HOW  DOGS CELEBRATE LIFE

1. RISE AT 5:30 AM.  WET NOSE THE MASTER

2. GO OUT AND PEE ON THE WORLD

3. MAKE POOPY

4. SNIFF POOPY

5. SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT
 EATING POOPY

 6. EAT FUNNY LOOKING BUG INSTEAD

7. THROW UP BUG PARTS ON LIVING ROOM FLOOR

                                                   

8. DRINK OUT OF MAGIC WELL

                                                   

 9. SLEEP FOR 17 HOURS, START ALL OVER AGAIN.

C L E A R

So, At work Friday I learned how to save a life. YIKES! Right, who in the world would possibly want me to be working on their heart. We were taught how to use a defibrillator. It turns out it is a lot easier to use than it is to say it or spell it. The trick, while crazily uncomplicated is to first , make sure the person you are about to use it on, really really really needs it.

We learned that just because a person appears to be unconscious, they may simply be taking it easy, or sleeping or tanning. So you must first shake them and tap them on their shoulders to see if they will arouse. If not, (NO it's not time to shock em just yet), You must listen and feel for their breath for at least 5 seconds or maybe even 10 seconds.

Then, you can give them one of your breaths. And if you happen to have a mouth guard on you or filter paper to protect you from their germs, well that's even better. Then, ( Still, NO, it is not time to zing-a-ling ), but it is time to begin compressions. Yep, thirty hard pushes on the old ticker and two quick breaths. Then thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breathes, and finally thirty compressions and two breaths. Five sets.

Now, if while you were doing all of these heart thumping rhythms you were wondering maybe just how fast you should be pumping blood thru your victims body, don't worry, Simply hum "Staying Alive " and keep that beat going. It has the perfect "beat" to get their juices flowing. An adult actually has enough air and blood coursing through their body from time of collapse to survive for 4 minutes. So while you are aerobic-sizing, if someone is near by, take a second to send them to call 911 and get the defibrillator (A E D).

Then continue compressions. I know , I know, its really hard, you just cannot believe how much this takes out of you. But there is so much adrenaline in you, you will hardly notice that your legs and back are numb and your chest aches like mad.

Once they arrive with the weapon of choice, you quickly open the case, get out all the parts, Turn the thing on (big green button) stick the pads to their body where indicated by cartoon drawings, and listen for further instructions. The Defib will actually monitor their system and tell you if it is detecting any heart rhythms and whether or not you get to shock them.

Sooo, if there is nothing going on in there, the defib tells you to "STAY CLEAR" while it is charging up and "STAY CLEAR", final warning!!(and long after panic is no longer the option and you are absolutely exhausted from compression after compression and the defib is charged and waiting), you finally get to Hit the BIG RED BUTTON and "ROCK THEIR WORLD".

Thank God if it works and hope you never ever have to do that again. This training is so great anyone and everyone should have it. You can save a life.

ROAD TRIP

This is a photo of Mt Shasta that I took from Kim's truck driving past it last weekend. We were heading for Chico Ca for the Mini Gold Cup. That's a sprint car race. Unfortunately it rained both Thursday and Friday and because of the infield being so wet, they cancelled the races. So we hung out in the casino in Corning Ca for the weekend before heading home. We had fun. The weather actually was nice even though the Silver Dollar Speedway didn't think so. This is one of the prettiest spots in California. Lake Shasta and Mt Shasta in my opinion are awesome.

FINAL STROKE

Today is my day off from work and finally I have found the "final Stroke". I have been painting the walls of our house for several weeks. I painted our bedroom, hallway, and living room. This includes nine doors (both sides), door jams and yards of base boards. I of course had plenty of assistance from Ben. He can be such a big help. There were times when he had more paint on him than I did. I was calling him "Carmel Dog" for a while because his coat was starting to match the walls. Luckily, the paint wipes off really easy from his fur. I love a new coat of paint. It feels so clean and shiny. I don't love the clean up. But all of that is now done and me and Ben are going to go to some serious zoning in front of the TV. And we won't forget the snacks either. Come on Ben, lets go.

PERFECT DAY

This weekend the weather was sooo perfect. The sun was out and the sky was blue. It was a good day to take Ben back to the coast. He gets to socialize alot and run off leash on the beach not to mention have lunch at McDonalds or as we call it McDogalls. Here are some photos of our day.

Just Hi!

Haven't been here for a little while and wanted to say HI. Ben is doing great. He had an appointment for a rabies shot and nail clipping today but I had to cancel because my truck is in the shop. I rescheduled Ben's appt and worked on my taxes, shampooed my carpets and caught up on some reading. I have to hitch rides to and from work until I get our Pick up back. We think it is the rear end. Saturday we hopped in it to go to town and it wouldn't move. One of the rear wheels was frozen. We had Toyota tow it to their shop Monday and as of 4:00pm today they had not even looked at it. COME ON!! I am stranded here without my truck. Kim took me to work in his semi truck all weekend. That was pretty cool, but now that he is away at work I am finding it very tough to have no car.Thank goodness for friends. Good Friends. Two of my co workers live around the corner from me so I rode home form work with them yesterday. Tomorrow Suzanne will pick me up and bring me home. Too bad I am not within walking distance. I would walk. But it is about 10 miles one way.
One good thing is that it is still under warranty. I hope anyway. So hope everyone is doing good out there. Be safe.

EASY STREET

AHHHH!!!!! THE COMFORTS OF HOME. I wanted to catch up on the rapidly growing Ben in his adopted chair. I asked him to "Hop Up" in his chair so I could take an on going photo, and as soon as his big butt hit the chair he decided to nap. So here is Ben ( extremely relaxed) at One Year and six months old. He is so fabulous. We have a small situation. He hates to have his nails clipped so I am trying to convince him how much fun it is and so far I have talked him in to letting me clip five nails. I figure if I can clip one a day in about two weeks I should have them all clipped. Right? Four nails x Four paws = sixteen days - five already done + a couple days that he will absolutely NOT let me touch his toes........... well, you do the math. But sooner or later we should have them all clipped. For now sleeping beauty must get his rest. Soon we should be able to start taking walks again. My foot is almost back to normal after breaking it in July and twisting my ankle a few weeks ago on the ice, we are both ready to get out there and cruise the neighbor hood. FUN FUN FUN.

THINGS I WANT TO LEARN FROM MY DOG

1.Never pass up the opportunity to go for a ride.

2. Allow the experience of the fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

3.When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

4. When it's in your best interest, always practice obedience.

5. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.

7. Run, romp, and play daily.

8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

9. Be loyal.

10. Never pretend to be something you're not.

11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle gently.

13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

14. Thrive on attenetion and let people touch you.

15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

18. No matter how often you are criticized, never buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.

>--joy nordquist ( chicken soup for the soul-Lovin'our dogs)

2010 MY WAY

New Year. New goals. New outlook.

I have a small confession to make. This year I would like to change a few things in my world. I want to make a difference. I have to be better at living. Loving my life. I don't want to waste a second. I have decided to enjoy every thing. Even the bad times. Not that I am expecting bad times, but hey, bad happens. So, when it does I really want to have a new attitude.

HOPE:

I am hoping that 2010 will be a happy year, healthy year, successful year, and a new favorite year.

LOVE

I love my Husband, Family and Friends. And of course my Dog, Ben. And I need to make sure they all know it.



FUN:

There needs to be oodles and oodles of fun in my life this year.



SMILING:

I will smile more. Smiles are simple to give and can change the recipient's attitude instantly. They are free to give away and always guarantee a return.



GR ATTITUDE:

I have many many things to be grateful for. And for each thing in my life, I am. I want 2010 to be the year I never take anything, not one thing for granted.



MONEY:

.......................... I got nothin'.



FAITH:

Renew my faith and trust in everything that is good. Give to those that need help. Lend a hand whenever I can. Be a friend to someone who really needs it and treat everyone with respect. Live strongly and faithfully by the golden rule.

TO EVERYONE:
Happy New Year. Please enjoy your life's moments, be happy and be safe. :)

IT'S ALL ABOUT BEN

This Morning it is way way way too COLD to go for a walk. So Me and Ben decided to stay in and play with his favorite new toy. The Hedgehog. He honks it constantly and loudly. He will shove it in your face until you struggle it away from him and toss it so he can chase it, bring it back to you, and shove it in your face, again and again and again. Of course while he is wildly honking it. So after a satisfying play time Ben decided it was time to warm up by the fire. This is one of his best places to sit. That way he will be right in front of the TV and you will be looking at him, which he demands that you do most of the time.

We recently got Ben his own doggy door. Kim was some what hesitant about getting him one because he did not want to cut a hole in the side of our house. We have only one exit out the back of our house and it is our sliding glass door. Ben really needed a way to get out on his own and a doggy door seemed like the only solution, so we hunted around and found one that you actually install beside your patio door. it has been working out really well and Ben loves it. We Love it too because now Ben stays in the house when we are gone and he can let himself out or in any time. Happy Dog, Happy people.

BLACK ICE, BRRRRRRR!!

This week has been very cold. We have had temps as low as 7 degrees. While the cold is bad enough, Yesterday we had freezing rain. It started around 2:00pm and covered my world with ice. Living in Oregon you get used to the rain and cold and a little snow from time to time, but what are you supposed to do with ice!. This Morning everything is frozen. I have been battling frozen pipes all week. Each day I have come home to a frozen washer, faucet, and sink that is in the garage. I thaw them by using a hair dryer and try keeping them thawed with lots of cover.

We are getting warmer temps by this afternoon and lots of Rain. Boy do I love Rain. Well, not so much , but given the chose between rain and teeny weeny temperatures, I will take the Rain. I work from 2:30-11:30pm today and I am a little nervous about driving. I hope the weather man is right about it being warmer this afternoon. Our driveway and road are a solid sheet of ice right now so I am glad I don't work early. I wish me and Ben could ice skate. We would be out there for sure.

WINTER TIME

BRRRR!!!! It is very cold and windy here this Morning. Me and Ben are trying to stay warm. We need to go outside and clean up the yard. After last nights winds it looks like we have a carpet of pine needles and leaves. Hopefully it will warm up and give us a little sunshine. Kim is on his way to sunny Phoenix AZ with a load. It will probably be around 80 there. They were predicting 95mph winds at the coast, we must be getin some of that. Oh well, time to bundle up and enjoy the great outdoors. :(

MY BLOG BLUES ????

I have been trying for days to fix my blog. I have now set up two new blogs that I will probably delete. I tried to import my old blog to my new blog but it popped up "finished" as soon as I clicked on "import. So tonight I tried again to import and the same thing happened. Only this time when I checked my old blog all my icons were on my home page. So now I don't know if I actually imported my old blog to my new blog or my old blog is fixed or what? No matter. Lifr is good again. So Happy writing to me!!!. See ya all soon.

MY BROTHER THE IRONMAN

My Brother

Randy, Just competed in the 140 mile Ford Iron man Triathlon that was held in Hawaii on Saturday. There were 1800 athletes from all the world and he was one of them. He has been training very hard for many months and all of his hard work has definitely paid off.

Randy has always loved running. In high school he was a star athlete in Cross Country. He was never a strong swimmer and has taught him self with help from his good friends in Hawaii. Randy is also an ace photographer and writer. He works for the daily newspaper in Hawaii . Most of his photos could win prizes. His stories could be published.

He has a great family. Five children and a life long best friend, his wife, Karen.

I am so proud of the strength he has found to pursue a life long dream and compete in a world wide famous Ironman. I am also really happy we have social medias like blogs , face book and my space to communicate with each other. Until they arrived on the scene we would occasionally speak on the phone. My life get so busy , I am ashamed to say I am out of touch with my family. But with the help of the Internet, I now get to be updated almost daily with my brother Randy's family in Hawaii, my sister Marilyn's family in Florida , my sister Denise's at the Oregon coast. Now if My youngest Brother Tim would get up to speed, we would almost be able to have Christmas together again, kind of a Virtual Christmas.

Here's to many many many more triathlons and the spirit and dedication it takes to get there.

Way to go Randy!!!

OUCH

Last Thursday I had an MRI done on my left ankle. I stepped on an empty pallet on July 17th and hurt both ankles. I have been hobbling around since then waiting for my left ankle to finally heal.

A couple weeks ago I decided I have had enough limping and went back to the doctors. This time I went to my own doctor instead of emergency room. He re xrayed and thought he may have found a fractured bone. So he had the radiologist look at the film and he actually disagreed with my doctor. So in an effort to prove the other guy wrong, my doctor ordered up an MRI. He gave me a walking cast, or boot, and it has helped my foot so much, I may ask for the matching pair when this is all over and wear them when I dress up. :)

Today I went back to my doctor (the fourth trip) and He was telling me what the MRI had revealed. Apparently I am the proud owner of one fractured bone (nearly healed), one broken bone (in alignment with it self but hasn't yet touched where it is separated) and, his words, a bunch of bad stuff happening in there. He says the bones may heal correctly with the boot, It is probably too late to cast it at this point. However, the ligaments and tendons are going to be my biggest problem. They may also heal, but again they may require surgery. Only time will tell. I will wear my cute boot for three more weeks and see what happens then.

Just a foot note to the Emergency room doctors who first looked at my ankle nearly three months ago.
THANKS ALOT! GOOD JOB!! MAY WE NEVER EVER MEET AGAIN.

GOLD CUP WEEKEND FUN

We went to Chico California a couple weekends ago. We have been going the the Gold Cup Races for along time . Probably around 12 years, maybe longer. We usually take Kims truck and make it a working week end, but not this year. We drove our pick up and we were able to drive places we can't when we take his truck. These photos are taken in San Francisco. The Day was alot of fun and the weather was great. The Sprint car Races were really good too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Today is my 52nd Birthday. WOW. I am soooo old. I really do not feel any different than I did Yesterday or actually last year.
We celebrated this weekend by going to the State Fair. It was fun. We ate a lot of food that was bad for us and walked hundreds of miles. We have been to this fair so many times, like many Oregonians, we know exactly where every single attraction is and where all our favorite food booths are. And, we hit them all. The weather was perfect and being that it was only the second day of the fair, it was'nt to crowded.

Today when I got home from work, Me and Ben watered the yard, or should I say, I held the hose while Ben ran thru it and bit the water. We were both drenced by the time I shut the water off. Then we made chicken fajitas and ate ice cream. YUM! I watched two recoreded episodes of Big Brother and did a little work on the computer.

That was how I spent the first day of my 52nd year. I am hoping for more days and hope they too include water works with Ben, chicken fajitas and ice cream. And of course long lazy days with Kim at the fair or any place we can be together.

Looking back, I know I have been lucky and blessed.
I love my little world. My Husband, Family and Friends. And My Pets. Even my Jobs are good.
Thanks for all the Birthday Wishes. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy and I love them all.

Gotta go work on the rest of my 52nd year. Need to make plans to have this be the best one yet.

PAPER OR PLASTIC??

Paper or Plastic? :)

paper

Would you like paper or Plastic today?:)

plastic

What would you like today, Paper or Plastic?:)

you decide

Which one you going choose today, Paper or Plastic?:)

I'm bag sexual(heeheehee):(

Oh good, you have your own bag !!

Plastic or Paper , Paper or Plastic . Plastic Plastic Plastic, Paper Paper Paper,

Yikes, I am going mad. I have to ask that question a hundred plus times a day when I work as a cashier at RAY'S. And you get all kinds of answers. Some people get mad if you don't' ask, some get mad if you do. One lady called headquarters on me because I did not give her credit for using her own bag. That's a whole nickle, you know. Whoops, my bad.

Most people who bring their own bags buy organic stuff. I am not kidding. They are very concerned about their environment and do not want to use paper or plastic. But they do put most of their organic produce in PLASTIC bags. And almost everything else they buy comes in cardboard boxes or paper bags of some type.. Eggs, milk, butter, cereal, candy bars, chips , detergent, dog food, well, you get the picture.

SO, America, Take a chill pill would you. We all care about our earth. Use your own bag when you remember it and for Heavens sake PLEASE wash it once in a while, would ya. Nothing like having to bag your groceries in a smelly, greasy, dog haired, bag.

Come on, that should be a violation of environmental proportions. Recycle, Reuse, Refuse to use paper or plastic, but please stop being so snooty about it. Thank you and have a nice day!! Now go out their and hug a tree or a dog or something :)

MY LEFT FOOT

On Friday I had to be taken to the emergency for x-rays on my left foot. I did such a stupid thing. I am tossing a box of freight upon a pallet and when I step back, I stepped into the slat of an empty wood pallet. Then I started to stumble and tried to correct it by stepping with my right foot, yet into another slat.

Next thing I do is fall on my tush. Both feet are still stuck in the pallet and I have lost both shoes. It takes me about 30 seconds before I can be sure my ankles are not broken. When I realize they are not, I get up, dust my self off, put my shoes back on and try to walk off the burning cracky feeling my ankles have. Luckily there is no one else there to have wittnessed such a graceful move. It was about 6:00 AM.

When the door bell rings a few minutes later , I kinda hobble up front to let the person in and by the time I get there I can no longer put any pressure on My Left Foot. OUCH. The Janiter sees me hopping around and gets the wheel chair and I go back to my office to wait for some one else to come in so I can go get My Left Foot looked at.

When I do get to the emergency room, they take pictures and decide there are no breaks and most likely just twisted, pulled, bruised, and strained. HUH? I could have guessed that. Except for the X-Ray tech, I think the DR and Nurse I saw might be paid too much. Today is Wednesday and I am still limping. My ankle is swollen and purpleish.

Or yeah I hurt my Left thumb again, the same one I keep hurting. DORK DORK DORK.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!!!

BEN AT 9 MONTHS OLD.

THIS IS OUR GORGEOUS COLLIE, BEN. HE JUST TURNED ONE YEAR OLD. I WANTED TO SHARE THESE TWO PHOTOS. ONE IS HIS FIRST NIGHT EVER WITH US AND THE OTHER WAS TAKEN ON HIS BIRTHDAY. I SHOWED SIMILAR PHOTOS WHEN HE TURNED SIX MONTHS OLD TOO. BUT HE IS BIGGER NOW. HE IS A GOOD DOG. WE STILL NEED SOME TRAINING, BUT BEN IS A SMART DOGGY.HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN.

BEN AT I YEAR.

BEN AT 9 WEEKS OLD ,CUTIE PIE!!!!

WILL WORK FOR FOOD

This is Ben. He loves to help. I was pulling weeds and when I turned around to pick up the rake Ben was already doing my job for me. He actually had a small pile of pine cones gathered, not sure if he really meant to but he did a great job.

This is Ben helping with the cleaning and filling of his pool. He ,loves the

water. He will chase it , run thru it, bite it, sit in it, jump in it, as long as he is getting wet, he is one happy puppy.

Then we moved onto cleaning up the summer furniture. He was a big help here too!!. As you can see , he thinks he can do a better job than me so he gets right in there and does all work.

I believe I missed a spot here. But thankfully Ben was ready to make sure everthing was perfect.

Finally, all the work was done and Ben could get a little rest

Or could he.....................

I think he found something else to pick up. Now where did He put that Rake.?