Joan from West Virginia, USA

And since I'm here.... WELCOME to your second page!

Hi Joan! Schultz has had some problems in the waterworks department too - we do go through a bit of disinfectant from time to time. Fortunately it is summer here now and he can spend most of the day outside again. I have bought a moisture proof pad for indoors to go under his ecofleece mattress. We do have to wash that at least every second day. He is still eating and happy - he was playing with his bed last night - messing it up! And still likes his chews. We put the tree up last night. Schultz knows all about Christmas so that probably accounts for his spirits last night! We'll get through that and see how we're travelling. He is very stiff when he gets up from lying on anything cool (ground, concrete rather than his day bed, the lino at the vets) and has to stand for a while before taking a step or he'll fall - but then he can walk OK. The cartrophen injections are now just under fortnightly.

Thanks, Joan -- I got stuck on that poem for a while, and almost didn't even post it. But then the words came to finish those few lines, though it was so late I figured no one would even see it.

I missed the moon and planets, but your description was wonderful! I'm often struck by the view of the night-time sky, and so often people never even see it. Even at our place in WV, though we are out in the county, there are so many sodium or mercury vapor lights that it isn't really DARK. (And we have some of those lights, too, though I have considered getting them turned off -- but don't know if they help for security, especially since are gone so much). Take care!

Thank you, Joan, for your kind words of sympathy. I'm so glad my brother and I shared so many good times - I have a full bank of memories to draw on. ♥ Jane

Hi, Joan!

I can understand your being spooked by that flash of light -- though your furry protectors might be a deterrent if you had visitors of the two-legged variety. We worried a lot about our place in WV, since "everyone" seemed to know that we are only there on weekends, and not much in the winter. But maybe they also know that we don't have much worth stealing -- no money, no guns, no jewelry, no recreational drugs (not much resale value in meds for thyroid or glaucoma!), no fancy electronics (at one point we did have a TV there -- the one Charles bought to watch the moon landing!! when it gave out, we didn't replace it), nothing easy to steal and resell. Also, folks know that we do the Adopt-a-Highway trash pickup along 2 miles of our county road, so that may make us seem less like "outsiders". But at first we worried a lot. Now we haven't been up for over a month, and we want to make sure it's bundled up tight for the winter. Take care!

Joan, thanks for the note. I've been on-line most days, just haven't posted much. I would miss my fix if I didn't do a puzzle! Yes, we are certainly lucky to have had clear skies recently. Max, my Boston, gets me up in the middle of the night, so I get a great view of the skies. Love it! And the recent shows were great. Yes, the moon last night was fabulous!!

Hi Joan thank's for visiting my page glad to hear you like'd the sily story about being six again, don't often post any more just do a couple of puzzles in the morning then off to work.
Welcome to the world of sudokuland and may you have as much fun as I have!! Happy Hollidays to you and your's

P.S. Great pics on your page!!

Hi Joan! I missed seeing you when you first became a member, but today I spotted one of your comments on GMo's page. Stopped by to see your pictures which I enjoyed, especially the pet ones - left a few comments on them. Glad you have joined us in Sudokuland. It's a wonderful place which I have enjoyed for over three years now! Please come visit my page sometime. By the way where in WVA is your log cabin? One of my best friends in FL is from WVA.

Hi, Joan!

I've been delinquent in answering you! Seems like things get lost if I don't do them right away!

We visited our place in WV last weekend, and everything was fine (whew!). BUT a lot more snow than we anticipated! It was lovely, with the trees and bushes bent over with snow several inches thick. (I put a poem about it on the site, though it didn't go with the photo.) But we didn't even try to go climbing, though it may have been warm enough.

Thursdays are usually pet therapy days for me and my older Westie. I should submit a photo of her with her Christmas finery -- a red jester-type collar (though all but one of the bells on the points have come off and not been replaced by a negligent mom) against her white coat make her quite festive! Some of the residents just light up when they see her, which is why we are still doing this after 3 years or so.

Tomorrow I HAVE to get the Christmas tree! Well, sometimes procrastinating can be good -- I can likely get one on sale. I usually like to cut one, but the last lot I saw was overflowing a few days ago, so I'll maybe just use some of their excess inventory.

You're lucky to have such a great sitter -- probably works out well for both of you! Take care!

Hi Joan, I'm glad you enjoyed my gallery, I try to keep it varied and have some new photos to include when, and if, things slow down here. In the meantime, please have a Happy Christmas and I hope that the New Year brings you everything good that you deserve.

Wishing you all the very best for the Festive Season

Wishing you & yours

Hi Joan! Just popped in to wish you a very merry Christmas - family, friends, fun, food and laughter. :) And every best wish for the coming year. :)

Merry Christmas to you and your family! Take it easy or you'll look like me !
May 2009 be a wonderful year for you!

Joan and family!

Sandy from Schultz!

May it bring you all you need.

Hi Joan,

Thanks for the comment on my Roman comment. I don't usually get any response to my sarcastic comments.

Joe

Hi,
I have no idea what " exchanges with Joe " you are talking about !!!!! Maybe you can tell me .
I am from Beer Sheva , the south os Israel.

Oh, now I remember ! It was about my outfit in Venice

Hi Joan,

Thanks for your comment on my comment, etc.

We had a S*** storm here last night. The residual is about one inch of frozen mush. I'm waiting for mother nature to remove it!

I am a retired electrical engineer who spent a career in the power industry. Transmission planning and power system operations. I also got deeply involved in computers before it became so popular with the public. In the early days we had to stoop low and program in assembly language. It took a different mind set which is maybe why I see things in a weird way.

Joe

Joan, I have seen your ice storm photos, and in fact, showed the frozen nandina berries to hubby.
Unbelievable!

Joan, thank you for your fascinating comment, or should I say series of comments on my page. Unfortunately, Anne and I are busy for the next couple of days, but I'll get around to replying when I get a moment.

Joan - that was so cool that you dropped by today - I just put up that youtube but hadn't told anyone yet. I thought it was so sweet.
Hope you are not too cold back East - we're in a bit of a heat wave...hope we get some more snow soon...or I won't be running any sprinklers at all!

Hi Joan,
I was in the middle of my response to your comment when an old buddy rang the doorbell and we shared a cup of tea. So that was the end of the first attempt.

This time I have been smarter and typed it up in ‘Word’ which I can then cut & paste onto your page when I am ready.

You are correct, I do have an eye for a challenging jigsaw. I don’t see much point in making it easy. However, only a few of my photos have been taken with a jigsaw in mind. Most, by far, have been taken because I have spotted something worth photographing. But it is nice to know that I have your support.

I share your dislike of ‘black’ ice. It is very dangerous on an aircraft, but modern deicing and anti=icing equipment can cope pretty well. On the roads, though, it can be lethal. I remember driving in Canada and seeing a bus sliding sideways down the hill towards me. We missed, but I don’t know how.

(Second day)

I am impressed with the restoration work you did in Italy and France. Do you have special training for this kind of work?

We are both as well as can be expected for a couple of old geriatrics (don’t tell Anne I said that because she is 10 years younger than I am). I still have a racing pulse of 100 – 120 but it looks like I might have to learn to live with it if they decide not to do anything about it. They (the cardiologists) will decide in the next month or so whether the risks are worth it – and the risks of turning something slightly bad into something seriously bad are considerable. I must wait and see what happens.

All the best and do look after yourself,

Ian

By the way, I love your photographs and have commented on one or two of them.

Thank you for your posts. I do not know if they were mine as I didn't get to do the puzzles yesterday but if there was no comment it is unlikely. Except for the very first ones I posted about 3 years ago I always comment.
Glad you like them anyway

I have just been through your gallery of photos, beautiful.
Regarding your beasties, we have a young tabby - Sammi, an old white poodle/bichon - Houpette, we had a black - Pushkin, and had 2 torties - Mamapus and Kittypus. We also came to France many years ago with another tabby - William and a Birman cross Bushbaby.
We have always counted it as an honour that they allow us to live with them.

Joan, thanks so much for your note of sympathy when my dear Mum passed away.
You are so right, I was blessed to have her in my life for this long, and also feel very privileged to have been able to share her last week with her. She was still giving us life lessons to the end, and still making my sister and I laugh only minutes before her surgery. I will always treasure that memory.

Hi Joan,
thank you for your message last week. I wasn't logged in for a few days so I didn't see it right away... and now we're also joking about on the hard puzzle today! I know those kind of big spending kids too, not that I have them myself.
I hope you have a good time when you visit your Dutch kids.

Hi Joan! Thanks for looking through my photos - I love getting comments!
You asked about the husky pup - the owners were handing out puppies to anyone who wanted to hold them - apparently it's important to get them used to people from a very early age, and we were told that we were an important part of puppy training! (SUCH hard work!)
Alaska was never on MY agenda for places to go, but Rob was interested, so I packed all my warm things and we headed off. We did read that Alaska in summer could get quite hot, but I have to admit that I didn't really believe it! (Of course it was true) We've been to a few places since then, but Alaska was amazing in many totally unexpected ways. Denali National Park was pretty magic, and we were lucky enough to see all of the "Big Five" - wolf, bear, Dall sheep, moose and caribou! Such a huge place, and I knew absolutely NOTHING about it - seeing the native Alaskan culture was fantastic, and the stories of the goldrush, with all its goings-on, were quite a bit like our own history.
As for the family group at the wedding - my Mum made my outfit, very stylish white with black detail, I guess I thought I looked good - can't think of anything less flattering for a girl that age! (my sister refused to be photographed!) I don't know why I'm so lopsided - no wonder I was hopeless at sport! Yes it's a funny photo, but at the time we thought we looked pretty groovy!

Hello again Joan! Just to clarify my comment about the windmills - I agree that they look beautiful, no argument there! I guess I meant spooky, or sinister, rather than creepy - maybe I've just seen too many sci-fi shows - was I thinking of Day of the Triffids? Seeing them coming out of the mist like that, they looked as if they were talking to each other ... were they about to start marching down the hill?
Ok, probably not. Yes, I'm just a liiittle bit weird... or maybe a lot.... ;)

Hi, Joan!

I did see (and work) Kay's cave puzzle (and added a bit about my exploration of a wild cave, slithering along a passageway that seemed about a foot tall). I didn't get the info about Organ Cave (how did you send it to me?), but I did google it. Looks like fun, and with SMALL groups. Not like the usual commercial caves where they have paved walkways and fences. Looks like it might be especially fun for the grandkids when they come to WV from the DC area!

It sounds like it will be nice and warm this weekend, and then Sandy can get in as much walking as she wants. Have you ever tried glucosamine for her joints? I take it, and had a Scottie who was really helped with it. It doesn't work for all people or pets, but it's relatively cheap. Try it for 6-8 weeks. If it hasn't helped by then, just discontinue. But if it DOES help, you will both be much happier! Take care! -Cyn

Hi, Joan!

I often do revisit a page to check for later comments, but rarely go back day, so you are right, I WOULD have missed it!

It's tough to watch our dogs grow old, though better than losing them when they are young! I think they make anti-skid booties for dogs, but most dogs are less than thrilled at wearing boots (maybe if you started when they were very young?).

In Wisconsin, we would usually have maybe 2' of snow on the ground all winter (sometimes much more). For a Scottie, that's up to the ears! So we always had to shovel paths in the yard for bathroom purposes. Sometimes we would make elaborate mazes (well, not really mazes, since we weren't trying to challenge them, so lots of interconnections).

Organ Cave definitely sounds like fun. As for bats ... when I was a docent at the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site here, I used to take lots of visitors (young and old) into a small cave on the property. Sometimes we would have a few bats in the cave. I'd tell them, "Oh, we're very lucky today. Let's be very quiet so we don't scare her. Look, [in my most endearing voice] it's a little bat!" Then I'd shine my light toward the bat so they could see. You could tell that some of the little girls were prepared to scream and carry on, but that didn't seem right when I was acting like we were watching a sleeping puppy. So they decided it was okay, and listened to a little bat-lore, and ended up (I think) appreciating the little guys.

My goodness! Sandy does look so very much like Schultz! I knew she did - but that look - so very much the same. Deep brown, loving, trusting eyes in that face that just keeps getting whiter. Even the ears and the angle of the shoulders! If you posted it - I think only you and I would not be confused!

Getting them through winter is the definitely the hard part - I was so glad to see the days start to warm up. The picture of Schultz' pile of hair was actually taken in August (still winter) and, sure enough, it did get cold again but that day was glorious. Schultz was always inside with the heater on and a blanket so the loss of hair was not going to affect him. It's pouring rain here today - reaching just 21 degrees C (so only ten more than you) - like Autumn - and its going to rain all month. I'm glad but wish it would rain more on the fires in Victoria though - but, perhaps not, on those now living in tents. It'd be a week too late for too, too many. My daughter has gone to school in mufti - green and gold - with a gold coin donation.

Schultz couldn't tolerate much antibiotic either - was only able to take about 1/3 of the dose for his size or it affected his digestion (at the rear end as I am sure you can understand) and, because of his increasing immobility, he was prone to urinary tract infections - so do keep an eye on that. I am sure you will. Sandy is lucky to have you though I know you will say you are lucky to have her. Best wishes for you both!

Hi, Joan!

Thanks for the compliments ... but that was not MY photo; it was CynB's. I've submitted a few ... one with my Westie going over a jump with her dumbbell (a miraculous feat for a Westie!), and one with a chipmunk with incredibly fat cheeks. Maybe some wildflowers ... not much else so far.

Hope Sandy continues to do well ... it's hard when our dogs age and have troubles, and they can't really communicate verbally (though they do in so many other ways). But what joy and love they bring to our lives!

Well, Joan, if that's the worst mistake you make this week, it will be a pretty good week!

We had some strong winds, but nothing like that! Makes me worry a bit about our WV place (we haven't been up for quite a while now...) We have some pretty good trails around our place, down by Mill Creek (which is a property boundary) and around, and we've cleared several downed trees that blocked the path, using hand tools. But as long as they don't fall on the house (or the 1978 Scout that we keep there), all is well.

The 50's felt balmy coming up from that cold spell we had, but compared to the 70's of a few days ago, this feels cool now (but still pretty nice when the sun was shining). Sounds like winter will return next week, though ...

Can I send you a photo? If so, how?

Happy Valentine's Day dear one! A day of love and hugs to you!

Hi Joan, Thanks so much for your mail. Yes I am an old dane, i was born and reared in Copenhagen in a suburb called Rødovre. My family emigrated when I was 16. I am true blue Aussie now, but I will also always be a Dane. I have been back 'home' many times and hope to go back again and do the country run with stays in the historic pubs/inns. Maybe during the coming year. I am sure I will enjoy Sodukoland. Thanks again.

Joan, I enjoyed your photo gallery and see you are a fellow animal lover!
I am so glad you visited my page. It tells me a bit about Tuxedo that I didn't expect. He seems to be doing better right now after several 'touch and go' days. We came so close to having him put down because of him being in pain but he now seems to be comfortable again. I know after reading your e-mail that it is still a matter of time, but at least I will not be blind-sided by another change.