Hello to all my friends!

I am home again after being shipped off to the vet once again. Really, this is all just a little too much - seven trips in just over two months! Even with the special treatment I get at the vet, this is too much for me.

The human assures me she is home for a few weeks, and I hope so. I need to be able to relax and catch up on my sleep and treats. Nobody gives me more treats than my human, so I have a lot to catch up. I have also decided that when I first get home from the vet I will refuse to sleep in my dog bed. Its quite simple really - just a battle of wills and you can guess who wins! I don't really have an issue sleeping in my bed - its really comfy, but there has to be some payback for all this travel - right?

In the short time that I have been home, nothing too exciting has been happening. You know, good food, lots of treats and walks. With the hot and humid weather we've been having I find myself running out of steam on our walks. So, my goal now is to see how slowly I can walk. Its amazing just how much one can slow down. The human, in her never ending quest to make me happy, is endlessly patient with me. I can tell she would really like to scoop me up and carry me home to put an end to the walk, but she resists every time. I think I am now able to stretch a what was a twenty minute walk to a 35 minute walk! I am going for 45 minutes!

This weekend we will celebrate Independence Day. I remember from last year there were a lot of fireworks around the area. Now, you know that generally dogs despise fireworks, but this year I will not be bothered by the mini-explosion at all! This is one of the benefits of being deaf. Another will be after my human attends a Michael Buble concert tomorrow evening. You know when she gets back and for a few days after that she will be listening to Michael Buble CDs and worse still, singing along with them - YIKES! At least this time I won't have to listen!!

Well, there you have it - an update from Clifford George Jackson
Let freedom reign!

Resurfacing

Wow! I can hardly believe how much time has passed since I last posted on my blog. It was right after Mother's Day, and here it is almost Father's Day.

Well, I can give you a whole bunch of reasons for my silence but the real reason is that I have been trying to deal with some changes in my life. I am never a big fan of change anyway, but the things that have been happening have had me a little out of sorts.

As you know, I am getting up there in age, and I have been aware of some subtle changes with my body, but in the last few weeks and months it seems that instead of these changes creeping up on me, they have been executing a full on assault! So, suddenly I gone from missing the odd sound to missing all but the loudest sounds. The vet had mentioned something about cataracts on my eyes, but until recently I didn't really buy it - now I have to acknowledge that I am loosing my sight too!

All of this has been a tremendous struggle for me to accept and so as I have been trying to deal with this new found vulnerability. One of the most difficult things for me to handle is needing help from my human. I feel like the roles have been reversed and she is now my protector. It's a bitter pill to swallow.

My human has really been trying to make me feel better. She has pointed out some benefits to being deaf. We have been having lots of thunderstorms lately and I, of course, can't hear the storms, so I can sleep through the whole thing. Recently, when we were walking, we met two adorable little girls who wanted to pet me. As they were really close, I could see that they were talking in the really high pitched manner that excited little girls have - and once again, this didn't bother me, and I could stand there and soak up the attention.

The human even bought me a really cool Chinese jacket on one of her trips (I think Chicago)- its not quite the smoking jacket I wanted but its close and its really cool! Watch for photos!

So, my friends, this has been a challenging time for me, but I think its something we get to face if we are lucky enough to live a long life. And as I slowly learn to accept my frailties, I will remind myself of all the good things in my life - things like friends, and families, and FATHERS!

Happy Father's Day!
Clifford George Jackson