Happy Turkey Day!

It's Thanksgiving Eve and I think I have all the groceries I'll need to cook my Thanksgiving feast for tomorrow. There will be a turkey breast w/spiced rub, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, baked butternut squash, and pumpkin pie. I'll have leftovers for days but that's okay. I really enjoy cooking a Thanksgiving dinner even if it's just for me! My Mama taught me well! The dogs are all getting marrow bones for their Thanksgiving. They'll be happy as clams. I'll be heading to Kim and Guy's place for lunch and then back to my place for dinner.

Saturday we lure course again. I hope Lucy does just as well as she's done in the past. She really enjoys it. Heck, I don't know any greyhound who doesn't like to run!

Wish us luck! And have a safe and wonderful holiday.

The Weekend - Finally!

I tell you - having a Monday holiday seems to make the week just drag and drag on. I think it's the 10 hour work days I have to do to make up for having the holiday off. Aw, the perils of being a contractor. And next week it'll be a three day week of 10 hour days followed by a five day week of 10 hour days. All to make up for the Thanksgiving holiday. Did you get that? I think I confused myself! I'll make it through it though. It's always tough this time of year with all the holidays but it's doable!

No real exciting plans this weekend except that I'm planning to go to Carrollton to see a dog show. It's suppose to have rare breeds but I think all breeds are welcome. It should be fun!

And tonight I'm meeting a few of my old comrades from my Slocum days. That should be fun as well. It's been a while and we're way overdue as we all used to meet up quite frequently.

Other than that, I plan to take it easy and get ready for the upcoming holiday. I truly enjoy cooking the Thanksgiving dinner. It only happens once a year so why not enjoy it?

Two Days Post Coursing 1,680 Yards

Lucy is in fine spirits and is feeling well. The peeled pad is healing just fine and she seems much less "ouchy" this morning than yesterday. Every day it heals more and more. The udder cream is doing the trick, I think. Who would have thunk it? Anyway, tonight we hit the road again for some more conditioning. There's no such thing as too much road work, for her or for me, so we definitely intend to keep it up. It makes a huge difference.

Other than Lucy and her exploits - all else is well. I have some cooking to do tonight as our annual Thanksgiving feast at work is tomorrow. There will be about 130 folks with lots of food and fun. I'm making broccoli and rice casserole and pumpkin bars. Yummy! Lucy and I will definitely need to walk tomorrow night to help walk off some of the calories I'll indulge in at lunch! Actually, it will probably take days of walking as there will be scads of dishes I'll think I'll need to try! But hey, it's once a year that we get to enjoy this! Right?

Lucy's Big Win

This past Sunday was Lucy's big debut in lure coursing at the CHASE Veteran's Day trials. Well, she had coursed before but only ran in Singles which means she obviously ran by herself and received a ribbon (two first placements) but no points were earned. Yesterday she ran in the Open category which means she runs with other dogs - two other ones in the morning and two in the afternoon. Points are tabulated and totaled with two judges judging. After the morning run of a course that was 840 yards in length and went every which way with three crossovers, she was actually in third place with two (more experienced) dogs tied for 1st. The afternoon final run was great and she scored really high, putting her in first place with a total of 304 points for the day. The 2nd place dog had 301 points. It's always close like that but she did really well and I am so proud of her. She could have run for Best of Breed against the Field Champion winner but they forfeited so she got the ribbon and more points that will count toward the Top 20 standings. Maybe at year-end she'll hit that list, who knows? She's doing great with only one corner of a pad that "burned off". The ground is extremely hard right now with the drought so that being the only injury is definitely a good thing!

On Monday to commemorate Lucy's big win, all three dogs received baths complete with an Epsom salt foot soak, manicures and pedicures, and ear cleanings and a fresh spritz of flea and tick spray. Then they were treated with fresh marrow bones which they devoured! What a weekend!! I couldn't be more proud of my girl Lucy!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

To help explain why I've been so busy, I must tell you about our latest Fundraising activity for the Southeastern Greyhound Adoption program. Remember I'm the fundraising chair. In any event, I was approached by our Club president one day about the possibility of us doing a calendar like the one depicted in the movie Calendar Girls. This was 15 months ago - around July of 2006. At first I immediately said no, there was no way I could pull that off (no pun intended). Well, I thought about it and did some research. The results of the initial Calendar Girl project back in 1999 plus the success of the Still Magnolias calendar the ladies of Aiken, South Carolina put together both inspired me so much that I said yes, I would do it.

It was no easy project believe me but eventually I found 11 other women who agreed to be in the calendar. That number swayed back and forth over the next several months, even up to two days before the final photo shoot. But in the end, there were 12 lovely women posing in the nude with their Greyhound(s).

The photographer is a friend of mine from a workplace years ago. We found a make-up person and stylist amongst our own volunteer force. As well, our graphic designer is also a volunteer who regularly designs for our Cafepress store, www.cafepress.com/greyhound1.

After months of hard work and coordination, our first photo shoot was this past June with the second and final shoot in July. The final photos were spectacular, if I say so myself, and the calendar presentation cannot be beat! You must check it out at http://www.greymates.org/. Oh, the website was also designed by another volunteer within the organization - Teresa Wheeler. What a fantastic job she did!

Check out the calendar and order yours today. As well, spread the news to your Greyhound friends.

Such a Stranger

I have been a bad blogger and haven't been here since April? It's just been so busy lately and I just haven't had much time. I hope to get better at this and frequent my Blog as often as I can. I'm gearing up for Greyfest our annual fall fundraiser that usually garners SEGA around $5,000 or more. It's a nice boost, that's for sure. Our guest of honor this year is Soaring Cindy, the greyhound who holds the world record in high-jump at 68". It's gonna be a great time! More later.

A post script - Greyfest was quite successful garnering SEGA almost $7,500!! I believe this a record. Soaring Cindy was phenomenal. It was quite a treat to see her in person. What a sweet dog as well as a very talented one!!

The girls all ran in the Blur of Fur which is always a big crowd pleaser. Here is Remi doing her thing. She and Lucy clocked at 43 mph where Sugar clocked at 38 mph, I believe. They all had a blast as did everyone else in attendance. Another successful Greyfest behind us!!

Heading West!

Yep, I'm psyched because tomorrow (on Friday the 13th of all days) I fly West to Phoenix, Arizona to attend a yearly Annual Convention of Delegates for ASFA, the governing agency for our lure coursing program. I'll be representing the Southeastern Greyhound Club along with it's president, John Parker. It's usually alot of fun seeing other coursing enthusiasts from around the country, all converged in one hotel for the duration while we review and vote on impending rules and regulations which could potentially affect all who participate in the sport. John and I have plans to join Rory Goree (GPA President) and his wife for dinner at a local greyhound gathering. Then Saturday it is the convention all day with plans to hit the local greyhound track that evening. Sunday mid-day, I fly back home. It should be an exciting weekend full of meeting new friends and having fun! I can't wait to see Phoenix for the first time. I'm sure I'll be posting details of the trip later!

Down with Six Flags Over Georgia

OMG, Six Flags decided to have this promotion today titled "Ditch Work" where they offered free admission for folks between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., I think. They failed to remember it is Spring Break here so every teenager in Atlanta was stacked up on I-20 and everywhere in between, trying to get into the park for free. Traffic was at a standstill. The folks trying to get to work suffered. A normal one hour commute for me took three hours. I just emailed Six Flags. I really think they should have thought about that promotion a bit more - perhaps providing traffic control and communication folks. It was mayhem, to say the least. There were reports of kids walking around on the Interstate (in the dark) and getting into fights at the gate. I hope no one was hurt in all the commotion. Honestly, is a free three hour stint at Six Flags really worth all that? I say not. Just pay the money and go in, hassle free, and have a good time - just like everyone else does it!

The Hunt

On Sunday, April 1st I pulled off SEGA's first ever Hoppin' Hounds Easter Egg Hunt at SummerWind Farm in Newnan, Georgia, along with help from Charles Parrott, Kim LeVear, and Robin and Ted Waterfall, all of whom pitched in wherever was necessary and did an outstanding job.

We had about 40 people show up, despite the threat of rain, and about 35 greyhounds. It was such fun! I think the total egg count was near 950, most stuffed with wonderful prizes for the greyhounds and the humans. We cooked hamburgers and hotdogs complete with all the trimmings (all courtesy of Sams Club and Kroger). We raised $500 and definitely I think everyone had a good time. It'll have to be a repeat for next year, for sure.

I've decided I've got to slow down a bit with fundraising and see if I can have some FUN myself. I'm tired, it's very plain and simple. In May I plan to take a refresher SCUBA class, after which I plan to do some diving, hopefully, in the Keys and probably in Panama City. I miss it, that's for sure, and can't wait to get back into the water! It should be fun!

Lucy's Lure Coursing Debut

Well, Saturday was the day Lucy stepped up to the coursing line and ran her first course in Singles. She did really well for the morning prelims scoring a 152, I believe. The afternoon proved to be difficult for her as she appeared to be a bit stiff from the morning's run. I think her afternoon score was 149. Fortunately for her, her other Single competitiors pulled out of the afternoon run so that put Lucy in 1st place! Her first blue ribbon. And hopefully not her last!!

A few folks I spoke with on Sunday thought Lucy had experienced lactic acid buidup. I am consulting with a few trainers to determine how to avoid this in the future and perhaps get some recommendations on supplements or "tricks of the trade" to prevent this. Basically, it's a metabolic breakdown due to the exertion of the running which is causing severe muscle cramping. She was pretty lethargic and not wanting to walk after her final run but by the time we had returned home, she was fine and in the backyard chasing squirrels.
I don't know but I hope to obtain some valid information in the next few days which will help us down the road.

Other than that, the weekend trials were wonderful and the new field at the Barry's in Moreland is absolutely beautiful. They were great hosts as well! We're looking forward to returning in the near future!

Anticipation . . .

It's a day before the SEGC trials in Moreland and I am anxiously awaiting Lucy's debut. It's just exciting getting back out there after taking a one year hiatus after the ASFA National Greyhound Specialty last Spring. We've been roadworking a bit and I think she is ready. She is also scheduled to run in Singles on Sunday but that, of course, depends on how tired she is after Saturday. We'll see.

This should be a large trial for SEGC so we are anticipating a large entry. It's at a different field than the one we usually course at which should be nice for the dogs. It's always fun to see them course on new terrain. And I'm sure it makes it challenging for them, too. Nothing worse than a bored coursing dog!!

I'll post again after the trial with a rundown of Lucy's exploits!

The Weekend

Wow, well, Saturday I took Lucy to the CHASE trial in Cartersville for a practice run. She did just great and ran her little heart out, first time around! I was amazed. At the "Tally Ho", she seemed to just stand there so I nudged her a bit and whispered, "Go chase it!", and sure enough, she did just that. She was bookin' it in the beginning but seemed to fade a bit toward the end. We are going to ramp up our road-working efforts this week in anticipation for her run in Singles this weekend at the SEGC trial in Moreland. I'm hoping she does well and perhaps will obtain her certification one day soon. We'll see how it goes! She seemed to really enjoy the run and was much more enthusiastic about the plastic bunnies afterwards. That was my goal for taking her up for the practice run so we were successful. She didn't appear to be sore anywhere that evening or the next day but this week we will get a good workout in preparation for the trials this weekend. The weather is suppose to be warm and beautiful all week, including Saturday and Sunday!

Sunday was a pretty dismal day. It started out nice as Kim, Guy and myself drove to Birmingham to pick out two new greyhounds to bring back to our adoption group, Southeastern Greyhound Adoption (SEGA). It's hard to pick just two but that's all the room we had at our kennel. We picked a red fawn girl named Cate and a black and white tuxedo girl named Darcy. Cate turned out to be cat tolerant and Darcy would have jumped over desk and chair to get to the cat so, unfortunately, is not tolerant.

After getting them all squared away, I went home to find my 16 1/2 year old Himalayan in dire straights. She had kidney failure and really deteriorated rapidly over the weekend. She just plummeted from Saturday night on. I was hoping to make it to our vet this morning with her but that was not to be. I had to take her to the ER vet on Sunday to be put to sleep. She is at peace now and is with her husband, Boca, who preceded her in death by 8 years. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It just tears your heart out but I know now that it was the only thing I could do.

Oh my - what a week!

Last Thursday I began getting sick with some upper respiratory thingamajig. Yes, that about sums it up. I went to the Dr. on Monday and was prounounced to have a "touch of the flu, an upper respiratory infection and perhaps some strept throat". UGH!! And I've survived the week at work but only after being prescribed some good decongestants and cough syrup with Codeine, nonetheless. The syrup absolutely wipes me out so must be taken at nighttime. It's good stuff and has done the trick, so I can't complain!

Dear Lucy is settling in quite nicely. Sugar is liking her pretty much and Remi just seems to be "okay" with her. She's doing good with the kitties as well. She is 14 days post-op from her spay surgery and I think is wanting to run a bit. We'll see. Next weekend I'm taking her to the CHASE trial in Cartersville just to watch the coursing a bit and see what she thinks of it.

Off to hit the Friday afternoon traffic. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Lucy. . . I'm Home!!

I am currently fostering a 2 1/2 year old White w/Red Ticking female greyhound formerly known as Yopon Laverne. She has no race record but was recommended as being a good lure coursing prospect. I do plan to formally adopt (nka) Lucy and try our luck on the lure coursing field. She is young, very energetic, and loves life. She is getting along well with Remi and Sugar and Savannah. Chelsea, the Himalayan, is in the midst of kidney failure so isn't around much as she pretty much stays in one place most of the time. She isn't fairing well at all. More than likely, I will have to make that decision to put her out of her misery. She is 16 1/2 years old!

Anyway, dear Lucy is a riot to have around. She thinks playing with the toys at 2 a.m. is acceptable behavior. I'm working on this, trust me. She thinks chewing on my leather boots is acceptable behavior. I'm working on this, trust me. She thinks she is not getting enough kibble at every meal. I'm working on this, trust me. She thinks she sees "dead people". I'm working on this, trust me. She thinks her bed is attacking her. I'm working on this, trust me. She thinks all the stuffies can sleep in her bed and she can sleep on the floor. I'm working on this, trust me.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment. I can't wait to see her on the lure coursing field.

Thank DOG It's Friday!

Well, in true Atlanta fashion, Friday morning's commute started out with news that an area policeman had been driving down the I75/I85 connector around 2:50 a.m. the wrong-way, causing a head-on collision with an ambulance transporting a female patient to Grady Memorial Hospital. The wrong-way driver died upon impact. The two emergency services personnel in the ambulance and the female patient were injured and taken to the hospital. At about the time that incident was cleared and traffic was moving again, a charter bus carrying a college baseball team heading to Florida for a spring break series, apparently mistook an HOV exit ramp from I-75 southbound as a continuation of the HOV lane, never slowing at the top of the ramp (where there is a stop sign before entering onto Northside Drive), and careening across Northside Drive at the same rate of speed crashing into the 6 foot barrier fence and plumenting back down onto I-75, landing on it's side. The crash killed 6 people - four students, the bus driver, and his wife. Three other students were critically injured, and 20 or so were titled, "the walking wounded". The crash site eventually was cleared by 11 a.m. and all lanes were reopened at that time. My, what a tragic accident for all involved. The bus nearly hit two vehicles on I-75 at that very moment, one being my friend's husband who was on his way to work, but thank goodness no one else was injured. Everyone involved appeared stunned in disbelief that this bus had toppled over the barrier fencing and onto the highway and at the rate of speed in which it did do just that. It's amazing others weren't killed. Of course, traffic was doomed from the get-go, having never fully recovered from the earlier wrong-way driving fatality accident. I am hopeful that the afternoon commute will be much easier!! Afterall, thank DOG it's Friday!!

Another Day in Paradise

Well, it took me two hours to get to work this morning. I kept inching closer and closer thinking there must have been a God awful wreck downtown - one bad enough to warrant the blocking off of all lanes, Northbound and Southbound, so a Life Flight helicopter could land and pick up multiple bodies but alas, that was not the problem afterall. It appears there is a very popular motivational seminar at Phillips Arena today plus the annual International Poultry Expo began today across the street at the Georgia World Congress Center. The one-day "Get Motivated" seminar, featuring speeches by former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Braves pitcher John Smoltz, talk show host Larry King, Gen. Colin Powell and former Disney chief Michael Eisner, began at 8 a.m. at Philips Arena. My goodness, I think all of Atlanta went to one or the other! Ah, if only I had my own helicopter and pilot, but then, I wouldn't need to work if that were the case. I've got to buy some lottery tickets today!! Afterall, someone has to win!!

Whew - What a Day!

The day began with another lost hound (Diva), this time around the Atlantic Station area of Atlanta. A very busy area of Atlanta. We marshalled our resources and had several volunteers in the area within hours of notification. They plastered the area with flyers. The owner was putting a flyer up in the area where the hound was last seen and someone drove by with Diva in the car. They saw the flyers and her owner and stopped. A happy reunion, for sure!

And it's Friday, thank God! I am sure hoping that traffic isn't bad!!! I have dinner guests coming tonight and I need to get home in a hurry to get things ready! YIKES!!

2005 and 2006 Absence

I feel I should explain the lack of posts on my behalf during 2005 and 2006. During 2005 I was completely engulfed in lure coursing my greyhounds, Remi and Sugar. Sugar finished 2005 in the Number 4 spot in the nation. I was quite proud of her. She is such a wonderful greyhound. Remi did quite well when she was able to course but, unfortunately, sustained a toe injury that required two surgeries (back to back which with recovery weeks extended over a 6 month period) to finally correct the issue. She is fine now and could lure course probably but we've decided to take a break during 2006. That decision was mainly due to lack of time due to other commitments, mainly volunteer in nature and mainly with SEGC/SEGA. I'm hoping to ease up on a view things in 2007 so that I can once again enjoy lure coursing, if only on a part-time basis. I do derive much satisfaction in my volunteer work but I probably enjoy lure coursing much more!

After Holiday Slump

Well, it's been some time since I've posted. One of my resolutions for 2007 is to use my blog more often and eventually it will be like getting up in the morning - just another thing I do on a daily basis. Christmas has come and gone which leaves us looking forward to New Year's Eve and the dawn of 2007, with hope and anticipation of what it may bring. Wishing everyone a very happy and safe New Year!!

Piedmont - Dog Daze

Well, Remi, Sugar and myself arrived at the Park, found a parking space in seconds (we were lucky, I'm sure) and proceeded to walk to the dog park where the Dog Daze activities were being held. It was about 2:30 p.m. or so. We saw quite a few IGs, a few whippets, and a few greyhounds.

We found our first greyhound within 5 minutes or so, stopping to chat with her human for quite some time. She was a new adopter (from Carl) and had only had her hound for a week. All was going well, she said. She had actually perused our site and had downloaded our member application. Being the membership coordinator of SEGC, of course I encouraged her to get that thing submitted and just went on and on "selling" SEGC to this person. I truly think she'll join us. She is interested in pet therapy (particularly at the VA Hospital as she is a veteran herself), meet and greets, volunteering and socializing her hound with others. Possibly even coursing as her hound just retired from the track at 5 years of age. She's anxious to see her actually run at full speed.

Our next greyhound encounter was with Scarlett (aka Jetta Erie) and her mom, Julie Monforte (a fellow SEGC member and SEGA adopter). We chatted for a bit, right before the first monsoon arrived. Everyone took cover as best they could. I swear it looked like Woodstock . . . all the wet people and wet dogs. At least that is what I imagine Woodstock looked like as I was not actually there. Anyway, that monsoon finally ended and everyone came out again, enjoying the sunshine. Remi and Sugar had their first treat, a Lick A Lot (frozen yogurt concoction which they adore). From that booth, we meandered around some and found a booth touting homemade dog cakes. Of course, they had to taste. Then, at another booth, we found some dog food samples including some raw samples from Nature's Variety. They snacked on a few venison samples. Umm, umm. They thought they were in dog heaven. All these dogs, the mud, the treats - they couldn't have been happier!

We finally made it into the off-leash area. I surveyed the area and decided it was not as crowded as it could have been (probably because of the rain) and decided to let Remi and Sugar off leash. A guy was throwing a tennis ball to his two yellow labs and on the next throw, Remi was off in pursuit. She made it to the ball in seconds. Everyone was saying, "Where the heck did that greyhound come from?" She was fast, that's for sure. They wanted to watch her over and over again. We played the game for awhile and then some other dogs seemed to want to gang up on Sugar, so I retrieved everyone and departed. It was fun though. I always love showing off what our breed can do, especially to those who have never seen a greyhound!

I then ran into a lady with two beautiful fawn salukis. She is a member of SONG (I can't find their website, so if anyone has it, please let me know). She said they do alot of coursing practices up in the Alpharetta area. I'm sure I'll see her again at Cartersville as she said she courses up there as well.

We were heading back to the vehicle when we made one last stop at the raw food booth. She gave me three large bags of medallions. I'm gonna try them with Remi and Sugar. They loved the samples so I have no doubt they will love these, too. We'll see.

About halfway to the SUV, it started pouring again. Yet another monsoon. We had no umbrella. We were soaked. They girls took it in stride. I was miserable, soaked completely and chilled to the bone. We got to the vehicle and loaded up. Traffic home was horrible due to the amount of rain on the road. When I made it to I-20, the cars on the eastbound side were actually swooshing water up over the wall. Amazing. There was a car on my side, in the farthest left lane, driving pretty fast in the 3 inches of standing water. I was watching and saw their front bumper fall off the car, completely! They hesitated a bit and then changed lanes and proceeded on. Amazing, again. I imagine the bumper caused quite a bit of trouble for other motorists. People just don't understand the danger of standing water.

We arrived home, wet and tired. Everyone had an early dinner (the girls had a very light snack) and we headed to bed. What a day but I'm glad we went. I met some great people, some of which I'm sure I'll see again. We have some wonderful samples to try, as well. All in all, definitely not a wasted afternoon.