Friday, November 29, 2013

Ready or Not

Just as we planned, it was a quiet Thanksgiving for us. By late morning we had both spoken to all of our siblings and other family members. For breakfast we enjoyed a holiday tradition of my homemade cinnamon rolls that are baked in a well seasoned cast-iron-frying pan (or skillet) that once belonged to my grandparents.  (recipe can be found here)
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting some much needed rest.
Today in the mail came a pop-up holiday card from one of my dearest friends, that we just love!!  So, with Thanksgiving behind us, ready or not, let the Christmas season begin!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Lovely words: Staying Home for Thanksgiving


I really do love Thanksgiving.  I didn't always. When we first came to Virginia, Thanksgiving used to mean traveling home to Kentucky.  This meant a 12 hour drive in ridiculous traffic on Wednesday and a high-speed return on Sunday to be back to work on Monday.  But that craziness came to an end when after consecutive years there was horrible weather when we crossed over the mountains of West Virginia.  So, we decided to start staying home.  When we did that there was none of the dread and worry I used to feel over the thought of dicey weather, slippery roads and terrible traffic.
When we eliminated 12 hours of driving, a world of possibilities opened up. We received invitations from friends to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families, or we could simply stay home.  Having that choice totally changed the holiday for us and became one I looked forward too.  This year is no different.  We had 5 thoughtful friends invite us to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at their homes, but we said no to all of them--This was only because its been a very busy and stressful few weeks, with the dogs, work, and everything else life has handed us and we are tired and worn out.  More than once the last couple of days, I found that being able to say those lovely words: "we're staying home for Thanksgiving," sounded as good as the dinner itself...Well, almost as good!  
~Shadow~

Sunday, November 24, 2013

He's a Scottie After All

The coldest day since last winter with temperatures that didn't get above freezing all day.  The hummingbird feeder left out for any stragglers, was frozen almost solid.  

The Goldens on days like this, had moments of being invigorated by the cold, but preferred  the warmth of the inside.
~CarrieAnne sharing her crate with Shadow (right)~ 
Todd on the other hand, wanted to stay outside.  As he sat, unflinching, facing the cold north winds of November, I noticed that he had a stoic and aristocratic air about him.  But he's supposed to be that way, he's a Scottie after all.

The Road Most Traveled

The road most traveled these days seems to be to the vets office.  For the 3rd Saturday in a row, that's where we were, bright and early--Why do I always take the 8 AM appointment?
Today the appointment was for Josh.  Late Thursday evening he was standing with his head down low, and turned toward his back-leg, and he wouldn't/couldn't stand straight--And when he walked, he walked in very slow circles, like a twirl.  He wouldn't move his head, so I knew it was his neck and of course I was worried that he may have slipped a disc. To make it all the more worrisome, he wouldn't lay down, and just stood there, looking at me.  I gave Josh a pain-pill, and we went to bed hoping he'd finally lay down and get some rest.  I woke up a couple of hours later to Josh's whining, and his still standing in about the same place. Of course I became even more concerned, but eventually he did find a place to lay down.  By morning there was a slight improvement. Once at work, I did a search on the internet which took me to a site that told about someone's dog who'd sprained their neck--I had no idea that was possible, did you?  A lot of my worry about Josh left when he was wagging his tail and was definitely better by Friday afternoon.  But just to be sure it was a sprained neck, I made an appointment for him to see the vet who confirmed what I thought. He's now on a muscle relaxer and rimadyl.  He's still holding his head to his left a little, but he's moving it more, standing straighter and is no longer 'twirling' when he walks.  Josh will be fine (I hope) in a few more days.  But until he is, no tugging the frisbee with Sheba. Sheba is okay with that, and in the photo below you can see her on the right showing off to Josh on the other side of the fence that she has the frisbee all to herself!