Cleaning up

Saturday has become brush clearing day. While the weather is cool enough and fire danger low, we are slowly cleaning up the property.

Robotics

Today we started a robotic class using the Lego Mindstorm. 

Spring break sabotage

Once again our spring break has been sabotaged by a canine.  You know about Hugo, our puppy we got earlier this week.  What you probably don't know is about our four year old German shepherd, Moe, that we got last spring break.  

Once we got settled in our house we told the kids we could get a dog.  It wasn't long that a friend told us about a rescue dog that was in need of a home.  He was trained, well behaved but needed a family to be with.  Todd sent out an inquiry and we were asked to bring Moe home to see if he would fit into our family.  He was really a great dog.  He minded, followed the rules, easy to command, and gentle with us.  I spent all of last spring break putting in an invisible fence to keep him in our property.  Digging up dirt and burying wire around the perimeter of our property was not how I intended to spend my break but that is what I did.

We had Moe for a month, maybe two, but we had to send him back to his rescuer.  Although he was great with us, he didn't do well with our visitors, namely men.  Once we introduced him to you he was fine for a while, but for no reason at all he would charge our guest and try to bite them.  He bit my brother in law on three separate occasions.  So, he had to go.  

Fast forward to this spring break and a dog has sabotaged it again.  Hugo is a lot of fun but for now I have to keep a constant watch on him to train him to piddle and poo outside.  Our nights are also not very restful as he wakes up crying, howling, and barking about every hour.  I have polled my fb friends to see how we should handle the night times and of course, I have opposite opinions.  So I made a decision to keep him in his crate and let him cry.  Well, not completely.  When he wakes up crying I take him outside to piddle then I put him back in his crate.  He then howls for about a half hour before he settles back down, takes a thirty to forty five minute nap before we start the process again.  It is like having a newborn with two hour feedings.  What I have been told is that he will settle down and stop the crying in about a week or two. I hope they are right.

Currently, Hugo is taking a nap in my bathroom.  I have been making him follow me around the house to do chores.  I think going up and down the stairs combined with his late night howling has tired him out.  I had him join me in the bathroom so I could shower and do some cleaning.  He promptly fell asleep, of course.  

Restless Days and Sleepless Nights

Isn't that a song?  Restless Days and Sleepless Nights?  I can almost here a 1970s country western singer singing it in my head.  It is the theme song for today.  Add to that grey skies and rain and this gal and her husband would like a good, long, peaceful nap.  NOT GONNA HAPPEN.  At least, not with a 6 week old puppy in the house who cries all night long for its pack to find it.  At 3 am I was reading the dog listener to see if I should ignore the cries or go down and comfort the pup, possibly bring it to my bed.  NOPE.  Ignore it.  Time to invest in ear plugs.

I did learn we should have a playpen attached to his crate so that he has a place outside of his crate to use the bathroom during the night.  I also learned to have some calf hooves available for him to chew on as well.  So off to the store today.  At least Bryce is getting some much needed driving time.  Yes, you heard me.  Bryce is in the midst of driver's training.  I can see the grey hairs multiplying.

A Day with Hugo

Meet Hugo.  He is the newest member of our family.  He is a six week old Lab/Husky Mix.  I call his breed a Labusky.  Isn't he cute?  We brought him home yesterday and we, namely I, have been babying him ever since.  

I have never had a puppy before.  My biggest fear is potty training.  I have learned that as soon as he eats, take him outside.  If he drinks, take him outside.  If he wakes up from a nap, take him outside. If he has played really hard, take him outside.  So far it has worked.  Of course, I need to get the rest of the family on board with my plan.  

Hugo loves being outside.  He loves  the snow piles.  I mean, really loves them.  He runs to each snow pile, wallows all over it, eats the snows, and just has a blast.  His next favorite thing outside are the plastic tarps that are laying around  ( is it laying or lying????   too tired to think it through.)  I think he really enjoys the sound of crunching on the tarps, leaves, snow, etc.   We set up an electric fence last spring for a German Shepherd that we had for a short time.  I tell you that story later.  The wire was broke in a couple of places last summer when some excavators came out to level our land.  Hugo is too small for the invisible fence just yet, but by the end of the summer we will want to get him  used to that.  It will be nice when we can let him outside to play and do his business without one of us holding on to the end of the lease.  

He currently is sleeping on the floor next to me while I type.    I think I will put him back in his cage and head off to bed my own self.  Who knows how many times we will be up with him so I better rest while I can.

Good night!

Blogging again

I may be dreaming but i thought I might try blogging again.  So let me catch you up.  Since my last post Bonnie is finishing up her second year at Washington State University as an architecture major.  Brian is finishing his first year at Wenatchee Valley College as a running start student.  He is also the lead drummer in the high school band.  Bryce is now a freshman at Upper Valley Christian School where I teach full time.  Todd is still the pastor of our church and teaches part time at the same school I teach at.  That is us in a nutshell.

What else has happened in these past two years?  We built a house and now have a place of our own. I can't express how wonderful it is to have our own place.  My house is awesome!  Nothing special, nothing fancy, it is just right.

Today our house was made complete with the addition of our new puppy, Hugo.  He is a six week old lab/husky mix.  Jet black with one small white patch on his chest.  We, I, have never had a dog so young.  I was a bit nervous, but he has been so fun.  We are getting the potty training thing down so I think everything is going to be just fine.

Why start blogging again?  I guess so I can get all of my crazy conversations out of my head.  Will anyone read them beside my mom?  Probably not, but that is ok.  It is my time capsule for my family, so let's see where this goes.

Back Home

Well we made it back home after our whirlwind trip to Tennessee.  Our original plans had us scheduled to arrive sometime today.  It is probably best that we left early.  The transition from traveling out east and back to traveling out to Pullman is less stressful this way, although we still have a lot to do. 

Yesterday we celebrated Bonnie's 18th birthday by taking her out to eat.  Earlier she had informed me that her friends celebrated their 18th birthdays by sky diving or going on a cruise.  I don't know who these friends are but I gently informed her that none of those things were going to happen. Heck, I would love to go on a cruise myself, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  

Today we return the rental van and do all of our last minute shopping.  Bonnie would like to get a coffee pot, some food, and odds and ends to make life tolerable in the dorm...yes, dorm.  The school is refusing to allow Bonnie to live off campus.  They stated that since she got her AA through Running Start it doesn't count as having a Junior status and since she is eligible for student loans she can't claim a financial hardship.  As infuriated as I am we have no choice but to move her into a dorm.  On the bright side, she was able to secure a single room in a women's dorm so we feel much better.

I admit that sending our daughter off to school is going to be hard.  Is she ready yet?  Is she strong enough spiritually, mentally, emotionally?  Time will tell.  Yet, most of us did a lot of growing up when we left the nest and tested our wings.  It is just hard to push our chicks out of the nest,