May 22, 2018

another update on the punky monster.

i am pretty impressed w how far punky has come since i explained to him about the word- no.

his responses arent always perfect, but i follow through and in the end he gets it.
so far we have made progress on-
no stop chasing that chicken
no biting
no jumping
no touching me when i ask you to jump
no fighting w your sister. yes i know she started it. or, i know you did. either way- no


also glad i sprung for the collar. instant attention and enough power to get him into a sit even if someone is asking to pet him, or there is a bunny, or there are a dozen baby chicken, or a strange dog, or
back to work on down, too, which are very hard to accomplish w/o that leverage because he thinks wrestling him into a down is a game.
and longer stays. he seems to remember he is on a stay a little longer w that collar on.


however, he has turned into a sneaker about getting out.
he has gotten super leash wise, as in thinks he can get away w shit if he isnt on a leash.
he has already fired up the gossip chain after slipping past the grandkids at the door, and bumped into the wrong dog/owner a couple times.
so we are trying to get to off leash control, which of course goes awry.
no harm, or course, and not as out of control as it looked.
had him under control in seconds.
but still the lines are abuzz.

if we are out doing off leash, i am armed w super treats and squeaky toys and right now mostly working on getting his attention when he is in go mode. it's going well. (we start w him looking for bunnies at the farm, which is why we have to push it. they are freaking everywhere.)
my first stray dog taught me exactly how not to deal w an itchy footed dog.
i would scream and run and chase her down the alley. to her it as all part of the fun. look, mom's coming along. she is barking like mad. she must be having fun.

so i just keep cool, try to keep up, and not turn it into a contest. i toss his favorite treat at him, and hijack his nose. for him, it is about following his nose. which is why i can keep up w him most of the time.
squeaky toys arent that effective, but they help. he does want me to follow him, so he doesnt get too far. doesnt hurt to remind him where i am.
just stepping back while stepping up the distraction.

he goes for 4 days of board and train next week. think i will ask them to work on retrieve. when he got here he would play for a long time, bringing it back every time. now he is pretty indifferent. it would be great to add a ball to the off leash tool kit, so time to step that up.
also time to teach him- drop it. that nose leads him into so gross things.

i think he'll get there.

May 18, 2018

wouldnt it be great if planned parenthood was

in all the drug store clinics?

May 16, 2018

Miniature railroad world in Frazier Thomas' former Wilmette basement

Years of dust cover the vista of train tracks, railroad stations, village stores and tiny figures peopling the miniature landscape. Multiple control boards, which at one time could order five trains at once through that landscape, are similarly shrouded.

Still, the extent of Frazier Thomas’ model rail creation, which the children’s television icon and onetime Wilmette resident built in the basement of his Greenwood Avenue home, clearly encompasses an entire tiny world within 30 feet.

Terrie Briggs, the home’s owner, hopes someone cares enough about the set and its history to give it a new home.

“If I have to move, I don’t want someone to come in and tear this down,” she said. “I’m afraid to touch anything, because I don’t want to break it, but it’s so amazing that it should be saved somehow.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/wilmette/news/ct-wml-frazier-thomas-train-tl-0517-story,amp.html


if you grew up in chicago, i dont need to tell you who this is.
i sure hope someone steps up. it is pretty amazing.

May 15, 2018

time to move on from john mc cain.

it was ugly, now banal.
the planet is burning, wars are brewing, let's move on, please.

tweety, go f yourself.
enough.

May 15, 2018

"traitors and cowards"

jesus h christ man. these are your hires. you kicked out the careers staff. you brought in your "best people".
you cant even run the f'ing white house, a place where so many are loyal to the office, and honored to serve, even if they think you are a complete bumbling asshole.

have you no sense whatsoever of responsibility for your own actions? (totally rhetorical question)

i get more and more frustrated every day w this hollow "man".

May 15, 2018

my sister's husband- a caution about harvoni.

so, some of you have been following my posts about my sister's race for county board (see sig), and might remember this thread about her husband's death-
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210561674

well, the autopsy results showed it was not a blood clot or an aneurysm, but "undiagnosed heart disease". complete blockage of 2 arteries, and hypertensive heart disease.
here is the thing- he was 63, had an extensive, serious, medical history, but nobody bothered to send him for a cardiac workup before surgery.
when she talked to the surgeon, he told her that both the interferon he was on for 2 years, and the harvoni that he had been on to clear his hepC, are KNOWN to have cardiac risks. (his pcp said- homna homna homna)

his death was completely preventable.
and this was at northwestern memorial hospital, one of the "best" in the country. 20 years a patient there.
emt's didnt exactly cover themselves w glory either. no defib.

grief is one thing, grief mixed w anger, self-blame, is a different, much knottier beast.
she is talking to a couple of lawyers, and plans to file a wrongful death suit. she says he would kill her if she didnt. a last battle to fight for him.
he was a year and a half away from a heritable pension.
hoping that considering all the money wrapped up in the drug will result in a quick and generous payment.
i have a friend who manages a law office that specializes in defending drug companies. she says there are lots of suits floating around out there on this drug.

i guess the days of trusting your doc are over. and doing your homework in the interweb age is fraught w bullshit.
lord help us all.

May 11, 2018

update on punky the monster puppy.

i posted this little while ago about my crazy puppy-
https://www.democraticunderground.com/116137683

but things have settled down. posted this the other day on fb-

having a moment w the monster puppy.
let him do a little hunting this morning. had the opportunity to explain to him that he cant swallow everything he catches. he found a desiccated squirrel. yuck. drop it punky.
wasnt easy, but i won.
now he is napping next to me, and all the dogs.
biff was not tickled, but i am forgiven.
if i can make sure this kid gets to hunt, i think i can keep him from the dark side. what to bite and what not to bite is our big training issue right now, and he is getting it.
so far after several trials, he knows he cant bite the baby chicks. i let him smell them every day, on leash, right in front of me. when i take them out now, he lays down for his daily sniff.
we also sit on the bench in the yard and feed the chickens. he knows the place command, and he is often placed on the bench. so he is pretty reliable on a leash. he gets to be close enough to give them a good sniff and an occasional paw pat.
he will need his nose to not make hunting mistakes. he loves his nose.
he also met mr hose today.
managing to forge a little pack peace while explaining the word in english "no" to a wolf puppy. and to a couple crabby old ladies, who should know better, but....
so all in all have a little more hope about turning this little monster into a useful dog.
i guess i will buy him a new collar. he ate the last one. i have been reluctant to invest in the $50 training collar that he needs.

the collar was $65, but i sprung for it.
him understanding the word no, even tho i had to literally punch him in the face a couple times to explain it, has really brought the temperature down.
we have also done more off leash, cuz the little sucker was getting reallllllly leash-wise. as long as i have treats to rattle in the treat box, and a good toy, i can keep his attention. if he sees a bunny he is gone, but i'm not going to discourage that yet. he comes back as soon as the chase is over.

i am even starting to like the little sucker. i had been holding back, really. not to him, but to myself. i didnt want to get attached.
but he is worming his way into my heart by working so hard to be a good kid.
i know my days of wrangling big puppies are numbered. i've still got it, and imma hold onto it as long as i can. i was really kicking myself over how hard this has been. but i guess i still have the chops.

May 11, 2018

friendly reminder- if you still have your mom,

CALL HER THIS WEEKEND.
even if you havent talked to her in forever. even if you are mad at her, or she is mad at you.
even if you can only manage- hi, thanks for birthing me, goodbye.

if you really cant deal w your own mom, call someone else's.

tia

May 5, 2018

Question submitted by mopinko

May 1, 2018

my sister is running anyway.

so, since i have gotten a good response to my posts about my sister, sheila rutledge's campaign, i guess i have to post this sad update-

saturday she received the terrible shock of losing her husband.
he had had several medical miracles in his life, and some everyday miracles, too. after a long battle w hepC, he received the new drugs which cleared the virus, which allowed him to have a liver transplant, a gift from his son.
he had a couple other joint surgeries, and had just had a hip replacement days before. he appears to have had a brain aneurism. we dont know right now if it was related to the surgery, or possibly was just something random.
the irony is thick.

sheila will be okay, because her family is surrounding her, we are all made of tough stuff, and this was a possibility that had been faced many times.
tho life has a lot of moving parts right now, there are no planned changes to her status as a candidate.