A Clucking Good Time!

Who would have thought that taking a nice leisurely ride this weekend for eagle  watching would land us in a Chicken Parade?  As serendipity would have it, we arrived 30 minutes prior to when the big clucks were about to convene down the main street of Edison, Washington.

This chicken was on a mission!

Edison’s population is a whopping  135.  It was named after (you got it) the great inventor Thomas Edison.  The town had decided about four years ago to have their parade in conjunction with the winter hawk count.  This area is known for their bird habitat because of the second largest river in the area called the Skagit River.  It is a flat open delta which attracts birds of all kind.  In fact the count since started in 1989 has been close to 12,000!

The parade has begun!

We decided to stay  because I wondered how the heck could anyone make chickens walk in a parade.  We noticed the town’s two block street was filling up  quickly with folks lined up on both sides of the little road anxiously awaiting the guests of honors. People dressed up in chicken outfits began their reconnaissance mission of making sure the street was ready for all the excitement.  Even dogs were invited for the big day.

Our Dog Stanny was a little nervous to say the least. He just didn’t understand why their was such a fuss about something that he could “gobble” down with one chomp!

 

Blue the Chihuahua watched very intently as the excitement passed him. He could hardly contain himself…Can you tell?

At approximately 12 noon the parade began.  By 1210 pm it was all done!  It was the greatest 10 minutes of my afternoon too.  To be involved in the great annual chicken parade is hard to describe.  I guess my pictures will have to do the talking, but I was real glad we made it even if it was a complete surprise!

Happy Cluckers to all of my readers!

 

LINUS! It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This!

14th Thanksgiving with this fella has been a joy! Spine going out, but he lifts his legs one more Thanksgiving for me by the stove! Love this fella and all dogs on earth as well as Heaven!

Mom is pulling the food out!!!

Rascal-Oh how I miss you! He lived to be 16!

Am I Bionic?

It was the sound of scratching nails getting louder and louder. Then silence. Moments later, a small whimper began.
Lying down on my bed sleeping, I flinched realizing what I was hearing.
Quickly standing up from a deep sleep, I saw my dog Linus stuck under my bed. All I could think about doing is pulling him out. I had never seen him do this before.
It is not unusual for Linus to sleep at the side of my bed. Although, He must have moved in his sleep to get himself trapped under it.
I tried pulling him out unsuccessfully. Realizing the weight of the bed was on my dog’s back, I lifted the bed frame up. No easy task for someone in my physical shape, but it was the only way to pull him out.
After coming out from under the bed, Linus could not seem to hold up his own body weight. Suddenly to my relief, Linus managed to pull himself up.
Feeling nauseated from lifting the bed and the ensuing pain I felt in my head and back, I laid down quickly praying for relief.
Not quite awake, I thought to myself, “What just happened?” However, relieved that my dog was Ok and my pain subsiding, I drifted back to sleep.
beep…beep…beep…My alarm wakes me. Time to go to church.
Leaving the house, I eyed Linus sleeping on his own bed. Quietly I thanked God he was not hurt.
I wondered where my strength came from. It was crazy to me that I could lift the bed up.
To my surprise, the pastor spoke about, “You’re stronger than you think.” As the pastor was wrapping up his message, I could not help but smile knowing God must have given me a supernatural ability to help my pet when he needed me the most. God does indeed use the weak. In fact, it seems many times God uses the smallest of things to His Glory. My own strength certainly fits the bill.

Winterizing My Dog

Linus has slowed down. He is alert and knows who I am, but just doing what all of us will do and that is age. It came down to the fact I was in a position of listening to my inner self concerned of not letting Linus suffer. “He knows who I am!” I kept saying to myself.
Is this enough to keep a dog alive? Is it enough when they are in pain if indeed that is what is going on? To my relief after a veterinary visit and counsel, we decided to put Linus on some medicine to help his bones from aching and quite possibly getting him back to jumping around the house again. It has been a month on Carprofen and Tramadol for my baby and he is getting his MOJO back!
While some of you have been winterizing your homes, I have been winterizing my dog Linus. After all he is the best friend a girl could ask for:

Bringing Linus home!

Linus The Charmer!

Oh Those Eyes!

The Trail

Is it the trail that brings such joy? Perhaps it is the walk itself. See what happens at the end of my walk!!! I can’t believe it! OH NO!!!!

The Gift

This is Linus when we first met him.

The litter Linus came out of. Can you pick him out?

Here comes the big present.

Hurry open the box.

He is so cute.

Birthday present in a box~!

Precious gift all wrapped up nice.
You know you are our one delight.
Surrounded by all to glare.
For only one family are you to share.

(Post dedicated to my sons and the family dog Linus)

14 years go by so fast and you are glad for the
journey of love and licks that only can be brought
by the gift of an animal. For additional posts on Linus
go to https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/about-linus/ and in
particular if you need a good laugh read this one:
https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/napblopomo-rocks-for-linus/

About Linus

Linus walks up to where the old fence used to be.

Linus wondering if he should go into the backyard….

Linus owns the backyard now!

Linus is my English Springer straight from Heaven. He has been my constant companion for almost 14 years. Recently at a visit to his veterinarian, the doctor mentioned that she only sees one or two English Springers like Linus a year. Perhaps it is because they are a hunting dog and folks are just not interested in this breed. For myself, he has been a godsend.

Recently I took down a fence in the backyard and Linus was so funny to go past where the old fence used to be. I guess it is true you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Actually maybe you can. Check out my photos of Linus finally adventuring out into new territory in my garden that has been off-limits from him.

A Hoarse Blogging Voice

Linus contemplates his blogging voice’s next big post!

Every time I watch my favorite sports team play, I have a tendency to get overzealous and my voice go hoarse. It hit me that my husky, raucous, and guttural voice that takes place of my normal one is not strong any longer, but a weak form of what was once there.

Is this what we do in our blogging at times? Is it that my voice may come across too strong or too opinionated? At other times, my blog may become weak because I do not tackle the blogging topic with full veracity. Truth for me though may not be the same truth for another. Yet we all know that there are universal truths in our world.

After taking a break from the daily blogging world the last 2 months , I have come to realize I prefer to allow myself freedom to write as I choose. As an individual I am as complex as they come. This brings for interesting thoughts that flow in my head and scream to come out. It is in my blogging I can find voice, yet learn to tame it so I do not go hoarse. You would think going gusto for the team and screaming with all your might for them to win is an awesome thing. I suppose it is, but at the end of the game and may I add at the end of this game we call life, does that hoarse voice show strength or weakness? All I know is that my throat could do well to have a throat lozenge just about now.

Happy Blogging Friends.

Resilience

Overwhelmed does not come close to my thankful spirit after all of your well wishes in regards to not only my dog’s health, but also for myself. I wanted to report that today Linus would not eat for me this morning. I was worried but later decided to try a different strategy. I fed him one piece at a time very slowly and then finally I put some dog food in his bowl and he got up. I am really pushing the food and giving him his Christmas treats in a more abundant amount than I would usually do. I hope he can gain 10 percent of the weight he has lost. Thank you everyone for your support!
One thing for sure that can be learned about going through tough times is to be resilient. You know the person who gets knocked down and than learns to get up even stronger than before. Please forgive me if I tell you that I am not as strong as I once was. Yet what I will say —I was able to gain empowerment from you all. I would see a comment from one of you and it would be just what I needed to hear. God to me works through people.
Another interesting moment I had two nights ago was my neighbor who is Russian knocking on my door crying. She needs to have a serious surgery and she knew that I am a nurse. To tell you the truth after living in my cul de sac for 10 years, I had very rarely spoken to her as she is very private. Tonight was different and I was able to comfort her. I spoke with her at length on what to expect and gave her a hug and also cried with her. I also encouraged her that she will be fine. It was just a couple of days ago I talked about being kind to a neighbor ( https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/back-to-reality/ ) and here I was doing just that. I thank God for that opportunity. It feels good to help another. When we help others, we are entertaining angels I have been told. Just maybe some of you were doing that for me with your comments. One other thing I am humbled yet again to have been nominated for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you to ( http://scvincent.com/awards/ )and soon I will fulfill my obligation with that award.

SAD

Linus owns this boy’s heart!

Linus owns his backyard!

Linus became the next baby after him! And this one had his own funny photo collection.

Today I took my beloved Linus, my English Springer, to his vet. Our vet has known us since Linus was an infant ( oh I mean puppy). He has been under the weather. He has been sick before and has bounced back. This time was slightly different. He has lost 20% of his body weight.
It was strange that I would not notice that he lost so much weight. The doctor did say Linus is at the end of his days, but not yet the “real” end. So we are beefing him up to live out his glory days with gusto. He is on a couple of medications right now also. She also informed us we do not have to give him the dreaded vaccinations as they are a detriment to his old age. Now I wonder what the immunization gods would think of such a thing in the human population? Anyway we are helping our little man out the best we can and need your prayers. Thank you WordPress Friends. I know how much you enjoy his life as I have shared my favorite photos with you all on numerous occassions ( https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/napblopomo-rocks-for-linus/ ) Those shots on the link were taken when he became the first legal pot smoker in Washington State!
By the way Linus’s vet said she only sees a handful of English Springers these days. It seems folks do not want the dogs that had a “purpose” that much anymore like hunting etc. They prefer the labradoodle! They are cute, but not a breed.