Fearless February

[treegirl]

Evening, all! Pap, thanks for the pics - snow looks similar here, but not as high. I was out in thigh-high drifts yesterday trying to carve a path to the birds and a path for the pups. I still have to say I love it - but that's because we live in the country and it's picturesque. Or I'm just nuts, which is possible too.

Lav - wow, you've been through a lot with YB. But just think how your journey has been such a inspiration to us all, and given us such great tools. And saved YB's life as well. Pretty great! Star - you are right. The only thing we can control is ourselves, and though that's a tough one to enact, it is a worthy goal. Thanks for all the great words. Dill - what a story about your dog! I hope the K9 is found...it is always sad to think of any pet out there on their own. Strangely, I saw a single coyote just on the other side of our shed two days ago. I happened to be looking out of an upper window, and couldn't believe it would come so close. But the deer also wander by close to the house, so maybe he was on the lookout. He stopped and I swear he looked at me in the window, then he sidled on over the ridge to the dropoff behind the property. That was interesting - maybe he was hailing the full moon.

Full moon? Didn't you just say that it was the New Moon, Dill?! How time flies. Boy dog got me up at 4:10 for potty - but the silver lining was seeing the moon out front and center. Then later (6-ish) I was treated to a glimpse of the setting moon - looking just as orange and fiery as the setting sun. Kind of spooky - maybe that's what happens when mercury is in retrograde? Lav - good luck sleeping.

Just returned from another long drive; dropped HB off at a train station near where I had an appt (1.5 hours away again). GI doc this time. Worth it, as the test he recommended will be $2,500 less at his facility than at the one 5 minutes away from my house! Crazy - but I'm seeing a lot of the state as a result of all these trips!

Take care all, and wishing you a peaceful evening.

[Lavande]

Papmom, your pics are awesome!
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT do any more shoveling!!!!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME? :hug:

Cyn, I caught a glimpse of that huge orange moon at sunset when I was closing up the chicken house. Sleep tonight? Who knows?
Isn't the pricing for medical testing bizarre? Makes me think we need a completely different (national) health care system where folks won't get ripped off. Hope it goes well for you.
I just saw a story on FB about a coyote in MI killing a sheriff's horse & a week later attacked a second horse. That's bad.

Sitting by the fire like an old lady - it is cold!!!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all..

Great posts.

Pap, too much snow. Please don't shovel anymore, how frightening, but you stopped, called someone, did all the right things. That much snow makes it so hard to do anything. And I DO think our bodies go into hibernation mode when it is cold and snowy like that. I always worried about my husband shoveling, tried to do it myself, but it was too much. It's February at least, not January. Closer to spring. We just have to get through 6 more weeks of winter, right? My drive from work turns out to be about the same as I drive into traffic, trains, car wrecks, you name it. It was lovely coming home to a nice house though.

Lav, when I came home I sat by the fire too, just exhausted. This weather makes it easy to take it easy and relax. Did you read the new book from the ToDo institute? I thought I remember you saying you bought it. If you did, let me know and if it is worth buying.

Cyn, our healthcare system is just so tangled up. You are a warrior driving so far for tests. But, it is worth it. I like your outlook about enjoying the variations in your state and area. I have been thinking the same thing with my new drive. I am coming from a totally different direction, so it is an entirely new drive. Keeps us on our toes.

Dill, hope you are safe and warm too.

It's Wednesday already, so off I go. Have a good one.

[dill]

Wednesday already Star?! How the time does fly by! I find it interesting that you have the new commute. I hadn’t thought about that aspect. You drive to the same job but come at it from a different angle. You see a whole new aspect of the city. I was wondering where you live in relationship to the job. Are you north, south, east, west of it? I hope for your sake that you are south of it so that your drive is not into the sun in the morning and evening. That can make visibility so difficult. Now that you have settled in to your new home and permanent location, you can start looking for a church in the area and look for things to do close to your home. How far are you from the library?

Cyn, I saw that full moon yesterday too. I didn’t see it as it was setting tho and since you mentioned it, I am going to make a point to go out and look at it this morning as we get closer to “moonset”. I could well imagine the beauty of the middle of the night in a snow laden country scene, as you described it. Isn’t there something special about spotting a coyote? I see deer, rabbits, possums, groundhogs, but it isn’t as magical. When I see a coyote, it is rare. Fox as well. That said, I saw TWO coyotes a couple of days ago, and that changed the whole “magical” feeling to “uh oh!” Not so magical, more of a threat. My Tessa could grapple with one if she should have to, and come out the winner. But not two.

Papmom, thanks for all the pics. The one that conveyed it best for me was the one of the sidewalk. Also the one of the potty yard. Incredible! This is a winter you will long remember. That is scary about your heart symptoms. Are you going to go ahead and go see your cardiologist and talk about it with him/her? It’s probably just the exertion, but it may be best to err on the side of caution. Your dog will accept the boots eventually once he gets habituated to them. I bought a heated dog bed for Tessa and put it out in the same place as her old bedding, but do you think she would lie down on it? NO. I had to entice her on to it, pet her, talk to her and give her treats. Not good enough. Next I put a piece of foam over it taken from her old bedding. Then she accepted it. Once she did try it out, she loved it! It’s an indoor/outdoor heated dog mat. You’re not supposed to put anything over top of it, but she wasn’t going to use it unless I did. It is working just fine. I have checked it often and it is just perfect.

Lav, in that news story, was it just a single coyote that killed the horse? That just doesn’t seem physically possible! But I guess it is. Sometimes at night around here I will hear a pack of them making their weird sounding calls. It’s a frightening sound. And Mr. D says that times that he has driven out in to the pasture in his truck at night, his headlights catch their eyes and there are so many! I shudder at the thought.

Part II of my run away dog story: She was my first dog, so you know she was special to me. Her name was Breezy and I am going to look to see if I have a good pic to post of her next time. Anyway, the time she road home in the back seat of that car with the stranger to a house in the city, she actually ran away again. The lady was beside herself over it. I am sure Breezy was just trying to find her way home. After several hours, or maybe a day, she returned to the woman’s home and remained with her until we were reunited. I was always a huge fan of the book, The Incredible Journey when I was a kid. There was a Disney movie made of it. Breezy’s story was my own personal Incredible Journey story.

[treegirl]

Happy hump day all! Star, I hope that your drive to work today is easier. So glad that you can come home to a restful space.

Pap - I add my voice to the 'just say NO to shoveling' chorus. Life is too precious, and shoveling just too darn dangerous - even if you have to pay someone to come, it's worth it. So glad your nephew could come to help out, but please don't do it again! And it sounds like we're in for snow from now to Monday - I haven't heard anything yet about a big storm on Monday, but who knows?

HB and I had a small tiff about shoveling during the last storm...I went out early onto the deck and made a doggy path, pushing a single lane of snow off the deck, cleared a little of the steps and tromped down a potty place. HB wants to prove he is he-man, so later (when there is more accumulation) he goes out and clears a lot of the deck, piling it up in a massive heap that will now be there until April. I tried to be gentle, saying, gosh I thought that we decided for the rest of the winter to just keep pathways open, no big clearing of the deck. Well, that did not go over well! I worry though, since he has very cold hands and feet always, and I think his circulation is compromised - not a great scenario for shoveling, aaargh. Anyway, we agreed to disagree, and he went off to lick his wounded pride when I was not ecstatic at how hard he had worked!

Lav - those coyote stories are really scary, holy cow. It makes me even more grateful that we have a fenced yard, though coyotes can jump anything, and a big dog would be nothing to them, uuuugh gives me chills. I have been leaving the doggy door open when I'm gone (2 doors - 1 through screen porch, and 1 into house), but I'll re-think that now that I saw that lone coyote...in the desert I heard about them getting into houses. So much for peaceful country living...

Dill - how are you, what are you up to?

A day by myself today - going to clear out my office so I can track the different projects in hand. Got to get a handle on taxes....

Wishing all a great AF day --

[treegirl]

X-post Dill! glad you are doing well...yes, I share your worries about the coyotes, obviously. Love the story about Breezy, so glad you were re-united. I never could watch those animal films, I'm a nervous wreck through all of them! happy day...

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

Happy hump day to all
I hear it's going up to 46 today ~ balmy!!!!
I also hear more snow is on the way for Monday. I'll worry about that later.

My son just asked if I could watch the littlest one this morning & drop him off at preschool later. I can handle that!

Star, I did get that book, started reading it, then got busy - typical. Thanks for reminding me, I will get back to it soon. The beginning was good, ha ha! Hope your day is good!

Dill, the story about the coyote made it sound like a single coyote did all the damage. Yesterday I asked the my Curves owner if she thought that was possible as she owns horses. She said their only defense is to run & if the horse was tied up or otherwise trapped then it could happen, sad.
Your dog story reminds me of Lassie from our childhood

Cyn, I often think a doggie door would be nice but......
With my luck I'd end up with someone's goat in my house or something, LOL
I do a lot of complaining about feeling like a doggie nanny around here!!

papmom, I sure hope you are feeling OK today!
Did you call your Cardiologist after that episode? Maybe an EKG would be a good idea :hug:
Take it easy, please!

OK, must get ready to go. Wishing everyone a great AF Wednesday!

Lav

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

I woke up late so have to keep this short.

Dill, I moved south of the city, the traffic is crazy, but it was from the north too. I have lived by big cities in the past, but never had the opportunity to work in the middle of one. It is fun. I am still getting used to the new drive, and loving coming home to a new house. I am also very tired for some reason. I think the weather may have someting to do with it, and the move. It was a good move, but alot of energy. Plus I have not been exercising and am finding it hard to find the time or the place. I am giving myself a week to settle, then will look into exercise.

Coyotes sound scary, and a doggy door that could let one in a bad idea. Be careful.

Cyn, my husband always does unsafe things like climb ladders, and even fell off one at our old house when I was not home. I told him....you don't want to know what I told him. Shoveling always scared me too, but who listens to me? No significant snow here thank goodness.

Pap, be careful and enjoy your time off. NOthing you can do about it. Just get someone else to shovel. I bet you are still thinking about it. I am still excited about your new job and wish you the best.

Lav, hope you had a fun day babysitting.

Take care all.

[dill]

File0045.jpg

Breezy the wonder dog, with my daughter, some 30+ years ago.

Hi Star, about the commute, I meant that I hoped you live east or south/east so you didn’t have to look in to the sun on your commute. I grew up in the western suburbs of Cleveland and the drive was difficult into the city in the morning and home in the evening bc of the sun. Anyway, it sounds like it is not a bother for you so that is very good! I have never worked in the heart of a city. I would love that too! My dad worked on the 33rd floor (as far as I can recall) of the Terminal Tower Bldg in Cleveland and I was always so in awe of his office. What a view! And the elevator ride was a thrill for me as a child. I only went there a couple of times but it remains in my memory. How I loved my Dad!

Cyn, the moonset was lovely yesterday. I was up at 6:00 when the moon was still silvery. I kept going back to the window periodically and watched as the moon turned to amber and settled into the trees on the horizon. On a humorous note: Mr. D has been moving his trail camera to different places around the property each evening to see what he can capture. We’ve seen deer, coyotes, a rabbit and often don’t see anything. It is hit or miss, of course. He is so tickled each time he captures an image or a video.. Well, when I looked out the window yesterday to see the moon, I saw his camera set up on a tripod near the house. I couldn’t resist! I walked out with my coffee mug in my hand wearing my night clothes and bath robe, and got into it’s view with my back to it, looking up at the moon. Then I did a little twirl and a bow and walked off. Then I waited for him to check his camera’s memory card. He got a good smile and a chuckle out of the discovery of the “wildlife”! LOL!

Lav, I was so intrigued by the coyote/horse story that I googled it and found it. The horse was feeding. They never mentioned in the story if the horse was tied or not. But it did say that the horse was attacked by a “pack of coyotes”. They managed to get the mare’s hind legs out from under her and took her to the ground. By the time the dogs that lived on the property got to the barn and chased the coytes away, it was already too late. Just awful! Interestingly, the sheriff in the article said that since there had been an increase in coyote sightings in the area, many folks were buying burros. He said burros defend vigorously against coyotes for themselves and other herd animals. News to me!

Hello Papmom, hope all is well in your world. Did you check in with your cardiologist? Hope you check in soon bc your snow shoveling story has me/us concerned.

Hav a great AF Thursday everyone.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

30 degrees & flurries flying around, ho hum.

Dill, that picture is absolutely precious
I can see Breezy was one of a kind too!
Thanks for for the details on that horse story. I only read a reference to that story so I didn't know what all went on. Quite a few people keep burros around here & I have heard that they are feisty, interesting!

Star, I think it's OK for you to be tired this week after all of last week's activity
I was just thinking yesterday that I have been feeling extra tired the past few day for no real reason. Time of the year? Age? Both? Ha ha!!! Give yourself a little time to catch up with yourself!

Cyn & Papmom, hope you are both staying warm! Can't believe there is more snow on the way - enough!!!

I may be entertaining DIL & grandsons for dinner tonight, not sure yet! In the meantime I will get myself to Curves & try to get some energy going!!!!
Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Morning all!

Dill - you wild thing! I loved the story of getting in the moon picture - hilarious! I laughed out loud (which is what I always think LOL means...) The pic of Breezy and your daughter is so special - that's happiness captured. Loved the story of your dad's office...my dad also worked on a high floor, as my family had a radio station for a time.
Here's my dog story: Out of several elevators in the building where the radio station was , there was only one that went to the top floor (and this was in the days when a human operated the elevator...) We had a boxer (the first out of 5 or so!) that was completely attached to my Dad, and the dog often went to the office with my Dad at off hours. Well, my dad left the dog in the car with the windows open, and he decided to take a stroll...right into the lobby of the building of my dad's office, right over to the correct elevator, the operator took him up to the floor where the station was, he got out and breezed into the office, almost scaring the announcer to death! And that was just one of the stories of 'Prince' when I was growing up. Loved my Dad, miss him.

Lav - I look forward to the To Do Inst book review. I remember also that a new publication was to come out...it looked interesting. Hope you enjoy your day, and your company tonight if that happens. I admire you, being ready to feed a crowd on a moment's notice.

Star - of course you are tired! Just the adrenaline of being in a new place would wear you out...and think of all the physical activity you've been doing. I hope you can rest this weekend.

Pap - I'm concerned about you - hope you are getting checked out heart-wise. I did another round of roof-raking yesterday, and thought of you; that's a lot of over-your-head strenuous work...maybe your nephew could do that for you? I swear you would never know that I'd done it before the last storm. I was vigilant about getting as much snow off as I could yesterday, but still there is ice build-up in several places. I'm not sure what to do about that, but will watch carefully.

Well, it sounds like more snow (10 - 14 inches total) between now and Monday night. At least it's not coming all at once! But we're going into the deep freeze tonight...I've put out more food for the birds, poor little things, I don't know how they survive without feeders.

I worked on taxes last night, categorizing the purchases in Quicken (I'll explain at some point why I have to do that for taxes!). I remember doing that in previous years, and being saddened by all the stops at liquor stores. It was a great feeling to know that when a charge appeared this year, it was HB picking up something for a dinner party! I still don't set foot in a store; it's erased from my life. Hallelujah.

Wishing all comfort and safety today --

[papmom3]

Hi Everyone!! I'm just fine, really. I'm sure what I felt was more heartburn as I had just eaten breakfast but I didn't want to take any chances and it did scare me. I didn't call my doctor-I felt fine yesterday and today. I am taking it easy-didnt go to the gym last nite or to water bootcamp tonite(had a vet appt for LM anyway). I walked to work, home for lunch etc yesterday but today I stayed at the school for lunch. It was snowing when I walked to work this morning and super cold. The walk home was very cold but no snow. I admit that when I got home I had to do some cleaning off of the car and cleaning up of dog yard because we had about 3 inches today. But I although I felt fine, I think that is it for me. Not looking forward to this week, that's for sure!!
Took LM in for bloodwork that will hopefully explain why he isn't eating all that well for the past month or so. I will not be surprised if his numbers are very elevated. I just need to know so I can plan. The doc also said it was OK to try an appetite stimulator. My ex-boss gave me her left over tablets from her passed dog. They are almost 2 years old but the vet said I could try them. If they work, I should go with fresh ones. If they don't work, I won't waste my money. On the up side, Mickey seems pretty much 100%. he's alert despite the drugs, happy, eating well and in no pain at all. he's being pretty good about jumping up on furniture. If he tries, he goes into the crate. DD is DD. Can't wait for warmer weather to get him out for some walks. In the meantime I'm going to set up a small rally course in the basement. I'm supposed to enter my breed club's performance event next month and it will be his rally debut.
On a sad note, my best friend's 80 something mom fell yesterday and broke her hip. She had the surgery today and is in a lot of pain. my friend flew down to to VA this morning from the Cape where she lives with her hubby. She's very upset and concerned. Lots of family down there tho so she's surrounded by love. Please keep Pat in your prayers. She has Parkinson's as well so recovery could be very difficult. My dad is very close to my friend's folks as well.

Dill and Cyn-the coyote stories are very scary!! I think it's time to close that doggie door! I'm sure the influx is due to snow cover and hunger. They must be getting desparate. Cyn-I hope you get some answers from the new test. Please let us know. Dill-that is an absolutely gorgeous pic of your first dog and your daughter!! Was Breezy a shepard?

Star-sorry the traffic is a pain for you but at least you have something to look forward to when you get to your destinations on each end! You have a fireplace! Oh I want a fireplace soooooo bad! I love going over to my sister's when they have theirs going. It puts out so much heat and is so beautiful to watch. I wonder if I'll ever get the house I really want before I get too old to enjoy it.....

Lav-how is your night with the kids going? Loved the pic of EB and the trains on FB!! Very cute!

I think I'm going to turn in fairly early tonite. I'm cold and tired and just want to hibernate for about 6 weeks!! I do love my job so far tho and no longer dread getting up in the morning! There is plenty to keep me busy and I'm having fun figuring out how to do things. I'm thinking of decorating my side of the cubicle area in pink shabby chic. I won't go over the top but would like to spruce it up just a bit. We'll see how it goes.

The natives are getting restless so time to round up some grub and then hit the hay. How's that for country cliches????

[papmom3]

oh Dill-huge belly laugh about your 'screen' debut!!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Dill, loved the picture, how precious. Our pets are really a gift, but Breezy looked so sweet and loving. Nice memories. You are so funny with the camera prank, what a good idea.

Cyn, please be careful too with the shoveling and raking of snow. It is so strenuous. We never raked our roof. Found out later we had leaking around our front door into the basement (at our other house) and it could have been from that. Hope this month goes quickly. I have to start getting my tax stuff out too this weekend. Need to start the process and get it over with!

Pap, just take care of yourself. Sounds like you are getting plenty of exercise on a daily basis just walking to work. Hope your job continues to please. It makes such a difference. The fireplace is not a real built in, but an electric. It is so cool, it looks real and has a heatilator in it, blowing out heat. Also, a remote control, so we come home, hit the remote and have a fire. It is so state of the art, and most importantly, easy. They have smaller ones so if you ever decide you want one, some are only a few hundred dollars. I have had wood burning, gas and electric fire places. This is the easiest so far.

Lav, what was for dinner last night? I may get to cook for my family this Sunday, but not sure yet. Tonight, left overs. Yay, it's Friday. Still wickedly cold here, but no significant snow. Another Yay! I am so ready for spring. 40s tomorrow, and I will be out in my yard, looking around. It is weird, I cannot tell what type of trees or bushes are on the property, have to wait till they bloom. I want to plant lilacs, I have always had those, and they make a nice shield between yards. I also have to scope out the sunlight and see what will grow where. I saw a cool idea on the internet, where you get 12 foundation blocks, put them in a square, fill all the spaces with dirt and plant herbs around the sides in the small spots and tomatoes and other veggies in the middle. I want to try it if I can. Spring planting dreamin.

Looking forward to the weekend, feeling good and AF.

[dill]

Hello Papmom, so glad you are OK! I’m glad your doggies sound like they are doing well, too. They are lucky to have such a good Pap Mom. Breezy was a part shepherd and I never knew what else. She was a good dog. Glad you got a good laugh out of my Moondance story. That was what it was meant to do!

Cyn, LOL is “laugh out loud” so you were on the right track with that. I’m glad you shared your memory of Prince. It was really sweet and I could just imagine the whole scene. Maybe we should try to produce a commercial based off of it and try to enter it into the Super Bowl next winter! You know they have an annual contest for amateurs. It could be a winner. I was tickled to be reminded of elevator operators. I had forgotten about that. That mention of the reduced stops over the year at liquor stores: what a very nice milestone for you. Congrats! We have all come a long way.

Lav, do you have regular friends that you see when you go to Curves? Does the work out serve a dual purpose, exercise and socialize at the same time? That would be such a nice benefit. What did you make your DIL for dinner last night? Oh, speaking of 'LOL' and its meaning reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask. What does MAE mean? I see it all the time on the Daily thread and haven't been able to work it out.

Star, I am so envious of your fireplace! At this point in my life I would love to have that rather than this old wood stove. The fire is nice, cozy and warm, but the ash and wood mess is getting old, especially by this time of year. I look forward to the spring so that we can have a break from it all! Speaking of spring, I quite liked the gardening plan. I was wondering how big a square you are planning? Just enough for 1-3 plants? Keep me posted if you actually undertake the project. Remember when LBH used to talk about her back yard pond and her driftwood ‘sculpture’ of Moses? Lav, tell her hello from us next time you see her on FB!

Like you Star, we have cold today, but tomorrow is to be in the 40’s! I can’t wait! Happy AF Friday everyone.