Once again we are in Germany. We have been here two weeks almost and I am missing our 4-legged sweetness. But- patience is a virtue they say and we will be home late Sunday night. I can already imagine their excitement when they hear us pull up into the driveway. Bentley will be moaning non-stop and Roux will be unable to stop bouncing. Walter will be sounding off in his cute little shriek/ barky voice and Bridgette will be moving pretty fast for an 'ole girl steadily wagging her tail. Something I always look forward to when we have been off seeing the world.
Last time we were here in this part of the world I began a travel blog. Once again for those of you interested, here is the link: https://karenraye12.wordpress.com/
I hope everyone is doing well. December is upon on us and the holidays will soon be here. Time flies by, doesn't it?
Till next time,
Karen Raye
(doing without the 4-legged sweetness temporarily...)
words of wisdom, words of fear, words of love, words of huh? i don't know. whatever i feel like writing about. definitely about dogs and specifically at times about my big 'ole silly airedale bentley and his siblings, food and travel. we love to cook. and eat. and really love cheeseburgers. we also like to explore.
05 December 2012
24 October 2012
Bloomin' Fool
Of a bougainvillea, that is. I planted this crazy bloomer a little less than two years ago when we moved back to our house in Lake Jackson. It was no bigger than two feet tall then but look at it now. I guess it is happy. We are too.
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| The biggest Woofer checking out his turf |
02 October 2012
and then?
Good grief. Where does time go? Ever since we arrived back from our month long journey in Europe I haven't found the time to post. I finally finished the Rome post this morning on the travel blog. Here is the link- http://karenraye12.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/lest-we-forget-rome/ for those of you that are still interested.
It is so good to be home and I have thoroughly enjoyed the love and doggie kisses from all of our 4-legged's. It's funny how you miss all the loud woofs, crazy water puddles that the Roux leaves everywhere when she finishes getting a long drink, and the daily vacuuming. Wait a minute- I lie, not the vacuuming! Just the goofy doggie antics. I apologize for no pics but I will pick up the camera again soon. Until then, have a great week!
It is so good to be home and I have thoroughly enjoyed the love and doggie kisses from all of our 4-legged's. It's funny how you miss all the loud woofs, crazy water puddles that the Roux leaves everywhere when she finishes getting a long drink, and the daily vacuuming. Wait a minute- I lie, not the vacuuming! Just the goofy doggie antics. I apologize for no pics but I will pick up the camera again soon. Until then, have a great week!
13 September 2012
A little weary but glad to be home
The other Momma and I finally made it back from our European holiday/ work trip. Really missed the 4-legged's but they enjoyed their Aunt Valerie as she spoiled them rotten. The biggest Woofer aka as the Bentman or Bentley decided to fall in love with his Aunt Valerie. I have never seen him bond so completely to anyone other than Kris and I. He terrorized her by waking her up every night at 2am and 4am to give her big wet doggie kisses and woof till she loved on him. Then he'd let her go back to sleep for a small dog nap. Go figure.
Anyway, I wanted to share our travel blog on Word Press with those of you that would like to read about our travels. The link is http://karenraye12.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/in-the-beginning/ and I haven't finished the last leg of our travels yet but all that is left right now is Rome. We do plan on posting a few entries about the culture, food, politics, impressions left on us, etc. in the near future.
One thing I can say is that I loved our trip and all the interesting people we met. I hope everyone out there in Blogger land is well and I will begin catching up on your posts soon.
Till next time,
Karen Raye &
my sweet 4-legged crew
Anyway, I wanted to share our travel blog on Word Press with those of you that would like to read about our travels. The link is http://karenraye12.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/in-the-beginning/ and I haven't finished the last leg of our travels yet but all that is left right now is Rome. We do plan on posting a few entries about the culture, food, politics, impressions left on us, etc. in the near future.
One thing I can say is that I loved our trip and all the interesting people we met. I hope everyone out there in Blogger land is well and I will begin catching up on your posts soon.
Till next time,
Karen Raye &
my sweet 4-legged crew
19 July 2012
Holiday in Europe
What do windmills, yummy cheese, frites, castles, and a blue grotto have in common?
A fabulous adventure in The Netherlands, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Italy! Kris has to go to Terneuzen (The Netherlands) for work in August and I am tagging along. Our thoughts are- if one aireplane ticket and some of the accommodations are paid for through work, we can pay for the rest to get me there so we can explore a part of the world we may never get a chance to do again. Right?
We are going a week and 1/2 early to visit Amsterdam for 4 days, then mosey down through West Germany to explore Cologne, Aachen or Koblenz, Cochen, Baden-Baden, and Trier.We will then then zip over to Luxemburg City in where else but Luxemburg and also Vianden to check out the Valley of Seven Castles. Then we zip up to Maastricht for a bit and head back to Terneuzen for two weeks of work.
It will be quite a whirlwind but hey, how often do you get a chance to do something like this? While Kris is working with the Dutch, Germans, and others from around the globe, I will explore Terneuzen which is primarily a DOW town on the North Sea all by myself. Bicycles are one of the main ways to get around in the The Netherlands so I will be renting one and peddling off the calories I ingest!
After the first official work week ends, we will drive over to Belgium to visit Brugge and Ghent. I have to buy some Belgium chocolate and Kris will need some frites. We end the next work week down in Karlsruhe, Germany which is right around the corner from Baden-Baden where we will have visited during the 1st week in Europe. We will then drive up to the aireport outside of Frankfort to hop a local plane to Rome. Then jump a train to Napoli so we can explore the surrounding area including a blue grotto off the Isle of Capri, check out Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, and head back to Rome for 4 days. Whew- I know it is a lot but we have a list that are the must-sees and if we don't get to see it all, it is OK. We will just throw coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome to ensure that we will get to come back one day.
The one thing I would like to do is spot an Airedale somewhere along our journey and I have faith that it may happen. So far we've seen one in NYC from the 20th floor in our hotel room- though I couldn't get down the elevator fast enough to say hello. When we were in Salem, Ma. I acted like a crazy person when I spotted a 'Dale in the parking lot of a local hotel and I was able to get my doggie fix . And last time we were in New Orleans we met a sweet girl 'Dale being walked by her human. He even asked me if I wanted to doggie sit her that evening- LOL. I figure fate will intervene!
Anyway, it is obvious that I am excited and I will post updates from our upcoming adventure. And don't worry about Bentley and the 4-legged gang, their Aunt Valerie will be here for the month attending to their needs. The Bentman loves his Auntie Val almost as much as Kris and I and will make sure she gives them their breakfast and supper on time along with a daily ration of carrots!
Till next time,
Karen Raye
A fabulous adventure in The Netherlands, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Italy! Kris has to go to Terneuzen (The Netherlands) for work in August and I am tagging along. Our thoughts are- if one aireplane ticket and some of the accommodations are paid for through work, we can pay for the rest to get me there so we can explore a part of the world we may never get a chance to do again. Right?
We are going a week and 1/2 early to visit Amsterdam for 4 days, then mosey down through West Germany to explore Cologne, Aachen or Koblenz, Cochen, Baden-Baden, and Trier.We will then then zip over to Luxemburg City in where else but Luxemburg and also Vianden to check out the Valley of Seven Castles. Then we zip up to Maastricht for a bit and head back to Terneuzen for two weeks of work.
It will be quite a whirlwind but hey, how often do you get a chance to do something like this? While Kris is working with the Dutch, Germans, and others from around the globe, I will explore Terneuzen which is primarily a DOW town on the North Sea all by myself. Bicycles are one of the main ways to get around in the The Netherlands so I will be renting one and peddling off the calories I ingest!
After the first official work week ends, we will drive over to Belgium to visit Brugge and Ghent. I have to buy some Belgium chocolate and Kris will need some frites. We end the next work week down in Karlsruhe, Germany which is right around the corner from Baden-Baden where we will have visited during the 1st week in Europe. We will then drive up to the aireport outside of Frankfort to hop a local plane to Rome. Then jump a train to Napoli so we can explore the surrounding area including a blue grotto off the Isle of Capri, check out Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, and head back to Rome for 4 days. Whew- I know it is a lot but we have a list that are the must-sees and if we don't get to see it all, it is OK. We will just throw coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome to ensure that we will get to come back one day.
The one thing I would like to do is spot an Airedale somewhere along our journey and I have faith that it may happen. So far we've seen one in NYC from the 20th floor in our hotel room- though I couldn't get down the elevator fast enough to say hello. When we were in Salem, Ma. I acted like a crazy person when I spotted a 'Dale in the parking lot of a local hotel and I was able to get my doggie fix . And last time we were in New Orleans we met a sweet girl 'Dale being walked by her human. He even asked me if I wanted to doggie sit her that evening- LOL. I figure fate will intervene!
Anyway, it is obvious that I am excited and I will post updates from our upcoming adventure. And don't worry about Bentley and the 4-legged gang, their Aunt Valerie will be here for the month attending to their needs. The Bentman loves his Auntie Val almost as much as Kris and I and will make sure she gives them their breakfast and supper on time along with a daily ration of carrots!
Till next time,
Karen Raye
27 June 2012
Colors of a garden...
"There's only 2 things that money can't buy, and that's
true love and home-grown tomatoes" ~ Guy Clark~
26 June 2012
A better summer than before...
Here in the south coastal plains of Texas (that means Lake Jackson for those of you that might wonder where we are) the weather is hot but not near so dry as last year and the Bentman is as close to good health as we could wish for. You may remember the hell we went through trying to get him diagnosed over the last few years. At the end of summer last year he had a splenectomy (huge with small bleeds) after going through many courses of treatment for TBD related illness. Actually some of it was caused by over vaccination per the vet. After many months and various crashes from trying to get him stabilized on the perfect synchronization of meds. we achieved a nice balance pulsing low dosage prednisone along with tramadol and gabapetin. This cocktail keeps pain away and makes him feel like this:
There is nothing better than watching him roll on the freshly cut lawn in the sunshine. Roux is happy too.
The grass we put down in the secret garden has finally filled the crop circle left over from our old swimming pool we tore down last fall. There are still things I'd like to do in the secret garden but will have to wait until it cools down again in the fall.
Happiness is happy 4-legged's that engage in life and remind you how great it is to be alive!
Till next time,
Karen Raye
Till next time,
Karen Raye
24 April 2012
Uh..
I thought I'd post a new blog but when I logged in I found a new look. Kinda threw me for a loop so I forgot what I was going to write and am at a loss for words now. Oh well. How about a nice little HELLO from Bentley and friends!
Till next time,
Karen Raye and
the 4-legged gang
in Texas
Till next time,
Karen Raye and
the 4-legged gang
in Texas
17 March 2012
04 January 2012
Blast from the past
I guess I should explain why I have put up another oldie pic. My trusty computer has been threatening to crash for about a month now and I have switched over to a newer one. Haven't had time to download any current pics though so this is a pic from 2007 that was easy to access. If I remember correctly the Bentman was 5 going on 6 in this pic. Obviously we didn't live here on the Gulf Coast either- the location would have been West Texas where it snowed occasionally.
For all of you that have asked about the Bentman's health, he is getting better. It has been a long road and there are still some obstacles to face but all in all we are thankful that he even made through last summer. After a heavy round (5 months) on prednisone he gained up to 94 lbs. His happy weight is around 80 lbs so we have been monitoring food intake and exercise and he is back to about 84 lbs. The specialist (last visit in late November) said it is possible that the prednisone induced Cushings. Our regular vet will test him in a few weeks to see. Hopefully not but his body shape hasn't changed too much even with the weight loss. He also had some funky readings that showed borderline Addison's but everything was so whacked in the fall the results could have been false positives. The weakness and muscle atrophy is not as severe as it was and his gusto for life (not just food) is back! He's back to waking up with Kris at 4:30 or 5:30 am and if I am not up in what he considers a timely manner I wake up to the biggest Woofer at my ear telling me it is breakfast time and the biggest wet sloppy kisses you can imagine. Yep- gotta love 'em.
Anyway, just wanted to give all of you a quick heads up. Now I need to go bag a few thousand leaves that are still falling from the trees. I don't know about ya'lls weather but ours is really screwy and all the plants are confused here on the Gulf Coast. There is one tomato plant leftover from the summer and it has about 20 green ones on it that I am hoping will ripen. It is one of those yellow heirloom varieties and I have decided it is a winner. Plan on planting quite a few of them in the spring.
And last but not least- all of the 4-legged's, Kris, and I wish you a wonderfully healthy and happy New Year of 2012!
Till next time,
Karen Raye and Bentley Beargrass
For all of you that have asked about the Bentman's health, he is getting better. It has been a long road and there are still some obstacles to face but all in all we are thankful that he even made through last summer. After a heavy round (5 months) on prednisone he gained up to 94 lbs. His happy weight is around 80 lbs so we have been monitoring food intake and exercise and he is back to about 84 lbs. The specialist (last visit in late November) said it is possible that the prednisone induced Cushings. Our regular vet will test him in a few weeks to see. Hopefully not but his body shape hasn't changed too much even with the weight loss. He also had some funky readings that showed borderline Addison's but everything was so whacked in the fall the results could have been false positives. The weakness and muscle atrophy is not as severe as it was and his gusto for life (not just food) is back! He's back to waking up with Kris at 4:30 or 5:30 am and if I am not up in what he considers a timely manner I wake up to the biggest Woofer at my ear telling me it is breakfast time and the biggest wet sloppy kisses you can imagine. Yep- gotta love 'em.
Anyway, just wanted to give all of you a quick heads up. Now I need to go bag a few thousand leaves that are still falling from the trees. I don't know about ya'lls weather but ours is really screwy and all the plants are confused here on the Gulf Coast. There is one tomato plant leftover from the summer and it has about 20 green ones on it that I am hoping will ripen. It is one of those yellow heirloom varieties and I have decided it is a winner. Plan on planting quite a few of them in the spring.
And last but not least- all of the 4-legged's, Kris, and I wish you a wonderfully healthy and happy New Year of 2012!
Till next time,
Karen Raye and Bentley Beargrass
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