Month: February 2025

Included this time is a short (51 seconds) video of Grayce running outside in snow, a first for her. A few updates are along for the ride. Enjoy!

Pam has been taking Grayce outside frequently during the day. A recent snowfall left a few inches of snow in the dog run, and Pam thought a short video of Grayce doing “zoomies” would be a crowd pleaser in this post. Here is the clip. (The ending is a bit abrupt.) Note: YouTube has changed some security settings. You may need to click on the “Watch on YouTube” button instead of the red button in the center of the image. Clicking on the red button may ask you to log into YouTube.

Grayce is growing, stretching out a bit, and I think she will be a bit longer in proportion than a standard Beagle. Some of the cats are getting somewhat more used to her and will jump into the laundry room (over the gate) and spend some time there. Not real close, mind you, but not getting all aggressive and fluffed out. It is a process.

Pam has begun to introduce Grayce to the rest of the house, blocking off some areas (using pockets doors) but letting Grayce explore more of the floor plan. Exciting times for a puppy! These excursions are often followed by a long nap. (Grayce, not Pam.)

I mentioned a few other updates, none really earth-shattering. I went in for a follow-up appointment to get a new set of x-rays on my ankle, which is healing “in alignment” according to the doctor. This is good. I can move with a bit more ease as the swelling goes down, but the medical boot will be a must for at least the next few weeks.

NE Iowa did get some measurable snow, around 4 inches, which has left the ground covered in white. Right now the temperatures are well below normal for mid-February, with frigid wind chills and bitterly cold air temperatures. This morning the air temp was -17 with windchills of near -40. (Tuesday, February 18th) Good news, though: It is supposed to warm up by next Sunday, with temps getting above normal. Can’t wait.

Otherwise, slow. Good time to stay indoors, although we did have to shovel sidewalks after the snow. I could not do much with the leg boot, but managed to sit on the John Deer LX 176 (with blade) and cleaned major portions of the sidewalks and garage door aprons. The stretch that had to be hand-shoveled, between the house and garage and around the south side of the house, was Pam’s project. At that time the bitter cold had not set in, temps were in the low 20’s, but still a cold and tiring job.

Both of us work on small projects, mostly computer related, and take care of everyday living needs such as grocery shopping, cleaning, and doing laundry. Nothing in our normal routine to get excited about! Each of us makes a concerted effort to watch less political reporting (although the information we do tune in to tends to be quite distressing).

Felicity and Peter look like they will be moving into their Lodi (New York) home by the end of the month. Not all the repairs are completed but they are running low on funds and can’t afford to rent and pay a construction mortgage at the same time. I had helped them move from Tulsa to New York last July but obviously won’t help them move into the house this time. (Most of their belongings have been in storage since last summer, as they waited for repairs to the house to move forward.) I hope the transition goes well.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

There may have been things I forgot about having a puppy in the house, but strange schedules and continuing potty training efforts were completely expected. I try to give all the animals – cats, puppy, and older dogs – their own spaces and adjustment zones. It’s a bit of a puzzle at present, but in the end all will be well.

Happy Trails.

Today’s Humor:

I had never broken a bone until this past week. We had some freezing rain which covered the sidewalks in a thin layer of ice. On my way to the garage, while carrying a box, I slipped and fell. Now I am hurting.

The leg has two major bones, the Tibia, the main load-bearing bone, and the Fibula, which helps support the Tibia. In addition to suffering a very bad sprain, I cracked my left Fibula.

Now I am in one of those “walking boots” that are designed to keep the ankle in alignment courtesy of Dr. Maher at the Howard County Regional Health Center in Cresco.

Needless to say, this has made it very difficult (and painful) for me to move around much. Going up and down the stairs to my bedroom and upstairs bathroom has turned into a chore. Even getting a sock on the left foot has turned into a process, and I can work up a sweat trying to get dressed In the morning. No fun at all.

Prognosis is that I will heal in around 6 weeks, but given my age and medical history it could be longer. Old folks don’t heal as fast as younger people.

That is the main story for this week, but there are a few other updates. Grayce is getting acclimatized to her new home and the cats are beginning to inch closer to her when she takes a nap. The integration process continues. Oldest dog, Bru, is not excited about the newcomer as I think the rapid movements startle her as her vision and hearing are going. JoJo just seems to be amused.

I made a below-the-surface change to my blog page, changing the company that hosts it. I was using iPage but their prices kept going up. That would be OK if the blog was an e-commerce site or otherwise making money, but for a basic family newsletter it was getting out of hand. I am now using Bluehost, not quite as polished in their hosting service, but a lot more affordable. iPage was up to $257.00 per year and Bluehost is $178.00 for three years.

The change-over did not go all that smoothly, but eventually all functions were returned to normal. This is my first post using Bluehost and I trust all will go well! However, if you notice any problems, please let me know.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Weekly humor corner:

We have a new dog: Grayce, a Beagle puppy. How we got here is the main topic of this post. The tale is a little involved, so stay with me!

Pam will have more to say on the background of us getting a new dog; she had been looking for a while. This chapter started with a trip to our local vet.

Early this week one of the outside cats, Scamp, showed up with a large cut on his leg. Pam decided Scamp needed medical attention, so she shoved him into carrier and off we drove to New Hampton for a vet appointment. (New Hampton is about 30 minutes away from us.)

At the bottom off the off-ramp to town was this sign:

After dropping Scamp at the vet for an overnight stay, we did some grocery shopping and went home. (Scamp was picked up the next day after surgery, was confined, has since recovered and is back in the neighborhood with leg stitches and two fewer testicles.)

Pam proceeded to call the number and, after some conversation, decided to buy Grayce, the last of the puppies in the batch.

Grayce arrived on January 29th. She is a cute little puppy with, it appears, a pretty mellow personality. She will need it when getting used to the other household dogs and cats. So far Pam has kept Grace in the laundry room, which has a gate-blocking entrance into the rest of the house. Eventually Grayce will have full run of the place, but for now Pam is trying to keep the initiation into the house as gentle as possible. (Just to mention, Grayce is not yet fully potty trained.)

I put together this 3:16 video of Grayce’s first time in the yard and, later in the video, playing in the laundry room.

There was not a lot of other news this time. My new crown came in but was not to my dentist’s liking so it was sent back to be recast. Becky came over to help Pam groom JoJo a bit. (And to meet Grayce!) Weather has been very mild and dry for January with the exception of several bitterly cold days last week with wind chills hitting -41 and an actual air temperature -18. We ordered and received another fill of propane.

On the upside, a few days ago we set a few record highs with temps in the upper 40s and even low 50s. Next snow may be a week from now if the long-range forecast is accurate.

I am going to close out this post with a photo of several of our cats taking in morning sunlight through our east window.

At back left is Stirling, with Snickers standing on the sill and Reese lying down. AJ is on the chair. Note lack of snow on the grass outside.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I’ve been missing Blondie girl for six months. And wondering if I am too old for one more dog. In late November I started looking at the online rescue sites for Beagles. And inquired about five different dogs in five different Midwest states. Oh dear, so many poor little pups from medical facilities and breeder overstock. So many Beagles with psychological issues. After all my years in cat rescue, I am genuinely weary of animals with psychological issues. Bless the rescues for the work they do; I just can’t go there any more.

And then a sign on the side of a road. And the last female puppy in a litter, located just seven miles from Elma. And a search through Heart House for the pup supplies tote, something I seem to have kept for over a dozen years. And washing the dog toys, still left from the two remaining geriatric dogs (when they had teeth). Sometimes The Universe speaks and it’s time to pay attention. So I did. And I am now a puppy concierge.

Happy Trails.

P.S. Years ago, Toby suggested I name any future dog something with “gray” in it, since I seemed to be naming dogs after hair colors and my own hair was turning gray. Which explains the “Gray” in “Grayce.”

New feature: Humor of the week.