RIP Shelby (d:09/26/2011)

Shelby - 05/14/2011

Shelby, a black-lab mix we had gotten from the Lafayette Humane Society a little after Christmas, 2002, died this morning.

When my wife moved up here in July, 2001, she'd had to leave her dogs. The cats we had were ok, but she really wanted a dog. So I promised her a dog for Christmas. Early in 2002, we began looking. We went to Lafayette, where my parents lived, and to Lafayette's Humane Society. We'd gone to look for a small dog, but they didn't have any at the time. Among the dogs they did have, this black lab was super friendly, and Chris decided she wanted her.

When we got her, we were told they thought she was 2 to 2-1/2 years old. Also, when we got her, they thought she'd been spade. We took her to the vet's, got her shots, and he said he thought she'd been spade., but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Shelby was a "mama's dog", meaning she hung out around Chris all day, including "vulturing" from the back of the couch over her as she watched TV or read. (For those who remember, think of Snoopy on a limb or the back of a chair.)

2002

She also considered herself a lap-dog. Chris would get home from work, sit down, and Shelby would be in her lap, licking away. (I called her a Yaegermeister - you know... A black licker! LOL)

She was a pretty good dog. We'd take her out back, and if she wandered out of our yard, we'd call her, and she'd come running back to us. We tried to give her a "run" with a wire stretched across the yard, and a relatively long leash, so she had the run of most of the back yard. But the noise the wheel made on the wire scared her, so all we could do was tie her up.

Well, seems there was this male black lab mix running around the neighborhood at the time. We tied her up outside to do her business, and apparently, HE did HIS. A few short months later, and we had puppies. Here are the updates I sent to friends at the time about Shelby, her puppies, and what our cats thought about the situation:

• Shelby's Pups - 20020728.pdf
• Shelby's Pups - 20020804-05.pdf
• Shelby's Pups - 20020813.pdf
• Shelby's Pups - 20020819.pdf
• Shelby's Pups - 20020827.pdf
• Shelby's Pups - 20020910.pdf 
• Shelby's Pups - 20030503.pdf

As mentioned, we kept two of her puppies - Kirby and KC.

Chris visited home at least every month or so, and Shelby and the other dogs tended to be very depressed when she was not home. But when she got back, they almost attacked her, hoping onto her lap and licking away.

Well, Chris' 12yo rat-terrier became pregnant by the next-door neighbor's Spitz. In September, she had three puppies. In October, Chris went back to Fort Branch, and when she came home, she had one of the puppies, she called Jake. Shelby and the "grrls" nosed and licked him, and he had a home.

Whenever we went out on our deck, Shelby and KC would wrestle a bit, and Jake would try to join in. Kirby tended to shy away, though she'd join in now and then. Over the years, Jake came to "rule the roost", and he and Shelby would "wrestle" around the living room. Jake would growl and nip at her back legs, she'd run around with him chasing her, and he'd stand over her chewing on her ears. The others were scared when they did - I think Shelby could be a bit rough, and with Jake growling and such - they tended to huddle by Chris or me.

2003

 

Shelby also tended not to hang around OUR yard, but visited the neighbors' at times. However, early on, we didn't worry about that. All of the dogs would go out with Chris or me, and would come right back in, when they were done. But, there was this one day ---

I got home from work before Chris. I took the dogs out, and they did their business. However, Shelby wandered on down the street while I was dealing with the other two. I called to her and she kept right on wandering down toward 39. Kirby and KC wanted to follow, but I corralled them and ushered them into the house. Then I headed down toward 39, calling Shelby's name. By the time I got to 39, and a little north on it, I saw a black lab being loaded into a car - Actually, the people opened the car door, and the dog jumped in! I was SURE it was Shelby, but couldn't be positive. I went back home, grabbed the leash, and headed back out to 39. I went the same direction, and by the time I got to Brendenwood's stop-light, I was sure that Shelby was gone. About that time, a pickup went through the light, across to the gas station, carrying a man, a woman and ... a black lab. I crossed 39, and as I was getting close to the truck, I asked if that were their dog. They said no, that they didn't have a phone right now, and was going to call the number on the tag. I asked if the number was - our number - and they said yes. So, I hooked up Shelby, and dragged her back home. At the time I had a hard boot on one foot (after a surgery), and at the distance I had already walked, it was hurting. Anyway, I got her home, and shortly after, I believe, Christopher got all three dogs tags with name, address, phone number, etc., on them.

2008

That was a long time ago. More recently, Shelby was much slower than the other dogs in coming back in for Chris (no leash, again). She tended to stop and smell the air. (We live close to Pizza Hut, so that's probably part of what she was smelling.) Her eyes were starting to get a little cloudy, but she seemed to be able to see and hear ok, Still, she was getting old - about 84-90 in dog years.

Well a couple of days ago, there was no real indication that anything was going to happen. Shelby and Jake wrestled a bit, and Shelby acted quite normally - taking her time outside,... laying by the food bowl (guarding it) and munching while laying down... etc.

We had a garage sale, and for the last part of each day - Friday and Saturday - the dogs were out, greeting people, enjoying the freedom, etc. Shelby was the last to come back in, but again, that was normal.

I got up Sunday at about 12:45, and Shelby was laying in the bathroom. She normally would get up and go into the living room, but she didn't. She bent out of my way. She was panting, but that was relatively normal for her at times, too, so I didn't think anything of it.

I went out to the living room and a few minutes later, Shelby came out of the bathroom. She came into the living room, and I noticed she was kind of wobbily on her feet. She hacked up some mucus, and wandered toward me, heading into the laundry room. I called her out of there, because I knew she'd probably poo there. She came back, and about 1/2-way back, she gacked again. When she got to me, I petted her. She sat down, like normal, but then she laid down, breathing hard, on her side.

I petted her a few minutes, and after she didn't move much, I called Chris, and told her something was wrong with Shelby.  She got up and took the dogs out and Shelby didn't even try to get up. When she came back in, I told her about the gack - mostly food in one - I'd already cleaned up, and the two new puddles

Then we put a sheet under her and dragged her into the living room, so I could use my wheelchair into and out of the kitchen. She didn't even raise her head when we did this. She laid in the living room, and Chris laid by her all day. Chris got up a couple of times to take the others out, and Shelby struggled to her feet, and went out, but either Chris had to pick up her front end and drag her in (very bad for her already bad back, but I couldn't really help very well from the wheelchair, and if I'd have tried standing, I'd have fallen over), or as soon as she hit the hardwood floor inside the door, she'd lay down, and Chris would have to drag her over to the sheet.

Chris had also looked up some things on the internet. We thought maybe she had a stroke, and some sites said that the dog could not only survive, but with time, could recover from one. We called Indianapolis Emergency Vet Hospital to ask questions, but they wanted us to bring her in, which we could NOT afford. We discussed if there were no changes taking her to one of the local vets, and if they couldn't do anything, to have her put down.  Chris had been syringe-feeding her water most of the day, and one time Shelby sat up enough to drink some water out of a bowl.

This went on for some time, and we called the boys to tell them if they wanted to see Shelby again, they should come by. Christopher had a video-speech to give, and Chris told him she wasn't going to be able to come. (He had to have a certain number of people, and Chris and I were in the count.) He'd gotten my other son, Matthew, to come. When he stopped by for my tripod, on the way, he found out about Shelby. I told him to come back afterward, and he did.

After he left, Chris decided to stay out in the living room with Shelby, and I stayed up doing other things. Every time there was an odd noise, Chris sat up and looked at Shelby. She had been breathing hard all day.  About 4:30, Chris got up, took the others out and tried to get Shelby to go. She wouldn't. Chris laid down and was watching Shelby, when she said "She just died." She'd taken three deep breaths, and stopped breathing.

Chris texted Christopher (so if they were asleep, it wouldn't wake them or Katie up), and we were surprised when he texted back. We needed help getting Shelby outside and burying her. He came over a little after 5 and took Shelby out back. Chris went with him, and they buried her behind our trees.

Shelby was a pretty good dog. There were times she didn't listen, but there are a LOT of dogs out there that do the same. We hope she lived a good life, despite the times we yelled at her for various things.

RIP, Shelby.

2010 - Shelby's favorite position

RIP - Dusty (and our Pets)

My cat, Dusty, died, apparently January 18, 2009. She was 13 years or so old.

We got her a few months before my wife and I separated at the end of 95, when my sons' babysitter's cat had kittens. We went to look at them, and her coloring was just beautiful, as far as I was concerned, especially in comparison with the other kittens in the litter. A few weeks later, we took her home.

We had a male cat that Mama Kitty, one that we'd brought with us from Indy to Lebanon in 92, Seymour (or Sup Sup - Most all of our cats had real names and names at the time!) Within a week or so, they were fast friends.

When my wife left with the kids, she took Seymour, and left me Dusty and Tubby, another cat we got from the babysitter. LOL

See, apparently, another cat in the neighborhood had some black kittens, and for some reason, a big black male cat in the neighborhood was killing the them. She'd gotten about three of them, and was nursing them with a toy baby bottle. My sons were fascinated with them. One had some physical problems, and we promised one of the boys that we would take it, kind of assuming it probably wouldn't make it (and having warned him of that). Well, it didn't make it too much longer, and since we'd promised him one of them, and she didn't have anyone else to take him, we did. Again, once we brought him home, Seymour and Dusty made fast friends with him. (Oh... He was called "Tubby" because, especially when he was little, when he'd eat, his stomach would get ... tubby. LOL)

Anyway, Dusty and Tubby were with me through the divorce and becoming a non-custodial (except every other weekend and a couple of weeks in the summer) divorced father. Through that time, I had a couple of years of being single, a couple years of a long-distance relationship, and for a few years after I met my wife and she moved in. We got a dog for my wife (she had had one before she divorced), and that dog (who was supposed to have been fixed) had five puppies. We gave away three of them, and kept two. The cats were suspicious of the puppies, but soon came to accept them, grudgingly. Then Tubby died. We're never figured out why, we just found him one day behind the couch.


Before my wife moved in (either just before or just after), my ex-wife moved to an apartment, and couldn't keep Seymour any more. Guess who got him. Actually, he had become an outdoor cat, despite being declawed. She gave me the option of letting him live - outdoors - with me, or taking him to have him put down. (One of the reasons he became an outdoor cat was because he wanted to, but he also had a problem of ... not using the litter box for urinating. No one would want him as an indoor cat, now.) So, she brought him one weekend when Chris (my wife) was here. He's been our "outdoor kitty" for the last eight years or so.

Sometime around when Tubby died, my wife's old dog (about 12 years old) had a 3-puppy litter. When she visited her kids one day, she came back with one of them. So, now we have four dogs - three black lab mixes, and a rat-terrier/spitz mix), Seymour (outside) and Dusty (inside). See pix of the dogs at http://www.orangefrogproductions.com/examples/bdcard/page1.htm . (I used them to make an HTML birthday card for a relative. You may have to allow it to redirect to another page... It stays on the site, but changes pictures.)

Dusty saw house change as my wife redid it, painting and papering every room, herself, saw us get engaged and married, saw the living room reorganized at least four times, and saw MANY boxes that she loved to get into come in and go out.

Recently, she saw a new cat come to the house. My wife works nights at a factory in town. A young cat (maybe older than a kitten, but not quite full-grown), was hanging around where she worked, and occasionally getting fed there. The cat loved being held and petted. Well, one day, I got up, and my wife was in the living room grinning. She pointed over to the table by the door, and I saw a cat laying there. I thought it was Seymour... It has pretty much the same coloring... Nope... It was the one from work. (Dusty never really liked being held. She liked being petted, but tended to walk around while you petted her.) After a week or so, this little loudmouth - (s)he meows quite a bit, and is LOUD, not like Dusty, who meows in a hoarse voice - was dubbed "Mauw" (pronounced Mao, as in Mao Tsi Tung - and I realized afterwords that even THAT could have been a play on words - Mousy Tongue? LOL). (S)he (we've not quite figured out which it is) and Dusty started getting along, about the time Dusty started slowing down.

Most of this is in hindsight:

For the past couple of weeks we'd noticed that she hasn't been hanging around the big dogs, as she did before, and she'd been getting thin (hard to tell under all that long hair, but when you petted her, you could feel her bones, especially in the last week). She'd been laying in strange places, sometimes in the way, sometimes just out of the way, but on the floor instead of the chair or couch. She also hadn't been coming to me to get petted when I went to bed. (I pet each of the dogs then, and she got jealous, and started demanding being petted, too.) She didn't seem in pain, so we didn't take her to the vet. (I'd rather think of it as Hospice for your pet.) She could get food (but didn't seem to when we were watching), she could drink (but, again, didn't seem to when we were watching), and wander the house. I petted her whenever I saw her, but hadn't since the day before.

My wife had to go down to Fort Branch, as her ex's sister had died, and they had the service at the funeral home, then. She was going to stay for a while, and if Kyndel, her two-year-old grandadaughter started getting fussy, was going to take her to her daughter's house, stay for a while, and go back to the funeral home. She was planning on spending the night, going to the burial, again to help with Kydel, and coming home Monday, to work Monday night. Since I can't walk out into the yard, and the dogs won't ... do their doody ... for me, we called my son, Matthew, and he came to spend the night after work. Chris had noticed that Dusty was breathing "funny", but I didn't really see anything, and was pretty sure that she'd be gone soon, too. Well, she was.

Matthew came and we talked for a while. Then he asked where Dusty was. I realized that I hadn't seen her all day, so he started looking, first in the places I knew Dusty had been hanging out recently (behind the couch, on the rug in the back room, behind the chair), and when she wasn't there, he started looking in the other rooms. She had gone into my wife's office, laid on the floor, between the treadmill and bookshelf, and that's where he found her.

As I said, she's been around here, mostly on the periphery, since about 1995. She only "bothered" us when she needed her food bowl filled or she wanted a quick pet. Even so, she will be missed.

RIP, Dusty.

New Stuff on OFP and What Have I Been Up To?

It's been a while since I've posted. What have I been doing? Well...

On Orange Frog Productions

1. My grandmother died April 21, 2007. I created a tribute page to her, received a few comments and created a Responses page.
2. I got my Handicapped Voting at the National Guard Armory in Lebanon, IN viewed by politicians by sending a letter to the editor pointing to the page, and got responses, which I posted on a followup page.
3. I created a page of links for Crossroads Work One/Training deaprtment from a hard-copy they had posted on a wall. (I will NEVER understand why webpages with single-click access to the page in question are NOT created... Instead they create a table with links typed in? GEEZE!)
4. I added a Commercial Music page, which I keep updated fairly regularly (I have since I put it up, anyway!)
5. I added a couple of Rumors (Urban Legends/Lies/What-have-you)
6. And updated a few other pages.

Personally

1. I've been trying to get my feet healed. I'm diabetic, and have an ulcer on each foot.
2. My grandmother had TONS of pictures and papers, and I've started scanning them. I have three (3) file-boxes, here, and Dad has 3-4 at his house. I have scanned well over 1500 items, and have only gotten through the first 3/4 box! Right now, I have to keep my feet up, so I can't scan anything very easily. When I can keep my feet down, I will have to start again.
3. I've been updating my genealogy database. I have added at least 300 people in the last couple of months.
4. I've been meeting with the Crossroads Job Placement facilitator almost weekly. We send out my resumes to a number of jobs, some of which I've found, some that she's found, and some that we've found together. I had a pretty strong nibble a while back, and thought I'd have heard from them by now, but they were moving from one building to another, and had some (physical) security issues. I'm still hoping.
5. I've been working on a PHP/MySQL thing to handle the external links and links pages on OFP. I've still got a ways to go, design-wize, but think I'm getting there.

Part of the geneelogy part came about from my grandmother's funeral. A guy who I'd met a couple of years ago, but hadn't had much contact with since then, attended and talked to me, telling me I should join a group he'd joined, of people with many connections to my family in Indiana. I did, and found more info there. Then he, himself, is taking pictures of cemeteries around Sheridan and Boone County, where many of the people in his genealogy DB are, and I'm finding that may are related to those in MY DB.

Of course, all of this is taking time, and when I get a job, I will have even less of it to do some of these things. But, I obviously, keep myself active (well... mentally, maybe...)

Oh, yeah. For the past couple of years, I've not cooked much for myself. My wife went on a diet last year, and has lost over 50 pounds, herself. Well, I was weighed before minor surgery, recently, and have found that since I was last weighed (in 98?) when I couldn't find too many scales that would weigh me, I've lost at least 50 pounds myself! I think most of it's come since she went on her diet. (It's GOTTA be her cooking! LOL) If that's the case, it won't be long before I can get weighed at the doctor's more regularly (long as I can stand, I guess). So, I guess I'm getting healthier, in some respects, too.

That should cover it for now. TTYL. -wds

Holidays and Work

Most people who work in white collar and labor jobs get certain holidays off, and the Fourth of July is one of them. Most people in retail work shifts that force them to miss something, usually eight hours during the day of the Fourth, but most get to spend evenings with family and friends and watch the fireworks. There are those who work the holiday for 1-1/2 to 2 times the pay. And there are those who don't care ...

Then there are those who are "trapped", and can't plan anything for Holidays in the middle of week. This also includes other holidays which have not been moved to Mondays to allow for long weekends. (And, if they ever do that to Thanksgiving or Christmas... GEEZE!)

My wife works third shift at a factory in Lebanon. She goes in at 10:30PM Sunday through Thursday (leaving at 10PM, getting home about 8:15AM), and she normally sleeps between 9AM and 3:30PM-4PM on the following days. Those are her "Mondays through Fridays".

With the Fourth of July coming up, Wednesday, we were looking forward to sitting out in our driveway and watching the fireworks, like we've done since before we were married. But, because the 4th falls in the middle of the week, and Management was short-sighted - or those in HR are being dicks about it - she has to go in to work at 10:30PM Wednesday night, "just like normal" (which, technically, is her Thursday).

Day shift gets the 4th off, and if night shift got it off, it would be (most of our) Tuesday night. But the fireworks are done on Wednesday night (you know... The FOURTH OF JULY), and around here, and especially with Daylight Savings, they will go off between 10PM and 11PM. This, of course, means Day Shift gets to have family over (or visit), go to parks, parties, etc. ON THE FOURTH, but Night Shift gets shafted, again (other stories).

As of today, she's scheduled for Wednesday night, meaning she will probably get Tuesday night off. So, she might be able to spend time with family, but again, she will leave for work around 10PM, which is shortly before the fireworks go off. HOWEVER, if they figure out that they screwed up, and give her Wednesday night off, she will work Tuesday night, get home shortly after 8AM, and will have to sleep through Wednesday, probably at least until 2PM.

Someone is going to talk to management about this, but they will probably just shift the day (the full eight (8) hours off. So, for the Fourth, she will either be sleeping, or will have to be at work when the "festivities" of the fireworks happen.

I don't understand why they can't split the shift, so they work for four (4) hours Tuesday night, going in like normal, but leaving four (4) hours early, then not have to go in on Wednesday night until 2AM, which is four (4) hours after they would normally start. Or it could be two (2) hours on Tuesday night (until midnight), and go in at midnight Wednesday night. Either way, she could get her sleep, spend the day with family, and actually get to see the fireworks.

I know she's not the only one in this situation (and I don't mean just in her factory). She said, when I mention the schedule in the last paragraph... "They won't do that... They don't care...".

Helluva place to work, huh?

-wds

Real ID - 2008? (Getting my Driver's License, 2007)

I just received the Snopes weekly newsletter which contains:

In a mixture of truth and falsehood, e-mail of the moment asserts that by 2008, licensed U.S. motorists will have to undergo recredentialing and have Federal ID numbers inserted into their hands.

The link for the story and debunking of the untrue parts of it is http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/realid.asp.

According to Snopes, "as of April, 2007, the DHS lists ... requirements for a Real-ID compliant driver's license, and lists them.

From http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/07-1009.htm

Minimum Driver's License or Identification Card Data Element Requirements

To meet the requirements of section 202(b) of the Act, a State is required to include, at a minimum, the following information and features on each driver's license and identification card:

1. Full legal name;
2. Date of birth;
3. Gender;
4. Driver's license or identification card number;
5. A digital color photograph;
6. Address of principal residence;
7. Signature;
8. Physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for any fraudulent purpose;
9. A common MRT, with defined minimum data elements.

In addition, DHS has determined that States must also include issue date and expiration date on each driver's license or identification card.

What this means is you will need to be able to prove you are who you say you are, and all of the information above, using Primary Sources (Birth Certificates, Passports, etc.) You may also need to prove other things (address, etc.), so be sure to see the link above and/or your own state's BMV site for the documenation you will need.

--

I just got my driver's license renewed. I forgot that it expired on my BD (3/21), and, when I remembered (second week of April, 2007), I was "out and about", and thought I'd just stop in for a few minutes, and get it renewed. Nope.

I don't remember ANY publicity or notificiation (or reminders) that the above was happening NOW. Here's what happened.

I walked in, and within about five (5) minutes was seated with the lady verifying my information from my old license for my new license. She asked if everything was still correct, and then sat without asking questions for a few moments. She said that it was connecting "with downtown" (Lebanon or Indy?) and verifying my info... That if it hadn't responded within 20 minutes, she was to call "downtown". About 10 minutes later, she apparently got notification that she was to call, so she did. (The phone was at a desk out of my seated sight.)

About 10 minutes later, she returned, and asked if I had any other ID. I didn't (I had CCs, my voter's registration, and others, but nothing was good enough.) I asked why? She said that someone with my exact name (William D. Sanders) had had their license suspended in another state, and I had to prove that I was me. (Now, I need to say that my license had been updated at the same branch last year, after I'd tested with hand-controls. It had to be marked with that restriction - so I can ONLY use hand-controls, now.) I said, holding up my license with my picture on it, "And THIS isn't good enough?" Nope. I looked through my wallet, again, and found that even if I'd still had my draft registration card from 1973 in my wallet, it was obviously expired, so wouldn't have worked. I could only use a certified birth certificate, passport (which I've never had occassion to get), or something else.

Knowing that I had my BC at home, I started to leave as she said we could call Zanesville Ohio for it. I don't know if they could FAX a "certified copy" or not, but, if not, I knew it would take a few days to get here, and I wanted to get the license NOW, especially since it was expired, and now SOME people in the government knew it! So I drove the 1/2 mile home and started looking through all my genealogical data (which is one of the reasons I had gotten my BC, and I KNEW it was there, somewhere.)

After going through it all twice, I finally found it, and returned to the branch. Since I'd been there before, I got right back to where I was before, but had to wait for a couple of ladies to get theirs. The same girl came and took my BC and license, and went to the phone. It took about 15 minutes before I heard her say my name over the phone. My middle name is not spelled the way many are, and I said, "You're going to have to spell it"... She said, "I am spelling it," and spelled it and my last name over the phone. She then went to the copier, within my seated sight, and photocopied my BC. I said, "Heck, if I'd have known a photocopy would do, I'd have just printed the scanned version." (It wouldn't have worked... The Certification process adds ink and indents of the state seal in the special paper.)

I had to sign that I was who I said I was and that the paper I'd provided was me. (Guess they could get me for perjury, too, if it weren't.) I went to the cashier and paid $26 (for 6 years), and back to the camera. She took my picture, and waited a few minutes while the machine processed my license.

While we were waiting, I pointed out that they weren't called ME a liar, but THIS BRANCH ITSELF, since they provided me with the license I was renewing just last year. Also, I'd complained that I'd not heard or seen anything about the "proof" requirement (primary sources), and the girl's supervisor found a sheet of paper with the items needed on it. (I have since tossed it, I believe. If I find it, I will attach a link to it here. But remember, it may only be good for Indiana.)

To add insult to injury, while we were waiting, the branch closed, the door was locked, and everyone else filed to the back. When she handed me my license, I tried to leave, but the door was locked. She came and let me out, and I went home.

So, the "10 minutes" it would normally and used to have taken (in 04/2007 - thought this requirement was for something like 05/2007?) took about a half-hour at the branch, a drive home, a frantic search for a single envelope with my birth certificate in it, a return to the branch about an hour later, another half-hour or so, and another drive home. The reason? Besides the "Real ID", it was because some a-hole with MY NAME IN ANOTHER STATE got his license suspended.

I recommend you search your state's BMV for required documentation, so you only have to make one trip to get your new driver's license!

Bill