December 26, 2021

-

Merry Christmas!

Christmas eve, Josephine came with us on our walk.  Stella and Mina bounded along.  I looked behind me and saw a big blob of brown saying hi to Mina.  Turns out it was a dog walking nearby with his owner, a brown lab named Cooper.  At first, Mina was happy to say hi but Stella was fearful.  They walked with us and Stella and Cooper barked loudly and played rough with Stella bearing her teeth but eventually enjoying the play.  Mina was not ok with it.  She didn't want to walk, kept falling behind, with both Cooper's owner and myself taking turns carrying the pup.  I am wondering if maybe she meets Cooper on her own so she can see he is a nice dog.  I am guessing she saw and felt Stella's original fear.

We had another tower of presents this year.  The stacking was courtesy of Paco.  Lots of wrapping and big boxes but not really much stuff.

I did get a video of Mina opening her present.

https://youtu.be/HCmLVL3rUM4

It has been a pretty low-key Christmas and I missed not having Linsy here.

I have heard stories of coyotes and when I walk with Mina at night, I am more aware, listening for their sounds.  Last night, in the distance to the left I heard their cry and got a little nervous.  Seconds later, to our right, I heard some closer, perhaps in a nearby field.  I decided it was time for us to hightail it back home and was imagining Mina figuring it was playtime.  But no, she heard their call and was running in the direction of the house before I started moving.

Marlon threw up again tonight.  It has been a while but because it was late, I gave him all his pills together and that can aggravate.  Add to that, him being over-excited playing Minecraft at night and his food doesn't stay down.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

November 10, 2022 (2)

-
Image
Today, I dropped Marlon off at outdoor school and met up with a friend I have only seen a handful of times in the last 20+ years.  She was in the area for the passing of a family member. i then went for a walk with Mina.  I watched and she poised herself in hunting position and pounced.  I saw a squirrel run up a tiny little tree but also heard this pitiful whining.  At first, confused, I wondered if she had pounced on a nest in the ground.  But the dog ran to me, crying and whining, holding up her paw.  We were a ways from home and she hobbled carefully home after we sat for a while and she calmed down.  She will often run the perimeter of fields, running this way and that.  I saw her longing to run the field as we made our way back but she was uncomfortable and limping. A short while later, I went to pick up Marlon and watched in amazement as he hobbled to the car.  Yes, he had hurt his foot within an hour of the dog hurting herself.  Both boy and dog are limping.  Just as they were
Read more

July 7, 2022

-
Image
On May 23rd, the week before the chemo that weakened Marlon enough to put him in the hospital, the dog, the boy, and I drove to Montreal. (I am aware of the use of the word 'go' when writing. In German, the verb 'to go' means walking. You don't 'go' in a car.) Before we left, as I was packing up the car, I noticed a fair sized spider web between the driver's side view mirror and the car. I left it alone, figuring the wind would blow it off. It was so nice to see Linsy and Moira and spend time with them. I have missed having Linsy around. It was neat that, when we got there, Olivia, Jamey, and Roka, their dog, were there. They live 15 minutes away from us but were there visiting their son. Mina was definitely happy to see Roka (and all the others too).   Mina got used to walking on sidewalks and being in the city. Other people and dogs, not so much. Moira has given me a belt with a dog lead on it for hands-free walking. It worked but was even bett
Read more

July 5, 2022

-
Image
Decision was made that Marlon was to go check blood counts on Monday.  We drove down to Hamilton together, quick finger poke, and then leave again.  A couple of times, we drove around the parking garage for almost a half-hour looking for a spot, but Monday was smooth.  Busy place. Blood counts are good so dental work begins.  Marlon's doctor was impressed with the dentist when she spoke with him last week.  In support, I sit next to him in the dentist's room and hope my own anxiety, discomfort, and fear don't affect him. Halfway through the drilling of four teeth which was quite intense, they took a little break to check in with Marlon and see if he was up to continue.  He agreed to do more but said he was most concerned about the tastes of the filling material.  With the pain and discomfort of the first part, one would think that would be the least of his worries but he is very sensitive to taste and flavour.  As it turned out he didn't gag or react too strongly so I g
Read more