Misc. Idle Chit Chat - Part II (The Sequel)

[Nileska]

Greetings Tracey,Glad to hear that the shop is working for you. I fully understand that the business is somewhat seasonal as your Aerea is a summer tourist destination .I too live in a town populated by Artists and crafts people and small independent shops.We are also a college town with all the ambience which goes with that.We adjoin a nature Aerea known as the Glenn....,Forrest,small canyons with streams and springs and the famous yellow spring ( an iron rich spring that flows from a low cliff at about waist level),one can just bend over and drink from it,the mineral water is good for you

My ancestors were Silversmihs in London,the founder of our branch decided to forego a long apprenticeship and seek his fortune in the colonys.Joining a partner trading with the Indians and acquiring lots of land he built a home and established a plantation along the James river near Williamsburg Virginia,he also platted out and established Richmond Va. at the site of the tradeing post.Since things were still a bit primitive around there it was the custom to send the children back to England for advanced education .

His son William II was Lt. Govenour of the Virginia colony and extended the family holdings However,William III lost the whole thing in a card game

The family coat of arms is in Debaretts Peerage,the shield has 3 fleu de leur and a red hand in a whie band across the top,Below that the shield is devided by a yellow band the field is 'vert' with 'popinjays' ,hence the family name,Bird,the mottoe beneath is " Et Indrudtia Copia ".I cannot imagine yelling THAT when going into battle ( the enemy would die of the giggles )...I am sure this is all more than you really wanted to know

Meanwhile back at the ranch...The OH had her surgery but was removed to the ICU last night because of low blood pressure.
Her Nurse called this morning to tell me she is much better,then she called complaining that they were late with her pain meds and she really needed them ! ( the Nurse arrived as we were talking ) so I guess she is in good form now.

We are the benefactor of another snowstorm here ( my lone surviving Husky is out playing in it at the moment ) I however,am going to stay in here where it is warm and cosy.I hope you all can do the same.HAPPY NEW.YEAR !

[kian]

Richard I enjoy reading your posts, I hope you have kept a journal it would be a treasure for your future generations.
I have looked up your town, I do like it. Glad your OH is doing well, I did wonder how she was doing. Stay warm!

Richard it was great feeling to quit. I do know I made a difference and saved dogs, educated owners and in the process did some great networking for myself! Yup.....take that job and shove it! Actually I loved it, knew they would catch up to me someday! I called myself the "anti Petco Trainer", I did it my way..... isn't that a song...LOL!

Hello Liz, Tracy and Nezza!

Sure enjoyed my Saturday not working, I had to run errands in the morning and go talk to the Trainer at the store that I trained and fill him in on one of my clients he took for me. Then came home, cleaned house, tackled the laundry monster, worked with the dogs and never turned on the TV. That was nice, next week will be packing up Christmas Decor!

Happy New Year to everyone! We would love to out dancing that night, not with the drunks on the road. We might do a early dinner with friends and then home to fall asleep early and wake up to 2013.

[Nileska]

Kian.."I did it my way" is Frank Sinatra's signature song

News flash...The OH may be joining the DP sometime in the future since she has the new IPad.She is every bit the doggie person that I am which is one of the reasons that we meshed so well...Dog trainers make good wifes and mothers ?

We took her new toy back home after letting her play with it a bit.She has her nook and we did not want to risk the security at the hospital,it is in the custody of our son until she is ready for it..He is the techie who set it up and installed all of the apps...BTW,is there an IPad app for the DP ? If so we would both like to install it.

[kian]

That would be wonderful Richard!!! I'm not sure about the Ipad App, I will try to find out.

[Nileska]

Kian,Found the App jn ITunes App store.downloaded it to my IPad to try it out.found that it leaves a lot to be desired.

The main problem is that the image is extremely small and oriented only vertically,it does not rotate when the IPad is horizontal... The image can be increased 2x but still only fills about 2/3 of the available space..The website is much better and is more controllable.I'll play with it some more but I am disappointed.Looks like it was designed for the iPhone or mini pad .

[nezza]

Happy New Year's Eve, Everyone!!!

Crazy, busy week at work. By the time i got home, i was just too exhausted...mentally and physically to post anything.

Kian, i'm so very happy for you!!! You have so much going on and you already sound so much happier

Richard, so happy to hear the OH is doing well.

We finally had some snow on Saturday! It was so pretty. I wish there had been more of it...but, it was just a thin layer.

There's really not much going on in my neck of the woods. Little Persie is fitting right in with everyone. I don't know how many cats have two chickens as their best buds...but, he does! The three of them spend all day with each other. It's very cute, and i'm trying to get a picture, but it's tricky. Of course, him and Waffles love each other, too.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve. The OH and I are going to TRY and make it to midnight...but, we're usually in bed well before that time. No plans for us. I don't like to be out on New Years Eve anyway...too many drunk people on the road...

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Richard, I do hope your OH is well on the road to recovery. I've been glimpsing this thread over the past several days.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

May we all be blessed with good health, happiness and all things wonderful for a terrific new year, including our four legged family members. ♥

[JaymeK]

PHEW, I had a lot of catching up to do but I think I've done it!

I left to go home on the 24th, drove the cats to burlington on the 23rd (Deb, I was surprised, there was no traffic! I made it there in about 40-45 minutes). I pretty much spent the break sitting on my butt watching tv. We don't have cable here so when I go home I like to watch all my food network and HGTV shows. My only friend from my hometown was in Florida the exact days when I was home, so I had no one to hang out with! When I left there was NO snow here in Guelph but I got to Kingston and there was a few feet! We got about 30cm dropped on us in one day, then another 10cm a few days later. The roads were quite slick and the sidewalks a mess when trying to walk Benson, but we survived! I got back in Guelph yesterday, lots of snow here now! The sidewalks are much better taken care of here, although I wish my housing complex would cool it on the salt use, it's tough on Benson's paws!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got to see some relatives. I didn't get much as my big present was an early one, my Roomba, which is amazing and I wouldn't give it up for anything! I also asked for a keyboard protector for my laptop. It's just a plastic/silicone(?) thing that lays over and covers the keys. I have a really bad habit of spilling drinks on my keyboard, so it's a good thing for me to have!

Benson's birthday was on the 30th, I can't believe he's three now! (And happy belated birthday to Oliver!)

Kian, your new puppy is adorable! Congrats on going out on your own with your training!

I'm spending the next few days cleaning and organizing, I need to find a better way to store Benson's toys, I think I'll pick up a few more wicker baskets and containers tomorrow. I'll also attach a few photos of Benson's birthday (hopefully they aren't massive, I can never resize them properly). We discovered the hilarity of pretending he had arms, so there's a few of that. Happy New Year everyone!







*Edited to attempt to fix the sizing...

[kian]

ROTFLOL Jayme, those pictures are brillant! No way could I pull that off with Ice, he would be all over the place, Benson is perfect for that! Happy Birthday Benson, you are a good boy!

Glad your Christmas was good, glad you back. Sounds like you got pounded with the snow.

Richard how is your OH?

Nezza glad your doing well, it is amazing Persie gets along so well with the chickens.

We did go out on NYE's with another couple, we went dancing and it was so much fun. Right before Midnight free Champange was offered, none of us drink and they looked at us like we were so strange. We had a blast and hope to do it again next. We hadn't gone out on NYE's in years, but next year we will stay at the hotel for the night.

[Nileska]

Jayme,Hilarious photos of Benson.I do love Goldens...We had a few when the XOH was seeking high scores in Obedience Trials.The Goldens attitude of 'what can I do for you' makes them great competitors ( unlike Siberians whose motto is 'what's in it for me ?)...Goldens live to serve...Siberians are born to pull ( and when it's lunchtime,keep an eye on the Cat )

Kian,The OH is still a work in progress.After hip surgery (the third one) she has been released to the local Nurseing Home for about 6 weeks.Then she will return to the hospital for ( I hope ) the final operation...The hospital is 20 miles away but the good news is the Nurseing Home is only 6 blocks from home...We have both been guests there in the past..Except for the mediocre food it's a pretty nice place to recuperate...I shall have to smuggle all sorts of tasty contraband in for her.

Nezza,Your place in the mountains is gorgeous,I would love to live there. I did do a 4 day dogshow in Knoxville for a number of years...I was born in Ohio but it was like going home (the mountains are like that)

[kian]

It will be nice to have your OH closer to home, she will love the contraband! Watch the other guys in those places, they do love the ladies....LOL!

Lately I have been looking at airfare to Hawaii, I need a warm place for a few days! Jackson is doing great with the dog door going out and has come in a few times. I think because I shut the big door he has become a little shy of coming in. The other two have learned to check first, he will to.


I love not having to go work, even if it was only 3 days. My house is clean, the wash is caught up and I actually watched a couple of movies. I start back at the Juvenile Jail next week, they should have a new dog to work with.

Stay warm, it's a cold, cold winter!

[Nileska]

Kian,enjoy your 'vacation' while you can,it must be rewarding to work with the kids at Juvie Hall...Nothinng like dogs to bring them out of their shell.

After a career as a Journeyman Newspaper Pressman for the major newspaper in Dayton OH I retired after 47 years. Then worked part time for the next 3 years...Next,managed the kennels for a friend who was a Paramedic for her county fire department Cared for 30 dogs and did a bit of property and building maintainence...It was really healthy being outdoors all day and walking all over a 900 acre farm for 2 years..Next on the agenda was a couple years as a " handy man",building and repairing stuff for the locals.

Missing the roar of the presses,I returned to my chosen profession in a commercial printing plant at the age of 72...Twelve hour shifts and my first experience in a non union shop..They can and do screw the workers around,the workers have no recourse.A whole new ball game for me..After nearly 5 years and the best quarterly evaluation ever I was fired. Once unemployed again I discovered that I did not need the job.What I made was barely covering the expenses of working.

I then retired in earnest and have remained so.

If you are considering a trip to Hawaii do it NOW while you can fully enjoy it..I have been there a few times and pretty much know my way around...Because of the cost of the airfare it is best to plan on staying at least 3 weeks..you may want to visit several islands.Maui is a must,miles of great sand beaches,good food and fun in the sun.The airfare between islands is not very expensive..The rental cars are cheaper than on the mainland as well....TAKE ME WITH YOU!

[nezza]

Hi everyone!

Jayme welcome back! Love the pics of Benson! Hilarious

Been reading the forum everyday even though i haven't been posting.

Kian, it sounds like things are really going well for you. How wonderful And, Hawaii! Oh man, would i LOVE to be there right now! I was never a fan of the cold and it's been COLD here.

Richard, as always, i so enjoy your stories!

Work has been crazy these past few weeks and this past week i've been sick It's been rough. Feeling like crap...body aches, cough, sore throat, stuffy/runny nose...the whole nine yards...NO fever, though (i'm happy to report). I'm still recovering...just been resting on the couch the past few days watching some movies and reading some magazines while the OH takes care of me. It seemed like he was coming down with it yesterday...but, thankfully, he's not.

Dealing with the general public all day...it was only a matter of time before i got sick, too. Add that to sick employees coming to work BLECH! I'm not a happy camper!

I do hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. I should be back to posting more regularly soon...

[kian]

Nezza feel better soon. This sickness going around is a hard one, I have friends who never get sick and it has them flat on thier back missing work. I sure don't want it all!

Richard I do love hearing about your life, I didn't know you were a Journeyman Newpaper Pressman, that is cool to learn.
It's hard to go back at 72 and 12 hour shifts, my I admire that. I'm just very burnt out with working FT as I worked for 20 some years just to have my paycheck go to my husbands ex so she could sit around and do nothing. That is another lifetime story.

I would love the job on the 900 acre farm, that sounds more like my kind of work.

I have been to Hawaii, Maui is on my radar! OH said no, though the airfares are low now. Guess Texas will be our vacation, hope it is warm then.

We did have OH's youngest son and his family come visit, we tried to keep the house warm which was fine for us. They are from Arizona and his wife was freezing, I warned her they were coming during the coldest month. She is isn't a fan of dogs, in fact she can't stand them. All of sudden she stated she had allergies, uh???? Sorry but the dogs don't live outside and while they were out for the most part, she started that when they came into the house. Oh well.... they were very behaved and responded very well to stay away from the baby. I hope she does return when it's warmer, so we can show her a much better time.

I had a setback with Jackson, poor guy. I have a drape in my bathroom to keep out the cold air and he finally got the courage to come through it and see me. That darn drape is on a Cafe Rod and it came down on him, he took off outside and hid from me. I found him and leashed him to me to bring him back into the bathroom and show him not to be afraid. I felt so bad, he is doing rather well and has conquered his fear of the dog door both inside and out.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Jayme, I can't believe I missed those hilarious photos of Benson!!! Oh my goodness, they could be on the front of Greeting Cards, they are so funny, especially the one where the human hand is feeding him. LOL!!! You know how much I love that boy of yours. Happy Belated Birthday Benson! I too can't believe he's 3. I remember you joining just before you brought him home. Wow. ♥

Richard, while I haven't been posting, I am sorry to hear about your wife. You are a good husband to plan to bring her contraband. I hope her recovery is swift. You are both so resilient, that I'm sure she'll be home in no time, after her next surgery. My Mum has had both of her hips replaced, and to look at her today, one would never know.

As for the flu, I had the stomach flu at the end of last week and through the beginning of this week. It was most unpleasant, but fortunately not that terrible strain that is landing folks in the hospital. Hopefully, I will have built up an immunity now. I wish sick people would just stay home! I certainly did. I lost a day somewhere this week as I was too sick to leave my room, but I am feeling 100% now. Hopefully I lost some weight.

Nezza, I'm sorry to hear that you are ill now. Plenty of fluids and lots of rest.

Kian, poor Jackson! That must have been quite the set back for him. Fortunately he is in your care, and I know if anyone can mend that sort of experience quickly, it is you. I remember you mentioning you had visitors. I am at a bit of a loss as to why they would travel to a cold climate at the coldest time of year. I'm sure it was lovely to see the baby though, and yes, you have "house dogs" and it's their home! My sister used to be like that when she would come home to a house that ALWAYS had dogs. I think her husband is essentially afraid of them (who is afraid of a Golden Retriever?!) and he has taught her boys to fear dogs. It's such a shame.

If the dog approached their son when he was about 2 or 3, my BIL would rush to the child and scoop him up as if something bad was about to happen. Even my Mum said something about being ridiculous to him and teaching the child to fear. I had the opposite trouble with Elliot as a youngster as he feared NO dog! One evening we were visiting a friend, who had another friend over with his old, unwell dog. Elliot kept wanting to go and pet the dog. He was only about 3 at the time. The second time I caught Elliot approaching, I gave him a "telling off" he never forgot, because it would NOT have been the dog's fault if Elliot lost his face. Ultimately I just went home. (Slight tangent there...sorry).

I do pop on here as often as I can but I don't always post. I need to start participating more, but I just haven't had the time lately. Now that the holidays are out of the way, and we're settling back into a new routine, hopefully I'll have more time.