1. Two longtime friends, Rick and Linda, are both dealing with kidney disease. I heard from Rick yesterday and today and we discussed our experiences with dizziness. He's having way more serious onsets of vertigo than I am (I'm not having onsets) and he explained what he's learned about what's he's going through from the medical pros.
Linda and I meet for a meal every time I travel to Eugene and we have discussed our kidney situations frequently. It was heartening to read that Linda has been taking very good care of herself. She hopes she gets good news about her status on the transplant list and other things when she has an upcoming appointment.
Rick closed our back and forth texting with an expression of solidarity that I shared with Linda and that she repeated back to me and that I'll continue to use with both Linda and Rick and any other nephro-friends I might make:
KIDNEY PATIENTS UNITE!
2. I got a lot of house cleaning done today and that was very satisfying. I have more to do -- isn't there always more to do? -- and I'll get back to it on Thursday and Friday. I will not let house cleaning interfere with Winning Wednesday at the CdA Casino!
3. I think Gibbs is manipulating me and I'm all in!
Gibbs, as I have no doubt mentioned in this blog before, is an energetic barker.
When he goes outside, sometimes he just sits quietly on the back porch or struts quietly around the yard, but more often than not he barks. He barks when he hears other dogs in the neighborhood. He barks if he can hear people in front of the house. He barks at unfamiliar voices coming from Christy's yard. He barks at Jane. He barks at Jane's dog. He barks at the wind moving blades of grass. Sometimes he just barks because he can.
Over the last couple of months or so, Gibbs has been much easier to bring back into the house.
I know dogs have better hearing ability than humans and that I don't have to raise my voice with Gibbs.
So, if I step out, and in a quiet voice say Gibbs' name, he comes running back to the house, mainly because he knows I'll give him shredded sharp cheddar cheese when he comes in.
So how does he manipulate me?
Lately Gibbs has been going out for no reason other than to bark from the porch so that I'll come to the door with a sprinkle of cheese and he'll get to eat this favorite snack of his.
So, who's giving orders and who's obeying in the excellent relationship Gibbs and I have developed?
I'd say it's pretty much 50/50.
And Gibbs always gets some cheese!
By the way, I have not found a way to stop Gibbs barking in the house whenever there's activity outside. Luckily, things are slow around our neighborhood, so he's quiet most of the time.
But, when it comes to indoor barking, Gibbs rules the house.
I've come to accept this as just a fact of life and I'm not going to spray him with vinegar or do anything else I've heard can quiet down a barking dog.
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