Sandal hunt , another trial & my babies as humans! {Weekly Check In}

 Ahhh - look at me... getting the feeling back in these finger tips click clacking away at the keyboard... let's take a look at this past week

PET CHATGPT
OK... I just had to. I hadnt been getting on the bandwagon on a lot of the Chat GPT things - mainly because I dont understand Chat GPT - but when it comes to dogs - I had do this one and MERCY - it made my whole day.  Putting in the pics of my boys & getting photos back of their Human versions.

Without further ado....

The smile on the "Ozzie Human" is cracking me UP ... & feels true to who he is.

I actually can see this. Wish Rusty's hair was a little redder - but yeahhhh - I see it.

& I've always said Ernie is a grumpy old man soul & I just see this man saying GET OFF MY LAWN so yep - this works too.  Even the spots on Ernie's face is on the human face LOL. I just wish the eyes were a little more different like Ernie's but this is funny.

GRADUATION AHEAD
Rusty had his run through for graduation next week.  Ricky is a nervous wreck though because he has to be solo on the mat with Rusty & my hubby is not a fan of any sort of attention.  Send them the best for Monday so our boy can pass on to the next class (if we want to continue) - I do know if we dont continue - we're going to have to continue with SOMETHING because he LOVES his outings & time to use that brain.  We'll see what happens.

Here's the chart his graduation will be based on..... GASP... we're going to be doing some run throughs this weekend FOR SURE

TRIAL AGAIN

I watched nearly every single day of the Karen Read case when it was going on last year.  When it came back as a hung jury, I thought it would be a long time before they trialed her again. Here we are.... the case started again last week & I'm back to watching Emily Baker on YouTube. I got hooked on Emily & being a "law nerd" during the Johnny Depp / Amber Heard Trial.  She's so entertaining to watch trials with - gives her knowledge as an attorney. Plus, she's fair - & has a great sense of humor.  If you are interested - HERES her YouTube link..  Now, my opinion - I dont think Karen Read seems like a likable person at all - but I dont think she killed this man. I think there's a lot of fishy stuff happening here.  HBO has a great documentary on this if you're interested in it too.

LATEST BUYS
We got this for our trips taking Rusty to training - or for when any other dog is in the car for a ride.  Its really nice to have my seats protected - & gives them a soft spot to lay.  I especially love it has clips on the side that will keep your dog in place so they're not jumping all over the place 

Click Pic for link for CAR DOG BED

Rusty just gets in the car now & immediately lays down - its like it keeps him calmer instead of wanting to roam around the car.

.....We've also been on a hunt for some good CHEWER toys.  On rainy days when the dogs cant get out - we need something to occupy the pup in Rusty & we've been snagging up on some good chew toys.  This is the latest one - looks like big ole pieces of meat (gag) - but the boys love it

Click HERE for link

... & Finally, the boys are getting new things - Momma needs a new pair of shoes. Literally.

I've been looking for some comfy sandals for summer.   I love sandals all spring/summer/fall long. But my feet arent doing great with little cheap sandals anymore.  So I'm on the hunt for some good support ones that are still cute.  I just got these & really am loving them.

Its funny - I thought theses were a LITTLE big & I just noticed I ordered a half size too big. But honestly, at the end of the day, its good there's extra room in these.  But they are so comfy & great support. The bottom has good traction too! 

I've got my eyes out for another pair of black sandals so I may be sharing those soon!

.... I did also buy these just to wear throughout summer - for a fast throw on - they are so comfy & they have some cute colors. I think I'm going to get my mom a pair of blue ones for Mother's Day.

Click HERE for link

KINDA WANT
I love my lounge chair in my library. Its where I spend a LOT - A LOTTT - of time. & its also where my dogs spend a lot of time. Its always been Ozzie's little hide away & now Rusty has joined us - he loves to lay there too.  Its the perfect spot for them to sit & look out over the front yard & of course bark at any delivery driver.  I've had my lounge chair for the longest & its still in pretty good shape, but we were walking through Sam's Club & I saw this chair & now... I kinda want.  I love its a large size so I could still sit in it & the dogs could still snuggle with me. I think they wouldnt be happy they couldnt look out the window so easily.... but they could lay over the top.  That it folds out to a twin size bed is fantastic though!  Even more space for dogs to lay on!!! ... but on days I want to stretch out & read..  I may not get this one - Ricky didnt care for the color - but now, I'm going to look for similar ones.

LATEST READS
I have always loved Anne of Green Gables... but never read the books.  A sweet friend of mine sent me the whole series a few years back & they've looked lovely sitting on my shelf.  Me & Nathalie were talking about classics & decided to give it a read together  HOW PRECIOUS!!!!   

Now, I know all about Anne from the show that was on in the 80's ... & now Anne with an E on Netflix is even more dramatic & magical... but of course, the book is so fun to see where these pieces come together.  

Nathalie is zooming through the whole series now. I've learned that for me - I need to take a break between books in a series - as long as there's no cliff hanger - so i'll read a few books & then go back to Avonlea to finish up the series this year.

LATEST OUTTING
Ricky & I went to the zoo on Easter.  We started doing that about 20 years ago.  We always loved going at the opening when the morning was fresh & just being surrounded by animals.  We headed out this year & got a later than usual start.  It was definitely more crowded than we are used to - we're early birds at most places - get in & out before crowds.  Zoo - grocery - any store really.  But it was still fun to see all the animals active.  

Our elephants are getting ready to be retired to a sanctuary in the new few weeks so we're glad we got to go out & see them before they leave.  Elephants just amaze me.  Did you see the ones in San Diego zoo with the earthquake & how they instinctively know to go protect their young? Nature is incredible.

Giraffes are one of my favs too - just to walk them walk - they're so elegant.

The Polar Bear was super active & putting on a show for us - swimming & flipping & kicking off the glass.  He must have had extra chocolate eggs in his basket for the day.

& after watching all the live footage of the baby eagles - it was so beautiful to see this eagle up close. They really are majestic birds

How was your week?

Do you have any good sandal recommendations?

Do you have a zoo near you?

Have you tried Chat GPT for your pet yet?

Welcome to the Aussie Gang

 Its just crazy that I left blogging after awhile because of losing 2 dogs in one year was just too much for me... & now, I'm venturing back in with the addition of a new fur baby to our gang.

When we lost Harvey Dent - I'm telling you, it left a HOLE. Losing every dog we've had has been the absolute worse. There is nothing harder.  Something about Harvey Dent hit so different. He truly was our soul dog. He MADE himself known in our family so with him gone - its indescribable the emptiness.  Ernie even took it so hard. It took him monthssssss before he started acting like himself again.   

Ozzie - he just cares about his frisbee & silver ball. LOL

Ernie is 7 years old & has always been a grumpy guy - an old man at heart. Ozzie is 4 & full of life & still acts like he's a few months old with his energy. So we had been looking for another dog to keep Ozzie occupied.  What to do - get a rescue - find a puppy?  I really wanted to save a dog because Harvey Dent was our rescue too & I just feel like rescue dogs know they've been saved & that's why they love harder. Zoe was the same.  

I was in touch with a rescue center for a few dogs & that fell through - Ricky was chatting with an Aussie breeder down in Kentucky that has puppies & then our neighbor shared a post of a red tri that needed to be rehomed. Ricky told me - reach out & see what you can find.  

Everything after that went pretty fast.  The post on FB was actually posted for her brother & she gave me his number & we decided to meet up the next day. OK - looks like we may be doing this.

We get out of the car & meet Mr. Ramsey.  

The first meeting! He's like - are these my new brothers?

We took our 2 boys with us to see how they would do. Neutral ground is always the best for meet ups.

The previous owners were so nice & explained why they wanted to rehome him & it was just going to be a good situation for everyone. I felt so bad taking Ramsey from them because they had him since he was 8 weeks old.... & he had just turned one year old the week before.  So this family was all he ever knew.

I made sure to get their phone number & promised lots of pictures & updates ... they will always know how this little boy is doing.

We loaded up & then Ernie was like - hold up - this dog is coming HOME with us? ... we knew Ernie was going to take some adjusting.  He was the same when we brought Ozzie home & Ozzie was an itty bitty puppy.  Luckily Ramsey was so sweet & just tried to buddy up with the two boys.

We got home & let them in the back yard ... & we showed Ramsey his new home.

He immediately was running & scoping everything out & learning where everything was.  It was a lot ot take in

He was anxious the first night... trying to find his bearings.  And the worst part - storms were coming in overnight so we had such big winds & we wanted to keep him separate from the dogs so he could settle in.... I think that made him even more anxious.  Being in a new home. Being with new people. He wouldnt drink any water - he wouldnt go to the bathroom ALL night long. He just paced. Needless to say - I got 3 hours sleep that night.  I took him outside through the night & sat with him. Ozzie went out whenever I did & I'd play with Ozzie & Ramsey was like, what is this?  We play at 2am in the morning here?  .... the wind was something else. It was an exhausting night for me.  When Ricky got up at 6am - I told him, this shift is HIS & I took a 2 hour nap.  

After a 4am play time

The next day, more storms were rolling in so we got an early play time session outside & then it was a lot of being in the living room  &getting to know us really well.  Of course, there's the male dominance thing to find their pecking order - but honestly - its been a really smooth transition.

He was potty trained so he knew immediately how to use the doggie doors watching the other 2 & no issues in the house.  He is the SNUGGLIEST little guy - loves to just lay on top of you & snuggle HARD. I missed that from Harvey Dent.

And some of you are like - wait - who is Ramsey?
You all know him by a different name... 

I just had the hardest time with saying the name Ramsey.  It kept coming out Ramsiesies ... see - even spelled out, its weird. With my lisp, it just wasn't connecting with my brain for some reason & the S was tripping me up.  We kept using it on him & he wasn't responding to it with us anyways. I'm sure it was the excitement with the new surroundings - but we thought this was a good time to change it if we were going to.  Well, with most of our dogs, we love having superhero names to go with our babies .... so we went with Rusty! We figured the R sound at the start & the Y at the end was an easy transition from Ramsey to Rusty - & honestly - he's picked up on it really well.  I think the training class really helped him take to it well

And his color - Rusty fits him so well

So Rusty Collins Vincent it is!

And the cool thing - Rusty Collins in the Marvelverse is knowns as FIREFIRST... he has red hair & he controls FIRE! I mean..... come on. This is perfect for our household with our own Redhead in Ricky DEFEATING fire!  

It is funny - we DID almost go with the name from the kid in Christmas Story - the red head - with yellow eyes - So help me God - YELLOW EYES! .... but Scut Farkus didnt seem like a fun name to say over & over. LOL

I wanted something fun to do with him so he would learn to trust us - & with us always teaching dogs that are puppies or up to 6 months, I thought it would be a smart idea to take Rusty to a training class. I think its just been the best thing we could have done.

It's given him something to look forward to - he KNOWS when its training class days. & he's learned the clicker & knows treats are soon to follow.  I think its helped him learn to trust us & connect & bond with us too.  Especially with Ricky.  & I'm not just being a proud parent but I really think he's the best in the class. ... as I'm sure every dog owner in the class would (& should) say.

He really does hit it out of the park though on tricks. He's the only dog in the class that has learned to SPIN and also ROLL OVER.  Our little trickster.

The training has helped us though because he LOVES to grab things & run under the bed with them & would growl if you try to take it away.

The sitting command & "leave it" has worked wonders in our home.

One of the things we always love about having multiple dogs it that they learn so well from the other.  Rusty has already learned from Ozzie how to play. He knows if you bring the ball back to me or Ricky, its a fun fest for hours.  People are always amazed at how well our dogs "retrieve" .... you dont have to chase a toy down - they'll gladly drop it right in your lap & it took Rusty just about a week before learning the ways of the masters on that.

Funny thing is, we wanted Rusty to help keep Ozzie occupied - now I have TWO dogs that bring me toys & want me to throw them all day long.....

I'm OK with that.

Rusty also loves my work from home days.  He's learned right away that when I go into my office, he gets snuggles all throughout the day... & a good mid day play session at lunch.  

It works so well that he only has 2 days a week where we both go to work & even then, Ricky is home early on those days. Its funny because I watch them when I'm at work on the camera & all 3 of them just sleep for those hours we're both away from home.  They probably think FINALLY, we get a break from mom & dad. LOL

Its been just the best thing to happen to have this little red guy in our home... it honestly couldnt have gone better.  Timing was perfect. All the other dogs we looked at ... this was the little guy who was meant to be part of our family ... & I'm so thankful

Welcome to the Aussie Gang my sweet boy!

Welllll.... let me dust off the cobwebs

 June 17th.... I'm actually creeping up to nearly a year of no blog posts.  Who would have ever thought!

I will say, my sweet friend Dana did a post on BeReal & she was blogging & I was like "WHAT DAT?" - & it tugged at me. I did this for so long & I pulled it up & just read my last post.... & of course, teared up. Man, we still miss Harvey Dent - & I cry over him on the regular.  But I also look back & see SO MANY MEMORIES..... & this is making me miss blogging.

I will say - through this past year, I feel like the world has changed. I've changed too. If you dont change through a life time & grow & learn, & seek to find your voice in things you dont agree with -  then what are you doing in life?  Finding your own opinions, your limits, your strengths - that's not a bad thing at all.  The things you learn about yourself as you "grow up" - that's a keyword for menopause by the way.  Menopause definitely changes a person. Dont let anyone tell you anything different.

So... I'm venturing back into my old blog place... for my memories & my enjoyment & sharing the joys I have in my world, the frustrations I feel, the sadness & struggles. Life - its all life. 

I welcome everyone to check in.... see how my life is - so I can see how yours is. I miss a lot of my blogging friends. Does anyone still blog anymore? LOL.... has it made its comeback yet? Because every good thing spins back around again.  I think the craze of 80's grunge jeans is a testament to that!  & I do hear "the bloggers" still on random Housewives shows so it HAS to still be a thing, right?

So let's do a quick little catch up....

* Ricky & I celebrated our 29th anniversary in October - so the triple decade is coming up.  Granted, we've been together 33 years & just WOW. Where does time go.  The Hubby is doing just fine.  Still obsessed about his grass & making sure its looking good now that Spring has arrived.  & of course, I still force him to go to musicals & listen to the repeat of WICKED playing in our home.  He's a good sport.  

* My twin nieces are now 20 years old... cough. Finding their place in the world. If you're needing a personal trainer in my area, be sure to check out Sophia - shes building up a good clientele

* My mom is still living in the same house & still has the two horses that me - (mainly Ricky)- & my brother share 'Custody' of.  & yep, the horses are still doing good. Cochese is nearly 24 now - I think -I always forget... & Baby is now coming up on 8 years old on May 5th!  She's still snuggly & sweet.

* The grands are still growing. One has a license now. Another has his permit. & I cant bear the thought of any of it. Julie's youngest will be starting middle school next year!  

The twin grands in Florida will be starting 1st grade next year & are HOCKEY PLAYERS! You know their Pappy is so happy about that!

* The Nashville gang just moved into Julie's dream house & so proud of her!  & the Florida gang also got settled in their new home awhile back ... & of course, our little Hippy girl in Minnesota is just living her life in her own happy way.  Love her free spirit!

* I'm still a reading fool!!! So many good books this year so far. Cant wait to share my books with you again.

* Life is still boring ... but is that a bad thing? I think not.

* & the biggest thing right now... we have a new addition!  We finally got a Red Aussie.  I'll have to share his story in a post coming up.  He's brought so much to our home & we're so thankful to have him.  Our home really did feel so empty with just 2 dogs & having 3 big dogs playing in our living room where you cant move - ahhh - that feels nice.  I still feel like I need one more small dog to make it complete - I do love having a small dog in my lap.  We'll see where that leads. 

So I'm going to ease back into this little corner of my world.... I really did enjoy doing the weekly check in - its doable to post & chalk up some memories & doings & buyings (is that a word?) & thoughts ... & if anything special or important - I may do an extra post a week - but we'll see about dipping this toe back into the blogging ocean & see if the waves carry me away! 

Glad to be back home.