Logan & A Symbiant

You know, Grandma Cam's dog: "A Symbiant"


Logan and Obsidian-dog Florida, Mar 05

Right, picture a day

If I could just remember to post them, and to take them I'd be set.


Logan reading in front of the fish, earlier this month

This was before our return to cool rainy weather. Not that she's dressed any more warmly at the moment. :-) She chooses what she likes.

Easter Eggs at Nonny's

Without the Nonny! So, while Susan woman'd her booth at the Spring Fair, the rest of us had a lovely day at her house yesterday. I intended to take pictures, but managed to leave the camera hanging on the doorknob, where I'd put it so I'd be sure to see it and take it. (Didn't we talk about this mom?) Oops. Eggs and children and food all happened anyway. And someone else may have taken pictures that will surface eventually.

Lady Logan, and Sir Logan, and a handful of other children, plus Lil's Giants and Susan's daughters, and I don't know who all else trekked out between rain showers and found, I think, nine dozen boiled eggs, and another four or five plastic eggs with goodies in them.

Lil and Hanna and Bekka ruled the kitchen, and a full array of food appeared. Bekka and I worked on Deviled Eggs, since it was easter and it seemed reasonable to eat some of the eggs that were harvested.

It was very different not having Susan everywhere at once. Ty took her place humoring grandchildren and finding things for the cooking adults. When it was time to go pack up Susan's booth at the fair I rode in to town with Ty, and was able to help fold and stack things while Susan and Ty got them in to their proper places in their vehicles. Then Susan brought me home on her way home, and came in to have a cup of tea and visit with Lady Logan a little bit. We were all pretty well exhausted.

Tonight or tomorrow I'll see about posting pictures, not of Easter, but with luck of Logan's and my Florida visit, or others that Logan has taken since then.

Wax and Eggs and Dye, Oh My!

We're dying eggs for the NonnySusan easter egg extravaganza! Mostly it's Logan and John, but I went and dyed a couple before returning to do a quick post.

Logan has her new Grandma made Easter Dress to wear tomorrow. With a matching purse, and a matching set for Apple Pie-Eater. She wore a different Grandma made dress to the Spring Fair yesterday and received many complements on it and the hat she wore with it.

Logan, at four and almost a half is now big enough to navigate on her own from one part of the fair to another. She successfully went back and forth between the food area and Nonny's booth several times, and also went to a booth with children's crafts on her own. Today we'll go back and take John along for a bit, before fitting in grocery shopping.

I'm still looking for Sunny-Dog at odd moments. I look to see if I'm going to step on him before getting out of bed. I expect him to come rushing past when I open the front door. Or to be sleeping on the bath mat when I want to step out of the shower. ::sigh::

We are looking for another dog, although not very quickly. John is interested in Shiba Inu's, or Pyrenees Shepherds, and I'm interested in Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. But I'd rather not buy a new dog. I much prefer to rescue a used one from a shelter or foster home. So far there haven't been any that seemed right. Logan is fairly content to wait until we find the right dog, although she is also interested in raising a puppy. For the time being, I've told her that when she's old enough to be responsible for a puppy, we'll look in to raising a guide dog of some sort. For now, I'd be happy to avoid a puppy.

Amazingly wonderful chocolate truffles

And a donation to help research cures for cancer. The Chocolate Cure is a web site put together by someone who started out writing to John and Chocolate Alchemy for information on how she could make chocolates as a gift for people who donated money to her cause. The woman doing this works as a cancer researcher and is raising money in order to run in the Boston Marathon to raise money for more cancer research. I think. This whole thing may have gotten muddled by the medication I'm now taking to lower my blood pressure, which has absolutely nothing to do with cancer or research, as far as I know, but everything to do with my current state of mind. (They say wait it out, and the muddled thinking may go away.) (Yes, a year plus of stress starting with our fire has screwed around with my blood pressure, I wonder what life will throw at us next.)

I've given you the link for the donate page at The Chocolate Cure. If you look at her headers (all the type is tiny!) you can follow the "About" link and find out more about what she's doing and why and how. She's still working on the pages. You can see a link to Chocolate Alchemy on her "Thanks" page. Read up on it all you want. She has an email address for anyone who'd like to ask for an address to mail a check to (take note all you relatives of ours who don't spend money on the internet! You don't have to.) Send her some money, and get a cute box of truffles made from beans that have visited Oregon on their way to becoming truffles. No, it's not many and they aren't huge. Check the prices on line for hand made truffles without any donation included! These are worth it.

Aside from the truffle this evening, and the addition of blood pressure medication to my routine, life here is more or less normal. Tulips are blooming. Daffodils are still blooming, sometimes. One volunteer lettuce plant is thriving. Logan is bouncing off the walls as usual. I'm still looking for Sunny-dog every time I turn around. I think this is the first time that I've had a dog die when there hasn't been another dog around to keep company with. We're keeping our eyes out for a dog John wants. Logan has announced that we need to have one by July 5th. I don't know how she decided this, but I'm taking her word for it. With luck I'll get back to posting regularly soonish.

A Dog's Life:

Sunny-boy Muffinhead extraordinaire Spring 1995 - March 15 2005. photo by logan


Sunny-dog came to us by way of Golden Bond Golden Retriever Rescue in the winter/spring of 2002. Almost exactly three years ago. Sonni #198 was the name given to Sunny while in Golden Bond's care, although when we received his origional records it turned out the owner had spelled his name as we did. Reflecting his sunny coat and disposition I think. Ladybug had died the year before, and we'd decided for both Logan and Lopsi-dog, as well as for me, to get another dog. We applied to Golden Bond, passed their inspections, and began considering the dogs available for adoption. Eventually we drove to the Portland area to meet Sunny, and brought him home with us.

He got along well with the cats - never even noticing when a neighbor's kitten arched and hissed to try to frighten the Big Scary Dog away. Cats hardly came in to his notice. He didn't chase the chickens. He wasn't particularly interested in the sheep or goats. He liked me, and Logan. And he tolerated John, but was frightened of him. We figure there must have been some similar man who frightened him in his past.


Sunny in front of fish tank cabinet, earlier this month. photo by john.

Where Lopsi was willing to coexist with Logan, if she had to, Sunny was happy to do so. She could pay attention to him, use him as a pillow, pet and brush him without any discontent on his part. He tended to be restless, pacing or grooming a lot. But he was pleasant and good with Logan, which made him well worth while.

Lopsi died that autumn, suddenly from a nasty fast growing cancer. And sunny became an only dog. He moved with us to the dome house a year later. This time a year ago he was staying with Steve and Joana and their dogs Zoë and Jasmine, because we were living in a hotel room after the fire. Once we were back on the property, Sunny came back. He slept outside under the RV while we were in it (No Dogs Allowed they said), and then in the Cabin with us as soon as we were there. He was company. He'd walk with us if we went outside, or settle down beside us inside. Logan fed him (and moved his food around at times), and petted him, and sometimes sat on him, which we tried hard to avoid. He never growled or snapped at any of us.

Yesterday we came home just after five after a day in Eugene. John got out to open the farm gate that keeps the sheep and goats out of the house yard. But instead he walked over to the side. I thought maybe there was a sheep or goat down. No, it was Sunny, who normally is not in with the sheep and goats, more to protect him from them than the other way around. And he wasn't acting normally, or able to stand up. So we called our vet on the cell, and arranged to bring him right in even though it was after 5 and they were trying to close up shop to go home.

John carried Sunny (70 or so pounds of 10 year old golden retriever) in to the car, backed down the driveway and headed on toward the vet's. Vet found one back leg broken, and suggested that either they could begin to stabilize him and tuck him in for the night, or we could take him to the Emergency Vet in Springfield, where they have staff on for the night to supervise their patients. We discussed the trouble Sunny could get in to on his own, in a cage, but with an IV and a bandaged up let. And Sunny's history of eating or chewing on things he shouldn't, getting in to things, and so on. Decision made -- we took him to the emergency vet. After the regular vet had given him IV fluids and some meds to stabilize him and help him deal with general symptoms of shock. Evidently he'd been butted pretty hard a few hours earlier in the day - his temperature was low and he was stressed.

So another hour back toward Eugene and Springfield, with dog and hugely bandaged leg in car. With a stop at home to unload the groceries and scarf some bread and juice instead of dinner. Sunny was content to be sacked out in the back of the car, on the doggy stretcher borrowed from the vets office.

The emergency vet took a second x-ray, no damage to ribs, but air in his chest cavity which means it's likely he was butted on his body too - which I expected. They planned to monitor him and medicate as needed overnight. Then in the morning we'd have to pick him up (read John will pick him up, even though he's more my dog and John is *not* Sunny person) by 8 am.


Sunny in Jan, by Logan.

This morning Logan and I slept while John went to pick Sunny up. Then John called - bad news. Overnight they'd realized there was still more going on with him, and after testing his unbroken back leg and tail concluded he had no feeling or control of them. Further X-rays showed that his back, at the base of the tail, was broken and separated by an inch or more from the place it should have been. Nerves were completely severed. There were "heroic measures" options, but overall, as a farm dog, Sunny's life wouldn't be anything like it was. We opted to bring him back, and return to our regular vet, and after spending some time patting him and talking to him, have him euthanized.

Now John and Logan have chosen a place in the pet grave yard section of our yard, and have come in to get me for burying Sunny-dog. We'll put a lilac bush, and some daffodils at his grave. And later John and Logan will make a cement stepping stone marker with Sunny's name on it.

Logan says we need to get another dog. John has reluctantly agreed, after some time to recover ourselves. So we'll put word out for the basic requirements - somewhat smaller than Sunny, short hair, even temperament, and with luck already house broken, and willing to not eat anything and everything that has been close to food. We've had quite a run of scavenging dogs, and it would be a relief not to have to deal with that in the near future. For the first time in fifteen years, since Caliban started swiping boots from the pineleaf house, I am without a doggy companion.

Home!

Logan and I are safely back to the dome. More trip updates and whatever else when we're less sleep deprived and exhausted.

Florida…

…the air is thicker here!

Logan and I are in Florida. And I've gotten a computer and camera all talking to each other enough to email pictures to John for posting. So here is a synopsys of our trip so far.

Friday: drove to Portland, stayed with Katherine overnight and were deposited appropriately at the airport the next morning.

Saturday: flew all day. Exhausting, but Logan delt with all of it well. Met at the airport by Cheryl, Bernie, John (the other John), and Alan. Went to Denny's to wind down a little before going to sleep, where Cheryl succeeded in getting a Curious George doll for ogan from one of those machines that no one ever actually wins a toy from. Cheryl is saint of the week and immediatelay Logan's favorate person.

Sunday: tried to sleep decently late since I was up until after 3 Florida time. No luck, awake before 8. Logan slept until around 1, and still was dragged out and exhausted. We all (Peg, Alan, Ryan, Logan, Wilma and I) went to lunch at Sweet Tomatos curtosy of coupons provided by Wilma. Then went to let Logna choose some (all) fabrics at the store, and back to Wilma's to visit briefly before heading up to stay the night at Cheryl's house.


Logan and Grandma Wilma in the yard

I got some good pictures of the kids and Alan with the tortoises too.


Alan, Ryan and Logan with Redfoot Tortoise

The kids took turns using the camera to take a few pictures.


Penelope captured on digital

By the time we got to Cheryl's we were all pretty well wiped out. Logan and Ryan were melting down before we even left Wilma's place, despite the abundance of toys and interesting activities there.

Chery had to work the next day, and I slept in while Peg and or Alan delt with kids. Logan didn't sleep in, but did nap later in the day. Cheryl's new house is great, and working out well as a place to take over and destroy with toys stay.


Cheryl and Logan

It took forever to actually get out of Cheryl's house to see my folks, but eventually we made it there. The kids immediately took over the remote control cars, the marble rolling tower, and anything else they could reach. My folks each got to read a book or two to them, and we all got to sit around and talk a little bit.


Grandpa reading to kids


Grandma's turn to read.

Today, Tuesday, my folks sent us off to wear the kids out at Homasassa Springs, which wore me out. The kids also hiked to Story Pond, and are now watching the Nemo movie with Auntie Cheryl as I type. Tomorrow we'll go back to see my folks again, before heading back to Wilma's Thursday morning, and then home to Boca (for peg and Ryan) and Oregon Thursday evening. Another night at Katherine's, and Logan and I will be back to our own beds Friday night. Phew. More pictures, maybe of the nature park, tomorrow.