Category: four-legged children

Fluffernutter

If you grew up in the East Coast in the 60’s, you know that Fluffernutter is a term used for a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich.A friend of mine nicknames Zush that when she was a little pup.

We went to Pet Smart today and Zush had gotten her Furminator service done: it gets a good percentage of her winter coat off without leaving her subject to a sunburn. She also got her nails trimmed and her teeth brushed. She is nice and fluffy.

Below is a picture of her post-trim, which is photobombed by her sister Kasia. She loves her Fluffernutter!

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I did a post the other day about the reason my heart keeps beating…my Zush.

In all fairness, I have to post about the other reason it ticks, and that is my Kasia.

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Kasia is a golden retriever and chow mix.This spring she turns six.Since we adopted her, she has put a little spring back in Zush’s step.The chow in her has made life with her crazy: we never had a dog that barks until we had Kasia come to live with us.She was hard to walk out with people, but the chow in her made her very protective.When it is just me and Jim and Zush alone in the house, she is nothing but a love muffin.The picture inserted above is one of Kasia, as I typed this, she came up on my leg to get her belly rub.Mind you, she still barks at folks going by, but as she gets older,she becomes a little more sedate.

She’s still my Kasia and she is a Sweetie!

Heartbeat

It’s St. Valentine’s Day.

I know a lot of single friends and there are all sorts of witty sayings going around on Facebook to either jab at those without a mate, or to commiserate with them.I feel for single folks, as I was one for 42 years and do remember what it is like.

For the past 15 years, I have been blessed to have Jim in my life.It was the classic 42 year-old spinster and the 48 year-old bachelor and yet here we are, almost 13 years later in our marriage, and it is safe to say that Jim still makes my heart skip a beat.

It’s funny,because I went to see 50 Shades of Grey with my neighbor last night, as Jim deemed it a chick thing.Yet for all the images conjured up by the movie,my best friend, lover and husband is indeed the one who makes my heart still skip a beat.We haven’t gone through children, only fur kids which can be up there with human children,deaths of parents,selling houses, moving, buying houses,jobs,retirement,illnesses, and, well, you catch my drift.We are on the road to hopefully growing old together,hoping that we are that blessed to accomplish that.

If you are reading this and single,I would tell you to hang in there if you are still looking, or good for you if you are comfortable in your current situation.If you are married like me, I hope you had a marvelous St.Valentine’s day.Savor love all 365 days a year, not just today.If you have lost your love one,cherish their memory!

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How tired am I?…..with apologies to the estate of Johnny Carson

Mother nature is giving me a break.

If you have been following this blog with any regularity, you know I have been trying to do fitbit zip version walking daily since Halloween.I really have been getting into it, especially since I have seen eighteen pounds disappear since then.

Tomorrow,here at Undisclosed, it’s due to be cold. Not quite Wisconsin cold, but cold none the less.The girls will have to go out, but not as far as we have been.I will be bundling up, but as a sent a quick message to my friend and sister KJ earlier today, God wants me fit, not with pneumonia.

As it would only be day three of retirement, I think a little down time will be in order, and as Zush’s surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning, well, I will try to get some quiet one on one time with her.She is getting a ruptured cyst off of her left rear leg.Any prayers or good mojo that you can send for her would greatly appreciated.

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Trying to put a spin on the negative

We just came from the street we used to live on to pay a sick call to one friend’s Dad and a sympathy call on another friend who lost her 47-year-old daughter to cancer Thanksgiving eve.

Jim says to me .”Everyone’s dying.”
Me:” We’re still here.’

Kasia and Zush in the back of the car coming back and Kasia starts:” Barkbarkbarkbark.”
Me: “I grabbed her leash and told her we all have a right to walk the sidewalk.”
She stopped.

Jim and I had talked about how we loved living on that street and how it became a street where everyone was moving, sick, or dying.We said where we are moving is a different spot, where people are like us going through or having gone through what we have.We tend to socialize there more than we do here.

I am praying for an upturn.

Fit this Bit!

Well, it seems that Fridays are my low days on the fit bit, averaging around 7,000 steps.Once I get to the weekend, it’s a better story. I average around 11,000 to 12,000 steps on the weekends and have been doing pretty good for the week.

I am walking the girls and outside all, the leaves are down. My four-legged children are quite like 2 legged children. They love walking through the leaves.It’s funny that their fur color is matching the leaf color.

We’re enjoying the weekend. We are hoping, gentle reader,you are doing the same.

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Zosiacare

Too bad my girl doesn’t qualify for Obama care..lol

All of a sudden Zush was in such apparent pain she kept leaving little yelps of pain out to let us know something wasn’t right. My nephew Gregory was kind enough to get over to the vet yesterday and pick up her Tramadol for her arthritis.That, we thought, would have resolved the issue but it didn’t.

This morning was not a fun scene. Zush obviously in pain yelping, Kasia wondering what’s wrong and me crying because, yes, damn it, they’re my fur kids.Managed to get through the day to 1:30, when I could leave for the girl’s 2:30pm appointment.

She was in such pain Jim had trouble getting her out of the car, but she got down and into the vet we went. Evidently, Zush’s spine was out of whack and now, with a steroid shot, and slow bathroom only walks, we’ll have our Zush up to speed in new time.When you are talking about a fur baby that’s 12 years old, well we had a big sigh of relief for our girl.She is the rock of our lives!

Below is a shot of Jim’s arm as he carries our Zush out of the back of the car.

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Hanging out together

We went out for a walk today, Mom, Dad, Zush, and Kasia.

The sky was the prettiest shade of blue and the clouds pretty neat. The weather was cool so we went for a nice two-mile walk on the beach. Jim went ahead with the girls and I kind of hung back: I kept flipping the phone to track how far we were walking and then to take some pretty beach shots.I was happy to meet a friend of Jim’s on the beach: her name was Fran.Evidently she would always be on that stretch of beach because she is from the area.She was there with her bulldog, Otis.

The sad part is we are going back up tonight.Here’s hoping the packing and last-minute chores can be relatively painless….lol.

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**Sigh**

There is nothing like working a few hours extra in the day and coming home late.

I am not bragging,only lamenting the fact that my ridiculously early bedtime has to be pushed back a wee bit because I hadn’t eaten dinner yet.Truly, not a run-of-the-mill situation for me.It can never mimic how truly physical labor wears you out, but I am pretty beat.It makes me the appreciate the fact that this time next year this will hopefully**or not** be only a memory.I know that when my head hits the pillow tonight, it will be a great feeling.

Fortunately Jim stepped in and took care of the girls, but there was nothing but love for me coming through the door: nice to know they miss me.

Good to be tired, but even better to be home with my loves!

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Not a creature was stirring..

I am sitting alone at our breakfast bar.

Jim is asleep on the sofa in front of the Phillies game,the girls are sprawled out on the floor and I am waiting for some wash to finish.

We have grass coming in, although right now it resembles a kind of peach fuzz.Thankfully it is raining right now:Jim was happy as he said it takes up a lot of time to water.I think the long stretch of the week mentally has caught up with us because we would probably be, dogs notwithstanding, cast for the cast of the Walking Dead- we would be pretty good zombies.

Hopefully, we’ll be snapping out of this.Between the juicing and moving around more, we’ll get there-I have faith.

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My Children with four paws…

..went out in the rain last night and this morning, returning with that drowned dog look on their faces, but hey, at least they got out. I know you guys who have two-legged children struggle to get them in snow suits and stuff, but this is just the actual art of getting them outside.

It figures a Nor’Easter would blow through for Thanksgiving, as if we needed any more drama going on.
If you are traveling, please be safe.The Shingleman family hope for a safe trip and a speedy return!

Long Weekend…

There is nothing like a weekend when you and your spouse are ill.

You never knew that you could possibly sleep as long as you do, and yet, you are literally down for the count, as it were. Then you have the question of what to eat. Our friend recommended more chicken soup, which there for a while, was a question if we ate it, could we keep it…hah, as if…

Our four-legged children are quite understanding getting out whenever we can get them out, and sleeping when we seem to either go down or nap.

The doctor’s office informed us that the waiting room was full of lower gastrointestinal and upper respiratory bugged folks.They kindly reinforced what we officially should do….

..if we only didn’t feel as though we were hit by a truck.