Car Tags, Bratty Puppy, and Gustav

I decided to try renewing our car tags in my hometown, this time around. This was the first time they've had that option available. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot, but everyone else must've been in different parts of the complex. Maybe I was just exceptionally lucky, but I walked in (around 9:30 this morning) and didn't even have a chance to think about taking a number and sitting down in the waiting area. Instead, I was greeted by so many "open" windows that I wasn't sure which one to go to! I know where I'll be going, from now on. (g)

(On the other hand. . . What a waste of our taxes to keep that many people there-- six? seven? or was it eight?-- if it's usually that slow!)

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Trixie has lately seemed an odd mixture of sweet little puppy and mean little brat. She knows how to make you feel welcome-- especially when she hasn't seen you for a while-- with a bouncy run, a wagging tail, and every other sign of joyful eagerness. As for the bratty part, it's mostly biting (even when you're trying to clean up after her-- something I find particularly insulting) and then yapping and posturing ("Oh yeah? We'll just see about that! You can't tell me what to do!"-- only in dog language (g)) when she's told to stop.

I guess they're all this way, when they're little. At least I hope so. . . I really, really hope she behaves better than this when she's older!

Warning: I'm about to muse (boringly) on dog behavior. Feel free to skip down to the next row of stars. (g)

Thinking about puppy behavior has made me wonder how much an owner determines his/her dog's (or cat's) behavior. (I guess it's just a twist on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Nothing new.) Do we gravitate toward animals with certain personalities, or do we somehow influence them and mold their behaviors (unintentionally, I mean-- not talking about obedience training here)?

I don't think we chose any of our dogs based on their behavior. We chose Molly because she was the only one in the litter with the color and gender we wanted. And with both Daisy and Trixie, I don't think we could really tell what kind of personality they'd have when we chose them. I know that some experts advise that you look for certain behaviors or tendencies when choosing a pet, but I'm skeptical. It seems to be mostly the luck of the draw, even if you're making a careful choice.

. . . Was the laid back Skipper ever a biter, like Trixie? I don't remember Daisy ever biting this much, but maybe I've just forgotten. Am I somehow influencing Trixie to bite? Maybe by playing relatively rough games with her, like keep-away and tug-of-war? Molly definitely was a biter as a puppy. She grew out of it. However, I still don't trust Molly as much as I trusted Daisy to not ever bite me "by accident" (or instinctive response to something unpleasant, like accidentally pulling hair during grooming). . . How much of a dog's behavior boils down to breed-- how much to breeding-- and how much to individual personality?

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The grocery store seemed a bit busier than usual. Maybe it was just my imagination. People weren't quite pulling everything off the shelves or fighting over the last pack of batteries. (g)* But-- some sizes of batteries had been sold out, and I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Tropical Storm Gustav.

It's still too early to tell where it's likely to go, but I can't help but notice that the latest GFDL model takes it right over us. (And I do mean right over us.)

Of course, the other models steer it further west, and the official forecast is also centered further from us. Still, something to keep an eye on for the next day or two. . .

*(I haven't ever seen anyone actually fighting over something in a shop, but I have been to the store before a storm only to find that certain aisles-- canned goods, for instance-- are almost bare. Can't remember if that was before Ivan or one of the other storms. . .)

ETA: Since I wrote the above, they've posted an updated set of models, and the GFDL is tending more westwardly, too. I don't wish a storm on anyone else, but I still hope it doesn't come here. That little edge in the atmosphere at the store brought back some unpleasant memories of sitting on the bathroom floor, half expecting the front door to blow in or the roof to lift off the house. I'm not eager to repeat that experience.

Getting back into things.

Sometimes it's a little awkward to get back into the swing of things. (That goes for most things in life, I guess-- not just blogs.) If it's been a long time since your last post. If too much has happened since last time, and there's no way you can write about it all. If there are things happening that you simply don't want to address. If your last entry was just a little "too" something-- too impassioned? too angry? too painful? too personal?

Anyway, it's time for me to get back into the routine of this blog. I'll be back into silly memes and things, soon, but before I do that, I'd like to thank everyone who commented, e-mailed, and called about Daisy. The world still feels a little bit darker than it did a week ago, but things are steadily improving, and it becomes easier every day to think of her with less regret and more thankfulness. It helps to know that people understand how painful it can be to lose a pet.

This was the first time I lost a pet that meant so much to me. Both the "family dogs" we had when I was old enough to really remember them didn't die until after I'd married and moved out. Though I have very fond memories of Benji and Missy, too, it's different when the pet was part of your daily life up until the very end.

I think that's all. I could go on, but there's nothing I can write that hasn't been expressed a thousand times before. Besides, it seems almost wrong to dwell too long (or at least too publicly) on the loss of a pet when so many people have lost so much more-- when I know that I will, too, sooner or later. . . But thanks again for understanding.

Goodbye, Daisy.

My sunshine dog, Daisy
Originally uploaded by MossyOwls

This morning, we found that sweet Daisy had died during the night.

She wasn't completely herself (due to seizures) in the evening, but we'd seen her recover from worse, so we just did what we could for her, fully believing she'd be back to her usual sunny self in another day or two. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. . .

It's so hard to believe that she's really gone-- that I'll never hear her bark again, never see her smiling up at me with those intelligent eyes. She may have been "just a dog" to nearly everyone else on this earth, but she was my friend, and I loved her. And, like all the best dogs ever do for their owners, she never failed to make me feel loved in return.

I know I'll make more canine friends in the years to come. I know that I'll love them, too, but I don't expect to ever meet a dog sweeter than my Daisy.

We'll miss you, little peskibo-dog! If any dog deserves to go to Heaven, you do.

Meme -- Friday's Feast

It's too late to play along with the group who answered last week's Friday's Feast questions, but there's no reason why I can't answer them for my own enjoyment. After all, that's the only reason I ever do these things. I leave a link to my blog just because the authors of memes usually ask you to, but personally, I'd just as soon not. I'm not all that interested in building up a huge audience for this blog. If that's not obvious by now, with all my boring posts with nothing but YouTube clips and updates on my epileptic dog and whatnot, I don't know when it ever will be! ;o)

(Speaking of the epileptic dog, it seems I spoke too soon about poor Daisy. She's had a few more seizures since then. Still not as bad as it could be, though.)

Last week's questions:

Appetizer
Who was the last person you hugged?

Donald, this morning. The only people I regularly hug are Donald and some family members, and Donald's the only one I see on a daily basis.

Soup
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

I'm no beauty expert, so I don't have many tricks or tips. Probably nothing that would be new to anyone. . . Here's one of my great tips ;o): If you're prone to oily hair, but would still like to use conditioner to avoid tangles, keep the product well away from your roots. It's the ends that need the conditioner the most, anyway.

Salad
What does the color yellow make you think of?

The first thing that came to mind was a fired egg (because of the yolk, obviously), but other than that, it makes me think of sunshine, I guess. I also think of sickness, but I think that's more because I've read that yellow can symbolize illness than because it just naturally brings that to mind. If you know what I mean. (g)

Main Course
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

I'd be a landscape photographer with a sideline of botanicals. This is partly because that's what I naturally gravitate toward, but also because it could then be my job to travel and see some of the most beautiful places in the world. On the other hand, maybe I'd devote myself to photographing local landscapes and plants. Fewer hotels that way. ;o)

Dessert
What was the longest book you ever read?

I'm not sure. Besides, isn't that difficult to compare, from book to book? The font and layout can make a pretty big difference in how many pages a book has. The Count of Monte Cristo was fairly long-- even though the copy I have turned out to be an abridged version.

Back again!

And I'm ready to type up one of my usual snippet-style entries! ;o)

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The All-Important Computer Issues Update:

I guess I shouldn't have bragged about the fact that "my" computer-- the slower, smaller-monitored one that Donald shuns ;o)-- was still up and running, because it almost immediately lost its internet connection. We have it working again, but it's a bit iffy if it'll stay that way, and in order to get the connection back, I lost some of the convenience of getting photos into the computer and using the flash drive, etc. :o( Oh well, I guess I can't complain too much. Well, ok, I can, but I'll try not to. ;o)

Our "main" computer is back, again, too. (Turns out we needed more RAM. If that means anything to you. It doesn't mean much to me. (g) I have a vague idea that RAM is the memory the computer uses to keep applications running smoothly-- kind of like our short-term memory-- but beyond that, I know nothing.) We didn't lose any of our important information, photos, etc., but we did lose our saved email, which is a bit of an annoyance, but not a huge problem.

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Does anyone know of a good, safe way to kill those horrible bumblebees that we get around here? I might feel guilty about killing a regular bee (especially since so many honeybees are supposedly dying off for some unknown reason, these days), but for those mean bumblebees I have no pity. Over the past few days, I've noticed that we have at least one that's already set up camp outside our kitchen door. Every year they do this-- guard our door and terrorize me, hovering right in my path, darting back and forth-- almost daring me to come closer. Seriously, they scare me. I don't know what I think they're going to do-- beyond sting me, maybe-- but they're just so intimidating!

Anyway, I want this one dead. Will regular wasp spray work, or do I have to hit it with something? I doubt I can work up the nerve do hit it. . . It takes a lot of willpower for me to squash a regular bug, much less these hovering monsters. ;o) (Yeah, I'm a sissy.)

Maybe the bad weather that we're supposed to get tonight will blow the bee out of town. Wishful thinking. . .

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Have you seen this video yet?



A German jet with over 100 passengers nearly crashed during landing. Pretty scary! I can't imagine what the people on board must've been thinking. Well, I do know what I would've been doing-- praying and panicking! Fortunately, they were able to land safely on another attempt, so no-one was hurt.

K., can you hear/understand what the guys are saying at the end of the video? Just curious. ;o) ( Isn't it just so much fun when people ask you to translate things for them? (g))

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Daisy had another seizure or two, within the past few days, but so far, they've just been the run-of-the-mill sort. Nothing like the time that she was having several a day and never completely recovering between them. We've been giving her diazepam (valium) immediately after she seizes, and that does seem to help keep the "aftershock" seizures to a minimum.

Based on the records we've been keeping, it definitely seems like this is a monthly occurrence (apart from the last time, which we know was triggered by a dosage problem). It makes you wonder why it happens once a month, though. If this pattern holds out, at least we'll know when to expect her next fit.

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I'm looking forward to the season finale of the new(ish) Terminator series on TV. It's one of the very few TV shows we both watch. (I don't think I've ever seen the first two movies, but apparently I know enough of the backstory to follow along.) There are others we both like, but most of them have been on hiatus for a while. I wonder when new episodes of The Office and Pushing Daisies will start airing. . .

Watching a show with someone is a pleasant change from watching by myself. It's nice to have someone to talk to about plot twists-- and you don't have to make your predictions and comments to an empty room. Not that I've ever let that stop me before! I don't mind sharing my brilliant insights with no-one but myself, but if there's someone there to talk back, all the better! ;o)

The collar returneth.

Yesterday, I found Daisy's collar in the dogloo, but it took two separate tries. (Not sure where it was hiding the first time!) In between dogloo-ransacking, I'd very nearly convinced myself that I'd taken the collar off her myself and managed to forget all about it. (Obviously, I don't have enough faith in my own memory/sanity.)

She wasn't exactly thrilled when I first presented her with the recovered collar, but I think she's resigned herself to it. ;o)

(glances to the side)
Gah! She's spying on me through the atrium doors! She can look a little creepy when she's not smiling. . . I wonder if she knows I'm writing about her? ;o) Nah, she's just trying to guilt me into letting her inside, even though it's perfectly comfortable outside-- especially if you're wearing a thick fur coat (like she is).

So, anyway, at least now you can take comfort in the knowledge that this ferocious ear-nibbling, hand-licking fiend is back in her collar. ;o)

Things that have been happening lately:

• Daisy's slowly recovering from another bout of seizures. At least we think we know what brought it on this time. The dosage on her medicine was off, due to a mistake at the vet's office. It's pretty frustrating that we'll have to watch them more carefully from now on-- but at least she's getting better again.
  
• Highs today will be in the mid-70s, followed by a chance of rain and maybe thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow. It doesn't feel much like February! It's nice to be warm for a day or two, but I'm glad the temperature will be going down again, soon. I don't mind spring, but I'm not ready for summer, yet. (Ok, I'm not ever ready for summer. It simply has to be endured.)
  
• Yesterday, I noticed new leaves on our hydrangeas and the beginnings of daffodils poking up here and there. I guess spring is on its way. (Today, it feels like it's already here!) I need to get into gear and do some yard work before it's sweltering again.
  
• Donald and I watched the extended versions of The Two Towers and The Return of the King over the weekend. I think that might have been the first time we say the latter since we watched it in the theater.
  
• I still can't see why Tolkien chose two names ("Sauron" and "Sarumon") that look and sound so similar. I remember being a bit confused when I read the books, too. Two of the very few women in the books also have similar-sounding names-- "Arwen" and "Eowyn". They're not identical, but they're pretty close, considering that he had his choice of all the names in the world (or out of it, since this is fantasy).
  
• I can barely remember the books. Of course, I was in middle school when I read them, so it's been a while. (g) I might try re-reading them, sometime. I'm not generally a big reader of fantasy, but a little variety can be nice.
  

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy new year. :o) Let's try to enjoy every day!

We spent New Year's Eve quietly at home, watching a couple of movies and playing some Boggle to pass the time. We made it till midnight, but it wasn't as easy as it used to be. (g) It's kind of sad that now that I'm "old enough" to stay up until midnight every night (if I want) it no longer holds the same appeal it once did. I think I'm more of a morning person. (Maybe I shouldn't admit it. Morning people are generally reviled as unnatural creatures. ;o) Does it help if I add that I'm a morning person for an hour or two, and then I get tired again?)

After a while, we'll head over to a last-minute family lunch at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Doug's house, where we'll eat some black-eyed peas to ensure that 2008 will be a prosperous year. ;o)

They say that whatever you do on New Year's Day will set the tone for the rest of the year-- that you'll be doing that same thing all year long. It's a good thing I don't believe in the old superstition, since poor Daisy's been having a few seizures today. (Well, she probably will have them off and on through the whole year, but not every single day, I hope!)

I suppose that's all I have to say. Time to get to work on some of those resolutions! (g)

Slitherin' snakes!

Well, actually that ought to be in the singular-- "slitherin' snake"-- as there was only one.

Yesterday evening, Donald and I went to see what Molly was barking about so ferociously, at the back door. I assumed we'd find Daisy having another seizure (though thank goodness, I think she's fully out of the last awful cluster of them and is finally getting back to normal), but no, Daisy was standing on the porch, looking a bit concerned.

Molly, meanwhile, was just off the porch, barking angrily at something small and dark. In the twilight, I couldn't quite see what it was-- some very small animal. I thought for a moment that it was probably a dying mouse or a bird that she'd found. However, after seeing it make a couple of striking motions, I realized what it was-- just as Donald said it-- a snake! A tiny snake, but still a snake, striking repeatedly at Molly, who was crazily attacking it.

Molly completely disregarded our calls, so Donald hurried the more obedient Daisy through the back door into my care and then went out to try to get Molly by the collar. I think the snake escaped into a flower bed before Donald could get a good look at it. It might have been just a garter snake. (We see one every so often, so we know they're around.) On the other hand, it could have been just about anything!

So far (knock on wood) Molly doesn't seem to be getting sick, and she showed no sign of pain or soreness when we took her inside, after the commotion.

The barking is good-- lets us know there's something that shouldn't be there-- but I wish she would keep a safe distance, herself!

There's never a dull moment, with these dogs! ;o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even if you don't live in a place that celebrates Thanksgiving today, please consider this an invitation to indulge in a tasty treat, get together with family or friends, and acknowledge the blessings in your life. :o)

We had an "early Thanksgiving" supper last night with my father's side of the family. The only one missing from the table was one of my cousins, who lives in Orlando, FL. The branch of the family that lives in Georgia was down for the holiday. It was good to see everyone again. My two youngest cousins have grown since I last saw them-- especially Olivia. Children are so much more interesting once they learn to talk. (g)

Today, we'll be going to Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) at my maternal grandparents' house, where I'm sure we'll eat more than we should. ;o)

We're still undecided on whether we'll do any early-bird shopping Friday. It really depends on whether or not we see any great deals in the papers, I guess. If we don't, it'll be nice just to have a long weekend.

I'm almost afraid to write anything optimistic, for fear of somehow jinxing it, but Daisy seems to be slowly recovering from her cluster of seizures. She still has one every now and then, and she's not 100% back to her usual self, but she's having nowhere near as many fits as she had last weekend. I hope the good trend continues. It's amazing how stressful and saddening it is when even "just your dog" is sick. We're looking into a few treatment options in the hopes of avoiding similar problems in the future, but epilepsy isn't really something that is "cured" or even easily controlled. Today, however, I'm just going to be thankful that she's better for now.

On a lighter note--

On a lighter note from the last entry. . .

I just noticed that the AccuWeather widget I have on this blog currently describes our weather as "dreary". (g) Well, it does look a bit grey out there, I guess, but I don't know if it's that bad.

Oh, Daisy just had another seizure.
:o( !!

More Evidence of Man's Stupidity

Or maybe the "stupidity" would be more accurately described as a lack of respect and concern for the well-being of others. But when I get mad, I'm apt to fall back into a childish tendency of calling infuriating people "stupid".

Why will people persist in allowing their dogs to roam far and wide? It's not only dangerous for the dogs themselves, but it also brings my blood to the boiling point when they wander onto my property, where my own dogs are carefully kept in a fenced yard. This morning, there were two big, scary, growling (probably "playfully" to each other, but I don't care-- it was still a growl) boxers (or something similar) running down the recently mowed strip between our yard and the (mostly) open field. We hurried our dogs inside before they saw the intruders. The strange dogs were big enough to be able to jump our fence, if they wanted to, so we didn't want to take any chances.

In other news, Daisy's going through one of her periods of having seizures, again. She will go for days or weeks without any, then suddenly have a cluster-- say, three or four in two days. This time, the bout seems to be more severe than usual. She had two yesterday (I think) and six (again, I think-- too lazy to go look for the paper where I listed the times) so far this morning (the first one coming at 4:30). Each individual seizure is no worse than the others she's had, but the fact that they're coming so close together worries me. I guess we'll just keep an eye on her over the next few days and decide what to do based on that.

Poor baby. It seems unfair that such a sweet, good-tempered dog should be afflicted in this way, but of course there are examples of that sort of thing everywhere; unfortunately they're not restricted to the "dog world".

Daisy snoozing. . .