Friday

[asirimarco]

Good morning to all - sometimes this post is the only way I know for sure what day it is. Have hot coffee made, using the last of our Mexican mocha coffee. Will have to go to Aticama to buy some more from the grower.
We are in Amado, AZ about 20 miles from the Mexican border. We'll be here for a week. Boy it was cold overnight, it even woke me up and I like the cold. Got up and put on long sleeves and pants. Bill is rolled up into a ball. Turned the furnace on so he might thaw out soon.
We ended up having to get a new satellite dome so that d**n Dish TV would work. The one we had just couldn't pick up the THREE satellites it take to run Dish. And as soon as we cross the border it won't work anyway. The satellite guys Satellite Advantage in Quartzsite didn't charge us labor for the installation - thank you guys. Only had to pay for the dome. And Dish TV gave me a $100 credit for all the problems we've had with it.
Took a ride to little town of Bouse about 25 miles from Quartzsite to see the memorial for a secret at that time training ground for tanks in WWII. Interesting.
Spent yesterday on the road getting here. Just do some errands and relax for a while.
Hope everyone is having a good day.

[BirdbyBird]

Almost ready to cross that border. That is definitely moving in the right direction. I am not quite as sensitive to the cold as Bill but enough to know what is feels like and am very aware of how the temperatures and my ability to feel warm enough affect my behavior. Usually I can put on enough tights and layers and scarves to make it. I just feel like a blimp as a result. Hope you catch the sun's warmer rays soon soon soon.

The sad part is that I don't deal well with the hot and humid temperatures either. Think I need Lyn's southern California weather, just don't really need that many people or the prices..... Now to go find my long underwear..... And now you also know why I appreciate Ocala's winter 60's and 70's.

The AKC tabulations for the Owner Handler rankings for 2018 are now complete. The year ran through October 10. Josef was just waiting for the bean counters to finish. The dogs that are right behind him are both capable of Sporting Group 1 placements or Owner Handler Best in Shows or Reserve placings, all of which pull in big points. However, apparently they didn't on that last weekend of competition and it is official. Josef is #1 Owner Handled English Cocker for 2018. (Josef will remain humble though because two weeks after the close of the year's tabulations, the handsome #2 dog did pull a Reserve Best in Show. It just means Mr. Zz is starting out the coming competition years as number 1!)

Josef's main job at the moment is to heal up his foot and grown back a little hair on his toes. The incision has not been healing as it should have but he did complicate it by creating an additional split in the pad. I have switched vets and feel much more confident that we are moving forward. He is going in daily for laser treatments now to encourage the healing and this vet is keeping the foot wrapped. I also started giving him some benedryl to slow him down and encourage him to "sleep" a little more and stay off that foot. Oh, and he had a reaction to the second antibiotic that he was put on last week and had begun to lose a little hair around his right eye. We have discontinued that one and have him on another more eye/hair friendly one. He of course continues dancing around as if nothing is going on, happy to have all the attention and enjoying his "only dog" status time in the evening. When he is out by himself in the evening he will eventually curl up with me on the couch. If Lark were with him the two of them would keep bouncing the night away.... During the day when I am working at the desk in my office, they will play for awhile and settle down and be real dogs. If I am on the couch, they just like to bounce off me.

[IrishIroamed]

Mornin' Carol, Tina & all that follow~~~

Such a visual you both supplied this morning! I pictured Bill thawing out like a pot roast & Josef & Lark bouncing around like cartoon puppies smelling flowers. Never know which direction my brain decides to go.

Still in New Mexico SP until Monday. Beth is on another loop, doo we have gone a few places this week. Not sure if anything is happening today or not. Im thinking about White Sands NM, even tho I may be closer to it in 2 weeks. The way I look at it I'd of I like it alot now, i'll have a chance to see more of it later.

That's it from me. Have a good day & stay safe wherever you are.

[Cudedog]

The AKC tabulations for the Owner Handler rankings for 2018 are now complete. The year ran through October 10. Josef was just waiting for the bean counters to finish. The dogs that are right behind him are both capable of Sporting Group 1 placements or Owner Handler Best in Shows or Reserve placings, all of which pull in big points. However, apparently they didn't on that last weekend of competition and it is official. Josef is #1 Owner Handled English Cocker for 2018.

Congratulations! What an achievement!! I am impressed!! Does this mean that we can look forward to a full-page spread in Canine Chronicle? (Although I haven't seen a copy of CC in years, not since I stopped showing).

Josef's main job at the moment is to heal up his foot and grown back a little hair on his toes. The incision has not been healing as it should have but he did complicate it by creating an additional split in the pad. I have switched vets and feel much more confident that we are moving forward. He is going in daily for laser treatments now to encourage the healing and this vet is keeping the foot wrapped.

There's a thought. Maybe I should try laser treatments for Joe's split pads. Ongoing for about 3 months now. One split heals, another one appears. Don't know where I could get such a thing done around here, though (laser treatments). Please keep us/me updated on Josef's progress. Split pads are a difficult thing to deal with, for sure.

I have kept dogs for 40 years. Never, ever, had a split pad problem in the past with any of my dogs.

Anne

[Bethers]

I, too, laughed at the images. Congrats to Josef.

In a bit Ty and I will walk down to the day use area and try to find birds. There's a bird walk tomorrow morning but it's at 8... And it's just too dang cold for me at that hour.

I still haven't decided if I'm pulling out of here tomorrow or Sunday. There's no hurry!

[JudyJB]

Still in Napa and been having dinner every night with my kids. As a teacher, son has the dubious pleasure of having to attend a football game in the early evening tonight and supervising some pre-game activities, so I am going over to keep the kids company. Supervising teenagers and their parents gets old when you are a high school teacher! Kids and I will order pizza, so no cooking required. He will be back around 8. His wife has gone to visit a friend whose husband passed away a few months ago.

It is amazing how tired I am lately. I wake up dragging myself out of bed, and even a trip to the store or doing some light work makes me feel exhausted. I am not a coffee drinker, so am trying to drink Coke or iced tea in the morning to get me going. Hopefully, I will get my energy back in a couple of months. Headed back to Eugene on Sunday, but it will take me three days to get there because I will not be driving long each day.

[Acadianmom]

I finally made it to town to get the truck inspected and get gas for the mower. I had to move pumps 3 times because I wasn't paying attention. The first pump couldn't take a credit card and the second one had a bag over the nozzle. The third finally had gas. A tanker with gas pulled in while I was still there. They must have been almost out of gas. I don't know what's going on with this store. It was a Valero station and recently changed to Circle K. You could barely get in there for 2 weeks for all the stuff in the parking lot because they were changing the signs and remodeling the inside. The gas pumps have been a PIA for a long time. That's the first thing that should have been fixed.

Yay for Josef. Hope the new vet can get his foot healed. We have used the vet I usually use since he got out of school about 30 years ago. There have been a few times he and I didn't agree. He had said that he couldn't remove the growth in Orange Boy's ear and wanted to call in a specialist. $$$ I was so glad I found the vet clinic in Lafayette. They removed the growth, no problem. It's also a 24 hour emergency clinic. The local vets take turns being on call and there are a couple I don't want to use.

I didn't like this summer's heat but I don't like freezing weather either. I hope our winter isn't as bad as the summer was. The guy that inspected the truck ask me where my jacket was since I was in short sleeves. It isn't that cold if you don't have to be out in it. It has to be really cold for me to wear a coat into a store. As soon as you get in you have to carry the coat around.

Someone from the RV shop called and told me he got my satellite working. He wanted to know if I wanted the satellite to work on the back TV. It has to be either antenna or satellite but can't be both.

My caller ID says I had a call from Rudy Giuliani at a local number. You think it might be a political call?

Martha

[havingfunnow]

Yay Josef #1!!! I thought it would be so! Now he'll heal up fast and be all ready for Orlando . . .