First Snow of 2024: A Lazy Saturday and a Promise to Ride

First Snow of 2024

Snow had been in the forecast for a week or so leading up to Thanksgiving. It disappeared and would reappear a few times, but it did finally happen today on November 30. I was remembering a year ago we had our first snow on this day too as Carrie and I went to a Washburn basketball game when it was snowing after Thanksgiving break. There was a game today, but Carrie and I were both tired, so we decided to stay home today. A pretty snow although I have not heard how much snow we had. 

The Saturday following two Thanksgiving celebrations is a lazy Saturday for us. We have dishes to do, but I have taken a few naps throughout the afternoon. Watched the Jayhawks lose their last game of the season in football to Baylor with Baylor being too much for us after knocking off three ranked teams in a row, we stumbled with Baylor.

Sleepy Oliver

Oliver is enjoying the lazy day as he relaxes on the couch in a pile of blankets where he is sleeping and staying warm. I think we had his heated blanket on too that he is using through the day. Yes, he's quite spoiled, but we adore him.

Not a lot planned for tonight. I had leftovers for lunch and will have leftovers for dinner too. They are so good! I love Thanksgiving leftovers. We have homemade pies to eat tonight which include sweet potato pie and dixie pie.

Yes, you guessed right that tomorrow I plan to start riding my bike again. I have been away from bike riding, or exercise, for a few months, but I plan to get back on the bike tomorrow and start the journey. That's what always happens following Thanksgiving where new gym memberships are started and people make decisions to start working out again. That is me this time too and hoping to stick with bike riding two or three times a week. I am feeling excited to start riding again, so that will help to keep me motivated to do so.

Until next week, have a great week and stay warm.

First Day Jitters, Second Day Snuggles: Oliver's Dog Hotel Story

Oliver's First Day at Dog Hotel

Last weekend, Carrie and I went to Des Moines, Iowa (see post) for the weekend and we decided to try out a new place to have Oliver stay while we were away on our trip. We are lucky to have family that is willing and able to watch Oliver when we cannot take him with us on trips. Joan and Eddie have watched him numerous times, my mom in Lawrence has watched him for extended periods, and we have tapped our friend Brenda to watch him at times too. We had been wanting to try a spot in Topeka in case of emergency or no one is available, so this was the weekend to give it a try.

We selected TLC Pet Nursing Hotel that Carrie and I had checked out about a year ago and did a tour of the facility. We liked what we saw through the walk through and wanted to give it a try with a short trip. We dropped Oliver off around 7 am on Friday, November 15. Gave directions for feeding, what he needed through the day, and confirmed contact information. 

Photo of Oliver at Dog Hotel

Oliver had a nice set up at the dog hotel with his own room, bed, and we could leave things from home with him such as his own bed, blanket, and toys. The staff would walk him a few times throughout the day and then he had a cuddle/play day too on Saturday I believe. For an extra $3 a day, we could have pictures of him shared with us which of course we paid to have available. Overall, it was rather expensive to have him stay at dog hotel and get the pictures, but worth it to know we have it as an option if the need arises.

Oliver Second Day at Dog Hotel

His first day at the dog hotel and he looked nervous in the pictures that were shared which consist of the first two pictures provided thus far. He does not look content and still wondering what is happening. By the second day, he looked a little more at home in the pictures that were shared. He still looked to be wondering what was happening, but a little more receptive to those taking care of him and ready to snuggle in for a night of sleep.

Dog hotel taking Oliver for a walk

Oliver went on walks a few times a day and it showed when we picked him up on Sunday mid-afternoon, he slept the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. I think we all went to bed early that night and he was so ready to head to bed, he ran up to the bed and was sleep by 9. 

Overall, I think it was a good experience for Oliver. They took good care of him at TLC Pet Nursing Hotel. We will keep them in mind for the future, but hoping we can continue to use family and friends to watch our little guy. We so appreciate having Oliver watched by our family/friends and keeping us updated on how he is doing while we are gone.

Home Sweet Home: Oliver's Adventures While We Camped

I hope you had a good weekend. It was beautiful outside the whole weekend, so I hope you were able to get out and enjoy. Carrie and I were out camping and I will have pictures and update of our trip next week. Today is somewhat of a short post as we are both exhausted after being gone since Thursday. 

While we were away, we had Oliver staying with Joan and Eddie. We always love to get pictures of Oliver while we are away so we can see what he is doing. The first one to the left is of him in the bathroom sitting on a mat. Who knows what he is doing or maybe he wanted to find a quiet spot to wonder why we left him.

The next one is a video of Oliver barking at Lucky Dog. Granted, he barks at anything that looks like a dog on the TV which could include but is not limited to dogs, cats, and horses. Funny when he does it when not trying to nap, but he will startle you if trying to sleep and he starts barking at something on the television. Still, it is funny and he has done this since he was a little puppy.

We would have taken Oliver on our camping trip, but we attended the Washburn game at Missouri Western State University and it was best to leave him back in Topeka. More on our camping trip next week.

Like I said, it was going to be a short update for this week. About our dog Oliver and a hint of what we did this weekend that I will post an update for next week.

Until next week, have a great week!

A Dog's Love for Heat, a Fan's Hope for Victory, and a Delicious Feast: A Summer Weekend to Remember

100 out... Oliver Loves it!

Last week was another hot week with temperatures closed to 100 degrees the first part of the week. It found Oliver out enjoying the warmth of the sun in our back yard. Yes, he goes out and sits in the sun to warm up from being inside our house with air conditioning. He will sit out there until he starts panting and then head back to the door to go back inside. What a knucklehead. The picture to the right is from late in the week and as of Sunday temperatures have dropped to acceptable temperatures.

The weekend has been beautiful since Thursday with weather in the seventies or eighties. I am sure Oliver is not liking that as he wants more heat when he is outside. Looking at the forecast for the next week and the trend is supposed to continue. No complaints from me.

Shrimp, Crab, etc., Boil

Carrie and I had a treat planned for Friday night dinner. Our friends, Laura and Jason, invited us over for a shrimp boil. Ok, that was an easy answer. The dinner was tagged as shrimp boil and while it did have shrimp it also included crab legs. What a night! It was so good! Poured it right out on the kitchen table and grabbed whatever we wanted to eat for dinner. The potatoes were excellent along with all the other fixings. Following dinner, we went outside to hang out at the fire pit which was a lot of fun. A perfect way to kick off the holiday weekend!

Hoping the Royals can turn around the losing streak we have been on since Wednesday. A four-game losing streak going into the game this afternoon. We need to turn it around and snap this bad skid. It started late in the week when two players got hurt and we have not been able to turn it around since then. I will be wearing all of my lucky Royals gear today to try and push us in the direction of a win and point us in a new direction.

Have a great rest of your Sunday and Labor Day.

Walks, Wuffes, and Woofs: Celebrating Oliver's 13th with a Tail-Wagging Adventure

Oliver Walking on his Birthday

Oliver turned 13 on June 5. It was his birthday, and we showered him with greetings throughout the day. But the true highlight was going on a walk. I have been taking him on a walk following my jogging. He is anxious while I am gone and watching for me to return. This time though when I got back, he whined three times wanting to get going on his walk. Poor guy, his birthday and he had to wait for me to get back from a jog so he could show off to the neighborhood that it was his birthday. He had a grand time walking through the neighborhood. We walked one mile and I think he could have kept going.

Action Shot While we Walk

I wanted to get a picture of us walking, so I put my phone down by a tree and captured us on our walk. Oliver was a little confused on what we were doing as I placed the phone, backtracked, and then walked forward again. We did this a few times and I think he thought I had lost my mind. Nope! Just trying to get a picture of us walking together, Oliver. 

We spotted a few other dogs on our walk. Oliver, even at 13, can still be a bit excitable around other dogs. So, I usually try to avoid other dogs as much as possible on our walks. If we start down a street and I see someone with a dog, we might change routes so we avoid the dog. Some people we meet with dogs do not understand and want to approach for our dogs to meet. He has gotten better, but still a bit of a nut when meeting other dogs. Rather embarrassing when he acts like a nut. 

Selfie with Oliver on our Walk

We had a good time on our walk. A lot of sniffing, finding spots, and looking over the lay of the land. Oliver gets so excited at the mention of "walk" so of course we spell it out and he is starting to recognize when we spell it out what we are talking about. I recently started running again and in turn started walking Oliver regularly. He loves it so much that I need to make sure to walk him through the week even if I am not running. He has a happy look on his face and of course he sleeps so well on the days we do our walks.

Oliver October 2011

It is hard to believe our little guy is thirteen years old. I still remember him as a little puppy with a lot of energy, playing with toys, wanting belly tickles, and have a grand time. Ok, well, he still does all of that at thirteen which is fantastic. 

A quick shout out to supplements that Carrie got for Oliver a few months ago and completely changed his energy and ability to run around or jump on the couch. She saw an ad on FaceBook for Wuffes. Prior to us giving Oliver Wuffes, he had joint pain, sometimes he could not jump on the couch, and he really had no energy to play. We have been giving him Wuffes for a few months and can see a difference in how he acts and the energy he has throughout the day. Carrie usually gives him his supplement at night after his super. All she says is "want your supplement" and he knows what is happening. Gets excited and waits for his supplement to be broken out to him.

Happy Birthday, Oliver. I hope you had a great day of celebration.

Oliver Attends his First Kansas City Royals Bark at the Park Game and All is Fine

Oliver Tailgating and Ready

We have been talking about taking Oliver to Bark at the Park at the Kansas City Royals games since he was a puppy. We have never done so until this past Tuesday. I saw the date advertised a few times early in the season and we started talking about taking Oliver to his first game. Plus, it would be the first time in two years that Carrie and I would attend a game. We got it booked and planned out the night. 

It was a great time! So many dogs... I later heard there were around 900 dogs in the stadium. Oliver did really good. He barked and growled a few times in the line leading up to the gates. Once we got to our seats, he was fine until about the middle innings. Then he started sitting and growling at other dogs as they would walk by or he could see them in the stands.  Carrie took him up to the top to do his business and when he came back, he was a perfect little gentleman. 

Oliver meets Sluggerrr

Oliver met Sluggerrr at the game. We tried to get the attention of Sluggerrr as he was right next to us, but were unable to get his attention to hold Oliver to get a picture. At one point, they played "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King and in this case, Sluggerrr held up dogs on the jumbotron. It was funny although I think if that would have been Oliver, he would have been scared. 

It happened to be $1 hotdog night, so we had hot dogs for dinner. Oliver had a few bites of hotdog. We noticed some other dogs where that was their meal for the night with meat only and no bun. It was funny to watch all the different dogs and interactions.

The Royals snapped a three-game losing streak, so that was fun. We talked after the game on the way home, with a sleepy Oliver, that this might be a once-a-year thing. I really did not watch any of the first 1 - 4 innings as anxious about Oliver being good and trying to make sure he was not causing issues. 

While there were 900 something dogs there that night, there were not a lot of fans. The Royals playing well and scoring caused a few times when there were loud cheers, yelling, etc., and Oliver did not like that too much. He would coward and slink into the chair or our arms. He did great overall.

Oliver Cheering for his Royals

I think Oliver had a great time. He had a lot of things to see that were new to him. A lot of things to sniff that were different. He behaved well for the most part. He made people around us laugh at his low growling in the middle innings. He met some people that had previously owned a Japanese Chin and remembered his name each time they walked by our row saying "Hi Oliver". Nothing traumatic happened and for that I am grateful. The anxiety levels for both Carrie and I as we were headed to the game were at high levels. It went well.

Since that game, the Royals have been doing very well. Fun to watch and now Oliver has a little extra something to connect with when we are watching at home. As for Carrie and I, we plan to make it to another 2 - 5 games through the season. I cannot wait!

Until next time, have a great rest of the weekend!

Oliver's Night of Fear and the Case of the Mysterious Cough

Oliver is Scared

Monday Night Jitters

Oliver was acting out of sorts on Monday night. He hid behind my chair and restlessly moved from one strange spot to another. Topeka was forecast for severe storms overnight, and it seems Oliver could sense the approaching weather. He was scared and wouldn't leave my side.

A Stormy Night's Rest (or Lack Thereof)

By 10 pm on Monday, Oliver had calmed down a bit. However, around 10:30 pm, a low rumble of thunder jolted us awake, followed by a bright flash and a loud crack of thunder. Oliver cautiously approached the edge of the bed, then jumped down and scurried under the dresser. Under the furniture is his go-to spot when bad weather frightens him. It seems he stayed there all night, as heavy rain and constant lightning kept him tucked away and safe.

Licking and Coughing

The storm and his anxiety caused Oliver to lick excessively – anything he could find, from the carpet to the blankets. This soon turned into a cough that lingered throughout the week. Even though Tuesday night was calm weather-wise, Oliver continued to lick and cough. Carrie and I barely slept that night due to his constant coughing. It sounded like something was stuck in his throat, but thankfully, he still ate, drank water, and even wanted treats.

Vet or No Vet?

By Wednesday or Thursday, we debated taking Oliver to the vet. His cough had improved slightly, but it hadn't completely vanished. While he wasn't keeping us awake anymore, the cough persisted. Thankfully, by Friday, his cough had subsided significantly, and he sounded much better. We decided not to take him to the vet, and in retrospect, I believe it was the right call. The excessive licking seems to have been the culprit.

Sunday Update: Back to Normal (Almost)

Today is Sunday, and after my morning walk/run, I took Oliver for his walk. He started coughing again at the beginning, but it was likely due to his excitement and leash-pulling, which are typical behaviors for him during walks. However, with the lingering cough from earlier in the week, it sounded quite dramatic – like I was walking a walrus! Luckily, it subsided quickly, and we completed our walk over a mile, hitting all his favorite spots.

An Active Week Ahead

This week promises to be a busy one for Oliver. I'll share more about his adventures next weekend's post. In the meantime, I'm off to catch the Kansas City Royals game and cheer them on!

Thanksgiving Cooking, Family, and Fun Plus Basketball and a Snow Storm to Finish Out the Weekend

Oliver and His Friends

Thanksgiving morning and Oliver was at the fence with the neighbor dogs. He hung out with his friends while I was cooking turkeys on the Big Green Egg. Beautiful morning to be outside and Oliver was taking advantage of the weather being with his friends. 

Would you believe that I did not take any pictures of the prep or completed turkey that I made on Thanksgiving? Well, it happened again but the turkey turned out great. Had good color and tasted good. Did two turkey breasts that took about three hours and thirty minutes to cook. Carrie and I realized at the end of the day that we had not taken any pictures throughout the day. We hosted this year having a total of eight adults and two children in our home. It was a great day!

Mom and Family

Friday late afternoon, we went to Lawrence to spend the evening with Mom and family. We had a great time hanging out, talking, enjoying wine, and seeing one another. We stayed rather late Friday night and I recall Mom saying that it was the latest she had stayed up in a long time. We had a fun time! 

Oliver has the best time at my Mom's house. He thinks he owns the place, so when another little dog was there, there were a few times when Oliver was growling and they got into a little battle at one point. All was good and no blood was lost.

Carrie and I After Game in Snow

Carrie and I got home about 12:30 or 1 Friday night, so we slept in a little on Saturday morning. We did make it to our first home Washburn game of the year Saturday afternoon. The snow had started falling and was barely covering the ground when we went to the game at about 2 pm and when we came out, the ground was covered. It would go on to snow into the late hours of the night.

Birthday Dinner

We went out to North Star Steak House Saturday night to celebrate Eddie's birthday. With the snow storm, we were the only ones in the place for most of the evening. The food was really good and we have leftovers for us to enjoy this week while working. I got a Kansas City Strip and then there was a really good dessert we all split. It was a fun night!

Sunday we have lounged around and preparing for the Chiefs game. I think we are going to bring up some holiday decorations to get ready for Christmas.

A lot packed into the past few days. It has been a fun few days off of work, being with family, and then of course eating really well throughout the last few days. 

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a fantastic week!

Washburn Football Won Saturday to Wrap up the Season and Disappointing Kansas Game... Plus Oliver Being Sleepy All the Time

Last week was a busy but it also flew by which can happen when it is a busy week. The weekend consisted of going out Friday night for drinks and dinner. When Carrie and I returned home Friday night, Oliver just wanted to relax and get tickles on the couch. We sometimes say that Oliver would be happiest if we were to lay around with him all day long and pet him. When we are not touching him, he throws little fits or paws at us with his paw to get us to tickle. Poor guy!

Saturday we went to the last home Washburn football game of the season. We won the game 45 - 14 to get our second win of the season. It was a rough season, but hopeful that we will bounce back next season. I went to all of the home games this season except for one when I was out of town. Carrie went to all the home games this season with me. We had a fun time throughout the season. For this last home game, Carrie made chili and hotdogs were made by Greg that we enjoyed throughout the day. We had beautiful weather for a game in the middle of November.

Basketball season has started and the first home game for Washburn is November 18. Carrie and I have season tickets and will be attending the games this season. We have a fun time attending Washburn basketball throughout the season as we have had season tickets now for a few years. 

Disappointing Kansas football game yesterday that Greg and I were following while at the Washburn game. Next weekend will be fun to see Kansas State vs. Kansas, but hoping we have Bean back in the game for Kansas. Bean went out of the game yesterday and so we had a freshman quarterback leading the Jayhawks. KU lost to Texas Tech yesterday 16 - 13 moving to 7 - 3 overall and 5 and 1 at home. Two games remain in the season.

Not a lot of pictures from me this weekend, but we had a good time Friday and Saturday. No Chiefs game Sunday as it is a bye week for us this week. Chiefs play again on Monday, November 20.

Until next time, have a great Sunday and a wonderful week...

Fun Week at Work with Homecoming, Inauguration, and then Saturday was Tailgating and Football

Inauguration at Washburn University 

This was a fun past week with a lot of activity on campus. Events on campus for faculty, staff, and students to celebrate Homecoming which concluded on Saturday for the football game. This week also concluded Friday with inauguration for President Mazachek at Washburn University. My friend, Eileen, addressed the crowd as a representative of Staff Council and did an excellent job. It was a fun event to celebrate, officially, our new president. Since starting in February, President Mazachek has already done so much in the short few months since starting. I cannot wait to see where we go over the course of the next five to ten years.

Cold and Rainy Day

Carrie and I went to the game on Saturday. We knew ahead of time that the day called for cold, rain, and possibly flurries later in the evening. We had a great time even though Washburn lost 31-28. There was a good crowd for being cold and rainy. Carrie and I got over to our spot about 10 Saturday morning and we took the tent as we knew it would be raining starting around 1 pm. Our tailgate neighbor had an additional tent and two different heaters. At our spot, we had blankets, so I stayed nice and warm throughout the afternoon. Washburn moved to 1 - 8 on the season. We had a rain delay in the third quarter with lightening nearby and most people stuck around following the rain delay.

Carrie and Dolly

Instead of a parade this year, students were encouraged to do tailgate spots on the lawn. It was wonderful! So fun to see the different spots. The winner was a saloon with working doors. One tailgate spot was celebration of Dolly Parton and reading. The theme this year was Boots, Bling, and Bods which was fun. A variety of participants in the tailgate spots and it was fun to walk through the area to see what everyone had done.

Scott and I at Tailgate

While it was just Carrie and I hanging out in our tailgate spot, we did some some visitors stop by to see us. Scott and Robin stopped by with Davis and used our football tickets to sit in our seats for part of the game too. It was good to see Scott and Robin to catch up a little. Davis was having fun with his dad playing catch while we talked. 

Carrie and I did not make it over to the alumni tent this time but we did see a number of people while walking across the tailgate area to get to the Ichabod Shop to buy some things. Carrie had made breakfast for us to eat and we snacked on it throughout the day even during the brief rain delay. 

Washburn University Marching Band

Carrie took the picture of the marching band to the right. She loves capturing the band playing. I was watching her and I thought she was going into the middle of their line to get a picture. She stopped short and snapped her picture. I do enjoy when the band comes through the tailgate area. Then later, when the team comes through the tailgate area is a special time that the fans enjoy.

Carrie and I at Tailgate

I appreciate Carrie going to the tailgate and watching the game with me. She is not a big football fan, but she goes because she knows I love and enjoy the time there even when it is cold and rainy. Carrie was a trooper today and told me how much fun she was having over-and-over. While I watched the game, Carrie was reading, people watching, and glancing at the game when she would hear me yell. We had good food, thank you Carrie, drinks, and a fun spot to tailgate on a cold and rainy day. While we did not win, I will remember this one as it had not been this cold/rainy in a long time for a home game.

Sleepy Oliver, Carrie, and John

When we got home from the game around 5 pm, we were both tired. Oliver did not attend, but he was tired from holding down the house while we were away. Carrie snapped the picture to the right while I was sleeping in my chair and she was trying to nap on the couch, Oliver decided he needed to lay on her and take a nap. It is so tiring holding down the fort while we are away from the house.

We thought about taking Oliver to a game this year, but we will need to wait and see what the last game of the season has in store for us in terms of weather. We might have to wait until next year for Oliver to attend his next game.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a fantastic week!

Oliver Lost Weight After Stomach Issues but Doing Better Now... Hoping Continues to be Healthy

Sleepy Oliver

Oliver finally seems to be back to his old self. He turned 12 back in June and then the first week or so of July he had a lot of teeth pulled. Since he had his teeth pulled, he had not been doing well. Eating oddly, although he has eat odd since he was a puppy, but mainly having bowl movement (BM) issues. Multiple visits to the vet, various bills, and finally this past week he got back to "normal".

When we took him to the vet on August 1 to get a shot to help with a urinary tract infection they had found the week prior after taking a urine sample. We wondered if this might have been what was causing him to have BM problems for most of July. As he was having stomach issues, we decided instead of pills, we would get the shot. While he was at the vet on August 1 they recorded his weight and found he had lost more weight. We noticed we could feel his ribs and bones on his rump. Sure enough, he had been losing weight. They told us to start having him eat a can a day. Typical Oliver though, he decided he did not want to eat the wet canned food any more. So, we switched him back to his kibble on Saturday and he is doing much better. 

Since he has started eating regular, we did start giving him treats again as well as his chicken he loves. It was tough when he was having BM issues but still hungry to leave the house and not give him a treat or biscuit. He would look at us as if we were made at him with big old puppy dog eyes. Yet he still greeted us when we would come home from work or being gone.

For now, we are happy he is doing better and make to himself. Hoping no more setbacks for him with eating, weight, or health. Thank you for the comments and share of concern for our baby Oliver. 

I Started Working Out Again Last Sunday and I am Feeling Motivated to Keep Working Out... Plus Oliver Likes Walks!

Before First Run

After a few months away from any type of exercise, I started running again on Sunday, June 4. I had a good first walk/jog to start off the process. My plan is to exercise three times a week although not sticking to strict days, but I do plan to work out at least three days each week. So far I have only been doing the running as I completed three runs last week. The picture to the left is before my first run. I felt pretty good considering I had not run, or done any type of exercise, in a few months. I looked it up and the last time I did any type of exercise was early November.

While I felt good following the run, I did have leg cramps on Monday. Calf pain that felt like shin splints but by Monday evening, those were gone. I was ready to run again on Tuesday evening although I did not run as long this time. 

Happy Oliver on a Walk

When I returned home from my first run, little Oliver was waiting at the door and whining when I came into the kitchen. Even though it had been months since I last ran, or took Oliver on a walk, he knew what I was doing and that he would be going on a walk when I returned home. He was so excited! We had a great first walk post-run, so that helps to motivate me to want to exercise and then take him on walks. Oliver remained excited the other two days that I ran too although he was not whining at me when I came back home following my run, he was waiting at the door ready to get on his collar and head out for a walk.

My plan is to run most of the time and then I also want to get back on the bike and do that some weeks instead of running. I figure it will help my legs and keep me fresh doing an alternate workout instead of running all the time. I do enjoy running and it is a good time to listen to audio books too while I run, or bike, so that will help to motivate me to exercise each week. Everything little bit of motivation helps.

I plan to update on my status at least once a month, so let this be the start to many more posts on my exercise routine. I might not always feel motivated to workout, but I sure feel good after a workout. Not to mention Oliver likes the routine and doing a walk post-workout, so I plan to keep this going and get back into the routine even when other events happen to take me away from working out.

Until next time, have a great week and I will chat with you later.

Happy Birthday to Oliver! He turned 12 today.

 

Happy birthday to Oliver! He turned 12 today. It is hard to believe he is twelve years old. To read backstory of how Oliver became a part of our family twelve years ago, read the post from 2021 where he turned ten years old. Oliver has given us so many stories over the years and makes us laugh daily. He has a good personality and he knows he is the boss in our house. He knows that when Carrie and I are eating dinner that is his time to get chicken and if we forget, he throws a fit in the kitchen until we get him his chicken.

Oliver loves to sit in our back yard and watch for people or dogs so he can run to the back corner and bark at them. He is the lookout for the other neighbor dogs to alert them when something is happening. 

A short update for this morning to with our little Japanese Chin a Happy Birthday, Oliver, we love you so much! 

Busy weekend and then got the yard mowed so Oliver can enjoy our back yard again

Tongue Out and Sleepy Oliver

Busy weekend with things happening both Friday and Saturday evening. It was a busy week too with meetings, a two day conference, and trying to get some lawn work done.

Picture of Oliver to the left is from Saturday as he was very sleepy from being up late on Friday night. He likes to go his kennel which we leave open all the time and never shut him in there any more, but it is his "safe" place when he needs to get away from us and sleep. On Saturday afternoon, he was so sleepy is little tongue came out and stayed out most of the afternoon. When his tongue comes out, you know he is sleepy and likely a bit grumpy too, so give him his space and let him do as he pleases through the day.

Friday started summer hours at work which is nice. Had a work gathering that evening and then already had plans for a trip to Lawrence for dinner. Had fun celebrating graduation by some colleagues as well as outstanding staff award for another colleague. Congrats to them all! I was only able to stay for about an hour before I had to head out to pick up Carrie and head to Lawrence. We went to Merchants Pub & Plate which if you have not been there, I highly recommend a visit. Good drinks and fun with family and friends.

Carrie Reading with Oliver

Saturday morning Carrie, Oliver, and I all slept later than normal which was nice. Saturday afternoon was so beautiful that Carrie went out and read for a while with Oliver. Oliver loves it as he can watch for people, and dogs, that are walking by and protect our home.

Saturday night we were meeting family for dinner at Blind Tiger and then Soliloquy for drinks. This was my second time to Blind Tiger in the past month or so and once again the food service was very slow. We waited for about 45 minutes for food and had reservations at 8:30 at Soliloquy. The last time I was at Blind Tiger took 45 - 60 minutes for food to be at our table. With no mention it was taking the kitchen either time a long time, this time we could not wait and decided to leave just as it was coming out to the table. Blind Tiger might want to start warning customers if it is going to be 45 minutes plus for food to be ready as that is just too long to wait for food.

We did have some apps while we were waiting for food which was good as that turned out to be the meal for the table. We left and arrived just in time for our 8:30 reservation at Soliloquy. If you have not heard of Soliloquy, be sure to check them out. They are in the same building where Circle Coffee is located, but with Circle Coffee being closed Saturday evening and not open on Sunday, Soliloquy is able to use the space to serve spirits, cocktails, and creating memories with a pop-up place to enjoy some drinks, snacks, and company on Saturday evening. So fun and what a great idea! It was our first time to Soliloquy and we will go back!

Sleepy Oliver... Keep 
Those Eyes Open!

After being gone last weekend to Texas and not having mowed the lawn in over two weeks, I had to mow on Sunday. Oliver does not like to go in the yard when the grass touches his belly. He will stand on the cement and do his business on some grass overreaching to the pavement. The only time he will go out in the grass, when it is long, is when there is someone walking with a dog. He forgets and runs out to the corner of our back yard to bark at the dog. Then, you can almost see him realize the grass is touching his belly and he will jog along the fence back toward the back patio where he will sit and watch for the next person to cross the street in back of our house.

Now, he can go in the back yard without blades of grass touching his belly. I got the lawn mowed, trimmed, and I used the blower to get other yard stuff away from the house. Oliver is set for another week in our back yard.

I trust you had a great weekend and hopefully you were able to enjoy the nice weather we had this weekend here in Kansas. Hoping we have some more nice days to come before it gets hot. Until next time, have a great week!

Hammock Time, Coffee, Reading, Yard Work, and Preparing for a Busy Week. How Was your Weekend?

Carrie in the Hammock

What wonderful weather we have had the past few weeks. Carrie has spent most evenings in our hammock with the nice weather. Oliver is usually close by or in the hammock with her. The picture to the right was taken Tuesday evening with a wonderful evening after we had been out to eat that evening, we got home, and Carrie went straight for the hammock. 

We did see the temperatures increase from 70's up to mid-90's on Saturday and Sunday. I mowed the last Sunday morning before it got too hot, but it will still pretty warm. 

Oliver and Carrie Outside Salut

Thursday night, we went to an awards ceremony for Carrie's work where they awarded medals to Bonner graduates. It was a fun evening to hear from Bonner graduates. After it was done, we went to Salut to have a drink on their patio. We took Oliver as he had been home all by himself for most of the day. He had so much fun sitting on the patio as people were leaving and arriving to Salut, they would ask if they could pet him, and he went crazy. He loves attention especially when it is from someone other than Carrie and I. Between guests arriving/leaving, he would look through the window at the people inside with a look on his face as though he did not understand why they were not outside seeing him or he was not inside with them. Funny guy!

Coffee and Reading at Circle Coffee

Saturday was a low key day for us with some errands in the morning and breakfast, coffee, and reading at Circle Coffee. We love it at Circle Coffee and spent almost two hours there drinking coffee, reading, and chatting.  It was a good day doing some housework when we got home in the afternoon. We grilled pork steaks along with some Brussels sprouts that we did all on the grill. Turned out great! We decided to have our bottle of wine we bought while in Miami the day we returned from our cruise. Wonderful evening hanging out and enjoying. Even though it was warm, it was not bad sitting outside as we grilled.

I mentioned I mowed this morning and spending the afternoon preparing for the week. Looking forward to a busy week and I will catch up with you next week.

Have a great week!

 

Weekend update with hammock time, Oliver enjoying sun/dirt, and going to the theater... Yard work the plan for Sunday afternoon... It is a good weekend!

Me in Hammock... Oliver in Sun/Dirt

Busy weekend with events Friday evening and then up early Saturday morning. Still, made time to relax in the hammock outside with Oliver. However, he found a nice spot in the yard with good sunlight and a patch of dirt. I will say, that is the only patch of dirt in the back yard, but he finds it and hangs out there any chance he gets.

Friday night we celebrated Carrie's birthday with her family. Yes, her birthday was a few weeks ago, but this was the first time we had to get together as a family to celebrate. Had a wonderful time at The Weather Room. Good drinks, food, and company was good to celebrate her birthday. A perfect ending to the week which seemed like a long week for some reason. I realized that we did not get any pictures Friday night so again I am trying to improve on taking pictures and capturing moments, but still thinking of it after the fact in most cases.

Saturday morning I was up early to attend an event on the Washburn campus for the new law building. Helped to make sure everything was working properly for the meeting being held in the still being constructed law building. It went off without a hitch.

Carrie went to auditions from 1 - 4 pm on Saturday and should hear on a part by Monday. So excited she is auditioning for plays. Hoping she gets a part so I can see Carrie on the stage again.

Saturday night, we were at Topeka Civic Theater to watch The Crucible. Had a fun time at the theater and the play was good. The last time I saw "The Crucible" was probably twenty years ago with Eddie was in the play. The cast did a good job although at the end it felt like it was anticlimactic as this play just ended and the cast came out on the stage. When Eddie was in the play, the end was intense with the sound of those being accused being hung. I still remember that feeling and we talked about it as we left the play last night. Still, the cast did a good job last night and we had a great time.

Sunday is a day to catch up again in the lawn. Need to mow again today and do some clean up from winter with limbs, leaves, etc. Should be a slow Sunday which is good as we prepare for another week. This week Carrie has her Bonner Event Thursday night that she is getting ready for and I plan to attend with her. 

Until next time, have a great week!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus on Big Green Egg Last Sunday… It Was So Good!

Decided to do some grilling last Sunday, March 26. It had been a while since I had grilled. Oliver was helping me get everything ready by being the lookout for the back yard as I got the grill ready. As soon as I come through the family room with the bag to do the fire, he leaps off of the couch and is ready to go outside with me. It was a bit chilly on Sunday, but we did not mind, and every time I went in, or out, of the house, Oliver was right there to help.

Carrie had picked up a pork tenderloin at the store, so we did some seasoning so we could marinate the two pork tenderloins in a plastic bag for a few hours before grilling. Prepped some asparagus to go on the grill too. I realized as I am writing that I neglected to get a picture of everything done plated. I always miss out on doing the final picture as excited to get to eating. Oliver and I had a grand time grilling. He patrolled the people walking and made sure I was doing everything properly. Carrie had bought some IPA beers for me when we were in St. Louis, so I was enjoying those while I grilled. It was so good! I want to grill more!

It had also been a while since I had used the Meater Block, so this was a chance to use those for this cook. Carrie likes pork a little more done, so I set both for a little longer on the grill. Once again, Meater did great and the pork was nice and juicy. The asparagus on the grill turned out really good too. A little crunch, but really good flavor. A little oil, salt and pepper, and right on the grill made for a delicious compliment with the pork tenderloin.

The meal was so good, we are planning to grill again today. Getting ready to head to the store to pick up groceries and we plan to get the pork marinating earlier this time. I will try to capture how we do the marinade so I can include that for next weeks update. I also plan to include a picture of the completed meal before I start chowing down. 

Oliver was so sleepy after helping with the cooking, he fell asleep shortly after we finished with dinner. His tongue out and sacked out while we cleaned up and watched television. Poor little guy worked so hard making sure I was doing everything correctly outside, he slept most of the night as we hung out in the family room. I am sure Oliver will hep today when I cook too and good thing I have a full bag of lump for the grill ready to go.

Hoping this weather sticks around as it is so great outside. The grass is greening up and will start to grow soon. I noticed my first mosquito yesterday afternoon while sitting outside on our patio. Good thing we have Mosquito Joe coming this week to start treatment on our yard. If you have not tried Mosquito Joe, I recommend you do so. When we were not using Mosquito Joe to treat our lawn, I could barely go in our back yard without getting eaten up. We have been using Mosquito Joe for three or four years now. 

I hope you have a great day and be sure to cheer on the Royals today at 1 pm. We need a win badly and also need run support. We are 0 - 2 to start the season and have a total of zero runs in those two games. It has been a rough start, but as they say, there are a lot of games to play.

Have a great week!

Pictures, Memories, and Goal for More Pictures in 2022 to Help with Blog Posts

Beautiful Sunset on 12/5/2022.

Leaving work one evening, I looked out across the Washburn University campus and it was so beautiful, I had to snap a picture. Captured the color of the sky, the lights of Winter Walk, and I could not resist taking a picture. What a way to start December with beautiful scenery as I am leaving work. I remember driving home that evening and I could not take my eyes off of the western sky as it lit my way home. Reminded me of all of the perfect sunrises and sunsets I saw as I went to and from work in 2021 (see January 2022 post). One of those where I know it is happening all the time, but I am not in the right location to see the beautiful sky when it does happen. 

I am trying to take more pictures which will certainly be a goal for 2023. How many times have I seen something and walked away thinking I should have taken a picture. It happens all the time and so I am trying to change and have actually been increasing my picture taking the past few months. I want to keep it going into 2023 though and take even more pictures. Doing so allows me to use pictures I take for posts and I can often times wrap around a story to the picture. The pictures also allow me to go back and review what we did during a specif week, month, or year as I find that I do that often these days reviewing the almost 9,000 images on my Flickr Account. The same pictures are synced to my iCloud account, so I see many pictures on my phone, desktop, and iPad throughout the day.

Oliver Sleeping and Warm Face

As you can imagine, there are a lot of pictures of our dog, Oliver. We take pictures when watching television and look over and he is sleeping. The one to the left Carrie sent me one day when it was cold in our house and he was sleeping, but keeping his face warm in the blankets. Poor guy cannot get warm enough in our drafty house. So, there he is on my Flickr page for my memories to see over-and-over as it continues to display for me over the next few months on my various devices. Seeing these pictures makes me smile and can help to bring a calm during a stressful day when pictures of our dog display on my screen saver of my phone.

Here we are a week out from Christmas Day. So much to do before next weekend both at work and at home. Short week for work, so that will be good. Looking forward to seeing family, friends, and enjoying some time off of work.

Have a great week before the holiday weekend!

Oliver Was Sad When I Was Away for a Conference Wednesday and Thursday Last Week

This past week, I did some traveling for work to a conference in Wichita. The conference was great! It was fun to be able to see and connect with peers from other Kansas institutions as well as our vendors who sponsor the conference. This post is not about the conference so much, but I wanted to say how great it was to be at a conference again in-person.

 

While I was gone, my dog missed me. Carrie sent me a few different pictures while I was out. The one to the left was the first night I was gone and he was laying on our sofa with his lamb (that is bigger than him) watching the kitchen door to see when I would return. Carrie shared with me that at night, Oliver would sit on the end of our bed watching our bedroom door to see when I would return. Then at night, he slept in my spot next to my pillow. Poor guy! 

 

It has been a while since I had been away from Oliver where Carrie was only left with him. Same for Carrie where she has not traveled anywhere without me, so this was a first for Oliver to have one of us gone and him wondering what happened. I think he missed me!

 

Oliver loves our back yard to watch for people. Again, while I was out, he was hanging out with Carrie in our back yard watching for people, other dogs, or anything that he could bark at, but he was also keeping an eye on Carrie to make sure she did not leave him too.

 

Of course Oliver, like humans, he loves routine and when the routine is broken it causes him some anxiety. He will have his normal day broken up next week as he has a day at the vet scheduled for multiple shots and spa day to get him smelling good. We think he likes his spa day at the vet, but he is exhausted when he gets back home in the evening and his whole day has been completely different from what he is used to doing when we are at work. That is to say, he is exhausted because he stayed awake to watch other dogs at the vet. Poor guy has to protect and announce the existence of those dogs to others.

 

It was a good week and flew by quickly! Unlike Oliver, it was a busy week with the two day conference in Wichita, KS. It breaks up my routine for the week, but I really have no routine any longer as every day is different which is good. I was able to stop by and see my sister and brother-in-law while I was in Wichita which was fun. Had dinner with them and chatted for an hour or two before I had to get on the road back to Topeka Thursday night. 

 

Routines are good but it is good to mix it up and have things be different too. Have a great week and we will chat later.