2018 in Review

I should post at least once in 2018, right? ;-)

This was a good and bad year - the same can probably be said of most years.

We said good-bye to our sweet Clyde-dog on October 8, which was by far the worst part of the year. He was almost 14 years old and he was so very loved. He still is. I feel some peace knowing he and Cus are together, waiting for us in Heaven.

We also had some great experiences in 2018. We adopted Jim, our Great Dane mix puppy, on July 7 from {San Antonio Great Dane Rescue}. He is timid and and shy, but filled with love and excitement for life. He was 80 lbs when we adopted him - he's probably close to 100 now, but I don't think he'll grow much more, though he is still quite slim.

We were able to adopt a giant dog because we bought a house! We closed on our home on April 23. It's in San Antonio and we love it. The neighborhood is friendly and walkable. The house is small (for Texas - it's actually over 1700 sq ft) and secure and has everything we wanted. We just spent our first holiday season here and it was warm and lovely.

Our house is on the newer side, so there's not much that has to be done to it. We would like to finish painting all the rooms (everything was stark white when we moved in), and spruce up the kitchen to be a little more our taste, but we can take our time and do it when we feel like it. I love that.

We were able to sell our camper really easily and painlessly (we are so grateful for this) because our decision to sell it overlapped perfectly with a friend needing to buy a temporary home. It was a perfect win-win for all of us, and he's been in it for about 6 months now. He'll be back in his house soon, but he plans to keep it for camping trips with his kids.

We had a family wedding in June. My oldest niece, Danielle, married her sweet fiance-now-husband in a beautiful ceremony up in New England. It was so hot for that part of the country, but the heat couldn't keep us from having so. much. fun.

I got an amazing double dose of family this summer when my youngest niece, Hannah, came to visit us for a week. We had the best time and it was so hard to let her go home.

I'm looking forward to 2019 for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons is that I'm going to be a great-aunt! My niece Renee and her husband are expecting their first baby in the spring and I am so so so excited. I already love going home to visit my family and our new addition will make it even more exciting.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe New Year's Even celebration, and a wonderful 2019!

August in Photos

I don't know why I don't have any pics of Nugget. She was right there along with us :-)

Camper Life with Dogs II

I've been here for two full months now. I still wish I had a doggie door and yard for the pups, but I'm getting used to not having those things. I do have an arsenal of things I use to make camper life with dogs better, so I thought I'd share. 

1. Good Leashes

Good leashes that don't fray (ahem, I'm looking at you Martha Stewart leash that cost the most and is already frayed) are a must. Also, having leashes that are each a different color is really important so that when they inevitably get tangled, you can know which one to let go for a split second while you do the untangling. 

2. Gentle Leader

I cannot walk Clyde without {this}. He is so strong and this reins him in gently and painlessly. 

3. Barking Spray

Nugget is a serious and bad barker. {This stuff} was recommended to me by her trainer and it's pretty effective. It's just air and some calming pheromones and I only use it when she's really getting her bark on (not for whining or growling or anything). You just spray it in the dog's direction and it interrupts their barking because it's loud and has a smell. It's probably technically negative reinforcement, but it's completely non-violent and sometimes it's really necessary. The other people around us don't want to hear her maniacally shrieking and stroking out because she doesn't like the look of the gentle pit bull walking by and cowering, terrified of the tiny canine sociopath screaming at him. She's a hot mess, in case you haven't figured that out yet. 

4. Barking Controller

Update: I don't really use this anymore. I realized that it's not as effective as I originally thought, especially when there are three dogs barking at once. And there's no on/off switch, so I need to take the battery out every time I'm done using it. Which means the battery needs to be put in when I want to use it again. And by the time I get the battery in, the barking has usually reached epic proportions and the little sensor just can't make a dent in the fray.

Speaking of barking: we got {this bark control sensor} for inside the camper. When one of them barks, it emits a high-pitched sound that the dogs don't like. It does stop out-of-control barking, but we don't use it very often because it has two major drawbacks. The first is that all the dogs have to hear that uncomfortable noise when only one dog is barking (Nugget...). Also, the sensor misinterprets thunder as barking and so the dogs have to hear the bad sound when they're already stressed about the storm. So, I only put the battery in when I'm there and can control it. It's good for when we're sitting outside for a while and we might need it for Nugget barking at dogs walking by. 

5. Head Lamp
We do our morning walks when it's still dark and picking up poop is not easy when you can't see it. {This head lamp} is essential (well, this is the one I use, but any head lamp would do the trick except those really cheap ones that stretch out and don't stay put). It has a dim red light and also a couple levels of bright white light. 

6. Toys
My doggies love love LOVE {Nylabones} and squeaky {Kong balls}. We keep a bin of these in the "living room" and Custer manages to take almost every single one out every day so that I'm stepping on half-chewed Nylabones all the time. I actually thinks it's super adorable when he goes digging through his toy box, so I can't get too annoyed. 

7. Poop Bags
Grocery bags will do in a pinch, but they have a tendency to have small holes in the bottom that are dangerous. Dollar Tree sells {three or four-packs of poop bags} that fit in those little {bone-shaped dispensers} that clip on your belt (not pictured). The bags are surprisingly good quality for being from a dollar store and they are 60 for $1. Pretty good deal. Also 60 for $1 are the small blue trash bags in the roll in the photo. They're really too small for trash bags but they get the poop-picking-up job done (they don't fit in the bone dispenser though). 

8. Stake and Leads
For sitting in the "yard," we have to have leads for the pups. I don't have them pictured, but I got {this} and three of {these}. 

9. Waterproof Dog Bed
For comfy lounging while we're hanging out outside (and inside), {this is the best bed}. They sell {this waterproof liner} that makes it perfect for outdoor use (or geriatric pups that wet the bed....). 

Camper Life with the Dogs

Full-timing in the camper has been a difficult transition, much more difficult than I anticipated. No question, the worst part is the change in routine with our dogs.

In our house in East Texas, we have a big, shaded fenced-in yard and we have a doggie door. The dogs had complete access to the backyard at all times of the day and night.

What?! This place has no doggie door?!?

 In the camper, we have no fenced-in yard and dogs have to be leashed at all times. For potty time, we have two options: walks or leads. For early morning and late at night, I use the leads because they're just going out there for a short while. I also use the leads when we're sitting outside hanging out (they are never tied out when we're not with them).

Yeah, no. I don't do grass, Custer. 

Just take the lead off, Mama. I promise I won't go anywhere. Promise ;-)

But walking several times a day is really important for them. First of all, it's stimulating. Being in the camper or sitting out on their leads in the "yard" has to be really boring for them. Walks let them sniff and smell and pee on every other vertical object they come across. Also, the exercise is really good for them. Even though they're all older and less active than they used to be, keeping their weight in check and keeping their joints mobile is really important to me. I think they actually probably walk more now that we're here because we schedule at least three walks each day. At home, I think they got a little lazy and really went outside only to do their bidness.

Camper life with dogs is not optimal at all, but we're all making the best of it. These doggies are handling it so, so well. Much better than I am. They're just such wonderful little souls. I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

5 Crappy Things About Camper Living - Initial Reactions

After I wrote this post, I read through it and it sounds so whiny. I stand by the first two complaints, but the last three (and my bonus sixth; you're welcome) are pretty big one-percenter problems.

NO YARD FOR THE DOGS
This is the number one worst. I hate it. I feel so guilty for taking the doggies away from their big yard and their doggie door. I'm trying to make the best of it and make them feel as comfortable and normal as possible. I got some leads and a stake and we can sit outside in our "yard" together. On the weekends we can go to the dog park. We gets lots of walks in, at least three each day. Most importantly, I know they're happy being with their humans and I'm happy having them with me.

STUFF BREAKS ALL THE TIME
I read a lot of stuff on the interwebs about campers. Apparently, it's a truth universally acknowledged by all RVers that there is always something to be fixed.

Yay! Water pouring out of the bottom of the camper!

It's like owning a house, but stuff seems to break more frequently and repairs are practically as expensive as their real-house counterparts would be. Also, there seems to be only one person in the whole area who will repair your camper on site. He never answers his phone and his voicemail box is full, but it's ok cause he doesn't return texts. Oh, and when he does show up on a Friday night at 9 pm unannounced to fix what's broken, be prepared to offer up your first born, or the entire balance of your 401(k).

NO WASHER AND DRYER
Having our own washer and dryer in our house right next to the kitchen was a massive luxury. There is a laundry room in the clubhouse, so we don't have to go anywhere to do it, but we do have to have quarters and lug everything up there and hope that there are machines open. Waaaaa! Waaaaa! Waaaaa!

CONSTANTLY RUNNING A/C
I hate low, constant noises, like fans and air conditioners. This one never shuts off until you manually shut it off (in other words, you can't set it to go off once the ambient temperature reaches a certain level). And I think it's loud. I don't think it bothers Chris, so I guess we need a third party to weigh in on that.

NOT-AWESOME BED
Our real bed is a tempurpedic and it's king sized. This one is a pretty generic spring mattress and it's a full. My back hurts.

BONUS: NO DISHWASHER
I HAVE TO WASH DISHES BY HAND.

I'll see myself out now.

Why We Rescue

I just signed up for a chance to be a part of this really cool photo project called {Why We Rescue}. It's being done by Theron Humphrey of {This Wild Idea} fame. I'm pretty wild about him and his pup, Maddie, so I jumped at the chance to try to get involved with this project. Fingers crossed we'll get picked as the Texas story! (ok, Texas is a huge and very populated state, so I know it's a long shot). I wrote a little essay to send in to Theron, and thought I'd share it here since it's all about my puppy-loves and how much they light up my life. 

*My husband, Chris, and I are together because of two rescue dogs, who happened to change our lives.

I was just going to watch Custer for two weeks while my friend Ben went to Italy. Custer was a stray chow mix that Ben found on the streets of Dallas and had brought home, though he lived on the ninth floor of an apartment building (not the ideal situation for an active, 1-year old, 50-lb dog). He wanted to find a good home for Custer, but was fostering until he did so. Custer and I fell in love with each other pretty much immediately. I decided I wanted to adopt him; my roommates were not thrilled with the idea. Ben ended up taking him up to Kansas. His girlfriend's parents lived there and they wanted to take Custer in. I cried.

Custer

But fate wanted us to be together, because the folks in Kansas took one look at Custer and said he was too big, they couldn't keep him. So he headed back home to Dallas with Ben. I embarked on the process of finding my own place. In the meantime, Ben and his lovely girlfriend kept Custer for three extra months. I had visitation on the weekends.

Clyde

Over Memorial Day weekend of 2005, Custer and I moved into our first place together, a brick duplex in East Dallas with a tiny fenced-in yard. The yard was so small that we spent most evenings at the {White Rock Dog Park}, where Custer could run and play. In August 2005, we met our future family there: Chris and Clyde the Coonhound. Chris and I got married on May 24, 2008, and adopted a little stray terrier puppy the very next weekend. We named her Bonnie.

Bonnie

Custer is 9 years old now; Clyde is 8; and Bonnie is 5. Three separate times, they have traveled the country with us as we drove from Texas to New England to visit family. They have seen us through moving, job-changing, even brain surgery. They snuggle with us at night. They cruise the neighborhood with us on brisk morning walks. They make us feel like celebrities every day when we come home from work. I know that we're not supposed to admit that we can love animals in the same way we can love other humans, but I'm gonna do it anyway. These pups are my family and my heart. My life has never been the same since the day Custer sauntered into it. I'll be forever grateful to him.*

Welcome February!!

Stunning weather this weekend means extra-long Saturday walk with the puppies.
We walked down to the trail and then all the way down and back. 

That resulted in lots of steps! Big accomplishment!

The spoils of my trip to the Goodwill. I got that woven chevron blanket for $1.99! And Hilary's autobiography for $1.29, which turned out to be a very apropos purchase because apparently she retired as Secretary of State?!? What rock have I been living under that I just found out about that this evening!

Got some good lovey-snuggles in with the puppies, very important stuff. 

Oh, and I finally finished the "command center" in our laundry room. My board was inspired by {this design}, but I used foam board covered in fabric
and mounted into a $1.99 frame from Goodwill instead of plywood. 

{McKenzie} provided a couple of printables with her tutorial,
which I gratefully used on my board. 

Did you know that you can write on glass with dry erase markers (and {dry erase crayons}) and it wipes right off when you need it to? These frames were a dollar each from Dollar Tree. 

One of the snacks I made for the Super Bowl were these {PB&J Thumbprint cookies} from Emma at A Beautiful Mess.
She used blackberry jam in hers; these ones are made with strawberry. Delish. 

Got some good Parcheesi playing in before the Super Bowl.
These crazy Texans call it something else, but it's the same game ;-)
And this particular version is home-made and vintage-y, and I love it. 

Clydus needs a mani-pedi.

Pies and Pups and Peppermint, Oh My!

Doesn't it look like he's giggling? I love this guy.

The addiction to Rusty Taco continued with breakfast tacos

I got over 10,000 steps for the first time (since I've had my {Fitbit})

Buttermilk Pie made with {this recipe}

 

My last peppermint mocha K-Cup from Nikki

2013 Second Simple Goal: Explanation

I think dogs are the best thing that God ever made. I love them. When I give to charities, they are almost always dog-related, but I really want to get serious this year about making a standing, recurring donation. There are two charities that I feel a strong connection to: {Kane's Krusade} and {St. Francis Rescue}. 

I love all dogs, but bully breeds hold a very special place in my heart because they are so often victims of abuse and neglect and, on top of that, are maligned by the media. It literally makes my heart hurt when I think about it. 

Kane's Krusade is an amazing (I'm not using that word lightly) education and outreach group up in my homeland of Springfield, MA. Check out {their Facebook page} to learn about the work that they're doing. Kim and the volunteers that work with her are nothing less than angels that work miracles for {misunderstood dogs}.  

St. Francis is a pit bull rescue group closer my current home in East Texas. Pit bull fear, neglect, and mistreatment is an issue everywhere, but I feel it strongly here. Maybe it's just because I'm more sensitive to it now than I was when I lived in other parts of the country, or maybe it really is worse here; I don't really know. But I do know that here in East Texas we are in desperate need of bully breed advocacy and rescue groups, and the people at St. Francis (and the Nacogdoches Animal Shelter, with whom they work closely) are in the trenches. They deserve all the help and support they can get. 

When I am overwhelmed by the sadness and evil that I see in the world, people like the folks at Kane's Krusade and St. Francis remind me that there is more good than bad in the world. Like my high school science teacher, Mr. Vennell, used to say: There must be more love than evil in the word, or we wouldn't still be here. 

2013 First Simple Goal: Explanation

Back in the spring, we signed up for a new homeowners insurance policy and, not a month later, they kicked us to the curb because they said we had a vicious dog on our property (as you all know, we don't; remind me to post the whole story later). Anyway, they dug their heels in and wouldn't relent because Custer is a Chow mix and Chows are on their list of "dangerous breeds". This makes me so mad for so many reasons, number one being that they have a list of dog breeds that are considered inherently dangerous. But, also, because Custer is the biggest people-loving dog that has ever graced this planet and is the best behaved of all my furkids (although they're all pretty darn sweet). I mean, look at this guy! He's made out of fur and gentleman.

Anyway, we didn't bother trying to reason with those jackasses and just moved on to an insurance company that doesn't have a dangerous breed list, but it's been in the back of my mind that I should get the Big Guy {CGC certified} just in case we have to deal with this kind of stupidity in the future. I looked over the {test "questions"} and I think he'd pass most of them with flying colors, but I know he could use some basic manners and listening help, especially when other dogs are around. So I found an obedience club that offers a 6-week course to help prepare dogs to take the CGC test. Classes start March 12th. Fingers crossed!

*Bringing in 2013*

Lazy, laid-back, perfect New Year's Eve and Day. The best way to bring in 2013!
(By the way, Clyde wasn't available for photos because he was snoozing under a blanket all day...)