28 Nov 11:  We had ordered new interior doors several months ago, seems like 5 or 6 months, & had waited patiently to get them.  Finally the workmen came out at 8:00 last Monday to begin installing them.  That morning was very hectic with the men in & out of the house bringing in the doors & all their equipment.  It was very noisy with them using their drills & other tools.  The pups of course barked & barked.  Because the men were working on both floors, we really didn’t seem to have a good place to put the pups.  At about 9:00 I decided to go to the base to spend the day.  I didn’t feel that I really needed to stay home with all the noisy commotion.  Bill could tend to the pups & the house.

So I hurried up & got ready to go, grabbing my stuff especially my heavy coat.  When I started our Mini I saw that the temp reading was 37℉.  Gradually during the day the temp warmed up into the 50’s.  The skies were clear & sunny as they remained all during the week while work continued on our casa.  At about 10:00 I did a quick shopping at the commissary.  I bought some orange juice & some bottled water because I was very thirsty, not having had my normal breakfast or drinks, because of my quick exit from the house.  After 11:00 I went to the Mensa to eat lunch which was pasta pomodoro & apple strudel.  I wish I had eaten more, maybe some fish, because I became hungry after an hour or two.  Being finished at the flight line, I drove to area 1 to spend the rest of the day.

I parked in front of the hospital between it & the library.  Then being very tired I took a nap in the car which is something that I don’t usually do, but at which Bill is an expert.  He could write a book about it.  Then Bill & I called each other several times so that I could be updated on our remodel.  Then I went to get a caffé from the hospital vending machine, & later went to the library.  Bill called me before 16:30 to tell me the men were finished for the day & to come on home.

Once home Bill filled me in on the work that had been done, & told me how hectic & noisy the day had been which I pretty much knew.  The girls had kept him very busy.  The next day Bill figured out that our dining room would make an excellent baby pen for the girls by putting a pet gate between that room & the kitchen.  I had never wanted to use the dining room as such because of our Turkish carpet in there.  But we were desperate!  Anyhow the girls loved this.  They got tons of attention over the next 4 days until the work was completed on Friday.  They sat with us while we had our caffé & cookies & tried to charm us into giving them something, maybe a piece of banana.  We put their bed in there but they also liked laying on the rug.  We were amazed at how they never pooped or peed in there, excellent babies.  To avoid going by the men, we invented the dining room doggie window.  Bill would walk to the backyard & then I would hand him the pups through the window one at a time.  Taking them out often was the secret to keeping the room clean.  Honey liked to get under the table between the chairs which were covered with long blue scroll design covers, kind of like she was in a doggy den.

The men were here for 4 days.  While working on the 2 bedroom door frames they damaged the partition between them.  So they called their manager who called a muratore or stone mason to come out to do the repair, before those doors could be put on & the work finished.  This process took about 3 days.  Finally on Friday morning the workers were done with the doors & left here, which we were happy to see them go.  Friday afternoon the muratore returned to finish the partition.  Before he left I asked him to write his name & # for me in case we would ever have need of his services again.  He quickly told Bill what he had done & said goodbye.  We really liked him & were impressed with his work.  He had made the partition look like brand new & the wall finish ready for Bill to paint, at a later time. 

During all this time I slept downstairs on the couch for 3 nites from Tuesday thru Thursday.  On Monday I slept in my bedroom without a door.  During the nite & the next day I was coughing, hacking, & spitting up as if I were a “several packs a day” smoker.  I felt like the end for me was near.  I also felt very itchy & realized that it was not healthy for me or anybody to be near or breathing all the dust bits or masonry which covered our whole house, but especially the bedrooms senza doors.  If I ever have this type of work done again I will buy some masks to cover our nose & mouth.  We noticed that one of the workers had a terrible cough, & that neither of them wore any safety equipment that we could see such as masks or ear protectors.  We found this so strange.  By Friday nite I was so happy to sleep in my own bed.  This was after we had shook out all the bed covers & quickly cleaned the room.

We are very happy with our 7 new doors, 4 upstairs & 3 down.  They are solid wood with noce lite or light walnut veneers.  They are a bella brown color with a reddish tint & came with gold colored handles & locks with keys.  Now I can finally go into the bathrooms & lock the doors for privacy, even if only the two of us live here.  Each room is more quiet because the doors have a seal around them & they are not warped like the old ones.  These are the same doors that some of the hotels use.  The doors were made by Dorigo, a company in Treviso, Italy.  The hardware was made by AGB, also in Italy.  They are of excellent quality & should help us enjoy our casa more & save energy on gas for heating.  I like the way the doors are smooth, springy & tight upon opening & closing.  The old ones probably 40 years old, would open & close with a bang, not very pleasant.

We saved some money on the project because Bill took the old doors & frames to the dump in our rimorchio or trailer.  We had to ask the lazy workmen to carry away the cardboard that had covered the doors & frames.  This they did on the 2nd day, I think.  But on Friday they left without carrying away a giant, heavy bag of trash from their work, even though Bill had asked them to do so.  Overall though we were glad that these men would not be coming back, that the work was finally done, & that we could try to get our house back to normal.

That Thursday afternoon we sat in the living room & watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade while I brushed out Ted, & Hon either snooped around on the rug or sat next to me on the couch.  Friday evening we had Nerina & Giorgio come over for caffé.  Nerina bragged on how bella & wonderful our new doors were, & joked that I had spent all of Bill’s money & that he had told me “i soldi sono finiti” or the money is all finished, there would be no more.  We laughed at that.  Neri & Giorgio told us about the old times when they were younger, maybe 50 or 60 years ago, & what life was like in the cortile.  The families that lived here all knew each other & were related, with there being the nonni, grown children, & younger ones, & the families marrying each other.  Many more people lived here than do now.  They would have big barbecues of pigs.  They would pack up a mule to go up the mountains to have a picnic.  Sounds like a different, older style way of life.  Most people did not have cars like they do now, so they lived closely to each other & within their town or local area.

      

Door lock & part of handle

Broken partition between our 2 bedrooms

          

1 Sep 2011:  On Tuesday 30 Aug, we all went on a bike ride-walk on the trail later in the afternoon.  We enjoyed our exercise & being outdoors.  There had been a tempesta on the previous Saturday with rain & winds of 80 km an hour, or at least that was what Silvano our vicino had said.  The storm did not last very long but it caused our temperature to cool off some, which we like.  It did much damage in the local area with tree limbs fallen down.  In the fields next to the trail we saw corn fields knocked down.  

The girls were darling on the trail.  They found something brand new to interest them, acorns which they tried to eat as if they were squirrels.  After riding & walking for about 1.5 hours we headed back to the car.  There Bill took our photos, maybe I will put one on facebook.

I spent the better part of today grooming the girls, bringing out their natural beauty.  Yesterday Bill put together our late Rocky’s old bed for the girls to sleep on downstairs.  It is a metal frame with a canvas cover stretched on top.  We need to buy more of the hard-to-find covers that fit.  After the pups were done with their sprucing up, I saw them standing awkwardly on the floor.  Bill saw to his horror of horrors that one of the bed legs had collapsed leaving the pups afraid to get back on their bed.  So of course Daddy fixed it for them so that they could get their after-spa treatment beauty rest.

13 Sept:  Sunday we went hiking in a place called Forra Del Cellina which is by Lago di Barcis Lake.  A forra is a very narrow gorge.  It is close to us & only took us a short time to get there, with the girls riding in their little box in the back of the Mini.  Bill let me out in front of the entrance to the first tunnel.  When he parked the car, he was lucky enough to find a close spot because someone else had just pulled out.  This place has no entrance fee which we really like.  People are required to wear helmets but we wore our own bike ones, which saved us 1E each, so about $3 for the two of us.  We also really like that dogs are allowed to go inside.  We are so used to so many places not allowing pets.  This place is open most days of the week in summer, but for fall, winter, & spring it is only open on Sundays.  They have an excellent web site with up to date info.

We also carried a small flashlight for use in the dark tunnels but didn’t use it much.  The girls were so excited to be going to a new & different place.  The walk is paved with guard rails all around.  We looked up at very tall rocky cliffs with trees & bushes on part of them.  We looked down at a very narrow gorge with the Cellina river running through it.  There were big boulders in some places.  In the spring the river becomes white water in some places, with some people rafting.

The outbound part of our hike was mostly downhill, which meant the return part was mostly uphill.  By this time I was mostly tired & hot.  We had stopped a few times to take water breaks & to rest during our hike.  We also took some photos of the place & of each other.

This area has caves where people can go on a guided tour.  There are pipistrelli  or bats in the caves.

Before we went home, I went to the visitors’ center to use their very clean restrooms, while my family looked out over the lake.  Not far from the center there is a restaurant with tables outside, where we saw many people including German motorcycle riders.

We arrived home about 17:00 & Bill fed the pups, while I made myself some espresso & a p & j sandwich.

Monday afternoon Bill cut the grass which usually makes Honey bark.  The night  before I read online something about aroma therapy & how it can be used to relax dogs.  So I put some oil of peppermint, oil of lavender & almond on my hands & rubbed them together.  Then I rubbed Hon & Ted which they seemed to love.  I don’t know if the oils really relaxed them or if they just liked Mommy’s special care.      

9-1-11 Marilyn with Honey & Teddi

Mommy with babies on bike trail

wagging tongues

9-11-11, us at Forra Del Cellina

Ted doing an "up stay"

Darling husband & pups with dangling zampe

ancora

ancora or again

     22 Aug: On Saturday the 13th of Aug, we all went on our bike ride walk on the trail & we had a really good time. The girls were their usual excited little selves.
     For the past week or so the weather has turned very hot, into the 90's. We haven't had any good rain lately either, but this is typical for August. So for me to get my exercise or do something outside, we go out late in the afternoon or night. Bill being an early morning person, he usually rides his bike then. This past Saturday we drove to Col Alto in the area of Piancavallo, which is the local ski area. Col Alto is above Piancavallo & is at 1250 meters. We walked a short ways up the hill in an area that was rocky with green patches of grass & some wildflowers, purple campanula or bells & yellow flowers. We saw 2 malghe close to us, which are buildings for hikers & backpackers to stay in overnight. We think that there was one man in a malga, but we didn't venture inside. At the top of the hill we were surprised to see 2 really nice wooden benches at an overlook. Sitting on them & looking around, we saw patches of trees on slanted hills, kind of funny looking. Below far down, we looked at the base's flightline, part of area one, the CRO hospital, the industrial area, & Pordenone in the distance. Col Alto is probably covered with a few feet of snow in the winter. We saw karst which are rocks eroded by underground rivers, causing them to have strange shapes.
     We took photos of the landscape, the malghe, & of each other. The girls were adorably sweet sitting on Bill's lap & next to me, taking their turns drinking cranberry juice. Leaving Col Alto we walked down the path to the car. Bill opened the Mini's hatch & Ted jumped up but not into her box. So Bill grabbed & put her inside. As we looked down we saw little Honey standing up on the back of the hatch with her 2 little arms reaching up & resting on the car, very touching. She is so tiny & short that we must pick her up to place her into the box. After arriving home & viewing the photos, we were surprised how belli they turned out. Once again the pups provided us with wonderful material for our blog & maybe one or two photos on Facebook.
     Yesterday Sunday we went for a night walk rather late to the park. We saw many people sitting on their porches or yards talking to each other, very summer-like. Before going to bed I ate some ice cream & walnuts. Bill had not been buying walnuts at the base for awhile because they have become expensive. But they are much cheaper than at the off base grocery stores. These tasted really flavorful & helped to satisfy my before-bed snack desire.

a malga

Mommy with babies

view from Col Alto, Aviano AB below

trees on slanted hillside

handsome husband with pups

more sweetness

due malghe

view on opposite side of Col Alto

We love our Teddi Bear!

We love our Honey Bird!

27 Jul 11:  I had to take a break from hugging & kissing Teddi in the bed today, to write in our blog.  On Friday the 22nd we went on our bike ride-walk on the trail.  The girls as usual were very excited, especially since Bill had taken them to Dr L in the morning.  Bill said that when he drove up & parked in front of Dr L’s, Teddi “Miss Innocent” jumped down from the back of the hatch like she usually does.  Honey started to come out of her box, saw where she was & wrinkled up her forehead, & then went back into her box, “what a smart girl”!  So Bill had to pull her out of the box.  Honey wanted nothing to do with going to the vet & all that goes on there.  Hon had her anal gland squeezed, & Dr L examined a bump under her left arm, which he said was just a wart.  Dr L trimmed Ted’s long nails.

In the afternoon after parking at San Biagio, for some reason I decided to go down a dirt road that Bill said went by the assini or donkeys.  The road was very muddy with potholes of water which we had to skirt around.  Bill or I walked the bike while the other of us held onto the girls.  Bill would pick them up sometimes so that they would not get too dirty.  They loved being carried by Daddy & were so adorable when I looked at them.  We saw 2 assini on our left.  The road wound around to the right where it joined up with a mostly gravelly one.  Going down this I went too fast while I looked down at my gear indicators (of which I have none on the right handlebar), & I almost wrecked.  My ride had not gotten off to a good start.  Then where the road forked I took the left side which met back up with the paved trail.  Along the trail we stopped for our cranberry juice drinks a few times.  There were very few other people out that day.  As I started to go up a short tough hill, I pushed hard with my legs & realized that I was somewhat out of shape.  Then I went down the paved trail & made a u turn to the left at the end of the trail, where there was dirt & gravel from a farmers' dirt road.  Almost having a wreck, I put my left leg out after braking hard & then the bike & me went sideways to the left.  After that I saw my family coming towards me & told Bill about the almost wreck.  He said “maybe you should stop riding today because your reflexes don’t seem good”.  Then we all went down the trail a short ways & met up at the Mini.

Am Saturday I woke up & couldn't walk, I had injured my left knee on my ride the day before.  I had pushed too hard to go up the hill & I must have sprained my knee when I jammed it on the ground during my stupid u turn.  So I stayed in bed all day with an ice pack on my knee & later used a brace.  Bill sweetly brought me my food & drinks while I took naps or watched t v.  Sunday I also used an ice pack, the brace, rested, & elevated my leg when I could, (RICE).  I'm almost becoming a 1st aid expert but not really by choice.  

We have been having cold weather like March, with the bora winds blowing east of us from the direction of Trieste, where I go to my dermatologist, Dr M.  Ted was afraid to go out one morning to pee or poop.  She doesn't like to get her fluffy blond hair wet or blown around.  The temps have been in the 50's or 60’s & mostly rainy, at least here in Giais within our microclimate.  Bill came home from shopping at the base today & said it was hot there.  

Domani at 09:00 Bill has an appt with Dr L to get the stray brown-black cat that Nerina has been feeding, spayed.  Neri had talked to Bill earlier about wanting us to help her get some of the strays fixed.  She is a very loving, caring person.  Of course to make matters more complicated, the mom now has 3 kittens, 2 gray & one almost identical to her.  I haven’t turned the kits upside down yet to check their sex.  They are skittish of us.  It probably doesn’t help that we have “eau de puppy dogs” all over us.  Yes the kittens are cute & charming, Bill loves to watch them play & frolic.  If they stay inside of our sheltered courtyard they will be safe & should live long lives (?).  Tentatively we plan to have them spayed in November or December.  However, I am still the mommy to 2 pups, no cats!  Neri is their mommy.  

The kits seem to be winding down their nursing, but they are still trying.  They knead their paws on the mom while doing so.  I’ve learned some of this cat lingo from my niece Kelley & younger sis Suzanne who are both ardent cat crazies.  In the meantime the males have been fighting, & Bill says the mom is brave & chases them away.  Nerina hits them with a broom or scopa.  The males could kill the kits so that the mom will mate again, horrible.  Any of the toms could be the bio dad but I think maybe it is a pitiful looking gray one.  He doesn’t look healthy or well fed.  Bill says he looks like he has fallen on hard times.  There is also another grigio cat that is fluffy, looks well fed & is probably someone’s pet.  Sadly fixing these cats is not a priority for so many people.  Their irresponsibility causes problems for others.  None of these strays belong to anyone in our courtyard but somehow they have ended up here where previously there was only Hon, Ted, & Laura’s Guappo, a bello black & white boy spaniel.  As an attempt to laugh at a potentially sad situation Bill said "the mom will go into early menopause", or as my cousin Jamie says "she will have a hysterectomy"!  She just kills me whenever she says that.

2 Aug, Tuesday:  yesterday Bill & I went to the base where we ate a delicious lunch at the Mensa.  We had risotto with saffron which gave the rice a pretty yellow color, & I also had a piece of cake.  I’ve never learned the names of all the Italian cakes & pastries, so I must do more important research.  Then we did some errands & shopping before going home.

Update on the cats:  Bill was wonderful to take the mama presto mattina Thursday to her spay appt.  He held the kennel box which he had washed out earlier, while Nerina dropped the mama inside.  They had to do some fast thinking & work to outwit her suspicious nature.  Later that afternoon, Bill paid Dr L & then later Neri gave him the money, 100E which is about $150.  Bill then gave her the receipt.  It would be great if everyone had neighbors like Neri.  I am also happy that we could help out in some way.  After Bill brought her home he let her out of the box.  She had self dissolving stitches & was given an antibiotic shot & a pain med.  Dr L said that she is a half wild cat & would probably try to run away, which she did.  I’m so used to dogs where if we bring them home, they stay.  They are smart enough to know where their bread is buttered.  I’m much more comfortable with having my little luvs inside with me.  Neri said “si perda un gatto non mai” which means one never loses a cat, they always come back.  We laughed at that.

After the mama ran away & took the kits with her, they were spotted by our vicina to the back of us, Germana.  Then the next day we all saw them perched up on an old stone wall, about 12-15 feet high, which divides our cortile from hers.  They were just looking down on everybody with their cat eyes & their pointy ears sticking up.  As of yesterday they seem to be back & forth from here & Germana’s.  

4 Jul 11:  This past Saturday we all went on our bike ride- walk on the trail in Giais.  The girls got so excited as usual, especially when they heard me rolling my bike out the front door.  I think they already know the sound that my bike makes, which is the free hub clicking.  The girls are intuitive little things.

Once on the trail we went on our usual way, stopping altogether a few times to share cranberry juice & water.  A few weeks ago, Bill had put a new rack on my bike which is a Blackburn expedition one with 4 supports on each side.  Why not have the best for my little jaunts?  It is lightweight, silver, which matches my bike, & is great for carrying my bike bag.  I am more comfortable having things in the bag than trying to wear a fanny pack.  I am hands free & “body free”.  

I noticed that the type of plants in the fields had changed since our last ride in June.  The purple, yellow, & red flowers had been replaced by small white daisies with yellow centers, & they were in abundance.

Toward the end of our trip, we all hurried back to the car because of an approaching rain shower.  Bill rode my bike home while the girls & I were on our way in the car.  As I was driving up the trail where it curves sharply to the right, I saw a man & a young boy crash their bikes on the opposite side of the road.  The boy wrecked first falling to the ground & then he started crying.  Very quickly the man wrecked behind him.  We had seen them on the trail earlier going in the same direction as us, & we had said the usual “buon giorno”.  I stopped my car & the girls started barking, hearing the commotion.  As I asked the man “va bene?” he looked at me as if I was crazy & showed me that his right arm was bleeding profusely.  So I pulled over & stopped my mini to get it safely out of the road.  Not panicking I thought “there’s got to be a first aid kit somewhere in my car”, never having used this mysterious thing before.  It is the law in Italy that all cars must have a kit.  It is also the law that drivers must stop & render aid to any injured people, but it mostly refers to victims of vehicle accidents.  So I put my driver’s seat forward & then saw a bright red, never opened case on the floor.  I walked towards the people & opened up the kit, & then put the it on the ground.  I tried to open a plastic bag containing a bandage & I couldn’t get it open.  So then I saw scissors & used them to open it.  Since the man was bleeding much worse than the boy, who was maybe his son, I helped him first.  I put the nonstick part of the bandage on the worst cut which was on his elbow, & then continued to wrap the super long mesh bandage around & around the bleeding part of his lower arm.  I was thinking something like “apply pressure to stop the bleeding”.  I was laughing not at the people, of course, but at how much I had to wrap the bandage.  Now I know that I could have cut off part of it & put it in the kit to use later.  The man pointed to my arm & showed me that some of the blood had got on it.  Then I went over to the boy & picked off some of the dirt & leaves on his cut, which was on his left knee.  The cut didn’t look as bad to me, it seemed to be more of a scrape.  Again I laughed at myself having to wrap the long bandage around, with me having to go behind & then in front of his leg to continue this wrapping.

In the meantime, the man called someone (his or the boy’s mama) to tell her what had happened & to pick them up.  This is one of the good things about cell phones which most Italians like Americans, now have.  The man lit a cigarette & started smoking.  I told him that this was the “prima volta” that I had used the first aid kit.  He said that they were going too fast down the hill & on the curve.  I was thinking how glad I was that they had not wrecked into my car, even though I was going super slow up the hill.  The man introduced himself as Michele & the boy as Mattei & said they lived in Malnisio.  Then I told him who I was & where I lived.  Michele kept thanking me & I said to him “prego” or “you’re welcome”.  I asked him if he needed me to stay until his ride came & he said no, & Mattei said that the mama would arrive subito.  So then I went on home. 

Before going into the house I told Bill, who was outside, what had happened.  He said that I was a hero & that made me feel good about helping the people.  Then I washed my hands & arms very well & changed my clothes.  We decided to buy some alcohol wipes to stock in the kit for future use, because we need something to disinfect wounds.  We had also noticed that the man & boy were not wearing helmets, so their accidents could have been worse.  It is required that children be protected with helmets.      

.*-

6 Jun 11:  Teddi & me at the Pet Fair at Aviano AB:  Saturday Ted & I went to the pet fair at the base.  We were there from 10:15 to noon.  The weather was hotter & sunnier than what I had expected.  Bill drove us there but stayed in the car.  The day before Bill had bathed both girls.  Wanting Ted to look her best, I groomed her & brushed her teeth.  I got all of our stuff ready that night.

When we arrived at the large lawn to the right of the commissary, there were already plenty of people there with their pets, all dogs.  Teddi immediately started sniffing the ground, not being used to being around such a crowd.  The “Strut your Mutt” contest was for smallest dog, tallest, most patriotic, best dressed, best talented, & look alike.  Prizes were given out for the winners such as a framed certificate & a gift card to the commissary or bx.  I was hoping that Ted would help us win one.  I had decided to enter her in the best dressed with her adorable little pink & white print summer dress, & in the best talented with Ted doing her “dance”.  Surely we would win something.  

I talked to a man who was taking photos of others & of us.  Then I asked if I could take one of him & if he would take one of Ted & me with my camera.  So he reached into my backpack purse to get my camera.  After that I walked around asking others if I could take photos of them with their dogs.  A few people asked if they could take ours. 

After awhile the contests started, with the judges being the people who worked at the vet clinic.  I didn’t know any of these people because we take our pups to Dr L off base.  I don’t remember exactly in what order each contest was.  One of the cutest ones was the smallest with the entries being Yorkies, maybe chihuahuas, & a mini dachshund.  The judge got down on the ground with a ruler or tape measure to measure each dog from ground to withers.  I don’t remember each winner in the categories but I may have some photos of them to put in my blog.

There seemed to be no competition for the tallest, which was easily won by a very sweet German shepherd.  For patriotic, owners walked with their dogs around in a circle.  Most of the dogs were dressed with red, white, & blue outfits, & some with scarves.  People laughed at the shepherd because he was ridiculously dressed, having on bdu pants with a hole cut out for his rather large tail, a t-shirt, a bdu cap, & to complete the matching ensemble a “dog” tag.  Bdu for those of you who don’t know, is the military work uniform.  The dachshund who won had a flag tucked into his scarf & also wore a red, white, & blue ribbon, which somehow got into my tote bag later.

Now for the really big contest which Ted & I entered, best dressed.  We & the other contestants walked around in a circle, with Ted being darlin’.  But the winner was a dog who wore a matching bikini which was customized for her or him.  It was colorful with the bottoms having a hole cut out for the small tail.

For best talented Ted & I did our trick.  Over her head I held my hand moving it  in a small clockwise circle while Ted was spinning around in a circle on her back legs, & then I gave her a treat, what amazing talent!  We repeated this about 3 more times, with Ted not having stage fright.  I believe that she & Hon are descended from circus dogs.  Some of the other owners & dogs did tricks such as stay, come, roll over, sit on owner’ back or neck, etc.  There will be photos of these on my blog.

No one submitted a photo for look alike owner & pet.  So the judges came up with 2 or more dogs who look alike.  There was a family with 2 beagles & another with 3 Boston terriers.  Two of the judges tied, so they asked a third person to judge.  She looked back & forth at the dogs, but finally declared the Boston’s to win, saying that there were 3 of them.  Maybe next year we could win if I submit a photo.  I could color my hair blond, have spiky fringe on the crown of my head, put dark brown or black eyeliner around my eyes, drawing more liner outward from the corners, & then hug Ted closely for our photo.  

At the end of the fair, I walked around to the different tables to get pet-related freebies given out, many wonderful things.  I got treats, a large box of Crunch n’ Clean dog biscuits, dog omega-3 vitamins, dog magazines, puzzles with dog & cat pictures on them, a free subscription to the magazine, velcro arm bands with a zipper for change, etc, pens, wipes, a bumper sticker, & pins.  At the Hawc table I talked to the techs there, who I see when I go to the Hawc to exercise.  They gave me a black Hawc tote bag with health related books & pens.  While at the table Ted went under the cloth hanging in front of it, to get cool & to be petted by one of the techs.  She is such a sweetie.

The sponsors of the fair were the vet clinic, the bx, the commissary, the Hawc, Purina, & Bark the magazine.   

      Before leaving I saw a man who I also see sometimes at the Hawc, with his daughter & their 2 tiny Yorkies.  One of the Yorkies weighs 3 lbs & the other 3.5.  My plate of spaghetti that I eat weighs more than that!  While I was taking their photo, little Ted had her big head stuck inside our tote bag that was laying on the ground, busily eating the treats.  She is such an opportunist & she knew that I couldn’t watch her, take photos, & talk to people at the same time.  There were left only a few treats to bring home to Hon.

Some people said nice things about Ted, that she was pretty, talented, well-behaved & friendly, all true.    

Ted seemed like she had become too hot at the fair.  I tried to give her water but she didn’t drink much either from our bottle or from the plastic kiddie pools set up for the dogs.  I poured some water onto her head trying to cool her. 

About noon Ted & I walked to the car where Bill had been waiting for us.  He gave Ted cranberry juice with water.  Then I left them together while I went to the restroom.  I looked into the mirror & I saw that my face was bright red & I also felt that I had heat exhaustion.  I drank what little juice I had left & put cold wet paper towels on me.  When I felt somewhat better I went to the bx & then to the commissary where I bought 4 boxes of Snap treats on sale for 1$ each.  Then I went back to our car & we all went home.  Ted & I were exhausted, what a day!  I didn’t really feel much better until I ate something & took a cool shower.  The next morning I washed my face, looked into the mirror & was relieved to see that I did not have a sunburn.  The free sample of sunscreen  that I had picked up at Dr M, my dermatologist’s office in Trieste the week before, worked very well. 

Overall, we had a really good time at the pet fair.  Ted & I have a date for next year.   

Marilyn & Teddi at beginning of the Pet Fair

Darling Teddi & me

German shepherd with military uniform

Cute Yorkie & Dad

Winner of Best Dressed

13 year old Jack Russell

Shepherd & Ted in love with a piece of weiner

Mom & cute puppy

Winner of tallest pet

Poodle in talented competition

Yorkie in talented competition

Dogs 

Dog in Talent competition

Dachshund, winner of most patriotic

Beagles in 2 or more pets Look alike

Boston terriers, winners of Look alike

Beagles

Yorkies who are friends

Chihuahua in Best dressed competition

Big dog

Dad with 2 golden retrievers

Big dog & Ted getting petted by little boy

Sal with daughter & Coco & Fiona

Video of Teddi at Pet Fair on AFN show "APS 120"

24 May 11:  Last Wednesday I groomed the girls after Bill had bathed them the day before.  We took some pictures of them to put into their blog.

Yesterday we went on our bike ride-walk on the bike trail in Giais.  We went later in the evening because of the warm weather.  There were bello wildflowers such as red crepe paper-like poppies, small white daisies, & purple flowers.  We saw more people out on the trail than earlier in the year.  We like to park at the old church San Biagio because there are some shade trees to get under, with other people doing the same.  We saw maybe 15-20 other walkers, bikers, baby stroller pushers, & dog walkers, a real crowd for our small area.

We had fresh cranberry water to drink because I used my black camelback to put the water in.  The girls approved.  Today both Bill & I are very tired.  In the am yesterday Bill rode his bike to Piancavallo which is close by, to see a stage of the Giro d’Italia, a famous bike race in Italy.  On the trail I rode up a very short but tough hill, at least for me.

  

Mommy brushing Teddi

La bella diva!

Mommy brushing Honey

Hon loves "Mr Hand"!

Us with background of flowers

Us on the trail!

On 21 April I bought a new bike from the BX.  It is a Cannondale Adventure 4 trekking bike that is good for dirt or gravel roads, has tires with deep tread on them.  It is beautiful, sky blue, a woman’s bike with a step-through frame, is aluminum, has 24 gears grip shift, V brakes, & has a comfortable big saddle.  Bill has put black plastic-coated aluminum, lightweight fenders on my bike today.  They were some that had been sitting in the attic, so a good reuse.  He plans to put a rack on my bike soon.  

On Sunday we all went on the bike trail, my first time with my new bike.  It was a bella day but  warm.  We weren’t gone that long because I didn’t have any clean water or cranberry juice to drink.  The acacia trees were in bloom wafting their sweet perfume  smell throughout the trail & the fields.  A delicious honey is made from the pollen that the bees collect from them.  We could hear the loud hum from the bees, a kind of meditation for us. 

Marilyn, Teddi, Honey, and her new bike on the trail near Giais.

La galleria verde

Marilyn pedaling

Acacia in bloom- che bello profumo! 

Close up acacia bloom

Marilyn and the girls