1. I spent the last two days weeding the garden and I have the dirt under my fingernails to prove it. So far, I have eaten 2 salads containing items grown right in my own yard. I admit I am a tiny bit impressed with myself.
2. It’s officially summer. I know this because the lightning bugs are out in full force. I noticed them while walking the dogs around the neighborhood this evening. Watching them makes me smile. The bugs,not the dogs.
3. Ever since I lost my job 21 days ago, I’ve been trying to exercise more. I actually have more energy and am a lot calmer than I was when I was working. I wish I didn’t have the nagging worry about money, though.
4. I made fish tacos for dinner that were quite delicious, so delicious in fact that I ate way too much. I’ve been cooking more lately (see number 3) and I am not hating it nearly as much as I used to.
5. While on our walk, Kaylee, Prue and I noticed a truck driving around the neighborhood with a dog in the back. The dog was barking barking barking and the driver was driving really slow. I admit I was slightly curious and may have stared a bit, so as the truck was passing us, the driver stopped and told me: “I should do it like you, but I’ve gotten lazy. I just drive him around and let him bark.” I still get a chuckle thinking of that man driving his dog around.
6. My life is at a crossroads right now. I have so many options available to me and I really don’t know what to choose. I am hoping that fate will soon take the decision out of my hands. Though my thinking that I am in charge of my life is probably a little naive. I just hate limbo; I need to be pointed in a direction soon. Do you hear me, Fate?
7. All of a sudden, I am craving sangria. It’s a good thing I picked up a bottle at the store today.
I just drive him around and let him bark
Home is where the fur is
I'm back at work after a week away at the large exhibition and convention that my company participates in every year. I have so much to do and I am trying to tackle one thing at a time, but I keep allowing myself to become distracted. I have a new neighbor that moved into L's old office when she left to start a teaching gig. This new neighbor is not to replace her, oh no. It is, instead, another sales rep...another person who constantly relies on me as the sole sales and marketing support person for three separate companies. He has an annoying habit of kicking or tapping the wall between our two offices and it is starting to drive me insane. As if this job isn't enough to cause my dive into the deep end. I am trying to listen to Coldplay to drown out the tapping and help keep me on the task of entering the information for business contacts from the large pile of business cards collected at the trade show. I have discovered one thing I am terrible at: data entry. I think I'd rather smash my fingers in a car door than type out all of the information contained on these little rectangular pieces of paper. Data entry + intermittent tapping = one shitty Monday.
The trade show was held in Las Vegas and as much as I love seeing new places, I was really ready to come home after such a long time away. I was able to spend one of my days away visiting with a very dear friend and her new puppy, so that was my silver lining. On the last night in Vegas, I rode the rides on top of the Stratosphere and did not die, so that is also a bonus. I'm the one who suggested that craziness, thinking no one would be game. Boy was I wrong, and even trying to play the "I-can't-afford-it" ticket did me no good, since my coworker who was so gung-ho just bought my ticket for me. I need to learn to keep my fool mouth shut; it's forever getting me into trouble.
I spent all day yesterday watching movies and resting. I need about three more days of that; alas it is Monday and I am back at work and day-dreaming about my plans for the evening. I am going to try to force myself to take the dogs for a walk when I get home. I need to start exercising again and the dogs sure do need to let loose some of their pent up energy. They were plastered to me like a bad rash yesterday and I'll admit, I let them snuggle with me on the couch while we vegged out. I miss those numbskulls when I am away from them for too long.
It's funny how each of my pets reacts differently to my return. The two most affected by my absence seemed to be the eldest: Leo and Kaylee. Leo was meowing his fool head off, probably trying to tell me the bad things his siblings did while I was gone. And Kaylee is just so emotional; she takes everything personally and I think she was afraid that if she let me out of her sight, I'd vanish again for a week. Poor kids.
In other news, Dave is out of town until the end of the month. I love the quiet and solitude at first, but the loneliness starts to set in by week two. Luckily I have a lot of books to catch up on and I may just take a trip down to Florida one of these weekends he is away.
the very first day of my favorite month
It is October 1st and I am so glad September is gone. That month was beginning to stink, if you ask me. October is so much better...the leaves start to change, Halloween is fast approaching, and the holidays are getting close, but not close enough for the panic to set in. Dave has already put up the Halloween lights on the outside of our house and we'll work on adding fake spider webs over the next few weeks. I love Halloween and can't wait to have kids that I can dress up and take trick-or-treating. I have been so tempted to dress up the dogs, but so far, have kept myself under control.
October is my favorite month and I have a feeling that this one will prove to be one of the best yet. I have a trip to Florida planned with some really great gals and I cannot wait to see them again. This weekend is going to be so much fun.
While I am gone, Dave will get to take care of all of the animals, including the new cat that has decided to adopt us (though I am considering taking Prue so that she can play with my mom's dog Brynn, who happens to be her sister. Did I just confuse you?) The new cat showed up while I was in Florida for my grandmother's stroke scare, and Dave fed him. So now he will not leave. I wonder if he was left behind by former neighbors who have been forced to move because of foreclosure? We've had a lot of those in my area lately. New Cat seems well fed and is super friendly, so I'm not she if he needs adopting. But he has stuck around for almost two weeks now. And yes, we've started feeding him. How could we not? I mean look at that face!
And if that doesn't warm the cockles of your heart, how 'bout this one:
I guess once we've figured out what to name him, he's ours. I think when a strange cat adopts you, it brings good luck. I also think a fourth cat officially makes me a crazy cat lady.
A lot of love in a little package
Dear Prue,
Two and a half years ago, we decided to get another dog. Kaylee was a few months old and so emotionally needy that we wanted another dog to take some of her attention off of us and onto her new sibling. Come to find out, a tennis ball is pretty much all we needed to give her to keep her entertained for hours, sometimes just staring at the ball, willing it to fly from her so she could go retrieve it again and again and again.
Anyway, I checked Craigslist because surely there was someone giving away free dogs somewhere around Atlanta. And there was! Your mom was a full bred English black lab, calm and well-mannered, and her owners did not have a clue what you father was. But that was okay! We saw you and immediately fell in love with your inquisitiveness and also with how you immediately took to Kaylee and she to you. We brought you home and thought, having two dogs will make everything so much easier! Boy, were we WRONG.
Throughout the two and a half years we have had you around, you have chewed through the drywall in your dog pen, in the hallway, and you started on the foyer but I stopped you just in time. You have eaten off the side of one of our love seat cushions and now I have ugly slip covers to hide the damage you inflicted. You have torn apart and eaten almost every toy we have ever given you in a matter of minutes. You have eaten books, books I was in the middle of reading and books I was saving for any future children I might have. Oh and the chicken! You grabbed that free-range chicken that meandered into YOUR yard and shook it so hard there were feathers everywhere! If chickens have nightmares or suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome, then that chicken is screwed. You have also become very brazen about checking out what wonderful things are in the garbage can...using your nose to lift the lid and peering in. If we leave the house, even if we are going to be gone for a few minutes, you are locked in a crate while Kaylee is allowed to roam free. Because you cannot be trusted.
Since adopting you, we have discovered your paternity. Your dad was a whippet, a sight hound breed known for being agile, strong-willed, and hard to train. Here's a paragraph that sums up the breed quite nicely, "Leaving a Whippet pup alone for more than a couple of hours is a recipe for a problem dog. Some folks get away with it, but every Whippet with behavior problems we have ever taken into rescue came from a home where no one was there during the day. Around three years old, magic occurs and the Whippet turns into a perfect dog. Before then, you need to be ever-watchful, ever-patient, and ready to replace furniture when necessary.*"
We haven't reached the magic 3-year mark where you supposedly become a perfect dog, but to me, you already are perfect. You are willful and sneaky, but you are also the happiest dog I've ever been around. You love to be right near me or your dad, sometimes laying on our feet or curled up on our laps. You get into things and are disciplined, but being in trouble doesn't faze you. You are destructive, but we have learned to channel that behavior, allowing you to chew cardboard and junk mail while we watch and laugh at how excited you get. You love your big sis and she loves you, allowing you and only you to take her tennis ball right out of her mouth so you can play with it, of course. You are the sweetest and most loving dog ever and I am so glad you came into our lives when you did.
Love,
Me
A man and his dog
Dave and Prue are busy working on the floor today. The sanding is almost done and that will leave staining and sealing and then it will be finished. And none too soon, since there is a major hurricane heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and, quite possibly, the panhandle of Florida where a lot of my family lives. We may need to move out of the spare bedroom sooner than we thought. I am hoping to be able to talk my mom and grandmother into coming up here if Hurricane Ike looks like it will be targeting the panhandle and we'll need all the spare room we can get.
So far, today has been busy. We went to Lowe's to rent a sander early this morning only to get it home and have it not work. Figures. So we took it back, along with about $60 worth of sandpaper. Dave actually had to explain that the sander did not work and ask for his money back to the same clerk that had rented it to him. I guess she just assumed that he had sanded his floor really really fast and that he was turning it back in. After an hour. It made me miss those little mom and pop hardware stores where you actually got to talk to someone who knew what they were talking about and also where you could count on good customer service. At Lowe's, you pretty much have to fight for your rights as a customer and service is usually mediocre at best.
So, after returning the broken sander to Lowe's, we went to a privately owned tool rental place where we got really great customer service. And the rental was not only cheaper, but we get to keep it thru Monday even though we are technically renting it for one day because this location is closed on Sundays. We will definitely be renting from there again in the future and I will make it my mission to get Dave to shop at smaller, privately owned hardware stores and not at corporate chains. If we can find any near our house, that is. They seem to be a dying breed and that makes me really sad for the future of this country.
Isn't it ironic.
We had a busy holiday weekend and alls I can say is, I'm glad we had Monday off or I may not have made it.
Friday I had to work, but Dave had the day off. Since my friend Jill and her family were driving up from Jacksonville, I asked Dave if he wouldn't mind cleaning up the house a bit before their arrival around the time I was to get home from work. He mentioned plans to work on a throwing implement for his Scottish Games Competition on Saturday, but said he'd straighten later. Guess what that translated to? When I walked in at 5, the only room that had been straightened was the garage...which, I guess according to any man, is the most important room in the house. I could have throttled Dave, but I didn't have time, since I got to speed clean after calling Jill and finding out they were 15 minutes from our house. I have never cleaned that fast in my life and I hope I never have to again. And you better believe Dave helped.
We went to dinner with Jill and her husband and 2 year-old daughter and they left to continue their trip to the north end of Atlanta to visit family. I couldn't offer them the spare room unfortunately since Dave and I were using it while finishing the floor in the master bedroom. But I did offer to keep their dog for them and Hershey is so well behaved, we barely knew she was there. Except for the times when my dog Prue kept trying to instigate a fight with Hershey.
On Saturday, Dave and I headed up to the north Georgia mountains for the Appalachian Celtic Festival and Highland Games. He competed with the more advanced group this time while I kept score for the group he used to compete with. I didn't really get to watch him, but I know he got 5th place out of 7. Not bad, considering he was competing against two of the top ranked guys in the nation. I had fun keeping score for a judge who was from Scotland. Man, those accents are sexy!
We didn't get home until late on Saturday and luckily, I did not have to call Jill and tell her my dog had killed her dog. Prue and Hershey seemed to have worked out their differences and become best friends in our absence. Weirdos. We made plans to get together with Jill and her family the next day, along with a friend of mine who is a single mother to a 2 year-old daughter. We ended up going to an art festival at Grant Park in downtown Atlanta and had a great time watching the kids wear themselves out.
On Monday I did nothing in my attempt to recover from all of the activity of the previous couple of days. I love days like that where you have no where to go and can just relax. Dave was bored and kept complaining about it, so I finally hinted to him that the lawn needed mowed so that kept him occupied for a while.
I really do not understand people who complain about being bored. I can always find something to keep me occupied, whether I am reading a book, watching tv, playing on the computer or even daydreaming. Dave drives me crazy with his constant need to be entertained and his inability to sit still for longer than a few minutes at a time.
Late Monday afternoon, Jill and her family came to pick up Hershey and they headed back to Jacksonville. I still think it's ironic that she has kept planning to visit and them putting it off for the three years we've been here, but the few weeks we decide to do major renovations to our bedroom, she finalizes her plans. Guess that's just the way things work sometimes.
Oh, and another funny irony...a car cut us off on the interstate as we were heading to dinner the other night. The vanity plate read: Godlike. The Universe sure has a warped sense of humor!
I did have to call my mom on Monday morning as hurricane Gustav was hitting the gulf coast of Louisianna. A tornado touched down 6 miles from where she lives, but she was still asleep and didn't even know about it! I woke her up and insisted she stay informed about what was going on. Geez, you'd think that a hurricane hitting near you would cause a little bit of concern, but I guess she is used to them. It's so much harder for me to watch all the action on tv now instead of riding it out with those that I love. I hate living so far away from my hometown, especially during hurricane season.
Fay, you are beginning to smell.
When I moved from the panhandle of Florida to Georgia, I figured I would be done with tropically classified storms. And this has been true for the last 3 and a half years I've been here. Until this week, when Fay decided to make an appearance. She is currently sitting on top of north Georgia, and though we really needed rain, it looks like we may get flooding with it. Fay, Fay, go away - you have overextended your stay.
All of this rain is doing two things for which I am not pleased.
1) Fay is making my head hurt. I have nutty sinuses and low-pressure systems make my head feel like it is going to either explode or fall off of my neck.
2) Fay is forcing me to pay more to get to work that I would like. I am driving my SUV instead of my bike, and I am going to need to fill up soon and oh my god that's painful. I am a cheap-skate at heart and do not like paying over $100 for anything, let alone a tank of gas. Man, it's not like I can wear it or show it off or anything.
In other news, Dave is installing wood flooring in our bedroom. I am excited about this because the carpet in there was nasty when we bought the house and has gotten even nastier since. Our dogs sleep in our bedroom with us at night and they are a huge source of dirt and hair and love to wrestle. Berber carpet cannot withstand two energetic labs, especially the cheap stuff the previous owners installed in the master bedroom. So now we will have oak floors and hopefully, my allergies will thank me...err, thank Dave, rather, since he is the one doing all of the work.
The downside of this project is the mess it is making of the rest of our house. We have moved into our guest room and all of the furniture and crap from our bedroom has been strategically placed around the rest of the house. It is currently looking a little cluttered around Casa de Chelle, though the cats are loving all of the new hiding spots that have been created. The other downside: going from sharing a king size bed to a full. Have you seen Dave? He fills a full sized bed by himself, so needless to say, I am awakened several times a night by elbow jabs and cover thievery, oh, and the snoring! Have I told you about the ear plugs I keep stored in my pillow case? I have had to use them only once since we moved rooms, but thank you baby jesus that we even had any, because there are times when Dave sounds like a freight train and it's either ear plugs or strangulation and I would much prefer to keep him around to continue with the home improvement projects and to do all of the heavy lifting. I cannot wait until this project is complete and we can move back into the master bedroom and back into our own sleeping zip codes.
Sneaky
I like to capture pictures of my cats with the cell phone, because they are often not cooperative when I try to take a picture with the digital. Here are my favorites:
Gavin:
Leo:
Colin:
Man, I love these furry furry faces so much.
Careful, she tends to wander
I have finally gotten a chance to breathe at work, so I have time to update. L has not been feeling well lately - her wisdom teeth are really bothering her - so I've been carrying the department for the past couple of weeks. She gets them out on Saturday, so hopefully things will be back to normal next week.
My little bro had a birthday yesterday, and I forgot to call him. I don't think he'll be upset, but I'm going to call him as soon as I get home tonight. I have written this on my hand in red Sharpie marker so I will not forget again.
And now, a funny story:
When I was very young, I had the bad habit of wandering away from my mom in stores. I was so short, that in order to locate her, I would look for strollers, because she would usually be pushing my brother around while browsing. On more than on occasion, I would latch on to the nearest stroller, eventually looking up to realize that the woman pushing the stroller was not my mom. So off I'd go to find her.
Well, I have not outgrown this bad habit, as I proved while grocery shopping with Dave the other day. He was pushing the cart and picking out green peppers right next to me, while I was browsing the bagged salad choices. My decision being made, I placed the lettuce mixture into the cart. And heard a "Hi," causing me to look up at Dave. Only it wasn't Dave. Or the cart he had been pushing. I made my apologies, grabbed my salad and scurried off to find Dave. Mortifying! I finally located Dave and told him what had happened and he laughed and asked if he needed to hold my hand so I wouldn't get lost or go home with the wrong guy. hahaha. My new tag-line: Keep an eye on that one, she wanders.
*****
We took all five animals to my Mom's house over the 4th of July holiday. I am impressed with how well-behaved everyone was while in the car for over 5 hours. Gavin and Leo were a little impatient with one another a couple of times, and Colin got carsick on the way down to mom's, but that was it for problems. I think it helped that they were all in carriers: three cats in a medium-sized crate and two dogs in their big crate.
I was able to visit with family I have not seen in a while. It's always a little strange because I do not have much in common with the majority of my family. I do not think we would associate with one another if we weren't related. Plus, living so far away and not seeing them often always makes it awkward when we do get together. I am glad I got to see them, though.
We stayed home last weekend and tried to clean house a little bit. We hadn't done much of anything since Dave's parents left, so it was high-time to get our butts in gear. I will be doing the same tonight, since Mom will be here from Florida this weekend. She is flying out to California to visit Chris for a (slightly late) birthday celebration. This will be the first time that Mom has ever visited Chris and I think it will be good for both of them. Although, I really hope he cleans at least a little bit before she gets there.
Well, that's it for an update. Soon I will be sharing info about our garden and whether or not I passed the motorcycle driving test. Wish me luck!
A few random things...
I have been busy, internet, and I've been neglectful in my blog updating. But yesterday Kaylee had another seizure. She is fine; she snapped right out of it after a few minutes, just like the last time. I remembered that I recorded the first two instances on this here little blog, so I figured I'll just use my blog to keep track of her seizures from here on out.
Okay, now that the bad news is over with...here are five fun things I have been up to:
1. I finally saw Sex in the City and I'll admit, it was pretty good. A lot better than I expected it to be, since the reviews have been so mixed. I actually enjoyed the story and felt that the writer(s) did a good job of keeping it real. My only complaint is how much of a bad guy they made Miranda, but whatever. It really doesn't bother me that much. Dave went to it with me, but only because he did something that I could have held over his head for a very long time and he used this movie as a way to make me promise never to mention the incident again. So, I will make good on my promise and not even mention what he did here. But I wish I could because it was golden blogging material!
2. I have now seen all of the Bourne movies and I like them. The Bourne Ultimatum is my favorite. Are they coming out with a fourth one? I really hope they are. I love me some Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. Or David Webb. Or whoever he wants to be, really.
3. I have read three books in the past week or so and I am currently working on Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. So far so good! The one I just finished was the fourth book in Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series. I thin kit is called Odd Hours. Originally, I tried to check it out at my local library, but they take forever to get new books. The library man said a lot of people had been asking about that one, so I decided to donate it when I was done reading it. I'm so glad I did, but I wish they had counted it toward my late fees.
4. I have become something of a bad ass at Assassins Creed. I am not much of a gamer, but Chris bought me this game a while back and I just never made the time to play it. So now that gas costs a fortune and I can't afford to go anywhere or do anything fun that requires spending money, I am searching for entertainment closer to home. And I have discovered that playing video games is a cheap thrill. And so is assassinating people, apparently.
5. I am now riding the motorcycle to and from work every day. And I rode it to the library. I am getting to the point where I am actually enjoying riding and am no longer fearing for my life every time I gear up. Of course, it has been in the 90's around here lately, so that kind of takes some of the fun out of it. Motorcycle gear is hot. (Haha, I typed hott, at first. I guess it's that, too.) I just keep telling myself, 70 mpg!
The Right Regrets
Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.
— Arthur Miller
Gavin is back at the vet this morning. But it is a NEW vet, who is already proving to be way more competent than the one I've been taking my animals to for almost three years.
The entire time I've been going to the old vet, I have had this nagging feeling that something didn't feel quite right. I attributed this feeling to moving to Atlanta and finding a vet to replace the awesome one I had back in Florida. I figured I was experiencing growing pains and that I'd get used to the new place and the nagging feelings would disappear. Well, I was wrong and Gavin's case has proved that I should always listen to that little voice that is telling me "something's not right."
Yesterday, Gavin's symptoms had returned with a vengeance, so I decided to take him back to the vet...the old vet...because I figured they had already done a bunch of tests and they were close to the house and on the way to work, etc. I dropped him off and went to work and waited for the vet to call with a new prognosis. When the call came, the first words out of the vet's mouth were, "Gavin's not very happy today. He won't let us touch him so we'll have to sedate him in order to re-examine him." This immediately put me on the defensive because Gavin is usually a very sweet and mellow cat. So if his dander is up, it's for a good reason. I told the vet not to do anything until I consulted with Dave. Then I called another clinic and made Gavin an appointment for later that day.
I took the rest of the day off of work so I could ferry Gavin from the old vet to the new vet. I called the old vet and told them I was picking him up and requested them to fax his records over to the new vet. I was surprised that they did without any argument. Then I picked him up and we spent a lovely two hours at home, calming down from the traumatic experience, before heading to our new appointment.
The new clinic was so much better. It was cleaner. The staff was more professional. The vet and the tech actually took time to let Gavin get to know them, petting him and talking to him before starting the exam. And he was fine; though he was a little bit "argumentative," he didn't try to bite or claw anyone - no sedation required.
The verdict as of right now is that he is constipated. He spent the night so that they could give him an enima and then x-ray him again this morning. I am relieved that it turned out to be something so simple and easily treated. And I am also so angry at the old vet that I could just punch him in the face and I am not an aggressive person at all. I spent two-hundred and sixty dollars last week for them to run all sorts of unnecessary tests that served no purpose in getting him well. I had gotten so worked up over their incompetence, that I felt ill yesterday. They will want to sedate me if I ever step into that office again.
I plan on writing a letter, asking for a refund, especially since I asked the old vet, point blank, if his symptoms could be a result of constipation and he assured me that that couldn't possibly be what was making him throw up. If nothing else, I have at least learned my lesson when it comes to listening to my intuition and trusting my instincts. I was beginning to believe I wouldn't be a good mother someday and that if I couldn't even take care of a cat, how was I ever going to handle kids, blah blah, woe is me. But now I know better.
And the cat came back
So Gavin has been sick. He threw up his dinner on Sunday night and I didn't think anything of it, except, "Well, that's what happens when we eat so fast." Monday morning, he wouldn't touch his food, which is very un-Gavin-like. Then he threw up and there was a little bit of blood in it. So to the vet, he went.
Dave took him, since he's on nights and didn't have to be at work until 2. I went on to work. Now, I like my vet and I love my husband, but I don't think they are the best "team" when it comes to handling a crisis with one of the pets. The vet, oh how he loves to jump to conclusions, or present you with the worst possible scenario. Combined with Dave's ability to dramatize, and they both were sure that Gavin was dying from Feline Leukemia.
After I had calmed Dave down, I decided to take over the coordination of Gavin's treatment, so I called the vet. And explained how Gavin is an inside cat and that there is no way he could have contracted leukemia. I went ahead and authorized the tests, and of course, they came back negative. Gavin's blood sugar, enzymes and everything else were also normal. But they wanted to keep him overnight for observation. I went to visit him after work, and though he was a little out of it, he seemed pretty happy to see me.
So yesterday, he was fine. No more throwing up. So they sent him home with an antibiotic and some special canned food that I paid a lot of money for and that he refuses to eat. Though I don't blame him, considering how it smells.
The verdict? They still don't know what was wrong with him. He either ate something that was toxic or had the beginnings of a bacterial infection in his GI tract. He did not want to eat last night, but he finally started picking at his food again this morning, so things are looking up. And now I am questioning whether or not Dave and I are really ready for kids.
