Bailey and Friends

Hi Addy-

Well doing that work before you move in sounds like a smart thing to do! Just don't overdo it yourselves.

We are in a first floor unit. The first two winters we stayed, the unit above us was being held in foreclosure by the bank. We really got spoiled. Now it is being used as rental. In this community, rentals are to be for a minimum of 4 weeks.....although I don't know that everyone goes along with that. This trip, we had someone up above in March and now, in April, it's a different "crowd." The folks here now have a son/daughter & kids that come on Fridays and go home later on Sundays. It sounds like the entire place cannot be carpeted. It really hasn't been too bad. The most annoying thing has been that the April gang have washed anything and everything that is washable. I don't know if they're running really small loads or what, and I don't know how when you first get to a place you already need to do laundry. It may be, Bob pointed out, that they did not bring much for clothing and are washing what they have often. I'm thinking they may have washed bedspreads, etc. Anyway-it only bugs me when I'm still up. I don't hear much when I'm asleep. This is solid concrete construction. But when I've stayed up late, I hear every time they go to the bathroom.....which is often. Still-even with the toddler, there isn't much noise that cannot be overlooked.

If you remember, we are located overlooking the 3rd green. Well-the golf folks start coming around in carts nlt 6AM to check the course and the cart path. Just like clockwork. Even with the sliding door open, that doesn't wake me now. The engines are not whisper quiet. I've not really found a downside to condo living-at least here. Plus we can't throw stones-Bailey is still very much a watch/bark dog whenever she sees/hears anything move and/or any noise. We have golfers, all kinds of birds, geckos and the occasional alligator-at a distance. So, while small dogs are allowed, this one can be annoying to both of us, at a minimum...so we put up with other things on balance. :o

I can't wait to see some pictures!

Love,
Sus

Lol, I can just picture Bailey coming to visit and watching out the patio doors and then running and barking with Koko, what fun the two of them would have!

We had looked at a high rise condo downtown and I ran into a woman with two small dogs. I asked her how they adjusted to elevators and hi rise living. She said they were fine and actually barked less because they were on the 10th floor and the only thing the dogs could see was an occasional seagull flying by to which they would crook their necks and stare as if to say what the heck is that? I laughed so hard.

It sounds like a relaxing life at your condo, gosh I wish I could retire tomorrow. We were lucky with the townhouse, it is very quiet and we rarely hear anything. We just could not find anything like this to purchase unless we moved far west with an awful commute.

Love you,

Are you back to BB?

I need your pink bubble wrap. I was so excited about street lights and sidewalks, I tripped and fell. I think I hurt my breastbone as it still hurts and it has been five days:rolleyes::o:(

I can't stand my bra on, ugh.

Otherwise, we LOVE our condo.

Yes-we are back @BB. We arrived Saturday the 30th of April.
I'm sorry but I cannot let go of any of the pink bubble wrap-and I'll tell you why.
We got back about 5pm on Saturday. We did a little unpacking, watched some tv for about 45 minutes and Bob went off to brush his teeth. I was thinking that sounded like a good idea.....oh-but before this.....
We always unplug anything we can-so everything but the refrigerator. We also turn off the house water. Well, each and every tv required a conversation with DTV to get it up and running. We had that on vacation suspension. Once I knew for sure what day we'd be back, I called to get the tvs and the internet reactivated. I don't remember having to go through this before with the tvs. Each unit (box) had to be sent a charge by DTV....and I needed to be at each one as we worked on them. Then one of the remotes was not functioning. I reprogrammed it-still not working right. Eventually that all got straightened out-took about an hour.

Now we're up to brushing teeth time. I was in the great room, Bob was in the bathroom and the lights began to flicker. The smoke alarms all went off, the doorbell rang, the lights continued to go up and down. Up higher than I knew was possible. I heard about 4 pops. Bob came out into the great room with toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. I'm going to give you the very condensed version.

We called the fire dept and they ran a heat sensor on all the walls to make sure there were no hot spots behind the walls. They told us to cut off everything we could and to call our electrician. It took 4 calls to get him to respond-all this while we are living in the dark, without heat, or light, etc. Sunday afternoon the electrician finally called back and then came over. He told us there was a problem with one of the electrical lines and that it was outside the house, not inside the house. Still keep stuff off. He called the power co and they were to be by later that same Sunday.

A couple of hours pass and that guy finally shows up. He concurs with the electrician but is surprised that the electrician did not turn off all electric to the house. It seems there are 3 lines that go back and forth between the house and the transformer. One of them handles various-es for electrical demand. It had gone bad so nothing was regulating the electric to the house. 120V, 240V. The line needs to be replaced and he set us up with a temporary performer box. We are operating as usual inside the house.

BUT-we lost the washer, the dryer, four smoke alarms, and had singe marks near the thermostat in the bathroom. We also discovered our two water heaters were leaking and that Bob's car-which had stayed here all winter, the battery was dead and could not be revived. I don't know how this will shake down and who will pay for what.

Meanwhile-and this is why I decided to post this on the board instead of sending you a PM, we have spoken with a neighbor who went through the same thing-in another house, not around here. Plus she knows a woman whose entire house burned to the ground because of this neutral wire issue. That, for her, was 4-5 years ago and she is still living in temporary quarters waiting for her house to be rebuilt. Meanwhile she's had another child. Doesn't this sound like fun??:eek::eek::eek:

We got our new washer and dryer yesterday, thank goodness! We were running out of things to wear that were clean. Then we discovered the hot tub was full of black mold from being shut down. We've never had black mold. It's a real MESS. I've been trying to contact the guy/manager of the company and they have been giving me the run around. Finally yesterday he showed up to see what we had and they are supposed to be here today to get it cleaned out and restarted.

So-things are starting to settle down a bit........EXCEPT........Monday one week ago, I was coming back inside from sitting out on the front porch. I had put Bailey on a wire lead. Coming in, my foot got caught up in the lead and I went down hard on the tile floor at the entrance. Both knees were hit hard. My right leg has been bruised and swollen from the thigh to the foot. My left leg had some bruising and my right elbow got bruised. I have an appt with my knee guy for 2 weeks from now, but since this has been 10 days already, and it is still bothering me greatly, I'm wondering if I should go in earlier.

So-the lesson is.....if ever you see signs of surging electrical power in your house, turn off all electric at the master switch and make an emergency call to your power company. This is not something to fool with and you should be prepared to leave your home.

If my knees get better, if there is any pink bubble wrap left, I will ship it off to you.;)

I am sorry you fell (you KNOW I can empathize with that!), but am happy to hear you like your new place.

Love,
Sus

WOW:eek:

That could be the start of a made for TV movie. I cannot believe that happened, thank goodness the house did not burn down and you, Bob and Bailey are ok, well except for your knees.:o

Geez Louise, do you at least like the new washer and dryer? Did you buy a front loader? We have been out shopping for a new set.

Did Bob get his car going?

I wonder what prompted the black mold. Our neighbors had it in their pool and they ended up having to take out the liner, scrub the walls with bleach and then drop a new liner in. I remember thinking, keep that mold on your side of the fence because I sure don't want it in my pool.

It did feel weird not planning to open the pool or going to get our chlorine tablets at the pool park. We have an Aquatic Center in Grafton so I can go swim if I want but it's not the same because I would crank up the heater so the water was 88.

How are your hostas? Everything here is turning dark green. They do a very good job of keeping the grounds looking good. I have not yet had the urge to dig in the dirt but maybe when this pain goes away, I might dig out some of the landscape stones and plant some hygrangas.

Let me know how you are. We still have small boxes to unpack and pictures to hang but it is much calmer now.

So far I haven't met any neighbors, it is very quiet here, though lots of dog walkers.

Not as densely populated as the townhouse, and not as many kids.
A unit like ours just came on the market for $15,000 more than we paid so we feel pretty good:cool:

Love and hugs Sus

Wow, Susan that is incredibly scary. Glad it wasn't worse than it was for you, as hate to think of a fire destroying your home. It does make you think though.

Eeek, not a fall. That is the last thing you need with those knees. Addy you too, stay upright you two!!

Got to run but get to the doctor Susan that doesn't sound good.

Good grief, that is so scary. I got goosebumps reading that Sus :eek::eek: thank goodness nothing more serious than a few bung appliances. OH but your knee again, honestly you and Addy keep the bubble wrap company in business!! :p

So pleased to read that Bailey is on the road to recovery with her leg :):D that is great news, gosh I hope the rest of the summer is more peaceful and with no more drama! Take Care xx

Just catching up after being away from the forum for a couple of months....

Wow! What a terrifying experience you had! I hope that everything's now returned to normal and that everyone's feeling better too.

Hello friends!

Just a quick check-in....all electrical products needing replacement are replaced. The water heater is replaced. We have all new smoke alarms and we just had to replace the CO detectors.

Summer has been very slow to get here. Once we finally got up into the 70s, it wasn't so bad. More than once I was wishing I had not returned from FL as soon as we did.

Anybody watching the Washington Nationals playing bball? Wow! They're doing so well. It's been fun to watch.

Our usual place to have Bailey go "for camp"-the owner's sold the business....all of it. I'm not sure how I feel about the new owner's. Bailey was always so happy to go there and when we picked her up last week from a 4 night stay. they told us she was growling and snapping. That's never happened before. One woman there does not look very friendly. And the grooming is not as good. And the gal who was doing my hair stopped her business. Bailey and I look pretty sorry.

Happy 4th of July to all who are celebrating it. Not sure if the rain will hold off for the fireworks tonight. It's pretty gray out.

I was thinking about making chocolate chi cookies. Anyone interested??

Sus

Sound exciting! Good luck on your journey, Can i join?

Me, me, love chocolate chip cookies. Happy 4th, Sus.

Wonder what's up with the new owners of Bailey's camp? It's so hard to find new any thing. The stylist I used closed her business due to health reasons and boy do I need a haircut so I feel your pain.

Glad to not read of any need for bubble wrap, so pleased both you and Bailey are accident free. Hope the summer comes finally to BB.
It's been nice here, lovely weather so far which is odd for WI.

Do you miss FL? Our daughter is there, relaxing on the beach for a bit of r and r.

Send over those cookies

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by addy

Me, me, love chocolate chip cookies.

Do you miss FL?

Send over those cookies

---

Didn't get to cookies yet,........but watch your inboxes!

I am kind of missing FL. But if I were there, it would be way too hot to enjoy now. We had rain today and then it cleared off and there was a lovely blue sky plus an pink/orange glowing sunset. Temps just under 80. That's my favorite place for the temp to hang.+

Love,
Sus

What you and Bailey are both accident free?!!! This is cause to celebrate! Cautiously. :) :)

I couldn't do florida in the summers but definitely wish for it in the winters. It gets bloody cold up here.

But summers in the north I just love. I could lose the humidity we get sometimes but it's still better than the cold.

Yup, Florida is hot, they ended up skipping their day trip to Disneyworld, it was just too hot, they stayed at the beach. Which means it's really hot. Daughter loved Clearwater. Wants to move there.

I can't do heat and humidity unless I am physically IN the water:o:p

How's Ryan and Ellen? Have any summer trips planned?

Hey there Sus,
Found you and Bailey on page two:eek:

Wanted to stop by to say hi and give you hugs. I think a few of us will be having a different kind of Thanksgiving this year but as hubby reminded me, we just have to make lemonade:)

Can you believe I have some crazy snap dragons still blooming? Not sure where they came from growing up through the landscape rocks a bit helter skelter, but blooming away in mid November. When I had them at the house they did not bloom all summer, these have been blooming since June. Who knew?

Was thinking maybe I might retire a bit earlier but then got a raise;)
So guess I may be sticking around lol.

How's Miss Bailey? Seems like only yesterday we all piled in the car to go pick her up. Can you believe Koko turned nine or ten, we are not sure how old he is.

We are spending Thanksgiving with my brother so no cooking for me.
My brother told me to bring Koko's bed in case we spend the night.
Hubby looked at me like I was crazy to suggest it but I think my brother was thinking in case we had bad weather as he is almost an hour drive out into the countryside.

My sil and bil are coming to visit. They live in Manhattan. Hubby is happy to see his twin sister as it has been two years. We are celebrating their joint birthday with dinner at our favorite Spanish restaurant in the city. Should be nice.

Have you any vacations planned? When are you heading to Florida?

How are Ryan and Ellen?

Did I tell you with much trepidation, we purchased a new front loader and guess what? I love it! Though took me awhile to figure the dang thing out:o

Well, I guess I am done babbling, think I will go find my red sweater;)

Happy Thanksgiving,
Love you!

Hi and belated happy Thanksgiving, Addy! My apologies for the slow response....just been busy.
Well-we went out and had our "Thanksgiving dinner." The regular menu was available as well and I chose to order a nice filet. Bob had the turkey and enjoyed it. Not much in the way of leftovers, however.
I took Bailey for a long walk earlier and was noticing all the little plants that are going crazy and starting to bloom, thinking they've already been through winter. I saw some azaleas with some blooms open. Our Japanese maple still has all its leaves. That's never happened this late into fall. We are also down 10" of rain just since September. If we don't get rain soon, I may not need to garden next spring!
Bailey is approaching 6, can you believe it?? Cute as a button still.
I think maybe it's good to work as long as you can, so long as you don't hate your job and are relatively healthy. How is that shoulder of yours'? I miss the social part of work. I don't really miss the work.
How is your Mom doing? Was she there for Thanksgiving? I know you were looking into some sort of care for her.
No vacation plans for now. We leave for FL around 1/6 and we will be back 4/15. It's going to seem very short. I'd like to spend more time there. It has been so dang cold here. We need to plan a vacation. We had a week in St. John at the end of August. Never stayed there before. As luck would have it, the week we were able to go was the slowest week of their year. Restaurants were closing down for two weeks. Nobody on the beach, hardly. That was nice. Enough restaurants stayed open that we still had a nice selection. They kind of close on a rotating basis, so that the tourists don't get totally stranded.
Ryan and Ellen are in Colorado for one week for Thanksgiving. This is our first year without Ryan at Thanksgiving. Was kind of weird. They seem to be having fun out there. They both seem to be very happy together. Right before they left for CO, we went over and surprised Ellen and took them out for her birthday. It was a great success.
WHY do you have a front loader? Aren't you in a town house? Or did I forget you found a house?
The guys who put up the fence for Bailey mauled many of my leylands and now, five years later, they look like they need to be replaced. On the fence side of the leylands, they cut off all the limbs all the way back to the trunk. They were supposed to shape them up. I'm looking at needing to replace at least half a dozen. I stood and "watched" when they started and they were doing a beautiful job. Then I left them alone and at lunch time their supervisor came by to check and was mad at the lack of progress they had made. So for 1/3 of the trees, they lopped off all those branches.......and the plants have been in shock ever since. We replaced on this year but I forgot to move the irrigation and before I knew it the poor thing, which had been beautiful, was all brown. It's been dry all summer-so rains did not help.
Well-we got the outdoor Christmas lights up this weekend. Looks pretty. I'll try to remember to post some pictures. Next is the tree inside. I'm trying to move this along nicely without tearing up the place. Bob doesn't like doing this, so I'm trying to remove any stress I can. Ryan is coming for a visit on 12/9, so I want to have it finished by then.
Oh-I have an address for you in Mequon.....is that current? Where are you in relation to where you were? Nearby? I'm not familiar with Mequon.
Thanks for sending hugs. I'm returning some to you.
Love,
Sus

I stopped by to wish everyone a merry Christmas!!! It will come and go before you know it. Our crazy weather is 19 degrees one day, then 70 degrees the next-for real! :confused: And the wind is hovering around 45 mph. If you don't hang onto something you'll find yourself in the mid-west :eek: somewhere the next day!~
Ryan and Ellen will be here Wednesday evening and will stay for the better part of two weeks. That will be a real treat!

Bailey is doing well. She woke me up last night to let me know I was about to roll off the side of the bed. Amazing! This morning she disappeared then returned with a little bouncie ball in her mouth and a very proud look on her face. And the little gal who once used to growl at every stroke of a comb-out now wags her tail wildly when she sees the comb come out. What tail she has, that is.

Hugs to my many friends. Best wishes for a very happy 2017!

Susan

Well, Happy New Year and Happy 4th of July to my Cushing friends! I think of you guys often-really I do. I hope some of you will respond back with mini updates with how you are doing.

I am currently dog sitting for week #2 for a completely torn right rear cruciate ligament. What's that, you say-this sounds familiar? Yes, indeed. Bailey tore the left one 16 months ago when we were in FL. This time they had to insert a steel plate in her leg and the price for the surgery was double what it was then. All she was doing was running figure eights madly around the living room being excited about a visitor who had arrived. It was nothing unusual, to my mind. Dogs are supposed to run, right? Well, she is now "restricted for a total of 6 weeks and I can tell you she does not like it. She can not understand what happened to her walks or tossing of her balls. When she is more active we must keep this inflatable donut around her neck which she will tolerate as opposed to the cone which frightens her.

Bob's surgery went well and his recovery is continuing to go well. I went back into PT and just graduated. The trick now is to keep it going on my own. My past record is not very good at that. I hope to start a walking program.

Ryan & Ellen will be here for Thanksgiving this year, so we are starting to talk about going to FL maybe around Dec 10th or so. I hope everyone is doing well. Please let me know what's going on with you.

-Susan

Susan! How fabulous to hear from you. Holy cow, poor Bailey. I remember when I had to keep molly restricted for 6 weeks with that back injury, it was NOT easy at all.

We've adjusted to life minus Molly in the house. Can't say I like it but I can't change anything and I'm not ready for another furry member to join us just yet. Maybe some day, maybe not.

Instead, we've traveled a bit and hope to do so more. Hard when we both work bah humbug. I need an early retirement I think. hahahah

My friend bought a place down in Florida, then her brother bought one in the same complex, now her sister is thinking or might have already bought a place. It seems to be the "thing" around here to do. They are on the mainland in Bradenton across from Anna Marie island I think she said.

Hey Susan, so great to see you!!!!! :) :) :) :)

Poor little Bailey, and poor you! But I know it'll be well worth it once she's all healed up and fit as a fiddle again.

It looks like we last spoke at Christmas -- can you believe we're really only six weeks away from putting up the October Halloween decorations and heading straight down the holiday road again. WHERE DOES THE TIME GO????????

Things have remained pretty much status quo around our house. Luna is doing great and will soon be celebrating her 9th birthday. Still to our great surprise and relief, she continues to do very well as an "only dog," so we continue to postpone any concrete thoughts about expanding our fur family. My mom is still living in her own apartment at the retirement community, hubby is still working full-time, and I still putter around the house avoiding the chores I ought to be doing and spending far too much time tapping away on my iPad :rolleyes:. But at this point in our lives, "status quo" is suiting me pretty well. ;)

I miss seeing so many of our old K9C regulars, so it's a delight when we have the chance to catch up again! Thanks so much for your update. I'll soon be opening up our K9C Holiday House once again, so please, please, please be sure to stop back by this fall. In the meantime, it's swell to hear from you!

Marianne

Hi Susan,
Stopped by and here you are! I'm glad to hear Bob is doing well but poor little Miss Bailey! That's a long time to keep her quiet.
Sorry to hear you have been in PT too! Need to get the pink bubble wrap out.

I'm also glad to hear Ellen and Ryan will be home for Thanksgiving, hard to believe it is right around the corner.

We are all hanging in there. Mom passed away about two months ago. I'm still going through a process but it is improving.

Koko is fine and hubby is too. We still love our condo but we do miss our pool.

Kate is working in Chicago and just found an apartment in an area she is so excited about. We will go to visit next month. She said there are many restaurants that welcome dogs so Koko can go as well.

I'm still working and will retire next year. Can't believe I have been at the same job for 31 years, yikes!

Well, that's about all my news. Give Bailey smooches for me.

Hugs,
Addy

Hello Sharlene!

Bradenton is only about 1/2 hour north of our condo in Sarasota. You must let me know if you are in the area!!! We will be going down around the 27th of December and will be there until mid May. I'm really looking forward to getting back there. Fortunately we have not been harmed any by the hurricanes, thus far.

Happy Halloween!!

Love,
Sus

Hello Marianne and thanks for checking in. I'm sorry I'm taking so long to check back in. Doggie sitting has made a slug out of me. Bailey is still on restrictions.....until October 16th. At least we can now take her for short walks. The doc says she is further along in her healing than he would expect. She has been very good about being restricted. We only caught her twice trying to sneak upstairs instead of being carried upstairs. Bob is really paranoid that she'll tear the ligament and need surgery again. She has these pins in her leg. holding the metal sheet in there that look to be about two inches long. YIKES! I asked to see the x-ray-I think maybe I should not have asked to see that.

I'll try to remember to check back in at holiday time.

Love,
Susan

Hellloooooooooooooo Addy!!
I am so sorry to hear about your Mom passing, but you sure made her last year's much more pleasant for her. I know how hard this must be for you.

31 years-and you're really retiring? Hooray!!! Maybe you can come down to BBeach or FL for a visit? I won't even make you stay in the "basement." (I wonder how Carol is?)

Bob & I are going to NYC for a short week right before Christmas. We are going to see a couple of shows, do some sightseeing and take in all the decorations. This is a year when Ellen & Ryan will be in Colorado. They invited us to come out there, but the logistics just don't work. When we talked it all through they could understand. We said we'd come out in the summer one year, not during a holiday and we could all visit.

I'm planning on taking art lessons again in FL this winter. I hope to have some sketches started before I get there. I've done some penguins and one of a bird on a railing.

I'm glad you are happy with your condo. I can't remember-has your hubby retired yet?

Happy fall....happy Halloween! Please stay in touch.

Love,
Sus

Hi Susan!

Awww, poor Bailey still on restriction. Better safe than sorry though.

I've let you know if we get down to Florida. Thank goodness that hurricane missed you. My friends place got a bit of water in at the door, but not too bad, might need to replace some carpet. Ground floor condo woes. Still it could have been worse, so glad it wasn't.

Oh NYC will be lovely around Christmas. We were there in June and had a fabulous time, I imagine that Christmas will be magical!

HUGS

Hello and is anybody home who still remembers me??????
At least I'm checking back in in less than one year-although maybe I should not point that out.
First things first-I met someone today who has an adorable Westie and I told her I would email her the link to this site. Her name is Jackie. Her Westie is 12 years old and has lost his sight and she has paid boatloads of money in the past year alone for treatments/medicine. I told her of you guys and told her I would not have survived the process without all of you. When I finish here, I will email her the link. I just wanted to give her a personal introduction so you could keep an eye out for her. She's pretty stressed out. [okay-took care of that]

Now for an update. We all are very fine. No falls. No accidents. No torn ligaments. Our next door neighbor almost ran down Bailey yesterday evening but did not, thankfully. We live on a cul-de-sac and she was going WAY too fast. It didn't help that Bailey saw her car and went out into the street. Arghhh.

We are leaving in two weeks for a mini-trip to Colorado. We will stay with Ellen's family for 3 nights-then we will travel 1 hour or so east and stay with my best ever friend/Ryan's Godmother and her husband for 3 nights. We've not seen them since 1992. WAaAAY too long. Ryan and Ellen go out a day before us and return a couple of days after us. Really starting to get excited about going now.

Then at the end of October Bob and I have planned a trip to the Grand Canyon-staying in Sedona for one week. I've seen the Grand Canyon where they have that u-shaped lucite ledge where you can walk out over the canyon. I want to see the southern rim of the canyon. I'm told there is a marked difference, color wise. Then this is one of the years when Ellen and Ryan will be here for Christmas. Very much looking forward to that.

I'll go post a couple of recent pictures. The 4 of us went to a NAts baseball game ten days ago. Ryan gave us tickets for my birthday which included snacks and at the end of the game, a stroll around the bases for seniors. Bob & I definitely qualify so we had great fun strolling the bases, getting our pictures taken with "The Presidents."

Hugs and best wishes to all who are still hangin' around!!
_Susan

Oh Susan, of course we remember you and we are so glad to hear from you!! Thanks for referring Jackie to us and we'll be keeping an eye out for her.

One of these days I would love to see the Grand Canyon, the pictures I've seen on TV of it are just beautiful, have yourselves a grand time!!

Hugs, Lori

Hi Susan, and thanks for checking in and for posting your new pics!!! I hope you have a great time on all your travels, that’s for sure. I’m afraid it does seem as though we’ve lost track of some of our dear familiar “regulars,” and that’s what makes it doubly special to hear back from you. So many memories and so many experiences we’ve shared. I’m so glad to hear from you. My own little family is holding its own. I can’t believe that our “baby” Luna will be turning ten later this month. Where oh where does the time go??? Please give Bailey a big hug from our K9C family, and of course we send our best wishes to you, Bob, and the kids :-).

Marianne

Great to hear from you Lori and Marianne! I neglected to mention that Bailey is now 7. Seven!! 7.5 to be more exact. So hard to believe, as you said, Marianne. From time to time I think ahead to what will I do "next time." I turned 70 this year. I think Bob is pretty adamant about this being our last dog. I started thinking maybe a little kitten would be an idea. (I don't really care for cats that much.) Then a few days ago I saw a bunch of videos on Facebook about cats and what they do when they're home alone. YIKES!!!!! That kind of took care of that option for me. So, I'll enjoy what I have while I have it. Maybe I"ll get one of those stuffed cats that breathes in and out......have you seen them? They look surprisingly real. I guess that wouldn't fool me for very long, though. (just kidding.)
Hugs.
Susan

I know only too well how much the “aging issue” can enter into things...

Hubby is already advocating for another Lab puppy, but honestly we are probably too old to be envisioning a puppy of any sort, let alone a big sporting dog! Been there, done that three times now, and although I wouldn’t trade the experiences for the world, I just don’t think I have the energy left in me to do it again. Much more reasonable to me is to adopt an adult rescue, and maybe even somebody small enough for me to pick up and carry this time around. But we’ll see what the future holds. Ya just never know!!!

Hi gang-
I'm preparing for hurricane Florence (my Mom's name) and had a picture to share. This is a Monday picture and the storm is not expected to hit here until Thursday or Friday. The tide waters are already creeping up the driveway. Not a good sign. They are talking this could be worse than Hugo was. Flood insurance bill came in for renewal. Better be sure to get that paid on time!:eek:

Oh my, Susan! I am hoping and praying that it won't be as bad as they forecast, I can't imagine how scary this is for you. Keep us updated and holding you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

Ya'll take extra good care, Susan, and please let us know you are safe when you can!

Yikes, Susan, those pictures sure don’t look good!!! I’m now reading this morning that the storm may take a more southerly turn, though, so perhaps (hopefully!) you’ll be spared. But that also means that we may end up getting some of the remnants clear down here in Atlanta. I just feel sick, though, when I think of all the folks (and animals!) in the Carolinas. Looks like no matter what, they’re going to get hammered :-(((((((((((((((((

It's good to hear that it's been downgraded to a Category 2.

Still treacherous. But hopefully the damage won't be nearly as bad.

The worst part will be its slow movement inland and dropping unfathomable amounts of rain in the area.

Glad you got those insurance payments in! Still let's hope you won't need to call in any claims.

Well-hello and happy Halloween! We have survived all the hurricanes and what flooding there was. We were pretty fortunate. No need to evacuate. We are leaving Saturday for our week in Sedona. We've been to Colorado and I had a very bad case of bronchitis for the whole trip. Real bummer. Still got to have a nice visit with Ellen's folks and a wonderful visit with my very good friend.
Bailey has had a tooth removed-she badly chipped a molar and she also had some little bumps removed. She's doing okay.
A very close friend is fighting cancer and two days after we return the three of us are going to go visit her overnight (staying at a motel). She adores Bailey so while she can still enjoy Bailey and recognize us, we're going to go over to her "other" home. She is our back door neighbor here. It's Gioblastoma. Very rapid moving.
Once we return from that, it will be Thanksgiving. Can you believe it? We went straight from hot summer to cold fall here. No nice transition. I'm already yearning for Florida.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
-Susan

Hi there, Susan, and Happy Belated Halloween to you guys! So sorry to hear about your friend. I’ve lost dear ones to cancer, too, during these past few years, and it totally sucks! How sweet that Bailey could go visit, though. A special visit to store safely away in the memory bank, that’s for sure.

We had a really mild and beautiful Halloween night, so I was surprised by how few kids showed up. I missed seeing all those cuties, plus we’re stuck now with tons of candy. Of course I bought stuff that I really like myself, so the big bowl is just sitting there on the table, beckoning me. Aaaaargh!

This was our third Halloween without Peg. I can hardly believe that. I always loved strapping that special orange collar on our big black girl. She always looked grand, and loved the attention and all the activity. Luna was so sweet last night, all on her own wearing a purple collar. She’s already ten years old herself, though. Where on earth does the time go??

Hope you have a great trip to Sedona, and when will you be heading down to Florida? Not until after Christmas?

Great to hear from you, as always. Tons of well wishes to you, Bob, and of course Miss Bailey!
Marianne

Oh I'm glad you are all alright! That was a horrible storm and I can't imagine what it must have been like for you.

Hey Sus,
Stopped by the forum and had to say hello.
Happy Turkey Day!
I will check out the photos of our Bailey.
I am glad you survived the hurricane, how scary.
I hope Bob, Ellen and Ryan are all well.
The other night we were at a restaurant celebrating hubby’s birthday and the restaurant offered S’mores prepared at your table. Of course I thought of you and fancied how great it would be if you ever wandered down to Milwaukee, how fun it would be for the two of us to share that special dessert while catching up on life.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and give Bailey a tickle from Auntie Addy.
Always your friend;

Hallooooooooo friends! Can't believe Christmas is almost upon us. I don't know if I'll be ready this year. Our trip to the Grand Canyon was great. The weather was wonderful. A tad on the cool side, but better that, than hot.
We did get back and went over to see our friend, with Bailey in tow. Unfortunately she was mostly out of it by then. She hung on for another 2 weeks. She lasted 11 days without water or food. They were concerned she might choke if anything were given to her. Memorial service was ten days ago. Very sad. It seems at least that she did not suffer and did not have any pain.

Ellen & Ryan arrive Thursday night and will be here one week. That will be really nice. We have a couple of things planned to do. Bob's planning on cooking a big whole filet of beef for Christmas dinner.

On the way back home from visiting our friend, I had (another) fall. It's amazing I've never broken a bone. Wound up landing on my butt really hard. I think this was actually Bob's fault. Wound up getting my back xrayed and visiting the orthopedist. Seems I bumped my 4th disc down a bit over my 3rd disc. Back still hurts badly. I use a heating pad whenever I can. I'm going for a massage this afternoon. Anyone have any of that pink bubble wrap left?

It's been VERY cold here in DE. We are planning on leaving for FL on 1/5. Since most of you are north of me, I expect it's been cold where you are as well. Happy holidays to all and a very happy New Year! Thanks for staying in touch. It's always nice hearing from you guys.

-Susan