Amusing Myself, Vet Visits, and January Thaws

I guess I've been amusing myself the last few days, if you count taking the pups to the vet for shots, grocery shopping and taking down the Christmas decorations as amusing pastimes. I got the decorations all down and put away in one day, a new first. Of course, I had no tree to take down this time as I spent Christmas in my old hometown with my family. Not having to take down an 8 foot tree makes quite a difference in time saved.

We've been having a bit of a January Thaw as well which allowed me to take the lights off the gutter much more easily than in other winters. The ice dam on the roof was gone after 3 days with temps in the 40s, as is most of the snow. It was nice not having to chip the lights out of the ice. I don't like leaving the lights up year round or even until spring, it just bugs me to see holiday lights ringing peoples' homes months after Christmas is over. Looks a bit forsaken and forlorn.

The vet trip was mostly uneventful, just expensive. Three shots for each dog, exams by the vet and then a blood test for Rocket to provide a baseline against which future blood tests will be compared now that he's been put on an arthritis pill (half strength). That is one expensive pill!!! 15 of them cost me $50!!! If he has to take a whole pill a day that would be $100 a month. He's been on this one before (Deramaxx) for a short time and half a pill seemed to work quite well. I just hope his being on it long term won't cause health problems. Hence the blood work. I must say though, after one day, he seems peppier, he was actually prancing through the woods on our walk this morning. We'll see if that was just coincidence tomorrow.

Other than poor Rocket getting old, his health is good, his eyes are cloudy, but his weight is remaining about 102 pounds which is good for his size. Luna, on the other hand, is a tubby little girl. Seventy four pounds! I have not really been able to get her weight down, she scavenges and eats everything in sight, steals her buddies' biscuits and just makes a little pig of herself. The vet suggested she would probably be one of those dogs whose weight would just remain a problem. I just hope I can keep her from becoming obese. It seems to happen to a lot of Labradors. I refuse to let it happen to her. Maybe I'll get her a treadmill.