Have you hugged your fur baby lately??

This maybe a long blog, fair warning... remember, you're on riding on 'The Rambling Train'!! *giggles* We'll just see where this goes.

So, I've been leaving "quick notes" here & there about how we've been having problems with trying to get Coleman to eat from their food bowl.

Well, after MANY different things we've tried, he is finally eating out directly out of the bowl and in it's normal spot.

We're are still unsure what happened a few months ago when Coleman started being so scared he wouldn't eat. Both Hubby & I had to do everything from pouring the food on the floor and on a paper plate, just so we could get him to eat.

We thought maybe he was shocked on the metal bowl, or his tag hit it & scared him. So, he now has a plastic bowl... but it was still tough to get him to eat. We would even sit with him while he ate. He seemed to be a little bit more relaxed. HOWEVER, it was iffy at best.

Well, I was talking to a neighbor a couple months ago & she said only way she could get her one dog to eat was to mix a little bit of canned dog food with the dry. Soooo... next time I went to the store I picked up a couple cans. AND WHAT A LIFE SAVER that has been! Ok, not life saver... but a lot less stress!

Even though Coleman still scared a little, at least I've gotten it to where he will come into the living room and sit & watch me at the counter mixing his food together. See his eyes in the photo above... he was looking at the fork I had in my hand. LOL.

He's still a silly one... a lot of the times one of us still has to sit (or stand) before he's comfortable enough to eat. When he does finally eat, he woofs it down like crazy.

NOW, if only we can get Sunny to eat without waiting on my hubby to be home! Good grief... I think she's just getting old & she doesn't want to bother with it until she absolutely has to! (btw, a couple weeks ago, when Hubby was not home, to get her to eat, I had to give her JUST canned food. What a little spoiled brat she is! *grins*)

SPEAKING of Sunny... Earlier I was reading Kitty's blog & watched the video about how the ASPCA (?) has to put down so many animals because of over population... (PLEASE, read her blog BEFORE you watch the video... IF you decide to watch it. As she says, it's disturbing... but it SHOULD disturb you!!!) Anyway, after watching it, I went to go hug Coleman & Sunny... & this is what I saw!
I can't believe I actually got her to look at the camera! That's rare!!

Sunny just loves her stuffed animals! (I see a monkey, a bunny a frog... & that pink thing at the back of her feet, is a 'stuffed' tug of war bones. Can't remember what the other things is, maybe a bear?) Well, I shouldn't call them "stuffed" because most of them no longer have their stuffing!! It's funny when she starts in on a new toy!

Ok, that's about it for this ride. Hope you all enjoyed! Take care! (Off to go hug my doggies again!)

United Friends Challenge #56 - The Harley Dogs' Diary...

Well, it's been a while since I have done any of these challenges... AND... since it was my turn to set it... & because I've been battling a really bad headache all week... I went the easy route with my challenge... Here's the details...

Write on any previous Challenge to which you have not yet responded.
Be sure to include a link to this Challenge AND the one you choose!

Another reason I chose to do this type of a challenge, is because there was at least one from the past I missed completely & I wanted to do it. Furthermore, the group now has quite a few new authors... So, I wanted to give them a chance to do some they had missed.

The past challenge I chose was #47 from ZeeZee Writer & it is as follows:

Write a story in Diary form. Must be at least 200 words.
June 5th 2008 Dear Diary.... can be funny, sad, tragic etc.

Before I give you my story... here is a link to more great stories from my challenge. Also, a little disclaimer to my story below... The entries are from the site I created for my dogs Coleman & Sunny. (aka: The Harley Dogs.) HOWEVER... to be true to myself (& because it's been almost a year since I blogged anything for them) I posted another entry today & included it in this diary format.

If you click on their name above... (As with all the other links in this posting... it should open up a new tab / window.) ... & send them (me) an invite, you can keep up to date with their antics (meaning other things I post to their site).

Now that the "official business" is out of the way... on with today's challenge... (which by the way is not really fiction... it's just written in the 1st person perspective, as if Coleman (or Sunny) was talking... unless otherwise noted.)

 The Harley Dogs' Diary

5-20-07 - DEAR DIARY...

Hi, I'm Coleman (on the right in the photo way at the top) & next to me is Sunny. What we normally do... sleep! Ok... I don't sleep as much as the little girl. (Ok, she's not THAT little, but smaller than me!)

I'll be doing most of the writing since Sunny so lazy! (Wait, maybe I shouldn't write that... she may see it. WHO AM I KIDDING?!?!)

Monday through Friday we're usually at home with our mom. (a.k.a. Lady Harley) She's great a GREAT lady! (More about her & Dad later!) & our job, according to Dad is to sleep & bark at the mailman. (However, we don't always hear him.)
Sometimes on the weekends, we get to go to Mom's farm, were she grew up.

Since we live in the city, we get to run free when we get there. Sunny has made friends with the Todd, Buster, Bianca & Sassy... But for some reason I just can't get close to them. Buster is scared of me... but what he doesn't know is I am more scared of him. Todd, he's just an old man. Bianca & Sassy, well, they're just little things & usually stay out of our way.

Oh, I can't forget the fun we have chasing all the farm kitty's!  Seems like every time I turn around there's another. Sunny enjoys running them up the pine tree in the front yard. So, I tend to follow. (I'm not chasing them, I'm herding them!! That's what I was born to do!!)

One day I found something that smelled real good & so I rolled around in it. Well, it must not be to attractive... because Dad sprayed me with water soon as he saw me. I don't get it... we had just had a bath the day before, I was just trying to get rid of the perfume they put on me!

Besides getting to run to my heart's content, we both enjoy the ride in the truck or car to get there. Soon as Mom or Dad says RIDE, we both jump up & down with excitement.

When we get home we're so tired, so we pretty much sleep the next couple of days. However, since, I have to guard the house... it seems every time I start to fall a sleep someone is walking
down the alley with their mom or dad. I bark to let Mom & Dad know someone is outside.

Too bad we live in the city, because when I have to go potty, my parents have to put me on a leash. Sunny doesn't always have to be on leash (which I'm jealous of!) Maybe it's because she's getting fat & slow in her old age. (But she's younger than me by a couple years.) Well, ok, she's not that slow... when she sees a bunny or cat (after I bark!) she takes off like crazy. She's funny, though, most times she's not running, but rather bounces like a rabbit.

I do sure say we have it made though. We have our own couch in the room where Mom & Dad work on the computer. When they're not here that's usually where we stay.

Sometimes Sunny is a grouch & growls at me to get off, so I go sleep by the door.

When Mom & Dad are home, Sunny pretty much follows Dad around. I float between Mom & Dad. It just depends who's moving around the most. However, my choice is Mom. She's always petting me. When Dad gets home he will run with me around the house. I just absolutely love running! (Sunny sometimes joins us, but almost always stays on one of the couches.)

Can you tell who the smart one is? Ha Ha!! I have her beat by miles! She is SO silly! Once, she tried to bury one of her bones in under my tail. SERIOUSLY!! I didn't notice it until Dad & Mom about died laughing. Mom was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. That's when I turned & looked at Sunny & thought, "You've got to be kidding me!"

She's always tries to bury bones. I don't know why, because I still can see them... I told you she's not that smart!

Oh, by the way, I am a Border Collie about 7 years old, (if you couldn't tell by the picture.)

Sunny, well, she's part Corgi is all we know. (She think she's about 4 years old... maybe older.)

Neither of us remember are biological parents. Mom rescued Sunny after me. She was named Sunny because the collar she had on had sunflowers on it. Her middle name is Hale, because
that's the name of the store she was running loose when Mom rescued her. Just in time, too... according to Dad she was skin & bones when Mom brought her home. I didn't really pay attention. I just know I can't see her ribs like I did when she first arrived.

I was in a pet store before Mom brought me home. She went after dog food for Jake the beagle (he's since passed away) & came home with me. Maybe it was my charm? I am just thankful for her getting me out of the cage. I had a rough start in life.

The rescue group told my mom that they found me in a Coleman cooler with the lid barely on. (I guess that's how I got my name!) That was about 7 years ago.

I do have to say we truly love where we are now! Mom & Dad loves us & it shows!!

Well, it's a gorgeous day out & Mom has the back door open & I hear a lot of noise outside, I think I'll go investigate. It's time to go out anyway & do our thing.

Ok, Mom looks busy, I'll just go lie down for a little bit. We were at the farm yesterday... hey what's that, oh just another car flying down the alley by our house. Anyway, we're still worn out... so I'll wait until Mom says my favorite words... "Outside, potty".

Until next time...

6-4-07 - Dear Diary...
June already??

Hi again all! It's still me, Coleman... Sunny is sleeping, like usual!

This picture is something I don't like!! STORMS!! When it thunders, I run to the back door & try to bark it away. Sometimes it works! (Sunny, well she just sleeps through it... just like about everything else!)

So, what have we been up to lately. Just the usual. Sleeping, eating, & barking at neighbors.

Oh, we have gone to Mom's farm a couple times. (I stand corrected, it's Grandma's farm.) The last time we didn't stay long. I think because I kept barking at everyone. I didn't mind because it was extremely hot that day.

It's been quite hot for a while. So much, Mom slept a lot last week, so she couldn't help me with my blog.

However, the last few days it's been rainy. Needless to say, when it's like that we have to wait to go outside. But we do go out in the rain when it just won't stop.

We were both lonely a couple weeks ago when Mom was gone for awhile. I heard her say she was at the farm. (Why didn't she take us?) Oh, we were just alone while Dad was at work.

Then she came back! We were SO HAPPY!! I could smell the farm dogs on her. So, I know she was there!

However, the other day she disappeared what seemed like days (was actually only about 30 hours)... & when she came home, she had some other smells... NEW DOGS!! (She was at her sister's & they have 2 dogs, too. Lewis & Copper.) Mom told me we'd love Copper... but Lewis is huge & would probably scare us into the corner.

I think I'd chase him in the corner. (Note from my mom: NOT! Lewis is a huge 185lb Newfoundland.)

Today, like most weekdays, we're just lazying around. It's not as hot as it had been. Especially not since Dad put this big box in the window downstairs. It's a weird looking box, but I don't care, because it blows cool air!!

Well, it was an early day... so I'm going to go & sleep.

Good night!

6-21-07 - Dear Diary...

Well, I think Coleman has his fun here... my turn now! I'm Sunny & I just love this season! Great time to get out & enjoy the weather.

Ok, maybe I do just lay on the couch most of the day... but if I wasn't so old & tired I'd be out there running around with Coleman!

Speaking of tired... it's late... I just wanted to say Hi to everyone!

I think I'll leave the blog stuff to Coleman, he's better at it than I am. We'll see!
Night!

7-2-07 - Dear Diary... TRIP TO THE FARM!!
We made it to the farm yesterday. This photo, however is of Sunny on 5-6-07. It's the only one Mom (Lady Harley) has of us at the farm... So far!  (Though we don't stay still long enough to get a good picture.)

I think I am finally starting to make friends with Buster... Well, I ignored him long enough to go chase some of the farm cats & explore a little. (That is before Mom called us to go home.)

It was a short time, but I enjoyed it. (I think Sunny did too... because she actually was able to keep up with me, for the most part... Dad says it's due to the new dog food we are getting.)

There's people outside, so, I'm going to go now so I can bark at them!

P.S. The white dog in the photo is Bianca (a Maltese) & the Yorkie is Sassy. Grandma Ann is partially in the photo too.

7-15-07 - Dear Diary...

Hi! This is Lady Harley / "Mom"...

Since Coleman & Sunny are sleeping, I thought I'd take time to share a couple funny things about them.

1st is this picture... That is Sunny... she crawls under the sheet or blankets on the couch when it's cold... So much sometimes she can't get out without our help!

The other is... Sunny loves to bury the bones we give her... well one night she decided to bury one under the Coleman's tail!!!!

We laughed so hard watching Sunny move Coleman's tail back & forth until she thought it was buried good enough.

The funniest part was, Coleman never moved!! (Yes, this actually happened!!)

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

7-13-08 - Dear Diary... I'm back!

Hey, I'm back!  This is Coleman again... & ... well Mom (Lady Harley) has really not been keeping up her end by blogging for Sunny & me. Maybe doing her writing challenge will inspire her to write more for us too!

Actually there is nothing much going on since we had a real entry a little over a year ago...

One thing you'll notice is, this is now on a different site... since Yahoo 360 decided to abandon fixing the glitches, Mom was introduced to this site & it's turned out to be WAY better.

Sunny is still burying her bones in unusual places, such as under Dad's pillow... While Dad is trying to sleep... And she still sleeps a lot. I, too, have been sleeping a lot. I guess I'm starting to feel my age. (Which is about 8 (human) years).

However, when Dad or Mom is up moving around, I'm usually not far behind. I do still love to run when I get the chance... however, Mom (with help from others) removed the carpet out of the kitchen... & now that floor is so slippery I can't keep my feet from going out from under me. Mom did put some rugs down so I can get from the living room to the computer / back (what some may call a mud room) room where Sunny & I have our own couch!

And so I can go to the back door & bark when I need to go out & potty. I now do my running outside... but I can't go too far because they put me on a leash. They say it's for my own good... but I don't understand. I just want to go for a run & have some fun!! (I think Mom is scared I won't come back. I love her & Dad... of course I would come back... if I don't get lost!)

Mom is talking about taking us to the farm this week or next, depending on the weather. I am looking forward to that!! Here kitty, kitty, kitty!!!

We have not been to the farm in a LONG time... I hear it's due to gas prices... whatever that means. We also have not been to the groomers in a long time... However, Mom's friend, Passion Wolf came over a couple weekends ago & helped Mom give us a bath.

EEK! I so do not like baths!!! & This one the water was from the hose & was a little cold. However, it was on one of them HOT days & it helped me cool down. They did have warm water in a bucket to mix.

After I was done I shook & shook & shook... I still wasn't dry a few hours later when Dad got home. However we smelled better! (How is it Sunny was completely dry in a matter of an hour? ... maybe it's because she's smaller than me?)

Well, that's all for now... I'm going back to sleep!

(That photo at the beginning (way up there...) is, of us is one from 2005 that Mom found in her stash. Sunny has a lot more white fur on her face now. I'll make sure Mom post a more recent one next time.)

Ok... not only have I met my challenge... but you are now caught up with all that was on The Harley Dogs site... so, if you send me (them) an invite, you won't be behind... (oh, I did not include, above, the 2 unrelated blogs you will see... they were just graphics... one for my sister's birthday & the other for 9-11.)

Coming up next (hopefully later today)... My version of "Blogging every 2 hours for 1 year." ... as I said... MY VERSION... Just wait, you'll see!

Poor Coleman.... exhausted me... 7-27-07

Today was an early day for me. Early only because I didn't go to sleep until after 2:00 a.m. last night... & was awoken at 7:20 a.m. by my precious, scared Border Collie, Coleman.

He hates thunder storms & always barks at them. My hubby says he's trying to scare it away. So he wouldn't go potty in the house, (due to being so scared), I had to get up & take him out in the POURING RAIN... I mean it was really POURING!!

Then our other dog, Sunny, would not get out from under the garage over hang. I had to wait for it to stop raining so hard & take her out. (About 30+ minutes later.) Even then I had to pick her up & put her in the grass so she would go. (She's been getting really picky about getting into the yard lately. Wonder if she stepped on a bee or something?)

That is just ONE reason I am so exhausted. Another reason in medical. Yes, I finally have found out why I am EXTREMELY tired all the time... even after 8 full hours of sleep...

It's because my thyroid is VERY VERY VERY under active!

The blood test showed my TSH level at 67.16 & it should be between .35 to 5.50. (These figures are according to the paper work from the lab. However Wikepedia says .30 to 3.0) (The doctor wants mine to be at 1.0!!!) Basically it means my thyroid is barely working.

The doctor, (well she's actually a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP)... who has ability to write prescriptions... & She works with an endocrinologist.), said she doesn't know how I'm even functioning. I told her, I barely am!! She should see me here at home! I have to "push" myself to do even the simplest chores, such as doing dishes.

This is why the past couple weeks my blogs have been a little bleek. But as you can see, I have been trying to blog almost daily, when possible. (Other times is because I've not been here… This is why I need a laptop!!)

Another reason is because of lack of sleep. See... my insurance through the "phone company" (the job I don't remember) finally expired last month. Thankfully my hubby had put me on his plan in January. However, his insurance company does not take into consideration I was on Ambien CR with my insurance.

So, when I ran out, I had been taking generic over the counter (OTC) sleeping pills. They just put me to sleep, but don't keep me a sleep... AND stays in my system for about 1/2 of the day... making me feel like I'm in a fog.

Well, hubby's insurance says they want me to go through a "step therapy" before they will ok the co-payment of Ambien CR.

After many calls & finally a follow up visit with the CNP she gave me a prescription for Temazepam, generic for Restoril. I have been taking it for the last 3 nights.

It is SORT of working... HOWEVER... it's like the OTC meds... It will put me to sleep (after about 2 or more hours) & is staying in my system for MOST of the day, after I wake up! It's about 6:00 p.m. before I start to feel "awake" & then it only last a couple hours.

With Ambien CR I could go to sleep in about an hour, stay asleep for a good 7 to 8 hours & wake up refreshed! Out of all the sedatives the doctors have prescribed for me... it's the ONLY ONE that has NOT made me feel like I'm dragging for most of the day!

So, just to be sure about this Temazepam, I am going to give it a couple more days.

I do have to give Temazepam a little credit, the past 2 mornings I have not heard my husband get up, get ready & leave for work. Which usually I'll wake up enough just to hear him moving around... but then I fall back a sleep.

So… the past few weeks of being sick, lack of sleep, pure exhaustion, many calls to the doctor & insurance company have made things quite interesting for me.

Oh & yeah… to top things off. Our virus scan system keeps finding a virus / Trojan… for the past couple days.
I thought before it ran today, I'd get this blog in… then I'll let it do it's thing while I go back to sleep! LOL!! (P.S. I did NOT go back to sleep! Hopefully I'll get to sleep early tonight!!)

One other thing I have been doing… is "applying" for Blogging jobs. I found a few I really think I'd excel at. Namely one for a "casual online game" community.

In their "application" they asked for a review of the game Zuma. Which just happens to be a game I love!

What's your opinion on my review… would you hire me to blog for you?

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE... Review of Zuma

One word for this game would be ADDICTIVE.

Be prepared for time to fly by as you get wrapped up in this intriguing, thrilling and action packed game.

The graphics & sounds add to the heart pounding game of skill & quick reflexes.

I could go on & on about this "match 3" game, but then you wouldn't have time to play!
You can play for free at All Free Games Online.

Score: 10 out of 10!

Here is another review they asked for (I had to choose a game on their site… & I went out of my usual "genre" of puzzles)…

Football Widow's Nightmare… Two Minute Madness Review

A wife's nightmare is this ultimate football fan's dream come true. Two Minute Madness is among the best football contest online.

It may take 1 full game (only TWO minutes!) to get used to how it works. However, you will not get bored with it.

If you're a wife who enjoys watching the football games, just watch your hubby play this captivating game. Then try it yourself! You will be amazed at the ease of this game.

The types of plays are all offense.

No download is necessary & can be found at: All Free Games Online.

Score is: 9 out of 10.

I'm excited about my chances to be able to have an outlet for my creative writing & desire to review online / casual games!!

I've only received confirmation that he is review my application. Nothing is definite yet. Don't worry, you'll know when I do!!

Now I'll leave you with a poll…

FYI: My definition: A casual game is one you can play online, with little or no download, or on your cell phone.... IE: Get It Now w/ Verizon.)

Official definition: The term casual game is used to refer to a category of electronic or computer games targeted at a mass audience. Casual games usually have a few simple rules and an engaging game design, making it easy for a new player to begin playing the game in just minutes. They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casual_game

Coleman & Sunny... 7-2-07

I'm still not feeling well... Never did go lay down again... . however, I've been trying to keep busy... to hopefully to keep from being completely sick!!

My left eye is still hurting. Good thing I already have a dr's appointment tomorrow morning. (Just to update my prescriptions.)

Anyway, I wanted to highlight another blog today. Ok, this one I'm a little bias. Ok... A LOT!!! Since they are my dogs! :)
I'm only highlighting Coleman & Sunny's sight because I've uploaded new photos of them!
Even though I don't keep it up as much as I do this one... I have fun with it. Because I make it as if they are talking.