Recreation at the Lake

                First and for most, I just want to announce that I finally got the long awaited dryer last night around 7:30 or 8:00 PM, and I absolutely love it.  In fact I did 3 loads of laundry while the 4^th waited for the morning to roll around.  Now that the dryer debacle is over with and everything seems to be in tip top shape, I can finally tell you about this past weekend.  WHEW!  I never thought I would be able to get to it.

                Friday, JM had a family day at one of the many lake recreational centers here.  And the plus side was the puppies got to go!  

For some reason, this area is very strict on dogs (there isn’t even a dog park in this town), so we tend to leave them behind or get yelled at whenever/where ever because I am not one to follow the rules.  I don’t think I am better than the rules or anything, but it’s a bit hard to play fetch while attached to a 7 or 8 foot leash.  Where’s the fun in that? 

                Anyways, we arrived to the lake and to my wonderment; a lot of people brought their fur companions too!  This is when I learned a few important things:

                1.  JD is amazing at making new friends.
                2.  JD is so good at making friends she is willing to share her toys.
                3.  JD is willing to share any toys with her new friends, but not her bee (at least not on this particular day).

                4.  P is terrible at making friends.
                5.  In fact P is a bit of a bully.

                After the better half of the morning and slightly into the afternoon, the family day came to an end.  P and JD partook in everything that they could possibly have wanted.  JD played with her bee, P chased her and tried to steal it from her, P barked in the faces of many different dogs, the two got to go swimming, they got to eat people food, played with the kids there, got tons of belly rubs and head scratches, swam  some more, and then fell asleep on the ride home.  Some other significant things I learned were:

                1.  P will try his hardest to keep up with his sister (bless his little heart and legs).

                2.  Because P tries so hard to keep up with his sister, expect puppy blisters the very next day on all of his feet.

the blisters on ALL of his feet close up

                3.  JM will be terrified of P’s limping from his injuries the next day, and will wake you up to express his alarm of wanting to take P to the vet (his love and concern for P melted my heart, even if I was still sleepy).

                4.  P will be babied because of his self induced injuries.

Tucked in and ready to sleep off his pain.  (JM even carried him around all day to help ease P's pain)

Comments make me HAPPY!

Feeding Time

                It’s always great when I get to spend time at my grandma’s, you know, the cute, little, quaint farm house that I am oh so found of. 

Every time I go to visit, it seems like I have a routine of things I absolutely have to do, or else my trip just doesn’t feel complete.  I of course have to go to the lake, and hang out on the “beach,” as well as help out in the garden, go for a walk through the woods and fields, as well as go up to another lake to “feed the damn fish” as my uncle puts it.  

I know it sounds so silly.  Feeding fish?  How in the world can that be fun?  But for me, it is. 

 

I could probably spend an entire day feeding the carp and watching them jump on top of one another trying to eat the little bits of bread I throw down to them.  There’s something mesmerizing about the hundreds of fish splashing around, fighting for food, and my precious P would agree. 

Starring and pulling to get to the carp

I know it may not be everyone’s cup of tea per say, but I’ll let you judge the lake off of the photos and videos.   

If you watch the lower left hand corner you can see P trying to get to the fish.

The carp in the spill way.  This is only a small portion of how many there are in this massive lake.

It Never Goes As Planned

                Today was a downright disaster, I repeat, DISASTER!  Nothing went according to plan. 

My plan originally:

Go to a friend’s going away party at 11:00 AM.
Go grocery shopping, to get much needed provisions.
Read chapters 15-16 for class.
Take chapter 15 and 16 quizzes.
Read chapters 3-4 for different class.
Take that quiz.
Do case study # 2.
Take the dogs to get their nails clipped.
Go the gym.

                Of course since I planned it, it didn’t happen the way I had hoped.  JM and I tried to make it to a friend’s going away party since he is being PCSed (a military acronym for moving) to Germany.  Unfortunately neither of us had any idea where this going away party was being held.  We were told it was going to be at one of the many lakes, so we set off in search of it.  Little did I know that it was absurdly far away, and did I mention I only had a quarter tank of gas?  Actually that may be exaggerating a tad, it was less than that.  We drove along narrow roads with warning signs that read “artillery testing ahead, proceed at your own risk” and “when flooded turn around, don’t drown.”  That didn’t put my already elevated nerves at rest.  And then my gas light turns on {BING} in the middle of nowhere.  Insert my anxiety attack, right about……now.  JM was strangely calm for being away from civilization with our gas dwindling down into nothingness; in fact, he was so relaxed that he took it upon himself to joke about our situation which didn’t help my anxiety subside.  We finally pass a small town, but of course there was no gas station present.  Having gone at least 20 miles with the gas light on, and more than likely running on fumes, we cross a sizeable river, and on the other side of the hill, there was the much needed gas station.  THANK GOODNESS!  I filled up the car, bought chips and a drink, got directions to the lake and an ETA, and continued on our way.  10-15 minutes later, we found the lake, but our friends going away party was nowhere to be found.  We drove around in circles, but alas, still no party and time was running out for JM, he had to return to work.  Finally we decided to just head back.  What did we get out of our 2 hour journey?  An anxiety attack, chips, a drink, and a scenic route I would prefer to never do again with only a quarter tank of gas.

                I finally made it home around 2:30, but with everything that had happened I just couldn’t concentrate on studying.  Instead I opted to take the dogs to get their nails trimmed.  I grabbed their leashes, listened to P yap out of excitement for probably 5 minutes, and then loaded the dogs into the car.  We get to Pets Mart and the yapping ensued some more.  There just was no stopping him.  I finally was able to herd them into the groomers after the customer before me left (she had a large Labrador/German Shepherd mix I didn’t want P fighting with it).  JD was the first to get her nails cut, which is always a disaster (the motto of the day).  She cried the entire time and jumped off the counter top contraption 8 times, hanging herself with the attached leash.  I’m sure the poor lady trimming her nails had enough, because she gave up and left one of the back ones untrimmed before taking P to do his claws.   He was better and much faster than JD.  Once was all said and done at the groomers the pups and I headed home. 

Off to get our nails cut, pure excitement to be going on a car ride.

After the trimming of the nails.  So tired from all his yapping!

                Now I am at the present.  The plan for the rest of the day is make it to the gym!  Wish me luck on getting my motivation together as well as my concentration in hopes that after the gym, I’ll be able to at least read one of the four chapters and take one of the 3 quizzes I need to take.  As for the groceries, maybe I’ll grab those necessitates later in the night when the store is not so crowded.

Doggie-Paddling Bliss

                Taking the puppies anywhere is always an adventure on its own.  This past week, JM and I decided it was time to take JD and P to one of JD’s favorite places, the lake.  I always have to pack a bag for them, just to make sure I have everything that they could possibly need; poop bags, toys, leashes, life vests, water bowl, clean water, snacks, towels, ear cleaner and medicine, cotton balls and q-tips in a zip lock bag, and so forth.  Sometimes I feel like a human mommy with a diaper bag, but instead I have my go to “doggie survival bag.” 

Trying on their life vests before we leave

                As we pull up to the state park to pay, the attendant reminded me, as he always does, that my fur children must remain on a leash at ALL times, ALL TIMES!  A little redundant, and he definitely didn’t have to repeat himself in a firmer fashion; mainly because I had no intentions of keeping them on a leash at all while we were there.  I know, I am a bit of a daring rule breaker, but how are JD and P supposed to play fetch while attached to a 6-8 ft. leash?  Besides playing fetch, my dogs are very well behaved and obedient.  Seeing another person or dog doesn’t bother them, in fact they show very little interest in playing with other dogs even though I socialized them and they frequent the bark park.

Anyways, it was an extremely quiet day at the lake, largely due to the fact it was a weekday, but the two had fun nonetheless.  We found a spot over off of the boating dock and posted up.  We audaciously disobeyed the park employee, and did what he adamantly told us not to do; we unleashed the pups, put on their floating gear (as a safety precaution), let them test the water out and sniff around, and then threw their toy out into the middle of the quiet water.  ANNNNNNNNNND they were off.  It was like watching the tortoise and the hare race after the much awaited prize floating in the water.  P was never a strong swimmer, but with his new life vest, he has a renewed sense of confidence when it comes to the water.  JD swam out, retrieved the floating toy, and brought it back, taunted P, and then dropped it at our feet for another toss.  You couldn’t keep these two out of the water. 

     

     

P was too tired at this point to swim that far out, but still excited!

                Soon two hours passed by with non-stop playing, and I figured enough was enough, especially since JD doesn’t know when to quit.  If she wasn’t wearing her life vest, I’m sure she would swim to the brink of no return and we would have to rescue her.  After drying off the dogs, and re-drying off the dogs (like I said, you couldn’t keep these two out of the water), cleaning JD’s ears (no ear infections here!), and packing up the doggie survival bag while trying to keep them out of the water we walked back to our car, of course with a few sniffs along the way, and soon enough we were home were bath time awaited them.  WHEW!  Who knew going to the lake with my two fur children would be so much work?