Mommy came home!

I came home for a week while a temporary nanny replaced me at Karin’s. It is amazing that in less than two months I had forgotten how beautiful he is! He is a gorgeous dog, perfectly proportioned with rich dark brown fur. As soon as I walked in the door, Guinness was stealing things for me to retrieve from him. Grant says that he does not do that at all when I am not home. It is a Mommy/dog game.

Guinness was eager to help me unpack my suitcase when I wasn’t looking and grabbed a sweater which I had to finagle away from him.

We went to doggie park every morning, but we didn’t see many of our friends. They seem to have changed their schedules.

I took him to be weighed and he is 70.8 lbs! Good news!

Our yard maintenance people blow all the leaves into a huge mountain, then come later with a suction truck to vacuum them up. Guinness loved the huge pile! In fact, he walked right into it with only his head sticking out. I didn’t have my camera, so you have to capture a mental image of his handsome dark brown head rising above a pile of orange, brown, yellow leaves.

Later, I took him out with camera to try to recapture that pose, but the yard people were already sucking up the pile.

Everyone has hit the wall!

I am still at Karin’s and have been since 9/5. This week, the kids, the husband, and the dog hit the wall. Kien has been excessively fussy. Kevin is asking when I am going home, that I have been there long enough. Grant is saying, “We are not getting a divorced; we are not even separating. My work is in Canada; we are not moving to NC (which we had been considering). I want a wife! I want you to come home!”

Then Guinness… Grant tells me that he peed on our loveseat in the living room TWICE today! It has a denim cover on it as he likes to lie on it. So the first time, he only got the cover. The second time, the cover was still in the dryer, so he got a cushion straight on! ugh! I know the reason: Grant does NOT exercise him!!!! He gets maybe one little walk around our property a day and that's it! I guarantee that he has not had one big long walk since I left home! Poor baby! He is mad! Everyone wants life to return to normal.

Poor Guinness

I picked up Guinness from the pet hotel on Sunday morning, Aug. 31. That day, Karin called asking me to come help her as her back is getting worse and she cannot lift the boys, do dishes, or laundry. I booked a ticket for this morning. Monday night, I was unpacking and repacking my cases, and Grant was packing too as he will be spending the remainder of the week with a client. Guinness was NOT happy to see our suitcases. He stole my airplane neck pillow right out of my carryon. He stole shoes. He found clean towels within his reach. It was constant all evening! This morning, I had Guinness’s things and my suitcases in the car ready to take him back to the pet hotel, which he has always loved. Regardless of where we are going, he is always eager to jump into the car - especially if we have suitcases and his toys and food. But he knew he was going to be left again. He refused to jump in! I had to force him to get in. We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened, so I walked him around the property and he took me into his play area.

I pulled out my camera to get shots of him there, and he grabbed my camera case! What a little Stinkpot! Of course, I had no treats in pocket, so it was a trick to get it back. My cute little floral case from Vietnam was slimmed and covered in mulch by the time I repossessed it. Poor boy!

But once inside, he was eager to run to his villa.

Leader of the Pack?

Today I took Guinness to vacation at Holly’s Pride. He LOVES going there! If no one is in the parking lot, I let him run out of the car without holding the leash, because he goes straight to the front door. Well, 3 employees, each exercising a big dog, came walking around the corner. Of course, he ran off to see his friends and meet the new dogs. They grabbed his leash and told me the dogs are not friendly. I said, “If they go after Guinness, he will just back down.” But nothing happened. Then we entered the building. A man holding a large cat was just inside the door. Guinness barged in the door and jumped on his back. The cat did not seem upset, but strained around his master’s side to watch this wild beast. I was holding the overly happy dog as he strained to get away from me to jump on the desk and inspect the toys for sale while I attempted to apologize to the man. He with his cat were ushered into the cattery, so I released Guinness to run the room. He pushed on the door to the kennel which was not latched and he went right through. The door from there to the cattery was open, so he ran into the cattery. Oh, my… The manager brought him back and immediately took him back to his villa. An employee now came to the front desk to check in the cat and then Guinness. She commented that Guinness has more energy than any of their dogs. I told her about a dog trainer I had run into this week. I talked to the trainer about Guinness’s problems – that he is fine at home but is crazy when he sees other people or dogs. The trainer said that that indicates he is the leader of the pack. I confessed that we are getting older and probably baby him more than we have our other dogs. She was very professional and was sure she could help us to improve our relationship with him to be more like Hershey. But I’m not sure I have the energy to be leader of the pack.

Annual Exam

Guinness wins the prize for being the most enthusiastic patient at his vet’s office. He enters pulling with all his might on his leash with the pinch collar pinching him. Today, there were four or five small dogs, most with an elderly master, in the waiting room. None of the dogs or masters was delighted with Guinness’s behavior. The expressions on their faces were incredulous watching my crazed dog trying to reach them while barking at the top of his voice. All I can do is say, “Can you tell he LOVES coming here?” or “He is so excited to see all of you here today.” Then I noted that Alice, from doggie park, was standing at the pay window purchasing some special treats for Holly. I was shocked that she never turned her head to see what all the ruckus was. When Guinness saw her, he was delirious with joy. Fortunately, Holly was not with her. Just imagine what would have happened if Holly had been there too! Two dogs tearing at high speed around a small waiting room! Slowly, everyone in the waiting room had their turn in an exam room, and we were alone. He jumped up on the bench seat where I was seated, demanding my total attention.

When we entered the exam room, one of the assistants tried to weigh him. I told her that I needed to do it alone as he would never settle for her. With her in the room, she thought he was 69, but I knew he was still being too crazy for an accurate reading. After she left, he stood peacefully and registered 67.4 pounds. He is picking up weight – .4 pounds in 2 weeks! The doctor called him a clown and pronounced that he is going to be a “perpetual puppy.” He said, “I love you too,” after receiving a sloppy kiss on the face. Guinness accepted his shots without a flinch. I enjoyed telling the doctor the erroneous story of Guinness’s supposed bladder problem, but was sorry that the vet who had dealt with that issue was not present to hear it from me. He declared Guinness healthy and slim but not too skinny. He said that Guinness, like most males, doesn’t want to grow up. Apparently, his wife complains that he still acts like a little boy after 32 years of marriage.

Back in the waiting room, a couple more dogs entered as we were trying to pay our bill. He skidded his paws on the floor as if he were on a treadmill, while I held his leash firmly. Then he did his melting chocolate trick to get tummy rubs. On our way out of the building, another medium size dog was approaching. Guinness was on a rampage to have playtime, frightening yet another owner who picked up her dog lest he be attacked by the maniacal dog. Oh, my….

Who is More Logical?

I have not included this information in Guinness’s blog, but here is the REAL story:

Sunday, July 20, 2008

We slept in this morning until 8:20. Guinny was closed in the den and was just fine. I took him out to go potty. At noon, we went out to lunch without taking him out again first. We were home at 2:00, and there was a yellow puddle on the kitchen floor. ?? :-0 Poor boy! I took him out and he peed.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

We had been outside all morning while I worked in the garden. Between 1:00 and 2:00, he asked to go potty. It was pouring rain outside, so I decided he didn’t need to go. The next time I walked past the kitchen, there was a huge lake – same place as on Sunday! So I called the vet to have a urine test. Grant picked up the equipment on the way home.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The vet’s office gave me a sterile bowl and a bottle for collection. Guinness stuck his face in the bowl before he ever went potty. :\ So, when he did go, I had to catch it with the little bottle. Thankfully, it is easy to wash hands! We immediately delivered it to the office, and I took him in to weigh him. He is 67 lbs., so he has gained .2 lbs. in the past 2 weeks! Yay!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The urinalysis is normal except for a slightly elevated ph level.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Mid-day, we noticed that there was a small puddle in the kitchen – like he had marked a spot – the same spot.

Now today – Tuesday, July 29, 2008

This morning, I noted that the wallpaper near the floor where Guinness had peed was stained. I thought, oh – no…, he lifted his leg! Then I noted that there were stains under the window sill and on the sill. I closed the blinds and saw that the upper side of the blinds were water stained and warped. I called our condo neighbor who looks after construction/landscaping problems. He pronounced that the caulking on that window is useless. I told him that the eave above that window is too small to handle the amount of water coming off the roof and pours over the edge like Niagara Falls. Thus, it is pouring on the window, seeping through the deteriorated grouting, and ruining the interior decorating.

When Grant came home tonight, I showed him the stained wallpaper and warped blind. His response: “It wasn’t Guinness’s fault.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t Guinness’s fault.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have been falsely accusing him. He never peed on the floor.”

I don’t know if this is good news or bad news…

Baby Bird

On the way to doggie park, Guinness ran to sniff the base of a tree. A baby bird fluttered from the ground behind the tree and across the path under another tree. Following right behind were the mommy and daddy Cardinals! I don’t think I have ever seen a baby Cardinal before! Very cute, of course. Guinness wanted to follow it, but I wouldn’t let him.

I didn't take this picture, but it does look like "our" baby.

Gardening

After a walk to the lakeside park, I worked on cleaning up the garden, and Guinness lounged in the grass. While pruning a redbud tree, I noted that there was a beautiful exoskeleton (technically an exuvia) on the trunk. Some time later, I went in the house and brought my camera out. A green creature was emerging from it! I had the privilege of watching a cicada emerge from its exuvia as a full-grown adult with wings! Cicadas and locusts go through Incomplete Metamorphosis: the eggs hatch into nymphs – a smaller version of the adult without wings. As the nymphs grow, they molt five times before they become an adult with wings. Isn't he beautiful?
Meanwhile, Guinness became bored and reverted to being a flower dog. This is what I saw when I turned and looked at him. The flower is in the Bird of Pardise family, so this potted plant was not cheap at an Ontario nursery!
Of course, when I approached him, he grabbed it and tore it to pieces.

Goodbye, Chautauqua

The symbol of Chautauqua Institution -- the Miller Bell Tower. We heard the bells on our walks.

Return to the Woods

Met a friend on the way.
Episcopal Church at the edge of the woods.
Ahhhh...
See the nature classroom on the other side of the creek?
Thunder Bridge
Hall of Philosophy amphitheater
Where Mommy took classes both weeks.

Babies!

This little ravine was only a few steps from our apartment. Do you see a large bird in the tree? It is a baby Cooper's Hawk!While on a Bird Walk Tuesday morning, I was introduced to 4 baby Cooper’s Hawks (only 3 seen here) in the little wooded ravine near our apartment. They probably are about 4 weeks old and were not flying very well Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, they were flying about half way up the height of the trees. Wednesday, they were in the tops of the trees. I walked through there numerous times to watch their progress. After they were high in the trees, I felt safe taking Guinness through the woods with me. He never saw them, though he may have heard them. It was awesome to watch them fly from branch to branch. We saw Purple Martins feeding their young. There are Purple Martin houses all along the lakeshore on the grounds.
A mother spider has exquisite musical taste. She built this home in the kiosk in front of the opera house.

Guinness Being Guinny

Even More Sights from our Walks

One of the oldest streets.





A sculpture garden

House Tour

Today was the annual Women’s Club House Tour, and “our” house was on tour, but not our apartment. However, a few people did come snooping on our patio, so I put a sign on the door – “Not on tour.”

Here in the entrance to our lower level apartment.
Our landlord creates metal sculptures. This is in the garden.

Found Woods

Grant left us yesterday and won’t be back until Wednesday. Today Guinny and I decided to explore the south end of the property. We found this!

With trails...
And a creek!

More Scenes from Walking

Dogs at Doggie Park!

We finally found some playmates at Doggie Park!

But Nicky, the goldlie doodle, kept the Wheaten Terrier and Guinness rolled on their backs being submissive.