I live in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. with two wonderful Black Labrador Retrievers. It will become obvious to any readers of this blog that I spend way too much time with my dogs.
I love to go to yard sales and haunt thrift stores for a bargain. I am often joined by my two dogs on a Saturday morning and when I spend too much time at a particular sale, Clover can be heard barking out her opinion.
Cosmo reporting. Word has it that “she” is taking us out to some yard sales tomorrow morning. I’m getting kind of tired of these early Saturday morning forays. Dude .. what’s with the early up-and-at-em? My attitude might change, if “she” starts buying some interesting things for me once and a while. Or, at least let us out of the truck to have a “look-see” and meet other people and stuff. My time limit for this outing is exactly 2 hours. After that, I WILL let my displeasure known by head butting, whimpering, and if all else fails, floating a smelly bomb once and a while. Check back Saturday for an update.
Clover here. Woohoo! “She” is taking us in the morning at first light to go in the car and check out the local yard sales and maybe buy something fun to play with or something might taste good or something that even smells good or like another dogor something and then maybe “she’ll” take us to the park and then we can play for a while before we come home and take a nap and then unload the car and smell all the good stuff all over again because I love to help her unload the car too and I can carry packages really well as long as they are not too heavy and don’t drag on the floor or anything.
A lot of Evelyn’s rose collection came from magazines, and on the back side of the roses, were some fun advertisements. Some are dated from the 1940’s. I love the bucking bronco, and I would love to have one of those gold Lincolns, too!
I found a large brown envelope at the recycle center when I was visiting my parents last month. It looked interesting, and since it was free … I took it so I could go through it later. Well, later is here, and I am surprised!
The envelope is marked “Roses” and inside I found something signed by Evelyn R. The collection of roses are tissue paper, cuttings from the newspaper and magazines, wrapping paper, and small cuts of wallpaper. Some of the advertisements on the back of the roses are pretty interesting too (another day/another post). A few of the items are dated from the 1940’s.
I have mentioned in previous posts how wonderful a dog Cosmo is. This morning? Not so much. At exactly 4:00 a.m. he jumped on the bed and woke me.
Imagined conversation went something like this:
Cosmo: “Hey Mom - I’m not feeling so well.”
Me: “Poor Coz, What’s the matter?”
Cosmo: “My tummy feels bad. Uuhh ohhh.”
Me: “Don’t you dare …. “
Cosmo: “Oops, sorry mom, didn’t mean to throw up on you and your pillow and your blanket.”
Me: “Gee, thanks for sharing that Cosmo. Now get the hell off my bed.”
Yep. That’s how my morning started — a sick dog followed by me taking an early shower, changing the bedding, and trying very hard not to be angry with my boy.
Did I mention it has been raining a lot the last few days? I took these photos yesterday in the rain after walking the dogs. Isn’t it strange — Dogs that won’t go out in the yard in the rain, will gladly go out on the leash and walk in a deluge. What’s with that, anyway? Everything is still very soggy, and today has dawned cool and sunny. The weather report says it should be this way for a couple of days. Hopefully, Saturday will be clear and rain-free so I can get my fix of yard sales!
For roses that have been neglected for the last couple of years, they sure are putting out some pretty flowers. I forgot to trim them back this year and really didn’t expect such beautiful blooms. The guy that cuts my little lawn said he would dig out and mulch my flower beds. However, he seems to have gone MIA. I’m afraid I’m going to have to get dirty this weekend in order to at least clean thing up enough so I don’t get a nasty letter from the Home Owners Association.
If I were a paranoid person, or perhaps a bit more paranoid than I am already, I would be looking for a guy named Noah and see if he’s building a big boat. Growing up in South Florida, I’m used to heavy pounding rains. It just seems out of place here in genteel Virginia. I remember a newscaster in South Florida that used great descriptions concerning rain storms, such as gully washer or palmetto pounder (palmetto=palm tree). I wonder what he would call today’s deluge? A Peanut Pounder? A Blue Ridge Blaster? or maybe an Old Dominion Drenching?
Now, my two dogs are retrievers. They’re water dogs. They are wash-and-wear dogs. They like to get wet, one of them actually likes to swim just for the hell of it. They like going out in the rain just so they can get wet and come back in the house and get wiped down. Cosmo likes to cozy up to me when he’s wringing wet and pass back and forth as I swipe at him with a nice dry towel. That was then, this is now!
It is raining so hard right now that the water has gotten into the wiring of the security light in my little back yard and shorted it out. My little yard is under water. So cold and wet, that both of my water retrieving, pool/lake/ocean/river swimming retrievers absolutely refuse to go outside!
Clover stuck her head out the door and backed up … walking backwards all the way across the kitchen floor to get to safety in the dining room. Cosmo was brave! He actually went out the door, turned left quickly, hugging the wall. Within 15 seconds, however, he changed his mind, slipped in the mud, Oops! And bolted for the dining room dripping water and mud as he went.
Its a mess out there … in my little yard. And in my kitchen. And my dining room. And on my sofa.
My poor girl. Clover is so afraid of thunder storms that the night before last she literally had the shit scared out of her! (Sorry. Just didn’t work using “poop.”) Its only happened one other time also during a thunderstorm. Its hard to get angry with a dog that is that scared.
We had a round of major storms come through Northern Virginia Thursday night with some tornadoes touching down about 40 minutes south. I got home in the middle of a major thunder and lightning event, running for my life to get into the house. I was met by a very calm Cosmo, and my poor Clover, shaking from fear and nerves over the storm, and mortification over the fact that she had an “accident” in the house.
Anyone that is owned by a Labrador Retriever knows that they like to eat often and on time. This is the first time Clover ever missed a meal without complaining. She was so out of it, that she took her anxiety pill, and headed upstairs to hide in the closet without eating any dinner. After a few minutes, I could hear her pacing the floor and went up to check on her. I put her puffy pillow in the bath tub and she jumped in to lie down, still shaking. A couple of years ago, she started hiding out in the bath tub during thunderstorms. Go figure.
I slept with the lights on so Clover couldn’t see the flashes of lightning. About 4:30 am, I heard her jump out of the bath tub and plop down in her closet. Yes, her closet. She took over one of my clothes closets a couple of years ago and while she WILL NOT be crated (even with the doors open) she goes willingly into the closet to sleep or hide from the bogey man.
I found a wonderful blog recently and have enjoyed reading it immensely. Beth’s blog is called Around the Funny Farm! Well, Beth held a contest, and I won! The prize? Books! I won a puppy once in a raffle a long time ago and my mother wouldn’t let me bring him home! I’m sure she would approve of the prize of books. But, only if I share them with her.
North Carolina Trooper Fired Over Abuse of K-9 Partner
I read this article online from the News Observer which covers news in Raleigh/Durham/Cary/Chapel Hill - North Carolina. It was published on April 29, 2008. I know that some people do try to train animals with intimidation and force. I remember seeing a dog training video from the 1970’s where the trainer “helicoptered” a German Shepherd. (Holding the dog by the leash so his legs do not touch the ground. It freaks the dog out and he starts to struggle to get down and he will start swinging around like a helicopter.) The dog in the video quit struggling when he about passed out from lack of oxygen and pain.
You have to wonder about people that treat animals like this, especially police officers that should know better. Is it a Country thing? Ignorance? or an underlying evil streak?
Thanks to Dan Kane at the News Observer for bringing this issue to light. And, shame on you Trooper Charles L. Jones and anyone else that thinks this is appropriate behavior.
I am tired of looking at the destruction pictures at the top my blog so I thought I would put something pretty up. The only connection these roses have to Clover or Cosmo is, if given the chance Clover would eat them, and Cosmo would pee on them.
After 3 weeks of 24/7 with the dogs, I headed back to work this past week, picking up the old schedule and habits. If I had known Clover was going to go mental on me, I would have medicated her during the day Monday so she would have been fairly relaxed by the time I left for work. Seeing as how we have had no similar problems in about 4 years, I just didn’t think that it might still be an issue. I guess I was wrong.
I didn’t notice the damage until Tuesday morning. Click on the picture to see the damage in its full glory. (This is the inside door frame to the front door.)
The last couple days, before heading out for work, I have been slipping her a Alprazolam (Xanax) that was prescribed by the vet. In the last 3 years, I have had to medicate her only during bad storms, the 4th of July and any other holiday when fireworks are prevalent.
Ten quick questions … and you will find out the answer to the compelling question … “If you were a dog, what kind of dog would you be?” Click on Chico below to find out. (I am a Golden Retriever!)
Have I told you what a good dog Cosmo is? He was house trained fairly quickly, and would go into his crate willingly. I don’t crate him any longer because he just doesn’t need it. I trust him implicitly.
He is not a whiner, he has never chewed on a shoe or the furniture, never destroyed my favorite anything, and never ever licked the wall or wood molding least of all chew large gaping holes into the drywall. He has never destroyed a book that I was reading or a pair of clothing that I wore.
Cosmo does not throw up in the car, and he eats his food slowly and precisely so it doesn’t upset his stomach and cause him to puke. He likes to sit very still and watch the world go by. His favorite place is the bed in the guest room which is close to the window where he lies watching his little corner of the world go by. He likes to sleep the night away at the foot of my bed or on the floor next to my bed.
Cosmo has never dug a hole (in my yard), never caused a fight at the dog park, and on the occasions that I forgot to take the garbage out … he has ignored the trash with disdain.
Dont’ get me wrong. He is not some Stepford dog its just that the difference between Cosmo and Clover is so remarkable to me. He would like nothing more to curl up next to Clover and sleep with his head resting on her. She, however, will only snuggle with me and only if SHE wants to.
Oh, and did I tell you, he can bark, too?
Cosmo doesn’t bark in the frantic, crazy, loud, insane ways that Clover does. Cosmo’s barking is planned and diabolical. If something spooks him, he will stand very still and at attention. Tail up, Head down. Looking over his shoulder to find Clover, he makes a small quiet sound that I call a “woofle.” Sometimes, you can hardly hear it if you’re not paying close attention. Not quite a bark and not really a growl either. Its a low sound that sounds like “errrr woooooof.”
There is method to his maddness! He woofles to get Clover’s attention … and then the big mouth takes over the real job of barking, and he backs up and let’s her take the lead. Its kind of like he’s saying, “Hey, Clover … check it out!.” Its the dog equivalent of ringing the neighbor’s doorbell and running off and hiding in the bushes.
Casey and Kelly were litter mates. I was living at home when my sister’s dog had a litter of puppies. For some very strange reason, my dad said, “Let’s get a puppy.” He told me to choose, and I grabbed up the “moose” of the bunch - Casey. A few weeks later, dad came home with Kelly. They were mostly outside dogs … sleeping on the patio and spending countless hours in the backyard. For some strange reason, my mom never really liked them much (or so it seemed to me anyway). I think she hated the idea of two big dogs messing up things around her new house.
Casey loved to swim. Kelly not so much. I used to take Casey down to the Intracoastal to swim in the Indian River … I would float out on a tube or mattress and she would swim around in circles barking at the birds. A couple of times, I thought she was headed for the inlet with a plan to swim to China. She would dive down to inspect the riverbed and on occasion would come up with an oyster!
I took Kelly to the river a couple of times. She liked to wade and dig holes in the sand. One time, she went out a little too far and sank like a lead balloon. After that, she stayed close to the shore.
My favorite story about these two dogs goes back to when they were about 2-years-old. It was about 3 a.m. and I woke up to the sound of frantic barking. You know, the kind that sets your hair on fire. Both my mom and I jumped out of bed and met in the hallway … she looked as concerned as I was. Back then, the dogs slept on the screened patio with the door to the fenced yard open so they could go out when needed. Mom opened the door to the patio, and Casey ran in the house. The yard light showed Kelly in the back yard acting very strangely. I went out to see what the problem was and I noticed she had a tail hanging from her mouth. When she finally stopped dancing around, I was able to grab her, and pry her mouth open. I shook her head to get her to drop whatever was in her mouth. Shake, shake, shake. Out popped a wet and slimy baby opossum. At that point, Kelly went a little nuts again, and I grabbed her by the back of the neck and tossed her into the patio and slammed the door. Picked up the little guy on a shovel and tossed him over the fence. A few minutes later .. he shook his head … and ran for the bushes.
Both dogs have been gone now for a few years now. Casey (the yellow one) had some severe medical problems and had to be euthanized. About a year later, Kelly (the red one) died after being given a steak bone (by a neighbor). We think that the bone was just too brittle and sharp and pierced her stomach or intestines. They were about 9 or 10 years old. Kelly was dad’s favorite and even though he has Misty now, he still misses that old red retriever.
Cosmo here. Thought I would give a shout out to update you on the latest news. I am sad.
Just when I let my guard down … she did it again. Up at the crack of dawn, dry yucky kibble and a bowl of water for breakfast and I’m not even awake yet … a quick run around the backyard … and we were scooped up and tossed into the back seat of the truck. Damn. I knew something was up when all of our stuff started coming out of the closet and piling up in the garage. Then, the pile in the garage, including the bag with my favorite pink octopus, disappeared when I wasn’t looking.
Clover seems to be taking all of this in stride. I am upset. I can’t think straight. I love my person, and I love my Clover, but I really like the old people and Misty, too. The weather is really nice here and the yard is so big! Plus, the old guy slips me the occasional tidbit under the table when no one is looking.
The only comfort is that all of our stuff .. including my octopus and stuffed penguin are in the truck with us. Thank goodness it all fit in the back back because I did not want to sit on top of all that junk for two days. I hope she forgot the kibble.
Update: We stayed at a hotel in North Carolina last night. It smelled strange, but it was clean. I ate a baked potato for dinner and drank a big bowl of water. Walked twice around the hotel a couple of times. Pee’d on some strange looking bushes. Can’t poop in public with an audience so I’m holding it until we get home. Clover slept the whole night on the other bed all by herself. Not sure why. I had a really hard time falling asleep, but eventually I nodded off. The people upstairs were noisy clod hoppers. Slept on the bed with the person and my blankie. I have the stinkies. Clover and the person snored.
Up before the sun. Water. Passed on the kibble. Pee’d on the bushes. She tried to poison me with something called Corn Flakes. Bleck. Where’s my potato?
My dad and I have just spent the better part of an hour arranging and rearranging, packing and re-packing the truck with all of the stuff that I bought over the last two weeks.
My original plan was to bring more stuff to my parents than I was going to take back. Yeah, well that worked out well. Not!
The only things I have left to load into the truck are the computer, my purse, and, oh yeah, two very large labrador retrievers. Not a bad job if I say so myself.
They have both been pacing back and forth between the garage and the living room to the bedroom. They definitely know when a road trip is in their future, and I don’t imagine I’ll get much sleep tonight, either.
In keeping with the theme of family pets from the past, I thought I would post this picture.
This photo was taken in 1965. I am on the right ( age 8 ) and my sister on the left ( age 4 ) with Cleo in the middle ( age 4 months ).
Eventually, Cleo became my mom’s dog, but we loved her anyway.
She liked to sit on the window sill (like a cat!) and look out the window. She also loved to play with balloons knocking them around with her nose.
She loved car rides, and later in life, she took great satisfaction in barking at me when I tried to sneak out of the house or into the house after curfew without being noticed.
Cosmo reporting. Word has it that “she” is taking us out to some yard sales tomorrow morning. I’m getting kind of tired of these early Saturday morning forays. Dude .. what’s with the early up-and-at-em? My attitude might change, if “she” starts buying some interesting things for me once and a while. Or, at least let us out of the truck to have a “look-see” and meet other people and stuff. My time limit for this outing is exactly 2 hours. After that, I WILL let my displeasure known by head butting, whimpering, and if all else fails, floating a smelly bomb once and a while. Check back Saturday for an update.
If I were a paranoid person, or perhaps a bit more paranoid than I am already, I would be looking for a guy named Noah and see if he’s building a big boat. Growing up in South Florida, I’m used to heavy pounding rains. It just seems out of place here in genteel Virginia. I remember a newscaster in South Florida that used great descriptions concerning rain storms, such as gully washer or palmetto pounder (palmetto=palm tree). I wonder what he would call today’s deluge? A Peanut Pounder? A Blue Ridge Blaster? or maybe an Old Dominion Drenching?
My poor girl. Clover is so afraid of thunder storms that the night before last she literally had the shit scared out of her! (Sorry. Just didn’t work using “poop.”) Its only happened one other time also during a thunderstorm. Its hard to get angry with a dog that is that scared.
North Carolina Trooper Fired Over Abuse of K-9 Partner
Casey and Kelly were litter mates. I was living at home when my sister’s dog had a litter of puppies. For some very strange reason, my dad said, “Let’s get a puppy.” He told me to choose, and I grabbed up the “moose” of the bunch - Casey. A few weeks later, dad came home with Kelly. They were mostly outside dogs … sleeping on the patio and spending countless hours in the backyard. For some strange reason, my mom never really liked them much (or so it seemed to me anyway). I think she hated the idea of two big dogs messing up things around her new house.
Cosmo here. Thought I would give a shout out to update you on the latest news. I am sad.
