Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A Dog's Life and The Ides of December

It's a Dog's Life
Please Don't Make Me Go Out in The Snow Again!

I'll Be Good, I Promise!


I'm giving December the boot!  What a month.  It started with my husband getting the flu, which lasted for well over a week.  His ended, then I promptly came down with the same stuffed head with aches, fever and chills.  Then the tumult of the holidays set in, and our daughter and son-in-law arrived 3 days before Christmas with their 95 pound over-sized pooch.

On Christmas Eve we went to a family gathering which because of logistics, we had catered for the first time this year.  Right after the party and with a blizzard fast approaching, we drove daughter and hubby to the airport for their long-awaited trip to Galapagos. The long-anticipated trip was to be their joyous, albeit-late honeymoon, coming a few months after their July wedding.

No sooner did my husband and I arrive home after the round-trip to JFK in Christmas Day traffic, but the first of several phone calls came in.  The flight was leaving at midnight, without them!  To make a long story short, the airline had overbooked their flight.  So they spent the night in the airport, and flew out around 4:00 in the morning.

They arrived on their tour a day late, after four or five unscheduled plane changes, no sleep at all, carrying heavy LONG backpacks that I couldn't have managed for even five minutes.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we had all gotten food poisoning! At least 12 people who had assembled from different households, took ill a few hours after the family Christmas party.  And  to confirm my worst expectations, daughter and her hubby puked their way across South America, all the way to the Galapagos. It was Gatorade and Pepto-Bismol, all the way. On top of all that stress and exhaustion.

I was sick for the second time in a month, the blizzard was thick around us, we had to push their hyperactive Rhodesian Ridgeback hound  out the door by her butt because she did not want to go out into the snow, and we worried all week about the kids being sick and strung out on their travels.

Gran'dogger is adorable but totally ornery.  She commanded all our attention for the week they were gone; it was all we could do to keep up with her antics.  When she had properly anointed every inch of our hitherto pristine yard with abundant pee and poop and given us the run-around several times, refusing to come in when called while we watched helplessly from the deck with empty leash in hand, we knew we were outwitted by the willful canine.

She wouldn't come in from the yard even when bribed with teaspoonsful of her favorite peanut butter, but managed to lick just enough off the spoon to taunt us before she whirled out of reach. We stood and watched in awe as she tore across the yard 30-40 times without tiring, flying like a Greyhound and leaving new track marks around a few choice trees and shrubs, tossing the outdoor mat with a vengeance, and even trying to pull a mature Yew out of the ground by its roots!

So goodbye, December!  Glad to see you go....  And goodbye, Gran'dogger, and please don't come back to stay with us again for at least a year!

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24 comments:

  1. She's a beauty. Happy New Year to you, Alexandra!

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  2. The flu virus is getting worse from year to year.
    Yesterday, a completely healthy 15-year old boy died of it. The whole country was in shock.

    May the New Year 2011 bring you and yours best of Health, Happiness, and Prosperity!

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  3. DUTA - You too! Peace, health, happiness, and no fires or other environmental disasters!

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  4. If our German Shepherd has his way, we'd be living outside, with him, inside. He eats better than us, gets more rest that us and has a roof over his head, so to speak, for free. When all is said and done though, we still love him, so to speak.

    Take Care,
    Peter

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  5. Oh, Lynda, I'm so sorry. That's the kind of story that would make a great Ben Stiller movie but is no dang fun to live through...which I'm glad you did!

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  6. PETER - I guess you're in the same predicament. We love 'em but we can't live with 'em! This dog has everyone wrapped around its little paws!

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  7. MELODY - I can have a good laugh, IN RETROSPECT. Really, it was quite a challenging month here at the ranch. And then there are the things I haven't talked about....

    I'm so glad it's over!

    Have a happy birthday week!

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  8. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL oh my God, the dog really traumatised you lol ;).

    Hi Lynda,

    Happy New Year, my friend!

    I hope you are feeling better from the flu! Terrible, just terrible!

    I loved the photos, so cute and lively!

    Here's to another year of friendship and blogging :D!

    Cheers

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  9. MAX - To friendship, health, and creative blogging. Now, when do we get to toast to social justice?

    Thanks for stopping over, Max. It's always wonderful to see you, my friend.

    Yes, she traumatized us and I'm glad it's over, lol....

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  10. Lynda, what a horrific month! I hope things are better for you now. I'm so sorry you and your hubby were ill, and I have had the boomerang effect from the flu---just once. You feel as though you have recovered only to have it hit you again! My heart goes out to you. As for the pooch, well, that can be trying under the best of circumstances. Maybe next year a kennel? Take care, Lynda, and now you can begin a Happy New Year!

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  11. Oh my Lynda - you truly had it all - didn't you? Glad that you can laugh about it after all - this kind of month we all could relinquish.
    Happy New Year to you and may spring be on the way....
    Petra

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  12. *LOL* Sorry for your family's flight troubles & the ornery dog, but it IS a cutie pie, you must admit. ;)

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  13. askcherlock - Definitely a kennel for next year! She's just too much hound to handle, albeit quite lovable. Thanks for dropping by, Cher! May we all be the best we can be in the coming year, so society will follow suit. Or am I being the optimistic fool? ;)

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  14. PETRA - Again, it's so good to see you! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and that you will keep posting, at least for the near future. Thank you for your visit, my friend!

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  15. LANA - She IS a cutie pie and very expressive. Also very bossy! She thinks we're all in the pack with her, and that she's the Alpha!

    I have no regrets but I'm not anxious to do it again. ;)

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  16. Hi! You mentioned something about not getting the like button to work properly. If you check this out:

    www.allblogtools.com/tricks-and-hacks/add-facebook-like-button-for-blogger-blogspot-and-customize-it

    It may help. Worked for me but I removed it after it added secs to my page.

    Take Care,
    Peter

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  17. haha, dogs are like children who never grow up...thats what my hubby says when i request him each time to adopt a puppy!!!....
    reading your post, i feel its easier to bring up a child than a doggie...but then they are so cute and so giving in their love...how can one not love them!!!!

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  18. PETER - That is so good of you to let me know this. I will TRY it! Every time I touch my template, I have troubles, it seems, but maybe my luck (or skills) will change.

    Enjoy the weekend, Peter. I hope the flooding has stopped.

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  19. shooting star - You are so right about the LOVABLE! But if I owned that hound, I'm sure she would be my undoing.

    I've been wanting to get a dog for a long time, but I'm not sure I want to do all that extra coaxing and cleaning. Not to mention the basic training!

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  20. I laughed and loved your dog tales though am sorry you were all so ill especially around Christmas.
    My pooch is a bit headstrong too but fortunately just a little guy and I almost always win,(emphasis on 'almost' LOL).
    Hope your energy level is back to par...take care of yourself. The best in 2011.

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  21. Janice - We're all good, thanks, including the relative who brought the food to the party, lol...

    I'm glad you win--at least MOST of the time. I love this hound but I'm glad she belongs to our daughter and son-in-law!

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  22. Lynda, I totally forgout about your blog having somehow lost the bookmark. I will definitely be back. I love these photos.

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  23. Sandy - Don't worry, there are too many blogs out there for any of us to keep up with! Glad you enjoyed the photos!

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