Bullie Adventures or "Why is my hair graying? says the Mom

While watching my Bull Terrier girls play in the backyard this afternoon, I was struck with the thought of just how much those crazy dogs do for me & my sanity. Not a day goes by that I don't laugh at the antics of one of the 3, usually ALL 3 give me a laugh or two. Bullies know how to live life to the fullest & how to relish in every glorious moment of it. They are known as "A Kid in a Dog Suit" not a care in the world & doing things just because it's fun.

My fun comes from watching them. They bounce like a deer, they play tag (using the poor azalea bush as "base"), they tease one another, they remind me of little kid in kindergarten that does what he knows he's not supposed to do, then sits back & watches everyone else get in trouble for it with a big grin on his face. They also hucklebutt & trance, things I have never seen another breed of dog do in my 28+ years of working with dogs. I have yet to be able to catch a great hucklebutt on video, but if you go to YouTube & type bull terrier, hucklebutt in the search box, you will see lots of them, some better than others, but hucklebutts none the less. One of my favorites is this one.

Trancing is something lots of Bullies do, but not all of them. Pappy, the baby has yet to do it, I've only seen Darla do it one time, Feather on the other hand seems to do it every chance she gets. They will stand under something, branches hanging down from a bush, plants in the house, tablecloths, anything that is just long enough to tickle their back. They will stand there as if in a trance, eyes kind of glazed over a bit, with a look of pure bliss on their faces. I've seen Miss Feather Louise stand for a full 5 minutes basking in the feel of a tablecloth on her back. I know, a little strange, but yet another Bull Terrier trait that I just love.

Bull Terriers are not for everyone, they are, after all, a terrier. Those of us who have them are totally devoted to them, adore them, sometimes curse them, laugh at them, cry either AT them or BECAUSE of them, but can't imagine life without them.

They do keep life from being boring, & make me contemplate adding a nerve pill or 2 to my daily list of meds I have to take. Like the time Miss Feather decided the grass was greener on the other side of the fence & proceeded to use that big Bullie nose to open the gate, let herself & all her little 4-legged brothers & sisters out to run down the middle of the road to Mamaw Jackson's house next door! Scared the crap out of me & probably gave the neighbors a big laugh watching me run behind them in my pajamas, hair not combed, teeth still sitting in the cup on the bathroom sink, threatening them within an inch of their lives. Or, the time we came home to find a note on the front door from the police department, informing us that they were here today, checking out a "possible" break-in, & a cop parked up the street, because the alarm system was sounding off, & ADT for some unknown reason couldn't get in touch with us & had called them. After checking the place out & finding everything to look ok, they posted an officer nearby until we got home. (Apparently, ADT turned the alarm off once the officers arrived since it wasn't sounding off when we got home) The neighbors were all waiting for us to get home & descended the minute we got out of the car, "the cops were here today", "your alarm was hollerin", "reckon everything is alright?", "we thought somethin was wrong" How embarrassing it was to have to go out & tell everyone, cop included, everything was fine, Feather Louise just decided she would rather sleep in our bed, than in her crate. I found her, curled up under the ball of covers, sleeping through all the commotion! Somehow, she had gotten her crate open & wandered through the house, setting off the motion detectors in the house. Oh, & I can't forget the latest Bull TerrOr adventure.........

5:30 am, the butt crack of dawn, Robert comes in to wake me up saying "Honey, you gotta get up, the Bullies are out & I can't find them, I've been looking for 30 minutes & it's dark & I need help" Sheesh! So, my heart pounding, thinking they have been hit by a car, or a school bus or something, I got my son & his friend out of bed & we all got in separate cars, combing the neighborhood looking for these 2. We found them, 2 hours later, 1 block down the street, in someone's fenced in yard, playing with their German Shepherd! When I got there, they looked at me like "What, I wasn't lost, I knew where I was, is brekkie ready?"

What was it I said at the beginning of this post? Something about them being good for my sanity?? HA. Truth be known, I wouldn't have it any other way, I love these dogs like you wouldn't believe & can't imagine me ever being without a Bull Terrier in my life.

(don't let those innocent faces fool you, they are TerrOrs, through & through. Feather is the white girl, Darla is the brindle girl & the shot at the top of my blog is Pappy when he was 4 months old, I LOVE that picture!)

Hug your puppies, hold them tight & thank the Good Lord for sending them to you.



Hugs & Treats all around,




Angie

6 pounds of Chicken Livers

Most of you know we feed our dogs a Raw Diet, meaning, they get no kibble or any other kind of dog food at all, they get meat and only natural treats. All of their food comes from the grocery or the meat packing plant that serves food for us humans. Everything that goes into their little bodies could just as well be going into ours.

They get chicken, beef, Jack Mackrel, venison, turkey, rabbit, quail, and more. They also get cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs, deer legs (in season), beef ribs, bananas and more. When feeding a raw diet, there are some guidelines to follow, they have to have organ meals, (liver, kidney etc), they have to have supplements, they have to have bone. It sounds daunting, but it really isn't. Just takes some practice and some learning and the internet is filled with all kinds of sites to get that learning. It is also filled with sites that will give you wrong information, the trick is finding the right place and the right people. I found just those people on a Yahoo group called Raw4Bullies.

My adventure into the raw food diet began when Feather, my 3.5 year old Bull Terrier was diagnosed with Demodectic Mange and secondary skin infections, among other things when she was just a baby. Nothing was helping her and going to the vet once a week was doing nothing but making my vet bills grow trying to treat her and get her better. I started searching online and found that wonderful group and the rest is history, as they say. I started her on this diet and within a month, I could see a HUGE change! No more problems with mange, no more skin infections and for a girl who started her life off being at the vet's office at least once a week, she hasn't been to the vet for anything other than a rabies vaccination in over 2 years!

(Feather in her Santa hat "talking" to me)

So, I will tell anyone who will listen about this diet, how my dogs are healthier now than they EVER were, how Dr. Steve (our vet) will see us in the store or elsewhere and ask us to bring the Bullies to visit with him since he never gets to see them. Anyone with ANY questions about it, please leave a comment or email me and I will help you give your dog the best it's ever had, I promise, you won't regret it.

Now, the idea behind this blog post.....Last night was organ meal night, chicken livers to be exact, and Robert was working late, so I had the honors. I HATE liver, I mean I really HATE liver, (used to take a whipping every Friday night while I was growing up over it, Mom would say "You eat it, or you get a whipping" I would take the whipping) it gags me, turns my stomach and generally gives me a "sick in my stomach" feeling just looking at it, never mind handling it or smelling it. If anyone were here watching me dish it out, I'm sure they would be laughing at me with tears in their eyes, watching me wretch every few seconds, mumbling about how much I hate liver and having to take me teeth out to keep from gagging even worse! HA! Robert gets a big kick out of it, me, not so much. So last night, while I was going through this horrible ordeal all by myself, with no one to laugh at me except the dogs, I thought, "I'm going to post this on my blog for all the world to see, pictures and all"

Here you go, pictures of all the bowls before adding the supplements. One of my dear friends, Janice (Mom to TraceyBelle, Pappy's half sister, also raw fed from birth) tells me feeding at our house reminds her of an Army Mess Hall, with everything lined up and weighed out. (please excuse the mess behind the bowls, we are in the midst of moving and things are all in an uproar around here)

You will notice there is one bowl that doesn't have food in it, that would be Pappy's bowl. Our baby Bullie. Pappy is 10 months old, weighs nearly 60 pounds and is the picture of health and beauty! Pappy is 4th generation raw fed, meaning, his mother, his father, his grandmother, etc are ALL raw fed as well. I have had dogs all my life, and he is, by far, the healthiest puppy I have EVER had! I attribute it to his diet and the fact that he has NEVER had any dog food or kibble of any kind since birth. Anyway, Pappy will not eat chicken livers, I don't care how I serve them, cold, warm, hot, seared, mixed with cottage cheese, with a dollop of yogurt, nothing, it doesn't matter, he will not eat a chicken liver!! So, Mr Papoose gets beef liver instead. Let me tell you, beef liver gags me worse than chicken livers, I can smell that stinkin stuff across the room. I fixed his bowl first so I could get that wretched smell out of the house before going on to the rest of the kids.

(Pappy (L) with his littermate Bama, also raw fed in October at the Nationals. Bama's Mama tells me, he won't eat chicken livers either)

So, like I said, if you want to know more, learn about how much better this diet is for your dog or cat, please, please leave me a comment or email me. I will help you the best I can. There are lots of places that sell raw food already mixed and ready to go. With 15 dogs, around here, it's more feasible for us to buy it ourselves and go from there, but if you only had one or 2 dogs, feeding the pre-mix would work for you.

Hope you found this post interesting and didn't gag too much looking at "6 pounds of chicken livers" :)

Blessings everyone!

Angie

Christmas Puppies

I promised some shots of my kids dressed in a Santa hat, some of them wouldn't co-operate with me, but I did manage to get a couple of shots.

Peggy Sue (the black Poodle) looks as if she may have had one too many egg nogs! HA

Enjoy, now I'm off to groom a few client dogs & get them ready to greet Santa tomorrow night,

Later taters

Angie

Working is getting in the way of my baking.

I still haven't been able to make the Fruitcake Cookies! I had hoped to have them made last week, but working the way I have been this month (Christmas is a groomer's busiest time of year) & trying to get all the things packed up to move to our new house has slowed my baking progress way down. I do hope to remedy that tomorrow.
Our Kennel Club is having their annual Christmas party tomorrow night in Jonesborough & I can't wait to get in the middle of our gift exchange. Everyone that wants to participate brings a wrapped gift that is appropriate for a male or female & places it under the tree, then we all draw numbers. Number 1 picks a present from under the tree, unwraps it for all to see, number 2 then has the option to pick from under the tree or steal the present that number 1 got! If that happens the person stolen from picks another from under the tree. Number 3 comes next & they then have the option of stealing either of the first 2 presents or picking from the tree & on goes the game until all the gifts are spoken for. After 3 steals, the gift is retired & can't be stolen anymore. It's tons of fun & sometimes it can get rather hairy. Hope I draw a number closer to the back of the line rather than the front, more to pick from that way. LOL
It's pot-luck so I am making Cowboy Beans for the gathering. We have some great cooks in the club so we will eat some good food, enjoy some good company & have lots of fun tomorrow night.
I plan to make my fruitcake cookies tomorrow in between packing & getting other things done around here. Hubby is bringing one of the Penske trucks home so we can start moving bigger things like furniture into the house! HURRAY!! I am so ready to be in our little house on the ridge.
So I leave you with the Fruitcake cookie recipe & tomorrow I hope to get some pictures I took of a couple of the "kids" today in their Santa hat.
Blessings & enjoy your cookies.
Angie

Fruitcake Cookies

cream together:
1/2 lb butter
1 c brown sugar
Add 4 eggs, beat well
then add:
3 tsp. baking soda
3 tbls milk, beat well
Sift together:
3 c. flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
Alternately add to mix:
1/2 c. bourbon
flour mixture
next, add:
2 lbs. pecans (chopped)
1 lb. green candied cherries
1 lb. red candied cherries
1 lb. candied pineapple
1 lb. golden raisins

Drop in balls on greased cookie sheet, bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes

Egg Nog Bread

You would not believe how good this bread tastes! It's even better warmed up with butter!
Enjoy!

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup eggnog
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum extract
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, eggnog, butter and extracts; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour into three greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Yield: 3 loaves.

Next up~~Fruitcake Cookies that are not what you would think, you won't "re-gift" these!

Christmas Survey

I "borrowed" this from my friend, Farrah, over at The Old Fashion Homekeeper, I thought it was great! I added #23. :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mosty wrap with a few bags thrown in for hard to wrap gifts.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! I love the smell that fills the house!
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually 2nd week of Dec, but not sure if it will make it this year since we are moving.
4. Do you like eggnog? I LOVE it!!
5. Favorite gift received as a child? Deluxe Yahtzee my sister & I shared.
6. Hardest person to buy for? My brother's girlfriend.
7. Easiest person to buy for? Jacob & my aunt.
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a gift from my mother.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Don't ever recall getting a 'worst' present.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? "It's a Wonderful Life"
12. When do you start shopping? Usually summertime I'll start picking up gifts here & there.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, a couple of times. ;)
14. Lights on the tree? As many as it will hold!
15. Favorite Christmas song? "Star of Bethlehem" sung by Patty Loveless or The Judds
16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
17. Angel on the tree top or a star? An angel dressed in white
18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve, the rest Christmas morning
19. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Seeing "Xmas" everywhere instead of "Christ"mas
20. Favorite ornament theme or color? Blue and gold
21. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham, biscuits, sweet potatoes & corn
22. What do you want for Christmas this year? To have my son here with me.
23. Do you buy presents for your pets? Of course, I even wrap them & let them open them! They love it! Can't wait to see my newest 2 babies open their first ever gifts this year!

Feel free to add this to your blog. I would love to read each of yours.
Thanks Farrah!

Will it ever end??

Most of you know, my mother passed away Aug. 7, 2004 from an aneurysm in her brain that ruptured. I miss her horribly every day, but the holidays are especially hard. Mom and I never had the best relationship, both of us being stubborn and independent, we butted heads alot, and I do mean ALOT. Looking back, I realized it was because we were so much alike. I also realize, I am the woman I am today because of, the way she raised me. She instilled in me self-confidence and self-esteem and the knowledge that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I thank her for that, even if it meant some rocky years with her.

Mom raised my sister and I by herself, sometimes working 3 different jobs to keep food on the table and the bills paid. She always had things in order, as far as I remember, she was never late on her bills and we always had something to eat. At Christmas time, we didn't get a ton of gifts like kids nowadays do, we got a few gifts, most of them addressed to both of us, meaning we had to share them. Memories of my childhood Christmases are something I treasure. She always made them special, even with all the working she had to do. She was a very strong, independent woman and I feel sure, she passed those qualities on to me. (Although sometimes I don't think my husband appreciates them. LOL)

Now, something that for the life of me I can't figure out is why she didn't have a will. She always told us where this account was at, or where the accident insurance paperwork was at (she was without health insurance), we knew where the needed paperwork partaining to her house and her pet shop was at, she even had her funeral planned right down to what kind of dress she wanted to be wearing and the kind of flowers she wanted on top of the casket! But, no will!! No paperwork anywhere giving me or my sister power of attorney over anything, NOTHING!

Needless to say, that one detail that she didn't take care of, is the one detail that has caused so many problems and so many heartaches for me.

I got yet another call today partaining to her estate and the house my sister is living in now, seems my sister is, once again, 3 months behind on making the payments and they are threatening foreclosure, AGAIN! I am so sick of dealing with all of this, but I swear, I'm beginning to think it's never going to be over. It's bad enough trying to deal with the pain of the holidays without Mom, but dealing with my sister's lack of responsiblity is making matters even worse! I told the man that called from the bank to just foreclose if he needed to. I'm not bailing her out again, and since I signed the house and all it's contents over to her more than 2 years ago, it's her responsibilty, not mine!

How could my mother raise 2 girls that turned out to be completely opposite from one another, as different as night and day? The woman I turned out to be worries herself sick over getting bills paid and taking care of things like payments before anything else is done, the woman my sister turned out to be, could care less about paying bills, as long as she is having a good time and getting things she wants, not making sure the things she needs are taken care of first.

At any rate, I spent my whole life "taking care of my little sister" just like I was told while we were growing up, I was the oldest and I needed to look after her, etc, etc. Well, no more, it's time she gets up and takes care of herself. In the meantime, I hope Mom would understand and know that I just can't do this anymore.

I want to remember all the good times I did have with my mother. Not all these problems, that stem from her not having her affairs in order, clouding the memories.

I leave you with one of my favorite photos of Mom, taken about a year before she passed away. She loved those little birds that she raised for the pet store and you can see, they loved her as well.

Please keep a good thought, that I can get through these holidays and the memories I have will come to me as bittersweet, not just plain bitter.

Angie

Pictures finally

Seems blogger is going to work now, here are the photos I promised.

Crown of Thorns
Thanksgiving Cactus, I have had this plant for 5 years and it FINALLY bloomed! Aren't those blooms gorgeous?!

These were on sale at Lowe's, I found a bigger pot & just put them all into one.

I'm having trouble deciding between these last 2 pictures which of these is my favorite. I love the "Split Rocks" or "Living Rocks" they are so different from any other plant I've ever seen.

But the"Euphorbia Lactea" is pretty cool too, I love the branches on it!

Now, keep your collective fingers crossed that I can actually keep these plants alive. :)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures

Angie

This & That

Thanksgiving and Christmas are always a busy time around any grooming shop and my shop is no different. Folks have company coming and want the puppies to look nice, or they are going to visit with family and friends and want them to look nice and smell good, so my appointment book is pretty full already. I do have a few appointments left for December, but not many. It's also a busy time for boarding, lots of folks have to leave their babies with a kennel or vet's office to go visiting as well.
I don't board dogs here, since I don't really have the extra space, nor do I have the state required licenses to do so, but I do "puppy sit" for 2 of my long time clients when they go out of town. I have been grooming both of these dogs for alot of years and they are both wonderful to have around. "Lyn" is a mixed Lhasa Apso/Terrier that will be here with us for the Christmas holiday, she is very well behaved and you never know she is in the house. This week, we have "Claude" while his Mama is visiting with family for Thanksgiving. "Claude" is a Standard Poodle who is a blast to have around. He seems to think staying here with us is like some kind of "Doggie Camp", he has a ball playing with all of our dogs, and loves being in the middle of everything. We enjoy having him as well, he is such a good boy and talk about a clown, you can actually see him smiling when he's playing with us or our dogs. I'm trying to get a good shot of him with our Toy Poodle, "Peggy Sue", since they are both black and the size difference is so huge, I thought it would be a cute picture. Now if I can just get them both to cooperate at the same time. :)
We are also still trying to get the new house in order for us to start moving furniture in. The painting is almost finished, then after I get the carpets cleaned the moving will start. I CAN'T WAIT! I have pictures in my mind of where the tree will go and what it will look like. I will most certainly take pictures when all that happens. We have the internet/cable/phone hooked up out there now, so that part is ready to go. I am so excited to be moving and listening to critters who live in the woods surrounding the house instead of the hoodlums and folks who have no respect for anyone else that reside here in this neighborhood. What a relief it will be to have new, quiet neighbors like deer, raccoons and birds!
I was planning to go to the "Country Christmas Show" at Viking Hall this weekend, but I'm sick as a dog (pardon the pun) and guess I better just stay home and get better. It's such a great event that is here every Thanksgiving weekend, lots of vendors selling things you can't find in stores and alot of it is so very cute! I have been going to this ever since I moved to Bristol, it was a regular outing with Mom, my sister and I. I haven't been since Mom passed away, the thoughts of going without her have been too hard to deal with. This year I felt I could go and remember the good times with Mom and Linda and I was really looking forward to it, but since I'm sick, guess I'll have to wait until next year, unless I feel any better tomorrow that is. ;)
I have begun collecting house plants for the new house as well. We are decorating the living room in a "Southwest" theme and I have found some of the neatest cacti for the room. Cacti are pretty easy for someone like me who doesn't have a green thumb, if I forget to water, no harm done. :) I also found a plant I have been wanting for a long time, a "Crown of Thorns" it's beautiful to look at, but let me tell you, this thing will "bite" if you get too close to it, talk about thorns! I was going to post some photos of the cacti I have bought, but for some reason, blogger won't let me do that, maybe later it will cooperate.
Blessings to you all.....
Angie

Wonderful friends with Cute pictures

Over the years of showing dogs and being involved in the sport of dogs I have made many wonderful friends, some of these friendships have lasted for alot of years. One thing about dog people, we are a kooky lot, I will freely admit that, but what makes us "kooky" to some folks is the very thing that seems "normal" to us. It's also what makes us such wonderful friends to one another, an understanding of how we each live our lives. Our dogs are the world to us, they are like our children and we will each do whatever we have to in order to keep them healthy and happy. Most of my friends have children of the two-legged variety as well, but like me, their two-legged children have all grown up and making a life of their own.

We, like parents of two-legged children, love to take pictures of our four-legged kids and show them off. So, enjoy the photos I have posted here, taken by "proud parents" and passed on to others to see and maybe get a chuckle or just say "AAWWW" ;)

Bullie kisses to you all,

Angie & her spoiled rotten tribe.

Ned & Cheri of Cherbo Japanese Chins sent this to me. How cute is this?

Be sure to click on their name & see more of those cutie pie Chins, & find out anything you want to know about them by sending them an email.

Thanks Ned & Cheri for sending this.

My friend Linda from the UK sent this one to me

of her "Cully" enjoying the swimming pool.

These Bull Terriers get the biggest kick out of playing in the pool & chasing balls, sticks, whatever you want to throw in there for them.

They really do fit the description lots of us Bullie owners use~"Kid in a Dog Suit"

These 2 children not only come from an animal shelter, they are "special needs" kids. Scooter, the Lab mix only has 3 legs, which would make it harder to be adopted. Cozy, the little Bullie mix is deaf, another milestone in the adoption process. Thanks to Dodie & her family these 2 have found a forever home!

They live in sunny FL & I had the pleasure of meeting Cozy in Orlando this year! CUTE!

This tired Bullie girl is none other than China. She is my Pappy's mother.

Vicki sent this cute picture of her after a full day of showing & enjoying the heat & fun of Florida while we were all at Silverwood this year.

Thanks Vicki for this one.

I leave you with a picture of our 2 old Mini Dachshunds watching over the ex-pen at the Chattanooga dog shows.

Dumplin' (L) is almost 10 & Tink (R) is nearing 14. They are both rescues & both take the job of "patrol officer" very seriously.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I did & if they made you laugh, I've done my job.

Silverwood & Pappy

Things around here have been just crazy, of course, that's nothing new, my life seems to always be crazy. I have been trying to get over here to post something since we went to the Chattanooga dog shows.

First things first, Silverwood in Orlando was AWESOME! Tiring, but awesome! For those of you reading that aren't members of the wonderful family of Bull Terrier fanatics, Silverwood is THE premier show for Bull Terriers! This year the shows ran from Oct. 9-12 in sunny Orlando, FL. The week includes the BTCA (Bull Terrier Club of America) National Specialty and all it's classes, and it also includes the Silverwood Competition, which in short, is the best American Bred Bull Terrier. Bullies and their owners come from all over the US, Canada and beyond. It is truly the best of the best. I was in heaven being surrounded by all those beautiful dogs and their crazy, just as beautiful owners. My puppy, Pappy, didn't show in Silverwood, but did pretty well, ribbon wise, in the National. He got first in his classes, but being a puppy, and acting like a little monkey most of the time in the ring, we didn't advance to the next round. Still I am very happy to have the ribbons. He has some growing up to do and when he does, I have high hopes for this brindle tornado I call my baby. Below is a shot of him with his litter sister, Callie-Claire, and one of his litter brother, Winston. It was like a family reunion for us, 3 of his litter mates were there, a half sister, his dam, his sire, his grandmother and a great aunt were all there. AND they are all raw-fed!! Pappy is a 4th generation raw fed baby, why do you think he looks so good?!

Pappy (L) & Callie-Claire (R)

Pappy & brother, Winston

Vicki and Janice should be proud of the babies they have produced, they are beautiful, of course, I could be just a bit biased. ;) Pappy had a ball in the hotel room, he loved that big old king sized bed, I couldn't resist a couple of shots of him playing on it! This one cracks me up, this boy is a riot!

This is one of my favorites, the little monkey! ;)

I did so enjoy visiting with my friends, Janice & TraceyBelle (Pappy's half sister) from NJ, Melissa and John (Pappy's sire), of course, Janice & Vicki & their crew from TN who bred this beautiful boy and graciously allowed me to have him. I got to meet our Canadians, Marty & Suz, who threw a fun filled Canuck Party to get the week off to a great start. I finally got to meet Dede in person, we've "talked" online & she is just as sweet as I thought she would be in person! She has 2 great blogs as well, http://www.dedewilson.blogspot.com/ (her cooking blog) & http://www.legacybts.blogspot.com/ check them out, you'll find some wonderful writing & some awesome recipes on them. I got to meet Linda & her babies, (what a nice lady she is). Those are just few of them, if I listed them all, this post would never end. So suffice it to say, I had a great time & wish like crazy that I could make it next year, just don't know since it's in San Jose, CA next year.

Anyway, I leave you with a picture of Darla after a long day waiting for her Color Doppler Heart testing to be done, we waited for a long time & she was ready for bed, can you tell?

Bullie kisses to you all,

Angie

Chattanooga Dog Shows

The Chattanooga dog shows were this past weekend and I was so excited to be showing my baby boy in his first show. A dog cannot be shown "formally" to compete for points until they are 6 months old. Some of the shows have "fun matches" that you can show puppies as young as 3 months so they can begin getting aquainted with the show ring, the surroundings and everything else that goes with being in a dog show. Pappy turned 6 months old on Aug. 25, 2008.
My excitement about getting to show him and getting out of Bristol for the weekend was slowly fading as Friday wore on. Like always, when we are trying to get out of here for a show, something usually comes up, this past weekend was no exception.
I had 2 dogs scheduled to groom Friday morning before getting the motorhome loaded with our food, clothes, make-up, drinks, dog food and of course the dogs. I also had to bathe the Bullies (thankfully, my wonderful son bathed Feather for me!) and the Crested before leaving. Time was slipping by and I had to go to the electric company to get things started on the new house, then over to the realtor's office to get the house inspection paperwork started as well. I hate clock watching, the more time that goes by, the worse my nerves get! We finally got on the road somewhere close to 11 pm (I swear it felt like it was past midnight!)
The drive was uneventful, UNTIL we got to Chattanooga! We got within a mile of the show grounds and the motorhome just up and died! Here we sat, in a parking lot of a big flea market at 4:00 in the morning and that big monster refuses to start! So, we made sure the generator was up and running and just went to sleep until morning when the auto parts stores would be open. Pappy's ring time was 9:30 am and to even think of getting to the ring on time was out of the question, there was no way! So, I just gave in to the thought that he would not be shown on Sat. I was so disappointed, but I kept saying "tomorrow is another day and it just has to get better"
My wonderful husband finally got us up and running and by 10:30 we were parked on the show grounds setting up the ex-pens and settling in. The Cresteds went on at 1:05, but by then I was so disgusted, I didn't bother to get ready to show her. She would have felt my tension and aggravation through the lead and wouldn't have shown well anyway.
Sun, Bull Terrier ring time was 10:10. I got both the dogs "made up" and all of us were ready to go in plenty of time, or so I thought. We headed to the show building at 10:05, there were 7 dogs ahead of us, 3 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 4 Alaskan Malamutes, so that would have given us time to get our arm bands and get settled down a bit before going into the ring. As we were coming through the doors, I looked across to our ring and saw a Bull Terrier going around!! How was that possible! Judges aren't allowed to start before the posted time! Pappy was the only male entered, so that Bullie had to be a bitch, which meant Pappy missed his class AGAIN! I got to the ring just as the steward was calling Darla in for her class! Thank goodness, Darla was the one I had on the end of the lead, and was able to go right in. I didn't have her squeaky, I wasn't ready at all, but I had to go, the judge was waiting. She took Reserve Winners Bitch, which means 2nd place and showed pretty well for me considering how the morning went. I was proud of her.
When things finally settled down, Pappy got to see his breeder, Vicki and his mama China and his litter sister, Callie-Claire, but I was not a happy camper. He had a real chance at the points both days, if he had gone Best of Winners. So, Pappy's first show will be the Nationals in Orlando next month. It was good to see my Bullie friends and meet Michelle, a neat lady that Pappy's daddy, Jon Coffey owns. The Bullies were all beautiful and I did get to watch the whites show. Lori S.' white girl, Tessa took Best of Variety and went on to a Terrier Group 3 later in the day! Congrats to Lori and the Pooles for that win! I found out later, only 1 Staffie Bull showed up and none of the Malamutes showed up, so between that and the fact that our clock was about 10 minutes off from the motorhome not having power when it died THAT is how we missed the ring time! Thinking of it still irritates me, but......
I'll sign off of this post for now and fill you in on the trip back home tomorrow.
Blessings to you all

Bullies, Birds & 1 Terrier Mix

Today was what I call a typical day in the Crabtree house/grooming salon. Now most folks would look at what I call 'typical' and they would use something like 'crazy' or maybe 'nuts' or they might think of calling the men in the white suits to haul me off to the institution, but alas, it was a typical day for me.

As usual, I did NOT want to get out of that bed when the alarm clock went off, there is no such thing as a snooze button at this house either, btw. To Pappy, my 6 month old Bull Terrier puppy, that noise means breakfast, so, unless I want to hear the barking version of an alarm clock, I might as well not bother with the snooze button. Off I go to get breakfast ready for him and Peggy Sue, the Toy Poodle. This morning was gizzards for them and coffee for me. I was barely awake when Justin came upstairs ready for work and needing a ride! I haven't even had 3 sips of coffee and I have to get dressed and drive somewhere?! For crying out loud! I was not happy about it, but if they don't work, we don't get rent and since he doesn't have his driver's license yet, and I'm the only driver in the house at that time, guess I drew the short straw. I should have let that be an indication of the day to come!

My first grooming client was a little Poodle I have been grooming for a while and was no trouble at all, he's very good to groom. In the middle of his grooming, I had to stop and move Chico, our Blue Front Amazon outside, he was screaming so loud I bet the neighbors thought someone was being tortured in here. I go through this about every 2 weeks with that bird, when Bo-Rounds from Bojangles won't shut him up it means he wants outside to sun for a while. We closed his cage door and locked it with the padlock (he can open all the others) and out to the carport he went. He spent the morning out there and tonight I have a tired, but happy and more importantly quiet Amazon. Hopefully he won't start that nonsense again tomorrow, moving that cage is not an easy task.

After the client picked up her little Poodle, I made my way back upstairs to let the "kids" out and see what Pappy was barking about. As I round the corner from the hall, I hear JoJo, the Quaker saying "Pappy, Pappy, Paaa-py", that little green chicken has learned not only how to say his name, but to tease him while he's doing it! Well no wonder Pappy is throwing a fit, from his crate he can hear the bird, but he can't see him, it was driving him crazy! Into his barking mouth goes a peanut butter filled cow hoof and JoJo got a piece of the Bo-Round that I saved for him, after I told him to quit teasing the dog and to settle down, his reply? "Gimme Sugars, mmmm Gooood Sugars" That little green menace knows how to play me and I freely admit it. ;)

I have some errands to run and since I have a little extra time I head out to get those done, off I go to get the dog's treats, grain-free, since Feather has grain allergies and the only place to get those is the pet store, I get there to find they have 4 bags of them left and all 4 bags have different prices on them! Needless to say, I got the cheapest 2 bags and asked them what was the deal, the kid behind the counter looks at me like I'm from Mars and says he doesn't know. Well, I know, I've bought these for quite a while and I know how much they are. After telling him what the price was, 15 minutes later he finally found it in the computer look up, says "Hmm, you're right" tells me how much my bill is, shoves the receipt at me and picks up his cellphone! Oh well, why not?

By then, it's time for me to go pick up my next grooming dog, a little Scottie/Cairn mix named Pepper, that is wound tighter than an 8 day clock, but cute as the dickens and very good to groom even with it being his first grooming. I had a ball playing with him, he's a blast! I think he was on sensory overload with all the dogs here and the birds and the chickens he saw next door, I bet he thought he was at an amusement park! Here is the best picture I could get of him, he would hold still long enough to get a great shot of him.

Before getting Pepper back home, it was time for Pappy to have his lunch, cottage cheese with sliced bananas, he loves it, but he has the hardest time getting all the cottage cheese out of the bowl and in his mouth, it's a comedy just watching him. I took this picture a few days ago, but it could be any day he has cottage cheese, his nose is covered like that every time!

So you see, typical around here is certainly not boring, how can it be when I live with Bull Terriers and demanding birds?? No wonder my hair is getting grayer as we speak.
Oh, did I mention Racy, my Chinese Crested is in season and I didn't get a chance to pick up the stud dog before running out of time tonight? Guess, Racy will have to wait for her "date" until morning.
Good night folks, I'm going to bed and dream about starting it all over again tomorrow! Oh, Joy! NOT
Puppy hugs, birdie sugars and Bullie kisses to you all.

We got the House!

They accepted our offer! We are so excited! We have a busy couple of weeks, probably months coming up now.
We will be moving into the new house as soon as we can, the only thing it needs to move into (besides the obvious calling the utility companies to turn stuff on) are light fixtures. When the previous owners left the took all the fixtures out, not even a light bulb left! Other than the lights, everything else that needs fixing can be done while we are there. We will have to find someone to come out & put up a fence too for the dogs, but until then, we will be installing a couple of those chain link kennels that Lowes or Tractor Supply sells for them.
We will be putting this house on the market, so there will be lots to do here as well, painting, cleaning carpets, landscaping & such. Since my grooming shop is set up in the basement of this house, we will have to move that as well. Robert's family has had a piece of property that was used as a restaurant for a long time, then he used it as a commissary for his catering trucks. It's perfect for a grooming shop, but we have to get all the restaurant equipment out of there first. So as you can see, lots to do before things are set in place & we can get back to normal. I'm tired just thinking about it. But I am looking forward to it all.
I have lots of ideas running through my head about how to decorate the new house, so I've been busy looking online for ideas. I think I'm going to go with a Native American or Log Cabin theme since the house is set in the woods.
Anyway, best get off here & try to get some sleep, I hope to get started tomorrow, cleaning things out & getting things together for a yard sale or two.
Until next time......
God Bless You all & hug those furkids for me!
Angie

Disaster Relief for Pets~DO NOT GIVE TO HSUS!

Below is a letter I received from my friend, Whippet breeder/exhibitor, Sharyn Hutchens, in Lexington, Va. through one of my email lists. Please consider what she is saying and check out the links to read the stories. I have included an excerpt from each story so you can get an idea of the article.
The kennel club I am the Recording Secretary for in Kingsport, TN, donated $500 to the AKC Disaster Relief Fund for the Iowa Flood Relief and we were kept informed about where the money was going and what it was spent on voluntarily, HSUS will not let you know these things even if you ask.
If you have any other questions or want more information on what the HSUS is REALLY all about, please let me know and I will do my best to answer you.
Prayers for the folks in the path of Gustav and Hanna, both human and non-human.
Angie

"With hurricane season upon us and Gustav just about on top of New Orleans, it is critical to get the word out. Three years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) mounted a gigantic fundraising campaign. They raised $32 million and have still not accounted for most of that money. Serious dog folks believe that most of the money collected by HSUS with the claim that it would be used for disaster relief came right back at us helping to promote laws that are bad for pets and bad for people. Even their on-site work isn't well thought of. Many, pet rescuers who went to the Gulf Coast to help Katrina animals found themselves hindered by HSUS. Record keeping was so slapdash that many pets that were saved, couldn't be found by their owners. Many believe that the pets in the area would have been better off if HSUS had stayed at home. In any case HSUS *already takes in millions* that they do not use in helping animals. They do not run shelters (though a couple of companies they own do have sanctuaries), and in fact they compete with shelters for donation dollars. The AKC has a disaster relief fund now, which is used to support search and rescue dogs and all pets during a disaster. That's where I've just sent our contribution. I am not always a fan of AKC, but they ARE honest about the handling of their money, and when they offer help, it is real HELP -- not a clumsy self-promotional effort.

https://www.akc.org/donations/index.cfm (to donate to AKC Disaster Relief)

In normal times, give to your local animal shelters. They will nearly always use the money for actual animal care. Please investigate any charity you send money to after a disaster, Wait a few days and find an organization based in the area that needs help.
For further information on HSUS disaster relief:

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun06/060601j.asp

"Numerous pet owners filed complaints with the attorney general about problems finding their pets, according to Foti's office. Some owners claim that persons currently caring for their displaced pets are refusing to reunite the pet with the proper owners."

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3674

"Pets left behind in disasters? The last “big one,” Hurricane Katrina, netted HSUS more than $32 million in fundraising, and an investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General has focused on where that money actually went. (We still don’t know.)"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032501002.html

"The Louisiana attorney general has launched inquiries into two of the country's best-known charities -- the American Red Cross and the Humane Society of the United States -- after receiving complaints that they misused some of the millions of dollars they raised in the fall to help the human and non-human victims of Hurricane Katrina."

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/humane_society_of_the_united_states_under_investigation/

"According to Activistcash.com ” HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.”"

Or just Google "HSUS misuse funds Katrina"
Please tell everyone you know.

Sharyn Hutchens
Timbreblue Whippets

We made an offer!

They have until Wed @ 5 pm to let us know if they accept it or to send a counter offer.

We finally got to the bottom of the hold up with the Pre-Approval letter from the finance company. Seems the man that we have been working with, the one we worked with last year when we did some re-financing on the house we are in, quit and moved on to another company! From what we can gather, he was still trying to get us the financing, only he was trying to get it with the company he is with now. He called and told my husband he was "emailing a pre-approval letter over as we speak" and a week later, when we didn't have the letter and we weren't able to get him on the phone or get him to return phone calls, Robert finally called the main office number to see what was going on. At any rate, the Senior Lending Officer took over and we had the letter and all the other paperwork we needed to get the ball rolling again, in a matter of 2 days!!

I'm more than a little bit miffed at the first guy for causing this to go on for well over a month now, but I'm glad things are finally rolling now and that no one else has come along and put an offer on the house. The only other thing that could stand in the way fo us getting this house would be a termite inspection that showed the little boogers are taking over. I pray that is not the case, but we'll have to wait and see.

The house is in Bluff City, TN, about 12 miles from where we are now, way back in the woods, sitting on top of a small ridge. Only one other neighbor that shares the driveway, but the house we are looking at is the last one on the road, so people wouldn't be going by the house all the time. To get there you have to drive quite a distance parallel to the South Fork of the Holston River before turning off on the road the house is on. Which is another thing I love about it.

I have never been a "city girl", have always hated being around alot of people all the time, so living here, in a subdivision that is slowing going down hill has been very nerve wracking to say the least, and it gets worse every day. I only hope things work out so we can get out of here SOON!

I will keep everyone updated on what is going on with the house and if we get it, what all we are doing with it, but until then, please keep a good thought and prayer that if it's the Good Lord's Will, we will be moving to the country soon.

I included some pictures of the house that came from the realtor's listing. The first thing will have to be paint, that yellow has GOT to go!

Blessings to you all, until next time

Angie

Today was one of those days.....

when I sit back & say to myself "WHY am I still doing this for a living?!? I have asked myself that many times over the years & I still haven't come up with an answer.

It started off on a bad note, when I climbed out of bed this morning, my back was no better than when I layed down last night, if anything it was worse. Still hurting, but in a different place now. But that is not what sent the day on the downhill spiral.

First, a little background on my grooming shop. I used to go to the client's house & groom their dog, but my back has gotten in such a shape now that I physically can't do that anymore. The biggest complaint I heard when I started the mobile business, clients hated leaving their dog all day long for a grooming, they loved the idea of me working on their dog & only their dog with no distractions & their baby not being put in a cage. I have tried to keep my shop as close to that as I can, so I only do one client at a time, I don't have a shop full of dogs, I don't have any cages & most dogs are out in 1.5 hours. So I HAVE to stay on schedule if I am going to run the shop that way. Now, for the play by play of my day.....

I had 3 dogs scheduled today, the first one was a little terrier mix that I pick up & drop back off, he was scheduled at 10am. I was sitting on the couch, having a cup of coffee trying to wake up & stop hurting when someone rings my little doggie doorbell at the downstairs at my shop. It's 9am, who is ringing my bell that early? So down those horrid stairs I go & there stands the client that will end up being my client from Hades today! "I'm here ta drop th' dawg fer cuttin" he says. I politely tell him, "I'm sorry, but your appointment is not until 1:00 this afternoon, I have a dog I have to pick up/drop off at 10 & I can't possibly get to yours right now." He stood there on his 2 feet looking at me like I was speaking Latin & tells me his wife said, blah, blah, blah. Again, I tell him he DOES have an appt. today, but not until 1:00. So off he goes muttering something I couldn't understand & says he'll be back, but it won't be until around 1:30. I told him that would be fine, I'll see him this afternoon. So..

I go pick up Max, go by Bojangles & pick up my breakfast & back to the shop to eat & get to work. Max is a wonderful little dog that I love to groom, I normally have him finished in about an hour so that gave me plenty of time to eat first. Well, the phone was ringing off the wall today with some of the craziest people on the other end, the rain started again while my dogs were out back playing, so I had to stop, climb those dad-burn stairs again & let them all back in. Back down the stairs to finish up Max, when hubby called to tell me he was having trouble with the computer at our auto repair shop, after trying to "talk him through it" I finally told him since I would be going by the repair shop to drop Max back off, I would stop & see what I could do, I had a little time since the next dog wasn't going to be here until 1:30. I dropped off Max, fixed the computer problem & was almost home when Jake called & said "Mom that man is here with his dog" ~ the time? 1:05. Ok, so I did tell him 1:00 so I told Jake to tell him I would be there within 5 minutes, please wait if he can.

I pull up to find the man sitting on our car towing trailer, chewing tobacco & SPITTING IT ON MY CARPORT!! (another thing I had to do today, spray down the carport & get the tobacco off it!) I apologized & explained that I wasn't expecting him until 1:30 like he said, again, speaking in Latin. He gets the dog out of the truck & it is in horrible shape! Matted to the skin, full of fleas & sores from the mats. I told him she would be ready at 3:00 & he could come get her then.

I pulled her card & put her on the table & got started shearing her. After checking her card to see what blade I used last time, I noted that she had not been groomed since I did her last OCT 7! Almost a year since this poor dog has been groomed, from the looks of her, since she had been touched, period! I found hot spots, fleas, bruises from all her scratching & both ears so full of ear mites that the poor dog cried out in pain every time I touched her head. I was getting madder at these people by the minute & every time that poor dog cried, I wanted to smack them upside the head with a hammer! Grooming should be a pleasant experience for a dog, not a painful one & I HATE hurting a dog. There was just no avoiding it today. I finally got the poor girl done & she ran around the shop playing & bouncing! She was so happy to have all that mess off her. Now for the kicker....

It's 3:30, still no tobacco spitting, toothless (literally) grumbling man to pick up his dog, so I called the wife to let her know the dog was ready to be picked up. I explained to her what all was done & told her how much it was & that I charged her for a flea treatment today (I didn't do that last time) she says "OK, we'll come get her, can I pay you tomorrow, we don't have any money with us?" WHAT?! This woman was kidding, right?? No, she was not, I told her "No Ma'am, I don't do business that way, I expect payment when services are rendered" her reply "Well, honey, we ain't got no checks here at the house, I'm out of them. I can mail one to you though" Well, in the words of Briscoe Darling on the Andy Griffith show...That tears it! My reply was "Ma'am, I am not your "honey", my name is Angie, & I know the bank will give you a counter check until your checks come in, so you can go get a check or the cash, then come pick up the dog" She said "Well...." waiting for me to say something I guess, I then couldn't resist & reminded her that she can not go into the grocery store, ring up her purchases & tell the cashier, can I pay you tomorrow? This is no difference. Meanwhile, hubby shows up, acting like he knows nothing about the conversation with the wife & offers to just take the dog on home, then bring the money back. Nope, ain't happenin Dude, you go get the money & then you can take the dog.

They did come back with a counter check, paid the money, ignored the fact that the dog was in pain with ear mites & told me they just couldn't afford to take her to the vet, especially after paying $65 to have her groomed! Where do people like this come from & WHY do they insist on bothering me?

I finished the day with a little Schnauzer that I don't have to bathe (the owner does that) & got up those dreaded stairs one more time & soaked in a much needed hot bath!

So, there you have it, a day in the life of.....complete with pictures of before & after on the dog.

Blessings to you all

Angie

Peggy Sue

I promised a picture of Peggy Sue in her "grown up clothes" so here ya go. You can see part of one of her all time favorite toys, the cardboard roll out of the toilet paper. HA

Why is it...?

No matter how old your children are they still manage to do something that makes you want to just wring their necks??
My son is 20 years old & I swear sometimes he still acts like a little kid! He came in early from his job Monday night declaring that he quit because of some other guy that worked there being a jerk & he just couldn't take it anymore. His words~"Mom, if I hadn't left, there would have been a fight & then I would have been in jail because I was going to punch him!" For crying out loud, I had a temper too when I was young, but I never walked out on a job because of it! I just want to strangle him. Now he's walking around the house, all nasty & ill because of it & the rest of us are living with a royal PITA! He's grumbling because he has no money & he doesn't want to work at a fast food place. He tells me it bothers him, being 20 years old & working at a fast food joint. How in the world am I going to get it through to him that if he wants something better for himself, he is going to have to get up & go after it?! I have told him more than once, things aren't handed to you in this world & if you want something, it's up to you to go get it.
Kids today seem to think the world owes them & they should be able to walk without crawling first. I swear I did not raise him to believe he was entitled to what he wanted without working for it, so where does this come from? Is it just all kids in this generation?
Jake has an old '78 Cadillac, a big, heavy tank of a car, that we are unable to get the title on, so he & hubby spent the weekend getting it ready to go to the scrap yard. (they are paying $12.50/10 pounds & the thing weighs 5300 pounds!) The car is ready to go, but hubby tells him until he gets a job, the car will sit at our auto repair shop as security. Jake does pay us rent & cell phone bill & he owes us for 2 weeks rent. Hubby wants to make sure we get our money in the event Jake decides to take his sweet time getting a job. I agree with hubby, hopefully it will go at least a little way towards teaching Jake a little about responsibilty.
So, here I sit, nerves almost completely shot, with a grumbling son, a patient husband that wants to help me wring his neck, but isn't, a 6 month old Bull Terrier puppy that needs to be worked & trained for the shows coming up in 2 weeks & I can't because of the rain, & I'm out of my Constant Comment tea! Good grief, what's next?
No wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know!
Here's hoping my day can only go uphill from here, wish me luck & thanks for listening.
Puppy Hugs & Kisses Ya'll
Angie

The Allison Kids & more

Today I groomed the 3 Allison kids & as usual, they were a trip. Maddie & Spanky spend every minute they are not on the table wrestling on the floor & running through the shop. Allie, on the other hand, is above all that childish nonsense. :)
I do enjoy grooming these 3 kids & they never fail to bring a smile to my face.
My kids though showed their bratty sides as soon as the 3 got here & had to go back upstairs. Peggy Sue was a little scared of them, so Pooch & Cissy thought they needed to protect their baby sister. At any rate, my 3 went back upstairs to bed so I could get the other 3 groomed.
Speaking of Peggy Sue, she will be 7 months old in a week! Hard to believe, but it's true. Peggy Sue is the little Toy Poodle Robert gave me for my birthday & she is just the sweetest thing. I never thought, as a dog groomer who grooms dogs all day, that I would ever own a Poodle, that also has to be groomed on a regular basis, but I do. Problem is, I can't stand it when they start growing out & don't have that "fresh groomed" look, so they end up getting groomed about every 2 weeks. I hope to get pictures of Peggy Sue in her new grown up clip to post on here tomorrow.
I have posted a list over to the right of some of my favorite blogs, please check them out, I think you'll like them!
I'm off here for a bit, going to head to the ironing board & try to get some rest before working again tomorrow.
Puppy Hugs & Blessings to you
Angie

Yes, I'm alive!

Yes folks, I am still alive! My good friend from the Andy Griffith Front Porch started a blog & she inspired me to get back over here to mine & get busy on it again. Thanks, Romeena! I love ya, girl.
Now, as for what I have been doing with myself since my last post? Well, the biggest news is that I got married June 30, 2007! Yes, it has been a long time since I posted! HA
I met the most awesome man & he won my heart. I said I would never marry again, but Mom always told me "Never say never, you never know what will happen" Once again, Mom was right. Robert is amazing & I don't know how I lived all those years without him. The photo I am using for my profile is of our wedding. We got married in our biker leathers & rode away on the bike with "Just Married" on the back of the bike. The newspaper even came out & did a write up on it. I tell you, for 2 people that weren't going to get married again, we made sure everyone knew about it, didn't we.
I know most of you know this already, but I have also stopped doing mobile grooming. My back has gotten in such bad shape, that I can't lift the equipment or stand that long to groom like I used to. My wonderful husband set me up a grooming shop in our basement & I am loving grooming at home.
I have a new Bull Terrier puppy, Pappy. He is the sweetest, wildest child in the house! He is going into his first show in about 2 weeks, wish us luck.
I also have Jake here with me now, he moved from DC the first of the year & is living here with us until he can get on his feet & out on his own.
My brother & his family moved to Bristol as well, I am so glad to have him back in my life again. It had been way too long without seeing him or hanging out with him. I missed him through all those years, but we are trying to make up for lost time now. He has 3 kids & the youngest, who we call Sissy, has Cystic Fibrosis. She doesn't let that slow her down any though, let me tell you she is one tough little girl!
Anyway, I could post a ton more things that have happened & probably will, but for now, those are the biggies.
I hope to keep the blogging up this time, now that I have Romeena & her blog to help push me along. ;)
Blessings to you & yours
Angie & the crew