Good help is hard to find- today in my sewing room

I just hope that the three amigos don’t wear themselves out while supervising me

 

Today, in art class

 Today, in post graduate art class- neo classical Impressionism, the Dynamic Duo have recreated their favorite film, The Great Escape.  This work represents their interpretation of the tunnels Tom, Dick, and Harry.

The new pack

Miss Olive

Miss Olive

Kohl and Anna Rose the Third

 

Hello Blogville!

Blogville!

 WHN here! Long time no see!  Haven't posted since 2021 when we lost Anna Rose the second, and I just recently had the urge to blog again.  Sorry for being absent from Blogville- missed the good times and the bad, and the other stuff in between.

Lots has been going on since AR2 left for the Rainbow bridge and  Anna Rose Furtia Iris Dachshund joined us in 2019.

We were asked to foster a pair of dachshunds, Lowla and Olive, who spent most of their time in a basement as their staff had three kids under the age of four.  They joined us in 2021, and Miss Lowla helped heal WHN after Tasha left.  Miss Lowla was the elder of the two- a short furred red who became my shadow.  She followed me everywhere, and while she would start in the big bed, around two in the morning, she elected to wake me up so she could enjoy being in her carriage in the family room, and I got to do dishes.   Unfortunately she left for the Bridge in 2024 at the age of 16- again leaving WHN devastated.  Her basement companion, Miss Olive, is a statuesque black and tan dappled short fur, and she just turned 13.  She has a large lipoma on her chest that does affect her walking now, but as she had it when she joined us, the vet wont do anything due to her age.  Since Lowla got her wings, Olive has come into her own, and sticks to me like glue.

We lost Snoopy last December- he was just shy of turning 17, and had just celebrated his 12th gotcha day with us.  Dad had to physically help WHN when he left- first time he was there while it happened, but the first time WHN absolutely could not handle this.  (Lowla was just as hard for her too-)  

2023 was a banner year for WHN- she had her right knee replaced in February and two weeks later had to go to the ER with another blood clot in the same leg- that was a nightmare of epic proportions- arrived around 2 am, got to a room after 9 pm.  worst nurses ever.  She did great with her PT and by August was walking with her cane only (and that was due to her back issues).

August 2023 dawned bright for our four pack of dachshunds- WHN and Dad went to WalMart to do our errands and came home with a black lab puppy- Kohl.  he had been dumped in the parking lot, and it took Dad 20 minutes to get him out from under the truck where he was hiding.  He clung to WHN, claws digging in deep and drawing blood- she attempted to pry him off using a blanket and return him, but the gilr only wanted her blanket back, asking WHN if she wanted him.  if not she was taking him to the pound.  no other info but the name she called him and an approximate age of two months was forthcoming.  so, WHN went to catch up with Dad, and all he ever asked was what his name would be- WHN chose Kohl as he was pitch black.  She carried him inside, and he made himself right at home, having become acquainted with his now three sisters and one brother.

What we failed to foresee was that we brought home a puppy for Anna Rose the Third- the two of them bonded immediately and he was easily twice her size and weight!  He has slept in the Big Bed every night since then, and is her obedient slave- so much so that he is in fact a 90 lb solid black dachshund who does exactly what AR3 wants him to do.  Our back yard has never recovered.  I continue to lose shoes. He refuses to go on walks without her- he sat on the porch and refused to budge until she was harnesses and leashed to terrorize the neighborhood. He is semi crate trained- he goes in when we eat and when he knows we are leaving the house for any reason, for any length of time.  Yes, we made that mistake a time or two, and the weapon of mass destruction lived up to his nickname- nothing was safe and we were less than a mile away attending Sunday Mass. He loves toys and anything that reminds him of one is immediately disemboweled for the latest in Lab scientific research.  

Kohl is possessed by an imp, we know it and he knows it.  But he is terrified of my cane, brooms, mops, etc and the only explanation is that he became well acquainted with something of this nature before he joined us.  I have to be very careful because he runs to his crate if my cane gets knocked over.  

Kohl hates getting into the car- unless AR3 is already inside.  but even then we struggle picking him up and putting him into the backseat with her.  Once he is inside, he is fine.  getting him back out is not quite as challenging.....  going to the vet or anywhere without AR3 is a non starter- their vet appointments are on the same day and we are always shocked to learn how well he behaves for the ladies. 

We had to gate off the kitchen and ensure all doors to all other rooms are closed because he can open doors and he leaves lakes behind when we least expect them.  (he is trained to go out- he just chooses to remind us of this super power, and usually at night....)

He can and will eat anything he can get away with- we purchased the bowls for dogs who wolf down their food, only for him to destroy the plastic ones when i forgot to take them out of his crate while leaving the house.  Blankets and dog beds have been replaced often, and he helps with the laundry too.

He loves being in a pack and loved all four dachshunds and when Lowla and Snoopy died, he was inconsolable.   

Speedy needs our help!

 Speedy, the Cheeky house bunny, aka Sir Speedy, had surgery on his right front paw yesterday- please send him Power of the Paw as he recovers! Please use this link to send him and his parents some Blogville love!  

https://www.speedyhousebunny.com/2021/02/speedy-updatethe-road-to-recovery.html?m=1

A Furtia Pupdate!

Hello Blogville!!!

I have settled in quite nicely and really love The Daddy and WHN.  I am now enrolled in puppy school and have learned Look and Touch and am walking on a leash- I had no idea how much fun leash waking is!  Teaching your humans how to walk at the end of a leash is hard work but someone has to do it!  I am still teething and the shoe count is four pairs but no complaints from WahN- she gets to go shoe shopping with her girlfriends to replace my chew toys.

We had a scare earlier this week- I was throwing up unexpectedly and The adaddy stumised it was due to my external flea and tick medicine. The vet had WHN give me a bath and I felt so much better.  And The Daddy has to help with the bath- I hated having it which was a surprise as I love baths.  I even sneak into the shower with WHN for a quick rinse.

I now weigh 9.6 lbs and my long fur is starting to come in- my ears are starting to really show it as are my paws!

Don’t forget to look for me on Facebark!  I have my very own page- The Daily Anna!!!

A New Blogville Resident!!!!

Hello Blogville!!!!

Sorry that we have been missing since the loss of Anna in January but we have been busy taking care of What’s Her Name and Her never ending back issues and helping her take care of and plan a big parish celebration that was held in May (trust us- if Sweetie and I had not helped nothing would have gotten done)

In real Blogville news- WHN and Dad have adopted a dachshund puppy from a breeder!  A Black and Tan dapple long haired mini, who has Ben named Anna Rose the Third! Furtia (as she has been nicknamed) was born April 16th in South Dakota and last week we went to South Dakota to pick her up!!!  We combined the trio with some genealogical research into WHN’s family and we had a great time!

Furtia has settled in nicely- she is teething and has discovered a love of shoes!  To date, WHN has lost only two but for some reason she finds a shoe in the kitchen every day!

Dad is over the moon as he has needed a female dachshund to keep him in line and Furtia has certainly managed that difficult role.

She sleeps through the night without having an accident and lives the big bed- Daddy has to sing her to sleep otherwise she plays for at least an hour.

Rainbow Bridge Alert- Anna Rose the Second (24 May 2005 - 6 January 2019)

Yesterday morning, our beloved Anna Rose the Second left for the Rainbow Bridge while she was having her nightly power beauty nap.  She had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure last year and was on medication, which had apparently handled it.  Late last Thursday she hacked up phlegm, and again Friday night.  Saturday she  continued to expectorate, and we attempted to get her to the vet to soothe her Dad's fears.  The office closed early but since she had an appointment for today and was not in any pain or distress, we thought she would be ok until her appointment.  I had to syringe water for her as she was not interested in either her food or her water dish- wanting only to sleep.  (Her usual behavior when she has been on crate rest in the past)  When we went to bed at midnight, she fell asleep near my head and later buried herself underneath all of the covers, which she has never done in the six years that she has lived with us.  Around 4:40 in the morning her Dad woke up and checked on her- discovering that his angel had earned her wings.  He woke me and we wrapped her up and placed her in a box and called the vet's office.

Sunday was a long day and Geoff was and continues to be grief stricken- no owner to tell him that he could share her recliner, no owner to be carried in and out for her tours of the backyard, no owner demanding her meals, no owner needing to be taken to her big bed for the night.  

This morning, I put her in the car for one last trip, but Geoff could not bring himself to look.  I arrived shortly after 8 to find that the office had only just heard our messages from the day before.  My grief was manifested with the weight on my chest which threatened to break out when I had to pick out her urn.  I was finally able to cry once I left the office.

Geoff will be bringing Anna home next week- one final ride in his work truck.  Appropriate as she is the only one to have ever ridden in it and she loved going car with her Daddy.

Please keep Geoff, Snoopy, Sweetie and I in your prayers- two food bowls are simply not enough.

Die Hard- A Christmas Movie

https://youtu.be/4Wi28Vsi_ZU


https://youtu.be/4Wi28Vsi_ZU

17 July 1794: “Permission to die, Mother?”

17 July 1794: “Permission to die, Mother?”

RAINBOW BRIDGE ALERT- Tasha

The DWM has lost the remaining founding member, Tasha Queen of the Unstuffed Stuffed Squeaky Toys.  A mass had been found on her liver last May and while Sweetie and Anna have been the direct beneficiaries of the medical care, Tasha was always looked after with the hope that once everything surrounding her sisters ended, she would get the care she needed.

Unfortunately, that was not to be.  She has gradually been losing weight over the last three months, culminating with a drastic drop the last month.  Then the last two weeks saw her turn into skin and bones, with her fur falling out. This past weekend saw her appetite start to waver and her mobility started giving out Monday.  Last night she was up every two hours, but could no longer stand- she fell over and could not move.  She and I stayed up after the third such turn, spending the night wrapped up in her couch blankets and she in her sling under my night gown- we watched the sun rise and had some mommy and Tashina time.  some time before six, I knew in my heart that it was time to let her go

So, Dad made the appointment ....  I took her for a meal of chicken nuggets at her favorite drive thru, and then home for an extended beauty nap- not that she needed one.  We left for the vet around 2:45, and arrived too early.  For once there was no traffic.  The vet techs got her ready with an iv, and I held her for a while longer, with her Dad in the room.  Then the vet came in and Geoff left- Tasha stayed in the sling next to my heart for the rest of her life.  After some time had passed, I gave her over and we left, me barely able to walk, clutching her bankie and sling for dear life.

She comes home in two weeks, and she will never leave me again.

Tasha, Queen of my Heart-  until we meet again  (1 November 2004 - 7 February 2018)

So far so good!!!

2018 is starting off better than 2017 ended, but just by a hair

Sweetie is doing better- she will always walk like a drunken sailor but she is walking!  Her food allergies have returned to a degree.  The expense of her kibble outweighs the fact that no one will eat it so we are looking into less expensive options.

Anna Rose fell out of bed a week ago to our shock- she sleeps at the foot of the bed on top of several pillows, between us so this something that we never thought could or would happen.  WHN took her outside and she appeared fine, but when we officially started our day an hour later, she screamed bloody murder.  Of course crate rest began and we got her to the vet for X-rays.  These revealed that she has several fused vertebrae in her upper spine, probably genetic, and several disc issues in her lower back.  The X-rays also revealed that her heart is twice its normal size and that she is in he early stages of CHF.  When the vet used his stethoscope, he heard a great deal more liquid gurgling than the X-rays revealed. So we now are experiencing the joys of crate rest, a severely reduced diet as the vet wants her to lose four pounds, and lots of medicines!!!

To top everything off, the Dachshund twincesses have been making Sweetie’s life uncomfortable- laying claim to her beds and peeing or pooing on them so WHN has even more laundry to do.  Snoopys has been doing well and is very clingy.  Shockingly both Anna and Tasha want WHN to wear them in the sling- they have never liked this before!

So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

2018- a New Year and new leaf for us

Seems like ages since we posted!  2017 was a year , an annis horribilis, if you will for both the two leggers and four leggers in the pack.

After Dad's mom died, he and WHN became quite ill with recurring infections- Dad battled e Coli while WHN battled various female issues.  On top of that, Tasha was diagnosed with a lump on her liver that needs an MRI (still) and Sweetie lost the use of her rear legs.  Snoopy now has what appears to be a cataract on his left eye, and Anna Rose is still her roly poly self and the light of her Daddy's life. 

In late October, Sweetie had what appeared to be a large lump on her right rear butt, and off to the vet we went!  Until today, that has been quite a roller coaster ride- the lump was removed, and a week later she tore out the stitches!  More surgery needed.  Then when those stitches were removed, it was discovered that the lump had come back and was larger than before.  More surgery again!  Now we had the fun of watching her heal- slowly and with constant leaking that the vet could not control.  We took her in to have her stitches removed and found that she had a gaping hole in its place.  Instead of stitching it up, we were sent home by the vet with a spray to use.  The following Monday the other vet in the practice called and had us come in- he removed some of the excess skin and stitched her up and we went home again

Today, her stitches finally came out!  On top of that, Sweetie is able to walk!  She looks like a drunken kangaroo, but she can get up and walk

Homily for October 22, 2017

Trump United Nations Speech Today (full)

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is the birthday of Mayor Emritus Frankie Furter Price and his sidekick Ernie the Attorney!!!

Please go to their blog and wish Lana a Hapoy Birthday!!!

Or visit her Facebook page to do the same

Pets On Quilts 2017- Pet Themed Quilt

Ah yes, the smell of competition is in the air!!!!! The entries are numerous and magnificent, the models even more so.  Yes it is the Pets on Quilts 2017 competition-  who will win in each of the four categories- Dog on Quilt, Cat on quilt, other pet on quilt, and finally Pet themed quilt.  Will there be lots of dog and cat treats trading hands?  What will the judges be doing behind closed doors?  Where are Padsworth and Dragon Drop hiding?  Welcome to Day 2 of this illustrious competition!

Snoopy here- Master of Ceremonies from an undisclosed location in Missouri.  The pressure is intense and WHN, for some reason has not cracked from it!  Could it be that Dad has been secretly upping her medication?  (oops, that was supposed to be our little secret- cat's out of the bag now!)

This entry from WHN is a little different than what she has entered before in this contest- While she still loves to make small quilts for table tops etc, her love for machine embroidery has really taken over the work room. 

This entry is a donation made in support of the Paws 2 people charity run by a very dear friend here in Blogville- Sue Sehi-Smith and her husband Steve, and closely supervised by the WDA- White Dog Army.  The winner bid on the auction offering, which was a placemat with a pet portrait on it.  WHN has usually done these using applique, but this year discovered a machine embroidery software that takes a very clear photo of your baby and converts it to an embroidery design.  This is NOT for the faint of heart- the designs are stitch heavy (averaging 150,000 stitches) and depending upon the machine used, take approximately four hours to embroider. 

To see how the process is accomplished,  WHN created an Instagram posting of ten photos for you to peruse.  It is not part of her entry but shows how this particular piece was constructed-

close up of the embroidery



quilted backing and hanging

finished front piece

This year has been a particularly challenging one for our pack, especially the past four months.  What has really turned our pack upside down and twisted back to front is that our Princess Regal Beagle, Sweetie, is an IVDD sufferer.  Now, with our pack consisting of three dachshunds from DRNA, and a beagle, one would suspect that IVDD would rear its ugly head eventually.  It did, but with our 36 lb Beagle!  We had gone out to a medical appointment and upon our return, Sweetie was still stuck outside unable to use her rear legs.  That was just over 6 weeks ago.   To raise money for a wheeled cart for Sweetie, WHN is now selling these portraits to raise the funds needed to purchase a cart and to fund the extras an IVDD dog needs.  Sweetie has adapted beautifully and lets us know when she wants out.  Her appetite is as usual and with the exception of the rear paralysis, Sweetie  is her sweet but demanding diva self again.  The adjustment was a long one, but I think that we have mastered the major obstacles so far.  She is still busy training us, and still enjoys time in the backyard.

Now, a quick peek at the very first embroidered pet portrait WHN has done!  These portraits go well on the back of jackets or as wall hangings, and can be wrapped around a canvas and ready to hang on your wall- their versatility is endless. 

Pets on Quilts 2017 is HERE!!!!! Dog on Quilt Entry!

Today is the day!!!!  Yes technically the contest started yesterday but Blogville should know by now that WHN is a bit ditzy! 

So to get this show on the road, we have Master of Ceremonies, Snoopy,  to introduce this year's entries! 

Take it away Snoopy!

Is my mike ON?  I better be getting paid for this, unlike my previous hosting gigs for WHN, that's all I can say-






As you can see it is that time of year again!  We missed last year but have competed before and boy is the competition fierce.  Padsworth and Dragondrop, that intrepid duo, have outdone themselves yet again!  The prizes are fabulous and there are only four categories this year!

This blog post is WHN's entry into the Dog on quilt category! (No I am not her entry this year, my fiancée Muffin  would not like that at all, so back off ladies!)

So this year, WHN is entering the following for your perusal - it is a quilted and pawsonalized stocking for our BFF Fendi!  WHN is particularly pleased with this one (she has been making them for several years) as she believes that she captured the beautiful Fendi perfectly!  This is done without  thread painting- only quilted applique!  So without further ado- FENDI! 

The first photo is of the finished item and the second photo is of the original photo in comparison to the applique before it was quilted.

We hope you enjoy this entry and please take the time to visit the other contestants- their works of art are simply breathtaking as are their models!

Sweetie

 As you can see, WHN is no longer capable of keeping track of what week we are in of Sweetie's IVDD journey (it is Week 5)  So far she is doing fine but depressions is making its ugly way into her life and we are not surprised to see it.  Sweetie is not interested in going outside and exploring , just wants to sit or lie on her bed and sleep all day- she doesn't even sit up when she needs to "go". 

No these photos are not indicative of this new phenomena- they were taken this morning after WHN and Dad returned from an emergency run to McDonald's to use the facilities- the water main on our street is broken so we have no water so we all no what that means!  We went outside and Sweetie had been on her bed, BUT when the pawrents returned had messed her bed and after it had been changed by WHN simply refused to go back on the it- wanted to stay on the floor and rug and is still there
 two hours later!

It is getting easier moving her around with her GingerLead , with her booties and using the Gorilla Grip bedding on her beds.  Her depression will be a new challenge, especially since we already live with WHN and her episodes.  This past weekend the weather was actually livable so we had Sweetie outside on the grass and she appeared to enjoy being in her yard again- tonight we are going to rig up the dolly and pull her around the yard to give her the feel of being mobile .

Remember, she now has her own Facebook page!  https://www.facebook.com/PrincessRegalBeagle/

Sweetie on Facebook

Sweetie has her own facebark page!  WHN started it and finally posted a couple of photos on it today!  She thought that it would be easier than starting a separate blog for her.  It is called Sweetie, the Princess Regal Beagle with IVDD so please check it out!

Also, thanks to our Aunt Mindy, our jewelry fund raiser made 12.00 for Sweetie's wheelchair!

Thank you for everyone who ordered from our Aunt Mica!