Goose Shit Free Zone...

This is what I predict we will begin to see in real estate listings in the near future. In fact, I'm quite surprised we haven't seen it already. Seriously, I do not live on the lake in Nottingham, but I do walk my dogs in the neighborhood and often traverse past the lake. Nottingham boasts beautiful walking paths near several bodies of water (yes, they're man-made) and trickling 'streams'. And isn't it wonderful to see all the ducks, pipers, and majestic Canadian Geese cutting their way through the mirrored surface of these lakes, waddling along the grassy banks with their million little fluffy babies? But of course it is. Until you step in a pile of Goose Shit. Pardon my language, but sometimes that word is the only one that is suitable.

I wouldn't care if it were only a bit here and there. But the sidewalks/paths along the lakes are so pock-marked with piles of the disgusting sticky gunk, it is akin to walking the gauntlet! I resorted to passing on the other side of the street, but recently...those sidewalks have also been rendered unmanageable.

So...when I list my house on the market (whenever that may be), I will likely include a 'Goose Shit Free Zone' comment on the highlight sheet. I will certainly inquire/research/confirm the Goose situation in the area I move to as well.

BTW - I am fully aware of the fact that this issue arises due to man's encroachment upon the natural wetlands and purposeful yet often inadequate man-made creations of lakes and waterways so there is no need to lecture me on this issue. I assure you I feel great sympathy for the plight of the wild creatures forced to live within a stone's throw of a human residence but that doesn't mean I must relish the thought of stepping in a heaping pile of goose shite.

But it's soooooo cute!

And the commercial rocks! I'm talking about the new teensy-tiny Dell 'notebook'. Perhaps they should call it the "wallet". I asked Logan about it and he said it was pretty much useless unless it was intended for note-taking in class or some such task.

I was compelled to protest, "But it's so cute!" I wailed. "And the commercial is adorable. Did you see all the neat colors it comes in? And it's so tiny! Are you absolutely sure there's no viable reason to justify my purchase of one?"

"No."

Humpf! At a meager $249 (or something - I forget the exact price), surely I could use it for something... journaling?! Yeah! That's what I could use it for - awesome!

Course ... that would mean I'd have to find some use for all those empty hardbound journals I have sitting on my shelf patiently awaiting their turn. Ho-hummmm. I think I need to devote more time to this issue. Surely, I can come up with a use for such a cute little gadget. I'm resourceful. I'm creative. I'm determined. I can do it! I can find a justifiable reason to buy it! Or...I could save the money to... pay a bill. BORING! (seriously - it really is the cutest thing ever!)

Scategories - sorta

Hey, just a fun thing for everybody to participate in. It's sorta like Scatagories - the game. Linda sent it to me long time ago and I thought it was fun. Enjoy and I look forward to seeing your interesting answers.

Using the first letter of your name, answer the questions below.

Your Name:_____________

1) Guy's Name:____________

2) Gal's Name:_____________

3) 4 letter word:____________

4) Occupation:_____________

5) a color:________________

6) something you wear:________

7) a beverage:___________

8) food:_______________

9) something found in the bathroom:___________

10) a place:____________________

11) reason for being late:_____________

12) something you shout:_____________

13) a movie:_______________

14) an animal:_______________

15) a word you think no one knows and its meaning:_________________________

Here are my answers.............. Twilla

1) Thomas

2) Theresa

3) Tool

4) Thermo-dynamic engineer

5) Teal

6) turtle-neck sweater

7) tequila

8)tortilla chips - mmmmmmmmmm

9) turds

10) Turkey

11) too tired

12) Trickster!

13) Ten Things I Hate About You

14) Tiger

15) turbid - muddy, thick

Graci's Walk

Took Graci for a walk this morning with the poodle gang. She did quite well - stayed with the pack, responded to corrections when she got too far ahead. She's still looking for her 'place' and tends to wind herself up, behind, over and around the others (this makes for quite a tangle in the leashes) but, all-in-all, I was pleased with her progress. Upon arriving home, I put the poodles in the house and worked solo with her for a few minutes on her auto-sit at the stop. I think 1/2 a dozen 10 min sessions and she'll have it solid. I really wanted to start Joey, but I'm going to give him a couple of days yet to recover. I don't want to push him too far, too soon. Pixie and Molly are going to follow soon as well. With dad coming out in Aug (uk date so far. I called and left a msg for him this morning so I hope to hear a date from him soon), I want them to be a bit more squared away in their training.

Joey's Ibuprofen Tail

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes for Joey's recovery. He took a significant turn for the better ystrday afternoon and appears quite unaffected by the entire ordeal. He has to have another blood panel done in 3 wks time. I'm not looking forward to that because they have to take blood from his jugulars. The third panel will be done in a couple of months. The purpose of these tests is to determine if there will be any permanent damage to his kidneys/liver. The initial tests reveal minor damage to his kidneys and none to his liver - all good news.

It is interesting to note how many times people said, "You can't blame yourself. Accidents happen." I take issue with this sentiment. Although well meaning in intent, just who's fault is it then? I'm the one who acted carelessly and handled medication that I knew was toxic/lethal when they were up and about. I'm the one who dropped it. I'm responsible. PERIOD! What a tard!

Anyway, I also say that, although it is my fault and my fault alone, that does not sentence me to live the rest of my life under guilt and self-loathing. Joey forgave me (thank God they live in 'the now') so we're good. I promised myself, "never again". I can only imagine the sorrow I so narrowly escaped. I don't think I would handle it well if my carelessness had resulted in his demise. So sorry Joey - Mommy loves you!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

It was bound to happen...one day. Eventually. 5am came early this morning, half asleep, serious pain in my neck/shoulder, let the chis out to pee and eat breakfast. I attempted to take a couple of ibuprofen tablets. One bounced off the counter (I dropped it) and onto the floor. I quickly scooped it up and tried again. Frick! I dropped it again! This time...Joey was faster than I. He swallowed it and I swear, time stood still.

Please pray for my little fella. He's just the sweetest dog and I feel horrible that my carelessness could cost him his life. I will keep you posted on his progress. I have to take him in for another sub-Q treatment tomorrow morning. Thank God for vets who answer their phones at 5:45 am. Didn't know that could happen now-a-days.

A Bit of This and That

Got to sleep in nice and late (11:00am). Called my dad, wished him belated father's day and Happy 4th of July. Had nice visit and he mentioned he was planning to come out in August! Wow! Been waiting a while for that! He'll be solo but that's ok with me. He decided on August because Habitat Humanity shuts down for the month so he said it's a good time for him. He was volunteering couple times a day but now he's there nearly 5 days a wk. He's a crew leader. I told him that if he didn't enjoy it, he wouldn't do it. He agreed. He said when people ask him why he goes so often he just tells them, "If I didn't think it was a good program doing good for people who need it, I wouldn't be here."

Bryan got the deck painted. I put in 1.5 hrs ystrday and about 1 hr today before my shoulder, hands and neck cramped up. Theo and Sharayah stuck it out for a while longer. Their help was appreciated. Bryan was out there from 1pm - 10:15pm. Such a sucker for punishment. The only thing left to do is a 2nd coat on the deck boards. He looks awfully tired and tomorrow, he has a full day of carpet cleaning.

Molly had a teensy accident on the carpet today. 1st time she's "missed". Good thing her bladder is only the size of a thimble. I expanded their perimeter during their noon break and the accident occurred after 9:30pm, so not too bad.

Stuck to my diet - stellar - today. My weigh in is tomorrow and I suspect I will either be the same (if I'm lucky) or a bit of a gain. We'll see. 5 steps forward....2 steps back. Unfortunately, on the Bernstein diet... those are very expensive steps.

Off to bed now. Tootles.