Jodi, Some Gordons are huge dogs, well over 100 lbs even. THose dogs were bred just for showing, and they also have a lot of wavy hair to groom. I looked for 9 years to find another like the Gordon we had bought in England 18 yrs ago. She was 60 lbs and that was quite my limit in size...could not find anyone breeding down to the old hunting standard for the GOrdons. Then I found Springset Gordons and was utterly enchanted! They breed to a 1932 standard. Here is what I wanted... A nice medium size dog , even smaller then our Bracken was, but with the smarts and nice personality ...the sparkling eyes that we loved! THese are beautiful dogs but lack the heavy wavy hair of the show dog...I do not have time for that playing 'beauty parlor' daily! Josie came from some of the smaller parents that they breed at Springset, and should weigh in at around 45-50 lbs when grown. Even better, she seems to have a natural kindness and enjoyment of life along with superior "dog smarts". I think she will be exactly what I was looking for and well worth a 9 yr wait. I am already thinking...when our little old beagle dies, ...well, maybe should start saving for a 2nd Springset Gordon! I do not want to get into breeding...I think Springset is doing that just fine! But I imagine you understand...if one dog is wonderful, why not two wonderful dogs to keep each other company, LOL. Our little beagle "under 13 inch", Lottie(Princess of Quite a Lot), is grieving terribly for her pal who died 2 weeks ago. All of her first 10 years she looked like a puppy. SUddenly her face fur is turning white and she acts like an old dog. So sad...I wish I could make her understand that Corie is better off then a long, slow, immune compromised death would have been! I remember him with fondness and always will but I do not grieve for him....just remember his lovely chocolate curls and his melting brown eyes, and that "Whuff" of contentment as he settled down at my feet. HE was always "my" dog. I think Josie is "Our Dog". I think DH fell in love with her too on our long trip home. Especially because I paid for her myself, LOL. Have fun weeding! I got 2/3 of my potted dahlias into the ground yesterday. Today I have to start the harder part, cleaning up a bed along the fenceline that has not ever been under the good control it should have been (This garden is starting its 4th year). IT, however, is where I Have put the dahias that I especially love, the ones I grow mostly for myself. Some sre still buried under weeds and grass, and I Imagine I lost a few over the winter. THis bed starts with a 30" bank below it and the field mice seem to like to tunnel in there for the winter. THis is going to be much harder work, and using muscles I AM jsut beginning to. I do not take my muscle relaxer pills until I HAve taken the flowers to the stand, just in case they affect my driving, but Now I am home until evening and took one so I will be able to work. My body really is ready to return to work but I get into tendonitis as I get started. THe meds really help that a lot and I figure stretching them carefully will only help if I do not over do it. I did realize that I Can not bend over with locked knees to work like I used to...trying to learn to go into a semi-crouch. IT worked yesterday. I just can not put off gardening any longer! THe stress factor is worse then the muscle pain! Well, we gotta get after those weeds...Lets go, girl!

Thanks, auntiejan & flanative! Ruby's a pip! Her favorite treats are all the usual dog stuff plus sweet potatoe skin, left over butternut squash, and licking the residue from a Haas avacado skin and/or yogurt container. Her kitty pillow is currently headless (again). I've sewed that head back on three times; have decided not to get out that upholstery needle (yet). I'll probably cave in. She has plenty of toys, just loves kitty the best. Her worst garden escapade this year was knocking over 10 fresh hoya cuttings I had laid out in dappled sun. I was devastated when it happened, but am happy to report that the cuttings survided just fine. Here's my favorite picture of her (so far) And an earlier one with her doing the "dobie grin". That big stuffed animal was intended for my great niece, who was horrified by it, but loved splashing her hands in Ruby's water bowls!

I know this sounds crazy.....and maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. I have fibromyalgia. Part of my "affliction" is that I hear too much, I see too much, I feel too much, I notice too much. There are alot of theories out there as to what it really is (fibro), but for many of us, it seems to be a sensory system that's too acute. I've often wondered if it had something to do with having an ancient body in a modern world. Perhaps our bodies/brains/neuro systems have kept more of some of those senses than other people have. I know this idea is probably really too out-there, but I've just always wondered about it. What got me started thinking this way is when I went through a few years of feeling like I might fall over alot of the time. It wasn't severe dizziness.....just a sense, perhaps, that was picking up on the movement of earth through the universe. I know it sounds whacky......but I guess some of us are always searching for answers to make life make sense. When I worked in the ER, we'd have tons of crazy people come in, and also pregnant women when there was a full moon. Some people get horrible migraines when a front comes through, or their arthritis flares up. Some people get SAD (seasonal affective disorder)when fall comes. My body definitely reacts to the autumnal equinox. There are many examples of how our bodies react in an instinctual way to things, but we as humans are so disconnected from nature, that we don't even notice......or run to the doctor for a medication to get rid of certain feelings. I think we probably have lost alot of our abilities with our various senses, out of dis-use. I also think that some of our senses have been messed up by modern life......using alarm clocks, electricity, additives and preservatives in our food, medications, heating, air conditioning, etc. I wonder how long of living differently, it might take to get them back? Sorry to ramble.....

As a person who gets motion sick, here is what works for me. Fresh air - a cracked window is wonderful. Cool temperatures are better than warm. Sitting up front looking out the front windows only. Benadryl or prescription vertigo medicine (most of them are antihistimines with a different label) are great. Funny, my mom's boxer took the same med as me at the same dose to keep her calm a couple weeks after surgery. By far, for long rides, a short acting vertigo pill works the best. Talk to your vet to see what is available for kitties. As an aside, when my husband decided to become a pilot, he discovered he got motion sick. He spent months going up every day as a passenger and puking until he eventually stopped getting motion sick. A person CAN overcome or reduce motion sickness, but it is a very uncomfortable process. My point is that assuming kitties are like people, 15 minute car rides every day MIGHT help your kitty overcome it. Personally, I prefer drugs.