Cute Pet Contest

How many pictures do I have of my doggie? A local news station is having a Cutest Pet contest. I entered this picture of Trooper. It was taken in our old apartment in Geneva.

It was hard to pick which picture to use. I thought I'd share some good runner-ups with my readers!


Trooper loves his babies.


This one's a little blurry. When he comes in from the rain his hair stands up and we call him Spike.


Thankfully he has his super cute rain coat.


Dogs wearing costumes are always funny.


Look at that little face.


This is one of my favorite pictures of my two favorite guys. Look how happy they look.


Such a good boy.

Yummy Recipe

This is a tree that is blooming near our apartment. I love it. I dodged the rain drops to take this picture.

I tried this really tasty recipe last night. Jim had his oral arguments at school until after 9, so I invited a friend and her doggie over to eat. We made Ina's shrimp scampi with linguine and both loved it. The lemon and parsley make it very fresh and tasty. Aside from some prep, it's an easy week night dinner.

Jim leaves for a conference in Portland tomorrow but will be back early Saturday. Troopie and I will miss him, but we're glad to have each other!

Trooper Update

Who knew that so many posts would be devoted to my dogs health? Maybe someone will read this and find some helpful things for their doggie. We put Trooper on a three day dewormer. You can buy granules over the counter that you sprinkle on his food. I bought it at a farm supply store in town and the vet sells it as Panacur. Trooper had been off of Heartguard Plus since January as a part of his strict diet test. Heartguard Plus protects against all worms. After his second round of dewormer (vet recommended in two weeks) I want to put him back on HP to avoid this issue in the future. Otherwise we had a great weekend. We had a lovely little dinner party on Friday night, where Jim made Ina's chicken picatta (my favorite thing he makes! You should make it with panko bread crumbs like my wonderful husband does). I took my Little Sister out and about on Saturday and had drinks with people from work. Sunday was Domestics Day: mopping, vacuuming (I seriously feel we could vacuum every day between the dog hair and mud getting tracked in), and cooking. I made a yummy meatloaf and cheesy potatoes for dinner (although my meatloafs don't quite take on the loaf form and are served as more of a meat pile) and prepped Ina's Turkey Lasagna for dinner tonight. (You should make that lasagna. And don't skimp on the goat cheese!) Jim went back to school today. Back to business!

Hookworms

When Trooper went in for his annual shots on Monday, they decided to do a stool sample test. Poor pup now has hookworms! Apparently dogs can get hookworms by sniffing infected dog feces, soil, or water and licking their mouth and ingesting it. As long as it's treated early, there are no long term affects. It may or may not explain his head tremors, as sometimes parasites affect the nervous system. While I had the vet on the phone, I told her about his itching and licking. She was going to get in touch with his allergist and ask what we could do to alleviate that. Our dog is slightly special needs, but we love him dearly.

TGIF

There are a lot of sculptures in downtown Eugene. We passed this one as we walked to Davis' for Happy Hour. Jim said, "It's you and me!" (Even if they have weird feet.) Then we passed a man carrying a rabbit in his coat and a group of beggars with a sign asking for "Nicotine, Alcohol, or Weed."


I love Spring Break Jim! I'm hoping he's indicative of Summer Jim. We had a Happy Hour date and ate my favorite thing: a giant cheeseburger (with crispy shallots and bacon aoli!) and a nice cold IPA.

Jim is going skiing today for the first time in his life. Luckily they offer a 10am lesson. OMG, he's packing a snack bag right now and he's taking a chocolate milk for himself and his friend who's taking him. When he gets back he's making chicken picatta for seven! He's a hardcore guy!

No more head tremors from Troopie, but he is itching and licking a lot. He kept Jim awake all night licking. Poor pup. Poor Jim. (Disclaimer: don't call Jim with concerns about Trooper, he's asked that you direct them all to me.)

Happy Friday!

Happy Thursday

Yay for Thursday! Jim is actually going on a Happy Hour date with me after work. I'm pretty excited! Last night we went to a Duck's basketball game, and it was just the right amount of time for a sporting event: two hours. (But no beer at the arena!) Before we went Jim made a lovely sausage and bean dish for dinner. It was really tasty! He also found me this website, food gawker, and if you look on the top tab, there's also a craft gawker, etc. I hope you all have a happy Thursday!

Manhattan Smoothie

It was warm and sunny out today, I biked to work! It was so nice to ride home in the sunshine. I was straight up cruising. I saw a red tulip on the side of the road. I was waiting for other bike riders to pass me (it's happened before.)

This picture is just for you, blog readers. When you live in Eugene, you can really dress however you want and no one looks twice. Here's what I need to ride my bike to work:

Velcro reflector around one pant legs so my pants don't get caught in the chain.
Sneakers, but don't worry, I change my shoes at work.
Fleece to work? You bet (in Eugene.)
LL Bean backpack that I've had since high school.
And helmet (safety first.)

Spring Break Jim made a great dinner tonight: kung pao chicken. Yum! So good and fresh. Right now he's putting the rest in tupperware for my lunch tomorrow. Jim's going out for a beer now and Trooper and I are getting ready to cuddle, drink wine, and eat cookies. (It's a favorite past time of ours.)

Trooper Pooper Update

Our wonderful step mom, Judy, made this awesome wall hanging for me! I came home to a package, which is always exciting, and found this inside. Isn't it pretty? She made it herself. I'm so inspired by crafty people.


Trooper playing tug on Sunday with his dog pal, Harvey, and Jim. As you can see, he's still a playful pup.

Trooper went in for his yearly shots today. Jim took him and talked to the vet about his condition, and she has no diagnosis. Testing for epilepsy or other diseases would be expensive and potentially inconclusive, so we are just going to try to keep him healthy and happy and keep our eye on him. In August, after we've been here a year, we can do allergy tests. Other than his head tremors, he is a happy pup who jogs and plays and is our best dog pal.

Spring break Jim is enjoying himself! We made a tag team quiche last night (I made the crust, he made the filling) and had a guy over to dinner who's from Sycamore and was in town for a conference. Tonight he made me curry in a hurry (Trader Joe's jarred Thai curry) and potstickers. I think he's been reading food blogs all day thinking about what else to cook for me. He found me Have Cake, Will Travel. This guy knows what I like!

Poor Poopie Troopie

Well, Trooper had at least four more head tremors while we were watching a movie last night. Poor pup. He hasn't had a steroid in weeks. Maybe it is something else. He's also itching and licking a lot. Weather.com said we're in a high pollen time. Jim has to take him to get his yearly shots tomorrow morning, so hopefully they can talk about what to do. When he has his little tremor he props his head up and looks at me, like, "Mom, what's happening?" And I just pet him and said it's okay and eventually it stops. I'll keep my readers updated.

Sans Camera

I have come to realize I should carry my camera at all times. Eugene is full of colorful characters and the amusement doesn't end. After work, I took Trooper for a jog and to the dog park and then headed out to celebrate St. Patty's day with friends (Jim was working on his brief.) As my girlfriend and I were walking to the bar, we saw a small cat on a leash, wearing a cape. How I wish I had a picture of that. And then we saw a bag pipe parade, another good photo op. It was a fun night but knowing I had to work early put a little bit of a damper on the festivities. (We did share a doughnut from the delightful Voodoo Doughnuts on the way home.) When I left, I remembered we needed berries and creamer (two vital parts of our morning) so stopped at Safeway. In front of me in line was an old man wearing Uggs. He bough a pair of sunglasses (funny enough in Eugene) and two large garden statues that looked to be snails. Yep, sunglasses and lawn decor at the grocery store at 10:30pm. It never ends.

Jim (should) officially be on Spring Break now! I am hoping he is napping and watching tv and playing with his pup. I am going to a wedding expo after work (with an engaged friend) and we are hoping that our gentlemen will meet us for food and drinks after.

I will make sure to bring a camera.

Who's Reading This?

Today I decided to add a new gadget to my blog and found I've had over 4,000 page views!! Thank you for reading my blog (whoever you are.) I started this blog mainly for family and friends to follow our adventures in the Pacific Northwest. And to give myself something to do when I wasn't working. I'd say it's also been therapeutic to write down my thoughts and what not, sort of like a journal. And readers, I LOVE comments!

Jim's been working so hard on his brief. He has been at the library late (except for tonight, yay!). Trooper stared out the window for hours last night. Another car parked in our spot and Trooper jumped up and started wagging his tale. Sadly, his dad didn't get out of the car, so it was back to staring. I've taken him for a jog on Monday night and tonight, trying to get his puppy energy out. And get him ready for bikini season. (When I told Jim that, he said he's going to need to get waxed. That made me LOL.)

I tried a great recipe tonight. I bought frozen mahi mahi at TJ's and didn't know what I should do with it. I googled Martha Stewart Mahi Mahi and was directed to a Rick Bayless recipe. I was reminded of fond memories of Friday nights with Jim in our old apartment watching Chicago PBS (Check, Please! followed by Mexico One Plate at a Time). Rather than make my own salsa, I bought Frontera (Rick Bayless's restaurant) salsa of some sort. I also had to bake it for longer than suggested. I loved it. I think the salsa and potatoes tricked Jim into eating the fish. I also have cookie dough in the fridge. I don't know that other law students have it this great :)

I may be going out on the town for St. Patty's day and then to a wedding convention (with an engaged friend) on Friday. Mainly I'm excited to spend the weekend with my loving husband and cute lil pup.

If Loving My Dog is Wrong, Then I Don't Want to be Right

Look at this little pooper! Sticking out his tongue on graduation day! We love this picture so much. I'm sad that Beginner's Obedience is over. He's learned sit, down, and stay, and we're still working on leave it, drop it, and come. We are going to try to practice every day and eventually move on to Intermediate class. I was very happy with the PetSmart class. So was Trooper!

Trooper seems to be doing better. After being off of the steroids, he hasn't had any shakes, but his itching started again. The allergist recommended Zyrtec, which we started giving him once a day. She said dogs actually metabolize it faster than humans, so he can have it twice a day now. His itching in general has seemed to subside, but before he was getting relief he licked a hot spot on his lil paw. So now he licks and licks it. Jim has been a good puppy dad and disinfects it every day and rubs lotion on it and Gold Bond on Trooper. Once that spot goes away, hopefully he'll be much better. The allergist recommended waiting one full year in this area to complete blood tests. I am hoping we will find out it's not food allergies so I can give him eggs and chicken and less expensive food again, but we're trying to stay on the safe side and limit his diet until we figure it out.

I finished my book club book and you all should read it. I haven't read fiction that I've enjoyed that much in quite awhile. Water for Elephants was a great read! I believe the author has a few more books out that I'll have to check out. I have moved on to a book called McKay's Bees, another piece of fiction that I heard reviewed on NPR. I'm only 12 pages in and it seems okay so far.

I need to get back to being crafty. I have been so busy the last few weeks. My goal is to get back to making and crafting a little every night. We'll see how that goes!

Happy Weekend

We had a wonderful time with Vanessa. My only complaint: it went by too fast! I was so sad to drop my little friend off at the airport today. We saw a lot of sights but were also able to relax every evening. When she flew in on Friday, we ate lunch in Portland then came back to Eugene and took Trooper on a long walk. We were lucky to have a lot of periods of no rain while she was here. On Saturday we drove to the coast (no tsunami!), ate lunch, and walked around on the beach. On Sunday we took Trooper for a hike in the woods and then went out to King Estate and had an awesome lunch. Vanessa was also here for Trooper's graduation for Beginner's Level Dog School! (He was awesome. We're going to practice the basics for a few more months and then move on to the Intermediate class.) Those were the highlights of the weekend. Jim's at school working hard tonight as his brief is due on Friday. Luckily for him, next week is his spring break.

Spring is almost here

This is how I found Trooper the other morning! It was raining out before work and time for our walk. You can tell who did NOT want to walk in the rain.

Today really felt like spring. It was around 60 out and didn't rain a lot. We still have the windows cracked at almost 8pm. The daffodils have been out for awhile and the crabapples and magnolias are about a week short of bursting with blooms. My friend and I took our doggies on a jog together after work and they did really well running together! As I told Jim, Trooper needs to get ready for bikini season.
I tried a few more new recipes this week. The first was glazed chicken thighs. It was good, but Trader Joe's only had boneless skinless. I think the glaze would have been better with some skin. The other was a tuna noodle casserole. It was great. I added a breadcrumb topping. Next time I would add even more cheese. I'm just trying to look for a variety of wholesome dinners that aren't too hard to make after work. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them! Jim is a hungry guy, especially after studying hard and riding his bike to and from school a few times a day. And I'm just a hungry girl. I also like a little variety in my food, so the recipe search is never ending.
Tomorrow is my Friday!! I've accrued vacation days at work and have a four day weekend for Vanessa's visit. I can't wait. I am working away on laundry and what not tonight. Tomorrow I am trying a yoga class with a friend and then it will be Friday morning!

Oh Roku

Disclaimer: Jim will not like this blog post.

The Roku is giving me a headache. You get used to watching tv one way for awhile and your brain can't handle a new way. I don't even watch that much tv. I just have a few shows I like to catch, including Gossip Girl, Glee, Modern Family, and the Food Network Classics. Most of these are on Hulu (no Giada though.) But you have to search for them. When you use the Roku, you have to search for what you want in the program you're using (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) either by using an arrow on the remote or typing in the name. So last night I decided I'd give the Roku a chance and watch the new show Parenthood. You have to go to Hulu and search for Parenthood. It came up with Two Seasons. However, Season One said "Excerpts" and Season Two said "Episodes." You can't watch the full episodes of Season one on Hulu Plus (which I am paying $8 a month for.) This whole search took about 15 minutes. I turned everything off and read my book. We also have Netflix but not everything on Netflix is available instantly through the Roku, so Jim put Parenthood Season One on my queue. It will be coming in the mail the way we usually get DVDs from Netflix. Sigh. Too much technology.

Luckily I've kept a basic cable package for us, so we get the regular channels for $12 a month. Jim says he'd like to get an antennae to get rid of those. I'm sure my brain will adjust, but it hurts just thinking about it. Sigh again.

Doggies

Does anyone else like to look at cute pictures of doggies online? Before I had a dog I would sometimes just look up pictures of puppies of breeds I thought I might like to get one day. Now I love to look at the Pioneer Woman blog or Posie Gets Cozy just to see if they've posted pics of their dogs. My love for dogs doesn't stop at mine, although if you could see his little squishy face sleeping right now, you'd love him more than anything too. (He's dreaming right now and he kind of matches our new couch pillows. Double cute!)

Trooper's been feeling better in terms of seizures (we haven't seen one in a week and a half) but his itching has increased since we've completely stopped the steroids. The vet recommended trying Zyrtec, so we started that tonight. We are thinking the shaking must have been related to the steroids. Hopefully we can get some allergy relief so that he doesn't get his "hot spots" back. Poor pup itches and bites at his paws and skin until he gets open wounds.

I'm so happy to only be working a four day work week and counting down the days until my dear, darling, wonderful best friend Vanessa arrives on Friday!! I'm picking her up at 11am on Friday in Portland. We are planning on lunch in PDX and then heading back to Eugene (about a two hour drive.) I can't wait to see her cute little face!

Visit

Tonight I made these Oven Braised Short Ribs that I saw on Martha's website. They were really good! I did turn the oven down to 300 (instead of 350) for quite awhile. We had home made chocolate chip cookies (made with whole wheat flour) after.

We were so happy to have our visitor this weekend. On Saturday morning, I took my Little Sister to the park and let her run around on the jungle gym then went jogging with a friend. Shortly after, our friend Joe arrived with his lovely doggie. We took him on a drive around Eugene and took the dogs on a nature walk. Saturday night we went to Jim's favorite bar, the Bier Stein. It was so much fun to have Joe in town. This morning I made them pancakes and bacon and we took the dogs to the dog park. Before we knew the fun was over and Joe had to head home. Sigh. Trooper LOVED having Debbie here. He woke us up a few times in the night scratching at the door, trying to get to her, and was licking Jim's face at 7am to get up. I think he's sad right now, probably missing her.

Jim hooked up our new Roku, a device that will allow us to phase out cable (except for Internet.) So far it seems neat but confusing and different from the way I'm used to watching tv. I'm sure I'll like it once I figure it out. I signed up for a hulu plus account which will allow me to watch the tv programs I like on the Roku (just a day after they are aired on tv.)

Right now Jim petting Trooper because we think he looks depressed. Trooper: it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Take Out Night

Last night I was not in the mood to cook. I tried a few new recipes this week, none of which were that spectacular. It was worth a try and put a little variation in our week. Jim even said to me, "If it wasn't for you, I'd be eating ramen every night." So after I got a quick hair cut, I stopped for some Mucho Gusto. I love their fish tacos. Jim had the carnitas burrito but didn't seem to be that head over heels in love with it. Mucho Gusto is owned by the same people who own Dickie Jo's, a really yummy burger place in town. I love their food and they are locally owned and try to serve food made sustainably with local ingredients. And you can buy beer at both if you eat in. Yum!

Jim will be at the library late tonight so that he can relax and hang out with Joe all weekend. I may watch a movie with a friend and let our doggies play. I'm picking up my Little Sister early tomorrow to hang out before Joe gets in. It should be a fun weekend!

Week Nights

Last night I made Emeril's Shake Em Up Pork Chops. They were fine. Not bad, but didn't blow my mind. Tonight I'm going to try Ina's Indonesian Chicken. I'm trying to explore new recipes during the week but have a feeling I'll be buying us burritos before the week's up. Jim aims to make one meal a week or so during the semester but will surely make up for it when the semester's over (I know he's reading this!) By the time I exercise and make dinner, I'm pooped. If I'm lucky I get some crafting in, otherwise I watch tv and drink wine until I fall asleep. Last night I fell asleep sharing a couch pillow with my darling doggie. (Who has not had a head seizure since Friday night! Perhaps it was the steroids he was on.)

Our Book Club is starting! We are starting with my suggestion, Water for Elephants, and meeting at our apartment on April 7th. Jim said he didn't mind as long as he gets snacks out of it. After the first month I think we will rotate every month. Right now we have between four and six members.

We are so pleased to have two visitors coming. This weekend Joe and his doggie Debbie will be in Eugene to visit us. Joe is so special to both us and we are happy to share a coast with him (he lives in Seattle.) We are hoping to get in a hike and some beer drinking. And next weekend is a visit from my closest, most wonderful girlfriend, Vanessa. She's journeying all the way from Florida to see us. I can't wait to see her cute little face! I was even able to take off two days from work, so we'll have a four day weekend together. It feels like Christmas is coming!!