catching up - again

so it was brought to my attention that I've not been a very good blogger lately.... I think some of it is due to the fact that my camera has decided to hate me. I usually post pictures, so not having any pictures to post has kept me from posting.... and considering the fact that life is in overdrive right now, well... it's all I can do to keep up on everyone else's blogs (and of course find time to read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn ;-) )

KOTA

After his appointment at Companion Pet Clinic, I was more convinced than ever that he needed surgery. His ear filled up 2 days after it was drained... filled up, AND some. Surgery is scheduled for Monday 5/4/09. Please keep all fingers, toes and paws crossed for a flawless easy surgery that leaves Kota's ear as much like normal as it can be. And that it doesn't reoccur for goodness sakes. Poor kid had 12 cc's of blood drained from it on Saturday, and it's even more full now than it was then. :( I feel like such a bad dog mom.
I took this picture of him tonight... I'm amazed that it's clear!! Yahooooo! :)

SEDONA & CHANCE

The kids are entered in the shows in Albuquerque on the 9th and 10th of May. There is a 3 point major in dogs and 4 point major in bitches, so I couldn't NOT go, given that Chance only needs his majors. His sister, Suzie, finished her Championship recently, so Chance REALLY needs to follow suit.

WORK

Work has been drowning me in paperwork and meetings and evaluations and changes, but I still LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do - despite the insane pace it's taking right now. I'm not sure if I mentioned in my last post, but I'll be changing schools next year... it's kind of a bittersweet thing. I'll be getting an INCREDIBLE room at the Elementary school I'll be working at, and I'll also be sharing the Intermediate school case load with my work mentor, Laurie, so I'm really excited about that. The interesting thing, is that the Intermediate school is where I went to 7th - 12th grades.... kinda funny. So I'm really excited about next year, but I'm ready for this one to be over.

CAMERA

I think I'll be starting to look for a new camera. Since my ole reliable Olympus SP-700 has crapped out on me and is taking more UNfocused pictures than focused ones, I need to either get this one repaired (goodness knows how much THAT might cost), or start shopping for another. I wish I could afford the D-SLR that I want, but I might as well keep dreaming... maybe when I win the lottery! Darned technology. LOL

AMERICAN IDOL

I'm a Danny fan through and through.... I picked him out from the auditions, and am proud to say that he's still there, and i expect that he will be in the finals.... I can't wait for his album! :)

TWILIGHT

I avoided the bandwagon for as long as I could. I finally gave in a few weeks ago and bought Twilight (the book) at Costco. I read it in no time flat, bought New Moon, and had that read in a little more than a day. I am NOT a reading fanatic, but these books really did catch me! It took me a few days to get through Eclipse, and I started on Breaking Dawn last week - but since work has been so crazy, and I got myself a touch of something icky in my throat, it's taking me longer than the previous books have. I've really enjoyed them. I finally watched the movie this week and tho I was comparing it to the book the whole time, it was, on the whole, a pretty good movie :) I can't wait for New Moon (the movie) to come out now :)

Well, my bed (and Breaking Dawn) is calling - I will take my fuzzies and hit the pillows....

dogs, work, and life

Well Kota is being a great sport about all this hematoma crap - doesn't seem to get him too bad, until I go to wrap his ear back up into a standing position. I figure if I can help in any little way possible so that 1) muscle memory stays, 2) no creases form or 3) it provides some protection, I'm good.

I'm taking him to Companion Pet Clinic tomorrow to get checked out and get an estimate for surgery (and to get the blasted thing drained again). I've got to make a decision pretty soon on what to do - I can't keep just getting it drained. If there were a way I could keep pressure on the ear, I wonder whether I'd be able to keep it from coming back... but since it's a friggin CORGI ear and INSISTS on standing upright, it's hard. :(

This is Kota today - after work - after taking off the wrap...

I'm trying really hard not to get down about it, but it bums me out.... I just want him to be 100% of course. :(

On the positive side, he's kicking agility butt, and I'm so excited about it :) He pooped out early last night (I think the stress and discomfort of the ear thing got to him after a while), but he's doing SUCH a good job, and is one of the "stars" of the class most times :) I'm going to enter him in a DOCNA trial this summer and run him in jumpers and gamblers :) It'll be a load of fun! :)

Work is in the process of wrapping up - we have 19 days in May and just one week left in April.... the light is at the end of the tunnel and teachers and students alike are starting to crawl the walls.... We're all tired and ready for a nice long break. :) I'm volunteering (I'll get paid) to work over the summer for Preschool evaluations and such - it'll give me extra money and more experience :) And heck, Preschoolers are cute, as long as I don't have to work with them every day! :)
I'll be moving to a new school for next year - a really nice school with a nice big speech room :) It's half the size of a regular classroom, as opposed to my closet I have right now. I'm not sure what I'll do with all that room! I'm having fantasies already! :) In addition to working a K-4 school, I will also be sharing the new "Intermediate" school (grades 5 and 6) which is going to be at the school *I* went to for 7th through 12th grades! A little weird, but kinda cool at the same time! I'm just happy to have a job in this economy, and am SO thankful I got out of Telecom when I did! Yay! :)
So i'll be packing up my stuff and taking it home over the summer, I guess... just more stuff I might have to shuffle when/if the house sells. *sigh*

Been feeling kinda sad about Dad in the last few days... This is the longest I've gone without talking to him, and I've been wanting to... knowing that I can't. I try not to focus too much on it, but I know it's a stage in the "process"... so I'll let it take it's course. I miss the old grump tho. *sigh*

I've been blowing through the Twilight books... I picked up Twilight 2 weeks ago this weekend and zoomed through it. Then I bought New Moon last weekend (Saturday) and had to buy Eclipse on Monday! I finished Eclipse last night and now am borrowing Breaking Dawn from a co-worker since I can't find it in the stores right now! I resisted for a long time, but I decided I just needed to suck it up and see what all the hype was about. NOW I KNOW! I can't put the books down! :) They're great! If you haven't read them, you really should.... they're wonderful! :) Another co-worker told me today that I'll probably finish Breaking Dawn this weekend... not sure about all that - it's over 700 pages long! Whew!

I entered the kids in the Rio Grande KC shows in Albuquerque in May - majors in both dogs and bitches.. Keep your fingers crossed for the kids.... Sis is in GREAT condition right now, and Chance is just ready for those majors to start flowin' in :) It should be a good time :)

Wish Ko and I luck tomorrow at the vet - I might get ONE MORE quote (they always say to shop around), and then make a decision... *sigh*

Oh, and a Tupperware party tomorrow - FUN!!! :)

maybe I spoke too soon....

Later last night, his hematoma started filling with fluid again. It's not nearly as bad as it was, but I'm SURE it will be again. Poor guy. He's holding it up better, but it's still coming back. Seems neither Kota OR I can catch a break these days. Poor kid.

I've called the vet that MY vet recommended to me (due to cost) to get an estimate on the aural hematoma removal surgery and dental work... she told me that she really couldn't give me any sort of ball park that was better than "between $300 and $1300" without seeing the dog in person. I'm sucking it up (UGH) and taking Kota to yet another vet....

We have an appointment to see the new vet on Saturday... wish us luck. *sigh*

a whole new dog...

As you can see in the photo of Kota jumping over his new agility jump in the yard, his hematoma was getting big and was weighing down his ear.... the first draining really didn't do much for him, but THIS time?? She did SUCH a good job!!!!

I still think he might need surgery, but we can definitely put it off now... his ear is standing almost completely upright (just the tip is tweaked right now) and I'm feeling much more hopeful than I was before the draining this afternoon....

keep your fingers crossed for the kid... I'd much rather not have to have him have surgery, of course...

And he's SO much happier and relaxed this evening :) WHEW! :) The pressure (literally) is gone! :)

this weekend (and the things I've done)

When I got mail (like USPS mail) from Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cannon I scratched my head.... "what could THIS be?"

Is this awesome or what?!? Thanks Tom and Carolyn!!!!! You guys rock! :) I love it! Now I have to clean the windows to find a place for it! :)

Since last weekend my camera has been an @$$hole, and I can't figure out why, so unfortunately I have to submit you folks to blurry photos....

Kota's hematoma has gotten bigger.... to the point where it is flopping his ear down. While cute on a puppy, it's NOT so cute on an almost 6 year old dog I was hoping to show in Veterans.... *sigh* So because it LOOKED like a puppy ear, I'm TREATING it like a puppy ear! LOL

Kota's not THRILLED about having his ear taped, but it's working, so I'm doing it. I'll do whatever it takes to not lose that ear if I can help it. If I do, I do.. but I'll do whatever I can to save it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know...
He goes in on Monday to have it drained (to relieve some pressure) and I will be talking to the Dr about surgical options.

And since I've had 140 feet of PVC pipe in my back yard for .... oh gosh, I dunno how long... I finally got off my butt and bought the T-joints and end caps I needed to make agility jumps...


I got the plans from Instant Agility and it was SO easy! Tho because I'm working with 1 1/2" PVC piping, the stability bar ends up being ALMOST an 8 inch jump (which is what Kota has been jumping at class). I put marks for a 10" and 12" jump, but I need to find something to drill bigger holes in the pipe. My drill bits are too small :( for now this is fine - since the two younger dogs are just learning anyway, and Kota is comfortable jumping this height... Again, sorry about the blurry photos....

Here's Chancey trying out the new jump....

and Kota, excited to have one of his OWN now! :)

And Sedona - after having to learn what to do, gracefully hopped right over... I think she'll be a natural once she gets some training....

Spring has sprung...

We've been fortunate, here in the Valley of the Sun (aka - the face of the sun) to have had a nice mild spring so far... We've had 1 or 2 days that have hit 90, but for the most part, we've been happily cruising along in the 70's and 80's. We're seeing more 80's than 70's now, which is pretty typical for April... I love the spring here...

These are the flowers as you enter and exit my housing development... I took these photos one day when I had forgotten my laptop and had to go home and get it. I was stuck in a line of cars a mile long to get out of the neighborhood....


The blooming Palo Verde trees are EVERYWHERE - and of course, the obligatory cactus ;-)
Another shot of a blooming Palo Verde....
The beautiful bright yellow of the Palo Verde tree contrasts nicely against the blue of the sky....
the Palo Verdes are starting to turn green now - and their pretty yellow blossoms are starting to fall to the ground... and of course, everyone's allergies are haywire! :) It's beautiful either way, and despite my sniffly nose and sinus headaches, I love the spring and all it brings :)

not the news I was hoping for....

I'm two for two...

"We are pleased to inform you that you are an alternate for admission....."

AGAIN?! What makes me "good, but not good enough"?????????????

I was *really* hoping for good news....

Dang it.

I have to return a postcard to them to let them know that I'd like them to retain my application and that I would like to remain on the alternate list... "your application will be reconsidered as openings become available between now and the end of August."

Gotta love being good, but not quite good enough....

put a cork in it....

I wish it were as simple as that. I wish I could just cork him and the fluids would stop showing up. Alas, it's not that simple.

Chance is feeling his oats these days - starting to challenge the other dogs for a higher spot on the totem pole (higher from the bottom, as that's where he's been). I've been seeing more and more little "trickles" on the carpet, on the base boards, on the kitchen floor(?), on the dining room curtains.... *SIGH* He's being a bossy little sh*t with the dogs, but doesn't THINK of challenging me (the supreme Alpha), so that's a good sign.

one might say to neuter Kota - take away that reason for Chance to "out do" Kota and his alpha-ness.... but to be perfectly honest, I'm leaning less and less towards neutering Kota.... Shoot, I need someone to keep Chance and his 40 pound furry butt in LINE! Kota will not put up with Chance's hi-jinx. Kota still reigns supreme.

I'm having to scold the bad bad dog more and more recently, and I'm finding more and more "marked" spots. I've never had a dog who marked, and I'll be darned if I'm going to have one now, thankyouverymuch. After today, Chance might have just earned himself a spot in a crate for my work day. he never "marks" when I'm home (he'd be castrated on the spot if he did), so I don't need to do the belly band thing with him, tho I wish he'd keep it on during the day while i was away so I wouldn't have to crate him... I know that wouldn't last two minutes.

Ultimately, Chance knows that he's still under Kota on the totem pole, but I just cannot STAND the marking. I might have to buy stock in 409 Carpet Cleaner. *sigh*