Rooted in Mississippi

Just thought I would post a little update.  I get to pick up Princess Lulabelle tomorrow, then our little family will be complete. I am really looking forward to bringing her home. Our walks will sort of look like “dachshunds on parade,” but there is room enough in our hearts to take her in too.  Plus, we need a girl to balance things out here.

Just ignore the crazy eyes in the picture; the flash makes Louie’s eyes go blue and Rudy’s go red.  Maybe it is that the older dogs are getting cataracts or maybe it is something about the chocolate and tan coloring!  Anyway, here is another gratuitous dog cuteness photo.

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I have a tendency to buy good digital cameras, so that they will last for a while and have enough features to keep me entertained.  Even though is several years old, I still adore my FujiFilm FinePix S7000.  I use it for all of my photos and videos.  In fact, it may qualify as the best camera I have ever used.  I drastically reduce the quality of the shots for use on the web, but the original files create lovely, detailed prints.  I doubt I will be looking for another camera until it breaks or gets stolen. Plus it was a great price, because I got it on sale and had a coupon, which saved me about $150.

My old camera, which actually cost me more than the FinePix S7000, was pretty darn good.  It did have a piece of plastic break, so the battery compartment hangs open a little bit, but it still works and takes lovely pictures, suitable for the web if not printing.  You can see evidence of that on Lisa’s blog.  The drawbacks are that it is so old, the cable (which I finally found after tearing apart a storage closet) connects the camera to a serial port and serial ports are old technology.  Also, it was also made when CompactFlash was new, so when Lisa’s flash memory stopped being read on any of our machines, I knew it was going to be a problem.  I got my husband to drag out an old crappy IBM Thinkpad running Windows98 and magically, it could read the card and we were able to save Lisa’s pictures.  I reformatted the flash memory and all of the Windows XP machines could read it once again and we thought the camera could read it too, but you still could not see the pictures.  Oh, well. 

I had already checked Hudson’s, Big Lots, and the clearance bins at several places the other day when I first diagnosed the problem.  None of them had any old stuff left.  So, we bought the smallest CompactFlash card they had at Office Depot, which was a circus in and of itself.  The tag said $19.99, then they tried to make Lisa pay $34.99, only Rissa was not having any of that.  Once we got home, Lisa stuck it in the camera and took a picture.  No dice, the camera just could not read the new media. 

So, I did the only thing I could do, I traded her my older 256 meg CompactFlash card (I bought it for my current camera) for the brand new one she just bought.  Everything works fine again, but I am still on the hunt for older CompactFlash cards, just in case.  It has saved her from having to buy a new camera, and I feel good knowing that it is still being used.  I hate the idea of disposable goods.

Oh, and gratuitous dog cuteness photos are over on Lisa’s post for yesterday, including one of me with the babies in the midst of my messy livingroom! 

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Rudy is really fitting in at the Root household. I am sharing a photo of all three on the sofa together, but I added a close-up shot of Rudy and Louie, so you could see his brown nose. It took me a while to figure out what was so different about my chocolate and tan dachshund child, but his nose is clearly brown and not black, and his eyes are much lighter than my other boys.

I also posted some video of Rudy with the Bobo toy and Louie losing the trail of squirrel. Oh, and some video of the Flamingos in the Camargue from our European vacation.

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We are getting closer to getting Princess Lulabelle! She has been to the vet for her annual check-up and shots, plus we have signed the contract for her adoption. Now the only details left to work out are getting her microchip embedded and finding a time when we can arrange transportation. I was beginning to worry that her foster mom had changed her mind and wanted to keep her, which is very common, especially after a dog has been with someone for over a year.

Last night, we made a trip to PetSmart to get more supplies. We have been doing a lot of rewarding for all the boys while training Rudy. I have also been giving medicine to two of them, which means hiding pills in a soft treat twice a day. Rudy is starting to learn the word “treat” which is a good thing, since sometimes it is our only lure to get them back in from the yard at night.

It turns out, that despite nearly a decade in age difference, Rudy and Louie are well balanced and match each other step for step when we take walks. Because of his arthritis, Oscar lags behind the other dogs and can not go as far. Sometimes it is hard to handle three retractable leashes, but I am getting used to it. I have been working on making them heel when I want them to, but mostly I want them to enjoy a little freedom on our walks.

We have taken walks just about every day since Rudy came home with us, just not really long ones. During our walks, I realized that Oscar and Louie have picked up more weight than usual. We had fattened them up a little before our trip to Europe, because we expected them to lose weight while they were boarded. They must have liked the Dog Wash, since they did not lose weight this time.

So it is time to put them on a diet, which is perfect timing for Princess Lulabelle, since she requires a more strict feeding regimen than the boys. No one seems sure about the concept of mommy picking up the food bowls. Ages ago our vet suggested that we leave food out to prevent hypoglycemia, because both dogs were prone to seizures. It worked, so we kept doing it. Now that I am home, I do not think hypoglycemia will be a problem, so we are ready to make the transition. I hope it goes well, but you might want to wish me luck.

And of course, the daily dose of doggy cuteness:

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Rhonda is right, Rudy is channeling the Petsmart commercial with Bobo! Although the dachshund in the commercial is a red mini and not a chocolate, he clearly is doing the Rudy thing with his baby. Now I know why I call the toy Bobo, the commercial must have sunk into my subconscious mind. If you do not remember the commercial, I did find it on YouTube, click here to see it.

Oh, and my vet was right, Rudy’s skin infection is clearing up and his coat already looks a lot better than it did when I brought him home one week ago. I am so glad to have him here with me, he is such a good dog and he is really fitting in with the family. We have definitely bonded and he has found his forever home, even though he does not get along with Omar the cat. Luckily, Omar is smart and has figured out how to avoid any confrontation, except when there is a door or window between them.

I finally got around to uploading a video I took of Oscar in the spring, when he was sitting out in the back yard, eating grass. He spends a lot of time eating grass if you let him. Go figure. Click here to see it on YouTube if you are interested.

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This is from Wednesday’s Getting to Know You post over at Create a Connection.

1) When you were growing up, who was the “wisest” person you were close to? How did you know they knew what they were talking about?

Minnie Willaford was a saint. She was there for my siblings and I, even when there was not enough money to pay her wages. Since I was the baby, she was already ancient and wise when I came along. She raised several generations of us and was a truly good woman. She used to have me read the bible to her in the afternoons. I still remember reading while she sorted her change for the bus, which she kept in metal Doan’s Pills containers. We all miss her. My sister finally realized that her intense fascination with African American women in art and quilting was an homage to Minnie.

2) Did you ever have a relative/friend give unsolicited advice that perhaps at the time it was given, were resentful, but later came to find out they were right?

My family always gave me unsolicited advice on how to keep my weight under control. I was always resentful and they were NOT right. I ended up with an eating disorder that haunted me for years. Calling me “Fats” or “Fat, Fat the Water Rat” was NOT helpful in any way. Refusing to buy me clothes until I lost weight, was NOT helpful. I try to leave that stuff in the past, but sometimes the bile rises and up and I start to choke on it. I do my best to not dwell on it, but this question dug it up. Oh, well.

3) Have you ever regretted not taking someone’s advice?

Seems like someone once told me to stay away from debt and credit cards and save for a rainy day. I did not listen and got in way over my head in college. It took me a decade to clean up the mess, but I learned my lesson. It is pretty simple mathematics…if you can not afford it, do not buy it. Learn to live on less and force yourself to put a little money into savings, you will need it one day.

4) What words of wisdom would you give to someone trying to find their way in the world? What words did you hear that helped you find your way?

Sometimes things look abysmal and like you will never find your way out, but you can and probably will. I think being told not to take myself too seriously was helpful. I was a master brooder in my day. When I finally figured out that world did not revolve around me or my family, it was much easier to take it all in stride. I can even joke about it now, but I was dangerously close to the edge when I was young.

And now for something completely different….

I created a couple of Simpson character avatars after seeing Deb’s post. I thought it was kind of fun, but then I got busy and never posted them on my blog. I suppose I should add, better late than never.

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The day started out kind of crappy, because I had a sinus headache, but it turned around. I met Lisa for lunch at the Ag Museum Cafe, where I got the vegetable plate and some unsweetened tea. It was delicious and the little bit of caffeine gave me a nice boost.

My husband brought home some very cool white eggplant from the office. One of the ladies who works there has a victory garden and he commented on them, so she sent him home with some. I learned that white eggplant has a tougher skin and has to be peeled, but that it is less bitter, even though it has more seeds. You cook it just like regular eggplant, so I figure on making up a batch of Eggplant Parmesan sometime this week.

I had thought about getting up early and cooking it up for Lisa, but I felt crappy and was glad we had already decided on going out for lunch. Lisa came by the house before she went back to work, to meet Rudy and pick some figs. We have a bumper crop of Delta Figs this year; they are smaller than grocery store figs, but very tasty. Lisa took about a half of a gallon ziploc bag home with her and the trees are still full of ripe figs.I’ll leave you with some more pictures of unbridled doggy cuteness. Last night, Rudy cuddled up with me like a baby. When I had to go to the bathroom, I slipped out so as not to disturb him. He was sound asleep in that awkward position and did not move. He even slept through my giggling while I snapped a few photos.

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This morning, I finished up with the final touches on CQMagOnline! There were not enough sponsors for this issue, so Nora gave me some space and I decided to put in a tiny link to this blog. CQMagOnline is a completely volunteer operation and the fees paid by sponsors just barely cover the cost of the web-hosting service. In the past, the staff has donated money for the operating costs to keep Nora from having to shoulder it all on her own. If you want to help, submit your photos to the Reader’s Showcase, consider donating an article, or buy ad space in a future issue. Go ahead, it is inexpensive and should be good for your karma!

I actually got a lot of other stuff done today too. I packed up Rudy and took off to run errands. He was a perfect gentleman in the post office, even though the person at the counter took forever to take my money, affix the postage and tracking information, then scan the package. At the very end, he was getting a little antsy and moving around in his travel bag, but he never barked or whined. Afterwards, I took him to PetSmart where he had a ton of fun, but I also had a strange encounter with a woman who cut us both off and then kept apologizing. When I was checking out, she was right behind me, and it dawned on me that she heard me calling Rudy “Rude” while I was reassuring him and must have thought I meant her! Oh, well, misunderstandings happen.

Finally, we visited the drive through teller at the credit union before going home. After taking all three of the dogs for a walk, I took a break and watched last night’s episodes of The Closer and Saving Grace (which I thought was compelling), then headed into the yard for limb duty. After filling one garbage can, I loaded the chimenea and made a big pile next to it. Unfortunately, I could not really get the fire going, probably because of all the rain we have gotten lately. So I gave up and picked some tiny tomatoes before getting to the business of cooking. I grilled some burgers that I put into a marinade yesterday and a couple of ears of fresh corn. All in all, it was a really productive day and quite enjoyable, except for the mosquito bites.

And of course, there are more photos of intense doggy cuteness. Rudy has really found the soft spot in my heart.

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We have graduated to the point where the dogs are ignoring one another some of the time, which is an excellent sign. They are also eating in peace, even when I put the carob flavored skin & coat vitamin oil on their food! I heard one small snarl last night, but I did manage to sleep through the night and did not get up until the regular early morning doggy potty time.

Segue into our first Rudy problem…

Since he came here, he has ignored the vet’s cat, the neighborhood cats out front, and Omar…the cat who lives in the back yard and eats in the greenhouse. That all changed last night, when Rudy cornered Omar. Rudy is getting comfortable and showing his true personality more and more, but Omar needs and deserves a quiet place. I keep hoping Omar will teach Rudy an object lesson, but so far, I am the only one who has gotten scratched. I made the mistake of getting between them this morning, so that Omar had a chance to run for the safety of the greenhouse. I know, this too shall pass, but sooner is better than later.

Yesterday evening, we saw some squirrels through the window and I let them out. After dropping his toy, Rudy ran with Louie to tree the squirrel. Then Rudy fixated on the base of the tree, before picking an apparently random spot on the ground, where he started digging like crazy. Louie looked on with interest, but did not follow suit. Oscar mostly stayed close to the door. First the photos:

I thought his dachshund determination to get to whatever was under there, was just hysterical and could not be captured by still photography, so I decided to take a couple of movies. I did not embed the video in the post, but added the link in case you want to follow it and see Rudy Root in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5vz61S1kf4

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I promise to get back to regular blogging soon, but I wanted to do another Rudy update. He is finding his place among the boys. As we first predicted, he falls somewhere between Louie and Oscar. He seems to be very comfortable with them, even though they are still unsure about him.

He really loves the toys, both my husband and I have seen him take them with him out into the backyard, it is just hysterical. I also found one of my fuzzy crocheted flip-flops out there, which could be easily mistaken for a dog toy! Oscar and Louie still do not understand the concept of toys, so there is no squabbling over them.

Rudy is more agile than Oscar and Louie, he has already figured out how to get into the greenhouse in order to either bark at Omar or eat his food. I put up a barrier, but I really need to get the stupid greenhouse fixed. Too bad, no one in Jackson seems to want the job. I guess it is time for me to place a parts order with Charley’s and do it myself.

Anyway, they were all sharing space in bed last night and on the sofa this morning. The empty spot is where mommy was before I decided to take pictures of the dog harmony.

Everyone was so well behaved, after morning medication, I gave them each a Greenie. Of course Oscar woofed his down first, then looked longingly at Louie for a while, before he decided to stare at Rudy, who was taking his sweet time and seemed to really be enjoying his treat. At one point Rudy did look a little worried that Oscar might make a play for it, but they were all good boys.




On the EGA/stitching front, we finally worked on revising our chapter bylaws and had a productive board meeting before the regular chapter meeting. I still like the tabletop frame, especially with the chart holder attached. Then we were able to grab a bite to eat with Cynthia and Rodger, but Lisa and Mark were otherwise engaged. By next month’s meeting, things should all be settled and sorted out with the dogs and they will get a meet and greet.

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