A new week, that much closer to Christmas. I am counting the days to the 21st. We will leave on that afternoon for Maui. I am very excited to go. I have been to Hawaii before, but my family has not.
My 15 year old daughter is looking forward to being in the ocean. We are used to the Oregon Coast. It is VERY cold water! I have been told to expect the ocean in Hawaii to be around 80 degrees. Marissa wants to spend the whole two weeks boogie boarding, or surfing. I don't know what else we will do. I think my husband and the kids will do the bike ride from the top of the volcano down to the water. It is a 38 mile ride. I don't think my legs would make it. My mother in law will be with us, and it might be difficult for her also as she just had her knees replaced.
We plan on doing the Drive to Hana to see the lush vegetation and the waterfall. Another thing we can't miss is snorkeling. We may even get to see some whales while we are there.
We were going to do a small Christmas celebration before we went, but we have deiced to take small gifts with us so we can have a real Christmas. I don't think we have ever had Christmas with my mother in law. It will be fun.
All I have to do know is count down the days until I have to panic about packing!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Prejudices
Today the students are writing about their experience with Prejudice, if they have a prejudice, or if they have had some one be prejudice against them. I have read a few of the papers and am surprised. Not by the topics, but by the honesty.
One student (Hispanic,) wrote about riding his bike with one of his friends in a store parking lot. He told of a group of African Americans who told him to "get off their turf."
He spoke to his friend and said they shouldn't leave. The friend said they should just go somewhere else.
They left and went somewhere else and planned "how to get revenge on the group of niggers" (His words, not mine.) He said his friend told him they should just drop it, but he wanted revenge, so they went to his house and got their Air Soft guns and ammunition. (He listed the model of gun and kind of ammunition. I don't remember what they were.)
He wrote, "We rode our bikes back to the parking lot and pointed the guns at the niggers and they took off running."
I was surprised he would write this on a paper and turn it in to the teacher.
Another student wrote about his own prejudice against Hispanics. He wrote that he hated them, and felt angry every time he saw one, even if he didn't know them. He wrote about being angry when he heard them speak in Spanish because they should speak English since they are in America.
The school I work at is very diverse both in race and religion. Surprisingly, I didn't see any of the students write about prejudice concerning religion. I don't notice that as much myself at this school as I did at the last school I worked at, or in the town I live in 10 miles away.
I thought the assignment was good, making the kids think about prejudice and how it affects them. The assigment was in response to the book they just finsished reading, "To Kill A Mockingbird."
One student (Hispanic,) wrote about riding his bike with one of his friends in a store parking lot. He told of a group of African Americans who told him to "get off their turf."
He spoke to his friend and said they shouldn't leave. The friend said they should just go somewhere else.
They left and went somewhere else and planned "how to get revenge on the group of niggers" (His words, not mine.) He said his friend told him they should just drop it, but he wanted revenge, so they went to his house and got their Air Soft guns and ammunition. (He listed the model of gun and kind of ammunition. I don't remember what they were.)
He wrote, "We rode our bikes back to the parking lot and pointed the guns at the niggers and they took off running."
I was surprised he would write this on a paper and turn it in to the teacher.
Another student wrote about his own prejudice against Hispanics. He wrote that he hated them, and felt angry every time he saw one, even if he didn't know them. He wrote about being angry when he heard them speak in Spanish because they should speak English since they are in America.
The school I work at is very diverse both in race and religion. Surprisingly, I didn't see any of the students write about prejudice concerning religion. I don't notice that as much myself at this school as I did at the last school I worked at, or in the town I live in 10 miles away.
I thought the assignment was good, making the kids think about prejudice and how it affects them. The assigment was in response to the book they just finsished reading, "To Kill A Mockingbird."
Don't Wait!
Who says it has to be New Years Eve to set a goal? With the big holiday coming up, a lot of people (ME) save their goals to start in the new year. With almost 4 weeks left until to New Year, it is silly to put your goals on hold. Why not start them today?
This is what I decided after conversing with a friend of mine over his blog. He said he loves writing. I enjoy writing also, but am not very good at it. His posts are thoughtful and well written, almost daily. I always feel like I need a big subject to discuss to post to my blog.
I guess that's it! It is my blog, and I can do whatever I want with it. I won't improve my writing skills if I don't write. I work at a Junior High School as a Writing Lab Supervisor. I help the students with their English writing assignments. At times, I find their assignments interesting and think they would be a fun topic to write about. Maybe I will use some of the assignments worked on in my lab to help me get started with my regular posts.
I sometimes have class periods with no students in my lab. What better activity for me than improving my writing skills. After all it is a writing lab! Of course I will be writing at School most of the time, so I will need to make sure my writing is Utah County school appropriate.
If you are thinking of a goal for the new year, why not start it today?
This is what I decided after conversing with a friend of mine over his blog. He said he loves writing. I enjoy writing also, but am not very good at it. His posts are thoughtful and well written, almost daily. I always feel like I need a big subject to discuss to post to my blog.
I guess that's it! It is my blog, and I can do whatever I want with it. I won't improve my writing skills if I don't write. I work at a Junior High School as a Writing Lab Supervisor. I help the students with their English writing assignments. At times, I find their assignments interesting and think they would be a fun topic to write about. Maybe I will use some of the assignments worked on in my lab to help me get started with my regular posts.
I sometimes have class periods with no students in my lab. What better activity for me than improving my writing skills. After all it is a writing lab! Of course I will be writing at School most of the time, so I will need to make sure my writing is Utah County school appropriate.
If you are thinking of a goal for the new year, why not start it today?
Friday, October 12, 2007
Only In Utah
Working in a school in Utah, I hear all kinds of things in the faculty lounge. I have started a list of things I have heard that can only happen in Utah.
One day I heard a Teacher talking to another Teacher about her son. He had hurt himself while playing football in high school. The teacher continued to say that her son and her brother were on the same team....An uncle and a nephew in the same grade. Only in Utah!
The second one makes me undecided if I should laugh or scream...since I live in Utah, I guess I will just choose to laugh:
The vice Principle came into my classroom one day and while he was there, his radio went off. It was the Intern administrator. She said, "Mr. Jensen, there are some kids in the lunch room playing with face cards. How do you feel about that."
"Better tell them to put them away," he replied "We don't want them gambling or anything."
She didn't say what they were playing, but I doubt they were gambling. More likely playing slap, or speed. UHG!! Only in Utah!
One day I heard a Teacher talking to another Teacher about her son. He had hurt himself while playing football in high school. The teacher continued to say that her son and her brother were on the same team....An uncle and a nephew in the same grade. Only in Utah!
The second one makes me undecided if I should laugh or scream...since I live in Utah, I guess I will just choose to laugh:
The vice Principle came into my classroom one day and while he was there, his radio went off. It was the Intern administrator. She said, "Mr. Jensen, there are some kids in the lunch room playing with face cards. How do you feel about that."
"Better tell them to put them away," he replied "We don't want them gambling or anything."
She didn't say what they were playing, but I doubt they were gambling. More likely playing slap, or speed. UHG!! Only in Utah!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The End Is Here
The heat is not over, but summer vacation is. School (work for me,) starts tomorrow. Gone are the days of sleeping in until 8:30 am. Gone are the days of spending all day running errands and cleaning house. (So much for the lazy days of summer.) Tomorrow I trade my teenagers for a school full of someone else's teenagers.
This time of year always reminds me of when I was in school and the excitement of the first day of school. In the grade school years the teachers always asked us to write what we did over the summer. I had a large family, and my dad worked long hours in the summer as a log truck driver, so I rarely had anything to write about. I wonder what I would write about this summer...
This summer I was in a small car accident. At first I didn't think I was hurt, but the next day I had headaches and neck pain. I was told low impact accidents were notorious for whip lash. I spent all summer in Physical Therapy, three times a week for about 2 hours each appointment. I got my car repaired. It only took a month to repair. My neck is still a little sore after 3 months.
I got to go to Michigan. It was beautiful there. I grew up in Oregon and miss the trees since coming to Utah. Michigan has lots of trees. The weather was also cool while we were there. It has been a record breaking summer for all of the heat we have had in Utah this year.
The rest of my summer was spent working on, or watching my husband work on the remodel project we started on our home and our yard last winter.
That is how I spent my summer.
I am looking forward to my favorite time of year...fall. I love the cooler weather and the changing colors of the leaves in the mountains. Utah may not have as many trees as Oregon, but there are still enough trees in the mountains to make for a beautiful fall.
How did you spend your summer?
This time of year always reminds me of when I was in school and the excitement of the first day of school. In the grade school years the teachers always asked us to write what we did over the summer. I had a large family, and my dad worked long hours in the summer as a log truck driver, so I rarely had anything to write about. I wonder what I would write about this summer...
This summer I was in a small car accident. At first I didn't think I was hurt, but the next day I had headaches and neck pain. I was told low impact accidents were notorious for whip lash. I spent all summer in Physical Therapy, three times a week for about 2 hours each appointment. I got my car repaired. It only took a month to repair. My neck is still a little sore after 3 months.
I got to go to Michigan. It was beautiful there. I grew up in Oregon and miss the trees since coming to Utah. Michigan has lots of trees. The weather was also cool while we were there. It has been a record breaking summer for all of the heat we have had in Utah this year.
The rest of my summer was spent working on, or watching my husband work on the remodel project we started on our home and our yard last winter.
That is how I spent my summer.
I am looking forward to my favorite time of year...fall. I love the cooler weather and the changing colors of the leaves in the mountains. Utah may not have as many trees as Oregon, but there are still enough trees in the mountains to make for a beautiful fall.
How did you spend your summer?
Friday, August 10, 2007
Wine Tasting Party In Planning in Progress
I have decided I really like Wine. I don't know a lot about it, but am learning over time. I go to the state liquor store and go up and down the isle tying to find just the right bottle. Since I know nothing about it, this becomes a difficult task.
I am learning though. I like Shiraz Wines, and don't like really dark bitter ones. I love sweet wines such as Gewurztraminer Wine. I like almost any variety of Yellow Tail wine. Beringer is also a good brand. I am still accumulating favorite wines on my list.
My dream is to host a wine tasting party. I will invite all of my friends and ask them to bring their favorite wine, and a food that pairs well with it. I am trying to find small wine glasses...a friend said she saw some at the IKIA that recently opened near her house.
I have had a few people tell me I should do this. One of my good friends said she wanted a sophisticated party...(She was a little drunk at the time...I hope she remembers!) Sophisticated is what I am looking for. The party needs to be about the wine and conversation. I am thinking more formal dress (not tuxedo, but cocktail dresses for women and appropriate matching formality for men. Maybe start the party around 8:00 PM to fit the formal theme. I am open to more ideas. I am thinking in the next week or two, but we have a couple of things that have to be done around the house first. My husband said he needs to seal the patio before we have people on it with something that could stain it.
If you are reading this and you think of things I have missed, please let me know. This is a new thing for me, and I want it to be spectacular! Of course it is open invitation, so if I don't have your email address and you would like to come, get me the address!
I am learning though. I like Shiraz Wines, and don't like really dark bitter ones. I love sweet wines such as Gewurztraminer Wine. I like almost any variety of Yellow Tail wine. Beringer is also a good brand. I am still accumulating favorite wines on my list.
My dream is to host a wine tasting party. I will invite all of my friends and ask them to bring their favorite wine, and a food that pairs well with it. I am trying to find small wine glasses...a friend said she saw some at the IKIA that recently opened near her house.
I have had a few people tell me I should do this. One of my good friends said she wanted a sophisticated party...(She was a little drunk at the time...I hope she remembers!) Sophisticated is what I am looking for. The party needs to be about the wine and conversation. I am thinking more formal dress (not tuxedo, but cocktail dresses for women and appropriate matching formality for men. Maybe start the party around 8:00 PM to fit the formal theme. I am open to more ideas. I am thinking in the next week or two, but we have a couple of things that have to be done around the house first. My husband said he needs to seal the patio before we have people on it with something that could stain it.
If you are reading this and you think of things I have missed, please let me know. This is a new thing for me, and I want it to be spectacular! Of course it is open invitation, so if I don't have your email address and you would like to come, get me the address!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Addiction
I should be getting my house cleaned for company, but I can't get myself off of the couch because my laptop is weighing me down. I went to my dear friend, SML's blog this morning after I got up, an have gone from her blog to a different one, and then a different one... it doesn't stop! I feel like I need to go to a meeting and say, My name is JulieOShields, and I am addicted to blogging. I won't be able to say how long I have been blog free, because I won't stop.
It is getting into my skin. I don't think it will come out, nor do I want it too! I like it! How sad I will be when School starts in a week and a half and I have to go back to work. I don't think I will be able to blog from work. Oh well, I can plant my ass on the couch as soon as I walk in the door and feed my addiction!
As for now, I really have to leave the couch so I can make my house presentable for company...and workers who are going to finish up on some work in my wash room. But I will reclaim my place and my addiction in a short time.
I hope I attract new visitors from visiting other sites, though I don't think they will get as much joy and excitement from my new blog as I do from their blogs.
Please leave a comment if only to say Hi so I know who is visiting.
Thanks!
Julie0Shields
It is getting into my skin. I don't think it will come out, nor do I want it too! I like it! How sad I will be when School starts in a week and a half and I have to go back to work. I don't think I will be able to blog from work. Oh well, I can plant my ass on the couch as soon as I walk in the door and feed my addiction!
As for now, I really have to leave the couch so I can make my house presentable for company...and workers who are going to finish up on some work in my wash room. But I will reclaim my place and my addiction in a short time.
I hope I attract new visitors from visiting other sites, though I don't think they will get as much joy and excitement from my new blog as I do from their blogs.
Please leave a comment if only to say Hi so I know who is visiting.
Thanks!
Julie0Shields
Friday, August 3, 2007
First Attempt at Poetry
Racing Thoughts
Thoughts racing, colliding day and night.
Thoughts about safety, Thoughts about health.
Fleeting thoughts that pass so quickly, they can’t be recalled.
In any given moment, multiple thoughts, multiple topics..
What will I make for dinner?
What’s up with Bush and his war anyway?
How will I pay for registration at the public high school?
Important thoughts I am sure to forget before I complete them.
Will his blood sugar level drop low in the night?
Will she do well in school this year?
Will she make new friends at her new High School?
Irrelevant thought taking up space in my head.
What is the person in the car next to me singing to?
What was she thinking when she got dressed this morning?
I wonder where that smell is coming from.
Day and night the thoughts continue in my mind,
How do I expect to get anything accomplished?
How will I ever get to sleep?
Please just let them slow down…Just a little bit,
Just for a minute.
Dark, quiet room...falling asleep.
Quiet at last until the dreaming starts.
Here we go again.
A new day for new thoughts…
Do I look okay?
Will people like me?
What if people hate what I write?
Shh… don’t worry about what others think.
Those thoughts fall in the irrelevant category
Save space for the important things in life.
Thoughts racing, colliding day and night.
Thoughts about safety, Thoughts about health.
Fleeting thoughts that pass so quickly, they can’t be recalled.
In any given moment, multiple thoughts, multiple topics..
What will I make for dinner?
What’s up with Bush and his war anyway?
How will I pay for registration at the public high school?
Important thoughts I am sure to forget before I complete them.
Will his blood sugar level drop low in the night?
Will she do well in school this year?
Will she make new friends at her new High School?
Irrelevant thought taking up space in my head.
What is the person in the car next to me singing to?
What was she thinking when she got dressed this morning?
I wonder where that smell is coming from.
Day and night the thoughts continue in my mind,
How do I expect to get anything accomplished?
How will I ever get to sleep?
Please just let them slow down…Just a little bit,
Just for a minute.
Dark, quiet room...falling asleep.
Quiet at last until the dreaming starts.
Here we go again.
A new day for new thoughts…
Do I look okay?
Will people like me?
What if people hate what I write?
Shh… don’t worry about what others think.
Those thoughts fall in the irrelevant category
Save space for the important things in life.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
New Kid in Town
I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. My friend, SML, got me started on the blogging. I am very new, and not very good at it, but I enjoy the writing. I have enjoyed reading the other blogs too. I found a whole new way to connect to people. A lot of the blogs I read, I recognize the blogger from my social gatherings where I live. Many are from far away places, and it is fun to read what they have to say.
I am not a poet or an artist. I don't have aspirations to write a novel. I would love to have a darkroom in my house and focus more on Photography...many years ago I earned an associate degree in Photography. I like to take my kids' school pictures at the beginning of the year.
I started this post to write some of the feelings I have as I read the other posts. I start at one site, usually SML's, and link to another site, and another from that site and on and on. What I have noticed, is many of the same people are on all of the link lists, or blogrolls. I am curious how everyone linked up? I am having a hard time getting people to my site, and I feel like a new kid in school...just watching from the outside, but wanting to find my way to the inside, a little unsure of myself, and how to get there.
If you stop at my site, let me know. I would love to add you to my Link List. I would love to hear your comments. Until then, I will continue to visit your sites and post comments, hoping you will click on my name and come over for a visit!
Julianna
I am not a poet or an artist. I don't have aspirations to write a novel. I would love to have a darkroom in my house and focus more on Photography...many years ago I earned an associate degree in Photography. I like to take my kids' school pictures at the beginning of the year.
I started this post to write some of the feelings I have as I read the other posts. I start at one site, usually SML's, and link to another site, and another from that site and on and on. What I have noticed, is many of the same people are on all of the link lists, or blogrolls. I am curious how everyone linked up? I am having a hard time getting people to my site, and I feel like a new kid in school...just watching from the outside, but wanting to find my way to the inside, a little unsure of myself, and how to get there.
If you stop at my site, let me know. I would love to add you to my Link List. I would love to hear your comments. Until then, I will continue to visit your sites and post comments, hoping you will click on my name and come over for a visit!
Julianna
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
We Still Love Her, Even More So Now... Part 3
What the vet didn't tell us when she had her eye removed was that it was almost a 100% chance that the same thing would happen with the second eye, or that drops in the remaining eye would protect her from getting the glaucoma in the second eye.
It was almost exactly 6 months later when I was outside playing ball and she started missing the ball more than catching it. I told my husband I thought something was wrong because she wouldn't catch the ball. We agreed to take her to the emergency room for pets. I drove her the 50 miles to the recommended urgent care veterinarian office. The Doctor we saw was livid when I told he we were not warned about the glaucoma returning. He said it was malpractice. I was upset, and just wanted Ginger better. He called the Opthomologist veterinarian office that was near the ER room. It was a Sunday, so we weren't sure anyone would be able to help us, but the doctor answered and told us to meet here at the office in 45 minutes. (It would take her that long to get there from her home.)
We drove to the office and waited. When she got there, she looked at Ginger and checked the pressure in her eye. She said it was very high, but if it would come down after a does of steroids, she may regain some vision.
The pressure came down enough to make her feel that Ginger was a candidate for laser surgery. It would be expensive, and there was no gaurantee that she would see again, but it was worth concidering.
After a call to my husband, and discussing the options, we decided if there was a chance she would get the vision back, it was worth it. She was a young dog, and had a lot of years to live. What kind of life could she lead blind? We gave consent for the surgery and sat down to wait. I don't remember if we had to leave her overnight, or if we waited while the surgery was done and then went home. She came through the surgery healthy, but her eye was still swollen, and she couldn't see. We were told it could take up to 6 weeks to regain the vision.
We returned home with her with all sorts of medication, and a cone for her head again. She didn't like getting the eye drops, but looked forward to the pills. I would put peanut better all over the pill and then stick a cherrio on each side. She loved the treats!
When we left the office, we were told to make sure all of our furniture stayed in the same place, so she could memorize where things were and not be suprised. We laughted at that. We were in the middle of remodeling the house, and things changed daily. She surprised us with her agility, and ability to find her way through our maze of furniture and construction that was ever changing. She rarely bumped in to anything, and remained happy and loving.
Week after week we were told that she could not see anything. One day upon returning home, she was sitting on the couch looking out the window when we pulled in the driveway. She hadn't done this since she lost her sight. We were encouraged by the sign. She also loved to look out the window as we drove. Still, after 8 weeks, the doctor said there was no change in her vision. We contnued with the drops to keep the glacoma from coming back, but we had to accept the fact that we had a blind dog.
After another 2 months of the drops, and another bout with the glaucoma causing her pain, we decided to take her back to our regular vet and have him remove the eye. It broke my heart to make that decision, but she couldn't see, and she was in pain. If the eye was removed, the pain wouldn't come back. Another $800, but we were spending close to $100 a month on the drops that wern't doing anything.
Again, we brought her home with the cone on her head. We didn't think she would have any trouble getting around since she had already lost her sight, but when I let her out of the kennel, she started bumping into things more than she ever had before.
Had we done the wrong thing? Could she really see and we took it away from her? We were sick. She learned her way around again, and we found that the cone was what was making her run into things again. She couldn't use all of her senses with her ears covered.
It has been more than a year since we removed the eye. She is doing really well. When people come to visit, they don't notice right away that she has no eyes. They think she is just blinking or something. She gets around so well, know one guesses she is blind. I always say she is blind and doesn't know it. Actually, she is beyond blind. She has no eyes.
She can't catch the ball in the air anymore. Sometimes I wonder if she remembers what she used to do. Sometimes, if I bounce the ball, she will listen to the bounces and retrieve the ball. She doesn't like to do it as much as she liked to catch the ball before. The other thing she likes to do is tug of war. We had a hard time finding a tug that she couldn't chew through in a day, but we finally found one.
I worry that she doesn't get enough exercise, and that she is bored. I think she is okay, she still looks happy anytime anyone calls her name, or she hears our car pull up. She jumps up on everyone in a friendly greeting. I constantly ask myself if I made the right decision. Is she better off as she is know, our should we just have had her put down. The very thought brings tears to my eyes.
We love our Ginger!
It was almost exactly 6 months later when I was outside playing ball and she started missing the ball more than catching it. I told my husband I thought something was wrong because she wouldn't catch the ball. We agreed to take her to the emergency room for pets. I drove her the 50 miles to the recommended urgent care veterinarian office. The Doctor we saw was livid when I told he we were not warned about the glaucoma returning. He said it was malpractice. I was upset, and just wanted Ginger better. He called the Opthomologist veterinarian office that was near the ER room. It was a Sunday, so we weren't sure anyone would be able to help us, but the doctor answered and told us to meet here at the office in 45 minutes. (It would take her that long to get there from her home.)
We drove to the office and waited. When she got there, she looked at Ginger and checked the pressure in her eye. She said it was very high, but if it would come down after a does of steroids, she may regain some vision.
The pressure came down enough to make her feel that Ginger was a candidate for laser surgery. It would be expensive, and there was no gaurantee that she would see again, but it was worth concidering.
After a call to my husband, and discussing the options, we decided if there was a chance she would get the vision back, it was worth it. She was a young dog, and had a lot of years to live. What kind of life could she lead blind? We gave consent for the surgery and sat down to wait. I don't remember if we had to leave her overnight, or if we waited while the surgery was done and then went home. She came through the surgery healthy, but her eye was still swollen, and she couldn't see. We were told it could take up to 6 weeks to regain the vision.
We returned home with her with all sorts of medication, and a cone for her head again. She didn't like getting the eye drops, but looked forward to the pills. I would put peanut better all over the pill and then stick a cherrio on each side. She loved the treats!
When we left the office, we were told to make sure all of our furniture stayed in the same place, so she could memorize where things were and not be suprised. We laughted at that. We were in the middle of remodeling the house, and things changed daily. She surprised us with her agility, and ability to find her way through our maze of furniture and construction that was ever changing. She rarely bumped in to anything, and remained happy and loving.
Week after week we were told that she could not see anything. One day upon returning home, she was sitting on the couch looking out the window when we pulled in the driveway. She hadn't done this since she lost her sight. We were encouraged by the sign. She also loved to look out the window as we drove. Still, after 8 weeks, the doctor said there was no change in her vision. We contnued with the drops to keep the glacoma from coming back, but we had to accept the fact that we had a blind dog.
After another 2 months of the drops, and another bout with the glaucoma causing her pain, we decided to take her back to our regular vet and have him remove the eye. It broke my heart to make that decision, but she couldn't see, and she was in pain. If the eye was removed, the pain wouldn't come back. Another $800, but we were spending close to $100 a month on the drops that wern't doing anything.
Again, we brought her home with the cone on her head. We didn't think she would have any trouble getting around since she had already lost her sight, but when I let her out of the kennel, she started bumping into things more than she ever had before.
Had we done the wrong thing? Could she really see and we took it away from her? We were sick. She learned her way around again, and we found that the cone was what was making her run into things again. She couldn't use all of her senses with her ears covered.
It has been more than a year since we removed the eye. She is doing really well. When people come to visit, they don't notice right away that she has no eyes. They think she is just blinking or something. She gets around so well, know one guesses she is blind. I always say she is blind and doesn't know it. Actually, she is beyond blind. She has no eyes.
She can't catch the ball in the air anymore. Sometimes I wonder if she remembers what she used to do. Sometimes, if I bounce the ball, she will listen to the bounces and retrieve the ball. She doesn't like to do it as much as she liked to catch the ball before. The other thing she likes to do is tug of war. We had a hard time finding a tug that she couldn't chew through in a day, but we finally found one.
I worry that she doesn't get enough exercise, and that she is bored. I think she is okay, she still looks happy anytime anyone calls her name, or she hears our car pull up. She jumps up on everyone in a friendly greeting. I constantly ask myself if I made the right decision. Is she better off as she is know, our should we just have had her put down. The very thought brings tears to my eyes.
We love our Ginger!
Monday, July 30, 2007
What You Do When You Love the Dog as One of Your Kids
Ginger came to stay with us. It didn't take her long to know just how to work us. If she wanted hear head rubbed and no one would do it, she would put her nose under our hands and make us do it. She loved to catch balls. We started out buying tennis balls for her to play with. I would throw them and she would leap through the air and catch them before they hit the ground.
Every day I would go out and throw the ball for her to catch. We had to learn a few things. We learned right away that she could pop and skin a tennis ball in no time at all. I finaly found a ball that she liked and wouldn't destroy. I had to get two of them. At first she didn't get that to play catch, she would have to return the ball to me. As long as I had to balls, she would bring back the first one to go after the second one. This was a game we both loved. She would only do it with me, for some reason, she wouldn't return the ball to other family members.
She wasn't very obedient, so we decided to go to training classes with her. She learned to do all of the tricks very quickly...as long as a treat was the reward. The important ones she learned right away. She learned her new name quickly and would come as soon as she was called. She would sit and stay with no problem, but expected a treat if she did so. The one thing she couldn't quite master was heeling and walking slowly with you. She would run ahead and choke herself in the process. She loved to go to Petsmart because she could meet all kinds of friends. She loves to sniff the butts of all dogs, big and small.
We decided it would be good to have her trained to ring a bell when she wanted outside. That took only 2 days. We put up a small wind chime at her nose level and rang it everytime the door opened, whether she was going out or not. We started holing a treat on one side of the wind chime she she would have to ring it to get the treat. When the bell rang, the door opened. It only took two days to get her to hit the chimes when she wanted out. It had it's draw backs. Some times she would ring the bell when we didn't want her too. We often have deer in our back yard. Every time she would hear one, she would ring the bell with vigar. Some nights we would just take the wind chimes down.
After we had her for about 9 months, her eye started hurting her. She didn't want to play anymore and the eye was all swollen looking. I took her to the vet and was given some drops. That didn't help. I kept calling the vet, and after a week I said she had to be seen again. A different vet saw us. He checked the pressure in her eye. It was very high. He said it was glaucoma. By this time, there was a green film over her eye. She had completely lost sight in it, and was in a lot of pain. The Vetranarian recommended removing the eye. Of course I cryed again. What would she look like with one eye missing? I am picturing a piriate dog. I was assured that it would look like she had an eye, only it would be sewed closed. I agreed it was for the best. I left her so she could have the surgery. It was going to cost about $800. We never thought we would pay that much for an animal doctor bill, but the alternative was to have her put down. We didn't think that was an option we could live with.
When we brought her home she was a little groggy, and had stiches where here eye used to be. She had to wear one of those cones so she wouldn't scratch her eye. She kept running into things. The first couple of days were rough. She would whine all night. None of us slepted well, but she made it through, and returned to her old self. She could still catch a ball, and loved doing it over and over. She discovered she also liked rawhide bones. She was a happy dog.
Check back for part 3
Every day I would go out and throw the ball for her to catch. We had to learn a few things. We learned right away that she could pop and skin a tennis ball in no time at all. I finaly found a ball that she liked and wouldn't destroy. I had to get two of them. At first she didn't get that to play catch, she would have to return the ball to me. As long as I had to balls, she would bring back the first one to go after the second one. This was a game we both loved. She would only do it with me, for some reason, she wouldn't return the ball to other family members.
She wasn't very obedient, so we decided to go to training classes with her. She learned to do all of the tricks very quickly...as long as a treat was the reward. The important ones she learned right away. She learned her new name quickly and would come as soon as she was called. She would sit and stay with no problem, but expected a treat if she did so. The one thing she couldn't quite master was heeling and walking slowly with you. She would run ahead and choke herself in the process. She loved to go to Petsmart because she could meet all kinds of friends. She loves to sniff the butts of all dogs, big and small.
We decided it would be good to have her trained to ring a bell when she wanted outside. That took only 2 days. We put up a small wind chime at her nose level and rang it everytime the door opened, whether she was going out or not. We started holing a treat on one side of the wind chime she she would have to ring it to get the treat. When the bell rang, the door opened. It only took two days to get her to hit the chimes when she wanted out. It had it's draw backs. Some times she would ring the bell when we didn't want her too. We often have deer in our back yard. Every time she would hear one, she would ring the bell with vigar. Some nights we would just take the wind chimes down.
After we had her for about 9 months, her eye started hurting her. She didn't want to play anymore and the eye was all swollen looking. I took her to the vet and was given some drops. That didn't help. I kept calling the vet, and after a week I said she had to be seen again. A different vet saw us. He checked the pressure in her eye. It was very high. He said it was glaucoma. By this time, there was a green film over her eye. She had completely lost sight in it, and was in a lot of pain. The Vetranarian recommended removing the eye. Of course I cryed again. What would she look like with one eye missing? I am picturing a piriate dog. I was assured that it would look like she had an eye, only it would be sewed closed. I agreed it was for the best. I left her so she could have the surgery. It was going to cost about $800. We never thought we would pay that much for an animal doctor bill, but the alternative was to have her put down. We didn't think that was an option we could live with.
When we brought her home she was a little groggy, and had stiches where here eye used to be. She had to wear one of those cones so she wouldn't scratch her eye. She kept running into things. The first couple of days were rough. She would whine all night. None of us slepted well, but she made it through, and returned to her old self. She could still catch a ball, and loved doing it over and over. She discovered she also liked rawhide bones. She was a happy dog.
Check back for part 3
Saturday, July 28, 2007
For the Love of Ginger
My Dog, Ginger is happy to see me all of the time. Her tail raises and moves like a pom pom in the hands of a cheer leader at a state championship game. She can be sound asleep and all I have to do is say her name, and she comes running to me. She loves to be talked to, and to have a good tummy rub, but even when I ignore her, she loves me.
Let me tell you about Ginger. She arrived on my neighbors door steps in the middle of the night about two and a half years ago. My family had been wanting a dog, and I had been fighting them. I didn't really like dogs... they smelled bad, and they slobbered a lot. When my son went out to go to school that morning, this stray dog came up and demanded attention, which my son was happy to give. I told him maybe it wasn't a good idea, we didn't know the dog... you know what moms say to kids about strange dogs. The dog decided I looked nice and needed love from me too. Just one look into her eyes, and I fell in love. I played with her a little bit and then went back inside the house. She stood on my front steps and whined. I opened the door and she came right inside.
I told her it was okay if she stayed right by the door. I didn't want her on my carpet. I loved on her a little more and then sent her back outside. It was November, and cold out. She stayed on my steps all day. I left to run errands, and she was still there when I came home. The kids were delighted to see her when they came home from school.
Nightfall came with frigged temperatures. I couldn't just leave her outside. I put a blanket and some food on the steps inside the garage. She whined, but stayed there. My husband came home from work late, and wanted to know what was going on with the dog. I had told him about her on the phone. I told him that I didn't know what to do with her. It was too cold to leave her outside, and I didn't know if she was house trained or not. He was adamant that we could not leave her in the garage. He grew up with dogs, and had always had them in the house. I never had. Reluctantly, I let her inside. She was very happy.
We went to bed. She wanted to be near us, so I made a bed on the floor for her in our bedroom. That lasted about 5 seconds. She jumped right up on the bed and crawled in between the two of us. My husband thought it was funny and said we should just let her stay. That lasted for a few hours. I told my husband, (who had no problems sleeping,) that between his snoring, the dogs snoring, and the amount of room the two of them took up, either the dog left the bed or I did.
To my surprise, he agreed to make the dog stay on the floor. She slept in our room all night. When he got up for work, he let her out. She went to the bathroom and came quickly back inside. I told the kids not to get too attached. We would need to call the police department to see if anyone was missing a dog, and we would need to put up posters. She was such a nice dog, surely she belonged to someone. I took her to our vet to see if she had an identification chip in her. She did not. The vet said she was about 2 1/2 years old. He didn't know what kind of dog she was.
She is about 35 lbs, is reddish brown with a white stomach and chest, and a white spot on her neck almost like a collie dog. Her tail is fluffy and curls up when she is happy, (almost always,) and she has a double coat. Her nose is short, and she has ears that fold over. We took pictures and printed posters to put around the neighborhood. After a couple of days, and still no call, on a Monday I called the police to see if anyone had reported a missing dog. The animal control officer told me if I had found a dog I needed to let him come pick it up. Animals are considered personal property, and by keeping her, I would be breaking the law. He knew I had her, so it was no use saying otherwise.
This was at 7:30 am, before my son went to school. The officer showed up at my house 5 minutes later. Her shoved the dog in the crate in the back of his truck. She cried and barked. this made my son cry. I tried to keep the tears back, but between my son and the dog, the started to trickle down. The officer said something about us being attached to her. I asked how long she had to stay at the pound before she could be adopted. He assured us that she wouldn't be there long enough for us to adopt her. Of course she had a family who was looking for her! My son cried more, which made me cry more. The officer told us that the dog would need to stay at the shelter for a minimum of 3 full days, we could check back on Friday.
I am not a math wizard, but I did the calculations in my head and counted from Monday to Friday, and didn't think she would need to be there that long. One of my neighbors had just adopted a dog from the shelter and said we should go and visit the dog, and take something in that smelled like us to make her feel more comfortable. After I took my son to school, I went in to see her at the shelter. It was so awful, I just cried. She was in a very small kennel. It was barely big enough for her to stand up and turn around in. There were dozens of barking dogs. She saw me and barked and cried, and looked so sad and pathetic. My neighbor had told me that she was able to take the dog she found out of it's cage and take it for a walk on a leash. When I asked at the shelter I was told it was against the rules. I left the article of clothing with our scent on it in the small cage and walked away. I stopped back at the front desk and asked when I could adopt her. The lady behind the desk told me the same thing the officer had. Friday.
I came back with the kids when they got home from school. They cried as they watched the dog whine and bark. I cried again. I decided it would be hard, but I would come back every day until I could take her home. They wrote my name down as a person who wanted to adopt her if she was unclaimed at the end of her three required days. They had a shortage of space, and were putting dogs down to make room for the new ones that were brought in.
Then next day I went back and a different person was in the office. She let us take the dog out of her kennel and walk her. Of course we were all heart broken when we had to put her back. The toy and piece of clothing with our scent on it were no longer in the kennel. It was very difficult, but I decided I would go back again the next day to make sure she hadn't been claimed.
I did this once a day until Thursday. On Thursday, I went in first thing in the morning. A different person was behind the desk again. I asked her when I could take her home. She said after three days. I told her it had been three days. She said that if the dog had been brought in first thing on Monday, I could pick her up in the afternoon on Thursday. I asked what time. She said anytime after noon. I went in at 12:01 and pick her up. When I signed the adoption papers, I agreed to have her spayed and get her vaccinated, and paid the adaption fee. I called Petsmart and asked if I could get her groomed as soon as I could get there. (She smelled very bad after living in the small cage for 3 days.) They told me they could see her if she had her rabies shot. I called the vet and made arrangements to take her straight from the shelter to get her shots. We went from there to Petsmart for the grooming. They told me to come pick her up in about 3 hours.
I went home and picked up the kids from school. I didn't tell them I had already picked up the dog. I told them we should go to Petsmart and get some toys for her so we were ready for her when we could get her the next day. They thought that sounded fun. We started off to the pet store and my son told me that his friend, who we had brought along with us, had to be back in time for his Basket ball practice. I gave in and told them what I had done, and that it was likely we wouldn't make it back in time for the practice. I took the boy home and we headed back with new excitement to get the dog.
She saw us though the glass in the grooming room and got very excited. They finally released her to us and she jumped all over all of us. She was as happy to see us as we were to see her. My son had already picked out the name Ginger, because he was reading the book, Ginger Pye, in school. We had a tag made for her , picked up a bone and some toys and were off. She smelled so much better, and she was very soft.
She was instantly a part of our family, and loved by us all.
Check back for more of the story in the next couple of days.
Let me tell you about Ginger. She arrived on my neighbors door steps in the middle of the night about two and a half years ago. My family had been wanting a dog, and I had been fighting them. I didn't really like dogs... they smelled bad, and they slobbered a lot. When my son went out to go to school that morning, this stray dog came up and demanded attention, which my son was happy to give. I told him maybe it wasn't a good idea, we didn't know the dog... you know what moms say to kids about strange dogs. The dog decided I looked nice and needed love from me too. Just one look into her eyes, and I fell in love. I played with her a little bit and then went back inside the house. She stood on my front steps and whined. I opened the door and she came right inside.
I told her it was okay if she stayed right by the door. I didn't want her on my carpet. I loved on her a little more and then sent her back outside. It was November, and cold out. She stayed on my steps all day. I left to run errands, and she was still there when I came home. The kids were delighted to see her when they came home from school.
Nightfall came with frigged temperatures. I couldn't just leave her outside. I put a blanket and some food on the steps inside the garage. She whined, but stayed there. My husband came home from work late, and wanted to know what was going on with the dog. I had told him about her on the phone. I told him that I didn't know what to do with her. It was too cold to leave her outside, and I didn't know if she was house trained or not. He was adamant that we could not leave her in the garage. He grew up with dogs, and had always had them in the house. I never had. Reluctantly, I let her inside. She was very happy.
We went to bed. She wanted to be near us, so I made a bed on the floor for her in our bedroom. That lasted about 5 seconds. She jumped right up on the bed and crawled in between the two of us. My husband thought it was funny and said we should just let her stay. That lasted for a few hours. I told my husband, (who had no problems sleeping,) that between his snoring, the dogs snoring, and the amount of room the two of them took up, either the dog left the bed or I did.
To my surprise, he agreed to make the dog stay on the floor. She slept in our room all night. When he got up for work, he let her out. She went to the bathroom and came quickly back inside. I told the kids not to get too attached. We would need to call the police department to see if anyone was missing a dog, and we would need to put up posters. She was such a nice dog, surely she belonged to someone. I took her to our vet to see if she had an identification chip in her. She did not. The vet said she was about 2 1/2 years old. He didn't know what kind of dog she was.
She is about 35 lbs, is reddish brown with a white stomach and chest, and a white spot on her neck almost like a collie dog. Her tail is fluffy and curls up when she is happy, (almost always,) and she has a double coat. Her nose is short, and she has ears that fold over. We took pictures and printed posters to put around the neighborhood. After a couple of days, and still no call, on a Monday I called the police to see if anyone had reported a missing dog. The animal control officer told me if I had found a dog I needed to let him come pick it up. Animals are considered personal property, and by keeping her, I would be breaking the law. He knew I had her, so it was no use saying otherwise.
This was at 7:30 am, before my son went to school. The officer showed up at my house 5 minutes later. Her shoved the dog in the crate in the back of his truck. She cried and barked. this made my son cry. I tried to keep the tears back, but between my son and the dog, the started to trickle down. The officer said something about us being attached to her. I asked how long she had to stay at the pound before she could be adopted. He assured us that she wouldn't be there long enough for us to adopt her. Of course she had a family who was looking for her! My son cried more, which made me cry more. The officer told us that the dog would need to stay at the shelter for a minimum of 3 full days, we could check back on Friday.
I am not a math wizard, but I did the calculations in my head and counted from Monday to Friday, and didn't think she would need to be there that long. One of my neighbors had just adopted a dog from the shelter and said we should go and visit the dog, and take something in that smelled like us to make her feel more comfortable. After I took my son to school, I went in to see her at the shelter. It was so awful, I just cried. She was in a very small kennel. It was barely big enough for her to stand up and turn around in. There were dozens of barking dogs. She saw me and barked and cried, and looked so sad and pathetic. My neighbor had told me that she was able to take the dog she found out of it's cage and take it for a walk on a leash. When I asked at the shelter I was told it was against the rules. I left the article of clothing with our scent on it in the small cage and walked away. I stopped back at the front desk and asked when I could adopt her. The lady behind the desk told me the same thing the officer had. Friday.
I came back with the kids when they got home from school. They cried as they watched the dog whine and bark. I cried again. I decided it would be hard, but I would come back every day until I could take her home. They wrote my name down as a person who wanted to adopt her if she was unclaimed at the end of her three required days. They had a shortage of space, and were putting dogs down to make room for the new ones that were brought in.
Then next day I went back and a different person was in the office. She let us take the dog out of her kennel and walk her. Of course we were all heart broken when we had to put her back. The toy and piece of clothing with our scent on it were no longer in the kennel. It was very difficult, but I decided I would go back again the next day to make sure she hadn't been claimed.
I did this once a day until Thursday. On Thursday, I went in first thing in the morning. A different person was behind the desk again. I asked her when I could take her home. She said after three days. I told her it had been three days. She said that if the dog had been brought in first thing on Monday, I could pick her up in the afternoon on Thursday. I asked what time. She said anytime after noon. I went in at 12:01 and pick her up. When I signed the adoption papers, I agreed to have her spayed and get her vaccinated, and paid the adaption fee. I called Petsmart and asked if I could get her groomed as soon as I could get there. (She smelled very bad after living in the small cage for 3 days.) They told me they could see her if she had her rabies shot. I called the vet and made arrangements to take her straight from the shelter to get her shots. We went from there to Petsmart for the grooming. They told me to come pick her up in about 3 hours.
I went home and picked up the kids from school. I didn't tell them I had already picked up the dog. I told them we should go to Petsmart and get some toys for her so we were ready for her when we could get her the next day. They thought that sounded fun. We started off to the pet store and my son told me that his friend, who we had brought along with us, had to be back in time for his Basket ball practice. I gave in and told them what I had done, and that it was likely we wouldn't make it back in time for the practice. I took the boy home and we headed back with new excitement to get the dog.
She saw us though the glass in the grooming room and got very excited. They finally released her to us and she jumped all over all of us. She was as happy to see us as we were to see her. My son had already picked out the name Ginger, because he was reading the book, Ginger Pye, in school. We had a tag made for her , picked up a bone and some toys and were off. She smelled so much better, and she was very soft.
She was instantly a part of our family, and loved by us all.
Check back for more of the story in the next couple of days.
Lesson Learned: Don't Abandon Your Readers!
I let myself get busy with other things and forgot to come check my blog page for comments. I guess I need to reply if I expect anyone to take the time to post a comment! Sincere apologies!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Pioneer Day
I live in Utah. Utah has Pioneer day on the 24th of July. It is a state holiday, which means most people get it off.
My Rants about Pioneer Day:
1. Fireworks are legal, even though it is high wild fire season, and fires burning all over the state.
2. Garbage delivery is interrupted because the sanitation workers have the day off. This means my over flowing garbage cans won't be picked up until Thursday instead of our usual Wednesday.
3. My husband used to get Pioneer day off, but not the day after Thanksgiving... how messed up is that. (I guess enough people complained, he gets the day off now.)
4. Everyone gathers with families to have BBQs at the park. There are a lot of big families in Utah. I have no extended family in Utah.
5. We have to listen to the Mormon Church history all week long...as if we don't hear it enough already! (We are not Mormon.)
My Rants about Pioneer Day:
1. Fireworks are legal, even though it is high wild fire season, and fires burning all over the state.
2. Garbage delivery is interrupted because the sanitation workers have the day off. This means my over flowing garbage cans won't be picked up until Thursday instead of our usual Wednesday.
3. My husband used to get Pioneer day off, but not the day after Thanksgiving... how messed up is that. (I guess enough people complained, he gets the day off now.)
4. Everyone gathers with families to have BBQs at the park. There are a lot of big families in Utah. I have no extended family in Utah.
5. We have to listen to the Mormon Church history all week long...as if we don't hear it enough already! (We are not Mormon.)
Monday, July 23, 2007
Why Does Having Teenagers Hurt so Much?
I know, teens have been hurting thier moms and dads since the beginning of time. Knowing this doesn't necesarraly make it any easier to accept.
What if you have a 15 year old and a 17 year old who both tell you on a regular basis that the hate you? Do you start doubting your parenting skills, or do you think maybe you are doing something right?
It might help if you bought every book on parenting teenagers on the shelves at Barns and Noble, but it might not.
What if you have a 15 year old and a 17 year old who both tell you on a regular basis that the hate you? Do you start doubting your parenting skills, or do you think maybe you are doing something right?
It might help if you bought every book on parenting teenagers on the shelves at Barns and Noble, but it might not.
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