Ice happens

[altivo]

Like yesterday. It was dry in Harvard, but halfway home started raining so hard I needed front and rear wipers going. Then came the ice. When I got home, walking on the driveway to get to the mailbox was treacherous to say the least. Gary says when he got to school down in DeKalb it was even worse: cars parked on the top level of the parking ramp had slid downhill on the ice after being parked. He didn't think there was any serious damage, but getting it untangled was probably a chore.

In the news: Brownie box camera found in footlocker supposedly contained undeveloped black and white film shot at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. See photos here. I'm skeptical, though. black and white film is more durable than we think, but 69 years without climate control is really too much for images of this quality to have survived.

[EDIT: Photos are legit, story is a hoax. Details here.]

Made stir fry for dinner with ginger, garlic, cherry vinegar, teriyaki, chicken, and lots of veggies. I blame Miktar, who described something similar yesterday and made me think about it all day. It did turn out well, though.

Got a request to update health records for my dog, Simon, who has been part of a health study for bearded collies ever since he was about 2 years old. Difficult to have to report that he's having old age related issues now: hearing and eyesight fading, arthritis, and some tumors that may not be benign. His 14th birthday was last week though, so in human terms he's about 80 years old. None of those would be surprises. So far his quality of life is still OK, thank goodness, and he's happy, hungry, and waggy, just slowing down.

Comments

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

So far his quality of life is still OK, thank goodness, and he's happy, hungry, and waggy, just slowing down.

:o) 14 is pretty darn good: only one of our dogs made it that far. My sister had one that made it into her late teens if not early twenties. Sweet little pup was stone deaf and her whole face was pure white at the end.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We've had a couple of larger dogs, golden retrievers, who made it to 15 or so. Gary would like a Newfoundland, but they really don't last long enough. At eight they're elderly, and that's too short. I'm hoping we can get another golden. They are the best dogs we've had, though I still love Simon and want him here as long as he can stand to stay.

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

wow those pictures are amazing :O

sounds like you ate well :) give your pup a hug :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'll do that, though he gives really WET hugs.

[jon-a-wolf.livejournal.com]

It's tough to watch our beloved canine friends grow so old isn't it? Fourteen is a ripe old age for nearly any dog and I'm happy to hear that he is still doing well.

None of my dogs have reached that benchmark yet although there I do hope that the old one I have left will live that long. She's eleven years old and is doing pretty good for a dog the weighs over one hundred pounds(my avatar is a pic of her).

I did lose one old friend this past summer though; she was around twelve years old and was doing well enough for a big dog (She was an Alaskan malamute) until cancer of the spleen took her.

I did bring home a pup several months back. That did wonders for both the health and mood of the old dog, who seemed to mourn the loss her old friend as much as I did.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's the worst thing about dogs. They just don't live long enough. :(

You only get to know them and really grow close and then they're gone it seems. Your old girl is kinda hefty. Is she husky or malamute? I like the "self-satisfied" expression in the photo.

We lost our favorite golden retriever to cancer of the spleen. He was just nine years old at the time, and we had no clue anything was wrong until he just suddenly quit eating. It's certainly difficult. Every time, I cry and mope and say "no more dogs" but in a few months another one appears...

[jon-a-wolf.livejournal.com]

Your old girl is kinda hefty. Is she husky or malamute?

104lbs of purebred Alaskan Malamute, and the biggest goof in the world. I have a real love for the breed and she is the second one I've had.

Dogs don't live long enough for sure, but I'm not sure I'd want them to live much longer. Even after ten or twelve years it is incredibly hard to say goodbye. I think it would only become more difficult to let them go if their lives were longer...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, that's a relief. A malamute can carry a hundred pounds. A husky is really overloaded at that weight. ;D

I don't know either breed really well, alas, beyond the "Ooh, pretty dog," and *pet pet*. They aren't so common down here, probably because our summers can be pretty steamy, though I guess some folks just up into Wisconsin are doing the sled racing thing.

The retrievers and the herding dogs are more familiar to me, but when you get past the appearances and the superficial urges that have been selected into different breeds, dogs are all the same wolf underneath. Smart, loyal, good communicators and even listeners. As I said, no matter how much it hurts at times, I can't live without them.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*sits at the table waiting for that stir fry, a cute napkin around his neck and holding his knife and fork expectantly*

So who ends up being at fault if a car slides due to ice in a parking garage and hits another?

Simon is probably in the same boat as my cat, she now has fits if she hears a crackling papery sound.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I don't know the answer to the question about parked cars sliding on the ice. It's a slippery issue. (yuk yuk)

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*looks at you askance and face paws*