SC has the best state troopers

This kills me. We have a SC state trooper, who was stopped for speeding on March 28, going 131 mph in a 70 mph zone, on his was to the Carolina Cup TO DIRECT TRAFFIC. He was in an unmarked state vehicle (a Dodge Charger). Yes he was going 61 mph over the speed limit.

It was later discovered by The State newspaper that this same trooper had been not only driving but issuing citations as a state trooper for over two months without a license. That's right, his license was taken away in December 2008 for not paying the taxes on his Suburban, and he didn't have his license returned until February 20, 2009.

Enjoy! http://www.thestate.com/local/story/738144.html

Nationals next week

We're going to the American Whippet Club National Specialty next week, which means there will be around a thousand whippets in the Airport Hilton in Atlanta. What this means is we'll be surrounded by whippets and friends all week. We are both really looking forward to it. We'll be taking our crew -- Chase, Chippy, Juliet, and Viola. We're staying with friends and my Mom for the week, so it will be quite an adventure.

I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do about our freelance work for the week, I guess we'll have to tell clients that neither of us is available during the day and we'll have to get back to them when we can on the hotel's wifi. The bad part of having a home business is that you really can't leave it at home when you go on vacation.

Chippy and Juliet will be showing in the National, both with well-respected handlers, so we are excited about that as well. I have been working on their toenails but they are still a bit long ... hopefully I can get them down shorter before next week.

Jo

Dealing with grief (still)

It comes and it goes. Sometimes I think of Lexi in a bemused, wasn't-that-fun kind of happy memory. Sometimes it stabs at my heart and I choke up and cry. Little things bother me. Big things don't. I have no problems with Chippy wearing Lexi's sunflower PJs. I couldn't bring myself to throw away the half pill (meloxicam) that had been sitting on the counter for three months. I had to ask Derek to throw it away. It didn't help Lexi. None of the drugs helped my girl.

I updated her site (www.alexiswhippet.com) with her story and more about who she was. That was pretty hard to do, but I wanted to share with the whippet world more about my girl and the life we had together. Editing the photos of her was the hardest. For some reason it wasn't as hard to detail our story ... but seeing her sweet face had the tears running down my face. I was foolish enough to work on the photos at work and had to hide my tears and try to get it together before I saw anyone.

Overall I'd just say it comes and it goes. Sometimes I'm totally fine. Sometimes I'm a total mess. It's up and down, it's a process, I know I'll be all right (I did not know this in December) but I know it will take more time.

Jo

Dog shows this weekend

This weekend (Friday through Sunday) we're going to the dog shows in Greenville, SC. So far it's been a lot of fun, we haven't won anything but I'm having fun with my Chippy-Chip. I'm posting a couple of photos our friends Nancy and Ivan Doucette took of me with Chippy, and while I'm at it a photo of the Chipster as a baby. Why not!

Johannah

Looking ahead

We're definitely not "over" Lexi's loss, but we are looking ahead to the future. In April we'll be bringing home a new whippet to join our pack -- five month old Viola, Juliet's daughter. We're getting Juliet back in February so we are looking forward to that, but I have to admit that Viola's homecoming is what really has me excited.

We're both going to the American Whippet Club National dog show in Atlanta in April. I'll be traveling down there early in the week and staying with my Mom and our friend Bev along with the dogs. Then Derek is driving over for the weekend, and hopefully will get to see Chippy shown on Thursday. We're very excited to have Amanda Giles of Sporting Fields Whippets as Chippy's handler for the show. I'm working on getting her fit and trim for the shows. I'm also planning to attend some dog shows with Chippy in Greenville, SC in February.

So we're still overcome by grief occasionally, but those moments are growing farther and farther apart. Mostly we are looking ahead to the future and the new whippets who are joining us soon. Life moves on, and you have to move with it.

Jo

Dealing with grief

Grief is a funny thing. You think you've dealt with it, and it sneaks in and whacks you on the head when you're not looking. Little things, like putting away Lexi's food bowls, giving away her arthritis medicine, and throwing away the last of her medications ... each of these gave me a crying spell that I wasn't expecting. Picking up her ashes from the vet was particularly painful, but I expected that. Washing the rug that she peed on was an unexpected trauma.

We're looking ahead to the future ... in March we're adopting a puppy from my Mom, who is a whippet breeder in Virginia. Little Viola will be five months old and a little hellion most likely. I won't forget my Lexi, but hopefully Viola will help with the pain.

Jo

It's time.

Well we have reached a very difficult decision today. We have decided to let Alexis go tonight at 5:30pm. She collapsed again today and is getting weaker and weaker. Her red blood count is down to 1.37 which is critically low and she is just getting weaker and weaker. She wasn't able to eat her breakfast this morning and I had to force her pills down. She's resting comfortably at home today and I'm here with her, spending my last day with my darling. Then tonight after work Derek and I are going to take her to the vet together. It's so very hard but I know it's for the best. I want her to go while she is still able to walk on her own, and while she is coherant and aware. I want her to go peacefully in my arms, not while I'm gone at work and she's alone.

If there is anything to be learned from all this, please know that it is better to let them go peacefully on your own terms than cling to them until the bitter end for your own sake. It is better that they be happy up until the end and not suffering needlessly just so you can keep them alive for yourself. That is my belief and I hold it dear.

I'll post again tonight when she is gone with some photos and a slideshow that I am working on today to celebrate the life of my darling Lexipoo.