Thirty Thousand But Who's Counting?

Whoo HOOOO!!! See that little counter way down on the right hand side. That's how many visits to my site I've gotten! I know there are others that have way more but I remember when I was ecstatic over 100 visitors a day or anything close to that. Now I know they don't all return, I know some don't even read, they look and say bye bye, I know that some are repeat readers and say 2000 of those views are me refreshing the pages? But still 30,000 is more than I'd hoped for since this blog hasn't been around that long so today is a day of celebration even though I have to spend part of it @ the hospital. May I repeat? WHOOO HOOOO!!!

I thank each and every one of my followers and readers. My relatives and friends want to thank you also because they are no longer getting such long involved emails from me because I blog. Sometimes they do come here to find out what is going on also, the pictures of my leg proved of great interest. See last two posts. Also I will update on what the doctor said this afternoon or evening when I get home from ultrasound. It's much better today after staying off of it most of the day yesterday. The (jailers) grandkids are doing their job well watching me, I think they are getting points or something to be able to yell "Grandma, WHAT are you doing UP?" And my reply is usually I'm going to the bathroom is that allowed??? Actually we are getting along great, they are still asleep so I am allowed to be @ the computer. Their mama brought snacks and a slip n slide so they are happy. She also made them a list of things to do which I think is GREAT!


Since this blog is about animals we've been talking about their reaction to sickness. When I had lyme Dispatch the bichon was by my side constantly, being as he's by my side constantly anyway that wasn't much of a test. No really he didn't pay as much attention to other people he stayed by me even if I slept 23 out of 24 hours which I did some days. If I am upset about something Dispatch immediatly knows and is all lovey wanting to snuggle. If I have a cold he is very concerned trying to figure out if I'm crying or just have a runny nose. Bichons are like extremely people oriented dogs though, they could care less if other dogs are around as long as they have their person or people. I mean he plays with other dogs but as far as he is concerned he is part of the family unit (and a very important part too!).

My oldest daughter and Dispatch have always had a love/hate relationship. She says he thinks he's better than she is and doesn't want to listen to her. There may be a bit of truth in that. She used to pull the hair out of his ears for me (necessary on a bichon) and give him haircuts, trim his nails, all the things that he wasn't happy with she would do for me so he wouldn't hate me. OK, I was weird not the dog, K? Dispatch was always VERY happy to have JJ pet him, he just didn't want to get close to her without mama. She also gave him this haircut which took forever to grow out, the picture is my husband turning our garage into a family room and the bad haircut dog. The couch is no longer with us thank goodness, I grew up with this couch and it's complete set of navajo rugs and covered wagon lamps to go with it. Can we say 50's kitsch? Sorry Mom.
So Dispatch the bichon LOVES my daughters kids, is so happy to see them, would go home with THEM (not her) I think. All the other dogs worship the ground JJ, my daughter walks on especially Mugsey who thinks he should be hers since she loves him SO MUCH and he will crawl on her lap to prove it. Down through the years Dispatch has gotten better with JJ but he still remembers the hair pullings and nail trimmings and she makes him sit and stay and she MEANS IT. BTW I do the haircutting, nail trimming, ear hair pulling now and make him listen and he is fine with it. He does run to Daddy if I get the hairbrush out though. This is a picture of my daughter and Dispatch when she helped me groom him in January, why did she help? She was there and he will sit still for her. He is trying to get away in this picture. She has my tight lipped look on, the one where the kids say our lips disappear?

So yesterday when my lovely wonderful daughter (yes they read this @ her work but that's not why I'm saying it) came over we expected Dispatch would be like glued to me and watching her for any sudden moves or commands. She brought groceries and looked @ my leg first thing and Dispatch is like HAPPY Dispatch, the bichon that is normally here with the kids. It was like he knew that they were here to help? I know dogs can sense their owners moods and maybe I was relieved to have company but this was weird. He's like playing with the kids and helping Sara my granddaughter play with her paper dolls, which are magnetic BTW they don't make them like they used to. Anyway Dispatch is completely relaxed glad to have JJ pet him, down on the floor wandering, it's just like he's forgiven her for making him sit when he didn't want to (mama going out door) or doing the dreaded nail cutting, ear thing.

So what does your dog do when you are sick or injured? Is there a family member that the dog treats funny and then decide that said family member may just be A-OK in their book after something happens?

Lemonade Award

I've won the lemonade stand award from SquirrelQueen on her blog The Road To Here! Thanks SquirrelQueen, not only is she my friend, she is very creative (check out the name!) and she takes beautiful photos, sometimes of mundane things that she makes simply gorgeous.

The way I understand it this award is for those who make lemonade when life hands them lemons, this idea pleases me greatly. Digressing a little bit here I'm a half empty glass type of person, if you knew me in person you would say I was bubbly, I'm not sure I like that word? But that's what people say, I cultivate this because often things do turn out for the best. Even when things happen that don't look like blessings they are blessings in disguise. I can't tell you how many major accidents I've been right ahead of because I had a nagging feeling to get going or how many times I or loved ones have been delayed and thus possibly avoided a catastrophe. It's hard to remember sometimes when life is handing you lemons but things do have a way of working out and handing you new possibilities and opportunities in the process. The two biggest examples that come to me immediately I will tell now, you can't stop me. Or you can skip to my nominees if you want.

My oldest daughter always wanted a career in business, and her dream was to work in New York City, in the WTC exactly. She was starting college in 1993 (stop doing math I was a YOUNG mother!), injured her eye @ her job, had to quit college, met and eventually married a local boy (which she said she'd never live in the country or have ANYTHING to do with farming or outdoors?). Now she's a school nurse with four children partly because of one accident that was a catastrophe @ the time and turned out to be a huge blessing. The second example happened in 2000 or 1999, my husband had trucks, many trucks, due to not being able to find drivers, fuel and prices going up eventually we only had two. This seemed like a decline but when my father fell and broke his hip in January of 2000 I was able to stay @ home and take care of my father for most of the year which was a blessing (we did have to put him in the nursing home permanently in November of 2000 and he passed away in January of 2001 but he had many other complications, diabetes, crippled, and Alzheimer's). If we had had a big business @ the time I would have never have been able to care for him or even arrange for his care for the time I did. I'm blabbering on here but I will always be so grateful to my husband for his patience and understanding during that time. I will never forget the phone call when I told my husband that the doctor said my father had Alzheimer's and would need 24/7 care from now on. I asked my husband what we were going to DO and he instantly replied I guess we'll have to move in with your father and you'll have to take care of him. I'd been traveling with my husband before that so it was a big change much less living with another person, especially one who has Alzheimer's etc.


The basic guidelines are:

1) Put the award logo on your blog.

2) Nominate at least 10 bloggers (more or less, whatever number is good for you), that have a positive attitude.

3) Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.

4) Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm sorry I'm not going to do 10 bloggers. In the interest of my dentists appointment, the dirty clothes waiting to go in the washer, the clean clothes waiting to be folded, the dishwasher, the lawn, ...... well you get the idea. I give the award to those below but also to all of my followers. If you don't know how to go to their blogs just click on their picture to the right here under followers and it expand and give you a list of their blogs, you may have to scroll a bit. I've found many interesting blogs that way, maybe that's why the laundry isn't done and the lawn isn't mowed? LOL

So here are my nominees:

Squirrel Queen and her blog Through Squirrel Eyes
MzzLily and her blog becoming an author...my journey
chicamom85 and her blog Sassy Sasha The Lovable Shih Tzu
AL and her blog Burnt Chicken Republic
Crystal Jigsaw and her blog Crystal Jigsaw
Rae and her blog Weather Vane
Checkers and his blog Checkers The Peek A Poo although I suspect with Checkers and Sasha's blog they have some help with the typing as they don't have thumbs exactly?

Once again, thank you Squirrel Queen, I am honored.

The Most Wonderful Favorite Award

This award is based on friendship. My friend MizzLily passed it on to me on her blahwg! blog. Thank you very much Mizz Lily I am honored. I would like to change the rules and pass it back to who gave it to me but that's not the idea!
These are the rules in accepting this award:



Deliver this award to eight bloggers who then must choose and deliver the award to eight more and include the following text into the award.





"These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."





I would like to honor the following bloggers. As noted in the text above, my aim is to find them as friends. These are blogs that I hope everyone will visit and follow.

Oranmental, by Nina.

aMusings Blog, by aMusing.

Drawing and Painting, by Poet.

Hypnotic Visualization, by Monaliza.

Checkers The Peek A Poo, by Checkers.

A Majority of Two, by Jo.

Eduardo The Snuggle Puggle, by Eduardo.

My Fire Hydrant, by Bev and Bailey.

Once again thanks MizzLily and for those who saw the unfinished version of this blame it on my 4 year old 64 bit computer that has it's own parallel universe going on behind the scenes, I swear it does!

Kreativ Award for Animals That Give Pause!

I won an award!!!! What a great Monday. It's from my friend SquirrelQueen, @ Through Squirrel Eyes. THANKS SquirrelQueen!! It's called the Kreativ Blogger Award as you can see.


Now in accordance with tradition (doesn't that sound official?) I'm supposed to tell you about seven of my favorite things.

1. My husband who is my best buddy too!
2. My family, kids, grand kids, sibling, niece, nephew, etc. crazy as they may be I love em.
3. Reading a really good book, if it has animals in it so much the better.
4. Animals, in particular dogs, and especially my bichon Dispatch.
5. Let's be honest, sleep and naps.
6. Blogging, writing, taking pictures, painting, drawing, all my creative outlets.
7. My house and lawn when they are clean and neat and groomed which doesn't happen very often anymore.

Now I have to pass the award on to seven of my blog friends. In no particular order, here are the seven! Drum roll, taaa daaaaaa!!!

1. Thomas K-9 Corner
2. Ask Spike Online, a fun source (sometimes serious) for all things doggie.
3. Checkers the Peekapoo, we have to get some dogs on here !
4. Shopping Kharma. One of the most courageous people I know.
5 .Gary One of my first followers, thanks Gary.
6. Monaliza - Hypnotic because she reminds me the glass is half full!
7. Ian Myers Writer, because he needs to keep writing!!

THANKS SquirrelQueen I am honored.
TC

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras