WW: The Tongues of Summer

Finally Tuckered Out

Poor Lab kids. They've gotten more crate-time than usual the past few days. We started power-washing our deck this weekend to clean and prepare it for water-sealing (a home maintenance job we should do every two-to-three years, but that we haven't done in in five!). Because the washer's compressed water stream is so strong, we can't have the Labs around when we use it. The spray could hurt them.

So for their protection (and our productivity), the canine crew stays indoors when we do the deck.

All day Sunday they remained indoors while DH and I power-washed years of dirt and mildew off cedar planks and posts.

Then, all day the next day, they were crated again because I was gone for the day.

That's two days in a row with far less exercise than normal. Imagine how bonkers they were when I got home yesterday.

I'd planned to continue working on the deck last evening when I got back, but after taking one look at those 10 pleading Labrador eyes I realized the kidlets needed time outside far more than I needed to wash another foot or two of decking (this is a painstakingly slow job).

So out they went.

Did I mention how hot and humid it was here yesterday? I only threw the kong once or twice for them when they started panting up a storm. So I stopped. I didn't want to get the gang overheated, especially since yesterday was the first grossly humid day we've had in a long time and the kids have been cooped up in central air for two days. For the next two hours I let them romp on their own.

And romp they did.

But all that romping didn't make a dent in their energy levels. So we kept them outside until dinner, they came in to eat and remained crated another hour post-dinner (normal dinner routine). After that we took them outside again.

This time DH threw with them non-stop for I don't know how long. It had to have been over an hour. It was so uncomfortably humid outside, even Tuc and Pinot begged to stop and come in.

Here they are when we finally let them quit:


Ridge bee-lined for his cave:





















Elsie claimed the brick floor:























The rest of the crew headed for the concrete floor in the kennel room (has radiant heat in the floor, but that's long-turned-off by this time of year):

Kenya and Pinot plunked down in the middle of the room:


































And Tuc -- now remember, this is Arizona-born Tuc, out-in-the-desert-where-it-gets-really-hot-born Tuc, Tuc who we thought wold love the heat Tuc -- where do you think he plopped himself down?

On the refreshing brick floor?

On the always-cool-to-touch wood laminate in the kitchen?

On the concrete floor beneath the ceiling fan where it's breezy and cool?

Nope.

Where did Tuc plop himself?





















On top of the water bowls.

Why stand for a drink when sprawling on top of the drink will do?


















He even shared his space with Pinot.

How noble of him.

















Wow! It just occurred to me: We finally tuckered them out -- all five of them! Tuc and Pinot included! I thought we'd never do it.

Guess how long they stayed tuckered out?

Not even five minutes.

When DH stepped out through the kennel-room door to get the mail, Master Tuc (yes, the very same Tuc who was so whooped three minutes earlier that he couldn't stand up to get his drink) was at the door in a flash.

Oh, and he wasn't just sitting by the door, either:


HeyDad!WhereareyaDad?CanIcometoo,Dad?





















Daaaaa-aaad!Where'dyagoDad?






















Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!It'sDad!























Yessss...it'sreallyDad!CanyouseemeDad?





















Ahhh..life with Labs. :D

Silly goofy kids. Hehe.

I'm powerwashing again today (if the thunderstorms ever blow through). So, yes, the fur-kids will have to be indoors again. I guess we'll just have to whoop them out later this evening when it cools off.

This time, when they're cooling off, we'll have to make sure no one uses kennel-room door. Maybe we'll actually get them to rest and be still for a while longer.

Say...hmmm... for maybe seven minutes?

'Til next time,
Joan

The Eternal Optimists

One of the reasons I absolutely adore Labrador retrievers is the optimism so characteristic of the breed. Life is good (always good) as far as they're concerned. The greet every day with eager hope and boundless enthusiasm.

Even when it rains.

Take this morning, for example. More rain. And more rain is predicted for later in the day. After years of drought, this is a good thing.

But I'm thinking, oh no, another cabin-fever day.

My Labs and I, however, live in entirely different worlds (that's a good thing, too). It never rains in Lab Land.

Just look at these faces (and be sure to note the tail-blurs) in photos from this morning. You'd never know it was a gray-sky day.

The Pinot Squirt:























The Kenya Bean (note tail-blur):
























Master Tuc with his side-hanging tongue (you gotta laugh):

























All three, Pinot Tuc and Kenya, l to r (again, note three tail-blurs... oh, and be sure to note that Kenya has a bone... isn't she special? ):


















Then note who is already off the deck and half-way down the steps in anticipation of my throwing the kong (note tail-blur). Yup, it's my Tuc Buddy (Ridge and Elsie are in the background):






















Such eager anticipation.

Such happy kids. Such optimistic kids. Such always-expect-the-best kids.

I think I'll try it their way for a while.

And you know what that means? No matter what the next 18 hours may hold, it's going to be a very good, tail-wagging, butt-wiggling, toothy-grinned, delightfully wonderful day. :D

I guess we (me and the Labs) don't live in different worlds after all. :D

'Til next time,
Joan

WW: You Don't Mess With Momma Elsie (Alternate Title: Will Tuc Ever Learn?)

More Wet Stuff (and Silver Linings)

So it hasn't rained here in a few days.

Responsible woman that I am, I decided I better water the gardens this morning, especially since some flowers I planted last week look dead. Lazy woman that I am, I checked the weather forecast to make sure watering was really necessary.

There it was in blazing yellow and white at weather.com: sun, sun, sun, sun, sun, and then maybe a shower or thunderstorm later tonight (a whopping 20% chance).

Sigh. That meant hauling the hose around.

Hauling the hose around is not something I can do with the youngest two canine kids (read Tuc and Pinot); they're both hose-neurotics. So off to the crates the whole crew went (have to be fair now) while I pretended to be responsible.

At least when the weather is such that I have to water, it's also such that the Lab crew gets loads of outdoor play. See? A silver lining in every cloud... even my lazy clouds.

Did someone say cloud?

So I finished watering, reeled in the hose, and returned to set the captives free. All five went bounding, en masse, from Crate Land to Outdoor Land, madly scrambling on the linoleum floor for first place through the door. Time to romp outside again.

There's that silver lining again. Hmmmm...what was it that silver linings formed around again?

Did someone say cloud?

Not 30 seconds after I let the dogs out, the heavens opened with straight, heavy rain (no wind, no sign of a storm -- just a little overcast this morning). Yes, rain. A veritable downpour.

And not two seconds after that, I had five dripping faces standing at the back door waiting to come in.

What was someone saying about silver linings?

And can someone please tell me why it always seems to rain whenever I decide to water, but not until after I water? (You can bet if I didn't water, it wouldn't rain).

So we're back indoors again this morning. Nope, the kids didn't get their usually morning romp (I wait a good two hours, sometimes three, after they eat before I let them exercise hard -- don't want any flipped stomachs).

Here's how they reacted to being indoors again:

Ridge just hung out (old man that he is):
































But the other four.... oh my....

They tried Group Bone Therapy (Tuc has the bone):





















They tried looking wistfully out the back door, then looking pleadingly at me (didn't work):






















They tried rotating who got the couch:

















They even resorted to butt sniffing (for heaven's sake... they already know each other!)


















Ah.... but to no avail. They're still inside. Still playing with bones and checking each other out and lazying away on the sofa and pining for the yard.

I have to leave for a dentist appointment shortly, and when I do, our doggies will return to Crate Land. And by the time I get home, the sun will be out, and the canine crew will venture outdoors again.

While it's raining, they can sleep, and I can go relax in the dentist's chair, floating away on nitrous.

Did someone say cloud?

Maybe there really is a silver lining after all!


'Til next time,
Joan

Happy June! We're Back. :D

Dear Regular Readers,

I'm so sorry our absence from blog-land worried you. I've received your e-mails and have appreciated your concern (more than you imagine). You know I value you all. Thank you.

Here's the deal: May was a tough month for me emotionally -- I didn't have the heart to write. No crisis; no major issue or unexpected event; no catastrophe. I was just worn out.

The past 18 months (our people and canine issues) finally caught up with me. I've been cheerleading/encouraging everyone else for a long time, but never really processed my own thoughts/feelings about it all. I just needed time. Getting some space (time alone), rest (lots of sleep), sunshine (the rains have gone), dirt therapy (digging in my flower gardens), and canine cuddling (there's nothing more therapeutic than a Lab sleeping on your lap) have rejuvenated my spirits.

We're finally turning the corner (I think) -- spring might actually have come (though, for a time, I wondered if it ever would). I'm starting to feel like my old self again.

For you RRs who'd like to know the status of the people-stuff, I'm listing the updates here in bulleted form (feel free to skip them -- the Lab stuff follows).

• DTS (Dear Twin Sister), who has been in the midst of this awful, unwanted divorce, sold her house after only four weeks on the market, and has settlement on it in just under four weeks from now.
• DTS also found a wonderful little place to live -- a perfect refuge for her -- within her pre-approved mortgage price-range (a miracle), and has settlement on her new place on the same day as settlement on the house she's selling. YAY!
  
• Finding a livable home and knowing where she's going to live has given DTS an incredible boost in outlook (which is an incredible boost to me). She was actually really, truly happy last week (something I haven't seen in almost two years). Double YAY!
  
• DTS's final divorce settlement is being signed this week. Then it's filed at the courthouse with the actual petition, after which, in three months, the divorce becomes legally final. In practicality, however, as of this week it should be done -- behind her -- freeing her (and the rest of us) to move forward into a new future with her.
• Two weeks ago, my 86yo mother finally completed the additional therapies she needed as part of her rehab for the femur she broke Christmas Eve. That means I no longer have to do the several-per-week appointment runs I was doing (I actually get to plan my days!). Mom is recovering slowly, but well.
• DFS (Dear Firstborn Son) is back at school for the first summer term, after which he'll move home for the rest of the summer. He passed all of his classes from spring term (a minor miracle) and is working once again toward building his future (what a relief). Passing this spring means he can go back in the fall. :D I'm tickled for him.
  
• DYS (Dear Youngest Son) is home for the summer (I enjoy having him here). Because it's so difficult to find summer jobs this year, we've hired him (and DFS) to do stuff around here for us instead of working elsewhere -- a huge help.
• DSD and DSIL (Dear Sweet Daughter and Dear Son-in-Law) have moved to a different apartment in Maine and are in a much better living situation (safer, less conflict, etc...) than where they were before (a nightmare and quite concerning for us). Med school goes well for DSIL; work is challenging for DSD (she's a psych case-worker) -- but it's a job with benefits. Baxter Boos, btw, is thriving. :D
  
• DH and I are well... and have been all along. He's truly a gift to me.
• DH is traveling more for work. But at least he's still working. We won't know any more about his job status (the Phizer/Wyeth thing) until September.
  
• After a lot of time reevaluating, I'm going back to work as a freelancer. Because of our nutsness of the last 18 months, I haven't worked at all -- as my doctor says, I've been a full-time caregiver. As of this month, I'll be writing again regularly for publication. That means my days will be more structured. And that, in turn, means I'll be posting here again several times a week. :D I feel like I might actually be getting "my" life back. :D
  

Enough about people; now for the Labs.

The canine gang is thriving. Ridge and Tuc are getting along just fine; the girls are getting along terrifically, too; no one is in heat right now (so it's sane), and all five are delighted to have sunshine and cool temps in which to romp outdoors. We've been been working a bunch more with them 1:1, which has been fun for them, and good for my soul.

Here's how they're doing:

Tuc is responding incredibly well to more deliberate training (at just oneyear old, he can be a handful, but he's so eager to please).






















Ridge is slowing down (getting older and showing his age).






















Pinot has calmed considerably in the past two or three months (she's 21 months old now).























Elsie is as bear-like and as low-key as ever.






















Kenya continues to wiggle wherever she goes.






















All five continue to make me giggle, smile, and laugh.

All five make me feel abundantly loved.

We've had a few rounds of ear stuff (typical with Labs). Mostly just ears in need of cleaning. We did have one infection, which responded right away to treatment.

















Otherwise, Lab life has been delightfully uneventful.


After nearly two weeks of steady rain, it's finally sunny and drying out here. That means happy canine kids.


























and plenty of play time (rain or shine)...
































We're still dancing ...






















we're still loving and enjoying each other (we have been all along)...

















and we're still looking out for each other...






















As we should be.

It's good to be back. It's good to feel the sun again.

It's also good to share this life (good or bad) with our Labs.

And with you.

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

'Til next time (which will be tomorrow!),
Joan