Trying to Find Retirement in Brookings, Oregon

I've closed my website for Winchuck River Store, pulled out of a local shop where I was selling and compromised by placing my items in an antique mall where working time is minimal. I can now spend more time with mom, work in my garden and enjoy our home near Brookings, Oregon.

The reason for all of this movement or lack of movement is that I brought my mother home from Long-Term-Care. She was on 5 mind altering drugs. I had lost all trust that she was taken care of in a dignified and even sound medically manner. I am now responsible for the care of my mother. I have hired a friend to watch over her when I need to leave; which is working out very well.

My mother's "sitter" loves to chatter and mom loves her for chattering. What a union made in Heaven! Taking all but one mind altering drug away from mom has restored her memory and level of function. She is no longer in need of "memory care"!

I have become a Ombudsman for the state of Oregon as a result of my frustration and need to learn all that I could about long term care. I am glad that I have had the experience I did with mom, as it makes me more alert to potential problems in long term care. I do not assume that all is well. I'm more likely to say...hmmmm...what is really going on here? I'm here for anyone who may be searching for answers to any long term care problems. If I cannot personally help, I do have some sources that possibly could.

We lost two of our labs to illness and old age this past year. In late December, we found a girl in need hanging out in Gold Beach at the dog shelter. Marley, a Wired Hair Pointing Griffon, is now just 2 and beginning to simmer down. Her previous family apparently spent a fortune on her (her breed runs 1K or more), didn't socialize her or train her and gave up after 1.5 years. I imagine she was stuck in a small backyard alone and ate it for something to do and chewed on their smaller dog! She was very aggressive with our other dog, Maggie, which shows her lack of socialization let alone good manners. I rushed to learn all I could about getting rid of anyone's need to eat another living being. Maggie was also guilty of wanting to rid the world of Marley's presence. I rushed to get on Cesar's website, read other internet information and bought two books one on dog body language and one on aggression. It paid off, with two girls that actually play together and enjoy a run in the woods together. I got the help of my husband and the two of us did not let a side glance go unattended to. We were on those dogs like glue for well over a month...and then to less than glue and more relaxed even today! We both agree that the trick was also to walk and run those dogs together each and every day to get them bonded into our cohesive pack with us as the leaders. What power! I am a pack leader!!

Brenda Atwood's great book, Aggression in Dogs, which saved us from death on the Winchuck, can be found on Amazon.Com. I found much of what she wrote in her body language book repeated in Aggression in Dogs. I've learned to speak "dog" . It actually works to go into their world to communicate in a way that is very clear and not a bunch of run on sentences in our "foreign" human language hoping they get the meaning. I've learned to lick my lips and yawn to help a stressed girl relax a bit. I'm not yet sniffing butts and scratching my behind! LOL

and now that I am back on the blog, I will make an effort to update more frequently with what is going on in and around our world here on the Wild River's Coast of Southern Oregon.