Teiko says Vote!

Teiko and Cita agree on one thing! And that's Obama!!!!

A long weekend 'Up North'

Raine, me and the dogs headed up to Beatons last Thursday night for a long weekend. Todd and Ryann joined us late Friday night. Friday was Bonnie's birthday and she invited us out for a fish fry at the Root Cellar on Lake Gogebic. As you can see we had a pretty great time .
Bonnie's best birthday present is her new pup, Niinimoshenh or Moosha for short. The name means 'my sweetheart' in the Ojibwa language. Moosha is a Golden Retriever and is just a cutie-pututie. She latched on to Teiko right away.
Teiko was very gentle with the pup and was pretty fascinated by her. He even taught her where to go "potty" outside and had a few teaching moments of canine etiquette. This would happen when Moosha began doing something that Teiko didn't want her to . It wasn't a growl but more like a deep-chested rumble that was very quiet, but had Moosha obeying immediately. It was really interesting to watch how Teiko spent time with the young pup. Bonnie even asked if she could keep Teiko for a week to help her train Moosha. But it wasn't all play this weekend. Todd and Eric spent three days getting the timbers ready for the sauna house. The timber raising and buildout will be over Labor Day weekend. This weekend the guys cut all the rafter and beam pieces so the timbers will be ready to fit together. I spent Sunday morning re-staining the shed and outhouse while Beth hauled tons of rocks for a new stair well.On Monday, Beth and I built a log and stone stairwell into the side of the hill that leads to the new pier. It's so totally north woods! And couldn't have been any cheaper to build - All it took was several hours of hauling logs and stones and digging out trenches to set the logs. the material is free for the taking on the property, it's the labor and aching muscles that has a cost....

So a busy and fun-filled 'Up North" weekend. I've posted more pictures from the weekend at my picasa gallery. Click on the photo below to go there.

Beatons August 2008

Stinky Boy Dogs

It's high summer in Wisconsin. that means, lots of flowers in the garden, mosquitoes, hot sunny days and really stinky dogs. This summer, Teiko, my 5 year old German Shepherd (and one of the loves of my life) smells to high heaven. Yesterday, I talked with Dr. June, Teiko's vet and the best dog doctor in the city. Part of the problem is that he has fur (duh, he's a dog...). He's not a poodle and can't get his hair cut every six weeks. The other problem, he's an intact male (uhhhmm, he can still make babies....) That means he smells like a "boy" animal.

Let's suffice it to say, the boy needs to smell better. So Dr. June suggested some enzyme-based shampoo that cuts the smell. Guess what it is?

The same shampoo you'd used for a dog that had an unfortunate encounter with a skunk!

Dr. June told me that in her practice and in many veterinarian practices, they just don't deal with non-neutered males very often, so they not familiar with the odorous issue at hand. However, she used to work with wildlife and encountered several male foxes during her practice. Guess what? Bingo.....same smell.
So, armed with skunk shampoo, I went on a mission. Teiko got a great bath yesterday as pictured above. The water hose (which he loves to attack), a great massage to work the shampoo, his frisbee to reward him for standing still, all assisted the Mama in shampooing his stinky self. Finally, we let the sunshine dry the boy.

The outcome: Now he doesn't smell like anything. Which smells great!

Peaceful Day

So today's snow storm has meant that we can't go for a walk. It's 5:00 in the afternoon. The dogs just don't seem too concerned. Today, we trimmed Cita - so she kinda looks like a poodle again. I love to be able to see the eyes of my canine companions. When I looked at the Valentine photo I shot of Cita, I knew the time had come for a trim. Because it is winter in Wisconsin, I won't have her sheared - she needs her fur to keep her warm on our daily walks. Here's a cute of shot of Teiko, snoozing by my feet this afternoon. Even in sleep, this guy will grap for his toys first and foremost if you come anywhere near him.... The fuzzy toy you see, I made from left-over fabric of my quilt. Because of the tight weave of the polar fleece fabric, it takes Teiko a couple of hours to rip apart - as opposed to other fabrics which take seconds.

Be my Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day from the pups! Hope you are all feeling some love today!

It was such a nice morning - a balmy 20 degrees - which made for a great day for a long walk and posing for our Valentines day photos.

Ohmigod, the snow just keeps coming...

5:00 pm: It's been snowing since last night and now we have about 14 inches of fresh snow on the ground. WOW. I think we are going for a record breaker this year. Earlier this morning, I took Nanuk here out to play - as snow frisbee is his absolute favorite game. Bonus for Raine! Madison canceled school again today - twice in one week.

Here's a gallery of photos showing the progression of the snow from early morning to the final blowing of the driveway. If you click the photos directly it will take you to my picasa gallery where the photos are bigger. The best shot? The one showing Todd clearing snow away from the mailbox.

Home Improvements - Decision time

Last night, Teiko helped Todd and me decide on what color slate stone to use in the sauna room. He's so cute!

The room you see below didn't actually exist when we first brought the house six years ago - it was simply a earth shed-thing under the house that was never finished. After hauling a couple of tons of sandy construction dirt out, having a doorway cut through the foundation to connect to the house, Todd closed the area in. One weekend a couple of years ago , I even helped haul and mix 5000lbs of concrete to make the floor.

Todd, our intrepid improvement guy, built the cinder block wall, installed windows and the glass doors, finished the sauna room and added a new shower stall. This weekend Todd roughed in the cedar walls. We are going to do the cinder wall and the shower stall in slate. The room when finished will have a cool - nordic spa feel to it - at least that is the plan.....

Pretty lazy day

All in all, it's a pretty lazy day, I could be doing a bunch of stuff (ie: cleaning, laundry, shoveling) but I'm just sitting here posting pictures and telling stories. Even Teiko, is lazy. Here's a cute shot Raine just took of the boy lounging at my feet. Which is where he always is, right next to the mama.

Memorable Dogs in one's life

"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."

I have almost always had a dog in my life. And the few times I went without a canine companion, I always felt I was missing a piece of me. So here's an rambling bit of an ode to my faithful companions through time.

Puffy (1971 - 1989)

My first dog and best friend for 18 years was a bitchy little garbage-eating tomboy of a 20-odd lb miniature poodle named Puffy. (No wise cracks on the name, I was 5 when I got her) I've never owned a dog more protective than this one - I know that she would have literally given her life to protect mine. My dad used to love to tease Puff by pretending to hit me. That poodle would come flying at him to bite and put herself between me and the imminent danger. Oh could she put on a show too with all the snapping and growling at anyone she thought was a danger to me (i.e. mailmen, friends, uncles, family) Trust me this came in handy during the very infrequent spankings my parents would try to inflict on me. Being an only child, Puff was my constant companion - her favorite sleeping spot was under the covers by my feet.

I never realized that chocolate was toxic to dogs, because it was Puff's preferred treat and the only candy she'd go after if left to her own devices. Being a white poodle she always had an orange mustache - because she and I loved spaghettios which we'd share for lunch. Puffy and I had so much in common including our aversion to small children. So imagine my surprise in 1987 when I had Ryann and ol' Puff dog decided that baby was okay. She'd even lay down on the floor next to the little baby carrier whenever I'd bring the Ryann over. Puff was very protective of Ryann too, it's like she knew that that baby needed to be protected and was part of the pack. Of course, Puff never warmed up to Todd.

Willy-Boy (1983-1995)

Willy was my parents' next door neighbors' dog and the silliest and most adorable yellow Labrador in the world. When Willy's mom threatened to divorce the dad because of Willy's massive amounts of shedding, the Dad called me to see if I would take Willy so his wife wouldn't leave him (I'm guessing there was more to the marriage problems than just some hair) So in 1990 Willy moved in with Todd, Ryann and me. Willy was the perfect companion for Ryann - as he was so gentle.

It wasn't until our second spawn, Raine, came along in 1992 that problems arose in paradise. Willy never adjusted to Raine being a member of the pack. And we had to be vigilant in keeping the two separate. And Raine, being the inquisitive 6 mo. old crawling little beast that she was, meant Willy was pretty good at leaving the room as soon as the precocious dog-chaser crawl in. Willy didn't take kindly to having his hair or tail pulled or his space invaded. But what he absolutely could not tolerate was sharing his dog food with Raine who acquired a pretty strong taste for the kibble. This meant Willy was never fed when Raine was home.

Unfortunately, the inevitable happened one morning when I was packing the car to go north. Not thinking, I threw some food down for Willy - ran stuff to the car - came to the backdoor just as the screaming started. - The backdoor had locked, I couldn't get in and all I could see through the window was Willy going after Raine. I could see blood and the dog and baby freaking out. I broke a window open, crawled into the house, ran for the baby to get her away from the cujo-dog. Fortunately, the damage was limited to a bite over Raine's left eye. Which made her look even more fierce and scrappy than before.

After that eventful day, I decided that Raine ranked higher than Willy in the pack and Willy had to go. I called his old Dad to see if there was anyway he could take Willy back. And as fate is wont to do, he was just finalizing the divorce from his evil ex-wife and was absolutely thrilled to death to be able to get Willy back. He told me the worst mistake he ever made was "getting rid of Willy and not the wife in the first place".

Tasha (1994-2004)

This was our first German Shepherd, Tasha Yar. She was our Chief Security Officer (Trekkie fans) and once we had her, the break-ins to our house by the neighborhood punks ceased. Tasha was a great companion and a really fun dog to train as she was so smart. She had a great prey-drive so finding things was her favorite game. We'd make her wait, go hide a toy and let her find it. Which she always did!

The first year we moved to Holland in 1998, we left our faithful friend with my parents back in Madison. The idea being that we'd get settled and then have her flown over to us - however, my mother had different plans, and will admit that she never planned to give Tasha back to us. I had taken her grandchildren across the ocean, she was keeping my dog.

Tasha was spoiled rotten by my parents and treated like a family member. Tash had a great life with my folks. When we moved back to Madison in 2001 - Tasha decided to stay with my parents. She had become very attached to my Mom and they were inseparable. Fortunately, we could visit often. Sadly in 2004, Tasha was put to sleep when the cancer had progressed to the point of no relief. It was the one of the saddest days in my life.

Cita - (1999) and Teiko (2005)

Cita is just a reincarnated snottier version of Puffy. Swear to God. Cita hates strangers, loves chocolate, is bitchy and fiercely protective of her small circle of loved ones. Cita carries a Dutch Dog Passport as that is where she was born. When she was a pup - we took her everywhere across Europe, including restaurants, events, even the ocean. I think we overwhelmed her - because now she hates to swim, hates loud noises and can't stand a crowd of people. Cita is happiest when the house is quiet and she is curled up next to Raine or me . She basically hates all other dogs and tolerates only a few humans and necessary canines.

Now, Teiko is the Mama's boy. This dog means the world to me. I remember the first few weeks with him as a puppy, it was just like having a kid. I was so absolutely in love! This dog has such a sweet disposition and will do anything for the Mama. A totally an awesome dog.

Life is just that much richer with good friends.

K-Bird and Teiko

Well the leaves finally fell this week. And it made for some gorgeous photos. At least I think so. Mom brought Katte over to get some autumn photos. But of course, Katte was nervous and it was difficult to get a good shot. Teiko, on the other hand, being the little ham that he is, made the shot of the day. This was suppose to be Katte, but she was too afraid to lay down, thinking my mom was going to leave her. But I still got a nice little picture of the K-bird sitting right against Mom.

Anyway, here's the link to my shutterfly account, if anyone (Mom?) wants to order photos.