Just an update on old Bobbie. She is doing better. Took her to the vet and the diagnosis (besides being old as dirt) was an enlarged heart. She is now on heart medicine and hasn’t had a seizure since. :)
Archive for the ‘Family/Kids’ Category
It has sure been stressful the past week. Our poor Bob, who’s 16, has had three seizures. She had one this morning and it just is not a way to start the day. So Bob is 16 and having seizures and Poor Bell is 17 and limping along, sleeping most of the time. Both are happy, verry happy. They are eating, drinking, and wagging their tails – all the time. So what do you do? Is it time to put poor Baby Bob to sleep? Do you just put her to sleep or put both down – afterall they are both very old and we all know what happens when two dogs grow up together and one passes. It sucks when you get to this point in your pets life and have to make a decision. After the first one, we all thought she is still happy so we will just let her live out the rest of her days at home. Let me tell you how sad it is to watch your dog have a seizure. After the second one…we all decided the same thing. Keep her home and keep her as happy as we can. Make sure she stays relaxed (seems she has these seizures when she gets worked up).
Today, however, was #3 and very hard to watch again. She does bounce back pretty quickly, which is amazing considering what it looks like she is going through. She is one tough puppy. We all love her and Bell dearly, but not as much as Matt who is the one who has to make this decision. I hate watching this. It’s so sad. We all fall in love with our dogs and they become so important to us…it sucks when it comes down to the end. Matt has had her 16 years. That is a long time.
I wonder if there will ever be a right answer for this dilemma. I am pretty sure everyone has gone through it at some point. We have done it both ways. We have let some of our dogs live out their days at home and pass away peacefully in their sleep. We have also had to make that painful decision to put them down when they were very ill. Darin and I haven’t ever had to deal with senior dogs and what to do when you know it’s getting close and it’s tough.
I had an idea today. It could be the most brilliant idea I have ever come up with. Only those with teenagers would find this the perfect solution to parents’ many issues with todays teens. It all started this morning, after our daughter had the nerve to ask me if she could do this…or do that…and then for a ride here or there.
Earlier in the day I had already okay’d her to go to her boyfriends this afternoon. I knew his mother was going to pick up our daughter and I wasn’t going to have to drive her, but I was going to be picking her up later in the day. This was all okay, up until I saw our daughter walk past me…but it wasn’t really our daughter I was seeing. Like a light switch it happened. I didn’t know it was coming as it came completely out of the blue. I am certain this must happen to many other parents and not just me. She was pissed off. She stomped by one way…got her shoes…and stomped by the other way. I am not sure what made me do it, but I did. I asked, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Next thing I know (and it happened this fast) was the door had shut and she was gone. Not a goodbye, not a my rides here…NOTHING. I got NOTHING. Well, shit. I am a parent and at some point, even a mother who remembers what it’s like to be a teenage girl, is going to eventually snap. I will tell you right now…that royally pissed me off. She’s 15 and where does she get off leaving this house without saying anything – especially after the attitute I got before she left and earlier today.
So in all my pissed-of-parent ideas, I came up with this.
I thought – wouldn’t it be smart if I just took her cell phone away and put bars on her window and put her in her room and locked it from the outside? I know, I know…sounds harsh, but hear me out.
The following just might take place….
1. She would know I am pissed off and am not about to take her shit – therefore getting across the notion that I am (at least where she is conerned) the superior being
2. I could wait, at least 12-24 hours to get her food and water between meals, like she does the pets in this house. This might remind her there are more living things on this planet besides her and get a CLUE.
3. I could not let her out to use the restroom – well, unless it’s convenient for me. This might remind her there are more living things on this planet besides her and get a CLUE (I know sounds a lot like #2).
4. It would allow her to totally and completey quit showering as she seems to think that’s okay anyway.
5. She would never have to clean her room since I wouldn’t have to see it. She could live in her own filth and in all her glory and only clean if she happens to think of it on her own. hahahahah That was funny, wasn’t it?
6. She wouldn’t have to ever worry about bringing her clothes to the laundry because why would she need clean clothes if she isn’t showering? It’s really the perfect solution for both of us.
7. I would have the complete pleasure to cook what I want because – well, she couldn’t really complain as if she didn’t like it, I guess she wouldn’t eat. However, after 12-30 hours…she might eat whatever I cook.
8. I would be able to clean the house and not one thing from her room would magically and miraculously walk on its own from her bedroom to other parts of the house for me to pick up. I wouldn’t hear, "I didn’t do it".
9. I could take away the guitars she has in her room because after all she only has them because of us. Let’s see, that is one electric guitar, one acoustic guitar and last weekend $322. fricking dollars for a bass guitar and some wall mounts. It would sure be a lot quieter in the house.
10. If she doesn’t have her cell phone, then we don’t have that extra cell phone bill on her behalf. So much for those 5000+ texts she sends and receives per month. I am sure she won’t mind.
11. We can leave her the computer…I mean she has to have something to do, right? However, she doesn’t need the internet – that costs her dad and I, so I think we will shut off the internet. I am sure she won’t mind.
12. Her dad and I wouldn’t have to worry about Hemp Fest 2010. I mean, really, how could she attend if we don’t let her out of her room?
13. We certainly wouldn’t have to worry about her having sex with her boyfriend…He won’t ever get into that room!
Gosh, I am sure I have missed some important points that you could add to this – as it’s such a bitchin’ idea. I am almost sold just writing this. It’s really sounding better than ever.
Let me know your thoughts.
A Wife’s Point Of View
I had no doubt in June of 2006 when we purchased our first jet boat that I would be the wife of a man who would, in fact, be racing a jet boat at a sanctioned event…eventually. And…fall in love with it.
What I didn’t know it how dang much fun it would be and just how darn proud I would be of my husband.
For anyone reading this that knows my husband, you may already have figured this out, and for those who don’t know him, I will tell you that I have never seen him do anything half-way. He has a habit of going “All In”, in whatever he is doing.
We have been together since 1985 and I have always learned to enjoy the same things he has, but along the way I sometimes ended up feeling much like a…
…A drag racing widow, a golf widow, a paintball widow, a gaming widow, a work widow, a skiing widow, a wakeboarding widow…
But never, not once, have I ever felt like a jet boat widow. From the minute we purchased our first jet boat we did it together and have been enjoying every minute of it. I admit, when talk of racing first started I was a little leery of exactly what that would entail and would it end up being another ‘single person’ sport/activity.
It was a year ago October that he said to me, “Honey, I am racing next year”. Not for one minute did I think that wouldn’t happen. Knowing him the way I did, I knew that we would be making our way South in the fall of this year to our first ‘official’ boat race.
On September 25th we loaded up the big rolling dog house (RV), with the dogs, gas cans, NOS bottles, safety gear, canopy, pit chairs, camera gear, and a very small pit crew and headed down to Lowell, Oregon to the Dexter Reservoir for a an event called the Northwest Nationals put on by the Columbia Jet Boat Association (CDBA).
At this event they run drag boats in classes from a 7 second to 13 second quarter mile. Since my husband was brand new to the CDBA, they had him signed up to run in the 11 class. He went out on Saturday and on his first two passes he threw down a 9.583 (112 MPH) and a 9.306 (123.42 MPH) quarter mile. Needless to say, we couldn’t have been more excited and thrilled with the underestimation of the CDBA. The emails and text messages were flying all day back and forth between our friends and family that couldn’t make it, as Darin made 5 passes, each one better than the last. His best pass of the day had us celebrating that entire evening – a 9.268 quarter mile and a top speed of 129.19 (which by-the-way…is plenty fast and landed him into the ‘Second Chance’ Finals on Sunday).
On Sunday he ran 4 more passes with his best pass being a 9.065 (a top speed of 122.54 for the day) and the winner of the 9.0 second class ‘Second Chance’ race. That’s pretty much all it took for both of us to be completely hooked on racing.
On October 15 & 16th we found ourselves, once again in the big rolling dog house (27’ RV), after an already two week vacation in Arizona, (pulling the boat) and inside the RV we had with with us two dogs, a cat, a daughter, dog and cat food for the remainder of the trip, a disposable litter box, 7 nitrous bottles, 25 gallons of race fuel, 5 gallon propane tank, every tool in the garage, what seems like hundreds of spare boat parts, clothes for three for two weeks, packed refrigerator, case of water, case of Mt. Dew, case of 7-Up, case of Coke, all Darin’s racing gear, enough electronics to open a small electronics store (3 laptops, 3 cell phones, 2 sets of two way radios, Nintendo DS, smart cards, wireless adaptors, all the chargers, DVD player, TV, Go Pro, camera, sixty half gallons of liquor (yes, sixty…we were bringing a little liquor home for friends), a set of triple axel fenders (we picked these up for a friend while we were in AZ and they were stashed up in the top bunk and sleeping with our daughter), and four extra people (i.e. pit crew – 1 friend of ours flew down and 3 drove just for the weekend to help out). Do I need to mention we were a little tired and cranky from maneuvering around in the completely packed, hairy, dirty RV by the time we got to Bakersfield, California for our last 4 days of vacation and Darin’s second official race?
This race was put on by the National Jet Boat Association (NJBA) at Lake Ming, and it was big news when my husband got there and signed in. He was referred to as “The new guy that came all the way from Washington on the 17 day world tour”. (I know…Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona does not quite equal world tour). It got to be quite funny and talked about a lot at the races that weekend. The announcer had us laughing quite a bit between not being able to pronounce our last name and the family guy on the big world tour in his first NJBA race ever.
He did incredible at the races that weekend and took first place (out of 12) in the 9 second class despite a few issues with the boat. I am so proud of him. His reaction time off the line was as close to perfect as I have seen, especially for a new racer and his race times were once again spot on. He definitely deserved to win. With this win he got his first trophy and CASH! If you are into the numbers, his best reaction time was 0.030, best ET was 9.002, and best MPH was 116.681.
My husband will not be happy I posted all this in our for everyone to read because it will embarrass him, but I am very proud. Not just because he did an awesome job, but because even though he is doing the racing this is still a team sport. It’s still as much fun for me as it is for him. We share every aspect together.
Watching him run that quarter mile is by far the most nerve racking, exciting, and heart-pounding thing for me, but having him give me a kiss when it’s over and simply say, “thank you” – means the world.
I realize most of what I have to say revolves around our daughter, but once you become a parent, your life does revolve around your children, especially if you have a teenage daughter. I have come to accept this. I understand how some husbands can joke because they go through life just saying to their wives whenever she says anything, “Yes, Dear”. This is me, with our daughter. Yes, Dear. I realize, like many husbands, that saying, “Yes, Dear” is easier. For me, it is easier than the complete ridiculous, often scary, drama that can follow any other response when talking to a fifteen year old girl who knows everything.
The latest exciting news in our daughter’s life is her new career aspirations. Since I can remember our daughter has wanted to be a veterinarian. I have been hearing her tell us she has wanted to be a vet for so long I could not believe that someone her age could have already made up her mind and has not wavered – not once. Since probably the 3rd grade until recently she was determined to be a vet.
Now a vet is a pretty stand-up career choice, I think. Something she could be proud of and certainly her parents would be proud of. So as adults would ask her through her life, “what do you want to do when you get older” and she would say, “be a vet”…we were always very proud.
In the last year, things have changed. As you may know, 14-15 is the first year of high school for most young adults. This is a year of exploration and change – I guess (at least I am learning…FAST). Earlier in the school year our sweet little girl decided that while she still wanted to be a vet she ALSO wanted to be a tattoo artist. You know…”like to help pay for college and ‘stuff’. Now ok…she is extremely artistic so this wasn’t soooo far off the mark that I freaked out or anything. I can certainly hope she decides to forgo the tattoo’ing and just move forward with the veterinary career as we have 3 more years before she can even enter a tattoo parlor.
Last week, however, is when the big bomb was dropped. It takes a LOT to shock me, really it does. This did. She proceeds to tell me, while I am driving the car no less, that she would really like to be a glass blower now, so she can make bongs. “You know, mom, for hemp?” “I mean, not to use, just for looks cuz they are soooo pretty”.
That’s when I made a big mistake.
I didn’t say, “Yes Dear”. Which really would have been the smartest answer…I am sure this new career aspiration will pass. Instead, I proceeded to say something really patronizing and sarcastic like, “Are you kidding me? Are you crazy? From Veterinarian to Tattoo Artist to BONG maker? Are you for real?” and then I made the biggest mistake of all and ended with, “because they are PRETTY?”
This is when she looked at me square and said, “Ummm, yes, you know like that glass dildo you have with the flower on it”.
From our most recent camping trip:
Who Pooped in the Soup?
By Hugh Jass (aka. Tracie)
It was a dark and cold night, way back in the woods off the beaten path and our only shelter – a 27’, 2-slide, Class C RV, not even hooked up to sewer! If it wasn’t for what happened next, one would have felt that the darkness alone could have swallowed you. It was a swift move towards the refrigerator to pull out the pre-cooked whole chicken I pre-shredded and cooked with carrots for the delicious homemade soup I was getting ready to put in the slow cooker for a long winter’s night. Yes, homemade chicken noodle soup, my mom’s recipe, to cook on low during the night and warm our souls the next day.
Oh yes, I know you are thinking to yourself – YUMMY, I love homemade chicken noodle soup. Well, that’s what we were all thinking as well fell asleep to the eerie sounds of the forest that seemed to close in around us.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, and I am not sure anyone at camp could, but something was in the air that night – something foul and sinister. By the time we awoke in the damp early morning, there was no doubt an event had taken place that we would not soon forget. Something so horrible, so repulsive, that even our neighbors could not ignore the signs.
Soon I was searching high and low for the evil that fell before us, that had permeated all the air that we breathe. The urge I had to protect the children and save my husband was fierce and I found myself frantically tearing the place apart. Then, there it was. The only place I hadn’t looked – in the crock pot. Could it be? Could what had been haunting us all night, all morning, possibly be inside the crock pot – the place where I had planned to provide nourishment to my family? Can evil really find its way into the foods we eat? Oh, yes. I lifted the lid, and all my fears were answered.
One small sniff and I was taken aback with the inherent odor of vomit, no wait, POO, no wait, vomit. Oh man, who cares. I found it. Something had gone dreadfully wrong with the soup. I couldn’t believe what I smelled so I had to get another opinion. I called for my husband, I called for the neighbors, I called for anyone willing to go for the ol’, “Smell this?” Yes, this is a case of good soup, gone bad.
The soup was immediately cast from the RV and a disaster averted for the remainder of the weekend. Evil cast itself upon us, but our noses sniffed it out. If only we knew, “Who Pooped in The Soup?”
Someone said to me today, “Some days it just doesn’t pay to get up”. I believe she was on to something. I thought it would be a relaxing day of working from home and getting caught up, but I am learning that maybe going to work and keeping the dogs in their crates all day just may be the best way to ‘relax’ and get stuff done.
The deer have been hanging around all day so the dogs have been a real pain in the A$$. Whining, pacing, and running from window to window – all day. The dogs sit and bark and whine and the deer look at them all calm and chewing their stupid cud. They are driving me nuts and a couple times I have threatened to drug them both.
About ½ an hour ago, Buddy comes and tells me it’s time to go outside again for a potty break – at least he tricks me into thinking it’s a potty break. So, being the smart woman that I am, I put on good shoes and a warm coat, and get them ready to go outside. I am so smart I even go out to the front yard instead of the back so we don’t run into any deer.
For those friends and family out of town that don’t know our streets here are covered in compact ice – they are and it’s slick once you get to the street. I figured while we are out front we would get the mail, like we always do. So we get to the end of the driveway and I look over and there is the neighbor lady with her dog just coming out of her driveway (our houses are not that close together).
My dogs have just enough leash to get a running start to be excited and start running full force to the neighbor and her dog. So…yes…you can picture what happens next. Down I go, on my back. You know how when you water ski and you fall down the best thing you can do is let go of the rope? I probably should have done that, but as a responsible pet owner I held on. Yes…down the road I went being dragged by the dogs on my back…completely on my back with the dogs running full force…both me and the neighbor lady laughing ourselves to tears. The dogs stop and there I am, full of snow and ice, just looking up at her from the ground. I am guessing the neighbor is in her late 50’s and here we are just beside ourselves at the spectacle the dogs and I must have been going down the street.
I thought I would share this story with all of you.
The morale of the story is…
When walking your dogs outside after an ice storm, wear something like this…
Our yard is a helluva lot of work, but we love it and enjoy it after it’s all cleaned up. Mowed, edged, hedged, weeds pulled, etc. Now it’s one thing just to have the normal yard work, but recently in the past two weeks we’ve had the company of a mole or what seems like 12 popping up everywhere and I am not real happy about it, but Darin is down right pissed off.
At 6:00 this morning my husband left for work. As his usual route, he left through the washroom and out through the garage. At 6:06 the doorbell rings, and of course I know it’s Darin as I run to answer wondering what he forgot.
You know how it is when you quickly take in what you see around you before someone has a chance to speak? This is what I see before he even has a chance to say anything…I notice the car is running, the car door is wide open, Darin is out of breath, and his good work shoe is full of dirt.
Then I get the story, right from the Mole Chaser’s mouth.
"I was pulling out of the drive way when I saw dirt flying out of that hole right there in the grass so I jumped out of my car…I even saw his little head. Anyway…dirt flying, I jumped out of my car and stomped his ass. That little ass hole made four holes already this morning. I think I may have got him!"
Then he took his shoe off, wiped it off in the wet grass, got back in his car, and went to work.
I am so proud.
To My Husband on His 40th Birthday
I remember the day I graduated high school
That was the day you turned Twenty-One
I simply cannot believe all the years
That have come…and gone
Nineteen years later
I have a hard time believing
What an extraordinary marriage
We are effectively achieving
If our family and friends really new
All that we’ve truly been through
They would wonder how you ever stayed with me
Or I with you
You are my friend, my lover, my hero, my “McGuiver”
If given the chance you’d easily win the million on Survivor
It’s your charisma, your charm, your humor, and soft heart
Those incredible blue eyes that when they see something sad, fall apart
It’s how you love me,
Despite all my faults
And if it’s something that would make me happy
You’d even learn how to waltz
I love you so much more at forty
Than I did when you were twenty one
I think I just may have hit
The big Home Run
So here is to believing
And knowing something’s true
You are 40-years YOUNG
And I couldn’t be more thankful
To be with you!
I love you and all the hard work has been so worth it. We stand strong as a couple against all those who think marriage should be easy. It takes a lot more than just love. It takes Time, effort, patience, understanding, commitment, and forgiveness. Thank you for all of those things.
Any of us who love our dogs could talk for hours about the joys of living with them from day to day. Those of you who already know our Maximus, know that he is a very unique character. I use the word character because he isn’t really a dog and he isn’t a person. He is definately something in between.
Max will turn 4 this year and over the past four years he has learned alot. The most interesting of learnings is what he can say to me. I know, you are going to tell me your dog does the same thing, right? He/She runs to the door to tell you they have to go potty or runs to their food bowl when they are hungry.
These are great things that all dogs should learn, however this isn’t what our Maximus does and the reason I am even bothering to blog this today is because this morning Max learned his 5th sentence. I was so proud – as any mother would be.
Max’s first question was to tell us he wanted to go outside to go potty. We would be sitting on the couch and he would come over, sit down, cock his head, and stare. If you didn’t pay attention he would make just the faintest of sounds – the lowest of growls that you almost couldn’t call it a growl. We would look at him and figure, oh, he must have to go potty. We would get up, go to the door, open it, and he would run out the door. Fantastic we thought.
This would happen every single time – no matter where we were in the house and still today he does not go to the door – he comes and sits down and stares and if you don’t pay attention he will start to make noise and talk to you.
Max’s second question was to ask for water. We were. once again sitting on the couch one evening and Max had already had his dinner, when he comes over and sits down, cocks his head and stares (and it’s always at me). I get up, open the door, and he sits there, staring. I say to him – c’mon, let’s go potty. He looks at me like I am an idiot and sits there staring.
I say, "fine, stupid dog" and sit back down. I start to watch my show, when he starts in on his slow, quiet growl. I looked at him in disbelief and said, "I already got up once to let you out and you didn’t want to go, so tough!". I thought – that will show him.
He sat there and got frustrated, sighed, and gave me a big ol’ bark.
I got up, opened the door again, and once again he just stared. I thought, Hmmm, he must still be hungry. I open the garage door and he races out the door. I smile thinking, yessss – I am so smart – he is telling me he’s still hungry. I fill his bowl to the brim and put it down, I sit down on the steps and wait – satisfied with myself that I can actually speak dog.
He comes over, sits down, cocks his head, and stares. Now I am sighing. I look him in the eyes and I am like WHAT? EAT! Soon he is growling and staring….
I just happen to look over and his water dish is bone dry. Yeah…I feel stupid. I grab the dish, fill it full, set it down and Max drinks it half gone.
When he’s done, I wipe his jowls, and we go inside – the two of us satisfied that we have an uderstanding now and both know what I am thirsty means in dog.
Max’s third question was much easier to figure out, it was can I eat?. I don’t need to go into much detail because it happened one morning when we got up and forgot to feed him right away and he did his whole growl to bark montage until we fed him. I think we all know when our dogs are hungry.
Max’s fourth question was much trickier to figure out and a little more disturbing. I might mention here too that in each of these instances he is a little different so you really can tell what he wants. This is one of my favorites and very difficult to put off once he’s got it in his head to bug you about it.
It was about 9:15 one evening and I think we were about 15 minutes into the show 24 when Max got up and stood at the end of the couch and stared at us. He paced back and forth a couple times and then stopped again and stared. Of course we noticed him and wondered what the heck – we told him to go lay down, but he sat instead, stared, cocked his head…stared…and waited. What the heck we thought. He had been outside, ate, drank (like a baby – we knew he didn’t need anything). We looked at him and said, "What?" He dashed down the hall and up the stairs.
We were like, "what the heck is up with him?"
A second later he came back down and stared at us. Sure enough…he was telling us it was time for bed and asking us to shut off everything and go to bed. I can tell you that’s what it was because to this day he does this every night when HE thinks it’s time for bed.
This morning Max came up with a new one and I only have myself to blame. Darin has not heard this yet so when he gets this in his inbox I am sure his eyes will just roll.
It’s been long enough now that I just know what Max needs and wants when he comes and stares. Yes, it may be pathetic, but I love him. This morning I was on the couch, with my laptop, watching the news (okay – so I am a couch potato), when he comes over and his tail is going a mile a minute and he has that same stare…and he’s right up next to me.
I said, "go lay down". He just stood there wagging, and staring and I knew…I knew exactly what he was asking. I am sorry, honey, but I knew.
I opened up my blue blanket nice and big and up he jumped, curled in a ball right next to me and fell asleep.
You see, he knows he cannot get on any couch unless there is a blanket spread out so he was asking me to spread the blanket out and I knew it. And…I did it. I just couldn’t help it.
smart smart Max….dumb dumb Tracie. :) But I am so in love with him.
Spew My View 