Ian

I took Ian to Coquille today to get neutered. Yes it is a little early at just barely 3 months old. Normally they are spayed/neutered is 6 months. He was a walking mass of hormones though, so we opted for sooner rather than later. I worried about him all day. I HATE when any of our kids goes under anesthesia. There is always a risk that they won't wake up. I was relieved when I finally saw him wagging his tail at me when we picked him up. Now the second part of the neuter comes into play; keeping him from running around like crazy and licking the sutures. He has already tried licking so we got him an e-collar. He HATES it! It didn't cost a lot to get him fixed, $56 with $50 off for his adoption fee. Not to bad. I am thankful for that program. They also have a program that you can volunteer and get your dog neutered for free. I like that idea as well. Ian is doing pretty good, sleeping peacefully. In two weeks his sutures come out and he returns to his normal puppy activities. He does start obediance on April 4 (10-12 under Coos Bay city hall). That will be good for him, to gain doggy social skills and reinforce his obediance. I have been a bit lax on his training.

Garden

This is the first year that we have been able to a decent sized garden. In fact when we are done planting we will have four! Three are containers. One container is planted with strawberries, this will make the third year for them. Hoping to get some nice ones this year. Another smaller container is planted (today!) with green onions and cilantro. Yummy! The last and biggest container (about the size of a small kitchen table) is freshly planted with yukon gold potatoes and roma tomatoes. Then we have a chunk of ground that will soon be rototilled and supplemented with a bag or two of potting soil and a bag or two of fresh horse poo for fertilzer. On the list to be planted here is: Corn, Peas, Carrots, Lettuce, Onions, Spinache and not sure what else.

Winter, Spring and Gardens!

Well we have made it through another wet, cold winter! Whoo hoo spring is here (well officially tomorrow). This winter brought a lot change in our house and family. We said goodbye to our dearly loved Aunt Joan do to breast cancer. She was the glue that held our little Zyta family together and is much missed at family gatherings. We also bid goodbye to our big black girl, Ishie. She is greatly missed as well, and I think of her often. We also lost our Grumpy boy. Not sure exactly what happend there. Shortly after Ishie he just never came home. We are very sad at our losses this winter, but winter also brought new people and a new family member to us. The winter brought new friends as well. Most of the crew at theater have become more like friends than Paul's coworkers. A few stand out more than others, Brandon, Nathaniel, Chelsea, Mike. Also the new manager, Marty and his wife Jolene. Its nice to have a lot of people around (even if I normally only see them at work) to joke and talk with. Winter also brought our little guy, Ian Marley. He was a suprise really, but has become a welcome member of our family. He is endless entertainment. He started as a beagle (30lbs max) and is now (pretty sure) an English Coonhound (70lbs). He also has a really cute hound bay that hes not afraid to use when he gets excited or is chaseing the cat. I am debating on getting a tracking dog title on him. He does have a heck of a nose for a 3 month old!
So what does spring have in store? Working with and hopefully riding the horses. Spring will also breing a Garden! This year I get to dig up a portion of the yard for the first time. I am so excited!! This will be my first real garden! Corn, Peas, Carrots, lettuce, and Onions are on the list to plant. I also have a container that I can plant in, which is usually where my garden is. In fact I am so excited I think I might go get started on breaking ground it now!

Weight Log

Ok it has been about 3 weeks since I decided to track my exercise and weight loss. I set goals for exercise (15 days for January) and then weigh myself on the first of the month. For January I had 22 days of exercise, started at 223 and am now down to 215. Woohoo! I am super excited about it. I figured that at 8 pounds a month by June I should be at 175 or so. It has been a LONG time since I have been under 200.

Ian Marley Zyta

We have had Ian for a week now and we added to his name he is now officially Ian Marley. Thats because he is a Marley! From the chewing of things that shouldn't be chewed to the sweet and very loving parts. Ian is helping to heal my (and even Paul's) heart from Ishie. It has been just over a week since we hae had him. In that time he has: chewed a computer power cord, peed on our bed (he was slleeping with us), chewed a sock, and dragged Zev across the room. He has me up every 2 -2.5 hours. (uually potty, not such a bad thing!) The good stuff: He went nose to nose with Spirit and actually played with him through the fence, won Beauty over to the idea that a dog will not eat the herd, played with Trent (new managers 1 yr old) very gently, Lots and lots of cuddles. He is also a total clown, often tripping over his paws or ears. I have to say he is growing on me, wasn't sure if I really wanted him at first but I am glad we did!

Puppy!

As you know from a previous post as well as other means we no longer have Ishie and Zara. Add to that our big male cat Grumpy. He has been missing a week now. Despite several trips to the shelter and search of the neighborhood he seems to be gone. I still have hope that he will show up...Anyway on one of the trips looking for the cat I saw puppies. They were 7 week old beagle mixes. I fell in love with one, asked Paul (who said no) and moved on. Then this afternoon Paul asked me what kind of pup he was. I told him and we went to look. My pup wasn't there but his brother was. We ended up bringing him home. He is a very cute little guy, brown and white with a white tipped tail. The white parts have brown ticking on them. We named him Ian, in honor of our beloved Ishie. So far he is doing great! He loves Jade and Zev. Jade is indifferent to him and Zev thinks he is a playtoy. We may regret bringing him home becuase of puppy frustration and I am sure that there will at least one post on the horrors of having a puppy in the house, but in the end it will be worth it.