They Don't Get Much Cuter Than This...

Introducing, Simon and Arty (Garfunkel)...


Simon was so small, he reminded me of the Alvin and the Chipmunks! Hence, the name Simon. Isn't he cute?


Arty is full of personality, never a dull moment with him. He's bright eyed and bushy tailed, and loves to play.

Born on October 19th, the boys are just seven weeks old. Simon will be staying with us a bit longer than I usually keep puppies because he is so small. Arty will be ready to go at eight weeks, but I plan on holding him for his forever family until Christmas.

Beautiful Fall Day

It was colder today than it's been all week but, seasonalably warmer than normal. That didn't matter, I was freezing! It's about 7:30 p.m. and still 61 degrees out. That's pretty darn warm for November 1st. Still, I'm cold to the bone.

I'm watching my Boise State Univ Broncos beat New Mexico State Univ. It's a blitz, top of the 4th quarter and the score is 49 to 0, Broncos. I haven't blogged about my Broncos in a couple of years, but if you follow college football, the BSU Broncos are definitely a team to watch!

I was out in the yard this afternoon, admiring the fall colors of the neighborhood. My furr babies just love when I'm out in the yard with them. I grabbed my camera and snapped away...

Molly & Peanut, then Lucy, and Peanut again...

They're Married!

October 23, 2008... I get a phone call from my son at 8:40 a.m., he's at the court house and wants me to be there in an hour!

Happy Kaos

Okay, recently, I've started many new posts and just haven't had the time to complete any of them. What's going on, you wonder?

For a couple of months now, I've been looking into having my carpet and linoleum ripped out and replaced with hardwood floors. Last week, it was a done deal. The new flooring arrived on Wednesday. The work men arrived on Friday.

By Sunday, I have brand new floors throughout! Well, we left the bedrooms in carpet. But it's almost like I have a new home at the same address. Not only did I have the floors replaced, I have painted - still painting - all the same rooms... kitchen, dining, living rooms and both hallways. I'll have to get some updated photos to post!

In the midst of all this construction, ripping out carpet and linoleum, my Lucy went into labor and delivered two pups! One was delivered here at home, the second, at the vets as Lucy's labor had stopped for hours. Both pups seem to be doing well until tonight. I noticed the littler of the two is not gaining any weight. They go in to see the doc tomorrow, and I started bottle feeding the tiny one. I hope he does okay and gets past this. Again, I need to get some pics.

I have planned time off work all week. After the past few weeks there, I'm due for a quiet week away from all the STUFF! Painting the interior of the house was not on the agenda, but I'm glad I'm doing it. It really looks like I've moved into a new house. I told my guy, it looks like a Manhattan apartment in here! All this hardwood and rugs. I know, I need to get pics!

And, the biggest news... my son is getting married! He and his gal are going to the court house tomorrow morning. I'm not exactly sure how that works, if they are just getting their license to wed, or if they will be wed. He said he'd call me to let me know.

This is my happy kaos. New floors, new puppies, new daughter! I know, I know... Pictures!!! I will see what I can do between being mother of the groom, bottle feeding a new pup, and painting the walls.

Stressed

Stress... Does it ever let up? Seems my life is always full of kaos. Suzy Orman would say, you've got to organize! Without organization, life is kaotic. I don't know, I'm cluttered but not disorganized.

Today, I had a surprise review by my Corp office, a telephone conference review. I think I've just said it, Corp office, the root of my stress. We are a hospital in a company that specializes in skilled nursing facilities (SNF's.) Actually, we are the only acute care facility in all of the company. There's over 200 SNF's, throughout the nation, and our little hospital in Boise, Idaho.

The mentality of the Corp folks appears to be hard to educate on how we do things slightly different from the rest. For example, we bill daily for our outpatient clinic and upon discharge for our inpatients. I believe SNF's still bill at month end.

SNF's patients may stay at their facilities for years, so billing is done monthly. Our inpatients have an average length of stay of 14 days, and billing is done after discharge. Medicare is the primary payer for 90% of my accounts, the rest of the accounts are Medicare HMO's, with a very small percentage of claims being regular insurance or private pay.

So, at the end of the month, when there's a glitch at Medicare, totally out of my control, and our money is not going to make to the bank to cover the claims we've billed before the middle of the month, my boss is asking why other facilities are not have the same problem.

Well, other facilities (in our company) are SNF's and they probably billed right after they do their month end close, so they normally would receive their Medicare money by the middle of the month. And we are billing every time we have a discharge, and try to bill all claims that have discharged by the middle of the month so we would still receive payment by the end of the same month. (Medicare pays in 14 days if a claim is submitted without errors.)

Anyway, I'm probably boring you with all this but I'm really burnt! I am expected to collect at least 103% of last month's revenue. Last month, I collected 108% and this is the thanks I get. It is so hard to collect some of this money, and I work as hard as I can to get as much collected as possible.

I have been in health care billing since 1984. Every time I try to get into something else, I always seem to fall back into this. Boy, the stress is really getting to me though, and I feel it, feel it deep inside, it's time to move on. I really feel the stress is getting the best of me.

It never fails, just when I feel like things are clicking together just right, I get slammed up side the head, figuratively speaking. I am sure most of this is just a communication mishap and once I am able to explain, things will be better. But then again, I was in a bad marriage for nearly 20 years before I finally saw the light.

Then, late tonight, my guy calls. He's had a huge disagreement with his boss and tells them he quits! OMGosh! This is kaos!!! No stability! Both of us cannot be having horrific days at the same time!

If you made it all the way through this post, thanks for listening. I'm just in a bad place at the moment and a good night's sleep will do wonders.

AKC Boise Dog Show

AKC was in town this weekend and we made a visit bright and early this morning to catch the Yorkshire Terrier judging. We were surprised to find only three Yorkies there for the final day of showing.

It's been a very cold weekend, rain and snow, and down right cold. The sun shined through some this afternoon, but it's been cold. I think maybe some of the folks may have left the AKC show early due to the temps. Either way, we enjoyed our visit to the fairgrounds where the show is held every year.

I had forgotten my camera in the car but had my cell phone camera, here's a picture of one of the Yorkies...

My guy and I decided a couple of our dogs could have done well at this show. Of course, they would have had to have been entered first, but if they had been entered, they probably would have done well..... Bentley and Molly.

Here's a recent picture of Molly with her babies last May...

I don't know, maybe I'm just a little biased, but I think my Molly is just as pretty as the one in the show today!

SNOW!??

Last I checked, it was only October 10th. We had our first snow showers today. It didn't stick, but if any more storms come through tonight, it just might. OMGosh, I don't remember having snow this early since I've lived here! Normally, the last week in November we start getting snow. To all my friends to the east, here comes winter! My cousin lives in Beverly, Mass, and she gets our weather about three or four days after we do. It's kind of interesting to follow the storms across America.

New Profile Picture

I always have such a hard time with self portraits. Normally, I'm the one behind the camera so there's not many photos of me. Tonight, I had my hair french braided, looking for a curly look for tomorrow. We'll see how this turns out, lol. I haven't braided hair since my daughter was a young girl.

3 Years Cancer Free

My mom received a PINK medal, like the Olympic medals, from her doctor the other day for being breast cancer free for three years now. There were days of chemo and radiation therapies, hair loss and wigs, so sick she wasn't sure if the treatments were worth it. I'm glad you're here, Mom!

Changes & Updates Abound

Wow! AOL really did it now. I started out with an AOL Journal and was one of the many who moved from J-land when the unwanted banner ads appeared. I have grown to really like the Blogger platform and hope to continue to grow here.

With the current exodus from AOL's J-land and everyone moving to somewhere new, I thought I'd give my own blog a facelift too. I really do like the ease of changing things, personalizing my blog, and hope that everyone who lands here finds it as user friendly as I have.

Also, I realized I haven't posted in a long, long time and I have some catch-up posting to do! My summer was filled with medical issues, and a wonderful week away from home with my family. My son came home from Basic Training and AIT, I met a new family member we never knew existed, and I've lost 30 pounds!

It's Been A Long While

Boy! Where does the time go!?

I am home from work today, for the next few days for some well deserved PTO time! I am sitting here contemplating the work I need to do before my daughter arrives this evening. Yes! My daughter is coming for a visit for several days! I'm so excited to see her!

I have to say, my guy has done the most wonderful favor for me... he's taken all seven, yes I said seven, dogs with him on this run so that I can be dog-less for the week with my family. I cannot thank him enough!!!

June 23, 2008

Home from my son's Basic Training Graduation at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. It was so, so good to see him. It was so hard to leave him there.

The first thing I noticed was how white his teeth are. When I mentioned his teeth, he said, "Yeah, I brush them at least three times a day now." Wow, I thought.

The second thing I noticed was his voice has seemed to change. It's deeper than it was when he left home in April. Must be all those cadences during marches on the base.

The last thing took a little longer to realize, that was just how nice he was, how polite he was. He's turned into a perfect gentleman.

His girlfriend came with me, and we had a wonderful visit. We left the house at 6am for our 7am flight. We arrived in Oklahoma City around lunch time, 12:30pm. Fort Sill was an hours' drive southwest of Oklahoma City on I-44.

We stayed through Saturday afternoon, longer than most of the families. Most of the soldiers shipped out to their next stop the morning following graduation. My son was one of six who were not leaving until Sunday a.m.

That gave us a whole'nother day with our soldier! Here's a couple of pics...

Graduation day, June 20, 2008 with girlfriend.

Son and proud mom!

Mother's Day

I know it's late but I wanted to wish all the mother's out here in Blog/Journal-land...

Happy Mother's Day!

I've been working four ten hours days since last July, and the days of my week now seem to run together. But, I wouldn't trade it back to working five days a week!

Last Friday, the Friday before Mother's Day, I received my first correspondence from my son.

He's been gone since April 9th, gone to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, for Army National Guard boot camp. When he left, he was carrying a pretty large chip on his shoulders and asked me not to contact him. He didn't care if I was his mom. He didn't want to hear from me by phone, text messaging, or letters.

When his girlfriend received his address, I asked if I could have it. "Of course," she said, and I promptly sent his address to all our family. I also found a card that really reminded me of my son when he was about 10 years old. I decided to send it. Positive thoughts written in my hand filled the blank inside. I signed, "Love You, Mom."

Now, back to the Friday before Mother's Day. I was able to get the mail as soon as it was delivered Friday. As I thumbed through the stack of mail, I found a letter size envelope. No returned address. Postmark from Oklahoma City, OK.

It was from my son! I was so excited! Once inside the house, I opened his letter only to find the card I'd sent him, ripped to shreds. No other note, other than the pieced together words "Return to Sender!" across the front of my original envelope, now shredded in my hands. My heart sunk, I think it even missed a few beats. I was crushed.

Styx sings a song... it goes something like this... "...why must you be an angry young man... your future looks quite bright to me..." Boy! Talk about sting. Oh, that was Styx! lol

The next day, Saturday, I received a beautiful, fragrant bouquet of roses from my daughter. Her card said, "Thanks for being a wonderful Mom." The flowers were beautiful. I thanked her right away, and had a good visit with her over the phone. (She's in Los Angeles.)

That afternoon, I took my parents out for dinner. My dad wouldn't let me pay. Dinner was good and we had a nice visit too. They gave me a hanging planter full of spring flowers for my patio.

Sunday, Mother's Day, I really never gave any more thought to hearing from kids. I had a great visit with my daughter over the phone. I received my son's message, loud and clear. I expected nothing more of my day. My guy was home and he treated me all day long! Thank you, Buddy.

Then, before lunch, I checked my cell phone as I have an ad in the paper for my puppies... and OMG!!! I received a text from my son. It was a nice text message, so nice I thought maybe his girlfriend sent it for him. I called his cell... it rang, and rang again, and he answered! I think we were both in shock! I had called from another number that he wasn't aware of, and totally expected his girlfriend to answer.

We talked for just a couple of minutes. He was very nice, not sarcastic like he had been before he left. I just wanted to reach through that phone and give him a great big hug!!! We talked about graduation dates and I told him I'd like to be there. He agreed. I told him I loved him, he said he loved me too, and our call was over.

I think this has been my best Mother's Day so far!

Anyone For A Puppy Fix?

The photos with single pups are Lucy's two females, 7 weeks old tomorrow. The others with two pups are Molly's two males, 5 weeks old yesterday. I've got a houseful of puppies right now, six in all. Lucy had four puppies in February, and Molly had two puppies in March. Fun, fun, fun!

Spring Has Sprung

It was gorgeous this weekend! Today was overcast but in the mid 70's. I was definitely under the weather! I stayed home from work, something I rarely do unscheduled. There was no way I could function at work with this monster of a cold I've caught. I worked from home the best I could.

The photo above was taken in my backyard yesterday afternoon. Today the tree, a Thunderclould Flowering Cherry tree, has almost completely bloomed. Beautiful.

Hmm... a time for new beginnings.

I made it all winter without catching a cold, but it's finally found me. I woke up yesterday with that sinus tingling, overall heaviness feeling, and this morning, I've definitely got it. ARGH!!! I know the exact moment I was exposed and didn't have cover. I wish people would cover their faces when they are sick and have to cough or sneeze. I was given this bug, directly from a sneeze. The remenents of which I had no choice but to walk through. There was no avoiding it. GROSS, but true. 24 hours later, I've got it. I hate colds!

A Bit Out Of Focus

Took this photo too quick, not paying attention to it's focus...

It's the first weekend this year where we'll have temps close to, if not in the 70's! It's gorgeous out! I caught a glimpse of a neighbor boy and his dog this morning, and before I could get another shot, they were gone. That's a 6 foot fence at the bottom of the photo, and they are sitting on the roof of their shed. Cute! Boys and their dogs.

I'm Numb, So Much to Handle

A week ago today, I took my lunch break at the nursing home where my Gramma was dying. My parents had been with her all morning. They needed a break so I brought some sandwiches for lunch.

I met my dad in the parking lot. He was taking the minister who prayed over my Gramma, back to the church. He would be back soon.

I remember when I was in the hallway, just outside Gramma's room, I could hear my mom. My mom was letting Gramma know she was there, "I'm here mom, I'm right here." Gramma did not want to die alone.

There was a nicely decorated cart of coffee, tea and water, and snacks for us aside the closet. Gramma was at her end. She would not be pulling through this, this time.

My mom was not doing well, she was taking this pretty hard. I would be no different if that was my mom lying there. My mom needed a break and stepped away for a few minutes. I was there, I would be there as long as they needed me.

I stood by Gramma's side, holding her hand and caressing her shoulder. Gramma loved her family, many had gone before her. The room was filled with photos of all her loved ones. Through these photos, we surrounded her, even when we were not there. Gramma was breathing sporadically. Her eyes were winced tight as if she may be in discomfort. The nursing home had given her comfort medications. Though she was not calling out, she still seemed distressed.

As she would catch her breath, I would tell her I was there. Then remembered, Grampa was waiting for her on the other side. I told Gramma it was okay to go, go find Grampa. Find that old fishing pole and go fishing with Grampa. My fondest childhood memories are of them camping and fishing. Then, I remembered her love of the beach! "Gramma, go to the beach, go, it's okay."

With that, Gramma took her last breath. Her eyes relaxed and she was gone.

Grammas are so special, we love them dearly, and mine was no different. I loved her most dearly, and will miss her!

Today, my son left for Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Finally. He's been to the final physical and returned home due to his respiratory infection, twice already. Yesterday, he passed and received his flight orders for today. He'll be gone for five months, boot camp and then advanced training, before coming home.

My problem is I haven't seen him since Gramma's service on Friday. And he was very distant with me, avoided my like the plague.

He has issues, left unresolved, and specifically the night before Gramma's service, with his girlfriend not being allowed to miss school. (Long story.) He left me a text message at 6am this morning, not to ever call or text him again. To stay out of his life. (Ouch.)

I deserve to be treated with respect too. There's a song my guy sings a couple of lines of... "...why must you be such an angry young man, ...your future looks quite bright to me..." I will miss him and hope he comes to his senses someday. Love you, Buddy.

Discussing this with my guy late last night, only caused me more drama and heartache. One thing lead to another and before long, we were arguing over my son and my family, and my guy's relationship with them. It's been a long bumpy road, and I do not know we'll make it through this.

My guy left without saying "goodbye" last night. He'll be gone for a week. I'm not sure he'll be coming home again, for anything longer than to pack his things.

So, to Gramma, my son, and my guy....I miss you all.

UPDATE: Later 04.09.08:

My guy phoned to say he loves me.

My Son and the Idaho Army National Guard

So, we've had our going away party, we've had our special, last minute dinner parties and get-togethers... my son joined the Idaho Army National Guard in November, 2007, and had to report last night.

The Guard had a hotel room in my son's name last night. He had to report, first thing this morning, to his final physical exam before getting his flight instructions. We anticipated he would fly out today. Yesterday, I was having a hard time believing he was leaving. Today, I woke up accepting the fact, he was gone for the next five months.

Then, shortly after 9:00 a.m. I receive a call at work. It's my son! They have sent him home and he reports back in three weeks! YEAH!!! Turns out my son has a horrible respiratory infection and they want him to get well before they send him off to boot camp. YES!!!

This means he'll be home for his birthday, March 20th! And, he'll be home for Easter. It means he has time to finish those things on his list that didn't get done. It means he'll be able to see Molly's puppies...she's due any time. It means he'll be able to help me with a garage sale. It means he has time to take down my Christmas lights still strung along the edge of my roof. It means so much to me to have these last few weeks together!

Monday Night Vet Visit

The puppies seem to be doing good tonight. But, last night, boy... it's heart wrenching to listen to them cry after they've had their little tails docked and dew claws removed.

My guy was brave, he actually stayed in the surgical area where the puppies were handled. I sat in the waiting room with Molly.

I do not know how I can justify this practice of tail docking and dew claw removal. I know it's AKC Standard to dock tails. I wish there was something we could give these little guys for pain.

Molly came along with us so that we could get a head count of the number of baby pups she will have. She's not that big. The x-ray showed two healthy pups, and that they were due any day.

Lucy and Puppies

The night before last, Lucy was restless and panting. I let her sleep with me, as I normally do when my girls are close to delivering. It was a sleepless night. Seems I was up every couple of hours, for either Lucy or myself. LOL At 5:30a, when my alarm went off for work, I let Lucy out, turned on my pc and sent my boss and co-workers an email. I would not be in to work, Lucy was in labor. I fell back to sleep.

I was awaken by the squishy, licking sounds of Lucy cleaning her first born, in my bed, right by my face! It was 7:30a. I moved Lucy to the bedding area I had made for her, placing the puppy, a female, in the middle of the bed. Lucy is such a good ma' ma dog! She finished cleaning up the puppy and the puppy latched on and nursed. The next puppy, another female, was born at 9:30a. And another puppy, a male, was born at 11:45a.

Last Friday, I had taken Lucy in for an X-ray to see how many puppies she might have, to save me from guessing. The X-ray showed at least four, maybe five puppies. So, after the third pup was born, I knew there was at least one more! We waited and waited. A couple hours turned to three hours. I was worried there was something wrong. I could feel only one puppy still in her belly, and I felt it kick... a good sign!

It was after 2p, I called the Vet and explained the situation. He scheduled me in as a "walk-in" at 6:30p, if Lucy hadn't the pup by then. He said as long as she wasn't pushing, she was probably alright. Lucy was nursing and tending to her new puppies, acting like she was done giving birth. I fell asleep.

I woke up a couple hours later, about 4p. Still only three puppies! So, I called the Vet and said I was on my way. I didn't feel the unborn puppy kicking like I had, a couple of hours earlier. As soon as I could get my shoes on, we left... me, Lucy and three babies.

The minute we arrived at the Vet's office, I was ushered into a private room, given a large bed cushion and comforter, placed on the floor, for Lucy to labor on. The puppies were snug in my insulated, soft-sided, lunch pail, until I was able to get Lucy settled in. Then, the puppies came out to nurse. I was on the floor with them, encouraging Lucy, telling her what a good girl she was, until the Vet came in.

Lucy still hadn't pushed in hours. There was a definite mass still in her stomach. And, I hadn't felt the unborn puppy kick in a long, long time.

The Vet took Lucy back for an ultrasound, to see if the unborn puppy was still viable. I bundled the puppies back up in my lunch pail, and we were off to the ultrasound room. The ultrasound showed a very strong beating heart! We were all surprised! This was good news! Seems, when this much time has passed, normally there's a problem and the unborn pup rarely makes it.

Because we still weren't sure if there was a fifth puppy, they did an X-ray. The X-ray confirmed, there was just one unborn puppy, for a total of four puppies! The plan was to give Lucy a shot of Oxcitocin (sp?), the drug the induces labor, and let her try to deliver this puppy on her own.

With fingers crossed and all the prayers we could come up with, Lucy started pushing about 15 minutes after her shot. We were back in our private room, in the center of the floor on a comforter over a thick cushion. About 20 minutes later, puppy number four was born! Another male! Lucy did such a good job!

The Vet said it was common for people to think they are all done birthing puppies, go to bed, then wake up the next morning to find another puppy added to their litter. I was glad we didn't take any chances and Lucy delivered in good time. So, we have four, very healthy puppies, two girls, two boys!

Weekend, Gone Too Fast

At first, I didn't know what to do with myself when my schedule changed and I started working four 10's, having Friday, Saturday and Sunday off every week. Now, I don't know where the time goes!



Friday, I took Lucy in for her Vet check. The lady who lost her puppy earlier this month, went with me. We wanted to find out how many puppies Lucy was having so I would know when Lucy's done delivering puppies. Appears to be four, maybe five, puppies! That's quite a lot of puppies for Yorkies. We're hoping for a male for my lady friend.



Saturday, my son's girlfriend threw a going away party for my son. He leaves for Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in a little over a week from now. I helped her pull the whole thing together. We made our own invitations with Military scrapbooking supplies. Then, we made this huge, tri-fold, poster board, full of photos and more Military scrapbooking items. The photos were from the time he was born, to today. My son even help with this. We had a lot of fun together, going through all those old pictures and trying to decide which photos would end up on the board. Lots of fun!



Someone at the party asked me if I was going to be okay after he leaves, it must be hard. I've thought about that ever since she asked me. I am going to miss my son! I think my response was a bit short, and very possibly, unfriendly. I do not mean for my response to be so short. I think I knew if I let my true feelings out, I would have broke down crying. I couldn't do that, not in front of all those people. I need to be strong for my son, support him in his decision to join the service. Let him go.



Everyone enjoyed the poster board, full of photos. We bar-b-qued hamburgers and had homemade chili beans, and lots of good side dishes of fruits and salads. We had a really nice time.



Sunday, my son's girlfriend and I went to the baby shower of my dear friend Jenny. We had a wonderful time.

Babbling with a Full Plate

Taxes... I'm such a procrastinator! I keep putting it off, getting papers in order, until "next weekend." Next weekend gets here and is gone before I even think about taxes. It's like I mentally block the task of getting my life in order, especially my taxes. I wish they, the tax men, would figure out what they need, just take what they need, and then leave the rest alone. I suppose the current tax ways are good for everyone, I just hate doing mine.

I've got so much on my plate at the moment, but probably no more than anyone else. It's that procrastinator in me, competing for my time.

My son is leaving in just over two weeks for boot camp. His girlfriend and he are attached at the hip and I am feeling like I never get a chance to really talk with him, without her. I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like the jealous mother... Honest, I'm not. I just would like to have a good talk with him, without the girlfriend.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore this gal. She's a real sweety. My son and she are planning to get married late next spring. They are so young and nothing is set in stone, so we'll see. We all know, they should enjoy life and see the world before they get so tied down to each other.

But first, my son needs to go through boot camp and advanced training. He'll be gone for five months, leaving the first week of March and returning the last week of July. His girlfriend and I are planning a "going away" party this coming weekend. It will be just family and maybe a couple of friends. We're having fun going through old photos and putting together a posterboard of photos from when my son was born, to today.

On my doggy front, Lucy and Molly, are both pregnant! Lucy is due any day. This Friday, if she makes it to Friday, we go for another ultrasound to keep the guessing out of it and find out how many puppies she has. I want to know when she's done or when I should start worrying, when she does go into labor. Molly is about three or four weeks behind Lucy. We're going to have a very busy puppy spring this year.

And yes, a male puppy is going to the couple who lost their puppy earlier this month. The morning after Oliver died, everyone still very teary-eyed over his death, I offered another puppy to them, if they wanted.

This last weekend was the first time I've talked with the wife since my offer. Bless her heart, she thought she was ready to see the "going home" photos I had taken of Oliver, the day he went home with them. She had a hard time seeing them. She told me she didn't know how she would ever face me again. They had promised to take care of Oliver, promised to keep him safe, and not 24 hours after taking him home, he was gone.

I assured her I had no hard feelings, that bad things happen to good people sometimes. I was so sorry. We talked about the cost of Lucy's babies and agreed they would pay cost for their new baby, if they wanted one. I let her know, Lucy was ready to deliver next week sometime and asked if she would like to go with me to the Vet's office for her ultrasound this Friday. She had no idea Lucy was pregnant and due so soon. She was tickled pink that I asked her to go with me! She's going to see if she can rearrange her schedule Friday to join me and Lucy.

When I learned Oliver was gone, I couldn't believe it. It just couldn't be true! Disbelief turned to pain over his death, to anger... they should have been more careful! Turns out they were being careful, this was just a horrible, horrible accident. Immediately my anger moved to, they need another puppy. I know just how long this couple has been wanting one of my puppies, how they have been waiting and planning. Waiting for this little guy has been nothing less than being pregnant and having a baby, for them. They loved that little puppy. They picked him out when he was just three weeks old and came by to visit every week until they took him home. They have so much to offer a puppy. I know it's not my fault their puppy died. I know I do not have to GIVE them a puppy. I want to do this for them.

Then there's work. Work with all these women. There is always someone who's offended by another. Always one who has to push the others around. Always one who thinks she doesn't have to follow the rules. I try to let them work out their issues themselves, getting involved when it seems they are not able to do this. And, I thank God, I'm off Fridays and only have to be there four days a week!

If you've made it all the way through this entry, wow! I really appreciate you for listening to me babble on and on about things important to me. Online friends are the greatest!

Good News

There is good news to be told this week. My Lucy is pregnant! I took her in for an ultrasound Wednesday night. The doc was happy to tell me she was healthy, and it appeared she has healthy puppies. She still has three weeks, or so to go. We are looking forward to new puppies in the house.

I'm Gonna Miss Him...

We go through life, doing the best we can with our families, our jobs, our hobbies...our life. I do my best with raising Yorkshire Terriers, and think I do a good job. Sometimes, things are out of our control, no one's fault, just plain, dirty bad luck...

This last litter of Yorkies were all spoken for by the time they were seven weeks old. There were three puppies in all, and all three are as cute as could be, with personalities to match. My Yorkie pups are all AKC registered, home raised with loads of love, hand held from the day they were born, making for well socialized Yorkies.

Last weekend was going to their forever families weekend. First went "Zoe," she was the smaller of the two females. Then, later that night, "Gracie," the larger of the two females left with her new family. The male stayed with me until Super Bowl Sunday, going home with his new family just before the game started. They named him "Oliver."

Oliver was my favorite of the three. Maybe because he was picked out a week before Christmas and he had a name, which he knew! I do not think I've seen a happier pup, a more-proud-of-himself pup! He had these short, little legs, and would prance around like he was in charge. I called him, "Oliver Little Mr. Short Pants." My guy called him "Prince Oliver Short Pants." So you get the idea, Oliver was full of himself and just as sweet as they come.

Sunday, Oliver got to know his new family. He chased their cat around the house, napped on his new daddy's shoulders, and just charmed the heck out of his new family. The first night went like a breeze! Oliver slept in his kennel next to their bed and was such a big boy, first night away from our home. Not a peep was heard from him. The next morning he went outside to do his business like a champ.

The wife got ready for work and got a face full of kisses from Oliver as she left for work. The husband works from home at times. Monday the husband was home. He was being so careful with Oliver being down on the floor and around the house, but accidents happen, even sometimes when we're careful.

The husband took a step and landed his foot across Oliver's little body. He rushed Oliver to the ER Vet, but they were not able to revive the little guy. Oliver was gone.

My guy was told immediately, but he spared me the horrible news until after I left work. I hadn't quite made it home when I received the news. Luckily, there was a super market parking lot, right there, when I was told... I had to pull over and take a minute to pull myself together.

Monday, Oliver crossed that Rainbow Bridge, and is running through the fields with our Harley now, waiting to see us again someday. I cannot imagine how bad Oliver's new family must feel right now, they truly loved that little puppy and will miss him forever.

Snow, Snow, and Cold!

This week has been absolutely, FREEZING! Normally, our snow comes, the sun comes out the next day and the snow is gone. The past few days, it's been so cold even when the sun comes out, the snow is freezing and going no where.

Five Weeks Old

They just don't get any cuter than this!

Oliver, Zoe & Gracie.

Glad It's January

The holidays could not have come and gone any quicker than they did for me, this year. I did my best to find my Christmas Spirit, without any luck. I went through the motions, displaying the Christmas cards we had received, picking out gifts for my family, making sure I was able to see everyone. I even through together a cute display of "spirit" on the wall at the entrance to my office at work with small red drawn, cloth, gift bags for all the women, and green holiday gift bags for the men... 18 women, and 4 men... all with their names in glitter. They really were cute, and I received many compliments on them. Wish I had thought to take a picture to show off here! My son was encouraged by his girlfriend's mother to surprise me and put some lights on the house because he had done such a wonderful job with their house! I think the kids told me just the other day, they put up more than 6500 lights on her house. What the girlfriend's mother didn't know is, he's always put lights on our house, and not just a string of lights! He'd do a really nice job, with coordinated lights, strung above icicles. The more the merrier! After the encouragement he received from her, he put up a string of lights, alternating red and white bulbs, along the edge of our home... nothing like the jobs he's done in prior years. I will say, I was still thrilled to have the lights. They looked very nice. My guy bought us a new tree this year. A four foot, artificial, fiber optic tree, small enough to fit in our dining room... We had the giant dog, Tai, my son's six month old Golden Retriever, so we needed to have something small and off the ground. It was beautiful! Just something was missing! Where was my Christmas Spirit? Hoping my "spirit" would show up soon, I took the week before Christmas, December 18 through December 25, as scheduled time off from work, needing to return to work December 26. My first day off I received an urgent email from my boss, I was needed in the office. I got myself together after sleeping in, and spent the whole afternoon there disciplining one employee and meeting with a small group others. It was a stressfull afternoon. By the time I got home, I felt it, that overwhelming heaviness coming over me. I spent that night with miserable aches and pains, fever and chills. That next day, I was too sick to get out of bed. I forced myself to take a shower, thinking the heat and steam would make me feel better. I slept most the day and went to bed early that night. My parents had called the next day. They'd made a chicken and rice dish and wanted to share with me. Thinking this sounded wondered, and I didn't think I was contagious, I told them I'd be there in a bit. We talked about Christmas plans and settled on dinner together with my son and his girlfriend. I went home, tummy full, and went to bed. First thing Friday before Christmas, my mom called and cancelled all Christmas plans she had made with me and my son the day before. She said she wanted to wait for my brother to drive up from California, after the first of the year. Knowing my brother, as I do, I knew he would not make it from California to here, any time soon. He doesn't do snow, and we've had plenty. So, I asked the kids if they could get together with me and my parents for Christmas, BEFORE Christmas, Saturday the 22nd. Monday, my guy would be home; Monday was also Christmas Eve; my son said he would be busy with his girlfriend's family Christmas Eve; and Tuesday - Christmas Day - my son again said he would be busy with his girlfriend's family. So, as I saw it, if I wanted any kind of Christmas with my family, the least stressful day was Sunday, December 23! My guy had talked about going to his mom's to be with his family, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or both days. I did not want to go to Twin Falls. I wasn't into driving in the ice and snow the 130 miles to get there. This had nothing to do with his family, I love his mom. The fact that Mother Nature was being cruel this year, that's what was driving me to stay put. There had been so many fatal accidents on a particular stretch of the icy Interstate, I just wanted to stay home, all cozy, safe and warm, watching the puppies and getting ready for work Wednesday, December 26th. I was looking forward to being alone, believe it or not, not an ounce of stress being tugged this way or that, looking forward to just doing nothing. So, back to my story... Friday, early afternoon, my dad calls and invites me to lunch with him and my mom. At lunch, I asked if they would like to get together with just me and the kids, Saturday. They seemed fine with this. Afterall, my mom had cancelled her plans until after New Years, when my brother could make it up. So, plans for Saturday with me and my kids were made. I let the kids know and everything was good.

New Year

Wishing you all

a happy and safe New Year,

may 2008 be great to you!