To appease all of those clamoring for a photo of Watson, here he is with his boy Ian. This dog has the greatest expression — and super Cardi ears. Thank you for the photo, Alden.
Alden sent me this photo of Watson (Holmes’ lone sibling). It was taken last week while they were at Lake Tahoe. Denise Sponsler was the photog. It looks to me like Watson spent much time in the lake. He’s such a cute boy! By the way, someone asked Alden if Watson’s ears are real 
Tom and Carolyn were on their way back to Orygun by 7:30 this morning. Tom has caught a cold so Carolyn was at the helm of their C-Mystery blue Element. We had such a nice visit. We played with dogs, went to Old Town (ask Tom to show you his kaleidoscope which is truly stunningly beautiful), watched/photographed the sunset over the valley, cooked a pork roast steeped in green chile, had green chile cheeseburgers at the Owl Cafe. Last night Carolyn and I worked at completing information for dogs already listed on The Cardigan Archives. This morning we made a valiant attempt to finish off most of the “King Cake” sent to me by my Louisiana client. Their cooler is packed with almost 10 pounds of frozen roasted green chile and dog meals for two nights. There is a variety of new T-shirts.
Phoebe was packed into the car with Alice and Molly. Bye Feebs — I’ll miss you, funny girl. Thank you for giving us Holmes and Watson. Having only silly Holmes, the Dink, and Chase seems like very few dogs. I’ll get over that feeling soon. I wish I’d win the lottery so I had more free time to spend with friends that wander to New Mexico.
. . . and it isn’t over yet.
My murder case has taken an interesting turn. It appears that all charges, except First Degree Murder, are barred by the Statute of Limitations. There is absolutely no way that this case is a first degree murder case — so I don’t know what the District Attorney’s Office will decide to do. They should dismiss, but there will be a huge public outcry. On this case, it feels as if I’m just along for the ride. The facts are just falling out as they are.
Phoebe — is fine. She’s happy and wagging — back to the old Phebes. Thank goodness the vet was able to squeeze us in. She goes back next week for a white blood count, and then it looks like she’ll trek back to Orygun with Tom and Carolyn. She’s been sequestered in the kitchen. When I came in tonight, she squeezed by me to get into the living room with the other dogs. A few minutes later, she was bounding up the stairs — OMG — but she’s fine. Tonight she ate without taking a breath. I think she’s on the mend!
. . . which brings me to the kitchen. The cabinet guy told me it would be at least two more weeks before he could get the cabinets installed. Tom and Carolyn will be here next Friday, so that cabinet-installation timing doesn’t work for me. In addition to which, for the past month, I have been leaving the office every single day around noon to go home and let dogs out because they have no access to their dog door. I’m so tired of hauling their food upstairs to prepare it in the bathroom, and washing dishes in a plastic box in the bathtub, and carrying that cute Holmes-puppy down the stairs. I’m tired of the refrigerator being in the dining room and the coffee maker and microwave on a folding table in the living room. TWO MORE WEEKS!!! However, today one of my long-time clients, who was probably tired of me looking so exhausted, gave me one of his construction guys for the week. I’m meeting him at the house at 5:00, we’re going to go pick up the base cabinet “boxes”, which are available at Lowes. He’ll paint the fronts to match my other cabinets, install the old doors and drawers and they should be in by Tuesday. The price is so much lower than the quote by the other cabinet maker that I should be able to get a new sink, faucet, and counter top for the same money. And Tom and Carolyn, Alice and Molly, will be able to stay at the house. I don’t know when it’s going to be cleaned (or by whom), but I’ll cross that bridge later.
Tomorrow we’ll send a FedEx box to Washington to try to make “Machas” — you can try to work that out, and eventually I’ll tell you who the “Ma” part is.
When I came downstairs this morning, Phoebe was up and wagging. She’s still not wanting to eat so I’ll pick up some liver and take it home to her.
I was getting ready for work, turned on the water in the walk-in shower, and Holmes streaked past me. He proceeded to shower himself, shaking water all over in the shower, then jumping out onto the bathmat to shake again. He is a baddog in training.
If I just had a kitchen, life would be approaching normal again.
Lucky I didn’t decide to splurge on new cabinets 
but the old girl is home tonight. She looks fine, told Chase off when he went over to the kitchen gate to say hi. She’s wearing a hot pink bandage on her front leg covering a catheter — just in case we need to put her back on an IV. Maybe she blames him for all of this. He’s now sleeping in front of the gate to keep her company. Her eyes look much better today. My vet says that if we hadn’t operated yesterday, she probably would not have made it. We’ll do a follow-up blood panel in a week to make sure her white count is back to normal.
I’m going to find some dinner now — but wanted to update everybody on the health of the lovely Phebes.
I am grateful that I kept baby Holmes, as it turns out that he and Watson are the last of Phoebe’s children. Phoebe has been picking at her food the past couple of days — which I chalked up to pregnancy. She hasn’t seemed very perky — which I chalked up to pregnancy. Last night she refused a slice of banana — whoa! I can’t imagine pregnancy causing that. This morning she did not look well. Her eyes were strange, out of focus, and with some discharge. I called the vet and he fit me in at 2:30. X-rays and ultrasound later — there are no puppies, there was a firm mass in one horn of the uterus. Phoebe was promptly taken to surgery and spayed; she had pyometra. The large firm mass was an encased glob of non-resorbable sutures from a prior C-section. Her white blood count was very high and the toxicity in her body was creating pressure behind her eyes. Poor Phebes. I feel so badly.
She is fine, well hydrated, on pain meds, spending the night at my vet’s office. I’ll fetch her in the morning. She’ll be staying downstairs — I just can’t carry another dog up and down stairs.
We’re so sad though
I can get into the kitchen, laundry room, half bath area again. Although the washer and dryer are usable, there are no toilet, sinks, counters. However the dog door has been installed on the inside of the house. Today the dogs followed me into that area. Inca and Phoebe looked askance at the new dog door. It has a much neater profile, no huge frame (last one was supposed to be electronic), and the flaps are not clear. Holmes, however, knew that was the dog door and out he went — to the relative freedom of the backyard where he’s not been for a month. Once the ladies saw that the whippersnapper could navigate the new door, they were also out. Note in this photo that the wall has a “peachy tone”. It’s a white wall, but the accent wall is tinting everything around it. By the end of the week, we should be back in the demolition area and the canine gang can once again avail itelf of the pleasures at the back of the house.
Meanwhile, this is day 20 since Phoebe ovulated. Here’s how she looks from overhead. I think her loin area is filling in — a good sign since last pregnancy there was little physical evidence until her fifth week — and she had only two puppies! Today her girth measures 21-1/2″. I’ll measure once a week — I don’t want to annoy her any more than that.
So, Inca, do you have a plan?
What do you mean — you’re outta’ here?
“Stuff” happens in clumps, or piles, or bundles: I still have no kitchen. The cost of new cabinets (even reasonably priced cabinets) was w-a-a-a-y more than the cost of rebuilding the base “boxes”, putting the old doors back on and touching up the paint — so, I don’t get new cabinets after all. The new dog door has the same sized dog opening as did the old one, but the old frame was much larger. The handyman had to re-frame the opening. So that meant drywall patching on the inside and stucco repair on the outside. Darn! The painter can’t get started until Monday — so another weekend of no washer and dryer. Last Sunday when I went to vist Brock and Angela’s laundry room, they introduced me to Wii bowling. Boy do I suck at that! The only good thing I can think of, off hand, is that I don’t have to be hospitality chair for the TDX this weekend — because I can’t make coffee or make dessert or put together a salad — ’cause there is no kitchen here!
Yesterday Inca and Chase went down to Los Lunas to visit Dr. Donny. Chase’s elbows were re-xrayed because OFA didn’t like the angle at which they were originally filmed — not a problem with the elbows — more of a problem with the nut behind the wheel. Inca was de-barked. I feel terrible about it, but she is a constant yapper, and she has a pitch that makes your head ring. So, Inca is now the silent Red Goddess. Apparently there was a dog in season at the clinic. Chase came home looking for someone to breed and it took until this morning for him to settle down.
Yesterday I spent a couple hours with the head District Attorney, the Chief Assistant, and the Deputy DA for Violent crimes. This morning’s newspaper headline is “Police Dig for Body Under Garage”. The attorney representing another party in the case and I met with clients and families until after 8:00 last night. . . . dragging tired this morning.
The Phebes is going into her “I’m pregnant” routine. Her loin is already filling in a bit, she is super loving, her coat gleams. I hope she’s not just foolin’ around with me. I’ll try to get a now photo to compare as we go along — it’s sort of a blogging tradition to show the ever widening midsection.
Holmes just keeps getting cuter. He loves his puppy class — and everything else we do. What a sweet little guy! He still runs up the stairs every chance he gets. He now weighs close to 20 pounds and carrying him downstairs is becoming a chore. However, I stand two steps down, bend over and he throws his front paws around my neck to prepare for the ride. I can’t be too angry. . . . except . . . I just found a couple of bras under the daybed. I sort and fold laundry on it — lately I seem to store clean laundry on it — and some dogs stole some intimate garments and took them under the bed to play with. I need to order more bras.
Another storm is moving in — should be here tonight. Boy I wish there would be a huge snow storm and everything would shut down for a day.
I’m accepting Patricia McConnell’s challenge to describe my dogs in six words. It really required a lot of thought to capture the essence so succinctly. But, here it goes . . .
Inca – Bossy, sweet, sheep adorer, bed cuddler
Chase – exuberant, brash, bold, loyal, laughing, athletic
Holmes – wagging, smiling, along for the ride
Kip – Always where he needs to be
Phoebe (even though she’s borrowed) – brassy, gravel voiced, clown, couch potato
Monday evening when I arrived home from work, in my headlights I saw something near the garage door.
The note said that we’ve had a great neighbor relationship for the past two years. The relationship is important to us. Thank you for taking care of the dogs barking.
In some ways it made me feel even worse than I did when I realized the dogs were barking their fool heads off. I love these neighbors though and am so glad I could take some steps to reduce the annoying barking. Inca is scheduled to be debarked on February 8th, and after she has puppies, Phoebe will be going home to Carolyn and Tom’s country spread. The boys aren’t barkers (well, except for right now as Chase tells Phoebe she “is too wanting to be bred”). So, the old homestead should be far more pleasant within the next few months.
The flood repair lingers on. The mold remediation is done, the samples passed inspection. The drywaller will start working tomorrow morning. I’m faxing estimates for the new cabinets to the adjuster, and I purchased the paint for the accent walls (a soft peachy color called “Patty Cake”). I want my kitchen back (and my dog door).
In other news: Kip’s “dad” Jim was sent to the Cleveland Clinic by air ambulance yesterday.
My elder son has been hired as assistant volleyball coach at the Air Force Academy. His best friend is the new head coach. So, Marc and Debi leave tomorrow to look at homes in the Colorado Springs area. I’ll miss them so much. On the other hand, one of my favorite judges will be doing the Herding Group at the Colorado Springs shows the first weekend in June. I wonder how soon Marc and Debi can get moved?
Chase and I have been working in obedience. I’m determined to have him ready for his CD (try) at the May High Desert cluster. It’s four trials in four days. So, can we do it?
We’re enrolled in competitive obedience class and Chase has been through Basic and Intermediate Novice. He’s earned his RN. We practice at the office. Let’s go Chase-man, we can do it.
Tonight I decided to see what we needed to work on so we went to run-throughs at the obedience club. Chase climbed up into a chair to watch while we waited for our turn. It was his first time off-lead in a ring situation. They started with the long sits and downs so we could do them with the Open Dogs. Chase stood up two minutes into the long down, gave me an “Oh S**t” look and quickly laid back down. He had forgotten what we were doing. Afterward I realized that he had never been on a down stay for more than 90 seconds so getting to two minutes was pretty good. In addition, his brain has spent the week in his back end with the lovely Phoebe in standing heat. Other than the gaff on the long down, he was really good. No problem with the long sit. He dances when he’s heeling, smiling his head off, gallops on the recall, stood for exam with a little shifting of his front feet (points off, but qualifying). He has the most instant sits I’ve ever worked with. It was just too much fun — for both of us. Love working with this boy.
Oh, and about Phoebe. He bred her last night and she’s now done with him — just toss him out with the trash. Poor Chase. He doesn’t understand how she could be so fickle.
This is my 699th post — and it is to report that Phoebe’s progesterone level as of 3:00 yesterday was 13.6. So, she has ovulated and eggs should be ripening today. We’ll make sure we are covered with an AI if we don’t get a natural breeding. Fingers crossed please!
ps If we are successful, puppies will be due on March 23rd. Perhaps a puppy party in conjunction with the High Desert 4-day cluster, May 15 through 18???
This is the third day of having no kitchen and having loads of (strange) people at my house. Yesterday all the offending drywall was cut out and the walls, wood supports were scrubbed down with something that has a lot of chlorine in it. A big blower was set up in the kitchen and roared through the night — drying all the chemicals. Two workers were there when I left this morning. They said they will finish with the remediation today. The EPA inspector will be out tomorrow to make sure they got every last spore. It’s my understanding that then the inside of the walls will be sprayed with a plastic coating. So, on Friday, the construction crew will take out the rest of the cabinets and begin drywalling and taping and mudding and texturing. Paint comes after that — so I need to go find my accent color. Hmmm . . . that can’t happen tonight because there is a Lady Lobo basketball game and tomorrow night Chase has class. Friday evening Chase has Novice run-throughs (this will be his first try at off-lead heeling). It looks like Saturday will be paint-finding day. I have a bunch of samples and have taped them to walls, but with the kitchen blocked off, I’ve not seen the samples with lots of light on them. I think I’ll go with a pale tangerine — warm and hopefully inviting. The new cabinets? I have no idea how that works, but I’m going to look at what’s out there to get an idea. There is a cabinet seller who carries Anderson “green” cabinets. They are made from renewable woods (like bamboo) — I wonder if that’s in my adjuster’s budget.
Day 9 — that’s for the Phebe. She’s flagging, invites Chase to investigate, but then walks away. My “better safe than sorry” switch flipped on this morning, and we did an AI. If she’s ready, or close to ready, there will be long distance swimmers heading for eggs. Since the girls are the ones with the stamina, an early breeding is more appealing than a late one. Jump in here and disagree if you’d like. Anyway, there seems to be lots more where this dose came from. I was also thinking that the AI might make Chase take a closer look at Phebes and find her more attractive. We are going to continue the detective theme with this repeat: Scarpetta (”M.E.”), Miss Marple (”Christie” — thanks Elaine, that’s a good one), Nancy Drew, Pepper Anderson. If we got four girls, I would be one happy camper. If there are more, we’ll need some more girl detective names — and I will be deliriously happy. There seem to be loads of male detective names, so I’m just not worried about them: Adrian Monk, Clouseau, Alex Cross (is that correct?). So, go little swimmers — make me happy!
It’s raining in Albuquerque and is predicted to continue raining for most of the week. There is nothing like the smell of wet dogs! This is Holmes’ favorite way to spend a rainy evening. First, helping his Dad explore his mom — precocious little guy!
Then, just enjoying that Kong.
It makes no difference that Inca dumped a cushion on top of him.
G’night, Chase, g’night, Inca, g’night, Phoebe — and, all together — g’night, Holmes.
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