March Mudness

Welcome to March Mudness at Camp Carnelian!  No, that's not a typo Dadthzs.....it's Mudness.

We are not warming up like we should for March weather, but enough has melted off the street that we have been able to return to our 2.5 mile road track.  Last weekend we walked that route both Saturday & Sunday and the combo of wet grass, snow, a winters worth of sand and salt created "March Mudness".  Summer and I are getting very familiar with the shower.  I don't think there is an end in sight for at least 30 days, with temps staying cool & the thaw is slow.   We went back to walking the lake after last weekend, as it's much cleaner on the paws and under-carriage.I am hoping Grandpathzs walking trails are clear, as I am ready for some Suburban living & a break from camping.

I've had a lot of extra chores at Camp the last 2 weeks.  Both Brett and JuJu got a bad virus so I've had to do more protecting than usual.  They both missed almost a whole week of work.  JuJu has been sleeping in the guest bedroom downstairs so I gave up my Temperpedic bed for the carpeted floor.  I lay right by the foot of the bed and face the door all night.  I've got her back.

While I've been a great protector, I also have ants in my pants a little bit.  Summer kinda starts it.  I am so accustomed to daily exercise that the few days we didn't do anything it was weird.  Summer showed me this trick that usually works on JuJu even when she is sick.  This is called "The Stare".

To top off a weird couple of weeks, JuJu cried at my fluff and puff on Friday.  I saw her through the window, watching me get trimmed up, and she had big tears.  When I came prancing out, she hugged me and told me how proud she is of me, how I am such a good boy, and how much she loves me.  I was kinda embarrassed Dadthzs.  Us dudes are confused by vulnerability of emotion in public. I guess I forfeited my man card when I'm standing there in a salon painted pink.  Either way, I made sure I sat by JuJu on the couch the rest of the night.

As I mentioned, I am off to Grandpathzs on Thursday night.  Summer is going to her Grandmathzs.  We are all back to Camp on Monday 4/9 so I'll check in once I'm back there.

I sure miss you Dadthzs. I am looking forward to June when you come home.

Love,

Bru

Back to the vet, and I met another new friend

Hey Dadthzs,

I've been back to shaking my head and flapping my ears, so Brett brought me back to see the vet today.  Sure enough, I've got another ear infection.  Brett & JuJu suspected this last week, but every time they have put the OtoMax in my ear, I run around the house like a crazed goof, crying and whimpering carrying on.  No one has the guts to put me through that again, so we went back for a more thorough diagnosis. 

Good news:  Dr. Olivia gave me a high five for my weight.  I am now 81.7 pounds and she says I look and feel great.  Brett asked if we should increase my food again, and she said that I could still lose 5 more pounds before a food increase.  Brett floated that idea past JuJu and she said "over my dead Scandahoovian heritage butt!  We need to keep Bru right where he's at, and he shouldn't lose any more weight."  It sounds like I might have some steak in my future.  High Paws!

Bad news:  Ear infections suck.  And because of my history of whimpering, they decided to pack my ear with antibiotic, right there at the doctors office.  I just about lost it, Dadthzs.  I high stepped it all around Dr. Olivia's office, crying up a storm.  Dr. Olivia (who is a peanut to begin with, and due to her small & petite stature shouldn't be trusted in matters of "ideal weight") got down on the floor, put her small hands on my cheeks, and in a soft girlie voice said "Bruiser, you're going to be just fine."  I stopped my crying immediately, and I haven't cried since.

Other news:  I met another new friend on Sunday.  Louie is staying on the lake with his grandparents for a week while his Dadthzs is out of town.  Louie is a 6 month old Golden, and he was super fun.  Here we are getting some treats from JuJu:

As you can see, we still have plenty of snow on the lake.  It's been tough to walk because our paws sink in deeper than the perceived surface.  So we are only taking short walks (a mile or so) at a time.  No one needs a torn ACL coming into swimsuit season!

I'll write one more time before I go to Grandpathzs on Good Friday. 

All is well at Camp Carnelian!

Love,
High steppin' Big Cryin' Bru-baby

The Fox in the Hen House

TGIF Dadthzs!

I'm not sure if it's the fresh new haircut that I got yesterday, or if it's my sensitive side that got me invited, but I got to be the only dude at Girls Night last night.

The picture pretty much speaks for itself.  I was the fox in the hen house.  I listened carefully and took good notes on what women talk about when the men aren't around.  I know this is one of the mysteries of mankind, and I now hold the answers as a trusted insider.  I'm going to share this with you Dadthzs, because I know you already have top level US government clearance and can be trusted:

• Rifles vs. Shotguns vs. Pistols vs. BB guns = What is the difference and which is the better option for squirrels on bird feeders?  Is there one universal gun that can handle squirrels AND muskrats?  If so, why would anyone ever need more than 1 gun?  CeCe wants to kills squirrels and muskrats from her back porch.  Stacy has already taken a gun safety course. Why do men shoot deer when they are so cute?

• Speaking of deer, did you know breeding deer is big business?  Humans harvest semen from large bucks and sell it to game farms to breed bigger deer.  Jodi grew up on a farm where they artificially bred dairy cows.  She knew all about the process and explained in great detail.  I felt like I was in sex-ed class and was grateful they couldn't see me blush through my red hair.

• There is a difference between an amateur saxophone and a professional saxophone.  

• How long does it take an 80,000 pound tractor-trailer to stop when going 60 mph? Wet or dry road conditions and weather conditions are contributing factors in calculating this, as well as weight of vehicle.  (Dadthzs, JuJu is a real nerd.)

• Our country needs to put a stop to distracted driving.

• Kids vs. grand kids.  Grand kids won hands down.

• Furkids.  We took the silver medal.  Adult kids took the bronze, even though all of the adult kids discussed sound like really good people.

• Cancer sucks.  That was unanimous. 

• Eyelashes do grow back after chemo, and there is some magic potion that helps them grow back thicker.  

• Women over 40 sometimes pee their pants a little, especially when they sneeze or exercise.  It's embarrassing for them, not to mention inconvenient.  There is a medical procedure that fixes it & it only takes a half hour under light anesthesia.  There is a guinea pig in the group who just went through the procedure, but her identity is super top secret clearance that I need to keep to myself.  

• Why would anyone take the time to make a pot pie crust from scratch when Marie Calendar does such a nice job making the whole thing?

• You can freeze Habanero peppers in a baggie, straight from the garden, and they last all winter. 

• The multiple meanings of the word "ass", and why it's confusing for people who are learning English as a second language.  The definition is not just "butt" or "donkey."  For example, a "smart ass" does not mean you're smart, or that your donkey is smart; but a "dumb ass" means you are dumb.  People don't really "get their ass handed to them."  A "bad ass" is actually a compliment, and not bad.
• This last topic concluded the evening and I suspect the laughter that accompanied this was a combination of the humor and the wine.

Have a great weekend Dadthzs.  It's warming up here and I think we are going to spend some time outside.  I hope the snow has melted enough this week so that we can go back to walking the lake while the ice is still thick.  I don't want to walk on the road and mess up my new fluff and puff.  (Ok, it just dawned on me - I got invited to Girls Night because I've got a little diva in my genes too). 

Paws,

Bruiser

PS:  Hill-Murray vs. White Bear in boys hockey section final tonight at Aldrich.  Winner goes to state.  I don't know what any of that means, but I heard JuJu talking about it so I thought I'd share since you are a WBL alumnus.   I think grandpa is going to the game tonight and cheering for Hill-Murray since Charlie plays for them.  Blood is thicker than alumni.