January Update

Another week of living in a construction zone. Ruby has done just fine. She only chewed a little bit of PEX plumbing lines, and I yelled at her so loudly that she's now terrified of the stuff. Other than being underfoot a LOT when we're working, she's not been too awful to have around.  She's even stayed out of the trash, the recycle, and the food on the open shelving in the temporary kitchen. So I can't complain. Regardless, for our sanity and for hers, I let her run off some steam at camp twice this week, Monday and Friday. It IS the greatest thing ever. 

All signs seem to point toward her 'whatever' injury being over and done with. She is active as she can be, cooped up in the house because of the bitter cold, had no issues at camp, and hasn't exhibited any symptoms like she was. She has her one year checkup next month, so we will have official measurements, height and weight to report. I'm sure Dr. Burke will look her over thoroughly, but I don't expect him to find anything. She healed. Yay.

I discovered an indestructable chew toy for her. We were working on some plumbing in the will-be-a-kitchen space and as I was cutting small pieces of PVC drain pipe with the reciprocating saw, she was chasing them around the kitchen (very helpful, by the way). So I looked one over good, took a knife to it to knock off any burrs or sharp edges, and presented her with a collection of bits and pieces that she absolutely loves to chew on.  

The smaller rings get tossed around and chased, the bigger ones she just chews on and hasn't so much as made a tooth mark in them. But she keeps trying. :) And it keeps her occupied and out of our hair as long as her attention span holds out.

Last weekend, I decided that the soft toys were beyond disgusting and needed a bath. As I gathered them up from every corner of the house, Ruby followed me and the laundry basket with absolute concern. I tried to explain that they would all be OK and she could even watch them, but that didn't compute. She had a massive anxiety attack for about half of the 53 minute wash cycle and then she simply threw in the towel and pouted at the top of the stairs until they were done.

She also didn't understand the need to put them in the dryer and wait ANOTHER 40 minutes. Seriously, I thought she was going to stroke out when I switched machines. Tried to upload a really hilarious video, but the stupid thing won't work. I'll keep trying.

She's getting better and better with people and moves on from pacing and stressing pretty quickly these days. She does have a very short memory, so when the teenagers have friends over and hang out in the basement, by the time they come up the stairs, she's generally forgotten they were here at all and the pacing and barking returns. But it's short-lived.

Beyond that, we are just surviving winter. We will ALL be happy when we can get outside and go for a walk. But with temperatures in the single digits at the hottest part of the day and ice and snow on every surface, we aren't getting out much.

By the way, if I haven't said it lately, thanks for reading! I've enjoyed watching where my readers are in the world. Last week, Australia! If you're reading again...I'm intensely jealous that it's summer there. Send some my way please. :)

Favorite Ruby picture of the week...



"Get your own couch, humans. This one's mine."