Me and the Mormons

This morning, I got up to walk Lake Pflugerville. My trainer wants me to do a 5K next month with her, so I have to keep pushing! As I pulled up, I noticed that the parking lots were full of cars. Last week, when I went, it was full of dove season hunters. So I turned to the dogs to see if they knew what was going on. Nope.  Just dog drool on the windows - no response.

The wind was really strong and temps were lovely - about 72! We got out of the car, untangled our leashes and started on the trail.

Going over the first hill, I could see tons of yellow vests.  Little kids, teens, adults, all over the place. Some were in the water with rakes, others were pulling up boards from the worn out docks. Teens were painting the wooden trash containers.  I couldn't really tell who all those people were. It reminded me of our years in Wichita Falls. For several years, we participated in Teens Make A Difference Day - sometimes with Girl Scout troops, sometimes with our 4H group. With 4H, we often got the heavy duty jobs, clearing brush or some other such thing. As Girl Scouts, we were often given painting jobs or landscaping work.  It was fun, and like this, there were hundreds of groups of teens all over the city in matching shirts. Each year, a different color.

But unlike our Teens Make A Difference Days, these weren't just teens. It seemed like families with all ages. Little kids were running up and down the trails, moms pushing strollers, dads in the water hacking at all of the overgrown marsh.  Kids of all ages were picking up trash. And EVERYONE wore these yellow vests.

Finally, I got up close enough to see.

Mormons!

My only experience with Mormons was when we lived in Alaska. It seemed there were lots of Mormons stationed at Elmendorf AFB.  The Mormon women down the street invited me to participate in their monthly craft extravaganza at their church and even taught me to quilt.  They were all about doing things together, very family oriented, so that was nice. I did get roped into a couple of Amway nights with them - that was uncomfortable. But I survived.

We even toured a huge Mormon Church in Anchorage, before it was "consecrated," or whatever they call it. It was a really interesting tour, hearing about how they baptize their deceased family members, seeing the room where their weddings take place, looking at their artwork and listening to their history. And more gold and ornate fixtures than I've ever seen! A Mormon woman who lived down the street from us joined us on the tour. She able to share even more information. It was all fascinating, really.

But...back to my Mormon Invasion at Lake Pflugerville.
I'm not exaggerating when I say there were hundreds of Mormons participating in this clean up of our 3 mile lake. I'll have to look in the paper to see if anyone covers it. It was impressive.

And it was really wonderful seeing that community service is alive and well.  I like seeing a church group shouldering the workload, instead of showing us their position by eating at Chick-Fil-A.   The workers were all friendly and eager to pet the dogs.  I thanked a few of them for coming out to work on the lake, as they drug their shovels and started heading back to their cars. They seemed a little taken aback that I did. Not sure what that was about...

The dogs and I ended our little walk with Gracie swimming at The Beach, and Buddy running along the edge. I sat there on the rock, while they frolicked and the yellow vests dotted the shoreline.  I'd been worried about all the overgrowth that you could see in the water and along the edge. But now, thanks to the Mormons, Lake Pflugerville was going to be in great shape!

Pit Bulls and Doggie Etiquette

Yesterday we had our weekly Dog Hike at Walnut Creek. We take all three dogs, Buddy, Hank and Gracie. It's an interesting place in that dogs can be off leash, bikes go zipping by on the paths, and, for the most part, everyone is friendly. The days have been really pretty and it seems to keep everyone in good mood for their experience in the woods.

Hank, our Border Collie, is getting old. He doesn't always respond to us when we call - sometimes I think it's stubbornness and sometimes I think it's really his hearing. But when he notices us moving on down the path, he parts with whatever discovery he was sniffing out, and runs on ahead. Always within eyesight of us.

Buddy is much more people focused.  He's much smaller and runs ahead with Hank. Then he gets a little nervous and runs all the way to the back (because, yes, I'm always in the back), does a few circles around me and then races ahead again. He's pretty cute on hikes.

Buddy and Hank both greet other people and their dogs, but always move along when we're ready to go.


Gracie, on the other hand, is never off the leash. We're not 100% sure about what's caused her discomfort with children or other dogs who approach too quickly, but it's pretty obvious that's not her favorite part of the hike. Josh keeps her close to him, because she can pull really hard. We pause in the path, watching her tail and her eyes, deciding whether to press on or to stay a little longer. We speak soothingly to her, and praise her when we can get past other dogs without growling. Real dog people totally understand this. They ask how old she is. We talk a little about her social awkwardness. They let their dogs approach gently. Usually that all goes well.

So yesterday, we had made it down to the creek. Buddy stays near the side while Hank and Gracie plunge into the water. Gracie even had the cutest Leaping Moment off the cliff and into the water! Have I mentioned she loves to leap? Sometimes she resembles a deer, and sometimes she's a downright Tigger! Straight up in the air!  When she jumped into the water, it was with such glee. She sprang from the side and outstretched her legs midair. It was a happy sight!

After a little playing around in the water, the dogs came up near us on the side. A cyclist was there with his dog. A couple was leaving with theirs. There was a good deal of doggie commotion. Suddenly, which isn't that uncommon, a pit bull comes running up on Gracie. Josh has retracted the leash  and she's close to his body. At first it seems like the approaching dog is just rambunctious and wants to play. But because he approached so quickly, Gracie's not happy. She bares her teeth a little and lunges at him. Josh pulls her up closer to him. Because she's pulling so hard, she's up higher on her back legs. This other dog, who is off leash with no owner in sight, jumps on his back legs too and nips at Gracie's neck. Josh isn't able to see what's happening with this other dog, but Alyssa and I can. It's clearly the nip before the Big Bite. Gracie is completely exposed and vulnerable; she's almost upright.

Before the other dog has the opportunity to bite a second time, Alyssa has rushed in between them. Pit bulls have such short hair and tight skin, it's really hard to grab them by the scruff of the neck. But this one had a bandana and a collar. Alyssa didn't hesitate and reached down to pull him off by the bandana. We were all three yelling to get the dog to stop, Out of nowhere, the owner runs up and pulls his dog away.  The woman with him looked a little horrified, but he said nothing. No apology. Nothing. The cyclist near us turned to say, "That's messed up. He went straight for the jugular!" Still no response from the owner. He clicked the leash onto the dog and led him away quickly.

We were all pretty shocked about the whole thing. We are constantly apologizing to other people on the trail when our dogs are darting in front of their bikes, or running up to sniff other hikers. If our dogs acted aggressive with others, which they haven't, we'd be tripping all over ourselves with apologies. AND, our dog would be back on the leash.  Not so with this other dog owner.

We saw them a little further down the creek. Their dog was still off his leash. He and Gracie saw each other and he immediately started heading our way. Gracie pulled hard on the leash to go toward him. Josh thought Gracie was going for Round Two, so he started retracting the leash. The other owner came running for his dog. He pulled the dog away by the collar asking the dog if it wanted to be back on the leash. We were all dumbfounded. I really wanted to say, "That dog shouldn't be OFF the leash!" But no words came out of my mouth.

On the way back to the car, we talked about what happened. We talked about Alyssa's bravery, which I had seen on the ranch before when the animals were in trouble, but Josh had never witnessed. She gets very "Mother Bear" about her animals! In addition to protecting Gracie, she was aware that Josh was just moments away from HAVING to do something drastic to stop this other dog.  She said she kept thinking was how mad she was that Gracie was doing so much better with other dogs approaching. And now this altercation was going to set Gracie back a few steps.  We talked about how strangely the other owner had acted and how badly that all could have gone.

We'll continue to do our Sunday afternoon hikes, because this really was a rare occurrence. And Gracie will get better with other dogs approaching, hopefully. But she'll still be on her retractable leash. If only we could say the same for all the other dogs out there.

When the Leaves Finally Fall

 I know the calendar says it should be Winter, but here in Central Texas, it's just now Fall. You may be braving blizzards and shoveling snow, but here on my back porch, this is what Autumn looks like.

There's a chill in the air, but it's still comfortable to sit out on the deck.  My "big" tree in the backyard is usually the last to lose its leaves. A big wind knocked half the bright yellow leaves onto the patio.  Last year, the red berries looked so beautiful contrasting with those yellow leaves.  But the birds seem to have taken care of the berries this year.

The dogs and I sit here watching the birds descend on the bird feeders. Then, something startles them and there's a WHOOOSH of birds doing a quick relocation to the bamboo in the back.
It's a little shocking how many birds you can have in such a small yard. But my bird feeders stay full and the sparrows of the neighborhood know it. I think I have the fattest birds in town.

I like the peacefulness of my deck in the Fall.  The smell of gingerbread in the oven. The leaves falling as I type. Dogs quiet and calm, just taking it all in.

I like mornings like this.

Dogs! Dogs! DOGS!

Alyssa, the Dog Person of our Family

I'm not really a dog person. You wouldn't know that though if you came to my house. You would be accosted greeted by three rambunctious dogs. They will act as if they haven't had any attention in years! And, if you think simply patting them on the head will get them to move along to something or someone else, you're wrong.  They will climb on you, lick you, bark and circle around you. Maybe that's why I'm not a dog person.

I'm a gardener. And these dogs LOVE my garden. They bring me stems of plants that I've been nurturing, as if I'm going to throw it as a stick for them to chase. They jump into my garden and lay on the warm earth and the plants as well. I raised the beds, put chicken wire around each bed. And while that might have deterred two of them, Gracie can jump like Tigger - straight up in the air and then leaps forward. No chicken wire stops her.  Another reason I'm not really a dog person.

No matter how cute a puppy is, they GROW UP! They need a lot of attention - and they'll get it from you whether you intended to give it or not. When Hank was a puppy, he would run out the front door at lightening speed, cross the street to the park, and race up and down the fence line with dogs that barked on the other side of the fence. One time, Michael was chasing him back home and he ran INTO someone's house - their front door was left open. Michael was about 12 and he just ran in after her. The people were sitting on their couch and looked at him. Panting, Michael told them he was after his dog! They pointed to the kitchen and Michael made the loop in this stranger's house, chasing Hank back out and all the way home.

Buddy with his Christmas bandana 

Buddy had a couple of annoying puppy habits. He would search out all girls' underwear in the house and eat the crotch off. I know. Disgusting. We would find him digging through laundry hampers, dragging them maniacally under the bed.  Luckily, that habit seems to have subsided. He's a little intimidated by Gracie and still poops in the house. She lays by the door, and he just can't bring himself to pass by her. So we often find little "gifts" at the front door, in the bathroom, or in the closet.  Now, Buddy's not a puppy anymore, so I don't know why we can't get past this. I may simply have to try my friend Allison's leash technique - keep him tied to me and then I take him out after eating or every 30 minutes or some insanely dog-focused thing. Did I mention that I'm not a dog person? We only have Buddy because my mom, who thought she wanted two dogs to keep each other company couldn't take care of him AND Pepper, so Buddy came to us.  Sigh.

Gracie, about to lunge at me for the camera!

Glancing down at the coffee table in my little front room, I see that it has been gnawed by...someone. Great. :/  There's still a little fake snow on the floor from when Gracie attacked a big bag of it the other day. She is a Husky, so I find some amusement in the fact that she went for the "snow." I really wish there was a way to hook Gracie up to a ground sled, like they do in off-season Alaska mushing practice. She would love it so much. She just wants to PULLLLL!

Gracie did not share Buddy's underwear obsession. Instead, she liked the insoles of shoes. She would even pull out the fake cushiony Dr. Scholl inserts to get at the REAL insole of the shoe. No shoe is safe. And, when I was told that Huskies do not shed...well, that's simply untrue. My floor looks like tumbleweeds are blowing past. What a mess. And there was the time that Gracie chewed the keys off a open laptop. Just on one side. Luckily, I took typing so I knew where the keys were without the plastic symbol pads. I really should get a picture of that for you! ha!

So this has been our week at the vet. We seem to do it like that...waiting, ignoring cute little reminder cards, then finally we simply have to get in there. The dogs needed baths from our hike this weekend, but especially they needed nail trims. The clicking of claws on the wooden floor sounds like tap dancers - it was driving me nuts! I'm good with most things, but finding that little vein on their nail and not cutting it _ I just can't seem to make myself do that.  So yesterday was Hanks "Bath Package." Not sure what things cost where you live, but here, that's $45. Nails, ears, anal glands, bath and blow dry.  But Buddy's shots were out of date, so we did his annual appointment. Vaccines, heart worm meds for all three, bath package for Buddy and nail trim for Gracie...$255 later - YIKES!  Oh! And because Buddy's a little dog, he evidently is prone to tooth plaque/tartar buildup. They sent home an estimate for dental work - a cleaning, but under sedation - $250 more!  Ummm...Ron doesn't even GO to the dentist. Buddy's teeth will have to wait. At least not 2 weeks before Christmas!  Another reason I'm not a dog person - they're expensive! But they did get some cute Christmas bandanas. The vet techs were very sweet and had all kinds of cute loving comments to tell me about the dogs. They were shocked to get Christmas tips, but they had so clearly enjoyed the dogs and the dogs looked and smelled great! Finally.


Buddy and Hank were found to be on the overweight side....yes, they called them "obese." They have had free range feeding and I'm afraid that's going to have to change. What has been available all day long, is now going to be only available for 30 minutes in the morning and then again in the evening. And, if they just have to eat more, the vet recommends green beans! Yay! something can be done with the leftovers no one ever goes back for.  Although, I found some doggy treat recipes I might try as part of my Cookie Challenge... even though I'm not a dog person.

I'm still a little sad that we don't have Tasha anymore. She was our Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix from the ranch. Our little suburban postage stamp of a yard was simply not going to suffice for her.  I am so incredibly fortunate to have my friend Laura who is VERY MUCH a Dog Person... and she has acreage in Wimberley. She offered to take Tasha and love her and bring her into their family. We've been out to see her and she is so happy there. Still, I miss her.

Tasha in the Living Room with Alyssa and Katie

Allison's Cambria "riding" Tasha

So I'm finishing this blog post this morning. Rain is coming down and Hank's on the floor by my bed. He hates thunderstorms. He just freezes in fear, so he stays by me. Buddy always sleeps with me, so he's here. And now that Alyssa has left for class, Gracie is jumping on the bed, burrowing her head under the covers trying to get me to play with her. Who is going to tell these dogs that I am not a dog person??

OK, Hank looks pretty cute here

Halloween 2011

For years we've been big Halloween Celebrators.  It was a fun opportunity to decorate and dress up. It didn't take long before it became "Katie's Holiday."  She LOVED it. All year long, she loved it. I'd have to slow her down from decorating the house - she'd want to start pulling everything out in September. Year after year, we'd bargain to get her to hold off on the decorations until October 1st.

But this year, Katie's far away doing her own Halloween. At first, I had such a hard time with it. Nobody there to pull out the decorations with me.  Ron pulled the rubbermaids down off the top shelves in the garage, but it just felt... off.  Still, Halloween presses on, so I'm simplyngoing to rise to the occasion.

So, first we have our pre-party costumes for the dogs...  

But Buddy's shark outfit was too small and we traded it for a pumpkin costume.

At the last minute, Alyssa decided to join the festivities and found a costume to wear to Avenue Five. Hopefully, she won't have to cut anyone's hair wearing this...

Grandma has her lovely headgear. And, she's bringing "a friend" to our house to hand out candy. They live in a Senior citizen apartment complex and kids don't typically trick-or-treat there. So she's bringing her Bulgarian neighbor to see what this is all about!

Then...after a day of shopping and cleaning.... time for more last minute decorating on the patio!

My favorite witch guards yummy snacks

Gracie, the Sheriff

Last minute glitter eyelashes - A MUST!

  And now we're ready! Josh keeps Gracie on her leash. She's trying to get used to being around children. They rush at her and scare her. But that's no problem because Buddy greets everyone! He looks pretty cute in his pumpkin suit, and the kids are quick to offer him to Trick or Treaters who show the slightest interest in him! Most respond that they already have dogs, and they know that trick of trying to palm their dog off on passersby.

Grandma is about an hour late with her friend, Tudor. He is from Bucharest and has a very thick accent. He didn't realize Grandma wasn't going to drive so that was the delay. No worries. They sit on the front patio while the early trick-or-treaters come by.

Sorry so blurry :(

Still getting used to Ron's new camera

Then the Trick-or-Treaters come out in droves. Alyssa commandeers the hand-outs once I realized that Tudor and Grandma were allowing the kids to grab hands full of candy from the basket! I even had to make another run for candy - before it was even dark! Lucky CVS is just up the street! Monster Mash music is pouring out our upstairs windows. Several other houses have competing music. Halloween is now in full swing!

There's still a burn ban going on. Temperatures are cooler but no rain in sight. So that meant we had to ditch our plan to have a small fire on the front patio. Instead, we opted for orange and purple twinkle lights in big jars. That's why Gracie's face is so orange...the glow from the twinkle jars!

I really think I'm going to create a video about Halloween Patterson Style, similar to what we did for Father's Day... obviously not in time for Halloween this year, but VERY soon. While we're still in the mood. There are so many great memories, we'll walk down spooky memory lane together! 

 

Tasha Update

On the Fourth of July, we got her a crate at Canine Commissary - it was huge! We thought it would be good to practice using the crate, since she's used to free roaming on the farm. She's adjusted to it well. Well, all she really did was sleep. She seemed so lethargic, but Ron thought this is what retired ranch dogs do - lay around all day. But she clearly felt badly.



So August rolled around and Tasha completed her treatment and did fine. She's all well!

She has totally acclimated to the air conditioning now and wants to be an "in-the-house" dog.

TOP TEN REASONS TASHA SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN THE HOUSE (to stay!)

10. Because she's already done her stint as a Ranch Guard Dog, and it's time for Retirement!

9. Because she wants to be wherever Hank is!

8. Because she seems to have taught herself how to be potty-trained - gotta love those self taught ones!

7. Because we'll never need to dust a coffee table - her tail takes care of that!

6. Because she can vacuum crumbs under the table faster than any dog imaginable.

5. Because she can clean your plate while it sits on the table and without lifting her head.

4. Because it's a million degrees outside in the Texas sun!

3. Because we won't need more carpeting, she gladly sheds enough hair to cover the floor!

2. Because her growl would scare any intruder before he even gets in the door all the way.

AND...

1. Because she's a BONA FIDE FAMILY MEMBER - THAT"S WHY!!

Dogs and stuff..

We took the animals in for shots and baths - since they're movin' to the City! 

But while we were out shopping, we got some bad news. Tasha tested positive for Heart Worms. Hank and Crookshanks checked out fine. (Oreo stayed back at the house in Thornberry since the new owner's daughter loved him so!) 

Anyway... Tasha. She's going to start hearworm treatment on Thursday, stay at the vet for 3 days, and then we have to keep her confined to a crate for 4 weeks! She's really adjusting well to being in the house at Grandma's. She's never been in the house at all - in the pasture since she was a puppy. But she goes to the door when she "needs to" and seems great, albeit a little large. 


The vet says the risk is minimal, but possible. So, we're a little nervous. 
And the idea of confining this huge 1/2 Great Pyrennees - 1/2 Anatolian to a dog crate seems a little sad...but necessary.