Winni Wednesday, take 1 . . .

Here's old one-track Winni. Single-minded in her concentration on a milkbone. So much so that her ear stick out like that. So cute.

Could you just give it to me already!

Winni is such a photogenic dog that I might try to include more pictures of her and her furry friends on the blog, least y'all think Emmeline is taking over.

He was born on the third of July...

and died the day before Thanksgiving.

Calvin had to be put to sleep this morning. The cancer was back, and it was shutting him down. If you don't remember, Calvin was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, the most invasive, blood born cancer a dog can have. They removed a ten pound tumor that had taken over his spleen in August of 2006, two weeks before our wedding. Calvin was eleven. The told us he would live four months, on the outside.

He made it three and a half more years.

He met Ginny.

He met Emmeline.

Now he's eating steak in heaven with all of his girlfriends.

We love him and miss him so much. He truly is the greatest dog I've ever known. Hands down. He introduced David and me. He was one evolutionary rung away from speech, I could see it in his eyes. He would hide rawhides from the other dogs, even at 14 years old. He went out smiling.

What a great run, Calvin.

I'm so blessed to have known you.

Dog update . . .

I thought you might want to get an update on the dogs. They are doing well!Winni really loves the windows in the loft. They are also at the perfect height for her to look out of. She also likes the deck. No pictures yet, but she enjoys sitting out there and looking down at the yard.

Chica is the sentinel. She would sit in this chair all day long and bark at all of the small animals in the yard, the mailman, the neighbors, etc. Ginny likes this spot, too.

Here's Calvin. Still kickin'. He has his annual vet appointment in a few weeks. Last year they said he wasn't doing too great and to watch for his appetite to ebb. He's still first in line (well tied for first with Winni) when it's time for food in the morning. We think it is due to having three young girls in the house that keeps him young!!

Here's a rare still pose from Ginny. Normally she is moving so fast that all the camera sees is a black blur. She is still the sweetest dog of the bunch. A mess, and a digger, and a little attention hungry, but totally the sweetest dog of the bunch.

This is what she normally looks like. - tongue out from running hot laps around the yard.

We are pretty lucky and blessed to have such great dogs. I can't wait to see how they are with the baby. I'm sure they will love her as much as we do!

Lest you forget . . .

We do have dogs. Here's some pictures of two of them.
Winni does love her sticks. Here she is skipping in the front yard. Please do note that all of her feet are off of the ground.

It has been almost a year since her TPLO surgery which is fully documented in that link to all of the posts about her recovery. She is using her leg so well. Knock on wood, we haven't noticed any problems with the other leg either. We have kept her weight down which I'm sure has helped.There she is, happy as she ever was!

And here's Calvin . . .

He's doing well, too, knock on wood! At 13 and a half, he still keeps up with all of his girlfriends. He either has selective hearing of some hearing loss; my bet is a little of both. His appetite is great, which is what the vet told us to look out for as a sign of kidney problems, but he tries to be first in line for the food every day. We are really lucky that he is doing so well!

As for the other two, they wouldn't stay still long enough to be photographed with my sad camera. Perhaps next time.

Look who's back...

Our furry friend, Stella! Her parents are in North Carolina at a birthday party/family reunion, so Ginny has her best play friend back for the weekend.
We took a few pictures last week because the sheetrock is going in today! Yahoo!! Here's a few pictures of where we were.
I'm listening to sheetrock installation now. Perhaps there will be some more pictures soon.
I think that the sheetrock will make it easier to pick colors. I know it will define the space well. I can't wait to see what it looks like! What is really nice is that other people are doing it. This is the point that David has been waiting on. He has been ready for other people to work on the addition for a while now!
Anyway... Winni hopes that you have a nice day today.

Happy Birthday, Winni!

So today is Winni's birthday. Actually, it's my best guess as to Winni's birthday. She came to live with me on July 1, 2003 and the vet said she was about one, so we decided on an Independence Day birthday. That makes her six and means that she's been with me for five years. She's had a great year, what with a new sister, an upgraded leg and a trimmer waist.She does love sticks, so that's what she got for her birthday. A stick all of her own, and some alone time to chew on it on the front porch.
The story of how she came to live with me is below. If you don't know the story, it's a good one. She wrote it herself and wanted it posted, so there you have it. It's long, so settle in. Y'all have a good 4th!

July, 2003

(Winni asked me to read this over. My comments are in parentheses.)

My name is Winnie. The girl monkey (that’s what she calls humans) left her computer on so I thought that I would tell you my story.

The monkeys I used to live with were not very nice to me, but they did one very kind thing that you might think was not very kind. They abandoned me. They put me in their fast-scary-thing (that would be a car), drove me to the front gate of Camp Winnataska, and told me to stay. And I did.

I hadn’t been there long when a silver fast-scary-thing with two very pretty monkeys (aw…thanks) drove by. They didn’t stop, nor did the other 10 or 15 fast-scary-things that came by that Sunday morning. Soon, I was alone again in the grass and gravel by the gate of Camp Winnataska, very confused and a little scared.

Soon it got hot and before long, the silver fast-scary-thing with the two very pretty monkeys drove by again. This time she stopped. She played with me for a minute and then the chocolate headed monkey (that would be me) talked to the yellow headed monkey (that would be my room-mate, Karen). I didn’t understand it very well but it was something about isn’t that sad, and maybe whoever left her will come back, and but we’re on the way back to the lake. Anyway, they went away again and I was once again alone in the grass and gravel by the gate of Camp Winnataska, very confused and a little scared.

But not as scared as I was going to be. Soon it got dark, and then it started to rain, but the monkeys that dropped me off told me to stay, so I did. Some of the monkeys from the Camp brought me some food and water and played with me so I wasn’t too lonely, but since I was told to stay, I did.

After staying in the rain and getting very muddy on Monday I was very confused. Were the mean monkeys coming to get me? Were the pretty monkeys going to come back? Were the camp monkeys going to come and play?

It was almost dark when a blue fast-scary-thing (Karen’s brand new Jetta) came down the camp road. It was the pretty monkeys! Yea! They will stop and play with me again. But they didn’t. The chocolate-headed one started crying when she saw me. Later when they were leaving, she was crying again and said something about new car, muddy, tomorrow, Seth, truck, Winni. I thought that that meant something good so I wasn’t too upset. It was very hard to sleep with the rain and the confusion of what the monkeys said, but I did my best.

Tuesday morning lots and lots of fast-scary-things came by, but didn’t even stop. (It was the last day of camp so all the kids were going home.) They came and went with barely a glance at me, shivering and muddy, by the side of the road alone in the grass and gravel by the gate of Camp Winnataska, very confused and a little scared.

But at last, a very nice fast-scary-thing stopped. A monkey called Debbie and her puppie-monkey (daughter) named Erin put me in the back of their fast-scary-thing. I felt bad for getting the cow-pillow dirty, (that’s what she said that leather smells like, don’t ask me) but at least I wasn’t getting rained on. Now, I may be a dog but I didn’t think that this was what the pretty monkeys from the night before were talking about, but since Debbie-monkey and Erin-monkey kept calling me Winni, I thought that it must be part of the plan.

They dropped me off at a place with lots of dogs and cats in cages and monkeys in masks (she means the vet’s office) and I was overwhelmed. The monkey in a mask looked at me with lots of stuff and said something about a fection, tapes, and lots of other big words. (She had an infection and worms, but medication cleared them up). I stayed there all day, wondering what would happen and then I heard my name. They put me on a rope and took me out to another room and guess what…the chocolate-headed monkey was there. HOORAY!!! She was so happy that she was crying.

We got into her silver fast-scary-thing and went to her house. It took me a while to get used to being inside and a few days to realize that the squeeky thing and the rope were what the monkeys call toys for me. I hadn’t ever had those before. Sometimes we just lie on the sofa and look at people in a box (that’s a TV). The Elin-monkey loves me very much and I love her too. I give her kisses and smile at her when we go on walks. I’m home, and I sure love it!

(Let me fill you in from my side here. I called Kidd animal clinic where mom’s dog Merlin goes, on Tuesday morning and told them that Seth was bringing in a stray that I was going to name Winni and to look her over and I would pick her up on my way home from work. Seth called me from camp and said that after an hour of looking, they couldn’t find the dog anywhere. I called to cancel the vet appointment and the receptionist told me that one of her littermates was just dropped off, and the family that dropped her off, named her Winni as well. To which I replied, there were no littermates, only MY Winni. I was in tears so the receptionist gave me the name of the family that brought her in. I left a message, in tears again, for Debbie that if she didn’t want Winni to please let me know and I would take her. Debbie called me back and said that she was so glad that a Winnataska girl wanted her and to meet me at the vet after work. She wanted to make sure I was a good person, I think.)

(Ever since 1998 when Cindy Wiley adopted Percy, another mistreated Camp Stray that has grown up to be the “Quintessential Dog,” I have known, if God saw fit for me to have a dog, that it would be a Camp Stray. I must say that I didn’t know if I was ready to be a pet owner until the first time Winni and I took a walk. She kept tripping because instead of looking where she was going, she kept staring at me with a tremendous look of gratitude on her face.)

Happy BIrthday, Calvin!

Calvin turns 13 today.
Almost two years ago, the doctors said they didn't think he'd make it much longer.

Apparently they don't know Calvin.
Here's to bonus time.

Happy Birthday, best black dog ever!

I'm back...

So I made it back from camp. It was a blast. I came home to this friend.


This is Stella, our friends' sheepdog. Colin and Annalisa are out west, so we are up to five dogs until Saturday. She's behaving for the most part, and having a great time with our other dogs here at Camp Glenn.

Anyway, our week at camp was wonderful.
We always have a theme for the week that we are director, and this year's was "All I Needed to Know I Learned at Camp Winnataska." I learned many things...

My family is both weird...

and wonderful.

This is a "family former" picture of me, Seth, Marcie, my mom (front row), Bee, Tricia and Dollie (back row) after Tricia was Galahad last week. Mom and Marcie, Dollie, and Bee are cousins and Tricia is Dollie's daughter. We are pretty sure that Tricia is the first 3rd generation Galahad, which is quite cool.

More lessons learned...

Country Night dances are a workout.

"Cats on the couch" will always be funny, even when it enters the second generation.

Catching up with old friends is always good for the soul.

Again, I'll say that we had a great week. Last Sunday was Winnataska's 90th Birthday Party and there were over 300 people there. I hope it is still around for 90 x 90 more!

Now really, I must go clean this house and bathe Winni and get off of blogger / facebook / etc.

I'm a terrible blogger...

I'm so sorry that I've been such a bad blogger of late. And now, I'm only blogging to say that I'll be gone for a week. I'm off to be a weekly director at Camp Winnataska with my mom, my brother and my friend, Karen.

I hope that I'll have so much fun, and I expect to. It is always good to get back to nature. My great-grandmother was a camper at the first session in 1918, so I've always been drawn to Winnataska. Even my dog Winni is from there.

Speaking of dogs, I should tell you about Calvin. He went for an ultrasound because our vet found elevated liver enzymes when they ran his blood work and thought he should have his liver checked. The vet that did the ultrasound was the one that did his surgery two years ago as well.

If you don't know, Calvin had a 10 pound cancerous tumor removed in August 2006, just two weeks before our wedding. He was given four to six months to live. At our rehearsal, we all prayed for Calvin. We prayed very hard. David and I know that those prayers are the reason he is still with us today.

The new from the ultrasound could be better, but it could be worse as well. The vet said that Calvin is nothing short of a miracle. He couldn't believe that Calvin was doing so well. He found some spots on his liver that weren't there in 2006. He said that his first symptoms of getting sick would be loss of appetite and lethargy. We figure since he finishes the girls food and then chases them around the back yard, he is doing pretty well for and almost 13 year old cancer surviving, pound rescue, mutt-dog.

We would still appreciate all of your continued thoughts and prayers for him. He is such a wonderful companion and has seen David through some really rough times. We hope that his good health and wonderful attitude continues for... well forever actually.

That's all I have for now. I'm going to hug my dogs. I hope that you will do the same.
See 'all in a week!

So I took two dogs to the vet today...

Calvin and Chica were due for their ($600) annual visit to the vet. I'd love to say that they were perfect angels (Chica had to be muzzled in the back) and that I had tons of pictures (Calvin DOES NOT LIKE the exam table), but alas, only text.

They are in perfect health, as far a the vet could see on his examination. Dr. Kidd said that Chica is "very muscular" (which I think means obstinate, strong and scary). He said that Calvin is doing very well, too; a few bumps and cataracts, but at one month shy of 13, that is no small feat.

We are still crossing our fingers that the blood work comes back good. The regular rounds come back tomorrow and Calvin's "special," old man, post-cancer, blood work comes back Saturday or Monday. After the long wait on the blood work after his 10 pound tumor removal, I don't relish these next few days.

It will be a long wait, and I hope that what Dr. Kidd says holds true.

Also, did you see in the news about the shooting at the polling location. Yea, I got there about an hour after that happened. It wasn't all that exciting; just a stray bullet from across the street. No one was injured. Good thing I took the dogs to the vet and missed the whole thing!

Some dog pictures...

David took some pictures of the dogs today.

Ginny, panting after her full sprint of the yard.

And then she was tired and had to lie down.

Winni...

...likes...

...chewing...

...sticks!

Y'all have a good day.

Some updates...

House update:
David and Tim got the flashings on the upper level roof yesterday. Here's one in progress pic.
"What's that in the background?" you ask.

That's the scaffolding.

"So what is David standing on?" you ask.

Yikes!! I'm not even sure what to say.

Dog update:
Winni had her 12 week TPLO check up on Wednesday.

She's doing great!! All Smiles!!

Dr. Ballagas said that she can start out with one hour unsupervised with the other dogs and one mile on leash walks. Then we are to build up from there.

The other dogs are doing well, too!

"I can sit still... sometimes."

Chica and Calvin spending some quality time on the futon.

Me update:

I went to Massage Envy yesterday afternoon and got a massage. Boy, was it great. When I win the lottery... every day, a massage every day.

Also, here's my breakfast this morning. I'm not sure why I took a picture, but not only does it look good, it was very tasty and quite filling.

Egg beaters omlette, whole wheat toast, black berries, and two slices of salsa cheddar cheese (one is on the omlette), and a cup of coffee. Yum!

Y'all have a good day!

Leapin' Lizards it's COLD!!

What's wrong with this picture?

This is what's wrong with that picture.

Yea, the heat has been out for two days. Interior temperature: 58.1 degrees. Last night wasn't as bad as Wednesday night. It is just a bad breaker, which David is fixing today, but really... why does this happen when it is SO COLD.

In other news...

Winni has a new squeeker.

She now has a flamingo and a parrot. Oddly enough, the parrot is noisier than the flamingo, who Chica must have "regulated" on.

Winni went back to the vet on Wednesday and is doing very well. She is using her leg very well now. She can have a little more freedom in a week and isn't due for another recheck until her 12 week final one. YAHOO!

Happy Leap(in' Lizzards) Day.
Can you tell I loved Annie as a kid?

It's a Super Fat Tuesday...

First, and most importantly, please go and vote today. Please...

Second, Happy Mardi Gras. It's Fat Tuesday, or as my priest calls it, "The Last Blast Before the Fast." Live it up! Eat some King Cake!

On to other news. This is what I came home to on Saturday. I had to work about half a day, and when I got home, Winni was chillin' in the yard.

Note the girls don't understand why she is outside the fence.

Calvin is also a bit confused.

We also got the house tied together. You can really see how the new construction will connect to the old house now.

I really like all of the angles from the back.

We haven't broken through into the old house yet, but the hallway is constructed. We are also not having any water entry. So great, because the weather guessers are talking about big storms tonight.

Here's a closer view.

These pictures were taken on Saturday afternoon, right before we wrapped it up in Tyvek. We'll be installing some more windows soon!

A week & Three Days

So I jinxed her again. It was the squeeker this time. Below is all that remains of Winni's new "voicebox."

On the left is the cow pirate, on the right is the new piggy

I'll get her another one today. David said that while his back was turned, Ginny must have pulled it through the holes in the kennel and shredded it.

In other news, David put Winni up on the couch last night and she sacked out completely. That is her favorite spot in the house, so to her all was back to normal.

She seems to be lying on her surgery leg to protect it, which seems smart with "The Shredder" looming.

She really loved it, and did very well with staying still.

Also, the new header picture, care of David, is the sunrise from our front door this morning. Sometimes, my house is like a vacation mountain home. I'll have some house pictures up in the next few days.