Chloe

A clamor has arisen: why does Soho get a birthday party but not Chloe?

What am I? Chopped liver? Oooh, I love chopped liver. That makes me happy!

And the answer I always give is that Chloe does not need a party because in her world, every day is a party.  Chloe is always, always happy. Even when she’s barking her “I think there is a heavily-armed, masked intruder about to break down the front door” bark (this usually just means that our postal carrier is dropping off the mail…) her demeanor tells you that she can hardly wait to greet that masked intruder and offer him milk and cookies.

It's all good, all the time. Can I lick your face with my enormous wet tongue?

I know that everyone thinks theirs is the best dog in the universe, but everyone (except maybe for Katherine) is just wrong. Sorry, but the Best Dog in the Universe trophy undisputedly must go to Chloe. No, she has not yet saved us from a burning building nor can she sing and play the piano at the same time. But she could if she wanted to, I am convinced of that.

Chloe, you might say, lives large. And she is a study in the power of positive reinforcement. She hears the words Good Girl! Beautiful Girl! thirty or forty times a day, which completely outweighs the occasional Bad Girl! she hears when she, say, steals a plate of cat food off of a counter top. Just think of how you might look at life if you were told how wonderful and gorgeous you were all day long every day!

Among her many talents: lifeguarding at the pool

She loves everyone:

What other dog would tolerate this?

Or this?

And Dizzy, who is the most discerning creature we know, has made it clear that his highest affections are reserved for Chloe. And if Dizzy says it’s so, it is so!

Dizzy is happiest when he's cuddled up next to Chloe.

She is always a good sport:

I'll wear whatever you want me to, and I'll keep smiling!

And as big as she is, you can always, 100% of the time count on Chloe to be gentle with children. Did I mention that she is a Good Girl!? Here she is, showing off her giant teeth to PJG and a much-younger Evie:

I love this photo. Evie and Viv with Chloe on Easter day.

For those inquiring minds that want to know, Chloe will turn six on the 16th of September. She will not have a party and she will not care. But she wouldn’t mind at all if you stopped by with a pizzle stick…

Wasn't she a cute puppy?

And don't forget her other talent: she can impersonate a vampire!

Someone’s Got a Screw Loose…

I promised you a less-than-perfect-day and we certainly had one this week. I’ll return to the travelogue soon, but first, a real-time update on the Saga of The Foot.

Faithful readers will recall that just a little over a year ago, the CE exercised the pain and suffering clause in our marriage by rupturing his posterior tibialis tendon.  This is one of those body parts you don’t know exists until something goes wrong; its purpose is to support the arch of the foot. All you flat-footers out there, get thee to a podiatrist forthwith – orthotics as well as other measures can help if the condition is caught early on.

Note the difference: the foot on the left has a normal arch, the foot on the right is flat, indicating a problem with the PT tendon (image from mdmercy.com)

The CE’s condition was so severe that he had to have his entire foot re-built, which is why he chose to have the amazing and esteemed Dr. Ferkel (who literally wrote the book on this surgery) at Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) perform the surgery.

Dr. Ferkel, baseball nut and surgeon extraordinaire (image from scoi.com)

This involved cutting into the heel, removing a piece of it and re-fashioning it to stabilize the foot. The tendon was completely ruptured, which means that it basically rolled up like a windowshade and had to be teased out and looped together with another tendon in order to restore function to the foot. (Sorry, I should have mentioned you might need a barf bag before you read this paragraph.) Every physician, nurse, x-ray tech and other human being who has looked at the CE’s scar gets very wide eyes and says “Wow! You had a BIG surgery!” Very reassuring…

Post-surgery last year

The foot is now almost fully functional, although it does appear that the CE has some residual sensory nerve damage. This could have resulted from the original condition, the surgery or the nerve block that was done pre-surgery. He can walk, but he does have significant pain in the foot. He has also had pain from the ginormous screws they put in his heel to hold things together, and he jumped (okay, truth be told, he’s not jumping all that well these days…) at the chance to have them removed.

Yes, THOSE screws!

Last time around, he was in the hospital for two nights, in a cast for a few months and in a boot for what seemed like a lifetime. We knew this time around would be less of an ordeal – for one thing, it’s an out-patient procedure, but we didn’t know much else.

The CE and Natalie, Dr. Ferkel's assistant at the pre-op appointment: WHY is this man laughing?

So it was a relief to learn that although the procedure required general anesthesia, there was the possibility that the CE could bypass having a cast and go straight to wearing that familiar old boot. I never thought I’d be happy to see the boot again, but it’s much better than a cast!

And I was amazed to see how quickly he rallied after the surgery. Here he is just a few hours later:

A few hours post-surgery: they gave him the screws as a souvenir (yes I know there's a bad joke here, but I'm not going there)

Another bonus, since we spent the night in the Los Angeles area, was that Victoria took a break from her studies at USC to come visit!

Victoria just aced a big test! Congratulations!

He’s in considerable pain, but hopefully the heel, at least, will hurt less now that the screws are out. Since he’s on crutches for the next week or two, the CE is staying down in the poolhouse with Chloe, Rosie and Birdie for roommates, but he’s already feeling well enough to hobble around. PG brought lunch yesterday and we had a picnic with the chickens.

Is it wrong to eat chicken salad in front of the chickens?

"I hope he gets well soon so he can throw the tennis ball for me!"

Thanks to everyone for the calls and well wishes, to Victoria for the fruit and the visit, to PG for lunch and to Ashleigh for keeping us afloat until the CE is back to his usual superhuman self.

 

Polloplayer edit: a fair amount of traffic arrives here via searches for “posterior tibialis”. For related posts on this subject, see “Break a Leg?”, “Getting a Leg Up”, “Cast and Characters”, “Ups, Downs” and “Das Boot and Das Molt”

Home is Where the Tart Is

It’s been a bumpy week. The funeral, which went as well as it possibly could have. The travel, which, um, did not.

First, though, thanks to everyone for the meaningful condolences. From cannoli to cards to so, so many beautiful flowers, the expressions of sympathy have been so appreciated. There’s a certain fragility that seems to set in at times like these, an odd wobbliness, and it seems that each time someone reaches out with a kind word it gently guides me back to equilibrium.

These beautiful flowers from Pollo Amiga greeted us at the church

Neither Elkhart, IN or the Roman Catholic Church get a lot of positive press, but they both have a gem in Father Bill Sullivan of St. Thomas the Apostle church. He knew my father well and spoke of him with wisdom and kindness. In his homily at the funeral mass, Father Sullivan mentioned that my father had hoped to have “one more spring”, which I also knew to be true. As spring does unfold, I will try to appreciate it all the more this year.

Father Sullivan (and my grand-niece Makenzie in the foreground)

It was a relief to have one “normal” evening in Elkhart, thanks to my friend, Nancy, who arranged her visit there to coincide with ours. The CE and I spent an evening with her and her parents, Fern and Jerry, and their criminally adorable Yorkie, Rufus.

Fern and Rufie

Fern and Nancy. Resemblance much?

After the long, bleak drive to O’Hare, we had our first encounter with a full-body scanner, and, risk to national security that I am, I was sternly led off to the pat-down area. I always wonder who they allow to sail through security while the TSA ponders my nether regions. To add insult to insult, my camera was apparently stolen from my suitcase on the front end of the trip.

photo credit: Wonkette

We were thrilled to learn that we’d been given first class upgrades on our flight home from Chicago. After an hour and a half wait at the gate, however, the thrill was definitively gone.  At the two-and-a-half hour mark, they de-boarded the airplane for another tense hour, after which we were called back on board with a load of empty promises. Another hour and a half twiddled by. Those of you who know the CE can only imagine how much eyebrow -twisting ensued. Somewhere just short of the six-hour mark, we left the gate and finally headed home.

And it is, indeed, good to be home. Dave, Karen and Victoria predictably spoiled the animals, who greeted our return with hearty yawns.

"Oh, you again?"

Hope puts her best foot forward

Dodger pretends to care.

The Tart refuses to move until Uncle Dave comes back.

It may be an uphill battle to work our way back into the good graces of our pets, but we are well-armed with treats and what looks to be a sunny weekend. Hope yours is a good one!

Not fat. Just fluffy

It’s true. Chloe is vindicated. After all the speculation, here are the pics to prove it.

And she's not even sucking in that stomach.

Economy-sized gal

"Looking for a Valentine? I'm available."

We get by with a little help from our friends.

Thanks to everyone for calls, notes, visits and emails in support of the CE. Looks like Gregory House has some competition from this quarter, as my poor fellow perfects his limp, sans the Vicodin and hint of a British accent.

Almost as cute as the CE

Another view of the posterior tibialis tendon

Here’s the scoop: the MRI confirmed that the posterior tibialis tendon is completely severed. The first doc who looked at it feared that it might not even be operable, but a visit to one of the known rock stars of the ankle surgery world later in the week in Los Angeles brought better news. The CE’s running career is, sadly, at an end, but he should ultimately be able to walk as far as he wants without pain. As you can imagine, Chloe and Soho were happy to hear this.

Life is sad when the CE can't take me for a walk.

The immediate problem is this: I can’t walk the dogs because the slightest tug on a leash rotates my lumbar vertebrae. The CE now can’t walk the dogs because, well, because he basically can’t walk.  In the scheme of things, that may not seem like a tragedy, but you may be forgetting how pampered and spoiled Soho and Chloe are. Thankfully, some of dog’s best friends leaped into action and volunteered to stop by and take the girls for a walk.

"Walk with me...I'll even carry my own leash"

And, lest we forget, this is a difficult time for the Shoo Bear as well - he's not sure where the next can is coming from

Alexandra has taken on the lion’s share of the work, tuckering the girls out with early morning jogs. Bernadette stopped by to cheer everyone up on Wednesday, and Julia and Grant were here on Thursday. Having Daniel home to visit for the week has lifted everyone’s spirits, as well. Life is good.

Daniel and Dizzy

Guess where the eggs in that sandwich came from!

The CE sees another doc in LA next week and will then decide which guy he trusts most to cut him. He’s been told that the recovery for this is long, involved and no picnic, so the idea of having the procedure done before our upcoming family vacation has been nixed. It looks like surgery will be scheduled for the second or third week of September – he has been told things can’t really get any worse in the interim, so he’s free to hobble around as best he can in the meantime.  We are so blessed to have Alexandra staying with us and Victoria working for us, as the two of them are a huge help. I’m confident that we’ll sort out the rest of it. In the meantime, anyone looking to accessorize with a Golden Retriever and a Coton de Tulear is welcome to stop by and take the girls for a spin.

There will be a full cast, and there will be crutches. No idea how we will manage that with a two-story house, but we will find a way. My physical therapist is set up to do the rehab when the time comes, so that piece of the puzzle is in place. The CE is, as always, tough and resilient. Very hard for him to be benched like this, but now that he more or less has a plan, he’s determined to get through this with grace, fortitude, and chickens…

No worries about being lonely

One thing we learned is that, in all his years of executive physicals, had any doctor had ever mentioned to the CE that he had flat feet, this situation might have been averted simply by wearing orthotics. The doc he saw in LA said this injury is one of “attrition” – having flat feet puts a strain on the tendon over time which can be mitigated by wearing orthotics. If you don’t know whether you have flat feet or not, put it on your checklist to ask next time you visit a physician – apparently if you don’t ask, they don’t tell.

Arch enemy: flat feet

“Grandpa, do you live in a zoo?”

Hurricane Thomas and Hurricane James spun through last week along with their parents and their dog, Tiny. Thomas tallied up all the animals he saw and seemed to compare it favorably with the Central Park Zoo.

City boy befriends chickens

Thomas was quite the helper in the chicken yard. He tuned into the rhythm of chicken-keeping, dutifully remembering when it was time to let the chickens out in the morning and bring them in at night. And he enjoyed the daily egg hunt, as well.

A two-egg day

That's not a chicken!

We picked oranges and made fresh-squeezed juice

Jamesy!

In the chicken yard

So relaxing with kids, isn't it?

Chloe lifeguards

"We are not water dogs"

Post-swim snuggle

Dueling dictators

Amelia gets a moment of peace

We spent an afternoon going "Sideways"

Victoria makes a new friend

Krista came to visit

Jamesy and Great-Granny

Ah, to be young again!

Dizzy says BTDT

Love the new sign!

The amazing Grandpa!

The family had an early flight on Easter Sunday so they left dark and early. Since we were up and wide-awake, the CE and I decided to go to an Easter sunrise service, which we enjoyed so much it may become a tradition. What a privilege to stand with the sea behind us, the moutains before us and worship our God above us. He is risen indeed!

The moon was setting over the ocean as we arrived

The sky cleared to a beautiful Easter morning

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

I cannot tell a lie.

 

George W (the original) and his cherry tree (from icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com)

 

President’s Day, which has sneakily morphed into President’s-week-off in recent years, turned into a nice excuse for us to fly the coop. I had planned to slap up some test-pattern pix of Hope, Amelia and Autumn just to make everyone think we were chez poulet per usual, but since we’ll be back ANY MINUTE, I decided it was safe to spill – we’ve had a wonderful wintry week in NYC. And I’m afraid it’s going to take multiple posts to document all the fun we’ve had, so there may be some bonus posts this week.

First and foremost, IT SNOWED! Big, wet, slobbery flakes and lots of them!

White-out!

 

"Why can't I grow up in California like Mom did?"

 

And, speaking of big, wet and slobbery, we checked one off the “bucket list”, attended the 134th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and fulfilled my dream of seeing forty of the country’s winningest Golden Retrievers. So much fun!

Just a few of the gorgeous Goldens vying for "Best in Breed"

 

Just like a Golden - they'll do anything for a snack!

 

I think Chloe looks just as good as the competition!

 

The family took in Day 1 of the event – they got to see the Dalmations and the Pulis, one of which made it to the finals.

The gang at Madison Square Garden

 

Last night in NYC - Alexandra heads to the sunny West Coast

 

 And we were fortunate to catch up with Alexandra on her last night in the big city. She is on to better and warmer adventures back in California. She joined us for dinner and the judging of the Toy and Herding group at the dog show.

The best Westminster moment, however, came after the show, when son-in-law Bobby, toiling away down on Wall Street, stepped out of his office for lunch and ran right into Best of Show Sadie, the Scottish Terrier, and her handler. As Bobby said, only in New York!

Sadie the famous Scottish Terrier - in the flesh...or fur, as it were.

 

That’s all for now, but much, much more to report. We’ve more or less settled into our apartment here and we’re looking forward to many more trips to our adopted city soon!

Enjoying the view from our apartment

 

View from our apartment at dusk

 

And just in case someone is thinking about stealing the silver before we get home, don’t bother – we don’t own any!

Happiness is a warm chicken.

It is a stunningly beautiful day in southern California. I stepped outside this morning and blinked in the brightness of the sunshine, warm as a perfect summer day yet with  an edge of crispness that tells you we just turned a page of the calendar. As Chloe and I ambled over to the chicken yard, a rooster crowed in the distance right on cue, and I thought of how incredibly lucky I was to have that particular moment in time – sleeping until 8, faithful Golden Retriever by my side, chickens to greet, a perfect day and the rural sound effects of a rooster without having to keep one myself. I felt…dare I say it…happy!

One definition of happiness.

Which brought to mind the recent musings of NYT columnist Maureen Dowd. My stepdaughter, Angela, sent me a link last week and asked what I thought of a particular column, which was entitled Blue is the New Black, and in which Ms. Dowd reflects on studies that demonstrate the finding that while men are, in general, happier than they were three decades ago, women are getting gloomier. She quotes Marcus Buckingham, a former Gallup researcher who has written a book called Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently. According to Mr. Buckingham, “Though women begin their lives more fulfilled than men, as they age, they gradually become less happy.” According to studies, this is the case regardless of how successful they are, how much money they make or whether or not they have children.

Maureen Dowd (photo from www.nytimes.com)

This may be where it comes in handy to have a failing memory, because, try as I might, I cannot remember a time in my life – other than those magical years when the boys were young and every day felt like Christmas – when I was significantly happier than I am now. Okay, college was pretty great, with all the independence of an adult and none of the financial responsibilities plus all the 3.2 beer I could drink, but  I actually remember those years and many that followed as being pretty stressful, what with having to figure out life and career and family. It may well be that I have lowered my expectations, but the CE and I have found that one of the best things about getting older is that we are made utterly content by some of the simplest things, like waking up on a day as beautiful as this one and heading out to check on my little flock of ladies.

Autumn, 17 weeks

So on this perfect morning, I found myself feeling sorry for Maureen Dowd. I wonder if chickens would help? They apparently did for writer Susan Orlean, whose charming article in the September 28 issue of The New Yorker magazine was another recent source of happiness for me. The subject matter aside, Ms. Orlean’s work is a pleasure to read simply as an example of someone who was clearly born to write. Luckily, she was also apparently born to have chickens, as her affection for her flock infuses each paragraph. The article is entitled “The IT Bird” and traces the history of backyard chicken-keeping in the United States while sharing personal insights about her own “chicken condition”.

Susan Orlean (photo from class.uidaho.edu)

Ms. Orlean apparently has a Twitter page where her followers can get regular updates on her chickens. http://twitter.com/Susanorlean I looked at it briefly today, and she certainly seems happy to me. Can it be a coincidence or could it truly be that happiness really is all about chickens?

“Spic ‘n Span in Chickenland”

If you could ask your spouse for anything, what would it be? I must acknowledge that the CE is very good to me. For a guy who buys his clothes at Gap because he doesn’t want to pay the price for what he contemptuously terms “Resort Dip Wear”,  he’s extremely generous with my indulgences. However, I do have to keep him on his toes, so yesterday I asked for the moon: a complete coop clean-out.

I would, of course, be happy to do this myself, but due to back problems, I must rely on the noble Chicken Emperor. We use what I would call a “modified deep litter method” of maintaining the coop.  Pine shavings are my litter of choice, and are quite popular with other chicken-keepers, although some use shredded paper or hay. Some also use cedar shavings, although this is controversial due to the phenols they emit, which can be toxic to chickens.

Who says he doesn't have a job?

A true Deep Litter Method begins with a four-inch layer of fresh litter material and then adding more from time to time as needed. In a true deep-litter regimen, one is removed until it becomes 8 to 12 inches deep. Since we only have four chickens, and the luxury of time, I choose to be more fastidious. I do a complete counter-top clean-up of the coop each day, and the CE rakes the “big clumps” from the floor weekly. The last full sweep-out of the coop was about a month ago, so I asked the CE to do another full-scale clean-out along with mopping the floor (one of the benefits of a concrete coop floor) with a weak bleach solution. This post’s headline is his, as he proudly announced when he was finished that “Things are spic ‘n span in Chickenland.

24 hours later, they're working on making a mess

Some people stir lime or diatomaceous earth into their litter but so far we haven’t needed it since we change our litter more frequently and we live in a fairly dry climate. This could all change come the rainy season, of course…

There’s more to it than aesthetics. According to Robert Plamondon, who I’ve quoted previously, “the “deep litter method” was one of the most important poultry developments of the twentieth century. It resulted in a dramatic drop in disease and a reduction in the amount of labor it took to keep a flock of chickens. It also gave an early example of how biodiversity works to our advantage, even with confined livestock.”  According to Plamondon’s web site http://www.plamondon.com/faq_deep_litter.html, the DLM has been proven to aid in building chickens’ resistance to coccidiosis and improve their growth rate. Plamondon would likely frown upon my method, since we don’t let the litter build up to 8-12 inches, but so far, this is working for us. Our chickens seem happy and healthy!

The girls at 16 weeks of age

Future developments in Chickenland may be on the horizon. I’ve been hinting (imploring, nagging, bullying might be more like it) that I would love to put a fountain along the currently bare wall  at the back of the chicken area. The CE initially vetoed the idea because of the expense of running electricity to the area, but he recently consulted with our landscaper and thinks he may have found a way to do it for a manageable cost.

Here's where I envision a fountain, and maybe a deck

Now I’m thinking we might also want to put in a small deck so we can have a seating area elevated above the oak leaves. It would be nice for chicken-viewing, and might also lessen the amount of flora the dogs track in. And, since my husband is so generous, I may as well shoot for the moon, right?

They claim dogs are chicken predators, but I just don't see it.

Maybe this is what is known as a "bird dog"?

Such a great weekend!

Saturday was Julia’s wedding. Everything about it was perfect! And the sun even came out! Julia was, of course, a stunningly beautiful and happy (and calm and incredibly organized!) bride and everyone had so much fun. Truly a magical day. Here are some photos:

Julia and her attendants arrive Saturday morning

Hair and make-up. The guys got ready down in the pool house.

The dogs got lots of attention!

Lots of work to be done before the ceremony

Dave came over early to help

And, of course, to spend some quality time with the animals

All ready for the big event

Taylor and Victoria helped out

Victoria "dressed" the powder room rabbit!

Daniel and Amber helped, too

Look at the poor, neglected dogs!

Wedding cupcakes

Soho dressed for her "ringbearer" role

Soho was accompanied by the flower girl, who was encouraged by Julia's friend, Jenny

Julia just before the ceremony

Waiting for the ceremony to start

Ready to go

Julia and her dad

Soho watches the ceremony

"You may now kiss the bride"

After the ceremony

It's official!

Julia's mom

Soho makes a friend

She made a lot of friends

The happy couple!

Grant’s father is a pastor and he performed the ceremony, which was so special, and Julia’s grandfather, also a pastor, gave the dinner blessing. Julia’s father spoke touchingly of his relationship with her and the joy of newfound fellowship with Grant’s family. All who spoke gently  reminded the young couple that “things won’t always be easy” (who knows, Grant, your wife may decide she wants chickens someday!) and that the way to have a marriage made in heaven is to call on the Lord for guidance, in good times and bad. Good advice for all of us!

Dinner was lovely and then there was dancing on the upper courtyard – Julia’s dedication song to Grant was Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” – so fitting. It was truly a joyous occasion. Chloe made 150 new best friends as she circulated through the crowd all evening, and there were several tours of the chicken coop. Autumn even made a brief appearance on the dance floor!

We felt so blessed to have the boys and their friends there, and Granny, too, and for ALL the help we had – Cathy and Kirstie frou-froued the dogs within an inch of their lives, Bernadette managed – well, pretty much everybody – Dave, cheerful as always, did hours of manual labor, Paz postponed her vacation just so she could come and help, Taylor cleaned and raked himself into a Zen state, Victoria spent her entire day helping out, and Daniel and Amber took on the job of overseeing parking for 150 people. It was a day that reminded me how precious all our relationships are and how grateful I am for all these people in my life.

And just when it seemed things couldn’t get better, Teri visited us yesterday! Teri took over Julia’s job, and, while she was only with us for a school year, she, too, has become part of the family. She recently moved up to the Bay area, and was in town this weekend with her boyfriend, Derek, who clearly loves her, as he took time out of their quick trip to come over and talk poultry and schmooze with Chloe.

Teri and Chloe are reunited

All roads lead to the chicken coop...

Hope, 10 weeks old

The sun came out for the wedding, but now we're back to fog and cold. The girls cuddle up to stay warm.