I wasn't expecting to be able to post again, but my trip to NC fizzled and I seem to be ahead of the game! Rosie and I took off early, as planned, but things didn't go well. I "cut through the woods" (Southern for taking local secondary roads) to I-95, not realizing there was a detour. Before we had gone very far, Rosie began to pant/hassle. I really couldn't stop until we got to Ridgeland, where I did stop, took her for a short walk, rearranged things a bit, and took off again. We hadn't gone far when she started panting again. I knew she couldn't do that for hours, so I turned around and came home. I called Laney and explained what had happened and she understood. The pet sitter couldn't keep her until after Christmas, so I'm going to go up on Dec. 28-30. I was very concerned for Rosie and disappointed that it happened, but I think I can get her more comfortable with traveling. The dog trainer said to put her in a plastic crate where she can't see as much and to take her on long rides to get her accustomed to it. Dramamine might her, but that would be the last resort. So, I haven't given up hope. I never thought that would happen as she loves to ride locally, but then we never get over 45MPH! Going at 70 on unpredictable roads is a completely different thing, even for me.
Since we didn't go to NC, we did get to attend Rosie's last Puppy 1 class, which she completed satisfactorily. You will notice all of the other puppies were BIG puppies and of a breed that is accustomed to taking commands from it's master. Rosie would often be given concessions due to "a breed issue", which I eventually took to mean that she is stubborn and un-trainable!! Abby, the dog trainer, said that "sit", the very first command we were to learn, was a hard one for Dachshunds and Dachshund mixes to learn; however, Rosie has it down pat. She does have her little quirks though - she is much better at a side sit than my asking her to sit right in front of me. She also responds better if I cam crouched down, closer to her level, than standing tall. She will pick and choose when to respond to "focus". If she is really interested in something (usually a smell) and I try to focus her, she will purposefully raise her nose and turn her head when I put the treat to her nose! Both Dachshunds and Chihuahuas are supposed to be stubborn and she does have her moments, but I can identify with that so I understand. She is a real joy to have around. In the fervor of the holiday season, I began the most time consuming, least
productive project you can imagine - scanning all of my photos and storing them on a storage disk! You can't imagine how many photos I have! I bought a photo scanner about 3 years ago and this is the first time it has been taken out of the box, and it is definitely worth the money. This will be a long-term project and I've set it up on the laptop in front of the TV so I can scan photos as I watch TV at night. I couldn't imagine doing this on a regular scanner. The box of photos to the right (1983 - Spain, Portugal and Morocco) had almost 600 photos. Believe me, not all of my photos are as well organized as this box! Not only are these filed, many photos had info written on the back! So, I took the time to label them.....it seemed the right thing to do! Most of my others don't even include the date and I'm the world's worst at remembering when things happened, so most of the others will be less labor intensive. Anyway, what I expected to be a mind-numbing, thankless job has really been pretty enjoyable. I was reminded that I've camped in Death Valley and canoe-ed down part of the Colorado River, that I've actually seen (from afar!) in person the Queen and Prince Phillip (and the Britannia), King Juan Carlos and the Queen of Spain, as well as both Bill and Hillary.......to say nothing of so many beautiful places in the world. It is almost like reliving the past and remembering many wonderful experiences and people, which takes the tediousness out of the task......and I haven't even gotten to Abqaiq yet!! Yesterday was my day to spread Christmas cheer by delivering my vino to friends. It was lots of fun and everyone seemed surprised and pleased, especially when they saw the label. I hope they feel the same after they've actually tasted the wine! Today, Christmas Eve, should be about 80F (sun-room door is open, fan is on!) and the sun is shining....what more can we ask! As I dithered around the house this morning I listened to On Point on PBS where people called in with their favorite Christmas stories and it was wonderful. The stories ran the gamut - funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, tender, sad, meaningful, unforgettable. My thought was that I'd like to hear something like this every Christmas - maybe every day! It was a wonderful array of human experience. As that was winding up, I got a short email from Ann with a listening recommendation from Katie - Ludovico Einaudi - Islands. He's a very handsome, talented pianist and I'm listening to him as I write. Thank you, Katie. So, what could be a sad, maudlin Christmas is shaping up to be peaceful and nice.....just by going with the flow. I do have invitations from friends for Christmas lunch, drinks in the afternoon, etc. I will go with the flow on that, too, and do what feels right at the time.
On this Christmas Eve, I'm thinking of friends and family and counting my blessings that I have you in my life. You make Christmas happen year-round for me! Thank you so much. Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year! Love to all.
As is usually the case this time of year, things have been hectic. It took me the better part of a week to do the Christmas decorating that I normally do in a day and a half. I would start and then quickly become disenchanted......it seemed a lot of trouble just for me! But, there are some items that I really enjoy seeing each year; so, eventually, I got it done! Last year I sold my artificial tree and all the lights that used to frustrate me to no end. This year I bought a pre-lit tree which makes the process so much faster and enjoyable. Otherwise, it seems that I've just been busy with one thing or another. Camille, Linda and I met with the Ombudsman from the Council on Aging about the goings on at Bloom. It certainly would not benefit my mother at this point, but their actions were just wrong on so many levels!! She seemed very interested in what we had to say and wanted to get DHEC's evaluations from their last inspection, as well as contacting her supervisor in Columbia to see if she would meet with us. We are waiting to hear from her and hope it yields positive results.
Wine-making continues. Chris and I bottled on Saturday and Camille and I will bottle this coming Saturday. At left is my holiday label for gift bottles. I hope everyone enjoys it. This batch is dedicated to friends and acquaintances, but the upcoming bottling is for me. Rosie continues to make me happy. She is such a character and so funny to watch. She'll leave the room and trot back in with a squeaky toy and just give it a fit! When we go for walks, she greets everyone as though they are there just to pet her......and usually they do! My neighbor (Carolyn) and I went to the Choral Society's Christmas Concert. It's about the only holiday thing I'm attending and it was nice to hear the music, blending of voices, etc. Other than that, I'm waiting for the holidays to be over. This has been a great weekend for catching up with friends. Jan called yesterday and invited me to visit in January. I got online and checked for tickets.....the price was so good that I had to take her up on it. So that is my birthday present to myself, which I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy. It will be good to get together and a good change for me. Carolyn also called and, though it has been a long time since we'd talk, we picked up right where we left off. Unfortunately, she is at the beginning stages of going through the same thing I went through with my mother. She said she learned a lot from my experience and I told her I'd never realized I was a trailblazer to all the places no one wants to go! It was so good to catch up and we both vowed to be better at it!
This is my domestic/dietary tip for the day - Salad in a Jar!! Sounds strange but it is actually great! It is a take-off on the Buddha Bowl, but it keeps everything fresher.....including the avocados!! I put 2T. of salad dressing in the bottom and then layer in a mason jar: red onions, tomatoes, avocado (mashed with lemon juice), black beans, corn, red peppers, red cabbage, and spinach. Put the top on and it keeps for days. Chop once and then when you want a salad just open the jar and empty into a salad bowl.....and the avocado does not turn color!! Of course, you can change up the ingredients as you like.. It also takes up less space in the fridge than trying to store all of these ingredients separately. I'm so glad I tried this. Tuesday I'm taking off to NC for a few days, taking my sidekick Rosie with me. We will be staying with Laney and Julious for two nights as I told them I would come up for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I chose those days (the week before Christmas, in the middle of the week) in hopes of missing heavy traffic. It will also be the first time Rosie has gone on a longer drive, so we shall see how she handles it. I can't finish without telling you about the glorious weather we have been having. Summer was a real bummer, but November and December have been wonderful. I've been walking Rosie in short sleeves. When Carolyn called, I sat out on the patio as we chatted. It has just been wonderful.....and I guess the crummy summer makes us appreciate it more. Winter will arrive at some point, but we are certainly making the most of this while we have it. Here's wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and all good things in the New Year!
Thanksgiving is here, which means another year is rapidly coming to an end. I'll be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with friends on the island (Thea and Rich), which means a relaxing day at home and a great meal and evening with friends. I've been doing fine since my mother's passing. Again, I think so much of her had already gone and her last few weeks were so difficult that there has been some consolation in knowing that she is no longer going through that. I did want to relate one of our last real conversations some months before she died. One evening at dinner, she said out of the blue, "I'm proud of my clothes". I told her that she had lots of nice clothes and always looked good in them. Then, for some reason, I thought about Easter during my childhood and I said, "Do you remember when we used to get all dressed up for Easter.....crinolines, matching gloves, hats, shoes and purse?" As I rattled off all those things of a time gone by, she began to smile. When I ended the list with "corsages", we both had a belly laugh and she said, "We looked plum tacky!" We laughed again and I said, "and we didn't even care!" We continued to recall several other things that we could both relate to and remember, to the point of someone actually commenting on how much fun we were having. That is a lovely memory which I will cherish forever. Friends have been great about getting me out and about.
I have put down wine with two friends, Chris and Camille, so I will have a whole batch (30 bottles). I hope to come up with a creative, holiday label and be generous with it as Christmas gifts, hostess gives,etc.
Elaine and I went to Port Royal to see "The Great American Trailer Park Musical", which was set in the '80s and was as funny and irreverent as the name implies. It was something totally different and thoroughly enjoyable.
Attended the First Progressive Issues Forum at the Unitarian Church. Speakers were from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Imam from the Mosque in Savannah, and the Director of Public Affairs from Planned Parenthood. Needless to say, for a political junkie, it was very informative.......especially after having just read Just Mercy, which I highly recommend. I also ran into many friends whom I hadn't see in a while so that part was fun, too.
Chris and I went to Liberal Ladies of the Lowcountry, where the speaker was Wendy Nilsen Pollitzer, who had just put together a coffee table book called South: What it means to be here in heart and spirit. I went in intending to NOT buy the book, but when she shared some of the stories and contributors, as well as the beautiful photographs, I caved quickly. No doubt, it is the best of the South, not the darker side, but it is a lovely book.
And then there have been the usual things - feeding ferals, Precious Rosie and Puppy Class, Living Liberally, zentangle with Ana, and wonderful down time at home.
While Thanksgiving will be celebrated tomorrow, Christmas has come and gone in the Morris household. Rosie has gotten her very own car seat! She has adjusted well and seems to like it. As you can see, she is secured into it, which makes it much safer. Before the seat, she always wanted to be in my lap AND looking out the window. Now, when we go someplace, she runs to the garage door, jumps up and down, and when I open the door she runs around to the passenger side of the car. It didn't take her long to figure out that! She is at her cutest when she puts her two front legs on the top of the basket and looks out.
My gift to myself is the Instant Pot! It is a 7 in 1 product: it's a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice and multi-grain cooker. It steams, sautees and makes yogurt. It seems perfect for a vegetarian. I bought the Power Cooker but returned it - vague directions and unable to make adjustments. I then checked Amazon for the Instant Pot (recommended by Camille), which was already on sale. I emailed them and asked if they would give me a Black Friday discount so that I didn't have to wait to order the produce. Not only did they give me a 20% discount, but I ordered it on Friday and it was here on Monday. Merry Christmas! So, I've been experimenting.- steaming leftover veggies in fridge, sauteeing cabbage, cooking brown rice, making 3-bean chili, baking potatoes, etc. Today I made my Southwestern Quinoa Salad to take for dinner tomorrow. The quinoa was done on the multi-grain setting in 8 minutes. I then used the same pot to sautee the carrots, red pepper, garlic and spices. There was only one pot to clean! I think this is going to be very useful, especially in the summer. It is quiet, quick and doesn't heat up the kitchen. My mother had a stove-top pressure cooker that she used frequently, and I was terrified of it. This is several generations removed from that. There are many layers of safety features and it is virtually silent. I will get rid of my slow cooker, which I seldom used, but I can see using this frequently. However, I'm to the point that I can't play with it any more until I eat all the food that I've already cooked in it!!
I can't end without giving you an update on Rosie. This video shows you why she is the perfect dog for me, one who does not do mornings! Wait for the end and listen for the ears!! (Disclaimer: I had been awake since 7:30, having coffee and playing with my iPad! Rosie was the one sleeping in!)
With that I'll wish my Stateside friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. If you aren't celebrating, I'll wish you a Thursday and weekend of many blessings and good fortune.
As many of you already know, my mother passed away on October 15th. She had survived
the worst of the move and seemed to be settling. I was definitely feeling better about the care she was getting. I went over at lunchtime and took her cornbread to have with her lunch. She ate it all. All was as usual with the exception of her having a build up of mucus in her throat. I notified the nurse and she checked her immediately and helped remove it with a siphoning machine. My day proceeded as usual until around 7PM when I received a call from Sue, the person on duty with Tidewater Hospice. She said it happened suddenly without pain, which was a blessing. Sue was as sweet as could be and gave me all of her contact numbers so I could call her at any time, if needed. She then went over to Ridgeland Nursing Center and took care of all of the details. Their chaplain and social worked contacted me before bedtime, but I asked that they come over the next day, which they did. At that point I was just trying to get myself together to go to North Carolina for the service. Mama had long ago filled out a form from the local funeral home specifying her wishes for her service. Taking a cue from a family member of Mrs. Baker at Bloom, I had also written a sketchy obituary for Mama. The obituary along with other pertinent information, collected poems...and the two photos shown here were in a folder, so I didn't have to run around trying to collect everything I might need. The top photo is when she was gussied-up and looking good...and was used for her obituary. The other is at home, on her porch, with her Smokey.......where she would really want to be and how I would want to remember her. She had wanted two soloists, but one was out of town; so, my cousin's husband, Julious, sang two songs that she had specified. Another was used for the processional and my only addition was to have "I'll Fly Away" sung as the family felt. The service was conducted by two ministers from her church who knew her well. The only glitch was that Mama had managed to outlive many of her suggested pall bearers, so I had to extend the circle, but everyone asked was kind to comply. All in all, it went well and I felt good knowing it was what she wanted. AND, I had Smokey cremated when he died and he was put in her casket! I thought she would have liked that.....I plan to go with all of mine that have gone before! Before I go farther, I would encourage all to specify what you would like done at your service. I can't tell you how much help that was and how comforting for me to know that it was as she wanted it. Her obituary is HERE. The Order of Service is HERE. I stayed with Laney and Julious from Sunday to Wednesday. All the relatives on both sides were supportive and kind. It had literally been years since I'd been home and it was good to see everyone again. After the service about nine of the cousins got together at Laney's for homemade pizza and a catch-up. Mama would have liked that, too, and it seemed strange to be there without her. Laney sent me home with a car load of food and my friend Chris brought over a delicious Pumpkin Soup, a scrumptious Broccoli Sweet Potato Salad, and a yummy Orange Almond Coffee Cake. I didn't have to think about food for most of a week, gave me time to notify those who required it and do the odd things that needed to be done. Though I expect things to crop up over time, I hope most of the obligatory tasks have been done. I'm doing okay after suddenly realizing that so much of her had already gone before she took her last breath. If was mostly a matter of letting go of the body, on both her part and mine. It truly is "the long goodbye". Her last months were so difficult, exacerbated by the sudden move, that it was made easier by knowing she was not going through all of that any more. I like to think of her as being whole again.....happy, at peace, and with those she loved. I'm focusing on how fortunate I was to have her this long: to have the time to live my life and come full circle and be able to help her, and put some of our demons to rest before the end. I didn't see her but for a few minutes before the visitation. While everyone else seemed to think she "looked good", I thought she looked dead! My preference is to remember her in her prime, rather than the shell at the end. There are moments of sadness, but overall I'm okay.
I've resumed feeding the feral cats, and Ana and I are getting together for zentangle on Tuesday.....first time since August 25! I've also gotten involved in a neighborhood canasta game due to my inability to think quickly on my feet! They actually play weekly, which is far to regular for me. Now they've found someone to play full time and I'll be a sub, which worked out well. There is still Drinking Liberally, Liberal Ladies of the Lowcountry (meeting this coming Friday), and the Progressive Ladies' Group. Chris and I will also be putting down another batch of wine for the holidays. Any creative holiday names for the label?? I'm wanting to make a special label but have no creative ideas. I've even had a meetup with Cheryl, her mother and Nancy this past Friday at our usual Subway at Exit 8 on I-95. We were so busy talking and laughing that we totally forgot to take a selfie!! it was great to get together! And then there's Rosie!! I can't tell you how happy I am that I have her. She is a delight and is settling in well. We had to drop out of puppy class, but we will pick it up again soon. Even so, she has gotten so much better on our walks and is a real snuggle-bug in bed. If I'm quiet, I can go in and get a cup of coffee and my iPad and come back to bed without waking her. She wakes up lazily....stretching, yawning, snuggling. But, once she's awake, it's full tilt. While I was away, the Tidewater Social Worker, who is also the daughter of a friend and a neighbor, kept Rosie with her two doggies. There was some growling and snapping when I took Rosie over and I was a little worried, but she sent photo updates while I was gone and they had become good buddies by the time I got back. Even so, Rosie was very happy to see me, which made me feel good.
Thanks to everyone who sent condolences by phone, cards, email, text, etc.. It means a lot to be thought about in times like this and I do appreciate your concern and good wishes. I know I owe lots of emails and I'm working on it. In the meantime, I hope this will suffice.
Well, it's been a long time since I've posted, so you might guess that things have been happening. Where do I start? I'll begin with the present and work back. On Thursday, September 10, my mother fell out of bed. She wasn't hurt or even bruised but the new "protocol" of the latest administrator is that they be sent to the hospital. This has happened before, when they were leaving her in bed too long after lunch. Once they started getting her up when she woke up, the problem was resolved. About three days later, the same thing happened again, including the trip to the hospital. When they called to tell me she had fallen again, they also informed me that they could not accept her back due to the level of care she required.......all of that in the three minute conversation! When I hung up, I just stood there thinking "what just happened"? I was stunned! They would allow us back long enough to make other arrangements if I provided 24 hour sitters to be with her. So, I stayed with her 12 during the day and paid someone to be with her at night. Needless to say, that was not inexpensive. In the middle of all that, my mother took a bad turn and there were two days that I didn't think she would make it through. She began talking about forgiveness and saying things like "I can't cross that river alone", all of which made me think she had decided it was time to go. Tidewater Hospice was wonderful in helping both of us get through all of that and help me place her in Ridgeland Nursing Center, which is about 35 minutes away. It is also a Medicaid-friendly facility, which should take the financial strain off me if she is able to quality. I'm hoping to complete the application before the week is out. RNC has a good reputation and thus far they have lived up to it. It is a very different facility from Bloom - an older building, a more diverse population (not all gentrified-white-folks). It is skilled nursing, which my mother needs. It reminds me very much of the nursing home back in Wadesboro, which may be more comforting to her. On my first visits, it was obvious that she was being checked more frequently. They had lowered the bed almost to the floor, all rails were in place and the mat was down. One of Tidewater's CNAs whom I know from Bloom will be there 5 days a week. The Director of RNC also worked for Tidewater at one time, so it was good to see some familiar faces. So far, the only drawback is the distance, but I've been lucky to have her this close for so long. By the end of this week I hope everything will have settled out and I can get back to normal, whatever that may be!
Immediately before that saga began, I had a visit from Pauline (Reynolds, wife of Phil). She visits her son and his family in New Hampshire yearly and this time decided to come for a short visit beforehand.. I was concerned about the weather, which has been crummy for much of the summer; but, we managed a very nice day at the beach, which I totally enjoyed (and neglected to take photos). We saw lots of local sites...
Palmetto Bluff
Bluffton Farmers Market and Lunch
Beaufort with Carriage Ride & Lunch
Hunting Island Beach
......and just generally caught-up. It was great to see her after about 15 years and I hope she will stop in again and not wait for another 15 years to pass!
As you know, before Pauline's visit I adopted Rosie, who is just adorable! She is a real character and such a great addition to the household. My favorite thing is when she shakes everthing.....those big ears make her sound like she's twice her size, and sometimes she shakes them so vigorously that her back legs lift off the ground. She reminds me of a helicopter about to take off and I can't help but chuckle. Another cute thing she does is try to find a place to bury her treats. Until she finds the right place to hide it, she walks around whining, with the treat in her mouth. Once the right spot is selected, she tries to cover it up with her nose. She's so funny! We missed the last two puppy classes due to everything else that was happening and Rosie was neglected more than I liked. I'm hoping things will settle enough to get her back on schedule.
As you can imagine, I have stacks of laundry, little food in the fridge, and have just been getting by from minute to minute and am behind in everything. September is a big birthday month for friends and family, so I hope Carolyn, Sandra and Laney will accept by belated wishes for a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and good wishes for the coming year. Make it a great one! While I wasn't able to be in touch on the day, you were in my thoughts.
Bad habits can form before you know it and, like most people, I try to correct them when I become aware of them. Over the last year, I've succumb to quite a few that consume a lot of time and/or energy:
In the morning, getting back into bed with a cup of coffee and my iPad
Sitting for hours with my iPad, extracting knowledge from Facebook!
Watching MSNBC mindlessly for hours, which can't be good for my health!
Not doing yoga regularly.
Not walking regularly.
Not reading as much as I would like.
I'm not even home as much as I'd like!
And when I am home, I put on my PJ's around 6-7PM and call it a day!
So, after giving it some thought, I've discovered a solution that has worked perfectly. While it may not eliminate all my bad habits, it has done wonders. It is also something I would recommend to everyone, even those with few bad habits. It's just the simplest thing that has eliminated my bad habits and added so much to each day.
Have I hooked you?
.
Are you ready?
I've adopted a puppy!
Her name is Rosie (aka Baby Ruth) and she's a chiweenie, part Chihuahua and part Dachshund. And, she's as mischievously sweet, alert, smart and active as she looks. This came about from my telling a friend, Camille, whose husband is at Bloom, that now that I'm down to one cat I'd been thinking about getting a little dog......but I hadn't fully decided yet. Camille then starts sending me dogs that are available for adoption from Noah's Arks Rescue, a local rescue for acute care animals, animals that have been abused, have major health issues, etc. You can read Rosie's storyHERE. I think you will find her as irresistible as I did......and this is the photo that got me.
How could you resist those eyes? ...and the surprise was her big ears. As I followed her online, I just fell for her.....but I didn't do anything rash. I gave someone else plenty of time to adopt her, and when they mentioned twice that they had received no applications, my first thought was, "well, I guess she's meant for me!" So, I filled out the extensive application and after two long weeks of excitedly waiting, she became mine! She arrived Friday afternoon and has already changed my life. No more lazy mornings. No more hibernating at 6PM. I'm now up earlier and out the door with her ASAP....even before my coffee (may not be advisable!). We then take additional walks through the day, numbering three or four, with the final one being around 8:30. Believe me, after that I'm ready for bed. It's wonderful to see her sassy strut and she can keep ahead of me, if not hijacked by her nose! She still has that puppy playfulness and is a delight to have around. She is great in the crate and doesn't make a peep through the night. She's had one accident in the house, so I feel like I've gotten the best pooch in the world. I really lucked out with Rosie! Lest you think she's perfect, she is a chewer. She has chew toys but seems to prefer everything else. She has chewed through two leashes in 3 days, so I guess today has broken the My major concern is whether or not she will get along with Mama or, more aptly, if Mama will get along with her. She has changed Mama's life as mush as mine! She would ofter go into her box on the cat tree after breakfast and not be seen until 4-4:30. The first day she was not a happy camper and there was a lot of hissing and spitting. The second day she began to kind of follow us around. She has now taken the back cushion of the sofa, right by my computer, as her new sleeping spot.
If nothing is happening, she can nap. She's away from the invader and can keep an eye on her if anything is afoot. They are slowly getting closer to each other and she had one opportunity to really nail Rosie, and she didn't. So, there is hope! So far there have been only two Rosie related calamities, with the biggest one happening last night......and I can't blame it on Rosie. Upon returning from our evening walk, we found three police cars in front of the house! As is my habit, I set the house alarm early in the evening once I know I'm not going out again, totally forgetting that there would be a late walk. You can imagine how embarrassed I was to explain what had happened!! Anyway, as I said earlier, Rosie is a joy and I would highly recommend adopting a rescued cat or dog to anyone who wants to add a little more love to the househol.....and correct a few bad habits.
Since we didn't go to NC, we did get to attend Rosie's last Puppy 1 class, which she completed satisfactorily. You will notice all of the other puppies were BIG puppies and of a breed that is accustomed to taking commands from it's master. Rosie would often be given concessions due to "a breed issue", which I eventually took to mean that she is stubborn and un-trainable!! Abby, the dog trainer, said that "sit", the very first command we were to learn, was a hard one for Dachshunds and Dachshund mixes to learn; however, Rosie has it down pat. She does have her little quirks though - she is much better at a side sit than my asking her to sit right in front of me. She also responds better if I cam crouched down, closer to her level, than standing tall. She will pick and choose when to respond to "focus". If she is really interested in something (usually a smell) and I try to focus her, she will purposefully raise her nose and turn her head when I put the treat to her nose! Both Dachshunds and Chihuahuas are supposed to be stubborn and she does have her moments, but I can identify with that so I understand. She is a real joy to have around.
