Our family just came back from a ski trip with a group of our friends to Mount Snow, VT for 4 days for this Christmas season (and yes, I missed Caitey from head to toe during those days). It was our very 1st skiing experience, but it was quite an eye opener for me.
It sure felt "different" shivering in the snow in the sub 30F temperature just days after vacationing in the 80F plus tropical zone, and my brain had a little trouble making a rapid and dramatic adjustment for my body to respond properly.
If last week I felt the Atlantis was yet another Atlantic City built in the tropical area, this trip to the north presented me with a vastly different picture, something very appealingly primitive to me.
After the Sunny Albany we headed east for Mount Snow. It was chilled to the bone and it was pitch dark. After driving for an hour in no man's land, suddenly there were lights in a palm-sized town. My 10-year old Claire cheered in her usual sarcastic way "Oh great, finally a sign of civilization!". If you are tired of the uncharacteristically common malls and supermarkets, your might find the garage-looking shops and kitchen-sized restaurants very interesting. One day we passed an antique store -- for a moment, I thought the "store" itself was the antique.
I was excited and exhausted at the same time for the whole trip. I remember I woke up the next morning after the 1st day of skiing feeling like having gotten beaten up the previous night because the muscles all over my body were so sore. I actually still have trouble moving my neck around now so I will have to turn my whole upper body just to check the blind spot before I change lanes. I did however, came back with my original two legs -- I am glad that I did not leave one leg in VT or add a wooden one for support.
The biggest shock was to see how well my wimpy girls did on the trails. I registered them in the starter's camp fully expecting them to cry to mommy about their falls and quit before the end of the morning, but I never imagined in my wildest dream that my older one Claire was sent from Red to Yellow in just an hour, and from Yellow to Green in the afternoon. After only 6 hours of training, the next day she was already doing parallels in the Blue trail with her instructor -- she seriously thinks that she can probably manage Black if we could just stay a day or two longer. I was dumbfounded (and scared to death too) to hear her rapid progress because I assumed she was not a very sporty person (but then again, I don't even allow her to do front rolls at school in fear of injury), and her instructor also had a hard time believing that she just started the day before. Even my whiny younger one Caitlin could manage her turns on "Yellow Plus" as well.
Compared with my girls, their mommy was a lot slower and clumsier. The 1st time I got on to Yellow, I went straight down thinking going S would be too boring. Of course I had a major fall flat on my nose after losing control while heading down hill too fast ... but it was sure exhilarating acting weird and crazy once in a while.
Any way, many people in this same group are heading to Blue Mountain PA for the New Year and we are planning on tagging along as well... actually I would have been murdered if I said no to the kids so I have no other choice.
What I did learn is this, maybe I should start loosening up the strings on the wings of the girls and let them fly once in a while, well with loose strings still attached of course.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Season's Greetings from Caitey
My name is Caitey, which is named after my 2nd sister Caitlin. My mom also calls me “sweetheart” or “bad girl” depending on what I just did or her particular mood at that moment -- mommy is a big cat and you know cats have mood swings.
I am a pure breed Golden Retriever and I am almost 6 months now. Hope this does not scare you but I am already over 50 lbs but technically I am still a puppy. I am with my human family today because of my sister Caitlin’s relentless bugging and begging to my mom for a Golden Retriever puppy.
I was born on June 22nd 09, at a breeder in Pennsylvania. My doggy dad’s name is Hillside Von Boise and my mom is Pine Tree Lilly I per my birth record. I was adopted on Aug 18th and picked up by my family 2 days later. When I 1st stepped into my new home 4 months ago, I was barely 10 lbs. Mommy sometimes wishes I could stay small just a bit longer, she says it is like "blink" and I am too big to look like a puppy any more.
Mommy always says that it was like “love at 1st sight” when she laid her eyes on me at Puppy Barn for the 1st time. She says that I looked like a cute, fragile and scared little furry ball (mommy is never short of compassion for the underdog, pun intended). So when my two baby brothers clumsily stepped right over me to run to mommy, she asked to pet ME instead because she never liked bullies. When I rested in her arms, ahhhhh, I felt heavenly warm and secure for the 1st ever since I was taken away from my canine parents.
Mommy says that I am the best puppy one can ever find in the whole wide world and my family is very fortunate in having me. It is not blind love mind you, I have earned her trust with hard work. Like I was “almost” potty trained in just a week (except those occasional leak accidents when I got overly excited and lost control like an old lady); like I could tell mommy’s footsteps upstairs from others and happily ran to greet her when she came down just days after I joined my family; Like when I was sick and just had surgery, I would still manage to walk on my wobbly legs to throw up outside the house so I did not have to ruin my mom’s shining floor. Whenever mommy goes out to travel, she says I am the one who is constantly on her mind.
People often call blondes dumb, but my mommy says that I have beauty as well as brain, tee hee. Mommy likes my kind and intelligent eyes, which will always focus on her and behave like an angel whenever she has a treat in her hand.
I am a pure breed Golden Retriever and I am almost 6 months now. Hope this does not scare you but I am already over 50 lbs but technically I am still a puppy. I am with my human family today because of my sister Caitlin’s relentless bugging and begging to my mom for a Golden Retriever puppy.
I was born on June 22nd 09, at a breeder in Pennsylvania. My doggy dad’s name is Hillside Von Boise and my mom is Pine Tree Lilly I per my birth record. I was adopted on Aug 18th and picked up by my family 2 days later. When I 1st stepped into my new home 4 months ago, I was barely 10 lbs. Mommy sometimes wishes I could stay small just a bit longer, she says it is like "blink" and I am too big to look like a puppy any more.
Mommy always says that it was like “love at 1st sight” when she laid her eyes on me at Puppy Barn for the 1st time. She says that I looked like a cute, fragile and scared little furry ball (mommy is never short of compassion for the underdog, pun intended). So when my two baby brothers clumsily stepped right over me to run to mommy, she asked to pet ME instead because she never liked bullies. When I rested in her arms, ahhhhh, I felt heavenly warm and secure for the 1st ever since I was taken away from my canine parents.
Mommy says that I am the best puppy one can ever find in the whole wide world and my family is very fortunate in having me. It is not blind love mind you, I have earned her trust with hard work. Like I was “almost” potty trained in just a week (except those occasional leak accidents when I got overly excited and lost control like an old lady); like I could tell mommy’s footsteps upstairs from others and happily ran to greet her when she came down just days after I joined my family; Like when I was sick and just had surgery, I would still manage to walk on my wobbly legs to throw up outside the house so I did not have to ruin my mom’s shining floor. Whenever mommy goes out to travel, she says I am the one who is constantly on her mind.
People often call blondes dumb, but my mommy says that I have beauty as well as brain, tee hee. Mommy likes my kind and intelligent eyes, which will always focus on her and behave like an angel whenever she has a treat in her hand.
I know a lot of commands like "sit", "down", "watch me", "go potty", "roll", "come", "OK", "no", "leave it" and "take it". I also know common words like "treat", "food", "water", "toy", 'out", "walk", "mommy", and "daddy" etc. Like any other Golden puppy, I obey these commands most of the time, and sometimes mommy does not have to say a word -- as soon as she grabs her jacket I will be waiting for her at the door.
In case you don't know about this, we Goldens Retrievers rank 4th in intelligence among all dog breeds. We also rank first in working as service dogs, followed by Labs and Golden/Lab mix. Our friendly, loving, tender and flexible temperament makes us one of the most popular breed among people. My family went to a 3-month puppy obedience training program with me, and mommy is planning on get more intermediate training for me. Eventually mommy hopes that I can become a good canine citizen and get to be a therapy dog that helps the seniors and children to overcome stress.
It sounds like a lot of work but seriously I think it is quite easy to be a dog. I mean I get a treat every time I go potty outside, you probably will get slapped if you try begging for one from your mom for doing the same thing. See I get rewarded for not doing something bad, but you on the other hand might not get that from doing something good. Mommy says all good and beautiful dogs like me go to heaven, so I think I will still be a dog in my next life.
You should have sensed by now that I love my mommy the most. She is the person I go to if I want something. I don’t have to beg hard, I just give her this sad puppy look, mommy will be like “Oh my poor baby, are you hot? Are you cold? Are you hungry? Are you sick?”...... and before I know it, she will be back with a handful of tasty treats and I will have my feast. Funny thing is that she always tells other people not to give me wet food or over feed me, but she is a compulsive feeder herself. She will steal yummy pork chops or roasted chicken from daddy’s pot and feed me behind his back. Occasionally she will get mad at me for something a puppy will typically do, like having “leak” accidents in the house or stealing my sister’s slippers or ripping her dress etc, but she never stays mad for too long. One thing I am absolutely certain is that she will always come back to me with her motherly love, care and lots of treats.
My dad on the other hand, is one of those men who have that bulldog type of personality, that is, regardless of what you want or how much you beg, they go by their own rules so you can just save your breadth and tears. Man that ex dog-eater (like a lot of the Chinese) can hold a piece of chicken in his hand and have fun seeing my jump up and down for ages till mommy threatens to smack his head, and then he will give it to me -- reluctantly. Can you believe that he was the one who almost sent me back to Puppy Barn, just because I pooped and peed on his new floor like any new puppy will do? Thank heavens because of the way my mommy and my sisters protested, I got to stay – on probation. I have to say now that I am fully trained and well behaved (well at least most of the time), that dog-eater starts to really like me, well you know men all fall for us blondes any way.
Daddy is the best cook in the house and I love the chicken, pork and everything else he cooks. Speaking of food, mom makes sure that I eat balanced and healthy food with a good mix of kibble, meat, brown rice & barley, and fruits & veggies. If she buys any prepared food from the stores for me, she will use her Sherlock Holmes magnifier to check the labels so I don’t accidentally eat anything that has artificial ingredients in it. “You will live a long and happy life with me” mommy often says. “Your sisters will leave me in the empty nest after they fly to college, but you sweetheart stay with me forever”, which I will gladly do.
My eldest sister Claire is one of those very smart but “lean-mean-pushy-machine” kind of kids. She is a Collie lover (she certainly acts like one the way she herds and bosses me around) and whines every single day because my mommy would not get her one… yet. Mommy wants to get me a sweet and handsome male British Golden as my lifetime companion, but Claire does not want another Golden because she says we are over friendly and would probably “hold flashlights for the robbers to clean out the house”.
She is actually the real trainer in the house and I have no choice but to listen to her because I know she means business. I don’t even get oxygen to breathe if she is not happy with me, sniff sniff. I was confused about my potty schedule when I was only 2-month old, but that mean-ager (oops, meant "manager") told mom that I “could have prostate issues”. EXCUSE ME? ME, a beautiful female puppy?! UGH!
Just wait till she gets married -- I will tattle tell on her to her future husband so he knows what he is getting himself into!
Caitlin, my 2nd sister, has my kind of temperament, I mean personality. She is a little shy but is warm and kind and loving and caring and compassionate and considerate…. our merit list goes on and on but you get the idea. She is the one who would patiently brush and comb me from head to tail after she comes back from school in the afternoon. She will gently stroke my head and tummy when I am not feeling well.
Caitlin is so soft and mushy that even I can bully her sometimes, like I can ignore her order and easily steal treats out of her hand (I know, bad puppy). Once I got her crying because I kept dragging her feet behind to chew on the two little cute monkey heads on her slippers. When mommy had it and took out a pair of new penguin slippers for her, I dropped the old monkey heads instantly and grabbed the new pair right under Caitlin’s nose and ran away. By the way, every morning my favorite thing to do is to go upstairs and steal my sisters’ shoes. That act gets them upset and gets off bed right away -- works like a charm every time!
Let us see, so far I’ve had my first summer, fall and winter ever since I joined my family. I like summer because I get to chew and dig the green grass in the backyard when my parents are not watching, and I love chasing my sisters all over the place and get them (especially Caitlin the wimpy) screaming. I love autumn because I can chase the leafs that are blown by the wind on the streets; I also get to go to every house with my mom and my sisters on Halloween – they will say “trick-or-treat” and I will bark “Give me a hotdog or give me a hot dog (as my boyfriend)!". I am not a big fan of winter because my mom is chicken scared of the cold weather and dreadful of taking me out often in the chill and wind. I have to settle with running after the balls she throws down the hallway.
If there is anything that is a little less than perfect, I will have to say that I don’t have any play pals of my size in the neighborhood. Let us see, we have a tiny male Bichon next door who, with his Napoleon syndrome, thinks he is huge and yaps 24/7. We have a creamy male spaniel mix across the street who is so aloof that you would think that he was a monk in his past life. That dog likes to roam all over the place and got lost so many times that the policemen in our town know him very well. Then there is this 6-year old black lab a few houses down the street who thinks that I had too much coffee and is too hyper to be her pal, sheesh! The last one is this like two-ounce lap dog down at the end of the street ...... sigh, what can I say? I am going to be a 90-lb big girl and I have no interest in socializing with mini toy dogs. Geez!
So, I am looking forward to the day when mommy brings my male companion into the family. Mommy says that she will get him when I am fully house trained but I hope mommy does it soon. I hope I don't have to change his stinky diaper when he comes in like a crying baby though. My kind of Prince should be tall and handsome and protective and kind and preferably loaded, with treats just for ME -- me me me! Please please please mommy, don’t marry me to someone pushy and bully like a Collie or a German, another Golden will be most ideal. I will put on my best behavior and act as sweet as an angel to him. I hope he will love me and I will love him and we will be SO happily ever after!
That is it everyone. If you need my therapeutic licks, just come over to our house with a bag of pork chops and I will smother your all over till you can’t handle it!
Last but the least, jingle jingle everyone. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It sounds like a lot of work but seriously I think it is quite easy to be a dog. I mean I get a treat every time I go potty outside, you probably will get slapped if you try begging for one from your mom for doing the same thing. See I get rewarded for not doing something bad, but you on the other hand might not get that from doing something good. Mommy says all good and beautiful dogs like me go to heaven, so I think I will still be a dog in my next life.
You should have sensed by now that I love my mommy the most. She is the person I go to if I want something. I don’t have to beg hard, I just give her this sad puppy look, mommy will be like “Oh my poor baby, are you hot? Are you cold? Are you hungry? Are you sick?”...... and before I know it, she will be back with a handful of tasty treats and I will have my feast. Funny thing is that she always tells other people not to give me wet food or over feed me, but she is a compulsive feeder herself. She will steal yummy pork chops or roasted chicken from daddy’s pot and feed me behind his back. Occasionally she will get mad at me for something a puppy will typically do, like having “leak” accidents in the house or stealing my sister’s slippers or ripping her dress etc, but she never stays mad for too long. One thing I am absolutely certain is that she will always come back to me with her motherly love, care and lots of treats.
My dad on the other hand, is one of those men who have that bulldog type of personality, that is, regardless of what you want or how much you beg, they go by their own rules so you can just save your breadth and tears. Man that ex dog-eater (like a lot of the Chinese) can hold a piece of chicken in his hand and have fun seeing my jump up and down for ages till mommy threatens to smack his head, and then he will give it to me -- reluctantly. Can you believe that he was the one who almost sent me back to Puppy Barn, just because I pooped and peed on his new floor like any new puppy will do? Thank heavens because of the way my mommy and my sisters protested, I got to stay – on probation. I have to say now that I am fully trained and well behaved (well at least most of the time), that dog-eater starts to really like me, well you know men all fall for us blondes any way.
Daddy is the best cook in the house and I love the chicken, pork and everything else he cooks. Speaking of food, mom makes sure that I eat balanced and healthy food with a good mix of kibble, meat, brown rice & barley, and fruits & veggies. If she buys any prepared food from the stores for me, she will use her Sherlock Holmes magnifier to check the labels so I don’t accidentally eat anything that has artificial ingredients in it. “You will live a long and happy life with me” mommy often says. “Your sisters will leave me in the empty nest after they fly to college, but you sweetheart stay with me forever”, which I will gladly do.
My eldest sister Claire is one of those very smart but “lean-mean-pushy-machine” kind of kids. She is a Collie lover (she certainly acts like one the way she herds and bosses me around) and whines every single day because my mommy would not get her one… yet. Mommy wants to get me a sweet and handsome male British Golden as my lifetime companion, but Claire does not want another Golden because she says we are over friendly and would probably “hold flashlights for the robbers to clean out the house”.
She is actually the real trainer in the house and I have no choice but to listen to her because I know she means business. I don’t even get oxygen to breathe if she is not happy with me, sniff sniff. I was confused about my potty schedule when I was only 2-month old, but that mean-ager (oops, meant "manager") told mom that I “could have prostate issues”. EXCUSE ME? ME, a beautiful female puppy?! UGH!
Just wait till she gets married -- I will tattle tell on her to her future husband so he knows what he is getting himself into!
Caitlin, my 2nd sister, has my kind of temperament, I mean personality. She is a little shy but is warm and kind and loving and caring and compassionate and considerate…. our merit list goes on and on but you get the idea. She is the one who would patiently brush and comb me from head to tail after she comes back from school in the afternoon. She will gently stroke my head and tummy when I am not feeling well.
Caitlin is so soft and mushy that even I can bully her sometimes, like I can ignore her order and easily steal treats out of her hand (I know, bad puppy). Once I got her crying because I kept dragging her feet behind to chew on the two little cute monkey heads on her slippers. When mommy had it and took out a pair of new penguin slippers for her, I dropped the old monkey heads instantly and grabbed the new pair right under Caitlin’s nose and ran away. By the way, every morning my favorite thing to do is to go upstairs and steal my sisters’ shoes. That act gets them upset and gets off bed right away -- works like a charm every time!
Let us see, so far I’ve had my first summer, fall and winter ever since I joined my family. I like summer because I get to chew and dig the green grass in the backyard when my parents are not watching, and I love chasing my sisters all over the place and get them (especially Caitlin the wimpy) screaming. I love autumn because I can chase the leafs that are blown by the wind on the streets; I also get to go to every house with my mom and my sisters on Halloween – they will say “trick-or-treat” and I will bark “Give me a hotdog or give me a hot dog (as my boyfriend)!". I am not a big fan of winter because my mom is chicken scared of the cold weather and dreadful of taking me out often in the chill and wind. I have to settle with running after the balls she throws down the hallway.
If there is anything that is a little less than perfect, I will have to say that I don’t have any play pals of my size in the neighborhood. Let us see, we have a tiny male Bichon next door who, with his Napoleon syndrome, thinks he is huge and yaps 24/7. We have a creamy male spaniel mix across the street who is so aloof that you would think that he was a monk in his past life. That dog likes to roam all over the place and got lost so many times that the policemen in our town know him very well. Then there is this 6-year old black lab a few houses down the street who thinks that I had too much coffee and is too hyper to be her pal, sheesh! The last one is this like two-ounce lap dog down at the end of the street ...... sigh, what can I say? I am going to be a 90-lb big girl and I have no interest in socializing with mini toy dogs. Geez!
So, I am looking forward to the day when mommy brings my male companion into the family. Mommy says that she will get him when I am fully house trained but I hope mommy does it soon. I hope I don't have to change his stinky diaper when he comes in like a crying baby though. My kind of Prince should be tall and handsome and protective and kind and preferably loaded, with treats just for ME -- me me me! Please please please mommy, don’t marry me to someone pushy and bully like a Collie or a German, another Golden will be most ideal. I will put on my best behavior and act as sweet as an angel to him. I hope he will love me and I will love him and we will be SO happily ever after!
That is it everyone. If you need my therapeutic licks, just come over to our house with a bag of pork chops and I will smother your all over till you can’t handle it!
Last but the least, jingle jingle everyone. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Caitey's 1st Major Snowstorm
So we are back from vacation, just in time for a major snow storm of the year (or several years) -- how lucky we are!
We managed to pick up Caitey right before the big snow started falling. We were greatly relieved to see how well she has been taken care of. She was very happy to see us come and ran straight to me while waving her tail violently... and it hit right in my left eye and almost blinded it for 5 seconds, but I was just SO happy to see, feel and hug her.
She also picked up a trick at my friend's house -- she would hit the bells hanging at the patio door just to go out and play, before she would only make that signal with her nose touching the bells when she needed to take care of her business outside. Today she did this so many times and annoyed my husband greatly. After he pulled and dragged her back home from the foot deep of snow for the last time -- she started to protest under the table and ignored him completely!
Now she has already started to act like a wife -- you go girl! :-)
In the afternoon, she had great fun playing with her sisters outside and jumping up and down all over the backyard. Her dad spent hours snowblowing the drive way and making a little jogging trail for her to go thru the backyard, but later we found out that she prefers to walk on the snow anyway. The girls and I brought her to see the snow tunnel that our neighbours' kids built, and when a boy went deep into the tunnel to dig with most of his body buried in the snow, Caitey started to dig into the snow in panic trying to "save" him because she must have thought he got trapped under snow.
I had great fun taking a ton of pics and videos of Caitey today, who is 50 lbs now with long wavy hair like a big beautiful girl.
It is sure nice to be away from things that you will have to do most of your life and travel to warm places in the winter, but it is nothing compared with the satisfaction of shivering in the wind for Caitey even when I didn't even know if I still had my feet below my legs.
We managed to pick up Caitey right before the big snow started falling. We were greatly relieved to see how well she has been taken care of. She was very happy to see us come and ran straight to me while waving her tail violently... and it hit right in my left eye and almost blinded it for 5 seconds, but I was just SO happy to see, feel and hug her.
She also picked up a trick at my friend's house -- she would hit the bells hanging at the patio door just to go out and play, before she would only make that signal with her nose touching the bells when she needed to take care of her business outside. Today she did this so many times and annoyed my husband greatly. After he pulled and dragged her back home from the foot deep of snow for the last time -- she started to protest under the table and ignored him completely!
Now she has already started to act like a wife -- you go girl! :-)
In the afternoon, she had great fun playing with her sisters outside and jumping up and down all over the backyard. Her dad spent hours snowblowing the drive way and making a little jogging trail for her to go thru the backyard, but later we found out that she prefers to walk on the snow anyway. The girls and I brought her to see the snow tunnel that our neighbours' kids built, and when a boy went deep into the tunnel to dig with most of his body buried in the snow, Caitey started to dig into the snow in panic trying to "save" him because she must have thought he got trapped under snow.
I had great fun taking a ton of pics and videos of Caitey today, who is 50 lbs now with long wavy hair like a big beautiful girl.
It is sure nice to be away from things that you will have to do most of your life and travel to warm places in the winter, but it is nothing compared with the satisfaction of shivering in the wind for Caitey even when I didn't even know if I still had my feet below my legs.
Atlantis Trip and Sweet Dolphins
Every year our family travels during the holiday season, mostly for the benefit of the girls so they don't get trapped at home and tear my roof during winter break, and this year we do the same. We just finished phase one of our vacation to the heavenly Bahamas on a cruise ship, which will be followed by a few days of skiing in Vermont.
For the obvious reason, the headache is not only whatever I packed for the 1st trip won't work for the 2nd one (except PJs and stuff), but the biggest challenge was to leave Caitey behind for a whole week for the 1st time. A family of our friends offered to take Caitey while we were heading south and they did a wonderful job taking care of her, especially considering the fact that they never had a dog before.
Maybe due to the timing of our trip, it felt like half of the people on the cruise ship were seniors and the other half Chinese. That probably explains why when The 2nd City performed at the night show, the audience did not laugh till the next morning!
I am sure you know that when you miss someone, the trip feels longer than it actually is -- that is what happened to us this time too, especially during the last "sea" days on our way back. We did have great fun going kayaking in the Atlantic ocean near Port Canaveral FL and snorkeling at the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, both were first for the girls. The most memorable moment though, was interacting with the dolphins at the Dolphin Cay in Atlantis.
We had 3 female dolphins that day to play with us: a young female Dolphin X as our major performer, a dominant Sherry, and a sweet good-humoured Tracey. It was very heartwarming to see 3 of them doing all kinds of tricks from jumping up high and twisting in mid air in perfect in synchronization as a group, to flapping water like joyful kids sort of doing "yeahhhh", to pretending dead in the water to fool the sharks. I was greatly amazed by their perfect patience when they came and stayed still right in front of us for us to pat, kiss and feed them. The way they acted so happily that we liked their show kind of reminded me of my Caitey, who loves to be praised, patted and given treats.
Did you know that it is dolphin's nature to protect people, and if they see a shark attack a human in the sea they will form a circle so the shark can't get thru? They are adorable smart animals and I can't help falling in love with them. When it was my turn to kiss Dolphin X, the trainer yelled "Hey no French Kissing!" :-). I wish I could have their smooth skin which is said to shed every 2 hours, maybe the big pharmas can figure out how we get to have their ageless wrinkle-free skin one day.
When we left the Dolphin Cay around noon time on Dec 16th, a young black trainer brought a bucket of fish to start training half a dozen dolphins right in front of the the Royal Tower, the landmark of the Atlantis. I couldn't help but envy him -- the boy must have the most stress-free job in the world, playing with the dolphins all day long in crystal clear water and 80+ degree tropical weather under the sun with Christmas Carols playing thru the speakers as background music for their entertainment.
For the obvious reason, the headache is not only whatever I packed for the 1st trip won't work for the 2nd one (except PJs and stuff), but the biggest challenge was to leave Caitey behind for a whole week for the 1st time. A family of our friends offered to take Caitey while we were heading south and they did a wonderful job taking care of her, especially considering the fact that they never had a dog before.
Maybe due to the timing of our trip, it felt like half of the people on the cruise ship were seniors and the other half Chinese. That probably explains why when The 2nd City performed at the night show, the audience did not laugh till the next morning!
I am sure you know that when you miss someone, the trip feels longer than it actually is -- that is what happened to us this time too, especially during the last "sea" days on our way back. We did have great fun going kayaking in the Atlantic ocean near Port Canaveral FL and snorkeling at the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, both were first for the girls. The most memorable moment though, was interacting with the dolphins at the Dolphin Cay in Atlantis.
We had 3 female dolphins that day to play with us: a young female Dolphin X as our major performer, a dominant Sherry, and a sweet good-humoured Tracey. It was very heartwarming to see 3 of them doing all kinds of tricks from jumping up high and twisting in mid air in perfect in synchronization as a group, to flapping water like joyful kids sort of doing "yeahhhh", to pretending dead in the water to fool the sharks. I was greatly amazed by their perfect patience when they came and stayed still right in front of us for us to pat, kiss and feed them. The way they acted so happily that we liked their show kind of reminded me of my Caitey, who loves to be praised, patted and given treats.
Did you know that it is dolphin's nature to protect people, and if they see a shark attack a human in the sea they will form a circle so the shark can't get thru? They are adorable smart animals and I can't help falling in love with them. When it was my turn to kiss Dolphin X, the trainer yelled "Hey no French Kissing!" :-). I wish I could have their smooth skin which is said to shed every 2 hours, maybe the big pharmas can figure out how we get to have their ageless wrinkle-free skin one day.
When we left the Dolphin Cay around noon time on Dec 16th, a young black trainer brought a bucket of fish to start training half a dozen dolphins right in front of the the Royal Tower, the landmark of the Atlantis. I couldn't help but envy him -- the boy must have the most stress-free job in the world, playing with the dolphins all day long in crystal clear water and 80+ degree tropical weather under the sun with Christmas Carols playing thru the speakers as background music for their entertainment.
Monday, December 7, 2009
A sad day for Caitey, a sadder day for her family
Friday, Dec 4th 2009, my poor girl went thru her spay surgery.
There were a million reasons that we did not want her to go thru this.... but we had no choice because we can't deal with the aftermath of having her in heat, plus we were told that removing her female organs would reduce her chance of getting cancer.
That morning her two human sisters kissed her goodbye, sadly.
My husband and I brought her to the vet's office at 9am, and I felt sick to my stomach. "Please please don't hate Mommy for this Caitey", I kept repeating this to her and myself.
At about 10:30am, the vet's office called to tell us that her surgery was over. It was a successful operation, she was resting with medication, and she could be picked up at 230pm that afternoon.
The wait for 230pm was long and excruciating for me.
The whole family went to pick her up that afternoon. She was weak, she was sleepy, she could barely stand on her own or keep her eyes open .... but she managed to wag her tail for us when she saw us.
Thank you thank you Caitey for not getting mad at Mommy.
They shaved part of her belly. There was a long red line from the cut, which made me tearful again.
She slept all the way till early evening after my husband carefully carried her in from the car. She was almost 50 lbs so he struggled to lift her up, but he did not want her to walk on feeble legs.
At about 8pm, she managed to get up on her own and walked to the patio door before touching the bell with her nose to tell us know that she needed to go out.
Right after she was out of the patio door and on the deck, she started to throw up -- even when she was in great pain and could barely walk, she still did not want to soil my house, I mean HER house.
I called the vet's emergency line, almost panic. They told me that it is normal for dogs to be dopey and throw up due to stomach discomfort from the irritation of the medication. They suggested that we wait till the next day, and bring her in if her situation turned for the worse.
Caitey did not have any food that night, except a little bit water.
The next morning, we were all hugely relieved to see that she was in better shape. She was still weak but at least she stopped throwing up.
I was so worried that her stomach could not handle solid food, so I gave her a banana instead. When I fed her that banana, Caitey kissed me on the back of my hand.... and that kiss made me teary eyed again.
Later that morning, a pack of 6 deers wondered into my backyard. Just as I was going to put on my coat ready to go out there kicking the deers out of my yard to save the plants, out of nowhere Caitey started to bark at the deers fiercely with all her strength.
I was very surprised to see this because 1) I thought she was napping, and 2) Caitey almost never barks.
The deers got scared and disappeared quickly. I hugged my precious canine daughter for a long time after the deers were gone.
We are SO lucky to have found a dog this sweet and considerate, and her human parents and sisters appreciate her kindness wholeheartedly.
I hope you recover soon my dear angel. You will have many happy and healthy years with us -- I promise you this Caitey.
There were a million reasons that we did not want her to go thru this.... but we had no choice because we can't deal with the aftermath of having her in heat, plus we were told that removing her female organs would reduce her chance of getting cancer.
That morning her two human sisters kissed her goodbye, sadly.
My husband and I brought her to the vet's office at 9am, and I felt sick to my stomach. "Please please don't hate Mommy for this Caitey", I kept repeating this to her and myself.
At about 10:30am, the vet's office called to tell us that her surgery was over. It was a successful operation, she was resting with medication, and she could be picked up at 230pm that afternoon.
The wait for 230pm was long and excruciating for me.
The whole family went to pick her up that afternoon. She was weak, she was sleepy, she could barely stand on her own or keep her eyes open .... but she managed to wag her tail for us when she saw us.
Thank you thank you Caitey for not getting mad at Mommy.
They shaved part of her belly. There was a long red line from the cut, which made me tearful again.
She slept all the way till early evening after my husband carefully carried her in from the car. She was almost 50 lbs so he struggled to lift her up, but he did not want her to walk on feeble legs.
At about 8pm, she managed to get up on her own and walked to the patio door before touching the bell with her nose to tell us know that she needed to go out.
Right after she was out of the patio door and on the deck, she started to throw up -- even when she was in great pain and could barely walk, she still did not want to soil my house, I mean HER house.
I called the vet's emergency line, almost panic. They told me that it is normal for dogs to be dopey and throw up due to stomach discomfort from the irritation of the medication. They suggested that we wait till the next day, and bring her in if her situation turned for the worse.
Caitey did not have any food that night, except a little bit water.
The next morning, we were all hugely relieved to see that she was in better shape. She was still weak but at least she stopped throwing up.
I was so worried that her stomach could not handle solid food, so I gave her a banana instead. When I fed her that banana, Caitey kissed me on the back of my hand.... and that kiss made me teary eyed again.
Later that morning, a pack of 6 deers wondered into my backyard. Just as I was going to put on my coat ready to go out there kicking the deers out of my yard to save the plants, out of nowhere Caitey started to bark at the deers fiercely with all her strength.
I was very surprised to see this because 1) I thought she was napping, and 2) Caitey almost never barks.
The deers got scared and disappeared quickly. I hugged my precious canine daughter for a long time after the deers were gone.
We are SO lucky to have found a dog this sweet and considerate, and her human parents and sisters appreciate her kindness wholeheartedly.
I hope you recover soon my dear angel. You will have many happy and healthy years with us -- I promise you this Caitey.
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