Our Little Graduate

Today was Abbey's final day of Beginner Obedience Training - and she passed her test with flying colors. She's really improved her performance in class in the last few weeks. She even got to wear a ridiculous little hat!



In truth, she does better in class than she does at home. When I have the treat bag and clicker in my hand, then she listens when I say "Leave It." But if I don't have that treat bag in hand and she sees the cat wandering around the room, "Leave It" is really just a noise she ignores. More work to do.

We'd like to sign her up for the intermediate class soon, and continue with the advanced class and maybe even the click-a-trick class. And then, one day, maybe we'll sign her up for a tracking class - put that nose of hers to work....

With every dog I've had in the past, the alarm going off in the morning has been their signal that it's okay to lick your face until you get up and play with them. And food in the bowl meant they ate immediately and until it was gone. Not with our little girl. She's very like Bobby in this way - not a morning doggie, and not ready to eat until a few hours after she's been up. When I get out of bed to start the coffee pot and tea kettle, she doesn't follow me - she takes my spot and cuddles up to Bobby.

Reading a little about a relative dog breed on Wikipedia, I came across this statement:
"They love to nest and cuddle. Getting a walker hound out of your bed,off your couch or away from your fireplace will be a feat in itself. They love to sleep after a long day and are the perfect dogs for watching television."

That so sounds like her!



We've been to the dog beach with her a few times now. The first time we let her off the leash she bolted about a quarter mile out of pure excitement, but she mostly stays close now, and gets better each time we go. She wants so badly to play with all of the other dogs, and is often quite vocal. We clearly have some training that needs reinforcement.

Leaving the house is really exciting for her, because it means we are going someplace fun. Sometimes it's PetSmart, sometimes it's the dog beach, and at least once a weeks it's Bobby's parents' house where she can wrestle around with his brother's labrador, Jaeger, for at least a few hours. Everytime she sees us getting ready to leave, she gets really excited and camps out in front of the nearest exit, and jumps into the car as soon as we open it. And after a long day playing with Jaeger or on the beach, she sleeps - all the way home and once we're there.

An Update

Working from home is a lot of work.

I work all the time. I sleep a little later, and I sometimes work my chores into the middle of my day instead of the evenings or weekends, but I'm busy almost nonstop. I am amazed that Bobby was able to get any bidding done with the amount of other stuff that needed to get done. He's been getting a lot more bidding done since I've been able to work on all the admin stuff, and it's a good thing too - with the slowing of the economy we have needed to get more bids out to keep work coming in.

Then, to make everything a little more hectic, I decided to add a little to my load. As you know, my brother owns a microbrewery in Fullerton, CA - Bootlegger's Brewery. He's realized he needs someone to help him out at least a few hours a week, so I'm now working for him Friday mornings as well. I like being able to help, and I can tell he needs someone around that thinks like I do.

I have also tried to make sure to take some time for myself. I introduced Bobby to yoga and we try to get to a yoga class at the gym at least 1-2 times a week. Also, Abbey and I walk for about 45 minutes each day - down to the park and back. She and Lucas still aren't the best of buds, but they are slowly getting better. Well... she is getting better about accepting that he doesn't want to play, and he's getting better about not minding so much when she walks in the room. I know it's a long shot, but I long to see them cuddled up together. I could be waiting a really long time.

She's mostly housetrained now, but she likes to bring our shoes and clothes outside to play with and chew on. And she mouths us a lot. We are trying to tell her no, substitute her toy for our arm, and/or put her outside for a time out when she just won't stop. She's a normal puppy, and requires patience. She has picked up some commands already, but her consistency drops significantly when we don't have a treat in our hand. We start an actual obedience class on Sunday.

I'm making both lunch and dinner almost every day, so we are eating out rarely. I feel better when we eat in because we save money, I end up eating smaller portions, and I also feel like I have a better idea of what we are eating. I'm also a big fan of courses, which is easier with smaller portions, but I'm having a little trouble finding desserts that are easy to make for just two or three people (Erica is with us many weeknights).

With as busy as I am, I've had less time to read the many food blogs I subscribe to, so I haven't been as adventurous lately - making more tried & true recipes. I did, however, make a mushroom bourguignon recently that was heavenly. Bobby would be perfectly happy if I made huevos rancheros every single day (in fact, he asks for it most days - but I skip the cheese and add sour cream and avocado as well). Mom gave me a ton of lemons from the tree at the Chino house, so I'm trying to find uses for them outside lemonade.

Since I have a beautiful, bright red KitchenAid stand mixer now (Bobby bought it for me for Christmas), I have this desire to make stuff that requires kneading, like fresh pasta, pizza, and yeast breads. With the weather I've been craving soups and stews and other warm, hearty meals, but the weather was really nice yesterday and I started thinking about lunches on the patio and grilling and chilled white wine. In fact, I decided to have a little salad, fresh baked bread dipped in really great olive oil, and a glass of chilled white wine for lunch.

You know those rare moments when you feel totally at peace? When you feel like there isn't something that you need to do right this moment, and there are no thoughts just tugging at your brain? As if you can just be still, and rest, and feel peaceful? They are so few and far between that I can recall those moments with complete clarity - sitting on the top of a deep sea fishing boat just feeling the movement, waking up to the sound of distant mariachi music on a beautiful Saturday morning when Bobby and I lived in the apartment, and lying back in the hammock on our newly built patio, drinking a glass of chilled white wine after a nice lunch the afternoon Mom and Lisa and I stayed home to be with Gma when she was starting to get really sick.

Chilled white wine on spring-like days reminds me of that afternoon. It was one of those days when the temperature and breezes are so perfect that you throw open every window and door in the house. Lunch had been perfect, and it felt so good to spend time with my Gma, mom, and aunt. We ate well but didn't over eat, drank well but didn't get drunk, and everyone took a nap mid afternoon in hammocks or skychairs or wherever they fell.

Something about just the thought afternoon naps is calming to my soul. Like that scene in Stealing Beauty when Lucy arrives and everyone is napping (4 minutes in). I want to be there, sleeping on one of those chaise lounges.

Today was overcast and drizzly, but I think, perhaps, more warm spring-like days are not too far off. The buds on my grapevines are starting to burst. Yesterday I saw that a couple had just burst, and today they are already shooting out leaves.

Emma had a Home Depot gift card (she won it at a casino party my parents threw a few months ago - we taught her to play Blackjack) so we went down to their garden center recently. Between the two of us we came home with quite a few plants - as always, she with mostly flowers, and me with plants that will later feed me. My problem is that I always think of all these foods I want to eat, but forget that I don't have much room for the plants. So I've recently planted some tomatoes, cabbage, lettuces, blueberry, blackberry, and concord grape, and now I have to find a place for an Improved Meyer Lemon tree. Luckily, I left the avocado tree at the store.

I'm really looking forward to all the green that comes with spring. I have more to plant - leek, chervil, parsley, and Brussels sprout seeds, and I need to pick up some basil and thyme. Now that the rains have soaked the earth pretty well I feel like I need to get out there and put some plants in.

Welcome Abbey

Bobby and I have wanted to get a dog for a long time, but we both felt pretty strongly that we should wait until we had time to spend with a dog. Time for walks, and time to play, and time to train. This December, with the thought that since both of us would be working from home come the new year, it was finally time.

Then the search began. We initially hoped to find a pup by Christmas, but we had a long list of criteria, and decided it was important to find the right dog, even if that meant waiting. It had to be a breed we liked the look of, but it also had to do well with cats and children, and we preferred a pup less than 6 months old (both for training purposes and due to our cat, Lucas). Bobby's tongue-in-cheek description of the kind of dog he wanted was, "Floppy ears... and could kill a man." But would love the cat, obviously.

Bobby, Emma, and I made a number of visits to shelters over the last few months, looked online, and called breed rescues. We watched Dogs 101 on Animal Planet a lot and took a few mental notes about breeds we liked. This Saturday, we picked Emma up and decided to go to the Riverside County Animal Shelter.

We only had a vague idea of where it was, so I checked Google Maps on my phone for a location. Instead of the Riverside County Animal Shelter, we wound up at the Riverside Humane Society, but decided to look at the dogs anyway.

As we were looking for parking, Emma and I were looking at the kennels that faced the parking lot. Upon seeing the first dog, I said, "That's the one!" We hadn't even gotten out of the car yet.

We made sure we saw all the dogs they had, but there were really only two we were considering - the first dog I'd seen, a 5 1/2 month old Bluetick Coonhound, and her cell mate, a 1 1/2 year old Basset Hound.

When we asked about the dogs, we mentioned that we already have a cat, and that it was important to us to find a dog that is good with cats. The coonhound had not been cat tested yet, but they agreed to do one with us there.

We first met with the coonhound, Soleil, and as soon as we were in the visiting room, she walked up to me and gently crawled the front of her body in my lap to let me pet her. When she got down, she did the very same to Bobby. She was a very happy, playful puppy. Emma was in love, and already begging us to take the dog home. (She's easy like that though. Every place we went there was always a dog she was madly in love with).

After a while, they brought in a cat carrier with a jet black cat named Phantom inside. I had been wondering how they go about choosing a cat to do the cat tests - obviously you don't want to stress any of the animals out too badly. Apparently this cat loves dogs, actually prefers to be caged with them than with other cats, and has been their cat test bait for as long as she's been there. Soleil was mildly curious, but not agressive in any way. After a little time, they let Phantom out of the cat carrier and he wandered around the room a bit. Soleil followed him around, very curious. The cat was finally irritated with all the sniffing, and gently batted the dog, and she just backed off.

The staff member we were talking to informed us that Julie had been cat tested, and she is okay with cats that do not run from her. Apparently if the cat bolts, Julie chases. I was a little uneasy about that, but we decided to visit with her anyway.

Julie was much mellower than Soleil. Again, a sweet dog, but more reserved, perhaps even lazy. If she needed to move forward just a little bit, she'd just drag her backside instead of getting up to walk. Bobby, who never thought he would like a smallish dog was really taken with her, and when they took Julie back we had a tough decision in front of us.

Bobby wanted Julie, but liked Soleil too. I wanted Soleil, but liked Julie too. Emma waffled back and forth (really, she wanted to take a dog home NOW, and it didn't matter which one). I was still concerned with how Julie would act towards Lucas, and the fact that she was an older dog. Bobby really liked Julie.

We eventually caved to our indecisiveness and decided we would get both. They seemed to do so well together in their kennel and it would be good of us to save them both right? And how nice would it be for each of us to have a dog? Emma was ecstatic.

Thankfully, the staff at the Humane Society held us back a little. Since we have a cat, and both the dogs were hounds - dogs with a strong prey drive - and since Julie was already predisposed to chase cats, they said we could only take one home that day. Take one home, acclimate her to the cat, then maybe see about another. That way Julie doesn't teach Soleil bad traits right away.

We tried to talk them out of it, but they were firm. We were back to having to make a decision. Finally, Bobby relented, and we decided on Soleil. He reasoned that it would probably be better to go for the puppy, and if we want a Basset Hound, then we can try to find a puppy in a few months. Better not to scare Lucas with two dogs all at once, right?

I liked the name Soleil, but Bobby didn't care for it, so we started thinking of other names. It didn't take long for Bobby and Emma to decide on Abbey. His family is full of Beatles fans, which is why her name is spelled the same as it is in Abbey Road. We filled out the paperwork, and picked out the collar, leash, water and food bowls, a toy, food, and some treats. Then we piled in the car and brought her to meet Jäger.



Jäger is Bobby's brother's labrador. We were understandable aprehensive about their first meeting - Jäger is a rather large, powerful, and somewhat uncontrollable dog, while Abbey is rather petite. It was clear rather early on that Jäger was simply enamored with this new girl. She walked around sniffing the yard while he just followed her around as if he were the puppy.

It was a breif visit, since it was time for us to be heading home. The closer we got to home, the more worried I was about how Lucas would react. We were fairly confident that Abbey wouldn't attack him, but he often disappears when there are people over he doesn't like - what if he just takes off while she's there?

As soon as we pulled the car in the garage, I jumped out to check to see if Lucas was in the house. I was hoping we could introduce them that night, since I didn't want them to surprise each other while we were all sleeping. Luckily, he was right there in our bedroom waiting for us to come home. I quickly closed up the exit we leave open for him. We brought Abbey in, but Lucas was already under the bed. She was so excited that she went right past him to explore the rest of the house.

After everyone settled down a bit, I closed the bedroom door and pulled Lucas out from under the bed. He wasn't really all that happy with me, but he loves me and never strikes out. I held him in my lap and pet him, while I called for Bobby to leash the dog and bring her in.

Abbey reacted the same way she did towards Phantom - extreme curiosity. It was clear that she wanted very badly to sniff and play with the kitty, but Lucas wanted none of it. He did hiss once and growl a few times, but over all he did remarkably well. He still avoids her as much as possible, but if we pick him up and bring him into a room with her, he will sit somewhat tensly in our lap and warn her if she gets too close. It will take some time, but I think they'll get used to each other.

Still Buzzing

I took the day off of work today, postponing my PTO break even date, so that I could be here when they removed the bees. I'm pretty excited about the whole process, and I wanted to be here for the show.


It was apparently a bad day for me to be away from the office... turns out the Exchange Server decided to take the day off too, so I was getting calls at 8am. You would be amazed at the panic that ensues when people cannot send or receive emails. It wasn't anything I could fix anyway, so I directed them to the guys that set up the server for us, but that didn't stop a few of them from calling me repeatedly to see if I was sure there wasn't anything I could walk them through over the phone. Right, because you want me to experiment with the server using a proxy that doesn't even know what a page break is. Um... NO!


The bee guys arrived shortly after 9am, but they didn't seem to be prepared. I had to show them where we think the bees are, (though we already showed the estimator), and after looking around for a bit, the mentioned that they were going to do the removal from the roof. Mom was quite adamant that was not going to happen.

We have a crazy roof. Almost magical even. Aside from the hallway where the air conditioner ducting is, the whole house has vaulted ceilings, and the tounge-in-groove 2x6 spruce that you see is the actual roof. With the roofing material right on the spruce, the house's insulation was terrible, making the house a sauna in the summertime. So when my parents were doing all the work on the house a few years ago, they had a new roofing material put on. It's like 3 layers of insulating material, then the shingles. (The downside is that it actually blocks cell signals - we can't make calls on our cell phones inside our house - this is actually the single most frustrating thing about our house.)

This crazy roof was quite expensive, and my mom is very protective of it - she was not about to let them go in through the roof. The technician said that if they go in through the roof, they can do the live removal, if they go in through the inside, they would have to exterminate the bees first.

This is not what the estimator told me. He had said that they could do the live removal, and patch the drywall and repaint. To me, this indicated that they would be going in from inside the house.

So we started asking more questions. Bobby asked what they move the hive in. "Well, normally they give us a box for the hive, but we don't have one today." We also noticed that they didn't have any drywall tools, or roof tools, or anything that might be necessary for cleaning up afterwords. The tech then admited that he'd never done a live removal indoors before - only from the roof.

This is not what we signed up for. The technician and mom both called the office to clarify what we wanted to have done. Eventually, the appointment was rescheduled for a week from tomorrow. Until then, we still have bees!

Sad Afternoon

I was doing dishes today, and I heard a car go by and then a loud thump. Cars go by my house too fast much too often, and I thought someone had just hit the dip going too fast. A few minutes later I hear a woman cry out. At first I couldn't tell if it was laughter or crying, but after a few seconds it was clear that it was more of a wailing. Regardless of where in my house you were, you could hear this woman's agony.

I went outside to see if someone was hurt, and then I saw it - a bright white furry body laying dead in the middle of the street. It was my neighbor's dog. The thump was the dog being hit.

At this point half the neighborhood has come out of their houses to see what happened. I was actually having a hard time holding back some tears. I usually get sad when I see animals on the road that have clearly been hit by a car, but the sound of the woman crying made it heartbreaking.

Lucas was weaving himself between my legs, trolling for attention, and I thought about how aweful it would be if he ran out into the street and were hit by a car. And of how fast people drive around my neighborhood (another of my neighbors likes to have his friends over so they can all race their motorcycles around the block; it's very loud and obnoxious), and thinking to myself that they really should put in some speed bumps or something.

The Cat Loves Her

After work yesterday I went to visit Gma in the hospital. She had just awakened from her 2nd two-hour nap of the day. They have her on Vicodin and some sleeping aids, so her dementia was full on. She made very little sense, and seemed very week. I said Lucas missed her, and told her the story. That stuck. When the nurse came in, she said, "The cat loves me, isn't that wonderful?" Again, when my aunt arrived, "The cat loves me." She's known him such a short time, but he has become very important to her. Mom was telling me she wishes she could bring the cat to the hospital.

Today was long and busy. Mom called with an update. Whether Gma can come home or not depends on whether or not she needs an IV. If she needs an IV, they are going to need to put her in a nursing home, so Mom went to talk to the folks at Gpa's nursing home. She broke down and started crying while she was there. She hadn't done that yet. I'm sure she's figuring that she'll be able to cry about it when it's over, but today it didn't want to wait. I talked to Bobby. Mom told him that Gma's kidneys are functioning at 15%, and her heart at about 20%. She probably only has a few weeks left in her.

Pet Connection

When we got home today, our cat Lucas was distraught. He would meow and go to Gma's door, meow, look at her bed, look at me, and meow. Likes he's demanding to know where she is and when she's coming home. Amazing how animals can find a way to relate something to you. A little tougher for me to answer him.