What's going on?

WOW - my last writing was July of 09.

Here is an update on the pack.

Cats -
We lost Gizzy in July. A Necropsy was completed and she had cardiomyopathy. I miss her sweetness and the quite times we spent together when i groomed her. She "talked" often, especially at wet food time.

Tiger - I noticed she was losing weight. Off to the vet and her blood test results showed feline Leukemia. She has been indoors since she was a kitten. We aren't sure how she got the disease. Sometimes, we think the blood tests are wrong; at least that is what we tell ourselves. She is literally wasting away before our eyes. We are concerned for the other cats in the home - but at this point no one is showing signs.

Tom - Ol' man turned 18 in December. He is as grumpy as ever - taking charge of his herum..

We bought a new tower for the cats for Christmas. We had to put some steps next to it so fat @ss Dharma could get up there. I mostly find her and Holly up in the tree.

Socks - the fifth dog in the house is a total PITA - and would rather be with the dogs than with the cats.

Dogs
Well, it is winter and we really haven't done much. I get home late from work and it's dark already. I can sometimes fit in a training or session or two, but usually we are in bed by 8. So, basically they are all, including me, out of shape. It's almost like we are in hibernation.

Jake - We did a few flyball tournaments in St George and Vegas. It is what Jake loves and I like to take advantage of the opportunities for him to play. He has slowed down - and i expected that as he will soon be 7. But, I am just grateful, knock on wood, he is healthy for 7.

Zoe - She has become so lazy - hmmmm sounds like her human. She eats breakfast and then back to sleep. She and Sneek have become close - and they play often. Once in a while I catch her trying to get Maddie to play outside, but those times are far and few in between.

Maddie - Miss Maddie My snuggle bug. She has really calmed down this past year (knock on wood). Around Christmas she went on a hunger strike - not eating for almost 3 days. It was Christmas so most vets were closed. But, I got her thru the holiday by giving her Zantac and home made chicken soup (yes, I cooked). It took her a good week of chicken soup to recover. None of the other dogs got ill, so not sure what she got into to - but I am just glad she recovered and we didn't need to go to the vet.

Sneek - I don't think I can spend the next hour writing about her. I will just sum it up in one work"challenge". She has attended day care, on and off. We stopped going there because the girls she loves no longer worked there. The new staff doesn't understand Sneek's needs (or her desire to jump the 6 foot fence when left unattended). She is just about crate trained - just about is a vague term. She can stay in for 4-6 hours - although we have had to clip it shut otherwise she can escape. But still, progress has been made as we no longer come home to bloody paws or chipped teeth. We are still working on her flyball training. At this point I am not sure when or if she will ever make a debut. We did get her DNA results back. Her primary was blank, secondary was Boxer, and in the mix was Boston Terrier. So now I get even stranger looks when asked what kind of dog she is...

And - I turned 40. I just keep telling myself it's just a number - but then the aches and pains remind me I am not a young chic anymore. The last while leading up to the 40 - I have started to re-examine some things in my life. Let's just say I am now in the awareness stage :-)
I went home for my birthday and had a GRAND time. It was so great to see my Dad and sister. I so enjoyed my time with them and Hadley's mom and my brother in law. I want to go back more often, but at $350 a pop, well trips are far and few in between. I have some pics, which I might post later. It was nice to be home; almost too nice and too peaceful. It was comforting going back to my roots - remembering who I am, where I came from, why I am the way I am (see told you I am re-examining some things - sometimes I get to deep and freak out!)

That is the short update. I need to return to writing on the blog . I am missing moments here - and moments make up lifetimes and memories.