12.17.2009

It's Almost Christmas

Just got back from Las Vegas and had early holiday with the parents. SUNNY which was nice but not as warm as I would've like. An overabundance of food. My stomach still hurts!

We are volunteering to help greyhounds in the local adoption kennel!! Fun! Work gave me an extra day off [Christmas Eve] so Evie and I will help care for the dogs that just came from Phoenix - then Christmas day we're all going down to help! Very exciting. That should also convince the BF that Evie is in need of her new pal sooner rather than later!

Lazy as we haven't set up a tree yet [blame Vegas]. Here's a picture from last year's tree which was SO pretty...

11.07.2009

Greyhound Charity for the Holidays

There are so many greyhound charities out there - if you can't think of what to get that greyhound person in your life, or if you'd like to make a donation in memory of a greyhound [or person] for the holidays, these are the charities Evie recommends:

Royal Hounds - in memory of Tara and her brother Tigger, who both came through this group. In the Seattle WA area...

Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust - fabulous if you're in England! They've adopted over 120 greyhounds this year!

Guam Greyhounds - helping greyhounds from a track that closed with no warning get back to the US and into homes!

McGregor Greyhound Welfare Center - homing dogs from the Birmingham AL track in the southern US.

Evie doesn't need another coat or collar for the holidays this year. Giving that same amount of money to a group that can help another greyhound find a family is a great gift! Even giving up your Starbucks money for a week could put a homeless greyhound in a new coat/collar, give him a vaccine, or buy him a bag of kibbles for a month until he finds a new family. Think about it...

11.05.2009

Sandy Sales - aka Tara

July 3, 1999 - November 5, 2009

She was my friend and I will miss her terribly - love Evie





[this picture was right after Tara was diagnosed with chylothorax in early August 2009]

11.04.2009

Spooky Halloween

Somewhat belated but here's Evie in her Halloween "costume." She was being somewhat coy about having her picture taken.



Last year, tons of candy = 1 kid. This year, one small bag of candy = 2 kids. Ok, getting the hint that there aren't any kids in my neighborhood. But the new walk-way at the house all lit up made it nice!

10.01.2009

Busy September

I can't believe an entire month has passed by already! BF and I spent the first two weeks of the month in Italy. Yep.

We primarily went for the Formula 1 race in Monza [a fabulous sport that I'm totally getting hooked on]. It confirms that NASCAR is just a bunch of rednecks. Yep - I said that too. I have *never* experienced anything as LOUD as F1. And the mix of nationalities was great!

We met people from Finland, Sweden, England, Scotland, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, a handful of Americans from Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco, and Italy of course. So fun! We're going again next year to Belgium and probably Canada too. Weather was great and we did a bit of sightseeing too around Milan and Lake Como.



[Picture is of Rubens Barichello in the white hat - BrawnGP - right before the driver parade. He won the race that day!]



[Picture of Kimmi Raikkonen in the red hat - Ferrari - on his way to get ready for the race.]

Tara is doing suprisingly well. Been tracking her coughing and she didn't cough a single time while we were gone. Since we've been home, she's done it 3 times. Just tracking and keeping an eye out to determine if/when we have to drain her chest again. Her weight seems to be fluxuating a bit though. Some days she eats and some she doesn't. Picky pup.

8.19.2009

Tara update


Sorry I haven't updated about Tara in awhile.

Well, no heart disease. She was officially diagnosed with chylothorax. Underlying cause is likely cancer. We opted not to have the thoracotomy to open up her chest and see how much cancer there is. Aside from the cost, we mainly opted against it because we didn't want to have to come to the decision to not wake her up from the surgery if it was that bad. We also didn't necessarily want to know she only had "2 weeks" or "6 months" or whatever the case may be.

So, what are we doing? Just managing it. Talked with my bestest favorite vet [who helped deliver Cherry's puppies almost 2yrs ago now] and even he said that was a good option. Let her live her life and when the time comes, it comes. We just have to have the fluid drained from her chest every week or so. Ugh.

Tara's going to the vet tonight to have that done. It's been 10 days - and 20 days from the initial draining. We should have it done again right before our big trip so my dad doesn't have anything to worry about when he watches the girls. She's been eating sporadically [though the weather's been hot] and her energy level is fairly consistent. In the evenings, she loves laying the back of BF's car. Doesn't like going anywhere - just laying in his car. Silly.

And she has no problems eating cookies to her heart's desire! Picture is after she just gorged herself on 3 HUGE Trader Joe's organic peanut butter cookies [the ones with the greyhounds on the box].

8.05.2009

Orvis Cover Pups


Vote for Tara & Evie as the new Orvis Catalog 2010 cover pups!

https://coverdog.orvis.com/contest.html?contestId=1 or search for "Tara and Evie" and vote! GH need your help!

Voting will also help to donate $$ for canine cancer research!

Sickness



Pleural effusion is the build up of fluid in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall. Normally there's a tiny amount of fluid in there to prevent chaffing [for lack of a better word] of the lungs against the chest wall. It's generally related to a disease such as heart failure/heart disease or cancer.

Tara was diagnosed with pleural effusion the other day. She had 3 litres of fluid drained out of her chest [yes, that's like a coke bottle & a half]. Creamy, yellowish fluid tinged with blood. 3 litres of fluid weighs a bit more than 6lbs. She's lookin' pretty thin. We're trying hard to get her to eat to get weight back on her.

It started with a cough [like a cat trying to throw a big ol' hairball] several weeks ago, but we though she had eaten grass or had a bit of food stuck in her throat. Pisses me off that the vet [or should I say assistant, who said we didn't book a vet appointment, but only a vaccine appointment] didn't take the time to look down her throat. Hello, if you took her in the back so the vet could give her a rabies vaccine, how hard would it have been to take 5min more and look down her throat????

We had to bring her back after she seemed to drop about 5lbs overnight. And don't tell me [stupid assistant] that she's only dropped 1lb since January - when we were in for vaccines 2wks ago, your stupid scale wasn't working. I know when a greyhound looks too thin. 4-5 ribs + hard hib bones is too thin; 1-2 ribs & slight hip bones is normal. Fine we'll take xrays. That's when the xrays showed the fluid...

She goes to the cardiologist on Monday for ultrasound/EKG and more tests. Hopefully it's just heart disease to be managed with medicine - and not cancer. Hopefully.

7.01.2009

July 1st

Wow. Nice weather. Pups outside all day sunning themselves. Tara turns *10* on Friday, July 3rd.

My former pups [and I say former simply because the ex now has custody of them, which is a story in itself], Cherry & Gizmo, turn *6* on the 4th - and it will be 6 years since I got Evie! Went and picked up Evie the day Cherry and Gizmo were born! Odd that we ended up taking them both home later [Cherry the following April and Gizmo almost a year and a half after that].

Picture is from Evie on her first day home...

6.20.2009

June




Can't believe June is almost over. Enjoyed several weeks of good, sunny weather. Tara's here mugging for the camera [and Evie's in the background shaded for once & not in the sun bakin' her noggin].

The front yard is coming together nicely; wired up all the lights for the new "exposed aggregate" walkway. No, solar lights don't work in Seattle. Just have to add more dirt this weekend, plant the hydrangea and lavender, and then hopefully, voila! A house with curb appeal. Please make the rain stop...

5.29.2009

And it's done...




So, for the details:

Cabinets - IKEA Adel medium brown
Handles - IKEA Lansa 10"
Appliances - IKEA by Whirlpool
Countertop - Icestone Amber Pearl
Faucet/soap dispenser - Price Pfister

The countertops are quite cool - recycled glass in a concrete matrix. Made in Brooklyn. You can see the detail in the photo above - there's even mother of pearl in it! From the picture, it's hard to see, but some of the chips, if you look super close, have that iridescent white/red color like a piece of chipped off peppermint candy. Sparkly!!!

The IKEA cabinets are awesome; made to EU standards, low VOC, and much sturdier than anything you could get at a box store. IMO the only thing better would be solid wood but at 10x the cost! Have you ever been to an IKEA store on the weekends? Those kitchens get the crap kicked out of them by everyone - kids hanging on the doors, open/closed 1000000 times, etc. If they can handle that, I think they'll survive our "tough" use! The flooring is IKEA too...

Backsplash is still in process as we haven't decided what to do yet. Looking at replacing the windows in the house so backsplash may wait until that's done.

Under-mount stainless steel sink. The silicone that's attaching the sink to the counter has to dry for about 24+ hrs before we're able to hook up the plumbing. So right now, it's just sitting there looking pretty. It will be nice to wash my hands in the sink again - and not have to go to the bathroom for washing what few dishes we've used.

Overall rating = 8 on a scale of 10. Why? There are a few finishing touches to do [including hanging the wine rack which I spent days trying to find a custom stain for to match the cabinets]. I can't imagine doing a remodel while working full time - thank god I'm unemployed right now! [Translation, BF's hours at work make it 100% impossible for him to do it, hence me not working helped in managing & organizing everything]. It was worth paying someone to assemble & install the cabinets. BF's house is about 80yrs old. During the install process, the cabinet guys assembled all the cabinets [12 total] in 2hrs and installed in about 5.5hrs. I learned the ceiling sloped in one spot by about 3/4 inch, there's a 1/2 inch bow on the same wall, and the other wall slopes 1/2 inch from one end to the other. Installing cabinets is quite the science to make sure everything is level & plumb.

We also like how the cabinets all have the silent closing hinges on them [custom cabinets will cost you $100+ per door/drawer extra for this feature] - which is standard for IKEA. There are some neat features too, like a lazy susan for the corner, pull out cabinet for some small appliances, huge deep drawers & lots of under counter space to fit the coffee pot & Kitchenaid mixer.

BF will be doing the plumbing hookup on his own. Hired professionals to move a handful of outlets around & run the gas line for the cooktop. Bonus points for IKEA again, as custom cabinets would've cost as much as this entire project + taken at least 4-6 weeks to get in. Start to finish on this project from demo to done was 3 weeks!

*and note, I say "we" but to be fair, it's all BF's $$$ and house since he paid for everything! I just had fun managing all of it!

5.21.2009

Almost After...




and you'll just have to wait until next week to see the final product! It's awesome, but going almost 2 weeks now without a cooking surface sucks!

Before...

5.06.2009

Happy Belated Bday to Me!


I love birthdays. Something about a whole day dedicated to YOU. And gifts and cake. Love the cake. Last year, I had a great bday - as BF and I went to the Seattle Symphony to hear Vivaldi. How to top that? BF took me to Disneyland!!!! Never been to Disneyland - just DisneyWorld. It was fun & had a super good time. Awesome bbq lunch & nice dinner at the Blue Bayou. I got soaked on Splash Mountain because someone thought it was appropriate for the bday girl to sit in the front. Hmph.


4.18.2009

Color Inheritance in Greyhounds

I've been facinated by the varying colors greyhounds come in. There's a great article by Gavin Fitzpatrick that goes on to explain it, but in short, lately I have been coveting dun greyhounds. I know I shouldn't be picky about color but...

As explained by Gavin Fitzpatrick:

Dun is an extremely rare colour, appearing in approximately one in every 1500 to 2000 litters. It can range from a light blue fawn, through a rich red fawn, up to a deep rich chocolate colour, with the dominating factor being a pink to brown coloured nose leather. Many Dun coloured greyhounds in the past have been listed and recorded as being Dark Fawn, Red Fawn or Red. They should never be listed as a type of Fawn or Red as they are a colour apart. In addition, when fawn is crossed with another fawn or brindle, black or blue coloured pups cannot issue from such mating. However, when Dun is crossed with fawn or brindle, it is almost certain that black coloured pups will issue from the mating. Research indicates that all present day Dun coloured greyhounds will have a double cross of Rocket Jet.

Rocket Jet is an Australian dog, but dun can also be found in a number of English, Irish and Danish dogs. I'm not aware of any American bred greyhounds that are throwing dun pups.

Wonderful puppy example of white/dun:


This little guy is Eikica Lucky Lucas [Eikica Anthon Berg Finest x Eikica Beauty Belisha] - he's Danish.


Another example:


This is Glencrane [Premier County x Glencora] - he's Irish.


Enjoy!

4.11.2009

In Rememberance...

Valley Quaffel "Tigger"
March 24, 2000 - April 12, 2008
30E-90033




Also, April 11, 2004 was the day my little cat Tommy died. Can't believe it's been 5 years. Wow. He was a cute, yet sickly cat - and used to sneeze all the time. Funniest thing too.

3.25.2009

Lovin' the Welsh -

What else can I say except I heart Wales!


3.21.2009

Miss Thing...


Spring 1992 - March 20, 2009
I was going home one day to do laundry and there was a "Free Kittens" sign on the driveway of a house... I stopped, and there she was. And she stayed for the next 17 years. From Missouri to Florida, DC, Seattle, Colorado, New York and back to Seattle.

She lived almost 3.5yrs after my dogs attacked her in December 2005 - resulting in a perforated liver, dislocated jaw and a miriad of other issues [plus the most jumbo vet bill ever]. She collapsed almost 1yr to the day - possibly due to residual nerve damage from that attack, but she recovered again albeit with a few physical changes.

She was there through my divorce last year, and had another collapsing incident in April 2008 that I didn't think she would recover from at all. She did, but there was a marked difference. Her balance was WAY off - kinda like a car driving with a noticably bent frame. She had difficulty walking and jumping, but she scooted along like a trooper the best she could - and she ate like a fiend.

After much thought and tribulation, I made the decision to send her to my parents in Las Vegas in August this past year, along with Molly, my other cat. I was actually hoping to go to Vegas next month for a visit and to see her.

She was a good little cat - and I'll always miss her.

3.20.2009

What's All the Fuss?


Maybe I'm just not cool or hip. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've never been either. But anyway, I don't get it. I don't get twitter, facebook or myspace. What's the purpose? I have my little blog, email [5 different email addresses to be exact and I'm attempting to phase out 2 of them - and 2 are for junk mail only] and a cell phone - with madly insane text messaging attached to it. If you need to get in touch with me, send me an email or text or call. Why do I need to be on all this other stuff? What's the facination? I mean, I was hesitant about having a blog for fear it was too personal & there is a bit of anonymity lost. But with twitter, facebook and myspace, can you really be anonymous on the web? As it is, everything you post is out "there" forever.
Thoughts?

3.04.2009

Jasmine...

BF sent me the following text/story this morning. I'm not sure where it came from, or who wrote it [sorry, but please, if you know, I'm happy to give credit!]. For all the ick in the world, this is certainly uplifting. Enjoy...

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused. In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff Grewcock and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home. The dog had other ideas.

No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick. Geoff Grewcock relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.""But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits. And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur.



"They are inseparable," says Geoff Grewcock. "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster,a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine.

Doing what she does best, being a mother.

3.03.2009

Help?


I've eluded to it ever so slightly mainly because whatever is posted on the web is forever - and because this is embarassing on so many levels... But I am unemployed. I am a statistic that you read about on the news every night. And it sucks.
If you know anyone hiring, please let me know. Thanks.

2.25.2009

Guam Greyhounds

Sadly, I don't know where I've been since November, and how this horrible news has flown below the radar until now:

The ONLY greyhound track in Guam [a US territory] abruptly closed in November. For whatever reason, the owner decided to have a "come get your greyhound for free day." Seriously - I don't know how else to describe it. In short, people just randomly came to pick a GH. No formal adoption process or anything - so you can imagine how that's ending up

GH were taken to be used in dog fighting as bait dogs [allegedly], as guard dogs [laughable], and a miriad of other uses that obviously aren't suited to GH. Numbers are being found starved and abandoned; some released into the wilderness/jungle to fend for themselves.

This is unacceptable on I don't know how many levels. The only welfare group on the entire island, Guam Animals in Need, is doing the best it can to try and get the dogs OFF the island. It's working with a local group in California to ship them a few at a time. Many are malnourished and in need of lots of love and compassion @ this point.

PLEASE VISIT www.guamgreyhounds.org and donate whatever you can. Whether it's $1 or $5, any little bit will help these dogs. I'm unemployed - and have been since November. I'm trying to get $20 together to help; as I firmly believe this shouldn't be allowed to happen anymore in this day and age. I won't even begin to try to figure out whether or not the track owner was just on crack or what when he allowed this to happen...

Pass this on to anyone and everyone you know. I know times are quite tight everywhere for everyone. But even if you can only give $1, that could buy a can of food for a dog.



Do you knit? How about making a greyhound sweater with this great pattern courtesy Terry Lea Royea: http://www.royea.net/side_button_greyhound_sweater.pdf

These needy little pups could use some hand-knit lovins. Pass this around to everyone you know!

2.21.2009

Poor Evie

She's had the worst teeth, and sadly, I haven't had the money to get them fixed until now. Greyhounds are known to have bad teeth. Genetics mostly - some are blessed with fabulous teeth, others are not. It has nothing to do with NGA v. AKC breeding or anything like that. Just genetics.
I had saved enough last fall to get her teeth cleaned [and some likely pulled], but alas, I needed new tires for my car. Tires or pup? Well, if I crashed the car, I'd totally be SOL, so I went with tires. Saved up more $$ to get her teeth done.
And the results? Totally trust my vet - Dr. Kevin - who even has one of the puppies from the litter we had almost 18mo ago. Instead of 4 teeth [all pre-molars] being pulled, she had 4 pre-molars, 4 incisors, and 4 other teeth pulled = 12 total. [She also had a full senior blood panel, full mouth xrays and her nails lasered back beyond the quick to little nubbins...]
Evie is now at home, totally jacked up on tramadol, clavamox and metacam whilst recovering. Her face is swollen like a chipmunk who ate too many nuts and her tongue hangs out the right side of her mouth because of all the teeth pulled. The good thing? I swear it looks like Dr. Kevin used Crest Whitstrips on her teeth - fabulous! Also, I know that after she gets over the initial pain, her mouth won't hurt anymore [which I know was happening before] - and she'll be happy.

The cost? Hahaha. It pains me to say, so I won't burden anyone with that! Plus you all would pass out - like I almost did.


[Oh, and how 'bout that new pic of Evie this past fall in the title header? Dippin' her toes in the cool Snoqualmie River.]

2.13.2009

21st century has arrived...

Ok. So there seems to have been continual leaks under the sink for whatever reason for the past few months. Fix & think everything's under control, then voila! Another leak comes up several months later. Blech. Tiring.

Anyway, so we had another leak last weekend. BF goes to see about fixing it & runs up to the Ace Hardware for parts. Sad because they actually know his name in there. He comes home and says, "I have a suprise for you!" Of course, I'm thinking cute adorable GH puppy.

Alas no, but ALMOST AS GOOD!!! He bought a garbage disposal!!!!! WoooHoooo! His rationale was that it cost as much as all the parts to fix the sink. He's never had a garbage disposal in the house! Do you have any idea just how nasty and gross cleaning those little traps in the sink were? Bits of food particles all floating around soggy and then start to smell. He spent all day Monday putting it in rather than go skiing. How wonderful is he???

It's a joy to scrape a plate directly into the sink rather than the trash can. Part of me secretly smiles too b/c I used to tease him about it for several years before we were even dating - and I have no clue why he never had one before. He's lived in this house for almost 14yrs!

We have joined the 21st century. He bought a dishwasher about 2wks prior. I know...

And on a side note... Hope all the peeps and pets down in AU are going to be ok! Just devistating about those fires. On one GH list I follow, a very prominant trainer lost his life and another lost his home. Haven't heard anythign about the dogs being in trouble, though lots are in temporary kennel situations while other living arrangements can be found. Hope you all are doing as well as can be expected at this time. Read more here http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/

2.07.2009

Where Did January Go?

Wow, that month went by fast! Super fast. Hmph. Watched the inauguration streaming online at CNN. Pretty good, though I only really cared about Obama's speech. In terms of his prior speeches, I was disappointed. It was a solid 9 or 10. But I was expecting an 11 - the complete "WOW" factor. Something that would stay with me the rest of my life. Bummer.

Was diggin' Michelle's outfit and the kids' coats. Love the fact that they wear JCrew. Half my wardrobe is JCrew. If I ever run into her, we can bond over the latest JCrew catalog! Hehehe.

Random pictures. Here's Evie hittin' the sauce. You wonder what greyhounds do when people are at work? They raid the liquor cabinet. Apparently Evie likes the Bacardi.

And flowers from the bunch BF brought home last night. His response - because I haven't brought you flowers in awhile. I've been kinda hard to be around lately; studying for the bar exam doesn't help. He's a wonderful BF! They're still pretty.

1.09.2009

Happy New Year [belated]


We had a good holiday. It was SO much better than last year I don't know where to begin. Best Christmas gifts EVER = Tiffany's holiday pattern tea cup & saucer. Seriously, tea tastes better in it. I'm totally determined to have a table set with this entire pattern at some point in the future! It's so beautiful!

Also got a pair of my favourite Ugg slippers. I haven't worn them yet because I need a bigger size & the store is still out of stock! Uggh [pun intended].
Finished boyfriend's socks after New Year. Oh well. He loves them though; wore them about 4 days in a row. Which was followed by, "I need a Danish pair of socks."
Boyfriend is Danish and for him, it doesn't mean some sort of fancy Scandanavian patterned socks - but just something simple in red and white [the colours of the Danish flag]. I thought Trekking XXL made some, but alas no. So, went to Etsy and found Sunrise Fiber Lodge Studio - which had the perfect red & white yarn.

I can't wait - it looks so fabulous - and is self striping! It's superwash merino, bamboo & nylon so it should be super soft. This is only the 2nd time I've purchased something from an Etsy shop. I think the items people have to offer for sale are nice, but I really dislike the search process for looking for items on it. Think it could be better - the search engine that they use needs to be improved IMO.