Ann’s Weblog

This is how I’m going to cope with writing my blog until we get the new keyboard. I’ve composed this text on my laptop, sent it to the other computer, and can now post something that makes sense (at least as much as usual!).

A week ago, I cleaned the Mac’s keyboard too aggressively, and now some keys do not work. I’ve gone through the whole processes of blaming self, and the expense of ordering a replacement. It is not very amusing to try to do anything without the space bar, the “a” key, the “v” key, and “shift”… it’s hard to spell “uromastyx” and “Revelstoke” and many other words I wanted to use.

Lucky for me, I can still copy and paste, so I will attempt to accomplish this small task. I particularly wanted to post pictures of “Spike”, the Uromastyx (lizard).

Spike has seemed hale and hearty while with us … she basks on her rock, eats with enthusiasm, and shows more animation than she has in past visits.

This is her daily meal of lettuce, shredded carrot and, today, her vitamin supplement. It’s fascinating to watch her dine, as she chooses which bites she wants. Who’d have guessed I could get so much out of babysitting a lizard?

I haven’t got around to taking pictures of the bunny, and Makalu and Shiloh, who belong to the same family as Spike. Perhaps I will get to that tomorrow.

We have an amazingly full house today… beside the aforementioned, we have Chico, Teddy, Raina, Sasha, Bailey, Charlie and Axel.

I had a relatively quiet week. Gary was skiing with friends Rob, Ruth, and Dennis in Revelstoke and Golden. They had a good time, though there is not enough snow for GREAT skiing.

Pictured are Dennis, Ruth and Rob at the top of “Kill the Banker” at Mount Revelstoke, a run that Gary said should be named, “Kill the Skier”. The other picture is of some ice climbers… the tiny dots at the bottom of that phenomenal rock face.

It’s a beautiful clear day today, somewhat colder than it has been in the last week. While Gary was away, I couldn’t start the tractor. The day after we got a new lot of snow (and winds that made it drift to fill up our driveway), I got out the walk-behind snowblower, and that solved the problem of making the road passable again.

One last word… if I have spelled something wrong, I may not be able to fix it too easily, without sending myself another whole email. So be patient please!

~ Love, Ann

Yesterday I groomed Bender, a poodle cross. He has many relatives in our town, and they all have the same cottony coat which matts easily. Though we know how well cared for this dog is, I had to clip him short.

He seemed to enjoy his day at the “dogspa”, and his truck rides (I picked him up and delivered him home”.

I’ve had a joyful and peaceful week. I was thrilled to let our friend Brian adopt the beautiful golden retriever “Shiloh”. All the dogs that I groomed were cooperative, so the work was pleasant. The boarding pets were sweet. Gary got in a couple of days of skiing, and though I miss him, I’m thrilled that he can have those breaks.

Later today I will have Missy to board, and another labrador which requires some extra nursing care, Axel, and Cody … more about those guys later. I have Duke and Duchess, (the basset hounds from Jasper), Smudge, Chico and Lacey. I don’t have any grooming scheduled for today, but I need to do some tidying in my shop.

For anyone who is following the story of the Renshaw horses… follow this link:
Horse Rescue

The guests require feeding, walking and loving… so I need to run along. Take care, everyone. XXX ~ Ann

This is Ooly, a handsome labrador who is staying with us for a few days. Both he and his owners were a bit unsure of themselves when they arrived this morning, but Ooly has settled in well:

He has become my “shadow” around the house, and is no trouble at all.

I got a phonecall this morning, and it seems that I have an adoptive home for the Golden Retriever, Shiloh.

On with my day.  ~ Ann

Really all I have to share today is this pic of Willow. She is a lovely little shih tzu cross, always patient and gentle for grooming, and while waiting for her ride home. In her household, there are two other small dogs… a wee chihuahua cross aptly named “Turbo”, and a young female shih tzu named Ginger. The owners of these 3 little girls report that they are getting a king-sized bed to accommodate the whole canine family, and renovating the bedroom in order for the bed to fit!

It has been a rather quiet day. I’ve spent a little time cleaning in my grooming shop/workshop/reading room/storage facility. I have taken many turns at Lexulous, on Facebook. Other than grooming one small dog, I haven’t accomplished anything that can pay bills, but c’est la vie. Oh… we do have a few boarders too.

Yesterday I allowed a friend to “surrender” a golden retriever to me for adoption. She willingly wrote a note that Shiloh is mine to keep or find a home for. This is a beautiful 9 months old female dog, and I consented to having her here to help my friend out. I will try to post a picture of Shiloh soon, so that I can let people see her online.

So that’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by… ~ Ann

that January could have flown by so fast? We always speak of our winters as being so long, but suddenly it seems half over. We can have cold and snow even into April, but somehow this feels like the “home “stretch”.

While sitting at the computer I took a picture of Axel, who is a regular guest. We babysit him while his owner works as a nurse at the hospital, for her shifts of three days or nights at a time. Axel leaps out of the vehicle and trots up to the house, always cheerful. He doesn’t need to be on a leash, and comes and goes from the house with our own dog, Lady. He is hilarious to watch as he bounds through the deep snow… he looks like the mythical Ogopogo on Okanagan Lake, almost serpentine.

I just had a week where I groomed six shih tzu, or shih tzu cross dogs, and they were all well behaved for me. Many pet grooming shops do more than six dogs per DAY, but this is my shop and my career and I’m loving it still. Here are two of the little gals which had a hair cut and shampoo:

This is Sophie and Sarah, who are sisters/littermates. Sarah just raised a litter of 4 puppies, and they were all spoken for, well before weaning. I can vouch for the great temperament of both of these young dogs.

Yesterday I didn’t accomplish very much besides boarding dog care, a modicum of housework, quite a few word games played on the computer, and the guinea pig’s cage changed. Remember Squeak?

Yes, a guinea pig can eat a mountain of produce per day. That is red leaf lettuce that Squeak is eating, not discoloured scraps. We have no limit of good hay for him, but the piggy really prefers the fresh food.

I think I have a great number of “turns” waiting for me in the game “Lexulous” on Facebook. I start many games, and then we all end up going to bed (or going to work, depending which part of the world players are from). When I get up in the mornings, or turn on the computer after breakfast, I have some catching up to do.

Take care, all. I hope you are well. ~ Ann