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We're Moving

We've moved to our new blog, Tales and Tails, http://talesandtails.com as of today.  We're doing a giveaway and hope that you come and join us there!

The Greys Of Our Lives

Some days living with four dogs can seem a little like living in a soap opera.  For the most part, our girls are very well behaved, but sometimes it seems like their lives are a lot more exciting than ours.  I'm not sure that they face more drama than we do on a day to day basis, but theirs seem to be a lot more interesting.   I can almost hear the announcer speaking in that voice that makes everything seem like a matter of life and death now.   He could certainly make people want to come back day after day to tune in.

Will Morgan be able to stay awake to perform her regular patrols?  Is that a cat lurking in the bushes or is it one of those sinister plastic bags?  Will she ever learn to just relax?  Will she retain her German Shepherd identity, or will she start to turn into a Greyhound?

How long until Blueberry gets to take off her splint?  Will she finally get to go away on a trip with the family, or will disappointment strike again?   Is there a bath in her near future when the dirty splint comes off?

Will Lilac be able to make another direct hit with poop in the slipper?  Can she come up with something even more dastardly to keep her family on their toes?  What time will she decide to wake them up at on Saturday morning?

Can sweet little Bunny ever get enough satisfaction through petting?  Will she find something else to fill the void?  What will her next big adventure be?

If your dogs starred in a soap opera, what would it be?  What would people be dying to turn in to find out about?

Poo In Your Shoe

Tuesday nights usually find me enjoying a quiet night at home with the Greyhounds while Mr. Taleteller and Morgan are off at class.  For the most part, it's a relaxing night until the other part of our pack arrives home.  After the initial excitement of being reunited, things usually settle down again.  However, this week was a little different.

I had joked with my husband earlier that I never get foot rubs anymore, and so upon his return home, he sat on the couch beside me to better massage my feet instead of in his chair, setting off a chain reaction of events.  Firstly, Bunny was offended that he sat on our couch uninvited, by her at least, and set out to let him know that he'd better make room for the princess.  She does this by staring at him with her invisible laser beam eyes and if those fail to work, she finds a way to climb into the narrowest possible sliver of available couch space and laying down.  To keep the peace, he simply scooted over closer to me and gave her the whole cushion at the other end of the couch.  Bunny laid down, content that she'd asserted her authority.

Now I should mention that a while back, Mr. Taleteller started the habit of always taking the dogs out when he got home, whether it was turn out time or not.   I warned him that it wasn't a good idea, but he seems to think that he knows better.  Alas, I digress.  Lately, he's been rather annoyed that whenever Lilac sees him come home, she expects him to escort her outside to take car of business.  Telling him that I think he taught her that would probably be unwise.  Anyway, there was the excitement of his arrival, followed by the theft of the bed she wanted by a certain blue brindle mastermind.  Lilac was walking around the living room and  suddenly decided to drop a few turdlets into our life.  My husband jumped off the couch and grabbed a tissue, flushing the offending and stinky thing down the toilet before retiring to his own chair to catch up on his own online things.

I sat on the couch and I could have sworn that I still smelled the offending odor.  Since my spouse had already been...less than happy about the earlier herald of his arrival home, I tried to avoid saying anything.  Finally, unable to take any more, I decided to get up and look around.  That's when I saw it.  A turdlet lay nestled in my new fuzzy pink slipper.  How she managed to poop in my slipper is a mystery for the ages.  "It was a million to one shot, doc," Mr. Taleteller chortled.  I was unable to see the humor in the situation.  At least my husband carried the slipper off to the washing machine before I throttled a certain dark brindle Greyhound.

Me:  Why would you poop in my slipper?

Lilac:  You've got to poop when the spirit says "poop."

Me:  It's not funny!  Don't you have any shame?

Lilac:  Shame?  Is this another one of those complicated human emotions?  I don't trouble myself with those.

Me:  (grumbling)  You're lucky you're old!

Lilac:  It's not the party you make it out to be, but it has a few perks.

Me:  Obviously!

Lilac:   I'll just be over here taking my late evening nap if you decide to start passing out bedtime treats.

I know she didn't do it on purpose.  It's just one of those indignities of old age, and they aren't easy for the aged or those living with them.  I'm praying that it was a million to one shot that can never be repeated.  Still, just to be sure, I'll be watching TV this weekend with my slippers on.  After all the times Bunny has joked about "poo in the shoe" I never thought it could really happen to me.  Still, what can you do besides laugh about it?  Okay, I'll admit, I'd have laughed a lot harder initially if it had happened to someone else.  I'm just glad that we still have her around with us and can laugh about her antics.

Wordless Wednesday 2/23 -- Spirit Of Peoria

Searching Out Signs Of Green

Bunny here at the keyboard sharing some of our weekend's adventures with you.

We had plans to go out out hiking since the temperature had risen into the mild range.  It was great to see all that snow from Snowpacolype melting away and becoming a memory.  However, when Dad started checking some of the places we hadn't been to that were somewhat nearby, we started to see a trend.  A lot of the nearest state parks were closed due to flooding.  Darn Mother Nature for giving us this beautiful weather and then making it the very reason we couldn't go to those places.

However, we were not to be deterred.  We decided to go visit Comlara Park which is near us, but it not a state park.  It belongs to the county where it's located around a lovely lake.  I don't think a lot of people know about it, but that's okay with us.  It means we had it all to ourselves.

There was nobody else out there to scare the birds who were singing lovely spring tunes and we are pretty sure there were some deer up in the tree lines watching us as we went through the forest.  It was really muddy and squishy, but we had a great time.

Mom and I were out there to have a nice stroll and enjoy the early signs of Spring, but Morgan and Dad were also doing a little work.  They are having an important evaluation next month and so they are brushing up on some things.  I have my paws crossed for them to make it, because it's something Dad has always wanted to do with a canine companion, and between you and me, it's more work than I want to do.  I'll stick to being a Greyhound ambassador and being a therapy dog.

We had a lot of fun stretching our legs, breathing the fresh air and seeing the first hints of Spring.  I really hope that Mother Nature doesn't have any more tricks up her sleeve for us.  I am definitely ready for warmer weather and longer hikes.  It looks like we're not the only ones who are ready for it, either.

Are any of you seeing signs of Spring where you are?

Are You There, God? It's Me, Lilac's Person...

Dear God,

I'm pretty sure you have a sense of humor.  I suspect that over the last eight years, you've had some good belly laughs over some of the things we've been through with Lilac.  As a matter of fact, I have to wonder if you sent her here to us for your own amusement.

First, there's that penchant she has for thievery.  When she first came to us, it was mainly trash can raids that were harmless.  That night when she stole all the chili cook off taste cups out of the trash while all of hubby's family was in the basement was an extra special memory that we'll cherish, though.  Dogs and chili do not mix.  Oh, how you must have laughed first as we cleaned up hoping nobody would come upstairs to the mess and then as we tried to sleep through vapors that probably had our whole village glowing nuclear green from the heavens!

Of course, there's that sweet habit she has for showing her appreciation for a good meal, too.  She walks up to us with that sweet adoring expression before belching in our faces like a truck driver.  We fall for it every darned time, too!  I wonder how many times you've slapped your knee over that one.

We also have the secret thrill she gets from chewing up bits of paper, or even magazines, on the occasions when she's suffering a fit of pique, too.  My favorite was the time she chewed the little piece of paper that had those tiny extra elastic strings for my nook cover attached.  Did you laugh until you cried when I had to extract them since they didn't quite make it all the way through?  I have to say, I'm still not too amused by that one myself.  I thought at some point she'd grow out of that habit, but this happened just a month ago.

Then we have that habit she has of waking us up at 3:30 in the morning.  Has that joke not gotten old after two years?  I mean, I could laugh about it back when it was just half an hour before the alarm went off, but we have to get up and go to work.  Maybe it's the sleep deprivation that keeps me from seeing how funny that is.

Along with that, we have the random barking.  Didn't you get the memo we got from the adoption group about how Greyhounds don't bark?  I'm trying my best to keep her happy, but it's hard to tell the "fluff my bed appropriately" bark from the "I need to go outside NOW" bark and the "move the fan two centimeters to the left" bark.  They sound a lot alike and are often barked from the same position in the living room.  Does it amuse you to see me jumping through her hoops to make her happy?

I suppose I should mention those surprise murder scene sites that we become victim once in a while, too.  Why does she always have to break a nail when we're getting home late and tired or trying to leave the house in a hurry?  If this is a lesson in patience, consider it well learned.  Really, we don't need to repeat this lesson anymore.  I promise!

Anyway, I'm happy that we've been able to provide all these years of entertainment for you.  It's been worth it to share the sweet moments in life with her.  I'd forgive her anything when she gives me that devil may care look or presses her head to my chest or wraps around my neck and squeezes.  I freely admit that I've become a better person by sharing these years with her.  I have to be more patient and compassionate than I was when she came here.  I'm just asking for one thing.  You know she's getting pretty long in the tooth.  She's a wise elder in Greyhound years.  I'd like to wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her from everything in the world, but she's still a bossy and independent old lady.   Please, one of these days when the time comes, let her just go to sleep one night and not wake up.  I just don't have the heart to send her into the gentle sleep on my own.  I think that's a fair trade off for all the amusement we've given you over the years.

Love,
Lilac's Human Servant

We'd like to send our sincere condolences out to our friend Guinness' dad.  He lost his battle with stomach cancer over the weekend, and really made me think about how short our time of stewardship is with our beloved canine companions.  Our dogs would all be perfect if they'd just live forever, or at least as long as we do.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

It's been a long week at our house.  Maybe it's getting used to going back to work after having all those snow days.  It might also have something to do with the fact that this was conference week at school.  Thursday night I didn't get home until almost bedtime.  I was mobbed by four happy dogs when I got home, though, which made me feel better.  At least the girls missed me.

After slowly making my way through the kitchen and sitting my things down I was able to kneel down and greet each of them properly.  It seemed that each of them had something they needed to tell me.

Lilac:  I'm hungry, dammit!  Dad didn't arrange my kibble in my bowl the way I like it!  Where were you?

Blueberry:   It was horrible!  Dad took Morgan and Bunny for a walk and left me here! 

Morgan:  Where have you been?!  Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?  Let me give you a thorough sniff over and see what you've been up to!

Bunny:  I've missed you!  Oh, I had to share a walk with Morgan and Dad and it wasn't nearly as fun as it is with you and I had to eat my food and fight off Morgan and Blueberry and Dad didn't do anything about it and I had to share the couch with Blue and Morgan and I had to sit in the middle with no armrest and I've really missed you!  Promise me you aren't leaving again.

I'll just say for the record that some dogs in our house might be prone to exaggeration.  Mr. Taleteller is quite fond of his girls and I don't believe for a second that any injustices were actually committed.  It's nice to be missed, though, and I was really glad to see them, too.  I made my way to the couch to sit down and unwind a little before going to bed. 

Usually, the Greyhounds lounge about the house during the evening while Morgan goes on patrol.  This night, Bunny was curled up tightly against me on the couch, suddenly stretced out as much as her tiny frame could be so that no one else would be interested in dethroning her.  Blueberry laid down on the bed nearest me, making eye contact with me every time I looked up.  Lilac kept walking over and pressing her head against my chest, making me pet her until her butt was drooping to the floor.  Morgan couldn't decide if she should patrol or keep a constant eye on me lest I think about separating from the pack again.

Friday, I got off work early because I had worked late Thursday night.  Mr. Taleteller decided to take the afternoon off and join me.  When I got home, the girls were more than a little excited.  It was obviously a pleasant change to their routine.

Morgan:  You're home early!  Oh my dog!  Can it really be true?  How did this happen?

Me:  I'm home early to spend time with you girls.  We have a long weekend ahead of us.  What would you all like to do?

Blueberry:  I have GOT to get out of this house!  You have to take me somewhere!  It's not fair that I never get to go with this stupid splint on.

Lilac:  Make sure you feed me!  Oh, and I need extra neck scratches! 

Morgan:  HIKING!  Oh, the sun is shining!  Let's go right now!  Just let me grab my Wolf Pack!

Bunny:  Hiking sounds nice, and maybe a trip to the dog park.  Oh, and I need some snuggle time.  Perhaps tomorrow morning in the bed.  Oh, yes, and I need Bunny time!

Me:  Well, the good news is that we have all of those things planned.  As a matter of fact, we're going to the dog park right now.  Blue, you're going for a ride by yourself later.  Lilac, we'll make sure we scratch you if you can at least let us sleep until when the alarm clock would normally go off.

Lilac:  I can make promises, but my bladder has a mind of its own. 

Me: Um, well, it's the thought that counts.  Can you at least give it a try?

Lilac:  I'll try to only wake Dad up in the morning.  Is it a deal?

Me:  It works for me.

So, our weekend started early with a trip to the dog park.  Bunny and Morgan ran and played to their hearts' content with a young Shepherd/Husky cross until Morgan had turned into a mudball.  Bunny managed to get only her little toes dirty, even while running like a little dervish through the park.  We stopped at the season opening of the local Ice Cream Shack and enjoyed the surprisingly pleasant afternoon.  Bunny and Morgan's spirits weren't even diminished by taking baths when we got home.  I guess the pleasant outlook for the long weekend is contagious.  Sometimes you just have to take time to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  Early Spring weather has a way of reminding you about those things.  Now I'll just hope that Lilac's bladder will remember her promise to let us sleep in just a little.  May everyone's weekend be pleasant and full of things you've been waiting to do!

The State Of The Blueberry

I have to admit, Blueberry has taken us on quite a wild ride the past few months.  She had a cancerous lump removed from her head in November and we have been at a crossroads as to what to do after the surgery.  It seemed that everywhere we turned, there was another option for her treatment.  We had trouble getting the vets together to discuss her treatment and we wanted to do a lot of research on the options presented to us.  Adding to the complications was the fact that she broke her toe in early January.  Leave it to Blueberry to go to so much trouble to get our attention.

I e-mailed Dr. Cuoto at Ohio State University because he is known as the expert on how to treat Greyhounds and he sees many hounds with cancer.  He recommended intralesional chemotherapy, which is basically where they inject chemo into a tumor.  It can be rather rough on the patient, however and no one in our vet's office felt comfortable performing the procedure.  Plus, she had the tumor removed and we aren't sure if there's any of it left in her head or not. 

Our vet called the University of Illinois and asked what their suggestion would be.  The oncologist there recommended nineteen radiation treatments, one a day, and Blueberry would have to stay there for about a month. I have a lot of reasons that I won't post here about why I won't leave any of my dogs there, but that's a long tangent to another place.  The truth is, I just can't see putting her through that.  A month away from home and that much radiation in her body can't be good for her and she wouldn't handle it well at all.  It is also unbelievably expensive. 

We spoke to five people who had also experienced the same kind of cancer in their dogs.  Four were Greyhound owners and the other was Miss Sunshade the Superdale's mom.  Three of the Greyhounds had the lump removed and lived for several years before dying of separate old age related problems that had nothing to do with the cancer.  Another had the surgery a year ago and has had no recurrance since then.   The research that I have read about the disease says that it is slow growing and rarely moves to another part of the body.  If it recurs, it happens again in the same spot.

So, we have come to a decision after a lengthy talk with our vet.  We're not going to do anything else right now.  The vet doesn't feel comfortable doing another surgery right now because there's not much between Blue's skin and her skull and the more they cut it open, the less they have left to sew back closed.  We're going to watch the spot on her head and if a lump reappears, then there will be surgery and possible cause for more aggressive treatment.  For now, we're going to concentrate on healing her toe so she can get out there and enjoy life after cancer. 

We have used the money that was raised for her to pay for her first surgery and we did have to use some of it for her toe, too.  The broken toe has turned out to be more expensive than the original surgery.  Our plan is to put money aside and hold onto it in case she does need more surgery in the future.  I can't begin to tell all of you what a relief it was to not have to worry about what we would do about the money to take care of her.  To everyone who donated money and bid in the auction, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Knowing that we will have our girl here with us for hopefully as long as we've had her mother is the best gift that we could ever have asked for. 

I know this post isn't particularly humorous, but I know that many people have wondered what is happening with Blue and I wanted to explain it and let people know where we were.  It has been a long few months for us full of sleepless nights, worry, research, frustration and finally enlightenment.  I think the possibility of it coming back will always be in the back of my mind, but it isn't the looming spectre that it was before.  I feel at peace with our decision and I honestly believe that we've come up with the best plan for Blueberry.  It's good to go back to worrying about trivial things like how to best capture her good side and not whether I'm making a life or death decision. 

Wordless Wednesday 2/16 -- Love Is The Only Thing That Matters

Signs Of A Thaw

Bunny here at the keyboard to share a little about our weekend with you.

Since Mom is still fighting her bronchitis we decided to take it easier on her.  That doesn't mean we were willing to give up our family hiking time, though.  We decided to go to one of our favorite local places which is the Riverfront Trail in downtown Peoria.  It's a beautiful place for walking, although it's a pretty quiet place right now.  When the snow melts and things start blooming, I imagine it will be much busier.

During our walk, we spotted a lot more wildlife than we've seen in a long time.  The ducks and Canadian geese have returned and there was a beaver in the river working on his lodge.  We saw a robin, too, but Mom wasn't quick enough to catch his picture.  The beaver was a lot more cooperative.

The plan is that the trail will eventually connect to some Rails to Trails in our area, but the train tracks that are down there are still working tracks.  There is an old train turntable there, too.  When more of the snow melts, Mom said we'd go down and take more pictures of it so you can see it better. 

One of the things that the park has as a feature is the memorial rock gardens.   There is one for Alzheimer's victims and another one for Dan Fogelberg.  Dan Fogelberg is one of the famous people to have come from Peoria, so they have rocks around the park with some of the lyrics from some of his famous songs.

Hawks are pretty popular in our area.  Usually we see them when we can't get a picture of them.  However, this guy seemed to be bringing the warm Spring air in with him.

Morgan can't resist leaping and walking in the snow drifts.  I'm not sure what she's going to do when all the snow melts away.  She'd better enjoy it while she can!

There's a restaurant built in an old train station along the riverfront, too.  Of course they didn't let us dogs in, though.  Mom said that they have really good food.  I wouldn't know since they've never brought any of it home for us.

I have to say, it was a fun way to get out and stretch our legs without overtaxing Mom's lungs.  You should have heard her going on last weekend.  I'll just say that some people should not be making comments about Greyhounds being drama queens.   This was much better and we all had fun enjoying the thaw and the first hints of Spring's approach.  We got in more minutes for our Idita Walk, too.  I'm finally starting to get excited about Spring after this very long Winter.  How about all of you?