Vacation: 1st of 16

My vacation started today. I'm off work through 19 October. (Two discretionary days and two weeks of vacation.)

I spent the day doing nail trims and cleaning ears at Greyfest, the local rescue group's annual festival. I did about $310 in business: that's about 20 dogs for nails and ears, and another 16 for nails only.

I think I'm getting old. Nail trims on greyhounds involve getting down to ground level to do the back nails on both feet (lift the feet backwards, as if you are shoeing a horse); while you're on the ground, shift over to do the front foot on that same side. Then, stand up, move around to the other side of the dog, and get back to ground level to do the other front foot. And stand up again.

Greyhounds aren't sturdy enough dogs to haul you up from the ground: that was about 36 dogs times down-on-the-ground twice per dog, and I had to haul myself back to my feet every time.

One woman suggested I should get a stool I could push against to stand up. I said I'd prefer a strapping young man to haul me to my feet. I'll have to see what I can negotiate for next year.

Sam and Jacey went, too, and now are sleeping off their day of barking, whining, jumping, and barking some more. I have some freelance proofreading to do tonight for a client.

Day 1 of the vacation has been very much a busman's holiday.

Day 2 features a condo association board meeting. (Be still, my heart.)

Now, Voyager is on TCM tonight. Tomorrow is Anna Karenina, The Spiral Staircase, Romeo and Juliet, and The King and I. Think I'm going to give my condo proxy to someone else so I can stay home and knit...and watch movies.

This week

I’m home on the sofa, watching King Kong, and I am absolutely beat. (Oh, dear, Kong’s stamping on natives. Would you believe I’ve never seen this movie before? It’s the Fay Wray version.)

Today was Greyfest, the big greyhound festival. I did $145 worth of nail trims and ear cleanings to raise money for SEGA. There was only one dog who wanted to bite; he was fine for his nails, but wanted to take my hand off when I tried to clean his ears. His name was Mr Spock. I’m willing to concede that Vulcans might be fussy about their ears, but logic should preclude biting as a solution. (Oh, dear, Kong’s grabbed Ann out the high-rise window and is taking a stroll through New York…and about to disrupt the subway…)

Anyway, the crocheted greyhound brought SEGA $100 in the silent auction. I didn’t spend much money—just bought the new SEGA cookbook (people-food recipes and dog-treat recipes). In the “Blur of Fur” competition they clocked running greyhounds with a radar gun. The fastest dog today was doing 45 mph…and that wasn’t a particularly young dog: just one who loves to run. (It’s Kong against the airplanes, now, and I think we know how that turns out.) Sam and Jacey didn’t go to Greyfest; I can’t look after them, keep Sam out of trouble, and do nail trims at the same time, so the dogs just had a quiet day at home.

On the way home from Greyfest, I stopped at Costco and spent a fortune: two dog throws, one new dog bed, and a ton of vitamins/supplements: Cranberry pills (Jacey), glucosamine (all of us), flax seed oil (Jacey and Sam), calcium (me), fish oil pills (Jacey and Sam).

(Oh, no. It was beauty killed the beast.)

Edited to add: The Blur of Fur winner was Venus, formerly RC Desert Secret. I just looked her up on the greyhound database. She was born 17 November 2001--which was the day I adopted Oreo: Nice coincidence...