Too Strange to be True!

Just a short post:  I just heard on the news that my doctor died over the weekend!  I'm still reeling over this - she was found dead in her boyfriend's house - in the chimney!!!  I don't have all of the details yet, but apparently she was trying to get into the house in his absence and tried to go through the chimney?!?  Something ain't right here.

Why wouldn't she break a window?  Maybe afraid it would set off an alarm?  Could it be that she had a little too much to drink and wasn't thinking straight?  Could she have had a mental breakdown? 

Dr. Kotarac was just 49.  She was a brilliant lady - right now I can't begin to remember all of her awards and titles, but this was no 3rd world country bumpkin.  An autopsy wasn't completed at the time of the report, so that will prove to be interesting.  It's such a shame and what a loss to our community!  She was loved and respected by a lot of folks....

You Have No Idea ...

 This is "Jay" Leno - our resident Scrub Jay.

... how very much I appreciate all of the kindness shown to me and hubman.  Your comments just make me realize what a wonderful community we have, here on our blogs!  I've been at this for some time and it still boggles my mind that we can care so deeply about people we may have never met!  ♥♥♥

I now remember what it's like having a toddler in the house, but one with little razor-sharp puppy teeth! Homer is one active little guy and smart, too.  He's figured out how to get out of the doggie door but we're not ready for him to be outside on his own.  We've got a few too many gaps in the fence, so hubman is headed to Lowe's for some fixin' stuff.  

We were doing really well with the potty stuff, too, but we're regressing and running out of Resolve!  I feed him, immediately take him outside and wait, and wait, and wait.  Give up and bring him in.  He poops.  He's got it all backwards now. (But, thankfully - never thought I'd say this - the carpet in this place is on the top of the list for replacement.  Couldn't be a better time to house train a pup!)

And poor Katie!  She's such a sweet natured little girl, and all he does is pester the daylights out of her.  He hides and dive bombs her just like cats do, so she runs away from him.  Ha!  Now he thinks he's the Alpha Pup!  She's finally starting to growl and bark at him.  I know they'll work stuff out...

Again, you guys mean a heck of a lot to me and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you are!

Meet Homer....

This has been a crappy week.  I was getting back into the swing of blogging regularly, but our Mini Schnazuer began to fail rapidly, so we made that gut-wrenching decision to euthanize her.  It will be a week ago tomorrow.  This was one very special pup - exceptionally bright - and she had such expressive eyes.  When she looked at you she was asking questions: "What can I do?  Do you need me, right now...?"  Our little Shih Tzu, while very lovable, just wants to be loved...nothing else, nothing more.  And that's a good thing, too.

We held Zoey in our arms while the doctor gave her the injection.  It was a very peaceful, gentle death.  She will always be in our memories...

We made a decision to find another dog, against popular belief.  But we thought it would be the best for us and for Katie.  Katie has had surgery, put up with that stupid collar for ten days, lost her sister, and now is beleagured by a puppy.  The little guy, Homer, is wanting to play with her but she's not wanting any part of him.  She has not growled or snapped once - although, I think if she did, he might back off. 

He was part of a litter whose Yorkie mom was stolen.  The folks that took the litter in hand-fed them around the clock so he's a real lover boy.  His dad is a Shih Tsu, so he should be a real cutie to go along with the attitude! 

By the way - I am not responsible for naming him~

Little Bits and Stuff...

This photo finds us back in Kernville again.  We had horrific wildfires that are just now getting contained, one of which was just north of this spot.  Fox News picked up the story, probably because there was another fire up in Tehachapi, close to the wind farms.   When this photo was taken, we stood on the bridge and watched fire truck after fire truck, along with the Hot Shots, headed up to a fire.  We could just barely see the smoke when we left.  That fire was shut down quickly, and by the fast response, I'm not surprised.  But this one was vicious.  Thankfully, no injuries or worse, just heartbreak over lost homes. 

Our Shih Tsu got her "Elizabethan" collar off Friday.  It was funny watching her, even though we felt sorry for her in her efforts to get around.  She tried to go through the "doggy door," and it was a sight!  And yes, we did open the door for her!  She bumped around a lot but adapted quite well.  I think she kinda liked the fact that the collar was a great way to catch all the doggie snacks!

We're still not certain about our Mini Schnauzer, Zoey.  She has congestive heart failure.  She's on meds but she's losing weight rapidly, even though she continues to have a good appetite.  We go back to the vet on Wednesday.  (Holding my breath...)
  We got the bill for our rent, which includes all utilities.  Our previous summers have been totally out of sight - like $400-$500 for electric.  I tentatively  opened the envelope, expecting to have the vapors, but the electric was $65!!!!  The swamp cooler we had installed has now paid for itself!  It's so dry here we're not bothered by the moisture.  I keep telling hubman that it's good for all of my houseplants.  (My former husband said when he came home at night he felt like he had to grab a vine to swing through the living room.  It's true - I love plants!)

Had a email message on FB from my son's ex (?), completing dragging me and hubman over the coals for all the wicked and evil stuff we've done to my son.  I blocked her from FB.  There's definite mental issues here - and I'm not trying to be hateful. It's the troof.  (For those of you who may not know - he's 42 and a total wreck.)

No plans for the week ahead except a trip to Target for sundries.  Oh, the trip to the vet, too.  I saw a cartoon last week (Pickles- It's the adventures of an older retired couple).  Their daughter asks them to go to dinner with her and her husband, but they pass because they'd miss Jeopardy!  I thought, "Oh, Lord.  Please don't let me get that bad!"

Wishing you blue skies, lollipops and rainbows.... Crap.  Now I've got to go wash out my ears.  I hate that song!
Happy Monday!