Puppy Training

Well she is 18 months old but between her ears Molly is a puppy! No manners and no understanding of household behaviors.  So you sign her up for training with other puppies.  She is certainly the biggest puppy in the room and the most mature in that she is less tolerant of really bad behaviors but she is still way to unruley for us.  Plus she gets lots of socialization which lets her meet and interact with other people and dogs.

The class has 2 huskies, a boxer, a bull mastiff, a australian sheperd and Gracie a Sheltie. Gracie has “issues”. That is the understatement of the day. She won’t walk on concrete, eat with anyone else in the room and is totally blown away by all these DOGS. The instructor puts her and Molly together and they get seperated so Gracie can lower her “HOLY CRAP” levels to defcon 3.

They gets along OK but Molly senses the weakness and leaves Gracie pretty quickly so we bring in the Australian Sheperd who gets along with Molly and Gracie fine. We work on sit and down and stand and get “homework” for next meeting in two weeks when they should sit, down, stand and begin coming to their name.  Right now Molly is doing great and we have had her doing her homework alot today and she is great with treats and hit and miss without.  We are making progress and Molly is liking it.

Meanwhile Molly is finally beginning to acclimate to our house.  She is getting better at “kennel” command and seems conforted in her crate. Jan came out of the shower this morning and both Katie and Molly were in Molly’s kennel and they were fine with that albeit a bit crowded. She is still a barker and some of that has to get under control. Jan tripped on Molly’s Nyla bone and ran her hand into the wall and this required ice cubes in a wash cloth. One ice cube fell on the floor and Molly snarfed it up and ate it and then proceeded to bark at Jan until she got another and another … Well you get the picture. We are really enjoying having a distraction from mother-in-law so Molly gets lots of attention.  What fun.

Creator Bless, Love Dad.

Well it has been over a year, now

Life has a way of evaporating in the trails of time.  My last post had you walk with me through the death of my father and all that is part of that.  In the ensuing 14 months lots has happened but most of that has been of little consequence.  My brother and I  have been working albeit not as quick as we like, toward getting dad’s house ready for sale.  It has been a bit of a journey but there is significant movement and I like the progress we are making. Hopefully by year’s end we will have that completed.

Now on to the continued life cycle events. This last June we lost our beloved Maggie a Golden Retriever of 10 years.  Lots of health issues the last several years.  These included her going “outside” every 2 – 3 hours 24/7. It has been like having a baby for the last 5 years. You adapt and it just becomes part of your life to make sure you check on her regularly, and get her out, day and night. Anyway, there was a seizure one evening and the trip to the vet and some x-rays and a prognosis that indicated significant discomfort and pain. And you stand in that small white room with your spouse and you decide to end Maggies’ life. I reread this and see how cold that sounds but that is the description of the event. You hate this decision and all that it entails. This is the responsibility of pet ownership. Don’t do the good times if you cannot be there at the end. It is a heart rending decision but one you signed up for the day pup came home with you. So make the right decision for your pet and understand that there will be a dull ache to deal with for a while into the future. A week later I sat in the den and the door bell rang.  I paused for about 10 seconds then realized what I was waiting for…. Maggie was an alarm barker and every time the door bell rang, for real or on TV, she barked, and I was waiting to hear her bark.  As I walked down the hall to answer the door the tears streamed down my face as they do as I write this now.  Gosh, she is missed.

So then you watch as your spouse, yourself and your other dog (Katie) adjust to the unthinkable, life without Maggie.

And in a couple of months life circumstances bring an opportunity to you that let’s you think about getting another pet. Through a highschool classmate we become aware of http://www.goldenrecovery.org/ and ultimately we adopt a recovery dog.  This dog comes to us with no issues. Her circumstance was that her owner died and an elderly parent was the heir and could not take care of the animal and turned to GRRRR for help. Anyway, long story short, we have a teen age dog in our lives who provides us with all of the things a teen age animal provides.  Fun, junk drug out of every corner we had forgotten about, mischief, new behaviors, old memory stirring behaviors, and most important the responsibility of pet ownership, which is why we added another pet in the first place. So we have Mollie. Maybe I will find some time and post a bit about her first month or so with us as we enter the fall months.  The short version is she is a delight and the adjustments have been harder on her than on us, I am sure. She is doing great and we are having a lot of fun training and working with her. Cesar Millan says, “rule, boundaries, limitations.”

So that this does not turn into the “who died this time blog” I will try to add an entry soon that speaks to the joys in our lives.  There are many, I just seem to only get in the mood to write when some tragedy is finally in focus.  It is kind of like family, we only get together for funerals and wedings and I seem to only write at one of those seminal events as well.  Until next time, Creator Bless, Love Dad.

So you want a pup?

Well the urge can be just too much.  You are out at the mall, or where ever and you see some puppies.  The conversation quickly turns to, “I have always wanted a dog,” or “I think it is time we replace Lassie.”

Oh boy, now you have gone and done it.  Once the seal is broken on that idea it is very difficult to get it back in the can. Did that mix enough metaphors?

First, “choosing a puppy 101.” What to look for? What are the characteristics that you should watch for when making your selection. I suggest just 2 criteria, really just 2, yup just 2. Temperament and size match with your living situation.  Why only those two? Because if you are an experienced dog owner then you ain’t reading this article for information purposes and second if you have special plans (hunting, showing, rescue, competition) you are not looking to get your information here.  You are reading books and talking to folks that do this stuff and they are giving you incredibly useless information regarding your selection of breed, temperament, breeding and lineage and all of the other things that they are absolutely sure you must know and they have been unable to figure out for themselves.  They may have gotten lucky and have the best animal ever for whatever it is they do, but more likely they bought an animal from a breeder that has a good track record of birthing these animals with success in providing the traits consistent with their specialty.  In other words if you want a good hunting dog, find a breeder of hunting dogs, if you want a show dog, find breeder specializing in that. So if you have very special needs then I am probably not your source for super specific information regarding picking a pup. While my needs are very specific and my dogs are chosen with those needs in mind I am going to discuss the “pet” side our your selection and I will cover the “obedience” side of your animal. Meanwhile your specialty needs are going to get the short shrift here.

So you walk up to the cage, home breeder, puppy mill, mall shop, neighbors’ garage or wherever and pup and all of pups siblings look up at you and they just beg to be held and you immediately start the argument in your head (don’t tell me you will not, yes you will) that you could actually raise two of these guys as easy as one.  Hopefully sanity will prevail and you will go home with only one.  Find a mellow but not comatose pup of a gender you prefer.  I prefer females and have always preferred females when picking out dogs.  In cats, I don’t care so much, but in dogs they will be female. Every book says pick the one that comes to you and responds to you.  I am not so sure that this really matters.  That instant bonding thing will wear off pretty quick so I suggest just find one that is not jumping all over you and does not pee all over his/her self every time you speak and you will be fine.  The runts can be very special pets as well but for the first time pet owner I suggest a little more personality than is usually found in the runt. Any animal will work, and if you follow Ceasar Milan (The Dog Whisperer National Geographic Channel) he indicates that we always get the dog we deserve so as long as we like his/her temperament we will be fine.  Pup is easily molded to your wants and needs so consider this a work in progress.  There is a lot of difference between personality and obedience so don’t try to find the perfect dog just find one you like.

So we need to take a quick look at your home and see what dog will “fit” into your house. If you have a one bedroom efficiency apartment with no yard on the 5th floor of the building and 20 blocks from the nearest park or green space you probably should look for smaller statured dogs. If your home is larger and has yard space and ease of access to the outside, larger dogs can be considered.  That does not mean that large dogs fit large homes and yards.  It is really more important that you believe that you can handle Pup than it is how big your house is.  Do not put a Bull Mastiff in a two room efficiency where you are home after a 14 hour day. It won’t work for either of you. I guess the point is to select a dog of the size and physicality to match your home and your comfort.  Don’t match the size and physicality of your dog to your needs. You will end up with a Labrador Retriever (oh, I always wanted one of those) in your 3 room apartment and Pup will be perpetually a problem because you went with your needs rather than Pup’s. That is a fundamental first mistake in pet ownership.  The best question to ask is, “what is best for Pup” not “what is best for me?”

It is probably time to discuss the responsibility part of pet ownership. Being a pet owner brings with it a number of things you need to accept before bringing Pup home.  My number one rule is this is not a Wal-Mart purchase.  When you bring Pup home this is a final decision.  This is not something you can return tomorrow. So if you are unsure then DO NOT BRING PUP HOME. If you are unsure, find an animal you can try out for a weekend, a family members’ dog or someone that needs a dog sitter for a weekend or a week and be sure you want Pup for ever and ever. While I would rather you return Pup, that should not be your mindset. Health care is a basic gotta do part of bringing Pup into your home.  Shots, neutering, GOOD dog food, and hygiene are fundamental parts of having a pet.  If you are; too busy, financially strapped, disorganized, away from home too often or any other reason unable to provide for Pup properly then do not bring Pup home.  I understand that Pup will be expensive but that is part of the responsibility of bringing a pet into your home. I guess the short recommendation is if you are unable to care for Pup properly then leave him where you found him.  If you are emotionally unable to care for Pup’s needs leave him where you found him. Pup is going to become your responsibility and you need to be sure you can meet those needs before making him/her a part of your family.  If you really want a child DO NOT GET  A DOG. In other words get Pup because you want a dog not because Pup is cheaper than a kid. Pup will be perpetually confused and dis-functional if you see it as a human.  They are not humans and just because you want them to be they won’t become humans.  But worse, they become really mal-adjusted dogs if you treat them like humans.  They are dogs.  You are humans. The relationship can be very rewarding and deeply meaningful to both parties but it will be meaningful to humans in a human way and meaningful to dogs in a dog way and interpreting their behavior in human terms just confuses them and causes them to see you as weak then they begin having behavior issues.

All right, we have accepted the role of responsible pet owner and broughtPup home (did you take Pup for a walk yet, if not please go back outside and take Pup for a45 minute walk, yes thisis required and will be required everyday for the rest of Pup’s life, I told you this was not going to be easy) and have already had our first “accident” (isn’t our language priceless?) so the first thing you need is some basic instructions on house breaking Pup. You are going to hear story after story of the 2 day house breaking. Do not believe it, you are going to learn how to house break Pup, while you are teaching him to “outside” and that will include several if not many poops and pees in the house.  Ah, the joys of pet ownership. Figure, 6 weeks at least before Pup will relaibly tell you when it is time to go outside, be able to hold it while you get up from the dinner table, put on your coat, find your shoes, locate Pup’s leash, put that on Pup, and get him out the door and down the stairs to his favorite spot in time to outside. Trust me you will get there but it will not likely happen in 2 days. In fact if you see Pup as your child, he may never become house broken.  Pup is a Dog!

Start watching the book stores for books on how to bring a pet into your home. There are oodles and they will give you insight and understanding of what might be going on in Pup’s head. Watch TV. National Geographic Channel and A&E have shows on pets regularly.  The other gotta do is find a good vet.  Definition of a good vet is someone you like, trust and believe in.  He/She is going to be Pup’s health care provider for the rest of Pup’s life.  Since that translates into at least 2 visits a year for 10+ years this is not a decision to be taken lightly.  If you are not happy with office procedures, how Pup is treated, or the conditions of the facility go find another vet.  Eventually it is quite likely that this individual will oversee Pup’s euthanasia. Chose wisely and carefully as you will likely be called upon to make some very tough decisions together.

So we talked a little about finding Pup, picking out Pup, Pup’s first few weeks at home, Pup’s health care, and Pup owner’s responsibilities.  That is a lot to accept but it is hard part of being Pup’s pack leader, to borrow a phrase from Ceasar. From here on the relationship between you and Pup is going to get closer and closer and there will quickly become a time when you cannot imagine living without Pup, even though that day will come and for most pet lovers it comes far too quickly.

So next time we will take some time and discuss socializing Pup, teaching Pup to do things you ask and the joys and difficulties of a maturing Pup.  Until then, enjoy Pup.

Love, Dad and Creator Bless.

That’s what all the people say (part 3)

So you ride the roller coaster of life.  A new baby grandson and some challenges with MIL as she works through some health issues. I guess I forgot to mention that my father (91 years old) was in the hospital with pneumonia. As Kaffee said, “the hits just keep on coming.”

I finish up my part in the MIL caper (see previous post) and head for summer camp with the scout troop.  I had MIL ensconced in a nice facility with her loving daughter (my wife) looking in daily on her with compassion and concern and dad seemed to be on the mend in the hospital. I felt pretty confident that all was as right with the world as was possible with a parent of 91 and a MIL of 88, 2 kids and a grandson out east and couple of dogs who would still be asleep if I did not get back from summer camp for a month! So I left for camp that morning figuring a nice warm 10 days at camp would be just what the doctor ordered. Boy, how wrong one person can be.

I checked in with the lady that owns me, via cellphone, almost every day to make sure everything was OK on the home front.  MIL was being visited ever day and we were having some, “I am new to the place and have not yet adjusted” issues that my wife was handling pretty well for the caustic nature of the attacks. Unfortunately it looked like time was the only healer for these wounds. As the camp events started to ramp up and we got into some stuff where I have pretty heavy involvement I was less diligent in my calling home.  So if I called and did not get my wife I waited until tomorrow to try again rather than try again later that day. So we reach the mid point in camp and I decide to check my phone for messages before heading to campfire and I have a VMX and a text message from my brother indicating he needed a call as soon as I was in a place where I could do that. So I went to a location where I could get reliable service and gave him a call.  The word was not good on my dad.  His pneumonia had worsened and his CO2 level had risen significantly. He had become unresponsive and bro thought I should consider coming home.  There is no way to tell where this was going but my brother was really diligent in getting in touch with me and letting me make the call with the facts as he knew them.

Well, I looked at the situation and decided this was one of those times where you are better safe than sorry and I packed and left camp within the hour.  I made the two hour drive to the city and spoke with my wife on the way preparing her for an unexpected visit and the havoc I would be creating during my brief stop over. I arrived just at dark and proceeded to unload all of my camp stuff into the living room and repack the truck with stuff I would need for a ??? day trip to Iowa. I then ran into the bathroom and did the best thing one can do after 5 days at scout camp, I took a long soothing shower and considered the situation I was in and what the alternatives were. I think it is pretty obvious that you leave things open ended and hope it all works out somewhere in the middle.

So with a good nights’ sleep behind me I arose early and headed for Iowa. I arrived 6 hours later and checked into my motel and proceeded to the hospital to see pop.  As I headed into his room the door was closed and it would not open so I stopped at the nurses station and asked if there was a reason that his door was locked and they say “oh, just give it a tug, it gets stuck sometimes.” So I did and it did and I went in to see my dad. As indicated earlier he was unresponsive and so I decided it was time that dad and his oldest son had a talk.  We discussed our kids, the situation at home, the situation with MIL, the status of Andrew and everyone out east, the flooding in Cedar Rapids and everything else I figured he might want to know about.  We talk on the phone every weekend so I just made this a face to face conversation of all of the things he and I discussed when I called each week.  I guess the difference was that I told him I did not understand where he was on his current situation, but I was going to back his play whichever way he decided to take this. If he wanted to fight this thing, I was there to help with the fight, and if he did not want to fight it any longer I would back that play as well. So the ball was in his court but I had his back whichever way it went. Then I sat and cried for a while then I went and just watched him with his labored breathing. Gosh that can be really tough.

So about 90 minutes later a nurse came in and introduced herself and said she had some ministrations she had to do and asked if dad was responsive.  I indicated he had been unresponsive since sometime yesterday.  She said, “well then let’s get him awake and see how he is doing.” She got right in pops’ face and said loudly, “Russ, Russ, can you hear me, your son is here.” To which dad opened his eyes and looked around the room like Grandfather Clock (reference to Captain Kangaroo, Bob Keeshan, children’s TV show)) until he saw me.  He always did respond well to female authority figures. He began answering the nurses questions and for the next couple of days he interacted with myself and my brother and his wife on a regular basis.  He was clearly on the mend and the physicians began discussing removal of the feeding tube and weaning him back to solid foods and the longer term nature of his rehab and future living requirements. An interesting event occurred during the afternoon on Thursday when he recognized my brother and I and called us to his side and held our hands and told us he loved us and began to cry.  He remained very emotional for several minutes and then seemed to compose himself.  

So on Friday evening my brother and I said our good byes and I told dad I was going to head home tomorrow.  I indicated I would stop up and see him if Interstate 80 was open and probably would not stop by if I had to take a detour through central Illinois to get home. He nodded that he understood and I kissed him and told him I love him and he me and I walked out the door of his hospital room.

That was the last time I saw my father alive.  As I packed the truck to leave the motel on Saturday morning I received a phone call indicating he was gone.  Just 8 hours before he was interactive and seemingly on the mend and now he was gone. Wow, that hits you like a punch. You feel everything in your body just take the shock almost as if it were physical and then you begin life without parents!

I know that sounds kind of odd, but it is exactly what I was thinking.  I had been without my mother for about 13 years and living 6 hours away from my dad it was similar to him not being there. But I had always had a parent. Someone who gave me roots, and purpose and a history. Someone who could provide an opinion for some life decision that needed to be made. I did not always follow his suggestion, but I sought his wisdom and guidance and sometimes received his wrath when some slight was sensed. Especially when we had to move him out of the house and into a retirement living facility. A parent also provides a sense of groundedness.  It gives some framework to who you are, why are that way, and how you will go forward. Now I don’t mean to say that you lose those things with the loss of your parents but it is now different and the real comparisons are gone and are forever frozen as they were that moment when the phone rang and I first realized that dad was gone.

For the next couple of days you make preparations.  Mental and physical.  The good news was that dad had everything pretty well planned out and even had it paid for so a 45 minute meeting at the mortuary and we had most of the arrangements made. If you get nothing else from this, here is the take away.  Get your affairs inorder, paid for and all of the selections made so your kids or spouse do not have to do this at the worst possible time. This is the kindest thing you can do for your family.

Well, the next couple of days went pretty much like you would expect.  My family gathers from across the country and we prepare for a visitation and then a funeral.  Boy we westerners sure have an odd set of customs about saying goodbye to our family and friends. So you shake all of the hands of folks you mostly don’t remember and have not sen for 30+ years and you hear some great stories of better times and places when the world was new and perfect and everything was possible. You cry some, you laugh a lot (dad and mom had a long and full life and htheir kids got to enjoy the upsides and the downsides of that longevity) and eventually you find a few moments to say your good byes and begin life without parents. Not life without mom and dad (they stay in your heart forever) but without parents.

And that is what the cycle of human life is really about

Let’s talk soon, Love dad. There is a lady on the Yellowstone net whose handle is Lone Eagle Woman. Her sign-off is Creator Bless! Interesting way of saying goodbye. 

 

Hopefully we can discuss dog behavior and training next, I need to get this blog on an upbeat, for a change. And I will let Sean or Heather tell you about bar hopping in the west end of Davenport.  Way too good a story to not be told, but, better told by the injured, than anyone else.

That’s life (part 2)

Reeling in the euphoria of a new baby in the family and the phone rings…..

Mother-in-law (MIL) who is 88 years if age, has fallen and broken her hip.  Had to be rescued from her house by the fire department. She could not get up to open the door to let them in. Surgery tomorrow.

A little background will assist us here.  MIL lives in Davenport, Iowa and daughters live, respectively, in Michigan, Alabama, Nebraska and Kansas, any questions so far? Alright, moving ahead, MIL has had onset of dementia for several years and the kids have been struggling with how long mom could live by herself and properly take care of herself.  This is a real dilemma for us all.  Our folks want to live by themselves and be independent.  For some if they stay living alone long enough they eventually do not have the decision making skills to decide for themselves and believe they can remain independent and get very angry when challenged. So we kids get to “do the right thing” and really piss off our parents at a time in their lives when they are not very good at coping with change and adapting to new things.  Heck a new telephone or toaster oven is a major disruption a new living environment is a disaster and besides, “they don’t need it, they were just fine living by themselves.” Mind you, they were probably not able to handle basic hygienic issues, the house was really getting dirty and financial affairs were in “disarray.” But “I can take care of myself”, thank you very much.

Now back to our story – surgery went fine, daughters drove in from far and wide to cope with Mom’s new situation and were confronted with the fact that it is finally time to address the issue of what happens to Mom when she comes out of physical therapy?  Well she needs to be in some facility that is close to one of the girls and on that we all agree, pretty much. Now who, OK, our place is fine let’s begin the process of finding a place that 1) mom would like, 2) we believe is the right place with the best facilities for what mom needs, 3) is affordable. Don’t over look the last one.  If you have not looked into assisted facilities or nursing facilities or even retirement facilities, brace yourself. $2K a month is where things get started and they quickly head north from there. A nice facility is going to run $5K – $6K per month if special services are required.

Well not to worry, we have 3 – 6 weeks before MIL is out of physical therapy. So on Thursday of the first week of therapy we have a status phone call with the PT folks and “it is too early to make an assessment of when MIL will be released.” So we begin the process of finding a place for mom. We figure we have plenty of time to locate, assess, and prepare for MIL’s arrival. That was Thursday, Friday  morning we get a call from the PT folks, they will be releasing MIL next Wednesday. She is not making progress and “by law” they must release her if she is not making progress. Wrap your head around that, if she is not making progress then they need to terminate her therapy. So in 24 hours she went from “too early to call” to “not making progress.” The incompetence here is outrageous (Good Samaritan of Davenport, Iowa, my guess is MIL really hated this place and the folks who ran it, so she would not learn out of spite.) (MIL has had almost constant PT since arriving here and she has been continually “making progress” and it is obvious to this writer that progress is being made and I only see her a couple times a week.) A simple example of Good Samaritan vs Sunrise of Overland Park.  Good Sam, she spent every day in Depends, Sunrise, that is a last resort and one that has not been offered since she arrived. It is not too tough to see the quality of life issues that might get you down if you were on the other end of this decision!

So my Scouting stuff is now officially on hold while we, get a U-Haul trailer, drive to Iowa, load the trailer, return home, deliver and install all of MIL’s stuff in her new apartment and emotional prepare for a “new hobby, MIL.” Meanwhile the rest of the family are each crawling through similar Cheerios trying to make a trip to Iowa to assist in getting mom moved out of her house, go through her stuff, and figure out how we get her to our place without renting an ambulance which costs around one million dollars by everyones’ estimate for a private service to make the 800 mile trip.

She is here, we are seeing her every day and we are fielding calls on a regular basis, from her, asking when she is going home and why are we being so mean to her and “she is bored” and every other excuse one might imagine. Unfortunately her dementia is at a stage where she seldom remembers that you were there or called in the morning, so she will call and indicate she is lonely, scared, bored and several other emotions all a result of the lapses of her mind.  Mind you her facility has 7 planned activities every day which she chooses not to participate in!

Let me tell you it is really tough to watch sometimes.  It is even tougher to watch your spouse go through this with her mother. I would much rather be the one directly going through this versus being the supportive spouse. Little did I know I would have issues of my own to deal with as the next 90 days rolled out.

With that said, MIL is making some progress, but this will be a long term home for her. On her good days she knows she is well cared for and that she is there because her family loves her.  On her bad days, well, you get what you get. So we look forward to the good days and tolerate the bad days. The real message here is these are tough decisions that families must wrestle with and no matter what determination you make the ultimate consumer here (MIL) ain’t gonna be happy and you are seen as the cause of the problem rather than the solution to the problem. Folks at this age are very good at playing the victim (that is all they see on TV and in the media, their two primary stimulants) so they play that card and we feel so much guilt over having to preside over this situation that no one can deal with the issues. Instead we work on the emotional stuff and everyone ends up in a lather. So we are supportive and helpful and let life roll on.

A word to the wise here.  If you are an adult with spouse, children and or other family and do not have a will, enduring Power of Attorney and a living will with instructions on resuscitation and life sustaining measures then you are walking the tightrope of life without a net. Please look into this and put these documents in place.  They are pretty inexpensive (less than $500 for the whole set) and they give your loved ones some rights and guidance if you should ever need them.  MIL was, thankfully, well prepared, so we could use the POA to execute things on her behalf with ease and simplicity, except for the government which would not accept POA, go figure.

The real truth is no one is to blame here.  The misdirected anger and frustration is just one of life’s hardships. The situation is really nothing more than old age and the body we have relied on for all of our lives giving out one component (or more) at a time.  While it is easy to sit and say I wish the mind was still good no matter what the body can take, it is really no better that the reverse.  But all of that is avoidance.  You don’t get to vote, it is the way it is and we just have to cope, if we can , and if not it is going to be a bumpy ride.

But that is the story for another entry.

Love to all.

The strangeness of life (part 1)

Right off, I must admit that this is less than timely. First of all, it was necessary to figure out what all of this meant, then some life stuff got in the way and then some more life stuff got in the way and here we are approaching the first of July and it is time to get this on “paper.”

So what is the thing that has me so stymied that I had to wait 90 days to publish? Well, I am a Grandpa. I have yet to figure out exactly what that means and there are still a bunch of questions centering on this momentous event. At least I think it is momentous.  It is certainly important for my son and his wife.  It is certainly important for my wife and so in some strange way it has to be important for me, right? Well it is, but I need to express the issues that are racing through my head and maybe you and I may better understand what this means.

First off, let’s get this said, I am very happy to be the grandpa to a healthy bouncing baby boy name Andrew Frederick. I am sorry to be so far removed from him, that I will miss a lot of his growing up. That said, it is the way of our children to head off to live on their own and have their own lives in places we like to visit, but do not care to live. So the price we must pay is a distance that keeps us estranged of their everyday lives.  It might well be that we would be estranged if we lived 3 blocks away but it seems more problematic when the distance is greater.

That, in and of itself, is not the issue here.  I guess it is centered around the grandpa part.  First the implication that you gotta be old if you are a grandpa.  I will figure out a way to get through that but it was a hurdle, to consider that I am old. Second I am supposed to be proud of an event that I had absolutely nothing to do with, all right, lets get the giggles out of the way, I mean to say that this child comes into this world and I am to be proud.  Of what exactly? No actions on my part were a part of this event. No decisions I made were a part of this event. No suggestions I made were part of molding this event. In some strange way it is similar to being proud when your child gets a college degree or is recognized for some significant accomplishment.  I am happy for them, and proud of their accomplishments but I am pretty discombobulated about how I should feel. Maybe I am viewing this too narrowly and it is really just as simple as being proud that our family name will be carried on and some legacy is underway. As for the joy component it is challenging for someone who is really a hands on close contact individual to enjoy this little guys’ growth and maturation over the phone.

Now I don’t want this to sound like a poor little me piece. I am delighted for my son and his wife.  All are OK and doing great.  It is fun to watch my son talk through the issues of being a new father and parent (more on the difference between these in another entry) with the struggles one has to face as one balances work, family and the personal pieces of ones’ life.  It is amusing because I had almost the exact same feelings and difficulties making decisions about which is most important when my kids were born. You are no longer a man and a husband.  You are also a father and a parent and those two job descriptions are often in conflict with the other parts of your life.

So, to close this out, I am overjoyed at the birth of my grandson.  I am very proud of him and his mom and dad.  They are making good decisions and are being good parents even when they don’t necessarily have the skills to evaluate their own progress.  They are still using a yardstick they made as non-parental marrieds and that yardstick is no longer of much use to them, they just do not have a new one to use.

So I have to deal with the fact that at some level, this event shows another mile marker on the “you are not as young as you think you are” meter. Second, his development will be some how a bit more difficult to watch through technological binoculars. He will be raised primarily without much of Grandpa’s influence.  The jury is still out on whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe even more challenging is he will be raised by and significantly influenced by folks I don’t know well enough but have to trust my son and his wife  have made good decisions about. This, for a control freak, is a tough pill to swallow.

So to summarize, I don’t know how I feel.  I am elated, confused, worried, proud, hopeful, frustrated and caring about this new situation in my life.

Interesting, it almost exactly how I felt when the kids were born.

Love to all.  Thanks for helping with my therapy.

 

TiVo revived

Hi y’all, it has been a while.  The blog thing was always intended to be something that is getting new entries during the winter and early spring of the year.  Not to belabor this, but the rest of my year is pretty busy, between my Scouting activities, and my hunting schedule there is not much time left for blog entries.  Maybe I can get reinvigorated with ideas after the hiatus. 

There are several ideas that really need blogging (is this a verb?) before the Scouting season gets into full swing.  So I have about one more week and then it is underground until at least August.

So several of you know that I have becoe a huge TiVo fan over the last couple of years.  We have DirecTV (D*) and got one of the early HD TiVo units and have enjoyed TiVo for about 4 years.  Cool stuff. In the mean time D* has been adding a l bunch of HD channels but unfortunately for me they have been in a format (MP4) that we cannot enjoy on our TiVo.  That stinks, but it is how D* has decided to treat their customer base.  I really like the satellite set-up so I will stick with D*.  Anyway about a month ago our TiVo began slowing down and getting very sluggish in recording and playback.  That has happened before so we anticipated a download that would resolve the issue and waited a couple of days for this to occur.  Well I got up in the middle of the night during a very bad thunder storm and figured I would check our download status and do the research on current TiVo problems and resolution.  I turned on the TiVo and it was in the middle of a rest.  The long story short is it would get about half way through the reset and then start over.  This continued over and over.

I contacted D* and they have no support plan for 4+ year old TiVos.  They finally sold me ($20 one time charge and 2 year contract) their DVR which, of course supports the MP4 format. So  they came out 4 days later and made the installation including a new 5 LNB dish and made everything nice.  Surprisingly the new DVR works reasonably well.  It ain’t TiVI but it was immediately usable and with a few limitations it works as good as the TiVo.

So now let’s take a peek at the TiVo unit and see what is wrong.  Several friends (thanks Chris and Matt) quickly suggested that the disk drive was the culprit here.  After sitting and drawing up a logic diagram of how I would design one of these things I came to the same conclusion and figuring that 350GB drives are pretty reasonable I decided to get a drive and have a go at home repair.  After a bunch of additional research I realized that the disk drive was not the long pole in the tent.  The software that needed to be loaded on the disk was the issue. Suggestions pointed me toward weaknees.com was the place to go. They sell pre-loaded software disks that are ready for plug and play.  So the only question is “are we sure it is the disk drive?” My response, “there is only one way to find out.

So I order the replacement disk for $159 from Weaknees and waited anxiously for its arrival.  In the meantime a trip out east and several other difficulties entered the picture making this take a lot more calendar time than I had hoped. One is that I wanted to hook it up to an analog 14” TV in our bedroom that only has a f type connector on the back of the TV while the TiVo only has RCA yellow, red and white connectors so I had to find a converter box (RadioShack ($25.00)) that does this.

So I installed the disk drive quickly just need torq driver and a few minutes and it is done.  If you have ever been inside a PC and replaced a disk drive this is much simpler than that even.  Two cables and a couple screws and you are in business.

Then you hook everything up and keep your fingers crossed.  Woo hoo it works, so I spent a couple hours configuring everything and we are in business.

The takeaways from this efforts are weaknees.com, you really need the MP4 format and the 5 LNB dish. Never let the technology see you sweat! Don’t give up on your TiVo unless you have to.

The final straw and customer service nightmare was D* contacted us indicating that if we did not send them our TiVo we would be charged $470.  Huh? I paid for this TiVo ($1,000 as I recall) and now they are gonna hit me with another $500.  So much bitching and strong suggestions that they could stop out and pick up their new DVR and their 5 LNB dish  on the front porch anytime after noon tomorrow they decided it was not that important that we return it!

So case closed for now, TiVo works and gives us a DVR in the bedroom and the new DVR works really well with lots more HD channels.

More soon on dog training (go watch Ceasar) and being a Grandpa! LD

What could be more of a “guy thing” than tools?

Do you really enjoy spending time in the hardware store?  I mean reeeeeeally enjoy it? Can you jump in the car (assuming you live somewhere within reasonable driving distance of one) and go blow an afternoon looking at tools? Well,  I am guilty as charged your honor.  Do you know the difference between and XRP battery and a Nano? Do you care?

Well you are reading this post from a guy who absolutely loves tools of almost any sort.  Hand tools, power tools (especially cordless stuff), wood working tools, fix-it around the house tools, auto mechanics tools and tool boxes, tool attachments, special saw blades, screw drivers by the drawer full, all kinds of tools. Wrenches, taps, dies, screw drivers, cordless drills, drivers, saws, flashlights, calipers, clamps, soldering stuff, sanders, grinders, vises, hammers, levels, stud finders, you name it, I have some interest in it. 

Now most of the guys I know come in a couple of flavors, when it comes to tools.  Look in their tool boxes and you will see what I mean.  Is there stuff all from the same vendor (Craftsman, Snap-On, Mac, Stanley) or is it Heinz 57 Variety? A little of this and a little of that? The brand guy has gone out of his/her way to acquire a set of tools that are probably guaranteed until some time after the next ice age is over! Just bring them back and we will replace them.  OK, are they still in business, do they still have a store in the same state you live in?  I buy Sears Craftsman.  I don’t have a great deal of analysis on their quality or their engineering or their usability.  Actually I am too dumb to know much about the metallurgy of these tools, but what I do know is that they are guaranteed for ever as long as they stay in business.  Now I understand that that has become a shakier and shakier proposition, but until they turn out the lights, I can return my 3/8″ drive ratchet and get a new one even though I bought it 20+ years ago. So if it is a socket set or wrench, there is a high likely-hood that it is a Craftsman if it is in my garage.

Now if we are talking cordless, that is a different deal altogether.  I have been through Makita, Craftsman, Rigid (is that the best/worst name for a tool company ever), Black and Decker and all of the other brands and finally got a good deal on a 5 tool kit from Dewalt.  Whoa baby. Now there is a cordless tool set. I am not a fan of Dewalt’s NiCad technology but I have found a solution. Buy a couple of XRP batteries and use ’em up.  When they finally go casters up, head over to Interstate Battery and have them replace the batteries inside the battery pack with lithium ion batteries,  and voila, more ma hours and it is about the same price as buying a new battery ($55.00). This is a sweet deal and solves the dilemma of $100 batteries.

 So if you really are nuts about tools, here are some of the drool items on my Sunday morning newspaper sales ads strafe. Sears ads for the large laser etched socket sizes for those with mature eyes.  Too cool for words.  I don’t have a set but they are definitely on my “watch list.” Sears has the entire set of every socket size they make, available and it is pretty cool! Do not pass up the Lowe’s and Home Depot ads either, they seldom have any deals but the comfort of your favorite easy chair is a great way to shop. Another general category is attachments for cordless drills and cordless drivers.  They make them with everything you can imagine as an attachment.  The area that is really lacking is hex driver based drills.  Nobody is making an industrial strength set of these for speed loaders or quick attachments or whatever lingo you use.

Well enough about what you got and who makes ’em.

Let’s get practical, for around the house kind of projects you really need to assess what kinds of stuff you do, before you leave the house to make the purchase of a lifetime.  If you change you own oil and do you own maintenance on you vehicles you need to consider something a little better than some of these and some of those sockets and wrenches. I know they are expensive, “honey, think of all of the money I will save changing the oil on our cars” yeah really, give me a break.  I really hate to make a trip to the store just to buy tools for a project that should have taken 1 hour but took all weekend because they did not have a ratcheting box wrench on 9/16″.

So what have we learned?

Tools are cool.

Find a brand you like and keep buying it.

Cordless stuff is really fun stuff to own.

Don’t justify buying this stuff with some lame cost benefit analysis you learned in a business ethics course you audited because some hot chick you knew took the class.

Consider brands that are available for purchase in web stores and/or eBay.

Support your tool brand by rooting for your NASCAR driver that is sponsored by your fave tool maker. Not!

Let’s have some potty talk

OK, let’s get this out of the way right up front.  Much like the roof on your house, replacement of a toilet, is a once maybe twice in a lifetime event.  Well we are on our fifth roof (each guarranteed for 25 or more years) and are now on our third round of toilets. In fairness, the last set where installed about 20 years ago. So I thought todays’ entry could discuss this seldom in a lifetime event.  For those of you who purchase older homes, fix them up and sell them, this is a mundane event, for the rest of us mere mortals, this is a watershed moment, not to be taken lightly.

Who’da thunk it? After all of these years in technology, that I would finally use those skills(?) to present some comments on potty selection.  No, I mean toilet, commode, loo, water closet, crapper, throne, potty. I guess if you are from Boston potty could signify your political leanings, as in republican potty.

Any how, we are sitting around chit chatting and the subject of our guest loo floor being wet, arises.  I am not mister handy guy.  I have some skills in this area but am eternally frustrated by plumbing and water stuff in particular.  But, it is within my skill set to repair leaks.  All it takes is about 4 trips to the hardware store to get stuff that I got on the previous trip but either I got the wrong stuff or I needed other stuff that I did not know I needed until the stuff I got the last trip was installed, anyway, you get the picture.  The slightest leak is an all day, many trip, lots of creative vocabulary, excuse to buy new tools, adventure. On the subject of tools, I may have an idea for another entry!

So I take a look at the tank and the water supply lines and determine we have a tank issue.  OK, we have officially left my comfort zone and entered the “we need a professional” zone.  I have today and the next day committed to doing stuff, so it is time to find someone who knows which end of a wrench to hold when you throw it at some plumbing work. So the CFO contacts our plumbing fix-it folks and requests they come to the house and resolve this problem once and for all.

So out comes the guy and he proceeds to look at the infernal gadget for all of 30 seconds declares the tank cracked, unrepairable and announces that he has a fix on the truck that will just do the job, so to speak.

Anyway he lugs, uninstalls, unhooks, rehooks installs, unpackages and generally makes a mess of the front yard, the front porch, our hallway, and the bathroom for the better part of 2 hours.  During all of this there is a lot of hmmm, oh yeah, ungh, ungh, ing and lot of other interesting noises.  All of this, I am told by the CFO, was well beyond my pay grade and certainly beyond my patience levels.

At the end of this we have to have the customary “demonstration” which I am sure is to prove he did something (like the new porcelain thing in the room wouldn’t be proof enough?) and that what he did does what toilets are supposed to do, remove ….. er stuff with a great rush of water and noise.  Wooooey, this one does that.  He proceeded to put 3 or 4 times the customary (per my mother’s instructions, as I recall them – 3 sheets 4 wipes, flush) paper in and hit the lever.  Whoa, this is way cool, and away it goes.  Plus this thing can be flushed again, immediately, in the event of a courtesy flush and a real flush being required before the tank fills.  I know absolutely nothing about toilets.  I do not understand how they work or anything about the internal mechanisms of a toilet.  If I put in a Fluid Master and tighten all water lines and that does not fix it then “it is broke” and will require a professional.

Well this is amazing it flushes like mad, refills the tank quietly (no more complaining from the neighbors 2 doors down about water running at our place) and the best is yet to be learned.  The lid!

Someone has been listening.  We have a Golden Retreiver.  Here avocation is water.  I mean water of any kind, found in any location. It does not have to be clean water, new water, it can come from almost any source.  She will find it, stand in it, drink it, splash it, swim in it, roll in it and do anything else she can think of in and around it.  So at our house when you are through using the loo, you put the lid down!! That is not a request, it is a mandate.  If not, the next sitter will get a wet behind.  After months of chaffed behinds we have learned, at our house, to put down the lid when finished. It is an eternal pain to do this and this act is forgotten sometimes and of course when guests are in the house and we once again begin chaffing.

Well this new terlet (east coast pronunciation) has a lid that you just tilt it forward and it will find its way QUIETLY to the porcelain without any additional effort on your part.  Way, too, cool.  It is awesome. All you do is take it off of perpendicular and some little gremlin takes care of the rest.  Man, where have I been for the last 25 years?  This is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Two interesting outcomes.  One, is there a way we can train our guests? Probably not.  Second, our master bath does not have one of these lid things so there is a great deal of lid banging going on. This has gotta get fixed!

Trout fishing in those out of the way places

Well now, this post will not be your normal travelogue piece.  First, the thought of trout fishing probably conjures up images of exotic locations with scenic vistas and expensive equipment.  Well for those who have spent a little time here reading my opines, you will recognize that I usually don’t live my life that way.  Things are a little more folksy, down to earth, and consist of real world activities that have a cost but are within reach of the average working stiff.

Yeah, but trout fishing as seen on TV is pretty high dollar stuff with specialized equipment and skills that are outside of my means and abilities.  Hold on, hold on, we are getting there but we need to set some expectations first.

I want you to imagine a beautiful stream along side a quiet gravel road deep in the Rockies on a golden, quaking aspen autumn day and see a tall thin man standing calf deep in a stream with a fly rod briskly whipping a #21 midge forward and back to just the right spot and imagine the swirl of a big rainbow coming up behind ……. wait a minute that is not what this is about.  I am talking about fishing for trout in IOWA!!  Yup the “tall corn state.” We are talking, worm dangling, lure casting, cow pies on the bank, pheasants cackling over the limestone hill, IOWA.

So maybe your idea of trout fishing is the description I just gave of a fishing afternoon in the Rockies.  Good enough, keep googling, cuz this ain’t the right stop on your magical mystery tour. We are heading to the great state of Iowa for a glorious afternoon of fishing without much fellowship. The price will be right and the enjoyment will be similar but without all of the trappings of an outdoor channel extravaganza.

Iowa began their program of “put and take” stocking back during the mid point of the last century.  The idea is that the state will hatch and grow trout to be eventually stocked in appropriate streams within the state.  Then we the “fishermen” (fisherpeople sounds a bit pretentious) will spend our weekends in the spring and fall dangling worms and such bait as we can buy or find until one jumps out of the water and lands at our feet.  Well maybe it is not quite that easy.  We are using equipment made by companies like Zebco, Mitchell, Eagle Claw, Berkley with Mustad hooks and such.  We buy our bait at WalMart and Cabela’s and Bass Pro and our rods and reels together cost well under a $100.  We carry our stuff in our coverall pockets and our hooded sweatshirt pouches and we don’t even understand what a tippet is used for, “weight forward” is a concept of how our diet has put the pounds on us over the years and creels are those folks that live down on the bayou and got hit by hurricane Katrina, right?

Anyway, you get the point that this is not a sophisticated exercise, right.  The fun of fishing, is, well, fishing. Getting outside on a beautiful fall afternoon with a sandwich and can of pop nee soda in your 5 gallon bucket, a dozen night crawlers, a couple of old fishing poles that have seen lots of service and some wonderful spring fed water flowing through limestone covered hills with rocks the size of your pickup in the middle of the stream hiding 1# -3# fish awaiting the plunk of your bait to entice them out of their environs and into your bucket.

The state hatchery publishes a stocking schedule of what streams will be stocked and when.  There are quite a few streams that are being stocked and lots of fish are being placed for the enjoyment of the citizenry that take a fancy to a little walk in the farm lands, on a spring or fall day, who have the patience to wait out these little guys hunger pangs.

Now the purists out there are saying, “that ain’t trout fishing” well good for you it might be different than your style of trout fishing but it is trout fishing Iowa style and if you think your enjoyment is any greater then the enjoyment I just described you are sorely mistaken. Fun is fun and if you’ve a hankering to fly fish or some other esoteric form of killing fish, have at it.  In the years I have fished these cold water streams in Iowa, I have seen every form of fishing I know of and all have provided hours of pleasure for their purveyors.  So you go ahead and do it your way and I will do it mine and we can all coexist.

Part of the nice thing about Iowa trout streams is NO CROWDS! If you have ever tried trout fishing in Missouri or any of the other popular states you are used to being able to see many folks from where you stand fishing in your favorite hole.  It will be the exception when you can see anyone from your favorite hole when fishing an Iowa trout stream except in the state parks that are stocked.

License fees are reasonable and an annual non-resident fishing license is $39.50 and a Trout Fee is $11.00 (this used to be called a trout stamp.) So for about $50 and some bait you can be in business and most of us cannot drive to another trout fishing location for that price, so give it a try.

As far as equipment goes, any old rod and reel will work.  Old timey trout fisherman tell you you need 4# or less line and ultralight rods and reels.  Well, while those types of gear catch a lot of fish, I have stood next to guys using their Zebcos and watched them pull fish after fish out of the same hole I was in with my fancy equipment and they were home cleaning fish before I got my limit.

I use graphite rods because I really like the feel of them when a light tap, tap, tap is felt on the end of the bait,  I use a Shimano Spirex 500 FA reel with a G Loomis ultra light graphite rod of 5′ 6″ with 4# line of some brand that Cabela’s wound on for me. But, again, it is not necessary. The fish are looking for food and as long as they think that is what they are getting, they don’t care that it is attached to a cheapo rod and reel, they just want to eat.

So the real purpose of fishing is decompression time for many of us.  There are those that fish to eat and for them my suggestion is find some other type of fishing as the limit is 5 trout per day. Go fish crappie where the limit is about 1 million crappie per day and you can fish one day and eat for weeks. So if the enjoyment of being out in nature and relaxing is your goal then Iowa trout fishing is something you really need to explore.

I hope this helps, as I really am feeling the pull to get up there and get after them.  The stocking season does not start for another couple of months but the carry-over trout always seem like a fun thing to try.

If you’ve a hankering to, check out this site http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/fishing/trout/troutstr.html everyhting you ever wanted to know about Iowa trout fishing is located there including stocking schedules.  Enjoy and don’t forget who sent you.  You’re gonna love it! Any time you can get outdoors and spend a day you are a better person. Make it a habit.