The gift of time...

There have been times where I think I should update this blog but I feel like it would be so random.  I have had various events and activities take place since my last post but I haven't been able to squeeze the right words out at the right time...  It's busy!

It's Easter weekend and a time for reflection on the meaning of the historical events

 surrounding the days.  Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday...  

Gift of Life everlasting

and this weekend the gift of time...  

I love the R&R of a long weekend and to make things truly fabulous - it is sunny and warm!

God is Good!  

New condo development or squatters? Bad either way.

Did you know this is the international symbol for squatters??  

I didn't.

Well let me tell you the latest news.  I have two new developments in my community that have invaded my property.

I am not sure what to do.  They have just moved in and taken up residence in their newly built homes.  One is actually more upsetting than the other.

1.  The squirrel.

I live in a neighborhood with big trees, shrubs and a large field.... Sort of like a giant urban forest. I have noticed more wild life hanging around.  

Usually birds and wild rabbits but there is a new squirrel  that has been seen frequenting my yard.   It actually was just chilling out on my neighbors garage.  My dog freaks!!!  

Not sure if it going to be a nuisance or if it is going to be like a friendly little Rocky - as long as Bullwinkle stays far away from my yard I think it will be ok. 

2. The Condo....

I just planted some flowers in a window box I have that sits under my garage window.  The other day I was watering it when I noticed this attached to the bottom of the flower box.....

A wasp's nest!!!!!

What am I suppose to do???   

I also noticed tonight they are already building a second layer - it is getting bigger..... 

Look closely and you will see in the picture the are building a vestibule in the second layer.... an outside courtyard renovation taking place by these crazy wasps!!  Every time I would get close they would come shooting out kamikaze style at my face.  I had to cinch up to protect my head. Freaky!!!

So I need a plan.  I might start a petition and send it to the property developer - but that doesn't always work.  I might have to take action myself!! 

I'll keep you updated!

Question 4

Tell us some crazy dog stories that made you laugh (Part A) 

or cry (Part B)

A) My home is situated in an older heritage part of the city with big yards and large trees which was a perfect fit for bringing a new German Shepherd puppy home in August. When the seasons changed into fall the canopy of trees that line the streets lighten to beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red. For residence in my community we wait for the windy days to blow all the leaves down to rake them up before the snow falls. It was a particularly sunny fall Saturday and I thought I would get a head start on this project so I gave myself a time limit - in 1 hour this yard will be cleaned and ready for snow. I made a few piles in the yard while my dog sniffed around and watched the changing landscape of the yard. I was very focussed and fixed on a timeline to get this task done. As soon as I turned my back on my dog she would dive head first into the leaves... at first I was upset, "this is going to take forever if the dumb dog keeps spreading the leaves all over the yard!" But then I looked at her little face sticking out from the middle of the pile and laughed, eventually I found myself laying in the grass and leaves with my little 4 month puppy having a great time. In life we tend to get busy and forget to take time to enjoy the moment.





B) In Alberta we are lucky to have a provincial holiday called Family Day in February, originally designed to provide an extra day off in the year to be with the ones you love. As a young single girl on this particular occasion I thought I would spend my day off with my 2 year old dog, Paris. It was sunny and warm for a mid-winter day so we piled into my vehicle and travelled to an off-leash park that we had never been to. I put the car into park in front of a seniors building along the street where I saw all the dogs, their owners and their families. It was going to be a great day! We entered the park and it was fast becoming my favorite day of 2008 so far. After about 2 hours of hiking in the beautiful trees and along the paths I was ready to leave. Paris realized her fun was ending and I could sense her walking further away from me and not coming when I called. This has happened before but I was not prepared for the drama that we were about to go through. No matter how much I tried to trick her, corner her, lure her or even turn around and fake that were still walking - she would not return to me to go home. After about 45 minutes of trying to catch her I heard sirens coming towards us. Did someone call the police on me?? A fire truck and an ambulance pulled up in front of the seniors building where my car was parked. I tried to keep Paris away from the commotion because they had their own crisis to deal with and didn't need a lose German Shepherd running around. I thought if I walked over to my car she would follow but she didn't, one of the fire men was sitting in the truck watching my frustration increase. I decided that I would get in my car to move it closer to where the park entry was and away from the emergency vehicles. Perhaps my dog would see me driving that she would come over and hop in. My plan did not work out. As soon as I got in my vehicle the emergency personnel were wheeling the gurney out with an elderly woman on it and Paris was right in the middle barking. I slammed on my brakes, through my car into park and jumped out to help divert her away. She was still up to her tricks and 3 firemen were involved at this point trying to help me get her under control. Eventually she stopped and sat in the middle of the road with her ears back, I was able to clip the leash onto her collar and drag her into the car. I thanked the firemen for their help, got into my car and burst out crying. How did that go so terribly wrong? What could I have done differently? It was so overwhelming to me, I cried all the way home when I started talking about it later with a friend I just bawled. The fun and enjoyable 2 hours walk was forgotten by the 2 hours of chasing and drama that resulted at the end. The next day I logged onto http://www.bradpattison.com/ and signed up for his seminar for the coming weekend. I don't have a temper but I just felt so helpless, powerless and out of control. I truly was at the end of my leash!

Question 3

Puppies- just how destructive can they be? Tell us your story.

I went away for a weekend and left my little puppy, Paris with my brother and is wife. They just moved into their newly built home and decided they would contain her to the linoleum area by the back door when she wasn't in the basement or outside. My dog had a few toys she liked to play with and they were all in her lino corner. My sister-in-law noticed Paris was being rather quiet for some time so she walked over to the the back door and saw little dog ears perk up. My sister-in-law saw a cloud of white batten stuffing from the toys strewn about on the floor, it was like Paris was sitting in a cloud of white but she is no angel! The fuzzy toy innards were everywhere and my sister-in-law just laughed at the sight before she had to bag up all the mess and throw away the prized toys that became limp hollow fabric shells now.

Question 1 - Dog trainers

Questions from Brad Pattison about Dog trainers- Tell me about how they gave you success or let you down

My Answer.

I signed up for dog training class that came highly recommended and we were told for the 8 week sessions to bring various items to class including, 2 leashes, a short one and a retractable one, a pocket full of soft chew treats (like Roll-Over cut up but not cheese - his words) and to not too feed your dog prior to class. Over the 8 weeks we discussed many topics but during this particular class we were learning how to walk our dogs on a retractible leash. I had a 7 month old puppy who was full of beans on this particular evening. I went to switch the leash on her collar she wriggled out of my grip and thought it was party time. Among the other young and untrained dogs she was trying to start a revolution by riling up the troops, all the dogs started barking as my dog weaved in and out of the panic stricken owners trying to soothe their excited dogs. The trainer was trying to corner my dog but she is a lot fast than him and made her way around the room about 10 or 15 times with everyone trying to coral her into a spot where she could be caught. This made the trainer very upset and embarrassed. I asked him what I would do if that ever happened again and he couldn't tell me anything other than, don't take her off leash for at least 2 years. I paid for that??