Deck the Halls!

The Real Reason for the Season

Merry Christmas! We've made it! It's the Christmas Season! My love & excitement haven't lessened since childhood. :) 

I'm not into marathon sale shopping ( I <3 Amazon!), crafting fests, or even much cooking or baking. Slice & bake for me please! I love enjoying hot cider or cocoa, watching my beloved Holiday movies, listening to Christmas music, and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! 

The Galaxy of Lights is my Mecca. I love, love, LOVE! the magic and fun of the whole trail. We took Buck to the Dog Walk Night every year, but missed this year due to inclement weather (steady rain & 24 degrees...) and felt Miss Lana might not be up for the walk.

Me & Buck at the Galaxy of Lights

I must have every possible second of available Christmas! All decorations, well house lights & tree, MUST be up by Thanksgiving Day. I guess it's lucky we don't do TOO much decorating! :) So here you go!

A small tree in our bedroom. Very pretty. :)

Our (messy) mantle

"A Christmas Story" Village

A spare icicle strand fashioned into a bay window swag. 

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree

Talking Rudolf & Clarice. See Rudolf's nose is lit? Clarice has a heart that glows also.

And the TREE!!! I love sitting in the living with just the tree lit and Christmas music playin softly. :)

View from entryway and living room

View from the kitchen & dining room

And of course there are the house lights!

I hope you & yours are looking forward to a happy Christmas Season together. :)

Settling in With Lana :)

This had been a big week for us all, with Little Miss Lana in our home. We love love love her! It's fun to see her come out of her shell and trust us more and more every day!

Well Baby Vet Visit: Monday Lana saw the vet, and aside from a case of ear mites that's a common ailment in floppy eared pups, she's a picture of health! One big shocker though! We were told Lana was about 2-2.5 yrs old, but Dr Chancellor said he's put her age at barely a year old! Wow! Our Little Miss Lana is a very accurate nickname. :) 

Potty Training: We were  told Lana May or May not be housebroken, but any big move can confuse any dog. She only had about  3 accidents and first she needed a short walk to go potty. We've advanced to going potty in the yard, but she doesn't want to be alone.

Back Yard Ambivalence!: Lana loooves playing in the yard and sniffing all around. :) But, as of now she's hesitant to be outside alone. I get it- new place, anxiety separation, etc. She just needs time and we can phase her out alone with incrementally larger time periods.

"Why no chase kitty?" "Dog! She'll kill us all!!":

It seems Lana and the cats are getting more comfortable living together. Hunter is pretty much ok with Lana, but Tigger isn't so sure. :-/ He's getting there. Last night be slept in bed with Lana being there too. Today she came down from the china cabinet for the day to his normal day long nap on the sunny bookcase. Lol. :) 

Beginner's Obedience Training Class! :D As luck would have it we got Lana into an obedience yesterday (Nov 19th)- the actual day I went in to sign up for a class in Dec 4th! For the next six weeks, Chris, Lana, and I will be at PetSmart helping Lana learn some better manners. In my opinion, people view obedience just for getting your dog to listen. But, the other half of the equation is your dog is now clear what you are asking and that cuts down on everyone's stress and confusion.

Week One:  Intro, "Sit", "Watch Me"

I'm sure you understand the sit command. :) The "watch me" was new to me. You are asking your dog to look into your eyes or at least your face. Great command for getting your dogs attention, especiallly when they're going a bit crazy!! :) In class Lana simply was too timid/insecure about the intimacy of eye contact. But, she finally would look in our eyes -not the instructors- very briefly. Before next Tues. we just have to work on those two commands! :) 

Lana's First Week Hwk: Weds- going nicely! She is showing me I need to do the same thing each time. We were practicing "sit" and I had to hold my hand position (palm open facing up, finger & thumb in a circle holding the treat) the same way of she took much more time to sit. Obedience 101 for Pet Parent: Patience, Repetition, and Consistency, Consistency, CONSISTENCY!

Very encouraged with her "Watch Me" command- a sit followed by a command to look at my eyes/face. She struggled with this in class on Tues because of insecurity, but in the calm of her home :) she's going pretty well! She makes definite eye contact & we'll work on increasing the length. 

I love getting to look into her gorgeous eyes. :) I've never seen brown eyes like hers. :) Not being gushy! They are a sort of a caramel-y light brown with a hint of red. So pretty. :) 

Fun!: It's so cute to watch Lana play. :) She really enjoys her "babies", her stuffed animal toys. They follow the beagle breed as hunting breed. :) She's got a pheasant, a rabbit, a fox, and a MIA porcupine. I guess she felt it didn't fit the criteria. :p She finds great joy in "hiding" her babies.  She just doesn't want to share I guess! She also loves small nylabones, Kong, and crazily this crackle ball cat toy with a bell. 

Cuddle Bunny!: One big benefit of the house breaking is we can trust (fingers crossed, no jinxes!) Lana can sleep in bed with all of us. :) She is such a cuddle bug! This week it seems about 2pm I've GOT to take some length of nap and of course Lil' Lana joins me too. Since my arm surgery I sleep with a pillow under by left arm for support. Today I fell asleep with Lana on the far side of the pillow and woke up with her cuddled up between the pillow and me. :) 

Silly puppy :)

This took a few weeks to post, but Lana is going great! 

Hello Miss Lana! :)

Sleeepy!

So, should we adopt Miss Lana? :) We had NO thought of rescuing another beagle so soon, but it's funny how things work.

Alabama has a chapter of SOS or "Save our Snoopies" and I contacted them last week to get general info. I explain Buck's passing and maybe in a few months we'd like to think about a new pup. My preferences are for 1-2 yro, small/medium, etc.

Susan, the SOS contact, said they had Lana, a wonderful little lady 2yro very close to us, who was in headed south to a new foster, but an adoption is ideal! 

Lana's foster family - the Campbell's- were going out of town for the weekend. SOS & the Campbell's offered for us to keep Lana over the weekend. Test drive I guess. Well shoot! Yes!

We've had fun with the normal headaches of newly adopted pets. She need needs a potty training refresher and a round of basic obedience lessons. :) 

At Lana's insistence- jumping & pawing at the front door- she & I took a nice brisk, sniffy walk around the cul de sac. :)

Tomorrow Chris & I will start teaching her "come" and "touch" (aka stop "Keep Away"). Have you ever heard of potty bells? Essentially it's just that, jingle bells your pup rings to let you know their tank is FULL! 

Of course it's another step, taking her paw/nose to jingle the bells, offer praise, and out we go for a brisk potty walk around the yard. If she is successful, HIGH VALUE TREAT and LOTS of praise!! We got mini Beggin' Strips. :) 

Lana is so sweet, such a cuddle bug! When she's not sniffing every smell she can find, hiding, then finding, and hiding her toys again. She and the cats are working on some sort of truce. 

She's such a ball of energy right now, the only photos I can catch are her sleeping! It's believed Lana's full beagle bloodline, a 13" (height to shoulder) female, a caramel & white coat (officially called lemon. Weird.), and the sweetest heart shape in white on her forehead. :) 

Lana may SEEM small, but beagles come in several sizes- all pretty much due to breeding for fittness in certain types of hunting.  At 13" she falls right into the AKC suggested category. Although she is certainly several pounds to thin. :( We don't want to swing the other way, portly, but an etra serving of kibble is on tap! 

My heart still aches for my beautiful boy. :( I have a kind of memorial set up for Buck and look through my photo album before bed. I knew it sounds self serving, but I know and can feel that Buck wants us to rescue another pup and love them as much as we loved him. As a book says, "In rescuing an animal you save two lives. First, you give your new pet a forever home. Second, you free room in a rescue or kennel for another animal." How true...

We miss you Buck. XOXO

Lana is a crazy ball of energy. So, for now, all her photos I could catch are of her sleeping. :p

See her heart?? Cutie. :)

Good Night, My Beautiful Boy.

*Writen in November, but now I feel up to sharing what was on my heart immediately after Buck's passing.

Buck, my sweet boy. My snuggle bunny and my shadow. My life will never be the same without you. You came into my life when it was just me & you against the world. We were happy to adopt Daddy when he came along though. :)

*If you would like the medical facts & info, stay tuned for the end.*

You are the best dog ever. Kind, gentle, and sensitive. You certainly loved naps with Mom, bike rides with Dad, and to watch birds at the feeder with the cats. I felt very safe with you here when Daddy wasn't home. I loved your company. We never had to be alone. :) 

We know your in Heaven now. You can run as long and far as you want now. You can follow your nose for hours and hours.  Sunny nap spots that never end. You enjoy a body that never feels hunger, pain, or sickness.

We love you, thank you for being our dog. Thank you for loving us. 

Carolyn & Chris

*skip to the asterisks below if you wish to skip the medical details.

What Happened:

Our sweet beautiful boy passed away last Saturday, November 10th. He wasn't feeling well for 3-4 days and had been into the vet 3 times in 4 days. 

On Saturday, Buck was diagnosed with epilepsy. While beagle are strongly predisposed to epilepsy, having it emerge at 9 years of is very strange. But! The reassuring news was Epi. is very rarely fatal and our vet started him on a medication. We were to return Tues. for a few more tests and observation.

After we got home Buck started acting very strange, he had what we now know was a tonic clonic (formerly grand mal) seizure. Afterwards he was a bit more alert, responding to our voices, etc but, began walking in wobbly circles. After he tumbled off the bed, then "got stuck" after walking up against the back of the house, we crated him for his own safety.

In his crate he seemed to be doing better, we hoped the medication was helping. He snored his way through a 3-4 hr nap. But, about 4 or 5pm his breathing became labored. Eventually, he stopped breathing completely. :-/

Chris performed CPR while I drove Buck to the emergency clinic, but our sweet boy had slipped away from us. While it was a traumatic event for us, we take comfort in the fact two vets have reassured us for Buck he wouldn't have had any distress or pain. He was happy and content at home with Mommy & Daddy, took a nap, and woke up in his forever home. We anxiously await seeing Buck again in our time.

While we don't know for sure, our vet believes Buck suffered a bleed in his brain that would have caused his death on Saturday. Two front runners are stroke or brain tumor. Seizures cause high blood pressure and this pressure could have caused a stoke to bleed or pushing on a tumor also causing a bleed. 

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Ultimately, Buck's death was a terrible anomalie. It couldn't have been detected. The possible diseases are all inconsistent with life. While it's cliche, it was a great mercy Buck passed like he did. He didn't linger and we didn't face the added heartache of having him put down.

But, our hearts still ache for out Buck a Bee. There really isn't words... Soon I'll try to compose myself to write your story. 

Buck & Chris asleep for the night. This was taken two nights before Buck passed away. During this week Buck was extremely comforted by physical touch & contact.

Hug your babies tight! 

Buck's earthly remains with his collar and favorite toys. 

No Words...

OAt this moment I cannot write a worthy post. My sweet, sweet boy Buck passed away very suddenly yesterday. My grief is like a knife.

Smiiile!

Quick Covalent Post!

I'm now a t-Rex!! Rarrr!! So did I even mention I was having surgery Oct. 24? Well I did- just to excise two lesions under my left arm. Imagine two bites down to the muscle then stiched up. Ouch, yes. BUT not TOO bad. 

Pain pain only lasted about a week, but now it's just very tender & sore. I have/prefer to keep my upper arm against by side to stabilize my underarm. When I'm out & about or active around the home, I am most comfortable in wearing my sling.

-Hence my new self given nickname Rex. :p

Although I'm dealing with some complications. The incisions isn't behaving! It immediately became infected and I had to see an infectious disease specialist. However, the antibiotic has started cleaning it up as fast as four doses.

As and the incision popped open in two areas to boot! Yuck! Other than keeping up my wound care, all we can do pray they heal up on thier own in enough time. If not, well, my surgeon will have to perform a second surgery and close the holes with a skin graft. No! We did that! I The donor site hurts like holding your hand on the hot stove, but you can't take it off. :(  Yeah, so praying for self-healing!

Well, that's all for now. :) I just wanted to say hi & I'm really doing pretty well. :)

Oh! Here's our pumpkin!! :D

"What? Why are you looking at me? These are mine! I swear!"

13 Days to Halloween! 5 Unsolicited Bits of Advice for Picking a Great Pumpkin

Happy Halloween! Or Harvest Festival or CandyCandyCandy Day! Whatever you & yours celebrate. :)

I have a deep love of carving pumpkins. I think one year I carved four just on my own. I see no reason to let kids have all the fun! I don't go for the old triagle eyes & nose models, but CERTAINLY don't posses a bit of talent you see on those master carvers on tv. :-/ 

Anywho, however you like to turn your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern picking a truly excellent 'kin is important! These tips will help display all your hard work the best and hopefully lengthen it's "porch life". )

This is a "pre-tip" and may sound kinda crazy. But, if you CAN decide on your pattern or design before you hit the pumpkin patch or farmer's market it'll potentially save you some headaches. 

I've used & love Pumpkin Master Pattern books for decades. (Ps-save the tools every year! A little stash is helpful for breakage & carving parties! :) ) You can find many online now by googling it. :)

1.) Look for a pumpkin with a fun stem. Sometimes all of them have been de-stemmed ,and in that case, pick your favorite. :) Why! 'Cuz you cut out pumpkin open from the bottom, right?? ;) It's awesome trick that makes your finished jack-o-lantern look more magical and professional.:) 

Borrowed photo :p

2.) Consider your pattern/design. 

Does it fit better on a tall pumpkin or maybe short rotund fellow. :) But, a safe bet is a pumpkin with a broad round "face". That's what I did this time. $5 for that beauty at Sam's! 23 lbs!! (I put it on the bathroom scale ;p)

3.) While considering your shape, you need to also be sure your pumpkin had a good "face". If you can see in my photo, my pumpkin's front slopes upward gently. And from the photo below, you can see it's average roundness of the face.

No, that isn't a tiny crane behind the pumpkin, it's the banana hanger on the fruit basket. ;)

Now than you've found a few potentials, we need to check the pumpkin itself if fresh & healthy! 

4.) No soft or soggy bottoms! Actually check the whole thing to be sure there aren't bruises, holes, cracks, mold, or signs of spoilage or damage.

 

*You can make exceptions for "scabbed over" cuts and scrapes. I would just be suspect if one contained a lot or were soft at ALL around them.

5.) It is SO hard to carve a jack-o-lantern here in the South -when in the end of October it's still 80's-70's- and enjoy it more than one MAYBE two evenings. So, if you have space, store your jack-o-lantern in your 'fridge with a bit if plastic wrap. BUT! Be sure to watch for trapped moisture that can turn into mold. There are lots other tips online just waiting for you. :) 

Not us, just an illustration. :)

Quick Side Trip:

Actually, this my trick for being able to enjoy flowers - like from a sweet & handsome husband ;) - for as long as possible. I store the bouquet in the fridge when I'm not enjoying them- overnight, going to be out for the day etc. That plus fresh water & using those cut flower food powders. :) Normally I can keep roses for at least two weeks. Honest! 

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We're lucky to have a 'fridge that has a kinda trap door like shelf. You flip if up and by sacrificing 1/3 of we get about 2.5' of vertical space. :) 

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So there you have it! I hope all my friends post thier jack-o-lantern pics! Happy Halloween!