Is this really a DIET?

I made a version of a pork chop scallopine that Scott found in the South Beach cookbook. It was delicious. This was our dinner one night. Pork chop scallopine, canelini bean salad, spicy broccoli with pepitas, and a salad. I was surprised at how amazing it tasted. Then we finished off with a Ricotta Creme, definitely not a cheesecake, but it was a decent alternative.

9 Weeks and Help Naming Lena

Lena was 9 weeks old yesterday. She knows SIT, and we are working on DOWN. Down is about 70/30, and she actually whined at the door once last night to go out! Hurray!

Asleep in the kitchen by the food!

Lena's ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) papers came today from Pam.

We need to settle on her name.

Here are the options:

1. Sagecreek Lena Sings the Blues
2. Sagecreek Lena Sings the Reds (this is a play on the fact that she is a red merle)
3. Sagecreek Lena's Sweet Song
4. Sagecreek Lena You're My Thrill
5. Sagecreek Lena Stormy Weather (Her mom's name is Storm--but doesn't roll off the tongue. As much as I would like it to...since Lena Horne is known for Stormy Weather.

or Suggestions...?? We are limited on characters, Sagecreek must go at the beginning, so then there are 21 spaces remaining for letters, punctuation or spaces.

Let me know what you think!

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The Quest to Become Svelte

Scott recently informed me that he was going to try the Power 90 program to lose some weight. I had NO idea what this is. It is scheduled to be delivered Monday or Tuesday, but apparently it is some ass kicking workout dvds and a food plan. HE is finally determined to lose weight. I am usually the one that proposes stuff like this.

I jumped on the band wagon and in anticipation of his program coming we made a 2 week meal plan based on the South Beach Diet which we have had some success with in the past. I forgot how much work dieting is sometimes. I just have to stop being a lazy cook.

I wanted to share that I think that commercialism has created fat people based on the fact that it costs SO much more to eat a healthy diet. All the crap, preservatives, calories, and fat are exponentially cheaper than healthy alternatives.

Scott and I bought all the ingredients that we will need for the next couple of weeks, and I think then some. I decided that we will go forward with buying only 1-2 weeks at a time to avoid anything going bad.

Just a glance at what things look like at the Wegener household. I need to re-organize my cabinets, (did the frig) to make room and clean out so things are living on the counter until later today.

Incidentally, the refrigerator is like TETRIS.

I am tired of looking and feeling like Jabba the Hutt so I am excited to give this a try. I am however, quite nervous. Not about the muscle aches, or any of that, but I am nervous that I am not going to be successful and get discouraged. It is a weird fear, but just being honest!

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Puppy Play

Up to now Bijou has liked the puppy, sniffed her and trotted around with her, but I had doubted that she would really play with the puppy. Given that her legs barely hold her up some days. Wednesday night they barked and chased each other a little, but all standing up...no real rough and tumble play, and I had given Bijou a pain pill that night. Yesterday, Bijou had a morning and evening pill. She wasn't really hurting I don't think, but she was creeping around. This morning there was a pup wrestle mania in the living room. Bijou was the instigator this time... It was really good to see her interact with the puppy like the old Bij that always smothered most other dogs with love. They were almost "slap fighting" like kids sometimes do. It was hilarious. They were mouthing each other a lot as evidenced in some of the pics where one or both has their mouth open. Puppies learn bite inhibition best from other dogs, and I yip "ouch" really loudly if her razor sharp teeth bite me which is what all the books and people tell you to do. However, I am not the same as another dog. Bijou got rough with Lena, a little yelp and she backed off and Lena got a little rough with Bijou and Bij yelped Lena backed off. Perfect.

I also worked with Lena and the clicker this morning. Someone suggested trying the training in the bathroom to minimize distractions. I shut us in for about 3-5 minutes and we worked on making sure the clicker was "primed." This means that Lena knows that a click means "good job" and she understands that she gets a reward. I am convinced she knows. I re-read an email from Esther, a dog trainer in Holland that I met via YouTube, to be sure that she knows. Esther says, "click one time when she's looking away from you, if she looks up at you when you click ('where's my treat?') then she understands how it works." Lena's eyes were down. I clicked, she looked at the clicker, then my eyes, then the hand that usually treats her.

I am excited! We worked on "touch" today again and I started using the cue word touch after she performed action. I put my hand down, and when she touched it with her nose I clicked. This is an important command that will allow me to teach her other more sophisticated commands later.

We also worked on sit. She did pretty well, but it was getting close to about 4 minutes and her attention span was slipping. We ended on a positive note.

I am really excited about her...and nervous. I hope I do a good job, and I hope I am clicking at the appropriate time. Initially, I was clicking too late. Needs to happen during the behavior and I realized I was clicking after. I need to work on that.

Hopefully, we will start puppy class in a couple of weeks. I just hope that I can integrate clicker methods with their methods.

More to come...

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p.s. If you click on the YouTube link above you see Esther in action. Her pup was executing those moves at 10 weeks. Lena and I have a lot of work to do to catch up!!! Actually, I don't expect to, Esther has been doing this a long time and I am a novice, but I am hoping we eventually get there.

A New Wegener Baby???

Well although we have been trying for going on 5 years...there is not a real babe in our future (at least currently) but there is a new addition to our family.

Meet Lena Wegener

I knew that someday...when Bijou is gone. I wanted an Australian Shepherd. Bij has had some ups and downs this year and so I just started talking to breeders. I found a couple I didn't necessarily feel comfortable with (too much breeding) and then I found Pam Watson in Missouri. I told her that we were not ready for a pup but I had lots of questions for my someday. She was great...always willing to answer my silliest questions. Then she had two litters (her max for a year) pretty much back to back and one was 11 pups! She was faced with 17 pups to find homes for. She mentioned that she had some and I checked out her site. I immediately fell in love with Lena, but...I had always said, "when Bijou is gone." I didn't know what to do. We thought and talked and thought some more and finally I said, "I want her or nothing." Well, she was already spoken for...so much for that.

Then after the 4th of July we got a call from Pam. The people that spoke for her had a change in family situation and could not take her anymore...did we want her? Oh my...never a harder decision to make.

We had a family meeting, gave up eating out, and everyone agreed that she is their big b-day present, everyone agreed to certain chores, we all agreed to some sacrifices and she is going to be my physical trainer. :o)

We brought Lena home on Saturday after a 5 1/2 hour drive to get her and 5 1/2 hours home. We got to see her mom and dad and remaining brothers and sisters who were being shipped to Oregon (or Washington State) the very next day. It was exciting as you can see from the laziness that happened on Sunday.

She turns 8 weeks today!



Lena is a Red Merle Australian Shepherd...It will be no surprise to some of you that I only wanted a Red Merle or Red Tri Aussie...RED!!!

She has only made two small accidents in the house and both were totally preventable but on her first morning here, Scott forgot how small their intestines are and how fast food goes through. And I was on the phone canceling an appointment and was just about to take her out. Should have before I got on the phone. Both accidents were solids... :o) and the one I was responsible for was literally at the front door on the mud mat. She knows what and where to do it, but needs to learn to vocalize.

I started a very short clicker training session with her yesterday with touch...(more on this to come in the following days). She did well, but I kept it really brief as everyone has instructed that I have talked to (dog trainers).

Aussies are highly intelligent, and we hope for tons of tricks to share in the coming months. I am going to get her enrolled in a puppy class sometime the first part of August, and Harrison wants to learn so he can get involved with Junior Handling and run her in agility competitions. What an exciting chapter...almost as exciting as a real baby!

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Junk Email...Better than None?

So about a week and a half ago I went through all the emails in my inbox and junk mail and removed myself from just about every mailing list that I was subscribed to. Most would think that this is a good thing. I did. At first. Now I am not getting any email. I mean most days I am lucky to get one measley email. What a bummer, I am starting to think that maybe I should subscribe to a few random mailing lists.

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Triple Decker Cats

The boys sandwiching their crotchety old sis. This is the caliber of laziness around here lately.

Belated Texas Post

A 4th of July Message from Uncle Dan

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. Reece as started smiling now so I wanted to send a picture. Also he fits in my old shirt that O-ma brought down to Texas. He won't fit in it for much longer. Reece went to the doctor on Thursday and he now weighs a healthy 11lbs 12 oz.

Love
Dan, Heather & Reece

As promised, evidence of our Texas Shenanigans and Baby Pictures.

E got her ears pierced on this trip...She was showing them off.

These kids make an awful lot of funny faces...I wonder why...

How do you know...

How do you know when it is time to put your dog "to sleep". Today I took Bijou to the groomers for a pre-Oma's house bath. I took her about 11:30 and got her back around 3:45. This is apparently how long it takes. I am skeptical but what do I know about dog grooming. Thank God they don't charge by the hour.

When I took her this morning she had more trouble than usual getting into the back end of the Scion. She hid from the groomer behind my legs, and then proceeded to poop the floor in fear. Ugh...she never does this.

When I picked her up she absolutely COULD NOT get in the back end. After one attempt she sat on the ground and looked sad. I finally laid the seat down and let her in the back door and hoisted her back end as she scrambled with her front paws.

Ride home was uneventful and I was chattering away at her happily about going to see her boy tomorrow night. He misses her and I know she misses him. (HD is at Oma and Papa's golfing, swimming, fishing, and learning the proper, boyscout way, to use a pocketknife.)

Once we got home she hopped out of the car, and crept up the front stairs to our yard. I was getting the blanket out of the back end when I saw her squat to pee. Her legs went out from under her and she was basically laying on the ground. Her front legs were holding the front of her up but her back legs were splayed out. She peed all over her backside, tummy, tail, and legs. So much for grooming. I hosed her off, sobbing the whole time and got her inside. My neighbors probably think I am looney tunes.

Man is she having trouble getting around. She isn't yelping or crying in pain but she can hardly get up from a laying down position. I can't wait to see what tomorrow's 2.5 hour drive does to her. UGH.

How do you know when it is time? She still gets excited to see us, she still eats and poops like a horse. She wags her tail when I talk to her but damn it, I refuse to see her suffer. How can I tell if she is suffering? Is peeing yourself suffering?

*cries* Man this stuff is hard.

She is 10 this summer...I know that is about normal for dals. We had the camel hump scare and now she has another small lump on her leg. What a hard thing to think about on a Thursday.

Help!!!

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Allergies...Damn Them.

So today I went for my weekly allergy shot. Usually no big whoop. Today seemed like any other Wednesday, talked to the nurses, told them about my trip, sat in the lobby and waited for 15 min to see if I had a reaction. The only difference was that I missed last week because we were in Texas. That is also no biggie. They just give me the same dose as the previous week and I go on the next week with the dosage increases. I left and everything was fine...a little itchy but fine.

Took Scott to work and caught a glimpse of my left arm out of my peripheral vision while checking the mirror as I was driving away. IT WAS HUGE.

I had a baseball (at least) sized lump on my left bicep, but felt fine.

I called my doc's office and the nurses wanted me back. When they saw my arm they were astonished. I have never had more than a little mosquito bite looking lump. They sprung into action. Got my doc to look at it...she was astonished. They gave me steroids (pill) and a shot of something (I think epinephrine) directly into the lump, and a claritin. I started to tremble from the shot and that felt pretty weird, but I was fine.

I thought I would take a picture of my nastiness to show.

This lump has gone down considerably in the picture because it took about 30-40 min for me to get home.

It is so interesting to me that I lived so much of my life really allergic and just dealing with symptoms. I think some have gotten worse with age, but the culprits in this shot were cats (DON'T SAY A WORD), weeds and grasses. The doc thinks it was the weeds and grasses that are blooming now that did it. I agree, only because since I got home the boys have been attached at my hip and I have had no sneezing symptoms around them. I do sneeze like the dickens when I get outside and smell freshly cut weeds/grass/outdoors.

Doc. N told Rita the nurse to made note that I should not have dosage increases while crap is blooming. Ok, well she didn't say crap but I did.

:)


You can sort of see how far the lump is sticking out.














The white zone is where she shot the epi. It was completely red when I got there. Even in this picture you can see the circum-ference of the redness.


Ewwwww...nasty and a bit painful.


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