Wilson Russell

Our trip to pick up our new puppy was uneventful.  We didn't encounter any snow, but there was a lot of pouring rain and wind.  

After meeting our puppy we decided that Sparky was not the right name.  On the drive home the entire family  weighed in via text on what his name should be.  We have finally settled on Wilson.  Wilson Russell Burkhart.  Willie, for short.  

Yes, our favorite quarterback had some influence on this, but that's not all.  One of my favorite movie soundtracks is from Castaway.  And then there was Wilson.

 He didn't mind being in his crate and slept most of the way home.   Then we had some great play time with him.  We managed to get through the night with only two trips outside.  

This morning we have already walked what we call our loop trail in the woods.  He's pretty border collie active, but that's to be expected.  Right now he's taking a nap.  Whew.

Jon is on this shift. 

It was a long day, but a good one.  We discussed our Thanksgiving plans with JP and family and it was good to see them even if it was only for a short time.

I can report that it's very cold and windy outside.  I think the snow might actually land here tonight.  

 November 6, 2017.  Brrr.  Cold.  Frosty. Winter.  Oh no!  Too soon!

As I was browsing through my photos this morning I ran across more pictures of Maggie and also of Thompson, Maggie's best friend and neighbor.  Thompson left us to cross the Rainbow Bridge last summer.  

They both spent hours with us on hikes and walks wherever we went.  He was the infamous "firewood stealing" dog.  Thompson was a very vocal dog and liked to talk to us whenever he stopped over here, but on his way back home he also liked to pick up a piece of firewood out of Jon's woodpile and pack it with him. 

I actually do have a photo of him with a piece of firewood in his mouth (firewood theft proof), but I couldn't find it for this post.

A couple of days ago I was talking with my friend Marianne Love about our border collies and how much they are a part of our lives.  Jon and I have been walking around these past few days missing Maggie so much.  She was involved with almost every minute of our lives.  

After we finished our conversation I decided to go online to look for a puppy.  Craigslist. Pets. Border Collies Puppies for Sale. 

 We will be welcoming Sparky to our family today.  

              

We are pretty sure that Maggie sent him to us. 

We will be going to pick him up today.   

We are hoping that we won't encounter any of this white stuff on our drive.

 I am so sad to tell you that Jon and I had to say goodbye to our Maggie on Monday.  What a wonderful dog she was and we miss her terribly.

Ten, Diez, Dix, Zehn

 Hey! Take a look at the treasures I brought you.

Our plans for yesterday were abruptly interrupted when Maggie developed a serious limp on her back leg.  I wouldn't even call it a limp since she could not put any weight on her left leg.  Luckily, we were able to get an appointment with the vet that afternoon.

On our way to town we were trying to remember how old Maggie is?  We weren't sure.  Jon and I were both thinking that she was around eight years old?  

Well, she's ten and will be eleven next April.  Time goes by really fast, especially in dog years. 

The veterinarian, Jeff Paulsen, was very good at examining Maggie and then explaining what might be wrong.  She was given pain meds and once she was drowsy they took her for x-rays.  The results showed some arthritis in both of her knees, but the real problem was the ACL.  After ten years of wear and tear, it's broken and needs surgery to repair.  

She will be on the schedule soon for the surgery and then a recovery time of 2-3 months.  After that we're hoping she will be able to do one of her favorite things, which is attack the sprinkler.   In the meantime, she is on pain meds and doing her best to get around on three legs.  I can relate.  This old age stuff isn't easy, Maggie. 

I spent some time thinking about what was happening in our lives ten years ago so  I'm adding some fall photos from October 2010 and 2011.  It was looking very frosty on Oct. 22nd, 2011, but the fall colors were as beautiful as they are this year.  

Those Autumn Leaves

 

We're busy winding down the outside chores to be ready for winter.  The guys from All About Chimneys are scheduled to arrive this afternoon and our chimney needs a special cleaning this time.  Plus we need the stovepipe to chimney replaced.  

Our daily walk to pickup the newspaper has been really nice with temperatures in the sixties.  

On our Friday walk we happened upon the contractors who had just dug a ditch across our driveway as they were installing the conduit for fiberoptic.  

West Spring Creek Road residents will be jumping into the high-speed internet arena soon.  

For the past 20 years we have all been sold the so-called high-speed from satellite companies and also pay an outlandish price for it every month.  I don't mind paying the price if I am actually getting what I pay for, but the service is definitely not speedy.

The fiberoptic line won't be installed down our driveway until next spring, but it's something to look forward to.  Maybe we will be able to watch a video without it buffering after 30 seconds. 

It's amazing how much information you can learn from a chance encounter on our walk. 

Jon took down all of the deer fencing around the garden and yesterday we moved the patio table and barbeque to the barn for the winter.  

It was also the day to dig up the dahlia tubers and get them rinsed off.  They are drying a bit in the basement so that we can divide them and put them away for storage.  

The vine maple is doing it's thing and fortunately for me, we cut down a couple of them last spring.  I'm hoping there won't be quite as many leaves on the lawn this year. 

We have a couple of other projects in the works, which are installing some carpet in the basement and re-installing a larger drainpipe around the basement entrance.  Both are works in progress at the moment, but almost finished.

It's a relief to have the chores narrowed down to getting rid of all those falling leaves on the lawn and nothing else.  There will be more time to play now.