Tonight I was doing my regular dinner preparation for the dogs. Here there is not just throwing some kibble in a bowl. There is food to be soaked and softened for the old toothless dogs, chicken to be cleaned and divided evenly (okay, I admit the old man gets a little extra) and all the while there is dancing and leaping and scratching and woo-wooing and the chirping of LuLu. Tonight during all this chaos, A stood leaning against the counter watching. When I asked her what she was smiling about she just simply stated "If this all ended tomorrow, you would miss it." I rolled my eyes and sighed and muttered sarcastically about this glorious existence I live. This is how I've spent almost every evening for the past 5 years and she's right, I wouldn't change a thing.

I've been a bit absent here but I have a good excuse; once again my procrastination has caught up to me. I've been cramming some online continuing education classes in to complete my licensure requirements. Suddenly, it's my birthday month and I find myself unprepared. I'm happy to finally have that done. In two years, I'll probably find myself in the same boat. I've also taken on some new responsibilities with the rescue. Somehow I fell into Home Visit Coordinator for the Midwest. Huh? It is basically working with other rescues to find people to complete the home visit in areas where we don't have our own volunteers. The woman who was handling it had some medical issues with her husband so she's got her hands full. I have no experience but I'm sure I will find my way and I have great experienced people guiding me.

We also had a visitor for a week. Miss Leaha was our first foster. When she was adopted I cried for a week even though she was rowdy, unruly and bossy. She was adopted by a woman and then returned to rescue 7 months later because the woman was working all the time and Leaha was alone too much. Since then she has been in another foster home, but we wanted to get her into an area where she could get more exposure. She came here on a stop and then onward to South Dakota. She's such a pretty girl; almost 4 years old and still looks like a puppy. I was happy to see she's not quite as sassy these days.

Last Saturday we spent the whole day at PetsMart for an adoption event. There's no way to describe it except exhausting. Still we packed up all the dogs and supplies and hauled everyone out into the cold rain in hopes of finding someone a home. This little girl Cassie is always a star and charms everyone, but for some reason she's still here. Don't tell A that I really don't mind since she's my little cuddle buddy most evenings.

Maybe I need to start dressing them up like this...Oh, I want to so badly!

May 1st we woke up to 33 degrees and snow flurries. We said fuck it and brought the RV home anyway. I'm happy to report it started right up and we had no mouse damage. We have just four short weeks until we leave on our first road trip of the season. Honestly, it's all I can think about these days. I NEED to get he hell out of town. I'm hoping that a vacation will drastically change my point of view.

Jill-e-bean: Before and After

What a difference six months makes.

Sept 2010

March 2011

She doesn't even look like the same dog.

It Can't Possibly Be Monday Already!

My weekend was a blur. I can't believe it's over already.

Friday morning I found out my car will not be finished until Tuesday. They are waiting for the last part-my bumper cover- to arrive and then it needs to be painted which takes even longer. *sigh*. I'm really hoping they are right since I'm so sick of my rental; it rides rough and doesn't corner worth a shit plus it's an automatic. It gets me to work though and I could be driving A's piece of shit truck with questionable brakes and an even more questionable starter.

Then I was rushing to get finished with work Friday since I had a 1.5 hour drive to take Nifty to another rescuer's home. Of course when you have to be somewhere you can NEVER get out on time. That meant rushing home and rushing around and that just increased my anxiety about her leaving.  A and I put a pillow over the console between the front seats and Nifty rode there comfortably and was petted and cuddled the whole way. Of course the only one stressed was me; the change is harder on me than on her. Nifty was cool as could be and just walked in that house and the next rescuer's house Saturday like she had always been there. Her new mama and I have been chatting as she gets everything ready for Nifty's arrival. She wants her to be as comfortable as possible. I don't think it's going to be a problem.

Last July we picked up some dogs from a breeder and then transported them south for their vetting. That day I met a tiny little mill mama named Jackie O. It was love at first sight as I watched her scoot on her belly and bury her face in the grass; nervous little tail wagging. Friday her foster mom, Joanne, left a message asking if we would be willing to bring her home with us; kind of a Nifty trade or consolation prize. LuLu is so timid and after 6 months in foster care she hasn't made much progress. She hoped LuLu could benefit from a smaller quieter environment and we have experience with this type of rescue. Joanne knows just how to work me (I've mentioned my love of LuLu many times) but getting by the "gate-keeper" is another story. A who had said no more fosters for awhile gave in surprisingly easy. I didn't really even ask (or beg); I just told her the situation and asked her opinion. So let me introduce LuLu (no drumroll please-that's way too scary).

She is 5 years old and the smallest creature in this house...even the cats look huge next to her. I would estimate she is only about 5-6 pounds and the smallest chin I've ever fostered but not the smallest I've seen. She scuttles from one dog bed to another and does all she can to avoid contact with us...except when food is involved. We've been luring her in with bits of chicken and fingers dipped in yogurt.

Saturday I dragged my tired ass out of bed to go help at an adoption event in the Twin Cities. I took 2 foster girls along for the marathon 5 hour event. It actually stretched into 6 hours (plus a one hour drive each way) and people were still approaching us as we were heading for the door. It was incredibly busy and I know I easily talked with a hundred people. As A has written about before, dealing with all those people can be a challenge for me but luckily talking about the dogs/rescue is something I can visit about all day. There was only me and one other rescuer there for our group so I literally talked non-stop the entire time. My foster girl Cassie was a standout; friendly and greeting everyone and she had a lot of interest. We don't do on-the-spot adoptions but one of our previous adopters (actually he adopted 3 from us in the last 2 years) showed up and took home a 4th. I'm happy to say that most people were asking "good" questions about the chins. I like that but then there are always a few that I think "You fucking ignorant asshole!".

It's fun sometimes just to listen to people because a lot of idiots lack a censor. Give them enough time and they will tell you everything you need to know. One guy was looking for a couple dogs to breed (duh, we're trying to get them out of the breeding cycle), a woman was visiting with me and her son asked if these dogs like to run away since their dog "runs away all the time". Okay, big red flag beacon flashing over their heads! I had one particular woman who became a pest and was actually a little confrontational. During our multiple visits she had told me she had returned one dog and had 2 others put down because she could not house train them. She kept pressuring me for a "guarantee" that one of our dogs would be completely housebroken and telling me another group had offered that guarantee. After 4.5 hours into the event and 4 conversations with this bitch, I finally (and politely) put the smack down on her. "Ma'am, I don't know exactly what you want from me, but I cannot and will not offer a guarantee that any of our dogs will be completely housebroken and any rescue who tells you that is lying. The only fully reliably trained animal is a stuffed one." She stomped off but I don't feel like it's any great loss.

As you can imagine, Sunday I spent my day in a vegetative state on the couch. Now It's time to shovel some snow so I can get to work today. I took the day off tomorrow for no particular reason...I just wanted to. Happy Monday to you all!

Not a lot of substance but a whole lot of pictures.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was a new negative/slide scanner. I've been scanning old negatives/pictures but my old machine was so slow. With this one I was able to scan over 2800 negatives in just a few hours over a few weekends. It has certainly been a walk down memory lane. There are the big vacations and special occasions that you remember pretty well. I have many of those pictures displayed around the house as well as photo albums full. The most fun part was finding all the forgotten moments; weekend getaways, day trips, nights out and just goofy times around the house. I mean, really what is the point of this picture.

I found a lot of pictures of us right before and in the beginning of our relationship. I look at my 23/24 year old self and remember all the turmoil of that time. Really, when we started dating I was a wreck...just felt lost, confused, unfocused and mostly alone. I was doing all the things I was "supposed" to do; working and going to school but then feeling like I was just floating along with no goal in sight. When I met A I found my other half as well as the person who became the rock of my life. For once this was a person that didn't "need" me to take care of them. I found a person I could totally relax with, let down my guard, not build walls. Honestly, that's what I do best. I have people in my life, but I find myself always keeping then at arms length; always a safe distance, never fully trusting or allowing myself to truly be known. I realize I do this. I'm always working to change these behaviors but I struggle with it often. I think I know the reasons why. Maybe it's just my nature.  With A those behaviors don't exist. She sees me as I truly am; moody, bitchy, bossy, no makeup, vomiting, crying and for some crazy reason she loves me anyway.

So here's a bunch of pictures of us taken in the early days on one of our first trips together. We had been together less than a year when we took the trip that was the real test of our compatibility - a 10 day camping/hiking trip. We slept in a tent, I fell down a hill, we almost got bit by a rattlesnake, A almost passed out while climbing, we froze our butts sleeping on the ground when it was 36 degrees and we had a blast. We didn't have even one argument...I would never make it through that now without getting a little bitchy.

Getting chased by a greedy "wild" donkey. 

Mt. Coolidge

Badlands of South Dakota

Mt. Rushmore

Waiting for dinner.

My nasty horse Eli. He constantly tried to bite me.

A's birthday decorations...

...and birthday cake.

Sylvan Lake

Top of Harney Peak-highest point in U.S. east of the Rockies.

Climbing the base of Devil's Tower

It's official that Miss Nifty has a new home in Boston. After living with us for 7 months, tonight is the last night she will spend here. Tomorrow afternoon she starts her journey east to her forever home. I didn't cry as much this time...maybe I got it all out last time I thought she was leaving. Yeah right! Who the fuck am I fooling. Tomorrow when I drop her off I'll cry like a baby when I say goodbye. When I'm home, this is typical Nifty behavior; always on my lap and giving kisses. Her new mama is going to be smitten when she finally meets her new baby.

Nifty

Tuesday I got the call I was dreading. At lunch I checked my phone and had a message from another rescuer. I knew there was someone from Oklahoma interested in adopting Nifty. Looks like everything was in order and now it was time to get her transported.

Nifty-Lou-Who

We needed to get her to Iowa Thursday to hitch a ride which meant Wednesday evening I would have to drive her west to another rescuer's home. Then she was heading south through several legs of the journey to Oklahoma.

I was not prepared for this. I cry each time one of my fosters gets adopted; it's such a strange mixture of happiness and loss. Nonetheless, I have my cry and then I'm okay. But Nifty is different. First I'm really attached to her. I love all the dogs that come through my door, even the naughty Cassie (dog #8), but sometimes A or I will find ourselves especially bonded to one. Secondly, I have a hard time just handing a foster dog over to someone without getting a chance to meet and observe their new family myself. I really am a control freak. I just have so much emotionally invested in them, that I like to personally see them through to the end of the journey. If it were summer, I think A and I would have packed up the RV and delivered her ourselves. Nifty is one who has been in rescue for over 2 years and been through several foster homes. When she came here in July, I promised her that she wouldn't be moved again until she was going to her forever home.

Tuesday I spent the rest of my afternoon at work trying not to cry. I'm teary and bleary eyed and wearing a mask, so my nose is running. It's just not the best for working but I struggled through the last 3 hours. Then I came home and parked on the couch with Nifty in my lap and a box of Kleenex just sobbing. All the other chins are climbing up too--they get so concerned when we are upset or cry. A tried to comfort me...that just made it worse. She went to work out and give me my space.

Later that evening I checked my email only to receive a message that the transport was cancelled. I'm not sure if the potential adopter had issues or just lost interest but for now Nifty is still here with me. If the adopter lost interest, I'm glad she did before we up-rooted this dog again. I was excited and laughing as I read the email to A and she shook her head at me laughing, "Well you certainly just turned off the tears like flipping a switch".  So for now Nifty is here snuggling next to me and I'm not sure how long I have. I'm know I'm on borrowed time.

Thanksgiving Was Here. Winter Returns Too.

Thanksgiving came and went quietly. I woke up early this morning...well actually Orville woke me early by scooting up next to my pillow, licking my cheek and giving me a pleading look. I stumbled upstairs and out into the frigid morning; always the doorman. A slept in for awhile since she has to be up early tomorrow for work. Later we ate breakfast and just did some household chores; very un-exciting, very un-holiday like. In fact with nothing cooking or baking in the house it didn't seem much like Thanksgiving at all. I tried several times to call Dad but was unable to reach him. I left a couple messages instead. My older brother is there visiting and I know they were taking Dad out of the rehab facility for dinner today.

Don't worry we didn't go without our turkey dinner and this afternoon went to the home of A's aunt and uncle and had a lovely time hanging out with the retirees. We were invited to her brother's home but we both didn't want to deal with their screaming, obnoxious, rude children and some equally rude adults. That could be an entire post in itself.

Tomorrow morning I will be up early but NOT to participate in Black Friday shopping madness. NO WAY! I know so many people who look forward all year to this one shopping day but to me it looks and feels like a nightmare. Instead I will haul myself up to put the beef brisket in the oven, start preparing egg noodles and baking bread. That's right, I'm the one cooking tomorrow; alert the fire department. No really I can cook but so seldom do because I don't enjoy it except for the rare special occasions. Mom is coming for a belated Thanksgiving dinner and dragging along her pet, aka well-meaning but annoying boyfriend. They usually don't hang around too long though.

The weather has turned here suddenly and we went from unseasonably warm 60's and sunny to unseasonably cold 2 degrees. Our last nice weekend it was nearly 70 degrees, the collie came to visit, we played ball with the dogs and they chased each other in the yard. There was still some green in our world.

One week later we woke on a Saturday morning to 10 inches of snow. We had to get up and pull out the shovels to clear the deck, stairs and patio just so the dogs could go outside.

Since then it has been nothing but cold, overcast, freezing rain, sleet and snow. I don't give a damn about the snow but I truly hate the ice and I still need the sunshine. I like to sit in front of the window and soak it in, even if it's all an illusion.  This weather means lots of indoor time and I end up curling up on the couch with a book or movie plus several dogs to keep me company. Since bringing in dog #8, the dynamics of the pack have changed and my Sia wants to make sure everyone know I belong to her at nap time. There are also 3 others laying by my feet.

Actually Cassie (dog #8) has been one of the more challenging fosters I've had in a long time. She is a sweetie with people but has problems with other dogs. She is food-aggressive, territorial, and possessive. She doesn't give the warning growl--she goes straight in for the attack. After the first few days she was here, I was ready to send her back! In 5 days I had broken up more dog fights than in the last 4 years I've had Chins. I thought she was going to have to permanently live in a kennel. It's just unusual for this breed to not get along. I was especially pissed when my dogs started acting fearful of her. I will not tolerate my dogs feeling uncomfortable or fearful in their own home. Her former foster offered to take her back, our foster coordinator was looking for another foster home where she could be the only dog (yeah right!) but after I had time to sleep on it (that's when I do my best problem-solving), A and I agreed that we've had worse and would not give up so easily. We came up with a plan to anticipate/remove her triggers and do some training to modify her behavior and help her gain confidence. She's been here 2.5 weeks and is coming along great. She seems to especially love her new best friend Jill.

Last night I had the rare treat of catching a group shot of the whole crew, minus Gizzy who has bad balance and is afraid of falling down the stairs. So here is a picture of 7 out of 8...and they are all looking at the camera for once. A very rare picture indeed.

Left to right: Popper, Jill, Cassie, Orville, Nifty, Sia
Front: Timmy

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

Ms. Moon: Saint? Unlikely. Crazy? Yeah Probably

Today I brought home dog number eight. I now have my own four plus four fosters.  This will be my 6th foster dog of 2010; in the past I've only had 1 or 2 fosters a year. I know this is peanuts compared to what so many others in rescue do and I suppose one day I'll look back and laugh about the time when we only had eight. I think I'm slipping down the rabbit-hole. Pictures to follow.

I need a new attitude...

...or at least a change of scenery. Actually, I've been feeling really tired and unmotivated. I started to get concerned when I went into work a couple days ago and one of my co-workers asked me how I was today. I gave a standard, "I'm okay" but I guess I didn't sound very enthusiastic. Her response was "Not again. You've been tired and down all week." I thought I had been carrying on pretty well. I don't want to share all the things going on in my life at work and when I don't have anything good to say, I find myself just being quiet. I feel irritable. I don't feel much like talking. I don't feel clever...or joking...or witty at all. I actually feel a little dull with a twist of negativity thrown in for fun. So I'm silent. Last night when A and I stopped to grab dinner while out shopping, I had to ask her, am I sounding really negative these days? She assured me that I've been keeping myself well under control. I guess maybe I'm just over-sensitive.

Last weekend we had a great time at our rescue get-together and then camped at a nearby state park. I had promised myself that I was going to relax, go with the flow and most importantly ENJOY my time with my sweetie. We had 109 dogs in attendance and raised over $2000 with our silent auction and donation table. It was cool and overcast, around 50 degrees, but at least the rain held off.

The woman who runs our "Half-Way House" brought 19 dogs to the party. These dogs come from the commercial breeder auctions to her kennel where they get their vetting done and then await placement in a foster home.

Farrah-I just love the expression on her face.

One of our rescuers brought her grandson and he was quickly covered in furry friends.

This hummingbird braved the crowds to get to the feeder. I can't believe how close it let me get. 

As the day went on I spent a lot of time hanging out with the dogs needing foster homes. A an I had agreed that we were only taking 6 dogs to the Black Hills this weekend and would not be adding another foster yet. But there was this one little girl who would tentatively approach me and then quickly move away. She would watch as I pet the others and you could see her trying to muster the courage to allow a touch. She would creep closer and flatten herself to the ground but then chicken out. She is so small; her coat so thin I can see her spotted skin. She has recently weaned puppies. Finally she let me touch and her coat is dry and coarse. Nothing like the beautiful silky coats chins are supposed to have. I picked her up and she stiffened into the typical mill dog posture. I held her against me and she slowly started to relax. I walked over to A holding her and I said nothing but I must have had a pleading look in my eyes. She turned red...then her ears went maroon to purple.  I still didn't say anything but she shook her head in agreement and admitted she had been attracted to this little one too. So meet Jill, our newest addition to the house.

She's progressing very well and by Monday morning she was playing and had found her voice.

While driving home Sunday, I asked A if she was angry at me for bringing home one more. I apologized but explained that I just felt defenseless against those eyes. Her response was, "Well now you know how I feel. I don't have a chance when you pull out those pleading eyes on me either." 

Blissing and Reminiscing

Today I spent most of my morning in a blissfully, dazed state. My poor patients and coworkers. I bet they thought what the hell was wrong with me when I was unable to comprehend the most simple facts. I suppose I can thank my sweetie...she has that effect on me. Well her and many, many orgasms. All I can say is WOW! So why was I never told how fabulous sex gets the older I get? I've never been multi-orgasmic until just the last few years. One day I was suddenly multi-explosive. Now don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining but I can't help but wonder sometimes-what changed?

Some people have told me it's just my age. The old line about women reaching their sexual peak in their 30's. Others have said it's just part of maturity; feeling more comfortable and confident with my sexuality. Maybe those theories are partially accurate, but I can't ignore the incredible mental and emotional connection I now have with A. It can't be a coincidence that things changed around the same time A and I went through a major change in our relationship.

We had already been together for quite a few years and as so often happens, we were going in different directions and being consumed by other things. First I was finishing school and she was working like a fiend, then she went back to school to further her education and after graduation it just became work, work, and more work as we were getting into our careers. We had been reduced to roommates and there was a major lack of intimacy...and I'm just not talking about sex. There was little to no cuddling, hand-holding, kissing or intimate conversation. We still went and did things together but we were more like friends than much else. I'm thankful for that friendship though because we truly respect and enjoy each other's company and that was the tie that held us together through that time. Neither one considered leaving or looking elsewhere. We were just stuck in a relationship rut, so much so that we actually went on a fabulous beach vacation for a week and never had sex once! What a waste of hotel time!!

One evening we just looked at each other and I was suddenly so overcome with loneliness for her that I blurted out "I miss you". Isn't it funny how you can live in the same house and sleep in the same bed and still be lonely for each other. That's when the floodgates opened and we talked like we had not talked in years and promised each other that we would improve our situation.  Somehow just getting it all out on the table helped and we found our way back. We put each other and our relationship ahead of everything else. I've always loved A, that I have no doubt about, but the last several years it has grown into something stronger and deeper. It's a feeling that's hard to describe and maybe there are no words...maybe you just have to feel it yourself to truly understand. All I can think of is just the pure joy and satisfaction and all consuming love I feel with her.

So that's my sappy post this day and my little walk down memory lane. It's good to remember times like this though to keep it all in perspective. I don't want things to ever slip away again.

Now this Saturday we are off on our first RV adventure. Just a couple days and an overnight at a campground about 1.5 hours from our home. It will be our maiden voyage and we don't have much planned; just hanging by the fire, riding on the bike trail and getting the dogs accustomed to the whole ordeal. Saturday will be a bitter-sweet day when my little foster, Jazzy, goes to her new home. We will be driving through her new hometown and dropping her off before continuing on our little trek with only the 6 chins. She going to a fabulous home and I couldn't ask for a better situation for her. I know by letting her go I will be able to foster another but what my head says and my heart feels are two totally different things. All I can say is happy trails to us all!
 

What a big change.

Our foster Jazzy has been with us for just less than 6 weeks. When she arrived she was a sad looking little girl. I doubted she would be able to find a home in her condition. I guess she wanted to prove us all wrong.

   Check out how my ugly duckling is blooming.

Grass-rollin'

She has an adoption application pending and it better go through soon since I'm falling fast. She is such a sweet love with a funny personality. If only I could add her to my pack....

Learning To Trust

Little Jazzy came to us to foster 3 weeks ago already. She is such a friendly little girl and has made fast friends with the other dogs but often times when we try to pet or handle her she is scared. Her posture becomes very submissive and she stiffens and flattens herself to the floor. She wants so much to trust but is still damaged. More often she has been joining the other dogs on the sofa and you could see her watching the other dogs come to us for petting and cuddles. The other day she tenatively scooted herself up beside me and finally a breakthrough!

When she first arrived she was a scary looking little girl. But as her sweet persoanlity starts to show she is becoming more beautiful to me. Now I'm just impatiently waiting for her coat to grow back!

Headache, headache go away...

I've officially had a headache for 1 week. I take some meds, it settles down but is just there simmering below the surface until the meds wear off and it comes back. Just had my eyes checked, saw the chiropractor, tried sleeping, watching my diet, not wearing my contacts, massage, sex-it keeps coming back. I'm dreading next week because it will be time to put in my new aligners for my clear braces. (I probably never mentioned that I started braces 3 months ago and have 3 months to go.) Then I will have an incredible pressure in my head for 2-3 days until I adjust.

Thursday I stayed home from work. No, I wasn't playing hooky; my schedule was just slow so I decided to take the day off. I was actually feeling better this morning and had the dogs out in the yard playing and trying to get some video of the newbies for Petfinder. The neighborhood was quiet; no one around, just the way I like it. I stepped in the back door to grab my water bottle and the dogs start barking and race to the gate next to my house that faces the street. I figured maybe they were just barking at the mail woman and hurried back out to calm them down. There stands 2 census workers counting my dogs. A and I completed our census stuff months ago so we wouldn't have to deal with anyone knocking on our door but now they've showed up to question me about the empty house next door. Right away she's saying "whoa, are all those yours?! what kind of dog are they? are they for sale?"  I'm in panic mode and quickly muttering about rescue and fosters while sending my crew into the house and gathering up the newbies (they don't know any commands yet) and telling them the house next door was foreclosed on 2 years ago and trying to get away as quickly as possible. The census workers had no longer left my yard and I felt the vise on the back of my neck and the stabbing pain coming back into my head. At that moment I realized the headache started when I received the call last Friday about one of our foster homes getting busted for being over the city's 4 dog limit.

My city's limit is actually 3 dogs, so when we adopted Sia we knew we were over the limit. Then came a foster and that added up to 5 and then these 2 emergency fosters which brings my number to 7. Some cities/counties offer hobby kennel licenses or other special circumstances permits but this city doesn't. We've talked about and planned to move out into the country but that's not happening right away. We know our neighbors fairly well and they know that A and I are involved in rescue and fostering. Some of our neighbors even come over to see the pups and I've always considered it good since it exposes them to more people and goes a long way to rehabilitate them. Now I feel I have to be secretive and protective of my area. A talked to our closest neighbor earlier this week, introduced him to the newbies, told him how they came to be here, and expressed our fears of the same thing happening to us. He told us not to worry, we do good work and some people should mind their own damn business. The foster that was busted was purely accidental. A complaint had been filed against one of her neighbors so a cop was going door-to-door questioning people and came across her house and her dogs. This woman is not a hoarder-she actually shows Japanese Chins and now has her own champion showdogs on the line.

So now I have pinned down the cause of my headache/anxiety/stress and need to find a way to deal. I'm sure I will calm down in another week or so. Maybe A and I will go and pay a visit to more of our neighbors. All I do know is that someone telling me that I had to give up any of my "fur-kids" would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It doesn't matter how well fed and cared for they are or how clean I keep my home and yard-I'm breaking the law. And the sad truth that keeps running though my head is the fact I could sit in this house and have 12 babies and no one would say a word.

Sometimes a girl needs a makeover.

This one is going to require a lot of PhotoShop and creative lighting to get her adopted.

A little of this and that...

I'm glad my readers enjoyed my guest's post. A really enjoyed doing it and now I feel like I'm constantly being watched...she's just itching to dish some goofy thing I do. :)

First I have to share that A and I did buy ourselves a cute, retro RV. We picked it up 2 weeks ago and then had to give it a full and complete cleaning. My OCD ass was NOT sleeping in there until it was cleaned and disinfected! It is a 1987 model so it has the most awesome seafoam green upholstery. At first we considered covering everything but I think we really have to embrace the retro feel. The one thing that had to go is the carpet. Not only is it filthy (who in the hell has carpet when camping) but if I'm travelling with 5 dogs I need easy clean up. Today I ripped out that old nasty carpet (another major germ-phobic attack, especially the bathroom-YUCK!!) and started laying the new vinyl flooring. Once that is done, the Winnebago will be ready for her first trip. We are not planning any major trips this summer-just some weekends at state parks. We will see what the future holds.

Last weekend we moved my brother and family to South Dakota. For two weeks prior everytime I saw my brother and sister-in-law they talked about how they were getting the packing done. Friday night I went over to help load stuff and discovered they were not nearly packed. I went to bed at 1am and got back up at 8am on Saturday to go help more. We finally finished and left town early afternoon and drove 5.5 hours to their new house, unpacked and then drove 5.5 hours home. I got home at 5:30am Sunday after being stopped by the cops twice for speeding and I was lucky to get away with a warning both times. Whew!! As if things weren't stressful enough my mother thought our packing/moving days would be a good time to bring along a bottle of brandy and act like an asshole. That's a whole other issue that I'm not ready to get into in this post.

I went to bed at 6am Sunday, got back up at 9am and took my foster puppy to meet a potiental adopter. That was another 1.5 hour drive each way. They had offered to come meet me, but I wanted to be able to spend some time checking them out too and making sure Jayna was comfortable. I'm happy to report that Jayna stayed at her new home that day.

Of course I cried but managed to (mostly) hold it together until I made it out of their home and into my car. I was crying so much I actually missed my exit and had to drive around a bit to get home. This was the first time I've ever done this by myself; usually A is always there with me and so then I crumble easier since I know I have her there to be the strong one. Instead I went to Starbucks and ordered the largest Java Chip frappachino I could get, the barista looked at me like I was nuts, and buried myself in 800 calories.

Then last Wedensday I came home from work, turned on my computer and after a few minutes got the dreaded blue screen. It's been doing it more and more recently and I've been telling A the computer was on its last leg. I would just pull the power, re-start and it would come back to life. I've been staying on top of my back-ups and waiting for the end. This time when I tried to restart there was nothing. It was done. But now we have no computer and of course we do EVERYTHING online these days. I have been planning my switch to a Mac but I'm just not prepared yet. Off we go to the electronics store to purchase a computer fast. We bought another PC just to get us through for awhile but I've had it with the PC bullshit!!

Finally, just when I thought we could slow down a bit I got a call Friday night from the woman who runs our rescue. One of our foster homes got "busted" for being over the city limit for dogs and now we have to move dogs to other homes fast. It's a desperate moment so A and I agreed to take two more fosters. Today I'm meeting the foster mom and it will be a surprise who I'm bringing home. Looks like I'll be travelling with seven this summer. Holy shit!!