Oh, yah............. I think I promised you Storm pictures...here is last Monday's storm
's contribution to our landscaping.It's quite impressive ..... this was prob. a 30-40 foot cedar tree that's probably 50-60 yrs. old I'll bet........ he's right as you first turn in the driveway on the right. A sad day for his other cedar cousins that stand tall & proud right there too. It truly is amazing...... this was probably the largest of the 4 or 5 that stand there...... and it was the THIRD one in the row. He'll be lying there for awhile ..... the arborist said it would be awhile before he got here. (and Ben and I aren't into heavy tree work anymore!) We're just glad nothing was damaged and no one hurt when it came down! You can see where it actually pulled a big part of it up by the roots. When the storm was going on you could TELL that something had come down. The 'cedar' smell in the air was amazing..... even a long way away.
Phew!!! It's Saturday afternoon and I can honestly say that we are on the downhill side of a VERY busy week!! As always, God bless my wonderful, wonderful staff...... they have buckled under and done everything they needed to in very much stressful and 'off the wall' circumstances. We got the pool operational finally (it has to cure good for awhile) so its nice to have Suzanne back in operation w/ her assisted swims and its nice to be able to get in and do those Gym 'n Swim activities again..... AND the pool looks great..... we went w/ a new color so its REALLY like a good spring clean!! Kenl 2 is a wreck!!! Destruction started in there in earnest this week and they weren't kidding!!! The entire floor has been removed and after some initial plumbing and electrical work a new floor will be poured yet next week. In the meantime, in order to get access to the area ..... one play yard is down, a new fence is up and we are running off of only 1/2 as many outdoor runs as usual. Sure, why not??? It's only spring break!!! :) It's been an extra challenge to work around that, try to get outside chores done while workmen are all on lunch break so the 'fraidy cats' aren't freaked out by the noise. oh, Yah..... the noise.... nothing like our nice radio system w/ the sound of 2 bobcats and a jack hammer going!! Have I mentioned that I am SOOO very glad we have a primarily indoor facility!!?Besides that, we had the opportunity to serve as hosts for a PCSA Certified Kennel Operator testing site this weekend on top of everything else.Oh, Yah......... and did I mention that Nancy, Maria, and Opal were all gone out of the grooming salon?? Opal's sick and hopefully back this week, Nancy's out w/ her shoulder surgery and Maria (our head stylist) is out on her annual mission trip to Mexico. Thank heavens for Karen who has joined us. She comes from another well respected groom shop here in town so she has been able to jump in and really make tracks ........ as well as everyone in that department really pulling together and getting it done as well. (tomorrow will be a real test...... the last Sunday of the last of the spring break...... I know we have 84 departures but I haven't checked on how many of them are getting groomed before they go home but I KNOW it will be a challenge!)
Thanks to those of you who have expressed concern about us as a result of the Storm Monday night. Yes, it certainly was quite a "treat" for us out here. We had ground covering hail, in addition to LOTS of wind & rain. I'll get some pictures posted for you here when I get a chance. We have a daily "TMT" program here....(Ten Minute Trainers) .. for the staff and it just so happens that the TMT that started on Monday was "twist & shout"....... which as you can imagine has to do with tornadoes, and the upcoming 'potential' (insert REAL) threat of inclement weather that we can experience at this time of the year. What better way to get the whole thing started than real life demonstration!! There is always a lot of discussion about what to do, where to go, what to do w/ the pets, etc. It gives staff time to think out all of our emergency plans and get cemented into their heads what exactly they are to do so that everything becomes more automatic to them. However, you never really know what you will do in an emergency until the time actually comes so Monday's storm put it all as just a tad bit more 'real' for them. I'm happy to report that only one big 'ol tree was our only casualty!!
So, here we are.......... in the midst of spring break... and as one would only anticipate, NOW -->in the midst of a new construction project. As many of you know, UNL just got out last week and LPS is now out THIS week. That always makes for fun & games around here. Juggling the needs of what everyone wants, accomodating last minute plans from families, etc. In addition to that, we now have 'officially' started the construction on the new VIP suites. As you know, we started 2009 by actually decreasing our overall occupancy by 1/3. Fortunately, this has not yet become a problem--We have emptied (well almost) Kenl 2.... and they have torn down one of the play yards in order to access the back Kenl....... (Good grief, we have quite a little protected fortress here!!) We've put up new barriers to block all that off from all of the everyday goings ons and strategized NEW ways to get out to the hike trail, where to park, enter to work, etc. It should be fun and exciting to enter this new phase of our development..... I look forward to showing you all around.
Well, YES!!! the 'ol Mom Dog is liking this day light savings change here already. Even though it is against my nature to go along w/ changing the stupid time of the day in order to suit our whims & fancies....... I'm kind of liking it this year. The daylight at night is nice but I'll have to admit, being a very early riser,....... I DO miss it in the morning. I become such a hermit in the winter time. Lights out...& then I'm gone!! BUT......I can cruise the yard and actually see some little planlies that want to come out and I'm really getting the urge to smell dirt!! As are "the kids"...... they're dying to get out and RUN!! Maybe we'll do that this evening.
Today begins a 'poolless' time for the next week or so........ that is NOT a 'poo-less' time --that IS a 'pool-less'. Out comes the water tonight and tomorrow starts a power clean and repaint period that will hopefully keep us all going for another long while. Our apologies for the inconvenience and disruption of services.....and our thanks to those of you who have kept the pool busy for us. I'm worried that the new paint smell might be a little overwhelming for the monthly Cornhusker Kennel Club meeting Tuesday night but if we have a whole lot of "high" dog fanciers running around town on Wednesday..... we'll prob. know why!! Many of our classes have been canceled for the week and of course, the private swim sessions. It is a struggle sometimes ...... its not something I'm sorry we did but it IS truly a lot of work and hassle. Knowing how much benefit many dogs have gotten and how it has extended their lives helps a whole lot. And then, of course, watching those dogs and how they love the Gym'n Swim activity just HAS to put a smile on your face.
For those of you NOT familiar w/ the above term......... fear not!! (there will be no test later) However, as I am reading today this is an actual rock star!! The 'rock' is a 30-35 million year old fossil of a very nicely preserved Canine which dates back to the Oligocene Age. This fossil contains what appears to be a small, 'meerkat-like' carnivore w/ recognizable canine teeth. It was acquired several years ago by Mr. Lawrence Kalstone. (Mr. Kalstone and his wife Shirley are well known names in the grooming world) It was obtained totally by accident at an auction of dinasour remains. (sounds like a totally fun Sunday afternoon, right?) This new treasure is housed at the AKC Library BUT ...... the neatest thing is............... it came from Nebraska!!! ----------------How cool is that??! --------------------
Okay, I know that sounds like a lot of jibberish but I am VERY proud to announce that we have just completed our Voluntary Facilities Accreditation through the Pet Care Services Association. (for those of you 'medical' folks ..... it would be like going through JCAH) The PCSA is our national organization of Pet Care Facilities and we have just been through a review process (both written and personal inspection) that again, helps to assure our customers that the care we provide is as optimal as possible. This has been a LONG time in the works..... Kudos to Dian, for getting this all together and seeing this project through!! AND kudos to the staff that all took part in the initial review process that we put ourselves through. They all had their own section of policies/procedures to work through, update, and revise as was needed to help keep all of our stuff current and within standards. There really wasn't that much to do as we already have good practices in place as a part of our everyday routine...... but as always, it's a hassle to just get things all together and then actually open yourself up for a totally random inspection from outside industry experts. I appreciated the response from one of my staff that later said..... "you know KQ, ...... I just want to thank you for having a place to work where we didn't really HAVE to just get all excited about these people coming...... its so nice that this is all just a routine part of everything we do!!" :)
's contribution to our landscaping.
