Playing catch up...

Let's see... went to Vegas for Superzoo, the pet trade show. Long week -- some nice stuff there. I really only came home this time with several nice pet beds, some T-Shirts, and some very cute shampoo that has this neat 'pet freshening spray' on the bottom, and VERY nice shampoo on the top. Wouldn't use it for a show, it really softens the dog's coats, but Simon is now wafting the masculine smell of Coconut Lime. Ahhh. It's like a Cardi air freshener. ;)

So, here are my week photos...

37/52 "Luggage Inspector" (I left treats in the bag unpacking. Hahah, guess who found them!)



38/52 "Mmmmmuffins!"


Got home, have been working like a maniac. Well, got into work, turned around to let Caleb through the door and... my back went "no." So, this time went directly into the doctor and now am on muscle relaxers (still.) I will say the stim treatment though worked awesomely well, and this time it's only been a little over a week and a half and I'm nearly back to normal.

Found out that my little Arab is officially a "pasture pet" only. His knee is getting so arthritic that he's locking up a lot even loose in his pasture, and he's pitched on the ground a few times when he's got up a head of steam. Well, on a high note, he's photogenic and cute! He'll have to model and earn his living. ;) Sadly, he is nowhere as good as Simon.

Of course... getting ready for the Richland show, and I come home and my 19 year old arthritic cat's leg is swollen up like a little peg. Great. I had an appointment with my regular mobile vet (who I love. Matt and I had a mock fight and he said that if we divorce, he's taking custody of the vet. I told him no way) but he can't make it until Thursday. So I run him down to a new vet and the guy is great. He looks at it, takes fluid, tells me that the cat has cancer and without taking off his leg the cat has days to live. I pay the deposit, and take Merp home. I admit, I adopted this cat back in January... and I absolutely adore him. He's just the sweetest old cat, with everyone, including the dogs. Either that, or like some grandpas, he just doesn't care.

So, I spend a sleepless night, and decide that morning that he can't go in. He looks horrible, he's barely walking, etc... there's no way this cat can survive on three legs, none. Sigh. I call my regular vet out for Thursday... and we're all set to put him to sleep.

Well, get up this morning, his leg is way less swollen, and he's bopping around the house. Enough that he goes to get a drink of water in the other room, he lies in the sunshine and bakes himself. My mobile vet comes and we watch him happily purring and headbutting us for a while...

I've had to euthanize many of my crew over the years. You really do know when they are done; there's just something about them at that point where you realize they're ready to go. Merp decided today wasn't his day, and well... now we're sending away a test for a second opinion on the leg.

Unfortunately, my other cat walks in with his eye swollen shut last night, and he's ulcerated his eye again. Sheesh. Drops in the eye six times a day. Well, now that the cat's not in danger of dying this weekend at least, and the other one can be medicated, still preparing for Richland. Find out that a friend's dog that I've been hoping for a puppy from didn't take -- so bummed, but I'm sure not as disappointed as they are. Been looking for a pup since this spring... well, I guess that's someone's way of telling me the right one hasn't shown up! ;)

So... yeah. What does Caleb do? Cut his paw on a freshly cut branch of my Vine Maple running around after Simon in the yard... and is limping like gangbusters. It's not a bad, bad cut, but between his front toes, and bad enough for me to realize there is NO way we're going to Richland. Oh well, I'll live vicariously through everyone else, I guess, and hear how things went!

Sigh. Lovely.

Oh well! Pets happen, right? Everything's for a reason. Besides, today I can walk into the back room and the old cat purrs at me, That alone makes it all better!

Air Simon..!

Move over Jordan, for sure!



I snapped this photo when we were out playing earlier. Matt and I both were like "holy..." when he leapt into the air and did this ninja Cardigan backflip and whipped the toy into his mouth. I downloaded the camera tonight and man, I wish this background was clearer -- this is simply cool. It happened so fast I'm shocked I was still snapping and that I caught it!

For someone with short legs, holy crud... he is an athletic dog. I can't say I've had a Shepherd that was as athletic as this dog is. I still can't get over the air he got on this.

34, 35, and dogs and cats living together...

Well, it was an interesting last week. I bought a new desk for my home office. Then I cleaned out said home office this week with much help from Simon. Threw out a ton of stuff, yay, declutter!

Promptly had the laptop decide when I rebooted it last Sunday afternoon that I no longer needed photoshop or half my programs, and uh... it ate all the photos from that week, argh... then I couldn't find my disks. Anywhere. Yep, they got tossed out in the last great back room purge.

That said... I got a huge laugh out of this shot, because I darn well wasn't going to miss a week in the project when I hadn't missed a one yet! I spent the last few hours sitting here cursing bad, bad words, and pulling my hair out. So, then I managed to rig up Open Canvas to at least do a bit of photo editing, thank goodness. At least I could crop!

My workstation is a bit Simoncentric isn't it?

But hey, fast forward to this Sunday and the computer issues have somewhat been resolved, and thank goodness, my program now works once again! I think I saw little heralds with trumpets -- you don't know how much you use Photoshop until you don't have it, and then when you go look at what it costs new again, you have a nervous breakdown and swear to get it fixed somehow!

But yep, all fixed. This was this weeks shot -- Simon supervising the folks at the barn putting in the new fences. He did not like them approaching the horses and found this perch to watch them at on Thursday morning, right before I managed to convince him we should just go and take a walk, the horses would be fine. ;)

Caleb of course, never has any intention of looking very workmanlike. Instead, he happily plays with Dusty...

"Rar." "Rar!"

"Dude, what did you eat...? Ugh! No thanks, no kiss I!"