Settling In

I think that Heidi is starting to settle in. She seems more relaxed and enjoys her days, eating, sleeping, and playing! Heck, I think perhaps I would like that schedule!

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Everything was icy on Sunday and I nearly fell on our patio. Luckily, I did not fall, and during my 100+ times (an exaggeration I am sure!) I took walks with Heidi, I managed to stay on my feet!

There was a funny incident with Heidi on Sunday. She was climbing the doggy steps and Lili was sitting on the sofa, and Heidi raced over and jumped full force onto Lili!

Lili was so surprised, but she never growled or snapped. She just stared at the young whipper-snapper and then got down!

Yes, life is good and the pups are doing okay with their relationship.

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Doggy Feelings

It was a rough weekend for Mr. Arnie. I knew something was wrong, but I could not put my finger on it. On Monday morning, Arnie woke me at 4 AM. I tried to get back to sleep, but between Arnie not feeling well and Lili hovering around him, that was just not going to happen.

Right at 8:30 AM I called the Vet and made an appointment. I thought if I walked Arnie around the house to the garage, Lili wouldn’t be upset to see him go.

I was wrong.

Apparently, Lili could smell the problem that I could not. So, when we disappeared around the corner of the house, she went ballistic. Poor girl. I thought she had handled Anneliese’s passing well, but ever since Anneliese died, Lili has taken Arnie as a parent. She watches him. She follows him, and she worries about him.

Needless to say, when we arrived home with Arnie’s problem at least alleviated, Lili went right up and sniffed and checked Arnie and all but danced with happiness.

Arnie has a little infection in his anal glands and once drained he should be more comfortable. He is also on antibiotics and an ointment.

What struck me the most about this is that Arnie is in his golden years, and just like people “The Golden Years” also stink as far as little doggies go!

But alls well that ends well. Arnie should be right as rain quite soon and hopefully, we will go back into a healthy period for the dogs.

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Lili, My Hero!

Several new readers to my blog have asked me to share the Story about Lili saving me from the home invasion back in 2019, so here goes.

My Friday began like any other Friday. I got up, made breakfast for Jack and me, and then I started a load of laundry.

Jack got ready and headed off to a physical therapy appointment at the VA, and a few minutes later I got a phone call and sat chatting.

About a half an hour after Jack left I heard the door in the basement slam shut. That’s odd, I thought. Maybe Jack had car trouble.

I went to the window in my room and did not see a car, a UPS Truck, or anything!

It was then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the basement.

“Hello! Anyone home? Hello!” said a strange man’s voice.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Lili began to growl and bark! I raced to the cellar door and turned the lock and wedged my foot on the bottom.

“Who is there? Who are you! Tell me your name!”

There was no response.

“I’m calling the police!” I shouted again and again, as I dialed 911!

I didn’t hear the door slam shut. I didn’t hear him leave. I was frozen at the door waiting until the police arrived. It was just seconds until the police drove into my driveway.

The police searched the basement and the perimeter of the house. I’d seen a white SUV below us and so they put out an APB for any car matching that.

I filed the report, got the policeman to give me a few tips on how to protect my home (I need a few deadbolts and a long piece of wood to block the sliding glass door.), but he told me again that Lili was amazing and the two of us had done a great job under the circumstances.

Lili was amazing. She growled and barked and sounded so fierce. I guess it’s what makes German Shepherds such wonderful police dogs!

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My Hero, Lili!

Yes, I did okay, but I have to tell you I didn’t start breathing again for a while. After the police left, and I locked every door I could, I sat down and slowly drank my coffee, and tried to relax.

I don’t understand why people break into other people’s homes. Why people think it is okay to steal. Today, I am just glad that Lili protected me, and that I wasn’t harmed.

Happy 7th Birthday, Lili!

Our darling White German Shepherd, Lili celebrates her 7th Birthday today. Her life started in a rough way. She was quite ill until after running a series of tests we discovered she was suffering from Celiac Disease. Once we adjusted her diet she settled right down and she began to grow into the beautiful and sweet girl that she is.

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Lili would have been great fun in a Circus. She loves to run and jump and run some more. A true whirling dervish! Winter is her favorite time, as she enjoys being able to leap through the snow at full speed. It’s like watching a deer.

Lili is also the Dackel Bodyguard. She goes outside with Arnie and watches should the Bald Eagle, or a stray dog threaten him.

Likewise, my husband has begun going outside to exercise and of course, do some snow shoveling, Lili will go with him. She never leaves his side and keeps a close watch. She is closely attuned to him.

Lili rescued me on January 12th, 2019, when a man broke into my house during the day. He made it to the top of our cellar stairs, but the door was locked and Lili was fiercely barking and was between me and the door. She saved me that day!

Yes, Lili is amazing and we all love being loved by this beautiful and sweet doggy!

So, Happy Birthday to our St. Patrick’s Day Baby Girl! 

When Covid-19 Comes to Call

It’s amazing to me that some people don’t believe that Covid-19 is real. Unfortunately, it is.

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Another friend (in a faraway State) called today to tell me that she has Covid-19. They are awaiting the results for her husband and two children.

A good friend in Florida also had Covid-19 and he was very ill. So much so, that he spent time in the Intensive Care Unit.

People say I am crazy to be so compulsive about wearing a facial mask, not going to indoor restaurants, and avoiding all places I do not need to be.

I don’t want to get sick. I hate being sick! Last November when I had the Flu I was so ill I thought I would die. It was a combination of having a really bad case of Flu and the fact that it dragged on and on. I am also a bit of a Drama Queen, so give me a temperature of 102.6 for a few days, a cough that sounded like I was hacking up a lung, and my inability to breathe, and I’m convinced I had an early case of Covid-19.

Everyone says no, but I know how sick I was and nothing will convince me otherwise. See? Drama Queen.

I get my flu shot on Friday and then I hope and pray for the best. I just hate to even consider being that sick again!

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Happy Sixth Birthday Lili!!!

Today our Lili is six years young! Hard to believe it! Time has flown! Our little St. Patrick’s Day Pup will get a special dog food molded cake with five mini dog bones for candles! Bless you, Lili, you really are a gem.

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Lili

We found that Lili would have been great fun in a Circus. She loves to run and jump and run some more. A true whirling dervish! Winter is her favorite time, as she enjoys being able to leap through the snow at full speed. It’s like watching a deer.

Lili is the sweetest girl and has developed a wonderful relationship with our smallest dachshund. The two are devoted to each other and sleep curled up together a great deal of the time at night. Lili is also the Dackel Bodyguard. She goes outside with them and watched should the Bald Eagle, or a stray dog threaten them.

She is amazingly intelligent. She follows commands and has become a retriever. Let me explain. If one of the dachshunds is out and is taking too long, I will say, “Lili, go get Anneliese” and she will run off and herd her back to the door. She seems to love having jobs to do.

Likewise,  my husband has begun going outside to exercise and of course, do some snow shoveling, Lili will go with him. She never leaves his side and keeps a close watch. She is closely attuned to him.

While I am crocheting in the evenings she is either at my feet or in my loveseat next to me. She follows me everywhere I go and she is so loving, at times it brings tears to my eyes.

She is also the most beautiful White Shepherd we have ever had. No kidding. She is nearly completely white, with a fabulous black nose and nails. Her eyes are perfectly brown and her coat is a full, short tight coat, with soft fur.

Her best little friend is a five-year-old girl that is our neighbor’s grandniece. She will stand on their balcony and call “Lili” and Lili happily runs to greet her, pulling up just before she gets to her, so as not to knock her over.
She also loves our two grandchildren who wanted Bolt Dogs for Christmas that looked like Lili a few years back.

Lili rescued me on January 12th last year, when a man broke into my house during the day. He made it to the top of our cellar stairs, but the door was locked and Lili was fiercely barking and was between me and the door. She saved me that day!

So here we are, our darling Lili is six and all grown up and settling down. Knowing she is the last large dog we will have, makes her all the more special to us.

Happy Birthday, Lili!

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Lovely

Today was beautiful. In fact, I felt like walking around our yard and I took a bunch of pictures. Lili, of course, was only too happy to pose for me.

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Awww, my lovely Lili!

The tourists have all gone home. In a few weeks they will close up their camps and life in my small town will go back to a simple, quiet, normal. Oh, how I love this time of year!

I sidled up to the plum tree and grabbed a delicious succulent one, and wolfed it down. These are tiny little plums known as a Mount Royal Plum! Oh my goodness, so very good!

Tomorrow we have a man coming to see if he can fix the mess left by Sunday Paving & Sealing Company of Wolfborough, NH. These people worked on our driveway and 11 hours after they finished the driveway failed. They refuse to return our calls or to stop by. Anyone in my area thinking of using them, trust me, you do not want to do it! I will be filing a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau!

We’re limited with time now, as in a few weeks our temperatures will drop and the ground will freeze. Oh my goodness, did I really write that? Yes, before we know it, winter will be here!

Lili To The Rescue

I don’t often write about Lili. She is sort of one of the forgotten ones when it comes to stories from the home.

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However, today Lili once again reminded us just why she is so remarkable and fabulous!

After alerting us yesterday to the Fire Department in our driveway due to our neighbor’s yardman having flipped his lawnmower and nearly starting a fire, I knew that Lili was on alert for all problems.

Today at lunchtime, I went out with the three dogs for their noontime walk. No sooner had we gotten outside than I saw Arnie run quickly to the left barking wildly! Lili followed and her stride can only be described as the full paced run of a greyhound on the track!

You see this mutt-dog from next door, who is about Lili’s size was heading straight for Arnie! Not in a friendly way either! Lili chased that dog right out of our yard!

Now Anneliese was barking, and Arnie was barking and Lili was pacing back and forth just daring that dog to come back in her yard! I was screaming at the dog to go home, and also calling my dogs to come here.

Anneliese was on a leash, so she was fine, and the dog did go home, and Lili came right back. Mr. Arnie was marking our lawn so the dog would know that this was his place! Then he also came in!

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It’s sort of funny though. Lili is not a dog that strives to stand out. Yet, she is there for so many important moments. And in her way, she is the bravest, the most protective dog we have ever had.

The Muddy Dog

Monday found me working around the house a lot more than I wanted to. Besides the usual work, Lili decided that she was going to mud puddle jump.

She did this four times, and this required me to hose her off four times! The worst was the second time when she had put her snout into the mud and literally was a brown white shepherd!

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This made me crazy! So if there is anyone who wants her, let me know!

It was a beautiful day otherwise. Bright sun, warm temperatures and just the hint of a breeze!

Perfect!