Saying Goodbye to Our Sweet Dog

One week ago we found out that our beloved dog Joe had Lymphoma.  We weren’t given any sort of timeframe or anything and just knew we would love on him and make him happy.

One week later we had to make the hardest decision of our lives.  His health went down so rapidly it was hard to believe.  When we went to the vet he wasn’t even able to walk in, he had to be carried.

I have to tell you – this house is way to quiet and still now.  By habit you do so many things, then tears come to your eyes when you realize that whatever it was will never happen again.

We had eleven and a half years with him…..  and now we miss him terribly.

A few links to previous Joe stories and pictures:

Joe Loves the Lake

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake Fail

The Halloween Experiment

Joe’s Birthday and New Hairstyle

Brooklyn and Joe at Christmas

Morning Routines

Meeting the New Dog Cousin

We just had the BEST weekend with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law!  Seems like any time I see any of my family I end up saying I wish we were able to be together more, and isn’t that a good sign?  ~ very happy sigh ~

I suppose I could say the weekend really “went to the dogs” – except that really that would be a groaner. 

They had two Shelties for many years and one of them passed away recently, shortly followed by the other.  The time was right for them to adopt two new Shelties and we were quite excited to meet new dog #1!

On the way out to their place we stopped at a travel stop for a break and were delighted to see that this particular place had a dog park!  Joe of course was happy too as he always travels with us.  The picture below shows what he looked like the entire time in the dog park – nose to the ground!  My word there must have been a thousand things to smell out there and he wanted to find every one of them!  Happiness is many distinct smells on the ground…at least when you are a dog!

 

And this is their new Sheltie!  She is an absolute doll and already, after only one week, fits into their family and routine so well you’d swear she’d lived with them for years.  See that tail wagging?  That’s her during every waking moment.

 

They pick up Sheltie #2 in a few weeks and I’m sure we’ll want to go and meet her as well.  Because really – they are cousins to our golden Joe, so we do need to welcome them to the family!

“A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours.” - Anonymous

Joe Loves the Lake!

Today Keith and I took a quick trip out to the lake with our faithful sidekick Joe.  Joe is a 10 year old Golden that seemingly turns into a puppy every time he’s around water – it’s truly a site to behold!

As hot as it was today the first thing we did after getting out of the No Wake Zone was head to the nearest beach so that he could get wet.  The minute we slow down to maneuver the boat on the beach he rushes to the back  of the boat and waits for the signal.  He really loves it. 

I wish I would’ve gotten a picture of him with his life jacket on – we always get so many comments while on the water.  Most of the time people are curious and ask if he’s not able to swim or why he has to wear a life jacket.  The thing is, this dog will swim until he is totally exhausted and his back end starts sinking because he’s too tired to hold himself up.  We started using the life jacket years ago just for our peace of mind.

As lunchtime rolled around we really weren’t ready to go back yet, but with the dog we weren’t able to stop at one of the many restaurants on the lake.  Then Keith remembered that one of the restaurants has a “pull up and order” dock!  While not quite as grand as a Sonic, you do pull into a parking place, get out of the boat to the central area, look at the menu and push the button.  Coolest thing ever! 

I went inside to order though as I really did want to wash my hands before eating, you know, since we’d been in the lake all day!  When I came back outside I saw this:

Keith had set Joe up on the back of the boat and he was getting comments and “good boy!” from everybody that walked by.  Mr. Social Butterfly dog was truly in his element.

And being a tad geriatric, he slept the entire way home and is in a very deep sleep at my feet right now.  He loves every minute of the lake, but it sometimes takes him a bit to recoup afterwards.  Not that I’m passing judgment since it honestly takes me a little longer than it used to as well!

Sweet Snowfall

 

We had a record snowfall in the Dallas area today.  Last I heard it was 8.3 inches and it’s still coming down.  It’s the most snow for any calendar day ever. 

Love how this tree is lifting up to the heavens – all the glory for this beauty goes to God!  I enjoyed standing at the door and watching the big fluffy flakes coming down.  So quiet, so serene and so beautiful.

 

Walking into the room and seeing snowflakes and the dog outside brought a big smile to my face every time.

 

 

He may be old, but he still has so much fun in the snow!

 

 

And it’s even more fun when you share it with a friend.

Joe Wears the “Cone of Shame”

Poor guy…..  And how many of you think of the movie “Up” now when you see a dog with this collar?

Joe went in to get a tumor removed from his backside and we’ll know in a few days if it’s cancer or not.  Unfortunately Golden Retrievers are a breed with a high instance of cancer, so I’m pretty worried.

He’s taking the Cone of Shame well though and just plows through the house like it’s not even there.  I’m rather happy right now that I haven’t gotten around to painting the walls in the hallway as he just drags the cone along the wall.  

And since I’m talking about dogs anyway, let me show you a picture of Joe (the Golden) and Xena (the lab) taken while we were babysitting the granddog.  They really are cute as can be.  :)

Joe to the Vet and Screen-free til 8:03

Today was the day we dropped Joe off at the vet for his 'comprehensive' exam. He has epilepsy, thyroid problems and his terribly overweight. Bless his heart, he takes more pills than we do. But he's such a sweetheart and we love him, so we think it's worth it.

And actually he enjoys this day as he is kind of the baby of the office. He spends the day there since they do a bunch of blood work and all the people there enjoying talking to him and petting him. I'm thinking he's got a pretty good life. :)

Screen-free til 8:03 : Usually when I come up with my hare-brained ideas for self-improvement Keith just kind of nods and goes on. He really is supportive, but bless his heart he has to listen to me all the time deciding that something else will work better!

Today on The Southern Housewife's blog she talked about how so many people are so tuned in to 'screens' that even relationships are starting to suffer. She of course said it very eloquently and her phrase was 'screen affairs'. :) I've thought about her post all day and while I've cut down on my computer time in the evenings dramatically, she also mentioned tv and her blackberry. I'm not a tv person, but I do stay connected to my cell phone at all times.

So while we're having dinner we talked about how all the 'screens' in our house were starting to become way too important in our lives. Our focus going forward is to have no screens on in the evenings until about 8:00. No tv, no computer, no cell phone. And that would actually be a challenge when I consider just how much I enjoy reading blogs!

But let me tell you about our evening tonight. When we got home from getting Joe at the vet we went in the backyard and started doing yard work...together. Side by side in that awful humidity tonight, with sweat pouring down our faces, we worked together. When we came inside we looked at the clock and it was only 7:10.

We brought out the Pente game that we used to play together all the time when we first were married. We played and laughed and had the best time. In fact, it reminded of why we fell in love in the first place.

I can't say with certainty how long we'll keep this up. But while we're doing it we're having fun together and getting things done that have been neglected for too long, so how can it be a bad thing?

Biggest Loser: Again this week I was not happy with who was sent home. Felipe seems like such a nice young man and really I'm not fond of the players that are left. Except for Tara, she's the one I'm hoping will win.

But I won't be able to watch any more because I'm starting a new Bible study next Tuesday night. And we're the couple that doesn't have HDTV or DVR. ;)

Joe's Friends at the Lake...and Facebook!

We're home from a wonderful weekend at the lake. Of course, as I sit here typing this my shoulders, back and legs are so sore from yard work, but even so it's wonderful.


The picture above was so pretty through my viewfinder, but now that it's out of the camera...eh, not so much. But I'm leaving it anyway. :) We put a bunch of grass seed out and of course had to to water it it. Really hoping that it takes hold, especially the front yard. We put tree limbs through the shredder, raked up leaves and filled so many bags to bring home. And I lost count of how many times we'd have people stop by and say "you two are working far too hard this weekend!" Maybe so, but it sure is looking good. There are so many trees up there and while I wouldn't trade them for the world they do make a mess to clean up.



While we were busy cleaning Joe was busy socializing. This little Boston Terrier is named Hardy and he is such a mess. The two of them ran the fence together and while I was pulling weeds Hardy was right there watching me. His "mom" came over to the fence and we chatted for quite a bit and then both laughed when we realized our dogs had deserted us. Joe was sleeping in the grass near me and Hardy had gone over to his patio and fallen asleep. I guess they just couldn't keep up with us. ;)

This is Ruff and I have no idea what kind of dog she is, but she runs over as soon as she sees us up there. In fact, this picture was taken in the backyard because she saw the gate open and came on back. These two wore themselves out as well.

And as a side note, I've finally given in and gotten a Facebook account and am surprised by how much I'm enjoying it. For one I get to keep up with some friends that I don't see every day, but more than that I've found a couple of my friends from years ago that I had lost touch with. It's fun to see what they are doing on a daily basis and it just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside remembering our fun together. Who knew I'd enjoy it so much???

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." - Elizabeth Foley

Joe's Birthday and New Hairstyle

This strange sight is what I walked in and saw tonight. We have to give Joe frequent baths with a special prescription shampoo because he has skin problems. This task usually falls on Keith and after Joe is semi-dry Keith always brushes him. Today he decided that Joe needed a new hairdo, so he has two parts down the middle and the center is kind of a 50's slicked back look.

I am again reminded of how much this dog loves to be part of anything we do. He was just thrilled with the attention and really didn't care how silly he looked.

All this and he is celebrating his 8th birthday. You'd think we'd let him have a little dignity at his advanced age, but really we can't do that. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Good times......

Vanilla Retreat Cupcakes

I still haven't decided on what my 2009 Bible verse will be, but I know that one thing I want to do more of is sharing my hobbies with friends and family.  So on that note I present to you the Vanilla Retreat Cupcakes, so named because I will be leaving shortly to join some friends at a weekend retreat!

I used a vanilla cupcake recipe I found here and haven't had the opportunity to try before now and a standard vanilla buttercream frosting.  Hopefully I'll get some honest feedback from my friends so I know whether the recipe is a keeper or not.  Course, I did set two aside so that Keith could have a few.

And this is the cupcake carrier that James and Loni got me for Christmas.  The retreat cupcakes made 24...and can you see the two unfilled holes for the cupcakes I set aside for Keith?  The carrier has another layer so it will hold up to 36 cupcakes.  This is about the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.

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It's not often that a golden retriever can look like a shar pei, but this tired old dog was worn out on New Year's Eve.  We went to bed at 10:30 (I'm sure y'all have surmised by this blog what party animals we are and now you can verify it!), but apparently that was too late for some dogs.  He fell asleep under the lights of the Christmas tree and I think he was happy as a clam over it.

"When just being together is more important than what you do, you are with a friend." - Unknown

Brooklyn and Joe at Christmas

For some reason Brooklyn just loves Joe.  But Joe is not quite as fond of Brooklyn so we really have to keep an eye on him.  This Christmas Miss B seemed to be particularly fond of Joe.  We bought him a Christmas collar that had blinking red and green lights this year and she was entranced by it.

While opening gifts Brooklyn methodically took a red bow apart and used the little pieces to pet Joe while he was sleeping.

And then she used the dog as a jungle gym and slide.  He has the patience of a saint right about now.

And she loved to hug Joe.  This picture would be absolutely darling...if she had been hugging the other end!!!

I have no idea why I chose this series of pictures from our Christmas to show first.  There will be more posts coming so that I can share more family fun.  I'd really like to get all of Christmas posted before the New Year!

Good times....

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
- Psalm 143:10

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I took this picture of Joe last weekend and am always struck by how white his face is in photos. When I look at him in real life I don't really see it.

We have turned downright chilly here in Texas. Goodbye flip flops, capris and t-shirts and hello jeans, clogs and long sleeve tops. Goodbye Cheerios, hello oatmeal.

I look outside and see all the leaves on the ground and toy with the idea of bagging them. But Miss B will be here tomorrow and one of the things we enjoy is going outside and stomping on the leaves. Time enough later to do the work - I'm going to leave them out there for my grandbaby to have fun with.

This week has been filled with getting the house ready for guests next week. Like most people, I do a little extra cleaning before having people over. I think I've lost my mind a little this time though because yesterday I pulled most everything out of my kitchen cabinets and scrubbed the insides. Because, you know, that's what guests do is check out the inside of your kitchen cabinets.

So does everybody get a case of spring fever in the fall? I do like to get my home clean before bringing out the Christmas decorations. And the insides of my kitchen cabinets are indeed ready to be decorated.
"You prepare a table for me...my cup overflows." - Psalm 23:5

Joe's Surgery and Oddball Baby Blankets

I just returned from taking Joe, my golden retriever, to the vet to get bandages removed.  The photo above was taken Friday evening when we picked him up from the vet.  He had a fairly large tumor on his "elbow" and they removed it.  They also discovered through his blood work that in addition to being epileptic he also has hypothyroidism, which explains a lot of problems he has.  So now we have a geriatric dog that takes more pills each day than we do.  Good thing we love him so much.  :)

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One of the online groups I knit with does what they call Oddball Baby Blankets.  This particular picture is of the Candy Corn Oddball Baby Blanket I just knit on.  The first person casts on and knits a section using any yarn and stitch (within guidelines), then mails it to the next person.  I did the white section and sent it off to person #3.  When the blanket is finished it will be donated to an area hospital.  I love the sense of community that this brings. 

Joe the Smile Ambassador

This is my sweet old doggie Joe last night in the truck as he went with me to get dinner.

Keith and I are on a "cook at home" kick again because, hard to believe, I'm a little tired of fast food.  I'm also wanting to use up some things in the freezer and pantry.  So for dinner Keith got the package of meatballs out of the freezer and put them in the oven, then started making the gravy.  I was busy peeling potatoes and getting them boiling so that we could have mashed potatoes.  BUT...when we pulled the meatballs out of the oven they had the most vile smell to them that there was no way we were going to have them for dinner.  We both stood there for a minute, then with a resigned voice we decided we'd toss out the potatoes and just go out.

Then I was struck with a brilliant thought - P0peye's chicken has a leg and thigh for .99 cents special on Tuesdays!  So Joe and I hopped in the car and ran through the drive-thru and Keith and I ended up spending $2.14 for chicken to go with our potatoes and gravy.  Crisis averted and we were still able to feel somewhat virtuous about our dinner choice!

And on the way home we were sitting in the left turn lane waiting for our turn to go.  I looked over and saw a lady with a smile a mile wide on her face.  Joe had ended up leaning on the door with his little muzzle resting on the window sill and was cute as all get out!

He is obviously a great ambassador for smiles.  :)

Joe At The Lake

Each time we are on the lake Joe demonstrates again that he is a retriever through and through.  9 times out of 10 he's able to find a toy or stick or something on the beach to carry around.  This time somebody had left a plastic shovel behind so he claimed it as his own.  He swam with it, played fetch with it and generally just had a good time.

We always know when he's had enough swimming and gets tired because he'll swim to the boat and kind of hold on to the ladder til we get over to him and help him back in.  We take off his lifejacket, he shakes the water all over the place, then he finds a place to work on his suntan.

Doggie good times......   :)

Home Again

Is this a happy doggie or what? We found a cove to play in that was about 30 feet deep and he had a blast swimming around (yes, he wears a life jacket). He would get tired and swim over to the boat ladder and just kind of hang on waiting for us to help him back in. A little rest and he'd jump in again, which is quite a site to see.

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Friday night our neighbor came over to tell us that all four of his kids had been involved in car wreck earlier in the day. They'd just gotten home from the hospital, where all the kids had been checked out and sent home, tired, scared and sore.

On Saturday we ran to the grocery store and I came back to bake some brownies (from a mix, even though I'd said before that there is no reason to use a mix - I found a reason!). I took the brownies and all the fixin's for sundaes over to their house to try and cheer up the kids. A short while later 3 of the kids came over to thank us and I got hugs from all. The youngest boy, about 7 years old, wanted to show me his seatbelt bruise. I asked him if he'd been scared and he just said "nah" with all the braveness of a child. He had no idea how my heart hurt when I saw that bruise. God was surely merciful to protect those children.

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One last lake story: when coming back in last night to put the boat on the trailer I looked over at the hillside and saw some deer running across a field. I squeeled at Keith to go back so I could get a better look. He insisted that it was a dog, but I told him I knew it wasn't because it was brown...and it had legs. At this proclamation he burst out laughing and said that if we ever play Password and get the word deer we could pull out our secret weapon and win the game!

Good times.... ;)

Happy Dog!

Home from another fabulous lake weekend and we're all POOPED!

I love this picture of Joe because it shows his big smile. One of the girls I work with didn't know that dogs smile, so I had to dig through some old photos and show her. Who can deny this doggy smile?

We had pulled up to a beach and all jumped in to play in the water. Joe is stylin' in his new life jacket and he gets giggles many times around the lake. But he's a senior citizen and I just worry about him getting over tired. Actually though he's always had a lifejacket for in the boat. Safety first!

Joe and a Work Lesson on Time

My sweet old doggie, Joe, relaxing in the hallway. Not sure if you can tell, but his eyes are looking off to his right at our cat Meeko, who came walking over to see why both Joe and I were laying down in the hall.

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I learned an interesting thing this afternoon at work. On days that we don't go out for lunch a bunch of us girls sit and knit and chat for that hour. Today we got back to our desks and before I knew it I looked up and it was 2:30 already.

"My word I can't believe how fast today is going!", I exclaimed.

"Yes, isn't it a shame", said one of my co-workers.

"A shame?"

She went on to explain that she used to spend so much time saying she couldn't wait until the party next week, or vacation next month, etc. that she missed out on living that day. Now one of her personal growth choices is to slow down and enjoy each day for what it is. Really every day has so much to offer, so why not enjoy it thoroughly?

By the way, these deep thoughts came from a wonderful young lady in her mid-thirties. So wise.

And when I told this story to Mom today she said it's called "wishing your life away".

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

This Sad Photo

is how my weekend ended!

We were enjoying a wonderful first weekend of the season at the lake. Went out on the boat, had picture perfect weather, etc. As we pulled the trailer/boat out of the water we started hearing a terrible noise from the underside of our truck. We made it up to the cabin and Keith and several of the neighbors (it was definitely a King of the Hill type of moment) determined that it was probably the U Joint. We called the tow truck and the son, then Keith and I walked down to the local cafe and had dinner. At this point there really wasn't anything else we could do. The wrecker came Sunday afternoon and took the truck away. :( When James got there we decided to take the boat out for a little ride before heading back home. So now I'm toolin' around town in the cutest little VW Passat courtesy of the rental place. Really it's kind of fun! :)

In between making all the truck arrangements we did manage to have a fabulous weekend. I am so ready for summer fun to get here!!! Really I think that most everybody is ready because this weekend there were quite a few people at the lake. There was some reminiscing about all the flooding last year and what a relief that this year looks so grand. Even Joe had a great time going out in the backyard and visiting with his little girlfriend Fancy through the back fence! There was much rubbing of noses, wagging of tails and fence running involved in the renewal of their friendship.

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This is the granddaughter on Saturday morning while shopping at garage sales with her mom and I. It turned out chilly that morning so she has her little hat and mittens on. We actually found quite a few bargains and had a great time together. I dearly love hearing her little giggles and seeing her little smiles.

Dinner On The Lake

"I'm Queen of the World!"

OK, perhaps that line is a bit overused. But I can't help that it popped in my head this evening while sitting at the front of the boat. Keith and I had a very low key, lazy day and at the last minute decided to run out to the lake. I ran in and made sandwiches, filled the cooler, grabbed the dog and off we went.

This time I actually drove!!! A most amazing feat indeed as I haven't driven in the city pulling the boat yet. I'm always ok doing this sort of thing at the lake, but Dallas traffic can be a little dicey at the best of times....even without pulling a boat. I did have a little trouble on the ramp this time and I totally attribute that to getting a little cocky about how good I've been doing lately. Daddy would've been quite proud of me. :)

We found an out of the way spot, turned off the boat and I fixed our plates. James and Loni had gotten Keith a great backpack for Father's Day one year that is filled with metal dishes, silverware, a cutting board and these napkins. What fun we had eating our sandwiches and potato salad on these dishes while bobbing along in the boat!

Joe looked mighty indeed as he sat in the back and kept on the lookout for things that he might need to bark at. There were quite a few ducks flying about, which I found vastly interesting, but apparently they are boring to dogs.

He finally decided that the whole things was boring and found a place to lay down. Minutes later he was sound asleep.

Happy New Year!