You know how kids have imaginary friends? I had 3 when I was little. Their names were Peeney, Crinky, and Andy. They were with me all the time 'til my little sister came along, then, one by one, they went away. One ran away, one got the measles and died, and I don't remember what happened to the last one. I need to ask my mom about that!
Fast forward 40+ years and now my youngest DGD has her own imaginary friend! This is a relatively new development, probably a result of her sisters both going off to school, leaving her to be the only child at home.
Little B's imaginary friend... well, can you guess its name? It's not Peeny, Crinky, or Andy! It is (brace yourself) Nana! Yep, I am her imaginary friend! DD said that they'll be in Walmart & little B. turns around & looks behind them saying "c'mon Nana, let's go this way". (keep in mind that I'm a good 8 hr. drive away, so its not me she's talking to. It's an invisible Nana. How cute is that??!!? :-)
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Who was more worried, the dogs or me?
Today DH & I toured the facility where we planned to board our dogs next weekend. We'd just taken G. to have his Rabies Shot, and P. was with us too, so the 4 of us got the tour.
The kennel is right across the driveway from the vet, & is part of the vet/kennel/grooming/day care complex. It's a good, reputable place, very nice people work there, but OMG I just don't think I could leave Polly or Garcia there! I don't know what I was expecting... I guess a more "home-like" atmosphere.
They don't stay in cages there, they have "runs" which are 6-10 ft. long. They have concrete floors with blankets for laying on. While that might be ok for an outside dog, these 2 are used to a cushy life - they are pretty sure they're people. I think they would be horrified to be left there. Even when we were just touring it P. was trembling violently in my arms, and Garcia was doing the same in DH's (we had to carry them during the tour).
It was SO LOUD. We were there during 'walking time' and the girl said they were all barking because they knew they'd be going out. The workers were walking each dog individually in a nice large area. They each get 15 minutes of one-on-one play time outside. You can get more for a fee. You can also have them in the doggie day care section during the day if you want to -- then they're in a large area all day & get to play with other dogs their size. That, too, costs extra.
I noticed one worker lighting up a cig as she went out the door to walk one of the dogs. Somehow that just didn't seem right - do people really want their dogs to be breathing smoke? Granted, they were outside, but STILL! They have such little lungs, like babies really, and you sure don't want somebody smoking around a baby. DH said I had the most horrified look on my face from that point on. It was just too much - the noise, the cold concrete, so many big dogs... I just hated it.
When we got in the car I burst into tears (yeah, get pretty emotional when it comes to my kids and my pets) & told DH I just didn't think I could leave them there next weekend. He agreed. There's another kennel in a nearby town that one of his co-workers uses when she goes on trips. We had planned to check it out if we didn't like this one, but I don't know if we will or not now.
The way G. and P. were trembling... to think of them being there for 3 days and 2 nights on that hard floor, not understanding why they were there & not knowing where we'd gone or if we'd ever come back... well, I just won't do it.
Garcia spent the first 7 months of his life in a cage. I really don't want him to have to be in one ever again. (Yes, I know it's a "run", not a "cage", but still.) So.. we'll have to go to Plan B. OH, wait, we don't HAVE a plan B!
Hmm...
The kennel is right across the driveway from the vet, & is part of the vet/kennel/grooming/day care complex. It's a good, reputable place, very nice people work there, but OMG I just don't think I could leave Polly or Garcia there! I don't know what I was expecting... I guess a more "home-like" atmosphere.
They don't stay in cages there, they have "runs" which are 6-10 ft. long. They have concrete floors with blankets for laying on. While that might be ok for an outside dog, these 2 are used to a cushy life - they are pretty sure they're people. I think they would be horrified to be left there. Even when we were just touring it P. was trembling violently in my arms, and Garcia was doing the same in DH's (we had to carry them during the tour).
It was SO LOUD. We were there during 'walking time' and the girl said they were all barking because they knew they'd be going out. The workers were walking each dog individually in a nice large area. They each get 15 minutes of one-on-one play time outside. You can get more for a fee. You can also have them in the doggie day care section during the day if you want to -- then they're in a large area all day & get to play with other dogs their size. That, too, costs extra.
I noticed one worker lighting up a cig as she went out the door to walk one of the dogs. Somehow that just didn't seem right - do people really want their dogs to be breathing smoke? Granted, they were outside, but STILL! They have such little lungs, like babies really, and you sure don't want somebody smoking around a baby. DH said I had the most horrified look on my face from that point on. It was just too much - the noise, the cold concrete, so many big dogs... I just hated it.
When we got in the car I burst into tears (yeah, get pretty emotional when it comes to my kids and my pets) & told DH I just didn't think I could leave them there next weekend. He agreed. There's another kennel in a nearby town that one of his co-workers uses when she goes on trips. We had planned to check it out if we didn't like this one, but I don't know if we will or not now.
The way G. and P. were trembling... to think of them being there for 3 days and 2 nights on that hard floor, not understanding why they were there & not knowing where we'd gone or if we'd ever come back... well, I just won't do it.
Garcia spent the first 7 months of his life in a cage. I really don't want him to have to be in one ever again. (Yes, I know it's a "run", not a "cage", but still.) So.. we'll have to go to Plan B. OH, wait, we don't HAVE a plan B!
Hmm...
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Sleep
Today my husband presented me with a challenge. (Well, actually it was more like "made a suggestion" but "challenge" sounds more exciting.) He said he would like for me to go to bed at a decent hour & get enough sleep for one week and then see if it makes a difference in how I feel.
Maybe I will try it. Probably I should.. I mean it wouldn't be THAT difficult.
So, we shall see. Might be interesting, maybe not. What if sleep COULD take care of stress, etc.? That would be pretty darn cool.
Maybe I will try it. Probably I should.. I mean it wouldn't be THAT difficult.
So, we shall see. Might be interesting, maybe not. What if sleep COULD take care of stress, etc.? That would be pretty darn cool.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Do you groom your own pet?
Are you good at giving shoulder rubs? I could sure use one right about now! I just finished brushing our little furboo girlie and it took about 2 hours! I didn't realize it, but apparently I was holding my arm at a funny angle while I was doing it, so now it feels like it's going to fall off!
I enjoy brushing the dogs, I find it relaxing (well, maybe not so much when Mr. G. is trying to get away - then it's more like World Federation Wrestling - all I need to do is put a sock over my head and it'd definitely qualify. (You know how they always wear those costumes...)
Anyway, it is relaxing when one (dog, not wrestler) goes to sleep in your lap & you can just take your time combing the tangles out of their silky hair. It's a lot like knitting but without having to count stitches. :-) Afterwards they look SO pretty & it lasts at least ten minutes -'til they go outside & find something smelly to roll in, or shove their heads down in the crack of the couch & come out with static making their hair stand on end. When that happens, it's so funny it makes up for the loss of the perfect hairdo! With her hair standing on end Ms. P. looks amazingly like I do first thing in the morning! ;-)
Speaking of mornings, have you ever really taken a good look at dog walkers as you drive to work? I totally expect a passing car to stop any day now & ask me for fashion tips when they see how spiffy I look as I'm walking the 2 fluffs first thing after getting up. Right now it's pretty tame because the mornings have been chilly enough for me to wear my long coat, & that hides some pretty scary things that are being worn when the dogs decide we must go out immediately.
I tend to think of myself as invisible (as opposed to thinking everybody is looking at me), but that comforting belief vanishes if I happen to glance toward my next door neighbor's house as I pass it... her door gives a startlingly clear reflection of me how I look.
Hmm, I think groggily, maybe penguin pj pants (length: just below the knee - originally came to the foot but get shorter every time they're washed), hoodie, and Crocs don't quite go together... kind of a top-heavy look. Actually it wouldn't be a bad ensemble if one was gathering sea shells on a chilly morning in shallow ocean water. Bearing in mind that I live in the far north, it just looks like someone determined to lose herself to frostbite from the legs down.
Ok, back to the pet grooming... (talk about straying down the garden path!)
Sunday DH ran into a woman who has the same breed of dog as ours. He said it looked just like them except for the coloring. SO they got to talking about tangles, and guess what? This woman (who, IMHO, has more dollars than sense) has a mobile groomer come to her house EVERY WEEK to groom her dog!
This is one of those vans that's equipped like a grooming salon but is on wheels.) Price? $60.00 a pop (not counting tip)!!!!! Okey dokie, let's see... that's 52 x 60= $3120.00 per year, plus tips. Of course we have 2 dogs, so for us it'd be $6,240 per year. OMG!!! Next time I'm feeling decadent for spending $30 each at the groomer every couple of months I'll just remind myself of this woman & feel like quite the thrifty girl! :-)
I enjoy brushing the dogs, I find it relaxing (well, maybe not so much when Mr. G. is trying to get away - then it's more like World Federation Wrestling - all I need to do is put a sock over my head and it'd definitely qualify. (You know how they always wear those costumes...)
Anyway, it is relaxing when one (dog, not wrestler) goes to sleep in your lap & you can just take your time combing the tangles out of their silky hair. It's a lot like knitting but without having to count stitches. :-) Afterwards they look SO pretty & it lasts at least ten minutes -'til they go outside & find something smelly to roll in, or shove their heads down in the crack of the couch & come out with static making their hair stand on end. When that happens, it's so funny it makes up for the loss of the perfect hairdo! With her hair standing on end Ms. P. looks amazingly like I do first thing in the morning! ;-)
Speaking of mornings, have you ever really taken a good look at dog walkers as you drive to work? I totally expect a passing car to stop any day now & ask me for fashion tips when they see how spiffy I look as I'm walking the 2 fluffs first thing after getting up. Right now it's pretty tame because the mornings have been chilly enough for me to wear my long coat, & that hides some pretty scary things that are being worn when the dogs decide we must go out immediately.
I tend to think of myself as invisible (as opposed to thinking everybody is looking at me), but that comforting belief vanishes if I happen to glance toward my next door neighbor's house as I pass it... her door gives a startlingly clear reflection of me how I look.
Hmm, I think groggily, maybe penguin pj pants (length: just below the knee - originally came to the foot but get shorter every time they're washed), hoodie, and Crocs don't quite go together... kind of a top-heavy look. Actually it wouldn't be a bad ensemble if one was gathering sea shells on a chilly morning in shallow ocean water. Bearing in mind that I live in the far north, it just looks like someone determined to lose herself to frostbite from the legs down.
Ok, back to the pet grooming... (talk about straying down the garden path!)
Sunday DH ran into a woman who has the same breed of dog as ours. He said it looked just like them except for the coloring. SO they got to talking about tangles, and guess what? This woman (who, IMHO, has more dollars than sense) has a mobile groomer come to her house EVERY WEEK to groom her dog!
This is one of those vans that's equipped like a grooming salon but is on wheels.) Price? $60.00 a pop (not counting tip)!!!!! Okey dokie, let's see... that's 52 x 60= $3120.00 per year, plus tips. Of course we have 2 dogs, so for us it'd be $6,240 per year. OMG!!! Next time I'm feeling decadent for spending $30 each at the groomer every couple of months I'll just remind myself of this woman & feel like quite the thrifty girl! :-)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Photos deserve to be seen & enjoyed
Six photo albums & a box of old photos have been sitting on my desk looking at me for about 3 weeks now. Sometimes I go in there & look back at them, but so far the relationship hasn't gone any further.
These are albums with pics that begin when I was 13. (The oldest ones are organized chronologically in a box because the albums they were in were "unsafe"). I'd like to do something with the pics so they'll be seen/enjoyed more often! Right now nobody (including me) ever sees them. I could do collages, mini-albums based on subject or age, big chronological albums, eeek! I just don't know! There are lots of pics of my kids as they were growing up, much too cute not to be enjoyed!
I want to scrapbook/ journal about some of the pics, but not all of them.
Then there's the question of what to do with photos of one's exes and children's exes etc. It just seems SO cold to throw away pics of people! I have done it with pics of old bf's and that wasn't so hard.. it's just the ones who were in the family for years and years that give me pause... or the ones where your relative looks so adorable but the person he/she is with just turns your stomach.
I am not going to cut the photos in half to remove the other person. I think that is SO tacky. Photoshopping them out, on the other hand.... hmmm... nah, too time consuming.
Ok, I just noticed that I have an 'eek' and an 'argh' all in the same post!! Definitely time to do SOMETHING if dallying over the decision is turning me into a (1.) mouse; or (2.) pirate.
I'm hoping that acknowledging that I'm procrastinating over this will (maybe) inspire me to get going on it. I think this is one of those cases where you feel like something should be perfect, & that desire for perfection immobilizes you! (Yes, I'm a Virgo, how did you know?) :-)
These are albums with pics that begin when I was 13. (The oldest ones are organized chronologically in a box because the albums they were in were "unsafe"). I'd like to do something with the pics so they'll be seen/enjoyed more often! Right now nobody (including me) ever sees them. I could do collages, mini-albums based on subject or age, big chronological albums, eeek! I just don't know! There are lots of pics of my kids as they were growing up, much too cute not to be enjoyed!
I want to scrapbook/ journal about some of the pics, but not all of them.
Then there's the question of what to do with photos of one's exes and children's exes etc. It just seems SO cold to throw away pics of people! I have done it with pics of old bf's and that wasn't so hard.. it's just the ones who were in the family for years and years that give me pause... or the ones where your relative looks so adorable but the person he/she is with just turns your stomach.
I am not going to cut the photos in half to remove the other person. I think that is SO tacky. Photoshopping them out, on the other hand.... hmmm... nah, too time consuming.
Ok, I just noticed that I have an 'eek' and an 'argh' all in the same post!! Definitely time to do SOMETHING if dallying over the decision is turning me into a (1.) mouse; or (2.) pirate.
I'm hoping that acknowledging that I'm procrastinating over this will (maybe) inspire me to get going on it. I think this is one of those cases where you feel like something should be perfect, & that desire for perfection immobilizes you! (Yes, I'm a Virgo, how did you know?) :-)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Whatdya mean no explaining??
Being from the south, I'm NOT known for keeping my answers short. Nevertheless I'm going to try it on this survey which I snagged from Denise's blog:
Answer questions with only one word--no explaining! :-)
1. WHERE IS YOUR CELL PHONE? totebag
2. YOUR HAIR? soft
3. WORK? ok
4. YOUR FATHER? adored
5. YOUR FAVORITE THING? family
6. YOUR DREAM LAST NIGHT? none
7.YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? tea
8.YOUR DREAM CAR? VWconvertible
9.THE ROOM YOU'RE IN? living
10. YOUR FEAR? loss
11. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS? happy
12. WHO DID YOU HANG OUT WITH LAST NIGHT? dogs
13. WHAT YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT? lying
14. MUFFIN? blueberry
15. ONE OF YOUR WISH LIST ITEMS? travel
16. WHERE YOU GREW UP? Kentucky
17. LAST THING YOU DID BEFORE SEEING THIS? blogged
18. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? cotton
19. WHAT AREN'T YOU WEARING? shoes
20. YOUR PETS? loving
21. YOUR COMPUTER? Toshiba
22.YOUR LIFE? good
23 YOUR MOOD? happy
24. MISSING? offspring
25. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW? bathroom
26. YOUR CAR/TRUCK IS? reliable
27. YOUR SUMMER? hot
28. YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS? married
29. YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? blue
30. WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY LAUGHED? today
31. LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sunday
32. SCHOOL? important
33. FAVORITE WEATHER? snowy
34. FAVORITE SOUP? homemade
35. MOVIE GENRE? humorous
Answer questions with only one word--no explaining! :-)
1. WHERE IS YOUR CELL PHONE? totebag
2. YOUR HAIR? soft
3. WORK? ok
4. YOUR FATHER? adored
5. YOUR FAVORITE THING? family
6. YOUR DREAM LAST NIGHT? none
7.YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? tea
8.YOUR DREAM CAR? VWconvertible
9.THE ROOM YOU'RE IN? living
10. YOUR FEAR? loss
11. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS? happy
12. WHO DID YOU HANG OUT WITH LAST NIGHT? dogs
13. WHAT YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT? lying
14. MUFFIN? blueberry
15. ONE OF YOUR WISH LIST ITEMS? travel
16. WHERE YOU GREW UP? Kentucky
17. LAST THING YOU DID BEFORE SEEING THIS? blogged
18. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? cotton
19. WHAT AREN'T YOU WEARING? shoes
20. YOUR PETS? loving
21. YOUR COMPUTER? Toshiba
22.YOUR LIFE? good
23 YOUR MOOD? happy
24. MISSING? offspring
25. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW? bathroom
26. YOUR CAR/TRUCK IS? reliable
27. YOUR SUMMER? hot
28. YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS? married
29. YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? blue
30. WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY LAUGHED? today
31. LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sunday
32. SCHOOL? important
33. FAVORITE WEATHER? snowy
34. FAVORITE SOUP? homemade
35. MOVIE GENRE? humorous
Test Update
I'm back from KY and the test results were all good! What a relief! Also, the doctors at UK Children's Hospital were fabulous. DD said they explained everything to little B. in a way that she (age 2) could understand. They let both parents go back with her for the procedures and just made it an all-around good experience.
This was SO much better than when her sister had a procedure done(at about the same age) at a small-town hospital & was torn, screaming, from DD's arms & carried down the hall by a very insensitive orderly. (Any idea how much control it took to refer to him in such a nice way?)
Little B. came home and told me all about how the dr. had put jelly on her back (for the ultrasound). She didn't say anything about the catherization they did for the dye test... but that night at church she had stickers & was decorating her arms, legs, and then... well... in her words she was putting them on her "tootie". (grin) Maybe to decorate it in case of another procedure?
That reminds me of the story a friend told me about her grandmother going for her regular gyn. checkup. On the way to the doctor the grandmother confided to her granddaughter that she had "borrowed" a little of her "feminine deoderant" body spray. The girl was a bit confused because she didn't have anything like that.
When the grandmother was in the stirrups the dr. came in & said "Oh, my, aren't you fancy today!" She was offended & left immediately... later to discover that the spray she had used was some left over from her granddaughter's prom preparations. It was spray glitter for her hair!
This was SO much better than when her sister had a procedure done(at about the same age) at a small-town hospital & was torn, screaming, from DD's arms & carried down the hall by a very insensitive orderly. (Any idea how much control it took to refer to him in such a nice way?)
Little B. came home and told me all about how the dr. had put jelly on her back (for the ultrasound). She didn't say anything about the catherization they did for the dye test... but that night at church she had stickers & was decorating her arms, legs, and then... well... in her words she was putting them on her "tootie". (grin) Maybe to decorate it in case of another procedure?
That reminds me of the story a friend told me about her grandmother going for her regular gyn. checkup. On the way to the doctor the grandmother confided to her granddaughter that she had "borrowed" a little of her "feminine deoderant" body spray. The girl was a bit confused because she didn't have anything like that.
When the grandmother was in the stirrups the dr. came in & said "Oh, my, aren't you fancy today!" She was offended & left immediately... later to discover that the spray she had used was some left over from her granddaughter's prom preparations. It was spray glitter for her hair!
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