Her name is Lola/RIP Xena

We adopted her on Thursday, June 17. The shelter called her a Aussie/Lab mix, but it seems they do that with alot of the dogs! We now think she may be a mix of a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Sure looks like one!

Her full name is Lola Niemi, in honor of the Chicago Blackhawk goalie! I am a Barry Manilow fan, so we keep singing her his song "Copacabana" ("Her name was Lola!") and "Lola" by the Kinks. She enjoys being held and sang to!

So far she's a really good little 8 week old pup! She is sleeping from 10:30 at night till 6, which I didn't expect. Working on the potty training, although she does not go in her crate. We also have a playpen for during the day when we're home.

I wasn't ready for a new dog, but I know my husband and daughter wanted one. We lost our dear Xena on May 16. She was fine all day, even barked at me for some pasta at dinner time. She ate well, went out on the patio. When it was almost 9 and time to go to bed, I went out to get her and she was dazed. It was as if she didn't hear me. I went to her and coaxed her to come inside, but I knew there was something terribly wrong.

We took her to the ER (Sunday night, of course) and when the vet looked at her she suspected internal bleeding. She was going into shock. An exray showed an enlarged spleen, probably cancerous, which we decided to try to remove. We had to give her all the chances we could. We left her there for emergency surgery. A call came only about 90 minutes later to tell us that the spleen was attached to the liver, also cancerous, and could not be removed. I gave permission to not revive her from the surgery.

We went back to see her, she looked like she was sleeping. She was so special to me. I found her as a stray at a very low part of my life, and I always felt that someone had sent her to me. So smart, she understood everything I said and I understood her, too. No dog will ever replace her in my heart. I have her ashes and want her to be put beside me when I'm buried.

 

Door County

 

Last week we tood time off for our own spring break. I didn't want to fly anywhere, thus eliminating the chance of sunshine and beaches. We instead took a drive up to Door County, Wisconsin. It is the peninsula that juts up into and separates Green Bay from Lake Michigan. Yes, there really is a Green Bay, body of water. It's not just a city or a football team!
It is definately off-season up there in March. During the winter there are snowmobilers. The summer is beautiful with tons of cute shops and beautiful flowers, boats, ice cream, lighthouses, etc. But the week was surprisingly warm, most of the snow had melted over the previous week. The temp was in the high 50's and sunny the whole time we were there. The ice still on the water made for some beautiful scenery. Thought I'd post one of my favorites for now.

Free Sample Dunkin' Donuts!

Spring is Coming

 

They predicted we were to get 10" of the white stuff overnight. Most were happy and relieved to only see about half that amount this morning. Spring is on its way, we have to believe it! Actually, the temps have been pleasant, so I'm not complaining. The snow was very pretty today.
I shot this picture out my front door, extending the lens more than I should've. This picture should have come out blurred, but it's not too bad! I'd say I was 30 feet away from this lady Cardinal. It's not real fancy, but I do love my camera!

Surprise!

 

For anyone still interested, I'm back! I've been following most of my blogs, but too lazy to post.
I have quite a collection of cactus and succulents. Here in Chicago, they have to spend the winter indoors. This becomes a challenge as I run out of places to put them! Thankfully, they don't require hardly any care during this time as they go into dormancy.
I do check them occasionally just to make sure they don't need some water. This morning I found this one that had been stuck in a dark corner of a cool room on a bookcase, with flower buds forming! Spring is on its way! I've moved it now to the room we use all the time, with a bit more sun. I'll watch it to see how those buds progress and keep you posted!