Let There be Light
I have always been light sensitive. When February rolls around, my mood can be really sucky. I tend to hibernate and get sad a lot. This year, I cranked up my S.A.D. light box almost every morning, and that helped a huge amount. My light box puts out about 10,000 lux. Apparently, I needed just ONE MORE...
I found this ad on Craigslist on Friday:
"Lux is about 1 year old and is a Lab/Border Collie mix and about 40 lbs. She is up to date on all her shots except for heart worms and will need that soon. Due to increased job demands there is not enough time to devote to this little dog. Looking to place her with people who will have time to devote to her, a yard would be ideal. Please inquire for more information."
I had Emma-dog over the weekend, and was in charge of an ancient hound named Elliot, as well. I visited Elliot three times a day this weekend, and played and romped and snuggled Emma during the rest of the time. My cats did really well with Emma, as usual. I was pleased with that.
I drove to Waltham, where Lux lived, and went to visit her.
Needless to say, she came home with me yesterday. ***SQUEE!!!!!***
First we went to the Decordova Sculpture Museum and the grounds around it. Those were my old stomping grounds back in the late 80's, with a huge reservoir and miles and miles of trails. We did about 10 minutes of short-leash training and then she was too squirmy so I let her loose. And, man, she ran off like a greyhound. She ran and ran and ran and played and grabbed sticks. She came back every time I called, which was often. She stayed within sight. She swam in the cold water and ran some more. 3 hours later, exhausted, we drove home. She slept the whole way.
At home, we started immediately with our system. Come in the back door, wipe paws, and go to sniff about the home. She was happy. Next we did some crate training. She was trained for a crate in Seattle, where she lived for the first year or so. But, when her owners drove across the country two months ago she was broken of the habit. We sat on the floor right by her crate and I tossed in treat after treat, using clicker training (clicking a small clicker and offering a treat each time desired behavior is done) each time she went in. Of course, she came right back out again, but that is fine. By the end of the evening she was sitting comfortably in her crate for 10 minutes at a time. We practiced "In the crate!" and "Out of the crate!" for about 30 minutes this morning, too. She stayed in the crate for 15 minutes this morning. Every time I increase by 5-10 minutes, or longer if she is happy with it. She is incredibly intelligent, and being half border collie, trains really easily.
We slept together last night. A perfect fit. So. Very. Cool! And while we are on the subject of cool...
I had Emma-dog over the weekend, and was in charge of an ancient hound named Elliot, as well. I visited Elliot three times a day this weekend, and played and romped and snuggled Emma during the rest of the time. My cats did really well with Emma, as usual. I was pleased with that.
I drove to Waltham, where Lux lived, and went to visit her.
Needless to say, she came home with me yesterday. ***SQUEE!!!!!***
First we went to the Decordova Sculpture Museum and the grounds around it. Those were my old stomping grounds back in the late 80's, with a huge reservoir and miles and miles of trails. We did about 10 minutes of short-leash training and then she was too squirmy so I let her loose. And, man, she ran off like a greyhound. She ran and ran and ran and played and grabbed sticks. She came back every time I called, which was often. She stayed within sight. She swam in the cold water and ran some more. 3 hours later, exhausted, we drove home. She slept the whole way.
At home, we started immediately with our system. Come in the back door, wipe paws, and go to sniff about the home. She was happy. Next we did some crate training. She was trained for a crate in Seattle, where she lived for the first year or so. But, when her owners drove across the country two months ago she was broken of the habit. We sat on the floor right by her crate and I tossed in treat after treat, using clicker training (clicking a small clicker and offering a treat each time desired behavior is done) each time she went in. Of course, she came right back out again, but that is fine. By the end of the evening she was sitting comfortably in her crate for 10 minutes at a time. We practiced "In the crate!" and "Out of the crate!" for about 30 minutes this morning, too. She stayed in the crate for 15 minutes this morning. Every time I increase by 5-10 minutes, or longer if she is happy with it. She is incredibly intelligent, and being half border collie, trains really easily.
We slept together last night. A perfect fit. So. Very. Cool! And while we are on the subject of cool...
Your Daily Dose of Cool Things:
Your Daily Dose of Wonderful Design:
Your Daily Dose of Inspiring Words:
WOOF! (sorry so blurry, but I move a lot!)"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.” - Samuel Butler
Your Daily Dose of Wicked-Good Food:
The BEST yogurt around!
Fage USA
Recipes for Fage YogurtYour Daily Dose of Wicked-Good Food:
The BEST yogurt around!I love this yogurt. I use it a great deal, even though it is a bit more expensive. It is very rich and creamy, even the 0% fat style. Another great attribute of this yogurt is that it does not separate during cooking, so it is great for curries. It is filling, too, so I use less of it when I am topping yogurt with fruit and granola. I have not found an organic version of this brand yet. This dismays me, as I try to use only organic in all my dairy products. As with human breastfeeding, milk products are concentrated, and pesticides, antibiotics and chemicals are unacceptable. Click the links below for information on the yogurt and on recipes for it as well.
posted by Julia Farley at
Monday, March 17, 2008
<< Home