Has it really been that long

.....since I posted here?  Yeah, guess it has.  Just can't seem to make this a regular part of my activities.

I know, priorities!  So, I guess it just isn't up there these days.

I do manage to stay busier than I thought I would at this stage of my life, and I guess that's good.  I surely never get bored and always seem to have a list a mile long of things I want to do.

Am missing my big, ole indoor-outdoor cat today.  He's at the 'kitty hospital'.  He was limping on his right rear leg - had to wait to take him in because we had a weather event in Alabama.  Anyway, he's been there since Thursday.  No broken bones, no abscess, she thinks it may be a pulled muscle or sprain.  So, he's on "bed rest" - meaning he's on medication and confined, so hopefully he's healing.  Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure.  That's Frosty with him in the second picture.  Frosty weighs 3-1/2 pounds, Boots weighs 14.  He's a sweetie and I'll be glad when he's home and well.

Happy Birthday Frosty

It's Frosty's birthday - he's 13 today and still as cute and sweet as ever.  Here's a couple of pictures made on the day I got him (he wasn't quite 8 weeks old)

I've always loved poodles and Frosty is my 4th. He was a gift from my late husband who knew I'd always wanted a 'tiny' poodle.  My others were miniatures - so I was especially pleased with him.

Unfortunately he came from a puppy mill (that's another story I guess) and had some issues, but it was definitely love at first sight for me.

He's got the very best personality but is definitely a "mama's boy".  He's crate trained but howls if I leave him and he thinks anyone can hear him.  Don't leave him a lot - and wouldn't leave him at all if I could take him into all stores.  Actually, he's cleaner and better behaved than most kids - and his feet don't touch the ground when we're out and about.

He was just over a year old in this one.

Another older picture - just after he was groomed.  We have a great groomer, but Frosty isn't particularly pleased when he goes.  He's cut shorter than that now as our groomer is temporarily closed because of health problems.  His fur grows fast though, so he'll be a puff ball soon enough.

This is him with Boots - my outside cat.  Boots weighs 20 pounds, Frosty 3-1/2. Needless to say, he's considerably smaller - but he's definitely the boss.  Emma Grace (inside cat) is his favorite though and they play together.

And, this is Frosty today.  That's his bed at work - oh yeah - he's a working dog. He takes his job seriously - guard dog and greeter at our local Cross stitch shop.  He's starting to get cataracts and can't jump quite as well as when he was younger, but he's still going strong.

Frosty sticks to me like velcro, sleeps with me, goes most places with me and is my loving companion.  I pray he's around for MANY more years!

Who's bed is this?

... well, actually it's Frosty's - but Emma Grace tries it out occasionally.

Heard Frosty barking the other day and went to see if he wanted to go outside - no, he wanted Emma Grace to get out of his bed!

Refinished furniture - almost done

Both end tables are FINISHED.  So, here are a couple of photos - recapping the process (which was very slow - by my standards anyway).  So, here we go.  I found this ratty old table - and it was ratty.

Took the doors off and sanded... and sanded and sanded and... well, you get the idea

Primed with two coats of primer - let cure for 7 days, then 3 coats of yellow and then 3 coats of Minwax polycrylic on the top - which took more time and had to cure 24 hours.  Interior has upholstery fabric glued with spray adhesive, and stapled inside with the nail trim finish.

Emma Grace wasn't shy about trying it out.

So after the last coat cured, they were FINALLY ready to use today.

Instead of adding the custom cushion, I decided to simply move Frosty's existing bed inside it for the time being.  Thought he might be more willing to use it with his own bed.  Had to 'encourage' him at first.  And, Emma Grace is still curious.

So a little while after putting it all together went back in the living room and there's Frosty - I think he likes it :-)

This picture is the inspiration piece:

I'll post the before and after of the other table in another post - it's already being used also and I'm loving the bright color.  Did I mention my favorite color is yellow.

Coffee table starts getting paint on Monday.

Frosty has a New Raincoat

Frosty is a working dog and has to look good.  He's got a better wardrobe than I do.  Isn't he adorable???

This will be his 'winter raincoat' as it's heavier and has a hood.

This picture makes him look bigger than he is - he's wearing a sweater under the raincoat :-)  I gotta say, he wasn't real enthusiastic about the hood, and it comes down over his eyes if I'm not careful.  

It's a pretty purple color, lined and trimmed in pink.  It's okay, "Real Men wear Pink".

Our 'boss' gave it to him.  We work a couple of days a week in our local cross stitch shop.  He's the "greeter, guard dog, and all around conversation starter" and he takes his job very seriously.  

He always thinks we're leaving for work when I put a sweater on him, though he wears one most of the winter because he's so little and gets cold so easily.

Here's Frosty taking an outside break at the shop and sittin' in Rita's lap (note the sign in the window);

New website is live

...and I think it's a cute one.  Poodles and Pals Grooming

A grooming salon in Guntersville.  She likes pink, I like pink, she likes poodles, I like poodles!!!  (She does other dogs besides poodles - but they're MY favorites).

We still have to add some info on the secondary pages and a photo of the shop.  She has the reception room decorated so cute and when I was there a couple of weeks ago there was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel laying on the love seat.  I thought he was stuffed at first, but it turns out he's just a really laid back dog who goes weekly for a 'shampoo and set'.

If you go to the link you can even see Frosty's picture farther down on the page.  And, of course, she's Frosty's "stylist/groomer" and always has treats for him.

Ice.... in Alabama

... is NOT a good thing!!!

This is part of my back deck that doesn't have a cover.  That ice is there and hard.  I was able to sweep off the steps as it's still slushy there (Frosty has to be able to go down those steps to do his business).  He loves to go under this picnic table when something is falling out of the sky.  He's not crazy about bad weather.

I know it's not hitting us nearly as bad as some parts of the country, but ice is ice.

And, speaking of Frosty, he's been acting very strangely today.  We worked at the cross stitch shop today (as usual on Wednesday and Friday) and everytime I moved, he barked.  He wanted to go outside, then he didn't want to go outside when I got bundled up.  He shivered and shook all day, and has been doing that since we got home.  I know he gets cold easily, but he's wearing his sweater as he usually does when the weather is cold.  I'm wondering if it the change in the weather.  My previous poodle would go nuts when the barometer started dropping.

If he is a little weather man - I hope he's wrong about the severity of this winter storm in Alabama.

Frosty is a cutie

I promised to post a photo after Frosty finally got groomer and then life got in the way and I didn't get it done. So here you are. Isn't he a cutie?

We're fighting the flea problem though. Of course, I have so many animals at home how that it's a definite challenge, but I'm determined.

Traumatic day on Friday for Frosty

...but he did great. No grooming pics yet though. This is a long story, so either bear with me, or click away...

Frosty is 9 years old, a teacup toy poodle who is MY BABY, weighs 3-1/2 pounds and apparently has really "loose skin" (I didn't realize that).

Anyway, he'd gone to the same groomer since he was a teeny tiny puppy until a few months ago. She'd never had a really great personality, and Frosty had come home with shaver burns several times. I mentioned it to her (and mentioned a friend who'd taken a dog to her and had a really bad shaver burn) the last time he went there and she got really defensive and huffy and was just downright rude - AND Frosty didn't come home with a very good cut. So, I decided.... I don't need to pay someone money to be rude to me!!!

Looked around for another groomer - not too many in a small town - found a new one and thought I'd try her - can you say DISASTER!!!! Frosty came home with fleas and a bad shoulder which is still bothering him.

Soooo, still need a groomer. A new one opened up in Guntersville and I went by one day early last week and talked to her. Nice lady, very pleasant and cheery - nice clean place. Cute happy dogs there and she didn't want to keep him ALL day like the original one. Take him in at the appointment time, pick him up a couple of hours later.

His first appointment there was Friday, so I dropped him off on my way to work (10ish). She called a bit after 12noon for me to pick him up. Her voice sounded a bit strained on the phone, but I haven't talked to this lady on the phone, so....

When I got there about 10 minutes later, she was holding Frosty and when I walked in she burst into tears. Took me 5 minutes to calm her down enough to tell me what was wrong - I thought someone had died.

It seems when she was clipping Frosty, she nicked him on the right front elbow. She said he didn't cry and was really good, he had just flinched a bit. She double checked and could see the bone - she freaked. She immediately closed her shop and rushed him to the vet. My vet (she uses the same one) was closed on Friday for a long weekend, but fortunately there's another one in town, so she went there. They took them right in (emergency you know) and really thought it would be a good idea to put stitches in - but since they would have to put him to sleep to do that she declined. They did put in two staples (no idea why they could do that and not stitches, but what do I know). He was really good at the vet's too.

She's alternately telling me all this and sobbing and apologizing. She said because his skin was so loose, and he's so little it made it more difficult to cut him super short (which I'd requested).

Now, the reason I have him groomed so short is because he hates for me to brush him and he mats really easily. She didn't get to finish grooming him - no bath as the vet said not to get the staples wet.

The gist of this whole story is, he goes back next Friday to have the staples removed, then I'll take him back to her and she'll finish grooming him - AND she wants me to bring him in twice a week so SHE can comb him out and that way his fur can get longer.

Frosty doesn't seem any the worse for wear at all - he's bouncing around as usual (except for the right shoulder that's been giving him trouble from the previous groomer). I handled it okay - I wasn't mad and was really more concerned with her. IF she had been blase and defensive about it like the other groomer I would have been mad, but I've never seen anyone as upset over a mistake. Of course she paid the vet bill, and she's not charging me for the grooming or the weekly combing.

Think I've found my new groomer!!

btw - I'll post pictures after he's done next Friday :)

Quiet Day

But sometimes those are nice.

I have a "Stitch Group" that meets at my house on Thursday afternoons - so that was my afternoon today. We're just a bunch of ladies (mostly from my church) who use cross stitch as an excuse to get together and eat goodies :)

Actually, there are only a couple of us who do cross stitch. One crochets and/or quilts, one does needlepoint, one does embroidery, and one of the younger gals (who doesn't come all the time) just comes for the fellowship.

We always have goodies - unfortunately, our main/best cook was out of town today, so we had to make do with store bought, except for some pretty good dip one lady brought.

It's a great time to just relax and fellowship. And, it makes me sit down and relax for an entire afternoon.

Frosty LOVES Stitch the Group ladies and knows exactly when it's time for me to put the coffee on. He begs for treats shamelessly, and is always rewarded with some.

Frosty and stuff...

Well, Frosty went back to the vet this AM for a check on his shoulder and leg. He's better, but still not 100%. She wants him to stay on the anti-inflamatory meds until they're finished and then see how he does. His age isn't in his favor at this point, but she said his size actually is. He doesn't have much weight to carry around on those tiny little legs.

My wonderful daughter is here for a few days with another grandson - so I REALLY have a houseful of teenagers.

Granddaughter came home from Youth camp sick. She went to basketball practice this am, but is now in bed with fever. We were going to a friend's pool this afternoon - but she'll be staying in bed.

Rain storm last night did cool us off a little. Think we'll only be in the 80s today - YEA!

Today is Frosty's birthday...

Doesn't seem possible. My little furbaby is 9 years old. He doesn't act 'old' - or even middle age. I've Googled dog ages and find various formulas putting him between 49 and 52 years old by human years. He's tiny (3-1/2 pounds) and I'm praying he lives MUCH, MUCH longer.

Thought I'd share some pictures.... I'd lost my last poodle (a miniature) to heart disease when he was 15 and Chuck (dh) knew I'd always wanted a tiny teacup toy poodle. He wasn't totally enthusiastic because he was afraid he'd step on him or hurt him. But... he found this little sweetheart. I wasn't sure I was ready for another dog, so we just went to "look". Frosty came home in my lap and he hasn't been far from there ever since. And he still reminds me of Chuck's love :-)

These two were made on 8/25/00 - a day or two after we brought him home.



He's a big boy of one year old here.


This is his only 'professional' picture and he not only needed a haircut, but he was definitely less than pleased about not being right next to me.


Here he is running outside in 2006. He thinks he's a farm dog and loves to run in the field after Belle (Chuck's big 55 pound red setter). I have to watch him really closely when I take him out there or he'd follow her all the way to the back of the pasture.
And, Frosty's a working dog too. I work two days a week in a local cross stitch shop and Frosty goes with me. We put a sign in the window "Frosty is in". He's the official greeter and watch dog and takes his job seriously. He knows the mornings we're getting ready to go to work and is so excited.


And here's my baby today. Isn't that the sweetest face you've ever seen.


Unfortunately Frosty is also a 'handicapped' dog. His back left leg is fused at the joint. Doesn't slow him down. In retrospect, I think the breeder was more of a puppy mill and probably doing a lot of inbreeding. He's got the best personality though and is definitely my sweetheart.

When Chuck was so sick, he and Belle both stayed on the bed close to him - it's the only time Frosty has intentionally left my side for another. And, when I was going through chemo, he stuck to me like velcro. He's such a blessing in my life.

He's having difficulty with his right front leg at the moment. We went to a new groomer (BAD decision) and he's been having trouble ever since with his leg/shoulder - and he came home with fleas :-( Of course, that required a vet visit - he's on anti-inflamatories for 10 days and then back for xrays if it's not better. She said the joint was popping in and out and she thinks his shoulder was either dislocated or certainly seriously bruised. He's supposed to be confined to "no jumping or stairs"... which is really tricky with Frosty as he's a 'jumper'. I'm carrying him down the stairs outside (down is worse than up) and trying to keep him from jumping down from chairs, etc. He's such an active little fellow and definitely "my baby".