The Ill Fated Move, Day 1

Bethy wants to know if anything is going to go right with this move. So far, we have a negative!

Picked up the big dogs from boarding today just before we were ready to leave, and when I was rounding them up, found that Bud had a deep gash just below his eye. He was shaking and crying and it would not stop bleeding! We went straight to the emergency vet. They cleaned it out and gave him antibiotics and pain meds, and decided it could go without stitches.

On the way back to Aunty Gail's house, Lily exploded with the craps. I thought she looked a bit thin and she was pretty mellow when I picked her up (mellow does not exist in Lily's world normally). I am so mad at this boarding place I went to!

We left 3 hours late and only made it to Medford, which is great because I'll get to meet up with Carolyn tomorrow. We just got to our hotel room and Lily is still having the runs horribly. She also cannot get enough water to drink. I don't know what to do for her. Lucy is foaming at the mouth. Bud has tried to bolt several times. This is horrible! I was going to ship a couple dogs, but the boarding kennels are full in Houston because of spring break this week. Anyway, stressed people, stressed and sick dogs (except the Corgis who are perfect as usual). The cousins are at the store buying lysol to mask the Lily aroma right now.

Signing off to get some sleep after a horrible Day 1 of travel. If anyone knows what to do with Lily, let me know. She hasn't even eaten today so she should be running dry by now. She JUST had her shots renewed for the move, so I can't imagine what she could have caught there.

The Last Few Days

Thursday, Friday and Saturday we moved out of the house. The storage PODS were abandoned when it became clear that a) they were not structurally sound, and b) they would not hold everything. I got a 26 foot Uhaul instead, and my cousin's husband is driving it down for me. You know, I have gotten so many perks out of being from a family of truckers. My mouth (at times) and my ability to roar with laughter at crude jokes are possibly not among them... but I've had many a road trip taken care of for me!

I am staying at my Aunty Gail's with Cosmo, Bunny and Lucy. Bud and Lily are boarding back up in La Center.

Yesterday Bethy and I had brunch at the View Point Inn in Corbett. She'd gotten me a gift certificate there for my birthday and we never got to use it. We had the most wondeful brunch overlooking the Gorge. I had wild salmon over an english muffin with hollandaise sauce, hot chocolate, and creme brulee for dessert! It was such an amazing view. If I could get married at home that is hands down where the wedding would be. Stunning. I wanted to stay there forever.

Speaking of weddings, the invitations have not even gone out yet, and I am wishing I could just change he whole thing. We found out the other day that my aunt most likely will not be able to travel because she is having surgery on her spine. She won't have the surgery until the end of April or early May, so she will be recovering during the wedding. If I had known this, I would have planned it in Oregon so she could come. Not to be drama, but the day is pretty much ruined now. My mom can't be there unless I want to pin a corsage to her box and set it in the front row (lol)... and if my aunt can't be there, either, then what the heck is the point of having a big party? Family attendance on both sides is dropping off drastically. It just really ruins the day for us both.

Speaking of things going wrong (man this is turning into a gripe fest fast) this whole move is a nightmare. I had to be out of my house so fast, and the house in Houston was supposed to be ready on the 16th and is now not going to be ready until the 18th. I really got the shaft on both ends of this real estate deal. I had to pay to change my brother's plane ticket tonight... he was supposed to go out on the 15th but there was no place for him to go so he has to fly on the 17th now. At least he has a place to stay here with family. This whole thing is ridiculous. I am sure I'll feel betteronce we are there. Seriously, though, I am almost wishing I could just sleep on Aunty Gail's couch forever. We have great conversations, watch old lady comedy, and I have 3 corgis, a wood stove in my room, and a skylight with huge evergreens up above it. Not bad if you ask me!

Alright, complaining over. Pictures to come. Aunty Gail's internet is painfully slow and I have no patience for it. I got some awesome pics of the viewpoint I want to post!

Just so everyone knows, moving PODS for a long distance move are a horrible idea. You spend all your time trying to pack your crap "just so" and it is an absolutely ridiculous waste of time. After spending 2 days packing and realizing I have to leave half my household behind, I am abandoning PODs tomorrow and running my tired ass down to Uhaul to rent a good old reliable truck, and my cousin's husband Jimmy is going to drive it for me. Storage pods are bullcrap. I actually have much more colorful things to say about storage pods at 3am, but I won't hurt the eyes of my gentle readers. Back to packing. The cleaning ladies are coming in 6 hours and I am pretty sure empty rooms would help their cause.

Ha! Gotcha, dogs : )

I say "Ha!" because I picked up the super fancy version of this bad boy today at Petsmart (I know I can get it cheaper and nicer at Foster's and Smith but was in a pinch with my drive coming up and no address to ship to) and I will no longer have to endure the following while driving:


I will no longer have to endure Bunny jumping onto the floor and then giving me the sad dog look while I am on the freeway and she knows full well I have to come to a complete stop in order to put her back up on the seat.

I will not longer have to endure Cosmo hair in my back seat cup holder. Or on my seats at all. I will also never have to come out of a gas station again and see Cosmo in the driver's seat ready for a roadie.

I will no longer have to endure Bud's car sick puke in the back seat cup holder... or on the floor... or mashed into the seat.

I will no longer have to endure Lily. Peeing on the seats and wrecking them... jumping into the front seat to sit in my lap like she is a toy breed... or generally being an annoying car rider.

This thing is shear awesomeness! It has pockets for leashes, came with a free water bottle, and is WATERPROOF (aka: pee washes off).

Road trip ready!

Bunny and Moving

Taking a little moving break. Just wanted to show Bunny in her new bed that she loves and adores. Our neighbor, Bob, actually brought it over for her- Bunny is very popular in our neighborhood! Oddly, his Doxie received multiple dog beds from his family for Christmas. He had too many, and thought of Bunny. He's the nicest guy... I am really going to miss our neighbors. Anyway, he set it down on our floor and she dove right into it! These are the types of things I don't buy because around our house they either get peed to death or eaten, but so far it has been doing well. I am feeling a little guilty for never getting her one now. She is ALWAYS in it!

And, pictures below... the storage pods arrived!

Back to packing...

Way too tired to blog, but thought I would tell everyone that the house closes on thursday and I have to be moved out on Saturday morning. Yikes!

Food Suggestions for Allergies?

I am loving on Cosmo as we speak and just realized that his mouth and chin are pink and raw. Poor boy! I switched him from crap dog food (reads "salmon" on the label, but when reading the ingredients it was mostly filler and corn) to Nutro recently. I know my mom had encountered allergies with him before and settled on the "salmon" dog food. The lamb and rice, she thought, gave him problems. Long story... there was no rash before that I recall... but some odd pee issues. Seems odd because lamb and rice is so bland. Anyway, I looked for salmon dog food in a more quality brand at the grocery store and couldn't find anything, so I did get the lamb and rice. He apparently IS allergic after all. I am going to give him a chicken breast in the morning and try to start cleaning out his system. Any suggestions for a quality salmon based food and where to get it? I have shyed away from raw due to the expense of feeding so many dogs, though I know it's great for them having seen our dogs flourish on it before. It I could find an lazy girl bagged food that would be great. If not, I may be forced to go raw for Cosmo to give him something a bit more natural. Any ideas, guys? Cosmo's little rashy face will thank you!