Less than a day in San Francisco

Last week I had a very quick trip up to see Brenda and the kiddos (bringing Brenda a new car! You have to say this like a Gameshow host,  "A NEEWWW  CARRR!!!" )   Her old Passat finally gave up the ghost.  She's excited to finally have something trustworthy.


Wednesday night I arrived in Pleasanton just in time to grill by the pool, and meet several of their friends. And Jonah and Jemma kept calling from the pool, "Nana, WATCH!"  Just like they did here.... some things never change.


Thursday morning I got to see the kiddos' school as we dropped them off.  Then we headed over to SF where Brenda had to be in a surgery at St Mary's Hospital.



But first we HAD to see the Painted Ladies!  Everyone stands in the park across the street to take photos and selfies of these wonderful old houses.  Just about everyone sees them and says,  "Full House!"

 Next we went to eat at a great little corner lunch place.   I then dropped Brenda at the hospital and parked and walked across the street to Golden Gate Park. I really couldn't explore too far, I was afraid I'd get lost and not get back out in time to pick her up when she was done.






But I did get to see some very pretty parts, even in a short amount of time.   A pre-school was having a very literal field-trip in the Fuchsia Dell. Sure enough, there are many pretty fuchsia growing there... and a huge berry patch, too.  I could have picked and eaten plenty, but left them for the locals (maybe homeless people know of them and come to get their Vitamin C?) 

Exploring a tiny bit further into the park (I really only stayed at the very eastern end,) I suddenly came upon the Conservatory of Flowers!  SO pretty, so many flowers!  I didn't go into the white glass building but just snapped a ton of pics outside.... with just my phone!

I made it back to the Hospital just as Brenda was coming out, and we then drove down to Daly City to pick up something for work. We could see the fog coming in, silently creeping over the trees and trying to spill into the streets, but it was just too warm for it to get very far that time of day. I tried taking pictures, but vapor just doesn't really show well.

I flew back that afternoon via Allegiant, I was there less than 24 hours! But we somehow packed a lot in and it was fun. Next time I'll stay longer.

And one more thing. If you've ever wondered where the borax you buy comes from, this is a photo of it, a deep mine in Boron, California.  I had a window seat and used the map on my phone to track where we were.  This hole in the ground is BIG!
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Mystery Solved!

 

 

 

So Jonah has a pal here in the house, Spiderman.  They are seen often together, Spidey is an accommodating friend, amenable to all sorts of adventures.  

But I found him one morning on the floor , in a surprising spot... out in the hallway.   AND in an interesting pose. Hmmmm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It made us wonder just what this young superhero does while we are asleep or out of the house.  We didn't just fall off the turnip truck over here, we've watched all the Disney movies and know full well that all these dolls and action figures have personal lives outside of entertaining the resident youngsters.

 

 

 

 

 

So with this in mind, we rigged a hidden camera at various times and places around the house, and voila'!  We caught the web slinger in action - and NOT practicing flying around the room, but rather DANCING!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I bet you didn't know he was a dancer, they don't show that in the movies.  But Jonah and I have our proof now.

It's clear he's had a lot of practice

 

 

 

 But then it made us curious as to what motivated all this sudden activity.   

And then I found THIS and realized who Spidey was showing off for.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharpie tie-dye

Day 19  Some fun with some Sharpies!

Ever since I saw this idea, I knew it would be so clever to do with the kiddos.  I picked up a pack of white shirts from K-Mart, and an 8 pack of Sharpie-Wannabees at the dollar store (8 of them for $1  - someone reported they spread better than genuine Sharpies... and they were GREAT!)

So with Kaleb, Jemma and McKenzie, we were ready to create!   You stretch whatever portion of your shirt you want to decorate over a plastic cup and secure with a rubber band.  Or just put a piece of cardboard inside the shirt.  You then draw on the taut fabric with a permanent marker - dots, shapes... even an initial.   Then you drop alcohol in the center - one lady said 20 drops or so, but I added more after a second or two, working further out.  Then we watched as it slowly spread, even over the lip of the cup. Lots of ink and lots of alcohol meant some really colorful designs.  But really, you can't go wrong. (we practiced a little first on a cotton dish towel.)

Within a few minutes it was dry enough to take out the cups.   We threw the shirts into the dryer to really set the ink, and so they shouldn't run when they are washed. 

 Jemma's LARGE initials came out, but her G and D were only about an inch high, and became unreadable blobs. 
Just google Sharpies TieDye and you'll see page after page of how others have done this, it's all very inspiring!

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

Okay, so my husband used to say, if he came upon a really dusty shelf - which RARELY happened in our house (ha ha ha , don't we wish,)  he would say, "You could grow a garden in here!"  

 

  Well, I've managed to keep weird things from growing on bookshelves and other odd places over the years, and most of the time it's a real challenge to get many things to grow, especially in the summer here in AZ. I always love when there's a surprise, a volunteer, a random plant (like a squash plant I recently found growing in our garden behind some onions.) 

 

   But this one takes the cake. I was up early and went to wash my hands, but hadn't turned on the bathroom light. In the dimness I could see something in the sink and sort of swept my palm over it as I turned on the water - and THIS was pulled up out of the drain! 

That, my friends, is a Morning Glory trying to find some daylight.  It is not my great knowledge or flowers that told me what it was, but rather the fact that  a friend had given me some seeds and I remembered dropping one down the drain

 

Which brings us to the next topic, the reason a seed could even take root in a bathroom sink.  Well, this sink was quite clogged, and I'd been wanting to clean it out. I knew it was all my hair plugging it up . . . that's been a given in this house forever, with all the girls.  I'd cleaned out the bathtub drain more times than I care to remember, a really yucky job I call pulling up the rat. It usually required a pair of needle-nose pliers and a strong stomach.

  

But the sink was different, I couldn't get the plug up , it wouldn't just pop out.  I was stymied.

SO, off to the internet I ran, and easily found a wonderful tutorial  (And doesn't it always crack you up how even the most random search you start to type into the bar, the internet offers up the exact same search? Someone else had already gone looking!  I bet you could type in Angelina Jolie nose hairs and Google or Yahoo would complete the phrase - somebody else had already been curious before you!)

 

But I digress -  here's the youtube link if you ever feel the need to unclog your bathroom sink.

 

And here is the treasure I found down in my bathroom sink's 'garden'.   Lovely little rat, all black and slimy.  That is the first of two such clogs I fished out with a straightened hanger. (and don't you just love the myriad ways wire coat hangers have served us?  I bet that's a blog entry all on its own.)

 

 

 

Leaping Lizards!

Day 5      Whenever there are stairs and children, there has to be jumping. Nana has an extra added ingredient, the Mini Trampoline, like those used by gymnasts and acrobats the world over.  The kiddos have made great games with it over the years, but this is a particular favorite.  I don't think it has a name... but it should.  
   
 It's pretty simple - one just jumps onto the trampoline off one of the steps - most likely the highest one you have the nerve to leap from.

 Catching big air is a particular goal... this is Jonah being goofy (I really wish you could see the slo-mo of him, but it's on Aub's camera.)

Jamie can really fly.  

Jemma is having fun - and lest you think their moms would be horrified that
they're all leaping dangerously over the tile... Well you can see they're chatting
in the backround, nonplussed over it all

Addie prefers watching the action from the landing zone...
a pile of couch cushions and blankets.

Birthday Cake for Breakfast

Day 3  The Cousins sleep over! 

 I awoke this morning remembering we have a passel of children here, and snuck into Courtney's (Jonah's) room to close the blinds and shut the door so she'd sleep just a little longer. These events that rob her of sleep just leave her fried.  When I came down at 6:15 there were already 3 kiddos on the couch watching some cartoon.  They navigate Netflix way better than their Nana. 

 

Adds slept the longest - I think she was the last one to fall asleep.  She had the iPad on her bed with her and was watching a Barbie movie.  (I did not help her open her show on Brenda's iPad, I don't own one and still stumble when trying to use Jim's. But she is a master!)  Being nearly 3, she was unsure about this whole sleepover thing, but too timid to actually explain what she needed to feel comfortable and sleep. It turns out it was a nightlight she was missing  - the pale green one in the socket wasn't sufficient illumination. 

     At 7:30 Adds was at the top of the stairs with a cheery greeting, "I woked up!!"  Her sisters and cousins were thrilled. 

 

    Breakfast was scrambled eggs and leftover birthday cake and fruit.  See how I snuck that cake in there in between the healthy stuff, so you might not catch that the kiddos had CAKE for breakfast?  To me it was a square donut, or tall pancakes - it's just a different version of starch and sugar.  Were I to sprinkle cinnamon and pecans on it and tell you it's a coffee cake, it'd totally be legit! Nana's get to push the envelope like that.

 

Then there was the obligatory blanket fort.  This time it was moved to the dining room where the chairs already reside AND there's a great oaken 'roof' for stabilization.  Future engineers these children may be. (And Reeder and I totally remember making these when we were kids. Do you suppose it's some instinctive invention passed down through the generations?)

 

 

 

 

Oh, but before that, before the sun could fully be up and fry everyone to a crisp, we had swimming.  Little Ads is sporting her UV Zip up suit...  sort of like long johns for the pool.  But she's not as interested in swimming as the big kids, so I gave her the hose and let her water the vegetable garden.  It seems I snapped this photo just about time she realized there were other things (or people) she could squirt with the hose.

 

Yep, three-yr-olds are quick to figure out how to maximize the FUN potential in any setting.

Double Birthday

                 June 20th

Day 2  -  Jemma is settling in... she is nesting.  Her clothes are all in her dresser and she's pulled toys and the like out of her suitcase and put them up on the shelves.  She LOVES a beaded lamp I got from Donna, she loves finally having her own room.  In fact, both she and Jonah are really happy to be back in our house, it's so much bigger than their little apartment back in Pleasanton CA.
    So I went upstairs and saw how Jemma had made a little welcome mat out of a throw rug we'd had downstairs.  Her new shoes are set tidily outside her door - she's staked her territory.
   
    Their Jones cousins all came over so we could celebrate two birthdays.  Brenda Suzanne was born 38 years ago today, and then 12 years ago Jamie came into the world - our first grandchild!!  So she and Brenda share the same middle name.
Today there was much swimming, grilling, ice cream and cake - so many candles, it was just too bright for the camera.
And James (as we like to call her,) is now TWELVE, with braces, and she just got back from girls' camp...  It's mind boggling!
    And now a cousins sleepover, 8 of them upstairs in various beds and couches.  They'll be getting up plenty early, they hate burning daylight when they have a chance to all play together!

 

 

55 Days of Summer

Day 1 -  June 19th 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, we are sliding into summer in a fun and wet way!  All the cousins had a blast at the golf course's water slide on this, the first day of OUR summer.  Yippee!! 
    Jonah and Jemma will be here till almost mid-August, so Papa and Nana will be relearning the nuances of parenting 8- and 9-yr-olds. 

This should be fun. Wish us luck.

Happy Spring

Spring comes WAY earlier to Arizona than to much of the rest of the nation - I think our winter is about 6 weeks usually.  This time we had one spate of frost/freezes back in December... that was it!  

I noticed a couple of weeks ago this really colorful tree we have in the neighborhood.  They really bloomed all over all at the same time, so they were noticeable as we walked and drove around.  They are Texas Mountain Laurel trees/shrubs.  It's fashionable to make bushes into trees, so it's not clear if this one would really look like a tree out in the wild, but here we have them as trees. 

Besides being really pretty for a couple of weeks, there is the AWESOME SMELL!  They are covered with these clusters of flowers that smell like grape soda.  Yes, you read that right, we are talking violet blossoms that smell like you just opened a can of grape Shasta.  And this wafts through the neighborhood.  So walking around  in a little breeze is just wonderful for the senses.   

As the laurel was finishing up blooming, another shrub started showing off.  All over in yards and on community property - actually all over the valley, even along the freeway borders, we have Fuchsia. Its distinctive pink leaves make it a really popular landscaping addition, especially in new housing.  But seasoned gardeners aren't as adoring, not after they've lived with the beast.  Fuchsia has big thorns.  And it's messy!  Those pretty pink petals dry and fall off and blow all over the yard.  My friend has a lot that seems to catch all the windblown dry stuff and it collects constantly right on her front porch.  To get to her door, one must wade through piles of these pink blooms.  She got tired of sweeping it all up and finally took out the fuchsia.  In fact, she replaced it with the Texas laurel!

As I paid closer attention to the fuchsia, I realized those gorgeous pink flowers aren't flowers at all, they are leaves!  The flowers are actually tiny white blooms.  I guess, like on poinsettia plants, the leaves feel the need to dress up more and change to a showier red. 


While we miss having four seasons, spring here is really pretty.  And it lasts about 6-7 months.  The rest of the year is summer... known by many as HELL.  Watching the north and east suffer with mountains of snow and ice all winter, I don't mind this trade-off.   Arizona is the state where you get in the car for 2 or 3 hours and you can be in a whole other season and terrain.  Lots to be said for that!

(I have to add - I laughed when I started this post, as I realized my last post was back in JUNE... the exact week when I was called to be Relief Society president.  Now that's telling, don't you think?!)

OH, Boston You're My Home

Someone else wrote this one, but I know the family will love reading it since we lived in Westford (Wesfid)   GO SOX!

 

The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury.

Due north of the center we find the South End.

This is not to be confused with South Boston which lies directly east from the South End.

North of the South End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End.

There is no school on School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square, and no water on Water Street.

Back Bay Boston streets are in alphabetical awddah: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, etc. So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D, etc.

If the streets are named after trees (e.g. Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar) you are on Beacon Hill. If they are named after poets, you are in Wellesley.

Massachusetts Avenue is Mass Ave.

Commonwealth Avenueis Comm Ave.

South Boston is Southie.

The South End is The South End.

East Boston is Eastie.

The North End (Mike's Pastry!) is east of the former West End. 

The West End and Scully Square are no more; a guy named Rappaport got rid of them one night.

Roxbury is The Burree.

Jamaica Plain is J.P.

There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses, and two Hancock buildings (one is very old; one is relatively new).

The colored lights on top the old Hancock tells the weatha:

"Solid blue, clear view."

"Flashing blue, clouds due."

"Solid red, rain ahead."

"Flashing red, snow instead." (except in summer, flashing red means the Red Sox game was rained out!

Most people live here all their life and still do not know what the hell is going on with this one. Route 128 South is I-95 south and it is also I-93 north.

The underground train is not a subway. It is the T, and it does not run all night

(Fah chrysakes, this ain't Noo Yawk).

Order the cold tea in China Town after 2:00 am; you will get a kettle full of beer.

Bostonians: think that it is their God-given right to cut off someone in traffic.

Bostonians: think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (No Rs, except in idear. Brender Reedah can attest to this.)

Bostonians: think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave.

Bostonians: refer to six inches of snow as a dusting.

Bostonians: always bang a left as soon as the light turns green, and oncoming traffic always expects it..

Bostonians: believe that using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.

Bostonians: think that 63 degree ocean water is warm.

Bostonians: think Rhode Island accents are annoying.

The bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge via Massachusetts Avenue is commonly known as the Harvard Bridge. When it was built, the state offered to name the bridge for the Cambridge school that could present the best claim for the honor. Harvard submitted an essay detailing its contributions to education in America, concluding that it deserved the honor of having a bridge leading into Cambridge named for the institution... MIT did a structural analysis of the bridge and found it so full of defects that they agreed that it should be named for Harvard. This is all true!

Do not pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd. They will tow it to Meffad (Medford) or Summahville (Somerville).

Do not sleep on the Common. (Boston Common)

Do not wear orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.

The Sox = The Red Sox.

The Cs = The Celtics.

The Bs = The Bruins.

The Pats = The Patriots.

How to pronounce these Massachusetts cities correctly:

Worcester:  Wuhsta or Wistah.

Gloucester:  Glawsta.

Leicester:  Lesta.

Woburn:  Woobun.

Dedham:  Dead-um.

Revere:  Re-vee-ah.

Quincy:  Quinzee.

Tewksbury:  Tooks-ber-ry.

Leominster:  Lemon-sta.

Peabody:  PEE-b'dee.

Waltham:  Walth-ham.

Chatham:  Chad-dum.

Samoset:  Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Massachusetts Facts:

Frappes are made with ice cream - milkshakes are not.

If it is carbonated and flavored, it is tonic.

Tonic means Soda.

When we want Club Soda we ask for CLUB SODA.

When we want Tonic Water we ask for TONIC WATER.

Pop is another name for Dad.

The smallest beer is a pint.

If you want either, you head down to the corner packy.

Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid more than $7 per pound, you got scrod.

It is not a water fountain... it is a bubblah.

It is not a trash can... it is a barrel.

It is not a hero, or a grinder... it is a sub.

It is not a shopping caht... it is a carriage.

It is not a purse... it is a pockabook.

They are not franks... they are haht dahgs.

Franks are money used in Switzahland.

Police do not drive patrol units or black and whites... they drive a crewza.

If you take the bus, you're on the looza crooza.

It is not a rubber band... it is an elastic.

It is not a traffic circle or round about... it is a rotary.

"Going to the islands" means going to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket.

But most of us just headed to the Cape. Or maybe down Maine, Ayuh?

Ant Wrangler

We have ants as PETS.   No, not a typo, we have pet ants... an ant farm to be precise... a formicary.   It was a Christmas gift from Wendy and John, via Uncle Milton's Ant farms.   Here's his site.  http://unclemilton.com/ant_farm/illuminated_ant_farm_gel_colony/

But the ants didn't come right away.  The box told me to order them, and when the weather was okay, they shipped them in a tiny vial, about 2 dozen Harvester Ants.  

So we poked holes in their little green gelatin (This space-age green is not the white sand we had as kids,) and then as we were just about to drop them in, I read on the tube, "Place ants in fridge for 15 minutes."  Whew, just in time.  I had been imagining them crawling quickly all over before we could snap on their lid.  The cold calmed them and they were easy to drop into their new home.

They have been quite fun to watch, up to a point.  They made a few holes/tunnels right off, then just sort of settled in.  That was it.  They don't do tricks, they don't spell fun words like Some Pig or anything...  but they have been on field trips:  They were at Aubrey's for a few days, accompanying Whitney to Happy Apple pre-school.  Then they stayed at John and Wendy's for a few days. John was fascinated by them and knew to only gently turn the glass, and not tap it at all. 

I did do something at odds with the instructions included by Uncle Milton - I fed them.  He tells us that the green Jello will provide enough food and water for them, and then they'll live like 8 weeks. But that didn't sit well with me, they seemed lethargic or something.  I read about harvesters , they like seeds. So I dug a sunflower seed out of my granola and dropped that in. And I squirted in a little water, too.
They LOVED it.  They munched a while, then moved the leftover pieces to their pantry. And they were now more active!!  More tunnels started appearing.  I think they have a better chance for a long and peaceful life. 

However, today has been an adventuresome day for them - and nerve-racking for me.  These ants are quick and wily and opportunistic critters.  Today when I moved them I accidentally popped off their long lid, and before I could even blink, about 6 of them were out and exploring the Island.  I tried brushing them onto a plate, but finally figured out I could use a paper and drop them into a clean jar.  WHEW!  I cooled them in the fridge before their return.

Then just a little while ago, a pan lid dropped from where it hangs over the island, knocking their roof off once again, and ZOOM, 8 of them were out in a flash!  I yelled for Jim and we quickly gathered them up... just call us Ant wranglers, we're getting good at this. 

I started laughing as I was putting them into the fridge once again,  I was basically putting the little girls in time-out.

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Can You Hear Me Now?

Helllooo, can you hear me?  If not too well, perhaps you need your hearing checked.  I can recommend a great ENT here in E Mesa, I went there today.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I'm practically obligated to share everything I learned.

First of all, I went because I have tinnitus and it seems to be getting worse... The cicadas are always out there for me, they never sleep.  (I was calling it tin-EYE-tuss, but the doc kept saying TINN i tus  - both ways are correct.)

The next thing I learned was that it is not coming really from something in my ear, but rather my BRAIN is inventing the noise to compensate for something, like loss of hearing.

I have minor hearing loss in my left hear, which I suspected, and they kept quizzing me about hearing loud noise at some point which could have caused the damage.  Nope, not that I could name.  (I do always put the phone to my left ear, so now I wonder if THAT has something to do with it. )

In the initial exam I asked the doc what causes ear wax...  the 'wax' is dead skin cells mixed with body oils.  Some people just make more of it than others. "This is the first time all day I haven't had to clean out a patient's ears... your ears don't have much wax at all."  I didn't offer up that I clean them out with Q-tips, since she'd just before told me that the worse thing to do is use a Q-tip, it just shoves the wax further in.  I use cheapo off-brand kinds so their cotton is skimpier and they don't do the verboten shoving-of-the-wax. (I do so right after I  shampoo, it seems easiest after a hot shower... and apparently it works.)

I felt like a 7 yr old when I sat in the soundproof booth and raised my hand when I heard a beep.  Perhaps this was because the audiologist spoke in a slow and steady manner - I'm guessing she speaks to a LOT of old people and young children.

What actually got me to make this appointment was that I also have had some vertigo this past week.  On my own I rectified the situation by employing an Epley Maneuver 

 which moves the 'rocks' or crystals- octonia - in my inner ear back into their proper position.   After watching several vids online - most from doctors and hospitals- I got brave and did it.

You have to first figure out which ear is causing this, and just that part of it made me SO NAUSEOUS, I had to refrain for 30 minutes till my stomach calmed down.   But when I did the Epley, it worked and my vertigo was gone.  A week later I needed to do it again.  Amazing that it's that simple.

Next month I get to go for further tests to see more in-depth what might be causing my hearing loss. It isn't an issue for me, I still hear really well.  But I figure since I'm insured, I'll follow through.  Perhaps there is something we can learn to prevent further loss.  

For now I'll try switching my phone usage to my right hear, in case there is some connection.  And I guess I'm just going to have to live with the cicadas and their continual cacophony. 

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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.