The View

One of the things that Tony and I enjoy doing is sitting on the patio listening to music and taking in the view.  We can see the common area across the street that is filled with flowers, tall palm trees waving in the breeze and  neighbors walking by. 

 

We have a new view now.  Construction on the house next door started yesterday. 

 

Now, instead of flowers we see mud.  Heavy equipment rocks and rolls over the lot dropping stones where the driveway will be and people  walking by our house have to walk in the street now because the sidewalk is the staging area.

 

And so it begins--new neighbors, no view.

 

 

 

 

Dixie is bummed--she used the lot as a playground....and potty!

 

 

Wordless Friday--Words Included: Fashion-ista!

 

 

We will be in Cleveland at the end of the month for Emma's baptism...in case the weather gets bad we bought Dixie a  coat.  Tony never wanted to buy Jack doggie clothes because he thought the other male dogs would make fun of him...but it's different with Dixie..she shivers when it's cold or when she is afraid...so, she has  a new coat...check it out:

 

 

 

Dixie says, "what the hell now...wasn't the spa day enough?

 

"OK, so I'm wearing this coat...now what????"

 

"Daddy...I'm begging you....take this thing off of me....."

 

 

 

"OK, OK....I know I'm cute, lose the coat...:"

 

"Daddy, I'm  begging you...get this f*****ing thing off of me....."  I'll be cold....NO PROB!!

 

 

 

Dixie's Day At The Spa

As we continue to learn about the Shih Tzu breed, we realized it was time to take Dixie to a groomer  to get her hair cut.  It was difficult putting on her leash because her hair was so long we couldn't clip the leash to the harness, and her "girl parts" were getting dirtier every time she went out.

 

Today was her fist day  at "the spa," a lovely place called "Splish Splash Dog Wash".  It gives you the option to wash your own dog or have it done professionally.....we chose the professional services and got Dixie the "Full Groom."  That means, she got a bath, hair dried,  nails done, face trimmed and "butt cut" as well as the "sanitary" girl attention.  Now, for those of us who have been to a Spa, we know that this should have felt like heaven....but, this was Dixie's first time.  She was a bit skeptic and concerned and fluctuated between enjoying it and fussing like a straight guy attending a gay fashion show.

 

I have put my hair dryer on the floor next to her in anticipation of this procedure and have said over and over again, "Nice Hair Dryer."  It didn't matter, as soon as I turned it on, she bolted.   I have turned on my electric  razor so she can hear the sound of it and get used to it--she didn't.  She runs and hides whenever we turn on electrical appliances.  So, here we are, giving her to strangers, who gave her a bath, dried her off and then cut her hair and did her nails.....she was not a happy dog.

 

I couldn't take it...and I had to work at the hospital, so Tony was the one who braved the crying and fear.  He said it was tough initially because like any parent, you can pick out your baby's cry and he knew that she was afraid....but, after 2 hours, she emerged an absolute Goddess!  She has a "puppy cut (half of the length of her hair was cut off),  her eyes are not full of hair anymore, her  belly is trimmed as well as her little butt.  She lost about a half a pound just being trimmed and looks fantastic.

 

I have posted before and after pictures.  We will do this at least twice a year, maybe more.  We loved the facility and how Dixie looks.   She's really cute!    As she gets older, maybe she will enjoy her Spa days, but for right now, going there is like a guy going in for hernia surgery--you know it has to be done...but, geez!!!

 

 

Dixie Before:

 

 

 

 

Dixie After:



 

 

 

 

Is she cute or what!!!!

 

You Never Forget The Great Ones

I don't think it's a secret to anyone that most of Parker Hannifin thought that Tony was the Head of Aviation and not his "boss," Al.  Tony dressed and acted in a professional manner.  He provided superior customer service to his clients--from Group Presidents to drivers and secretaries--he treated everyone equally and with respect.  

 

Tony was invited to more holiday parties given by various Parker divisions than the entire flight department combined.  He was well liked and well respected at Parker Hannifin and still is.

 

Parker has a "newsletter" for it's retired staff and Tony was interviewed for it a few months ago.  We got the finished product today and the article about him was great.  It, too, said that he "managed" the Flight Department and even mentioned that it took  more than an hour for people in the receiving line  to get to talk to Tony when he went to PH headquarters for his retirement cake and ice cream party. 

 

The article talked about Tony being able to concentrate on painting now and how his Amelia picture is on loan to the Women's Aviation Museum at Burke Lakefront airport. It's a terrific representation of how Tony is loving the retirement life and exercising his creative side.  We'll bring it to Cleveland when we come.

 

 

 

Parker's Retiree Newsletter

 

The Article

 

A Close-up of the Headline

 

When Mothers and Daughters Fight

 

 

The mother-daughter relationship can be a wonderful thing.  You see your daughter going through the same things you did when you were her age.  You remember the self doubt and the feelings of wanting to fit in.  You feel an emptiness when she gets to the age when you are not her top priority any more.  And you feel absolutely destroyed when the two of you fight.

 

My mother and I used to fight a lot.  I guess all mothers and daughters fight and I guess they all have said, like my mother used to...."I hope when you grow up you have 10 daughters exactly like you, then you'll see what I have had to deal with." 

 

I think that statement lives in Dixie.

 

Dixie is still a baby and as such, she is still cutting her teeth.  She bites and chews whatever she can get her paws on.   That's fine when it's her dog or her toys, but she also bites Tony and I and the furniture. 

 

I have two bookcases in my office (um...I mean Dixie's playroom....) that are old, but are still quite use-able.  We have Dixie's cage in front of them so there is still room to navigate around the room.  Well, Dixie navigates alright...she has been moving her cage and chewing on the bookcases.  She wedges herself in between the cage and the bookcases and just pushes the cage until she can get all the way in and then the "feast" begins. 

 

I caught her today and sternly and in my best "this is your mother talking, you better listen" voice, said "NO!!!"   She ignored me.  I got up and said, "NO!!!" again.  She continued to ignore me and went right on chewing.  I went over to her, picked her up and said, "NO!!!" again and put her in her cage for time out. 

 

Well, that's when the fight really started.  She barked and barked and barked.  It was as if she was saying, "you can't do this to me, I'll call Child Protective Services--let me out!!"  She barked and I barked right back.  It was quite a fight.   I left her in there until she settled down and stopped barking.  I let her out and she came over to my chair and sat there looking up at me, making little whining sounds, saying, I thought, "I'm sorry, Mommy."   I picked her up and put her in my lap and she promptly nipped my arm, making it bleed.  Clearly, the fight was not over.

 

I again said, "NO!!" which is starting to be the most used word in my vocabulary and put her on the floor.  "Back in your cage, " I said to her, which is when she took off running around the room.  I couldn't catch her, so I had a better idea.  I put her stuffed dog in the cage and locked it and said to the dog, "you are in time out until Miss Dixie can behave."

 

I must admit, this threw Dixie for a loop.  She stopped running and went over to the cage, looking curiously at her dog and then at me.  She started to pull the dog's arm through the bars of the cage, but she couldn't get it out so she tried again, this time by pulling on it's ear.  She pulled and pulled, but "Cage Puppy" stayed put.

 

After a while, she settled down next to the cage, near her dog.  I got up and opened the cage door, while Dixie ran past me and pulled out her dog.   She decided she was hungry at that point and went to the kitchen for some food, pulling her dog along with her.  I think she was afraid to leave it alone with me!

 

The mother-daughter relationship can be a wonderful thing....but if this is how we fight when she's a baby, how will I survive her teenage years?

 

 

The crime

 

The punishment

 

The real victim!

 

Dixie put her dog in front of her food and ate over it.  She seems to be telling the puppy not to worry, she won't let that mean old Mommy lock her in the cage again!

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Has Sprung

When we were sure winter was over in Cleveland my mother would start spring cleaning.  She would open the windows and attack one room after another.  It was a process that went on for days.  But after she was finished, the house smelled clean and she was content.   It was like we were starting over for the new year.

 

I had that feeling yesterday.  The weather was beautiful so I opened the windows and Tony and I shampooed the carpets.  After that, I cleaned the wood floors and did lots of laundry.  It was a good working day.  We rewarded our efforts by sitting in the sun in the backyard.

 

Dixie loved being out.  She explored the yard and watched the birds.  She can always find something to keep herself busy. 

 

We put the telephoto lens on our camera and I got some good yard pictures.  Today is  another beautiful day in Leland and I hope winter is a memory for us and all of our friends and family. 

 

What we saw:

 

 

Here is a bird exploring the house that Jenna and Jon got Tony

 

Two birds enjoying lunch next door at the feeder

 

Trees starting to bloom against the blue sky

 

Here's a bird sitting on a post checking out his territory

 

Contrails

 

Dixie scoping out a bird

 

Blackbirds in a tree

 

A gliding hawk

 

Dixie

 

More contrails

 

A wet dog--we gave Dixie a bath after her backyard adventures

 

Cole's First Easter

The first year of a child's life is just that--a life full of firsts--first Christmas, first Easter, first birthday....it's exciting for family to watch and enjoy how the "firsts" unfold.

 

We were lucky to witness Cole's first Easter.  He went to church and was dressed in brown shorts, a white short sleeved shirt and the cutest little brown pull over sweater.  He was quite the fashion plate. 

 

Before dinner, we gave him his Easter basket and of course, took a ton of pictures.  I had to laugh when I read Jenna's blog...her kids were making colored eggs and Cole was breaking them!!  We were staging pictures and put the carton of colored eggs in front of Cole....he must have been taken with the colors because he grabbed the carton and flipped it over, spilling the eggs on the floor.  He had  good time watching them roll.  He picked them up and spiked them to his blanket and then rolled them in Tyson's direction. By the time we put them back in the carton, they were pretty beat up.    What fun he had!!  And what fun to watch.

 

Cole is getting so big.  I think Marie said he was 17 or 18 pounds.  He is sitting up longer and reaching for toys.  He has cute chubby legs and his hair is getting longer.  He's a happy baby and we had fun with him.

 

Here are a few of his cuter moments!

 

 

Love the hat!!

 

Hanging with the men

 

Showing off his toes

 

First Easter baskets

 

A card from Papa and MoMo...check out the carton of eggs--it's about to be history!

 

Ah ha..."I wonder if they roll?"

 

"Yup....they roll..."

 

"AND THEY DROP!!!!"

 

"Watch my dropping technique!!"

 

"Watch my throw....catch Tyson!!"

 

"Hey, they crack on the floor!!"

 

Toys and a card from Mommy and Daddy

 

"I like Easter!!"