Saturday, June 30, 2012

Two Weeks

It's been two weeks since I came home from what I was lead to believe was an appointment for acupuncture.  Phil drove me out yesterday and once we arrived, I was looking all over the place for Dr. Smith.  Tricked again!  Dr. Smith is on vacation, so clearly no acupuncture was happening.  Another doctor looked at my leg, gave me my shot and we were out of there.

Jeremy and Phil finished the last of the yard tasks for next Saturday.  The last task was putting the closure back on the gate beside the garage.  Before they got around to fixing it, look what Naughty Noodles did:
Janet had a bag of soil propped against the gate to prevent it from opening.  Noodles dug and pulled on the bag to get it out of the way so she could open the gate.  She went next door to see Pixie.  Who knew Noodles could be so smart and who knew she liked Pixie?  Too bad I'm trapped in one of my enclosures as I also would have liked to visit Pixie.
She was pooped out after all that excitement.  One of Pixie's people, Vince brought Noodles home.
We heard Janet tell Phil to enjoy the last day or so of peace and quiet, so that can only mean everyone will be starting to arrive for Meg and Derek's wedding.  I'm really hoping my surgery won't toss me out of the Ring Pup gig.  I can walk pretty well and Phil helps me down the stairs with my special little sling.
Looks better, don't you think?  My fur is starting to grow back in, although I have to admit there is a ways to go in the fur department.  You can hardly see my incision anymore!           
Phil is so busy watching the Tour de France, he's not paying attention to the fact that I need to go to the bathroom....now!  Janet pointed out to Phil that all the crowds at the finish line in the Tour de France were identical to all the crowds at the finish line in the Tour de Victoria.  We can't decide if Janet is telling a big lie, or if by the time she finished the bike ride she was delusional.
What does a guy have to do to get their attention?  Phil on the TV and you can see Janet's morning set up in the background - two lattes, two newspapers, two iPads and the laptop.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Team JanDerHan Does It!

Sunday was Janet's big day on the bike - Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria.  Janet was in the backyard planting our vegetable garden.  When she came out of the pouring rain, this sign was on the front step.  Our nice friends, Ken and Karen dropped it off.  Janet was very touched.

Janet was really nervous about the ride and told us she wished she hadn't signed up.  She also told Phil, but it turns out us doggies are way better listeners and don't toss out some of the pearls of wisdom that Phil does.  She had a stomach ache for the last two days.

At any rate, Sunday rolled around and Her Craziness wasn't about to lose her $99 registration fee.  Janet convinced Meg and Derek to wear the wedding favour socks that Ted and Briana gave away.  She told them that way they could be a team.  The truth is, Janet can be conniving and her thinking was that if she fell off her bike, or crashed or didn't finish the race, Meg and Derek couldn't say "oh...we don't really know her....we're just trying to help this crazy lady finish the race!"
All feet united!
They loaded up Meg's car and off they went:
See the super cute bike jersey Meg bought for Janet?  She also bought her some gloves.
This is at the front of the 50KM chute.  There were 736 riders in the 140KM ride, 401 riders in the 100KM ride and 278 in the 50KM ride.  There was also a crash with some participants in the 140KM ride and some people had broken bones.  One of them was a doctor Meg works with in Squamish..he broke some ribs and punctured a lung!
It took 2 1/2 hours to ride the 50KM.  When they crossed the finish line, their names were announced!  Janet said it was a really festive atmosphere downtown - tons of people, display tents, a beer garden.  Janet was so happy!  She tried hard not to cry.

See Janet's new bike with the ride tag:
Their reward for all this hard work.....sushi, of course!
While Janet was mentally obsessing about the bike ride, she made a new dessert.  Janet's children love a Rhubarb Slice that she has made for about 30 years.  She came across a new recipe for Rhubarb Cheesecake that basically starts out like the slice and then you add a cream cheese mixture and top it off with sour cream.
Jeremy said it was a keeper!
You are probably wondering how we doggies are after this celebration of All Things Janet....we are well!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Rockers is Starting To Get Better

It's been one week since my brother came home from the pet hospital.  Phil took him back to the clinic for a follow up check up on Thursday and everyone at the clinic was amazed at how well he is doing.  He is still unhappy about his little prison alcove so I try hard not to flaunt my ability to get up on the sofa and the bed.

Phil gives him flexing exercises three times a day.

Phil is whipping up another batch of our delicious dog food.  Rockers wishes he could stand outside with me, but seriously, the view is the same!
The really good thing about Meg and Derek's wedding is they come to Victoria to visit on a regular basis.  They came again on Thursday.
Meg is smiling because she was happy to see us, but she was in very bad form!  She had two hours sleep the night before that were not consecutive, due a baby that couldn't decide on a good time to come into the world.  They were going to be on the 5PM ferry, so Janet was planning to make a nice supper.  Meg and Derek took a "shortcut" and it took them 1 1/2 hours to travel 14K!  They eventually arrived at 9:30PM.
On Friday, they went to Sun Wah for lunch.  Meg and Derek and Janet's right arm are helping Mae draw up the menu for the family lunch on 08 July.
After lunch, Phil had to go to work and the rest of them came home.  Janet's big bike ride is on Sunday, so she decided to go for a last 30K ride.  While she was gone, Meg decided to be Rocker's cell mate for a while.
I am helping Derek solve some big Telus problems that require two heads instead of one!
Even though I don't get to make any executive decisions, it's fun helping Derek with his work.  Sure is cozy and warm in here!
Janet could have gone for a bike ride on Wednesday, when it was nice and sunny out.  She also could have gone on Thursday, when it was also nice and sunny.  Instead, she backs herself into a corner and is forced to go today.
See that fake smile she has plastered on?  She was soaking wet, right through to her skin.  Her legs were all splattered with mud.  We were fooled by the fake smile, so it was  hard to gauge her state of mind when she got home - happy, unhappy or really _______ (insert some really bad words here) miserable!


Monday, June 18, 2012

Foiled!

It pains me to know that almost everyone thinks I'm not the sharpest doggie out there, but this time I have been completely blindsided!  Friday starts out a bit on the unusual side as Janet and Phil are not giving us breakfast and Janet won't open the frig - not even once.  Then there are a couple of short walks and Noodles goes into the house while I get in the back of the car.  This is weird!
It's Anicare!  Yay....I bet I've come for some acupuncture!  I love acupuncture.
Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong.  Phil left me here!  Everyone was really nice to me, but I still want to go home.
I had ligament surgery and had to overnight at the clinic.  Phil said I was so zonked I didn't even recognize him when they brought me out.  Want to talk zonked, Phil; let's chat about sleeping pills on the flight back from Heathrow, so you could "maximize"  your day when you got home.
Here we are at home.  I'm rockin' a silly French Poodle cut on my right paw and Phil has to use this sling to get me up and down the stairs.

At least Noodles was really happy to see me!
I think she might actually be saying - "I tried to tell you!"
Janet built what she thought was a cute little space for me with cute little carpets so I wouldn't slip.  Call me crazy, but to me if it looks like a prison, and acts like a prison, it's probably a prison!  She's trying to sell me the space labeled as "cute", but man oh man, those are not the words she uses to describe it!

For ten years, I have slept in their bedroom on my ten year old dog bed - I see new iPads, new bikes, new garden beds and more - would it kill them to buy me a new bed?  Especially now that I am disabled?  I accepted the first night in the prison, but on Sunday after they went to bed,  I busted out and went to sleep on my dog bed!  Who's dumb now?

Thursday, June 14, 2012

My Brother

I think if my brother were a small child going to school, he might be labeled "special needs".  He is really cute and could care less about some things and goes nuts over other things.  Phil puts his collar on this way sometimes and the only guy that seems to care is Janet.  She doesn't like it when Phil makes fun of Rockers.
See how sweet and kind his eyes and face are?  I hate to admit it, but he is a really great brother.  We sleep together often and use each others backs to rest our heads while relaxing.
Rockers doesn't know this yet, but he has to have surgery tomorrow.  The only reason I know this is because I had the same surgery 2 1/2 years ago, so I recognize key words like "fasting", "ligament surgery", "no walks", etc.  The key phrase that sticks out in Janet's mind is "pieces of crappy carpet all over the house", but it goes without saying (?) that she doesn't mind.  Janet is a super trooper!
I am doing my best to console him.

You can see how he has so little weight on his right back paw.
Janet is a tad bit worried about tomorrow morning.  Remember how Rocker's likes to get the breakfast machine in motion the moment Janet gets up?  He can't eat in the morning due his surgery.  Janet can't stay in bed until 11:30AM which is when he is supposed to arrive at the vets and she doesn't think she can listen to him bark for 4 hours.  This is stressful stuff!
OK....OK...perhaps all of us aren't stressed out.  Rockers is at major peace!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Janet Has A New Bike!

Janet is super excited - she has a new bike!  She and Phil left us at home on Saturday to go to the bike store that Phil's friend and client Cam owns.  They took Janet's old bike and she was hoping they could tune it up, or maybe, she could buy an inexpensive bike.  Turns out every bike Janet tried, from $400 and up was way, way better than her old bike.  She was prepared to tough it out because of Rockers pending surgery, but Phil said "No...you deserve a nice bike!"  So......
See how pretty it is?  She also has a new helmet and the kind of water bottle our Uncle Bob suggested.  When they went for their bike ride, Janet had a small bottle of Kirkland water.  Uncle Bob told her it was best to have a bottle you don't need to screw the top off to get a drink.  That way you could drink water and ride at the same time.  Janet didn't have the heart to tell Uncle Bob that if she doesn't stop riding, she can't get a drink of water - doesn't matter what the top is!

Here's Janet's splashy new bike at Atkins Road - this is almost in Langford!  The bar on the new bike is alot higher than the old one, so there were a few really bad swear words.
Janet was so happy about her new bike she rode 34KM on Saturday.  Later on Saturday, Phil suggested that perhaps they should get her old bike back from the bike shop in case she wanted to ride to the convenience store and not worry about locking it up.  Good idea!  Phil called Cam who said he had just sold it to an old lady (this must someone much older than 59, we think) for $50!  Cam goes on to say is Janet nuts for riding for so long on a new bike with a new seat on the first day.

Janet and I are stretching out together.  Her back was really stiff from the different seating position on the new bike and her bum was really, really sore!
Here is what Janet did around our house the last couple of days:
Janet didn't actually do this - Jeremy, Derek and Phil did.

She did do the painting though!  Janet is as messy a painter as she is a cook, so she is only allowed to paint decks and fences.  Good thing because Janet HATES painting.

Phil bought these pretty gate closures for our new gate.  We think our house is looking really nice.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Some Good News and Some Bad News

Everyone, except us, has been going gangbusters on the "wedding sparkles".   We are the support team - here to be petted when you need a break.   Here is our "foreman", Jeremy on the job:
He's busy rebuilding fences, gates and decks.  It's going to look really pretty!
For way too many years, a large wooden hot tub sat on this spot.  Derek ripped it all apart and it's being taken to the dump tomorrow.  Now it's a nice deck area.
Here's Rockers trying on a "ring carrier" to see if he thinks he can pull of the Ring Pup gig.  Meg's fancy pants new ring is at our house now, but we are under threats of death if we expose it - do you think they have Hell's Angels in Squamish?  She was pretty specific about what would happen, so we didn't want to go there.
This seems pretty silly, but this is one of Janet' favourite things - furry potatoes!
They are new BC Nugget potatoes.  Janet loves them boiled, grilled, fried, saladed (is that word?) etc, etc.  She made extra last night so they can have some potato salad.  Personally, we think it's so cold outside that Janet was nuts for tossing aside her winter menu.
OK...that was the good news department.  Now our bad news:
Phil has been wearing these ratty, crappy slippers for wa-a-a-y to long.  Look at them!  Janet hated it when he would take them off and set them by the front door when he put his shoes on.  She says it makes us look like welfare recipients - whatever that is.
Sadly, my brother has to have surgery.  He has torn the ligament in his right knee.  Phil took us to the Vet today.  We were supposed to go on Saturday for our annual check up and shots, but Rockers has been limping so badly for the last couple of days, Phil called this morning to see if we can come earlier.  Janet is really sad as she remembers what is was like when I had my surgery for the same ailment.  Little Miss Anal also remembers all the throw mats and carpet scraps that covered the kitchen floor!  The Vet said we are starting to get cataracts which may limit our night time vision, so Phil is going to get a motion sensor light to put on the back stairs. And, crazy!  Phil told our Vet about how Rockers is afraid to walk by small dogs now and he says maybe it's a thyroid issue.  Janet tells Phil not too worry about it, but Phil had already agreed to have the blood sample sent to California!  $$$$  How is it Rockers blood can go to California for a vacation and we can't?
Poor Buddy, my excellent brother.
He's a little bit fuzzy, but Rockers major competition is back in the ring.  Meg left her teddy bear, Throckmorton  at the hotel where Briana's wedding was.  When Rockers heard this, he was sure he was a shoe in, but the hotel staff were so efficient, he's already back at home.  Rats!  Bad news for Rockers is that with his surgery, he might not be able to be Ring Pup, but I don't think we will tell him yet.
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Imagine surviving a cross Canada trip in a Purolator bag.

Monday, June 4, 2012

We....Sorry - They Had A Busy Weekend!

First, Janet and Phil came home from Chicago late on Thursday night.  They had fun, but were really tired as the flight was late.

Next day, Friday, look who shows up at our house:
It's Meg!  We rushed to the door to greet she and Derek.  We were happy to see them, but kind of wonder why they are here as they just saw Janet and Phil last weekend at Briana's wedding.

Turns out Derek, Jeremy and Phil were doing manly construction work.  Odd, we always thought real men drank beer on the construction sight, not chocolate milk.  Derek says he thinks chocolate milk goes with all foods and all occasions.
It was also the 50th Anniversary of the Oak Bay Tea Party.  Sadly, Janet had to miss the parade as there was lunch to be made for the construction crew.  Janet loves the parade and this is the first time she has missed in years.  Last year, she made Phil go, but all he did was complain.  Not sure what he was expecting - Rose Bowl Parade??  Turns out, he threw himself into the construction work with gay abandon (so not normal) as he feared slacking off might mean no lunch would be prepared and he would be dragged off to the parade.
These are the Parks workers in their Parks equipment in the parade.  They do cute turns and dodges and get out of their equipment to do a jig in the middle of the road.  Once the parade starts, you are virtually held hostage in your home if you want to leave by car.  Janet rode her bike to the store to get some cream and that took more than 30 minutes roundtrip.  The store is about 5 minutes away!
In addition, our Uncle Bob came to stay on Saturday for two nights.  Our nephew Brad and his girlfriend came for dinner on Saturday night and then on Sunday, Uncle Bob took everyone, except us out for sushi.  We stayed home and had chicken "sushi" with raw veggies.  Kind of similar, right?

Kim works at Russell Books, usually in the book buying department.  Meg started talking about Nancy Drew books and Kim knew off the top of her head that Nancy Drew sold for $4.99.  Meg was shocked as she thinks Nancy Drew is a classic.  Kim said they have LOTS of Nancy Drew at her work.
Before Uncle Bob left this morning, he and Janet went for a 30KM bike ride.  Janet said it was fun, but kind of fears her yoga class this afternoon.  They made some new buddies on their ride.
As soon as Janet walked up to the fence, all the chickens came jogging over.  Janet said they were really cute.

Here is Uncle Bob, packing up his bike.  His bike is so fancy, it has his name on it!  Uncle Bob suggested Janet go to a bike fitter to make sure the seat is the correct height.  This was previous to him actually seeing her bike!
While everyone else was gardening, constructing, biking, eating and watching "The Killing", we were just hangin' in one of our bookend poses.