A taste of parenthood

Pepper is definitely an integral part of our family and truly like a child to us. Ever since we first got her, it has been hard leaving her to go to work. Even though one or both of us come home for lunch and to walk her, it is painful to think of our pooch being left alone in the house for a few hours at a time, missing our human companionship. We even feel bad going out on an occasional evening, knowing that she was by herself for most of the day. It is obvious how much she likes us being home due to the exuberant welcomes we get even after being gone for an hour or less!

I know that many parents must go through this separation guilt when they take their kids to daycare or leave them with a babysitter for the first time but, somehow (and call me crazy), at this point, thinking of leaving a child with another responsible adult seems a little less harsh than leaving a puppy... alone. We are not ones to "get another dog to make sure the first one isn't lonely" but I sure wish sometimes, when I see her little face peering out through our back glass door, that one of us was either a stay-at-home parent or worked about half as much.

Last week, our little Peppy went in to get her TAHBSO (as I have been stating) or get "spayed" as it is known to most people. She is about 17 months old but was a potential breeding dog (had one litter) and thus had not had her "female" organs removed (she actually was in heat the first day we had her) until just this past week. While I knew the vet hospital would take great care of her, when I starved her before (I think she was confused why she had to be "NPO" without breakfast), dropped her off, and then went off to work knowing she'd be put under, I worried, just like a Mom would. The hospital called me as soon as she was "out" of surgery, saying that everything went well, but I knew that she'd be freaked out by the new environment, and it did not surprise me one bit when they told me (when I picked her up the next day) that she didn't eat a single thing during her overnight stay even though we supplied some of her "normal" food from home. We missed her a whole lot the one night she was not with us!

And then she came home with instructions to wear the "e-collar" until her stitches our out, to prevent excessive licking or tearing. We can't bear to have it on her when we're around, as she just shakes and shakes trying to get it loose (last night around 1 a.m., she managed to jump on our side chair, side table, and onto my face, obviously expressing her agitation that she had to wear that "thing" on at night, when we could not well supervise her. Needless to say, we relented and took it off).

You can barely see it in this picture (it is clear plastic), but here is our poor poochie with the collar in place, getting ready for bedtime. She is so pathetic looking with it on. It seems much worse to put it on her when we are leaving for work but, alas, we don't really have an alternative.



In any case, next week I am going to be that protective parent who removes her own child's sutures rather than taking her back to the vet :) We may abandon the e-collar altogether soon.
And we definitely hope to have no more upcoming trauma for our canine child!

The Lost Coast

Kelvin and I drove down to the Bay Area on Tuesday in order to attend a contraception (Nexplanon) training session in Berkeley (I will put a plug in here that this [formerly Implanon, now with an improved applicator and now radioopaque (locatable) on xray] is a fabulous method of long-term, reversible contraception). On the way, we decided to spend a few hours visiting Shelter Cove and the "Lost Coast," named such as it was a region of California's Humboldt County coastline deemed (in the 1920s) too rugged for a road.




While difficult to reach (to get to the coastal town and Lost Coast Gateway of Shelter Cove, you must drive about a hour west from the main north-south highway 101), the area is a remarkable display of natural beauty and well worth the added time to visit.

We spent some time wandering around Black Sands Beach, named for its unique grain color from the grey sandstone of King Peak (a 4,088-ft peak a mere three miles from the beach) and the other mountains of the King Range. The King Range Conservation area was the nation's first conservation area, protected since 1970.







Pepper enjoyed the beach, too! :)


In the pet sling :)




We then drove through the pretty seaside town of Shelter Cove, stopping at a few viewpoints to look for sea lions and other wildlife off the coast (sometimes you can see migrating whales). Kelvin swore that these bobbing brown things in the water were animals, but I couldn't be sure.







We took some photos and admired the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse, which was built in 1868 and used to live about 30 miles north of Shelter Cove on California's westernmost point. However, it suffered quite a bit of damage in 1971, became non-functional, and the Coast Guard deemed it property that could be restored by an organization willing to move the structure; it was reassembled in Shelter Cove in 1999.



There are miles and miles of hiking trails in the King Conservation Area, including the Lost Coast Trail which extends for about 25 miles out of the town of Shelter Cove and on which you could trek for days. We didn't have enough time to tackle this, but plan to... someday.

Tuesday evening before our training, we hung out at Wai Kiu and Hanh's house and got to visit with many of our residency friends who re-convened for a delicious sushi night. Sorry for the lack of pictures.

Here is the best (and unsuccessful) attempt at getting two dogs (Shabu, Pepper) and a child (Mason) to look at the camera :)

Brad (with Shabu), Kelvin (with Mason and Pepper)


We drove straight home after our Wednesday conference.
It was a quick, but still very productive trip to the Lost Coast, Bay area and back.

Crab season!!

We are blessed on the North Coast with an abundance of fresh seafood. I have yet to try fresh abalone, but we are saving some smoked oysters from Trinidad in our fridge (for a special occasion), and, this weekend, took home freshly caught Dungeness crab from Captain Zach's Crab Shack in McKinleyville which we enjoyed at home. Yum!!!!

And then came the rain...

We had the driest December in Humboldt County in 120 years but are now paying for it. It's like all the rain for December was saved up and has fallen in the past few days. I do not think I've ever seen this much rain. I knew this area was supposed to have drizzly winter weather, but it has been POURING the better part of 5 days now. Our little neighborhood trail is flooded, I drive through lakes on the road on the way to work, and I'm not sure when it will end. The forecast looks like rain for at least another 7 days.

We felt so bad for Pepper, who doesn't really want to go outside in the rain as she gets drenched in about 3 seconds, that we did the unthinkable... we got her an outfit. I did NOT think we'd be those doggie "parents" who would dress up our canine child. However, this rain is just about intolerable. It was getting to be quite difficult to wipe down her paws with each and every walk in the rain, and towel her whole, shivering body dry when she comes back in. She seemed to be "holding" her urine and stool, which was a bit worrisome from our point of view, as she has been so well trained thus far without more than 2 accidents in the house her first week being here.

So K took a trip to our local pet store, where he purchased not only these little "Paws" rain booties to keep her feet clean and dry, but then (on impulse), a rain jacket (from Outward Hound) to boot!

Trying out the "Paws" indoors




The full getup (could she be a model?)


I have to say that I think that our little pup was quite embarrassed to wear the whole outfit. It really takes two of us to get the booties on right (they feel almost like little balloons -- stretchy, but snug around the ankles) and it takes about 4 minutes to get her "ready" to go out. She walks a bit funnily (i.e. high-stepping it) in the little shoes, but I think she tolerates them now, as they let her go out for a quick pee without coming back as a big ball of wet fur.

What do you think? :)




I only wish the rainjacket had a hood! :)
In any case, I hope this rain stops soon, so she can go out as a "normal" dog!

Bronze Medalist Bowlers

(iPhone quality photos)

I think I mentioned that Kelvin and I participated in a Thursday night bowling league this fall/winter with members of other clinic sites. I was, to put it mildly, NOT a very enthusiastic participant, usually hoping to get called out to a delivery rather than have to attend and bowl three painful and long games each week (my attention span is about one, 1.5 games, top and, unfortunately, Thursdays between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. was not a hot time for babies this year). However, Kelvin likes (and is quite good at) bowling, so I thought I was being a good, supportive wife in going, too, although I can think of about a bazillion other things I could have done (and would have rather done) the past ten Thursday evenings.

I am not a very good bowler. I did not really become a better bowler in the weeks we did this. I am not sure I plan to ever bowl again, as I think I have put in my lifetime's worth of bowling games. However, with the adjusted "handicaps" that they assigned to us, our team (comprised of K, me, Elise, and Kelly [MAs in K's clinic]) miraculously came in third place (out of eight). Kelvin got two individual awards-- I think for the highest raw league score (214) and something else I can't remember...

As you can see above, we got an actual trophy which, despite its female figurine, is displayed in K's office now :)



And, with that, I am retiring on a high note from the sport of bowling :)

Tiger children

My dear (and very musical) friend, Laura, posted this You Tube video on her Facebook page yesterday, and I just had to steal it to share.

Having recently read Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (a scary but entertaining read about the "superior," Asian way of parenting), I found this clip both relevant and remarkable.



One of the comments read, "No matter how good you get at ANYTHING, there is always an Asian kid half your age with twice your abilities." So true.

With my years of music education and Kelvin's Asian side, maybe (with or without Chua's extreme style of parenting, and someday, far in the future) we can produce children who can perform like this-- check it out! Thanks for sharing, Laura!

A Very Groomy Weekend

Serena kept commenting that our doggie looked too shaggy (in pictures). Her paws do get quite muddy in this damp climate (although we have continued to be blessed with more than our usual share of fabulous weather), and we agreed that she did need a clipping... however, we wanted to make sure that she was good and settled before subjecting her to a long (and potentially scary) grooming session. She tolerates daily coat brushing, tooth brushing, and toenail clipping (I was terrified I'd hit the "quick" and cause a lot of bleeding, but it went just fine!) quite well, so we figured we were ready for the next step. With the confidence that my husband now lets me regularly (q3-4 weeks!) cut his hair (you can read about the inaugural haircut here!), I figured I could tackle Pepper's hair without too much difficulty.

In fact, I used to be the official hairdresser for Toccata, the miniature schnauzer we got when I was about 10 years old (although I don't think I was allowed to cut her hair until I was in high school). I got a WAHL clipping kit (the same brand as we use for K's hair, although this was an actual animal one!) to be prepared to clip our pooch's locks.

It took Kelvin holding her for most of it (the electric part for her back, chest, and sides), and a few treats, but she did really well! We actually think she's quite cute with "some" shagginess, and so we didn't go really short, but did take off quite a bit. I wonder if she'd do any better at the groomers'-- I think they would do her hair for about $30, so we could consider taking her there if it got out of control or just to give us a break. However (like with taking the responsibility and time to cut K's hair), it was kind of satisfying to do it ourselves.

Before


During


After (doesn't she look more like a puppy? Serena, do you approve? :))





Despite that, following the haircut, I gave her a bath and then blow-dried her hair totally dry before we took her for her afternoon walk, she was still my best friend at the end of the night.


The next day, we tackled the adult's hair-cutting, which took about half as long (but that's just because I have had practice ;).

My two babies, post-grooming, watching football:


Besties

Name that fruit!

There has been some "discussion" in our house recently about what the true name is of the fruit pictured above (which we often buy in netted bags from the grocery store).

I always called them clementines.
Kelvin called them tangerines (I always thought tangerines were citrus fruits similar in size as oranges, just with a "nubbin" and looser skin which made them easier to peel).
Mandy, my medical assistant, called them "Cuties" (really? Is there a "Cutie" tree out there?).
My clinic administrator, when she handed some out last week, told me they were mandarins.
We all (especially I, the self-proclaimed Queen of Fruit) were convinced that we were right.

It took a google search to answer our question. I was led to the ehow sites entitled, "Difference between Tangerines & Clementines" and "What is the Difference between a Clementine and a Mandarin Orange?" to break it down for me.

I learned that both clementines and tangerines are members of the mandarin orange family (which includes tangerines, mandarins, and satsumas, or "emerald tangerines"), native to Asia but now grown in many other locations.

I learned that a clementine is actually a hybrid between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin (again, maybe JB, the permaculture expert, can comment on the accuracy of all this), but is actually still considered a "tangerine," and still considered a member of the same species, Citrus reticulata. Tangerines and Clementines are rather similar, except clementines are a little sweeter/less bitter, are the smallest of the mandarin oranges, and do NOT usually have seeds. Confusing? I think so.

But I guess the bottom line is that we were all right-- even Mandy, as "Cuties" are one of the most popular brands of Clementines/Mandarins/Tangerines sold in stores in California.

Dental Torture

I absolutely hate going to the dentist (sorry, Rachel!). If patients hate going to the doctor as much as I hate going to the dentist, I feel bad for them. I would rather have daily pap smears for a month (or possibly even have a toenail removed without anesthesia) than have my teeth probed and cleaned once or twice a year. Last week, I finally had my initial dental appointment since moving here, after about a year since I had my last cleaning in Sac, and after a 3-month wait for a "new patient" appointment (which, in a town of 17,000, seems ridiculous to me but hey, I'm just a family doctor who has to see new patients demanding narcotics nearly every day).

In any case, all the staff and dentist at this clinic are fabulous. When I went in on Tuesday, they greeted me by name as soon as I walked in the door, which was only the second time I had been there (after the 1.5 hour "new patient" appointment with xrays, they then have you come back a second time for the cleaning which, again, is quite annoying if you are working most of "normal" business hours" but hard to be annoyed at because everyone is so darn nice). The dentist was really friendly, and gave Kelvin a whole new patient kit, including an electric toothbrush (which I believe retails for about $80 and even has two heads so we can both use it! Neither of us has ever tried anything other than a manual toothbrush). They were also very respectful of my schedule (i.e. my anxiety that I was on call during my appointment) and my time.

However, I still hate going there. I do brush twice a day, and perhaps a bit vigorously (the dentist told me I may have what he calls "LA smile," i.e. some receding gingiva due to overzealous brushing). Never before have I been accused of brushing too hard. Every time I go in, I cringe because I know they're going to tell me to floss more (while Kelvin is a diligent flosser with those plastic floss-pick-thingies, I tend to do it "prn," i.e. when I have food stuck in my teeth. It is just so hard to add more "little" things to my day.) I also worry that they'll tell me I drink too much coffee or tea (which, in this cool and damp climate, has become even more frequent!). They didn't.

However, the hour they spent digging at my plaque with those horrific metal hooks and polishing with the disgusting toothpaste seemed extremely lengthy. I also hate the suction in my mouth and the "rinse" which turns into a facial shower. While I know that regular teeth cleaning is good for preventative care and, as a family doc, I should really be all about prevention, I totally see why (with the pap analogy) patients put off their well woman exams...

Additionally, I am not the only one who gets lucky for dental care/(pain). I have been told (not by the dentist, but rather the vet and Serena) that I should be diligent about Pepper's dental hygiene, too, so, with a finger brush and some yummy chicken-flavored toothpaste, her little teeth get brushed a few times a week, too! Dental torture for everyone!!

A Costly Boulder

1 rock in the road
2 people working full-time (3 with Kimie here)
3 "estimated business days" of car repair
$4/mile = towing rate
5 hours stuck on Highway 96
5 miles = previous AAA towing allotment
100 miles = current AAA towing allotment
120 miles of towing required
7 days straight where we needed a rental car
8 days straight of "q 1" (24/7) OB call
10 phone calls to repair shop
11th of January = current date
2012= current year
15 min = amount of time you can park for free at the Arcata airport (to get our rental car)
17th of December = date of accident
20% insurance discount on rental car
24 days of my car in the shop
$25/day of car rental charges
$26 = current 6-month charge for adding rental coverage to our current auto policy for one car
30 = approximate # of gray hairs I've gotten from this repair process
$500 deductible
$4,942.90 = total damage
37,000 miles on my car
1 strut still needing to be replaced

Having my car back (even with having to bring it back, probably next week, for the additional part to be added) = Priceless

Where's Waldo?

Can you find Pepper in these pictures?





After her weekend excursions, I gave her a bath. While I'm not sure any dogs really like baths and most try to escape from the tub, she does pretty well, and I can also control all ten or eleven pounds of her without much difficulty. After I toweled her dry, however, she scampered around and found herself a nice cozy spot...



... amidst our extra (guest) towels. Aww!

A Full House (Trinidad, Samoa, and a weekend of hosting!)

We have had a full house in Arcata this weekend. Kelvin and I were both on call (he on phone triage, me on OB call) and so we had to stay local, but were fortunate to have our residency friends Kimie (who is here for 2 weeks doing a rotation with Kelvin) and Wai Kiu, Hanh, and Mason here up from Oakland. While I did have rounding and one delivery and K had quite a lot of patient calls, we did have a good amount of time to spend with our guests.

On Saturday, we took them up to Trinidad, the picturesque coastal fishing town north of here, which is one of the oldest (and smallest-- the 2010 census had its population at 367!) incorporated towns in California. We had heard good things about, but had never made it to Trinidad Head, a peninsula of land with great ocean vistas. We all (including Mason, and Pepper) enjoyed the beach at Trinidad, views from the overlook trail, and the weather (50s and sunny!).















Pseudo-family


Only Asians ruthlessly ask other unsuspecting hikers to take group shots...


We stopped at Katy's smokehouse for some locally-smoked seafood (sturgeon, oysters, salmon) to take home.



We then took the crew to the Samoa Cookhouse in Eureka, which, as you can see from this plaque, is the oldest surviving and operating cookhouse in the West, opening in 1893. Formerly the Hammond Lumber Company Cookhouse, it was the official cookhouse for the men employed in logging in redwood country.


We had a very hearty meal served family-style, including soup, salad, awesome freshly-baked bread, roast beef, beans, peas, coffee, tea, and pineapple cake for dessert. MMM.



Kelvin has been coaching a kids' basketball team in Eureka with games on Saturdays.
We attended to support them, and here are some shots of him and his little third- and fourth-graders who, despite a great effort, lost 8-16 to their opponents.






Josh (co-coach) giving some more advice


Mason and Kimie played a bit in our neighborhood park:



(This kiddie rock wall is awesome!)


... and we then enjoyed dinner and a relaxing night at home, with the others watching and me sleeping through "Planet of the Apes."

Here are some pictures of Mason interacting with Pepper:

Two cuties


(wondering what to do with the detangler)


Mason wanted to share the dog bed...


.. which worked for a little while.


But Mason leans back...


... and she is outta there!


Today, Kelvin took everyone to the Victorian town of Ferndale as well as to see the big trees at the Avenue of the Giants, while I had to stay back in order to be closer to the hospital. Here are some great shots of the fun I missed, taken by the great Wai Kiu!





Mason in the tree house!


Who wants to be our next visitors?