My Week

 Well the weather prediction had warned us of more snow ON A THURSDAY LIKE THE PREVIOUS 2 THURSDAYS. It didn't pan out like the depth that they said but we did get an ice storm.

Tuesday was a busy day for Amber.  She had a visit at 1:30 but wouldn't do tricks  but did some cuddling and petting.  After that we went for a walk and she had a runny stool.  Perhaps it could have been a belly ache because .  At 6PM she had practice for Annie on the stage.   She tried to follow me as a cast member led her off but I hid and watched this time. I also brought a few items for orphan costumes.  When  In the evening I went to open practice and Amber just sat there when I said come. Not just once either. She did a zoom run that she hadn't done in a long time since her puppy-hood. I put her dinner bowl up for the night. She's getting fat anyway.  I think I may have topped out her terrier abilities.  

Wednesday I picked up a Fisher Price farm for the guinea pigs at Goodwill.  Not that I was really looking for it.

There are 2 in there.

It seems better than the cardboard box so far but I worry about chewing.

Thursday evening I took Amber to play practice in Annie. When she took the therapy dog test, there was a separation test. She didn't care if I lived or died so that was a piece of cake. Now she is a confined COVID dog and trained more to directions. She is looking out in the audience for me and when returned, she is pulling to come to me. Good and bad I guess.

 It was very icy on the way home that night but the salt trucks were out.  Friday morning I tried to walk the dogs but when I got to the corner, I slipped and fell back.  I was OK and well cushioned by my coat but later is seemed more tender.  I went to the gym and that's when I noticed. I tried to walk the dogs about 10:30 and even though I would walk on the grass, there were still driveways to cross that were icy so I turned around.

Friday morning I walked the dogs and it was so icy that I slipped and fell when I crossed the intersection.  I got up OK and went came home.  Amber and Sophie didn't seem to understand why we turned around to go home because they slip and I normally don't care and we go on. I went to exercise class  and that made the tender fall a little more accentuated.  I did take Amber to Ring Ready obedience. With the impending mask drop in IL, everyone there pulled them off. Then the club president showed up for practice and we all masked up. Well Amber did perform better recalls than she did on Tuesday night.

I cleaned the guinea pig habitat and put them in the bathtub in the meanwhile.  Sophie likes the little critters and hopped inside as well.  She licks them with kisses.  Amber is a little interested but not as much as Sophie.

Saturday morning was still cold but there was less ice on the road so I did get a short walk in before yoga class at 8.   In the evening we had an awards banquet at the Capitol Canine Training Club.  Many were given plaques for their accomplishments which is paid by the individual and I opted out but I did have a chance to mention  Amber's 20 title accomplishments in 2021.

Amber's name on the club wall for Beginner Novice and Companion Dog

Our club president is pro-mask and was only one of 2 masked the whole dinner except to eat.

At the end of Sunday's Mass, Fr Joe announced that starting on Monday, masks were optional but to be respectful.   I watched a documentary on Ukraine "Winter on Fire" in 2013 and then I watch "The Other  Boleyn Girl"

87 octane went to $3.90/gallon from 3.59.  Some will say that other countries pay more in countries that also have free health care.  That free health care will not even look at you if you are diagnosed with cancer.

And then the sanctions

Prayers for the people of the Ukraine. May the peace of Christ reign in the hearts of all. At Fatima, our Lady asked us to pray the rosary for the conversion of Russia. This is as important now as it was then.

https://fitzinfo.net/2022/02/23/fatima-a-satanic-deception-to-aid-anti-christ-ecumenism-subjection-to-russia-and-to-lead-souls-to-hell-says-catholic-author/

 

My week

 I'm cold this week.  I put a dent in my stash of firewood.  Walking the dogs has been short and slippery.

Tuesday seemed to have a full calendar: core and yoga class, Sophie's therapy visit, Amber's rehearsal, and then evening open practice at the club. 

 

My dog training at In the Zone Agility is a private group so I'm sharing a screen shot of student of the week ~ me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzE0mntAxbM

 Thursday we had a weather warning.  The village sent out a text message to get parked cars off the street for the snow plows.  Predictions were that this storm was to commence about 11 AM.  I needed hearing aid batteries and the place I get them are not full time operation but open on Thursday.  I also wanted to go to rally practice at the club at 10AM especially because we did so bad the week before.  I last did rally the weekend that the state had shut down for the pandemic in March 2020 in Champaign, IL and got our AKC Rally Expert title.  Imagine the nerves knowing that I had to finish the trial and come home and lock down.  Boy did I get rusty while focusing on AKC Obedience titles to top out our A class (first time handlers) and agility.  From now on we will be in B class. There were only 2 of that showed up and after 45 minutes practicing, the sleet started coming down hard.  

The unsolicited callers were going crazy on Thursday.  They must have known we were home in a weather advisory and hoping people will answer.  I finally found a setting that directs unknown calls to voice messaging.  Sad that I know clinics do not leave a voice message and those could be important.

Friday I learned why my accountant is not receiving my calls for a tax appointment.  I did a search on her name and she's in some sort of legal trouble.  She did a lot of tax returns for seniors.  She didn't charge much to do my taxes so now I'll have to find someone else and pay more.   Then Alan calls and wants me to know what I'm doing Saturday...wait for it.  I look at my calendar and few minor things.  Then he tells me he wants me to watch his dog, Hank, while he drives to Carbondale for a German Shepard puppy. Yep this is the same son that said I was rude to stay the night at a 2-day trial in his neighborhood during a snow storm.  Well he came to his senses and didn't go at last minute.  In the evening I went to our regular Friday “ring ready” practice.  Pam knows that Amber and I have now got our Obedience Companion Dog title and has upped our challenge for Obedience Open.   That means a “drop” or “down” in the middle of a recall.  I can do it. By signal of verbal but not both.  I haven’t achieved “both” yet.  I wasn't really ready for that on a Friday night but it was real good.  My problem is still sniffing and lagging

Sunday I read scripture at Mass.  I was a little surprised that position wasn't filled a few days earlier online.  Then I realized it's a holiday weekend.  Sean came earlier so we could watch a movie Blue Miracle.  I liked that movie so we gave it a star.   I left about 1:30 to attend a presentation of the Macoupin County Civil War Round Table that was interesting. The speaker was David Finnigan form the state archives and architecture talking about the current state capitol.  Years ago we had a behind the scenes Civil Ware tour of rooms designed with the Civil War theme in the late 1870s.  After his speech, he was selling a book (typical of these events) so I looked up his salary $109k in 2021.  Must be nice to write a book that sells for $55 while obtaining research at work.  More about his book here: https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/thousand-year-statehouse/Content?oid=14744623

David Finnigan

During the past few years, I've become increasingly distrustful/skeptical of 1) medical experts that just pass down lies from above and call it researched, 2)  from Catholic Charities (and others) that sponsor illegals transportation and hotels, 3) volunteering where you need a mask and have diversity training, 4) Hillary and company the spy on Trump and her witnesses end up dead, and 4)  voting in elections when they are stolen using Dominion voting machines.

The End

My week

Last week I shared a photo of my 4 legged friends.  I left out my other pets, Blanche and Holly.  I got Blanche in May and they are social creatures so Holly joined her a few days before Christmas.

I was asked this week for a brief bio on Amber for the playbill in Annie.  I submitted the following knowing there's a lot of acronyms.  I suggested just this first paragraph but if they need them spelled out, the rest follows.

Amber is 4 1/2 year old border terrier mix making her stage debut as Sandy. After her third adoption at 9 months old, she has been chosen for the this role for her many titles through AKC, Therapy Dog International, Do More With Your Dog, NADAC, Teacup Agility, and Canine Performance Events.  In her spare time, she enjoys sniffing.

American Kennel Club: CGCA (Canine Good Citizen advanced), RE (AKC Rally excellent), CD (AKC Companion Dog), BCAT (Beginner Fast Coursing), AKC (Trick Dog elite performer for “Amber’s Christmas Story” seen on YouTube),

TDIA(Therapy Dog International),  

TDAA( Teacup Dogs Agility Association) titles earned: TSAD (Teacup Superior Agility Dog), TG3 (Teacup Games Superior),

NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council)  O-NJC (jumpers), O-TN-N (tunnelers)

Do More With Your Dog (DMWYD)  Trick Dog Expert, AtoZ (Do More With Your Dog Alphabet Challenge),  2K9 (2 kilometer walk)

CPE (Canine Performance Events) Agility

Saturday I attended the American Legion pilgrimage to Lincoln Tomb on his birthday.  Our 114th regiment paid the honors as well as Legion commanders across the country.

 

A Facebook group called "Everything Victorian & Edwardian" has a recurring assumption about photos there.   I have to laugh at some of the comments that recur about photos are either mourning or Postmortem and they are not.  For example:

This is not postmortem nor mourning nor even Civil War because her hair is covering the sides of her head like in the 1840's and 50's and the white collar embellishment.  People looked like that because they had to hold the pose for 15 minutes.  They've been freezing in that pose awhile.  The following morning, they were mocked in another Facebook group called "Post mortem nope".  I'm laughing.

All black does not mean black in the daguerreotype

Sunday morning I went to our Catholic War Veterans Memorial Mass.  Outside of the church, was a little library Catholic style at Blessed  Sacrament Parish in Springfield,  IL.

Little Catholic Library

 

A memorial Mass for the deceased Catholic War Veterans was attended by Pat Noel, Dale Smith and myself, with Father Jeffery Grant

Our special intention is in the previous week's bulletin found here: 

https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/20036/bulletins/20220206.pdf

 

I fixed a recipe for Sheet Pan Tacos but it didn't look like the picture in the recipe below.  I substituted flour tortillas with corn and that doesn't fold well. 

It doesn't look pretty but tasted great.

https://princesspinkygirl.com/sheet-pan-tacos/?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com&fbclid=IwAR3kG1HV1AOgSpDBXUOW0s_qKduOqpvVaoyGX5AUzi5cf885K-CGXs7NXAA 

We watched "The Darkest Hour" on Netflix about Winston Churchill.  I might just re-watch this one.

 Sharing some wisdom from my father who used to say when I (or anyone) got a paycheck.  “Don’t let it burn a hole in your pocket”.  He grew up during the depression.  He was particular about frivolous spending.  Another saying that I must pass along "There will always be someone there ready to take your money, not always someone ready to give to you"

This is the fickle state of our country: mask our defenders and free the people.  <Grrrr> 

I was planning to help with a part time job at the onset of the pandemic and even had a back ground check to help with tour buses.  I was asked if I wanted to return but the qualifications have changed and I'm out.

My Week

 Well last week, was pretty boring so only a little carried over to this week.

I went to got my license plate renewed at the drive up window at IL DMV.  They were closed the week before because of COVID.  Totally shut down for a week.

Then I went to Aldi. Many shelves were bare  because people were stocked up for snowmageden. I was pretty stocked up for COVID shortages but needed some perishables.

I took Amber to two rehearsals as Sandy in the Auburn HS play "Annie".  The first I watched and Amber would try to come to me after  after the actress called "come" from the dog catcher.  So the next time, I hid in another room.  It pained me not to watch but I was told she did well and even did a few trick.

 Tuesday's core class has a wait list. Seems that this class dropped the title of "Masters Core" (senior) and now other younger folks are filling it up and there are just so many places in the TRX room.  I did sign up for the yoga class afterwards and as I came in for yoga class, the core class was leaving.  They informed me that I was in fact enrolled.  Heck, I didn't want to go 45 minutes early hoping for an opening while waiting for the yoga class to begin.

We got snow on Feb 2 and 3.  I had my drive shoveled unsolicited by a fellow neighbor and Legionnaire, Jonathan Rees.  No mail for 2 days. Trash pick up will have to wait til next week.  I dug a labyrinth for the dogs to walk/run in the back yard.

Feb 5 and 6 was a Teacup Agility through the Dinky Dogs Agility.  This was right after our big snow so I was concerned about the 1 hour and half drive so I left at 6:20.  I brought Sophie because I didn't want to return the next day considering the weather we've had.  Sophie doesn't kennel well. She will rock a kennel like an earthquake.  When at rest, I kenneled the girls together.  I was pleasantly surprised that she was relaxed with Amber in there together.

I had a good weekend in Peoria doing teacup agility. Amber got our Games Superior title and our Standard Superior title. 10 runs and 10 blue ribbons plus "High in Trial" award for our height. Not perfect on everything but close.  The people there were so so so very nice. Most were from that Peoria club.  I spent the night with my son who said I was imposing.  He was watching mixed martial arts. 

All photos can be found here.  They are copyright by EddieSoft Photograph but I did pay for the photos posted above.

https://eddiesoft.smugmug.com/DogSportsandPetPortraits/Dinky-Dogs-TDAA-Agility-February-5-6-2022

Then on Feb 7, I went down the hill at the Sanchrist Lake Damn

Here's my video of my tumbling down the hill:

My neck and shoulder were sore the following day.

That evening I went to the American Legion which was canceled in December and January because of COVID  fear.  The email said we would resume with cautions including masking but I went and was not planning on wearing a mask.  Yea, nobody else was wearing a mask either.  We haven't had fish fries last year so we will be starting that up again.

SILENT HAS THE SAME LETTERS AS LISTEN

Do not judge Christianity by Christians or by their organizations; judge Christianity by Christ. Look into his life and teachings, you just might be surprised.