Fall....is falling all around

This truly is my favorite time of the year. The evenings are cool ( low 40's ) and the days are comfortable. The leaves have only just begun their long slow slide into gold. Odd how only a few leaves on each tree have decided to make the change while their neighbor trees have not. I do wonder what sends the clue that fall is falling when the trees are only feet apart.

The hummingbirds have gone and the chickadees are back, as are the Stellar's Jays and the Magpies ( love them best...amazing tails!!). The chipmunks are stealing birdseed like mad and are willing to risk death-by-Pom to get them.  Our fierce hunter, Bikki, has two "kills" this week...a bird and a chipmunk. She is willing to sit for hours, motionless until the strike. Amazing since she is the most overweight and least likely hunter in the gang. For the record, the Rotties are willing and able to chase but sloooooow. They do bark a mean game though...

It has taken two years to ( sorta, kinda ) acclimate but at least this year I actually busted out the shorts and am wearing them still , albeit with a sweatshirt. After the visit to Hawaii I am THRILLED with this weather and these temps....I had forgotten ( how???) that August in the Aloha state is miserable. Hot, muggy, rainy then steamy. Ackkkkk.

Am I ready for snow ? Not exactly but I won't complain when it comes....unless it stays till April again!!

Processing.......or not

This has been a time of testing for me. I pretty much feel that I have and am failing. I am not processing the " events " of the last few weeks all that well.

My Dad, who had been diagnosed with cancer that was deemed treatable, died suddenly in his sleep in late July. The lady he loved very dearly ( I dont recall ever seeing him as happy as he was with Rita ) was kicked to the curb by step-sibs I have never met. I do not now, nor will I probably ever, have the urge to do so. What comes to mind is cursing them butt I am trying not to do that.

We were expecting grandkidlets # 11 and  #12. I was ( and am ) still in shock about my Dad when we got a call on 9 August that Ezra James had arrived...9 days early. I left NM on the 10th , arriving in Hawaii the same day and Joseph Paul was born the next evening....9 days late on 11 Aug.  We had 9-11 babies but I did not think on that then.  One daughter ended up in the hospital....either shocky or infected ( there was never a clear diagnosis ) without her baby ..Ezra. It was an extremely hard time for his Mom, Dad and sibs since as a newborn he could not be at the hospital ( sick people are there and he could have been infected with any number of horrid things)...and little Joseph, born 2 days later,  had swallowed meconium in utero, resulting in lung lesions, pneumonia and acidotic bloodwork.  For days he was confined to the nursery with IV's and constant heel stabs and could not be picked up. It was a blessing they were at the same hospital.

In truth, I have not processed any of this. Not any of it. John was here in NM, dealing with dogs that drove him crazy while I was gone and left to go see a car ( go, go , little GTO ) in AZ, which he did not buy, only to return and leave for Hawaii.

I have been picking up rocks since I got back to NM. Really. The back "yard" of our house has the most amazing collection of rocks I have ever seen. I think NM grows them. Mostly they are ankle breakers. They hid under snow and you only know you have found one as your ankle goes south when you are heading north. Did I mention that rocks are heavy and do not qualify as "pebbles" if they take two hands to lift them ( honey !!!! )?

I may post about the wonderful weather or the crazy dogs but the things that are weighing so heavy on my soul.....I am simply not processing quite yet.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Rufous...a mean lil hummingbird

You cannot tell by looking at this little guy that he is MEAN.

Gorgeous but  nasty when it comes to other hummingbirds.

\

When he flashes his throat colors he is even more beautiful.......ever tried to catch a hummingbird in flight with a camera that does not "get it" ?

That being said I love them...all of them. You can sit and watch a Mama bird come and literally "fill her belly" and watch said tiny tummy get bigger and bigger.  Bless her lil heart. The Red Devil (male, 'natch ) chases all the other humming away.

Mean

Dominant.

Sigh

Mani/Pedi....Rottie style

As you can see, Schatzi has grown....while Stryker is a pretty big boy at  113.7 lbs, Schatzi is an itty bitty 67.1 lbs. By comparison she is almost a Pom. Ok..not quite but still smaller than Thud. They have killer nails/claws, as is evidenced by the constant scrapes on my legs and arms. Not intentionally mind you....they just dont know they have razors on their paws. Most of the time they are very laid back and calm. Not so much when it comes to clipping said claws.

I tried to do it myself ( snortgigglelaugh) but unfortunately Stryker has decided he prefers NOT to have his nails " done ". No , I do not paint them although with Schatzi ( dare I even admit this ? ) I have been tempted since they do make polish expressly for dogs and she is not the most feminine lil thing. The only time since we got him that Stryker literally scared the snot out of me was the last time I tried to clip his nails.

After the scare I took him to the Vet who managed, just, to get the job done several weeks ago. OK, says I to me, I will take both for Mani/Pedi again, since John is gone and the cost ($12 per dog ) seemed worth not risking life and definately limb to do it myself and the nails are long again.

Let me just mention our Vet is a woman who makes me, at 5'4", look tall. And she is in a walking cast as a horse had the bad manners to step on her tiny little foot, breaking who knows how many bones.

I separated the double leash and sent Stryker into the bowels of hell ( or so one would have thought ) to have the evil, nasty, horrible Vet clip his claws. Have I mentioned that he is a TOTAL wimp ? Wussie ? Ok...just let me say it..he is MALE and has absolutely no tolerance for pain or even the suggestion of it ? Sexist ? You betcha!!!! But all too true.

The exam rooms at the Vet's office have swinging doors...kinda dumb unless you only deal with Poms or Chihuahuas. While Schatzi sat in the waiting area, and her head swung back and forth like Obama reading off a teleprompter, the doors kept flipping open, closed, open, closed and he was crying ( yes, crying ) like a little girl.

Soon thereafter the Vet appeared and informed me that to have Thud's claws clipped, she would have to put him under anesthesia to accomplish the clipping. Wow....really ? Not exactly suprised...I DID try and tell her it was not possible but what do I know.

Schatzi went in after he did and with nary a whimper or whine, got her nails done. Still thinking about the polish but I know I would have to explain to John why her nails are pink or purple and probably wont do it....probably.

Here is the kicker...Stryker will let me FILE his nails ( have you any idea what kind of file or effort that takes....just sayin' ) so for the next several days, since he will only let me file one or two at any given time, I will probably be found sitting on the floor, filing dog nails. I'm thinking he deserves to get HIS nails painted some obnoxious color just for being such a wuss.

Good thing they are sweet and otherwise gentle dogs.

Mountain time vs Hawaiian time......

When I lived in Hawaii there was a standing joke ( and I assume its still standing ) about how things got done on Hawaiian time. Meaning if someone providing a service was scheduled to arrive at 9am you could pretty much add an hour or two to that scheduled time before actually expecting someone to show up.

I have come to find that Mountain time lags behind Hawaiian time by days and weeks, not hours. Who knew. We are still in the process of enclosing the area under the master bath, an area that was built on columns, allowing winter winds to blow through and making it impossible to heat (this is the same bathroom that the shower froze solid for a few weeks ) and very uncomfortable to use. The contractor who put up the walls to enclose it was very timely....here at the house by 7:30am and working till daylight waned. This was done before winter arrived last year and although ugly, it did wonders in keeping out the wind and we were able to use the shower and toilet without risking frostbite. Once spring arrived said contractor recommended a drywall company to stucco and finish the walls...okey-dokey.

Little did we know that the work ethic of the contractor was a rare and unusual thing. The drywall crew set up scaffolding, if thats what it can be called, that would give an OSHA inspector heart failure. Although they did cover the ground with plastic it appears to have served little purpose as there is so much spilled stucco on the ground I dont know if it can be cleaned up. And this scaffolding and plastic has been down there for weeks. They showed up today ( they have been saying they would be here " tomorrow" for days) and told John it would only take them a few hours this morning to put the finish coat on. Seriously?

In the meantime, the Village of Angel Fire officials noticed, at least 6 months after it started, that work was being done and decided to fine us for not asking nice and getting a permit. Apparently you cant do anything here without a permit and we didnt know this. It is my fault....I want a fence in the back so the mutts can go out unattended and ask at the Village offices about building one. Gotta have a permit. Got the permit and it was the same week some high and mighty Village official took the road less traveled ( that would be ours ), saw the scaffolding and plastic and sent a letter saying we were in deep kim-chee. A $500 permit and $300 fine. Sigh.

Here we are, in a place where elk and deer and bears roam freely, what some would consider wilderness, and we are controlled by bureaucrats. It's almost funny....we couldnt get the drywall guys up here to finish the stupid job quickly but the officials are johnny on the spot. Usually bureaucrats are slower than molasses but there is money involved and that tends to speed them up a bit. Almost funny but not quite.

I would never in a million years have believed Hawaiian time was quicker but its true....Mountain time is manana....maybe, if you are lucky.

He IS a purty boy!!!

We took Stryker to the dog show in Albuquerque and he did so well. John and Zack dragged his crate into the show hall and we kept him there for a little while. One of the Rottweiler club members who is a judge ( not in the Rot ring ) suggested we take him out of the crate and see how he did. No barking, no aggression ( although he was super interested in the English bulldogs and the Poodles - probably thought those lil balls on Poodles hind ends were chew toys of some sort ) but interest only. Very calm and very good. Both judges and handlers thought he was beautiful. One of the top handlers in the country has said he would take him, train him for the ring and show him.

I am conflicted. I dont want to send him away and I dont want him shown without being there. The handler goes to shows all over the country and it is tempting to just say yes. Stryker is only 14 months old...still a big baby but he looks like the adult dogs we saw, except, of course, better looking. Still mulling things over....

Just can't do it ...

What I posted yesterday still holds true...there will be no puppies. However, comma, it will not be Stryker going under the knife. Schatzi will, when she is old enough, be the one who is neutered. With her shy, retiring attitude I dont think she would make the best of mothers. Rotties shouldn't be agressive but they shouldnt be wussies either. I know she is very young ( not yet 5 months old ) and her attitude could change but at this point I do not see her as a Rot-mom ( and I still do NOT want to mid-wife a dozen+ pups )!!!

Tomorrow we are taking Stryker to Albuquerque for a meet and greet with the NM Rottweiler club members and some handlers to see if they think he is as gorgeous as I do ( Westminster Dog Show anyone ??? ). If he is show material I think I will be getting involved doing that. I have way too much time on my hands and need something more than chipmunk counting to occupy my days when John is gone.  We shall see....

Stryker may not know it but he is one lucky dog !!