Rambling

It has been an interesting and long week even though I took a vacation day on Friday.

Monday started early with lots of stuff to do at work after working all day Sunday cleaning up the warranty room. I had a dinner meeting after work and then took Zach his check for the work he did Sunday. I got home late. It appears the wife forgot I was going to be late. Wasn't a big deal but she said she completely forgot.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were filled with meetings with manufacturers and planning the future for the parts department along with lots of paperwork. We have been approached by a local body shop group who are looking for new local dealers to service their account. We hope to get them as customers sometime this coming week.

Friday I went to the doctors to be probed and stuck. I ended up getting three shots for things people my age are supposed to get. I had a medication change and found out some interesting information. Apparently it is a good idea for me to have an ultrasonic look into my abdomen. Those that are over 65 with a history of smoking need to have this to ensure that the arteries inside aren't experiencing issues. Apparently it is similar to the ultrasound given to pregnant women. So I am up to make an appointment for that. I was supposed to go in today to have blood drawn for various tests but I woke up with a headache and not feeling really great. I was warned when they injected me that I might experience a headache as well as some pain in my arms. Boy where they right. My arms were killing me last night. I got up in the middle of the night and found I wasn't quite myself. Didn't feel really good. But I have managed to get up and get moving.

Our rescue dog, Honey, has adapted so well we can hardly believe it. She continues to provide us with a lot of love. She has learned to bark and we are working on cutting that to a minimum. She walks really nice and seems to ignore most other dogs. She has finally learned to play. She has several toys that she loves to growl and swing around while holding them in her mouth. She has figured out how to look outside but getting up on the couch. She gets really upset when Mia leaves in the evenings.

Hope you are having a blast. While spring is but a month away, it is snowing today in the Seattle area. I love it....

My Apprehension Is Gone

I'll get into the title of this blog and some pictures in a moment.

Suffice it to say that this was a long week filled with some victories and a couple of defeats. I get today off and then Sunday my grandson and I will be cleaning out the warranty storage room at work.

When auto dealers do warranty work on the vehicles they service, they are required by the manufacturers to keep the old, defective part for a specific period of time. Once the claim is paid by the manufacturer, the dealer can generally toss the old part or put it in the scrap pile. We have a seperate area for our warranty parts and the out of site, out of mind rule applies, so we have a couple of years of accumulated parts that must be tossed. Believe me when I tell you there are alot of them and it will likely take us all day to get rid of them. I just hope I can get rid of the mess in one day.

I was filled with apprehension when we decided to get a rescue dog. My daughter told us of the pitfalls that sometimes come with them. We felt that Honey was a good fit and after having her for a week any apprehensions we may have had are gone. She is a great fit and a beautiful companion. Her first couple of days were tramatic. New schedule, didn't eat much, didn't know the domain that well, so we had to be very patient with her. We wondered if she had a vocal chords since she didn't bark even when other dogs barked at her when we were out walking.

Most of the week, Mia took her to work. They would walk to work and back home at lunch and then Mia would drive the truck to work so she didn't have to walk in the dead of night to get home. As Honey got more adapted to the schedule she started to eat. For awhile we thought she was going to survive on treats. We decided to let her on the couch and chair so she could be close to us and be able to see out the windows. She loves to sit on the back of the couch.

Come to find out, she is a walker and she loves to go outside, unless it is raining. She walks very well and has taken several long, long walks with both Mia and I. Here the girls return from a long walk.

She has been very curious about her surroundings both inside and outside. She gets this look that makes you think she is wondering what the heck is happening.

As the week progressed, she started to insert her personality and we found out she can actually bark. She now greets me at night barking, waiting for the front door to open and then, down she goes into a play posture wanting me to pet her and say hi. I do believe she thinks Mia is the lead dog, since she is the one with her the most. However, Thursday night when Mia was gone, we both were laying on the couch, her over my chest and I was gently petting her as we both fell asleep around 7:30 pm and didn't wake up until just before Mia got home. She is a great addition, and makes us get up off the couch and take care of her.

Day Two At New Digs

Our rescue pup has become more at ease than I would have thought possible. We finally heard a bark from her the first time yesterday afternoon when some people came to the condo next door. She just wants to be close to who ever is sitting on the couch. She loves being pet to the point of climbing in your lap every time you sit down and nudging you until you give in. I don't want to overdo it but I think she needs this love early in the relationship. She seems very adjusted to her domain and willingly lays down and naps without fear.

Every time Mia or I get up she is up and either following us or sitting up on the couch watching us until we return. We had to leave her in her crate during the day as both of us had to leave for a short while. I left first and Mia said she was upset when she tried to put her in the crate when it was time to go. I came home and she went crazy. Jumping all over me and getting down in a play posture. She whats us to think she is going to play and then she rolls over for us to pet her. I am not sure she knows how to play. We have several toys but she shows no interest.

As far as a name goes, we picked the one she came with, Honey. I don't know who gave her this name but I suspect it might have been the person were we picked her up. Unless she had some kind of id when the previous owner dumped at the pound. Sad that people won't take care of their animals. She is such a lover I don't see how anyone could give her up pups or no pups.

It is time to go up and get her out for another day of fun in her new domain. I look forward to hearing how she does at the office with Mia tomorrow. Mia's boss says it is okay to have an office dog, so she is taking her to work every day. Should be interesting. Maybe we can teach her to file.

So we went to the rescue center yesterday to pick up Honey. She is a mix Terrier/Chihuahua which gives her an odd look but her shy, loving personality makes up for her looks. She has a sweet temperament.

We loaded her in a crate because we weren't exactly sure what to expect from the first ride in our truck. She didn't quiver or shake, she just sat or laid in the crate watching us as the world went by. Once we got her home we spent some time in the yard on a lease and then we gave her a leash guided tour of the condo. She poked around in every little nook and cranny. After the guided tour and another trip outside we felt comfortable letting her off the leash. She quickly followed and observed everything we did as we prepared dinner, sat down and ate.


When we sat down for the evening she acted like she wanted to get up on the couch so we let her. She loves to be pet and enjoys being really close to either Mia or I. She will try to force us to pet her but once she realizes she has gotten all she is going to get, she settles in and lays right next to you. I think someone has worked with her before and I don't believe she was allowed on the couch in her previous home. She is very comfortable with us having rolled over into a submissive posture very early after she got home. I would have expect that to come much later after we had built some trust but apparently she already trusts us.

I really don't think we could have picked a better companion. Mia is in the shower and she is sitting next to me looking up the stairs anticipating her coming down.

Hope everyone is well and the trips are good.

Possible Big Day, Today

It is very possible that a new member of the family will arrive today. The cute face in the previous post was spade yesterday and depending on how she is doing we might be allowed to pick her up and bring her home. We are both looking forward to it.

She is a rescue dog of a mutt variety but was very sweet when we met her last week. She comes from California (not sure about getting a Valley Doll) and was dropped off at a pound because she was pregnant by an owner who obviously didn't care about her. Once a mother to be is just dropped off like so much waste and found to be pregnant it appears California would rather put her down than let her have the puppies. So she was shipped to Washington in an effort to save her and her pups. The pups were born right after she got here. I have been told that people will actually pay for the pups here in Washington where they can't give them away in California.

Matters not to me. I have a really good feeling that we have found a great, loving travel companion. Now all that is necessary is retirement and a road in front of us.

Hope everyone is well and being safe.

Another Life Milestone

It finally arrived, sixty-five. I can't help but think about those who didn't have the opportunity to make it to this milestone. Now that it is here, I don't find that much difference between 64 and 65.

I have a Medicare card but beyond that...I don't feel any different. I am looking ahead to more adventures while I search the past for roots.

I picked up my grandson Zach yesterday and let him drive to North Bend to our Chevrolet dealership to get the oil changed. We had breakfest and returned home around noon.

Mia and I went out to look at a couple of rescue dogs in the town of Roy a few miles south of us. We kind of like this little girl and we are thinking about adopting her.

After the road trip we came home and I took a nap. Turning 65 is rough work. Then we went to Chinese dinner with the kids at a local family style restaurant. Had a great meal followed by everyone coming to the house to enjoy some cake and catch up time. We had a great evening. My grandson spent the night and we are going to remove the bed liner from the truck and do some cleaning in preparation for the new Snugtop that is due to arrive at anytime. Beyond that, I have no other plans for Super Bowl Sunday. Hope everyone it having a great time. I notice that there are a lot more RV's on the road lately.

Have a great week.

Long Post (Ramble) With No Pics

It was a long week. The weather conditions did get better, after the wind storm that hit us on Monday and Tuesday. More trees cracking in the wind and further power outages. Our daughter got her power back on Tuesday and she was a happy camper. The kids went back to school on Tuesday.

It was a rough week at work. Monday was extremely busy, lots of phone calls. Tuesday through Friday wasn't as bad but one of my employee's father-in-law passed away and he took the majority of the week off. Add to that the fact that at least one other person is off every day of the week (because of Saturday) and I found myself short handed by two every day. I had planned a vacation day on Friday but a managers meeting was scheduled for 7 am so I went in to work to attend and try to catch up my paperwork. I got there at one in the morning and left around 9 am.

Needless to say, I didn't get much else done Friday. Our combination microwave/exhaust hood passed away a couple of weeks ago and Mia had purchased a replacement at Sears. I went over and picked up our new convection/microwave/exhaust hood and Zach is coming over this afternoon to help me install it. Then he and I will head to Kent to watch the Seattle Thunderbird Hockey team play the Portland Winterhawks. It is teddy bear toss night so we have to have some furry creatures to toss. I am also considering visiting and ordering my new SnugTop truck cover today while a coupon discount is still good.

As you know, the Presidents State of the Union Address was Tuesday evening. Yes, I listened. Yes, kind of agree with some of his ideas. Do I think the have a chance in hell of agreeing or passing any legislation.

I am not sure that discussing politics is a good thing for my blog, but I am so disillusioned with the current political landscape that I can’t seem to keep quiet.

We never discussed politics or religion around the dinner table at our house. Perhaps we should have. As I read Edward Kennedy’s Memoir, I am struck by how this elite family discussed history, politics and religion at the dinner table. Many of the future changes that came about were seeded at this very table.

So what has me ruffled? Frustration as I watch the Republicans try to choose someone to beat Obama. If you ask me, I’d say the Republicans will not regain the White House this year. I don’t think there is a candidate on their side of the fence that can get elected.

I consider myself middle of the road. I have voted for both parties over the years, trying to base my decisions on experience, past performance, leadership, principals, and common sense. Is it just me or is there really no Republican candidate with all the qualifications? We certainly have the rich and the richer but where is the person who will make the tough decisions, stand by them and move us forward out of this quagmire that we find ourselves treading in. Sorry, but I don’t see one any better than the one already in the Presidents office.

Then there is the Senate and House full of opposition members who refuse to make anything happen. But, wait, when we had a majority President with a majority congress, we still didn’t get anything accomplished. So frustrating to watch and wonder when these elected officials are going to realize that they need to do what is right for the majority of the people regardless of their party lines.

Something tells me I’ll be waiting a really long time to see any change from the executive or legislative branches of the government.