Monday Madness...

Our furry-legged baby is leaving tonight. We are all very sad. And yes, we are on the search for a puppy! I wish we could find one for Christmas, but I don't think that's going to happen. We've really loved having her, even though there were moments I could have done without. You'll have stuff like that with a puppy though...

I'm trying really hard not to stress about next week. I have one present currently under construction, one in transit, and nothing else. I don't even have a complete list - just a few scraps of paper with ideas written down. My kids are doing a "Secret Santa" exchange between the four of them and spouses, only it's not a secret because everyone knows who the other has. They put a $5.00 limit on it - silly or serious gifts. We have to take care of that, too. But this weekend is our wedding anniversary and the younger K's will be hanging at their cousin's so That Man and I can have some alone time. I am very much looking forward to it, even with the metric crapton of stuff we have to do. 

This Sunday is our First Annual Ugly Sweater Party. I'm looking forward to it, but need to make a list of things to do for that as well! AND it's impossible to find ugly sweaters at the second hand store because everyone must have had the same idea! 

I am making progress on the writing front. My writing chapter does "Blast Week" every other month - basically we sign up to host and then run timed blasts in our chat room. It's always a good thing - not only do you get a chance to chat with writing friends, but there's a challenge to actually get something done. No one wants to come back at the end of the time to say they washed dishes or answered email. Plus, there's a drawing for prizes at the meeting following blast week, so there's an incentive to attend. I ran one this morning and got a lot done. 

I am not making progress on the job front. This is a very sucky time of year to be looking. There's nothing being posted on any of the job sites. I have dozens of resumes out there. I'm discouraged and kind of freaking out, but trying really hard not to. I think it'll open up after the first of the year. At least I hope so. 

And that is all for now...

Behave!

Houseguest...

Here's our guest...
Jordan.
She's sacked on the couch. Totally sacked.
I didn't realize how much I missed having a dog until Jordan came. The weird thing is that she's only been here a few hours. She's sweet and bad and obnoxious, but smart and funny and she listens most of the time.
And we're spoiling her. She's on the couch. She'll sleep with K4.
My kids are in love. That Man and I are in love.
K4 keeps saying "I want a puppy". I want a puppy, too.
We'll see what happens next...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday...

There isn't a lot of good to this week... I miss my puppy so much. Our house is sad and quiet. Her dishes are gone, so is her bed. Her "babies" are in the washing machine to be claimed by K3 & K4 as reminders of their best friend. The fire sirens went off a little while ago and that man and I looked at each other - someone's got to make sure the dog is in because she'll howl. But no. We don't. She won't be "singing" along with the sirens anymore.
So... in honor of our very special family member. Here is Feel Good Friday - Abbie Style...
1. Our Abbie was the Safety Dog. Any time the kids were doing something she thought was unsafe, she would freak out. Whether she barked, pestered me, or tried to block them... she was on duty. One time, we took her to the beach. She was upset that the older three were in the water splashing around. She wouldn't stop whining and bugging me. K4 decided she was ready to go into the ocean and as I picked K4 up to take her into the waves, Abbie knocked me down and stood between me and K4. She did not want her baby in the water.
2. When she was a puppy she used to crawl on top of the open dishwasher door. It was so, so cute.
3. She wasn't allowed on the couch. She was always on the couch when we weren't looking.
4. She could "high five", "speak", and "shake". When my sister got her dog we were forbidden to teach Nezzie how to shake.
5. When K5 first started walking, Abbie was terrified of her. She would back away while still assuming a submissive position. She never snarled or growled, but she was scared of this tiny walking thing...
6. Our yard isn't completely fenced in and until recently, we never had to worry about it. She never left. Occasionally she'd go down to visit That man's mother (who lives right behind us and has had her share of Abbie duty while we're away). A few times she'd go trash can diving because the garbage smelled too good too resist, but not often. Then she began wandering... (The vet said the toxins in her brain made her think weird things which is why we had to track her down lately)
7. She loved the creek and camping... Which is why we buried her in The Meadow. Any time she even thought we were going to either my sister's house or the creek, she was in the truck... waiting. And she wouldn't get out no matter what. She loved my sister's dog and my sister's family (they were here when we brought her home and she thought they were hers too.)
And... I can't do this anymore....
I miss her more than I can even say. She was my girl. She was my buddy and my friend....
Rest in Peace...
Behave...

Goodbye...

Today we had to say goodbye to our puppy, Abbie. She wasn't a puppy. She was going on 12, but she was my puppy - my baby.
She'd been declining pretty rapidly over the past month. The vet said her liver failed. She had a mass and her liver was no longer working. The toxins had built up in her poor body and she was suffering. She said they could give her fluids and let us take her home, but she felt that was cruel. Abbie was in pain.
I seriously hoped she had some kind of strange infection and that after a few antibiotics she'd be fine.
I was wrong. The vet said there was nothing we could have done differently, nothing we did wrong. It happens. She was old and there is no rhyme or reason for these kind of things.
I was with her when she died - holding her, sobbing into her soft black fur. The vet assured me she was ready and that she could tell by her eyes that she adored us.
The vet carried her to my truck, hugged me, and said no charge for the visit. I really love our vet, except... we now have no animals to take there anymore... (2 beloved pets in less than a month is a little much, don't you think?)
We brought her home and took her to her favorite place for burial. She's at The Meadow, watching over everything.
I will miss you, my sweet girl. So much.

Behave...

Tuesday...But No Tall Tales...

So...I mentioned the dog's haircut fiasco...
This is the after - the way after. (since I promised her no pictures with the reverse mohawk.)
See that to the left? That's the rest of her fur. (and that pile is bigger than it looks in the pic) We spent more hours tonight - trimming and trimming. I don't know if you can see it or not, but there's still a little hair on her tail. (It won't be staying).
That's a lot of fur! And that's probably only half of what we took off. (I got at least that much when I started this whole process) It's a whole 'nother dog.
It's Tuesday already. Thank goodness for that. The weekend is coming!
Behave!