Today I’m Thinking Out Loud about cats, dogs (what’s new, right?) and trying to find a beach vacation that’s close to home. And a few other truly random things.
Lola sure enjoyed our charity walk!
Lola has been acting strange
I touched on it briefly last week, but she has stopped going out in the mornings. She won’t go out until I take her out for a walk, whenever that might be.
If I happen to be working on the computer for a little bit, and she comes downstairs, I’ll ask her if she wants to go out and she just runs and jumps on the chaise in the next room, which is a pretty clear no.
I’ve had a few mornings where she didn’t want to eat. She got a clean bill of health not too long ago, and really, there are no signs of illness. The first couple of times I thought I had just warmed up the food too much (I like to warm it a bit in the microwave), but she did it again this Tuesday and I know that wasn’t the case.
This is a very food motivated dog. And most of the time she’s quite eager for her food. She’s not losing weight, she’s not having bathroom problems, or problems at the other end, either.
I don’t know what to make of it but it’s disturbing.
Opening Pandora’s Box
Mr. Judy wanted to put our hats into the fostering ring, as I wrote a while ago, but so far nothing has come of it. Our pet sitter sent me an email that her friend who works with rescues that get in small dogs doesn’t need help right now, and suggested a different rescue we might look into.
And look I did. Not at fostering, they don’t show those, but at the available dogs. There was the older dog who was so cute. The puppy who sounded like Chester II (but didn’t look like him).
Despite being happy with one dog, even if that dog doesn’t seem happy as an only dog, I found myself wanting to adopt just about every dog I looked at. Damn rescues!
Any foster/new dog has to get along with this guy
Giz is 15. He’s not overly fond of dogs (or strangers). He has plenty of places that he can go to get away from a dog, but of course I also don’t want him to spend his last years hiding, either.
Can you see me now?
I’ve looked at my blog on my phone, my ipod, my ipad, but Darlene said last week that my grahpics tend to be too big for her connection. Typically they’re about 640 or 480 px horizontally, although it depends on the photo.
Are you having trouble with them? I’d like to know; I can always make them smaller.
The November Project’s Definition of Fitness
Is apparently 1:30 for the half marathon distance. At least that’s what the article in Runner’s World said. But if you go to the November Project Website, it says that it’s for elites to complete fitness rookies.
I have to admit that when I read the defintion of fit was a 1:30 half, I was immediately so discouraged. I’m never going to run a 1:30 half, and even most of my speedy friends don’t run 1:30 halfs!
So which is it? I guess I won’t be finding out, there is no chapter here and I don’t want to start one (although we could probably use it!).
It isn’t just my fitness that changes with the seasons
It’s my blogging, too!
In the cooler months I’m apt to work on the blog for an hour or two after breakfast.
Now I have to either get out with Lola for our walk, or out for my own run (and walk Lola afterwwards).
Most of the time I go straight from breakfast to walking/running/running errands, and I’m not even back home until midday.
I don’t remember what I did last year, since I started in the summer, but then again, I didn’t have as many readers last year (or read so many blogs). Of course, last year I was also out walking the dogs before breakfast because Chester couldn’t tolerate any heat at all.
Looking for a beach vacation that isn’t too far
As in a couple of hours drive away. We might still just keep the house on the Cape we rented, but I’ve been looking at CT, too. We’re in the Albany (NY) area, and preferably I’d like to go somewhere that isn’t more than a couple of hours drive.
Even if it doesn’t end up happening this year, there’s always next year. Long Island is too far & too congested. So if you know any great beach towns on CT that are more on the eastern side . . .
Talk to me. Tell me in the comments:
Mountains, lake, or beach?
Would you adopt an older dog?
Does the November’s Project definition of fitness bother you?
I’m linking up with Amanda at Running with Spoons for her:
Chocolaterunsjudy 
1:30 for a half? That should rule out almost everyone, surely? That would be 7min/mile😱
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Maybe it was a misprint? I do know some runners that run that fast, but it’s pretty darn fast! Even 2:30 would be too fast for me, although I keep working at that one.
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Lola looks so cute in the video. That swishing tale! Adorable. Gizmo looks like a kitten. I was stunned to read that he is 15. He is beautiful.
I spend a lot of time on the RISPCA page, also Handsome Dan. Like you, I want to help them all, cats and dogs alike, even though I have never owned a dog (Tony has). It’s heartbreaking to see so many animals neglected or abused, or even turned in for various, often legitimate reasons. They all deserve loving homes. There is one dog, Juliette, and older girl with only one eye, that stole my heart but this is not the right time yet for a dog. Three years from today we retire and then we’ll see.
I have no problems seeing your postings.
Lake. Definitely lake. We’ve been vacationing a week each year on Newfound Lake in Bristol NH. Our dream was to buy a small, four room cottage there. A couple of years ago we saw the right size (tiny) on the lake. A quarter of a million dollars. We kissed that dream goodbye!
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Mostly I try to stay away from the rescues, that’s partially how we ended up with Lola when we had decided we really only wanted one dog. 🙂
Lloyd was just talking about trying to buy a cottage on the Cape yesterday. I pointed out it’s so much easier to just go when the mood hits.
He really wanted to keep his parents house (they lived there quite some time) but it was HUGE & in the end he realized it just wasn’t meant to be. Just as my parents ended up selling their time share in Manhattan.
I love a lake, too, and the mountains — but my heart is with the ocean. I wish I could get there more often. You’re lucky that you are not far away from it!
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I don’t think our cats would appreciate any dogs so I wouldn’t adopt any. We do have a friend who found a cat in his barn who had just had kittens and he asked if we would want any of the kittens….of course I want kittens and I think that Malika would probably do okay with one but I don’t think Callie would so we won’t take any of them. He keeps posting pictures on Facebook, though. They are so cute!! A 1:30 Half Marathon is pretty darn fast…I guess I’ll never be fit. But then I wouldn’t want to be a leader, either. I see that it is one of a few criteria, though. I might be able to swing the 3 minute plank + 10 pushups.
Give some love to Lola, Giz and Mr. Judy for me.
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Gizmo definitely didn’t appreciate the dogs, and he’s better with just one dog, but I think Lola might benefit from the company of a dog.
And I really, really wanted a dog. And Lloyd is more a dog person than a cat person.
I would totally have gotten another kitten after we lost Simba if I didn’t know it would have bothered Giz, and quite frankly, it will be horrible when Giz is gone because I’ve basically never been without a cat my entire life.
A 3 minute plank is a really long time . . .
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I love dogs but I know my cats wouldn’t stand for the competition.
I love the ocean. That is why I go to Florida 3x a year.
I would love to go back to the Caribbean and go snorkling.
Right now I am settling for the lake.
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I don’t think you’d enjoy the way a dog makes it harder to be spontaneous. Obviously not all dogs need as much attention as mine tend to (all my animals, really, I’ve been taking care of sick animals almost the entire time we’ve lived here; I just seem to attract the unhealthy ones).
But that’s why I had to plan to go to NYC — I can’t just wake up that morning and decide to go, I can’t leave Lola alone that long. Anything over about 4 or 5 hours tops is a real stretch for her.
I do love the ocean, but not really FL so much. And I wish there was ocean much closer to us.
You are very lucky to have your boat & to get to sleep up there! Maybe one of these days I’ll drive up with Lola and do some exploring.
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Remember my hubby only work 9:30-12:30 so yes we could have a dog if it weren’t for the cats. All our boating friends bring their dogs on their boat.
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I’m not sure Lola would like a boat, although she’s been in elevators & planes & if we do go to the capes was might go to Martha’s Vineyard.
Obviously you can have a dog & a cat — Giz doesn’t like dogs, but he tolerates them. I even have a picture or two of all 4 of them laying on me back in the day!
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I’ve thought about fostering a couple of times, but I know I’d have a hard time being able to part with the animals after caring for them for a while, so I keep passing because I don’t think my building would appreciate it if I had 10 cats and dogs 😆 And at this point, I think i I was to get another dog, it’d be an older one. I know for sure that I want to adopt, but just recently I decided that I wouldn’t want a puppy. They’re cute, but I don’t think I want to deal with those first few months and all the housebreaking and what not. An older dog sounds like a safer route.
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I have a pretty realistic view of how many animals I can handle and how they interact with each other.
For instance, we had a dog on trial adoption before Chester. It was just a few days, but yes, we got really attached. And we also realized in those few days he wasn’t the right dog for us. We didn’t adopt him.
I didn’t even want a puppy when we adopted Chester, but all the dogs we looked at weren’t the right fit, usually because they took one look at the cats and started running after them.
I finally broke down and decided a puppy might be better because they can be trained.
But yes, the housebreaking and the training — it’s a LOT of work.
The only problem with an older dog is you have less time with them. 😦
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wow, a 1:30 half is what it takes to be fit? Yikes, I’ve been shooting for a sub-2 for years!!! I hope Lola is ok, by the way…I am a firm believer that pets can get down in the dumps too, so you never know. When my husband is gone for long periods of time, our dog takes it very hard and doesn’t want to play or eat as much.
Oh, and beach all the way for me!
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I love me some beach time too. So rarely get it. 😢
I think Lola is ok physically & oddly she didn’t seem to miss Chester during the winter, but right now she seems kind of lost. ☹️
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I am not a beach person. I love the water and ocean, but can not sit on a beach all day.
I have no issues with your pictures on my computer nor on my phone. They are big because the are vertical but its not an issue.
1:30 for a half ? Definitely not for your average runner I would say.
We thought a kitten would pep up our older cat but it didn’t. The kitten would just bother him, jump all over him and want to play all the time. I think when it comes to animals there are no standard behaviors or things that work.
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I would have loved to get a kitten when we lost Simba 3 yrs ago, but I knew Giz would not be happy so I didn’t. We went that route when we got him-imagine a 16 yr old cat being annoyed by TWO kittens (she lived another 5 years with them).
He isn’t happy with dogs either but that was for us & he tolerates them. He still gets his laptime. 😻
I love the ocean, although I don’t like swimming in it. It’s just so soothing. I love to run on the beach!
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Maybe Lola wants to try some new food! Sometimes dogs seem to go through stages and mood swings…no big deal probably!
1:30 for a half is NOT average fitness. I think maybe 2:05 could be considered the faster side of average, honestly. It seems weird to me that TNP would alienate so many runners with an arbitrary and really FAST half time!
I honestly hate the beach. It’s hot, dirty, crowded, loud, smelly…I live in FL by some of the best beaches in the world and I never go if I can help it.
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Nah, she’ll eat it most of the time — and believe me, I’m talking gobble it down — it’s just very strange and I haven’t figured it out yet.
Love the beach. Love beach running! Although not super fond of FL. Not that scenic, too hot and humid (most of the year). I guess the same could have been said of TX, but I loved TX!
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That 1:30 time definition for fit… ummm, no way. Not too impressed that they think they can define it to begin with!
I see your graphics just fine, so no worries on my part! I can even watch your videos on my phone just fine.
And yes, I would totally adopt an older dog, especially one that’s missing their home. I’m sure they would be forever grateful!! Puppies never have a problem with adoption, whereas older ones do. You’d just have to be accept enduring the end-of-life heartbreak sooner rather than later, but it’d be totally worth it knowing you gave that animal a second chance. (Awww, wish I could go out and get one right now, 😦 )
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When we went looking for our first dog, I definitely didn’t want a puppy. But we just never found an older dog that was the right match for the cats, which is how we ended up with a 8 week old puppy.
That IS the problem with adopting an older dog, though-you have such limited time with them.
My animals always seem to get long, drawn out illnesses too. 😥
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