After lunch today we went for a walk in a park where Chris had never been before. It's a beautiful park full of old redwoods and great walking trails. There's a tree house built there in honour of the 2 brothers that developed the park. Their father had left them 80 acres of land and they made it into a park and lived in a little house on the property. The tree house is built as a replica of the house they lived in. It's beautiful property and very woodsy.

It reminded me of a story my mom loves to tell of when I was little. We went for a drive through a woodsy area and we weren't really sure of where we were or where the road would take us. By "we" I mean my mom and dad. I was just a little kid. We were on an old logging road in some of the densest forest around.

In the middle of it all my mom was getting quite worried but my little evangelical brain started working overtime and all of a sudden I started singing the song...

"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness
All I have to do is follow."

Is It Spring Yet?

It's really quite dismal outside and cold! I'm looking forward to Spring because what comes after Spring? SUMMER!!!

Easter Reflections

This Easter was a little different for me. I went to Church Good Friday morning, Saturday night for Prayer vigil and Sunday Morning for a Resurrection service. Having grown up in the church I've been to my fair share of Easter services but these ones were in different denominations than what I've been used to.

Having said that I can honestly say I have never spent as much time reflecting on the cross of Jesus Christ and all that it means for us today. Forgiveness of sins and new life in Him is very precious.

Good Friday we went to church and heard the Scriptures of the events leading up to crucifixion read in different languages. It's really interesting to listen to Scripture that's familiar in English being read in Korean, Japanese, French, German, and while I could understand some of what was shared it was completely unfamiliar when an African tongue was spoken.

Saturday night I went to a prayer vigil and sat in darkness while we prayed together and reflected on the meaning of the cross. Candles were lit and blessings were said.

Sunday I went with my mom to a church she's gone to a few times on her own. The Pastor preached on the glory of the cross. The service started with a baptismal service. It was a victorious day and one could sense the excitement of those being immersed in the waters of baptism.

It was a good weekend, time well spent in the house of the Lord.

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.

Happy Easter

My all time favorite song was written by the Gaithers and I've told Chris 'that when I die this is the song you'll sing'. I'll save that blog for a later time.

The words that I'd like to share for Easter are:

Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future
My life is worth the living
Just because He lives.

At Easter time these words seem more relevant than at any other time of the year.

Because He lives. HE isn't in a tomb anymore, HE rose from the dead and because of that very fact WE can live and have freedom in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.

Happy Easter Peeps

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all ! ! !


A lady opened her refrigerator and saw a rabbit sitting on one of the shelves.

"What are you doing in there?" she asked.

The rabbit replied: "This is a Westinghouse, isn't it?"

To which the lady replied "Yes."

"Well," the rabbit said, "I'm westing."

3 Things About Me

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
- Waitress at a small cafe
- Governess for a wealthy family
- Technical Services Director

Three movies I would watch over and over:
- Steel Magnolias
- The Jazz Singer
- Benny and Joon

Three places I have lived:
- Vancouver, BC
- Honolulu, HI
- Abbotsford, BC

Three shows that I watch if I am near a TV:
- Amazing Race
- Judge Judy
- Survivor

Three places I have been:
- Texas
- Holland
- Hawaii

Three people who email me regularly:
- Chris
- Margaret
- Linda

Three of my favourite foods:
- shrimp
- chicken
- eggs

Three places I'd rather be right now:
- at the beach
- on a road trip
- Deka lake

Three things I am looking forward to this year:
- turning 50
- going on a cruise
- losing weight

Three jobs I would love to have:
- pool attendant at a tropical resort
- concert pianist
- test subject for a massage therapist

An Update

We both doing well on the two goals we set for this year. We've been going to Church regularly and getting to meet more people and shake more hands every week. That's a good thing. We are going to Ladies Retreat in 3 weeks and looking forward to that.

On other more weighty issues...between the 2 of us we've lost 15 - 17 lbs. It'll be 3 weeks this Tuesday and so far we've each lost 7-10 lbs, depending on time of month, water retention, time of day, etc. but the point is we're both losing and sticking to the program.

We've started walking more and that's also a good thing.

Chris starts a new job tomorrow so that's pretty exciting, still with the same branch of the Government just a more intense, serious office where serious people get serious work done. She's already been told they like things "a little quieter" there...in other words...no raucous laughter and hearty guffaws!

Me? Just DART'n around town pickin' 'em up and droppin' 'em off...

Moses is here for another week. He's too afraid to come upstairs because of the cats, that's quite funny. Scared little whippet boy. Now he gets a choice when we go out. We hold up the diaper and say " do you want the diaper or the crate?" and he immediately runs into the crate.

Chris is going away next weekend for a week to see her parents so it'll be pretty quiet around here.

I've been scrapbooking an album about whippets having been inspired by my blog..so as they say...it's all good in the hood.

Moses Supposes

Don't let this tough exterior fool you. Inside he's really a very gentle soul, LOL. He likes to think he looks like a pit bull in this photo, what do you think?

Moses is staying with us while his Mom is in England. He comes every year for his "hollies". Usually it's in the summer and he goes to the cottage with us. This year Christine went in the Spring because her sister is very ill.

Anyways...back to Mosie. Moses has a way of letting you know he's not happy with things. It's not that he's not fed or watered or snuggled or treated or wrapped up in blankets, it's usually if we're in and out of the house a lot and not spending a lot of time with him. He demands our full attention and does not like to share. He's also afraid of cats and won't come upstairs. (They're chuckling about that one).

On the weekend we were busy like we usually are and had gone out and come home a few different times during the day. When we came home in the evening we opened the front door to find a 'puddle'. Moses looked at us with his big brown eyes and then left the room.

We happen to have a doggy diaper from previous visits so we decided that when we went out he would either have to be diapered or crated, his choice.

I come home for lunch most days and on Monday I diapered him for the afternoon. I got back into my bus and picked up my first 2 clients who are regulars on my bus. We had a few extra minutes waiting in the bus for my group so I parked by the side of the road while one got out to have a smoke and the other stayed with me on the bus while we chatted.

Just then Chris called so I answered my cell.

This is what my clients overheard:


"He's fine. I diapered the little pisser before I left so he should be good until you get home. He didn't like to be left alone but oh well. Too bad, so sad. That'll teach him for being a Mama's boy."

Don't worry, I told them I was talking about a dog. All's good in the hood.

Sam, the Wonder Whippet

It wasn't long after we got Sam that we realized we had a very smart dog on our hands and that he really was quite self-sufficient. One of the things he started doing was raiding the fridge.

The first thing that happened was Christine coming home from work in the afternoon and finding the fridge door wide open. Hmmm, she wondered and asked me when I came home from work at night if I had left the door open. No, I hadn't.

This happened a few more times and we just kinda thought well the door isn't closing tightly anymore, a big gust of wind rushes through the kitchen while we're gone, anything except the obvious. Sam.

One day we decided to hook up the video camera to try and find out why the door was mysteriously coming open. It didn't take long to catch him. I set the camera up (Operation Sam) and when Christine was getting ready to back to work in the afternoon she wandered past the camera and turned it on not causing too much of a stir. She patted Sam goodbye and away she went.

Not 2 minutes later but Sam comes into the kitchen and goes over to the fridge. With one quick movement he opens the door from the bottom with his 2 front paws and shazam! the door opens!

This time he decides he's hungry and goes to town. The bottom shelf had a casserole dish full of chicken breasts cooked from the night before. After some considerable effort he pulls one out and munches it down. Then he went to the bread and the cheese and the tuna..............

We sent the video into a few places hoping to make some dough on the little guy but never got a response. I wish I could replay it here. It's hilarious. Skinny little whippet boy going on a feast.

You had to be there.

Maggs

One night shortly after we got Maggie we went to her fave store for PETs cuz she's SMART that way. It didn't take her long to figure stuff out, she's a smart one that girl. She found out very quickly just which aisles contain all the good stuff and the ones that are...shall we say BORING.

Anyways, we had bought her some stuff and at that time we still had Bryce, Chris's handsome man cat who gave us his shopping list before we left home because he never did get to go shopping with us. If it hadn't involved a road trip he might've but we'll never know.

Anyways, back to Maggie. A lot of people have asked us what breed she is because she has a Whippet shape but definitely the poundage of a Lab. Her personality is as mixed as her size and shape.

This couple walked up to us in the store and petted her and asked if she was a Weimeraner (sp?)??? Are you kidding me?

"No, I said, quite confidently (as if they were idiots and I knew better).

"She's a WAB"

Chris laughed so hard the shelves holding the canned cat food shook.

Flannigen and Moses

Flan and Moses were brothers and were the best of buddies. Moses often came over to visit Flan and hang out together.

One day I was out for a walk at the park with both dogs and 2 kids and their mom walked towards me and asked if they could pat my dogs. I said they could and they asked what their names were, how old they were, etc. Flannigen and Moses. They're 3years old. Important stuff. Then we moved on.

A few weeks later I was at the same park with just Flannigen and the same 2 kids spotted me. They came running over and the first thing the little girl asked was,

"Where's Noah?"

Gotta love those little Sunday School going kids.

Maggie

Maggie is our 7 year old Whippet/Lab X we got at the pound in January 2005. I've written about her before and her issues but she really is a lovely dog. She loves her Mom's with such adoration and gratefulness, I think she understands we were her last hope on earth for a decent life.

Maggie puts up with being medicated 2x a day for her nasal problem, 1x a week for her bladder problem and now has ear drops 2x a day for a yeast infection in her ears. She doesn't come cheap but she is the easiest dog to medicate. I've medicated others and I'm here to tell you she's the best. It's like she knows what she's getting is good for her and will make her feel better.

Maggie had her first holiday in May 2005 when we were travelling up to the Cariboo to look at potential property to buy. We didn't have a place to stay so we had to book into a Motel for the night. We got a dog-friendly room and Maggie got her very own bed to jump on! Just like a real kid in a real motel room!

Maggie rolled over after testing out the linens and just grinned as if to say, "I love you guys, wow, a holiday!"

There's nothing better in Maggie's life than going to the Cottage. She absolutely loves it and puts up with the 6 hour drive to get there. She knows every rest stop, every restaurant we stop at, every gas station we fill up at. She can be sound asleep in the back of the truck and we'll know we're getting close to a rest stop when all of a sudden she lifts her head and sniffs.

At the cottage we have her Chuck-It hanging on a nail outside. It's the first place she heads once she's there. She gets to chase balls a lot there because we can give her a good run on our own property. She swims in the lake and she visits with the dog who lives by the lake.

Maggie's a loving dog with a gentle disposition. She's kind of a bull in a china shop in that she's not very gracious but she makes up for it with those big brown eyes that melt our hearts.

Top 10 Reasons to Own a Whippet

10. They truly know the meaning of retirement.


9. People will stare at your dog instead of at you.


8. They can curl up to the size of a ball if they need to.


7. They can expand to the size of the whole bed if they want to.


6. They don't bark, keeping your neighborhood safe for burglars.


5. You can play their ribs like an air guitar.


4. They are the only dogs that know how to really smile.


3. You can dress them up as a reindeer for Christmas.


2. They are never confused with poodles.


1. A Whippet in flight is the most amazing sight you'll ever hope to see in your own back yard.

Whippet - a definition

whip·pet (hwpt, wp-)
n.
Any of a breed of swift, short-haired dog developed in England for racing, resembling the greyhound but smaller.

Flannigen

After Sam and Sunshine passed away, Christine and I were both getting very lonesome without dogs. We were both living alone and one night we met up for Chinese food. All of a sudden, Christine pounded her fist on the table, shaking the water glasses and said "That's it!"

Amazed, I looked up from my sweet n' sour pork and said "What's it?"

"That's it! We've gone too long without dogs!"

It was time. We both knew it. She wanted a whippet and I wanted a whippet so where do you go? You go to the Whippet lady. I remembered where she lived although we hadn't been there for 5 years (which amazed Christine) and we took a drive out to see her.

Mrs. M. always had a lot of Whippets, but you have to go through an bonding time with your prospective dog before you take one home. We picked out Moses for Christine and a little girl named Willow for me. We went back a couple more times for more bonding and walking and cuddling.

Willow didn't like being away from her pack, she had been the leader and turned out to be the wrong choice for me. Moses however is perfect for Christine and continues to be the joy of her life.

A week later I called Mrs. M. and told her I was bringing Willow back so I did and then had to start all over again with another dog. This time she told me about Flannigen, Moses's brother. Flan loved me right from the start and I adored him. We bonded and Flan came home to live with me. Moses and Flan were so happy to be reunited and spent lots of time together hanging out in each other's back yards and running in the fields together.

Flannigen was truly a lovely dog. He had a wonderful disposition and people fell in love with him wherever we went. He had been a show dog so he cost me (cough, sputter) more but he was worth every penny.

When I met Chris she was quite taken with this crazy whippet boy of mine, I don't think she had ever really met a whippet before. She tried to "man him up" and dressed him in football jerseys. It didn't work. He was still a Mama's boy.

Flan loved to visit my mom and would always sit in her lap like that was nothing unusual. A long legged skinny dog sitting in a long legged skinny woman's lap.

Flan got very ill very quickly in 2004 so with lots of tears I had to say goodbye to him. He was a very special dog and I still miss him today. At first Moses would come over and go looking for his bro' and had a puzzled look on his face when he couldn't find him. It was sad to watch. Eventually that stopped. Then we got Maggie. Stay tuned.

In 1996 I was getting ready to buy my condo and I was faced the reality that technically Sam really was Christine's dog and therefore when I moved, I would be dog-less. I purposely bought into a pet-friendly building, only problem was, I didn't have my own dog! And I wanted one!

About 2 months before I moved a friend called from out of the blue and said, "hey, you like those skinny dogs right?" Right. She had only seen Sam once but apparently he left an impression on her. Then she said she had seen an ad in the paper from the pound advertising a Female Whippet X. So I went and looked.

There she was all trembling and scared out of her little mind. What they told me was that she had been picked up on the street and nobody ever came and asked about her. She'd been there for 2 weeks and they were really hoping somebody would adopt her. She was a Whippet/Beagle cross and they guessed her to be about 5-7 years old.

I brought Sam along so that he could interview her which she passed with flying dog bones. Sam and her got along famously. No argument there. He became her 'big brother' and protected her fiercely.

She didn't come with a name so I called her Sunshine. My reason for that was I was going to live on my own, it was getting into winter and it was the beginning of my deep depression. I wanted Sunshine in my home whenever the days were dark. Little did I know just how the dark the days were going to be ahead but that's another story.

Sunshine lived with me for 5 years, she was a sweet loving little dog. She didn't bark unnecessarily and was the easiest little dog to take care of. She lived with me through the worst days of my life and just weathered life's storms with me.

Sam and Sunshine were always great friends and spent a lot of time together between the two homes.

Whippets, Then & Now

Yes, this is what I looked like in 1993 in case you're wondering.

I'm scrapbooking these days about Whippets and "all the whips I've known before, who been in and out of my door"...think Willie...ok, moving on...

It all started with Sam. A crazy fun loving whippet who landed on our doorstep and immediately took over the house.

Sam had run away from an abusive situation and followed a Postal worker to the Post Office one morning. He had a tag around his neck with a phone number. The Supervisor called the number only to be told that they no longer owned Sam and that Sam and his sister Delilah had been given away because of a new baby in the household. Supervisor called the number given and a gruff sounding man said he'd be right down "to get the dog". When he drove up in his ratty old pick-up truck, he left the engine running and threw Sam into the back.

The Supervisor called the original owner and told her what had happened, she grew very alarmed and said she'd try to get Sam back. The mean owner wouldn't give him back and not only that, informed her that he'd given away Delilah. Poor Sam.

My former roommate Christine had told her Supervisor that if they were looking for a home for Sam she'd be happy to provide one. But it wasn't meant to be that day. A few months later Sam once again ran away, this time he met up with some nice Skytrain employees who called the original owner because he was still wearing the same tag. This time she didn't call the mean man but called the Post Office instead and asked if the Postie that was interested in Sam a few months ago would still be interested in giving him a home.

The Supervisor radioed Christine on her route and told her "your dog's at the office waiting to go home with you." Christine ran to finish her route so she could go and pick up Sam.

All of this happened while I was enjoying a trip to Hawaii (of course). I had flown home to Seattle and gotten in late and it had delayed my trip home until 3:30 a.m. Christine was supposed to be housesitting at her brother's when I got home so I wasn't expecting anyone to be there when I opened the door. I turned the light on and this skinny little guy with a long nose came out of my bedroom (apparently he liked my bed) and walked over to me and wagged his tail. Surprised, I said, "well who are you exactly? "

Christine called from her bedroom, "that's Sam and he's ours".

Sam never went back to the mean man. Instead he filled our home with his crazy antics and compassionate loving nature. He could open a fridge by himself, tie his leash up in knots and take out the garbage like nobody else. He lived with Christine for 8 years. He was the joy of her life. Oh, and he had his own TV which he turned on for himself. He was very smart.

Sam had a job volunteering with Pets and Friends which he did for 4 years at a Care facility. He loved the people there and they loved him. He was rewarded well for his work and for his sweet demeanor. Sam was the first whippet I ever got to know and he taught me a thing or two about whippets and what warm loving dogs they are.

Sam loved the ladies. When my aunt came to visit from Holland he immediately made friends with her. She thought he was funny looking and needed some meat on his bones but they became instant friends.

Stay tuned...more whippet stories ahead.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Back to Church this morning. Every week we seem to meet new people and they seemed to be quite charmed with us. No really, we are quite charming individuals, we're lively, we're fun and we signed up for Camp! Ladies Retreat! Wow! Now everyone wants to go because "those new girls are going". It's going to be good I tell ya!

Been sticking to the WW thing and feeling good about that. I'm holding off from weighing myself for the first week just to get the rush of weighing in and being told I've lost some weight! Ooo ooo, it's gonna be good!

Went to see the movie Juno last night. Very good. Very quirky but very real. Lots of familiar landscape as it was filmed in Vancouver, White Rock and Burnaby.

Next weekend our little whippet friend Moses is coming for 2 weeks while his mom goes off to England. The little guy is a doll and we love having him around. He and Maggie get along famously, it's quite fun to watch.