FASHION NO NO

Things are crazier here today than yesterday. ALL the flights are cancelled out of Portland, all the roads closed. It is a pitiful situation. Sheba refused to go out last night and finally could not hold it any longer, I let her out a 1am and she went down in the snow over 2 feet. We have had about a foot of snow but the drifts have made it seems like much more. Arrow has her purple coat, so hence she has created a fashion no-no. Purple boots with a blue coat/snooze. I thought of Macey when I put her boots on. She is ready for the elements the next time nature calls. I hear it is pitiful today in Holland too. I called Jean to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and she said church was cancelled, etc.....You will have a lot of snow for sledding tomorrow night. I will keep you posted how things fare out here in the Pacific NW, where it is NEVER supposed to get below 32....

SNOW, SNOW , SNOW

Even we have snow now in Portland, more than a "dusting" that shut the city down all week, now we do have a storm that is almost a never in Portland, the last big one was 5 years ago and I was snowed in for 5 days with NO DIET COKE. Rest assured that will never happen again, but things are a bit dicey out there. The airport is still open but you have to have chains on in order to drive or they will ticket you. Of course I have NO chains, so I will not be going anywhere soon.
Sheba seemed to like the snow the first time out, but she came barreling around the corner and did a body plant that resulted in a YELP, so the 2nd time she went out, Mom made sure she had her coat and boats on. No problem the 2nd time around. I am sending a few pictures in her green coat, minus the boots, I will get one of her with hat, coat and boots but she shies from the camera when she is all decked out.
I was so sad to get the word on Arrow today, that he has cancer, ( lympathic) and probably will not live long. I kinds wish he was back with me, I miss him, he is really a love bug. Have fun sledding on Monday, I may update before then, until then...I leave you with the Queen....

Macey's masterpeice framed

I am sure you all remember that GREAT picture that Macey made for me for my birthday. I am proud to say it is framed and hanging in my bedroom so it is the last thing I see at night when I go to bed. I love you Macey

New hat for Sheba

Here are a few pictures of Sheba in her new hat/PJ's...and one of poor Arrow in his coat trying to stay warm,,,

Barack in a box

I have spoken about my beloved Barack in a box before, but I thought it was time to show the world my most prized piece of history. Check out this gem

Time flies

I can't believe that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. I still have Thanksgiving decorations out. I have been so busy with ETSy that all else has gone to hell in a hand basket. I was glad to hear about Bill's birthday dinner and the chance for the girls to meet Jean. I hear that it went well. I am still in a quandry about Arrow. He keeps having the same symptoms, took him to the vet on wed and to aspcialiston this coming Monday. He will not eat anything but Val's homemade dog cookies, have changed his food,all kinds of medication....the poor fella is skin and bones. Sheba is very sweet to him....
Assuming that all the kids are home from college breaks and I know Dave, Rachel and Katie-Kat are in town this weekend for the Hamberg get together. Jean sold one of her bird bracelets on ETSy.....way to go, you never knwo with this ETSY thing, but it has kept me busy.
The weather is supposed to get frigid cold here in the next few days and maybe some snow, which is a rare thing. Wish I could be there for Christmas.....the sweater idea and the new games sound like fun

Somehow I missed the writing when I posted this blog of Sheba and Arrow getting ready for Christmas wearing thier festive collars. Actually these are 2 pictures I used to post on ETSY for the holiday collars for sale. Poor Arrow, he still keeps losing weight, I have him on all kinds of special food, he will kill himself to get human food but I am not allowed to give him human food. I sold a few items yesterday and also about 30.00 worth of Greyhound stuff at a GPA Christmas tree sale.
Arrow is a snuggle bug, he does jump up on the bed and lays right next to me, probably trying to stay warm since I turn the heat off at night. I did get Sheba a new sweater from an ETSy site and she DONATED a sweater for Arrow when she found out he is so thin. She asked his measurements and said I will have both in the mail by tomorrow. Her site is called hoverfly at etsy.com. You end up meeting a lot of cool people on the site when you buy and sell.
Not really in the mood for Christmas, I am surrounded by bags of crafting supplies as I continue to post items each day. Don't know when Robert will get here since he has 2 major repair jobs going on in the house right now that he is paying for someone to do. All the electrical and all the laying of the 1 by 1 inch tiles in the bath and foyer. About 20K worth of work. I once tried to do the tile and lost my mind after about 12 square inches. It is VERY HARD to lay 1 by 1 inch tile....
With is big expenduture and people working in the house who knows when he will get here....
Confrats to J/S who have had a few sales at ETSY. Make sure you tell all your friends about our sites!!! Sheba nad Arrow thank you. LOVED the ugly sweater post by Brenda, and as always, Jen's posts of the girls....just what does Macey want for Christmas.....I have a THIN 10 year old Greyhound I am certain she would love

Going to the Dogs for Christmas

New Pillow cases

I got these pillow cases from Jean at Cottage Corner today, now tell me they are not perfect for the new quilt I got from the cottage.....she will not take any money, so I guess I will have to tell Bill just to give her 20.00 bucks, they were 8 dollars each and she mailed them to me. I was very happy to get them and for them to be so cute.

Pillow covers

Lull in the action

My ETSY store was doing pretty good and now I have hit a wall...no sales....I keep making things and posting at least a few every day. I am trying to get some greyhound stuff made this week since GPA is having a sale this weekend. Not much new here except for crafting, etsy and crafting....I sure need the money so I hope it picks back up.
Arrow still is not feeling real good.....He does not complain but he is not eating like he used to. It did not help that Sheba ate his food 2 days in a row so she is in the "naughty spot", which for her means NO TREATS.
I love Brenda and Jenny's new blogger backgrounds, and I can't say enough about how funny that Macey is with her quotes and how darling BOTH those girls are. Kelsey looks like she and her sister definately need to be in movies, an advertisement, or whatever contest Jen can find

LIttle Bit.....

I know I keep talking about how tiny Arrow is, from these 2 pictures, you get the idea by looking at how he always lays down with his legs and feet 1/2 underneath him. Kinda like Macey sits, or Jenny too for that matter. Look at the rear of his body...I have started to call him "Little bit".....
Well, I have been bust posting on ETSY, I am well over the 300 mark and the stuff just keeps coming. I have been so busy posting items that I have not had a chance to do any art....maybe in the next few days...Sales are not booming, but I seem to sell at least one thing a day so I am happy since this is brand new....When Brenda was talking the other day about getting a turkey for 79 cents a pound and that was a good deal it promted me to get into a conversation with Robert last night about food prices.....I noticed this when I am in Holland and also DC...I CANNOT believe the difference in food prices between there and here....it is sooooo much cheaper out here in Portland and I can't really figure out why, we have talked about it often, anyhow, I got the same kind of self basting bird today at Safeway, about a 15 pounder for 23 cents a pound. I think the turkey ended up costing like 3.22 total. I am not doing any cooking other than the bird since I am going to Doug and Val's and she wants to cook everything, but I always do a turkey, for leftovers more than anything.
Val flies into PDX tonight at 10:30 from Mexico, so I guess they will be busy cooking all day tomorrow and into the night.

Does anyone need.....

A darling vintage framed picture? Well if so, you know where to go.....ETSY.com, seller name Nykerk.....
I have been busy taking pictures, downloading, describing and posting items every day so I am pretty proud of myself. If I can do it, anyone can.
Arrow is on 2 different medication so I hope his UTI clears up and he puts some weight on. I have to bundle him up when he goes outside and he came without a coat so he is wearing Sheba's bright orange one. I will post a picture of him wearing that in my next blog as he does look quite charming in it. Sheba seems to feel fine about sharing, and she has an entire wardrobe, boots, hats, necklaces, hats.....well you all know what a diva she is. She does need a China suit though and maybe would like to watch the wizard of Oz so she can get up to Macey's speed, I have been looking for pink overalls with no sucess for her too!!!!!

Big girl, little boy

ETSY and other misc items.....

This is actually a pillow cover that I bought at Cottage corner when I was home last. It was 8 dollars and goes so well with the big quilt I got from the cottage where Jen and Jason lived. I had it up north, remember all the animals and children on that quilt? I know that the snake was Macey's favorite. Anyhow, I got ahold of Jean Hoffman and she is sending me 2 more pillow covers, one like this and another one in different colors. She keeps avoiding the issue of me paying for them, so I guess I will just send her a check.
ETSY...well I have sold 10 items my first week, so I was pretty happy with that. Once you get used to listing an item it goes pretty fast. It is so funny to see what people buy, things that I would never imagine, so it is pretty fun to get up each morning and check my email to see if anything sold. When you go to my site you can click on sold items and it will show you what has sold. Also make sure you click on, "Make this seller a favorite".....
I just found out from the GPA medical coordinator that Arrow's UA analysis shows that he has an urinary track infection....so now I have started giving him 2 meds in hopes to clear that up. He is just so tiny, he makes Sheba look like an Amazon. Arrow just took his first 2 pills in some cheese so hopefully I won't have a problem getting his pills down like I do Sheba, although I just am thinking....I wonder if he should have dairy products with a UTI.....Rachel, please chime in.

It has been cool and rain here, Doug and VAl have been in Mexico for 2 weeks, they will be shocked to get back to this weather on Tuesday, we will probably have Thanksgiving together.
I have not had much sleep this week due to Arrow getting me up any where between 4-6 times during the night to pee, bless his heart he gets me up and does not pee in the house but if this medication does not clear up the problem he will have to go to a home that has a dog door since I do not get much rest this way. He is such a darling, I would hate to move him again but I do need my sleep.
I have been thinking and praying a lot for Rachel N, with this being the year anniversary of her sister's death, the fact that she cannot eat any normal food and the fact that Jim, in one of his cost saving measures changed the cable provider and now all they get is the weather channel and some religious program...I hope that is a joke, I know the rest is not, so hugs to you Rachel.
It looks like the market ended on a postive note yesterday after yet another pitiful week......we may end up all living at Dad's house in our "retirement" years if things don't get better. I have faith in Obama that when he takes office things will start to stablize but it is going to take a long time, if ever to get back to where we were in the 90's.....
Rachel took Dad to the Doctor this week and he has no med changes and told the Doctor is blood pressure is pretty good for an "old guy"....then he chuckles as Rachel reports.
As per normal Bren and Jen have done a great job updating thier blogs, Jean...it is time for another update. I sure wish Katie-Kat and Rachel S. would start one and I thinkthe only thing stopping Rachel N is a lesson from Brenda on downloading pictures....maybe that can happen soon. I wasnever that good at it myself until I was "forced" to get better when opening up the ETSY shop. Since I have over 200 listings, that is a lot of taking and downloading pictures....Robert calls it my boutique...bless his heart. I can't wait to see him over the holidays. He has been busy with the house, fishing and helping friends in need. His most recent venture was 10 days in New Jersey helping a diabled vet retro his house for a wheelchair, this poor guy is in a wheel chair and has yet to get disability and he sustained his injuries in the war....something is not right with this country and that is just one of them. Robert is always helping someone less fortunate and he just keeps getting more jewels in his crown, but his daughter Sheba and his lady miss him tons.....We will be celebrating our 10 year anniversay on Dec 31st....wow, it has been a long time long distance.
I am excited to watch the Blazers game tonight and hope that the big guy Oden gives Shaq a run for his money....well...back to ETSY listings.
Love and hugs to all.

ETSY store

Well my ETST store is up and running, I have had one sale, praying for more. The camera that Jean and Scott sent me has really come in handy. It takes great, clear pictures, but now the card is full and I am hesitant to delete pictures in case I ever have a computer crash, ( God forbid) and lose all my ETSY pictures, so I might just go buy an additional card. I have over 100 items posted in the store. Go to ETSY.com, scroll down on seller's name and type in Nykerk, my shop will show up, click on it and you will see I have posted more than 100 items in the past 2.5 days. It is all a bit time consuming, but easy to do sitting on the couch. I have at least another 100 items to post.
I also got a foster greyhound today. I am such a softie when it comes to those dogs, he is a return dog and skinny as a rail. You can see his ribs a lot so I will have to try and get a few pounds on him. Keep up everyone with the great blogs and go check out my store!!!!

NOTHING TO EXCITING

Not much exciting over this way in Portland. I am still basking in the glory of Election day and Obama. I saved the newspaper and various other items that are Barack related, my buttons, a fan and best of all my "Barack-in-a box"......I ordered this about 4 months ago hoping he would win. It is an old fashioned "jack-in-a box", but of course when you wind the crank, there is an old Motown song and then Barack jumps out of the box. All 4 sides and the top image are of course of Obama. I also have my Obama sweatshirt and T shirt which I got free for donating to his campaign early on.
I emailed Obama that the new dog for the white house should be a rescue greyhound....now wouldn't that be fun?
I am waiting for the package to come from Jean so I can get pictures taken of my ETSY stuff so I can get my store up and running. I have such a hard time uploading pictures....Doug and Val are coming over tomorrow and so I am hoping that they can help me....I told Sheba that her Aunt and Uncle are coming over and now she is laying by the front door.....I guess I need to keep my mouth shut, last time she laid there for 24 hours.....
Weather is cooler here, but not as bad as it seems to be in Michigan as Brenda was talking about sleet and rain...UGH.
I see the Lions are still 100% for the season....good grief. I still do not like the fact that Chauncy got traded......I do wish that I could see more of the Pistons on TV....
I have been crafting for the past few days so that has been fun. I love Jen's new blog idea about the quote and picture of the day. Yesterday's was too funny, it is the highlight of the my day....
I hope everyone has a good week, hoping that Jean updates her weekend and that Rachel starts one soon.....

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO OBAMA GO!!!!!!
Step aside McCain, "here's SHEBA".......
We are happy in Oregon

I AM A STAR.....I AM ON TV

Guess what???? I am a soon to be star.At 4 pm PAC time I will be on channel 2, ABC TV. I will do my best to get a "live feed" from the news channel so you can see me too.
I am very excited. That nasty lady who took all of the money from our Greyhound Pets of America chapter had to go to court today to get sentenced for stealing 25K from us. Of course they did not let me go into the courtroom because I am not yet licensed to be Mom's service dog, but guess what.....MaMa spoke to the Judge for me. She talked about all the dogs that will not get to go to a good home like me because we had no money for the dogs to go to the doctor or be fed. I am so lucky that I have a home and a Mom, because lots of dogs get killed if they cannot go to a home.
My Mom spent a lot of time talking to the District Attorney before the sentencing. She explained all about how the loss of funds would affect dogs like me that are too tired to run around a racetrack any longer and how they will not be able to get a home like me. The DA really liked Mom and she fell in love with us dogs, so anyhow, that nasty woman was taken off in hand cuffs and she is going not to jail, but that bigger house called prison for 19 months. Then she has to pay all the money back and be on probation for 5 years and get "treatment". I think that is what they call it....she takes too many drugs and drinks a lot of alcohol, so she has to stop doing that too. But I don't care much about her. I am focusing on how proud I am of my Mom. She talked a lot to the Judge today too and she called me by name in the court hearing. She told the Judge that I 'Bless her life"....Wasn't that nice?
And now for the BIG news. The man asked MaMa if she would talk on the tv and asked if I would be on TV with Mom. I was SO EXCITED. I peed first so that I would stand there real nice. I wore a pretty blue coat and blue necklace. I looked right at the camera with my pretty eyes and smiled. I stood still, I never moved around, I looked like a hero, just like I did in the "winner's circle. I felt like a "champ". You should have heard my MaMa. She just answered questions "right off the cuff", she did not know what they were going to ask her, but wow...she dazzled em.....She said I ran all my races in Mexico and told my story and how many other dogs are not as lucky as me. She did really good and I was so proud of her.
Now here is the BEST part...right at the end of the interview, this is what the TV announcer said, "Step aside McCain, here 's SHEBA!!!!......darn it, I knew I should have worn my OBAMA shirt......

PICTURES

I just went through all my new pictures and changed out all the old photos and put them in a book. So now I have new pictures in frames of the wedding, Kimberly and Ben, Dad's 90th up north, enlargements of Dad, Bill, Jean and I, Rachel and I and Macey and Kelsey
I got the guys leaving out on the pontoon boat and Brenda in the kayak. ( I love the color in that picture), Jean's family and Sheba with her Dad....
The only one I seem to be missing is that nice family shot of Jim's family, you know the one shot in the dark.....whatever became of that picture. One of us with a camera should have had the sense to take one with our camera's since they were sitting there so nice.

ONE BIG OUTING

Yesterday I went out for the fisrt time other than going to the doctor or the hospital. I got a few groceries and prescriptions and then went to this huge rummage sale about 1/2 mile from the house at the "Expo Center". It had started on Friday so yesterday everything was 25% off. I ended up getting some fantastic deals on those large size paperback books, a couple of vintage dolls to go on my new quilt, some linens, ( sheets like were brand new for one dollar) and some supplies to do my crafts. Like I need more of craft supplies, but they had lots of bubales and trinkets ans "de-stash" items packed at 50 or 75 cents, so with an additional 25% off, I had a fine time.
Since I have not unpacked the boxes of supplies that Jean sent, I started working on a new "prototype" of vintage figurines using wire, paper mache, crepe paper and trimmings since I had all those items handy and in one place. They need a little work, but I think I can do it and would be darling if I can pull it off. I have to get my ETSY store up and running.
I did take out my holiday, thanksgiving decorations so the house looks nice with them and all the candles burning.
This Tuesday the woman who stole all the money from GPA goes to court for sentencing so I will attend that and have been selected to read all the letters in court that members wrote who cannot attend. She will be getting 19 months in prison and 5 years of post-prison supervision and probation, re-payment of funds to GPA and A/D treatment. We are all glad she is going to prison for all the damage she did to the organization and the dogs that suffered as a result. Sheba is coming along because the news media will be there and they want dogs in the filming. She will probably wear her new nice orange coat with the snooze of colored polka-dots. I made her a cap of the same polka dot material so she will wear that too.Contrary to to all the dogs that hate to be dressed up, Sheba LOVES it and she really prances when she knows how cute she looks, so that will probably be my big outing for next week, along with 2 doctor appointments. I swear I could drive there with my eyes closed.
I was so happy to see Brenda's updated blog for today with all the pictures and updates from the new blue House in Colon, they sure had a lot of help which was nice. Hopefully Jen can take her time this week getting other things organized and I am thrilled she will be back online Tuesday.
Jean, it is time to update your blog.....

I GAVE UP TRYING........

Well....suffice to say I never fell asleep last night. I laid there until 5 am and gave up trying. I came downstairs with Sheba in tow and proceeded to unpack the box I sent myself from Michigan. I still have 7 more in the garage that Jean sent. I guess we overdid it a bit on the craft supplies...anyhow, As I opened my 46# box, it was like Christmas. I had forgotten about all that was in there....
vases from CB2, beeswax candles, thanksgiving decorations, a gold cage, 2 African American dolls to sit on my bed with my new "quilt", candles, Pictures that Scott gave me of Big Red, all framed and ready to hang...candles, a purse, a great Petosky stone, an old pillow cover from Cottage corner to put on my new quilt,Cherry Republic products,Gwen Frostic items, friendship spoons that my friend Anita gave me, a little Christmas ornament, some craft supplies, a silver metal knitted ball from CB2, a new dog toy for Sheba, a ceramic dish, old comic books for crafts, lots of pictures, Dave and Rachel's wedding announcement,some Christmas gifts for others....boy I had a fun time, and forgot I was tired and had not slept. I set up my holiday decorations in my clean house and actually cleaned out the garage a bit more.
I am PROUD to say that the Portland Trailblazers had a GREAT game on National TV last night, wondering if any of you saw it. Even though that lumox Greg Oden is out for another month after playing a total of 5 minutes in the last 2 years on Tuesday night, we won and I think the Blazers looked stellar. Lots of young players, including a 19 yo from France who is going to be GOOD, so look out EAST coast...we might actually do something this year. The "Rose Garden" was rockin last night. Earth, wind and Fire was there to introduce the lineup and they still sound as good as they did 30 years ago. Rumor has it that the Foo Fighters are tied up in San Fran, but EWF laid it out....
Of all mornings my paper was not delivered....this has NEVER happened. You guys know how I am about my paper, can't live without it so I guess I will be heading to the store to buy one, although now I am running a fever again and given my normal temperture is 96.0, when I run a fever it means I am sick so I guess this stuff is NOT over yet, nor does it seem to be improving. Good Lord, have mercy....enough is enough.
I am attempting to get all my new pictures in frames that currently have pictures dating back to when Rachel graduated from college. YIKES. I have all the recent pictures from the wedding and Brenda's from Shutterfish, some I got enlargements of. A 8/10 of Jean and I, and 5/7's...one of Bill, one of Jim and one of Rachel and I...of course a few enlargements of Macey and Kels....I sure wish I had a copy of Kelsey in her "pretty in pink" oufit Jen posted on her blog the other day. That was one of the most awesome shots I have ever seen, that girl needs to be on a magazine cover and of course Macey isn't too shabby either....
Well, I am off to get a paper. Since I have been so bad about blogging lately, I thought I would try and "catch up". LOVE YOU ALL.

PS......

MaMA got me an OBAMA tee-shirt that I wear when I go to bed. Her vote has been cast since we have an all mail-in voting process so we are patiently waiting until next Tuesday to see if this Country can get "back on Track" with the Democrats!!!!

I AM TRYING SO HARD.....

Well....I a, trying as good as I can to take care of my MaMA. It is 2:25am and she cannot sleep again. That one Doctor told her she can't give herself anymore of those shots to help her with the RA until she gets better. She talks about her immune system being already compromised...(is that the right word? She uses a lot of big words), but I think I have it right. Because she has to stop the injection because she has pnuemonia, now her joints hurt and she cannot sleep. Many time she keeps me awake until 4-5 in the morning. I refuse to go to sleep when she is awake, something bad might happen to her. She also takes out those things in her ears so she is deaf. I am her ears and protect her. When she is upstairs, I never leave her side. I have a big puffy bed right next to her. Sometimes I even "hold my pee" if she is sleeping becuase I don't want to bother her....she needs her rest. I have been very good, I never have accidents in the house and that seems to make her happy. My Aunt Val came over 3 times this week to clean out house, so it looks nicer now than in the picture above. Mom was sleeping all 3 mornings so Aunt Val just came in through the garage, I think my Mom gave her the "password" to the garage door opener, how else would she have gotten inside???? Anyway, as soon as I heard the doorknob turn, I ran down to make sure no one bad was in the house and I was happy to see my Aunt Val with all her cleaning supplies. Then I ran back upstairs to be with Mom. I stayed with her until she sat up I bed and I knew she was ok.
It looked to me that she was updating her blog for today and then the phone rang when she was done. She told me she had to go back to the hospital, that place like she took me when Scarlet bit me on the head. I do NOT like that place and she is gone sometimes up to 8 hours. Today she was back in about 4 hours because she told them to give her medication in that tube and to "run it fast" just like I run fast. Whenever she goes to that place she comes back with lots of bandages on her hands and arms. I don't like that either because I know her hands and arms hurt like my head did when Scarlett bit me. I know I keep refering to when I got bit. It hurt, but I am all healed up now and can take care of MaMa. After about 2-3 hours she carefully takes off the bandages and I see her hands are all black and blue. I always kiss her hands and arms to make them feel better and I hope it helps...she says it does. I do not think I have ever been black and blue, maybe once when I had those 7 puppies, but I don't really remember much about that since it was before my MaMa took me into her house. Even though her hands, arms and body hurt, she still feeds me and gives me lots of attention and toys. Tonight I got a cup of peppermint ice-cream....that must be some seasonal thing because it looked like Christmas and it sure tasted good. See....my MaMA is so good to me. She bought me a new winter coat at an auction and told me it was cheap, but it sure looks nice on me. It is orange on one side and all different color polka-dots on the other, I am stylin, that is for sure. She says she will take a picture of me wearing it when she gets a camera from my Uncle Scott. Isn't he nice?
Yesterday when she went to her Doctor and asked about getting me licensed as a "service dog". MaMA's Doctor is going to write to someone to get that approved which would mean I could get on an airplane with her and I would get to play with my cousins Dolly and Ally and Bandit whom I have never met...I am licking at the chops to meet them, but they will have to understand I take care of MaMa before any playing.
Dad talked to me on the phone last night. I always get excited to hear his voice and I wagged my tail a lot. He told me to take care of MaMa and he will be here for the holiday season. Sometimes he takes me to a big park where I can run like wild, although he is careful with me and never lets me run if there are any other dogs in the gated park. One time he gave a man10.00 dollars so they would leave and it could just be me and my Dad. Dad always gives me those real long ear and tummy rubs so I really miss him and I know Mom would feel better if he came right now since they are so happy together. Lots of times in the evening they put on music......they tell me it is ole school music from the 60-s and 70's, whenever that was and then they dance for a long time in the living room. I look at them like they are crazy but they still keep dancing. Dad thinks he is the "Alpha" dog in the house but we all know the "Alpha" is me, I just don't want to hurt thier feelings because they love me so much. Lots of times Dad will take me in the little black car when it is a convertable. He ties me to the "roll bar" just to be safe but I would NEVER jump out of Dad's car with him going 80mph. I do like my hat and scarf on though becuase they keep my little head warm. Lots of times people stop and take pictures of me in the rumble seat looking like the queen I am, but we have to wait until next summer to do that again. When we go the the beach this year for Mom and Dad's 10th anniversary Dad told we we would keep the top on the car. Since thier anniversary is on New Years Eve, they get dressed up there and dance to that ole music and then I see fireworks in the sky. I do NOT like the noise they make, but I do think the fireworks are just for them so I tolerate it. They usually give me a little pill so I am not so freaked out by the noise and then we go down on the beach and make a big bonfire. I know my Dad put out a lot of fires when he was working, but he also pretty good at getting one started.
Well...MaMa says she is going to "try it again", this means going back upstairs. I hope that she sleeps soon becuase I am a little tired myself but I wanted to let you all know I am trying my best to take care of MaMa so you do not have to worry about her. It is a big job but I am honored to do it. I bet Aunt Katie is up and getting ready to fly out to our part of the country, I wish she was coming to Portland instead of San Fran, but I can't fix everything.
Love,
Sheba

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I wiah I had some nice pictures and graphics to brighten this page. I am waiting for a package in the mail from Jean which will include a camera that Scott was willing to part with. THANKS SCOTT. At that point I hope to take more pictures and get them on the blog. Of course my pictures will consist mostly of Sheba since she is the only entertainment I have in this house. No cute shots of kids like Jen or random pictures of Life like Brenda. Jean, has also mastered this blogging and gets her fair share of pictures up for me to view. Being in Portland makes these blogs ever more special. They keep me connected to everyday life and my great family. I absolutely loved the pictures of Kels yesterday in her cute pick and pearl outfit. That small smile and that darling headband. She belongs on the cover of a magazine. I am trying to figure out how that could happen. I read about these contests in magazines and will have to contact Jen to have her enter the girls. Macey did not look too shabby either...I can tell you that. She looked so determined pushing that stroller with her baby sister in it. Everytime I see her in those black leggins I have to smile, her legs about as big as toothpicks, so like Jenny at that age. I remember Renee laboring in love as she perused the clothing on the racks in seach for something that would stay up at Jen's waist without falling to the floor and something was yet long enough in the legs so they did not look like capri's which were not in vouge when Jen was 2-3. Somehow she always found something that worked, even if she resortd to Jen wearing those darn cowboy boots. Oh how I miss that woman, my sister, my friend.
Then there was Rachel and Katie-Kat. Thier Mother kept them in stylin as well.
And then come along 4 boys...I remember Jeff looking a little "dog-eared" every now and then. I would be at Mom and Dad's, look through the dining room window and here would be Jeff tromping through the garden with his shirt in-side-out or some such....always asking for food which Grandma gladly indulged. Dan was always the one to tell her where everyone was and what they were doing. He often knew more than Jim did as to the whereabouts of the family. Poor Rachel was working a lot of nights back then and I still to this day do NOT know how she did it, working full time and all those boys....
Life in Portland has been slow. I had another Doctor appointment yesterday and was told I am bot one bit better than I was last week and I sure do not feel any better. I am trying to do things right. I am drinking one can of diet-coke a day and about 10 glasses of water. I take my medication, I do my breathing treatments and I am still wheezing, coughing and have NO stamina and get short of breath real quick. I came home from the Doctor to a "dark" house. No POWER...no tv, computer, lights, phone, etc. It did not come back on until about 8:30 pm. There is not much to do laying in the dark. Sheba stayed close by trying to figure out why the house was so "wierd". was glad when the power came back on suffice to say.
Normally I would pass out candy and dress up Sheba for Halloween, but I do not quite have it in me this year so I guess I will pretned the power is still out and not put the outside lights on...Bad, I know but I have not even been to the store to buy candy.
I did get a big lift as Val cleaned my house for 3 straight days. She did all the windows, carpets, fridge, stove, walls, plus all the normal cleaning so I feel much better sitting in a very clean house. THANKS to all of you that contributed to that effort. There are still many fresh flowers on the bushes in the front yard, so I did snip a big bunch of roses and put them around the house. The weather has been awesome here, in the 60-70's, but I hear a cold front in on the way. That means you guys should have some nice weather coming your way.
Robert is still working on our house in DC, but he has been taking regular "breaks" and going out of town fishing. He went to New Jersey for 5 days with 6 guys from the Fire Department a few weeks ago. They caught tons of fish and ended up selling most of it at the dock as people were begging for fresh fish. They sold the halibut for 10.00 each and also lots of black bass, striper and ling cod. They always go out on the ocean so they return with that type of fish. Anyhow, all the fish they sold paid for the hotel, gas and charter fees so they had a blast. They had enough that everyone got as much fish as they wanted even though they sold do much. This past weekend he went down to North Carolina to fish with a buddy who retired there from the fire Department. He is the only Black guy with a bunch of overweight white guys, so you can visualize just about what the group looks like. Of course they spoke of politics and the election becuase they listened to XM talk radio the entire time they were out on the boat......I will leave it at that, you can only imagine. Robert is a news FREAK and can out-talk any argument thrown his way so I certain the captain of the boat did not know what he had on his hands.....
Thankfully the location of the DC house is in an area that is not deappreciating in value. It is in the Capital Hill area which given the econonmy is still holdoing strong so I guess we will keep that house when he moves out here. That house has been the subject of much debate, but we have decided to hold onto it. There are a lot of rich people in Washington DC and surrounding areas due to the high rate of government workers/pay so I am certain we can rent or lease the house without a problem. He will be here for the holidays and here for good next spring. We are grateful he has a pension which is not affected by this economy and becuase he is such a news FREAK, he moved all of his money out of 401-k's into annuities where he is gaureented a minimum of 3% gain about 8 months ago before the market crashed. If not for him I would have long ago been out on the street living under a bridge since he pays many of my bills. That, along with gifts from family members keep me with a roof over my head and my small pension pays the house note every month So I never have to worry about that.
I was hoping to get to the condo next week, the beach is so nice this time of the year but I still don't feel very good so time will tell. Sheba is anxious for long walks on the beach. I would go with Doug and Val who walk the beach about 4 times a day even if I don't and Sheba can hardly contain herself when we are there.
Well I guess I have rambled on long enough, I have not posted for a bit, but there really is not much going on here. I hope that Katie-Kat has a good time in San Fran, (one of my favorite all time places to visit) and that Doctor Dave and Nurse Rachel have a good time at thier Halloween events. Brenda reports she is dressing as a hippie and handing out candy with Dolly the hot-dog and then going to Colon tomorrow to help Jen and Jason. Congrats on the house you guys, can't wait to see pictures. If you guys can post on Snapfish, I can order all the great shots. Brenda, you must get over to Aunt Rachel's and teach her how to post pictures so she can start her blog.....

Seriously negligent on my blogging......

I guess it has been about 6 weeks that I posted. I can tell you where I have been in that time and maybe that will determine where I "picked up this pnemonia"
Chicago, Ill
Colon Michigan
Port Huron Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Holland, Michigan
Colon, Michigan
Elberta, Michigan
Benzie, Michigan
Benzonia, Michigan
Frankfort, Michigan
Glen Arbor, Michigan
Manistee, Michigan
Bronson, Michigan
Chicago, Ill.
Portland, Or.
Don't forget O Hare Airport2x and Minn/St Paul airport 2x, which at any given time have in excess of 10,000 people in them.
When I was back in the hospital for the 2nd time this week, yesterday about 5 more people asked me where I "got this".....I started to pin a note on my shirt of where I had been so they could determine the answer to the dumbest question I have ever heard.
Since I did not get a call back from the hospital today I am assuming I do not have a blood clot in my heart, although they put me on blood thinners to be sure, along with a prednisone taper, antibiotic, cough meds, stomach meds, inhalers and breathing treatments.
I must say I feel a bit better today, probably that injection of prednisone and 60 mg tablets gave my system a much needed jolt.
Sheba is back home with her Mom and taking good care of her. She is laying at my feet and really does understand that her Mom is sick. She gave me several kisses and is acting very proud to be taking care of me.
I did have a great time in Michigan for Dad's 90th celebration up north, crafting and my daily jaunts out of town. I did start feeling crappy the last week, starting at the cottage, but I always hope I can just go with the program and not miss out on anything. It kind of caught up with me this time.
Jean mailed me 7, yes seven boxes of craft supplies which arrived on the porch today. I could not lift them to get them inside so Doug did that for me when they brought Sheba back.
Nice post by Jen and Brenda recently. I just got a phone call from the Doctor while I was writing this post. The Doctor not the nurse...my bloodwork has lots of abnormalities. My liver function tests are sky high. This has not been the case until last month and we are certain is due to the injections of methotrexate for my RA. My potassium is low, thyroid is low, WBC is high.....so go figure, I still feel better than I did the first 4 days of the week. I see the Doctor again on Monday.
I am kind of at my limit with feeling so pitiful....I don't even expect to feel good, just "fair" would make me happy.
Have a good time Sunday with Dad and the celebration at church, post any pictures on Snapfish so I can order them.

ALL MY BEST INTENTIONS

Went up in smoke today as I totally forgot, ( or I should say, attemped to forget) having to be at the hospital all day today for IV treatment. Robert wished me well for today when we were on the phone last night or I probably would have forgotten to go. Not a great time. They had to use my feet again since my arms and hands are shot. The medication just "burns" so much more when using my feet, don't really know why, as it is the same medication....I just got home and gave myself the weekly shot of methotrexate. so all in all I feel a little bit "punk" as Mom used to say.
What this means of course is I did NOT get my 2 boxes of craft supplies to the post office, nor did I pick up my medication from Safeway, along with about 10 other things I had on my "to do" list. I will do those 2 main things in the morning and that means the boxes will get to Holland about next Thursday. The medication thing is a bit tricky because I want a 30 day supply of everything to take with me so I don't have to switch my scripts to Walgreens while I am in town. I do think that I have accomplished that by the Doctor releasing some medication "early" due to me being out of town.
I have a 3rd dog here, just for last night and tonight. His name is Jock. He is walking on 3 legs due to surgery on a back foot. I have to change his bandage soon, but he also has a "thera-pod" boot on his foot to keep it all in place. He is by far one of the sweetest fosters I have had. His foster parents, who are good friends of mine and often take Sheba are out of town just 2 days. Cumber goes to his new foster home tomorrow at noon, Jock gets picked up at 3 tomorrow and Sheba stays with me until Doug and Val come to get me at 4;45am to get to the airport for a 6:15am flight. Sheba is staying with D/V for the first 2 weeks. They got the ashes of Scarlet in an urn yesterday so they are bringing "her" to the beach while I am gone and will have Sheba to hopefully make the spreading of her ashes at the beach less sad.
I am ABSOLUTELY bringing only one suitcase when I come. Number one, I do not want to pay 50.00 for a 2nd checked bag, number 2, I am taking the El from Ohare to Katie-Kat's place and I only want to mess with one suitcase on wheels. Number 3: I can do laundry whenever I want in Michigan....Number 4...you guys don't care if you see the same clothes more than once. Good logic huh?
I am so excited to come, 2 days in Chicago, seeing my nieces, going to the Renegrade craft fair, stopping at our favorite stores on Monday before driving back. Wednesday, all us gals are going to Colon to see our FAVORITE AND MOST BEAUTIFUL grand nieces in the world and of couse our precious Jen.
Then on Thursday Jean and I are going to Ann Arbor to get some more craft supplies and go to some cool shops we have found on the internet.
Saturday, Rachel and I are going to Port Huron to cheer on Kimberly at the Miss Michigan pageant!!!!
The craft days will happen more than one day....we have toooooo many cool things to make, we hope Brenda, Rachel and whoever else is interested to join us. We will be doing some crafts that are EASY, actually all of them are easy with the correct supplies, which we have....I am so excited to get started on our crafts and to open our stores on ETSY.
And then of course out BIG FAMILY REUNION for Dad's 90th up at the cottage from Oct 1-5....It is all tooooooo much fun, I am so looking forward to seeing everyone and staying away from hospitals and Doctors....
I will be in Chicago 2 days from now!!!!
I know my blogs pale in comparison to Brenda, Jean and Jen's site. They use all those neat pictures. I only have pictures of greyhounds and I know you have seen enough of those.
I am so glad that Brenda is back on line. She even updated her webshots page, way to go Brenda. Rachel does really well updating me via email and Jen is doing a great job keeping her blog up to date as possible given they have no computer at thier cottage....Jean and I stay VERY connected by phone and email...as she said at least 20 hours of phone time in the last 2 weeks....these crafts have us so excited.
Rachel tells me Chad is going to school at night so he does not even get home until 10pm, so excited about Dan's internship and assuming that Dave, Jeff and Ben are doing well.
This is the last blog you will get from me before I see you all in person!!!! I LOVE OUR FAMILY.

Crafts...Crafts.....Crafts.....

Well, Jean oudid her self with her new blog today, it gives you guys an idea of what type of materials we will be crafting with...what started out as making a item or two has expanded. In a nutshell we will be making pendant necklaces with scrabble tile, bamboo tiles and dominos....Jean is going to make a lot of paper product stuff and journals. I am making all of the above plus some mixed media stuff, pendants, stand up figures, things in bottles, things standing on blocks, wall hangings, gift items....
We have spend endless hours on the phone getting our materials ready, I have been ordering from EBAY, but mostly our favorite site, ETSY as Jean mentions....Come join us!!!! you will be inspired. All of you can do these projects!!!!
Loved the latest blog from Jenny, the pictures of the kids are "over the top", how sweet the pictures are of the girls together. I am glad the forst day of school went well. Poor Brenda...having problems with her internet connection. I can relate!!!
See you all soon

It must be time for a shot

Well, now that the Olympics are over, I have switched my attention the last 2 nights to the Democratic Convention. I know you all you guys are Republicans, but please give me a break....Can we seriously take another 4 years of what we have now? The economy is in the tubes, we are in a war, no one has health care that needs it.....anyhow enough of politics, but I was very impressed with Michelle Obama, you gotta give Teddy Kennedy his props for flying to Denver in the middle of Chemo and radiation and a brain tumor, and even though I am not a fan of Hillary, I thought she did a great job last night.

To be fair I will watch the Republican convention nest week...in Chicago no less...that town will be more of a madhouse than it usually is.

Onto other subjects....It must be time for another shot, I go to my dreaded weekly doctor appt. tomorrow, but it also means that I give myself my weekly shot. I remember Renee saying she could always tell when it was time for another shot, now I know what she means.....what it means for me is that Wednesdays are pretty painful. It has not been a good summer for me. I have not been able to get this insurance business off the ground due to how I feel....

Val and I do want to do a garage sale next weekend, ( the first weekend in Sept), even though it is so much work, I have tons of stuff to get rid of and I want some money to spend when I come to town. They have a van now so Val will come to the house next week and pack it up for me so I have most of the "heavy work" done for me. Val is a great friend, always there in a pinch.

I have made arrangements for both Cumber and Sheba when I am gone and hope that Cumber gets adopted during that time. I am not going to foster again for some time. I need a break and so does Sheba. She is ready to have her Mom to herself.

The weather here changes dramatically. One day it is 104 degrees, the next it is 70. 70 is more to my liking. I have been busy getting together supplies for our craft days when I come to town. We will have great fun. I also have a doctor appt tomorrow with the hearing aid guy...I have to have them in proper working order when I come to town. They are so hard to keep clean and go wacko with no warning. I can see why Dad has such problems with his...I can't stay on top of it...you would think it would not have to be so difficult.

I am always thrilled to read the updated blogs and get the pictures, things seem to going right along in Colon!!!YEA....
I am glad that Dave and Rachel's marriage is official since Jean is putting an article in the paper. I think of how the boys are doing getting back adjusted to school...
"as per normal"....keep me posted...Love you

Monday....Monday

I was glad to read Jen's new blog about thier move to Colon and how nice everyone has been so far. I am having trouble again posting comments on blogs....what is wrong with me or this computer or both???? It mystifies me.
I have not been feeling too great over the past 4 days where it has been over 100 degrees in Portland. Thankfully, it finally rained last night and it is overcast today. It has not rained in PDX for over 3 months.....all that sun, I like it about 76 so the weekend was terrible...way to hot.
Not much news to report. Glad that Brenda and Keith had a nice weekend at Bear Lake and hope J/S did well at the craft fair in Chicago!!!