Crate Anxiety and Other Adventures
I would like to think that I could have posted daily or even weekly about Ziti’s arrival up to this point, but I was literally exhausted until last night when I finally kept my normal schedule.
We’re two weeks in and here are some highlights:
Ziti didn’t like the first crate we set up for him at all. Every night he would begin to howl and whine at about 3:30 am, defecating and urinating all over it. Greyhounds do not like to have messy crates. This reinforced the anxiety. We ultimately had to change his crate and its location to break the cycle. During that whole first week, I averaged maybe 3 hours of sleep a night and two loads of laundry a day (without ever doing my own it seemed). I still do not have much humor for the “it’s just like a baby” sentiment. It’s not. A dog is not a child and a child is not a dog. A baby cries because she needs something, not because she has developed a fear of her crib. Ziti is also not a puppy. He is a six year old adult dog.
Ziti also continues to recover from a broken toe. During the first week, he developed an infection in the broken toe that was quite painful for him. Thankfully meds are all we needed to alleviate that situation but when we lapsed between his original meds that came with him and the new ones, you could tell that the broken, infected toe is not fun. We have also had to rebandage him several times as he likes to pull it off. Some Bitter Apple spray has helped with that and frequent corrections.
What we love about Ziti …
He really is a puppy at heart. He is always looking for you to play with him whether it is letting him chase after a tennis ball or getting his jaws around a squeaker.
He learns quickly. He already knew a lot of commands when he first arrived at our home. Now we’re teaching him to use it in a variety of locations. We’ve also added stay. And there’s no doubt to him or anyone else in our house who the leader of this family pack is — me. He falls into line and looks to me for leadership in nearly every activity now.
He’s finally comfortable. Jacob and I knew from about the second day that the crate anxiety was not of the usual variety of adjusting to a new home. We had so many things to complicate like that he has lived in many homes since he retired, the broken/infected toe, and learning to let go of leadership. But now, he’s sleeping at night, waiting until we get out of bed to greet us quietly, and following the leadership we provide at every step. A healthy dog is a happy dog. We’re thankful to everyone in the Greyhound Welfare group that helped us get to the bottom of our problem and solve it for Ziti’s peace of mind.
He’s socializing well with other dogs and people. He loves to be out in our neighborhood and new spaces. He is calm and stable when around other dogs. We’re meeting more of our neighbors and already have educated many of them in our short time about greyhounds. He is a dream at the vet and eagerly looks forward to the attention they lavish on him. “A nap on an exam table? Please show me the way!”
He has the cutest quirks. He’ll counter surf but never take anything off of them. He’s found squeakers in toys that I’ve presumed dead. We think he dreams of chasing rabbits whenever he’s twitching while he’s sleeping. He will heave this tremendous sigh after laying down on his side right before he puts his head down. He snores softly at every nap. He is absolutely ecstatic to see his leash come out. He is a treat moocher.
And if you haven’t looked at this prince’s photo gallery, for shame! He is a beautiful red brindle with white ticking on the bridge of his nose, the tip of his tail, and a couple of his toes. Everyone who touches him remarks, “He’s so soft!”. We’re tempted to make that a command for a trick.
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May 16, 2008 No Comments
From City Dog to Country Dog
Ziti is our first greyhound foster and arrived on a Saturday afternoon two weeks ago from his previous owner. He immediately dashed into the house and began sniffing about at all the new stuff. As all of his old stuff was brought in, he got even happier. There were his favorite toys! He immediately grabbed a sock monkey and took it around the house with him.
After a fond farewell, Jacob and I decided the best way to introduce Ziti to his new home was to first go on a long neighborhood walk. It wasn’t long into the walk before Ziti was happily loping alongside either of us as we held the leash. A quick, light distraction was all that was needed to help him stay on course.
Overall, Ziti came to us happy, healthy, and with a lot of energy to spare. The first night, as every book and fosterer will tell you, was the worst. I don’t think he slept a wink, because neither did we with all the whining and fussing! All day Saturday he would whine in his crate and a bit on Sunday too. It didn’t matter if we were here or not. Yesterday and today, he won’t whine in his crate when we are around and when I come home and am listening at the door, he’s quiet now too. We’re so happy to hear him relaxed and calm when we’re not around.
Never have I met a dog happier to see his leash than Ziti. He absolutely cannot contain his joy and his tail wags non-stop because he knows when we’ve got that leash in hand, he’s getting to do his favorite activity - walking!
While Ziti never made the top tier of racing (Class AA), he did win in Class B races and raced in Class A. He ran nearly 190 races and won almost 30 of those. You can view his pedigree and stats for details. He had the most wins of his litter. This sort of career meant that he was kept at the track longer and last raced in December 2006. In a way, his success meant that he had a better chance of living longer than less successful dogs, but a life of racing is a hard life and he rightly deserves to retire.
If you are interested in learning more about Ziti, you can visit Greyhound Welfare to learn about which open houses we are attending in the near future or learn how you can foster or adopt a greyhound.
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May 15, 2008 No Comments
Fostering Greyhounds
Back in January, we decided that one of the volunteering activities we would like to do is to foster greyhounds as they come off the track. The Humane Society estimates that thousands of greyhounds are put to death each year because they simply cannot run fast enough to win. Breeders are only interested in speed but thankfully there are many groups in the United States and internationally that work on rescuing these beautiful dogs and place them in loving homes. A greyhound is anywhere from 2-4 years old when retired from the track. Some were never raced because they failed to show potential. Others were raced until they begin to lose, sometimes by only a tenth of a second.
In the Washington, DC metro area, there are several greyhound rescue organizations available to help with adoptions:
Greyhound Welfare
Greyhound Rescue, Inc.
Blue Ridge Greyhound Adoption
GPA of Northern Virginia
Greyt Expectations Greyhound Rescue
We chose to go with Greyhound Welfare because they foster each of the greyhounds that enter their program. They focus on getting to know the dog’s needs and personality in the context of a home to help make a good adoption match. After all of our research into each of these organizations, we felt that GW’s dedication to fostering each dog they place was an important part of our decision. While we think that we will adopt that perfect match of a greyhound someday, we know that we can do a world more good by allowing some to live with us briefly on their way to a permanent home.
If you are interested in adopting a greyhound or have the resources to foster, check out Adopt a Greyhound, to find the nearest rescue group in your area.
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May 4, 2008 No Comments
Crater Lake Retrospective
Last fall, Jacob and I went with my parents on a short driving tour in Oregon down to Crater Lake National Park. There are so many beautiful places in the world to see, but I think Crater Lake provides a unique experience for visitors. In 1902, it was the fifth national park designated by the National Park Service, making it one of the oldest national parks in the country.
The Cascade Mountain Range extends from British Columbia in the north to northern California in the south. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is the site of several volcanic eruptions in recent and past history in the continental United States. Crater Lake was formed when Mt. Mazama erupted spectacularly, leaving a deep crater. While science can provide the factual proof of when the mountain erupted (5700 BC), the Klamath tribe of Southern Oregon provides the cultural history through legends of how the mountain came to erupt (during a war between two great chiefs). Over the millennia, Crater Lake has slowly filled with water from rain and snow melt. While there are some active hot springs, there are no tributaries outside of the caldera into the lake.
The resulting clarity of the deepest lake in the U.S. (maximum depth of 1,949 feet and one of the ten deepest lakes in the word) is astounding. When it can do nothing more than reflect the blue sky above, the results are some of the clearest, bluest water that can be seen anywhere in the world.
On our visit in mid-October, the first snow had fallen literally the night before and we had a wonderful introduction to late fall in the Cascades.
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May 4, 2008 No Comments
Day 3: Foret de Venasque/Vaucluse Plateau
Like any other day, we had lofty goals and a far off destination. This time I wanted to take an afternoon drive to Pernes les Fontaines in the Vaucluse Plateau. We left Apt in the early afternoon heading west on the N100 to the D4. The D4 is a beautiful drive through the Forest of Venasque following the side of the mountain sometimes and others cutting through narrow gorges until you come out in the north near Venasque.
Even on a dark and cloudy day, Provence once again was stunning and beautiful. The region immediately around Apt and the Vaucluse plateau are full of cherry orchards. And when I say full, I mean full! Every valley, every field, every slope had at least a small orchard and many had acres of orchards. This region of France is the largest source of cherries in the country and the pink seas of blossoms were a familiar sight to us.
We reached our destination of Pernes les Fontaines and found easy public parking near the old city. On Tuesday, the town was mostly deserted of both tourists and residents. Since Jacob was still not feeling well, our goal was to get a brief feel for mood and character of the town before he got exhausted and needed to go home.
Pernes is well known for their multitude of fountains. Everywhere that you turn, on every corner, in every niche there is a small fountain, and some are quite a bit more elaborate. Surrounding the old town is a large, medieval moat that has been turned into a lovely park with large willow trees shading it and access for bicycles via ramps in some places. The old town is clustered on a small rise with a Romanesque cathedral turned cultural center at its summit.
Pernes almost had us charmed to our toes. It is certainly beautiful, small, and we met some charming people but there was an underlying feeling that we got from the locals that reminded us of Williamsburg of all places. The persistent feeling we got from locals living within the old town was just like that you get from people who work and/or live in Colonial Williamsburg. There was this definite “townie” vibe - a “yes we choose to live here and that means that we ‘tolerate’ you tourists” sort of sentiment.
Now, before you go “well, what did you expect in a town that does rely on tourism as part of their economy and you’re a tourist?”, I will say that I expect to be seen as a tourist or visitor. I had my camera slung on my shoulder for goodness sake. I pride myself on being humble and appreciative in my role. I am polite, even when I have made a faux pas. But, there is a point where one expects at least a formal politeness reciprocated. And on this one Tuesday, in these short hours of the late afternoon, it simply wasn’t going to happen in Pernes. That does not mean that I am going to judge the whole town for four interactions had with locals in three hours. Hardly at all.
After a few failed attempts at interacting politely with locals, Jacob and I decided that clearly Pernes was a place we were going to rough out in solitude. Imagine our true delight at the idea of getting to wander around an ancient city without being “bothered”. After Jacob told me he was not going to climb the worn stone stairs to the top of old town, I agreed and accidentally walked him the long way around to the top of the town without any stairs. A coughing fit ensued and we relaxed under the plane trees just coming into leaf in front of the cultural center until we decided it was time to leave.
For our drive home, we headed back towards Venasque, but rather than taking the D4, we took the road that leads to the D15 and south towards Abbey de Senaque and Gordes. It was another gorgeous drive through a separate portion of the Foret de Venasque with again, large cliffs, steep gorges, and a hiking trail that taunted us to come back in better health. We decided to take the detour to the Abbey but upon reaching the gates and the parking lot realized that it would be a destination for a future trip. Without even leaving the car, we turned around and headed towards Gordes and on to home with Jacob sleeping most of the way.
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May 3, 2008 No Comments
Smoky Black Bean Burritos
Why this recipe?
This recipe from Fine Cooking caught my eye because it emphasized healthy ingredients with simple flavor. Black beans, baby spinach, and pepitas provide a high fiber and nutritious impact for this recipe. There is a balance of spicy, sweet, creamy, peppery, and crunchy. The flavors are cohesive and authentic to Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine. I look at this balance of ingredients and can see that there is going to be a high probability of success.
Mis en Place
The instructions for the recipe are straightforward and pretty true to form. If you take 15 minutes for the minimal prep necessary in this recipe, you will have less than 15 minutes left to dinner time for four people. If you like to prep as you go, you’re still golden. Once you get the beans going, the rest can happen while the beans simmer.
The First Bite
This dish met all of my expectations and then some! I was really impressed that the chipotle did not overpower the dish. It is so easy to overdo it with chipotle, especially when you’re talking about adding in additional adobo sauce. I’ve ruined many a dish that way. I was also a bit worried about the cheese not mixing well with the beans and making a charred mess. The tip is to really, truly, follow the directions when they say to mash half of the beans before adding the cheese and you will need that first two tablespoons of water that the recipe suggests. The result is a smooth and creamy sauce. Finally, I enjoyed the simple tomato salsa and the crispness of the spinach. They provided tart and peppery flavors in addition to some much needed texture contrast.
What Changed
I did add more black beans and I added sliced avocado to my burrito. I made the optional sour cream mandatory. I also chose to use multigrain tortillas. I love the depth of flavor that you get with whole wheat or multigrain tortillas. I did not deseed the chipotle but, in one or two bites, I wish that I had as I crunched down on a seed. It wasn’t a flavor issue, but it was a texture issue.
For the Future
I wish I had a nice, light Mexican beer for starters. The crisp acidity would have provided a good contrast to the darker, smoother taste of the burrito. I think that you could also up the smoky aspect of these burritos by substituting in a roasted tomato salsa for the fresh tomatoes or used chopped roasted red pepper. I think it would also be easy to substitute arugula with its peppery taste for the baby spinach.
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May 2, 2008 No Comments
Awaiting a Gentle Spring
In like a lion, out like a lamb aptly describes the spring we are experiencing here in Northern Virginia this year. What started out as raining and freezing during the end of March has now reached clear skies and tomorrow’s forecast of nearly 80 degrees.
I stopped by the local garden center this afternoon and picked up the first haul of mulch for the beds. We’ve made a firm commitment to not add any new plantings until we clear the freezing period which is the beginning of May. It is so hard to wait but at the same time it will be worth it. Rather than putting in the same old pansies planted around all of the communities here, I am looking forward to the Blandy Farm Garden Fair over Mother’s Day weekend.
Blandy Farm is part of the Virginia State Arboretum and is run by the University of Virginia. It is a stunning grounds that, even during the height of blossom seasons for all sorts of plants, seems to be rather unpatronized which is a downright shame. At the Garden Fair, there are a wide variety of family activities, walks, and tours, but most important is the massive plant sale that includes local vendors and also cultivars from the Arboretum’s collection. The plants focus on native cultivars and I look forward to filling the front flower beds with a variety of native plants this year.
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April 20, 2008 2 Comments
Day 2: Prius Saves the Day
Never in our lives would we have considered taking a driving vacation in Europe if we had a traditional car. The thought of pouring a significant portion of our budget into gas was not a priority. But, at the same time we wanted to leave the big cities behind and explore more rural areas of France. Our boon came when we realized that Hertz would offer a specific Prius rental out of Avignon. Jacob has premium status with Hertz and it helped us get a fantastic rate of 375 E for a week with essentially an automatic that we also thought would save us on the large gas bill when all was said and done.
“Due to the gentleman being quite tall,” the agent in Avignon tried, “we would suggest this here,” said as she pointed to a Mercedes, small and gas guzzling. We insisted, “We have driven a Prius, we requested it specifically.” Resigned after two offers of a free upgrade and an additional attempt at an upsale, she resigned herself that we were going to want specifically what we asked for. So, after a brief primer from Jacob and documenting all of the scratches pre-existing on the car, I was out of the lot in no time if not just a bit nervous. It was also unnerving the first few times the gas engine cut out at a full stop but I quickly became delighted at how often it switched over to the electric.
All of our luggage (two rollers, a backpack, a duffle, and a laptop bag) fit snuggly into the trunk and were covered by the built-in draw cloth. While we didn’t necessarily need the backseat, we did need its legroom. With the front seats most of the way back, we could sit comfortably in the car. And it drove like a dream over the Alps. It can turn on a dime and is very responsive — an important feature on one-lane Alpine roads. On the mountain roads we averaged 6L/100Km (about 40 mpg) and got closer to 4L/100Km (over 50 mpg) down in the valleys. Not bad! The Prius also has a GPS as standard. While we had brought Jill with us, we frequently put on the Prius GPS as well for comparison’s sake.
By the end of day 2, we knew we had made the right choice of car for our style of vacation. By the end of the rental, it was confirmed. We drove 1017 Km in Sunday driving style and only had to put in an additional 60 E of gas the whole trip to return it to the rental full.
In short, we’d rent a Prius again for a European driving trip in a heart beat. We’re even considering it as our next car purchase for home.
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April 16, 2008 2 Comments
Day 2: Alpine Driving
Jacob and I knew that once we got to Provence, we definitely wanted to at least take a driving tour of the eastern portion known as “Alpes de Haute Provence”. We love the mountains and we could not imagine coming so close yet missing out. So, early on Monday morning we headed out for Forcalquier which is a hill town with a once a month Marche Provencal. While many towns have weekly markets for the locals, some have larger markets with products from all over the region. Since Forcalquier’s large market coincided with our visit, we decided it was a good excuse to make it our gateway to the Alps.
Free parking was simple and easily accessible on the edge of the oldest part of town off of the N100. We arrived some time between 10 and 11 am and there was plenty of parking to be had. We walked up from parking towards the church. There was a brass band playing in the main plaza in front of the church and tourism office. You could hear them in every stretch of the market. I loved the woman knitting baskets as she stood against the wall of the church. We picked up some picnic and dinner staples like cheese and bread before heading back out of town. And, looking back at the end of the week, I enjoyed the couple of kitchen supply vendors that were at Forcalquier. I didn’t see similar vendors at the Apt market and found it slightly odd considering Apt had nearly everything else under the sun. But the truth of the matter is that I bought a nice little paring knife and a solid corkscrew that work like a dream and cost me 7E total. Forcalquier’s market was a close second for the Portland Saturday Market that I grew up visiting frequently.
With GPS in hand, we set out to see the sights on the D900 in Alpes de Haute Provence because when a certain someone is sick and says, “I want to see snow on mountains,” we just tell Jill to send us to Seyne. Is this going slow? You’d think so if you’ve ever drove the D900 north of Seyne. Is it in ever growing circles? Try taking a loop around Lac Serre Poncon and see if you wouldn’t describe it as a loop!
We have been to the Himalayas, the Rockies, and now the Alps. We are never prepared for the sheer awe that these large mountain ranges inspire in us. The small taste we had of Lac Serre Poncon already has us dreaming of our next opportunity to return and head a bit further north of Provence to explore the French Alps.
We learned quite a bit about Lac Serre Poncon just from the view point. There is also a large museum at the crest of the D3 called the Museoscope which has diaramas of nearly every aspect of the dam construction and the towns that were flooded on the valley floor when the lake was created. We were amazed to learn that the power generated by the lake’s dam system provide nearly 50% of the energy used in Provence. This was astounding considering that over 90% of France’s electrical power is generated by nuclear power plants.
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April 14, 2008 No Comments
A Blog in Pictures
Jacob is still coughing, which keeps him from ever quite getting to sleep. We’re staying in the Hotel L’Europe in Avignon tonight before our very early train tomorrow. We had a lovely dinner at Le Moutardiere that we nearly fell asleep in the middle of, we’re so exhausted (or perhaps relaxed) by our vacation.
I’m frantically uploading pictures to the photo gallery before he makes me curl up and go to bed.
Enjoy!
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April 13, 2008 No Comments
