Feel Like Complaining

It's rare when we get a weekend or even a partial weekend to get out and do something. After our last dog left on a Sunday morning, we decided to take a walk in some fall colors. Hangman creek isn't very far, on the way to my Mom's actually. I took these pictures on my way to her house one day. It's not a very large area down below and a real easy walk. You can either enter from this point and go downhill or drive around to a park and make it easier. Guess which way we went? It's kind of loud with the freeway and train traffic and there's a lot of garbage strewn about. We saw evidence of parties and sleeping camps. My worst fear is to find a body someday. Don't I make that sound inviting? It's still a nice outing to take in some fresh air and fall colors.

This little girl snuck in amongst all the other Bellas this month. And we still have one more to go. Her family contacted me kind of last minute and I had room so after a quick meeting, she was booked for the next day. She's a Tibetan Terrier which isn't a Terrier at all. They were born in Tibet and bred in lamaseries (monastery of lamas) to keep them company, as well as companions to nomadic herdsmen. Their fur can grow to the ground but this girl has hers quite short. I would keep it short too; that's a lot of grooming! They were never sold but rather given as gifts for favors. Another thing I love about this job is learning about breeds I have never heard of before. She was fun but very ball obsessed, we had to hide it often just so she would do something else. But she was always searching..... Another thing I've never heard of is an Atmospheric River. But apparently that's what we have looming in the Pacific ocean, 5000 miles long, spanning from Asia to ...

Bella is quite a popular name with dogs; this is the second one we've watched this month and we have one to go! She's a miniature Schnauzer, about 8 years old. When she first got here and her owner left, she started whining and howling. I was wondering what I got myself into with this one. So I grabbed a leash and took her for a walk. After that she was fine. She greeted my husband big time even though they didn't meet earlier. She's a pretty happy dog that gets excited by just about anything, but her favorite thing to do is just sit on our laps and sleep. That's easy, we can do that. I had a dental checkup last week and although another tooth is cracked and causing some pain, we decided to go ahead and do the one implant he has been bugging me about for a year. That means I will also have to have a crown on the tooth above the implant because it has shifted downward. I wish I had married a dentist. I had quite a scare when I went to my Mom's last Friday. I ...

Boy last week was busy. Other than sitting away from home I still had to work for my Mom. I had to be home by 7:00 one morning to greet the shy boarder that my daughter and my husband would be taking care of. Even after going back I kept in touch with them to see how she was doing and let The Kid update the parents on her stay. They did a real good job getting little Bella from staying in her crate shaking to actually sitting on a lap. Shy little Bella The next day I went back home again for a meet & greet with two dogs from the same family. For some reason they did not book though. They had another meet so that sitter must have met their needs better. I get it, but it still makes me sad. At one point the times I was letting Sasha run around the yard (behind a gated fence that I'm not even sure I should let her into) I found two holes that she had dug while I went inside. I patched one pretty good and felt alright about it, until I found the other one. I had to take dir...

Sasha Here I am pet sitting about 10 miles away from home. It's the same place I stayed at earlier this year, my first sitting gig. They're going to the Oregon coast for 10 days; I wonder if they would notice a stow-away. But then their pets would die and I don't suppose they would like that. They're taking a cruise at the end of November for 20 days, but some of the places they are going were affected by the hurricanes. It's going to be a long stay but some real nice $$$, so I hope they still get to go. I'm going to make more short trips home so I won't get so burned out. Just a couple hours here and there will really help. I can't believe how much stuff I have to pack! This box is just food and there is a bag full of fresh fruits and vegis also. The pet sitter's survival kit (bottle of wine) is at the bottom somewhere. Yes, pork rinds and salad. The ultimate oxymoron Last week we had a repeat of Lola, the Goldendoodle. I admit, we we...