ever!

Turkeys

Cabin Fever forced us out of the house one afternoon, it was too sunny to stay inside.

Saw a flock of Turkeys in the middle of the road, I think they get sand for their gullets off the edges of the highway. Chance was excited to see them!

I have been doing some family research.  One name at a time.

I had a few questions and was verifying a couple of my Paternal Uncle’s Birth Records online with the State of Minnesota.  Uffda.  What a hornets nest.  My Uncle Hugo is listed as Huga, obviously a transcription error.   I sent an email notifying the proper people.  My Uncle Ervin is listed as Erven..unlike Hugo who had no children, Uncle Ervin has several children and I wouldn’t want to step on any toes, so they can do their own corrections.  There was also some question about my Uncle Arthur’s birthday…some family records said November 4…that is incorrect the birth record indicates he was born November 6 which coincides with his grave marker.

At Find A Grave  I have been working on getting all of the children linked to their parents, and sometimes spouses.  Aunt Mia (Mary) is missing.  I did not go to her funeral so maybe I am looking in the wrong place but she should be next to Uncle Hugo.  Aunt Violet was off all by herself with no link to Uncle Ervin so I fixed that.  I am still waiting on several many other fixes.  I get an email every time something is linked so I have some idea and I have kept track of every link that I requested.  My handy dandy Find A Grave notebook is a great way to keep track of progress.

The local Find A Grave gal is the most rude unhelpful ditsy person I have been inclined to meet in my entire life.  She takes forever to do additions/corrections and gets hysterical if I send her an email.  I don’t like her very much and I am certain that the feeling is mutual. I am sure she is sick and tired of my edits…but she should get her butt in gear cause I will send edits daily if I have to so that correct information is out there.

Yes, sometimes I can be a pain in the butt turkey too.

Happy Groundhog Day!  I am certain it will be cloudy and no shadows will be seen but we will still have at least 12 more weeks of winter.  Some things never change in Minnesota.
 

Christmas Photo Cards

I finally got around to putting the year on all the photo Christmas Cards. I took a photo of them and put them away in the box marked Christmas Photos…which will someday end up in a folder…another someday project. There is still room in the box.

These may be really good sources for genealogy someday….or just a good walk down memory lane.
I was thrilled when some of the photos that I took came in the mail as Christmas Cards.

You never know for sure if people liked your photos enough to use them or not. 

Photography is a good hobby to have.

Shiny Brite Tree

I finally got all the Shiny Brite ornaments off the tree and packed away.  I am slow.  I had to get the ornaments off the tree before they got dusty.
Now the shorter tree stands there all naked waiting to be put in the bag and stuffed in the compartment under one of the twin beds.  I left that for another day…wouldn’t want to be an over achiever.

Kinda sad…but it was up for six weeks…plenty of time to enjoy it.

Adam was the only grand that noticed the new tree…he came downstairs at Christmas time and said “Where is the big tree ?  That one is so little.”  I explained that it was too tall…certainly nothing that he can identify with.

Since I sold the old too tall tree I now have room for all of the Shiny Brites inside the tree coffin….which should  probably be called a Shiny Brite coffin now. I actually feel kind of organized and it will be nice not to go on a scavenger hunt looking for boxes of ornaments tucked away here and there and notes in the tree coffin to the whereabouts of all the Shiny Brites…they are all in one spot now.
 
This is a ornament that Chance gave me one year.  It is painted yellow on the inside and has red stenciled skaters and snowflakes on the outside.  It is a one of a kind…since I only have one of them.

You probably don’t want to know how many hours I can waste looking at Shiny Brites on the net…between etsy and Ebay.  I find it educational and relaxing.

Odds and Ends

I finally got the Christmas Flag down and the Valentine’s Day Flag up.

Then again everyday might be valentines day around here…we already passed the card aisle in Wallyworld and I said we should look at the cards now while the selection is good.  Better yet… together we gazed down the chocolate aisle!

I spent one morning working on taxes and can go no further until all the W-2’s are here.  I kept the shredder going for a good long time.  I will be glad when it can be taken to the accountant. 
It rained some more and the snow at the snowstick is shrinking.
See all the leaves and twigs?  That is from the gale force winds we had for a few days.
I gave Chance a bit of a trim…feet and in between the pads of his feet. Trimmed his nails too…he really doesn’t like it but I felt he was a little ouchy.   Sometimes he even refuses to play ball…and since he is not running like he used to his nails are growing. He is having a hard time going up and down the stairs, his hind legs just don’t want to cooperate sometimes.  

A little sunshine

Yes the rain turned to ice and now the walk is slippery…but we had some sunshine.

We almost had some color near sunset too.

I scraped on the ice some…where the snow fell off the roof and scared Chance…that snow is like cement….if I had a pick axe I might be able to budge it.  I hope for a melt…and that rain can stay away it is nothing but a headache.

Nothing is new…no big projects have been completed lately.  Same old same old…laundry, dusting, wonder what to cook and do up the dishes. We might be in a bit of a rut.

Far Guy has his Neurologist’s permission to decrease his Tegretol…he is down to one tablet a day now with hopes to be Tegretol free in a month.   The Aralast that he is infused with every week for his Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency has made a difference in his Trigeminal Neuralgia pain OR his Trigeminal Neuralgia is in remission after eight years.  We wish we knew which one was responsible.  From my perspective, I think Aralast could be a cure for Trigeminal Neuralgia pain…but I am not a medical researcher or even a Doctor… I am just  an observer.  Recently I read about a study being done with Tegretol as a medication to fight off the liver damage in Alpha 1 Patients.  I have a cousin who is in Medical Research, he is working on trying to find a researcher or two that might be interested in researching a connection with these two rare disorders.

Dentist and Rain

I am done at the Dentist.  I told Chuck “I was dying to see you again, but I won’t be back for six months.”   Far Guy drove my miserable butt home…dosed me with some Aleve and I went to sleep almost immediately.  I woke up to some perfectly cooked Salmon.   By that time the Novocaine that went from my eyeball to my right boob had worn off.

It rained …just like summertime.   The wind blew…Mother Nature was not happy yesterday.  Chance was not happy either, wind moves the tree limbs and twigs might fall from the sky and the snow is shedding off the steel roof…all things that concern an ageing Border Collie who likes everything the same day after day.

We had eight inches of snow at the snow stick.  After the rain I don’t know what it says…it was still raining when it got dark.

We saw the sun for a short time on Tuesday and the sunlight nearly blinded us.  Even Chance was squinting his eyes.

My positive thought for the day:  The sun doesn’t set until after 5 PM…even if we cannot see the sun through the clouds.

Wistful Wednesday: Grandpa Sam’s Sisters

Growing up I knew my Paternal Grandfather had seven brothers…but I didn’t know he had five sisters.  Of course four sisters would die before I was born so maybe that had something to do with it…. that and not being interested in “old people” at the time. 

Greta “Maria”  Born Nov 16, 1886 and died December 10, 1886  (Probably from what we know today as a crib death)

Maria or Mary Born October 10, 1887 and died June 17, 1938  Maria was 15 years old when she got married. ( It was common to repeat a name, it was meant with the utmost respect…but it is a pain in the neck for relatives searching for family information.)

Ethel born June 2, 1901 and died June 29, 1931.  She drown in Toad Lake while swimming with her brother in law Arthur who had recently been widowed.  (He also drowned that day) It was reported that a family member heard spiritual singing that day…and yes I believe she did.

Ethel

Esther was born December 9, 1903 and died December 23, 1930.  She was married to Arthur Larson.  They had a child named William who died and is buried supposedly in Leed South Dakota, I can find no record of his birth or death or a grave.  Another baby was born and died and is supposedly buried in Astoria Oregon but I cannot find that child’s records either.   Esther died from complications ( kidney poisoning) during a third pregnancy. Arthur returned her body to Minnesota for burial. (He drown with Ethel six months later.)

Esther and Arthur Larson

Ida Matilda was born September 29, 1905 and died January 21, 1983.  I remember her son Harold who was blind, but Ida herself…I cannot come up with one memory.

All the deaths must have been hard on my Great Grandmother Margaretta “Greta” before she died in 1944 at the age of 76 she would bury baby Greta in 1886, Esther in 1930, Ethel in 1931 and Maria (Mary) in 1938.  On December 9 1932 she would also prepare to bury her husband.

I bet she wished she could just by pass those first years in the 1930’s.