What a wet week

TGIF !!!!

 

Hi everyone and oy vey today is Friday the 13th. This day brings back so many memories of my childhood with my grandmother who was so superstitious that it drove all of us crazy. I must admit that thanks to her I wear a Hamsa all the time around my neck and has a blue stone in to protect me against evil. Layla has one on her harness too. (In Jewish culture, the Hamsa hand represents protection from evil and a reminder to pray. Five is a significant number in Judaism and is considered the number of protection)

Her blue stone fell out and I have glued new ones but they do not stay in, the fish on the hand symbolize luck and in the circle below the loop you will see Hebrew word Chai means Life

Some of my memories of my grandmother was her spitting on her hand and then touching her head, always avoiding walking under ladders and the funniest of all was when my sister crawled through a window to open a door so my grandmother made her crawl back through the window or she would not grow. We were not allowed to put keys on the table, we had to set our shoes in a certain way and the list can go on and on and I am giggling here while sharing.

So Friday the 13th brings back so many memories for me and what a wonderful weird life it was with all the superstitions.

Now lets go over to this past week, what a week !!!! Climate change is really happening and the storms in San Francisco is proof of it, the rain has been relentless, the hail, thunder and lightening WOW it has been hard to take Layla for long walks as we swim not walk plus Layla has this new thing of standing and staring into space so we stand for like 10 minutes every time getting drenched and that is how we were caught in the hail storm also. Thank goodness for the stroller and plastic cover I picked her up and put her in immediately and we ran home LOL.  Two wet old ladies, me and Layla.

Today thank goodness it did not rain so we went for a long long walk about 5 times, I am exhausted and Layla is sleeping at the moment. I hope she sleeps through the night which has become a new thing of her waking me up at about 2 to go potty and then we come inside, she moans for a treat of course and then I sit on the floor with her till she settles down and goes back to sleep which can take at least a half hour if not more. I am slowly becoming a zombie from lack of sleep and Layla is full of energy as she sleeps during the day also. It is a hard life for her LOL.

But however I share all this, watching her age is heartbreaking, and I would not change any of her quirks however irritating they can be sometimes, she is my fur kid and needs the best of best love and attention.

Her snuffle doodle bug was the best thing I ever got for her I think, she loves it and lately when she does not want to eat her food because of the supplements, I put the food in the snuffle doodle and she sniffs it and eats her food that way, it has become a game so am washing it all the time and cleaning the floor also. Never a dull moment here.

Doodle Bug Time

So no adventures this week, only swimming in the rain and trying to stay dry, have a wonderful weekend everyone, stay warm and dry and please be safe,

With a woof and love from

Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter has arrived and so has the fun

Brrrr the past few days have been cold here in San Francisco, so we have been indoors a lot, Madam is not that happy, but it has been too cold and damp to sit in the park.

Layla on Monday got groomed, full spa day and what was great was she and one another dog were the only ones there which surprised me although my groomer does not normally work on a Monday, but I was happy as it was not crowded and less stressful for her. We unfortunately had to cut her hair short this time as from the rain it had got matted especially on her paws so I am worrying now she will be cold and keeping clothing on her in the house so that she is comfortable and layering her up when we go out.

Phew at home from the groomer

Mom has blankets at the side of the bed as I love sleeping there plus one over lapping the bed so I wont bang my head

Events are starting up again and this weekend we are going to two different events on the same day oy vey. On Sunday they having the annual Skivvy Run in the Castro which is an amazing and fun fundraiser for AIDS and then we going to a Hannukah party which I am really looking forward to. Photos will be on the blog next week for all of you to see.

We are taking precautions, wearing masks and of course will test myself before going to be safe. I am not taking any chances as it is not worth it.

So socially life is picking up but am not over doing it either as LOL I do not want to put on weight after losing so much and feeling good with myself.

I was also surprised last week; I belong to a women’s international forum, and they asked us what talents we have so I told them I write a blog and gave them the link. I was chosen as one of the five winners and got a $50.00 on line debit card for shopping so guess who is getting two new fleece lined t-shirts which she can sleep in and be warm, Layla of course, it is her blog so she does deserve it and It will be the start of her Hanukkah gifts this year.

So that is what is happening in the Layla neighborhood, we are aging slowly, cold but enjoying life wherever possible.

Please stay warm and dry, have a wonderful weekend,

With love from Layla

 

 

 

I am aging gracefully

Good Morning Fur friends and Hooman friends,

One week into the New Year and it has not stopped raining since Saturday. I have been singing rain rain go away Layla needs to walk and play but it is not helping.

Layla has never liked the rain and it stems from her having been an outside dog in her past life as I call it so it is a battle to get her out when it rains and if she sees her raincoat she goes and hides in her box and stays there. So the past week I decided to try a new approach with less stress and it seems to be working.

In the mornings I let her sleep for as long as she wants and when she feels she needs to go out we go out, she tells me by getting up and walking towards the door. I am doing that also during the day or evening by letting her tell me and wow what a difference it has made. She is more relaxed, happier to go out and not fighting me with the raincoat. It might not be long walks like we are used to but at least she is going out to potty. I cannot believe that I never thought about this in the past but as I am saying to myself better late than never.

Layla will be 12 this year, like me she is aging and with it comes all the new quirks or triggers and am having to deal with them on a daily basis. She is also losing her sight in her left eye which does not make things easier. She does not like going out in the evenings when it is dark so her last walk is like 6 or 7.

Her new fear is clapping and when we in the dog park if someone claps for their dog she dives under the bench to hide. I am not giving in to her by leaving but the opposite I pick her up and cuddle her to give her a feeling of security. There are days that it works and days that it does not. Treats always work though LOL.

Our lives are changing because of it, I am working through her fears/triggers/quirks on a daily basis and learning at the same time. Thank goodness her appetite or water consumption has not changed which is keeping me more relaxed. I have also found an amazing chew for her, not as hard as bones but it keeps her really busy during the day in this weather. It is a turkey tendon and she loves them. My pet store has a great deal at the moment of buy 3 get one free so have stocked up on them to keep her happy.

She is still doing zoomies when we enter the building, full of puppy energy and as I call her Ms. Piss and Vinegar, that she is. She even plays more with her squeaky toys lately which is awesome as I love watching her jump on the bed and grab one to squeak like crazy.

I have started a new part time job which is taking me out of the house for about 4 to 5 hours each day and thank goodness I do not have to deal with anxiety as she seems to be handling this really well.

So that is what is happening in the Layla Neighborhood at the moment, we are stuck indoors because of the rain, Jazz playing in the background so life is good here for us two old ladies.

How are all of you coping with the cold weather and rain ?

Stay warm and dry and please remember pets are family and need to be kept indoors safely,

Have a great week with a woof from Layla