Unconscious Mutterings Week 212

1. Soldier :: On


2. Lipton :: Iced Tea. I love Iced Tea but prefer Snapple's version.Hehehe


3. Reason:: Rhyme


4. Terms :: of Endearment. Remember that movie????


5. Positive :: Thinking!


6. Example :: drawing a blank


7. Legacy :: drawing a blank...again!


8. Solo :: trip


9. Instrument :: of torture


10. Later :: Gator

It's a good thing my hubby came home last night. I started reading a book yesterday about serial killers and it's creeeepy. I'd never been able to sleep without him! It's written by an MD and is really holding my attention. She has some interesting conclusions as to why these particular people kill as much as they do, and it's giving my brain a good twirl. I love books that do that! I'm going to do a Book Bag post soon so I'd better not give too much of it away here and now.

Ciair hasn't wet the bed in five nights. I think she's at the tail end of her bedwetting days.It's never been a big deal to us,she does her laundry and we understand that she wets the bed because that part of her brain isn't fully developed yet. I used to do the same thing,so she comes by it honestly,ha. One thing I'm noticing that's interesting is this: As she gets drier and drier at night,her reading skills get better and better. I wonder if the part of the brain the helps with reading is near the part that reduces urine flow at night?? Hmmm,could be...or they could be completely unrelated,lol. Aww well,it'd be fun to investigate! I've been really interested in the brain lately,fascinating organ that it is...

Ok,off I go. School time for Miss Thing and I've got to start dinner. Yep,it's early! I'm making a strata and it has to soak up the goodness for at least four hours. If it turns out I'll post the recipe:) Chow for now!

My first and last horseback ride.

"We'll put you on Buddy" the ranch hand said to me
"He's about as tall as that there garden shed"
I laughed at his joke as he walked away to retrieve
our horses.
My friend Erika and I were in Penticton on our annual
Girl's Only Holiday and, horseback riding was the thrill
we'd decided on. Last year it'd been tattoos,(Erika got
a panther,I got a tribal sun) and we were giddy with
excitement. I'd never ridden a horse before,although
I'd always admired them,and was both thrilled and terrifed.
I didn't know too much about horses but had read somewhere
that I'd have to show my horse I was the 'boss'. How exactly,
I did not know but I was pretty brave and decided to
take each moment as it came.
Erika had ridden horses many times,but
she wasn't boastful about it, just confident. I'd take a page
out of her book,follow her lead. I'd figure it out eventually,right?

The hand came back with two horses and to be honest I have no clue
what Erika's looked like because I was to busy staring in horror at Buddy.
The joke the hand had made about his size?? Yeah...that was no joke.
He WAS as tall as a garden shed,and just as wide too!
The next few minutes were a blur...I remember a hand on my butt
pushing me up on top and the horse stomping on the hand's foot
(watch your feet!)...and then we were off!
Off with no instruction,off with no advice or thoughful words of wisdom...just off.
*gulp*

There were three of us,and we walked off along a narrow path,through sagebrush
and dry grass up into the hills. I felt waaay too tall up there on my
personal garden shed and struggled to stay vertical,
gripping his sides in fear with my knees.
He stopped to eat grass and then predictably iggnored me when I urged him on.
I didn't want to kick or tug on him too hard,and even when I did he STILL didn't listen
to me. Finally I found the right voice and the right pressure and we were off again.
We passed a woman walking her dog and I carefully nudged good Old Bud past them
without a problem. My confidence grew a bit as we rode along,although I didn't feel ready
to urge my horse into a run when Erika asked if I wanted too. Run? Me?
On this horse? Yeaaah no!
Before I knew it,our two hours were up and we were turning around to come home.

Erika's horse had been on a ride before we'd taken her out with us.
I thought it strange that she'd been given no rest nor water after her
first ride. It didn't seem right that she was going out again so soon.
She looked too hot and tired and she stumbled a bit on our ride.
As I didn't know a thing about horses,never mind their care I decided
to keep my mouth shut. I was already feeling a bit foolish and didn't want to
add to that thought.
While we were making our way back though,Erika's horse stumbled even more until
finally I called out to her "Hon? There's something wrong with your horse!"
Just as the words came out of my mouth,I watched Erika's horse LIE DOWN
and then ROLL OVER!
Erika jumped off just in time,narrowly missing falling down a pretty steep
incline,never mind being crushed!
My heart was thumping,but I got Buddy to stop along with everybody
else and we climbed off our horses while we waited for help.
The ranch hand came out and it was decided that Erika's horse was over heated
(no shit Sherlock) and if Erika could manage,would she ride the guide's
horse back,while the guide walked the other horse? She thought she could and
we were off again. Erika in the lead,Buddy and I,followed by the guide
walking Erika's former horse. The guide had loosened all the straps and
whatnot and the saddle was resting loosely on her back.
We walked along,hearts still thumping but otherwise fine.
Things were going along smoothly until the saddle slipped off the over heated
horse,causing her to scoot forward in a rush of dirt and grass. Buddy heard
all this and REARED UP on his back legs,pressing forward as if to launch into
space, rider or no rider! What happened next was nothing short of amazing.
Somehow,somewhere,if only in that instant, I turned into a skilled rider!
I stayed on his back,pulled on the reins and commanded he stop,which he did.
INSTANTLY! (It really does work when you say Whoah!)
I couldn't believe he stopped.
He actually listened to me..wow!
When we were back on all fours again I felt so confident that I was able to tell him
it was alright,he'd be fine. I told him he was a good boy. For the first time I felt comfortable,
really comfortable on top of my big guy. I wasn't speaking to him to soothe my own nerves.
I really felt that I could keep him safe,no matter what. It was then that I understood what it meant to be the 'boss' of my horse. It wasn't so much about making him do what I wanted him to do,it was more about earning his respect and helping him feel safe with me on top,holding the reins,reigns? Whatever,lol.

The owners apologized to us,for the mis-adventure but honestly? Other than our concern
for the overheated horse,we weren't too freaked out.
It was the highlight of our entire trip and we both got an extra burst of confidence out of our adventure,as Erika was trusted with a horse who's skill level was higher than she was used to. I've not ridden since but I know that the next time I do,I'm going to approach things a lot differently. I'm still not ready for a horse of higher spirits,but the next time I get on my old plodder,I'm going to feel way better than I did the first time!

As an aside:
Durell still thinks to this day that I exaggerate about the size of Buddy.
I have no clue what breed he was,but he kind of looked like a Palomino,only
thicker. Not so graceful. I'd say he was a draft horse but he didn't look like
that either,lol. At any rate,he was big and one day,ONE DAY I will find a way
to make my husband believe me and be suitably impressed,heh.
Did you know the word Palomino refers to the colour rather than the breed?
Neither did I! Anyways,he was that colour and the bottom of his belly came
to the top of my head. I'm 5'8" so you can imagine how freaking tall he was!

Something funny's going on..

Please tell me how a room that was ankle deep in 'stuff'
for months,can be cleaned in 4 hours by one 13 year
old boy??
Yeah,that's what I thought too,it isn't!
I suspect when I go investigate I'll find a lot
of hidden messes. I remember those tricks myself!
What did you do to fool your parents into thinking
you'd cleaned your room??

My vacumm broke the other day and I secretly
jumped for joy. Why? Well because it means I'm one step
closer to buying my DREAM vacumm.
Is there really such a thing,you ask?
You betcha.
Drum Roll Pleeeease.....

The Dyson


Isn't it pretty?? I've been wanting one since..
oh forever,and while I still can't
afford it at the moment,I can save for it,which is exactly
what I'm doing.
We're going to patch up the old one(the wheels
fell off) and save,save,save like squirrels gathering
nuts for winter,until we have enough.(or almost
enough,depending on whether I can sucker my
husband into spending some emergency fund savings)
Why the Dyson? It sucks like nothing else,is bagless
and brings with it the dream that one day,I will have
a house that's almost free of pet hair.
Beaners has been gone for 2 months,and I'm still finding
her hair everywhere,lol. What's up with that??

Oh speaking of animal hair..

check this out!
Will you smell like wet dog when it gets wet??
Our First Nations used dog hair in their blankets,so this isn't a new idea.
May be I'll see if I can rustle up Frankie and steal some of his fur,hee hee

I seem to be sucking on Tuesdays

I have nothing to say,nothing that interests me,
nothing I want to show off(haha)
or talk about. What's up with that??
I have been paying more attention to my kids
and their schoolwork
and the household in general
so may be that has something to do with it.
I just feel kind of blah, jacked up and disorganized
at the same time.
It's the S.A.D and the A.D.D and X.K.L.I.P.Y.U.T.G.
Heh,ok I made that last one up.

My life is SO bloody boring at the moment.
I'm looking forward to a change.
Some big ones are coming up but
I'm way too damn impatient and want them
to occur NOW,just to jazz things up a bit.
My blahs of course are trying their
hardest to prevent me from
doing anything to make that happen
dulling my brain and making me
want to go to sleeeeep(not the BIG sleep,just a nap)
and it's hard to force myself to change
my world,but I'm trying!
Aww well,at least I'm not depressed,depressed.
That seems to have past,yay!
S.A.D seems to affect my physical body more than it does my emotions.
Inside the fog,I'm the same old Lael. Does that
make any sense??
It's a different kind of depression. Have any of you with S.A.D found
that too?

I think a pre-Spring clean up is in order.
This way I'm taking steps towards our big change(moving)
and doing something useful at the same time. I think I'll start
in the boychild's room. If I don't post by noon tomorrow(PST)
call the search team!

Unconscious Mutterings

Click the title to see what's up with this!
Week 211

1. Threshold :: For some reason this word disturbs me. I feel uneasy when I think of it,like it leads to something bad..hmmmm??!! Lets analyze THAT shall we?? hehheheh


2. Jason :: My neighbor's nieces and nephews are named Shadow,Skye...and Jason. Jason either feels left out,or lucky,depending on his point of view I guess..


3. Suspicion :: My life with my parents was full of suspicion. Directed towards me(my parents thought I was 'bad' and treated me like I was up to something...all the time) and from me. (I was always supsicious of my parents true intentions,they lied about everything,and confused me with mind games,manipulations,blah blah blah blah) We can all figure out what the negative of this was,but the postitive is that I have a pretty good sense of when something hinky is going on,from learning to read between the lines,keeping track of inconcistancies and reading body language,from an early age. I'd make a good detective!


4. Tender :: loving care from my hubby. He looooves me. He really,really really does. And though I'll NEVER ever ever admit it,I adore it when he takes care of me. He knows that though,lol. The jig is up!


5. Tempted :: by the fruit of another...Remember that Squeeze song?? I love Squeeze.


6. Crimson :: Crimson is one of my favourite colours. There is something so..alive about it.


7. Repulsive :: Child and Animal Abuse.


8. Bulldog :: An American Bulldog. There's one near Lac La Hache that lives with his buddy a St. Bernard and he's so goofy and funny. He's white and has big black circles around both eyes,on his big fat head. I loooove him.


9. Garage :: Something my next house is going to have. Yes it will! With electricity even!


10. Racket :: There is always some giant racket in my house. You'd think I had ten kids with the amount of noise these two can get up too. Of course I have to admit I'm fond of the racket and have been known to contribute to it myself. Usually with loud music,singing and shrieking when I'm excited about something. I'm just as loud as they are!

Speaking of a racket,Ciari is playing the harmonica I bought her as a reward for finishing her spelling book. It cost me a buck but it's worth millions to her,she loves it that much. I heart the dollar store!

We went to Quesnel on Sunday. It was good to get out of the house and away from the same old same old. I love Quesnel because the 7-11 always has lime slurpees. Mmmm,my favourite! Do you have a favourite flavour??? I feel like such a kid loving slurpees,but I just can't help it!

Durell called me this morning from the truck
to suggest that as Chinese New Year
will soon be upon us,we should really
have chinese food for dinner.
OooooooK!
I'm ALLLLLL for celebrating other cultures,hehehehehee.

Even though we still have nine hundred feet
of snow on the ground and there is more forecast,
Spring is in the air! The sky looks different,the
air smells different,the sun is shining in the yard
helping the warmer(-2) temps
melt all the white stuff away. *sigh*
Where Spring was once a distant memory,
it's arrival is now a reality and I'm SO happy
to watch. Are you seeing signs of
your Spring??

I've been enjoying a lazy week.
I'm still doing all my regular work,I've
just taken a week off from exercising.
My knees were so sore,the kind of
sore that doesn't go away after my
usual weekend break,sooooo I thought
it'd be a good idea. Don't want to burn the
old bod out! The funny thing was that I found
it really hard not to exercise. I felt...guilty almost.
Never had THAT problem before ha! It's a
good problem to have, I think,lol.
I lost another pound last week.
I'm 194 now. I had this big goal to be
a size 12 by Spring but I'm thinking
that was too much. Now my goal
is to be 190,whenever I get there.
That's my half way mark. After that
it's 50 more pounds to go.
When I complete this whole weight
loss thing,I'll have lost 100lbs.
Can you imagine?? I can.
What I can't imagine is that I
was once 100lbs overweight!
How did THAT happen?? Ok Ok I know,but
still..that's pretty crazy.
Now I'm only 54 lbs overweight,lol AND I'm no
longer obese. Wooohoo!
I'm happy with myself now,no matter what I weigh.
That was my whole goal from the begining:)

Any fun weekend plans???
It's a payday weekend for us,so we'll probably
pick up some stuff we need(school books and
rewards/bribes for the kids)...and ..oh whatever
else catches our fancy. We don't really need
anything else aside from groceries...
I'm not sure if we'll get up to anything fun.
There's not much to do when there's so much
snow on the ground. I do know of something fun
I need to try.ZipTrek Ecotours
Doesn't that look amazing???
When I was a kid, I used to imagine that I lived
on top of a mountain in Port Moody and that in
order to get into town,I had to slide down on a
zip line. I have no clue how I thought to get back
up,lol,but the ride down was sure fun!
I was thrilled top see I could live out my dream,right in my
own province. How cool is that???
Have a great weekend Everyone!

Oh BOY!

The boy child was telling me that
his friends steal their Dad's
porno mags. I wasn't really
listening and said something
along the lines of
"Well YOU'D better not steal them"
and wandered off to do whatever
it was I was doing in Lael La La Land
with him chattering after me
"I didn't but Kyle might have given me one,hahahaha"
I iggnored him.
Who TELLS their parent they have a magazine like that???
He was joking,surely he was joking.

The next day Ciarán comes to me and
says what she usually says when
she's about to rat somebody out
" I have to tell you something but I can't"
Hee hee, Ok child what is it?
She tells me that MY SON has a 'porno magazine'
in his room. Now Jig's idea of a porno mag is the
bathing suit section of the
Sears catalogue (Love that girl,LOVE HER)
and so I chuckled and said "Thanks,
I'll take care of it" I wasn't really concerned
but then I remembered the other day
when my son told me the same thing..Ok..now what??
I told his Dad and we chit chatted
about what it could be,trying to figure
out what stance we were going to take on it.
We're not freaked out by nudity and if it was
a Playboy we wouldn't make a big deal
out of it. He's 13 and has seen naked ladies before,
and we all have a healthy additude towards our
bodies and sex in this house.
One day he's going to have sex(when he's 25)
and of course he's going to be interested in
naked bodies. We'd have to talk about issues surrounding
porn of course but other than that it wasn't a big deal.
Durell was concerned though that might be
something hard core and so I was sent down
(it's worse if your Mum catches you)
to retrieve it.
He handed it over willingly and HOLY SHIT it's a Hustler!!
Eww Eww Eww!

I bring it out to Dur and he's equally horrified.
We flip through it....may be it's changed??
YEAH NO!
HELL NO!
I'll spare you the gory details,all I know is
that a kid who still plays with
trucks should not be looking at THAT!
We ended up telling him that the nudity wasn't bad
and that most of the sex acts weren't bad (I'm trying to
discourage my kids from threesomes,lol,not as liberal as
I thought I was! )
but photographs of sex acts,at his age and maturity level,
weren't something we thought he should see.
We talked about the other issues we had with it,blah blah blah
and into the garbage it went. He looked relieved,heh.

I'm thinking he was really uncomfortable with the content too,
realized he got more then he bargined for
and didn't know what to do about it.
Why else would he tell ME and his sister,Miss Fink??
Bwaahaahaahaaheeheehaaahaa!
Poor child,poor poor child. I think his eyes are burning. Serves him right!
It is true what the experts says. Parents need to listen to their children more.
Sometimes they tell you everything you need to know!

I've heard of this happening before

but have never been witness to it(albiet now through mylocal newspaper ) before and thought I'd share.
Nothing like 'sticking it to the man' .

By Karen Longwell Tribune Staff Writer
Feb 08 2007
RCMP evacuate building, call Vancouver bomb squad when service centre receives unexpected parcel
An unexpected 80-pound package from a “disgruntled client” raised the alarm bells at the government access centre yesterday afternoon – but after further investigation, the potential bomb turned out to be a parcel full of coins.
The entire British Columbia Provincial building on Borland Street, including courtrooms, was evacuated shortly before 3 p.m. and the explosive disposable unit (EDU) was called in from Vancouver, Corp. Marc Menard said.
“The parcel is suspicious in nature,” Menard said earlier in the afternoon. “We are not taking any chances.”
But after further investigation, the RCMP tracked down the client, who told them the package contained coins intended to pay fines he owed, Menard said.
“Guess it was his way of getting back,” Menard said.
RCMP received a call from the government centre, which offers government services like drivers licensing and provincial payments, at about 1:20 p.m., Menard said.
The package, weighing about 80 pounds and wrapped plastic tape arrived by courier, he said. The centre staff was concerned because they were not expecting the package and the origins of the parcel could be traced back to a “disgruntled client,” Menard said.
As a safety precaution the entire building had to be evacuated, he added.
Occupants of the building, including court staff and clients waited outside the building for official word that court proceedings would be cancelled for the day.
Lawyer Burdick Smith said the sheriffs notified people in the courtrooms that there would be an evacuation and shortly after fire alarms went off.
Shortly after 3 p.m. sheriffs announced that the court would not go back in session on Wednesday.
Menard said he the EDU was called off and the building was to reopen around 4 p.m.
© Copyright 2007 Williams Lake Tribune

A homeschooling post.

I haven't done one of these in awhile!

Miss Thing is doing really good in her workbooks.
She's working on a grade one/two spelling book and it's
really helping her with her reading level. She's so much more
confident and is starting to pick up new words,left right and center.
She's able to read books to me and enjoys doing so much more than
before and surprises herself by reading things on tv and when we're out
and about. I've told her,if she learns how to read and reads independantly
by June,I'll buy her a motor scooter.
The bribe is actually more for me than her,lol
If I know there's a deadline I'm going to be motivated to help
her meet it,rather than allow my ADD brain to slide off and on
the subject like usual. So far it's working! We do school five days a week
and she is really benefiting from the structure.
She's also doing great in math,that kid is a whiz!
I can't believe how easily it comes to her. She must get that from her
dad because I am easily confused by numbers. It's fun though,to re-learn stuff
as she zips through her books.
All the other subjects,Ciari learns naturally.
This year she's interested in animals(still) and weather(she loves the Weather
Channel) She's starting to get into geography(I'm thinking our trip is spurring that
one) and looooves to imagine and dream about far away places.
She says she's going to travel..and she'll take me with her some of the time.
Lucky me!
I'm happy with how things are going. She's free to learn at her own pace
and in a setting that allows her to thrive.

Devon does math in a workbook because he felt he needed the practice and
while he doesn't enjoy it,he does it without complaint. I love that the kid
who hated bookwork saw the need for it himself and brought his concerns
to me. I would not have done such a thing,lol.
The rest of the time he learns naturally and has been interested in animal behavior,
in particular animal attacks(goulish fellow!) and is also picking up some basics of biology.
He's a whiz at geography and knows where all these weird little towns and places are.
He likes to collect facts in general and surprises me daily with the stuff that pops out of his mouth. I think Dev's in a transitional stage,deciding which way he wants to go next..he's interested in so many things and is having fun trying them all out. He's been thinking about whether to go to school or not and seems to be planning for his future as an adult,a lot more.
It's fun to watch at any rate!

I don't have any concerns with them..well ok may be one. I wish we lived
somewhere, where there were more opportunities for field trips and cultural
activities. BUT as I can't change that I have to work harder to be creative and
that's good in it's own way too. May be after I complete one of my big secret goals
for this year,things will be better in that area. There is hope!

Auntie Cass's Kitchen-Maple Glazed Ribs

In honour of Valentine's Day I bring you this recipe.
What do ribs have to do with Valentine's Day?
V-Day is all about love,right?
Well I LOVE ribs. So there ya go!

Maple Glazed Ribs
3lbs pork spareribs,cut into serving size pieces
1 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp orange juice concentrate
3 tbso ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbso dijon mustard
1 tsp curry powder
1 clove,minced,garlic
2 grrn onions,minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Place ribs meaty side up,on a rack in a greased 9x13in pan.
Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1hour
amd 15 minutes.
Meanwhile,combine all other ingredients except seeds,in a sauce
pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat,simmer
for 15 minutes,stirring occasionally. Drain ribs,remove rack and return
ribs to pan. Cover with sauce,bake uncovered for 35minutes,basting
occasionally. Sprinkle with sesame seeds just before serving. Serves 6.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, we're having our celebration tomorrow.
Why so early?
We celebrate it as a family and as we never know where Durell will
be work wise,it's easier and nicer to celebrate on the weekend before.
Of course our celebrations always involve food. On the menu tomorrow
as mentioned before, cheese fondue,with bread and veggies and..ooooh yeah..salami.
There is something so..decadent about dipping salami into melted cheese,isn't
there? For dessert,at Devon's request we'll be enjoying cherry tarts,lemon tarts
and I may have to sneak some sort of chocolate item in there too.

No Motley Crue tickets this year,I'm thinking cards and chocolates all around.
Do you have any big plans for Valentine's Day?

Night(and day) of the Living Dead

I'm turning into the woman who never sleeps,again.
UGH!
I'm tired when I go to bed,then as soon as I lie down,I'm WIDE awake.
Then I'm too hot,then too cold.
Then I have to pee.
Then finally at midnight I fall asleep,only to be woken up by Durell
coming home,the cats racing up and down the hall,the phone ringing,twice.
It's Dur's cross shift,at 3fucking am. Then just as things settle down and I'm drifting
off to sleep..the urge to pee!
When I fall back asleep,my body clock and the sounds of Devon up and making coffee
wake me up at 7:30.
It's like this every night,in one way or another and I'm slowly going INSANE.
I have no clue why I'm having sleep issues again but this time I'm not even going to
try the 'natural' way of fixing them. I'm going to go get some sort of sleep aid. I'm
going to take something that knocks me out at 10:30 and LETS ME SLEEP til I'm damn
good and ready to get up! I'm going to sleep like the dead. Yes.I.Am.

Other than being in a sleep deprived state of mania,nothing much is going on
here. I spoke to my sister in law last night and we're trying to work out a date
for her bridal shower. Her maid of honour wants to make sure she plans it for
a day when we'll be on the Coast so I can go. Isn't that sweet? I thought so too!

It snowed again last night,everything is pretty and white BUT I'm reeeeally
sick of Winter. This one has been loooong and hard. What has yours been like?
Have you found the same thing? Usually I'm ok with Winter. I mean I always prefer
Spring but am able to wait patiently for it to arrive while Winter runs it's course.
Not this year! This year I'm hating Winter with a PASSION. GO AWAY WINTER.

Ok,enough whining,I'd best be off. My trainer is calling. May be a little exercise
will wake me up! Happy Thursday!

Beans Day

What's this? Click
Here and scroll down to the end,to find out!

For this month's addition of Beans Day I bring you these neat sites.
Dogster
Catster

You can browse through pets,leave them comments or 'treats'
read their diaries,and join groups and on-line communities.
There is something there for every dog and cat owner, and it's
a lot of fun!
I love admiring other people's pets(well there's a surprise)
and it's kinda cool and flattering when another member wants
to add your pet to their friend's list.
A MySpace for pets if you will:)

Mumbles

Ok,I HAD a post written,but I went to check my mail at my other
account to get the link to LunaNina.com to get this week's Unconscious Mutterings
and I signed myself out and promptly erased my post!
BOOOO to THAT!
Aww well,it's Monday. I have Alllll week to make up for it.

My weekend was pretty boring. Went grocery shopping on Saturday,bought
waaay too much stuff and now only have 60 bucks left for next week's trip.
OOOPS! I think we'll be OK though,because we bought a lot of case lot stuff
and hopefully(fingers crossed) we won't need much next week.
Then we went to the mall where I got a hand mixer for 11 dollars AND Dur
bought me a new red mug,to replace the one that mysteriously disappeared
a week after it was given to me..we tried to trick the kids by just putting it back
in the cupboard and watching their reactions but that didn't work. MAY BE it
did just grow legs and walk away!

Happy February!

I've been looking forward to this month since...oh January!
Why? Because we're having a fondue for Valentine's Day
that's why! I'm ALLLLL about the FOOD.

Two nights ago when Dur was going to work he stepped out onto
the porch only to have the wits scared out of him when he realized
there was an animal on the stoop. It took him a couple of seconds
to make out that it was a dog,not a coyote and his heart stopped pounding
long enough to figure out that it was Precious!

You remember Precious,don't you? She belongs to a neighbor's nephew.
She kind of adopted us last summer and wouldn't leave my porch,swimming in
the pool,playing with the kids,refusing to go home to neighbors who were dogsitting
her. I have no clue why, she wasn't mis-treated..I'm guessing our house
was quieter and calmer for her and she liked all the attention she got here.
You may also remember that her owners offered her to me because
they were moving(into a house they OWNED)
but that I said no,and they then changed their mind and kept her.
I have no clue why she's back in the 'hood but it seems she remembers
us with fondness.

When Dur left that night,she
settled under the porch to sleep but was gone when I woke up.
The next night,she was there AGAIN,only this time Ciari gave her
a blanket,a pillow and food and water. She stayed ALL night and
as far as I know nobody looked for her,because she was still there
this morning.
I went out to see her after the kids fed her breaky
only to see that she was freeeezing. It was -16...
Yeah...we all know what happened next don't we?

We locked the cats up and brought her inside.

I can't help it! She has these eyes....ooooh boy,I am so weak.

She stayed for a bit and was a very polite house guest.

She's so shy and timid but is also super friendly and eager to

please and love. We let her warm up,showered her with pats,kisses

and 'good dog's and then the kids took her back up to the neighbors and

locked her back in the yard,where she has two other dogs to play with.

Stay put Precious!

I'd keep her in all day but I always worry/hope somebody's looking

for her...

edited at 1:55 to add.

The Naked Boobie Star(who is the neighbor dog sitting Precious)

just went up a notch in my eyes,by letting Jig play with her outside.

The dog's getting love,NBS is getting a break and

Jig has someone to play with. Everybody's happy!

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

I'm going to the library,shopping..and then..oh I don't know,

it's a payday..may be we can rent movies or something.

I'll be glad when Winter is over so we can actually go out and

do STUFF.

The groundhog did say Spring was on it's way....