The Hankster

My grandpup Hank is a gem.  He bounds through life with joy and is always in a good mood.  Kind of a coincidence, Hank and my son have the same color  'chocolate brown' eyes.  And I am told that when riding in the car together, people will glance over at Hank, and then smile back at his smile.  Yes...he smiles, and instead of giving you a paw, he's been taught to give you a 'high five'!  Rescued from a litter of puppies at the shelter....

  Long live the Hankster!

Scout

Scout is the resident house cat.  She is 16 years old and I must say that other than growing in size from kitten to adulthood...she looks exactly the same.  She does not seem to age. She is an excellent soccer player and quite the  retriever, too!  We did have to surgically retrieve and remove the thread and twisty tie that she swallowed as a one year old.  She prefers the dog's food on a daily basis, but the dog also prefers the cat's food. We all march to the beat of her agenda... she can be affectionate, and then she can be very fast with those paws to let you know that you'd better " back off."  Scout has a wide range of inflection, tone,  and volume as she engages you in conversation.  Scout is gonna live forever.  Read the sign ... and then look at that face!   "Say what?"

Whoa there!!

It is 2:02 AM and I am in awe of all that is occurring simultaneously in my little corner of the world. Here are some of the highlights in random order:

Mom is awake and not quite understanding that it is the 'middle of the night.'

It is raining, thundering, and lightening. One of the two skylights in my bedroom needs a new seal. It has been ordered by the roof man that I called to figure out the problem. In very windy rainy weather, it is a very, very slow drip . So, at the moment, the driving rain has joined us just a 'lil bit' in the dark. The creek which I can hear outside my bedroom window has already joined the grassy area on its sides more than once in the past 2 days.

The dog is inconsolable in thunder and lightening. She paces, and stands as a sentinel at the side of my bed, and stares at me. She has already tried to get inside of my pocketbook which was on the floor. I wish that I could help her, but I cannot fix this problem. She is licking Flo's hand right now.

I am off my arthritis meds, and as a result, there are body parts that are screaming.

A tornado watch was just issued for my county until 2:53 AM...I'm thinking the dog will exhibit even worse behavior. Obviously, I am hoping the actual tornado does not materialize.

It is warm in the bedroom, and I have the 2 windows open, and the ceiling fan on medium. Flo just announced that her head is sweating. Really? To which I reply.

"I totally understand this...Let us remember who is the first one to break out in a sweat....That would be me!!"

If it were 24 hours later, I could be watching the Royal Wedding Hoopla for entertainment. I really don't care about this event, but it would be entertaining at the very least. I am stuck with Judge Pirro. The Good Lord has scheduled $250 leather pocketbooks on QVC and thankfully, there will not be one in my future. Had it been plants and flowers, I would have been in trouble.

Well, the battery on my laptop is running low, and I am not going to plug it in while in the midst of all this drama...I am thinking that the way things are going right now, Lightning would connect Point A to Point Me...

What a re'volt'ing development that would be!!!

Care for a Refill?

I got to thinking...
Learning happens in all kinds of ways. From the time we are born, we process more than we could possibly imagine. Early on, crying is the effective means for attention, whether it be feeding time or some needed bathroom 'changes'.

Then as we continue to grow, we learn where the boundaries are through cause and effect...

Step into the road, and all hell will break loose!!
Schooling is a given, then friends and life relationships evolve into 'life lessons', but sometimes we are trained without even realizing it... from sources you are relatively unaware when or how it occurred.

What am I talking about?

I am the Alpha cat/dog in my house, yet I have learned to pay attention or suffer the consequences..

The cat:

When Scout wants to eat, she is very vocal. If ignored, she will begin her series of annoyances ending with jumping onto my mother's lap. Not a good thing. I get up and feed her.

However, it is currently 'advantage -owner' in relation to when breakfast is served.

She began scratching at my bedroom door and meowing at a pitch to wake the dead...at 5AM. Scout won.

I had a folding louvre-door put at the hallway entrance to the bedroom.

The dog learned that she could open it from the bedroom side by poking her nose into the center fold, but that didn't change the fact that for the 'cat on the outside wanting in', it was not possible to do the same thing because it only folded ONE way. I am victorious.

And in not too long a period of time, there was Scout back at the bedroom door scratching the carpet at 5 AM knowing full well that I would get up to end that annoying behavior. What??

She figured it out that if she poked her nose into the right side of the louvre doors from the outside

...she could squeeze through. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!! Advantage: Scout!

Well....Hell's bells! Who would have thunk that!!

I was forced to get even more creative. I had a 'hook and eye' latch installed on my side of the door. It solved both the dog opening it from the inside as well as the cat from the outside.

So far...Advantage: Me!

The dog:

Gracie has trained me to guard my coffee. Seems that she is very fond of the French vanilla creamer and she is not shy or sneaky about it. I have gotten up to look out the window for deer, only to turn around and see her sharing a bit of my coffee.

I took Flo to the bathroom, and when I returned everything looked normal. I glanced at my coffee and it had not been spilled. I called Gracie over for a hug to get up front and personal with her face.

Coffee Breath!!!

I have learned to cover the top with something or I put it on a shelf if I must leave it for a moment. So, this morning when it was very calm and quiet, and Grace was no where to be seen...I went tiptoeing around. She was standing on my bed finishing the last of the morning coffee from my nightstand. It is difficult to be angry with her. Other than being a coffee drinking escape artist from the side yard, Grace gives life some pizazz. She rides on Flo's lap while in transit in the wheelchair like a lookout on a pirate ship. And it is rare that anyone surprises us with a visit because she is perched on the bay window always watching or listening. How is it that she never runs out of energy?

Oh yeah, must be that little burst of caffeine working its magic!!

Partners in Crime

The first photo is from three years ago[2007] when Flo was in Green Acres Nursing Home[NJ] after her stroke. Mom and Grace were already acquainted from Flo's previous trips to my house[NY]. I brought Grace to the nursing home and she was a hit with many residents and brought big smiles.
The second photo on the right side shows a current[2010] typical morning. Look closely at the center of the picture where [sleeping]Mom's hand rests on [sleeping]Gracie's body. As soon as Grace detects a sound or motion from the other side of the room, she zooms from my bed to hers and licks her hand...occassionally her face, too. I yell out, "Grace, NO licking!!"
Then she will retreat to the bottom of the bed, and they both drift back to sleep for a bit...never out of touch, though.
Dressed and ready to roll...


The gladiola flower, peach colored and huge[!] on Mom's shoulder prompted today's photo. I called Grace to join the 'Kodak moment', and this is what I got.

What do you suppose Flo is whispering in her ear?
Grace never tells!!

Boom!

Last night, I had to ride out the 'BOOMS' with the wide-eyed Gracie Dog who was in 'altered states' upon hearing the very first whistling 'crackle'!! I live less than a mile from the city's fireworks launchpad also known as The Lake. The initial 'pop' ...grew into a 'bang' ...followed by a pattern of :

Boom! Light!..10 seconds...Boom! Light!..10 seconds...etc.

Thousands of people enjoy the traditional Syracuse Symphony Fourth of July 'Concert and Fireworks Display'. Grace did not share the joy. She was in constant motion and could not be consoled in any way. Back and forth between Mom's bed and mine, at one point she was above my head on the pillow and I think I was wearing her as a hat!! She would want to go out, and within 5 seconds there would be a boom which would send her into waist high jumps at the back door...to come back in! What next?

The finale!!!!!!!!!!This consists of a gazillion fireworks all set off within seconds causing simultaneous rapid fire rounds of sound and light. While I was staring out of the skylights while resting comfortably on my bed, I figured Grace was praying for the end. The deafening sound resembled the evening news report of wartime activity in Afghanistan. Perspective is everything. It reminded me of a 4th of July in 1971 when the sound of these booms had our friends who were Vietnam Vets crouched under the dining room table probably having some serious flashbacks that none of us could possibly imagine. God bless them all.

Meanwhile, back in 2010, and the finale is finally over. The dog is now stretched out on the floor, and not responding to her name. I'm thinking...'OMG...she's probably had a heart attack!!'

I touch her, and she moves, and joins me in bed...and not as my hat, this time. Aaahhh! Life has returned to normal for us. And just when you thought it was safe to come out of the woods...

The neighbor whose backyard is on the other side of my bedroom window...has fireworks.

And they are really, really colorful....

and TOO DAMN CLOSE...for the dog who has already been through many levels of fireworks hell.

Ya know, I wasn't born yesterday, and so when I think, "Whew! Glad that's all behind us...I know better than that ! Because tonight through my bedroom window, I am sure...we will get to experience the joy of...the other half of my neighbor's encore of sound and light!!! Boohoo!!."

Well, I guess that means there'll also be an encore of me sporting that 'poodle hat' that I treasure dearly.
Hot diggeddy, dog diggedly, "Boom" what you do to me[Grace]!
Fabricated thunder and lightning...what a concept!!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

What a splendid concept! The cat and the dog are calmly enjoying a 'time out' moment together... how fascinating!! This could happen in my house only on the condition that I was sitting in the middle, and each animal would have one ear listening for any hint of movement by the other party.

The cat and the dog are a very unique 'odd couple' for sure.

Each has endearing qualities...and annoying habits, too.

This is Scout:
About fourteen years ago, a good friend called and said that her 5 dogs were barking up a storm and that upon investigation, she found a scared, little kitten in the bushes. Once removed from danger, she was the friendliest little ball of fur, and did I want to come out and see her and maybe bring her home as a companion to my lone cat?

Did I think that I would make a rational decision?

The first couple of hours were spent outside on the porch with a mixture of Dawn dish detergent and water to stash the whole bunch of fleas that I removed off of her body. When I took her to the vet, she said,

"I hope you didn't get this cat to keep the other one company because cats enjoy being alone."

Great...isn't that just great!! The vet was right...the two cats tolerated each other at best.

In reference to Scout [the cat] here's one version of ...the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Good: As a young cat, she would retrieve the plastic water bottle cap that was flicked away for her to chase, bring it back, and drop it in front of me. While getting ready for school, I would pitch it[ the cap] down the stairs from the second floor. She would retrieve it, drop it back on the floor in the hallway, stretch out and lie down...waiting for me to pick it up again and send her in chase of it again down the stairs. It was pretty amazing! Perhaps she's a dog masquerading as a cat!

The Bad: When she wouldn't come out from behind the couch, I thought something was askew. When she began projectile vomiting, I knew something was wrong. Of course, my vet was on vacation, and so the vet covering her absence agreed to examine Scout. She was kept overnight, and was just not rallying. When xrays were taken, it became clear that there was a blockage that needed to be fixed. The 'substitute' vet said he would have no problem doing the surgery, but he was going off duty at noon, and I would have to pick her up and deliver her to the next 'on call' vet. Scout was not conscious when I placed her box in which she was sandwiched between two heated bags of [IV] solution into the car, and delivered her to the next vet.
Forty eight hours and $300 later, they handed me the ziplock bag with the thread she had eaten along with the plastic thing she had for dessert!!

The Ugly: She rules! When she feels it is time to eat breakfast in the wee small hours of daybreak, she comes to the bedroom door and MEOWS. If ignored, she then begins to scratch the carpet at the doorway. She wins. Then I had a folding louvered door installed at the beginning of the hallway to the bedroom so that she could not get to the bedroom door. That worked for a while, since the louvered door had to be pulled to fold...

Somehow she figured it out and managed to squeeze her head in the far right space of the doorway, and get past it! This is like the never ending battle with squirrels at the birdfeeders!

Now I put the waste basket from the living room in front of the right side of the louvred door so that Scout can't push it with her head. So far, it's 'advantage...human'! [Similar to a tennis call!]

The first thing that happens in the morning is the feeding the four-legged members of the family. Not dry food...

When I place both dishes on the floor, Gracie will sniff hers, and then go stand directly behind the cat. Then, after about twenty-seven seconds...Scout will mosey on over to the dog food and eat some of it while the dog eats the cat food.

I even began feeding them the same food at times: Pedigree Ground meat packets. They both still prefer to eat the other's food!! Do they think they are starving each other, or do they think the other bowl just tastes better?While the cat is a force to be dealt with, there are times that the dog will chase the cat out of the room at hurricane speed, and then smile.

Yes...I swear she smiles! Grace does know that in a stare-down, Scout wins.

So the dog chooses her battles, and knowing that the cat rules, Grace has to keep her in line any way that she can!

It certainly makes life interesting!!! One never knows...do one!

Whiskers' words of wisdom!

When I was a kid of 7 or 8, we had a green parakeet named 'Peter'. He was an okay bird famous only for squawking when the evening news came on. My father would then begin squawking about how he couldn't hear the news, the bird's fabric cage cover was then put on...thus beginning nighttime for Peter. I also remember that Peter laid an egg. ???? We thought Peter was a male, AND since this bird never came into contact with another bird, we were kind of surprised! I don't remember the circumstances of his passing, but he did indeed do that at some point.

My family moved when I was 13, and another green parakeet became the family pet. This was 'Whiskers' and he proved to be quite the star. He was both friendly and pretty darned smart! I had read that you could teach a parakeet to talk by repeating a phrase often, and by kicking your voice up to a higher pitch..otherwise when repeated by the parakeet, it would just sound like mumbling and the phrase would be unrecognizable. And so I began with 'Good Morning!' every day and repeated it four or five times during the day for a month or so. And one morning when we were eating breakfast ...you guessed it... from the corner of the kitchen and as clear as a bell...came the parrakeeted "Good Morning" with the exact same inflection of my repetitive prompt. Wahoo!

Since my father's opinion of Whiskers was that he was just an ordinary 'dirty bird' , I thought we could possibly win him over if Whiskers greeted him personally. I began to go over to the cage and say,

"Good morning! And added on...Hel-lo Joe!"

Tacked on to the familiar phrase was the NEW phrase. And I repeated it several times during the day as I had for Whisker's first spoken words.

Yep! Yep! Whiskers was a genius!! Again, he perfected it!

Again I added a new phrase to the two that Whiskers already had mastered, and then he said,

Good morning!

Hello Joe!

Hello Tom! [my brother]

Hello Mare!

You're such a pretty bird!

Parlez-vous Francais? [I took French in high school.]

Buddha make... a miracle! [from The King and I ... our HS musical.]

I could call my friends, put Whiskers on the phone's receiver, and start off the entire litany of 15-20 phrases by prompting the first words of, "Good Morning" and he would say everything he had learned all into the phone.

Whiskers was a 'one of a kind'. A star!!

And a pretty good role model to those kids in school who said that they just couldn't recall those times tables!!

Lunch at Panera and bonding with the Hankster!!

Yesterday I went to spend some quality time with my son and grandpuppy. It's about two hours and twenty minutes of a thruway drive to get there. We went to lunch at a Panara Restaurant which is one of my favorites, and the two of us caught up on life as it is. This week is his 30th birthday...whew! Hard to believe. I have a mental snapshot of the moment he was born. Where does the time go? Seems to be a crossroad of sorts...I am majorly proud of all that he has accomplished, and he is fortunate in that he has a job using the degree he pursued, and even better than that...he loves what he's doing!!!. And the best part...he is great at it, too!! Effort and determination have paid off for him.

Hank, my grandpuppy, is a great dog.[lab/collie mix adopted from the pound]. Good thing he is so cool, because during his chewing puppy stage, he chewed the sofa and its cushion. Not good, Hankster! And a gentle giant he is!! He now has a fenced in yard, and Pavlov would be proud of him nudging the bell by the door when he wants to go out! Thank God for Hank!! Cause no one loves you like your dog!!

My words of wisdom for people who are having a birthday that is perceived to be a crossroad in life.

Happy B'day Jer!!

And my B'day is 3 days after his. Is it a big one?? Oh yeah!

Red and Red

It began in 1963, when we were freshmen in high school and our alphabetically assigned lockers were in close proximity to each other. But the friendship really kicked into full swing in the summer of '66. That would be when Janet and I began our 40+ year friendship with all of the ups and down, twists and turns, and state to state phonecalls and visits.
Janet joined us for the weekend in celebration of Flo's 97th birthday. The three of us got reminiscing about years gone by and some of the funny things that have happened.

Christmas of 1975 was my mom's first Christmas with Ray after their marriage in July. She was in his first wedding as a bridesmaid, and a couple of years after both spouses passed along, they got together and it was a wonderful relationship.
Janet and I and her Irish Setter named Grady went to visit them during the holiday season. We enjoyed their decorations, and the festive drinks as we chatted. Flo showed us the red leather wallet with a $100 bill in it that Ray had given her, among other things. As we sat in the kitchen laughing about how Janet's family English Setter Caesar had followed her to the church, Janet realized that Grady was nowhere to be seen. When she didn't return from the living room for a bit, I went there to check out what was happening. There stood a blushing Janet and I said, "What's up?"

She pointed to the chair cushion and said, "Pick up the cushion."
Under the cushion was the red wallet that she quickly stashed in the chair when she heard footsteps coming into the living room. It had been chewed up and there was no $100 bill. Hearing footsteps and fearing it was Ray, I stashed the mangled red wallet back under the cushion. It was my mom who looked at our faces and said, "What's up?"

I pointed to the chair cushion and said, "Pick up the cushion."
"Uh-oh! That's not good!"
Janet said, "That's not the worst part. The one hundred dollar bill...Grady ate it!!"
"No he didn't. I took it out."
"Whew! I will replace the red wallet before Ray knows it's gone!"

Janet purchased the replacement red wallet, and while she was not home, Grady jumped up and removed it from her dresser...and he ate the second one!!

The third red wallet went directly from Macy's to Flo's house... NONSTOP!

So, the red dog who ate the red wallet was forgiven, but never to be trusted again!
Truth be told...that part [never to be trusted again] really happened when Grady chewed on Janet's leather coat while she was in the store returning something!
He really was a great dog...God rest his soul.

Formally known as 'the bad cat'...

This is Scout! She is catching some rays on a hot summer day.
I have decided that what is said about 'birth order' for people[that it may affect your life based upon your position of first born, middle child, only child, or the baby], is also true for cats.
Scout is now an 'only cat' since June 27th, and I have noticed some changes in her behavior. She is more visible and overtly more affectionate. I have always understood Scout better than others, and the recipient of her leg hugs.
When there were two cats...Wease was such a phenomonal companion. She was a striking calico, pretty mellow, and wasn't afraid of strangers be it animal or people. And she could be counted on to be sociable. She would let you rub her belly and it was ok. .. For good reason, she was referred to as 'the good cat' to my mom because I knew that Wease was a safe lapmate.

Scout, a black/grey/white striped cat, walks to.. her drumbeat is the one to be acknowledged [unless you are a stranger and then she hides]. She 'talks' at various times of the day and will converse with you if you answer her. When it is time to eat, she will let you know by scratching the braided rug in the living room until I feed her. She and the dog will eat each other's food...not sure if they both like the taste of each other's food, or they are both trying to starve the other!! I used to think she was a dog in a cat's body because she would chase a plastic water bottle cap, retrieve it, and drop it at your feet so that it could be thrown again!!But, if you get in her space and she feels the need to defend herself, she will take a swat at you. She commands respect on her terms, and for many reasons, she was referred to as 'the bad cat.'
But now, she is the only cat. And she doesn't seem to be as bad. I see definite changes in her - she wants more contact and appears to be more sociable.
Is it because she no longer walks in the shadow of the WonderCat...or does she no longer have to live up to her former 'bad cat' image? ...
Since she is now 'the cat.'

What goes a'round' comes a'round'!

A fellow retired teacher and friend of mine brings Holy Communion to my mom every Monday. She is one of two people whose names I have to spell [when not present]because of the dog's reaction. If I say her name, Grace immediately jumps up and starts to look out the front window for her, probably because of the obvious mutual attraction that exists. This would be directly related to the face licking, occasional walking, and direct sharing of food that happens when a bagel is being enjoyed during one of those Holy Communion visits.
That being said, this wonderful interaction has been interrupted for a short span due to our friend's necessary knee replacement. Mom is missing the regular visits and Gracie[the dog] is definitely missing the visits of the friend whose face she loves to kiss.
I brought Gracie for a short visit because I knew that the dog would bring a huge smile...to my friend and to the dog, too!
When I walked in carrying the most spirited dog with the biggest brown eyes east of the Mississippi, guess who got the preferred reception!! Right! The dog!!
It reminded me of a time some 26 years ago when my 3 year old son and I decided to surprise my [out of state] mother with a visit, and guess to whom she threw her arms out to first...right! the very cute 3 year old with the big Hershey chocolate brown eyes!! Oh well, I can deal with it!
On to Visit #2: We were ready. Assisting us was Mom's caregiver [and friend] who is the other person whose name must be spelled in front of Grace.
I had purchased Necco wafers[round quarter-sized candy], picked out a white one,and handed it to Mom. It was a surprise visit, and even more so when Mom handed her the white Necco wafer and said,"Piece of candy!" It was a definitely a fun moment with lots of laughter. And especially when the Godiva chocolates were shared. So you can see the good things that can happen when...one good turn deserves another.
Never underestimate the power of kindness.

Updates...some good...some bad.

WICKED was terrific! I loved it! It is a prequel story [written by a different author] of The Wizard of Oz's background story. It has so many twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. What a creative person to weave such surprising slants to that classic story!!
When I returned, one of the tougher twists and turns of my life...as a pet owner.
My cat Weasel [18 years old] needed some medical attention. I called the vet and got a 6:30 appt. She examined her, took x rays, and did a blood profile. The xray showed some fluid in her abdomen and her lungs.[She showed me the xray while explaining ]. The blood work showed her to be anemic with a high white cell count. And upon examining her again after 48 hours of antibiotics, Weasel's liver was enlarged. We weren't sure of the length of her future, but she wasn't going to recover. I saw no reason to put her thru any length of suffering nor a reason to probe [test]further. 18 years old, loved by many, and she had lived a good life.
As peaceful a mode as possible for her, I held her until she slept. It was difficult and so very sad. She was so-o extraordinary and special.
I told her [Wease ]that I'd meet her at the gate. Family.

So, until words flow freely again, I'll be reading blogs, but might not be writing one.
I think it will be soon. Just not feeling very wordy at the moment.

It's a dirty job...

Well, I have to take [Amazing] Grace to the vet for a booster shot and a heartworm test. It is a routine visit, thankfully, but there is nothing routine about the size of her eyes when she is there. She trembles, and looks very scared. It is heartbreaking.
She's like a kid, but she can't talk.
Details later.

We're back now. Gracie did very well even though the vet waiting room was full of scary sounds. There was a crated cat obviously expressing its discontent and emitting 'altered states'

opinions. While we were in a room, we heard [through the door] a very angry dog that sounded like a fight waiting to happen.

Grace never made a peep. She did 'a whole lot of shaking' from the moment we entered the building. She's up to date on her shots. And very happy to be back on the lap of her favorite face to lick! That would be G'ma Flo.