Thanksgiving 2011

We had a really nice Thanksgiving with lots of wonderful food and blessings.  We got in a nice motorcycle ride last Saturday to Mineola, TX.  The fall leaves were beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day.  We ate lunch at Pappadales in Grand Saline, and the food and service were really good.  We went to The Pecan House in Mineola and got some Texas grown pecans in the shell for my Mom, and some that were shelled for our chocolate pecan pie that is a Thanksgiving tradition at our house.  We also got some honey roasted peanut butter that is made at The Pecan House and some pure natural honey made at Sharon Honey Farm in Chapel Hill, TX.  All the products were wonderful, and the shelled Desirable pecans were great.  We also walked across the road from The Pecan House to an unusual shop that carries antiques, tools, and interesting things of all sorts.  It was fun to look, but we didn’t buy anything there.  The motorcycle ride was great.

This weekend we took Victory and Vegas to the dog show in Alvarado, TX.  Vegas got 2^nd in the 12-18 month class on Saturday, beat by her sister, Diva.  The judge thought they were pretty evenly matched and had us move the 2 girls around the ring several times, but she finally decided Diva had a little better topline than Vegas.  Vegas behaved beautifully, and I was very proud of her.  Victory was in the Best of Breed class, and he behaved badly on Saturday.  There were two girls in season, one in front of him in the lineup and one behind him, and he was wound up.  He got best of opposite sex.  On Sunday, we put a little Vicks in his nose, so he couldn’t smell the girls, and he behaved much better.  Lori Finlayson showed him on Sunday and he showed nicely and got best of opposite sex on Sunday.  Vegas showed very well again on Sunday, but her sister, Diva, got the win and Vegas got reserve.  She is such a plucky little girl, and we really enjoy her.  Attached is her picture enjoying the fire truck at our local fire department.  Victory at least picked up some grand champion points this weekend, so we are thankful for that.

Here is Wishbone, our Dalmatian Rescue boy, who is 12 years old, enjoying his time at the fire dept. 

And, here is Victory, having fun at the fire department. 

Victory’s hip x-rays

We took Victory to Rockwall Co. Veterinary Clinic yesterday to get his hips x-rayed so the results could be submitted to OFFA, Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.  They anesthetized him to do the x-rays so they could get the best pictures possible.  I don’t know what it is about putting animals under anesthetic, but every time I watch it, I get nauseous and dizzy and have to sit down.  I just can’t bear to see my animals in that predicament.  All of the horses we have gelded over the years, and every time it affects me this way.  Same with watching Victory’s x-rays.  I felt bad for him. I guess I’d never make a good doctor, nurse, or veterinarian.  Good thing I’m an accountant, instead.  Fortunately, it turned out well, they got some great x-rays, and Dr. Taylor said there weren’t any better hips than what he has, and he believes he should get an excellent rating from OFFA.  Great news!  Dr. Taylor also thought Victory was a gorgeous, healthy, and excellent Dalmatian.  We think so, too!  He has wonderful spotting, beautiful dark brown eyes, great tail carriage and gait, bilateral hearing, CERF is clear, very smart and great temperament.  He loves children and other dogs, and is a joy to have around.  I thought Dr. Taylor was a really neat veterinarian, and really seemed to have a wonderful way of communicating with dogs.  I really liked their vet clinic.  I mailed  Victory’s hearing and hip tests to OFFA today and hoping for that excellent rating from them.

Tips on dogs, cleaning, & money

Teaching a puppy to stack

I used a table with a non-slip rug when I first started training Victory to stack, a nylon slip collar and some treats.  He was a very fussy treat eater, and would only eat certain treats.  He really only likes the pure chicken treats, without any additives.  We practiced in very short sessions, telling him “stand” and positioning his legs, and if he moved them out of position, gently putting them back, and giving him treats when he’d hold the stack for a short time.  Once he did pretty well on the table, we moved to practicing on the ground.  I only practiced for a few minutes when he was really young, and then we’d play and run.

Cleaning tips

I think I got this tip from a Hints from Heloise column years ago, and don’t remember the exact measurements that were in the original tip that I read, but to clean a smelly sink drain, here is what I do, and it works great.  Put about ¾ cup of baking soda in the drain, add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of cream of tartar.  Then pour some white vinegar in the drain and let it bubble for a few minutes.  Then rinse with a lot of hot water, and you have a clean sink drain.

For dried stains on washable fabrics, you can use a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar, 2/3 cup water, and 2 tablespoons mild dish liquid.  Dab with a sponge on the stain and let sit for about 10-15 minutes, and then launder.

Financial tip

I am a huge fan of Vanguard mutual funds because of their low cost expenses.  And, if you want an easy way to invest, you can have money deducted from your checking account or pay check and have it sent straight to your Vanguard account.  I like the Total Stock Market and Total Bond Market Index funds.  The expenses are .07% for the Admiral stock market index fund and .11% for the Admiral bond market index fund, and the returns as of 10/31/11 for 1 year are 8.03% for the Total Stock Market Index Admiral fund and 5.03% for the Total Bond Market Index Admiral fund.  We also like the Wellesley fund for college savings.  Its expense amount is .28% and its one year return is 8.14%.  The Admiral funds have a slightly lower expense than regular investor shares.  You need $10,000 to invest in Admiral shares. 

Smiley Dalmatian

Our Tattersall Dalmatian, Shelby, would smile on command, and any time she played a joke on you, or when you got up in the morning, or came home from work at night, her smile would be greeting you and brightening your day.  Every time she smiled at me, it made me smile and my heart sing.  She was the funniest dog.  She loved playing tricks on Rog and Luke.  For Rog, she would wait until he got up off the couch, and she would run over and steal his seat, and then when he came back, she would smile and smile at the trick she played on him.  And, she loved grabbing Luke’s toys and parading around the house in front of him, just grinning and wagging her tail as he would be yelling “Shelby, give me back my toy!”  She was such a great dog and a blessing to us.  Thank you to Bobby and Beth Hallman for breeding such a great girl, and giving us the opportunity to share our lives with her for 12 years.  Attached is a picture of her huge smile after she’d stolen Rog’s seat on the couch.

Training a Puppy

To get our puppies ready for the show ring, we started both their training and my training pretty early.  At just a few months of age, they learned to walk on a leash, stack, and have their teeth and bodies examined.  I had to learn to handle a show lead properly and to gait the dog properly, stack the dog correctly, and all of the details of entering dog shows.  Puppies don’t have a long attention span, so you have to train in very short sessions.  Stacking was hard for my Dalmatians, because they didn’t like to stand still for long as puppies.  Attached is a picture of Vegas winning her first major.  We were thrilled for her.

Coach Dogs

Our Dalmatians had a fabulous time today training to be coach dogs.  It was a gorgeous fall day, perfect for horse riding and training dogs.  Our old boy, Wishbone, is a great coach dog and has been going horse riding with us for 10 years, and even though he is getting pretty slow at 12 years old, he refuses to be left behind.  Since Victory finished his conformation championship, we are starting to work on his coaching training.  He absolutely loves going along with the horses and is a great student.  We have someone riding and someone walking alongside the horse with the dog on a lead teaching him to stay with the horse, but not so close that he will get stepped on or kicked.  And, he also must learn to pay attention to commands from the rider on the horse, which for him is more challenging than Vegas, our young girl.  Vegas is constantly looking up at me on the horse when she goes along, but Victory is always looking around everywhere when he goes.  But he watches the horse carefully, which is good.  We are training them to wait, when the horse stops, stay, sit, leave it, stick with the horse, and pay attention to the rider.  It will be awhile before it all comes together with these young dogs.  But, for them, getting to go along with their master and the horses is a blast, and our horses love to have the dog’s companionship on the trail.  Attached are pictures of the dogs, Wishbone, Victory, and Vegas, and horses, Jet (black POA) and Junior (Paint.)

To raise a champion dog, you must first get a really nice puppy from a reputable breeder, feed them quality food, make sure they have proper vaccinations and veterinary care, and socialize them.  To socialize, you’ve got to take them places, such as pet stores, flea markets, other people’s homes, walking through the neighborhood, and any place else where they will meet people, other animals, strange noises, and unfamiliar sights.  They must also learn to stay quietly in a crate, walk nicely on a leash, and go potty on a leash.  I will talk more about raising a champion in my next blog.

Texas Drought

We experienced the most severe drought in Texas this summer that I have ever lived through.  The whole summer was hot, with the end of June and all of July and August well over 100 degrees every day, and no rain during that time.  Pastures are barren, with only drought resistant weeds that livestock cannot eat, surviving.  Driving in the country, you see some cattle and horses that are well taken care of, with their owners spending lots of money on hay and grain.  Others are not so fortunate, and look terrible, ribs sticking out, and so sad.  We are fortunate that we buy our hay from a rancher who has a pond that he uses to irrigate his hay field, and we stocked up early in the summer.  I am so thankful that our horses are fat and beautiful and have plenty to eat. 

Texas ranchers were blessed a couple of weeks ago.  Many people driving by the Home Depot in Terrell, TX wondered what was going on, when trucks and trailers were lined up for blocks waiting to get into the Home Depot parking lot.  The excitement was caused by Midwest farmers (Rog’s brother, Phil, included) who sent hay free of charge to Texas for ranchers in dire need.  And, by the looks of all of those lined up to get hay, and the looks of some of the livestock here, the need is dire.  Thank God for the caring folks in the Midwest, the greatest folks ever!  Many blessings are wished for all of the kind people who helped out Texas.  Please pray for rain for all of us who need it.  And, see attached pictures of my beautiful and lucky cattle, who have had plenty to eat, thanks to our ability to buy hay early in the year.  I will share more pictures of my horses in a later post.