Just Stuff

I got up early this morning so I could enjoy the pace and quiet before the day got started. I sat in the kitchen, doing paperwork, paying bills, balancing checkbook. This blog is really interesting so far, right???? NOT!

So I took the dogs outside to potty. It was snowing so hard it was almost as if there was a fireman up on the roof with a big fire hose spraying wet, heavy snow just as hard as he could get that thing to spray. I mean, there was force behind that snow! “Someone” would not go potty, so I took her inside the house and just then the phone rang. Our neighbor was in the ditch just outside our Yak pasture. They had slid right into the path of an oncoming car, and the vehicle was totaled. The Sheriff came along, and took care of everything. But there were 3 cars in the ditch, all just outside our place. I guess it must have been a bad stretch of road!

Here is the view right now at 6:00 p.m., 02/26/2009. You can’t see across the road! It looks almost like another blizzard, doesn’t it?!

Meanwhile, I am knitting my VERY FIRST SOCK, EVER!!! Good friend Connie showed me how to ‘turn the heel’ which is the most difficult part of knitting a sock. Connie is also the one that showed me how to knit using those 5 little double-pointed bamboo needles, and I am thankful EVERY DAY that she gave me that gift. I absolutely love knitting in the round and making mittens, gloves, and now SOCKS! So DAN, TIM, BOB and BRIAN: CLOSE YOUR EYES and DON’T READ THIS, because this is what I am making all the guys for Christmas 2009! They are 80% washable wool, 20% acrylic. So they will be nice and warm!

Don is modeling my first ever pair of knitted socks. I only have a little left on the foot and toe area left to do.

Well, there is not much left to report, so that’s it for now. I hope that you are keeping warm, safe, and healthy. Remember: WINTER IS ALMOST OVER! HOOORAY!!!!!!

Lorraine, My Mom, and the Flying Wallendas

For those of you who are too young to remember, the Flying Wallendas were a traveling circus troupe consisting of acrobats, jugglers, clowns, aerialists and animal trainers all in one family. They became known for their expertise in the art of flying trapeze. If you are interested you can Google them – I found the write-up on Wikipedia to be quite interesting. Lorraine and my mother remember them quite well. In fact, we were discussing the circus Sunday night, right before this whole thing began.

We went to Shakopee this past weekend to deliver the 'babies' to their new parents. I am so pleased that they all got such good homes. That made it so much easier on me! And during most of the time in the motel room, Lorraine (age 88) would lie on the bed with her eyes closed and her hand pressed against her back, with a look of dreadful pain on her face. If you remember, Lorraine did not fall, but suddenly was in incredible pain back in January that required a trip to a spinal clinic in South Dakota. The only thing they did was order her to wear a truss during her waking times, and they gave her prescription pain killers for when the pain gets too bad. Which seems to be most of the time.

Anyway, on Sunday we went over to mom’s house to visit just prior to driving down to Storden again. We had just eaten a wonderful dinner consisting of mother’s homemade chicken noodle soup and the biggest apple pie I have ever seen in my life, both of which were absolutely delicious. Don and I were sitting at the dining room table, looking through a catalogue when Lorraine announced that she had decided to get up and walk into the livingroom to sit in the recliner because it was “more comfortable than the dining room chair”. We said fine, go ahead and continued pouring over the catalogue. Suddenly, we heard a loud “OH! OH! OO-OOH!” and then a loud BOOM! I whipped around in my chair, and there laid Lorraine on the livingroom floor with her feet straight up in the air. I screamed “Lorraine!” And then…you will not believe this…Lorraine grabbed herself by the backs of her knees and just flipped herself into an upright position, threw up her arms, and shouted, “I’m OK! I’m OK!”

Don and I were speechless and just sat there for a few seconds with our mouths wide open trying to comprehend what we had just seen. Well, by that time Lorraine decided that she could not make it to her feet by herself, and started to holler for us to help. So I went over there and got her underneath one arm and started to pull. At which point Don offered “You’d better grab ‘er by both sides, otherwise you’ll bust an arm, sure as heck.” Oh gee, thanks a lot, Donald. I appreciate all the help! I felt it imperative to ask "Lorraine, WHAT IN THE WORLD were you trying to do just now?" To which she replied "Oh, there was a BUG! A BUG! And I was just trying to STOMP IT and I lost my balance and FELL OVER BACKWARDS!!!" I glanced down trying tolocate this "bug" and next to my big toe was a teenie-weenie piece of sock lint, barely visible to the human eye, lying on mother's cream colored living-room carpet. I moaned "It's SOCK LINT, LORRAINE! You nearly killed yourself over a piece of SOCK LINT!!!" "OH!" she said, and she started to laugh...

And I pulled and pulled and Lorraine tried and tried. And we got absolutely nowhere. By now, we both turned to Don and pleaded for help. Twice. “I’m doin’ the best I can!!!” he explained, in exhasperation. It’s true: due to his advancing polyneuropathy, Don can barely get up out of a chair by the end of the day. Finally, he made it up and over to where we were on the livingroom floor. Don got down on his knees and had Lorraine by the waist and was heaving and shoving upwards, I had Lorraine underneath both arm pits and was heaving and pulling upwards, when Don felt that it was imperative to ask: “Lorraine. Can you explain to me, please, WHY IN THE HECK do you do these things all the time???” To which Lorraine replied “WELL, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS TIME WE HAD A LITLE EXCITEMENT AROUND THIS PLACE.”

That did it. I started laughing and laughing. I could not take anymore! By the time we got her up onto her feet, I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom because I was afraid I would pee my pants. I sat in the bathroom laughing and laughing, tears streaming down my face. My stomach hurt so bad I could barely breathe.

I finally got myself under control long enough to calmly (somewhat) walk back to the livingroom. Mother was sitting there on the couch looking at another magazine. Don and I started playing with little Keira, the German Shepherd pup that we had kept from this litter, and I was trying to tell mom about Lorraine being so 'flexible' at her advanced age. And mom piped up “Why YES! Just because we’re older doesn’t mean we’ll snap in half!” And she jumps up off the couch, lays down on the floor, and whip – nearly does a backwards somersault. “See?” she asked, with her butt up in the air and her feet back beyond her head. “It’s not that difficult.” Don and I both stared with our mouths open. Totally speechless. I mean, there was absolutely nothing that we could say at that moment. Here is mother, seventy-something, and she is as spry as a spring chicken. And Don is barely 60, and I am just over 50, and we can hardly make it out of bed most mornings. It was so humiliating!!!

So we limped our way back home again to Storden, with our canes and our walkers. And I would like to add that Lorraine has not said ONE SINGLE WORD since we got home, about being in pain! Not even once. She sits in the livingroom on the couch and when I vacuumed today she pulled her long legs up onto the couch and held onto her knees and grinned just like a little 4-year-old. Oh, they both make us feel so old! It's downright embarrassing to be outdone by our elders! Well anyway, Good for Them! And I hope that they can stay this spry for a long, long time.

Lorraine relaxing in our motel room. She must have taken one of those pain pills...

My mother in one of her more 'lucid' moments.. Seriously, though, Keira just loved my mom. And it looks as though the feeling is mutual!! Isn't this a sweet picture??

It’s Been Fun and Busy, But Sad, too!

This is the week that I always dread when raising puppies. It’s been a journey; in a way it seems like such a short period of time, and in other ways it has been a long journey. I think back to Halloween of 2008 when this whole journey began: Torii was here ‘visiting’ with Heidi. And Heidi was very sad to see her new friend go back home. Then two months later, we had this sweet little family to begin caring for. And now, seven more weeks later, our little family is leaving and going away. Oh, I know that we absolutely have the most wonderful people that we could ever ask for to adopt our little babies! I cannot stress that enough! But no matter how many times I do this, I know that THIS week will always be a little sad for me. I will not say anymore…I will just show you the fabulous pictures of our sweet little babies. They go to their new homes on Valentines Day, February 14th, 2009. And I may be a little prejudiced, but don’t you think that they are the sweetest Valentine's gift that anybody could ever receive???!!

This is the pup we called "Red" because she wore the red necklace. Don is keeping her. The name he has chosen for her is "Kyra." She was actually the 'runt' of the litter to begin with. She looks smallest in comparison to all the other pups, but she is solid packed, and only weighs 1/4 pound less than the other females.

This "little" guy we called "Tank." He wore the Bright Blue collar. His new mom and dad have told us that they will stick with the name. And he weighs 15-1/4 pounds at 6-1/2 weeks...he really is a TANK!

This is the largest female. She also has THE MOST gorgeous red color coming in on her legs. She will be a real looker, that's for sure. We called her 'Big Bertha' or Lime Green, for the necklace color. Her new family has named her "Ginger Ale!" I think that Ginger is a great name for this puppy!

This 'little' man we call "Tug." He wore the Forest Green collar. He is wonderful! Layed-back, and also a big puppy. He has wisdom beyond his years. He is sooo smart.

Aaaah...Here is tiny Anjelika, which is German for "Like an ANGEL." She is going to a very special home: one of my college friends who is now a Certified Veterinary Technician will get Angelika. I am anxious to find out what her new name will be! Becky will take extra special care of little Angel, with her fantastic nursing skills. YOU GO, BECK!

And here is our little Sweetie Girl, or "Lavender." I have never met a more layed-back puppy in my life. She just oozes comfort, patience, and LOVE. I swear this dog has read and memorized all of the "Fruits of the Spirit"

And there they are, "The Gang." Our sweet little family! Nope, I just cannot think of a more meaningful, wonderful Valentines gift than a warm, snuggly, healthy German Shepherd puppy. Just think of all the love packed inside these little guys!

I can't wait 'till the NEXT litter!!! :)