It’s been three weeks and a couple of days since (based upon the magic of progesterone testing) Leidy ovulated. Her nipples are pink and a little swollen, and her tummy is taut. She has such a svelte figure that any change is noticeable. I think her loin is filled in a bit. I so hope we were successful and the Leidy/Chase puppies will be making an arrival October 19th or 20th. I measured her girth last week. She was 20-1/2″ around. Today she’s at 21″. That’s miniscule, but I’ll take it. Go, little Leidy!
projects come together — or so I’ve heard. I think perhaps I’ve had an alignment or two too many. If it weren’t for Susan and Cheryl’s Chase-herding stories and photos, I probably would not have blogged for the past three weeks.
Yes, I think there is a deadline to get the VST premium to AKC — and I think it’s now; the guys working on the house are doing a lovely job BUT need to call me at least half a dozen times a day and yesterday I had to “run” down there (40 minutes each way). The move to the new office went well except I still can’t find everything; I must pack at home so I can move –really? The moving fairies aren’t going to take care of it? Holmes and I are in an Obedience Class — it could have waited, but it’s my break for the day. He is still firmly planted in conformation and thinks sitting is evil. It would also be nice if he came when called (at something other than break-neck speed with a leap to lick my face).
Inca comes to work everyday because I am keeping her separate from Leidy still — just can’t handle a repeat dog fight. She loves being at the office with all those people for whom she can care. What a funny red girl she is.
If Leidy is pregnant, her puppies are due October 19th or 20th. I have a Federal trial set in Santa Fe beginning on October 18th (which is the day after the VST test for which I’m secretary). My Los Lunas vet has agreed that Leidy can come to day care while I’m in trial — just in case she decides it’s time to have her puppies (I hope there are puppies). I think I’ll have to make arrangements with one of his vet techs to get the dog to him/her before the clinic opens and get her back after it’s closed because the drive to Santa Fe is two hours from Los Lunas. All the motions, witness lists, jury instructions are due this week.
I’m really not sure how this all happened at once. I need to look at the stars tonight and see if they are aligned. If Amy hadn’t used “Crazy Cardiness” for her Blog name, I’d be taking that one.
Insanity is a way of life.
Well, I closed on the house this afternoon. Then I drove down to meet with the seller so he could show me what all the switches and knobs do, how to turn off the water. As I always do, after I buy a house, I looked across the tumbleweed riddled land and said, “Whoa, what have I done?” It will be nice being out in the country, backed up to a huge ranch. Eventually I’ll get ducks so everyone can herd. I have worker-guys lined up to scrape up the weeds and debris and finish fencing the acre. I have an inside worker-guy who will be doing patching, painting and re-flooring. Once those chores are done, I’ll move, and then send the inside man up to the townhouse to touch it up. Tomorrow morning I’ll meet with the inside-guy and I’ll take photos.
The word from the east — Susan called this evening. Chase worked ducks last night and this evening. Tonight he worked off the line and Susan said he was “herding”. He has a very solid STOP (makes Susan happy), and has learned to turn the ducks to take them in different directions, he always picks up stragglers. She is very pleased with him. So, he’s halfway through the first week and hasn’t yet been sent packing.
Holmes is back from Topeka and I think he’ll be out of the show ring for a while. He is so skinny though he usually eats like a pig. He’s also sure that Leidy is still in season though she tells him it ain’t so! We’re signed up for a Beginning Novice class and hope to visit some sheep for herding lessons. Once I have my new-house-act together, I may add ducks so everyone can have the sort of fun Chase is enjoying.
Gwendy decided to jerk my chain so sent the this photo of our darling Darby in costume. Darby, being a true Chase daughter, did not find this particularly amusing.
Such a sense of desperation — being in an unhappy circumstance at home. Though I take dogs to day care and to the office each day, I worry that one of the two left at home decided to bark (because that is what dogs do — even gooddogs — which, I hear, some people own). I don’t feel I can go to the grocery store because it’s too hot to leave dogs in the car, and they aren’t permitted to run the aisles at Trader Joe’s. If I leave them home for the 45 minute trip, they might bark and disturb the neighbors.
The house my client found for me in Los Lunas turns out to have been foreclosed and will be auctioned off in early September. It’s always difficult to outbid the bank, and I wouldn’t know what was going to happen until after the sale — that’s another three weeks. I need answers sooner rather than later.
This morning I was reviewing the out-of-town homes for sale listed in the Albuquerque Journal. One ad leaped off its column and shouted at me to call the number. I waited until 8:00, woke the broker up. Drove down to Los Lunas and met him at the Dion’s on the main drag. We drove about 6 miles east of the Village to a private road. It dead ends into a 140,000 Acre ranch. A retired couple has already basically moved to a home near their kids and their house is for sale for less than they paid for it. It’s on an Acre, has a vacant Acre next to it. Wonderful community well water, natural gas, high speed internet is available. The furnace, hot water heater, and evaporative cooler have all been replaced within the past three years. The septic tank was replaced with a much larger one in 2008. One side of the land is fenced and there is an interior fence around the patio in the back. The house is just shy of 2000 square feet. It has three full baths. The third one (right next to the laundry room and door to “what will be a garage”) will lose its bathtub in favor of a booster bath and built in grooming table.
The master suite has an adjoining sitting room — don’t know why they’d call it that when it’s really a new puppy room. Total — four bedrooms and the puppy room, a living room, family room, bright island kitchen, formal dining room, kitchen breakfast bar, and the three baths. Best of all, I can afford it.
The paperwork is sitting here. I am meeting with the Realtor tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning to sign everything. Wow! Scarey.
The plan: a handyman will go into the new house and retape all the drywall, float the walls, re-texture and paint it all white. Then he’ll pull up the carpet in the bedrooms (the general living areas are all oak parquet) and he’ll lay Pergo. Finally, new molding all around and French doors replacing the patio slider. I’ll move. The handyman will come to the townhouse, patch and repaint. I’ll have the tile cleaned and will re-carpet the stairs and bedrooms. We’ll sell the townhouse. Then I’ll build the garage and do the exterior fencing, have the acre scraped and the weeds and “stuff” hauled away. I’ll seed with buffalo grass and native wildflower seeds, then hope for some rain.
Ya’ll come visit — hear?
Leidy and Chase were bred last night and tonight. Though this is only day 8 from when she first showed color, Chase found her slightly boring this evening. Based upon the 12.5 Progesterone reading on Wednesday morning, she probably ovulated on Monday night or Tuesday morning — so yesterday and today all the puppy eggs should have ripened. Time to start counting. Puppies are expected on Tuesday, October 19th. I just want a cute little Chase/Leidy daughter to show in Bred-By. Possible colors: reds and brindles for sure — and maybe some tris. Okay, little Leidy-Lou — now it’s all up to you.
Leidy’s mom, the indefatigable Inca, is healing well. She’s trotting a bit, not struggling when she goes up and down the door step. Nothing impairs her appetite. Holmes is in Colorado with Wendy, playing happily with her Akitas. They’ll be in Topeka Wednesday evening for the four day/5-show cluster. Chase will visit Dr. Larry on Thursday to get his hall-pass so he can hop his Delta Flight to Atlanta on Saturday morning.
Tomorrow morning the two teenage boys are supposed to be here to help take everything out of the garage so I can decide what stays and what becomes yard sale fodder. I think a lot of “stuff” can go away!
This one is pretty up-close and personal. She is so cute!
Yesterday was Leidy’s Day 5 so first thing in the morning we drew blood for a baseline progesterone test and sent it to the lab. I had been religiously checking her for the past two weeks, so I know yesterday was Day 5. Chase was telling me that it was time to breed her yesterday and I thought he was losing his touch. He’s been very good about ignoring the girls until the testing confirms that they’ve ovulated. Well — Chase was right. Doesn’t matter what day it was. Leidy’s progesterone level was 12.5. Time to take care of business. This means puppies should be due on October 19th or 20th. Cross fingers, please!
Oh, and poor little Holmes who wouldn’t eat and howled all Wednesday night? It appears he’s no dummy either. Holmes is on his way to Greeley and then to Topeka, so will be spared the realization that his Dad has all the fun.
Inca is alert this morning. She’s walking better (though in obvious pain). She had no problem demolishing her dinner last night or eating a meatball full of drugs this morning. She is at my friend Carolee’s Boarding Kennel/Grooming Salon today. She’s in the Salon ensconced in a big crate. They’ll take her out to the grass a few times today and give her water. Holmes is also at Carolee’s, but he’s in the regular Day Care section. It wasn’t doing him any good to be at home with Leidy in bloom. So, Chase and Leidy are continuing their courtship and I am at the office trying to make some money.
For those that inquired, yes, Chase will be signing autographs at the Atlanta Show. He’s flying in on Saturday. Susan and Cheryl will pick him up at 1:30, and Sunday he will be renewing friendships — look out Janet and Laura and Jeri and Heidi. Chase never forgets anyone that he has met. So even though the 2009 National was long ago and far away, if he sees Laura’s lap, he will head for it. I wish I’d had a camera when he launched himself into her lap in Topeka and flipped over for a belly rub. He then tried to leap high enough to kiss Janet’s chin. Even with his third birthday coming up in mid-October, he’s not moved past the silly stage to regal. Actually, I’m not sure he ever will. I am going to miss my funny boy, but know he will have a blast with the Bluefox family and will love learning to herd.
Well, you could probably get a nice puppy . . . or you could donate to your local ER Vet and pick up one moth-eaten red Cardi girl who picked a fight with her daughter. My kitchen, laundry room, half-bath look like the set for The Chainsaw Massacre. Leidy and Holmes were fine — though covered in Inca’s blood (add on another $100 for their baths today). Chase had not a drop of blood on him nor a hair out of place. I know he cheered them on: “Chick Fight! Chick Fight! Never stop a Chick Fight!”
No fractures, sutures, staples, but shaved spots all over — and Inca is sore. She’s not sore enough to miss a meal, but she’s sore. Poor little girl!
Leidy will visit Dr. Larry tomorrow for a progesterone test (day 5). On Friday morning very early, Holmes will be traveling to Greeley — which is lucky because he has stopped eating and barks all day — “she’s m-i-i-i-n-e”. Monday we will do another Leidy progesterone test. Thursday Chase will have his pre-flight check up because on the 28th (assuming Leidy is bred) he is flying to Atlanta where Cheryl Kienast and Susan Shields will whisk him off to herding camp.
A note to place in the “nobody would do that” category. The ER vet called me at 2:00 AM to tell me they’d not yet had a chance to clean up all of Inca’s wounds. Did I need to know that at 2:00? So, I couldn’t go back to sleep. I am cranky!
It doesn’t take much to make us desert dwellers happy. I spent the morning with a couple of 15-year old boys cleaning up weeds and leaves in the front yard. They filled the big can — took them 3-1/2 hours. A former relative said when you have one boy, it’s a boy; when you have two boys it’s half a boy — yep, that’s about right. They did a good job overall — just a little slower than I would have expected. Perhaps minimum wage equals minimum effort? Meanwhile I was inside, vacuuming, steam mopping. dusting. The white tile looks so nice when it’s clean. The buyers could come look at the house and I wouldn’t be too embarrassed — or maybe not . . .
. . . because then it rained. The rain isn’t a problem, it’s the thunder. As soon as there is a big clap. the four idjit dogs race out the dog door to chase the thunder away. They then return and leave cardi mud prints all over the floor. Sigh!
Leidy seems to have started her season today –just a little bloody show. Chase is overjoyed so we have had a couple of marking incidents in the house. Did I tell you I steam mopped the floor? Yeh — I mentioned that. Darned dogs.
Holmes is leaving Friday to visit with Wendy for ten days — half of which time will be spent in Topeka. So, it looks like he will be gone when Leidy hits the zenith of her season. Thank doG! Life will be much easier if he is not here explaining to his dad why Leidy belongs to him. That announcement by the baby would result in a serious lesson from Chase. Tentative litter due date: after October 25th.
I LOVE puppies and can barely wait. We’ll have brindles and probably some reds — maybe tris. Go Chase and Leidy!
Just in from Washington State is this photo of the handsome boy Deuce. The Chase/Magic puppies are four months old today. They are growing up happy and healthy. Eric is going to show Deuce himself — I think he’s going to have a lot of fun in the ring.
So — here’s where we are. My client found a 3 bedroom/2 bath home (about 1500 square feet) on just over an acre of land in Los Lunas. The acre is completely fenced. Unfortunately, the house has only a one car garage, but the master plan (all in my head, of course) includes turning the existing garage into a dog room and adding on a 2-1/2 car garage. The house-warming will be a “bring a tree and shovel” party because this was farmland, but it can be so very cool. . . . maybe some ducks for the dogs to herd, and an agility field. One of my longest-time friends suggested planting peach trees and have “Penni’s Peaches — U Pick ‘em”. The house is right around the corner from the site of the Valencia Valley shows.
My client also found a cash buyer for my townhouse. The buyer has kids that will be going to school at UNM and they decided it made more sense to purchase an investment property than to have the kids rent for four years. The townhouse across the street is occupied by a brother/sister who are attending UNM — so the plan is very logical.
I should know tomorrow whether this whole plot is really workable. Think good thoughts! I want me a tractor (John Deere, of course).
Other stuff:
Leidy is coming into season — Chase thinks she’s absolutely charming and she just wants to cavort.
Holmes will be going to the Topeka cluster with Wendy — but I’ve not found a ride back to Albuquerque for him (or to Amarillo where I could pick him up).
A criminal case on which I’ve been working since 2005 was dismissed today — talk about a happy client!
This is one cute girl! She’ll be four months old on Thursday and needs to go to a home where she’ll play in the conformation ring as well as in the back yard. Her personality and temperament are a pleasurable combination of Chase’s and Magic’s; her side gait is lovely. If you have an interest in this girl, use the “email penni” link under “About Me” and I’ll put you in touch with Paula and Eric who bred this litter. Both parents are OFA certified — Chase’s health test results are available on his web site.
Vicki sent new photos of Finnigin — that’s “Finn” to his friends. The cat is “Rascal” — and they match!
Every puppy needs a goose toy.
Is this not a very cute face?
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