Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Doggie Weigh In
August 10, 2010 1:40 pm the dog weighed in at 54 pounds. DOWN 7.4 pounds from a month ago! That's all. Nothing more to report.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Everywhere I look, I am reminded that I need to organize the things in my life. If my closet is too full, all I need do is get some of those plastic hooks that hang 5 items at a time and then drop down to only occupy one hanger space on my rod. If my purse is crowded I need a "kangaroo" thing that allows me to cram my stuff into multiple compartments that keep things in their place and also I can take the container and the contents out quickly and move it to a new purse already organized. If I have too much paperwork in the house, there are decorative boxes and file folders and envelopes and furniture made to hold all that stuff. If I have lots of jewelry there are people sized cabinets, some with mirrors, to hold my gems. The Container Store, which I adore, is devoted to providing solutions for storing and organizing our stuff. Elaborate closet systems, stacking plastic trays, kitchen storage drawers on wheels, racks, shoeboxes and shelving abound here. In the bathroom there are shower organizers and linen closets to hold my stuff. In my kitchen I have a holder for plastic grocery bags, several cannisters, a utensil organizer, knife block and so on. And while I agree that these organization tools are helpful and necessary in some cases, they don't address the root of the problem. It's not so much that I am disorganized, but rather that I have too much stuff. When I think of what I had growing up compared to now, I marvel at how much stuff I actually have. It's not just me either. There are entire television programs devoted to helping people clean up the clutter and simplify their lives. As a society we have simply accumulated too much stuff. The solution to this problem isn't buying more stuff to organize the mess, it's giving away items and reducing what you have to a reasonable amount of things. After that, you can organize what's left. Having 50 plastic storage bins to hold your collection of shoes, isn't organization; it's excess.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
My Keeshond is fat...
What is a Keeshond you ask? Well I have an Amazon ad for an owner's guide for Keeshond because there are ZERO books in the normal bookstores and local pet stores available on Keeshonden. Nothing cute for Keeshonden is available anywhere here in the Midwest that I can find. If you had ever read an owner's guide about Keeshonden before you got one, you would find they are prone to being overweight, which I didn't know.
So anyway, my dog is fat. He's so fat he was having a hard time walking. Yes he's torn both ACL's in his back legs at different times (chasing rabbits) which makes walking more difficult than it would be normally BUT being fat is the biggest issue for him. Why he's fat is a long story that would involve finger pointing so let's not go there. Let's just say he was getting entirely too much food and I was not the one feeding him.
At a recent vet visit I had his thyroid checked and it's very low. So in addition to getting too much food and gaining weight, he has a thyroid problem and along with his allergies he's a lot of work and takes lots of pills. Something had to be done about his weight because in his present state he was headed for an early death or becoming crippled. In either case I felt guilty that I had let things get to the point where I was contemplating giving him away to someone who would be better able to care for him. The thought was breaking my heart.
I had to take control in a way that would not create more tension in my household. So, a shopping trip to the local Walmart yielded a daily pill box with slots for medicines Sun through Sat and with AM and PM boxes for each day, and 20, 1 cup Pyrex bowls with covers. "HUH?", you say. Let me explain. The pill box which is clearly intended for adults who have a hard time keeping track of their medicines is now being used for the dogs twice daily allergy and thyroid meds, plus benadryl twice a day. Confusing? Perhaps. Not anymore. Remember those bowls? The dog is fed twice a day and now he gets pre-measured amounts. Every 10 days I now fill his Pyrex bowls with a measured scoop of light dry food and then a measured scoop of wet food and refrigerate. Feeding him is as simple as opening a bowl. No can to open, no dry food to measure, just open and serve.
As I fill his Pyrex bowls I am amazed by how much "light" dry he was getting before this. It was easily 3-4 times what he needed, daily. Unbelievable. I'm surprised the dog wasn't fatter. But now about 9 days in he seems to be slightly more active and he looks like he might have lost a little weight. He goes back to the vet for a weigh in soon, perhaps 10 days. We'll see how it goes. I can only hope he's making some progress.
So anyway, my dog is fat. He's so fat he was having a hard time walking. Yes he's torn both ACL's in his back legs at different times (chasing rabbits) which makes walking more difficult than it would be normally BUT being fat is the biggest issue for him. Why he's fat is a long story that would involve finger pointing so let's not go there. Let's just say he was getting entirely too much food and I was not the one feeding him.
At a recent vet visit I had his thyroid checked and it's very low. So in addition to getting too much food and gaining weight, he has a thyroid problem and along with his allergies he's a lot of work and takes lots of pills. Something had to be done about his weight because in his present state he was headed for an early death or becoming crippled. In either case I felt guilty that I had let things get to the point where I was contemplating giving him away to someone who would be better able to care for him. The thought was breaking my heart.
I had to take control in a way that would not create more tension in my household. So, a shopping trip to the local Walmart yielded a daily pill box with slots for medicines Sun through Sat and with AM and PM boxes for each day, and 20, 1 cup Pyrex bowls with covers. "HUH?", you say. Let me explain. The pill box which is clearly intended for adults who have a hard time keeping track of their medicines is now being used for the dogs twice daily allergy and thyroid meds, plus benadryl twice a day. Confusing? Perhaps. Not anymore. Remember those bowls? The dog is fed twice a day and now he gets pre-measured amounts. Every 10 days I now fill his Pyrex bowls with a measured scoop of light dry food and then a measured scoop of wet food and refrigerate. Feeding him is as simple as opening a bowl. No can to open, no dry food to measure, just open and serve.
As I fill his Pyrex bowls I am amazed by how much "light" dry he was getting before this. It was easily 3-4 times what he needed, daily. Unbelievable. I'm surprised the dog wasn't fatter. But now about 9 days in he seems to be slightly more active and he looks like he might have lost a little weight. He goes back to the vet for a weigh in soon, perhaps 10 days. We'll see how it goes. I can only hope he's making some progress.
It's been a while since I blogged...
It's been just over a year since I put anything in this blog. Wow! A lot has transpired, but do I really want to try to remember all the important things and squeeze them into one blog? More importantly do you want to read it? Probably not. So I'm left with trying to sum up the last year blog-style. My son had to have knee surgery last summer and now he's ok. I can't remember the fall or Christmas season, which is most likely my brain's self defense mechanism kicking in to keep me sane.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
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