Combination, and Why I Do What I Do

Xylaphone, my previous enrichment dog, is being enriched by someone else. I was temporarily co-enriching him with someone who plans on eventually fostering him.

My new enrichment dog, Combination (http://strayrescue.org/adopt/combination), is the best. I fell in love the first day we met. He's been at Stray Rescue for six months. I don't know why he's still there! He's perfect. Well, except for one thing. He thinks he's human. He insisted on sitting in the chair next to me at lunch.

"Don't mind me. I'll just sit here and watch you eat while I starve."




"Antlers would taste much better with the elk attached."




"LOL, that was a good one, Lynne!"




"A little more sunscreen on my back, if you don't mind. My age spots are starting to form cartoon characters."




"The carpet you can have, but don't even think about taking my ball."




One thing that cracks me up is that right when we pull up to the shelter to go back after our day out, he pretends he's asleep!! It's hilarious. That's him on the left (below) as we pulled up. He's such a faker! I love his personality, his smile, and his temperament. He is smart and attentive. I take him to obedience class, which Stray Rescue provides for the enrichment dogs, and he's learned "shake," "down," "stay," and not to jump on people as they approach him. He loves people so much and just wants to be pet, but we're working on the jumping.




Combination would love a forever home, but he's happy just to have been rescued. Randy Grim found him with these chains and padlock around his neck and needed bolt cutters to get them off.




One would think Combination would despise humans since that's who abused him. But like all animals, he is forgiving, and wants only to love and be loved in return.

Some say that I'm obsessed or that I do too much for the dogs.

Call it what you will.

But read this...



...and at least you'll know why.

Lynne

Month in Pictures ~ June

Not much happened in June

Work

Lifeguard "Kevin" on duty

Lauren filling up the pools

Hot temps

Stray Rescue Enrichment Meetings

Randy (right) enjoying the wine and appetizers

An hour before the above meeting, Randy rescued this skinny mom and pups in the 111 degree weather. Three of the babies died but these six were saved. The mom is soooo friendly.

 New Enrichment Dog

My new enrichment dog's name is Xylaphone, so named because you can see his ribs. I took him to PetCo since it was too hot to do anything outside. Shopping wore him out, so he laid down in the middle of the store.  He's sweet and easy going and is 5 years old. I hope he gets fostered or adopted quickly. He'd be such an easy dog.

Need to fatten him up!  

Bedroom addition continues

Reading

I've read 26 books since January. Here are the titles, author and my rating.

Molokai  (Alan Brennert) 4/5

The Legacy Letters (Tuesdays Children) 4/5

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School (Kathleen Flinn) 5/5
When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence (Squire Rushnell) 3.5/5
I'm Still Standing: How One Woman's Brushes With Death Taught Her How to Live (Kelly Standing) 4/5
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (Katherine Boo) 3/5
Sin and Syntax (Constance Hale) 3.5/5
Don't Put Me in Coach (Mark Titus) 2/5
I Thought You Were Dead (Pete Nelson) audio 5/5
Out of Harm's Way (Terri Crisp) 4/5
Mom Energy (Ashley Koff & Kathy Kaehler) 3/5
Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction (Tom Raabe) 5/5
Spare Change (Bette Lee Crosby) 4/5
A Space of My Own: Inspirational Ideas for Home Offices, Craft Rooms and Studies (Caroline Clifton-Mogg) 4/5
Help for Writers (Roy Peter Clark) 4/5
Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient and then Turned 16 (Moshe Kasher) 4/5
A Mother's Journey of Love, Loss and Life Beyond (Jennifer Scalise) 5/5
How Not to Write (William Safire) 3.5/5
Fumble Rules (William Safire) 3.5/5
Junk English (Ken Smith) 2/5
Grammar Girl's 101 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know (Mignon Fogarty) 3.5/5
The Glamour of Grammar
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (Susan Cain) 4/5
Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me (Jerry McGill) 4/5
Giant George: Life With the World's Biggest Dog (Dave Nasser) 4/5
Through These Veins (Ann Marie Ruff) ~ currently reading

Until next time...!

Nothin' But Air(ic)

This one's for my family...it's all about Eric.

• The first week of school and basketball was tough for him, but he's gotten into the swing of things and has learned to at least keep up.

• He and Ryan get along well except Ryan never eats because he has to lose weight. Eric: "You wanna get something to eat?" Ryan: "Dude, we just ate an hour ago." Eric is always hungry, and the dining hall closes at 6:30, so he spends $25 to have food delivered every night.

• Eric said that when the team goes out together everyone comes up and talks to them. "They're not regular people there, mom, they're like gods."

• After Eric missed his ride to Columbia last night with Ryan because Eric went to the movies, then called me at 9:30 p.m. and said, "How am I going to get to school?," and eventually paid a friend to drive him there; and last week wrecked his car which now needs a whole new engine because he ran over a sign in the middle of the street, I said to him, "Feel free not to come home next weekend." Yeah, I really did. Larry said it was mean. I thought not.

• The car is still at the shop waiting for us to decide what to do. We think the hassle of driving him around, him using our cars and relying on others for rides may not be worth any potential lessons learned.

• The dirty laundry Eric brings home every weekend never includes socks. This weekend I finally asked him why. He said, "Mom, I take off my uniform and socks after practice, put them in a bag, and two hours later they're back in my locker...just like that." Oh jeez. 

• One of his teammates missed class one day and the next morning the whole team had to get up at 4 a.m. and run sprints and suicides. That should be a nice wake up call to show there's no "I" in team.

• The turning point in accepting the pressures of college basketball may have come when he signed about 50 autographs at camp last week. I'm pretty sure he loved it. But apparently he needs to work on his signature, because "all the guys teased me about mine."

Kids at camp

• He sent me this pic with the caption "First injury of the year." Turns out it's just shin splints, but he had these last year and could hardly walk. What helped was good inserts in his shoes. Need to put that on my list of things to buy. Along with a new engine.

training room

Lynne