My Life.Feeding 3 dogs & 11 fish

The phone rang the other morning at around 6 AM my time. When I opened my eyes and looked at caller ID I noticed that it was a call from my sister. Over the years of living on the west coast I know that those off hour calls are either an ooops..I forgot it was three hours earlier in CA or not good news.

This call was not good news, but not terrible news. My sister was calling to tell me that our father had slipped and fallen and was in the hospital. It has been a few days since that call and I am happy to say that he is doing better and will be home soon!

I would have been happier if the early morning call was from Ira. He is even farther away in Germany. The time difference is nine hours so if he calls me early in the morning it is late afternoon in CA. We have had to perfect the art of timing calls so that we do not wake each other up. But with the long hours that he works while he is in Germany, any time of the day or night is a great time to connect.

I have also realized that email is a wonderful way to communicate. He has an i-phone and is in touch via email anytime of the day or night. I work hard at not emailing in the middle of his night because I know that the sound of the "bing" will wake him up. But, we have a chance to communicate and that is a good thing.

Ira has been out of town since last Saturday and it is just me and the dogs. I don't know who misses him more, me or Marty? Marty has been a regular butt head each and every night. Someone explained that he is acting like the "alpha male" in absence of the "alpha male".

Bed time means that Marty jumps into bed and antagonizes all three of us girls. He attempts to bite my feet while barking humping Taiko. Ping finally steps in to rescue me and she humps Marty. Bedtime has become a "three ring circus".

Today is Wednesday and Ira is landing in San Francisco at noon on Friday...I am not counting the hours or anything. He has been traveling back and forth to Europe for two years but...it is hard on both of us. Luckily he doesn't go to often, only two or three times a year.

When Ira is out of town I go shopping, but not in the normal sense of the world. I have found some wonderful discount stores that allow me to shop and shop, and touch and feel the items and think about whether or not I need it. It is great concentration to pick out the perfect frame, journal or new place mats for my table.

This week I went to the Home Goods and Tuesday Morning stores for my "shopping fix". At Home Goods I found this stain remover and it was so good I went back again to buy some more. I had stained a top that I loved and paid a lot of money for and could not get that stain out of that top until I tried this stuff. Eureka...I now can wear the top again.

I have to sign off as I am going to dinner with a friend and then to a MAC Users group with her. And then I will go home to another night calming down my alpha male dog who misses his dad, almost as much as I do!!  Hugs Eileen!!

I think that it is easier for me when I am busier and I am busy with Summer School and preparing for the fall volunteer placement. 

Only Ira and I could go to Las Vegas and end up buying a new computer. I had been wanting a better computer to be able to Video Chat with the kids and most important with the babies. Well..they don't exactly chat but the are sure cute to look at and seeing them getting bigger and bigger is a wonderful treat.

You can only take so much of Vegas and one of the afternoons we walked over to Ceaser's and went into the Forum Shops.  It was a great place to stay out of the heat, walk and look at all of the ultra expensive shops.

We came upon the Apple store and decided to go in. We..or shall I say I was toying with the idea of a Mac but I had lots of questions. Our first and second computers had been Macs but that was a long time ago and I knew that I would have a lot of learning to do if we bought a Mac.

We were paired with a Mac expert and as fast as we asked the questions was as fast and as accurate  as he answered them. We started with a laptop and ended up buying a desk top with a 24 inch screen. Now we could have just gone home and ordered it on line but we were so impressed with the service that we wanted him to get the credit and so we ordered it online before we left the store.

Had we been at home, it would have arrived the next day and it did arrive the day after that. It was easy to set up, and it proudly stands in the kitchen where we both can use it. But the truth is I use it the most and I use it all the time.

So now the fun begins!  I have to learn how to use a Mac all over again. A friend came over and helped me. She got my email up and running and with a click of a "stamp" (that is the ICON for mail) my emails appear.

She also loaded is a bunch of v-cards with the info for my volunteer work as I am taking over her job. 

Sometimes I am challenged by the change and other times I am a bit frustrated and go back to my PC's! I am still writing on my PC's so that I can print on my larger printer. But I can also sit out on the Patio and type away while enjoying the weather. But I have the feeling that my next lap top will also be a Mac. But that won't be for awhile, two lap tops and a Mac is more than enough computers for this house hold.

Whenever I use this Mac I am amazed at how far technology has come along. We bought our first Mac in 1982 and it had less RAM then my cell phone. Way less because all of the programs were loaded via floppy disks. Our next computer was a IIe and that was a huge desk top with a small monitor. We changed to a PC when we traded a Mix Master for a computer (Huh...?) and that was when we lived in San Diego.

Each day I learn a little bit more about this Mac but there is always more to learn, especially how to keep this sucker connected to the internet!!  Oh well...have a wonderful week and there will be a new article in the Lincoln News Messenger this Thursday!!  Eileen 

It has been awhile since I have had the time to journal but now that the school year is coming to a close, I have a bit more time! 

I seem to spend a great deal of time writing these days. My by-weekly  column in the local paper along with my writing class keeps me very busy. I find myself sitting down at my computer and getting lost in my writing. Sometimes I only come up for air when something like the phone or an alarm reminds me that I need to float on back to the real world and do what I need to do. 

I rely on my Palm to keep me on track for my path winds and splits throughout the day. This past school year I Mentored six teachers located in two different schools. The High School Teachers changed their schedules three times a year and that affected our meeting times. We did designate specific times to meet but their schedules were often so hectic that nothing was set in stone. 

My only saving grace was my Middle School teacher. We met most weeks in the same place at the same time. He was also a Math teacher and we Math teachers like order in our schedules.

Then there is the volunteer work that I do in the schools. When I first moved to Lincoln Hills I joined a group called SCHOOLS (Sun City Lincoln Hills Helping Our Outstanding Local Schools) and began to volunteer in the local School. This is my second year helping out with Math in a fifth grade class and this year I added Kindergarten. I love it as it allows me the fun of working with the kids without the stress of being a teacher.

But if you know me, you know that I do get involved and I sit on the Leadership Team of the organization. I have been working to staff special events for the schools and now I am switching with one of the founding members of the group and taking on the responsibilities of staffing the volunteers for the elementary schools.

My two "jobs" definitely overlap and these past few weeks have been a prime example of overlap. My six BTSA teachers had to finish their very extensive Portfolio that is required for the program. At the same time I had to start the process of staffing summer school with volunteers and in the middle of all of that Ira and I went to Las Vegas for a meeting sponsored by his company. 

We arrived home on Wednesday, landing at 1 PM and I ran over to pick up my six portfolios that had been read and evaluated by other BTSA mentors. I then looked them over and emailed each of my six teachers with items that needed to be tweaked. I was off and running again.

Today is Saturday and that brings me to the third aspect of my life, the aspect that keeps me balanced. This morning after Ira and I walked the dogs, he headed to the golf course and I headed to the gym to my Yoga class. In the best of times I attend at least three Yoga classes a week but during this crunch I have not been to Yoga very much in the last few weeks.

Yoga for me is what keeps my body, mind and soul balanced. It keeps my core strong, my mind clear and my soul nourished. Yoga also keeps my back strong and healthy and raises my energy level. Having just returned from my first Yoga class in a week, I feel especially invigorated.

These past few weeks have been wildly wonderful. Last weekend we went to Vegas!

The weekend before we had a Baby Naming party for our two grandsons and our house was filled to the brim with all sorts of family, friends and the babies. You can read all about that in my Lincoln New Messenger Column link. And there is a link of pictures, (Ira was really at the party but managed to not get his picture taken) on the Hirsch Link! 

School is ending and summer is on the way. I plan on spending my down time with my family. July 4 th the kids and grandkids will meet us at our place in Lake Tahoe. August 2 we will cruise Alaska with my parents and my sister and brother and their families. The good news is that we leave out of Seattle and we will get to see Hirsch (and his parents). And I know I will fly south the see Blake at least once this summer!

Happy warm weather time to all of you!!  Hugs Eileen

What a few weeks this has been! Two weeks ago I was joyfully anticipating my trip to Seattle. I was going there to spend time with Sheryl, Heath and the most important person, Hirsch.

 The Saturday before I left, I went to my Yoga class and when I arrived home I "hopped onto"my computer and started to compose my Newspaper column. As always I lost myself in my writing and finally after I was happy with my creation, I took a moment to check my email.

I was very upset to find an email from Zofia, our JCCARE California leader. There was a Chin in the Sacramento ASPCA that needed to be sprung. He had been there for two weeks and was starting to develop aggressive Kennel behavior. The animal coordinator recognized that he needed a change. It was hard on him and even harder for him to get adopted when he circled the cage and bit anyone who came near him.

Here I was about to go out of town and this dog needed my help. I made arraingments with Zofia to drive him half way to LA (about a three hour drive..Ira would go along) so that I could hand him off.

We drove to the animal shelter, talked to the coordinator who filled up our dog crate with this tiny, gorgeous chin. This was our first time springing a Chin from a shelter and Zofia had suggested that it would be easiest for the dog to travel in a crate.

On the way home I sat in the back seat and talked to him. He looked more scared than viscious.  I also named him Max.

To make this story just a little shorter, I will tell you that he perked up when we introduced him to our dogs and fit right in. It was clear that he was someone's pet.  He obeyed commands and walked well on  the leash.

The next morning I got a call from Zofia with good news. She had another foster placement for Max in Sacramento. I had actually done a home visit for this lady who had then adopted a Chin from JCCARE.

We made arraignments to drop off Max at her house. It was one of the hardest things that we had ever done and it took a long cry and some writing to feel a little better. We had fallen in love with this enchanted little dog in the space of twenty three hours.

Amy and her dogs also fell in love with Max and he spent a wonderful week with her. But the story gets even better. Amy has a friend named Jerry who had seen a picture of Max when he was at the ASPCA. By the time she called to check on him for adoption he was gone. Imagine her suprise when she finds out that he is safely and happily living as a foster dog with Amy.

 Last Saturday I did a home visit for Jerry and Max. But Max is still with Amy. Max is a sweety and he fit in so well with  Amy and her crew she could not let him go.  Max is a little dog with angel wings and so much good charma that he has created the life that he deserves!!! Amy and her three dogs are having a ball!

So that covers the dogs part of my exciting three week. The planes part is the calmest. Since the beginning of 2009 I have flown Southwest Airlines five times, three times to Seattle and two times to Corona. I have visited both girls three times but we drove to LA one of those times. My goal is to earn a free ticket with Southwest Airlines and I am only three trips away. That should be very easy as I can't get enough of those babies.

Today, Thursday April 16 (there was a bit of a lag between the start and finish of this entry) is the one week anniversary of my trip home from Seattle. The dogs and Ira were very happy to see me come home and I was as happy to see them as I was sad to leave Seattle.

Sheryl, Heath, Hirsch and I had a wonderful time together. In the morning, I got up early, and grabbed him from his parents room. We then spent at least three hours of quality time together while his parents slept. I fed him a bottle of breast milk, changed him, held him, sang to him and rocked him. My one handed skills greatly increased. The last morning he threw up on me, peed on me and pooped on me and I was still sad to leave and go back home.

 When I arrived in Seattle Sheryl and I walked the entire path around green lake, and then met Heath for lunch. We were off and running inspite of the fact that Sheryl and Heath were tired!!

Another day we ( the entire gang) went to Discovery Park and hiked a bit and then out to dinner at a very nice restaurant.  I also went to the Pediatrician with them.

The best event was when Hirsch attended his first Seder. You know how much I love Seders and together we had a small and calm Seder the last night I was there. I left the next day and after Sheryl dropped me off at the airport she and Hirsch went to the Mall.

I am looking forward to Mother's Day Weekend. We are hosting a baby naming and four generations of our family will be in attendance. Our house will be full with the GG's (Great Grandparents),Grandparents, Parents and the babies). Lots of things to do before then but I am more than up for the challenge of hosting an event for our family and friends to celebrate the arrival of a new generation.

Busy times!!  Hugs Eileen

I left Corona and Blake (yes his mother and father as well) on Friday evening.  As I walked into the house at about 8:45 PM I was greeted by three screaming dogs and a sleepy husband. All of my babies were as happy to see me as I was to see them.

I am so glad that I am living a life style that allows me the opportunity to take a few days and spent time with the kids and grandkids. I know that Alyssa appreciated the company and the help as much as I appreciated the opportunity to be there with them.

Because Blake is both breast feeding and bottle feeding (breast milk) I was able to feed him. For Alyysa, the feeding process was almost an all day event. The three hours between feedings were filled with nursing, bottle feeding, changing, pumping and a nap for both Alyssa and the baby. Naps were a bit longer for Alyssa when she pumped while I bottle fed.

I helped out any way that I could..with the laundry, cleaning etc. We did get out a few times and this week with Vince home they are really hitting the groove of getting out with a baby in tow. But life with an infant is mostly tending to the baby and resting when possible.

When it comes to Blake I couldn't spend enough time holding him. It all came back...the changing of the diapers, the bath, the feeding, the unconditional loving care of an infant.  My emotions well up each time that I remember those feelings.

I will spend a week home and then I am off to Seattle to visit with Hirsch and his parents. I am happy to be home and ready to book my next flight. 

To see more pictures of Hirsch you can always click on the link and I will upload more pictures of Blake. Hugs Eileen