Retirement

My official retirement date was 1 November, 2007. It did not really hit me, though, until yesterday when I received a letter in the mail from the Defense Finance Accounting Service. The letter was addressed to "CDR PAUL L KRATOCHWILL USN RET." Inside the letter was a notification that my retired pay account had been established. I never thought I would stay in the Navy much more than a single tour, and I certainly never thought I would make a career out of it!

SAMSON

Well, we are on Day Four of our time with Samson and the results are mixed. There are times that he obeys our commands but there are other times that he completely ignores us. He still shows a lot of separation anxiety and he hates it when Deirdre or I are behind a closed door. He is fearful and aggressive towards other dogs, and we are concerned about him being around children. Tomorrow we are meeting with a dog trainer to see if we can "fix" some of his bad habits. He is currently sleeping at my feet. I have done my best the past few days to keep him busy with lots of walks and play time. He certainly loves to chew rubber bones and other toys!

SAMSON DAY THREE

Well, we are in our third day with Samson and we are having mixed results. It is clear that he was not properly socialized as a young pup. He is fearful of other dogs and tried to jump up on adults and children. He is also exhibiting the signs of separation anxiety. He constantly follows me around the house and when I do put him in his crate, he immediately starts to whine and whimper. He has tried to bite me three times since we picked him up, though I was able to control his actions by grabbing his snout and letting him know just who the Alpha male is in this pack! We are meeting with a professional trainer on Saturday to see what she can do to help us control Samson. On a positive note, it was easy to change his name from Danson to Samson. He picked right up on the change and now acknowledges to that name. We can't get him to obey any voice commands other than "sit," but at least he recognizes his name! Updates to follow.

A FEW PHOTOS OF SAMSON

Yep, he is a handful right now! However, he is quietly sleeping at my feet as I type this. There are so many things I need for him to "un-learn." I just got back from out pre-dinner walk and an elderly man was raking his leaves. Sammy was quite interested in this evolution and the man said to me, "That is one good looking dog!"

SAMSON, OUR NEW DOG

As some of you know, just a week after I got home from Illinois we had to put our beloved dog Allie to sleep. It came as quite a shock to Deirdre and I we told ourselves that it would be a while before we got another dog. Allie was such a sweet and gentle animal who taught us all a lot about how to live and die with dignity. Well, last week, Dee heard about Samson (who was then named Danson) who was a rescue dog living at the West Michigan Regional Laboratory (WMRL). The WMRL is located on the Calvin College campus and it is a joint venture between Calvin College, Michigan State University and Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids. The lab will use dogs to simulate service animals and they will train first responders on what to do if their service dog is injured or incapacitated. One of Dee's co-workers told her about Danson, who is a German Shepherd Dog mix who had been at the lab for a little more than two months. The WMRL is a "no-kill" lab, so all of the animals it gets it keeps until a suitable home is found. Well, we met Danson and he touched us both. He is about a year old and just full of energy. After seeing Danson and knowing that we had the resources to give him a good home, we adopted him as of Monday, 12 November. We brought him home and he was racing all over the house, checking out all the new smells and sights. It is clear that his original owners, whom we found out just abandoned him as Danson was a stray wandering around Grand Rapids, had taught him a few commands., but he also has some bad habits we will need to correct.

As is often said, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Allie was such an easy dog to train and we are hoping that Samson is as well. He is already recognizing his new name (neither Dee nor I liked his shelter namd of Danson!) and he knows how to sit, stay and come. We bought him different kind of collar, called a Gentle Leader headcollar, and I just tried it out. What a difference! Samson weighs about 60 pounds and he has incredible strength. When we took him out for a walk last night he was pulling us all over the place. Well, the Gentle Leader is a different type of collar and it boats "Immediate gentle control that is painless to the dog and never chokes." I just fitter Samson with the collar (you can see it in the photos) and we went for a walk. It was so easy to take him on a walk. This morning it took a lot of strength to control him with his traditional collar, but on this most recent walk I literally controlled him with two fingers! For any of you who are "dog people," you gotta check out the website for this collar. Samson is a completely different dog when he is wearing this headcollar!

This is the first of many posts about our new dog. He really is sweet and with a little training on both sides of the leash, he will be a welcome member of our family.

P.S. The option to upload photos in Blogspot seems to be having some technical difficulty. Look for some photos of Samson soon!

Veterans Day

Today is the first Veterans Day I have experienced as, well, a veteran. Throughout my military career, I had the day off as it was a federal holiday. I marched in a few parades and I represented the Navy as a guest speaker a couple of times, and I also had the day off as it is a Federal holiday. However, I never saw my self as a veteran as I was on active duty. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day as it celebrated the end of the War to End All Wars, also known as World War I. An Armistice was signed between the warring countries at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Thus, this day celebrating the end of WWI morphed into a day to recognize the sacrifices of veterans of all wars. Veterans Day was always celebrated on November 11th, regardless of the day of the week it fell upon each year. In the 1968, Congress passed legislation making Veterans Day a "three day weekend" holiday so the date would be the Monday closest to November 11th. Needless to say, many veterans groups (The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to name a few) opposed this and in 1975 President Ford signed returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.


Yesterday, an officer with whom I served called me to wish me a happy Veterans Day and then it really struck me. I am now one of the millions before me who served their country with pride. Throughout my active duty career I was not technically a veteran, so I never saw myself as one. Well, today is the first of many Veterans Days I will celebrate in the years to come. I ask any of you who read this blog today and who know a veteran to thank them for their service.

CIVIC DUTY

This morning I went to my polling place and voted There were only three issues on the ballot. The mayor of East Grand Rapids and a City Commissioner were up for re-election and they were running unopposed. There was also a millage proposal to allow for the building of a new gym at the high school. Thus, only one issue mattered on the ballot.

What struck me when I was driving home after I voted how too many citizens take this right for granted. This is an "off year", so there is not as much interest in this election. However, I thought it important to exercise my right to vote and express my opinion on the issues of the day. Certainly, next November will be a lot more interesting as we will elect a new President, a third of the Senate will be up for grabs as will the entire House of Representatives. Do not take your right to vote for granted. Get out there and be heard every election day.

TONIGHT'S DINNER

It is a cool November day here and I have decided to make "Stay in Bed Stew." It is easy to make and it is one of our favorite meals. Here is the recipe:

2 1/2lbs stewing beef
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1-2 chopped potatoes
1 chopped parsnip
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
5 whole allspice kernels
1 can beef bullion
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tapioca

Preheat the oven to 275F. Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours. Serve with a hearty Cabernet and crusty bread.

RETIREMENT

Well, yesterday, 1 November, was my official retirement date from the Navy. Though I cannot yet join AARP, I am retired! To celebrate this special day in our lives, yesterday morning Dee and I drove to a B&B on the shores of Lake Huron in Oscoda: www.huronhouse.com. We arrived at the Huron House around 3:30PM and spent the rest of the daylight hours walking on the beach and taking in the sites of Oscoda. We had dinner at a great local place, Tait's Bill of Faire, and then we retired to the Sunrise Suite for a few adult beverages before calling it a night. Sunrise was at 8:14PM so Dee and I had not problem being up and about to see the Sun rise over Lake Huron. It was a great way to start the first day of my retirement. We drove home via a different route, stopping in Cadillac where we had lunch at a Herman's European Cafe, based on a recommendation from a former resident of Cadillac. Lunch was great and we drove south down 131, returning home in the late afternoon. Throughout our drive we both remarked on how beautiful our home state is, and that we need to get out more and explore the Enchanted Mitten.

HALLOWEEN IN EAST GRAND RAPIDS

Halloween in East Grand Rapids is always a big event and last night was no different. By 6PM, Dee and I set up our fire pit, put out our pumpkins and waited for the ghosts, ghouls and goblins to drop by for a trick or a treat. The evening started out slowly with a few kids begging for candy by 6:15PM or so, and then the rain came. Brief showers were in the forecast, but we were hoping that it would at least be dry.

The rain was intermittent and by 6:45PM the rain had past through and then the trick-or-treaters came out in force. I bought three large bags of candy and we handed out all but a few pieces of it. We must have been visited by more than 75 children last night, so it was a success. We also handed out Jell-O shooters to the adults who expressed an interest in one.