It's Frustrating.....

How is it possible that I have walked 180 miles, cycled 647 miles (outside, road and trail), hill-hiked 25 miles, been to probably 50 yoga classes from March 1st to date and have not lost ONE stinking pound or one pant size? My blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density, blood work etc. is fabulous. My doctor is stupefied at how good all that stuff is for my age or even for someone 20 years younger than I am. Yet, I'm still considered overweight and need to lose 20-25 pounds to continue in this way.
I don't care what any MALE has to say on this subject. Any guy that says, making that same effort I did and he can't lose one stinking pound in 9 months is a liar.
Over 50, female and post-menopausal SUCKS!
Hate to complain because (on the Gratitude Scale I'm pretty lucky) at least I am ABLE to walk, hike, bike and (attempt to) do yoga but frankly this sucks.
Hating myself right now.
OK, swear this is my last complaint because I seriously have so much to be grateful for.....
If I thought getting hypnotized would work for not being hungry late at night, I'd jump on that like white on rice. I eat late at night and I seriously don't know how to stop it. I start at dinner (always late because that's when we eat) and never stop. It's like a nervous twitch.

The Dogs' View: The Wagon

Artie: I heard Mom in the kitchen, fussing about and clicking something.  Not the Clicker Something but her belt thing (Spibelt) that she wears a lot. This means she's probably going somewhere. I heard her reach for something by the door to Our Place.  Oh, oh, oh, I think she's going for a harness.....wait for it.....

Elke: OHMYGOD, HARNESS, HARNESS!  LEASH! LEASH!!!  MOAN-GROAN-GRUNT-SQUEeeeeAL!  I CAN'T STAND IT!!!!!!!

Artie: God, Elke, really?  How old are you again?

Elke: OHMYGOD, SHE HAS MYYYYY HARNESS! OMG, OMG, OMG!  I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Artie: Oh, oh, she has MY harness too!!!!!!  Yippeee!

Elke: OHMYGOD, GATE, GATE, GATE, MUST GO OUT GATE!!!!  I'M SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!  GATE!  OUT!
What?  I have to get BACK???  Mom has to go first?  Oh, god, I can't stand it!
Moooooaannnnn-grunt-grunt-moan!

Artie: Hey Princess Superior,  check it out. Mom is holding YOUR leash!   She doesn't have to hold MINE.  I stay with her!
Oh, nothing from the peanut gallery???
Yeah, go ahead, give me the stink eye.
So....anyway.....She attached the other end of our leash to my harness front so we are on the same leash.  Mom says it's easier than do all it that way than the leashes-tangled-up-two-dogs thing.
We wear a special harness called a Freedom Harness.

Elke in her Freedom Harness last year. 

Now humans name stuff the darnedest things.  "Freedom," my Aunt Fanny! Freedom means running around, jumping in the water, stuff like that.   Anyway, you can attach a leash to the top or the front or both. It's a nice harness.  Mom really likes it. I know when I see the harness something's going to happen!!!!
Elke is sniffing like crazy.  I mean like she's sniffing her brains out.  Like Evil Vacuum Cleaner.
We walked to the place with the slide-out box that gives treats to us (the bank) and then we start to walk home. We go down a street I don't think I've been to before and Mom sees a girl on a bike trying to pull her brother in a wagon.

Mom: (This does not bode well: kids, bike, wagon....This could be a lot of fun or a train wreck....it's looking like a train wreck.....Yep, it's a train wreck.....) You need a rope!

Girl: He hurt his knee and I'm trying to get him to my uncle's house. You're too heavy! (accusingly to kid in wagon)

Elke: I've calmed down now.  I've sniffed......

Artie...yeah, like the neighborhood went up your nose....

Elke: .....I've pooped.  I'm good. Hi kids!

Artie: KIDS!??  Whoa, kids!!!!

Elke: Mom looped our leash through the handle of the wagon. Then she put the leash on to the top of our harnesses. She clicked her tongue, not the Treat Sound but ck-ck-ck and made kissy noises!
     "C'mon guys, pull-pull-pull!  Ck-ck-ck!  Good dogs!  Good girl, Schmooby!  Good boy, Blooby!"  (She was using her Happy Voice.) Mom had her hand on the handle to steer it, and make sure it didn't run into our butts but oh, we were pulling the wagon.  Brat Boy was a little weirded out at first so I did most of the work......

Artie: Yeah, that thing behind me making noise was a little weird but Mom kept saying I was good!

Elke: ....Then he finally got his act together.  We pulled the wagon down the street, passed about ten houses, turned left, passed a few houses, turned right and then turned left into a driveway.  Some guy on his porch hollered, "Hey, that's the way to do, that's pretty cool, you go, dogs, great idea!" (I think he'd had a few beers.)
We finally arrived at the house and the girl was sooooooo nice and thanked us and pet us very gently.  Blooby wasn't even a brat!  Amazing.
Mom said, "See you don't need a sled dog!  These guys can do it just fine!"
The little boy never thanked us.  Brat. Mom changed our leash back to the front part of our harnesses and made us walk nicely home. No pulling!  It feels different when the leash is on TOP!
The rest of the way home Mom told us how good we were!

Us by New Car. It doesn't have a name yet. 

We came in the house and Mom took off our harnesses.  I collapsed on the floor and Brat Boy slept on the pillow!  Mom said we really earned our dinner tonight.

Artie: Don't we always?

Elke: Whatever.

Artie's Day July 5, 2013

Artie: I had a huge day yesterday. I'm still exhausted!

My Auntie Gayle took us to the shelter yesterday where I was adopted from. I don't remember being there. I was there only a day maybe and then I went to live with Momma Jen, the Rotten-weilers and Uncle Shay the collie.  Then I went Mom and Dad's house. 

Anyway!!

There is a doggie day care there, so Mom to me there to have play time while she messed about with shelter dogs. She had lots of smells on her when she picked me up. The place is called Hattie Larlham (In Twinsburg, OH) and employs people with mental disabilities. But I don't care!  

The head guy told me and Auntie that I did really well and they said, "He can come back ANY time!" Mom was really happy, because as a Cattledog Mom she hasn't heard this a lot cuz it doesn't happen all the time. The Others who came before me could be real bossy with other dogs. Some of us cattledogs are pretty bossy!

Then we went to my cousins' house Oreo, McKinley and I hung out there for a couple of hours.

Waiting for Uncle Ray to come home.....I don't need to lay on no stinkin' towel!

Kinners really likes his butt scratched!

I play with Oreo and then I play with McKinley!  This is how it goes when I am there.....

Then we all went (along with other doggie friend, Dudley) for a very hot, humid, muddy, slippery long walk (6-8 miles) through the woods. Up and down hills, lots of roots and rocks and slippery stuff, through streams and mud.  I don't care because I'm a dog!  I like the water part. I was a little worried at the pond where the Bad Thing happened but I went in and out with Kinners so eventually it was ok. 

I think Dudley got stung by a skeeter; there were a lot of skeeters. All the humans were sweating a lot.  Dudley won't go into the water like Oreo, Kinners and I do.  He doesn't like it but that's ok!  Oreo dips himself, it's funny!  I know Mom was really tired but it's GOOD for her.  We went back to O&M's house and I got a BATH!!!!!!  Eeeeuuuuu! 

(Yawn...) Ya know.....I...think...I might....be....a little....bit......Zzzzzzzzzzz.......

Mom: Can you believe it, I think he's STILL tired!

Artie getting some loving from Honorary Mom, Auntie Gayle.

I truly hope his sweet, goofy, social nature continues as he matures. I really love his temperament!

When you adopt a dog, even one as young as he was (3.5-5 months), It's a crap-shoot. You have no idea where he came from. How he was raised. A lot of it IS nurture (I think) but nature is definitely in there. I'm thrilled beyond measure at what a nice boy he is and I think we've "done right" by him as owners/trainers. He does get the occasional verbal "Hey!" and "What the he-- are you doing?" and "Knock it off!" but all the rest of his training has been "all positive." Praise, clickers, treats, tug/fetch rewards, luring, shaping etc.

He'll be 2 in September.

Classes and Training Help: L'Chaim Canine.

A Summertime Classic

On FB I posted this picture I took while out on an evening's summer walk:
No helmet, no straps, no seatbelt. Just pure unadulterated FUN!! Huzzah!


And my friend Cynthia W. posted back, jokingly of course:
Is this approved by OSHA? 
What about liability insurance in case someone should actually attempt to have fun and fall off? 
Do you have a spotter and is there a schedule for fun?


Sigh....


I had to laugh because it was funny but it's kind of sad and scary too.


Enjoy your tire swings, everyone!

Frustration

(Banging my head against the wall....)

How can 3 damn sore fingers and a sore damn shoulder tire me out so much?  Physical Therapy equals frustration. More damn tests and joy, of joys a MRI this Thursday. This week is filled with PT and damn doctors.  The sinus surgeon guy is Wednesday (about damn time) and they'll probably find of sh*t loads of nothing.  Which actually is way better than Something.  Or worse, Something Awful.

Last weekend's (April 30th-May 2nd) Depression was finding out I never got registered for the Cleveland Marathon.  Bugger, bugger, bugger, f-word, f-word, f-word me with a f-word chicken.....Cried with anger and frustartion.  Goes to show: never try to cheap it out.  Just pay your damn entry fee and screw raising money for ACS.

You got to love Brothers. "Want my advice?" Yes. "How many more hints do you need that maybe you're not supposed to do it this year?  There are plenty of other races out there...."  OK, fine.  But tell me how you get over the Failure Factor?  I know I need to move to stay fit and I'm haven't been.  Walking is hard.  WALKING, for God's sake. I'm just so pooped.  Pain is tiring.  Come on, it's just pain, aching crap. WTH.  Apparently it can be tiring.

Marty (another Male Relative) says it's my body healing.  Well, I wish it would hurry the h--ll up.

Good news: the mobility is better in the fingers.  I can almost type with all fingers, so that's great.  Tons of mistakes, many of which really need to be on damnyouautocorrect.  :-)

 And I've had 3 paying gigs in the last 2 weeks, that is awesome!!!  One very unexpected; a puppet show with J. V.  I have to admit we're a pretty good team.  He can serve them as hard as he wants but I will almost always be ready for a good volley back and forth. And I know that the puppets (him really) are the deserved stars. The play seems to be going well; a lot of talented folks are working on this show. Nice to be back on the boards.  I've been doing a lot of presentations for the Humane Society too, interesting.  Lots of little Girl Scouts. My demo puppy, Tucker, got adopted.  I'm going to miss that little guy, loved him. I hope he got a great home.

And the sun is finally SHINING.  About d---n time.  So, yes, there are parts of life that are very good. I heard recently any day you wake up is a good day.  So they are all good!  And yet, I'm frustrated that I have to basically start over from almost Square One, physically. Part of me is wallowing, the other part is saying Get. Over. Yourself.

Labor Day

While I'm waiting for my darling husband to do something with sone butt-head computer that he has been fussing with for what seems YEARS, I thought I'd drop a note.

Yesterday I went for a hike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with one of my dogs. Winger always has been a good hiking dog; stays right with you. He's a lot slower nowadays, being ten and all. But it was sylvan and peaceful and relaxing. Just to take the time. It is one of my truly favorite things to do, hike with a good dog. I have to work with the puppy, Elke, a lot more but i think she'll end up being a good hiking dog.

It's one of my joys and therefore makes me a bit prejudiced about breed types. I love the herding breeds because their tendency is to stick near you.

Well, I think we're going biking now! Goody. Fresh air. Got to get some!