A Sophie moment

In all the years we've had Sophie, we've never seen her dig a hole. That is, until today. While Jim was sitting outside with her while our kitchen floor was being redone, she started to dig. He grabbed my camera and got this video. She seemed very determined

Enjoy.

Sophie update

For those of you interested in keeping up with Sophie, here is a quick update. The past few weeks have been hectic as we finished up with her daily visits to the vet for radiation treatments. But I'm happy to report that we are done with them and all went very well.

We are now letting her leg heal and hope for the tumor to continue to shrink. Except for the loss of the nail on her dew claw the after effects of the radiation have been minimal. Her leg was bandaged last week when the nail came off to help it heal. But aside from that she is still her happy, sweet self.

In about 1-2 months she should be ready to have what is left of the tumor surgically removed.

I, on the other hand, managed to have my own need to see a doctor. One week before the radiation treatments ended, I was at work and walked into a book truck full of books.....while wearing open toe shoes.....and the book truck didn't budge. Mt little toe, however, did. Yup, I broke that sucker.

Two of the staff were in the room when it happened but were unaware what had happened. Not wanting to scare the bee-snot out of them, I bit my tongue and sat down in the nearest chair then broke out in a sweat. Had I been by myself, I would have let fly with a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush. But I didn't want to horrify my staff with my language and quietly whimpered.

It was later that night when I got home that I noticed between my toes and the bottom of my foot were purple. Yesterday I was finally able to wear a real shoe on my foot as opposed to the post op bootie I'd been wearing.

Now I'm not saying the doctor's office I had to use (since it was a worker's comp injury) was sketchy but this is the advice the doctor gave me, "As long as you can keep from running your foot foot into things, you can avoid injuries like this."
Gee..... ya think?

Lack of posting

Sorry for the lack of posting the past two weeks. We've been a little pre-occupied with Sophie. We found out a few weeks ago that what we thought was a fatty cyst on her front leg is in fact cancer. The first veterinarian we saw was a surgeon. Thinking this was just a fatty cyst, our vet referred us to the surgeon to have it removed. Well I wish it had been that simple.
The surgeon was convinced it was a tumor and suggested two ghastly options even before we had the results of a needle biopsy. One was to remove the tumor with most of the skin around that part of her leg then deal with skin grafts. Now I'm no expert but that sounds pretty god awful painful. The other option was to amputate the leg. Uh, no. No way, not until we knew exactly what type and grade of tumor we were dealing with. The vet was not in favor of radiation and gave no reason why.
I was not convinced or comfortable with going any further until we talked to Sophie's regular vet. When we did, she thought these options were a bit aggressive and suggested we go see a veterinary oncologist. We did and we really like her. She laid out all the possibilities, including the ones the surgeon mentioned but said they weren't the first thing we should consider. So after consulting with her, we decided to have a surgical biopsy done to determine the grade of the tumor.
The results came back a few days later and the oncologist said that of the three grades it could have been it was a 2, which is the middle grade and possible the best we could have hoped for in this case. The tumor is too big to just remove with clean margins since that would mean most of the skin around her elbow would need to be removed. A grade 2 tumor is one that will take radiation well enough to shrink it, hopefully enough to make surgical removal possible. A grade 2 is also not the most aggressive and only has a 20% chance of metastasizing.
So we will begin radiation on Sophie's leg this coming Tuesday. 16 sessions every day, Monday through Friday. Dogs do well with radiation thankfully. This isn't to say that she won't be uncomfortable. There will be a lot of tenderness at the site beginning in the 2nd or 3rd week and it will look like a really bad sunburn. That may last a few weeks after radiation ends as things start to heal up. This also means we have to keep her away from licking it. Yes, she will have to wear an Elizabethan collar. She is wearing one now because we don't want her licking the biopsy site as it heals. Poor thing hates it. Although I am trying out the soft collar I wore when I hurt my neck. It fits her and may be wide enough to keep her from reaching her lower leg. We'll see. So far she seems more content with it on vs the other collar.
I've sent several e-mails updating to friends and family of the last few weeks letting them know about Sophie. And if positive thinking has anything to do with healing, then Sophie is in good hands. It almost makes me cry when I think of how much you all have helped with your words of encouragement and advice. Thank you all so very much.

Vacation Wrap up - Part Two - The adventures

In addition to some great seafood, we had lots of fun in Florida. It started out on a somewhat scary note though. My in-laws were going to stay with us for the first week. They got to the condo mid afternoon and noticed some commotion on the beach. They saw a guy coming out of the water holding his hand. Someone on the beach wrapped it in a towel and it looked like he'd cut himself. Turns out it was a shark bite! Meep! Thankfully it wasn't too serious. And the very next morning, there were surfers right out where he was just the day before.

The next morning we got to watch a church service on the beach that included a full dunk baptism in the ocean. It took Sophie a few days to adjust to the condo and she liked to hide under the bed whenever we were in the bedroom. Here she is peeking out at us.Most days while I sat on the balcony and looked out over the ocean while reading, Jim took his kayak out to the Mosquito Lagoon. He was determined to catch a redfish but alas, only a catfish and some ladyfish seemed interested in his bait. He also took Sophie out with him one afternoon. It was her first venture in the kayak and we didn't know how she'd react. But from the looks of these pictures, she seemed to enjoy it as did everyone on the dock who said she was adorable in her little yellow life jacket. I thought she'd go after a dophin or manatee as they surfaced in the lagoon but they must have been too far away to get her attention. Although when she saw me on the dock, she wanted to come to me. I had to step back out of her sight so she wouldn't try to jump into the water.

Jim and I went out fishing one morning and I caught my very first fish! And inexperienced as I was, I never knew the little buggers can crap on you! The little 6 inch fish I caught left a memento on my shirt as I held it up to have Jim take my picture. So not only can they poop, they have good aim.

Jim spent one afternoon in Gainesville visiting a friend from college. They went to a place called Payne's Prairie Preserve. It a wildlife area that's completely open, no fences between you and the critters.

And what kind of critters would that be? Oh, there were white pelicans, wood storks, snapping turtles, wild horses and alligators........lots and lots of alligators. And did I mention there were NO fences! Eek! I think this sign says it all.
He also took a tour of the Univ. of Florida campus and stood in the Swamp. Now being Univeristy of Tennessee fans, this could almost be considered a traitorous act, but I let it slide.

The next day we stopped by a new place called the Key Vista Tiki Bar. It's one of two new places in town that we discovered and really liked. One of the bar tenders told us that Sunday afternoons were the best time to be there because there was live music out on the beach area. You could watch the dolphin and manatees in the water and look at the pelicans as they sunned on the pier while you listened to some good music. This little guy is doing his favorite scene from Titanic, "I'm King of the world!"

And it was just like bartender said. We even tossed in some food and a bucket of Kaliks to boot.
On Thursday, the last day of our trip, Sophie got to take a stroll with Jim on the Dog Beach and chase crabs. They kept running into their little holes on the beach and she'd shove her nose right in there after them. More surprisingly, she never got snipped by one.

And while they were on the beach, I was getting a hot stone massage at the Advance Beauty Care Center on Flagler Ave. OMG....It was so good. They put these hot stones along your back and let them sit for a while then take them off and massage your back. The stones from your back are moved to your legs where they sit for a while then your legs and arms are massaged. I even had flat little stones put between my toes. I was like a limp noodle by the time it was over.

But our last day was only going to get better. How's that? Glad you asked. We had dinner at one of our favorite places, Spanish River Grille. If for no other reason, go there for the Chocolate bread pudding. It's 'smack your mama' good.

After dinner (and a bottle of wine) we went to this cool little bar that recently opened. It's called the OM Bar and Chill Lounge. We'd stopped by one evening the week before and liked it so much we wanted to go back. It's a wine/cigar bar with a very laid back attitude. A walk-in humidor offers some nice choices in smokes and the wine menu is pretty lengthy. And on Thursday nights.......free Sangria for the ladies and free Salsa lessons! Woo Hoo, I loves me some sangria and this stuff was mighty tasty. Jim ordered a beer and bought a cigar from the humidor while we watched the dance instructor teach some folks the basic steps to salsa dancing. He even convinced me to give the cigar a try. And no, I didn't inhale. (This is the "what happens in New Smyrna Beach, stays in New Smyrna Beach" part)I tried several times to get Jim to get up there with me and learn but he was not hearing any of it. But my persistance paid off and I finally convinced him to join the second group of wannabe salsa dancers. There were five couples in this group, including us. One couple was taking it kinda seriously. Not us, we were just doing it for fun and to live up our last night in town.

Halfway through the lessons, the instructor tells us that later we'll all be competing for a bottle of champagne. My first thought was, "well, at least we're having fun, 'cuz there ain't no way we're gonna win this thing." We had a brief rest before all five couples were back on the dance floor showing off our newly learned moves.....or at least trying not step on each others toes. Jim and I were sweatin' but having fun and not even thinking that the bottle of champagne would be ours.

After we all danced together, each couple danced by themselves. We were the last couple up. After we finished, everyone gathered back on the dance floor and the instructor said that the couple who got the loudest applause would win the champagne. He held the bottle over couple #1 (the serious ones)....big applause. Not surprising. Couples 2, 3 and 4 got a smattering of cheers.

Then it was our turn. The only thought going through my mind was that as long as we didn't get boo'd off the floor, I'd be happy. So I closed my eyes as the instructor raised the bottle of champagne high above our heads and would you believe the place went crazy! What!!! Applause, lots and lots of applause.....Holy SH*T!

To make sure the crowd was sure, the bottle was raised over couple #1. Big applause..... When raised over ours again, BOOM, yells, cheers, clapping and a very shocked us. I, of course being the modest person that I am, bowed and did my best beauty queen wave and air kissed to the crowd. Jim took possession of the bubbly.

A very nice couple sitting next to us at the bar took this celebratory picture for us. We stayed there about 30 minutes longer then had to head home as Sophie needed to be walked and we had a 13 hour drive ahead of us the next day. So bottle in hand, we got into the car and headed back to the condo.

On the way, I called my parents to tell them about it and my dad's first words were, "And just how much had you to drink?" Yep, the old man knows me pretty well. A few glasses of wine with dinner and two big glasses of sangria and this girl will shake her booty like the best of them, not as good as the best of them mind you, but just as much. Because truth is, we were far.......very far, from the best ones out there that night but we were probably the ones having the most fun. And for that, you win a bottle of champagne and end your vacation on a high note.

We even managed to wear out the dog. Here she is on the drive home.

Vacation Wrap up - Part One - The Food

How can two weeks go by so fast? But at least we had fun, relaxed, tried new things and ate some great fresh seafood. This first post will cover the food. Come back later this week to hear about Sophie's first outing in the kayak, a Tiki Bar and our first venture with Salsa dancing at the OM Bar and Chill Lounge (the phrase What happens there, stays there should be enough to peak your interest in that story).

The condo we rented was right on the beach. We were serenaded all day and lulled to sleep with it at night with the sound of the ocean. And the weather couldn't have been better. Sunny, low 80's during the day and mid 60's at night.

We only cooked dinner twice in the condo. Jim bought some Cobia fillets and a pound of shrimp from Ocean's Seafood. He sauteed the shrimp in a bunch of garlic and served it as an appetizer. While we happily munched in that, he took the shrimp shells and boiled them down to make a shrimp stock for the Cobia. He added some garlic and saffron for additional flavor. It was all wonderful and the shrimp had to be the freshest I've eaten in ages. It was so good that we went back to Ocean's Seafood a few days later and bought 2 pounds for another home cooked dinner. Before dinner I made a spinach artichoke dip for us to munch on while Jim cooked. The shrimp was served with rosemary baby potatoes, Brussels sprouts and fresh rosemary focaccia.

We wanted to cook in more but there were too may good places we also wanted to eat at while we were in town. One of the first places we went to was JB's Fish Camp and was I a happy camper when I discovered they had rock shrimp! I loves me some rock shrimp steamed with some drawn butter. They taste just like lobster. We went back one night midway through the trip and shared a pound of them and a salad for dinner. Yum, yum!

Other restaurants of note that we went to were Romesco's. We took Jim's parents there and shared appetizers of artichoke hearts, peppers stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, and garlic shrimp. For our entree's, Jim chose a rosemary ham paninni while the rest of us ordered little pizzas. It was all very good. If we'd remembered the camera, you'd see for yourself.

Another must go to place is Scott's Bluewater Grille.Each month they feature a country or region for their specials. The May region was Indonesia. Jim ordered a squid dish from the specials menu which was "very, very hot" according to our server. But we're used to eating very hot food so Jim wasn't too concerned about the heat. The squid was served in 1/4 inch thick, 2 inch long planks onto top of a saffron coconut rice and topped with a spicy red sauce that looked like it had a lot of Sambal Oelek in it. Yes it was spicy but nothing we couldn't handle. I ordered scallops served over coconut rice. They were so fresh, so tender and sweet and cooked to perfection.

On our last night in town we went to Spanish River Grille, another favorite place. From the neon bull on the wall over the bar to the warm cozy colors on the wall to the tasty tasty food, it's a must go-to place each time we're down there. And of all the places we go to in New Smyrna Beach, it's the one place that I have to have dessert. Their Chocolate bread pudding (with caramel ice cream) is decadently delicious. But before I get ahead of myself, we shared a Caesar salad and ordered the whole Hogfish Snapper served over saffron rice (for Jim) and a bowl of steamed mussels and a side of fried yucca (for me). When they brought out Jim's dish, the server said, "Meet Bob" as she set the plate in front of Jim. Haha! Bob, meet Jim......Jim, eat Bob. The hogfish was tender flaky and moist. My mussels were plump and tasty. And because I only had the appetizer order of mussels, I had room for dessert. I looked at them menu knowing what I wanted but I just had to be sure they didn't sneak something even better on the menu. Nope. Bread Pudding was still the best thing there. I let Jim have a few bites and he kept me from picking up the plate and licking it clean.

Then there is Blackbeard's. Raw oysters are what draws Jim here. I enjoy their salad bar and fish dishes. We had dinner one night and lunch one afternoon. The bar is DARK, cool and the kind of place you could sit in all day and drink beer. For dinner there, Jim started out with a dozen raw oysters. I won't touch them with a ten foot pole so I sat patiently and sipped on some wine while he devoured them. I ordered the Grouper Scampi with a baked potato . Jim got the Oysters Rockefeller (yes, more oysters). The grouper was about the best I'd had while down there. And I even tried one of the Oysters Rockefeller. It was ok but I happy to stick with my fish.

A favorite place for the in-laws is Norwood's. It's been around forever and Jim remembers going there before they got air conditioning. The old place used to have big screened windows and ceiling fans. Now it's more upscale, with quite the wine collection. We shared fried calamari as an appetizer and it was perfectly cooked, not a single chewy piece in the batch. For our entree's, Jim's mom got the grilled mahi mahi, his dad got the broiled seafood platter.Jim ordered the grilled Wahoo which was delicious. And I got crab stuffed red snapper. It wasn't as good as the other entrees, a big section of dark bloodline was left in the snapper giving a good bit of it an unpleasant taste. But there was plenty that was good so I didn't go hungry.
Other places of note were The Breaker's. A restaurant right on the beach off Flagler Ave. You can grab a seat inside and look out past the bar to the ocean or get a seat along the windows that look right out onto the beach. Among the best things on the menu are the hamburgers, the buffalo chicken sandwich, the buffalo wings, a Key Lime Mahi Mahi sandwich. Plenty of cold beers on tap or by the bottle help wash it all down.
Then there was Clancy's Cantina. We heard they did a good job with fresh seafood which they did. But the cheesy piano player wasn't my style. I think he only knew the first two lines of songs because that's about all he ever sang. I'd go back and sit at the bar for a drink but we have other places we prefer for dinner.

Next up: The OM Bar and Chill Lounge (where the salsa lessons took place and some other things that I can't deny since Jim took pictures), the Key Harvest Tiki Bar, Sophie sporting her new doggie life jacket and more.

Home again

We reluctantly returned from Florida late last night. The picture above is the sunrise on our first morning.

As vacations go, it was great, even Sophie seemed to have a good time.
There's lots to write about and I hope to get that done tomorrow. For now here are a few hints about what to expect, doggy lifejackets, salsa dancing, chasing crabs and of course great seafood.

Halfway through vacation

Forgot to bring the camera to download some pics but we're having a great time. Sophie is enjoying her view of the beach and eyelevel views of the pelicans (which she barks at). Foods been good, weather has been outstanding. And best of all we still have one more week to go.
I'll try to post some pics next week.

Sophie needs your vote

We interrupt our regularly scheduled food posts for this special announcement:
The Alexandria Times, a local paper, hosts a "Pet of the Month" contest on it's website. I entered Sophie for April. There is some good competition but with all my faithful readers casting their vote for our girl, she's sure to win! It's as easy as clicking on the link below and selecting Sophie, then clicking on the 'cast my vote' button. Pet of the Month Contest

WDB (Weekend Dog Blogging)

I've missed the past couple of weeks of Weekend Dog Blogging. We were either too busy to take any pictures of Sophie or she was her usual camera shy self and ran from us whenever we try to snap a shot.

But last Sunday, Jim managed to get this picture of her and one of her favorite squeaky toys. Not sure if she had just attacked it or was about to but that snarl says it all .... this squirrel is toast.

Be sure to check out more adorable dogs at Sweetnick's this Sunday when she rounds up the hounds for this week's edition of Weekend Dog Blogging.

Channeling the dark side and WDB

*Queue up the music from Star Wars*
Sophie is doing her best imitation of the Emperor from Star Wars. Here she is giving orders to Darth Vader. And what is she saying to Darth? "Your Emperor wants steak."

Actually, I'm drying her off after her morning walk. We had about 6 inches of snow on Sunday and being a small dog, she was belly deep in the stuff. She donned her purple snow booties to help keep her feet from getting clumps of snow stuck on them but her belly fur was full of clumps. After a few minutes wrapped up in a toasty warm blanket, she was all thawed out and snow free.

Be sure to head over to Sweetnicks on Sunday night to see other adorable dog in her weekly edition of Weekend Dog Blogging.

WDB

Sophie is always on the alert and not afraid to channel for her inner Doberman when she needs to sound or act tough. Not a single squirrel, person or any other moving object escapes her watchful eyes as she peers out our back windows. And you can always tell when she sees something, that fluffy tail goes from hanging down to a slow steady rise. Sort of a critter alert barometer.

Be sure to stop by Sweetnick's on Sunday to see more pooches in her weekly edition of Weekend Dog Blogging.

Sophie Sous Chef & WDB

Sophie loves to sit here or just in front of the stove whenever we're cooking in the kitchen. We've affectionately nicknamed her "Sophie sous chef" when we're cooking. In this picture she's patiently waiting for me to drop a scrap of tonights dinner, Osso Buco. Today is Jim's birthday and I'm making it for his birthday dinner, along with some fresh made bread followed by German Chocolate Cake for dessert (his fav). Check back later tonight (or tomorrow) to see the finished dishes.

And if you want to see more pretty hounds, head on over to Sweetnick's later tonight for this week's edition of Weekend Dog Blogging.

Weekend Dog Blogging

Sophie wants a belly rub. She also wants you to head over to Sweetnick's on Sunday to check out the other hounds in this week's edition of Weekend Dog Blogging.