I was almost finished typing out a long response to Tracy in KY about her dog with hip dysplasia when suddenly my keyboard went haywire and filled the box with "ttttttt" and I couldn't stop it! Below my message box it said, "last saved at....." so I hoped that after I rebooted I could find what I was writing. Where is it, though? Where does it archive unfinished drafts? Or does it? Was it a cruel joke? I KNOW I saw it.... astrid

We currently have a 7 year old HUGE (156 lb) Leonberger foster with us who came to us with such bad arthritis, hip dysplasia and an untreated ACL tear that he could barely shuffle. Could NOT MOVE. We picked him up November 5th, and got him in to see our vet on Nov. 13. Our vet put him on Tramadol and Meloxicam. The Meloxicam isn't expensive, and in fact the vet wrote us a prescription to fill at our local CVS pharmacy. It was under $15. So he started on the meds on November 14, and here is him today: Really--- watch the video. He could NOT move. I urge you to do something to ease this dog's suffering. She does NOT have to live this way, and it doesn't have to be a major investment. I'm trying to be as gentle as possible. Good luck with him. astrid

Best pre-lit outdoor garland? Any favorites? Good deals? Should I just wait until after Christmas-- do you think the savings will be worth it to wait? astrid

That's hilarious! astrid

Well now, I'd put a center-pull skein of yarn or stack multiple balls in it, stick in my needles and it'd be a nifty knitting tote for me. But I don't carry wine around either. :-) astrid

I was just going to post the same thing---except I got Molly's at JC Penney. Forget about the Juniors department; no such animal there. I finally found them in the Misses "career" section. Molly is tall with long arms, so I went with a misses regular, but it sounds like maybe a misses petite would work for your dd? astrid

LOL! You rock, Kareni! (pun intended!) Didn't know about the card game, but have been hitting up zazzle and cafepress curling departments for years. :-) Thanks tons-- the card game will be perfect! astrid

DH is ALWAYS hard to buy for. He's a curler, but there aren't a ton of curling-themed gifts out there. This year I decided to spend more than I normally would and bought a reproduction of a vintage curling scene print. I had it matted and framed. Does he like any sports teams? Dh is a Redskins fan, but we're in Patriots/Giants Land, so he doesn't have a lot of Redskins stuff. I bought him an RGIII T-shirt (he's the QB) so I think he'll like that. I also just bought him some vintage curling club pins on Ebay; I don't think I spent more than $5 on any of them. It's my teen dd that's the problem this year........ she never tells us what she wants! astrid

Yes, quite. Let's all exchange ideas about how best to discipline infants with plumbing supply lines, or which crockpots are best, or whether ADD is really all about a lack of discipline, or how Cesar Milan is the best dog trainer EVER! :tongue_smilie: astrid

Corgis are not hunting dogs, they are cattle drovers-- heelers who would drive cattle herds to market and around the farms by nipping heels. That's why they're true dwarfs--- the short ones survived because the cattle kicked over their heads! They are extremely smart, with lightning-fast reflexts and super focus for training. It's one of the reasons I really like them. I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and have known many. All have EXTREME herding drives, and in fact Pemmies are among the drivey-est of the herding breeds. I would not EVER allow my Corgi around my chickens, and in fact it's often tough for him to live in the same house with our cats. Personally, I feel there is no way a corgi could co-habitate in a home with house rabbits. astrid

YES.... it was CRAZY. She NEVER liked riding in the car seat, and we blew her mind one time when we drove 7.5 hours to a friend's house in Maine. They have a big ranch, and we walked in through the garage door, put Molly down so we could hug our friends. Anne asked, "Where's Molly?" We all looked around, and there she was-- walking away from us down the long hallway. Like she was saying that she sat for nearly 8 hours and she was DONE with that! She never stopped after that. astrid

OMG I"m so happy!!! Yes, hard to explain, and it kind of sounds crazy, but don't they make a difference?! I love mine.... and I"m so happy that you've found some relief! Hugs, astrid

YES. Exactly. I was treading lightly because I wasn't sure whether it would be considered a political post or not. But yes. Very different google results. astrid

Me too. I'm trying, but I'm just not feeling it yet. I miss hovering over a thread title and seeing a bit more about the topic, and I was one of the "Hybrid View" folks-- I'm finding this format harder to follow. astrid astrid

English Shepherds are on my (very) short list of dogs I'd consider if I downsized from my big guys. Quite healthy, super-smart, and just the right amount of working drive. LOVE THEM. I saw a few recommendations for Berners (Bernese Mountain Dogs.) Be careful here--- even Berner folk say that the lifespan is about 4 years now. Cancer is rampant in the breed, and it's ugly cancer-- osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma. Such a heartbreak. astrid

dbl post-- sorry, I must have been posting at the same time as the other reply-- I see it's a scrapbook thing....

I'm going to fly my freak flag and say that I have no idea what you're talking about, and I don't think I've ever heard of a "cricut." I'm off to google it, because my curiosity is piqued. Maybe *I* need a cricut and don't even know it??? :tongue_smilie: (sorry I"m no help....) astrid

You can call it whatever you like. I was merely pointing out the fact that the name of the act is not "Obamacare." It is the Affordable Health Care Act. Personally, myself and many others call this a welcome step toward health care reform. astrid

I need to get the clicker out again and start shaping some "household chore" behaviors with the dogs! http://www.youtube.com/embed/PztO-OvzRyg Enjoy! astrid

Anyone finding anything good? Alas, my AG-buying days are over....and that hurts. So where are the great deals? astrid

Again, it's not "Obamacare." It's the Affordable Health Care Act. astrid

OBOE. Molly plays the oboe and swims on her high school swim team. She has the lung capacity of a Navy SEAL. (She doesn't now and has never had asthma, though.) astrid

I have intermittent back spasms; most recently a couple of months ago which resulted in an emergency MRI-- showed bulging discs and arthritis from years of riding hunters and playing softball. It kind of always hurts, and most of the time I ignore it, or use heat and massage (dh) and/or muscle relaxants when it's bad. Recently, out of sheer whimsy, I bought a pair of Dansko professional clogs. They have a knitted pattern, and I HAD to have them! I never had any Danskos before and quite honestly, I didn't care if they were like walking on spiked planks, I HAD to have them, and I vowed I would wear them daily. They were PERFECT for me-- and they called to me. In fact, they are so "Astrid" that I've had people ask me if I had them custom-made for me, because the pattern is SO perfect-- not just knitted, but super-colorful knitted in my favorite palette of colors. Anyway, I wore them almost daily for a week, and suddenly a couple of days ago it occurred to me-- my BACK WAS FEELING SO MUCH BETTER!! I googled and sure enough, other people have reported that they have relieved lower back pain and fatigue. Somehow I feel like I stand with better posture when wearing them, like my spine is aligned better or something. Something to think about. YMMV of course. I hope you find some relief soon-- I know just how you feel! :bored: Astrid

Wondering what you've got on the needles for holiday gifts? I'm thinking about starting some funky cabled gloves, but of course I've been all through my gigantic stash and cannot find ANY suitable yarn, thus necessitating a trip to Webs! What are you knitting, for gifts or otherwise? astrid

Usually, just popped in coconut oil and topped with salt. For a special treat, this is delicious: