Our Middle Aged Boxer...

 

      Lucy on one of our many hikes. 

Well, Lucy is now 9 years old and she is starting to show signs of being middle aged. While she still has a lot of heart, she is starting to slow down just a bit. I think this is mostly because of joint discomfort in her hips. 

In an effort to allow her more mobility and relieve joint pain, we've been very careful in helping her maintain a healthy weight. She is now down to a healthier 65 lbs. versus the 78 lbs. that she was at. In addition to weight management, we've put her on a glucosamine supplement. Before we started on the supplement, she would sometimes drag her rear back right leg. This got our immediate attention. The glucosamine seems to have helped her regain quite a bit of flexibility. 

We've also placed her on a daily doggy aspirin routine. She gets a dose of 160 mg. aspirin twice a day. One tablet in the morning and one before she goes to bed at night. This too seems to help her flexibility. I say doggie aspirin because it comes from the Vet and tastes like liver. Yes, I tried one! Not bad!!! Even the glucosamine has a nice taste - if you are a dog! 

Since we live in fairly hilly terrain, we are very careful in where we take her on our hikes together. We stop a little more often than we use to in order for her to cool down and take a break. I learned this the hard way one day when we over did it just a bit and Lucy insisted that we either stop or I carry her home. I did a bit of both. I think she got overly excited in the first part of walk and over did it on a rather warm day. That leads me to another topic...

Boxers aren't equipped with the best cooling system. Due to their shorter snouts they can overheat in a hurry if you aren't careful. We tend to pick cooler times of the day to hike with Lucy. The cooler the better. You can see in the picture we also keep a coat handy for comfort on the cooler mornings and evenings. 

If you would like more information on the supplement and aspirin, drop me a note and I'll be happy share where you can find what we are giving Lucy. Until next time, cioa! 

Novotney Artography has Changed!

We have a new look for and host for our Novotney Artography site. Not everything is posted yet but it's a start! If you are looking for something different, please take a look... We suggest you check out the "Wondering Wine Glass Gallery" for new post card ideas... Thanks for your support.

Vote "Yes!" on Amendment 68...

There seems to be a huge resistance here in Colorado to supporting anything that will add funding to our schools... Colorado ranks near the bottom among all states in public funding for schools. In my humble opinion, Amendment 68 (A68) offers Colorado voters a better option for better schools.

With all the negativity on supporting education in the state, I have a question - What would be an alternative to fund our schools that you would or could support? Colorado voted down a tax increase in the previous election. Colorado schools and their teachers need help! Schools are closing and overcrowding is common place in some areas, Additionally,quality teachers are leaving the career field and our kids are not receiving the education necessary to be successful!  What's the answer? A68 will not cost the tax payers of Colorado a dime! 

One of the major objections seems to be that Colorado should not support an out of state company. My answer to this is - If you don't want to support the out of state entity, don't go there, but don't crap on something that can add to the bottom line of kids getting an education at no additional cost to the tax payer! 

There is an incredible amount of disinformation on the subject floating around.To make an informed decision on how to vote on this issue, take a look at the complete language of the proposition. It will address the concerns that have been at the forefront of the anti-A68 campaign. The number one concern appears to be who will administer the funds? The bottom line is, the State Treasurer will disburse the money to Education Fund on a per student basis. Furthermore, under A68, each and every school district is empowered to use the new education funds provided by the measure as they see fit - that's local control. With local control, schools get the help they need, where they need it.  Please access the full wording of A68 at this link... http://yesforbetterschools.com/.../Initiative2013-2014.pdf .  

Please Vote "Yes" on Amendment 68.

What to do when a wasp or bee stings your dog: Articles for dog owners | Hill's Pet

What to do when a wasp or bee stings your dog: Articles for dog owners | Hill's Pet

A Bit of History and Frustration!

As I prepare to pay my taxes, yet again, I must rant for a moment... As you read this, note that I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I subscribe to no "one political ideology" other than I vote my own mind. With that said here goes the rant... 

Did you know the Internal Revenue Service was started in 1862 to fund the war between the states. I think we are still paying on that debt. It sucked in 1862 to be a taxpayer and still sucks now.  The IRS is an agency that is controlled by no elected official.  It is an independent arm of the Treasury Department. Sure tax codes are set and approved by the executive and legislative branches of the government but the IRS has almost free reign in their approach to dealing with the American people.

I'm wondering, whatever happened to the Jeffersonian idea of "Democratic Process" and "No Federal Government" intervention into the lives of the citizens of the United States? As many of you know, I served and defended my country as an officer in the military and love it beyond belief. Regardless of this fact, I find that I'm sick of all the  political bullshit in Washington, on both sides of the fence! We need change!!! Right now! I feel as if I'm personally funding the national debt!!! Someone is having a damn good time and it's not me!!!

I want to offer one more thought before leaving this post. It involves  savings in next year's federal budget and perhaps a resultant reduction in the National Debt.  Let's institute a flat tax in this country!  Everyone would pay their fair share.  Don't give me the party line of "disproportionate burden on the poor."  10% is 10% of whatever number you are deducting it from.  It's fair and extremely democratic.  It would definitely increase revenue!  There would be no deductions.  Some will say that a flat would hurt housing.  Guess what, the idiots in Washington already have their sites set on not allowing you to deduct your mortgage interest in the very near future.  Think about it for a moment, the government is already reducing the amount of deductions that you can take nearly every year.  If you are like most middle income families, you fall in the 25% to 35% tax bracket.  You somehow manage to reduce you tax burden down to about 15%-20% using your deductions, while others pay next to nothing. When congress finally gets around to removing your one true deduction of owning a home, you'll pay more and they'll spend more, regardless of the party in power, but you will suck it up and continue to own your home because that is the true American dream.

You know what I really like about the idea of a flat tax, it would allow the American people to un-employ several thousand Internal Revenue Service workers...Your taxes would simply be deducted by your employer or perhaps, if self-employed, payed by you on a monthly basis and you would never have to deal with filing a return.  A flat tax would put much needed money into reducing the National Debt, simplify the process, and  help free up money to grow the economy, its simple economics.  Best of all, everyone would pay their fair share!  

A Huge Change!

I'll begin this post by stating that there have been some major changes to my body and my life! 

I recently took an 8 week challenge from my wife. You see, she is a distributor for a product called Le-Vel Thrive. When she first told me what she was promoting I was very skeptical.  She said she had found this new product that would help me get my weight under control, have more energy and mental clarity, as well as improve my overall feeling of health. All I had to do is take two pills when I first awoke in the morning, have a shake mix for breakfast about 20 minute later and put on their DFT foam patch for the day. She stated that I wouldn't have to change anything else in my life style and I would see and feel a huge difference in my body. This sounded kinda like one of those miracle prescriptions that never pan out, right! Right! After a couple days of pestering I took her up on the challenge. 

I didn't really notice anything until about the third day of the challenge. The first thing I noticed was I had more energy. The second thing I noticed was that the normal aches and pains that I felt on most mornings were gone. The third thing that I noticed was I wasn't reaching for the coffee pot to get me going. I use to be about a six cup a day coffee drinker, but not anymore.  Although I had taken notice of this change, I didn't say anything to my wife about feeling better, I just let it ride. 

At the end of the first week I weighed myself and to my surprise I had actually lost three pounds and I was feeling really great! This weight loss continued throughout the eight week challenge. Every week I found myself 2 to 3 pounds lighter. By the forth week I started including a bit of exercise into my weekly routine and the pounds just melted away. I found myself excited about getting out and doing things again. My golf game really improved and I started looking forward to walking my weekly round of 18 holes and carrying my golf bag again. 

Thanks to my wife's encouragement for me to begin this challenge I have gone from being a middle-aged 6 foot 1 inch couch potato, weighing 243 pounds, to trimmer and more energetic 218 pound healthy person. I've lost 4 inches off my waist line and put on lean muscle in the process. The challenge was probably a life saving event for me. My goal is to be under 200 pounds by the end of the year! I think I'll be there sooner. 

More energy and a better mood to get out and do the things I used to do is what the challenge has brought me. What's holding you back from accomplishing the things you want to accomplish? Do you want to feel better? Lose some weight? Have better mental clarity? For more information on the Thrive 8 Week Challenge go to www.rockymtnthrive.com . Either link will get you there! 

Take the challenge!  I've become such a believer in the product(s) that I can't image myself going a day without it! Thrive on! Live life to the fullest... Thank you to my wife for introducing me to this amazing experience. 

Peanut Butter and Molasses

 

And..

Peanut butter and molasses as a treat for your dog just doesn't sound right, or does it? It does when you consider that in a world of processed foods, there just doesn't seem to be anything out there that can be considered healthy. Most store bought treats contain large amounts of animal by-products, artificial flavors, artificial colors and artificial preservatives. All which can have an impact on your pet's overall health. 

Over the years we have experimented with many different types of treats for Lucy - some good and some not so good. We've tried people foods that were considered healthy but Lucy would just turn them down and besides, there can be dangers in feeding your dog the same foods that you eat. We've also tried what were considered wholesome foods from the pet store that upset her stomach and were very expensive. But there was one treat we could always count on that she could tolerate and seemed to enjoy and it just happens to be peanut butter! She just loves the stuff! I must warn you; it is not easy to watch your dog eat peanut butter, especially in its normal packaging. They will lick and lick to try to get it all out of their mouths. But they will never turn it down and it's actually good for them. 

One day while in the store I came across a box of dog treats that listed all natural and low fat "peanut butter and molasses" healthy treats for dogs. The treat is a hard baked cookie containing unbleached wheat flour, whole-wheat flour, blackstrap molasses, palm oil, whey oats, natural caramel, nonfat milk, egg, salt, baking soda, natural peanut butter and brewer's yeast. They are baked semi-hard to help keep teeth clean. There is no artificial anything in the cookie! I instantly purchased them and brought them home for my dog.

Lucy has been eating these cookies as a treat for about a year now and loves them. 
They come out of the box as what I would call a large cookie for a treat, so I break them up for her. She never gets more than one large cookie on any given day. She's actually on a schedule for her treats receiving about a third of a cookie three times a day. This helps us maintain her calorie intake and of course, her weight. What a great idea for a treat! 

Since I'm not in the business of selling dog treats, I won't list the company here on my blog but if you will drop me a note I will be happy to give you the name of the bakery. Just a note, if the company ever goes out of business I think these treats would be easily made from home. It might take just a little experimentation in the kitchen to make up a healthy treat for your favorite critter but it would be well worth the time to do so! 

Cheers!