Energizer Bunny

It took a few weeks for me to recover from the "gift" I received from my wonderful grandchildren - like the little Drummer Boy they had nothing to give... so they gave us their colds! Recovery was slow; it came day by day. My ears continue to be clogged. They snap and crackle and I feel like I have water in my ears from swimming. But, most importantly, I have my energy back!! Hooray!

My days are very, very busy! A typical day goes something like this:

7:45-ish: Walk the dogs. If I walk the perimeter of the RV resort it is just over 1.1 miles. Some days I don't have the wherewithal do go all the way around, but other days I take twists and turns to add steps to my walk. Gypsy is thriving on our new regimen. She has lost a few pounds and is keeping them off. Wish I could do the same! I know that Tucker has had enough of a walk when he stops pulling on the leash!

9:00-ish: Ride my bike down to the Nature Center (our craft center) to participate in some sort of craft class. I am either the student or the teacher. I have already taught the "Mystery Quilt" classes, and a cloth basket class. When no class is scheduled I might be working on one of my quilting projects.

This is the beginning of Week 3 of the Mystery Quilt.

No one knows why the "Nature Center" was originally constructed,  but over the years it has become the crafting area. Sadly, it has screen windows covered in plastic and no heat or A/C. Some days this winter it has been darn right cold!

11:00-ish: Head to the Pickleball courts and teach a beginner class. I have experienced twinges of tennis elbow, so I am taking it easy. I have only played a few games since before Christmas, and those that I have played, I have played with my off hand. Sometimes after pickle ball I head back to the motorhome; I squeeze into my bathing suit and head to the pool for a few laps... and a shower.

Afterwards, I head to the motorhome to take the dogs out. Some days I tie them outside, which they dearly love, and enjoy my lunch while reading a magazine or a book.

12:45: If it is a Monday, Wednesday or Friday I hop on my bike and head to the club house to play Mahjong. I am just learning but I love the game. This week I won three games in a row; it had nothing to do with skill and everything to do with luck!

4:00: Take the dogs to "Yappy Hour" at the dog park. Sometimes most days Tucker gets in trouble for chasing the other dogs. Or, Gypsy gets in trouble for defending her "little" brother. We have begun to take the dogs before everyone arrives, or later, after most of the dogs are tired. Tucker's herding instincts just can't be curbed!

One of the puppy dads had treats to give out at Yappy Hour.
It was amazing how well behaved the dogs were as they waited a turn to get their treats.

Other days bring other activities:

• The Bocce ball courts have just been redone. Bocce is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
• I have played water volley ball. That's on Thursday afternoons.
• Line dancing is on Tuesday mornings. We also have the opportunity to do yoga or Zumba in the mornings. 
• Mr. Dreamy races RC (Radio Controlled) cars on an amazing race track. He also participates in a garden railroad club.
• Tuesday nights are movie nights.
• We often have entertainment on Friday or Saturday evenings. 
• Ping-Pong will begin next week on Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 AM
• BINGO is played every Monday evening. I am probably not going to participate this year. I get too tense as I'm waiting for someone to yell out "BINGO"! and I didn't win once last year.
• Bunco is played every other week on Thursday evenings.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings mean pizza, burgers or wings, respectively.
• .... and the list goes on!

This year Mr. Dreamy decided to get a boat. The resort is on the Caloosahatchee River and has slips for mooring boats. The boat was purchased before Christmas but because of a monumental goof-up by the dealer we didn't get it registered until this week. Now we can enjoy going out on the river,... but we will have to find the time to do that!

Gypsy Jabbers: Stench from Another Wench

Have you ever noticed something about humans? They totally don't get it. Actually, I don't get it... I don't understand how they can walk by something, and not smell that another dog has been there, let alone that it was the Havanese that lives in the trailer across the street, or that the German Shepherd from down the block was there an hour earlier. They don't smell the little crumb of hamburger that dropped in the gravel three weeks ago. They don't even know that two dogs are walking down the street right this very minute, just because they are out of sight. Humans seem to have very limited abilities, don't you think? I guess you could say they are home, but the blinds are down!

Dreaming is a nice lady, but....

She takes me to the little dog park down the street. Yuck! That place stinks! She stands around talking with other humans. She doesn't even notice that she is standing on pee and pooh germs from hundreds of other dogs. I hate walking on that grass! I usually just walk on the little 'road' next to the grass. At least that gets washed off a bit when they water the grass and only the guy dogs ever sprinkle a little tinkle on it. I'll only go on the grass, placing my feet very carefully, mind you, if I really, really, really gotta go. Oh, gross! Yuck! P.U.! Get me outta here!

Parking It

We found a special play place for Tucker and Gypsy. The local humane association has a fabulous dog park. We purchased a short term membership, so that Tucker and Gypsy can come play. Gypsy isn't sure about playing, but Tucker goes full bore from the minute we arrive until we take him out when his tongue is dragging on the ground.

The park has three areas, a big dog area, with at least an acre for the dogs to romp, a small dog area and a training area with some agility equipment. They also have 4 dog bath stations, with warm water. Hmm.... we may just have to test that out before we move on! There are dog balls and dog ball tossers, rope tug toys, chairs and benches for the two-legged folks (although I have seen a Vizsla who preferred to get away from the dog ruckus by climbing up on the chairs) and a pool! The pool is shaped like a dog biscuit. Each of the bulbous ends is about 12" deep, and the center is about 4' deep, allowing swimmers a chance to have some fun. Trust me, neither Tucker nor Gypsy are swimmers. In fact, Tucker made the mistake of following some labs into the shallow area of the pool the first day he was there. He didn't realize it was water until he was in it. He has not gone in since. Some dogs have even figured out that they can escape his enthusiastic play by jumping in the pool! In the picture above, Tucker had just chased the other Tucker, a Portuguese Water Dog, into the pool. The "Other Tucker" jumped out and resumed his play with our Tucker. They are good friends and a good energy match. In fact, all three dogs up near the pool with Tucker, in this picture, enjoy the same type of play. They enjoy chasing each other, trying to herd the dog in the lead one way or the other. Tucker did anger another patron. He had a cute yellow lab youngster and was throwing the ball for his pup. Whenever anyone throws a ball for his dog, and the dog goes flying after the ball, Tucker delights in flying after the dog (the heck with the ball) and tries to redirect the dog's action. The owner didn't care for this activity. He told Tucker, "Stop that!".  Heck, that's as useless as trying to tell him to stop breathing!

Gypsy and Tucker have learned to play their own games together at home. She'll play with Tucker when there are no other dogs around them, but generally just stands near us at the park. She really doesn't know how to be social with the other dogs, and shows a bit of a protective streak when dogs come near us. We still have a few more weeks of play time. Maybe she'll find a special new friend and learn to play.