In Tribute to Maggie

When your daughter BEGS you for a dog, you might feel safe in saying,
      "FINE, you know I'm allergic to dogs... if you can find one I'm not allergic to, well we can get one."
Just be aware she will go onto the internet and FIND non-allergenic dogs. 

Dani was a clever 11-year-old and found them - it turned out there were at least 3 breeds to consider.  We read about them and decided Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers were the best match for our family.

Then we called the town vet to see if there were any nearby, and there were.  So we went over and met them, to see if I would react.  Nary a sneeze or wheeze.   Ditto when we met a breeder in D.C., and he had a house-full of 3 bitches and 2 litters of cute puppies.  He was eager to sell to us, but only if we'd guarantee we'd show the dog and maybe breed her.   NOT what we were looking to do.

So instead we found a breeder in Iowa and Maggie came out via airplane right after Christmas 1999.  She was 12 weeks, I believe.  I took Danielle to the airport on the premise her dad, who kept flying to Texas, had left his laptop at the airport.  We went to the back side to pick her up where all the cargo came in.  There she was in her carrier, looking like an ewok. 

She whined the first few nights, but soon got used to our house and living in her doggie crate. 

When she was a few months old, we started letting her live in the kitchen if she was tethered to the heavy oak table, with all her toys and bowl nearby, and a linolium floor in case she had accidents.  We got her a dog bed, a huge comfy foam pad covered in corduroy - but she TORE IT UP the first day we left her there with it.... it was ALL OVER that kitchen in shredded pieces.  She didn't get another bed until about 5 years ago. 

In Massachusetts, the dog next door became her mentor. Skittles was a Golden Retriever, and she took it upon herself to teach Maggie the tricks of the doggie trade.  They found sticks to chew on, they jetted away to the nearby pond when we weren't attentive, they bobbed for treats in the kitty-litter box, they even found a dead animal to ROLL ON (I had no idea dogs liked to do that, but they do.)  And then one day Dani came home and announced, "Uh, Mom, we need to keep the toilet seat shut now."  Thanks so much, Skittles!

Maggie really liked sleeping on our bed once she no longer slept in her crate.  But she was fickle.  When our movement disturbed her, she moved to her bed on the floor. When she got warm, she moved to the tiled bathroom floor, virtually wrapping herself around the toilet.

She liked sleeping with her legs straight up in the air. She liked her squeaky chew-toys, liked pizza, bell peppers, carrots, and bones.  And ANY MEAT that was in the house, she came running the second we started unwrapping it.  She knew if you had a plate with meat on it, and if you sat on the couch to eat whilst watching a show, she sat across the floor in front of the TV, STARING at you as if she could will you to give her some.  We only fed her in her bowl and she was not allowed to be in and around the kitchen table while we ate.  But she tried, she was sure that we would not notice her as she kept sneaking in, sniffing around by our feet hoping for a morsel. "OUT" was a word she knew well, and ignored if at all possible. 

The first word she learned was OVER, when in the car.  She caught on immediately!  Then someone suggested we say OFF instead of down, when she jumped up on you or a couch or something, and she did well there.  Once I wanted to teach her to back up.  She already knew the word UP, so as I had her behind the couch and kept saying BACK UP in that confined space - which I thought was a brilliant way to teach her - she simply jumped UP onto the TOP of the couch!!  Wheatens are amazing leapers, clearly they can jump very high.  When she got excited she was a canine spring!

She did catch on, though, and could back up, turn in a circle (if you offered a treat when you asked,) roll over.  I loved her discipline - if we placed a treat on her nose, she would hold it there till allowed to eat it.  She learned to WAIT when a treat was on the floor.  She'd look down at the treat, then up at your face, then down, then up expectantly... but she did wait until you said OKAY!  And if you handed her a treat, she took it slowly and delicately from your fingers like a lady should.

(Maggie when the groomer fluffed her out like a sheep last winter)


She arffed a lot, and never on the tile.  It was ALWAYS on the carpet.  Wheatens are an arffing breed, they are usually allergic to several foods, and consistently to wheat, as ironic as that is.  When her arffing got so bad last few years and she lost a lot of weight, we finally got her Venison/Sweet Potato kibble, and that made all the difference, she started gaining weight again.

When Jamie was born and came to the house almost 11 years ago, Maggie was SO INTRIGUED by this new smelling creature, and just HAD to have a taste!!  We finally put the baby carrier up on the couch because we were tired of shooing Mags away.  But that didn't stop her, she made a mad dash into the family room, up on to the sofa, and quickly LICKED Jamie's little face, then jumped down and out of the room.   She tried this with all the babies, she just had to taste each new member of the family.
She liked to sing along when Jim played his clarinet, if she was resting and he started playing some jazz.... she would lift her head and just howwlllll along with him, it was really cute.

She was divine with the kiddos, very tolerant of their playing with her.  Jemma would attach the leash and try to lead her around, and Maggie would look at us with this pleading in her eyes, "Please don't make her do this for very long, okay?"  The last few years she got to where she'd just run upstairs or under the dining room table, she'd had enough of little kids. But it would never occur to her to nip or anything.  But she was game for a walk whenever the children asked to take her.

There is plenty more we could say in praise, she was a wonderful dog.  We'll miss her quirky personality and loyal love.   And hopefully we'll get to see her again in heaven.

Thoughts on Laundry Day

Today's been another monumental day, though it started out pretty ordinary.  Laundry, ho hum.   But I realized as I started loading the machine, I won't be doing so many white shirts any longer. Jim works from home where every day is Casual Friday.  I learned the hard way that I had to check his front pocket, but won't have to worry as often about that any longer. It's sort of an end of an era, at least here at the Reeder's.  Not quite a LAST like I wrote about previously, but feels similar.
        And truly, today as I was thinking this, I found that very thing as I loaded - he'd left a pen in his pocket once again.  (And I am always grateful when I find a pen in time, since I've had to deal with the mess when I have NOT found the pen until it was too late.)

But we did indeed have one more 'last' today.  Maggie's last day on the earth .  It was a sad decision to make, ending the life of a beloved family member.  But the whole family was behind it, everyone had seen her yesterday.  She was in pain and acting rather irrational at times.   She'd had one seizure we witnessed a month ago, and we suspect she'd had one or two more.

I'll post a little tribute to her next, I have a few great photos. Tonight we sit here a little weirded out that our Maggie won't be here with us any more.  She has 'crossed the Rainbow Bridge,'  as they say in the pet-loving world.  I would love to believe she's cavorting with other pooches on some grassy park.  It's been a while since she's felt much like playing, and she's been annoyed by children, too.  Last couple of weeks she's slept more, and often avoided any of us.  She missed when trying to jump up on the bed or chair several times the last few months. 

So Chelsea and I took her over to the vet and Dr Oliver help ease the process by giving her a sedative first.  We got to kiss and pet her while she fell asleep... and of course we cried.  Then we left. They were very sensitive to us (even the doc was teary-eyed.)  It was sad, but not drawn out.  I felt guilty, but I realized I was God for her in a sense.  I was allowed to decide when her life had run its course. She was 13.5 years old, and in a lot of pain.   Her quality of life had gone downhill big-time. 

People came to the door this afternoon and this evening, and both times I waited for the usual BARKING that always accompanied knocking and the doorbell (even when hearing a doorbell rung on TV, or when we accidentally bumped a wall- she'd go nuts.) 

I really never thought I'd miss that.... but I think I will for a while. 

.

To 'Poo or not to 'Poo

Yes, an indelicate title to get your attention!

So the last time I shampooed was Tuesday Jan 29th, when I got a haircut and color at my regular salon visit.  I started the previous week shampooing with Baking soda - or going NO POO as some say. the UnPoo method is uber natural, obviously. But plenty of things are natural and not so great. ( I found some 'natural' in my dining room early this morning, a wonderful gift left by Maggie, isn't she the dear one?)
Here is one woman's experience, with photos of her hair and everything. http://thecrunchywife.com/2012/02/i-finally-went-no-poo.html

I've found several blogposts about it, enough to help me get brave and give it a try.
 A tsp of baking soda in a cup of water for the wash (No suds at all)  and the hair feels all silky and lovely!!  But then the rinse, to balance the pH, is a Tab of Apple Cider Vinegar in a cup of water.  IMMEDIATELY there is a change and the hair suddenly feels like straw.  But you rinse that out too, even use a little conditioner now and then, tho not on the scalp, just the ends.  You smell like a salad till it dries.  ( I really don't like vinegar, so I've gone with some lemon juice and only a splash of the vinegar, and I like that smell much better.)   If you read the blog and the comments, you'll learn plenty of other women's experiences.  I have friends doing this, it's not as rare as I'd thought.

  I've not been disappointed at all. My hairdresser on Tuesday didn't gasp and say, "WHAT in the world have you done to your hair?!"   In a month when I go back, I'll let her know my experiment and see what her opinion is of my hair. It doesn't seem to be hurting the hair color she's putting in there to cover my gray. And when I get REALLY brave and decide I can live with the gray (there isn't enough to make a go of it yet,)  then I'll really be natural. But hey, I don't feel old enough to be truly gray yet. I LIKE looking 27 years old!   Well 39 then  ..... okay, okay  45, but that's my final offer.

So I did find my hair is softer. I have very fine hair and still am putting mousse on it. I'm told people with really curly hair report it makes their hair softer. One just has to get brave and give it a try. I think any time we can get less chemicals on our bodies, the better. Your scalp reacts to the degreasers in shampoo by making MORE oil, so then more oil makes for oily hair. You skip all that by not using shampoo. Oh, and brushing.  Don't you remember?  Women used to brush their hair 100 times every night with natural bristle brushes, bringing the oil down onto the hair shaft, thus conditioning it!

My goal is to get to like 4 or 5 days between shampoos. I'd already 'trained' my head to go every other day, a MAJOR change from all my years of having to shampoo every morning. 
This morning as I type this, I'm trying to decide if I clean my head again before stake conference, or live with it.  I woke too early (4:15  UGH!) to even look in the mirror yet.   Not having to blow-dry and curl my hair again for another day sounds lovely.

So get brave and try it, think of all the money you'll save!

  And haven't you always wondered- If we are putting shampoo on our hair, was there a time people used REAL poo??  Makes ya wonder.

Week of Lasts

This has been a week of lasts, several things have come to an end this weekend and are definitely blog-worthy.

First off, and clearly the most important, is my hair.  Well, not so important as all that, but last Tuesday may very well have been the last time I use shampoo on my hair.  My next post explains it all.    http://nibletknows.blogspot.com/2013/02/to-poo-or-not-to-poo.html

Our biggest 'last' here revolves around Jim's callling as Stake president.  For 9 years he's been serving and today the new one takes his place. 
The word everyone has been using is Bittersweet.  And I guess it really is fitting.  There have been great blessings and perks from this.  The biggest being the opportunity to get to know SO MANY absolutely wonderful people in the stake.  More people know us than the reverse, it comes with its own version of fame.  I won't miss that part, but there are some aspects I'll miss.

I will NOT miss his being gone night after night.  Last Sunday was his last night of Temple recommend interviews.  That often had us adjusting Sunday evening family dinners.  He occasionally let his counselors take the night, but in reality there are many things only he can do as president, and certain interviews are included there. 

Last night was his last Saturday night session of stake conference.  It was a lovely evening, even if I had to get up and say a few words. I got to sit on the stand with the other wives (they asked us three to speak 5 minutes) and stare out over the whole filled hall at over 500 people.  And I know almost all those faces.... wonderful, wonderful people that we've come to love. I scanned the faces trying to determine WHO the next president was - he'd been called and he'd chosen his couselors... but we don't get to learn that until the big Reveal this morning.  I suppose I'll post this just after we get home so I can add in those names, for posterity's sake.

  Following Jim's remarks was a little hard, he gave a 15-minute farewell talk. It was very heartfelt and sincere, and not funny like he can usually do on a Saturday night.  People will long remember him showing off his shiny saxophone and clarinet, or the funny Steve Martin clip he showed from SNL, about staying out of debt.  (  http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/1389 )

Our other last this week - Elaine, Jim's sister, spent her last night here camped in our family room.  She moved out to an assisted living center.  She'd gotten too weak to climb our stairs, so she's been sleeping in our family room since September.  I took her to a place that has a CHEF on-site, and met some wonderful people.  She loved the idea she'll get tasty regular meals, especially coffee.  She hasn't ever mentioned it, but she's missed having her morning Joe.  We SO could have accomodated her had she said anything!   Anyway, she's finally in her own place, just 2 miles from where she goes to dialysis 3 times a week.  Hopefully she'll like it. 

So to celebrate all this, we are having a family get-together today with daughters and grandchildren and FOOD!!  In fact,this evening the whole nation is celebrating with a big televised extravaganza... This is the Sunday when all the big advertisers post their newest, most entertaining commercials - interspersed with some ball game.  We might turn it on to take a look. 

Ahhhh, Reeder just walked in after his last training meeting with our new Presidency.  Thomas Lowell Russon is president.  He chose Brian Ray  and James Glen Bennet as his counselors.  Perfect choice.

Having seen the workings of the stake all this last decade, and then meeting the men who selected the new president, and watching the process, I have absolutely no doubt they receive revelation and the Lord is at the head of it all.  To just KNOW things about people that no one could possibly know, to have multiple people know the same name at the same time.... it's really obvious this is the Lord's church and He is at its helm.   I'm grateful for this knowlege.



One last addition - Our Maggie had to be put to sleep the day after this change... http://nibletknows.blogspot.com/2013/02/in-tribute-to-maggie.html