Cinder Doesn't like Hail

The spring season brings with it the welcome melting of snow, warmer temperatures, showers, tulips poking out of the ground and, sometimes, the occasional hailstorm.

I have been fighting a migraine for three days and, when nothing seems to help, I can only await a weather system to blow through town and clear the air. At last it happened. I feel quite a bit better.

The sky turned ominously dark in about twenty minutes and I could see something falling on the mountain tops to the North of us. As it travelled closer I could feel the air pressure in my head rapidly drop and then, with painful burst, the sky opened and it began to hail.

Cinder was outside at the time. Over the drone of the pounding hail I could hear her feet hit the earth with each step.

So, out came my trusty Canon Rebel and clickity click I have some great pictures of the hail storm.....and one of Cinder sitting on the top of the stairs looking at me as if I were the next cadidate for Canada's Biggest Nutcase!

Good thing there wasn't any thunder with that hail.

She's Half The Dog She Was Yesterday!

Over the years I have spent good money after bad on grooming tools for the dogs. I've tried everything from an attachment for the vacuum cleaner that sucks off the loose hair to the glove that grabs loose hair while you run it over the dog's back. None of them really work as well as the package says it will and I am forever left frustrated by all the dog hair I must constantly sweep up. I realized that, essentially, I was approaching the task of grooming the dogs with sheer laziness.

The other day I splurged and bought a basic de-shedding comb. If only I had done that in the first place.....In my defence, I have never owned a dog with long thick hair before and didn't realize the simplest is the easiest.

I've spent a few days carefully combing Cider. Bless her heart, she's the most tolerant dog I've ever had. She just sits and lets me gently comb her, taking away the thick heavy hair that is probably a burden for her.

This morning I took a good long look at her and I swear she's half the dog she used to be. Cinder looks thinner!

Careful combing beats putting her on the diet I had planned when I thought she was getting winter fat.

Now, if only I can catch our other dog, Climber, and comb her.

Cinder The Wonder Dog is also a Babysitter!

My niece had her baby a few weeks ago and came to visit.

As evidenced by the pictures, Cinder is fascinated with the baby.

Cinder Gets a Seatbelt of Her Own

Since Cinder really loves to go for a ride in the Jeep, and she can't seem to understand the concept of NOT jumping all over the place, I went out and purchased a Doggie Seat belt.

She is not impressed.

And is even more upset with me because I also bought a shedding comb at the same time. So, after being buckled up for the ride home from the pet store, she had to submit to 45 minutes of "de-shedding" and is now half the dog she used to be.

She is not impressed and is sitting with her back toward me and glaring daggers at my person.

Treats are not winning her over.

Cinder Opens the Moon Roof

Since it has turned cold again, and I'm not working right now, I have been giving my daughter a ride to school in the mornings. Before my hours of work changed, and before the new owner took over, I used to drop my daughter off and, after checking in with her teacher, carry on to work. Poor Cinder wasn't allowed to accompany us then.



Cinder, I must explain, absolutely loves going for a ride in the car. When I had the Neon, she would hop into the back seat, squeeze herself onto that shelf by the back window, and happily block my view as I tried to back out of the driveway. Once I began to drive forward, she would plant herself between the front seats and watch intently where we were going. After I bought the Jeep, she excitedly leaps into the cargo area, sits down and, once again, blocks my view as I attempt to back out of the driveway then plants herself between the front seats and stares out the front window. But there is something different. Unlike the Neon, the Jeep enjoys a moon roof, which can be opened either full slide back or pop-up style. Cinder, it seems, likes it when the moon roof is is slid all the way open.



The first time she hit the button to open the moon roof I considered it an accident and laughed as the freezing cold air rushed into the Jeep. That was two days ago and I didn't give the occurrence another thought...until she jumped into the Jeep this morning and immediately pushed the button with her nose. The "see-what-I-know-how-to-do" look in her eyes as she grinned at me spoke volumes.



Apparently Cinder is willing to try anything twice.

I Was Hoping To Need a New Sofa

Last night my extremely pregnant niece spent the night. For lack of a spare bed, we put her on the couch. The couch is older than the hills. If you dig deep enough, you may find dinosaur bones in there. My folks happened across the living room suite in a shop in Yellowknife, NT in 1976, bought it and put it into storage until we had completed building our house on the corner of Woolgar and Byrne Road. Back then it had cost over $1,800.00, but my mom had desperately wanted it and, even today, it is a well built piece of furniture. Over sized and over stuffed, the upholstery is luxurious crushed velvet. As kids we were not allowed to even glance at it, let alone sit on it. And heaven help the dog if he dared to walk past it.

Over the years, and after leaving the arctic for warmer climes, my mother relaxed her vigil and the suite is now used as our everyday furniture. It shows too. I replaced the foam cushions a few years ago and had to sew new covers for the seats. Unfortunately the material doesn't match and poor Mom was so aghast that she went out and bought those evil slip cover things. Those don't match either, so our living room suite is a hodgepodge of like colours.

Despite its age, it is still the most comfortable couch to sleep on. We call it the "Man Eater" it basically swallows you whole, much the way a Python might, as you sleep. Upon awakening you have to climb out of the back of the couch and scale the cushions to escape. Both my sister and I enjoyed many a night on it whilst pregnant with our children. Now, one of those children is expecting her own bundle of joy. It's almost a right of passage to be the size of a duplex, about to pop that puppy out, and sleep on the Man Eater. If you can get out without going into labour, you got it made.

We put a thick towel under the sheet, just to be safe.

My twelve year old daughter was horrified that her cousin's water would break (I explained that it was like losing control of one's bladder) and ruin the couch. To be honest, I was a bit queered out at the thought as well.

I was kind of hoping it would happen. I saw a really nice chaise - sofa on special and realized it was made just for my living room, specifically for that corner. I think I'm the only one who actually prayed for her water to break.

I don't think the dogs care either way.

Muddy Paw Prints on Leather

Since I'm not working right now, I usually give my daughter a ride to school. It's still quite cold outside and the trek is about 2.5 km. When the wind starts up the valley, it can feel like -20C and take your breath away.
Cinder, our Border Collie, just loves to go for a ride in the Jeep. Specifically she likes to hop over the rear seat into the cargo area, press her nose against the back window when I'm in reverse and wag her long fuzzy tail as she watches where we are going. I just wish she could tell me right or left or if someone has left anything in the driveway that I should be aware of. Then, once I've changed gear to move forward she will plant herself between the two front seats to look intently out the front window. She's searching for other dogs.
Even though it was -10C this morning there are puddles of water here and there. Cinder, being the water loving beast that she is, happily danced in a puddle just prior to leaping into the Jeep and splattered mud here and there. Just for clarification, there's mud on the inside of the windshield! Oh, and I found some on the moon roof.
Armour All makes an excellent pre-moistened leather cleaning wipe and it retails at Canadian Tire for $8.99 that conditions too!
The really funny part is that it's guaranteed not to dry out for a year. Something tells me that they won't last that long.

How Do They Know?

My niece is about to have her baby.

Today or tomorrow.

She's not due for two weeks, but her water has broken and the contractions have begun.

Can you believe the hospital just sent her home to wait it out?



However, the dogs have been sitting vigil beside the cordless phone since 11 am., and jump up whenever it rings, looking at it expectantly. And it doesn't sound a bit like the doorbell, which, lately, drives them into a boisterous noisy frenzy. They used to be such quiet dogs and I'm wondering what happened to make them so noisy.

They've never bothered when the phone rang before now.

Do they know?

Mom, Cinder rolled in poop again!

We're not sure why our Border Collie goes outside and rolls in her poop. She has to hunt for it, but usually waits until just before we are about to go out to clean up the yard every weekend. I almost imagine her poking around the back yard like a kid looking for easter eggs.

I think she likes jumping into the bathtub and being subjected to a warm bath. I know she loves water. She has made that abundantly clear by the way she accidentally-on purpose falls into the pool in the summer and how she always manages to get between the flowers and the watering hose. I wish she would just ask for a bath.

My daughter has trained her to hop into the bathtub and stay put while being shampooed and rinsed. Then we "shamwow" her (yes, those things really do work!) and, once she's completely dry, she gets groomed and all that extra hair is removed.

Then, usually a week or so later, we get to do it all over again!