Give her an inch, she shits in your dining room

When we got Misty, they gave us a dog training book which suggest having her on a 6-foot leash when she is not in her crate so you can "immediately correct bad behavior". She's been such a good girl, that I have been lax and just keeping a close eye on her. Apparently not close enough. I just cleaned up a little doodie in the dining room.

Controlled Chaos

Misty and Scout have become fast friends, but I swear Scout has also nominated himself as her mentor. When we are trying to get her to pee outside, Scout will come out and show her what to do. Scout also puts her in her place when she gets too exuberant. Scout and Misty must have chased each other around the house for two hours straight today. I though Scout was going to have a heart attack from all of the exertion. He's not a young dog anymore (he's six). Misty nips at Scouts lips, then they run like mad until Scout bowls her over with his paw. She is darn near potty trained except when I read her signals wrong. I had her in the bedroom with me and she was whining. I thought it was because she wanted to be with Jeffrey, but it was because she had to pee. What the hell, the carpet needed cleaning anyway.

New Puppy

Scout was moping around like he'd lost his best friend. He stopped racing to the door to great us and hadn't barked or howled (unusual for our Beagle). I had been thinking of getting a smaller, more portable dog in the future so last Sunday we all went to the Petsmart adopt a dog thing. There was a Shi Tsu that Mike and I had our hearts set on but Jeffrey begged, pleaded and bargained (he paid the $50 more for a puppy) and we got Misty the mischievous pup. She is adorable with little black button eyes and a face like a baby fox. She is a Cairn Terrier/Sheltie mix so should not get too big. She steals our shoes and attacks my slippers while still on my feet. Yesterday morning, I missed my train because we could not find where Misty put my glasses. It will take a bit before Misty has us trained about what we can and cannot leave out. I will post her picture this weekend when I have time to upload it.

In Memoriam

Our charmingly incorrigible, clown Trigger has died. Trigger was only 6 years old (best we can tell). He was a big goofy Bassett Hound who had theme music when he walked (dopey,dopey, dope, dope...). David used to say Trigger was the coolest dog we ever had because he was so stupid that he forgot who we were when we left and greeted us as if we were wonderful new people that he could charm. Yesterday, Trigger stopped using his hind legs and was pitifully dragging himself a few feet at a time because he wanted to still follow us around. He was diagnosed with a ruptured spinal disc. The Vet gave him steroids but by this morning, they still had not worked so we had to put him to sleep. He went peacefully with Jeffrey and I in attendance. We will miss him. I loved watching him cavort around the house. Such a goof!

Vacation

I have been on vacation since December 24th and haven't gotten anything I planned completed. I wanted to clean out our office, clean out the pantry, the refrigerator. What exactly is frig and why would one re-frigerate something. Was it already frigged? Anyway, I spent the first three days in a painful fog, but I have been doing a little extra housework each day since then. Yesterday, I spent four hours playing Zelda on the Wii (I always did love that game). I am almost 47 years old, still playing video games; it's supposed to keep my brain young I think. The vacation officially lasts until next Wednesday but after today, there will be no more housework catch-up. We are leaving tomorrow to visit grandpa. I can't wait. He is the cutest little old guy who has personally seen so much history. I want to get a picture of him this visit to put in my new picture frame.

Christmas

For the first time in years, I was able to buy my boys a toy and it was also a surprise! At their ages, 17 and 22, it is easier to ask them what they want and go buy it. But this year, we had some extra money and I bought a Wii. It was fun to watch the concentration on their faces as they played. Last night, Mike and I got a chuckle out of hearing their laughter coming from the living room. Anything that keeps them bonding as brothers is alright by me. I am grateful that they have turned into such fine young men. Jeffrey has taken to shoveling the walk without my asking. I still think he's been replaced by an alien but I like this new child.

I got lots of new clothes for work, including two suede jackets. I am slowly building up a work wardrobe now that I am wearing girl clothes instead of scrubs. I also got a beautiful pair of diamond and blue topaz earrings. Oh, and an computerized picture frame for all of my pictures. I sort of begged for that one. I need to decorate my cubicle at work.

Mikey got computer parts (video card), a folding recliner for camping, awning lights, and two books. I happened to be walking past our cafeteria and they were holding an author signing of the Train to Polevka. Who knew the author was from Utah. So Mikey got an autographed copy.

All in all, it was a great Christmas.

The Analytical Mind

There have been a series of storms this week which means I have spent more time than I like in bed with either an ice bag on my head or heat; whichever seems to feel best at the time. I tried to take fewer meds this morning so I could finish my paper which was a mistake. After being slammed upside the head with the Full Monty of Pain (tremors, weakness, nausea, bone pain), I was lying in bed analyzing the symptoms. Some of the thoughts going through my head, "how can I feel so weak while laying flat on my back?" "I wonder how I can feel internally shaky but not be moving" "Maybe the bones in my face will eventually just fall away from whatever is causing this". OK, there were drugs involved. I'm pretty sure my face isn't going to fall away. But sometimes I wonder if there isn't something wrong that we can't find like a bone infection in my face. Nothing should hurt this bad this often without some kind of Xray evidence, right? Wrong.