Tag Archives: Bud

Hiking LA’s Big Park

28 Tuesday May 2013

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image (31)I’ve lived in LA my entire life. I grew up in Whittier (45 minutes-ish from the city) and went to Whittier College. After college I moved closer to the “city” into West Hollywood. I hopped around that area for a while with a short stint on the West Side (aka doucheville. Did I say that out loud? I’m sorry people who live out there. You are not a douche. I’m sorry I suggested you were. For non-LA-ians the “West Side” is the side of the city that hits the ocean.). 7 (or was it 8) years ago Riggins and I ditched what I consider the “fun” side of LA to act more grown up and come to the “valley.” Now we live about 5 minutes from Griffith Park. Although I’ve never lived further than an hour from the giant chunk of wilderness (or as wilderness-y as we get here) I have never, until this weekend, been on the park’s hiking trails.

It’s a little ridiculous of me but my excuse is, I hike to go out with Riggins and if I’m going to do that I want to go somewhere that he can be off leash without me being yelled at by other hikers. That means Runyon. This past weekend Bud was back with us. Bud has become a fickle fellow and has decided not to like any other canines. That really cuts down on where I can take him to poop him out and he NEEDS to get pooped out or he will spend his time beating up poor Riggins. So minutes after he was dropped off I leashed him up and set off for Griffith Park. I knew there was a trail head behind the Observatory so decided to give it a shot!

imageQuick lesson on Griffith Park history (as told by Wikipedia). Mining investor, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith (seriously) purchased Rancho Los Feliz in 1882 to start an ostrich farm. He donated 3,015 acres to the city of LA in 1896. In 1903 the Colonel was tried and convicted for shooting and severely wounding his wife … oops. After that his plans for the land went to hell in a handbag since his reputation was kinda shot (No pun intended. I’m paraphrasing Wikipedia at this point). Obviously it eventually all got built giving you the Griffith Park you know and love. Today’s park covers 4,310 acres of land and is the second largest city park in CA and one of the largest in the US. (Now quoting Wikipedia so none of my NY friends get angry with me …) “It [Griffith Park] has also been referred to as the Central Park of Los Angeles but is much larger and more untamed and rugged than its New York City counterpart.”

The park is very large so let me give you the Wendy tips on what is where. The entrance off of Forest Lawn using Zoo Drive is the north most way into the park. This road (when not under construction) will take you to Travel Town (train museum – a hit with young boys everywhere), the steam train (which is rarely open so look it up open day/hours first if you wanna go), the golf course, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Gene Autry Museum. There is also a camp tucked away up there. It’s a good place to see horses as there is a horse ring thing and the equestrian center is just a tunnel away on the other side of the LA River and 134 freeway.

There are 3 main entrances on the south side of the park off of Los Feliz Blvd. Starting from the 5 and heading west, the first is Crystal Springs. This will take you immediately to the Wendy Train (named by my nephew Logan since it is a train and he gets to go there when he visits me) and pony rides. Keep driving and you will hit thecarousel and the best (in my opinion) playgrounds in the park. This is the “kids” entrance and Crystal Springs will eventually link up with Zoo Drive (honestly all the roads link up so when they are open you can keep driving in loops if you want). The next entrance is on Hillhurst. It will take you to the Greek Theatre and to the Observatory. The final entrance (well official entrance) is further down Los Feliz on Fern Dell. This road will take you to the Ferndell trail (known to Californians because of Huell Howser) and the Trails Cafe.

Bud and I parked near the observatory and headed off. It was hot and being a short snout breed I was a little worried about Bud overheating. He’s a ball of energy, so it was no problem (I was suited up and prepared for a long hike. Later this week I’ll post what I bring with me in my backpack while going out with the dogs.). The path is wide with an easy grade. We found a magical little spot called, Dante’s View. Named for the gentleman who started the garden, it is a sweet oasis on a mountain with wonderful views. It has a number of steps making it tri-level with benches to sit down and chill at. In addition there is water available for both dogs and humans. We went a little further until I figured Bud had chilled out and then we headed home.

image (1)Since Bud isn’t great off leash and isn’t great around other dogs the Griffith Park hike was PERFECT for him. Although a popular path (which I like … I won’t go on paths that aren’t well-traveled unless I’m hiking with another human) it thins out the higher you go and there aren’t a ton of other dogs around. When we drove home I took the other road looping around and coming down Fern Dell. I noticed that this was a very popular place to park so I assumed it was a good place to hike! I decided Bud and I should try it the next day.

After waking and suiting up with stocked backpack and leash, Bud and I said goodbye to Riggins and headed off. This trail was adorable. The first part is a man-made trail that includes a fun garden and stream (sadly the cute path was closed when we were heading back to the car … a tree had fallen down across the path and Fern Dell … it was a bit of a traffic mess). After you pass through the cute little fairy land you can keep hiking. The two roads available will circle around, merging together and eventually take you up to the Griffith Observatory. Bud and I took our time heading up and hanging out at the top forcing us to have to run down to get home in time for his folks to pick him up.

I had a feeling Riggins would love the Fern Dell trail so I decided to take him the next day. It won’t be something he can do when it gets hotter. None of the Griffith Park trails (and there are miles and miles of them … I’ve just scratched the surface) have much shade and the dirt can get hot on paws very quickly with the direct So. Cal. sun. Much to Riggin’s dismay photoI slapped on his cooling vest (it always takes him a few minutes to get use to the fact that it isn’t coming off) and took him up the mountain. He was in HEAVEN. I did unleash him so he could go at his own pace (which was usually faster than me). I was waiting to get yelled at by fellow hikers … which would be allowed as they would be in the right and I was in the wrong … but you know my theory on hiking on leash. Riggins thought he was the king of the mountain strutting up to humans to get love and attention, head held high as he passed dogs on leash, and policing the folks that thought they could go off the path. When we got close to the top I put his leash back on. The Observatory is always busy but being a holiday weekend it was packed. Unlike Bud, Riggins was willing to “sit and stay” so I could take more pictures of him. In fact people gathered around and stared to watch the dog sit and not move as I would say, “Look at me … stay …. ” walk away from him and snap some photos. He was a pure gentleman and oddly well-behaved doing exactly what I asked. Honestly I think he liked putting on a show and was happy people were watching him.

I’m so excited to have discovered the fun paths just minutes from my house and I’m kicking myself for not being open to checking them out earlier!

Please enjoy the video below of Riggins on the Ferndell trail ….

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Training Tips from a Pro

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Riggins

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Yesterday Riggins almost killed the postman. The poor man had delivered my mail so I assumed it was safe to keep my door open. I was wrong. Apparently he had forgotten to deliver a package so returned an hour or so later. Riggins FLEW from my bedroom, down the hall, and ran full force, barking and clawing into the screen door. By the time I got there he had ripped down the baby gate, that is supposed to stop these kind of events, and had almost bent back the screen far enough to squeeze through. At the same time this was happening the postman threw the package onto my doorstep and RAN. I screamed “I’m sorry.” and he waved back at me so I think we are all good.

Don't I look like a news reporter from some war movie who didn't get the memo that black is a bad color to wear in the desert? The towel over Riggins was to help slow down the smell from spreading. I'm pretty sure the dog is laughing at me.

Don’t I look like a news reporter from some war movie who didn’t get the memo that black is a bad color to wear in the desert? The towel over Riggins was to help slow down the smell from spreading. I’m pretty sure the dog is laughing at me.

Today, on Runyon, Riggins and I had gotten to the gate near the bottom of one path, that is still up above the lowest point of the trail. As I turned around to go back up Riggins went on full alert with his pointer body poised at the top of a cement berm looking down. “Leave it,” I yelled and continued up. When I turned around again he was gone; replaced by a couple looking in awe down the hill. I knew what that meant. Riggins had made a dash down the cliff. I stood there clapping and yelling “up up up,” but got no response. When I doubled back to where the couple was I looked down and Riggins had managed to scale down a cemented side of the cliff, past some old ruins and was now at the very bottom of the hill frantically sniffing at one particular area. This has happened once before and Riggins eventually came back up. This time I figured he was preoccupied and I could cut him off at the bottom. So I turned around and RAN down to find him (I went the safe way on the path … not down a cliff). By the time I got there he was nowhere to be found. After yelling for him I gambled that he had gone back up and was making his way back up the hill. So, once again, I turned and ran. This time up the hill. About the time I was going to collapse from physical exertion I felt my butt vibrating. I quickly grabbed my phone out of my fanny pack. A nice family who we had seen earlier, had managed to grab Riggins just long enough to get my number off his collar. He was indeed going back up the hill on the path I gambled on, but was freaking out because he couldn’t find me. I walked up and meant him as he came barreling down the hill straight at me. I asked where he had been and rubbed his neck only to realize this was a HUGE mistake. On Riggins adventure he had obviously found something dead and rolled around in it. We both now smelled like dead animal ass. It was about this time that I saw my friend Zach running down and stopped to give him a hug. I then realized that Zach, the nice family who stopped Riggins, Riggins and I all smelled like decaying creature. Blah! Luckily I had a scarf on and was able to put it over my face while I was driving home. Dead animal smell sitting in a hot car is NOT pleasant. Riggins has had a bath now. He is bummed he went to all that trouble to get smelly and I undid it all as soon as we got home!

Now that you can see what a wonderful dog trainer I am and how well behaved my angel of a dog is, I wanted to pass on a couple of tips!

1. Get a good walking/training harness. I’ve mentioned this before but now I’m going to beimage (7) more specific. Get a Sporn halter or non-pull harness. When Riggins was a baby and went to dog training school his trainer suggested the Sporn halter to help train him to walk pretty (next to me and sit before crossing the street). I’ve used it ever since. Now that I’ve been doggie sitting I have to tell you my faith in the Sporn halter has grown. I used it for Bud (young boxer) and Snowbell (lab puppy). It made walking both of them a zillion times easier. I gave Morgan (Riggin’s poodle friend) a Sporn non-pull harness and it made a believer of his mom and dad. Personally I like the halter better. I think Riggins responds to it better and I find it easier to get on and off (although neither are hard). Riggins prefers the non-pull harness … I don’t know why. They can be found at some pet stores. You will probably have more luck at the non-chain ones. Or just order one online. I purchased Riggins mesh harness from Amazon.

2. A dog that jumps on people is annoying no matter what his/her size. I know this because Riggins jumps on people and I’m mortified at his behavior. Another tip from Riggins trainer was to arm everyone with breath spray, then instruct people to use it when the dog starts to jump. Specifically demand, “down” and spray at his mouth/nose (not eyes). The spray doesn’t hurt the dog but will stop him/her in his/her tracks! Sometimes it causes Riggins to sneeze. I find this much easier to remember then putting your knee up in front of the dog or turning your back to him/her. Like any other training method consistency is key. That is the biggest issue with this method. Riggins doesn’t jump on me as much as friends/family. That means I need to get them spray before they come in the house then convince them to actually use it. Despite my assurances that it is fine to spray him and is actually for his own good, people are hesitant.

image (11)3. Get a dog that matches the color of you house carpet. I figured this out after Snowbell left and my house, and all my black work out pants, were covered in white hair. I am assuming there is just as much, if not more, black hair around but it is harder to see since I have dark carpeting. Just a tip from me to save you a little bit of sanity!

There you go. I’m sure you will take all my great dog training advice since it is obvious that Riggins is so well-behaved! (Oh please. Like the Dog Whisperer is perfect.)

39 Acts of Kindness – 26

11 Monday Mar 2013

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384841_2992371408273_1893829326_nMy mailed Wendy Bombs of Kindness hit their targets this weekend. It’s so exciting! There were a number of them so I’ll bring you up to speed throughout this week. The first one I want to tell you about went to the loving house of Gabby and Sunny.
WendyRiggins001 (2)#26 – Spring Flowers. Gabby and Sunny are the lucky pups that can call Lori Fusaro their mom. I meant Lori a few years ago when I had done a google search for Dog Photographers and came upon her website. Since our first meeting she has photographed Riggins and me twice and Riggins a third time for a calendar. He was Mr. December, and a very handsome one if I do say so myself. (Read more about my first session with Lori.)

I can’t think of anyone who selflessly gives more love, time, and money to animals than 409683_2943863035594_1573809484_nLori and her husband. They are both amazing. Lori lends her talents to help dogs up for adoption by taking professional pictures of them. Every picture Lori takes, the star dog is so adorable you want to, almost have to, take him/her home. It’s amazing how much we rely on the visual when doing things like adopting a dog (or going on Match.com for a date) but we do (Did you know that dogs that have the hardest time being adopted, everything photoelse equal, are black ones? For one they are considered mean just by color …. ask the poor woman Riggins cornered off the trail today doing Tai Chi. Riggins apparently isn’t a fan of Chinese stress release. Secondly, it is difficult to photograph black dogs and see their eyes. Without being able to look in their eyes adopters have a harder time connecting emotionally.). We are, after all, only human. Lori gives dogs who need a home, a fighting shot by putting their best face forward! She is constantly doing a photo shoot to support an animal cause of some sort, and seems to be bottomless in her wiliness to donate time, energy and money. Currently she is working on a project to highlight the adoption and love needed by and given to senior dogs. This project, no doubt, was sparked by her newest doggie love, Sunny.

Sunny, originally named Shady, was left by her family at the Carson shelter due to old age. WendyRiggins013 (2) It will come as no surprise that Lori went to the shelter to help and came out haunted by the sweet senior dog and knew she had to help. In her own words:

“Some days I’m filled with hope and purpose when I walk into the shelter. Others I go through the motions, trudging along as if I’m wading through quicksand.

As I walked in the shelter I could physically feel my heart close. It slammed shut without warning. I’m not sure why, but the noise, the smells, the dogs were just too much for me today. …

… As I walked the rows and rows of kennels, the walls felt like they were closing in on me, the air getting thinner. I imagine it’s what the animals might feel at times. Maybe all the time. The feeling is horrible. I just wanted to run out of there and never look back.

But I didn’t. I stayed. I photographed. I gave treats. I scratched ears.

The dogs cried. Whined. Barked. Some wagged. Others licked. Some turned and fled. Others cowered. Some never even lifted their heads.

… It’s bleak. It’s dark. It’s overwhelming. No living creature should ever have to endure such things. For me I know it will pass. For the animals…I can’t even think about it.” – Lori’s Blog

Heart wrenching right! There’s more. The next day …

“It’s amazing the difference a day makes. Yesterday I left the shelter depressed and overwhelmed. Today I feel invigorated and filled with purpose.

This face hasn’t left my mind since I walked out of the shelter yesterday.

CarsonJune9 17 Shady {16 year old dog abandoned}

Her name is Shady. She is 16 years old. She has been at the shelter since May 29th. She is despondent, dejected and lost. Her face has invaded every moment I’ve lived today. Driving to the Riverside shelter…she popped into my head. Photographing the dogs there…she made her presence known. Eating lunch…there she was again.

…… I am going to pull her from the shelter and find her a home. I’m going to treat her eye and make sure she isn’t in any pain. We’ll see what happens. I have no idea how her health is…at 16 years old there could be so many things wrong. But I’m throwing caution to the wind. I think she deserves to spend the last days (or months) feeling loved.” – Lori’s Blog
riggins-loriIt will come as no shock that Lori and her husband adopted Sunny (the renamed Shady) and brought her in as a permanent, and loved, member of their family. Sunny has flourished in her new home with her new family, and is a whole different dog. Isn’t that amazing!?!

If anyone deserved a Wendy Bomb of Kindness it was the Fusaro family! Since
photo (4)Sunny and Gabby are adorable girls I decided they needed a hint of spring to wear out on their daily walks. I took pieces of velcro, cut slightly bigger than the width of a dog collar, then hot glued a piece of green ribbon down on top. Finally I glued on a pretty spring flower (fake of course). I had to see what they looked like so I forced poor Riggins and Bud to model the pretty pretty flowers. Being boys they weren’t amused. I found it hilarious.

I hope Gabby and Sunny enjoy their piece of spring and wear them proudly.

WendyRiggins021 (2)(P.S. All the pictures featured on this blog – minus the pouting Riggins/Bud pic – are taken
by Lori. I HIGHLY recommend her for any family portraits especially those that include children and/or animals. Her site – http://www.fusarophotography.com/. Her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1620117902793.82578.1231779034&type=3#!/LoriFusaro)

Act of Kindness Roll-Call:

To be continued …

 

 

 

 

 

 

39 Acts of Kindness – 23

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Since I bombarded you with details of a zillion niceties yesterday I’ll limit today’s post to just one!  Don’t worry though … things are happening in the background.  The wheels are still turning on some fun-filled surprises.

image#23 – Reading is Fun.  Last week my good friend Cathy asked if I wanted to read to one of the classes at her son’s school.  Of course!  I’m an avid reader.  My personal taste runs from the silly (I’ve read every single book in Janet Evanovich’s One For the Money series.) to the deep and serious (I’d love to think of an example here but just can’t.  You will have to take my word for it.).  I’m happy to read books that I’ve passed on to male friends that they have enjoyed (The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series and Ready Player One for example.) as well as those I’d only pass on to women for fear any male friend would mock me.  Like anyone who can call themselves a true reader I can’t manage to get through Fifty Shades of Grey and weep a little for the American public when I see it on a best sellers list (It’s been on some kind of best seller list for ions now.).  I was happy to share my love for reading with adorable young minds.

Since I doubted the kids would enjoy a dramatic reading of Gone Girl from my Kindle, I asked my Mom if she had an adequate book for first graders.  Luckily for me, and my niece and nephew, my mom was an elementary school administrative assistant for years and is in the know.  She let me borrow her copy of The Treasure (http://tinyurl.com/b2w9amh).  A very pretty book written by Susan Yost-Filgate and illustrated by Leonard Filgate.  The story follows a mouse, his sister, their friend the cat and frog on an adventure to find a pirate treasure.  On the way they come across a duck and her family, two ants, and a dragonfly.  If you are counting, and I was, that is 8 different character voices.  I suggested to my friend Cathy, who just happens to be a voice over artist, that we should switch books since mine required an enormous amount of voice changing talent.  Alas her book, pirate themed as well, included two Irish pirates.  As much as it is a struggle for me to voice a dragonfly I’m even worse at an Irish accent!

Yesterday morning, after practicing reading to Bud and Riggins, I got ready to go.  I put on what I considered a pirate themed outfit (T-shirt with skull and crossbones, stripped scarf and bright yellow scarf in my hair.), then  I grabbed my book and headed off.  Once at the school, and after some drama surrounding who was going to read where, I made my way to my assigned first grade class.  To say the teacher was waiting for me was an understatement.  I think she was looking forward to the short break from her overly hectic day.  My class was full of adorable tiny little people with lots of ideas that needed to be shared.  It took us awhile to get through the book since there was a lot of guessing on what was coming next and what kind of things pirates tend to wear and what they like to do.  There was a lightbulb that went off after they saw the pirate flag and there was a lot of discussion on how it looked like my shirt and how I was wearing scarves just like the characters were.  1/2 the audience tended to call out at will, while the other 1/2 patiently raised their hand.  I would stop to pick out those who were raising their hands in the hopes of encouraging that behavior.  It really didn’t work.  I’m afraid I’d fail as a first grade teacher.  One little girl in the back raised her hand and when I choose her just she said, “I like you.”

Finally I made it to the end of the book.  We talked about the lesson we learned and what we liked to read.  I told them my birthday was coming up and asked them how old I was.  The general consensus was 25 which means they are the smartest children you will ever meet.  When I asked if anyone was going to guess 39 one lovely child announced he was going to guess 100.  I talked to them about my 39 acts of kindness and we brainstormed on what kind of nice things they could do.  We all promised to do at least one nice thing in the next week.

After saying good-by to my class, and peeling off the little girl who said I was nice, that now clung to my legs asking when I’d be back, I went over to the class my friend was reading in.    Her son’s class.  I made it just in time as Cathy said they had asked her to read another book and wondered if I’d like to read mine.  I have to say there was a lot of pressure. I mean who wants to follow the dramatic reading of the voice over artist?  Not I!  I was afraid of letting the kids down because after all if I where them I’d want to be entertained by the many voices of Cathy too!  With 8 voices in my book I had maybe 5 that sounded different and they went in and out as often as any accent Mel Gibson has had on-screen.  Still I sucked it up and read through my book again.  This time to a crowd that some would consider much more polite!

All in all I hope the children had fun and I’m happy that I had the opportunity to be a part of the schools day of reading.

photo (6)(I’ve been asked for pictures of Bud so here you go …  We went up Runyon this morning and both Bud and Riggins have been asleep ever since.  They did take a break from napping to clean up the huge mess I made when I dropped a pizza on the floor while transferring it from the oven to the cutting board.  Yes, I still ate it.  Bud is with us for one more night before his mom comes to pick him up.)

Act of Kindness Roll-Call:

To be continued …

39 Acts of Kindness – 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

04 Monday Mar 2013

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Whew I’m beat! Doing nice things really takes it out of you. This weekend was full of niceness so let’s get right to it.

good#17 – Sudoku for Dad. My dad likes Sudoku puzzles. He sits in the living room or in the backyard on the porch swing and works on them for hours. They would make me crazy! Most Sudoku books are set up so they include easy, medium, and hard puzzles. A new book means new easy puzzles which, if you are my dad, can be done in pen. Apparently using a pen is quite the test of your Sudoku skills. I picked up a Sudoku book at the dollar store last week and stuck it in the mail along with a little note.

#18 and #19 – Flowers in the mail. Do you know who likes flowers and frilly stationary? Two of my aunts! I sent them each flowers. Well, I sent them infant flowers in the form of seeds. According to the chart on the back of the packages my aunt in Santa Cruz can start planting right away while my aunt who lives outside of Portland will have to wait a few months. Hopefully it will add more color to what can already be considered two very colorful gardens.

#20 – Shopper help. While at the grocery store, Ralphs, on Friday I helped a gentleman find the popcorn. Since the popcorn is in the same aisle as the soda, chips, sparking water, and Propel it is an aisle that I’m intimately familiar with. I like to call it the best aisle in the grocery store!

#21 – Man down. Yesterday was a doozy of a day! I got up early to start prepping for my tea party (see good deed number 22) and had most of the day planned down to the minute before quests arrived. Unfortunately, the main sewer line decided this would be a good time to back up. That meant an emergency call into the plumber and me having to drive to McDonalds to use their restroom! Driving home from my bathroom break I went by Ralphs (same grocery store as good deed number 20). As I was turning the corner I noticed a man who was extremely off-balance and couldn’t catch himself. He went down HARD partially in the planter, partially on the sidewalk, and partially against the tree. As I made a U-Turn to pull into the Ralphs parking lot 2 different people walked right by the guy and did nothing. How is that possible? After parking I ran over to him to see if he was okay. He wasn’t. Apparently he had hurt his ribs earlier and was on pain medication which, according to him, causes problems with his balance. Now his ribs hurt again. Falling in to a tree then onto the ground can do that to you. He insisted he was fine but couldn’t get up past his elbows and while moaning threw up. At that point a couple of women were behind me and asked if they should call 911. I turned around to say yes but they saw him throw up and walked away saying he was a drunk. Now it is possible he was drinking but he didn’t smell of alcohol and could carry on full conversations with me without slurring. He was shaky but not slurry. To me he was showing signs of Parkinsons or something like that. Luckily a man walking his dog stopped a few steps away from us and asked if he should call the paramedics. The poor man on the ground said no while I frantically shook my head yes. The good Samaritan listened to me and immediately got on his cell phone. The poor man on the floor was able to finally sit up but he was pale and still shaking so I sat down with him and we talked until help arrived. I knew he wanted to get up and leave but I really didn’t think he could stand again without falling down. I kept suggesting he should stay sitting for a while longer. I was just trying to buy time until the paramedics came as I didn’t want to have to be the one to try to catch him if he tried to stand up. We talked about how he lived across the street and should have brought his cane along with him. We talked about how responsible it was for him to bring his own grocery bag and how soon it would be the law in the area. He explained that he didn’t like plastic bags and I told him how I used them to pick up my dog’s poop. He didn’t have that same use for the bags as he had a cat. FINALLY every cop and fire truck in the neighborhood (which was 2 fire trucks and 3 cop cars) circled us. As the cop stood there questioning the man I stood up, brushed myself off and explained to the cop that I needed to go. He said that was fine so I shook the man’s hand, who was still on the ground, and the dog walkers hand and took off for my car. Now waaaaaayyyyy behind schedule!

The plumber showed up about 1/2 hour before a nice couple dropped off their boxer, Bud. To help make money while I’m looking for a job I signed up as a dog host (dog sitter) on the site DogVacay (http://dogvacay.com/pro/wendyandriggins). Bud’s mom contacted me that morning saying their original sitter was being non-responsive and asked if I could take Bud for a couple of days. I couldn’t say no, so Bud showed up during this chaos. Not the best way to introduce two dogs but after Riggins (7 years old) put baby Bud (2 years old) in his place a couple of times everything was good.

#22 – Friendly Tea (with dogs). To show my girlfriends how much I appreciate them I treahosted a tea for all. My friends are big planners and I threw this at them with only 6 days notice. Luckily many were still able to clear their calendars and join the fun. In between everything else I did that morning I frantically made cucumber sandwiches (It’s just weird to me how good cucumber sandwiches are.), chicken salad sandwiches (Recipe found here – http://arismenu.com/cranberry-apple-chicken-salad/), turkey and cheddar sandwiches (Recipe found here – http://www.stonegableblog.com/2010/05/tea-sandwich-recipes.html. I actually served them open-faced on big wheat crackers. Well … because I was sick of making sandwiches. The crackers are delicious. I topped them with scrambled egg whites this morning for breakfast. Also I skipped the poppyseed dressing.), and mini apple pie bites (Recipe found here – http://pinterest.com/pin/248823948133965180/. These were delicious but looked NOTHING like that picture.).

After pulling out and washing my grandma’s good china and setting everything up I was finally ready for guests.

My friends, Anna, Laurie, Cathy, Darci, Tiffany, Stevie, and Lucie along with Bud, Riggins, and Chloe (Darci’s tiny little white dog) sat in my backyard to enjoy tea, small sandwiches, and fun. Based on the day I had I announced that I was going to have one cup of tea so it could officially be called a “tea party” then I was moving to wine. So that is what we all did! Everyone seemed to have fun. Bud spent most of his time under the table or, if Riggins wasn’t watching, in my lap (there was a minor incident of Bud and Chloe making an escape but we won’t talk about that). Riggins sat on the lap of the person with the most food and/or who he felt should be petting him. This included laying his chin on my friend Cathy’s lap until she gave up, and allergies and all gave him a pat on the head. Chloe made her way around to all along with being the most active scavenger. The big dogs had dropped their sweet potato treats and Chloe decided it was her job to find them all for her to enjoy. Seems fair. We all had a great time and there is a push to make this a quarterly event with rotating hosts.

I hope your weekend was as fun filled as mine (minus the plumber, the dog escapes, etc.).

Act of Kindness Roll-Call:

To be continued …