Happy Birthday Ely!

Ely celebrated her second birthday yesterday! Well, she didn't really celebrate because she didn't know it was a special day, even though I kept telling her happy birthday. And I tried giving her these new treats I bought, but she wasn't really interested. They are good for her teeth, which she needs because she won't let me brush them, and I just found out she has dental disease. But more on that later. She did eat a treat the other day though, so I think she just needs time to get used to them.

I also tried to take her on a walk as a special treat since it's actually been above freezing the past few days, and we can go outside without her freezing her little paws off. But it was still pretty windy and we didn't make it very far. I had to carry her to the end of the block, because she kept refusing to walk, so I figured if I got her past the house she would be more willing to walk, but she still didn't budge, and her back legs kept shaking, so I think she was cold. We turned around to walk the half block home, and then when she knew where we were going, she broke out in a sprint. Silly dog.

She does like walks though, usually. Toward the end of the summer I think she got sick of our surroundings, because even though the weather was nice, she wouldn't want to leave the driveway. Over Christmas we visited the town Ely, and Ely (our dog) loves going for walks there. My parents live in the woods, and her and I went for a walk/run every day, usually about a mile, which is pretty good for a little dog in snow and ice and 20 degree weather. Most of the time she wants to run so fast I can't even keep up. 

Well, it's hard to tell, but Ely is running there, or trying to run. I have to hold her back because I get too tired after running as fast as I can for five minutes. I think I just need a proper warm-up...

Ely did pretty good over Christmas, but there were a few biting incidents, one of which left me with a bloody lip. It's really not as bad as it sounds... we were in the car driving to Ely (the town), and Ely (our dog) was playing/biting an old leash of hers. I'm not sure why she likes to bite that when we get in the car, considering she doesn't chew anything around the house, but it keeps her busy for a bit and distracts her so she doesn't spend half the car ride barking, which she does sometimes, and it gets really annoying.

Well, one of her nails got stuck in the leash somehow, so I tried to get it off, and she didn't like that very much. In the end, we had to pull over, I put gloves on and I finally was able to cut the leash off her nail with nail clippers. But before we got to that moment, I was holding her trying to pull the leash off and she started freaking out and growling and biting, and she bit my lip, which bled a little bit. It wasn't anything major, and I know she was scared about having this six-foot-long leash stuck to her foot, but I was still annoyed because we were just trying to help her out. I wish dogs thought like humans sometimes. It would make things much easier.

The other biting incident also came from one of her nails being caught. I'm not sure what was going on, but all of a sudden one day she wouldn't walk on her right front paw, and I think one of her nails got stuck in her fur or something. When we tried to help her, again she started freaking out and tried to bite us. So we just let her figure it out on her own, and her nail eventually did get unstuck.

So over the weekend we decided that maybe her nails are too long and she needs to get them clipped. I made her an appointment for the salon (vet) today, and she got a haircut and her nails trimmed! I know she won't let me cut her nails or hair at home, so I take her to the vet. I guess that's not a very good birthday present, but like I said before, she didn't even know it was her birthday, so I don't feel quite so bad.

She also had to get a few shots, which wasn't really in the agenda, but I guess they said she needed them. Now she shouldn't have to get any more shots until next year, but that's what they told me a few months ago, so I think I need to keep better track of all her shots and everything else she gets done there.

They also told me she has dental disease and will need to get her teeth cleaned if I don't want them to fall out or for her to get sick. They put the animals out for that, which I'm not too happy about, but considering she tried to bite the lady cutting her nails today, I don't think she would let anyone near her teeth if she was conscious. So pretty soon Ely will have to go back to the dreaded vet for a teeth cleaning... which she will not like, and neither will my wallet.

Favorite Things: Lorie Line

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I am going to stick with another Christmas-theme for my weekly favorite things. This week is all about Christmas music. More specifically, Lorie Line. If you don't know who she is, then you are missing out. Don't get me wrong- I love all kinds of Christmas music, but her songs are my absolute favorite.

She's awesome! She's a professional pianist who lives in Minneapolis. She started out her professional career playing the piano full-time in Dayton's in 1988. She did that until 1993, and during that time many of the shoppers encouraged her to record her own CD. Since then, she has recorded 27 CDs, and her and members of her Pop Chamber Orchestra tour throughout the year on more than 85 stages.

I have been to four or five of her holiday shows in Minneapolis, and I just love them. Her concerts consist of more than just watching someone play the piano; they are true entertaining shows, with numerous costumes, audience involvement and beautiful music of a 10-member (or so) orchestra.

I had no idea she has 27 CDs! I don't even think I have half of those, so I better get busy. This past month I have been listening to her music non-stop. Since I grew up playing the piano I think that's why I like her so much; I don't know of many other professional semi-well-known pianists, and since she lives in Minnesota, even better!

If you've never heard her music, you should definitely check it out. Her holiday CDs are the best, but she has countless other CDs of regular music that make great listening as well.

And just to put everyone in the Christmas mood (if you aren't already), here's a picture of Ely under the tree! She just decided to lay down among the presents last night. How cute!

Snownami

In case you haven't heard, there was a major snowstorm here this weekend. Below are some facts I just learned about the most recent snownami:

There were 18 hours of snowfall.
It was the 5th largest snowstorm since recordings began in 1900.
Some places received 17-23 inches!
There were reports of 30-45 mph winds. Brr.

The average high for this time of year is 27F. Right now it is 0. It was -14F this morning. I hate this weather. It's not enjoyable. And there is no end in sight. Since the weather made driving dangerous and not advisable, we didn't leave the house much. However, that did allow me to be very productive inside. I did some cleaning, finished the Christmas cards, and we finally got a Christmas tree! Yay! Ely even got a bath, which was a long time coming. Here's how she looked when it was all done:

She's like a little fluff ball!

So I guess the snowstorm did allow for some good things, but it also forced us to cancel some of our weekend plans, which I did not like. Where we live, we only got about 5 inches of snow, but it was so windy that there were snow drifts everywhere, and it was not advisable to travel. On Saturday I had tickets to see the musical "The Sound of Music" with one of my good friends who lives about an hour away, but she had to cancel because the roads were so bad. So I made my husband go with me instead. Hah. I think he liked it, minus all the singing.

That evening, we were planning on attending a Christmas party at a couple's house we are friends with, and they live about 1.5 hours away in ideal conditions. But the snow plows stopped plowing the interstate, the road conditions were terrible and AAA advised no unnecessary travel. Had we gone, it could have taken us hours to get there, and it would have probably been dangerous. Instead, we went to see the movie "The Tourist." It was OK, but not as enjoyable as the party would have been.

This storm was so bad that schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul were canceled today, even though we got all this snow on Saturday. Both cities have also declared snow emergencies, with Minneapolis declaring an additional emergency for tonight so they can plow all the roads. I saw on the news that some towing companies have received more than 1,000 calls for people to get their cars out from being stuck. One company's ETA was 48 hours, just to tow your car out of the snow! And this isn't the kind of snow that's light and fluffy. It's heavy, and with the cold, it gets really difficult to move. Check out this photo:

Thank goodness we have a garage!

And finally, perhaps the most talked about event in Minnesota this weekend: the collapse of the Metrodome. This video is crazy (see blog below). Good thing no one was inside at the time!

If anyone is looking for a White Christmas, then look no further than Minnesota. But I really wouldn't advise it, unless you like extreme weather. Stay warm!

Metrodome Roof Collapses-Yikes!

Favorite Things

Since I'm home a lot, I've started watching some shows on TV that I've never really had time to watch before, mostly because I've been at work. One such show that I should be embarrassed to like (but I'm not) is the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. Now don't judge until you've watched it... I think they are quite entertaining, and they had good guests and have interesting segments. Just yesterday, for instance, Flo Rida was on--one of my favorites.

I mention this not to let everyone know my guilty viewing habits, but that every Monday they have a segment where they show off a favorite thing of theirs. It can be anything from a new wine they discovered to a lip gloss they love, etc. Since people might get bored reading about my dog all the time, every week I'll discuss a favorite thing.

Obviously Ely is my #1 favorite thing, but I think everyone has figured that out by now.

Right now Christmas is my favorite thing. I just love it. I mostly love the decorations... Christmas trees... lights... presents... Christmas cards... Christmas cookies... parties... I could go on and on. It's such a fun and busy time of year. Winter doesn't seem quite as bad to me when there are Christmas lights up everywhere and there is still New Year's Eve to look forward to. Once that's over, then winter just seems to drag on with nothing to look forward to, except Spring. But in the meantime, I love Christmas.

Since I was just in New York, I got to see a lot of pretty decorations. These decorations were one of my favorite parts of the weekend. They were inside the Shops at Columbus Circle, and I could have sat there for hours watching them. OK, maybe not hours... more like 15 minutes. But still, they were so cool.

They were like stars hanging, and they kept changing colors from blue to purple to red to orange to yellow to green, etc. This picture was taken from the second or third floor, and most of the stars visible in the photo are actually their reflection.

Here's just one more view:

And of course, since I was in New York, I had to make a visit or two to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It would have been much more enjoyable if there weren't so many tourists around... but I guess since I was one of them I shouldn't complain.

And finally, here's a picture closer to home... actually in our home. Obviously I had to get a stocking for Ely. Of course the one in the middle is hers, although it doesn't have a letter "E" on it. It's mini, like her, so I think it should be self-explanatory.

The holidays only come around once a year... so enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Deal #1

It's freezing outside today. Well, actually it's below freezing. 12 degrees. I hate the cold. Why I live in Minnesota is beyond me. The high on Sunday and Monday is 0. That's the HIGH! Do you know who else doesn't like the cold? Ely.

See? She needs a sweater, even though she doesn't really like wearing it.

She loves being outside in the summer. I'll tie her up in the back yard and she'll sleep on the deck and run around for hours in the grass. We'll go for long walks around the neighborhood, and she'll be out front running most of the way. But in the winter, I can barely get her to go outside to pee. Now, this is a problem.

I've been back from New York for a few days, and sometimes it takes Ely a while to warm up to us when we have been gone. Now she is back to normal with me, but on Monday we were having a difficult time going potty outside. I probably took her out four or five times without her doing anything. When I can tie her up in the summer it's not a problem if she doesn't go right away, but when I have to put on a coat, boots, mittens, etc., just to take her out, and then we stand out there with her just pacing around, that's a problem. I'm cold, and I'm sure her little paws get cold as well.

See, when we got Ely from the shelter all those months ago, we were told that she was potty trained. Wrong. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, considering they didn't even know what breed she was (see blog from Nov. 30).

So when we got home, we were unpleasantly surprised to find out that she likes to go to the bathroom inside. We tried potty pads, which the shelter recommended because apparently that's what she was "potty trained" on, but it was kind of hit or miss with those. Plus, the sticky adhesive on the back stuck to the kitchen floor, and I had to pry it off with a knife, which was very annoying. We quickly abandoned those.

Everyone says the way to potty train a dog is to use a crate. The problem with trying to potty train a dog who is over a year old is that you aren't starting from scratch as one would with a puppy. She had two owners before us, and who knows what they did or did not teach her, and who knows why she is terrified of crates.

When we tried to put her in a crate, I thought she was going to tear her little legs off. She starting barking and clawing at the door trying to get out, and in general, she went crazy. Ely being in a crate lasted about 5 seconds, so using that as a training tool was out of the question.

We just decided that it would be best to take her out every couple of hours until she got the idea that she was only supposed to go to the bathroom outside. Since we got her in the winter, she had to get used to going outside when it was dark and cold out. We would wake up in the middle of the night to take her out, just to make sure she didn't have an accident. We quickly realized that she can sleep through the entire night without needing to go out, so that was good news for us. I hated getting up at 3 a.m. to take her out.

During the day is another story, however. She is good about going to the bathroom outside when you take her, but she will also still go in the house, even if she just went outside a half an hour ago. Most of the time she'll just go a little, like she is marking her territory or something. But sometimes she'll go potty in the house without giving any warning.

This is very frustrating on a few levels. Mostly because when we are gone, we don't lock her up anywhere, so she probably goes to the bathroom in the house and we might never find it if she goes on the carpet. If you don't see her doing it or see it shortly after, I'm afraid that it soaks into the carpet. I know, that sounds disgusting.

It's also annoying because I don't know how to teach her that outside is the only place she is supposed to go. I've heard that small dogs, Chihuahuas especially, are hard to potty train. I wish we knew this before we got her, but once again, we thought she was potty trained when we got her.

It's also hard to teach her that going outside is a good thing because she doesn't like treats. What? A dog that doesn't like treats? That's crazy, you may say, but it's true. We've tried many different kinds, and she's just not interested. She didn't even really like people food when we got her. Now she likes almost any kinds of meat, sometimes chips, and definitely French fries. She goes insane for fries, especially McDonald's, but it's not like I keep a pack on hand to reward her for going potty outside. We usually praise her a lot and give her affection when she goes outside, but I'm not sure how well that works.

She does know the words "potty" and "outside," and when she really does have to go and you say those words, her ears perk up and she gets all excited. So I think she understands the concept, but there is just some part that is missing, which is why she thinks it's OK to go in the house too.

Another issue we have recently been having is that now that there is snow on the ground and Ely can't see or feel the grass, it's like she is confused about where to go. She was good about going outside last winter, but I think she forgot what snow was or something, because the first time it snowed here a few weeks ago, that entire day she wouldn't go outside. There was a lot of pacing, by her, and being cold, by me. I realized that she wasn't going because she couldn't see the grass, so now we have to shovel an area in our yard to she can go in the grass. I know it probably looks ridiculous, and she will kill the grass in that area, but I'm just not sure what else to do.

Now this whole time I've been talking about going potty, I'm mostly taking about pee. As far as going #2 is concerned, she mostly does that in the house, especially now that it is winter. In the summer I would let her run around the back yard for a long time, and in that time she would eventually end up going #2, but it's not something she ever tells us she has to do, which she will when she has to pee sometimes. But I think that discussion can be left for another day.

Although it is frustrating having a dog that is about 80 percent potty trained, she's still a good dog, and I definitely wouldn't trade her for anything in the world--potty trained or not.

She'll be fine...right? Will I?

Tomorrow I'm going to NYC for the weekend. I'm telling you this for two reasons: 1) I know you will be anxiously waiting for my next post, but it won't be happening for a few days, so please try to make it through the weekend without me; 2) I will be gone from Ely for three full days, and I worry about her, especially with only my husband to take care of her. This is a way better option than boarding her though, so I shouldn't complain.

Not that my husband is incapable or anything. I know they will both be fine. I think. On the weekend they will sleep in and cuddle in bed until noon probably, and then hang out on the couch watching football, basketball, or any other sport that is on. I'm sure Ely will be fine.

It's just that I remember one time I was gone in the evening, so the only thing I asked him to do when he got home from work was to feed her. Did he remember to do it? No. If I don't remind him to feed her, change her water, take her out, etc., I fear he may forget. But again, I'm sure she will be fine.

Since I am currently working from home/looking for full-time employment, I am with Ely almost all day, every day, and we've gotten quite attached. In fact, she is sleeping in my lap right now as I type. I think that I will miss her more than she will miss me. Cesar says dogs live in the present, not in the past, so once I'm gone I'm sure she'll forget about me in about two minutes, which, come to think of it, doesn't really comfort me. So really, I think I am the one who will have a harder time being gone from her than she will from me. I think I just worry too much about her. I wonder if that's how it feels when you have kids?

Anyways, I'm off to New York, and despite being gone from Ely, I am very excited. I haven't been there in a couple of years, and it's going to be all pretty and decorated for Christmas, which I cannot wait to see. And most of all, I am visiting one of my best friends who I met nearly six years ago while we studied abroad in Paris, the best city in the world. Look at this. I love it.

Don't worry. I have about 100 more pictures just of the Eiffel Tower, like this one, which I also love.

OK, I'm sorry, just one more. I can't help it. It's so pretty!

I'll save the rest for another day. I also have about 1,000+ more pictures of my five months spent in Europe, but if I keep thinking of Paris I'm going to miss it even more than I already do. So for now I'll focus on New York and having a good time...and trying not to miss Ely. I'll just think of when I get to come home to her and she's so excited she will run in circles around the couch about 50 times and dance around on her back legs wanting me to pet her. I miss her already.

What IS Ely's Deal?

What's Ely's Deal? What a great question. Also, who or what is Ely is also a good question. The first question may never be answered, as it is something I have found myself asking many times over the past months. Ten months, to be exact, as today marks the 10-month anniversary of me and my husband making the best purchase of our lives: a dog.

I know, I know, people who are obsessed with their dogs are probably annoying to those who don't have a dog, just like people who only talk about their kids are annoying to people who don't have kids (like me). Ely, however, is my baby, and anyone who doesn't find her adorable obviously has something wrong with them. Judge for yourself.

See? How can anyone say no to a face like that? If you don't fine her cute, however, please don't tell me and just stop reading, because you will most likely find me annoying. But I think she is the cutest little thing in the whole wide world (as I often tell her), and I find her very entertaining, and this blog, as you can tell by the title, will mostly be about her.

And while I'm talking about the title, let's discuss its meaning. I don't mean to imply that Ely (pronounced E-lee) HAS a deal, like there is something wrong with her, although sometimes I might disagree. It more means that we are constantly trying to figure out what's going on in her head. I really wish Cesar Millan would visit to give us some tips. But since that is most likely never going to happen, we are left with the task of trying to coexist with a live animal in our house who doesn't speak our language, and vice versa.

So by now I think you have found the answer to the second question about who or what Ely is. She's a Chihuahua/papillon mix, we think. We got her from the Humane Society, where they told us she was a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix, but having grown up with a Yorkie (RIP Lucy), I know she looks nothing like Lucy did. When we were paying for her, someone working there told us they thought she was part papillon instead of Yorkie, and that makes much more sense, with her big ears and long tail. So we say she's a Chihuahua/papillon mix, and we'll stick with that until we are told differently.

But really, it doesn't matter what breed she is, because, as I've already mentioned, she is the cutest little thing in the whole wide world, no matter what anyone says.