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April 24, 2011

Pet Sitting Long-term


This week I begin pet-sitting my friend's dog for an extended period of time. I've taken care of him before, but not for this long -- three weeks.

This is a trade with a neighbor friend. I'm really glad I have her to depend on when I'm in similar circumstances. We're both familiar with each other's animals and their routines, so there's no one I'm more comfortable leaving my animals with. I'm sure it will be fine, and in fact I'm looking forward to socializing my dogs more, but it will remove myself and my dogs from our usual patterns for quite a while.

Any tips on integrating your own pets into an already existing pack? What do you do or what do you bring along with you to make yourself feel comfortable in another's home?

(Chance and his buddy Gizmo)

April 19, 2011

Amaryllis Surprise


So I was at work through the entire daylight today, but thanks to the porch light, I still managed to catch sight of a surprise when I got home! I knew there were buds on my amaryllis, but this is the first blossom of the season.


What's growing in your garden this spring?

April 14, 2011

Southern CA Spring Garden Show


The Southern California Spring Garden Show is coming up again at the end of the month--April 28th to May 1st, 2011. I almost thought I'd missed it this year, so am posting this note as a reminder to myself! You'll see me there picking out all kinds of interesting bulbs and plants, and generally getting inspiration for spring.

For more info, follow this link.

April 13, 2011

Getting up to Speed with Spring

So, I know it's been forever since I've posted, but big things have been happening and are coming up, so you'll soon hear a lot more from me (if you'd like to check in).


First, I did a movie called Hello Herman. It's an indie feature with a lot of heart and a timely message about today's youth, so please watch for it and tell all your friends to fan the facebook page.

But before that, I did a few weeks on another movie. We shot at an abandoned hospital in East LA called Linda Vista, a popular run-down location for horror films and the like. One of the site staff had witnessed these two sweet small dogs being thrown out of a car towards the park across the street about three weeks before we shot there. The girls later found their way onto the roof of the hospital on their own, but were trapped and couldn't get down.

The site rep was kindly feeding them for about three weeks and had even built them a dog house just a day or two before we'd arrived. But the property wasn't locked, and there was a good likelihood the pups could have been run over in the parking lot of the hospital or on the streets of the neighborhood. The white dog seemed to be the mother of the smaller, darker pup and was clearly pregnant at the time. I collected money from the crew (in the end adding $70 from my own pocket) and took the dogs home that night. After a bath in my tub and a couple of hours rest I took them to a vet the next morning, as a referral from Laura Dash, a stunt woman who has her own rescue, One Dog Rescue. The dogs were christened "Linda" and "Vista" after their former residence. The darker dog was fixed that day and both had an exam. One of the dogs was found to have a parasite, coccidia, treatable with antibiotics, likely picked up from drinking dirty contaminated water while living on the street. I spent a nerve-wracking thirty six hours working facebook and emails to find them a short term foster.


Luckily for all the pups, Melissa Aguilar at Mutt Maniacs & Maniacs to the Rescue stepped in to help. My neighbor Tom helped out by transporting the girls from the vet to the foster. On March 22nd the mom newly renamed "Clover" gave birth to four healthy pups--one tan, one white, and two black.


The pups are now three weeks old and growing stronger under the care of Maniacs to the Rescue, who has decided to foster them long-term until placed in permanent homes. The two older girls will hopefully be placed together.


I referred Dawn Fuller, from the UC Cooperative Extension, to the LA Breakfast Club as a guest speaker in late March, and now 4-H may be getting a grant from the LABC! I don't want to jinx it before it happens, but it's another thing I'm happy about this week.

And my computer crashed and burned, so I now come to you from a new mac. That's been a huge financial concern and time consuming transition but it's coming together. Throw in a car accident and spring coming to my garden, and it's been a busy month or two.


Oh, and I'm doing a Bridal Expo this Sunday at the Grove as a Longaberger Consultant. Maggiano's has put together the event to highlight their space for rehearsal dinners and events. There will be over 20 bridal vendors in one place, and a great complimentary raffle for anyone who stops by. If you're free, I'll be there from 10A to 2P. And with the new Mac, I can walk couples through a Longaberger Bridal Registry on the spot! The newlywed couple can start their new life in style with a Longaberger home....


My tomatoes are in, so there will be a garden update post soon, and lots of events coming up....keep checking back; I hope I haven't lost you. And let me know in a comment what's happening in your world!