Sparkle: By the Numbers

Mary-Ann Sontag January 3, 2020

Sparkle — such a cool dog.

She was on a bit of a pick-up terror this morning — brush, cup, paper, bag, bowls, and this small plastic ring…

She just sits and waits until I notice her. Patience is definitely one of her many virtues.

This morning I was playing around with Sparkle’s pedigree, tracking down Ages of Death (AOD) for the generations behind her. I knew most but some were missing and so I dug around until I had them all.

Sparkle’s parents: Zoey’s AOD was 9.5 and Fil is alive at 9 years, 9+ months.

Sparkle’s grandparents: Average AOD is 9.7 with a range of 7.9 - 11.9.

Sparkle’s great-grandparents: Average age of death is 8.68 with a range of 4.9 (pyometra) — 10.7; those young deaths really take down the average, and so I think it is worth noting the cause. Without the one young death, the average AOD of Sparkle’s great-grandparents is 9.2.

I like data. It doesn’t tell the whole story but you actually cannot tell the whole story without it.

Happy News - In Context

Mary-Ann Sontag December 11, 2019

Apparently fall is a slow time for cabinet building because our new cabinets arrive this morning — ahead of schedule. WOWZA.

They will be in boxes that will take up the training area (aka the dining room) but we must make sacrifices for progress.

Lest you think — as I did — that this means we will have a kitchen in time to bake scones for the holidays, allow me to dash that fragrant image.

So, the cabinets will be installed next week. Yay! Of course, that assumes the electrician can come and do the work needed before cabinet installation — let’s think positive, shall we? Cabinets in next week.

The countertop cannot be measured and then created — a process that will take 4 - 5 weeks — until the cabinets are installed AND the new range and sink are in place.

The new slide-in range arrives on January 2. The goal is to have the new sink installed before the range arrives, and that will let the countertop measuring happen in that first week of January (everything crossed).

And then the countertops will get created — hopefully not by a shop that is giving their workers silicosis; I am going to call them today and make sure the shop is certified as safe for workers.

Who knew that a dishwasher leak would create the need to ensure safe labor practices?!

And speaking of dishwashers — I need a new one and so I will be negotiating with the insurance company about that (on top of everything else — I should have been a lawyer).

And the new floor will go in at some point and there is new trim and new lighting and new zone heaters and so on and so forth. Plus end-of-semester grading — my favorite (extreme sarcasm alert) — and the very stressful game of Oh Sh!t Bingo (see yesterday if that is confusing).

But do not fear — we practice flexibility and positive attitude around here, and not just in dog training!

Here is the ever happy and cheerful Sparkle — is your Bingo Card current? Nothing yet.

A rare day of sunshine and a warm 42 degrees yesterday — I rode my bike and played/trained with dogs (not, of course, at the same time). Daisy and her moose.