Flying High

 My thoughts are st ill whirling. The lovely thing about visits from friends is that you get to rehash it all over in your mind for days! The hard part is saying goodbye. This is best done quickly and then is less painful. Lucky for me I had to go to town and Jim decided to help with the “Evolution of Miracle House” again. So instead of sitting around missing my buddies, he and I went to work on the porch that we had not finished before their arrival. The biggest part of this was taking out a window to put in my second big kennel as we are going to clean up that corner where it was) outside soon. He said later he was dreading that but it all went well and I had done it before. The kennels are so large they won't fit through a door but one porch window is big enough. BUT, first the wire that prevents cats escaping had to be pulled off and then the window removed and then we could manhandle the cage through and all the way around to the other end of the porch. The kennels are light being fiberglass but very unwieldy and cumbersome to deal with. Luckily skinny Jimmy could get into places my butt will not allow me to go and all went well. At one point we paused for a drink and suddenly Jim realized we had not seen Otis for awhile and now the window was open! Could only find fearful Opus, so I wasted no time grabbing a bag of Temptations and walking around calling for him. He must have heard me inside the house and came out and Jim finally got my attention enough to tell me the cat was found. Well actually he was never lost! Typical of this nutty Animal House that revolves around cats and dogs and only a few people. Of course Jim being Mr. Clean everything had to swept and sorted and organized and you would not believe the difference!!

I must make apologies to Sandi and Dusty for telling everyone about the small altercation Dusty had with Teko. It was no big deal and only mentioned cause I prefer adding animals stuff into my little notes.

I awoke this morning worrying about that(although Sandi tells me I worry too much) and then I started thinking about all S had done to come here. First she had to wind up appointments for her husband and get him all set to batch for a few days and give him instructions on feeding and caring for her other pets(everything from turtles to lovebirds and sometimes a really different frog) Then she had to pack up stuff for her and Dusty and travel all the way from Olds,Alberta. She spent a night in her vehicle in Golden! Then she walks in the door with all sorts of wondrous groceries!! After that she puts up with me running out for a cig every fifteen minutes and pacing in between. She and Ann both brought me presents (which everyone knows I LOVE!) My friends are all important to me and I wanted everything to go well. I had not seen Ann in almost ten years except for when she came with some others and it was such a short visit it hardly counted. S. on the other hand has faithfully come to see me as often as possible but last year had the door come off her trailer so did not stop by.(I was disappointed) As mentioned before, Jim was here when the gals arrived and simply could not handle us. He says I was right “WIRED” and so I was, for days and the party for retirement just heightened that! Oh I am so blessed! Throughout this “holiday” that wasn't, S. was an angel and cooked and did dishes and finally sorted out my china cabinet. I avoid all these things like the plague and she says she likes sorting and organizing. I guess the fates have given me the friends I need? Now if I could just find someone for weeding and stuff. Oh! And to that end I had Pete in and he did a bunch of whipper snipping that looks fantastic now. I guess I need to patient and it will all come together eventually?? Ann was no slouch either and before she set foot in the house had packed an old computer screen downstairs for me and then attended to the lawns and the lawnmower as well as installations of several shower heads and stuff. All was a great benefit for me and in the end S .conributed to the Yukon fund as well. Am I fortunate or what!!! I think I am!p.s. Sharon G. if you are reading this I am coming to see Wildwood in June-will let you know more later!!

A Party and Dogs still.

Never having retired before nor even have I gone to someone elses party, I have little to compare my party with, but I thought it was great. Friends here hatched the idea and it quickly grew. I'm sorry if I missed anyone that wanted to come and please don't feel bad. I was somwhat overwhelmed by a lot of things and if this is retirement I am all for it. I hve been awfully busy and when two good friends decided to attend from Alberta—well the “cake” was doubly iced! Speaking of cake! Teresa May did one up for me that looked just like the little Jack Russell I fell in love with about a year ago- Max-a-Million! Anyway there were abvout twenty people that showed up and I felt somewhat humbled by all the well wishes etc. Although the invitations asked for no gifts-people got me stuff anyway besides bringing finger foods etc. It was all more than enough to simply blow me away and as friend Jim declared ”You only retire once (whereas birthdays come every year. “) All I can say is my only kick at the can was a great one and I thank everyone that worked towards this and all who attended! 
My two alberta buddies arrived within about twenty moments of each other. Sandi came from Olds, Alberta and drove up in her Expedition SUV. Ann followed with her big truck she drives for Bison, having left the trailer in Grande Forks. This all happened on the Wednesday before the party, all three of us were immediately on a high, not having seen each other for at least two years and Jim quickly bowed out and asked for a ride home. I didn't think adult women could giggle and laugh and talk so much all at once, but we certainly did! Small adventures occurred in no time the first being with poor Ann trying for a shower.She specifically asked if there was “anything she should know” about the shower, and I said no. Unfortunately the holder for the hand-held thingy had broken a few weeks ago and I had taken to just hanging the shower head over the curtain bar-in this case facing the wall! You guessed it! Water from hell to breakfast before she discovered the problem and for once the floor had already been washed. Sandi needed the washroom and said when I returned that Ann was certainly having a long shower. In truth she spent more time mopping up the floor than anything else. I was sorry about that but knowing Ann's sometimes ill-fated luck, I laughed every time I went in there after that and still do! We arrived at the Legion in time to greet most guests and proceeded to have a good time and my Alberta friends finally met some of my Kaslo friends and can now put a face to the names I spout stories about. They do however still have a hard time sorting them all out. Ann had been in Kaslo before and worked here for a time so she knew more people than Sandi did, but they are caught up now! Being a working gal Ann had to leave the following day and climbed into her high truck and away she went!! Sandi stayed until this morning and left to return home laden with boxes of videos I wanted to get rid of and and old table of my Moms that she liked-oh yeah and a rusty little antique ttrunk thingy she liked. She is a sorter and would have liked to have stayed and rearranged my kitchen cupboards for me but has appointments to go to and a husband that misses her and other pets as well. She did however do a great job on my china cabinet! Thanks Sandi for so many things and mostly your company! I miss you gals and even the dog Dusty!
Now its back to a normal kind of day, and I have Pete here hacking down some dingleberry bushes.I took some plastic off a kitchen window and can't believe the light that let in! Now maybe it can even be cleaned once the bushes are gone and no fear of breaking ones neck getting there! It would seem Miracle House is going through a transformation in many ways, not just the kitchen!
In between. the pet-sitting business continues as well, with a day visit with Inga and an overnight with Mattie! Both good dogs and repeat guests that know the ropes and were no problem at all. I had wondered how Sand'
's Dusty dog and Teko would get along but wasn't worried about Teko as he is pretty easy going. We enjoyed a couple of times at the park and all seemed hunky dory until Teko got too close to Dusty's food and she took a round out of him. Fair enough and Sandi was right on it and poor Dusty was on the “dirt?” list for awhile. For a dog that cannot see well and can't hear all that good either, he does very well and is around 14 I think. Sandi educated me on having a little dog and informed gentle goes a long ways and managed to get his feet clipped for me and his tail.Whew! That was a Godsend in itself and something I have been wanting to get done for some time. He looks great and we may even bath the little guy one of these days.Thats all for now folks!

Reno's and Retirement

 I have been pretty busy of late and there are many things happening in my life. But through it all the Reddings remain much the same. As it has warmed up they have a reluctance to come into the house until it is dark and not much to see outside. They have enjoyed some wondrous sunny times, working on their tans and actually do look a darker orange. I have finally hit on a program that doesn't make Otis upchuck his meals. I switched to Purina car food and also feed smaller amounts three times a day. That way Opus is assured of getting his rightful share and Otis doesn't pig out to the point of pukedom! I, for one am happier with this method.

Friend Jim has been back working on the kitchen again. The floor is done and now he has progressed to some painting of the doors and framework. It all looks good and I am most pleased. The house and its age have given us more than a few surprises, but sometimes we have just had some very good uh- “outhouse” luck so to speak? I can see this all progressing to a full paint job of the kitchen and may need to get some other help in. I am sorely lacking in knowledge of remodeling or even matching and picking colors, for that matter and although Jim is not a professional either he has a lot of common-sense and has been clever enough to figure out some of the houses' idiosyncrasies and work around them. If nothing else it has been a learning experience. Nothing seems to be straight or square and the floor rolls like the ocean. Knowing what we know now, we never would put laminate flooring down but we did and it has made a vast improvement to the overall look of the kitchen. The laminate flooring is made to “float” and snaps together. Great idea but you really need to have a proper FLAT floor. No matter, we needed to fudge a bit here and there but its all good now.

My back went out at the beginning of the week and so I have been no help whatsoever, but wasn't doing an awful lot anyway. Jim seems to like working on his own and says I am most helpful staying out of his way and doing puzzles on the computer-fine by me!

Teko seems to have come to like Jim an awful lot and Jim pays him a lot of attention. Same old story dogs just want to have someone with them 24-7 if at all possible. The cats are too undisciplined to have in the house when you are trying to do anything and indeed it has only been Otis that has spilt things on the floor at all. First it was a partially filled coffee cup and just the other day he actually managed to get a large beer glass out of the sink and knock it to the floor- without breaking it! I am sure he couldn't hold it in his paws so must have used his teeth. And as I have said before”Its always Otis!” At least when he is getting into trouble like that he is not pounding on Opus, and I am sure Opie appreciates that.

The biggest thing the near future holds is a party some friends are setting up for my retirement. I was looking forward to it and then two friends from Alberta have said they would attend and that was really great to hear. Now I am doubly looking forward to it as my friends here and the ones in Alberta have never gotten together really. If this is the beginning or retirement I am all for it!!

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Always Otis!

  It's always Otis! Or at least that's how it seems most of the time. It's Otis that knocks down a partial cup of cold coffee on the new floor, its Otis that can open up the dog food bin and help himself. And again it's Otis that needs to play on the Turbo toy in the night and make lots of noise. Sometimes I think he is just plain BAD! But having said that I do love him dearly and sometimes even enjoy his antics. He does keep life interesting. Unfortunately he is still having his upchucking episodes. I really do not enjoy cleaning up these messes but all part and parcel of having animals I guess?? I will take him to the vet when Teko has to go in again to have his eye looked at. Still putting drops in his(Tekos') left eye in an attempt to ward off Glaucoma. Dr. Pat has spoken of possible removal of the eye but I don't know as we will do that. Teko can hardly see anyway with his cataracts and how far is one to go with this old age stuff?? There simply is no cure for Old Age! In the meantime I have put a small bell on Tekos collar and at least I know where the heck he is. I have never had tiny dogs like this and I seem to lose him a lot even in the house! Again our signal is a clapping of the hands and for a dog whose hearing is not good, that does seem to work. I think too, at times, he has selective hearing and hears when he wants to. He always seems to know when I have left the room and comes looking for me. He's quite the little Warden.

Because his days are numbered and he seldom gets a bone, the other day I gave him the ham hock bone after I had made soup. Teko thought that was great but it caused an awful lot of activity when the cats came in! They were not to go near his bone-not to smell it or even look at it! That was Tekos' and no two ways about that! He spent all his time chasing the cats away from it.

Well today is another sunny day and I am grateful for that!! Yesterday Jim and I took Teko and Max to the park and they had a great time. Teko religiously tried to pee on everything and puts on the mileage trying to accomplish that and leave no leaf,piece of grass or tree unannointed! All peed out he came home and ate all his supper like he had not been fed for a week.

Having a beer in the back yard yesterday I noticed a place where Teko may be getting under the fence and going around to the front steps. This is a game he likes to play. If I am not at the back door to let him in after two barks off he goes to the front porch, where it is much warmer these days and barks there or waits until I notice he is not in the house. I try not to forget he is outside but there go, stuff happens right???
Have caught Otis eating holes in blankets-little wonder he gets sick. What a cat he is! An ex ray might shoe all manner of objects in his tummy. Oooh and the cost of major surgery could be something else! Ah just have to think on the positive and hope not. Life goes on. Miracle house is fine and all of us too! Hurrah!!!
 Big news of the day is my friend in Olds is coming for my retirement party on the 18th!!  That is great and now I really am looking forward to it.   It is to beheld at the Legion and volunteer snacks apparently will be appreciated.

 

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Still got Dogs

 Life goes on, and I am doing okay. Teko has stepped up to the plate as number one dog, but of course it is not the same. I have noticed though that his eyesight is much worse than I thought it was. The other day I put his food dish on the opposite side of the door and he couldn't find it! I wish I could find my clicker to use with him for recall, but have no idea where I put it after lending it out. I know I have it here---Somewhere! “Somewhere” must be really full of all the things I am looking for. Ah well no worries it will turn up. Have two house guests right now. Rocky of course was here for long-term and Jiggs has returned again until Tuesday. Went to Nelson yesterday and returned with a new gate to go across kitchen door. I have decided the dogs don't need to be in there and on the few times when I am cooking or something they tend to be in the way a lot. Also picked up a new runner to go in front of sink, to protect my new floor. But laminate or not, I know “stuff” is going to happen to it, as its all part of “living” in the room. Something like a new car- you are almost relieved when it gets that first scratch and takes a bit of the newness off it. Actually I wouldn't know as have never had a new car or truck in my life. Of course animals are hard to live with and Otis the Bold, had to get up on a counter and knock down my coffee mug from morning and it had some coffee in it still. I really think he just likes the noise it makes when it falls! But I got on it right away and don't think it had time to soak in at all. I can't protect it forever but I can try and enhance its life-the floor I mean. Otis is Otis and I am just glad Opus is different. The other day true to form, Otis started up the vacumn cleaner! Think that surprised him a bit but he will probably do it again, loving noise like he does. He continues to sick up and will be next to go to the vet but this last one was hefty enough to change my budget and I will wait for a bit.

Except for that he seems most healthy, but of course you never know for sure.

Opus on the other hand has been most cuddly of late, and even slept a whole night under the covers with me. I just love it. Otis had taken to sleeping by my feet on top of the covers. Jiggs is quite happy to sleep on Keepers' night bed, and had indeed been after it for some time. Its why I left it there. All other dog beds have been washed and put away, except of course for Teko's THREE baskets. One nine pound dog rates that many? But life is easier with him in a basket and not underfoot. Even Rocky has taken to sleeping in his basket again and that is great and I am not tripping over him in the night. I think he is really missing his owners again and am glad for him that his time here is winding away and he may be going home as early as this week?? Not sure as I was not given a definite date just told four and a half weeks. Which equals what? I am just learning in this business and can see I have to ask more questions and possibly be paid up front when I don't even know the people?? Duh! I could get stung. But most people have been really good and sometimes I even get extras or a gift or something. I love that. And most of my clients are usually quite grateful to have a good place to leave their pets. I enjoy being on the other end of that “stick” so to speak. I look forward to having pet-sitting as my “only” job. I usually like being at home. Now if I would just spend more time cleaning such and organizing all my “stuff”(maybe even throwing some out?)....but I find that very hard to do at this time of my life. We’ll see..maybe some things?? More room for animals huh??

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Stuffies and Teddy Bears

 Stuffies and Teddy Bears. Over the years keeper had many toys. Most of them came from Gramma K. Even this past Christmas there was a teddy bear in the Christmas package for her, although she no longer had interest in them this past year. Yesterday S.J. Dug a hole for keeper and Auntie Jill and I went down after picking up her body from the vet. (She had been in the freezer those few days) Dr. Pat had found a box and then covered all with a plastic bag. It was all done in a very civilized manner. I had brought Zeddy along to go with her. That's not a typo. Gramma found the first Zeddy and I am thinking they are teddy bears put out by Zellers possibly as an advertisement deal. They had “Zeddy” written across their right paw. They came with a little hat and a scarf, but of course I removed those things as knew they would not last. The first Zeddy was a huge hit with Keeper and she spent many hours exercising her teeth on him. She carried him all over, and we were lucky throughout the years to find replacements as they wore out. Keeper knew him by name and we had a lot of fun playing “Wherezit?”. “Where's Zeddy?” would send her off on a search that would not stop until Zeddy was found and proudly brought to me. And so it only seemed right to send her off with her beloved Zeddy.

I am sleeping better these days. I am no longer on duty to “listen for the bell” and let keeper out at 3:00 a.m. Nor to listen to hear if she is pacing again. I believe the pacing of and old dog is the pain from arthritis, much in the same way I know I have to get up and move when I am in bed hurting. She found it very difficult to lie down and get up and sitting was out of the question. As I watched a friends old dog do the same thing and limp with every step yesterday, I was glad I had done my Keeper this last big favour. No more pain for her! Dead is done and I believe that.

Our feeding schedule is very off these days without the old Matriarch to keep me on the ball. Teko finally took over the job this a.m. And I fed them all. Only one cat in the porch and when I came back in found Otis in my Cheerios lapping up the milk. I persuaded him to go out in the porch and eat with his brother and ate the damn Cheerios anyway! What's a few cat germs? (I won't think about the parts they may hve just cleaned.) I am remembering Teko's eye drops pretty well and he is very good abvout it especially when he gets a cookie after! And now with everyone fed and me too I have to get going to call Bingo for the inmates at the hospital. Keep your eye out for Zeddies, they make great dog toys. And don't forget to hug your dog today!

Empty Collars

  As I have mentioned before, once I realized Keeper had lost a good deal of her hearing, I put a bell on her collar. I actually lost her up at the airstrip. She was right behind me and I thought she would go to the van, but she stopped to smell something, and I kept walking. When she was done sniffing she once again put her nose to the ground and started back the way we had already gone! Of course I called and clapped my hands,but to no avail, she was a dog with a purpose and definitely on track(in her mind).In the end there was nothing I could do but jump in the van and get past her and then get her attention. As I drove I worried she would go into the bush and then I would have an awful time finding her. From that day on she wore her collar and bell, along with proper ID tags with my phone number. The bell was larger than a Christmas bell, it was the kind you put on a fishing pole to alert you that you have a fish on line. The bell proved to be a great communicator for me. It told me where she was, except of course if she was lying still. In the night it told me if she was pacing or if she had fallen down and could not get up. Letting her out at night, it told me again, where she was and that she was coming. I would strongly recommend, for people with deaf dogs to do this and also to have your phone number on the back of your dog tag. An elderly dog with poor eyesight and hearing is definitely at risk when lost. We owe it to them to step up our security and to know where they are at all times.

Keeper only had two collars in her life. The first one I bought with a matching leash(in pink would you believe?) I picked it up on my way to Castlegar where she was being shipped from Williams Lake. This collar served her well until I asked a friend in California to send us a prettier one. Thanks Diana,she wore that until Thursday when she was put down. I never realised how much I listened for the bell on that collar, until..it rang no more. I am getting better but, it was the first thing I thought about when I woke in the mornings. In her later years, when she could no longer skip out of the way, Keeper taught me to walk slower in the house and it helped me the other night when I went to the bathroom and didn't turn on the light. Rocky(cocker-spaniel guest) had chosen to sleep right in the way and though I stumbled and went to my knees I didn't hurt myself at all. When my brother was here he said I shuffled instead of walking. I hope it isn't quite that bad and prefer to call it walking carefully?

The Reddings have slowed down a lot and prefer to sleep a lot these days. Still, Otis the Bold gts at it at times. He does delight in making noise when things are too quiet. I went for a quick nap on the couch this morning and he shoved a dictionary off a bench and made enough noise to wake me and then added several meows to the mix. What a guy. He has taken over being the main “sleeper” with me and although Opus no longer likes to sleep too close to Otis, he still has some sleep time with me. I don't blame Opus as he can be slepingn nicely next to Otis and Otis will wake up and attack him.The “rassle matches” include many audible body slams and I think Opus gets the worst of it and soon cries “Uncle” or whatever word cats use. Once he gets serious about though, Otis will leave him alone.

Still not letting the dogs in the kitchen on the new floor as it needs a few adjustments yet. So I have spent days stepping over the ironing board but we should get back at it soon. At the moment Jim has gotten my cold and today we are burying Keeper so do not need to be doing floors. Rocky has taken to wandering so needs to be on a leash when he goes out the front. Teko as stated, hates to be away from me so sticks around well and scoots back up the steps when he is finished. So far I have remembered Teko's eyedrops twice a day except for yesterday morning. I am glad to have the two dogs for company and the two cats as well.

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