'Tis the season of giving (and receiving)

• By TAMMY MALGESINI 

• Community Editor
 

• Dec 18, 2018

Bill Belichick is the National Football League’s version of the Grinch. The head coach of the New England Patriots recently said Christmas is very inconvenient — coming in the middle of the football season.

Whatever. I enjoy the Christmas season — the festive music, holiday parties, tasty treats and the approaching NFL postseason.

But mostly, I like to give. I love finding the perfect gift for those that are special in my life. I enjoy seeing people open a gift I chose especially for them or hearing them share about what it means to them.

One thing I purchased/created for my mom this year was a special Christmas ornament. Since John and I only have canine kids, my mommy is gram-mama to Lucifer and the General.

I found an ornament that had a picture frame opening and underneath is written, “Grandkids.” I decided to alter it to say, “Granddogs.”

I decided it would be best to sand down the raised letters before writing “dogs.” How appropriate that I ended up using our doggie pedicure nail grinder — it worked perfectly. I can only imagine the look on gram-mama’s face when she opened it.

In addition to giving, I also like to receive. When the package came from my parents last week, I rifled through the box. My mom had hinted about sending money as one of our gifts.

I look at monetary presents as an opportunity to purchase something that I may not otherwise buy. Since I still had some shopping to do on Amazon, I wanted to know how much I might have in case something caught my eye.

I found two identical gifts in the box. I told John I suspected they contained checks for each of us and suggested that we open them. He was more than happy to take a peek.

My parents enjoy knowing what we buy with our present money. The first year, we pooled our money and bought a flat screen TV. Last year, we spent half of it on heavy-duty dog harnesses (and I also purchased some titanium earrings and John got some vinyl records).

While I have yet to spend this year’s gift money, John ordered a really nice Hamilton Beach electric countertop stand mixer. I don’t think my folks will be too upset that he already spent the money. He promptly used it to make several dozen cookies, which were shipped off to them the next morning.

Despite Grinch Belichick’s sentiments about the holiday season, I’m looking forward to the regular season wrapping up. While my friends that are Seahawks fans are still on the edge of their seats, my Rams and Saints have already punched their tickets to the postseason.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Resolving to be more like my dog

Community editor Tammy Malgesini bases her New Year’s resolutions on what she admires about her dogs.

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on January 2, 2018 4:52PM

What’s the point of making a New Year’s resolution?

Most studies indicate the majority of people that actually make resolutions don’t achieve them. For those who do decide to make New Year’s resolutions, it’s suggested to only tackle one. And according to a recent poll from Marist College in New York, the most popular is “being a better person.”

Studies show that dog owners can take a lesson from their canine kids in regards to becoming better people. So, in 2018 I will take cues from the General, my somewhat quirky 5-year-old German shepherd, and Lucifer, my husband’s majestic 8-year-old German shepherd. In the coming year, I will follow their lead by incorporating the following into my life:

•RELAX: According to the American Kennel Club, dogs typically sleep about 50 percent of the time. While I’m not going to sleep half the year away, I will further embrace the value of naps. Also, relaxing will include slowing down and taking time for myself — whether that’s reading, taking a walk or engaging in other hobbies.

•EXCITEMENT: Even though Lucifer and the General’s lives are pretty routine, they enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of daily walks. In addition, the General’s exuberant yelp when he realizes he gets to hang out with me at work is absolutely priceless.

While I can’t promise that I’ll howl with excitement, I’ll look for ways to spice up routine activities. Although I won’t feel compelled to mark everything along the way, I will attempt to stop and smell the flowers, which is going to be extremely exciting this spring. As one of my Christmas gifts, John revealed that he purchased and planted more than two dozen tulip bulbs.

•SIMPLE THINGS: Whether it’s riding shotgun to the store or getting leftovers from a dinner out, our dogs are thrilled by little things. While I thoroughly look forward to taking trips and going out for special occasions, I will take steps to initiate small things that touch the lives of others — meeting my friends for coffee, making a favorite meal for my husband and regularly sending cards or letters to my parents.

•BOUNDARIES: John and I have found that our dogs respond better with structure. It reduces acting out and behavioral issues. For me, it’s important to maintain boundaries regarding relationships and workloads.

When I’m feeling stress or have too much on my plate, I don’t dig holes in the yard or tear up a newspaper. However, rather than trying to be superwoman while my blood pressure skyrockets, it will be much healthier for me to talk about what’s happening and sometimes saying no.

•UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: Regardless if I’m happy or sad, my dogs are there for me. They don’t care if I’m having a bad hair day, if I haven’t showered or if I’ve put on five pounds. They love me. Period.

While I won’t be wagging my tail or licking other’s faces, I can certainly take a big lesson from Lucifer and the General in expressing love, care and concern to those in my pack, including my husband, parents and my chosen sisters.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Canine kids are doggone special

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on August 29, 2017 7:55PM

We sang a rousing round of “Happy Birthday” Monday morning in celebration of Lucifer’s eighth birthday.

While we didn’t throw a big party and invite all the neighborhood dogs, we did give Lucifer and the General some canned dog food. They get the good stuff on special occasions. The following morning, I swear the General looked at me like, “What gives!?” when I placed a bowl of regular food at his feet.

While both of our dogs are part of the Malgesini pack, Lucifer, a black German shepherd, is John’s dog and the General, a 5-year-old tan/black German shepherd, is mine.

After having Jeter, my 13-year-old German shepherd, put down in April 2012, I was initially hesitant to get another dog. I didn’t think I wanted to go through the difficulty of losing another canine kid. Lucifer helped me through the grief process and I’m grateful the General joined our pack. I can’t imagine life without my sweet boy.

The General is definitely the most intelligent dog I’ve ever had.

However, he has issues.

I used to think it was pretty amazing that he never had an accident in the house. Seriously, house training was a breeze. But later, it became apparent he had some quirks when it came to going to the bathroom, which I shared about in a past column.

The goofy guy also has tactile issues. I think he exhibits symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder or maybe even autism. My friends laugh when I say that, but think about it, dogs get other “human” diseases.

The General will only drink out of certain dishes. When he was about 9 months old, a paper towel fell into his water bowl by the daybed. He jumped down and stared at it.

“Take care of that,” he seemed to be saying. So, I squeezed the water out of the paper towel and threw it away.

He had a look on his face like, “That’s it, that’s all you’re going to do.” Honesty, I don’t know what more I could do. But he never drank out of that bowl again. He would jump over it, run downstairs and get a drink and then come back upstairs. After several more weeks, I finally removed the bowl.

And, playing hide-and-seek is hilarious. When I peer out and see him running frantically looking for me, I want to yell out, “Dude, use your sense of smell!”

What’s even more entertaining is when Lucifer hides with John. Seriously, this 95-pound dog will stand perfectly still in the shadows. I swear sometimes Lucifer even flashes an eye-roll while watching his brother searching for them.

John and I readily admit our canine kids have us wrapped around their dew claws. It’s all good — the boys always happily greet us when we come home, they rarely talk back and as long as they have food, water and the occasional belly rub, they’re happy.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

In my dog’s world, who’s training who?

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on January 31, 2017 7:34PM

As time goes on, I’m learning to think more like a dog.

While watching “Dog with a Blog,” sometimes I wish the General could just tell me what he’s thinking. A 4-year-old German shepherd — he’s the smartest dog I’ve ever had. I’m sure he doesn’t think the same of me.

While I feel extremely safe and protected when I’m with him, it evidently took him awhile to feel the same with me. I know this because the first time we went on a trip without John and Lucifer, the General didn’t do a duty for nearly 40 hours.

No matter how much I wanted him to take care of business, it wasn’t happening. In addition to the multiple stops on the way to Klamath Falls, when I got to the hotel I took him outside numerous times.

Seriously, nothing. I found all kinds of great spots for him. Along the lines of you can take a horse to water — he was having none of it.

I later learned I was approaching it all wrong. I was thinking like a human — you know, turning my head and looking the other way to give him privacy.

Dogs feel most vulnerable when doing their business, so they look to their human for protection. Go ahead, Google it. I was supposed to stare at him — reassuring him that I had his back.

Now it totally makes sense the first time I brought him to work late one night. When I went to the restroom, he crawled underneath the stall door, sat down and gazed at me the entire time.

I’m like, “Dude, the door is locked, you can sit out there.” Of course, he was probably thinking I was being ungrateful.

There are things I still need to figure out. I don’t get why the General shakes his head and tries to get out of the way when I blow in his face. This is the same dog that can’t wait for me to roll down the window when I’m driving so he can stick his head out.

And, evidently the General was royalty in a previous life. When I’m getting treats in the kitchen, Lucifer comes running to get some. General, on the other hand, waits to have his delivered. I swear he has a look on his face like, “What took you so long?”

In his eyes, I may be the prehistoric canine goddess but there are still things I need to learn.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Stay-cation results in home-grown fun

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on August 16, 2016 7:09PM

I recently took a couple of days off and hung around Hermiston for a long weekend.

I rarely do stay-cations. However, that may change in the future — it’s a great way to get away from work for a bit without your pocketbook taking a major hit. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people (and canines) doing fun things.

Thanks to a lucky draw at work, I won tickets to Thursday night’s Farm-City Pro Rodeo. My husband, John, and I even got hospitality tent passes for a free dinner.

I’ve been to a number of rodeos over the years, including that one in Pendleton. And, all I gotta say is Farm-City is the best — hands down! There’s nothing quite like being in a box seat so close to the action that dirt from the arena flies into your lap.

John and I took our German shepherds, Lucifer and the General, to the river Friday morning. We had great fun taking a dip in the water and pretty much had the beach to ourselves.

I do have a shiner below my left eye. In his exuberance, the General rammed my sunglasses into my face. I think the goofy guy thought I was hiding from him (we often play hide-and-seek) and ran smack dab into me.

Although the reason for the event was a somber one, Ron’s Pink Memorial Party was one crazy gathering. Held Friday night in the Let ‘er Buck Room, it celebrated the life of a guy I knew through my previous job with Umatilla County.

Ron Fisher died Aug. 4 in a freak car wreck in Baker City. The shindig was pretty wild with most everyone wearing pink. In addition, the officiant was a drag queen — with great legs, I might add.

The thing that struck me is how cool it was that his family and close friends threw the type of party Ron would have loved to attend. Ron wasn’t a stuffed shirt type of guy — neither was the farewell gathering held in his honor.

On Saturday, John and I enjoyed looking at exhibits at the Umatilla County Fair. Oh, and sampling some fine huckleberry desserts.

In the evening, we headed to Hermiston Super Oval for the School Bus Trailer Races. I even got to ride in one of the buses. It was before the actual bus races and was supposed to be for kids (and their accompanying parents). I sort of nonchalantly got in line and climbed aboard. I’m a kid at heart.

After watching the hornets and legends race, the grand finale featured full-sized school buses dragging trailers and racing through the figure-8.

Seriously, take a moment and visualize that. Sparks flew and trailers were destroyed! The last bus with a trailer still attached was declared the winner. I laughed. I laughed a lot.

Sunday provided some much-needed girlfriend time. I went golfing with my besties, Carol Greene and Deana Cordell.

With our busy schedules, it’s been awhile since the three of us have shared face-to-face time together. In addition to taking selfies, posting on Facebook and making plans for our annual fall trip to the coast, we also swung our clubs a few times.

I returned to work Monday morning — reading emails, making phone calls and typing some words. I think I need another stay-cation.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Pet ownership benefits health

Dog may be the best friend of man and woman, but the four-legged pal can test your patience too.

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on March 15, 2016 12:01AM

When asked if I have children, I tell people I have two canine kids.

John and I are currently raising Lucifer, 6, and the General, 3, both German shepherds. And, they are very important members of the Malgesini pack.

It seems life insurance companies also understand the value of dog ownership in regards to a person’s health. When I was shopping for a new policy, among the questions my insurance agent asked was did I own a dog.

An article I recently read on WebMD also touted the benefits of being a pet owner. Written by Jeanie Lerche Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health” was reviewed for inclusion on the site by Dr. Louise Chang, who is board certified in internal medicine. The article isn’t merely a pet lover gushing about their animals — the content is actually endorsed by a medical professional.

“Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety,” Davis said in the article.

While I totally agree with this, I also can attest that pets can act out in ways that raise your blood pressure and increase anxiety. Like the time Lucifer chewed the remote control — then a short time later, he gnawed another and then a third one.

Growing up during the pre-remote control world, the convenience of changing the channel without having to get up is now firmly embedded in our lifestyle. After the third remote bit the dust, Lucifer and I had a serious sit-down.

Lucifer is John’s dog and his affinity for remote controls was putting his status as man’s best friend at risk. Even though my lecture probably was comprehended as, “Lucifer, blah, blah, blah ... no, blah, blah, blah,” he seemed to understand the severity of the situation and discontinued the attack on the remote controls.

As for my dog, the General seems to exhibit symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. At about 6 months old he got weird about drinking out of only one bowl in the house.

Overall, it’s not a big deal if he prefers running downstairs to get a drink — even though he jumped over a perfectly good bowl of water sitting next to the daybed. However, it becomes an issue when that’s the only bowl he’ll consume water from.

One time during a pack outing, I was concerned that he’d become dehydrated or get heatstroke. Panting heavily, his tongue was dangling from his mouth. I finally ended up sucking water out of my CamelBak and then spit it into his mouth. While he didn’t protest, I’m sure it looked rather odd to anyone who might have witnessed it.

Our dogs definitely add to our life ... and you just can’t beat the excitement they exhibit when greeting us at the door after a long day at work.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Road trip leads to special moments with family

Community editor relishes in return trip to family home on the Oregon Coast.

By 

By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my shoes

Published on March 1, 2016 3:30PM

After returning from a road trip to visit my folks — I was reminded that there are things about being someone’s kid that really rock.

Despite the fact that I’m a college graduate, have a full-time job, pay a home mortgage and have been married for 32 years, whenever I go to Coos Bay I’m “Kidlet No. 2.”

My mom always tells me, “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’ll always be my little girl.”

Since Coos Bay is about a 15-hour round-trip drive from Hermiston, it’s not a weekend destination. Needing to take some time off from work, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to cruise across the state to see my folks.

While talking on the phone confirming plans for the trip, I asked my mom if she’d make roast. Over the years I’ve ruined many good cuts of meat trying to replicate my favorite family Sunday dinner. One time I even got cooking tips from an octogenarian while at the funeral of a former boss’s mom. Even though I wouldn’t be there on a Sunday, my mom was more than happy to prepare a roast for her “Tammy Sue.”

I packed the Jeep and headed out last Tuesday afternoon with the General, my 3-year-old German shepherd. He makes a great traveling partner, but since he doesn’t share in the driving duties I made a pit stop in Woodburn. In addition to being about halfway to Coos Bay, it provided an opportunity to get some shoes for my husband at the outlet mall and have lunch with some old friends.

I arrived in Coos Bay the next evening just in time for dinner. And, as luck would have it, my mom had prepared meatloaf — another one of my favorites. As we ate dinner, my pops asked me what I wanted to do while I was in town. I didn’t have much of an agenda, I wanted to go to the student store at Marshfield High School — my alma mater — to get a baseball hat and do some junkin’ in second hand stores.

My mom was giddy with excitement to have me home. Sitting in the living room, we took a jaunt down memory lane — sharing stories from days gone by. I couldn’t believe my mom was still up. Oftentimes when I call, she’s already in bed by 8 p.m.

When my eyes started to droop, I finally retired to “the pink bedroom.” When I lived in that room, it had obnoxious smiley face wallpaper. If you think that sounds dreadful, imagine how I felt as a 17-year-old waking up with a hangover with yellow, orange and pink smiley faces everywhere.

The next day, my brother joined us all for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Partway through the meal my mom’s face was beaming. “I have both my kidlets here,” she said. It had been almost four years since our whole family was all together.

That moment made the whole trip worth it — that and the roast beef dinner my mom and brother prepared.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

In dogs we trust

By TAMMY MALGESINI 

East Oregonian

Published on January 15, 2013 12:01AM

I’m hopelessly in love. Although my husband John and I will celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss this September, I’m not talking about him — it’s my dog.

General, my nearly 7-month-old German shepherd, has definitely wormed his way into my heart. He can get me to do just about anything.

After having Jeter, my 13-year-old German shepherd, put down in April 2012, I told John I didn’t think I was going to get another dog. It’s tough to lose a furry friend.

Lucifer, my husband’s German shepherd, helped me through the grief process — which included lots of hugs. Several months later, I made arrangements to adopt General and make the Malgesini pack whole again.

As my body has increased in age, my joints have become quite adept at predicting the weather. I honestly think a little meteorologist was surgically implanted along with the artifical knee I had put in several years ago. Since that time, I’ve hung up my skis and have found that bears are really onto something with that hibernation thing.

General, however, doesn’t seem to recognize when the mercury dips below freezing. He still wants to go for a walk. With my schedule, it’s usually at night and dark by the time I’m able to take a stroll. General doesn’t care. His puppy dog eyes melt my heart and soon I’m bundling up like the Michelin Man and heading out the door.

After a few occasions of trying to ignore his pleading looks, I found a way to satisfy his need for exercise and my desire to stay warm. A laser pointer. Yup, I stand on the back porch and point the beam. General runs laps trying to catch the little red dot. Lucifer, who has no interest in the light, derives great pleasure in running defensive interference while his brother from a different mother chases it like a mad dog.

Additional proof that our canine kids rule the household: When we bought a new Jeep Wrangler we purchased the larger and more expensive four-door version to have more room. Also, John and I have talked for years about taking an Alaskan cruise for our 30th anniversary. That idea has been replaced with planning a trip that includes the dogs.

And the biggest indicator that love runs deep for our dogs: I’ll drink after them. This is pretty significant, as I won’t even let my friends drink from my glass or bottle. In fact, one time while golfing in the sweltering heat, my good friend Karin Gilliland asked if she was parched and dying of thirst, would I let her have a drink. I told her if she laid face-up on the ground, I would pour water into her mouth.

Just to be clear, no, I don’t get down on all fours and drink out of their bowls. But a few weeks ago I came downstairs to find General standing in my chair with his snout in my glass lapping up my Pepsi. When I told this story to a friend, she asked if I continued to drink the rest of that Pepsi.

“Yes,” I said. “He’s family.”

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Tammy Malgesini is the EO community editor. Her column, Inside My Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.