Well, they are sort of playing...

Don't look at the pet feet--I did a trim 2 weeks ago, but it's so cold they are growing hair on their feet all the time!!

Yesterday morning, Duffy and Lanny engaged in some tug playing with Froggy.  And it probably involved some who could claim ownership too!!  Only once before has Duffy got involved in a tug game, so I was happy to see this. Duffy has not initiated any play with Lanny, he's just not into toys anymore and if he wants to play, it's with his humans not other dogs. It's like the only child that spends more time with adults than with kids, and consequently always feels more comfortable with them.  Ahem--that was me!!

Duffy and Lanny just aren't a good fit--at least at this point.  Lanny obsesses about Duffy, Duffy obsesses about food--what a neurotic little household!! LOL  Things would have been better, I think, if Lanny was a submissive dog, or maybe I had got a small dog that Duffy could always feel protective towards.  They both need to be only dogs, but for different reasons. Maybe this will change as Lanny gets older, I don't know.  But it's really tiring, at a time when I am stressed to the max with so many other things.

It snows, and snows, and snows, and snows.  And when it doesn't snow, we have freezing rain, which makes things so treacherous, and then makes shovelling the walks 5 times as hard. We had a couple of days here and there that weren't bad--actually got above 0'C (32'F) but it's mostly cold, and too much wind that makes it colder.  It's all so depressing, especially since it's been like this since the beginning of November.

My friend Jacqueline, her husband, and 2 kiddies are visiting from Australia--poor guys!! Jacqueline and I went to see Hobbit 2 and went to supper for my birthday, and then we all went for supper one Saturday.  But they have endured an intestinal bug, now the flu is going through their ranks, and in a week they will be back to sunny Oz.  Their holiday has to rank up there with 10 worst holidays ever!! Crappy weather and being sick--yuck!!

Christmas was a non-event in so many ways.  I took Dave to the ER on December 19 and he's still in hospital.  He had a recurrence of the shortness of breath, no energy, etc. that led to his hospitalization in January and to an angioplasty. He's had quite the 2 weeks with hospital experiences--a screaming hollering woman who did this for 30 hours before she was moved out of the room--yes here they mix male and female patients in one room, which I think is so wrong for so many reasons. She was moved, only after she almost bit the finger off a nurse!! Isn't there a psych unit for these cases??Then there are the 3rd world immigrant staff that empty human waste containers while the patients are eating--gag. He lost it that evening and reamed the idiot out and called the charge nurse.  They have on his chart, "patient is agitated", probably a few times.  Yeah well, with having no sleep for 30 hours and your meal ruined, who wouldn't be?  He's had all sorts of tests and will have some more today. He had a relapse on Sunday for about 6 hours and that was scary.

All this has made me have to think about a different life than the one I envisioned on the farm--we may not be able to handle it.  That makes me so sad.  I finally have my heart's desire and it's too late.  I ate my Christmas dinner by myself and Santa never came here this year!! It's depressing to have the one family member you've got, in hospital for Christmas.

Then there are lawyers--got the estate lawyer's bill just before Christmas and I almost had a heart attack.  I have to liquidate some of my retirement savings to pay it--over $52,000--because he chose to use the % of the estate to calculate the fee.  Yes, I guess it's allowed, but it seems so greedy for the work he actually did to probate a will. All in all any faith I had in human kind is at an all time low, and I realize more completely than ever before that most people are motivated by greed.  I am going to have to sell a quarter just to pay the upcoming lawyer bills, the taxes, etc.  Some inheritance.

All I can do is hope that 2014 is going to be better and that some of these issues, health and other wise will be resolved.  In the meantime, it's time to shovel!!

Happy New Year!!