August: The Dingo Days of Summer - Page 3

[Plady]

Lisa - Good luck today at the dr, I hope everything is okay.

Bec - Welcome back!

Zub - Hope you're coping okay today.

Mel - Sorry about your knee, I hope the dr has some easy answers.

I didn't make it to my spin class yesterday, I just acted like such a little old lady and couldn't sleep until the crack of dawn out in the trailer and then woke up 5 minutes after the class started.  But I made it to the pool today.  I realize that suddenly it's not so light in the morning anymore - like as of this Monday!  So I guess I'll have to start setting an alarm just to be sure I get up in time.  Wah.  I'm not ready for fall to start, we're still kind of waiting for summer to begin.  Dh and I both got hit with that midsummer funk yesterday where you realize that summer is nearly over and all the projects and plans that seemed so reasonable in May are still unfinished and time is running out.  That's normal right? 

So yesterday I was watching Alison walking towards the house and the puppy was running down this long hill behind her and I thought "uh oh, Twinkles is going to jump on her!" but she didn't, she ran past Alison then turned around and ran back behind her and then launched herself into Alison, knocked her down and then jumped on her back.  Coincidentally I was on the phone with my dad who had just emailed me a story about the pit bull problem in Madison (@Naughty Dingo are you checking in?) and he'd been asking if we'd noticed any signs of aggression in Twinkles.  So when I hung up on him to run out and make sure Alison was okay he was pretty upset.  Now he feels strongly that we're risking the kids' safety by keeping Twinkles (she's now 7 months and scheduled to be spayed tomorrow).  I'm totally torn.  On one hand I could be unsentimental enough to say that between the poultry kills and the near misses with Alison (last week she jumped up and nipped Alison on the face) we should just have her euthanized tomorrow instead of passing her on to another owner who may not have kids or livestock but who would still then be taking care of a ticking time bomb - but on the other I feel like she is at heart a sweet dog who wants to please and we just need to be even more focused on her training and see if her getting spayed helps to tone down her exuberance.  What would you do?  Yesterday's incident was clearly more premeditated than puppyish exuberance but how do you know the difference between a sign and a fluke?  I don't want to overreact but I also don't know if I could live with myself if she really did hurt one of the kids.  Any thoughts?  Any btdt?

[Mel38]

Hey Plady!

I am not sure of your pup's breed, and I wouldn't exactly say that I have BTDT in such matters. Still, my 2c: I think that the episode with the chickens would *not* worry me. Lots of dogs have that killer instinct around chickens; I have seen that so often in our own family growing up and my sister's family still today. It's just so instinctual for even some of the sweetest, mellowest dogs. For me, that would not be a knock-out criterion. The jumping on a toddler? I also don't think that it - by itself - would make me think that a dog is not trustworthy. I'm no dog trainer, but if you are out there and can catch the puppy at the right moment, it might be a good teaching moment.

All that aside, though, I am not comfortable with certain breeds. It's just a discomfort feeling for me, and comes from a lot of anecdotal information rather than any true knowledge of the breeds. Still, even if you felt that this dog was not a good fit for your family, there are probably lots of people out there who would love to get their hands on a younger dog because of that trainability, especially one with such a good disposition.

Good luck with all of this!

[JayGee]

Plady ~ I wish I could help you with the dog situation.  Pit bulls scare me.  I know there are some good ones out there though.  Best of luck in whatever you decide.  And YES, I feel the same way about summer coming to an end.  Where the heck did all the time go???

RM ~ hope everything is okay with your DH and the appointment goes well today

Mel ~ glad you're getting your knee checked out and I hope it's nothing major

kitteh ~ enjoy your Garmin!

bec ~ welcome home!

RR ~ walked/ran 30 minutes on the indoor track at the Y, then swam for 25 minutes.  Not a particularly taxing working, but I feel like things are slowly improving.  Amazing how much swim fitness I've lost after not swimming at all since mid-June.  Eek!

NRR ~ two big kids are at camp again this morning, it's just miserable here today.  SO HOT and HUMID.  This is the 3rd week in a row of excessive heat warning.  I'm so done with it.  What fun is summer if you can't even play outside?

[bec]

Oh, this car!  Why do I have to live in a part of the world where it is so hard and dangerous to bike/walk everywhere?  Why do I have to be so dependent on a vehicle?!  There is something wrong with the bushings in the transmission (I think that's what they said), and it is going to be over $1500 to fix it.  I'm so frustrated because I had the damn thing in to have a pre-trip oil change and checkover.  Now, there is tons of stuff wrong with it.  Bah!

I have tri class tonight.  Bike/run brick in very humid and hot weather.  At least it is something!

[MelW]

RM, I hope all was well at the cardiology appointment today.

Plady, midsummer funk, yes! Still far too much on my to-do list, too, and all I want to do is go swimming. No advice, but good luck with the dog. We had a chicken-killing, everything-eating dog that my dad brought home when I was a kid, and then dad left for work for the summer, leaving mum at home with a 5 & 3 year olds and a newborn. It didn't bite any of us, but had too many unpredictable behaviors that were more than my mum could deal with, so she found another home for it. Do you have a pitbull rescue group near you that you could talk to about options?

bec, bummer about the transmission. Will you be able to get it done in time to stil take the trip?

NRR- Survived my first two days of clinical, just tomorrow and then days off. The kids are having usual adjustment to the new work schedule- both got up with me at 5:30, whiny evening, and my youngest would not go to sleep at bedtime and wanted only dad. Thanks to the magical powers of breastfeeding, I finally managed to get her to sleep.

RR- Fit in a quick run after dinner- my short trail took me less than 29 minutes today. Last week was 30, and week before that 32. Early in the Spring my DH and I set a goal to run it in 25 min by the end of summer. I doubt it will happen, but I'm thrilled to be running it at a not-embarrassing pace now.

[bec]

The car is back, the extended warranty covered about half of the work that needed doing (there was apparently a timing belt that needed to be replaced as well), so all should be well with it.  Of course, I've heard that a few times already in the past few weeks, so I'm going to stay cynical about it for a little bit! 

Melw - We actually just got back from the trip! 

RR: We were supposed to do a ride/run brick workout yesterday with tri class, but I managed to forget my orthotics for my running shoes, so had no sneakers.  I just kept riding my bike, instead.  I got in about 18 miles last night.  I really needed to run, though!

My MIL is coming to visit today.  This is a particularly long visit for her.  4 whole days.

I have a 5k on Saturday, and then the following Sunday is my Olympic distance tri!  Eeks!

[Plady]

RM - Any news?

Thanks for the thoughts re: dog.  She got a stay of execution/spaying as the vet got an emergency surgery this morning and stood us down until next week sometime.  I'm going to really take time to focus in on training her and get dd to do training too so we establish a clear hierarchy.  In so many ways she is such a sweet dog I really don't want to give her up.  I do think there are probably rescue groups and I'll look into them, just in case.  And they may be able to point us in the right direction for breed specific training pointers.

Got to spin this morning and thought of all of you spinners.  It was a good hard sweaty workout and I felt like I was clearing out all the evil through my pores. Now I've got to do a little painting and then house clean up mania for Round 2 of IL fest 2011. 

[Geofizz]

Thinking of your Lisa.

Lisa-RealMiller - if your TiVo gets the same Nova episodes ours does, don't watch.  Eeeew.

Did the initial intake interview for the language clinic for DS.  At least 3 hours of testing next week.  How do you keep them going for 3 hours of testing?  Any better ideas than gummy fruit snacks?

Headed out for another run tonight with C.  It's good to have something that doesn't hurt.  :lol

[tjsmama]

FYI...this is NOT a relaxing vacation.

The kids are a little out of control...my 16 month old nephew is a one man wrecking crew. Holy destructo-baby. While I am certainly not the cleanest person around, my standards are definitely higher than my sister and her family, and having four extra people in my space is, um...nerve-wracking for a slightly control-freakish person like myself. It's so funny, because I can go to their place and stay in the mess/clutter without TOO much issue, but move that to MY home turf...

We're having fun nonetheless, although it would be helpful if DS and his cousin would sleep a little more! Yesterday was a trip on the Pikes Peak railroad and then a walk through the Garden of the Gods. We all crammed into sis and BIL's taurus (3 adults and 3 kids). That was a tight squeeze for the hour and a half drive each way! It's kind of sad that their taurus has more legal seats in it than my grand cherokee.

Today's big news was kindergarten registration. I can't believe my baby is going to kindergarten! It was kind of embarrassing...I totally teared up while standing in line.

I think tomorrow will have a trip to the waterpark. And hopefully a run. Since, you know, I haven't worked out since Tuesday and I only have a little half-ironman this weekend. It's a taper, right?? And then...packet pick-up. Yikes!

[MelW]

Originally Posted by bec 

Melw - We actually just got back from the trip! 

I knew that!!!

Plady, wishing you good luck (and no lice jumping your way!!) for IL fest part 2.

tjsmama, I sympathize with the toddler wrecking crew. I have one of those little people... Sounds like a packed schedule for your "vacation"!

NRR- Week one of clinical finished (3 10 hour shifts!), and so far I'm getting lots of compliments on this group of students. It helps that I've had a group there before so I have good relationships with the staff, and also know more about their units so I can help the students instead of constantly sending them to bug the staff with questions. I had a great conversation about running with one of the nurses there- who is really fast (did the same half that I did in 1:17 this year...) about how he uses running to cope with job/life stress, etc. The interesting part for me was that he makes a distinction between going for "a run" vs. "my run". He always calls it "my run", since he thinks of it as his own personal time and experience. I might be going for "my run" next time...

RR- A very short swim at the beach today. Very, very short. I was alone with the kids, so despite lifejackets and about a dozen other people there, I didn't feel like I could go very far from the shore where they were wading. Enough to get wet and stretch out my body, though. Roof racks arrived this week to carry the canoe we got last week as a gift from my father in law, so my mission for tomorrow is to get them on the car and try to get the canoe in the water this weekend!

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by tjsmama 

Holy destructo-baby.

Sounds like J's twin, and they're the same age too. Should I bring her for a visit? Sorry about all those people in your space. That drives me crazy too.

Plady--no advice on the dog, though I'd be really uncomfortable with that kind of behavior.

bec--ugh indeed. We just had our car worked on too, though for a fairly minor if pricey problem.

JayGee--hope it cools down very soon there.

MelW--yay for a non-embarrassing pace. I love that phrase. Also, enjoy canoeing!

Geo--if I don't have TiVo or Nova, does that mean I won't have rats either?

DrJen--could you put me down for the Splash Mash Dash Tri - sprint distance on August 20th? Thanks!

RR: 2000m in the pool plus biking to and from the gym.

NRR: I got my new jogger! It's nearly identical to my old Dreamer Design, so we kept the wheels from the old one and are good to go. The price ($50) was great, even if it meant I spent 2 hours in the car today. Spotted the new IKEA in the way down, and for all the hype I don't think I'll be going there unless it's on a bus route. There was an accident on the way down and on the way back, and I hate spending that much time in traffic.

[tjsmama]

Third and final installment of the Courage Classic blog post is up HERE. And now, it is bedtime.

[1jooj]

Hey Dingoes!

Love and hugs and healing to you, Zub. I was hoping for better news coming back to the board, and I feel pain for your loss. So very sorry. I hope you get some gentle care and quiet time. I remember well how much inner noise goes on at these times. Love to you and your family, mama.

RM, I surely hope you and dh have some answers and that he's feeling better at this point. Thinking of you.

Plady, I would most likely seek to re-home a la rescue. But that's just me. We "inherited" dogs on my parents' farm growing up, and once in a while a nipper/biter/knocker-downer came our way. We managed to find child-free homes when this happened, and everyone ended up happy. I'd seek out a specialized rescue. You could do the training route; do you truly have the time/patience/dedication to spare?

Real--rats! No! <shudder> 

mommajb, come on, lady. I have two totally plain-vanilla kids, not a full brood of all-over-the-map exceptionals. That alone has me going  for you. And I'm with the others here: WTG for getting your needs met. This mama has a lot to learn in that department.

JenLove, I am thinking about your summer, mostly with envy. I hope you feel great. Enjoy the pickles!

Welcome to kitteh!

Glad to hear I am not the only one exhausted by vacation.  We are mostly better around these parts, which is good because we need our wits now for Ramadan in Dubai 2011: The Wringer. I know I already mentioned it's hot. It's still hot, possibly a little hotter. I have become nocturnal, mostly thanks to jet lag, but I think I'm sticking with it for a while. Because while it's good to fast, it's not good to torture and dehydrate oneself. So there it is. And I know I keep saying I'm going to start doing something consistently. I will. I just have to figure out what, and how, and where and when. But I will. Plady's description of clearing evil through the pores is right on: I have so much tension and nervous energy to clear, I am sure that a lot of my negativity is due to lack of all-out effort. I may actually resort to vertical jumps or some such ridiculous-looking craziness just to change my brain's oil this week. As it's not going to get below 90 anytime soon, this may be my best chance for rebooting.

[tjsmama]

Yowzers, jo! What a "vacation"!

We took the kids to the "water park" (aka outdoor pool with play stuff in it) and they had a blast. Unfortunately, the pool was hit with a code brown that forced us out of the water for almost an hour, but a good time was still had by all. Except my nephew. Poor destructo baby spiked a fever this morning and was cranky all day. Didn't make him any less destructive, though!

I had planned on taking the family on a scenic drive up Clear Creek Canyon after the water park, but there was some horrendous traffic due to an accident, so we skipped it and just headed up to Boulder to pick up my race packet for Sunday. I guess now that I have the bracelet on and the bib numbers and all that, I actually have to DO the race, huh?

rr~Took BIL out for a run this morning. My unintentional taper seems to have done my legs some good, as they felt pretty snappy. Not that I expect them to feel that way after 56 miles on the bike, and certainly not for a half-mary in 90 degree heat, but whatever. It was encouraging. BIL, poor flatlander that he is, was totally unable to control his speed to help compensate for the altitude and was crushed at having to take several walk breaks. He reports having newfound respect for out-of-town athletes playing in Denver. Oh, and my new Garmin works! I even got a new quick release kit yesterday at REI, so I hope to have fixed both the battery and popping-off-the-bike-mid-race issues.

[mommajb]

RM, I think we are all looking for an update.

La4, when did you say you go back with dd for more surgery?

Jo, you deserve some clean sheets and more.

Gaye, You are awesome!

We've had a couple of beach days and now we need break from the sun and the homefires need tending. My older ds and dd have orientation next week so that will hopefully be telling in a good way. I have tons I want to say but mostly I am thinking of all of you and wearing my dingo shirt for help - it keeps the kryptonite away!

[Plady]

Rm - Yes, thinking of you and hoping for a happy conclusion to the episode but sending out prayers just in case.

Jo  - Oh my!  Makes my visit with ILs seem sweet and easy.  Thanks for the perspective, I needed it.  You are an amazing and gracious woman,regardless of  not-pretty exchanges with dh.

Mommajb - Thinking of you and now perpetually picturing you at the beach in front of a pier.  I hope you have a safe place to say what you need.  Yahoo group? 

Gaye - I'm off to finish the CC saga after this, have a great time tomorrow!   I'm sure you will kick ass, does BIL's reaction make you think about coming to the lowlands to really rub some faces in it? 

Bec - Ack!  What a PITA about the car!  Will the station that had the mislabeled gas  pump take any responsibility for the damage to your car?  Or is it all just extra stuff that has gone wonky since the trip? 

La4 - Thinking of you all as you head in to post-op days.  I hope everything goes smoothly and that by the end of the TV fest everyone is ready to turn it off and get back to school.

Real - Congrats on your new stroller!  It's got to be good to stick to a model you know and like, I get really annoyed with new "better" equipment that doesn't take to my autopilot into account.

MelW - We took the family to the beach yesterday and I assumed (as usual) that the water would be only nice enough for wading but the kids and my BIL went plunging right in.  He really swam, goggles and all, the kids splashed around up to their waists for a long time.  I promise that next time I'll wear a suit and try to be brave!

Geo - The testers must have some tricks for helping kids don't you think?  This the target age group right?  Other than that maybe gum?   A different flavor for the top of each hour?

Alrighty, off to start the day, no RR on the schedule, I may take C for a test bike ride into town today. It's only 3 miles but that's a lot farther than she's ever gone.  However she has really been getting the hang of using gears and I think that the traffic will be lighter today than during the week.  Wish us luck, it would be a fabulous breakthrough if she could make it.

[kerc]

I'm driving the child-care / chow wagon this weekend for dh and his college roommate & wife. All three are doing a long course tri locally. Fun, they have nice kids. But I feel a little left out, KWIM? So this morning while dh and dd1 were doing the kids tri, I took advantage of extra hands on deck for childcare and I managed to eek out 3.6 miles. It hurt a lot.

I'm putting myself down for a 10 km in mid-October.  Which means I need to up the mileage from 3.5 miles a week to more like 10 miles a week for the next month. I had a work deadline come down hard on me this weekend. oy. But its a good deadline and I can make it. It just means I have to face the work mountain.

Jo welcome back. I bow to you for Ramadan in a hot month in a hot place.

Running Mom: How is dh?

Lisa: how are the rats?

Mommajb: thinking of you. I suck at moving and am so glad I won't be moving any time soon.

Everyone else:

Gaye:  I've got your nephew (as a 6 yo) staying with me. Oy. Hope the race goes well.

Geo: Happy Birthday to Karen. Glad you were able to get back out for a run.

[MelW]

Gaye, love the blog tales of the bike. Good luck with the tri and I'm looking forward to the report!!

Jo, I hope you have a successful "reboot". I think it takes a year after a big move for me to find my groove.

Plady, good luck with the bike ride, and the swim

NRR- Couple of big stressful days on the homefront, with far more crying than I like to do. MIL is going to watch the kids tonight so we can have our first date night in months...

RR- Had a 45 minute run yesterday, which was the best part of the day. The running feels so good right now (physically, but especially emotionally/spiritually) that I want
to run every day. I'm holding myself to every second day for a while and slowly increasing mileage. Instead of a run today hoping to get the new roof racks sorted out so we can go canoeing.

[kerc]

Originally Posted by kerc 

I'm driving the child-care / chow wagon this weekend for dh and his college roommate & wife. All three are doing a long course tri locally. Fun, they have nice kids. But I feel a little left out, KWIM? So this morning while dh and dd1 were doing the kids tri, I took advantage of extra hands on deck for childcare and I managed to eek out 3.6 miles. It hurt a lot.

I'm putting myself down for a 10 km in mid-October.  Which means I need to up the mileage from 3.5 miles a week to more like 10 miles a week for the next month. I had a work deadline come down hard on me this weekend. oy. But its a good deadline and I can make it. It just means I have to face the work mountain.

Jo welcome back. I bow to you for Ramadan in a hot month in a hot place.

Running Mom: How is dh?

Lisa: how are the rats?

Mommajb: thinking of you. I suck at moving and am so glad I won't be moving any time soon.

Gaye:  I've got your nephew (as a 6 yo) staying with me. Oy. Hope the race goes well.

Geo: Happy Birthday to Karen. Glad you were able to get back out for a run.

Bec: sucky sucky car stuff. I'm so irked at th egas station for you.

Everyone else:

[kerc]

dunno why that appears as a quote....it's me.