Slinky sniffing and eating something, probably rabbit poop.


Knee scoping set for Monday, August 10th. This could not be a more perfect time!

Rowed sweep last night for the first time in a year. It was fun, we were in a four. My rowing days are numbered this year so I am trying to get in as many as I can and my knee will allow before August 10th.

I have more blog posts in my head and will post more this weekend.

Visited the ortho doc today. Arthroscopy will be scheduled for the beginning to mid August. I told Mom the results of today's visit and I asked for the surgery to be either the week of Aug. 3rd or 10th due to work/on call and other commitments. She mentioned that she and Dad would be in Fredrick, MD the week of the 3rd (Dad works in Baltimore a few days a week and sometimes ends up in Fredrick as well,Mom usually goes along) and that if I really needed help they would come up.

I was not planning on asking them to come up because I know their schedule. It would have been nice if she asked if I needed help before telling me they would be in Fredrick the one week. I truly believe that Mom did not mean what she said to be taken in a negative way..however I cannot help myself.

Marjean said she will be my driver to and from surgery. Trena has offered to help with the hyenas if needed. Jake offered to come out to help . The boss and other vet are more than accommodating in regards to on call and helping me with work related things I cannot/should not do after surgery.

I am optimistic that I will be back to work in a short time. I will just have to be careful in what I do.

Last weekend Gail and Alice and their dog Sheldon came to visit. They brought treats from NC too!



Sheldon and Ruby played and played and played.





Friday night we went for dinner and to listen to Lipsmackin Blues Band.



Don.



Saturday morning we took the dogs to Marjean and Don's for some playtime.









Saturday night we went to Penn State for the firework and some ice cream from The Creamery. Sadly The Creamery was closed.



So for plan B we visited The Diner for some grilled stickies.





Gail and Alice.



Group photo.



After the stickies we headed to see the fireworks. We packed a little pre-fireworks picnic.





Sunday we went to Janelle and Doyle's for a dog party celebrating Ruby, Gracie and Sheldon's birthdays. Sadly I deleted the pictures before I downloaded them.

On Tuesday Ruby passed her Canine Good Citizen and her Therapy Dog tests.



Will update more later this weekend.

I was in Slinky's office last night when I noticed these things on the floor. I looked and they were MAGGOTS....big ones...what? Where did they come from? I checked Slinky's surgery areas and they looked fine. I picked up the dog beds and then moved everything out of the office. I did all the laundry and gave the office it's weekly cleaning. This is when I notices more than normal dust on the baseboard top. The paneling had always been a bit funky there as it looked like there had been water damage at some point. I pushed at the bubbled area and it pushed in and I saw what I think are termites or carpenter ants. Shit.

Guess I am making a few calls today.

I am hoping whatever it is, that the damage is not too bad.

Last Saturday I went to Mom and Dad's for a visit and to pick up the power washer. Ruby came along. This is the first time she visited Mom and Dad's house. We brought her crate, a few toys and two cardboard tubes for chewing.



She did very well and Mom even left her in the house. Sis's dog had better watch out, Ruby may be moving into the "favorite dog" position.

In another unexpected move, Mom gave Slinky a new food bowl she found at TJ Maxx.

Last year Dad sold his Harley. This year he bought a zero turning radius riding lawn mower.



He drove it around the yard like a go-cart. I told Dad he was one step closer to getting a Rascal.

While demoing the mower he did some donuts on the asphalt pad, complete with a squeal and patch of rubber on the asphalt.



Mom and I went to the outlets and Goodwill to do a little shopping. Mom is the queen of Goodwill/thrift store shopping, she always seems to find things for her (now that she has lost wieght) and Sis... good stuff form Eddie Bauer, Talbots, LL Bean, etc. Before we left for shopping she told me the outfit she was wearing was from Goodwill and cost a total of $4.50. She loves finding bargains and has the patients to look through things. While we were shopping, she showed me her new purse, a Valentines gift from Dad, it was neat and a nice color. She was telling me about the store in Baltimore where they bought the purse and that this one was on sale for $700. My Mother, the only person who would be carrying a $700 purse and be wearing an outfit that cost $4.50 from Goodwill.

Early Sunday morning Karin and I went on a mountain bike ride in RB Winter State Park. WE rode up a mountain road to a trail. The train had not been used in awhile as there were lots of limbs blocking our ride. Karin and I cleaned up the trail as we went, our good deed for the day. There was quite a bit of climbing before and after the trail section of the ride. At one point while we were climbing, Karin asked if I wanted to stop chatting as I was sucking a bit of wind, I declined the offer to stop chatting. Karin said that heart rates go up while chatting so we are doing extra cardio by chatting while riding. AND chatting while riding is also a good bear repellent.

Sunday afternoon Ruby and I went to a cookout at Janelle and Doyle's.

One of the kids spilled the cheese curls. The dogs were like "score!".



Chickens...



Pig family.



Janelle and a piglet.



Fainting goats...



Oscar.

This was taken by Lana, a fellow rower, the weekend Mom, Dad and Sis came to the house. This boat is called an octuple. I rowed twice this week and today my knee is a bit swollen. I have also gotten quite a bit of coaching as well which is great as I have never been coached or instructed on how to row scull correctly. For example Monday night the coach told me I was holding my hands on the oars incorrectly and instructed me on the correct way to hold my hands on the oars.

Elsie is recovering, she is still unsteady and has a head tilt though. She is also on a prednisone frenzy.

Ruby was naughty....


But she got herself her very own lifevest.

Yesterday morning Elsie was unsteady on her feet and here eyeballs were going back and forth rapidly (nystagmus). I was pretty sure she had vestibular disease. something common in older dogs. She should recover uneventfully.

The vet she saw said " you know what this is"...I told her I was pretty sure but wanted someone who does small animal to look at her and I did not have the correct drugs for Elsie anyways. Additionally Elsie had not been seen by the vet in 5 years so I would have felt right about asking for drugs to treat her for this problem when they had not seen her in years. I am happy to pay a small animal vet to look after my dogs.

Today she is better, less nystagmus, through she still almost falls over when she shakes her head.



Last Sunday was the Billtown Blues Festival. I was able to score a photographers pass and had a blast. My knee was killing be till the end of the day. Here are a few pictures.








This is probably one of my favorite pictures. The composition is so so but the idea...a young (high school) kid who went to Memphis representing the Williamsport area in the solo/duo category is practicing with a classic, Bob Margolin behind the stage prior to them performing together.

This was posted by a friend on the internet...thanks Nils.



And...


This is Gracie and her cardiologist. This weekend her doc is receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater. This is pretty cool. Here is the write-up from The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine web site. Gracie and I are glad he is the boss of her cardiac region.


Bruce W. Keene, DVM, MS
2009 Distinguished Alumni Awardee
Dr. Bruce Keene, an accomplished and internationally recognized veterinary cardiologist, graduated from our College with his DVM in 1979. He also completed an internship at the New York Animal Medical Center and a residency in Cardiology at OSU. After leaving Ohio State Dr. Keene served on the faculties of the University of Zurich and the University of Wisconsin. He became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialty of Cardiology in 1983. In 1989 he joined the faculty of North Carolina State University as an assistant professor, progressing to the position of professor in 2002. He has been the Chief of Cardiology and a Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University for the past 10 years.

Dr. Keene is an accomplished and talented educator, who not only teaches the cardiology curriculum, but also basic cardiac physiology to veterinary students. He has trained hundreds of veterinarians over the years, who are well-grounded in cardiology with an exceptional understanding of how the heart works from the cellular mechanisms to the whole animal. He is one of the first and certainly one of the most persistent advocates of the practice of evidence based medicine in veterinary education, having developed and taught the first university course in evidence based medicine in veterinary medicine. He is now considered one of the world's experts in veterinary clinical trial design.

In 1985-1990 while a junior faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, he adapted (from humans) and described a technique for safely obtaining endomyocardial biopsy specimens in dogs and used that technique to discover the link between myocardial carnitine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. He went on to elucidate the importance of dietary carnitine supplementation in dogs to maintaining normal plasma and myocardial carnitine concentrations in that species-a discovery that is protected by both U.S. and international patents.

Dr. Keene is a highly sought after speaker and provides continuing educational seminars to a variety of professional audiences all over the world while also serving on research advisory councils for companion animal oriented research foundations and editorial boards. He has proven himself to be a stellar citizen at the local, national, and international levels.

Not So Good
Gails Mom had to euthanize one of her dogs, Ellie. Ellie was not we for years and everytime I left NC I always wondered if I was going to see her again. Ellie was always my favorite.



The older man who lived across the street from the office died Monday. The boss and he would putter around the office. He taught the boss a lot of handyman sort of things.

My knee was hurting like a big dog Monday night. I think I was over using it...rowed on Thursday, Saturday and Monday. I also biked on Sunday.

Good
Went to the ortho doc today. Ligaments ok and the meniscus is probably causing the problem. He suggested an injection of steroids and lidocaine. I am hoping this works as the next option is to scope the knee and trim the meniscus.

Rowing was wonderful on Thurday, Saturday and Monday. Monday the weather was a bit dodgy and we got back to the dock just as it started to rain, thunder and lightening.

Funny Jamie-isms
Jamie is one of the office ladies.

I visited a farm about a llama whose water broke last night and by morning she had yet to give birth, I told her that I told the owners that they should have called us if nothing happened an hour after the water broke. The client told me that the inter net said the water could break and the llama may not give birth until the next day. I told Jamie this story to which she replied "Who needs a vet when there is the internet".

This week Jamie was outside at the office when I pulled up in my truck. She looked in the truck for Ruby who normally rides with me in a crate in the passengers seat, Ruby was not there. Jamie also always calls Ruby, "Bewbie". Jamie looked in and said " You look naked without Bewbie" "Wait that did not come out right".

Slinky is cruising for a euthanasia event. She has food aggression issues and the prednisone she is on makes it worse and today she decided to have issues with Elsie and Gracie because she thought their food was better than hers.

Slinky got a beating of a lifetime today with a towel and then drug/kicked out the door.

Instead of a dental next month she may get the juice.

Work has been busy. And I have been on little road trips.

Two weekends ago I met up with a college friend, Leslie, she found me on Facebook. I drove to her place near Philly. We took a series of public transportation methods to the Italian section of the city for their festival.


Leslie and me at Independence Hall.



Gelati with a "shovel spoon".


Market produce.


Big cheese.


Butcher Shop


Calzone-yummmmm.


These guys were quite entertaining!


Gnocchi!

The full set can be here-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twisteduterus/sets/72157618210538921/

Then for Memorial Day, Gracie, Ruby and I went to visit sis and husband in Kingston Ontario.


Waiting to get through customs.


Bikes on the ferry to Wolfe Island.


Lunch on the ferry.


Biking.


Windmills on the Island.


Ice Cream One.

Saturday we went walked through town and then went out to the cabin of sis's husbands family. We rode bike to Jones Falls.




Walking bikes across the lock.




Ice Cream number two-- the "power cone".


Dog and bike walking.


Supper.


Bosco.


BIL playing tug with Ruby.

Woke up Saturday morning to rain-pouring rain. We had planning to go for a day long boat ride though some locks. Lucky for us the weather cleared and we had a the best day.


Taken buy BIL's mother. This photo was taken just before we left on our 3 hour cruise....a photo just incase we did not return and the authorities would have a recent pictures of us all.


A lock.




Going through the lock.


BIL coming through the lock.


Ruby


Lunch


Ruby being tall.


Queen of the World.


Power cone number three.


Westport.

The trip was fun and I hope to go up again before the summer is over.

I left Monday morning but not before stopping at Tim Hortons.


The whole set (more cute pics of Ruby in her life vest) are here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twisteduterus/sets/72157618712375353/

A friends sister is currently--like right now- in surgery receiving a new heart. Send good thoughts and wet dog noses in the directions of North Carolina.

Update- sadly heart did not work- still waiting for a new one--

Everyone should be an organ donor.

Saturday morning we loaded the bikes and left for NYC.



After a missing an exit and getting a tad displaced we arrived at our hotel, got situated and walked around the city.



Me, Trena, Kim and Karin.

Wallking through Chinatown.



A walk by shooting...



Seafood market in Chinatown.



Kim and Trena tackle a noodle bowl.



Taken through the window of a Chinese Herd/Medicine shop..wonder what is he is concocting?



Dried things.



While walking we came across an old timer Bassett Hound.



On the subway to Times Square







Sunday morning waiting for the ride to start.





Sea of people and their bikes.

Walking our bikes.....again.



At the end-cold wet and rainy. We could see our breath...



It was a good day-no one flatted, got in a wreck or had a body part poop out!

I have done this ride for 4 years in a row and this was by far the worst weather ever. In addition we had to walk our bikes periodically. This never happened on pervious rides. Typically once we got into Central Park there was no random walking of the bikes.

Walking was the worst- it made my knee hurt and it was difficult to stay warm.

I was amazed by a few things...

1. The number of people who were not prepared at all for the temp or rain. I left my rain jacket in the hotel as the weather radar suggested the rain would not come till after 2pm. Turns out that was wrong and I should have thrown my rain jacket in my bag. I did wear a water resistant jacket that worked ok for the first 30 miles. There were people in shorts and tee-shirts or worse, jeans and a sweatshirt.

2. There were many kids riding...little kids. Some under their own power, some in carts behind their parents. I think there should be an age limit. It is difficult to keep people together while participating in this ride. Also those pull behind carts or "bike" things that can be hooked to an adults bike should be banned from the ride, they are cumbersome and ridiculous for this ride. Kids should be over 12 to participate.

3. People need to stay off their cell phones while riding, especially given the weather and how bunched up we were..

4. People have no clue...when they want to stop and find their friend they just stop and fail to pull over or signal properly before stopping. Karin nearly got in a wreck because someone decided to pull over and crossed right in front of her trying to go the opposite direction to find their friend...this maneuver is not good especially when there are 30K riders.


I did not take a bunch of pictures during the ride, it was too rainy. Here is the set of pictures from the weekend. It was a great weekend even the ride!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twisteduterus/sets/72157617610361427/

65 entries
9 in my category
My photo first place peoples choice for the category.
The judges awarded it a Honorable Mention which came with a cash prize.

The judges give out a best in show, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as 3 Honorable Mentions.

I was surprised to say the least.

Friday night was the opening of the photo show at Lewisburg Studio. I submitted four photos and two received recognition, a third and a first.

First.


And Third.


And of the four photos I submitted to the juried show, one was selected.


Friday night I had dinner with Marjean and Ann.

Saturday Ann and I went to the Art Festival in Lewsiburg. Gracie and Ruby went along and they were both stars!



Ann watched the dogs when I went to play drums in the drum circle.



On the way home I stopped at a local soap company to pick up a Mothers Day gift. While I was there I showed the owner my necklace..one of my handmade necklaces. This lead to me bringing back my supply of necklaces, She is going to put them her store here and in Lancaster!!

Saturday night the dogs and I went to Marjean and Don's.

To be continued...

A friend gave me this magazine to read...look like someone?

Monday Gracie was the smiler of the day on Bark Magazines web site.



Visited the ortho docs Wednesday. My MRI shows some fluid on my knee and a few other little issues. Apparently the meniscal tear from a few years ago is better. There is still clicking in my knee. The biggest issue is a sprained ACL. SO yea for no surgery and just time and low impact activities. GOt the Ok for rowing and biking, both of which I hope to do this weekend.

Next weekend is the NYC 5 Boros ride. Right now the forecast is for showers. I am hoping it changes to sun, at least for the ride.

Tonight is the opening of the photo show at Lewisburg Studios. The studio hosts this event in conjunction with the Arts Festival which is tomorrow. I submitted four photos and I am anxious to see what the judges thought. I am also hoping to apply and be accepted for the Arts Festival next year.


Next Friday night is the juried show associated with the photo club, I submitted four photos there as well, will find out this week if any are chosen for the show.

Today I received an email from Bark magazine. Next week Gracie's smiling dog picture will be one of the pictures featured in the smiling dog section of the magazines website.

so go everyday

www.thebark.com

And here she is....


Slinky thinks this is just the funniest thing...Gracie as a celebrity.

It has been a week...

While I was in NC my knee decided to not work. Visited the Ortho PA and it is likely a meniscal tear and I have an MRI scheduled for Tuesday. It is sore and annoying.

I have also decided that people should have to pass some sort of smartness exam before one owns animals. My toleration of clients that need hand holding is getting smaller and smaller by the day.

Reunion dilemma solved..I have to work the weekend. This also means I miss working for the Wilderness 101 again this year.

Here is something a friends sent to me..I love Ben Stein.