wizard-of-roz

33 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Roz, I’m so sorry your cruise was cancelled even though it was becoming inevitable. It’s great that you are looking ahead at future possibilities. It makes the world feel a little more normal to start imaging the next cruise.

Chris, I'm not a meltdown kind of person......but I do believe I had one today.  I went to go for a solitary walk with Horton and the second I opened the front door, I started to cry.  Horty just looked at me and I couldn't stop......so, back inside we went so I could finish my implosion without the possibility of anyone [besides Horty] seeing me!

I definitely will attempt to go out again, just not right now!  ☹️

4 hours ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Oh my, we love smaller ships.  Only 2000, haha.  I can't remember how big (small) the ships were when we first started cruising, but we have grown to love the smaller ones.  Not too many of them around anymore.  I don't do crowds.  I remember we cruised on the Royal Caribbean ship Nordic Prince.  I thought Keith was going to blow a gasket.  There was no TV in the rooms.  The Crows Nest had 6 bar stools at the bar and I think 3 or 4 tables.  That was it.  You could take the elevator up, but they had a cool stair case on the outside that made it feel like you were climbing up a tree! I remember climbing up there one evening and it was pouring rain.  We were laughing and haulin' butt.  Good Memories, thank you Roz for taking back on this journey!  We actually grew to love the small atmosphere!   

Nancy, also, there's a guarantee that the ship will be filled with lots of seniors.  As I said, there's nothing to do on board the Sun Princess except lay around, drink, shop and eat.  Hmmmmmmm!  Does sound like my kind of cruise!  😊

4 hours ago, springredheadsdd said:

Roz sorry your cruise got canceled. That sucks especially that it was Hortys last cruise. 

 

We are still considering booking a cruise for next spring on Carnival out of Galveston TX. My mom will not give me a definite yes or no yet due to everything going on. It will be August at the earliest before we know and book. In the mean time I am doing research. We have our eyes on a few sailings on a couple of ships. If we go we will probably sale on the Vista or the Dream. Any advice/ opinions on those ships?

 

Went to a Neuro Optimologist today because my vision is getting very bad. Was told that if my vision deteriorates any more, even the slightest, I can not legally drive. I have had my eyes checked every 3-6 months lately trying to figure out what is wrong and every time it has gotten worse. They were shocked that a 27 year old white woman in the USA would have as many issues as I do. This could all be hereditary with nothing they can do to help. They did blood work, and took a TON of blood. I might have anemia or a vitamin deficiency. They are trying to rule things out. When my I got home my mom googled everything and I check almost all the boxes for each thing they think I might be low on. We are just waiting on the results to do anything. 

 

We took Bella my 9 month old SDiT with us. She got sick while we were there and had diarrhea a couple of times on the carpet. She also did not like the elevators which we had to go in many times today. There was also some black shiny tile that we had to walk over 4 times and we had to drag her over it each time. This of course did not make my mom feel like we could cruise with Bella. Thoughts? Due to Covide 19 we have not gotten to go out and work on public access at all so she might just be rusty. I am training her myself. 

I'm so sorry to hear about your eyes.  I hope that they find something that will allow for all your health issues to find a stable ground.

When Brenda [my first SD was in Training] she became very shy of shiny floors.  We found that when her nails were too long and the hair on the bottom of her paws was also too long they would not allow her paws to grip slippery floors well and she became shy of falling or slipping around.  Once we kept her nails short and clipped the hair on her paws she realized that she could get more leverage on the floor and would walk on them more easily.

Also, be careful about adding or changing foods while training.  It seems that some dogs tummies become very sensitive when they're stressed with training and sometimes can cause diarrhea issues.  Some white rice in her food will help.  Start out with just a little bit, it doesn't take much to make their stools solid again. 

I'm looking at cruising to Alaska for 14 -15 days, L.A./return/L.A.  It seems that Princess is only offering the Sun Princess, starting July, 2021.  The Sun Princess is an old ship, the cabins are small, the ship is small-it only holds about 2,000 passengers.  It has absolutely NO BELLS or WHISTLES.  It's good for cruising through Alaska because it fits everywhere.....but, for my first cruise after this horrific year we're having....I would like some fan-fare and excitement in my life.  I know I'll be ready for a fun and laughter-filled cruise experience!  Maybe it'll be nice to be on an intimate ship with less crowds.  They're offering wonderful OBC's and it may be worth it.   We'll see!  There's lots of time to decide.

9 minutes ago, rangeley said:

Roz I can't believe Horty is almost 12yrs old already. I remember when we started here with Brenny and Rangeley. Now we are on our 3rd dog. I'm so glad I got to meet Horty. He's a big love.

 

Oakland has been wonderful through all this. We are lucky he just loves to lay around and do nothing. As long as he has his couch and blankey, he's good. Lol    

Oakie, you're my kind of guy........Couchpawtatoes!!!!!!!

42 minutes ago, rangeley said:

Sorry Roz. I'm sure everyone who has cruises booked right now are expecting them to be canceled. With stupid people out there, this thing will never be over.

 

We had to call AAA because both our cars were dead. I haven't driven mine in months but I took the van out a few weeks ago. Surprised neither would start. On my way back from the back lot where my car is, I saw 3 high schoolish age kids walking a dog. None had masks on and the "couple" had their arms around each other while walking. Ugh! Our town has mandatory face masks when outside. Just stupidity.

 

Our building is elderly and handicapped and still people walking around with no mask. The manager put up a notice from the health dept that everyone has to wear them in the common areas. Come on people!!! Besides the ones who go to the store multiple times a day, every day. It just angers me. We found out this week that a staff member at my mothers nursing home tested positive. Just waiting for the s*** to hit the fan there.

 

And snow this weekend! What the heck, the apocalypse is here!! 

It doesn't surprise me that some folks refuse to wear masks and abide by the distancing policies.  Some people are just plain ignorant and refuse to make it better for all of us!!!!   

We should have military in all our states who actually can tranquilize these morons with a gun, and put them in cages!  Wouldn't that be funny!!!!  Kind of a "Mad Max world!"

Be safe, take care, stay inside [unless you must re-stock, or it's absolutely necessary.]

Have a good weekend, as much as we all can have any "goodness" in our lives at this time.

If I close my eyes and think about it too much, I just start to become teary and actually cry about it all!  Maybe that's a good stress reliever, I don't know, I don't want to become a tearful mess over all of this.  Actually, I'm scared that if I allow myself to become too upset, I'll NEVER be able to calm myself down.

I love you all and wish you well! 

3 hours ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Oh Roz,, that is just not possible that Horty is 12!  I remember that big beautiful boy when he came to you!  He still had those long gangly TALL boy dog legs.  ❤️🥰😚 hugs and pawrayers.  to you and Horty.  

When I wrote of Horty being 12 that meant when I took my next cruise in 2021.  Horty will be 11 years old on April 29th.  I knew that this cruise on May 30th would be his last one.....but, it's just not going to happen.  And, as I said, taking Horton on a cruise next year just doesn't seem doable when he will be 12.

I can't really think about doing anything without Horton being part of it but I have to remember, that is exactly how I felt about Brenda when she had completed her 15 cruise and I just couldn't imagine cruising without her.  Then came Mr. Horton who made the experience even more fun!

This virus has made me realize how much I adore this dog and having his company has meant the world to me.  He is my dearest and most loving friend.  I will forever be grateful to him for being so patient with my changing moods and demands!

Thank you, Nancy, for your loving and kind words!  

CCI is in a "pause" mode for their breeding and training programs and wait lists.  They're taking applications but can't give me any idea about when they will be starting their programs and interview processes again.  I had to wait a year for Horton, and, that's with putting me on top of the waiting list for a Successor Dog.  Who know's how long it will be before trainers and program managers can get a good routine and list of dogs ready for team training to begin again.

I pray that Horton stays well and we can work together [maybe not cruising] for many more years.  If I make life as easy as I can for Horton hopefully it will extend his life!!!!!!

I received the dreaded email from Princess letting me know that my May 30th cruise to Alaska has been cancelled.  They are offering 100% return and if you let the money ride they will offer 25% OBC for a new booking until 2022, or you must request return by May 31st.

Right now I'm so disappointed I'm doing nothing.  I was really looking forward to getting back on board the Golden to Alaska, and I knew that this was going to be Horton's LAST CRUISE!   I don't think it would be fair to ask a 12 year old dog to complete a 15 day cruise with all the walking and exercise that would be expected of him.  That makes me the saddest.  He's such a great traveler and so much fun to be with, but I won't push him.

I'm going to take some time to think about my future cruising, whether it will be in 2021 or 2022.  It will definitely be with a Successor Dog, and thinking of that makes me absolutely crazy!

I have my application into CCI and am awaiting the interview process to begin.

52 minutes ago, rpclmc said:

Got notice from Carnival that my May cruise was canceled.  As much as I enjoyed cruising, I am just going to take my 100% refund and sit tight for now.  I have one booked for September, at this point, I could take it or leave it.  I am keeping it booked and just will wait and see.

 

Things WILL change with cruising, just don't know in what way.  But all travel will change.  Not being conspiracy theorist here, it is just going to be after 9-11 where things have to change some way.  Once things open back up I am just going to spend my travel money in the U.S.   I was thinking of taking my daughter and her boyfriend on a cruise in December, but I am now looking at going to St. Augustine, Florida for the holidays.  I want to go there anyways.  I am not going to stop traveling, just readjust.

 

Hope everyone is staying well.

 

Linda and Halo

It will definitely be interesting to see how cruising will change.  There are so many moments before the cruise even begins when you're in a congested area filled with lots and lots of people.  

There are tons of lines everywhere you go before, during and after a cruise.  How these groupings of people will be managed will certainly be interesting to see.  Maybe they'll have to do what WalMart has done with placing stickers on the ground to show folks where they need to stand apart from each other, and lots of greeters to assist in keeping people apart from each other, can you imagine how they're going to handle the shoulder to shoulder lines at the restaurants and excursions! 

It will be a logistical nightmare that's for sure.  

Maybe they'll need Service Dogs to keep the crowds in tow!!!!!  

5 hours ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Bahahaha.  Sea Hags, describes me to the T right now.  I have been trying to go out and pull weeds to get fresh air.  We have these gorgeous "plants" with purple flowers on them they grow fast and get large.  They are actually weeds.  The name is Scorpion Weed.  They have a "sting" if you touch them or even rub against it.  I have to keep them pulled so the dog doesn't get it on their the and bring it in the house.  Not sure they are still spraying for weeds or if they are closed down.  We have had so much rain the weeds have gone wild.  I will have to call and see.

 

Just think of it as a way to get some exercise!

46 minutes ago, springredheadsdd said:

Happy Easter everyone 🙂 Hope everyone is doing well. We did our yearly Easter tradition with the dogs today. We hard boil eggs and die them with food coloring and then "hide" them in the yard for the dogs to find. We started doing this with Tina my 4 or 5 year old mutt was a puppy. She loves it. It has now become a tradition in our house. We hide the eggs in the yard and each dog gets 2. They have to peal the shell off to get to the hard boiled egg inside. This was Bella's first time doing it and she finished first. She does not get table scraps as a rule but eggs are good for dogs. She loved it. Sasha(our 2.5yr old) finished second and Tina finished last even though she has had more years to do it. It is all fun and the dogs love it. 

Happy Easter to you too!  

What a cute idea.  I'm sure the pups had a good time.....definitely a different form of enrichment for them.

It takes all my imagination to think of things to keep Horton interested in daily life.  Show him a piece of kibble and he's ready for anything!

7 hours ago, rangeley said:

 

Did you just call me an old hag? Well I never..... 

 

I hope you're right. But the thought of it is scary right now. 

If the "hag" fits wear it!  Anyone can call me a Sea Hag anytime......and, I'm proud of it!

I'm expecting to hear from Princess, any day now, about my May 30th cruise.  Haven't heard a formal "cancellation" from Princess or TA, yet!   I'm not going anywhere and will be ready when they are. 

You live long enough, you see and hear enough and pretty soon nothing can scare you anymore, NOTHING!!!!!

Take care of each other, be good to each other and we'll see each other, hopefully, on the other side of this nightmare!  Who knows, maybe we'll cruise together sooner than later!

5 hours ago, rangeley said:

We were so lucky to get our cruise in this year. Even though we don't have one planned until next year, I have my doubts we will be going on it. I will be very sad if we can't ever cruise again. 😢

Not to worry pretty maiden, there will be lots and lots of cruises to take.  The ships will pull themselves together and make offers to the public that will be very difficult to refuse. 

We're old sea hags, we know that once this cruising bug bites you......as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow......we will cruise again, I promise!!!!!  😘

1 hour ago, Wendsong said:

Well, Jazz is finally using the "box" I set up for the cruise through the Panama Canal on the Island Princess (cancelled of course). I took the legs off of a kids swimming pool, put in grass, plants and his fire hydrant and today he finally decided to use it.  Next week, the plan is to start removing everything a little at a time, until he will use it with just the mulch in it. It's a big leap and hopefully he will be all ready for when the ban is lifted. Looks like another 100 days, though. I'm thinking to be safe - next year.

Go Jazz Go!!!!!  Brilliant work!  Now all we need are cruise ships to cruise on!!!!!!!  Will cruising ever be the same again!

2 hours ago, rangeley said:

Hope everyone is doing well. We are doing good. Been lucky to get everything we need delivered. Haven't been out to a store in a month. 

 

Roz any news on your cruise? I heard something today that the cdc want to extend the cruise ban past the May 11th date, and the cruise lines aren't happy. I would not step on a ship at this point. 

 

Believe it or not, as of this date the Golden Princess will be setting sail on May 30th to Alaska from Los Angeles.  I've called Princess and my TA's office to get the final word and all they say to me is nothing has changed, yet!!!!  We'll see.  I find it very hard to believe that it will happen, so I was inquiring about the next Alaska cruises on board the Golden for this year and were given two more dates in August.  I'm going to keep my options open.  

Actually, who know's when it will be safe to be in large crowds again without a mask on our face?  And, will I ever travel again without feeling suspicious of everything and everyone?

I wish all of you a Good Friday and and a Happy, Safe Easter! 

38 minutes ago, rpclmc said:

Roz, Rich and I own a commercial construction company.  I do the bookkeeping.  He has a degree in construction management and has worked construction the majority of his adult life.   He self taught himself how to work on cars.  I am sure his training in the military as an aerospace mechanic helped, but he only did that for 6 months.  He actually put himself through college by rebuilding total loss cars and then reselling them.

 

Our travels always have "adventures", so this is nothing new to us.  It was surprising how calm we both stayed on the really bad day, we were exhausted when that day was done.  Halo couldn't figure out why we stopped so much and so many times didn't let him out.  I think he was just as happy as us to get home and bet done with the road trip.  He was a trooper, as usual and so easy. 

 

Here is the photo we were going to use for Riki's graduation. 

 

Linda and Halo

A stunningly beautiful picture.  

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us.  And, please give Rich a HUGE hug from me.  I was married to a wonderful guy who the whole family used to call Mr. MacGiver because he could fix almost anything and could start a motorcycle with the foil of a chewing gum wrapper [something he did on a beach in Mexico, when he lost the key.]  I truly appreciate folks like Rich and I know you must think of him as your hero.  

Halo is very lucky to have you guys in his life!!!!

8 minutes ago, rpclmc said:

Hello.  I have been MIA for a while.

 

Let's see.  February 29-March 5 went on the Carnival Paradise with my daughter.  Kind of different cruise.  Not bad, just strange.  The big CV scare hadn't started but it was present.  There was just a different feeling on board, can't really describe it, just was different.  The ports, Grand Cayman and Cozumel were switched days.  I wondered if maybe GC wasn't letting ships in.  Later found out so many ships where in each ports, they had us switch.  Didn't affect any of our plans.  The excursion, through Carnival - stingray city was cancelled, so my daughter and I chose the best of GC.  I am VERY limited on choices since I am in a wheelchair.  I thought the new excursion would be lame, it was really good, we really enjoyed it.

 

Got back from that and suddenly got very concerned about the CV news.  We decided it would be best to get a camp trailer and truck and drive from Florida to Idaho.  We really didn't want to deal with airports and airplanes and felt it best to get on the move before states really started closing down.  Only 3-5 states were closed when we left.  Plus, the governor of Florida was really starting to annoy us with allowing the craziness of spring breakers to crowd the beaches and towns and no respect for the residents.  It was really starting to bother me that it was about the money.

 

So, we found a trailer and truck and hit the road.  Plenty of food, tp and all self contained.  The plan was to take 3-4 days to get home with minimal to no contact with other people.  Best laid plans don't work out all the time.  We made it 6 hours the first day.  Made an appointment at the local Ford dealership in Pensacola, Florida to have the fuel filters changed.  2nd day, after the appointment went fairly well.  3rd day, not so much.  On the road early, hear banging.  Turns out front valance, bumper is loose and hanging.  Rich secures it enough to get to the next exit.  He went into a 7-Eleven to get some duct tape.  The news on the duct tape, not only got price gouged, it was old and not sticky.  Luckily he was able to find it wasn't bolted and the bolt was there, so he fixed that.  I reported the price gouging to corporate and they called me twice within the 15 minutes of me reporting it, they were VERY concerned.  

 

Still hear the banging.  Pulled over.  Found a window on the trailer was open and flopping loose.  Closed it.  On the road again.  Rich is now concerned about a tire that was loosing more air than he thought it should.  Starts feeling funny.  We find a tire shop and pull over.  They say it will take about 45 minutes to get to us.  In about 15 minutes they are looking at it and 5 minutes later have it fixed, a valve stem.  An no charge.

 

Back on the road again.  Finally making some good time.  Loud POP.  Rich thinks it is the tire.  He pulls over, checks all around the whole truck and trailer, he can't find anything.  So starts driving again.  No AC and truck isn't getting up to speed.  Pulls over again and it is the turbo hose off the diesel.  He puts it back on, thank goodness he knows mechanics and always has tools with him.  Sure enough, that was it.  2-4 miles down the road........POP.  The hose again, it won't stay on.  So we limp it to a NAPA - auto parts store.  He gets a new clamp, the guy in the store said same thing happened to him.  Rich came out and fixed it and we are back on the road.  Few miles down the road someone honks and gestures that we have something wrong.  Rich pulls over and find the ATV 4-wheeler's seat is flopping.  It isn't coming loose, but the person that motioned to us wouldn't know that.  Back to driving.  Someone else motions at us.  Rich pulls over walks around the trailer, the spare tire is dragging, 1 of the two bolts have come off.  He pulls over at the next exit and uses, get this, the old clamp for the hose that wasn't working to secure the tire up. 

 

In between all this, every fill up he made, the outside card reader wasn't working on the diesel pumps and he had to go inside to pay.  So much for a limited contact day. 

 

We drive a couple more hours and stop for the day.  13 hour day, only 400 miles.  Really pathetic drive day, but all in all everything was fairly minor and we were safe.

 

2 more days on the road and we got home safe and sound.  During the drive, Idaho governor ordered a stay in place.  Perfect timing for us.  

 

In the meantime, my daughter's graduation (from college) got cancelled.  She is still working, since she is in the medical field as a home aid to elderly and handicapped.  Also our outing for Jeff Dunham on April 25th was postponed to November 12th.  

 

So home for about a week and we have a 6.5 earthquake.  Now don't forget this is Idaho.  My first and I hope my last earthquake.  Scared the crap out of me.  Rich thought it was cool or as he put it, "awesome".  To say the least, I didn't sleep well after that.

 

Have applied for the small business benefits and finally caught up with housecleaning and office work and now checking in with everyone.  We are staying in place and just doing things around the Idaho home.  Rich is working to get me new, to me, car on the road.  65 Olds Cutlass convertible.  I will have to have hand controls put in it, but it will hold my wheelchair and be fun to drive.  I am just working on keeping the house cleaned, which is very hard for me, but I have nothing but time on my hands, so I just do what I can and then rest.

 

Have a cruise on May 18th on Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach.  Just waiting to see if it gets canceled. 

 

Linda and Halo 

What a beautiful picture!  And, an amazing traveling log.  It would make a great book if it weren't so filled with one incident after another and seemed so unbelievable and, at moments had me laughing [I'm glad it wasn't me, and am so happy you're all home safely.]  One of those incidents would have made me nuts or scared me to death.  You guys handled it all with great ease, and I don't know what Rich's formal training is but he's definitely a "keeper!" And, has earned a gold star from me!!!!

You have earned a relaxing vacation, that's for sure!

11 hours ago, rangeley said:

I'd do it! I do Oaklands once a week. When we got Wexler, they insisted I learn how to do nails. I've been doing them ever since. 

One more reason for me to wish that we lived closer!!!!!!

4 hours ago, Plant said:

I saw on TV recently a bald man who put peanut butter on his head and while the dog licked his head he clipped his nails !

I don't expect anyone here to try this!

I'd love to see this!

6 hours ago, Miki_moto said:

High value treats are helpful!  
 

Pick a time the dog is relaxed.  I started out by holding the flat end of the Dremel (without the chuck for tools) and just touching it to the pads of the feet.  It wasn’t on or anything.  Do that and treat with every foot and call it a day.  After some time doing that, turn it on low, and touch the flat end on the paws.  Treat and quit.  Then touch it to their claws, flat end, treat and quit.  You get the drill - and they will too.  
 

Short sessions with treating.  I still treat - carrots works for Nico.  You’ll probably need a professional nail trim or two in the beginning but otherwise you’ll be doing it on your own.

Thank you, very helpful info.

3 hours ago, rangeley said:

Omg I saw that too! Lol

 

Maybe Roz can try it! 

Honestly, if I thought it would work for Horty and me, I'd try it!!!!  

2 hours ago, rangeley said:

 

We bought a dremel a few months ago. Only tried it once. Oakland was not thrilled and I gave up. I will try again soon. I used one on a pet dog years ago so I'm familiar with them. 

If you do try it, let us know how it goes.

1 hour ago, Miki_moto said:

I also use Dremel.   Black claws and poor hand strength make it a must.  My school gets them started young with it so it’s no big deal.  Lots of YouTube videos - and only use the sandpaper rings... Not any of the metal attachments.
 

Note - I tried the “pet” version during training with Nico but I didn’t like it.  There’s a plastic ring around the sleeve where you insert the nail.  Sounds good, but unless your perfectly lined up it’s really annoying.  The regular tool is fine.  Get the cordless one!  I’ve had the original tool for around 15 years - I got it for my first SD - and I’ve had to replace the battery once.  All in all WAY cheaper than vet visits for a trim!

 

Edited to add - Amazon must have them.

 

Thank you.  When I watch the groomer use a dremel it looks so easy.  I will check out Amazon.

1 hour ago, springredheadsdd said:

I clip a few nails at a time. One of my dogs Tina HATES her feet being touched and nails clipped. I end up clipping 1 or 2 nails every week or two. You do not have to do it all in one setting. Sharp nail cutters are a must. The dull ones make the job so much worse and you are more likely to do damage to the dog. Sasha who is my dads dog does not mind her nails clipped at all. I do not have to do it very often, but when I do she is perfect. I have only had to clip Bella's nails 1x since I got her in early September. She was supper easy to do. I had to clip nails for all three dogs this week funny enough. Normally it is more spaced out. 

 

I used to raise show rabbits so would have 30 something rabbits at a time. I was always clipping nails it seemed. I got really good at it. It is a skill that has come in handy. I have 3 dogs and 3 cats currently and I clip all their nails when needed. If you look closely at the nail there is a texture difference when the quick is. It is really hard to see unless you know what to look for. I have only clipped the quick 1x in the past few years and that was Tina and she was moving around to much. 

 

Good luck to everyone clipping nails and grooming your fur babies. Also stay healthy. I made some home made face masks today per the CDC guidelines. 

Thank you so much for your wonderful input.

2 hours ago, rangeley said:

I'd do it! I do Oaklands once a week. When we got Wexler, they insisted I learn how to do nails. I've been doing them ever since. 

I wish CCI Santa Rosa would have worked with us more on this......I wouldn't be so darn shy.