A little sunshine

I need a little sunshine in my life at the moment- so much unhappiness lately, so I am ready to show off what I enjoy about life rather than dwelling on all that other stuff. :)  I'm fortunate I have my two favourite flowers, blooming up a storm!! First of all, my baskets of pansies on the front step. Love them!

This is the first year I've had these tulips really bloom. Love them too!

Sorry, they are a litte fuzzy, but they give you the idea at least of my front garden.

And, the view from my door step as I was leaving for work, May 18th. Sun comes up at about 5AM now.

And finally, my dogs love to hang with each other in the sun.

Spike loves being on the deck.

Murph, looking around.

Oh there you are Murphy!

Sophie, drying off in the sun. She loves to have a play in our paddling pool then dry in the sun.

My girls watching the neighbours cut their lawn.

And, after sunbathing comes napping on my bed. Spike and Murphy cuddled up together.

I am not so sure Murph likes being used a pillow but she stayed there for a long time!

I love that my dogs all get along so well and can hang out together with no problems. Nothing like a furry face to help a person feel better!

Mini Update

I have pics to share, but I am off to Regionals this weekend and don't have time this morning. I want to get them up- they are a ray of bright sunshine in the midst of sogging flooding... which brings me to the update on Tim and Erin.   As of yesterday, they are officially homeless. The government that said the banks that were too unstable to work on to save houses, were safe enough to dismantle houses. So, the Lynes and the Roseneu family homes (next in line to fall in) were torn down to save them actually falling in. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport apparently is starting to build a dyke to save the road behind the houses.  Unspeakably sad... now they wait to hear if there is any monetary help in the face of this tragedy.  Cross paws folks, they have a fight coming to get any help, it sounds like.

But, on an up note, it's beautiful here, the sun is shining and I am off to volunteer at Agility today and tomorrow. Should be a lovely weekend to hang out, outside with my agility friends and just remember the world isn't all bad.

Updates!

I've been asked for an update, so here you are....

First of all, KIWI, that pretty little lab in Prince Albert needs an update! I called the Shelter and they asked me to foster with the hope she would become a New Hope dog. However, before I could go and collect the pretty girl, who was not fairing well in the shelter (big surprise- 8 month old Lab, hello?!?) she got sent out on a trial adoption!  So, Miss Kiwi has a home!! 

Alright, onto Erin and Tim, along with the other residents of Cottonwood River....

The news is spotty at best right now because they don't have internet. They are camping out at a gravel pit, on higher ground, waiting to hear news and to know what's going on with their home.

The Allen's house is gone, officially. It began to wash away when the basement collapsed in and the roof buckled, on Monday. Tuesday government officials decided the bank that was not safe enough to save was safe enough to put an excavator on, to dismantle the house. However, in the process of dismantling it, to keep it out of the river, they knocked it in, OY!

Tuesday, Tim and Erin were working on getting everything out of the house when the bank began to give way in front of their place. The rock work that had been placed was no longer holding, especially since they had heavy rainfall on Monday night. So, they pulled out and walked away from their home. As of the last update from yesterday afternoon, the house was still there, but barely hanging on. They had meetings last night to hear whether the gov't would dismantle it in the same way they did the Allen house or whether they would just let it go and live with the environmental consequences. Which, by the way, was the reason they were not allowed to fix the banks:  ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS over putting too much silt in the river. However, their neighbors lost 4 acres of land on Monday afternoon, so I'd say those silt concerns were not justified. :(  Anyway, I haven't heard anything yet from the meeting and there's been no updates as of this morning.  But, everyone- and I mean everyone from their home- dogs, cats, pigeons, horses, goldfish- are safe and at this moment, maybe that's enough.  

So stay tuned- this saga is not over yet. It's a matter of time, then the fighting will begin for compensation and support. Prayers and good thoughts are still needed for this area as it's not over. There are 2 more homes in process of being emptied and evacuated, and more to come. Cottonwood River stands to lose 10 homes to this river and the first one only has gone. Thanks all for your support for Erin and Tim, along with their friends. So sad.

Oy! What a weekend....

I have pictures from the weekend, but they will have to wait. Crazy things have been happening in the lives of my friends and I need to share!!  I spent much of my weekend praying for these families and sending emails to anyone who would listen, on their behalf for interventions.

Tim and Erin Lyons, as well as the other families on the Cottonwood River,  need your support, your prayers, your good thoughts, your power of the paw. Tim and Erin are the owners of Eromit Labrador Retrievers and have an amazing breeding program with their gorgeous labs. My next furbaby, I hope, will come from them!  Anyway, they live in an acreage on the Cottonwood River, outside Quesnel, BC. It's been a bad year for snow, and Wednesday night, they experienced a flash flood which flooded the river, causing them to evacuate their home. Erin and Tim are wise; they knew early on in their ownership of their gorgeous home that the river was experiencing erosion and so they set up an evacuation plan so they and the dogs would be just fine. They swung into action and everyone- humans, dogs, horses and pigeons are safe! BUT, their home is in danger of falling into the river at this point. Their neighbours' home fell in this afternoon and it is sounding like they may not qualify for disaster relief funding at this point. SO, pray, cross paws, light candles, send positive thoughts, whatever you do in their direction! They are going to need it!! If Tim and Erin's home goes, 4 others will follow as the river changes course and erodes away the banks. It's heartbreaking because it was preventable, was a man-caused problem, due to logging, jamming up the river and never needed to go this far. So far, the government has been less than supportive in saving their homes, even though they are committed to saving the road, right behind their homes. :(  So, Erin and Tim and everyone else in their community need your support.

Here's some news clips from the last while...

The start of the chaos...  May 12th. This article includes a picture of Tim and Erin's flooded out acreage. So sad!!

Flood warning- May 14th. This was towards the start of the nightmare. It was the second warning issued.

Bob Simpson, MLA's information about the area.  He is supporting the families who are going to be homeless soon.

Quesnel home teeters-  May 16. According to the article, they were going to attempt to pull the home back from the river. Sadly, they didn't succeed, but rather ended up pushing the Allen home into the river. :(

Emergency crews called off- May 16. This article states that the crews were called off for safety reasons. NOT TRUE... it was because of money! BOO!  The Media is spinning this, at this point to save the government's butts.

The Allen Family loses everything.  So Sad!  Erin and Tim's neighbours lost everything- including their home.  The only good I have heard at this point is that MLA Bob Simpson is making sure they can stay together.

I could go on and on, but I feel so sad for Erin and Tim, losing their home. I also feel sad for them as they try to collect up all their stuff, which was dispersed to their neighbours' homes but is now being loaded into a semi to go to storage. Erin, I believe it coming back to Saskatchewan with her dogs, for the time being as her dad has a kennel here as well. Tim, I think will remain in BC to fight the government decisions and to start to rebuild.

It's been a rough week in Canada, that's for sure. The Saskatchewan/Manitoba (mainly Manitoba) floods, the Quebec floods, Slave Lake burning up in a forest fire (40% of the town is gone as of this morning), but it's the personal stories that break our hearts.

Subdued

Murphy and I are both under the weather.  I am struggling still with allergies that have morphed into a sinus infection requiring antiboitics. Yuck.  Murphy is struggling with a vaccination reaction. I've never seen her want to hang under a blanket, refuse to be touched (and cry/yelp in pain when I pick her up) and cease moving for this long. In fact, her left thigh where she got her distemper shot swelled and was warm to the touch. Poor Monkey! So, at the vet's advice, I gave her a dose of Metacam and she's feeling MUCH better.

Poor girl, she really wasn't feeling well!

She buried herself under and refused to come out.  All I could find was her nose/

Murph and I hunkered down on the couch together to watch a little Bones online while Soph watched the street from her very comfortable seat in the toy box, haha! 

Silly girl, but I guess if you are too lazy to stand and need to rest your chin, then well, it must work, eh?

Spike checking in on Murph.

Murphy is CLEARLY feeling better after a big dose of Metacam. I was unloading the car, with the front door open, when I looked up to see a speeding white furry bullet go by... Murph has perfected the "jump through the back screen door" move. Unfortunately blogger won't let me upload my video of her in action, but suffice it to say, if she can jump through the back screen door, she can likely jump on the kitchen counter. Yikes!  I have learned that keeping a Jack contained is harder than it looks!

Adopt this dog, so I don't have to rescue her!

I promise a longer post soon, but I am under the weather with allergies that have morphed into a nasty sinus infection. BOO!  

But, I have been watching this girl on petfinder for awhile, so someone needs to go and give her a second chance before I find myself in a car, on the way to Prince Albert!!  She's a beauty!

Kiwi: Labrador Retriever (mix)

Kiwi arrived at the Shelter on Apr 21/11 after she was found on the streets and brought in to us as a stray by Animal Control. Kiwi is a gorgeous dog--her coat is so shiny and sleek, she was obviously taken care of, but sadly, no one ever came looking for her. Kiwi is about 8 months old and is a very energetic dog who would do well in an active family. She has been started on routine vaccinations and will make a wonderful pet. If you are looking to add Kiwi to your family, then stop by the Shelter at 680 Exhibition Drive or give us a call at 763-6110.

Sunny Sunday

It's a beautiful, sunny, warm Sunday morning and the dogs couldn't help but celebrate by a little nap in the sun...

Sleepy, happy Murphy. 

Sharing the sun with Spike.

Seriously, Murph is asleep here, haha... silly girl, trying to soak up as much sun with Spike in the way.

Lovely way to spend a Sunday morning!