The new Ice Age

Work was brutal last night. What was worse? Getting off at 0845 and having to go outside where the temp was -27. That was without the windchill. Burrrrrr. Thin nursing pants on cold leather seats. Even the heated seats had trouble with temps that cold.

We are still fighting the ice dams on our roofs. Today Rick is getting some salt blocks shaped like hockey pucks to throw on the roof. The first year we moved here we had ice build up like that and it seeps under the roofing and melts destroying your ceilings. We used the roof shovel but this stuff builds up so fast it is hard to keep up with.

Anyway, I am tired beyond belief and ready to snuggle under my new comforter. Next week they say we are having a heat wave, temps in the 30's. And Zoey is almost back to her cute ole self. Barely limping at all. You all know how happy that makes me.. Very!

Happy New year

Another year flies by. It seems like just yesterday I was doing this entry for 2009. Now it is 2010. Wow, 10 years past Y2K. Remember that? A whole decade has past since then.

I looked back in my journal to see which of my predictions had come true. Unfortunately many of my dire predictions happened. We have been attacked in our country. Taxes have soared. Unemployment is so high I think everyone knows someone who has been laid off. The corruption in this new government I admit went even beyond my fears. Government takeovers. Tax evasions, czars, ACORN, the Global warming hoax, stimulus money given to non-existent Congressional districts. it just boggles the mind.

I had 3 surgeries this year and the only one that isn't still bothering me is the one on my face where the cancer was removed. I made less, rode my bike less and worried about America's future more.

But. I got to see my wonderful grandchildren, we are all alive and well, arthritis and all and I have a roof over my head and food in my tummy. And it is a new year. My family is all well.

I think the elections will be interesting this year. Hopefully not to many dead people will vote and the country has been woken up enough to stop in its track the direction the country is going. We realize that the government is not listening to us or acting in our best interest. Time to get rid of the old and dangerous and put in some people who do what they are suppose to do. Protect us and not tax us to death.

Ben Stein quoted his dad in an article. It said. "Benjy, the whole point of America is that we all live better then we did anywhere else; the Blacks, the Asians, the Irish, the Germans...... It is true. If we don't let his government accomplish what they have set out to do. Make your vote count. Take back our country.

I work tonight at 11. We are eating at our son's today. Our dinner planned at Christmas. Zoey is doing slightly better. And as always it is snowing off and on. But the sun is shining on a new year. Lets make it a good one.

More Snow, Oh Goody

It is snowing again. Thrill of thrill. We already have snow piled up as tall as buildings. They think we may get another 8 inches by Monday. Yes its pretty, yes it won't last, but man is it a bummer.

Zoey was really bad last night. Barely walking and for the firs time I heard her moan in pain. It just breaks your heart. We are going to pet smart today to get her some glucosamine. I wanted to research which was best, worked the fastest and would be something I could get her to eat. They have a liver flavored one with a ton of good reviews so we will get that. As fast as this came on I think she must have a acute muscle injury probably from her loving to plow through the snow. Its hard on all of us to remember we are young pups anymore.


Sugar suggested a bed but we have never been able to get her to sleep on a dog bed. Why should she when ours is so much softer and she can hog most of it.

I always said I would never have a dog sleep in my bed, but she was impossible to keep off the bed. As soon as we would fall asleep she would jump up and when we woke up in the morning there she would be, all content with tail thumping happy to greet us. I would scold her and shut the door at night but she has this horrible thing of laying by the door and rhythmically scratching at the door with one nail over and over and over and over until you just want to scream. Scritch, scritch, scritch........ like nails on a chalkboard. Zoey has always been great at training us to do as she wishes.


I am suppose to go get my hair trimmed today. It is a real wild mess. I hope it stops snowing soon as she lives out of town and may not make it to the shop. You can never plan anything for sure in this weather.

We went to my older son's the other day to exchange gifts. They bought me the neatest birdhouse. At the art splash earlier this year I had mentioned how much I loved the bird houses this man made out of old posts and pieces of metal. They went and bought me one and have had it stored every since. When I put it out this year I will take a shot and show you. It is so cool.

We bought a massive bag of birdseed the other day as the birds are just suffereing in this storm. Since I can't use the regular feeders I am taking pie tins and filling them and playing them in the snow. Seems to be working and I saw evidence the deer visited for the first time since the snow. No turkey though. I don't know what they do in the winter.

Well the new year is almost over. In many ways it was worse then I thought it would be. We went further in dept nationally then I could even imagine. The government turned out to be even more corrupt then I had feared and the terrorist chickens are attacking. What would have happened if panty boy had been successful. We have got to start insisting on them going after the people we know are likely to attack us. I hear our government is searching babies. Sure, search the babies but let the suspected terrorist with no luggage, no visa, and shifty eyes board without a blink. Watch your traveling companions people.

They say the system worked? Only because a dutch passenger took the man out. No thanks to our government controls. Other countries profile, this country needs to do that also. To hell with stepping on some feelings. These people don't play by the rules. The cowardly attack women and children hiding in the crowd instead of fighting like a man, or women.

On one of the flights that had problems people admitted they had concerns about the person one the plane but got on anyway. They didn't want to profile. Well I say. Profile. Your lives may depend on it.

Oh and one other thing. I want just a plain background for my blog. Not a 3 column one. Anyone know how to get one? Thanks.

Zoey

Well we spent the morning getting xrays and tests. The good news is it isn't the cancer returning. She does have some hip and right knee inflammation and arthritis, but not terribly bad for her age. He thinks the fact that she insists on still going to the woods and jumping into the deep snow to do her duty has caused her arthritis to flare up and maybe she hurt a muscle. So that is good news.

She has got to lose weight. Right now she can't climb up on any beds and needs help getting up any steps. They put her on some pain meds and we are going to get some glucosamine supplements plus some fish oil. And let her rest. It is hard to keep her off her feet because every time we go into a different room she gets up and comes along. Limping the entire time. Poor old girl.

I had them trim her nails because it has been difficult for me to do with my wrists being so gimpy and they cut two of them too short so they were bleeding. They have never done that before. Poor pup. So anyway, it isn't as bad as I feared but it is difficult to watch her in so much pain. The pills are helping though. They gave her Ultram which is the same pain med they give humans. It is better tolerated then the Rimadyl.

Question. Why is pet medication so expensive? Almost more then human for some things. Sigh. But she is worth it. Thanks for the prayers.

Zoey

Last night I brought Zoey out and noticed she was limping. I thought because she is getting up there in years her arthritis may be bothering her also with this cold. Within a hour she was having trouble standing on her back legs. We can't tell if it is one leg or both, just that they don't seem to be working well. She is wagging her tail and nothing seems to hurt her when I examined her legs.

I got a sick feeling in mys stomach. We called our vet right away and since she isn't in any pain decided to wait until this morning to bring her in. She is standing again this morning but really favoring her back legs and can't jump up on the couch or bed. Rick slept on the floor with her last night because she would keep trying to get in bed and we didn't want her to injure herself further.

This morning we are going to the vet. I am so worried. I am worried about that cancer she had, I am worried that the worst leg is the one she had that growth on. But I am praying it is arthritis and they can give her a pill to fix her up.

So please, once again could you include an old much loved dog in your prayers today.

Down with Political Correctness

We are so worry we are going to offend someone. Every place of employment offers Cultural training. We vote in a blatant socialist because we want to prove to the world we are not racist. And we have been attacked twice in recent months by terrorists allowed to get away with it because we don't want to racially profile them. We search and question granny and let the person most likely to murder innocent children and decent people walk on by. Cowards who sneak bombs under their clothes. Well I think..... If it walks like a duck. If if talks and quacks and swims like a duck. Its a duck. Call it a duck. Treat it like a duck. Did we forget all we learned on Sept. 11th?

Snow Blowers

The other day when we went to dig out I decided it would be wise of me to learn how to start and use the snow blower. Rick's back is still out and from what I could see it looked like they pretty much ran along with you just trotting after them. It looked fun even and I suspected that because you never have to ask men twice to go out and shovel out the drives when you have one. Men and their machines.

So we go out and Rick starts telling me the drill. What the heck? They do this crap deliberately. I was expecting a key. Turn the key, release the brake and hang on. Simple right? Wrong.

First he says you have to turn this lever here. The you have to twist this knob to open the gas, then you have to pump this thing a ma jig and make sure this lever is set to this setting and then when it starts to run turn this level to this line and pump the thing a ma jig again and make sure you holding down this clutch thing and making sure the augers are both turning.

What! Are you joking? You have to do all that just to start the thing? Oh.... I forgot. You also have to pull on this cord like the lawn mower, ( which I also can't start) until it catches. And I am suppose to remember all this? I swear men do this on purpose. A woman would have a button she lightly pushed and the huge machine would spring into action. Men like the ritual of STARTING OF THE MACHINES.

Deciding I would never ever in a million years remember this I captured the drill on video and will make a print out list of instructions in the rare event I ever decide to actually use the thing.

So anyway he gets it started and shows me the levels to press to get the monster to leap forward and the augers to turn. Not too deep so you don't fling the rocks he hollers above the noise.

Now I am not the tallest person and have to admit to having sore wrists and a gimpy shoulder. I did one sweep. Its harder then it looks. My wrists and shoulder took a beating. I kept forgetting to turn the lever directing the snow. Rick looked pretty funny with his face covered. Didn't amuse him though.

So that's it. Anything happens to Rick I have to either move or hire someone. And I couldn't get the snow off the roof with the roof shovel either. The snow was too deep to get close to the house and I was too short to reach it plus have I mentioned my shoulder isn't getting better as fast as I want and both my wrists are killing me.

Being absolutely useless in helping him move the snow around around I did tackle the vehicles and cleared the windows. And I gave him moral support. Applauded his effort. Go baby go. Because I sure don't want to do it ever again.