Ann’s Weblog

In the mail last week, I received a special surprise. This was from the same Aunt who sent me an original letter that my Mom had sent her many years ago. Aunt Carolyn sent me an original wedding invitation from our (my sister’s and my) parents:

My reason for obscuring our mother’s maiden name might be obvious.

It is so touching to have this item from the past, as my sister and I lost our mother when Mom was only 46 years old. TODAY, February 27th, happens to be her birthday… had she lived, she would have been 85 years old. If we to wish it, we would also want her to be in good health.

We have a stepmother who stepped up to the plate, so to speak, when she married our Dad in 1970. My sister and I are “good people” and we were not bad when teens, but still, the role of stepmother is not an easy one. We love you, Myrtle, and thank you for your gifts, in all ways.

This pretty little dog is “Sugar”. I stop by her owner’s office a few times per year just to clip Sugar’s toenails, and then once annually, I scissor off some of the long coat. I try not to destroy her unique “tousled” look, which just melts my heart. To me she looks a bit like a Dr. Seuss character. Sugar is a petite pet with a huge heart.

Yesterday I clipped a Shih Tzu named Ozzie. I didn’t get his photo taken, but he would have made a nice portrait. Perhaps next time.

While I was grooming Ozzie, I got a phone call from a friend who reported that her beloved terrier had survived what they believe was a coyote attack. It is entirely possible that a small dog can survivive such an ordeal… perhaps Snoopy was cornered just by one young coyote. My friend asked me to come over with scissors to help inspect the wounds, as she thought he had several punctures but no serious gashes.

I gathered up my electric clippers (which Snoopy is quite accustomed to), and my grooming shears, a comb, tube of antibiotic ointment, and a small muzzle. What I wasn’t prepared for was that my friend’s irascible husband (of more than 50 years) disagreed about the need for doing any such clipping and inspection. He announced with confidence that he had smoothed the matted and bloody hair over Snoopy’s wounds, thereby stopping the “leaks” at the time of the injury, which was almost two days before! The elderly man did not feel that we should clip around the wounds because the little dog might “leak” again.

I was diplomatic (I’ve been intimidated by the man for 25 years) but suggested that the fur pressed over the open wounds would NOT promote healing, and in fact could lead to infection quite quickly. So then, Mr. L proceeded to be even ruder to his wife, while I took some of the commentary personally (“YOU think ointment is the cure for everything!”)… and I hadn’t even got MY trusty tube of medication out of my pocket yet.

The upshot of all of this is that Snoopy’s master demanded we bring out a tub of warm water with salt in it, so that HE could “bathe the wounds”. What a mess was made… the little dog ended up wetted, but without any of us being able to clean or inspect a single puncture wound (the bloody coat was obscuring everything). The whole time Mr. L was nasty to his wife regarding whether the cloths were wet enough, or if she handed them over fast enough, “We’re doctoring a DOG here, not SOCIALIZING!” he exclaimed. I was so uncomfortable that I almost bailed, but I knew that would not improve the mood in that household.

In the end, my trip and my time was wasted, except that I always enjoy seeing my friend (the Mrs. in the family). Another day we will have a better visit. I’m going to do a follow-up phone call, partly because Snoopy is “due” for general grooming, and so that perhaps I can convince said Mr. to let me take the dog to clean up the injuries. The victim is probably quite bruised, so as long as he doesn’t contract infection, he’ll be walking better and acting more like himself in a few days. Gary says, the trouble with all of this, is that if the dog gets sicker, Mr. L will say it’s YOUR fault because you went over there and “Didn’t do anything!”. Makes life interesting, no ? Perhaps I should have muzzled Mr. L..

This is a picture of Snoopy at a better time. We all certainly hope he makes a complete recovery from his ordeal. The man who owns him calls Snoopy a “Jack Russell Terrier”, but Snoopy is actually progeny from a Wire Haired Fox Terrier mother, bred to a Yorkshire Terrier. He’s a handsome laddy, by any name.

I have to get a move on! The driveway is sheer ice at the moment… one can’t walk safely from cars or out to the shop or the kennels. I’m going out to spread some sand and gravel, and then away to town to deliver Sugar back to her owner.

Love, Ann

Ah well, around here a weekday isn’t much different from a weekend, but I thought I’d place a title there.

Actually I did mostly relax yesterday, Sunday. Went for breakfast with friends, for a long time, too, and the food plus the company was awesome. The day was gorgeous and I spent it in solitude except for all my doggy guests, who are so sweet and loving. Speaking of which… Gary was away just for the weekend visiting his daughter in Nelson.

On Saturday, I groomed this large flame-point siamese cross cat. He is a regular visitor, meaning that once per year he is brought out so that I can clip his matts off. I didn’t feel like I was doing my whole job if I didn’t bath him, as he smelled like a heavy smoker. Here he is:

Kitty is not nearly as disgruntled as he appears: he was as patient as can be during the clipping, and the bath didn’t seem to faze him either. At no time did he strike or bite at me. Good Kitty.

Today I have just one dog to clip. She’s only about 12″ tall but is morbidly obese. I’m not saying that to be unkind… to keep a dog in that condition is unkind to THEM. The poor doggie can hardly walk let alone jump or play. Her owner is waiting for a call to go for some surgery and will leave the dog with me. I’ll worry constantly.

Just got a call about going out for lunch, so I’d better “get a move on”. Back later. Love you guys. ~ Ann

Finished grooming for the day, except for complimentary toenail clipping for a few boarders. Meet Izzy:

Also above is the little Jack Russell who just needed a shampoo and toenails clipped. Poor little guy spent the night in the “village” lock-up, with his owner searching all night for him. They are reunited, but the dog smelled like a dirty cement floor, and I even “Febreezed” his collar.

I’m leaving again… time to feed puppies again and pick up after them too. ~ Ann

This is a fine old dog, Bailey, who I groomed yesterday. Bailey was as gentle as a lamb to clip and bathe. He soon felt better about resting in Gary’s chair too, after looking so disconcerted at first.

Today it just seems like I’ve been running… to get the phone, to get the kennels clean (those little puppies are real poopers!), to get a poodle and a Jack Russell terrier groomed, to answer the phonecalls that the machine got, etc.. I keep thinking I’ll have some time to sew yet this winter, but of course my first priority is the pet care.

So now, I’ll run along again. Just wanted to post Bailey’s picture as I had promised. Thank you, Shirley, for your business.

It was awe inspiring to witness the Lunar Eclipse last night. I didn’t take a good picture so I found one on the Internet and used it with permission:

I also found this fun link which demonstrates the actual eclipse “as it happens”:

Lunar Eclipse

Enjoy! I’m running off again. Love, ~ Ann

A friend just emailed me this nifty thing:

Here is little Joey. He’s a miniature poodle, but he’s a farm dog with a huge heart. We don’t really clip him like a poodle… just occasional trims to keep him from getting matted or too many ice balls in his paws. Joey is a pleasant dog when being groomed here, but he is the “pack leader” at home, not allowing his dear owner to do work that she wants to do on him. Oh, what would the Dog Whisperer say?

During the week, we had some heavy snowfall. It’s all relative though; in this Valley, up to a few years ago, we were quite accustomed to getting 4 to 6 feet of snow. Newcomers to the valley complain when we get even a foot or two. Of course, it seems just cause to complain when Gary has to do THIS three times in a week:

Okay, now I’m REALLY going to run along and bake brownies. ~ Ann

I was sent this free monitor cleaning device and I know you’ll want it too:

Screen Washer

Click on the link… it is safe.

Sorry I haven’t been back here for quite a few days, again. Life goes on just as usual. People are getting so tired of winter and are asking if I’ve ordered plants or started any seeds… I haven’t yet!

For my part, I haven’t really been feeling “rested”; these colder, snowy months are my time to regroup. I definitely should have ordered perennial roots, shrubs and trees before now, but time has flown since shutting down garden operations in September/October. I still have sewing, reading and income tax to do, while still “addicted to” Scrabulous (scrabble in Facebook) and Chatting.

Last night in the chat room, I kept quiet for a long time while my nemesis and her friend (or “frenemy” as she calls some people who report to her…) said some appallingly hateful things about a chatter who had been ill. She doesn’t even acknowledge that one of the chatters of whom she inquires, has quit coming to the Room because of her (of THEIR) spitefulness. Eventually I asked, “Why do you two have to be so cruel?”, and unleashed a whole pile of venom and abuse upon myself… according to “them” I’m a “f*cktard” (this is the ONLY person I have heard use that word!), and I’m paranoid and furthermore I have a “stupid” blog! They said, “Go whine in your blog…” . It’s MY blog and I’ll cry if I want to. The “friend” of my nemesis has told me that the SPCA will come calling on us because we have wooden dog houses instead of stainless steel, and we are still waiting. Gary says I should look up the phone number for them and post it in the room. When I told that malevolent person that I had had a meal with the SPCA representative for this area (which is the truth) he said that I was a liar because that person is based in Vancouver. You can’t have it both ways, Bucko… if it’s not too far to come for an inspection, it’s not too far to come for a meal…. and they’ve been with us for a meal. The SPCA actually wanted to appoint us as directors for this area, but we have declined, because we want people to ask for help with their pets and horses, not worry about being judged.

Tugger, the long term boarder, finally went home. The deal ended well, but the young man who owned the dog had kept me guessing until it was an extremely stressful situation. I thought perhaps we were already “stuck with” another dog! Our dog Lady was such a case… she was dropped off for “four days” and is still here 2 years later, and we are SO VERY happy with her. In 22 years of business, I never had had an abandoned dog, and then Lady and her half-brother were left here. Last November, Tugger came to stay with us, and his owner paid for one month and then kept us guessing as to when he was going to pay board again OR pick up the dog. In the end, as I said, it turned out fine, but I felt like I was holding my breath for almost three months! Especially for new customers who are also strangers, I MUST print out a waiver which would declare the pet to be “ours” when not claimed or paid for after a certain amount of time. Whether such a document gives one any legal leg to stand on is moot… it would give certain owners incentive to keep in touch, and we are also prepared to be flexible.

Had a great Sunday breakfast with our friends. Mary and I are running the concession for another production of Sharon’s play tomorrow night. I can hardly wait to see it again! I’ve overcome my lack of confidence as far as the concession goes; Sharon said that we added “class” to that facet of the evening, with our freshly ground “good” coffee, other beverages, and home baking. ANY evening with an event written and produced by Sharon has its own lofty level of class! She has given amateur and more seasoned actors some great opportunities, not only in our little town but in much bigger centres; unfortunately she doesn’t have her own website that I can send you to.

So, I’d better run along and get some baking done and start pizza crust for dinner tonight.

I certainly appreciate my friends who read this blog, even though our lives are pretty quiet.

Love, Ann

We had a large Alsatian boarding with us, just overnight. This is Kelef, who is a young dog, but eager to please. Click to see the bigger picture or print.

Kelef looks rather small lounging beside the dryer, but he is an outstanding example of his breed, handsome and big. He was not happy about being shampooed (I only have the family tub in which to bath dogs at this time) and as he tried to go through the wall on the other side of the tub, three large ceramic tiles came off. So I had some shower stall repair to do as well as trying to get Kelf dry in the time I had left. I had a work out!

We need Mike Holmes to come and do a complete bathroom makeover. It was a huge improvement to take out the “tub surround” which was there when I bought this house, but the tiles were installed (by me) over the existing gyproc, and now have moisture behind them, especially on the bottom row. The floor is spongy in one spot by the tub, under the linoleum; I replaced one small section of subfloor before I put new vinyl tiles in the bathroom, but we need new fixtures and waterproof shower stall & bath, new subfloor and flooring, new vanity and more. While we’re at it, we have talked about buying a low water use toilet as well. Home improvement, maintenance and repair is so costly and we’re just trying to chip away at what we need as we can afford it. We keep buying lottery tickets.

I don’t have too much else on the agenda today. I had planned to go to the bank, but it is storming outside again. A week or so ago, I sent a cheque to a friend in the U.S. to help with a huge ordeal that her family is going through; now we find out that her bank will not cash a Canadian cheque without sending it back to the Canadian bank for conversion and then charging $16.50! I’m furious about that, though of course I didn’t want to make a fuss and make my friend feel worse. I told her to rip up the cheque and that I would replace it with a U.S. money order. I want to make it REALLY S I M P L E for the American bank to cooperate. My bank in “small town” B.C. cheerfully cashes personal cheques from the States and EVEN accepts money orders which read, “Cashable only in the United States of America”. I receive the various forms of currency for items I sell on eBay, or for my Raggedy Ann dolls.

I finally started the newest Ann Rule Crime Files collection last night. I’ve been playing Scrabulous and Chatting, and even I can’t believe the book sat unread for a few weeks. I like Ann Rule’s full length books, but particularly enjoy her collections because I can sometimes finish a story in an evening. I couldn’t stay awake long enough to do so last night, but as always, I’m finding her writing fascinating.

Back at the computer so soon.

Here is Scruffy, who is visiting for the weekend while his family is at a local hockey tournament:

He’s a dear little dog who is well mannered in our house.

And, so is “Dandy” well mannered:

Sometimes there are just not enough spaces for dogs and beds in the house per se, and we have guests in “kennel” rooms in my heated grooming shop. Overnight, an energetic young labrador “Shelby” got bored (despite having quiet neighbour dogs AND piped in radio) and demolished her expensive doggy bed. Perhaps she didn’t like the station CBC! Later I’ll try to post a picture of this gorgeous dog, but not the scrap of fabric and pile of fluff that was once her bed. At the moment Shelby is gleefully watching the world outdoors and barking at a magpie who threatens to steal her food.

Hey! I forgot to tell you that we went to hear a band called Van Django last weekend. Their music is billed as “gypsy swing” and was a wonderful night of jazz. Here is their website: Van Django .

ALSO… even MORE exciting was the play produced by our friend Sharon of “Wishbone Productions”. The setting was a homey cafe, where “locals” from the Robson Valley told stories and sang. The talent was amazing and the night was full of laughs and nostalgia. I ran the concession for the event, with help from Mary and Linda. I wanted to post a link to an article about this remarkable occasion of theatre, but unfortunately, our local newspaper’s website needs some work.

Okay… this is all for now, again. ~ Ann