Learning Lessons

I'm trying to stay on top of the blog...and the dogs, and the shop, but I want to keep you informed, because it turns out some of you are really interested in Trooper. (If you're only here for the vintage I am SO sorry. Really. Until I get the new dog blog--yes, the dogs are getting their own blog--set up I'm posting here.

So, a quick run down of today:

1. Walking the dogs together is really...frustrating. I'm not sure how I'm going to improve on it, but it's a must or mommy's going to have a little meltdown. I walked them tonight, came home, dropped all leashes, turned around and took my very own walk. I was that stressed out. It happens.

2. My book came today: "Living With A Deaf Dog" by Susan Cope Becker. Now that we're moving from Trooper emergency care to daily care, it's really time to better understand him, rather than just coexisting with him. I think it will do us both good, as he's getting pretty demanding, a lot of barking if he can't see me and perhaps a bit spoiled.

3. Trooper made a serious break for it yesterday, down the driveway, FOUR houses down. I, of course, was in socks & flip-flops. I ditched the flip-flops mid-run and chased him down in my socks on a wet sidewalk. Good times. My knees really love me today, too. With better health, he's getting faster. I SO need a driveway gate.

4. As his teeth feel better, his appetite is growing, but he's having some trouble with food. I grind it up and make a mushy paste with water, but we're now one step further making "dog food soup" that he can lap up. The mush was getting pushed all over the floor, leaving Zephyr as clean-up patrol. Trooper has NO front teeth anymore, or, no scoopers, as I like to think of them. So, I'm trying to make sure he gets enough to eat. I worry. (I worry about everything, but now I have a whole new list of dog worries too. Sigh. Breathe. Om.)

Needs a clean-up commity

5. Lastly, I got another donation to the surgery fund! Now at, $185!. It's from someone I don't even know, not even from Twitter. (I love it when people blow my mind, in a good way.). This lovely woman nearly put me in tears, because she APOLOGIZED for not being able to give very much. My mind just reeled, because, because...no one should ever apologize for giving. We give what we can, when we can, if we can, however we can, or not. I get we are in a major recession, and we are all doing the best we can at any given moment. Let's all say "Oooooommmm". And, thank you kind person for donating. It ALL helps. :-)

Side note: I am being taught a lot about generosity right now. It's good for me, and sometimes hard too, because I often feel that asking for help with Trooper--or anything, really--is wrong, not polite, "we just don't do that." It's needy, greedy or...in poor taste. I sometimes feel very guilty. I don't want to make people feel uncomfortabe. I don't expect anything. Who am "I" to ask for anything?! Etc, etc, etc. I'm trying--trying, trying, trying--to learn to just sit still, say thank you, be gracious and let it happen. It isn't easy, but perhaps, necessary. 

And...that was today's short list. Sorry. I think, write, pontificate and write. It's never short. Brevity, something else to work on.


Again, thank you. Thank you for just reading. You rock. :-)

d, xo