Thursday, June 28, 2018
Bodie and Brady playing
We took Bodie with us to our daughter's home the other evening because she fixed us a ... FREE DINNER! Yup! So, off we went, taking Bodie with us. He really gets along with our 2 year old grandson, Brady. Mentally they are about the same age...
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Bodie update!
Bodie has now been with us for 10 days and we just can't believe what a wonderful dog he is. We think he was around children. We took him to our daughter's house and he played with her kids one entire afternoon while she cooked dinner for us. He was fine with the kids (ages 2 and 5). They eventually wore him out and he came home and toddled off to bed at 8 p.m., right on schedule.
He's only had 2 accidents in the house. The first one was the day he came home (he obviously wasn't potty trained), and another one this morning when I was gone to Target and WalMart for groceries. I reminded hubby to pay attention to his behavior, but... OF COURSE he ignored me and didn't look up from his laptop apparently the entire time I was gone. So, it really wasn't the puppy's fault....(if you know what I mean...).... Poppa just wasn't parenting.
So, because it was ONLY 108 here today, Bodie and I spent some time in the back yard. He ran around the yard and started DIGGING under our Chinaberry tree. ... digging and digging...MAN! Those little paws sure can MOVE! He ended up with dirt all over his nose! He's asleep now and the cat came into my office.
I finished 2 journals this weekend and am starting another one. I really LOVE the 9x11 inch size, so tomorrow I'll head over to the library and see if I can find more of them. You can see them here in my ETSY store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertsandBeyond?ref=pr_shop_more
I finished my desert/Western themed one, did a Sierra Nevada one, and finished a general botanical one. It was a busy weekend!
So, until next time...
~~Cheryl Ann~~
I'm wondering why there are NO COMMENTS for weeks and weeks...???WHERE is everybody?
He's only had 2 accidents in the house. The first one was the day he came home (he obviously wasn't potty trained), and another one this morning when I was gone to Target and WalMart for groceries. I reminded hubby to pay attention to his behavior, but... OF COURSE he ignored me and didn't look up from his laptop apparently the entire time I was gone. So, it really wasn't the puppy's fault....(if you know what I mean...).... Poppa just wasn't parenting.
So, because it was ONLY 108 here today, Bodie and I spent some time in the back yard. He ran around the yard and started DIGGING under our Chinaberry tree. ... digging and digging...MAN! Those little paws sure can MOVE! He ended up with dirt all over his nose! He's asleep now and the cat came into my office.
I finished 2 journals this weekend and am starting another one. I really LOVE the 9x11 inch size, so tomorrow I'll head over to the library and see if I can find more of them. You can see them here in my ETSY store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertsandBeyond?ref=pr_shop_more
I finished my desert/Western themed one, did a Sierra Nevada one, and finished a general botanical one. It was a busy weekend!
So, until next time...
~~Cheryl Ann~~
I'm wondering why there are NO COMMENTS for weeks and weeks...???WHERE is everybody?
Friday, June 15, 2018
NEW puppy! Meet Bodie!
Hubby and I had planned a 6 day vacation up to the eastern Sierra and by golly, we were gonna do it. So, off we went last Friday for a stopover in Bishop, then 4 nights in a pet-free cabin in June Lake.
BUT...
Along the way, we stopped at the Inyo County Animal Shelter. We both have been looking at dogs there. They always seem to have some BEAUTIFUL ones! So, we walked in Friday afternoon and went up and down the row of dogs. I liked a 3 year old Australian cattle dog, but hubby stopped and was looking at a 6 month old lab mix (same coloration as Ripley), whom I had passed by because it was too painful to look at him. But, hubby hovered. He liked him...A LOT. Bright eyes, eager, friendly, very mellow. So, we adopted him on the spot. We couldn't take him to the cabin and he needed to be neutered, so he was neutered Monday (and given his rabies shot) and we picked up Bodie on our way home Wednesday. I told hubby (it was a 7 hour drive home, 5 hours from the shelter) that I would DRIVE, but HE had to take care of the pup. Turns out, Bodie slept on his lap almost the entire way home. I only made 1 stop, in Adelanto, for a potty break.
So, the little guy (with LONG legs) is home now and settling in. He sleeps on our bed at night, and sometimes he is on top of the cat! He squiggles and wiggles and has completely taken over our bed. He does wake up about midnight and he is awake for a couple of hours (me, with him!), but then goes back to sleep about 5 am and sleeps until about 7. I can live with that. He LOVES chasing and retrieving balls and we play catch every morning. He's so mellow that our outside cat, "Mr Gray" just ignores him. He is used to cattle, rabbits, etc...having lived outside for 6 months. But, he IS getting potty trained and will go sit by the porch door when he wants or needs to go out.
Here is a photo of me with him at the shelter:
BUT...
Along the way, we stopped at the Inyo County Animal Shelter. We both have been looking at dogs there. They always seem to have some BEAUTIFUL ones! So, we walked in Friday afternoon and went up and down the row of dogs. I liked a 3 year old Australian cattle dog, but hubby stopped and was looking at a 6 month old lab mix (same coloration as Ripley), whom I had passed by because it was too painful to look at him. But, hubby hovered. He liked him...A LOT. Bright eyes, eager, friendly, very mellow. So, we adopted him on the spot. We couldn't take him to the cabin and he needed to be neutered, so he was neutered Monday (and given his rabies shot) and we picked up Bodie on our way home Wednesday. I told hubby (it was a 7 hour drive home, 5 hours from the shelter) that I would DRIVE, but HE had to take care of the pup. Turns out, Bodie slept on his lap almost the entire way home. I only made 1 stop, in Adelanto, for a potty break.
So, the little guy (with LONG legs) is home now and settling in. He sleeps on our bed at night, and sometimes he is on top of the cat! He squiggles and wiggles and has completely taken over our bed. He does wake up about midnight and he is awake for a couple of hours (me, with him!), but then goes back to sleep about 5 am and sleeps until about 7. I can live with that. He LOVES chasing and retrieving balls and we play catch every morning. He's so mellow that our outside cat, "Mr Gray" just ignores him. He is used to cattle, rabbits, etc...having lived outside for 6 months. But, he IS getting potty trained and will go sit by the porch door when he wants or needs to go out.
Here is a photo of me with him at the shelter:
Thursday, June 7, 2018
We are on the lookout for a new dog
Well, it's been a month since the vet came out and put Ripley down. It hasn't been an easy month. I still have moments of...sadness and tears.
I was able to clean off the side porch and gather up some of her toys. I still haven't been able to go into the closet, into her "den" and clean it out, however. Yesterday I did stop at a thrift store run by an animal rescue and I bought 4 bowls, 1 leash, 2 toys, 3 books (GORGEOUS ONES!) and a pad for the car. We WILL be stopping at humane societies along our way to June Lake for our trip and hubby is searching internet sites. We just haven't found a good match for us yet. Puppies go quickly and we are taking a short vacation soon. I see a lot of older dogs, but we would prefer one about a year old (OUT OF THE PUPPY STAGE!). It would have to be one that gets along with young children (5 grandkids) and cats, so that is quite a tall order. We will know when the dog selects US. And, it has to be a dog that we both agree upon. I'm the one who has always brought home our dogs, so I think it is time for hubby to have a say in this!
I'm trying to eat better and get my body (and mind) back into shape. I've discovered quinoa and it is YUMMY! I'm also eating more broccoli. I run over to Whole Foods and buy a container of the salads I want and I munch on it for a couple of days.
Anyway, that's where things stand.
Thanks for stopping by. No photos. I just haven't had much interest in photos lately.
~Cheryl Ann~
I was able to clean off the side porch and gather up some of her toys. I still haven't been able to go into the closet, into her "den" and clean it out, however. Yesterday I did stop at a thrift store run by an animal rescue and I bought 4 bowls, 1 leash, 2 toys, 3 books (GORGEOUS ONES!) and a pad for the car. We WILL be stopping at humane societies along our way to June Lake for our trip and hubby is searching internet sites. We just haven't found a good match for us yet. Puppies go quickly and we are taking a short vacation soon. I see a lot of older dogs, but we would prefer one about a year old (OUT OF THE PUPPY STAGE!). It would have to be one that gets along with young children (5 grandkids) and cats, so that is quite a tall order. We will know when the dog selects US. And, it has to be a dog that we both agree upon. I'm the one who has always brought home our dogs, so I think it is time for hubby to have a say in this!
I'm trying to eat better and get my body (and mind) back into shape. I've discovered quinoa and it is YUMMY! I'm also eating more broccoli. I run over to Whole Foods and buy a container of the salads I want and I munch on it for a couple of days.
Anyway, that's where things stand.
Thanks for stopping by. No photos. I just haven't had much interest in photos lately.
~Cheryl Ann~
Friday, May 25, 2018
Looking for a puppy
Well, hubby and I talked and we are now actively looking for a lab/mix puppy. I found a rescue down in San Diego that has German Shepherd/Lab mix puppies and we've settled on looking at 3 of them. Probably not until June 1, however, as I have some paper work to complete and I have to run out back and take photos of the yard and shade trees. They also want photos of the house where the puppy will sleep. You mean OUR BED? Hmmmm....not quite sure how to do that yet.
I'm excited over the prospect of getting a puppy, but also sad that Ripley is no longer with us. I miss her a BUNCH. I think even our indoor cat, Abby, misses her, but she hasn't come right out and said so.
I've washed off all of Ripley's sleeping pads.. She had 4 of them but preferred to sleep beside our bed or on the cool bathroom floor. Remember, here in the desert, things do get warm, although we keep the house at 79 degrees this time of year. We also have a HUGE mesquite tree in the front yard which shades the house and keeps it cool during the summer months. We have a covered side patio, too, and 6' fences all the way around the yard. I've raised 4 German Shepherds, 1 collie, and 1 black lab in this yard. Oh, and our son's Weimeraner for 2 years while he was in an apartment. "Atticus" dug HUGE holes in the back yard whenever he could and sometimes I still forget they are there and fall into them! He was SUCH a goofball!!!! He was a good watchdog and would HOWL any time someone came to the door!
My garden is still going. The hollyhocks have been impressive this year. I go out about once a week now and pull off the seeds. I'm going to keep them for next fall and even plant some out front. They grow nicely with the sunflowers.
Well, that's it for now...life does go on. The last 3 weeks (since Ripley's death) haven't been easy. I still cry most days and I miss her a lot. She was my buddy, companion, and best friend.
~~Cheryl Ann~~
P.S. Here's a peek at one of the puppies we are looking at (see photo below) She's a lab/German Shepherd mix. Don't you just want to smooch that cute face?
I'm excited over the prospect of getting a puppy, but also sad that Ripley is no longer with us. I miss her a BUNCH. I think even our indoor cat, Abby, misses her, but she hasn't come right out and said so.
I've washed off all of Ripley's sleeping pads.. She had 4 of them but preferred to sleep beside our bed or on the cool bathroom floor. Remember, here in the desert, things do get warm, although we keep the house at 79 degrees this time of year. We also have a HUGE mesquite tree in the front yard which shades the house and keeps it cool during the summer months. We have a covered side patio, too, and 6' fences all the way around the yard. I've raised 4 German Shepherds, 1 collie, and 1 black lab in this yard. Oh, and our son's Weimeraner for 2 years while he was in an apartment. "Atticus" dug HUGE holes in the back yard whenever he could and sometimes I still forget they are there and fall into them! He was SUCH a goofball!!!! He was a good watchdog and would HOWL any time someone came to the door!
My garden is still going. The hollyhocks have been impressive this year. I go out about once a week now and pull off the seeds. I'm going to keep them for next fall and even plant some out front. They grow nicely with the sunflowers.
Well, that's it for now...life does go on. The last 3 weeks (since Ripley's death) haven't been easy. I still cry most days and I miss her a lot. She was my buddy, companion, and best friend.
~~Cheryl Ann~~
P.S. Here's a peek at one of the puppies we are looking at (see photo below) She's a lab/German Shepherd mix. Don't you just want to smooch that cute face?
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Ripley 2007 - May 5, 2018
My black lab Ripley has passed the Rainbow Bridge. We called a vet to come out to our house yesterday to put her to sleep. We think she had a stroke a week ago and she was sleeping 23 hours a day and was extremely lethargic. She had trouble getting up from the floor. It was time.
As you know, this is NEVER easy. I've lost 3 good horses and now my black lab. She would have been 11 September 1 this year. She was my companion. It's strange how dogs seem to understand what we are saying. She would perk up in the morning when I said, "Let's go feed the birds!"...she would bound outside with me. Lately, however, she wouldn't even join me. It wasn't fair to keep her alive any longer.
So, hubby and I talked last night. I've always had a dog in my life, but we are going to take a break this summer and get a puppy (a MUTT) in August. We have a completely fenced yard, actually with part of the yard as a dog area. And, like I said, I've always had a dog. One of my first memories is me sitting on the floor next to a cabinet in the kitchen with my parents' Cocker spaniel and sharing dog biscuits with her. We've had 4 purebred German Shepherds and 2 collies who were a brother and sister. We kept the male and gave the female to my grandparents in their later years and Heather spent many years keeping them safe and giving them some company. Our own children would hold onto the collie's fur and toddle around the side patio.
So, for now, I will dwell in my memories of Ripley. I got her free up at the Anza swap meet nearly 11 years ago. There were 4 puppies in a dog cage...2 black labs and 2 shepherd types, all siblilngs. I picked her up and never put her down. She came home with me that morning.
She COULD be a brat. She always got into our trash until we humans learned that we couldn't leave her alone in the house when there was trash in the can! She had a SUPER nose! And, she was SMART! I honestly think she was smarter than a couple of our shepherds. She LOVED people, but wouldn't let another dog near me. She was always fine at the vet's office, something that 2 of our shepherds hated. And, she was fine around the grandkids.
We will all miss Ripley. "Baby Doll"
Here she is in my garden out back last month.
As you know, this is NEVER easy. I've lost 3 good horses and now my black lab. She would have been 11 September 1 this year. She was my companion. It's strange how dogs seem to understand what we are saying. She would perk up in the morning when I said, "Let's go feed the birds!"...she would bound outside with me. Lately, however, she wouldn't even join me. It wasn't fair to keep her alive any longer.
So, hubby and I talked last night. I've always had a dog in my life, but we are going to take a break this summer and get a puppy (a MUTT) in August. We have a completely fenced yard, actually with part of the yard as a dog area. And, like I said, I've always had a dog. One of my first memories is me sitting on the floor next to a cabinet in the kitchen with my parents' Cocker spaniel and sharing dog biscuits with her. We've had 4 purebred German Shepherds and 2 collies who were a brother and sister. We kept the male and gave the female to my grandparents in their later years and Heather spent many years keeping them safe and giving them some company. Our own children would hold onto the collie's fur and toddle around the side patio.
So, for now, I will dwell in my memories of Ripley. I got her free up at the Anza swap meet nearly 11 years ago. There were 4 puppies in a dog cage...2 black labs and 2 shepherd types, all siblilngs. I picked her up and never put her down. She came home with me that morning.
She COULD be a brat. She always got into our trash until we humans learned that we couldn't leave her alone in the house when there was trash in the can! She had a SUPER nose! And, she was SMART! I honestly think she was smarter than a couple of our shepherds. She LOVED people, but wouldn't let another dog near me. She was always fine at the vet's office, something that 2 of our shepherds hated. And, she was fine around the grandkids.
We will all miss Ripley. "Baby Doll"
Here she is in my garden out back last month.
Miss Ripley among the sunflowers...so silly...
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Fans? How about the air conditioner???
We are scheduled to have 3 days of triple digit temps here this week, then temps move down to 99, 97, and then the 80's next week.
YEE HAW! (not the triple digits...the 80's)...
It was 99 degrees here yesterday and it was 80 degrees by 10 a.m., so we closed up the house and turned on the damn air conditioner. I HATE to have to turn it on before June because we actually get an extra "allowance" for the hot, summer months. So, when hot weather hits us in February or March or April, or even May, we get penalized. We've lived here in the desert now for 42 years (in this house) and I actually remember a year when we didn't even turn it on until after July 4th! HA! NOT THIS YEAR or last year!!!!! We got a whole new system let see...it will be 3 years ago in August because our 17 YEAR OLD system finally sprung a leak and it wasn't cooling down the house properly and we got a $500 energy credit that tax year for the new system. (BIG DEAL...we still owed taxes that year!) We both LOVE the new system. It is modern, efficient, and quieter. And, it puts out the air! So, yesterday we HAD to turn it on.
We are also noticing that as we get older (which we hate to admit...), our bodies tolerate the heat less and less. We drink about 2 gallons of iced tea A DAY. Hubby's main job now is to brew and keep the ice tea pitcher FULL. We enjoy the TAZO wild orange tea, which hubby orders BY THE BOX from WalMart and they deliver it to the front door! Amazing, eh? That's also how we got our 2 new recliner/rocker chairs, which we both enjoy. He set up one of the oscillating fans in the living room and that helps keep the air moving, cooling us down too. We notice that Ripley, our black lab, likes to plunk herself right in front of the fan!
So, we have to get through this week and then next week we will have some relief.
I finished the 2 books about the Franklin expedition (one fiction and one non-fiction) and now I'm reading about... PIRATES! I actually have an ancestor who was a Dutch pirate and who was lost in the Atlantic Ocean. I'm reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton and a non-fiction book which I ordered from the library. I don't buy books anymore...I just order them from our library system. If they don't have it at the local branch, they order it from another one and I usually get it in 2 days. It saves money! $$$$$
I'm really enjoying this Spring here in the desert. The birds are gathering materials for their nests, they chatter all day and the mockingbirds sing at night. Hubby even looked up from his laptop to ask, "What bird is that?" the other evening. DUH...a mockingbird...I see doves picking up twigs for their messy desks, birds flying off with some of the horse hair I spread out on the ground, and in general, just acting like...birds. The grosbeaks have left, as of yesterday. I didn't hear their little noises and I only saw one briefly all day. Today, they are GONE! I did, however, see a woodpecker at one of the orange I left out for the grosbeaks. I don't know where they go, but every Spring they do stop by here for a couple of weeks. The Canadian gees will be heading out soon, although I have seen them still at the city park in May. I DID see a few of them this past weekend when we drove to the park to feed the ducks with the grandkids. I miss seeing flocks of them overhead, but I don't always get out by the freeway and they seem to follow the freeway through the pass to travel north, just like us!
I worked on and finished 3 journals yesterday, so they will be listed in my ETSY shop this morning. Time to start 3 more...
Take care.
~Cheryl Ann~For some reason my photos will NOT load this morning.... :-(
YEE HAW! (not the triple digits...the 80's)...
It was 99 degrees here yesterday and it was 80 degrees by 10 a.m., so we closed up the house and turned on the damn air conditioner. I HATE to have to turn it on before June because we actually get an extra "allowance" for the hot, summer months. So, when hot weather hits us in February or March or April, or even May, we get penalized. We've lived here in the desert now for 42 years (in this house) and I actually remember a year when we didn't even turn it on until after July 4th! HA! NOT THIS YEAR or last year!!!!! We got a whole new system let see...it will be 3 years ago in August because our 17 YEAR OLD system finally sprung a leak and it wasn't cooling down the house properly and we got a $500 energy credit that tax year for the new system. (BIG DEAL...we still owed taxes that year!) We both LOVE the new system. It is modern, efficient, and quieter. And, it puts out the air! So, yesterday we HAD to turn it on.
We are also noticing that as we get older (which we hate to admit...), our bodies tolerate the heat less and less. We drink about 2 gallons of iced tea A DAY. Hubby's main job now is to brew and keep the ice tea pitcher FULL. We enjoy the TAZO wild orange tea, which hubby orders BY THE BOX from WalMart and they deliver it to the front door! Amazing, eh? That's also how we got our 2 new recliner/rocker chairs, which we both enjoy. He set up one of the oscillating fans in the living room and that helps keep the air moving, cooling us down too. We notice that Ripley, our black lab, likes to plunk herself right in front of the fan!
So, we have to get through this week and then next week we will have some relief.
I finished the 2 books about the Franklin expedition (one fiction and one non-fiction) and now I'm reading about... PIRATES! I actually have an ancestor who was a Dutch pirate and who was lost in the Atlantic Ocean. I'm reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton and a non-fiction book which I ordered from the library. I don't buy books anymore...I just order them from our library system. If they don't have it at the local branch, they order it from another one and I usually get it in 2 days. It saves money! $$$$$
I'm really enjoying this Spring here in the desert. The birds are gathering materials for their nests, they chatter all day and the mockingbirds sing at night. Hubby even looked up from his laptop to ask, "What bird is that?" the other evening. DUH...a mockingbird...I see doves picking up twigs for their messy desks, birds flying off with some of the horse hair I spread out on the ground, and in general, just acting like...birds. The grosbeaks have left, as of yesterday. I didn't hear their little noises and I only saw one briefly all day. Today, they are GONE! I did, however, see a woodpecker at one of the orange I left out for the grosbeaks. I don't know where they go, but every Spring they do stop by here for a couple of weeks. The Canadian gees will be heading out soon, although I have seen them still at the city park in May. I DID see a few of them this past weekend when we drove to the park to feed the ducks with the grandkids. I miss seeing flocks of them overhead, but I don't always get out by the freeway and they seem to follow the freeway through the pass to travel north, just like us!
I worked on and finished 3 journals yesterday, so they will be listed in my ETSY shop this morning. Time to start 3 more...
Take care.
~Cheryl Ann~For some reason my photos will NOT load this morning.... :-(
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