January 2014

Where have I been for the past several months????  Around; here, there, and everywhere...  Summer was busy with dog shows and some gardening and all the usual activities of fine weather.  Elvis finished his Rally Excellent title in June, with a perfect score of 100 points at his final trial!  

If I look shell-shocked in this picture, it is because I was!

Woodstock, IL  June 2013

The next weekend, Buckaroo finished his Rally Advanced title, which met the criteria for the AHCA Versatility Award.

DC Utchati Buckaroo Bansai, RA

Not bad for a 10 year-old dog!

In July we lost Nina.  She was 15 1/2 and had suffered from Cushing's Disease for over 2 years.  We still miss her, and will for a long time.  She was a grand dog!

Nina, 4 months

Nina, 6 years

Nina, 15 years

Later in the summer, I went down to spend time with my dad several times.  It was good to spend quality time with him, even if he was in the hospital one of those visits...  He needs to have his meds. adjusted from time to time, and one of those times happened when I was dad-sitting.  Calling an ambulance is interesting...

Early September we had the chance to take a trip to visit friends in Branson, MO.  Their new home is lovely and it was nice to get away and do nothing, but it felt strange to be on the road with my husband instead of my dog!  Never mind, a couple of weeks later, Elvis and I hit the road again and he finished his title!

Champion Utchati Jailhouse Rock, RE, JC

Fall brought another change in our household.  Our son was ready to find a job and go out on his own, and in October, he moved to Wisconsin.  He is just 2.5 hours away - far enough that we don't drop in, but close enough to get home for a weekend when he wants to.  He is really enjoying his new job and looking forward to summer when he can get his sailboat out on Lake Winnebago!

This winter has been hard - even before the really crappy, snowy, cold weather set in.  I do believe I might have a mild case of that S.A.D., as beginning in late October, I run out of energy and can't seem to get myself organized and accomplish things.  Guess this means I need to get my Christmas shopping done in the summertime.  Getting the holidays planned and the decorating done is a trial that I do not enjoy. I will have to look into managing this condition better next year.

Now it is January.

It is below zero these past few days and nights.  Lots of places have been closed due to the super cold temperatures and the power company has asked us to conserve energy.  So I am not doing laundry today.  <smile> Instead I am typing on the computer, reading, and knitting.  I also did a little exercise so I could go to my training session and tell my personal trainer that I honestly DID do something other than sit around.  He doesn't need to know how much (or how little).  He will make me work and sweat and ache again, anyway...sigh.  But shoveling counts, and we do plenty of that:

More snow expected by Thursday, but by then we will be having a heat wave;  highs will be in the 20's!

When will it end?

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