Five in Five - That Zoie-girl (and Braja update!)

Somebody flung this meme on me, where you're supposed to take your fifth picture from your fifth folder and post it. Here it is.

Ah, yes. The Wonder Pup Zoie, light of our lives, who we lost in an accident in August of last year. In this picture, we had just come in from yet another trip, and had an apple in our bag. We were unpacking, and Miss Zoie found the apple and stole it from the bag. She was such a funny dog, and we miss her tremendously!

Want to play? Go to your pix, and post the fifth picture from your fifth folder. Let me know if you do this and I'll give you some linky love!

UPDATE: Here's who's playing along so far...

Di at The Blue Ridge Gal

Shonda at Texas Red

And here's Joanie's!

2nd UPDATE: Guess who's out of the hospital? Braja !! Click for update!

Here We Go Again

After much discussion and thought, we decided to try to find a new German Shorthair pup…more for Zack’s sake than anything. We are both torn about this decision - after so recently losing our sweet Zoie-girl, it doesn’t seem like we’ve even had time to grieve. Zack is definitely showing signs that he misses Zoie, however, and we don’t want him to suffer. He does so well with a companion.

So the search begins. We’ve alerted our friends, and they are all searching their networks, sending us pictures of litters, details, the works.

We want to thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and comments during our time of loss, and ask for you to continue as we go forward. We’ll definitely miss little Zoie, the Wonder Pup, and don’t know how another pup could possibly fill the huge void she leaves behind.

For Zack, we will push through.

In Memoriam - Zoie The Wonder Pup

“You've given your heart for a dog to tear.”

–Rudyard Kipling, The Power of The Dog Zoie The Wonder Pup - 9/2007 - 8/2008

We lost our precious, curious, crazy, makeuslaughtilwecried with her antics, Zoie the Wonder Pup around 7:20 a.m. Tuesday morning. She would have been a year old in September.

Zack and Zoie and I walked their Auntie Suzan out to her car, and when I was loading Suzan’s suitcase into her truck, Zoie hopped up in the back of the Suburban. I made her get down, and gave Suzan a hug and told her bye. In that one split second Zoie must have rounded the truck, immediately run into the street before I could stop her and was hit by a pickup. She died almost instantly.

Unbeknownst to me, a man was walking his dog down the opposite side of the street. I always look for walkers and runners before I let the dogs out, but somehow, I missed this man and his gentle dog. (I hope y’all are okay.) The little Zoie-monga didn’t miss a thing, however. I never saw Zoie dart under our truck to go say hi to them, but I heard the hit, and heard Suzan scream. It happened that quickly.

And our sweet, sweet Zoie was gone.

To the sweet beautiful young lady driving the truck , I want to say to you…no way, no how, was this your fault. There is no possible way you could have seen Zoie. Thank you so much for stopping, and caring. Please feel free to contact me – I’d love to talk to you and make sure you’re okay. I need to let you know some things, so here are some of them:

We always laughed at Zoie, her curiosity, her fearlessness. She could have run for mayor, she was such a political machine. In reality, though, this was also our only fear concerning Zoie – that she was so curious, she would see something and dart. Dart away from obedience, dart into the path of something, and be injured or killed. Zoie was a loving dog who was eager to please, in every area but this one. And in this one area, she was so hard headed. Just last Friday, she was disciplined for running across the street after a squirrel. Vehicles were nothing more to her than transportation to go hunting. Much as we tried, she never got it into her head that vehicles were dangerous things. I was in the wrong this morning, to have had Zoie off leash, and it cost us her life.

Zoie had a great, though short, life. Upon entering our lives, she calculatingly captivated (within one week!) her playmate and big brother, Zack the Wonder Dog, whom she loved and tortured endlessly – and he always calmly and lovingly endured her biting and wrestling (MLH always said Zack was looking towards the future.) Zoie had finished her (puppy) hunter training with flying colors at eight months of age, and had a great nose and a hard point. We had great expectations of fun hunting with her this season. Zoie had just experienced her first De-Snaking Clinic this last Saturday, where we saw her curiosity in full swing, much to our dismay. She was a loved member of our family, and quickly snagged the hearts of our friends.

Just this morning about 4 a.m., Zoie and Zack snuck up into our bed, burrowed under the comforter and slept until 6 a.m. with us. And the entire time I made smoothies and visited with their Auntie Suzan this morning, Zoie and Zack wrestled and played at our feet. Zoie brought the tennis ball to me, and I threw it for her. At one point, she laid down at my feet under the table, and I thought, “Oh, you thing, I remember when you were a baby, and you’d lay down like that, next to Zack, and for that first week, he would ignore you and even growl.” Here’s a look back over the past year.

Week One:Week Two: May 31, 2008

She was a lover-girl kind of dog that we initially purchased as a companion for Zack. The wee thing snuck into our hearts when we weren’t even looking. We will miss you greatly, Little Miss Zoie the Wonder Pup.

Hunt ‘em up, girlfriend. Hunt ‘em up.

Midland Annual De-Snaking Clinic this Saturday - hosted by Llano Estacado Bird Hunting Association.

Saturday morning, Zack the Wonder Dog, Zoie the Wonder Pup and I will rise with the chickens and be out at the shooting range by 6 a.m. – and if you’re a dog owner, you should get out there, as well. Saturday, the annual Llano Estacado Bird Hunting Association’s “De-Snaking Clinic” will start at 7:30 a.m.

What is a desnaking clinic, you ask? Well, it’s just what it says...it is an organized event where dogs are exposed to rattlesnakes so the dogs will understand the danger of such and learn to avoid the deadly creatures. Most hunting dog owners bring out their dogs to go through the training, and many dogs were there for a refresher. Regular city dogs are there, as well. Everyone’s getting ready for the upcoming hunting season, and as such, this is a timely clinic. Venomous snake bites translate into huge vet bills, long recovery time, and sometimes can be fatal.

Dogs are, by nature, nosy creatures. Dogs have a natural curiosity about snakes, and most often, will not naturally avoid them. Zack and Zoie, by virtue of their breed, are hunting dogs, and stay pretty much nose down anytime they are outside. Chances are good that one of them will stumble across one of those ornery snakes at some time, and we want them protected. Sometimes, dogs will survive a snake bite, but just as often, the snake bites are deadly. (There is also a new Rattlesnake Venom Vaccination (a series of two shots, a month apart) which lessons the toxicity of the venom, should a dog suffer a bite.)

Here’s how the clinic is set up. First, registration and release of liability is executed. Your dog is put on a lead, fitted with a shock collar, and then released to the handler. Two rattlesnakes are planted in the field. Their mouths are sewn shut so there is no chance of a bite or venomization. The handler (in this case, Ray Grappe, a renowned hunter trainer from Levelland, Texas) takes your dog to one snake, which is out in the open. Depending on your dog’s reaction, if the dog is curious and gets close to the snake, a shock will be administered. The dog will associate the shock with a rattlesnake, and won’t get close to it, should he happen on a rattlesnake in the future. The snakes also have handlers – as the day progresses, and warms up, those snakes want to move around.

Last year, Zack smelled that snake and wouldn’t have anything to do with it. He didn’t need any shock treatment at all. Zack tried to put the handler between himself and the snake, even at times leaning on Ray's leg. Zack reacted the very same way to the second snake hidden in the field. To my knowledge, Zack has not yet been exposed to a snake. Ray said that some dogs are smart, and just know that rattlesnakes are dangerous and won’t go around them. I was proud of Zack. (I’m a little worried about how Zoie will react - she'll probably try to lick the snake!)

Last year, there were 87 people signed in before I left at 10 a.m., and many of them had multiple dogs. This wasn’t just for hunting dogs – I saw Daschunds, Corgis, Westies, Schnauzers, all sorts of breeds. One young man brought an albino deaf Aussie. It was doubly important that this Aussie be de-snaked, since she couldn’t hear. She was going to have to go strictly on smell. She performed very well in the training.

There were hilarious moments, as well. One huge black lab saw that snake, and took off the other way, dragging the unsuspecting handler about 30 feet. The lab raced back to his owner, causing everyone to laugh, even the handler.

DE-SNAKING CLINIC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2008
7:30 A.M. UNTIL 12:00 NOON
PERMIAN BASIN SHOTGUN RANGE
1.25 miles South of I-20 on FM 1788
SENSITIZE YOUR DOG TO AVOID SNAKES
This method is effective for farm and ranch dogs, bird dogs, or any other type of dog that may be exposed to snakes. This method requires only 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

First Dog………………………………………$35
Each additional Dog…………………………..$25
Repeat Dogs…………………………………..$25

It’s fun to meet all the dogs and their owners, see each dog react differently, and know that each dog learned something. And they’ll all be safer when they’re exposed to the deadly rattlesnakes. The Llano Estacado Bird Hunting Association does a great job, and I commend them for their service to this community. I'll be handling registration - come see me!

Sunday Camera Critters Meme

The Sunday Camera Critters Meme is a meme created by Misty Dawn. Ms. Snooty Primadona herself did the meme today, and since I had a funny story about Zoie, I thought I’d play. (Well, Zack and Zoie end up being about one half of the fodder for this blog anyway, so, what the hey, right?)


We like to unpack as soon as we get home from a trip. Usually, this is because we get in way late, and have to hit the work day running the next morning.

Our bed is usually the site of the unpacking. Somehow, two apples found their way into one of our bags and made it through the security at the airport. When I found them in the bag, I just lofted them on to the middle of the bed.

Unbeknownst to me, Zoie saw the entire thing. And, decided she had a fruit deficiency. When we saw her, she was carrying around the apple by the stem. It looked so dang cute, I grabbed the camera…and promptly missed that shot. By the time I aimed the camera, Zoie had decide it was time to chomp down.

Here she is in all her glory, looking all innocent - like, "What, Mom? Fruit is one of the four food groups, isn't it??"

ZZ Crew - July

Tell me, could you resist pooches like this when they ask for something?

Nah. I didn't think so. So, off we go...to Starbucks.

We order for ourselves, but independent Zack barks his order from the back seat. He, being a gentleman, orders for Zoie, as well.

Zack’s favorite drink is a grande quad breve vanilla latte.
Zoie? She’s still a pup, so we're keeping her at the vanilla steamer level. She does insist on picking up her own drink, though. Zoie may be young, but she is a liberated female German Shorthair - she makes her own pawprints, thank you very much.

Random Friday Stuff

The meetings in Denver went well. I had some bonus moments, as well. One of my friends was in town from the Metroplex, and Tuesday night, asked me to join him and some of his employees at the Vesta Dipping Grill in LoDo. We had a great time, and the fellowship and food was excellent.

My meeting was all day Wednesday. One of the board members arranged a tour bus to pick us up at 5pm, and we toured all the sights of downtown Denver and the surrounding areas. One of the young salesman (who is pretty much a Don Juan) was quite the center of attraction. As the tour guide told about the various attractions and historic sights, some of the guys would point out the young salesman’s favorite bars, topless joints, and bail bondsmen. A little local flavor, as it were. The young salesman handled it well, and tried (an exercise in futility) to deny everything. It may not convey well in writing, but it was wetyourpantshilarious. At 7pm, the bus transported us to The Buckhorn Exchange for supper. That was quite the adventure. Someone at the table tried to pass Rocky Mountain Oysters off as calamari. Don’t ask me who, ‘cause I’m not talking.

We left the hotel at 7 to go to the Denver Airport. Our flight home was to leave at 10 a.m., so my fellow board member and I had plenty of time. Until we drove up in the Avis parking lot. I don’t know what was going on Thursday, but there had to be some type of Avis rental car bus driver strike or something. We were the first ones to wait for the bus, and the crowd soon grew to 60 or so people. An hour later, we were headed to the airport, so I’m glad we left early. I’ve never had rental car trouble (And yes, I’m a HERTZ girl!)

The flight was on time (yeah! Southwest!) and uneventful – for once.

And now, I’m home, it’s 10:30 p.m., and I just now walked in the door. One of our guys had an accident this morning, and my customer calls me at 6:30 a.m. and says, “One of your guys had an accident, and I need you in my office asap.” Thirty minutes later, I’m there. The guy is okay, and back at work, but all day long I dealt with the aftereffects of this accident, and just received the drug test results and delivered them to the customer… at 10:00 at night. He was so gracious, and I got to meet his wife, who was very sweet about it all, as well. All is well in the world, but man!

Thisdaywasthiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiislong!

Gotta go rein in the Wonder Dog and the Wonder Pup – they’ve decided that this time at night is perfect for World Federation of Dog Wrestling.

“Zack and Zoie! Kennel! Now!”

Fun in the Metroplex

Thursday evening, MLH and I decided to make a short business trip to Fort Worth. ( MLH’s most said phrase during the weekend was “we drove 5 hours up and back to conduct 20 minutes worth of business.”) Well, we did drive, and conduct, we did! And in the process of doing so, we were able to connect with four different sets of friends that the Lord's placed as living stones in our lives.

Our first meeting was Thursday night, after which we bunked out at Mike and Pam's. We arrived just in time for them to figure out one of their hot water heaters had bit the dust, so MLH and Mike went to work at 10pm. Fun! Of course, Pam and I gave great support…we sat in the recliners and visited amongst ourselves. Pamo and I absolutely ROCK as cheerleaders. Better yet, we know when to be quiet, even when the guys track that black crud that builds up in a hot water heater onto Pam’s white carpet!

All the rest of our meetings were on Friday, so after a fun breakfast, we carried on about our business, then checked into our home away from home, the Renaissance Worthington in downtown Fort Worth, at which time the “rest” phase of our trip commenced.

MLH and I enjoyed some much needed time together, and vegged out all day, reading and doing room service. It was fun, and rejuvenating. We have been way too busy lately! Saturday night, we went to supper with Mike and Pam at Tejas de Brazil, then caught the one-man play “Chesapeake” at the Circle Theatre.

I knocked out two books, they were great, I’ll review them soon for you. We had a leisurely drive back home, stopping in area towns inbetween Fort Worth and Weatherford and viewing real estate. There's a lot of building going on in the country!

As soon as we arrived at the house, we unloaded the truck and picked up Zack and Zoie, and took them to the field for a much needed run. They had a blast, and we loved watching them. There’s nothing more beautiful than watching bird dogs running full blast, noses into the wind, scenting for birds.

One Down, Eight To Go - Lives, That Is...

MLH has been working in the field lately, which means he might or might not come home. As hot as it’s been, we needed to put another tarp over Zack and Zoie’s kennel. We purchased one, but it wasn’t the correct size. Bob and Cherie to the rescue! They found one at Freight Harbor, and purchased it. They came straight over to help put it on.

Bob: Do you have any zip ties? We can secure it with those.

Janie: Yes, I think so. Come with me into the garage.

Bob: Okay.

Sound: Meawwwrrrrrrr.

Janie: Oh, no. (I’m thinking I’m going to have about a million dead kitties in this garage.)

Bob: Sounds like you’ve definitely got a cat in here.

Janie: I don’t think anyone’s been in here in like 6-8 days. It's so hot in here. Oh, my Lord. God, I hope it makes it.

I kneel down, and at the back of one of our shelves, is a gray cat. I tentatively reach my hand out, and it licks my finger. I grab it, and it immediately curls up on my shoulder.

Bob: Cherie, get the dogs in the back yard and bring us some water.

Janie: Let’s take it in to the kitchen.

This poor little kitty is definitely starving and dehydrated. We just finished a 108 degree day. It’s 8 p.m. now, and this garage is hot, hot, hot. I can’t believe anything lived this long in such heat.

We fed it some tuna chopped up in water, and that cat goes to town. It eats a little bit, then decides to visit. It’s very friendly, and looks spotless. I can’t believe it’s alive. While we're discussing plans for the cat, it finishes the food. My friend Suzan, who’s in town for the night, decides the cat should be named Gracie or Grayson, depending on what sex it is. (We were unable to tell!)

Bob and Cherie took it home in a crate for the night, and brought it back in the morning so I could drop it off at the vet. We called SPCA, and Animal Control, and no reports of lost gray cats were filed.

Vet report came back healthy, and it’s a 7 month old female. She has a date with the vet this next Friday to be spayed. I think her name is Gracie, but ultimately, that’s up to Bob and Cherie.

I’m so glad Bob and Cherie decided the time was now to tarp the kennel…and that Gracie lived, and now has a good home.

Tree Climbing German Shorthair and Boating German Shorthair - aka the ZZ Crew!

Sunday was a nice morning, so we decided to let Zack run for a bit before we kenneled him up. And once again, he treed a squirrel. Is this dog an athlete, or what? These are sequential shots…and yes, he is as high in the tree as he looks. I was standing up, right by the tree, when I took these shots. Craziness.

We went to retrieve Zoie the Wonder Pup yesterday at Christoval. I can’t believe how much she’s grown! We didn’t hunt, due to two factors: rattlesnakes were about, and the intense heat. Zoie was so excited to see us, and believe me, the feeling was mutual.

We called our friends at San Angelo to see if they wanted to eat a late lunch or supper – and once again, they were on the lake and insisted we bring Zoie and hit the waves with them. So, we did. Here’s pix of Zoie’s first boat ride – she did well!

I guess she's preparing for yacht life. Yeah, right, in West Texas. Well, dogs can dream, too! We went to eat supper later, then went back to our friends’ house. They have a tiny Shitz-hu named Prissy, and Zoie just loves that dog. Zoie was trying to crouch down to her level, it was so funny. And Prissy? Well, she'd rather Zoie not visit...at all. Heh. And of course, our friend had to try Prissy's sweaters on Zoie. Somehow, they were just a little too small. Heh. Zoie doesn't look impressed, does she?When we arrived back at our house in Midland, Zoie ran around, sniffing everything, looking for Zack. And then, we let Zack in…and watched them play, and play, and play with each other. They were so excited to see each other. We laughed until we cried.

I can’t imagine life without the either of them.

Catching Up a Bit...

Little Brother called, just to check on me, since I’d not posted in a while. So, I thought I’d better catch up! By the way, follow the link, and read up on his exciting happening this week when a drunk hit his son’s parked car – in his driveway!

Here’s what’s been happening in the Sounding Forth house.

MLH is getting better – he finally went to work, but he’s trying to take it easy out there. He has a gastroenterologist appointment next Tuesday. Thanks for all your prayers – please don’t stop!

I’ve been extremely busy at work, but it’s all good. I’m still loving it!

Elder Son came in for the night, and it was good to see him. He played with Doug Moreland and Matt Skinner at the Hog Pit, then went to Alpine and on to Austin with them. His truck is still here, so that means we’ll see him again soon…and we’re looking forward to that!

Younger Son moved out into an apartment, and his room was immediately filled by our little friend Sarah, who moved in from the Midland College dorm for the summer. She’s been a joy thus far – we’ve never had a munchkin of the female persuasion hang out at our house and we’re enjoying it. Sarah starts her first job ever at Best Buy this weekend, so that will mark a milestone for her. Sarah is the daughter of one of my childhood friends, and was raised wayyyy out in the country, so working a summer job wasn’t feasible. She’s agreed to dogsit for us, when we’re traveling, so that’s a plus. And, speaking of kids of the doggie kind…

Zack the Wonder Dog is about to have his world rocked once again, as Zoie the Wonder Pup has graduated from her puppy hunting training. Though Zack grieved for about a week when Zoie left, it will be interesting to see how they reacquaint themselves. All reports from Zoie’s trainers are excellent, so that long trip to Kansas just may have been worth it! We’re to pick her up on Monday on our way back from somewhere.

Somewhere, you say? Yup. MLH and I are going somewhere, we don’t really have a plan. We’re just going to get in the truck and go – get out of here for the weekend. Alone. Woohoo!! Well, at least until we go pick up the Zoie-monga.

So, it will be a bit before I post again. Meanwhile, blog amongst yourselves and have a blessed Memorial Day weekend!

Through Another's Eyes - Chapter 2

We loaded up the Zoie-monga this morning, along with Little Brother 1, and headed down to Christoval. We arrived at the trainer’s mid-morning. Tina, our trainer, was running around on a four-wheeler. LB1 liked the look of that…while she was working, MLH and LB1 looked for arrowheads, and found some fossils. When Tina finished her errands, LB1 engaged his best plan... "Ask, and ye shall receive!"

LB1: Miss Janie, can I ride on that?

Me: Don’t know…why don’t you ask Miss Tina if she’ll give you a ride? Have you ever been on a four-wheeler?

LB1: No, ma’am. Miss Tina, may I have a ride, please?

Tina: Sure, hop on back here, and I’ll take you to the barn.

LB1 comes back from that ride grinnin’ like a possum. Then, Tina’s daughter shows up, and takes LB1 on another ride. Next thing I know, they’ve progressed to LB1 riding in the front, with Tina’s daughter behind him. And then…he’s driving it by himself (albeit in second gear only)! The child went from never having ridden a four-wheeler to piloting one solo. He was absolutely beside himself.

Leaving Zoie at the trainer’s (very difficult to do!), we go back towards Lake Nasworthy, where we’re meeting friends and their sons for late lunch, after first stopping by their new lakehouse. We find out LB1 has never been to a lake. He plays on the dock and throws rocks into the lake…he’s having too much fun. After touring the house, which is under heavy remodel, we head to the restaurant. The party has now grown to 10 people. While we’re all visiting, I hear that we’re all going on a boat ride. After inquiry, I find our friends have invited us to yet another treat: riding in their wakeboarding boat, watching Blake, the youngest son, wakeboard and ski! LB1 is ecstatic.

We secure LB1 in a lifejacket, and he immediately tries to get his hair wet, his feet wet; finally, we strip him down to his boxers (the water is a cool 65 degrees!), put his lifejacket back on, and let him make the decision to go in, or not. It took a while, but finally, with Blake holding his hand, and on the count of three, LB1 went right in…and came up screaming, sincerely, “Save me! Save me!” (Turns out this is also his first lifejacket - and he didn't know to trust it.) Check out his face in the second picture.

It took a second for him to realize he was alive and okay, and with a little encouragement, soon we were unable to keep him out of the water. When he finally got out for the last time, he told me, “Miss Janie, thanks so much for helping me get my confidence!” He was so cute – and so cold!

He was amazed by Blake's skiing and wakeboarding ability, as were we. (I love my camera, can you tell? I took over 500 shots today, lots of them sequential shots of Blake showing off his skills in the water!) Blake and his dad promised LB1 that if he came back, they'd teach him how to ski and wakeboard - and of course, LB1 is ALL over that!

On the way back, LB1 was treated once more – he got to sit with Blake and drive the boat.
I called his mom and confessed all his firsts (and of course, that he was safe at all times) and she started laughing – she thought it was awesome that her son had been able to experience all he had. I’m glad she trusts us with her boy! He was a blessing to every one who found themselves caught up in this day – and once again, it was great to see everything through his eyes. LB1 made it brand new, for all of us today…

Sometimes totally unplanned days are the best…I know today was great in one little man’s eyes.

C-c-c-c-c-c-c-OLD!!!

Well, the Continental gods were busy blessing someone else, I guess. We finally got home last night at midnight. Ate cereal for supper, then got up at 5:30 a.m. this morning to go work on the AADE Texas Tech shoot. And…it was a whopping 23 degrees when I boarded my shooting cart with my team to go shoot. Fifteen hours later, I’m still cold.

But…we had fun, and raised money for a great cause – the furthering of education! And, Scott joined our team at the last minute. Though he may whine, he finished right behind me on scoring. And that’s after he missed shooting at two stations, due to his late arrival. In other words, peeps, Scott would have BEATEN my score, had he started when we did. Well, anyway, as bad as my shooting was, I won the award he will never win….High Overall Lady. He just can’t do it like his sister!

It was fun to have him shoot with us…and thank God, he brought gloves for me, because my hands were freezing. And he loaned me a cap, because the wind was howling, and my hair was screaming! Hard to shoot effectively when your hair’s whipping in front of your eyes.

As I headed into town, I called Bob and Cherie and we met for supper. That was fun. MLH just left town to work on a well, and will be up all night on location – so, he wasn’t able to join us.

Tomorrow, Zack the Wonder Dog has a field trial, and I’m shooting over him. I don’t think it’s going to be any warmer by then. Zoie will go along to watch. Well, I can’t leave her by herself – she starts howling, and as pretty and girly as she is, she has this deep, deep, loud voice – it absolutely sounds eerie when she starts to howl. If I can tear her away from MLH, she will probably be heading to the trainer on Sunday. Maybe I should write a new book, “Zoie Goes To Hunting Kindergarten.”

I’m just hoping she doesn’t get kicked out!
Later days!

Doggie Meme

The Typist over at Dogblogger threw the meme craving on me, and since it was about meming for your pet, well, you know, I just had to play! Zack the Wonder Dog and Zoie the Wonder Pup are always trying to improve their visibility…so, here goes. I’m not going to tag any of you, but if you’d like to play, please let me know so I can read your pet memes!!!

What is an amusing anecdote about a pet friend in your life (past or present)?

Zoie came into our lives at the advice of a local dog expert. Said expert said bringing a female in would temper the hijinks of Zack the Wonder Dog, and that before long, said female would begin to dominate Zack. After one week of cold shoulder de Zack, Zoie began to win his heart, and Zack started to play with Zoie. One night, we were in our music room, watching TV. Zack started the “I wanna play” stance that is jumping and bowing down to Zoie’s level, and Zoie responded…by running under the couch. She would stick her little head out, and try to nip Zack. We thought it was so very cute – she was already getting him to attend to her every move! And, then, we realized that her little belly was so fat, she was stuck under the couch. Once we finally finished laughing, we rescued her. Really.

What is a gift a pet gave to you when you really needed it?

One of the biggest things MLH always says about Zack is that he makes me laugh. And laughter, as you know, is always healing.

Share a picture of one or more of your pets - extra points for amusing photos.

In this picture, Zack is asking MLH, "Dad, do you think this hat makes my butt look big?"

And we can't leave out Miss Zoie...this one was in her wooing stage...when she was trying to get Zack to play with her (week 1).

Thanks for taggin' us, Typist and Cub! We enjoyed playing! It was fun! And Cub - we are praying for you!

It's Christmas Eve...

Today, we slept in…for once. We went to breakfast with Younger Son, then finished the last minute shopping. We had a great day. And tomorrow will start a new tradition at the Sounding Forth house. We are staying at our house for Christmas! In all our married years, we have never done that - not even once! And sometime after Christmas breakfast with our kiddos and some friends, at our leisure, we will head to the DFW area to chill out for the rest of the year, and celebrate our anniversary. We need some time off - and we're going to take it! We'll spend some much needed time together, and also, visit some friends.

Many of your have asked for new shots of the Zoie-girl. Here’s a pix of Miss Zoie in November…



And today. She’s grown so much! She and Zack are hilarious together.


Some friends of ours, chilling out with Zoie. Aren't they beautiful children?
Merry Christmas, y'all…and may God bless you and yours this season and for the New Year!

A letter from Pepsi

Pepsi the German Shorthair and Sierra the Vizsla at a field trial

Hey, y’all, this is Zack posting here. Well, I can talk, so of course, I can write!Mom got this e-mail for me today from Zoie’s aunt Pepsi (who also happens to be the 2006 Upland Classic High Point Champion – for the whole nation!!) and I thought I should share it with you.

From: T**** & E**** [mailto:************]
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 11:33 PM
To: Janie
Subject: From Pepsi!

My Mom would like your mailing address as she has a Christmas card to send you.
Sierra beat me by only three points at Rex's event last week-I am in shock!
What does Zoie want for Christmas?
Pepsi

And my sincere reply…

Dear Aunt Pepsi, (I know, you’re Zoie’s aunt, but since Zoie is (supposedly) my new sister, everything is relative in dogs and fence jumping, so you’re my aunt now, too.)

Mom’s mailing address is:

MLH & Janie
P O xxxx
Midland, Texas xxxxx

Sierra is a young whippersnapper and I’m sure she’s pretty cocky about her win…however, we know that age and wisdom always prevails…in the end. As to Zoie’s Christmas, I would be most happy if she didn’t live to see it and my life could go back to where it was! You know, I was the king! I ran the house! And all I had to do was look at Mom and Dad and they gave me what ever I wanted. And I slept on the foot of Mom and Dad’s bed EVERY night. Now, I get up there and Zoie has to come join me, bite on me, jump on me…and I just want to take a nap with Mom and Dad. It’s our bed, after all.

Yup, I’m just the freakin’ glorified babysitter now. It’s easy for them… they can say “no bite” and she won’t bite them. I have to growl or bark to get that message across, then Mom and Dad get cross with me and say, “Ooooooh, Zack, be sweet – she’s just a baby.”

Baby, my butt. She is the German Shorthair version of the Tazmanian Devil. Speaking of butts, I’d like to see hers spin off into the sunset. Any sunset would do as long as it's far, far away from the flatlands of West Texas.

That’s not going to happen though, and she will grow up soon. I’ll get over it. Thanks, Pepsi, for letting me get this off my beautiful ticked chest. Have a great weekend, and give Sierra my love.

Love and lickies from Zackamundo The Wonder Dog and the brat child Zoie the Wonder Pup

Zack is Back!

Zack is back from the trainers, and is in fine fettle.

That only means one thing…life at our house has entered a new season of craziness. Zack is a very calm dog…but now, he has a 3 month old ball of energy attacking him at every second. Zoie the Wonder Pup will absolutely not leave him alone.

If, by chance, we get her in a situation where she calms down, all Zack has to do is shake his collar and the Zoie-monga is up and running full speed again. She is so afraid she’s going to miss something!! At times, we have to crate her to get her to settle.

Zack is handling everything well – he is down to the “every once in a while when she’s crossed a huge boundary” warning growl. Overall, I’d say their relationship is progressing along nicely.

Zack and I have a field trial this weekend, and I’m looking forward to hunting with him. We’ve definitely missed his presence around here!

Zoie Scores Some Glasses

Remember the story last week, the “economic limit” episode between Zack the Wonder Dog and MLH?

Well, Zoie the Wonder Pup hit the big bucks this morning. Thus, it begins…

This morning, I called MLH at 5:30 a.m. (He was out of town on a consulting job.) He didn’t answer. A minute later, he called me back. Conversation went much like this…

Me: Hey, babe…did you not hear your phone?

MLH: Oh, I heard it all right. I just couldn’t find it. I was looking for my glasses – I’ve been looking for them for an hour. I can’t see.

Me: Your glasses? You can’t see? (a lump of dread forming in my stomach) Did you find them?

MLH: Yes. (clipped voice.) YOUR wonder pup woke up about 3:30am and I took her out to do her business. When I brought her back in, I put her get in bed with me. And I guess while I was asleep, the little @#$*% crawled up and stole my glasses from the bedside table and demolished them.

Me: Oh, no.

MLH: Oh, yes. Jane (he only calls me that when he’s very, very upset!), I am wondering about the wisdom of getting another pup right now. (And he goes off into a short tirade.)

Me: (Very quiet – listening hard, and thinking harder.)

This presents a problem. Zoie the Wonder Pup has not only chewed MLH’s Oakley glasses with non glare lenses, they are prescription glasses. Progressive bifocals. Expensive progressive bifocals. Need I mention, they are MLH’s only pair? And that he is in Orla, Texas – 2 hrs from his optometrist? Who is probably booked to the max, anyway, and that MLH’s glasses are definitely special order?

MLH: And I’ve got to perform this very detailed, specific procedure out here today, and I can’t see. (And off he goes again, second-thinking our thinking about getting a new pup. I let him roll for a minute or two.)

Janie: Hey. Hey.

MLH: Yeah?

Janie: Zack and Zoie are definitely “our land”, right, part of that the Lord’s given us? And we thoroughly explored every facet of getting a new pup, right? We knew stuff would happen – they’re shorthairs! So…you’ve got a very important job to do out there today. You cannot go out angry – you have to be clear and straight thinking. So let’s look at it this way. Had it been Elder or Younger Son, and they were babies, and one of them messed up your glasses, you wouldn’t even be mad because you’d realize you had some culpability, right? And Zoie is just a pup, right? So, babe, you’d best look in the mirror and realize your portion in this, and walk on over that bridge. (MLH starts laughing, and I breathe easier.) Is there any way you can modify the glasses to get through the day, or are they totally trashed?

MLH: I’m working on it. She chewed every piece of rubber, I can’t find the pin, the lenses are scratched all to hell, I’ve got to go get some tape – and remember, these glasses are made entirely of molded plastic. I’m going to try to fix them, if I can. Can you go by the doctor’s and see what miracles you can work? Don’t even call me for a decision, just do whatever you can do to get me going again. We’ve got tons of your clients’ parties to attend, starting this weekend, and I’m going to look like a doofus with black tape on my Oakley designer glasses, that’s if I can even see through the scratched lenses.

Me: Sure. No problem. I love you, be careful out there.

MLH: I love you, too, babe.


So, I get ready for work. Take breakfast to a customer’s office. And when the eye clinic opens, I’m there…for 1 ½ hours. MLH has an eye disease, and he’s about to have his 6th corneal transplant. He’s probably close to being legally blind, which translates to a very stout prescription – I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can turn around in a day, or even 2 days.

In the eye clinic, I explain the situation.

Technician: He’s in a town, right? He can go to a clinic there and they can fix him up (this is before she even looks up his file.)

Me: The glasses are beyond repair. He’s going to try to nurse them through. Is there anyway you can help me get started on this today? I promise you, the town he is in doesn’t even have a convenience store –much less a Walmart. It’s smaller than 1/4 of Stanton, with no commercial vendors whatsoever.

Technician: Every town has something, even the oilfield is there, I’m sure someone could solder the glasses. I’m sure they…

Me: Okay. Please. Please stop. I AM the oilfield. 23 years worth. I know about soldering. Can you solder plastic glasses? The Oakleys? No? I didn’t think so. Not without special stuff. Will you look at his file? Let’s play like I came in here, and you absolutely positively have to help me find a solution, and the word “no” cannot be a part of the equasion. Can you do that?

Technician: But…

Me: Please. ma'am. Please. Look at his file. Then, we can talk. I’m not trying to be rude, but we have an extenuating circumstance with his glasses, much less his prescription.

At that point, everything started turning around for the better…I think.

The technician and I ended up settling on emergency budget glasses, with another pair for readers. (If you consider budget to be $448.) Those will be in on Monday.

And, I reordered the Oakley frames, just to save time. MLH will see the doctor on Monday, get a new prescription, as well as a new referral to the surgeon in Dallas, and we’ll start this process again. They will overnight the Oakley frames, then send them off to fit the lenses. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for those glasses with the progressive lenses and non-glare tint to come in.

MLH came in tonight, and we went to supper. He’s laughing about it now…thank God.

And the Zoie-monga?

She’s bouncing around like she’s the baddest spotted shorthair ever. She may well be.

But at least the little heifer’s made it one more day.

ZZ Dogs Update

Oh, yeah - she looks all shy and coy - do not believe it. It is a trick.

For those of you clamoring for a Zack and Zoie update, here it is. Zack is in Christoval with “the girls”, Tina and Tonya, the hunting dog trainers extraordinaire. He’s getting a tune-up and we’ll pick him up this week. As for the Zoie-monster, all I can say is…she. is. alive. (But only by the skin on her chinny-chin-chin.) She's tripled in size, and her spots are getting darker. Her little feet looks like she's stepped in dark brown paint. Zoie is beautiful, and is already acting like a little diva.

I guess we conveniently had amnesia on what life with a puppy is like. Zoie is hilarious, always making us laugh, which somewhat lessens the pain of short nights and sharp teeth. She has a huge personality, and I’ve not seen more expressive eyes in a dog. She and MLH are really bonding, since she goes to work with him. Zoie is doing well with the crate training, but man, do we have to keep our eyes on her 24/7 when we’re at home!

This weekend, due to changed plans and funky weather, we’ve pretty much stayed at home the whole time. That has equated to some good nap time…but we’ve had a hard time getting Zoie on the same schedule. We are so spoiled by Zack – he lovingly hops on the bed when we do, and snuggles up to us. He loves a snuggle and nothing makes him happier than getting to sleep with us at night. At times, we’ve had to resort to crating Zoie when we need a rest; she automatically settles when crated.

We pull Zoie up on the bed with us, and she thinks, “Allright, chew time!” We’re her most favorite teething toys. We correct her, she comes right at us with those sharp little thingies. Tonight, we ran to Petsmart to pick up some things, and ran into a mother and her son – also GSP owners. They fell in love with Zoie – and the mom said, “Isn’t the first year with a GSP hell?” Oh, yeah - I forgot. At times, I swear, we’ve wondered if Zoie might need exorcism (okay, just teasing!).

Zoie’s doing well on tricks thus far - today, she mastered “sit” and is working on “down”. I have to wait until she’s pretty focused to work with her on it – she’s a little ADD at this point in her young life. She is starting to go to the back door when she needs to go out, or she whines at us and heads that way, so that’s good.

One day, Zack was about 6 months old. I had let him in the back door, just as MLH was coming through the front door. In a snap, Zack was in a full run from the back door to the front, to greet MLH. We had just purchased a new couch, have tile floors, and once Zack got going on that tile, no way could he stop. The new couch covered Zack's old route to the front door, Zack could see no way to get to MLH other than jumping over the couch - and though he tried, he couldn't stop on the tile. So, up and over he went. In mid-hurdle, Zack’s foot caught the edge of a Italian blown glass ribbon bowl, (MLH’s favorite - value had been estimated at around $4000), and it fell to the tile and shattered.

MLH grabbed Zack’s collar and said, through gritted teeth, “Jane, when are we going to reach our economic limit on this dog?”

I said, “Looks like a dry hole to me, baby!”

MLH cracked up, and that was that.

Yup, the memories of raising a young pup are coming back to me, one nibble, one accident, one whine at a time. I know, we entered into this willingly – but y’all pray for us, okay? Please?

"Oowwwwwwww , Zoie, no bite!"

Zoie and the Price of Oil

The picture in Sunday's Permian Basin Oil Report was captioned:"High oil prices mean holiday travel will be more expensive." Zoie's take: "Pump, schmump! Let's go hunting!"

Morning news sources said that oil reached a record high this morning at $98.62/bbl, and further predicted that oil could go as high as $128/bbl. That is craziness. I'd better call my oil purchasers and tell them to go pick up a load...oh, wait...I don't have an oil well.

It's funny - prices in the oil service sector seem to be softening, and yet, the price of oil rises. I've been in the oil industry for 23 years now...and I still haven't figured it all out. It's a new day, every day, out here in the patch .

Guess that's what keeps it exciting!