july 22 2017

LAINE STARTED HAVING PUPS... VERY LACKADASICAL CONTRACTIONS  BUT SHE HAS HAD 2-- I THINK WE ARE LOOKING AT A C- SECTION...  AS SHE HAS HAD NOTHING IN 4 HOURS.--llatest  6 pups

OTHER LARGE PROBLEM...

 WE WWERE TO HAVE A LARGE GROUP OF ADULTS HERE TO DO A CHARITY STINT.. SO I GOT READY AND BOUGHT A HUGE PILE OF SAND TO PUT IN THE STALLS.. AND I SEE THIS MORNING THAT THEY HAVE CANCELED?????

I MEAN BIG PILE OF SAND...  $600 WORTH... TRACTOIR TRAILER DUMP..

I WAS NOT READY FFOR PLAN "B" ON THAT ONE...

 NOW I AM HALF AWAKE - HAVING BEEN UP  MUCH OF THE NIGHT... SO I AM NOT REALLY INTO CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING.

************

Hi Carlene, Wendy and I are doing well! We have been busy this week. When I went surfing Wendy did a great job with the ocean (she doesn't like water) on Tuesday. Next we went hiking Wednesday to the summit of Mount Agamenticus. We wanted to let you know we had the kick off to Team Hunter & Wendy's Totes for Teamwork fundraiser last night. Profits are being split between SDP and Boston Children's Hospital. When they are ready we are hoping we can use SDP as a pickup spot for people around there, and at dogfest. We are hoping people like the bags and support them. We will be in touch! Hunter & Wendy

*************

Dear Carlene,

Asher and I have just reached the end of our hectic first week together. Asher didn't have a lot of time to adjust to his new home before he was thrown into work with me, but he handled each new experience perfectly. He and I commute on the bus to work in the morning, and he's now a celebrity on our route. We love the opportunity to educate other passengers on service dogs and SDP, and Asher keeps a stash of poker chips in his vest pocket for when we need them! I tell people all about the cameras and chicken bricks whenever I get an opportunity - Asher has improved my life so much already and I want to keep doing my part to help SDP keep up the wonderful work you all do!

I'm so grateful for the time that Megan and Steve spent with us during our training to make sure that we'd be such a perfect team - I had a chance to ask them every question I could think of while I was training, and I have such peace of mind knowing that all the trainers are just a quick text or call away should I have any more. I've been so surprised and delighted every time Asher performs above my expectations for him, whether that's staying still on our 35-minute bus ride to work on some of the bumpiest roads, contentedly snoozing through a long dinner at a nice restaurant while I catch up with friends, behaving so nicely at work that people forget he's in the office, or keeping me balanced during our long walks downtown through noisy construction areas without reacting to the strange and loud noises around us, and I know that's the product of all the work put into him by everyone at SDP. He has proven this week to be just about unflappable, and somehow the trainers knew that that was exactly what I needed. 

Asher has already changed my life in several ways. I get out and do things more now that I'm not by myself in this new town of ours, even if it's just a quiet walk in the evening. I can walk farther with his assistance, and we can take a stroll through the neighborhood without worrying about curbs, steps, and uneven ground. And on those few occasions when I do fall, Asher's right there to give me a wet kiss on the nose and help me back up. I've never known what it feels like to be sure-footed, but I am now with an extra four (huge) legs next to mine!

Thank you and all the other staff and volunteers for all you do. Through Asher you have given me confidence, stability, and also, a best friend. I'm incredibly thankful for such a gift, and I can't wait to see what else Asher and I accomplish together in the coming weeks!

july 21 2017

it is gonna be my kind of a good day....  because sugary sticky  icing keeps appearing on my fingers-- goldie has it stored somewhere and it keeps  coming  back to remind me to eat candy...  ( like i needed reminding??)

well there is an article out that says  reduced eating behaviors  can bring on dementia-- OK>>>> sounds good to me....i can go along with that....  especially with cheese cake in the fridge... i prefer that even to lima beans...  please don't send me any---- you have no idea how difficult it was to eat my way thru the 3 cheesecakes some CP  from tenn left in the fridge-  to make matters worse   one was even nutella..

******

today will also be a left headed day... i wear only one hearing aid... knowing  tht at some point i will lose or ruin the ones i am wearing... i usually wear only one-- the right one... --sure enough-- it died and needs to go to  the costco hearing aid hospital.

--- well--------my left ear  is complaining  because it has not been accustomed to  sticking that thing in the ear canal- even tho my right ear has no problem with it... how often does one run into a statement made in your youth that eventually  comes back to haunt you?     my ear situation  is reminiscintant of  trying to teach a horse to paw with one foot..... i have often been critical of a horse's intelligence  becaue if it takes you 17 days to teach a horse to paw with  his right foot, it will take 17 days to teach it to paw with his left..  indicated to me a lack of basic right-left intelligence... and here i am-- i do  not see why my right ear can not tell the left "forget it-- do not play teh itch factor" 

*****

big challange of the day.... about 18 tons of stone dust is  to be dumped in front of the barn door   with the hopes that the brave souls from  timber land who will be here sat morning to do community service... can schlep it into the stalls-- bucket by bucket... the constant problem is that the stall floor keeps dropping- and right now mo's stall is down about 15 inches--- you can see the problem under the bottom board of teh donkey stalll-  thru the years we hafee  tried all kinds of "how to get the stone dust ibn the stall " puzzles--  this time will be no different..-- we hae a bunch of people coming from  TIMBERLAND ( WHO GAVE US THOSE WONDERFUL BOOTS) ---  so i am thinking the least stressful would be a bucket brigade of not quite full buckets

and then----- I REMEMBERED  all those roller laddery kind of things to move  merchandise around factories...  camera mark gave us 5 sections-- tanner yesterday perfected the slope and amt of stone dust to get along the alleyway of the barn  to be dumped in stalls...  it could work.... it could also turn into a  i love lucy in the candy factory show.     

***

i have done this before.... it is documented in janine's book "dogs donkeys and the circus" ( on amazon)   when my kids were young  ?8-10 years old?  we had a horse get into a building and fall thru the floor into a 12 ' round cistern with about 6 inches of water in it... immediately  i had  fire dept, police,  and every neighbor standing around looking at me with a bewildered " what are you going to do now?"   it was nearly 5pm-- the horse was fine-- and by now  the little  4H kid who owned the horse was in the hole with the horse...- i called the local  gravelpit and had them deliver a huge truck of sand..  and a dozen neighbors with buckets scooped and passed buckets to be poured into the hole as the horse circled -by then we had boston news / tv trucks/ lights etc... and by 11 pm he stepped out the last 36 inches... i distinctly remember a very young child asleep on the sand, in the dark... she had been filling buckets and fell sleep while everyone worked around her... 

so it can be done ... hopefully tomorrow..

***********

bella geoge 

THEY MAY HAVE A CHANCE TO GO SWIMMING. I AM SURE THEY WILL LOVE THAT. BELLA IS STILL PLAYING HER GUITAR AND LOVES LEARNING. THANKS TO OUR FRIEND BRIAN WHO HELPS HER AND GIVES HER DIFFERENT CORDS TO PRACTICE. SHE IS HAVING FUN DOING IT! IT IS GREAT OT! TOMORROW IS THE MIX CARES FOR KIDS RADIOTHON AT BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. TEAM BELLA AND GEORGE WILL BE ANSWERING THE PHONE FROM 3-7. WE HAVE EVERY SPOT COVERED FOR THE 2ND YEAR IN A ROW. I'LL TRY TO POST THE NUMBER TOMORROW AND A LINK TO LISTEN! LOVE BELLA AND GEORGE

stacy pixie

WHAT A BUSY PAST 2 DAYS WITH APPOINTMENTS. YESTERDAY WAS TREATMENT DAY AND TODAY WE SPENT THE DAY AT DMV. PIXIE ALWAYS DOES GREAT ON LONG DAYS AND EVEN WHEN THEY ARE OH SO BORING. 

PEOPLE WHERE SO IMPRESSED ON HER BEHAVIOR AT DMV AS WE SAT AND WAIT FOR 3 LONG HOURS. HER BIG BROTHER GOT HIS LICENSE SO SHE WAS SUPER EXCITED TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT HIM ON HIS NEXT JOURNEY.

WE SPENT THE REST OF OUR DAYS JUST HAVING FUN GOING TO DINNER AND AND ENJOYING FAMILY TIME. 

july 20 2017

thank heavens for a  bunch of cut and pastes

 i have a dr apt this morning and will have to do it without my friend bentley... someone must have given him a ham sandwich--- he is producing pancakes-- normally he is very regular 8am-9am  and he is done for most of the day-- i don't know what happens after 2pm--- with his bowels-- or much of anything beyond nap time.

*****

we have a lot of interns helping out fort the summer--they work-- and learn stuff only work can teach you.

for instance.... last night at mail call.. i had a request to do a suduko puzzle online so people coudl see how it is done... an intern was here and could not contain himself to tell me how to do it, missing the point that the object was to show the camera people how to think about a suduko puzzle--- finishing it was not the goal.. alto i did.... i might not have - i could have screwed it up-- but it would have been an educational screw up. the intern is a bright kid,  but has to learn that the process of learning is more critical than the  completion of some task...  you know the fish bit about teaching a person to fish....

 take  tthe introduction  to the new math --- it  concentrates so much on the method, that no one gets the right answer-- it is simple to understand if you stop everything and  think about---- if we had beeen born with 8 fingers, our system would have evolved in " the base 8" instead of "the base 10"---- just to be different -- for years the british 12 pennies to a shilling   so the whole time i was there i figured money in feet and inches- which worked.  we are used to  "other bases"

schools seem  soooo test oriented... a b c d  with zero understanding of how that answer was detrived.  i think geometry did it for me... 3 points define a plane and pnly one plane.. a dull fact... til you realize you can put a 3 legged tripod or milking   stool on the side of a cliff and it will not wobble. add the 4th leg and you are less than stable.-- much of the  physical world can be defined by a  compass and straight edge-- geometry is something to understand.. not memorize...  having very little memory - even at a young age- i was in my glory.... well it was better than latin-- or history--- or many other courses someone decided i should take.

****

well i took them--- and they took up a great deal of my time... i can not think of what  2 years of latin did for me-- it was supposed to help with spelling- and we all know what a farce that is.

i am an advocate  of tech schools-- producing a work force that speaks latin gets us no where- when i think of the things i could have invented if i knew how to weld way back before i had to do anything practical like have a job and raise kids... oh but i can sew and iron a men's white shirt !!

my lessons in latin were complicated by the fact that the highschool teacher often slept during class-- i was much older when i realized the poor man was teaching us what alcoholism was.... after all who doesn't slurrrr  in latin? 

*******

the place is coming alive...  i am pretty sure there were 2  camera people upstairs  with somehow ajay and jody coming today. one upstairs person's husband is arrivng and they'll   move  to the guest house... making way for dumpsterkitty arriven tomorrow for the  "open bed" upstairs..all guests manage the entire thing... there are washer dryers all over the place-- leave it spotless-- preferably in  even  better shape than you found it  would be a spiral upawrd....    

 this is no spa--- it is  6:42 and all visitors are up drinking coffee -- jobs start at 7am...

people often say .. "you have some deilghtful volunteers at sdp" -- true--- it is self eliminating-- anyone  expecting to sleep late and be lazy  just won't be able to... and they generally leave...

survival of the fittest... inactivity  th e biggest handicapp of all---  i can find jobs for everyone regardless of what their doctors say they have.

*********

cutting and pasting  for concept only....  i forgot to include names... sorry

*****

We have been together about five and a half months now. My life has improved so much with her help. I really did need her to pull me out of the nasty hole that depression has put me in because of MS and PTSD. I found that in taking great care of Kaydet, I am also taking care of myself and I cannot imagine what in the world i did before she came into my life. I am forever grateful for everyone at SDP and I will spend the rest of my days supporting this godsend of an organization. My family and close friends will, too.

 We really are in sync. So much that I firmly believe that Kaydet is fluent in English, although she can't talk. Lol! She listens to everything I say, until she decides to be a bratty teenager. You know what I mean? But she's a dog, not a machine. I tell that to people all the time. 

***************

We are super proud of Hunter & Wendy! Last night was the first time after surfing that Hunter could walk with Wendy! We usually have to carry him, and he's pushing the scale at 65 pounds! He was completely exhausted but made his legs work and Wendy, as always, was up for the challenge! Hunter continues to gain strength because of their partnership!

***************

MY JOB AS A LAW CLERK FOR A PROVIDENCE LAW FIRM INVOLVES TELECOMMUTING FOR PART OF THE WEEK AND GOING INTO THE OFFICE FOR THE REST. TODAY I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE A QUIET DAY AT HOME AFTER ASHER'S BUSY WEEKEND OF GETTING SETTLED IN AND TRYING NEW THINGS. HE WAS PERFECTLY CONTENT TO LAY IN HIS COMFY BED NEXT TO ME WHILE I WORKED, ALTHOUGH I THINK HE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR AND ENJOYED PLAYING WITH HIS SQUEAKY TOY WHILE I WAS ON A FEW CALLS THIS AFTERNOON! IN MY SHORT FEW DAYS OF HAVING A SERVICE DOG, I'VE KEPT IN MIND THAT THESE DANES ARE HAPPIEST IF THEY GET OUT FOR SEVERAL HOURS A DAY. BEFORE BEING MATCHED, MOST OF MY DAYS WORKING AT HOME WOULD BE JUST THAT, AND I OFTEN WOULDN'T LEAVE THE HOUSE. I GET A LOT DONE, BUT I MISS INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE. THIS AFTERNOON I GRABBED MY REQUIRED SUMMER READING FOR MY FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL, GOT ASHER DRESSED AND WE HEADED TO OUR LIBRARY DOWN THE STREET TO GET SOME READING DONE WHILE DOING SOME POSITIONING AND DOWN-STAY PRACTICE. I WAS GLAD I DID - THE LIBRARIANS LOVED hIM AND ASHER GOT SEVERAL COMPLIMENTS AS USUAL. I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR ME TO NOW HAVE A REASON TO GET OUT FROM BEHIND MY COMPUTER SCREEN! :) JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT SERVICE DOGS DO MORE THAN HELP WITH BALANCE AND MOBILITY - THEY'RE OFTEN A PERFECT SOCIAL CONNECTION!

WE'LL BE HEADED TO BED AT A GOOD TIME TONIGHT AFTER I GET OUR BAGS AND LUNCHES PACKED - IT'S ASHER'S FIRST DAY AT THE OFFICE TOMORROW!

***********

PHEW I THINK WE ARE RECOVERED FROM ALL THE CRAZINESS! 

SOMEHOW EVE'S SLEEP PATTERN HAS GOTTEN OUT OF WHACK. NOT FALLING ASLEEP, WAKING UP AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GO BACK TO SLEEP, WAKING UP THEN FALLING BACK TO SLEEP EARLY IN THE DAY.... ??? I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BUT IF YOU SEE MR SANDMAN TELL HIM WE NEED HIM TO HEAD OVER HERE TO STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT! 

YESTERDAY WE FINALLY GOT THOSE X-RAYS TAKEN OF EVE'S LEGS. I LOOK AT THEM AND THINK 'OH GEEZ, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE IS WEIGHT BEARING AT ALL!' SO JUST WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE SURGEON THINKS ABOUT THEM.

THANKS FOR CHECKING IN ALL!

JULY 19 2017

CAKE DAY !!  AND I WAS JUST THINKING I HAD LOST A POUND OR TWO  AND THE DARN CAKE DAY COMES AROND AGAIN.  THE GEORGETOWN FIRE DEPT  HAS BEGUN TO RELY ON CAKE   ON THE 19TH... GEORGETOWN IS CLOSER THAN IPSWICH...WINDY ROADS TOO...  THE TOWN OF IPSWICH IS SO OLD THAT THE ROADS WERE ALL PLANNED BY COWS..

I SAY OLD--- AMERICANS DON'T KNOW WHAT OLD IS-- HERE HOMES IN THE 1700'S ARE  "THE ORIGIONAL"   BUT IN BRITAIN  1700 HOMES ARE STILL COVERED BY  THE ORIGINAL WARENTY--

THINKING OF BRITAIN GETS ME WONDERING WHY THEY PILED ALL THOSE ROCKS UP ON TH E AIR FOR STONEHENGE...-- I KNOW FROM GOING TO UNIVERSITY IN EDINBURGH  , TH E KIDS THERE HAVE A TERRIFICALLY CREATIVE SENSE OF HUMOR.. I WENT TO COLBY IN MAINE WERE AN AMUSING WEEKEND WAS HOW DRUNK ANYONE GOT- AND THE AMUSEMENT WAS HOW TO GET THEM IN PAST THE HOUSE MOTHER WITHOUT HER NOTICING.  SEEING AS ALL HOUSE MOTHERS WERE HIRED BECAUSE THEY HAD SIGNIFICANT HEARING IMPAIRMENTS IT WAS NEVER DIFFICULT-  NOR WAS IT PARTICULARLY AMUSING TO ME-- I WAS NOT A TEA TOTLER

BUT DRINKING WAS NOT A FASCINATION EITHER... IN SCOTLAND  SOMEONE ANNOUNCED A  FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY-- TO GET THERE YOU TOOK THE LAST BUS OUT OF EDINBURGH INTO THE PENTICOOK HILLS AND THE PARTY WAS ON TOP OF SOME HEATHER COVERED HILL OF SIGNIFICANT SIZE WITHOUT A BUILDING FOR MILES AROUND-- YOU CAREFULLY CARRIED A PEBBLE FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP  AND ADDED TO A   PILE ?CARIN?  AS WAS THE CUSTOM -- THEN YOU SAT AROUND AND ARGUED ABOUT ANGELS ON THE HEAD OF A PIN  OR SOME OTHER EARTH SHATTERING CONCEPT.   NO SMOKING.. NO DRINKING... NO ONE HAD CARS  YOU WALKED.. AND TALKED..AND AMUSED EACH OTHER WITH IDEAS... EXACTLY  THE ATMOSPHERE OF HOW HARRY POTTER CAME ABOUT-- HOW PICTURES ON THE WALL WATCHED YOU... GOING BY...

HOW ODD A CONEPT NOW---

******

IT SEEMS NORMAL THAT BRITAIN WOULD HAVE THE MOST CROP CIRCLES --  BUT THERE IS AN ALARMING  CONCEPT.....

IF YOU LOOK OVER THE CIRCLES IN BRITAIN-- THEY ARE VERY INTRICATE  AND PERFECT... IF YOU GOOGLE CROP CIRCLES NEBRASKA, YOU CAN SEE A CIRCLE THAT IS NOT QUITE ROUND--- AND HAS  A PATH  ONTO AND OFF OF... WHY CAN BRITAIN  DO THINGS SO PERFECTLY- AND THE CORRESPONDING THING IN THE STATES COMES OFF AS "SLAPDASH"-- THIS OF COURSE IN NO WAY PERTAINS TO HEALTH CARE...

**********

SLEEPING PILLS-- I HAVE DETERMINED THAT 1/2 CUP OF BEEF STROGONOFF WILL CAUSE 4 HOURS PERFECT SLEEP FROM 1 TO 5 AM   --- I NEVER SLEEP THAT LATE... !!

  I REMEMBER.....  MY HUSBAND COUOLD "SET THE ALARM"  FOR AN EARLY MORNING FLIGHT SOMEWERE BY THE AMT OF WATER HE DRANK AT BEDTIME.   CRAZY BUT IT NEVER FAILED. 

********

ALONG WITH OTHER PERSONAL MATTERS, I HAVE ELIMINATED ONE BIT OF PLASTIC IN MY LIFE...  THE LAUNDRY BASKET--- SINCE  IH AVE A WASHER AND DRYER IN "MY  ONE ROOM WITH A BATH AREA"-- AND I BASICALLY WEAR THE SAME  UNIFORM DAILY- I LEAVE THE WASHER OPEN FOR COLLECTION AND DRESS IN FRONT OF THE  DRYER.

IT WORKS.  THE FACT THAT I HAVE 3 IDENTICAL SUN PROOF SHIRTS IN TEAL.. MAY CONFUSE YOU ALL ON CAMERA... BUT I OWN 3 IDENTICAL-- CAUSED BY 3 DIFFERENT PURCHASES AND NO SHORT TERM MEMORY... AT LEAST I AM CONSISTANT.  I CHOSE THE SAME THING 3 TIMES.

*****

I HAVE HAD A REQUEST TO DO A SUDUKO....  LIVE.... AT MAIL CALL--THAT  COULD BE INTERESTING.. SO MAYBE TONIGHT I CAN GET OUT THE "BOARD" -- IT WILL BE PRETTY FUNNY IF I GET STUCK... IN WHICH CASE IT MAY TAKE ME  A FEW MINUES/HOURS LONGER...

***********

PIXIE REALLY ENJOYED THE MOVIE TODAY. WE WENT TO SEE DESPICABLE ME 3, MOM SAID I CAN'T WATCH ANY FRESH MOVIES CAUSE I HAVE TO KEEP MY INNOCENCE. WE SWITCHED UP OUR DAY. IT WAS HER 1ST TIME AT THE MOVIES AND SHE DID ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I WAS SO PROUD OF HER. SHE WALKED BY THE POPCORN ON THE FLOOR LOOKED AT IT AND KNEW IT WAS NOT A TREAT FOR HER. SHE SAT UP AT ONE POINT IN THE MOVIE TO WATCH IT LOL SHE JUST SAT LIKE A GOOD GIRL AND WATCHED IT FOR 5 MINUTES AND LAID BACK DOWN AND SNOOZED AWAY. THE LOUD NOISE DIDN'T EVEN PHASE HER EITHER. SHE NEVER SEEMS TO AMAZE ME WITH NEW THINGS. 

WE CAME HOME AND DID OUR ANNUALLY DAILY NIGHT TIME ZOOMIES AND PLAYED TILL PIXIE JUST COULD RUN ANYMORE. MY GIRL IS OFFICIALLY POOPED OUT TODAY AND RESTING UP FOR HER BUSY DAY TOMORROW. 

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL NIGHT. 

july 18 2017

i think i have figured out why women newscasters earn 78% of what their male counterparts earn...thier vision in one eye  is 22% blocked by one drape of thier hair.    it reminds me of the blinders one has on a horse bridle to impair their vision to the rear..

i watch  'em---  and being somewhat bored by the repetative news, my mind wanders to the hair....   the head tipping and   the aaaahhhhh's -many of the regulars have a tipped head.. while the regulars do not aaaahhhhh, most of the invited guests do ... unless they are lawyers.  i figure  they breed the aaahhhh's out of lawyers -  it indicates a split second when you are thinking of the next word.. where lawyers often have the last word already in mind.

***

fyi--  when you change teh battery  in a hearing aid, , it makes a cheerful twiddle of  of about 10 notes to tell you it is fine.

well the twiddle is gone in mine........either someting is wrong with my hearing aid- or i have gone totally deaf on one ear.

how's that for pathetic education for the day...

*****

education....  the 2 T's  ( tanner and tom) are volunteering for the summer-- and will have  a new approach to thinking by pure osmosis.. i found it was easier to have either of them climb the ladders to put up some boards for the "new" - remodled- shed.

these boards will have to hold up the roof- which will be very light.... corregated polysomething instead of shingles- which are heavy... because the boards will be up-holders.... they need too be level so they can easily support whatever comes next...

**** originally  "level "   to  the 2 T's was just a bubble in a funny tube  - so when it was not level. they started looking at me very bewildered..  something is wrong with the bubble.....  so my job  this summer will be to stop automatic behavior in at least a few interns..  do not assume----tanner explained to me that he had carefully measured 48" from another board... when i asked him if the  other board was level,he just said  "oh"  and i left with "well fix it"   it took a while but eventually the 2T;s came  and announced success-- all level...  and went back to digging a hole looking for a water pipe... ah youth !

********

i met a delightful man in the hardware store... men in hardware stores  are usually tough minded who insist on exact termonology and delight  in telling me i don't know what  i am doing becaise i never paid attento  to why nails are rated in pennies ----  nails are labeled by the pennyweight - which is a unit of weight equivalent to the weight of one British penny.  so the 16 penny nail  is labeled 16d---  where the-- " d  " --came from i do not know--- but ... i do know at least the term.  next thing i do not know... among many... is whether a 12 d is bigger or smaller than a 16 d-- one of those  binary decisions i alway s have troulble with.-- so when i say  to some hardware  "guy"-- " i need a fatter nail"  what i don't need is for him to say "well do you want a 16penny or 12 penny"  - fatter being a more generic description requiring no secret society knowledge about-  p's and  d's -- this nice guy fi\gured out exactly what i was trying to do and found the necessary pieces---i thanked him for tending to "the old lady" bit and he quipped  "old? you are my age...i couldn't stand to be retired either" -- and he knew how old i was !!!

****

so back to the 16d/12d  there are other problems  i googled.. and will never remember... because...  as teh  nail size goes up  12 to 16,  the guage size goes down   9 to 8 and the shank diameter goes up .148 to .165 and legnth  up...3.25 to 3.5

that is nails-- i know i don't allow roofing nails on the  farm if i can help it  because they are short with big heads ( napoleonic  type?) and can land pointe up and go right into a sneaker or dog's foot.

better no say what i was thinking....

****

 chain link  9guage bigger than 12 guage  i know the light weight chain link  will not hold a great dane - they can push thru it-- and  a 55 gal  garbage bag of 6 mils will probably  not break

go figure

********

moving on.....

THESE DOGS AMAZE ME WITH THE OUTSTANDING TRAINING THEY RECEIVE AT THE SDP. TODAY KRINGLE AND I WENT TO OUR FAVORITE LOCAL MEAT SHOP TO PREPARE FOR A PICNIC TOMORROW. WITH THE ENTICING SMELLS KRINGLE IS JUST AN ANGEL AND JUST DOES HER JOB TO HELP ME WALK. IF I WERE A DOG THIS WOULD BE THE PLACE TO MISBEHAVE BECAUSE THE BOUNTY IS ENDLESS! ALL THE BUTCHERS COME OUT TO SEE KRINGLE WHEN WE VISIT BECAUSE SHE IS SUCH A GOOD GIRL!

JULY 17 2017

IF I LIVED IN A ONE ROOM CABIN IN THE MIDDLE OF NEW YORK CITY,  AND I HUNG THE  ORIGIONAL MONA LISA BY THE DOOR, WHEN PEOPLE STOPPED BY FOR A CUPPA TEA, THEY WOULD ALL NOTICE MONA  HANGING THERE.   THIS IS THE KIND OF THING  I HEAR ABOUT ALL THE TIME W/R/T SERVICE DOGS...  IF YOU HAVE A SIGNIFICANT MOBILITY PROBLEM , YOU'S IS  OFTEN CONFUSED WITH THE MOBILITY PROBLEM SUFFERED BY  THE TOWN'S   TIPSY DRUNK....  HAVING A SERVICE DOG BECOMES  THE "MONA"  THAT PEOPLE WILL NOTICE....AND IDENTIFY  YOU AS  A REGULAR PERSON  (PROBABLY ) NOT DRUNK-- I SHOULD SAY HOPEFULLY  NOT DRUNK...  SO ALONG WITH SOLVING MOBILITY PROBLEMS  OUR SERVICE DOG  PROVIDES YOU WITH A DIVERSION- SO THAT PEOPLE WILL  INTERACT WITH YOU ON  A MORE "NORMAL" BASIS.  " WHAT A  GREAT LOOKING DOG"  AS OPPOSED TO AVOIDING EYE CONTACTT ETC...

I DON'T KONW HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SAT IN A WHEELCHAIR--  ON OCASSION , I HAVE HAD THAT  EXPERIENCE..  WHEN YOU SIT, YOU BECOME A NON ENTITY-- PEOPLE TALK OVER YOUR HEAD--  MY KIDS PUSHED ME ALL OVER LAS VEGAS ONE MORNING AS THEY JOGGED...AND I REMEMBER AT ONE POINT I SAID  "HEY , I CAN TALK TOO"  AS I OBJECTED TO PEOPLE TOTALLY IGNORING MY EXISTANCE..

LONG AGO-  WE HAD AN APPOINT MENT TO TALK WITH A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ABOUT KIDS WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS- AND  THERE WAS ONE ASSISTANT FOR A KID IN A CHAIR WHO CAME TO THE MEETING AND LEFT THE KID IN THE   HALL... SHOCKED ME-- AND I WOULD HAVE CANNED HER QUICKLY.. BECAUSE IT ILLUSTRATED TOO OFTEN PEOPLE IN CHAIRS ARE AN AFTER THOUGHT.  NOT ALWAYS... BUT ... WATCH FOR IT !!

*****

WE HAVE EGGS-- WE HAVE SO MANY EGGS THAT I HOPE GRACE HEEPS THEM ROTATED  SO THEY DON'T BECOME S OLD AS THE ONES YOU GET IN THE SUPERMARKET... FROM THE NAT'L EGG BOARD-- EGGS OVER 2 WEEKS OLD PEAL BETTER...   I HAVE SINCE HEARD ALL KINDS OF WAYS TO PEAL A FRESH EGG.. BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO VERIFY THE OTHER PROCESS... FOR ME TO BELIEVE IT   I  NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE TAKE AN EGG OUT OF THE HEN HOUSE AND COOK IT HOWEVER, THEN PEAL IT IN FRONT OF ME. OTHERWISE THERE ARE TOO MANY VARIABLES.

******

ANNE--( A VALUABLE EXTERNAL MEMORY DEVICE) SAID SHE WOULD BE ALONG TODAY-- WE HAVE THINGS TO DO...

INTERN LAURA  SEEMS TO HAVE THAT SAME TYPE HEAD THAT REMEMBERS THINGS...

I WONDER WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE "TOTAL RECALL  OF PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY"  THAT MUST BE DREADFUL

LUCKILY I CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM.

***********

ASHER AND I ARE SO EXCITED TO BE HOME IN BRISTOL, RI AND WE'RE STARTING TO GET SETTLED IN. IT'S A LITTLE INTIMIDATING TO BE AWAY FROM CRAZY ACRES AND OUR WONDERFUL TRAINERS AND FRIENDS, BUT ASHER CONTINUES TO BE ON HIS BEST BEHAVIOR AT HOME FOR ME AND TAKES ON NEW CHALLENGES LIKE THE SUPERSTAR HE IS. OUR FIRST DAY OUT AND ABOUT WAS YESTERDAY, JULY 15. IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT ASHER GET USED TO THE RHODE ISLAND BUS SYSTEM AS THAT'S MY MAIN MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION, AND HE HAD NO PROBLEMS. HE GOT MANY COMPLIMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW PASSENGERS, BUT NO PETTING WHILE HE WAS WORKING! OUR DESTINATION WAS PROVIDENCE, WHERE I WORK AND WHERE WE'LL BE GOING A FEW DAYS A WEEK UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS. HE SEEMED TO ENJOY WALKING AROUND THE CITY, TAKING A LOOK AT THE HAPPENINGS BUT ALWAYS STAYING FOCUSED ON ME.

WE STOPPED AT KNEAD DOUGHNUTS FOR SOME BREAKFAST, A SHOP I WOULD INDULGE IN REGULARLY BEFORE BEING PAIRED WITH ASHER. WE WERE WELCOMED THERE AND ASHER WAS A CELEBRITY, POSING FOR PICTURES AND BEING A GREAT AMBASSADOR FOR SERVICE DOG PROJECT. OUR FRIENDS AT KNEAD WERE EVEN KIND ENOUGH TO SEND US OFF WITH SOME SURPRISE DOG-FRIENDLY DOUGHNUTS FOR ASHER, WHICH HE LOVED WHEN WE RETURNED HOME THAT AFTERNOON.

ASHER AND I ROAMED AROUND BRISTOL IN THE COMFORTABLE 69-DEGREE WEATHER, RELAXED AT HOME, AND WENT TO WALMART YESTERDAY AFTERNOON FOR SOME TREATS (ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS HE PREFERS HIS FRESH-BAKED DOUGHNUTS OVER THE STORE-BOUGHT MILK BONE VARIETY... WE HAVE SIMILAR TASTES IN THAT REGARD, I SUPPOSE) AND A NEW TOY. HE GOT LOTS OF STARES AND SEVERAL PEOPLE WANTED TO PET HIM, BUT I POLITELY EXPLAINED THAT WHEN HIS VEST IS ON, HE NEEDS TO FOCUS ON WORKING.

THIS MORNING WE HAD A GREAT TIME IN A LOCAL PARK WHERE WE HAD A GREAT PHOTO SHOOT FROM A FRIEND, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE HER BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY OF ASHER AND I! IT'S A HOT ONE TODAY, SO ASHER AND I ARE CONTENT TO RELAX THE REST OF THE DAY IN OUR COOL APARTMENT. I CAN'T WAIT TO START THIS NEXT WEEK WITH ASHER RIGHT NEXT TO ME!

NEW FACEBOOK PAGE:

https://www.facebook.com/ericaandasher/

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I AM VERY PROTECTIVE OF OUR "POPULATION" AND WOULD NOT GIVE OUT EMAILS-   SO I PASS ON THIS,, HERE.

I HAVE HAD SEVERAL REQUESTS FROM THIS PERSON  WHO I   LOOKING FOR STATISTICS.... BOTH FROM PET-- AND SERVICE DOG OWNERS.

I TOOK IT-- IT IS PAINLESS

This email has been directed to you on behalf of A/Prof Pauleen Bennett and the La Trobe University Anthrozoology Research Group. As part of her PhD, Ms Jennifer Gravrok is conducting a survey to better understand how service dogs, and pet dogs, impact their owner or handler’s ability to thrive.

As part of her PhD, Ms Jennifer Gravrok is conducting a survey to better understand how dogs impact their owner/handler’s ability to thrive.  . 

The survey is completely anonymous and is expected to take approximately 30 minutes. To participate in this study please follow this link [https://latrobe.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ePOAwdZZw6zYwoR].

july 16 2017

selective breeding....  CP louise offered us  some tennis balls-----  -- wellll... i could use a few---and i bet alot of you are thinking dog -chase-retrieve... wrong... these are danes-- i am told they were bred to hunt wild boar in germany.... all well and good  but that breeding certainly trained tehm to chase things--- away- --- These ancient farmers certainly didn't want their danes to bring any live -- or dead  boar  back to the farm...  so that retrieve instinct was 100% bred out of them.. to the point that if you throw a tennis ball for this bunch... they may run and put thier foot on it-study it - for further movement.. then proudly run back to you   minus eh ball- with a "there-- i got it stopped" look on their face.

they are bright enough-- but to teach them to retrieve would probably take 6 months of concentrated effort-- even that-- you are liable to get an opinion thrown in so teh relilability facter is shot to heii .

i remember.... i was speaking to an akc group long ago about danes in service-- and the topic of retrieving came up-- i had thumper on stage with me-- and he knew how to pick stuff up for me... when the crowd asked about rretreiving i explained it was not thier natural thing to do. but they could be taught...  to demonstrate  i dropped my wallet and asked thimp to get it for me...  he stood up very nicely and walked to the wallet and  got it to me.. no problem..  someone int he back said "i didn't see him do that, coul d you do it agaian?"  not thinking, i dropped it again and again asked him to get it for me..   he looked me straight in the eye and clearly said " i ain't no trick pup- get it yourself"  and he didn't move.

bailey loved the basket routine because she understood modern media and knew she had an audience AND COULD  AD-LIB   - i am gettong no where with sizzle or mindy... i can't say as i have tried too hard.... yet...  maybe soon???  if i ever finish paperwork during  the time i am awake and alert----  which apparetnly by latest study is the time after which i have had nothing to eat in the previous 4 hours.-----last night's midnight snack of spagetti and i was out til 4am---

so back to the tennis balls... i asked her to send me a few- because i do use them in a big monkey fist... now before you get excited about those big  4-8" monkey fists.......  the cost is horrendous---  the biggest i made involved 1" rope  - and about 25 feet of it-- that 1" rope  -- three strand-- white rope varies from $3.15  to $1.85 cents per foot-- so to make one of those is somewhere between $45 and $80  for the materials- i think i gave that one to someone who gave is a  really big check.....

 so for $10,000 i would happily make another---   in the meantime   the profit margin is far better on the 1" zipper pull type-- where snap, cord and marble is about  $1.30... and  sending  $10 gets you 2  monkey fists plus a chicken brick ( if you send me a padded envelope too)--

thus illustrating my fathers philosophy  in his second life he wanted to invent a better fly swatter and make a penny each  instead of  huge tractor trailers where the materials needed to be sent around by freight. i wish he had made a penny on each of the trailers i now see with his patent-- the right triangle in the back to swing down into a loading ramp. you all have heard that before?

*************

mother and baby donkey left yesterday in a brand new trailer--  loaded by grace picking up the baby and carrying it onto the trailer...  mommy went right on...  while mo walked aroind the rig several times investigating...  more than i would have expected.. i wondered, again, if she had been worked in a team and  was wondering where  her partner was...  when she first got here  she spent alot of time standing at the gate instead of grazing..  she seems  relaxed now... until she was fascinated by that trailer...

who knows???

*****

i also wonder if i could find a used "work harness"   might be fun to drive her to a few buggies we have-- i certainl wouldn 

t want her to have any flashbacks to how those scars got on her neck... like pulling  hard...   i think she would quickly get over any ptsd in short order when she found out  the fuel for this operation is carrots  not whips.

-***

IN CLEANING THE ARENA  WE DID LOCATE THE PARTS TO MY   "HALF FAST FIRE DEPARTMENT" WHICH WE USED IN MANY PARADES... IT IS A VERY LONG LADDER WITH WHEEL CHARI  WHEELS AND A TRACTOR SEAT AT ONE  END PULLED BY A "JOG CART"  WHICH MARY USED TO PULL    A STUFFED BEAR WENT IN THE TILLER SEAT AND A DANE IN THE JOG CART WITH SOMEONE WALKING IN FRONT WITH CARROTS, IT WAS VERY POPULAR..--- WHILE ]DEMONATRATING THE RELIABILITY OF DONKEYS VS HORSES... YOU COULD NEVER DO THAT WITH A HORSE... 

***

WE DID ALOT OF PARADES... THEY PAID VERY WELL... I PUT  MY DAUGHTERS THRU COLLEGE WITH THE BUNCH OF DONKEYS-- WELL A GOOD PART OF THIER COLLEGE...

"THE BED' WAS PART OF THAT SCENERIO TOO...

***

Dear Carlene and all at SDP, Just a couple more weeks until our first visit back to the farm! We can't wait! Living in a small town Wrinkle has become very popular, my mom went through the bank's drive thru and said to the lady "I'm sure you know my son, Steve," the lady says "Wrinkle's dad?" Every time we go into Walmart the one greeter stops me just to say how she is always impressed by Wrinkle's great manners. So our little girl is quite a rock star! She is my constant companion and I can't imagine how I ever got around before her. Even on bad days when I'm not doing too well she'll *boop* me with her nose and give me those soulful eyes, telling me it'll all be ok. My doctors have all mentioned that I'm walking straighter and actually picking up my feet more, that's all because of HER. I feel more confident to go out because I'm not alone. My family is so happy because before I know how much they were worried, but with Wrinkle by my side they breathe easier. I want you all to know the good you've done doesn't just affect the recipient, but also everyone who cares about that person. Like the rings of a stone hitting a pool of water, your actions of kindness and generosity affect so many more than just the one who received this life giving gift! We can't wait to see you ALL! All our best, Wrinkle and Steve