Dog and God

Friday Five: The Way We Blogged

2011-07-01T07:57:00.002-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Kathrynzj writes:

A friend and I were lamenting recently about the good ol' days of blogging and memes. Certainly there are still some very active blogs around our web ring, but the days of the Friday Five getting 50-70+ responses are in the past. We lamented that the Friday Five is the equivalent of the women's guild of RevGalBlogPals.

I am one of those who went from blogging just about daily to periodically at best. Unfortunately, the number I routinely read has gone down as well. What about you?

1) Have your blogging (writing/reading) habits shifted since the days of yore?

Most definitely. For a few years there, keeping up with Christian blogs was actually part of my job, so I had more time to check in on folks. I had a personal rule to never blog as DogBlogger during working hours, but it was my commenting voice both in RevGal circles and the Methoblogosphere, and there's plenty of overlap between the two.

A convergence of events led to my decreased blogging activity. Yes, that ubiquitous social networking site had something to do with it, but my job change and my move had a great effect upon what I choose to post. I moved from being just a fish in the big pond of my denomination to having a more public role in a smaller sub-section of that body of water. I curtailed my blogging as a direct result.

During my transition to this job and the move back to my home state, I even began a locked-down, password-protected blog which I shared with only a few trusted friends. It showed the worst and most stressed-out side of me. I used to share frustrations here in this space, but I'm hesitant to do so now. Google my real name, and this blog turns up as a search result. There are plenty of people out there who know my name, but who might not appreciate seeing me share in this context. Just last week, I was considering writing a post announcing that I wouldn't be posting here any longer... but, ironically, I never made the time to write it.

2) Do you have some favorites that you miss?

Oh, tons of them. Too many to name. Some of them still blog and I don't make time to read, and others haven't blogged in months, and I miss their voices.

3) Are there some blogs you still put in the 'must read' category?

I do try to read any RevGal's blog entry to which she links from Twitter or FB. But there's no guarantee I'll see all of those.

4) If we gathered at your knee, what would you tell us about those early days of blogging?

Oh, the wonder of the early days... I met friends online who, it turned out, lived within driving distance. I remember meeting up with Mary Beth one Saturday and taking dogs to a dog-related festival in her town. I remember discovering that Elastigirl was attending the same seminary as Mid-Life Rookie. I remember Zorra and I sharing our true identities as we bonded over the fact that our blog names were both dog-inspired... and I remember her praying over the phone with me when my sweet Cub girl died. And so many others, including those I met at BE 1.0 and 2.0, and the mini-meetup weekend several of us in the Dallas area hosted last spring. (In a particularly strange twist of that weekend, I remember receiving the world-changing phone call offering me my current job while I was standing in a cemetery with SpookyRach, Mindy, Sue, Jules, and others.)

5) Do you have a clip or a remembrance of a previous post of yours or someone else's that you remember, you know an oldie but goodie?

Again, as with question 2, too many to name... plus, I'm about to be late for work! 'Bye now...

Because it's been too long...

2011-05-26T07:03:00.005-05:00

...and I have a little bit of time before I need to head to the office. Hence, the random post:

- Mama Bird is trying again, in the same nest. We are keeping a really close eye on the dogs when they are outside. We walk out there before we let them out, to check on bird status. Nobody seems to have hatched yet, so the dogs may get to stay out and enjoy some beautiful weather today.
- I have an early deadline because of Memorial Day. I finished yesterday, but didn't submit the files because they aren't due until this morning. Good thing I didn't -- the cover story changed again last night. Will make tweaks as soon as I get to the office, then submit the files.

- Somebody I know had a big, important ordainey-type thing last night! Congratulations! Wish I could've been there, but will be there for the one in December, I promise!

- Tried to buy locally-sourced and/or organic brisket and ribs last night, which resulted in a Locavore Fail. The Alpha plans to fire up the smoker on Saturday, but the brisket had to come from the big store that starts with a K and rhymes with ogre, because the city's slightly-too-small Whole Paycheck didn't have one, and neither did the "local" market (using quotes because it's across the river, and thus technically in another city--but it sells meat from nearby farms). Whole Paycheck will wind up getting our ribs business tonight, though.
- Bought some chicken hot tamales while at the "local" market, because why waste the trip?
- The area's big fest on the river is this weekend. I'm ambivalent about checking it out, but we probably will because I've never been. Also, we may get to do it for free in exchange for volunteering to help sell lemonade.
- Still feeling a bit rootless. Trying to remember how long I felt this way in Dallas. Three years, probably. Hope this phase doesn't last that long this time.

The circle of life. I hates it.

2011-05-05T06:43:00.002-05:00

My dog just killed somebody's baby.

We have been watching the robin who built a nest high above our backyard, in a crook of the rain gutter. We have watched her feed worms to her two babies. And yesterday after work, I saw her perched on a branch about 10 feet away, chirping, trying to convince them to fly.

This morning, I followed the usual routine, feeding both dogs their breakfast, then letting them go for a trip outside. I could see Angus takin' care of business, but Tuesday had gone around the corner. I stepped away from the window to pour myself some cereal. Angus asked to be let back in, and I obliged him, leaving the door open a crack to wait for Tuesday. That's when I heard the frantic birds.

I went outside and saw adult robins diving angrily at our side yard. Tuesday came around the corner of the house, licking her chops.

I ordered her back inside, then forced myself to go peek around the corner. Sure enough, there lay the body of a juvenile robin.

Sometimes I really, really dislike nature. I just fed that dog a nice bowl of breakfast, yet her instinct leads her to go kill something when she's not even hungry. (I'm sure if she could talk, she would argue that she's always hungry. Bitch.)

That mama bird was doing all the right things, then my selfish dog, a ball of id on four feet, ruined it. I hope she didn't kill the other one, too.

On overcoming fear

2011-04-07T07:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday The Boy got him some clean toofs.

Yeah, the picture isn't any good; he's not that cooperative with smiling. But the point is, he got knocked out and cleaned up. And I got past some fears.

When I dropped him off, I told the teeth-cleaner two things: That one of my friends' dogs wound up clinically dead for a few minutes because of a problem with anesthesia during a cleaning; and that with Cub, the pre-anesthesia bloodwork for her teeth cleaning was the first tip-off that there was something wrong with her liver, leading me to associate teeth cleaning with the beginning of the end for my dog. (Despite these confessions, I'd still hazard a guess that I'm not the most neurotic dog parent coming through there this week.)

And yes, everything went smoothly, with the exception of a few minutes of screaming on The Boy's part as he was waking up from the procedure. They said they've seen that happen before with heelers. We know he's very vocal, and now they do, too.

The Alpha picked him up, and was regaled with the story of what happened before The Boy's checkup on Monday. Apparently it is unusual for one of the big talking birds in the waiting room to make her way down to the bottom of the cage just to laugh at a dog. And I mean long, sustained cackling. That's what happened when The Boy and I arrived. He was extremely curious, but didn't rush the cage or anything. It must've made the vet techs' week if they were still talking about it two days later.

So, there's that. Can you tell things have been pretty calm around here if I made a whole blog post about a dog having his teeth cleaned?

Forever home -- for real this time

2011-03-29T21:43:00.007-05:00

Oh, sweet Crystal... wallering around on my friend M's carpet.

And hamming it up for the camera while rubbing fur all over M's pretty couch.

I got the official word tonight, at the close of an email message: "She has been so great for me. Oh, btw, she is a keeper."

btw? Hey, this is some news to drop as a "btw..." Yes, of course I called him right away. She was cuddled up on the couch next to him while we talked.

We know there's probably no such thing as the perfect dog, but, as Jules would say, there's definitely such a thing as the Perfect-For-Us Dog. And it looks as though M found his Perfect-For-Him Dog.

I am so, so glad.

11th birthday

2011-03-28T21:42:00.005-05:00

Cub, on her first day in our family.

If she were still alive, she'd be 11 years old today.

Sometimes I have a hard time believing I miss a dog this fiercely.

It's even a made-up birthday: our best guess counting back her age in estimated weeks, combined with a day significant in other months of the year. But here I am, crying about my dead dog on her made-up birthday.

Recently, I've seen car magnets shaped like a paw print, with the words "Who Rescued Who?" in the center. I wondered that about Cub and me long before anyone was selling it as a slogan. In the end, I couldn't rescue her from liver disease. Nobody could.

I'm really hoping my eyes aren't puffy in the morning. I have an optometrist appointment, and I can hear it now:

"Are your eyes always this irritated?"

"No, I just spent last night crying over my dead dog."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. When did it happen?"

"Three years ago."

**blink blink**

November of 2007 in Eureka Springs... the last "fun trip" we took with both dogs.

Angus hasn't been the same since she died. When Cub was here, he knew his place: back of the pack. He was content with it, and it worked well for everyone. Cub was his rock. Now, he doesn't know where he stands. We were hoping that when we adopted Tuesday, he would make her his beta or, failing that, accept her as his alpha, but neither scenario worked. They get along pretty well, but he won't play with her. He's kinda cranky.

I've heard that there's that dog for every dog person. The one dog who will always be elevated above all others, canonized, sainted, crowned The Best Dog That Ever Was.

I hope there's just one, because I don't plan to quit being a dog person, and there's only so much of this I can take.

Day-by-day dog

2011-03-17T05:56:00.005-05:00

That's what Crystal is right now. Her foster "dad," M, and I are taking it day by day. He isn't going to boot her out the door on Friday (a good thing, since I have nowhere for her to go and two rescue organizations have said they can't help), but he hasn't said he's ready for her to live there forever, either.

Although he did say she has been "the perfect dog" thus far, in the time she's spent at his house.

So I'm praying for continuing perfection.

***
In other news:

- Lovely Niece's husband (who still doesn't have a blog name, but that doesn't mean I don't love him) landed a job at a national home improvement retail chain (not the orange one). He had three--three--interviews for the part-time position. He later learned that he was chosen from among 150 applicants for that one non-seasonal position. If that's what he's been up against this past year and a half, no wonder it took so long to land a job! The better news is that even though it's part-time, he does qualify for benefits. Lovely Niece doesn't get university benefits during her internship year, which begins soon, so having another source for health insurance will be especially helpful. *sigh of relief*

- We began work on the master bathroom walls. Ugh. We have a 7-foot-long mirror in there above the vanity. It's going to have to come out of there soon, and I don't know where to put it while it's down. Also, we want both bathrooms functional next time we have visitors (in just a couple of weeks), so we're going to have to watch our timing.

- Speaking of timing, the dogs know what time it is. Breakfast time. Off to fill their bowls.

Re-rescue

2011-03-15T06:03:00.003-05:00

So a while back, I wrote about my last rescue dog, Crystal, not working out in her adoptive home. Then it seemed that the family had re-committed to working with a trainer and that things were going to be fine.

Well, that didn't last. Bottom line: Crystal needs to be re-homed. Her now-former adoptive family last night bid her a tearful farewell, and she is spending the week with my friend M. M is a teacher and has his Spring Break this week, and thus a little extra time on his hands. (He is also in the market for adopting a dog of his own, but I'm not getting my hopes up here. See me, not getting my hopes up?)

I really hated arranging for this type of thing long-distance, but that's how it works when you've moved and you still have commitments in the place you left. So my friend A did an excellent job serving as my proxy in last night's transition; she had met the family when they adopted Crystal, so she helped M with picking her up from their home. M also brought along another dog-person friend, and A said she was great to have there for support. The M-to-dog introduction went well, and after they'd had some time to get acquainted, Crystal walked, on her leash, like a normal dog, to M's car for the trip to her temporary home.

So here it is 6:00 the next morning, and I'm hoping M and Crystal had a good night. I'm also praying he falls in love with her and can't let her leave at the end of the week, but I'm not about to push that on him. She isn't what he wanted -- a Labrador Retriever or mix thereof. In fact, when he was buying a crate for her yesterday, I told him that though the crate size I had would be sufficient for her, he would really be better off buying the next size up so it would hold his future Labrador. (See me, still not getting my hopes up?)

But look at this face!

Visuals

2011-03-08T07:31:00.005-06:00

Sharing a couple of things today. First, an accomplishment:

Sunday night we hung up some stuff in the kitchen. Appropriately, it's a "Dog and God" motif -- three dog portraits, two religious items (the plaque, if you haven't seen one before, is in Latin... "Bidden or unbidden, God is present").

Oh, I meant to crop that image tighter so it would show up better. Eh. It's already uploaded now. You get what you get.

And the second image, from our usual dog-walk route around our new neighborhood:

Yes, that's a mailbox. With a little patch of grass on top. With an angel sitting there. If this doesn't look like a teeny little cemetery, I don't know what does. (Because of the positioning of the mailbox, though, we don't think it's deep enough to actually bury any complete creature carcass. Perhaps the ashes of the last mail carrier are in there?) SpookyRach, because of this scene, we think of you on every walk.

Oh, the days, they pass.

2011-02-21T20:41:00.004-06:00

And here I am on the downhill side of February.

- Under deadline at work. I have until Wednesday 4 p.m. for a deadline that's normally Friday at 10 a.m. But I feel as though today I triumphed. I drafted the big article that all the church nerds will want to read. The rest of the words will come (a few column-inches at a time). And for help with making it pretty, I'll turn to the can-do-anything communications assistant across the hall. So tonight, instead of trying to write more of that stuff for which they pay me, I'm blogging.
- Last year it didn't bother me that I wasn't going, but this year I'm trying not to envy the folks going on the Big Event 4.0. The first two were lovely. Perhaps in year five...
- We bought Angus and Tuesday their first bag of "vibrant maturity" chow. The Boy will be 7 in April. The bag says for dogs 7+. He's no more vibrant than he was before, but then again, he's a pretty vibrant little guy. Tuesday is older, we have always guessed, but her vibrancy isn't in question, either. I just keep thinking that at this age with Cub, we were beginning our losing battle with liver disease.
- My Dear Sweet College Friend of The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010 is having her c-section in the morning. (Yes, that was the "life got a little more complicated" reference near the beginning of that post.) Deadline, schmeadline, I'll be making a run to the hospital for a visit.
- We haven't done anything to the interior of House Two since we painted the guest room and office. What remains paint-wise is in the master suite. I told The Alpha he can go ahead and buy the bedroom paint, but I haven't yet made up my mind color in the bathroom.
- When we finish the bathroom walls, we can pay someone to have the whole-house interior trim painted. It's still not enough motivation to get me to choose a color.
- Lovely Niece defended her dissertation last week. It was a breeze, with professors arguing with each other instead of asking her difficult questions. She really impressed them, as we knew she would.
- Our first trip back to Texas since we moved is coming up soon. I'm sure that will stir up a bunch of feelings and crap. Oy.
- Time for bed. Tomorrow is one of those crazy mornings in which The Alpha has a long commute and we all get up well before the sun figures out what's happening.

February already

2011-02-01T07:05:00.003-06:00

A loose collection of thoughts before I head into the office on this rainy morning:

- People to the north, south, and west of us are being buried in snow. Here, it's just wet, wet, wet.
- There was a time when I'd have been jealous of those in the snowy regions. Now, I think of the people in our city who don't have a warm place to sleep at times like this.
- For the third time this year, canvascommunity is turning its worship space into a warming center where people who normally sleep outdoors can spend the next few nights. Overnight lows this week will dip into the teens and twenties.
- I've written about the warming center elsewhere, for my job. I've also given my time and resources to help. And for the first time in my life, I've gotten to know individuals who are homeless.
- We haven't decided whether we're going to make canvascommunity our church home. But we've been attending every Monday, and have helped serve Communion twice, including last night.
- I can't recall that I've ever seen an adult as happy to receive Holy Communion as Patrick, a 5-foot 2-inch man who lives in a dugout cave near the river.
- Just three days ago, the weather was so sunny and beautiful that The Alpha convinced me to hike up a mountain in a nearby state park. We took the dogs, and many other people we encountered on the trail had brought their four-footed hikers, too. I was impressed with TuesDog. I didn't expect her to have the stamina she displayed. At a couple of points, she actually pulled forward enough to help me in my climb.
- Later that afternoon, The Alpha's parents came over and we completed the dismantling of the 12-foot koi pond in the backyard. With barely any water left in the thing, we still found one last living fish (total rescued fish: 18), and took it over to the pond in my brother's neighborhood.
- Even if it were dry outside today, I wouldn't leave the dogs unsupervised in the backyard. Just after the koi pond demolition, TuesDog took a bite of the muck that once held aquatic plants. We don't want her feasting on such things.
- She has been hiding from the thunder this morning. Thankfully, it seems to have passed, and she's now lying on the floor beside me.
- Angus The Boy seems to be doing well. We were concerned about some weight loss last week, but we adjusted his food and are giving him a spoonful of peanut butter now and then for good measure. He seems healthy otherwise, and isn't due for a checkup for a couple more months.
- Uh-oh, some more distant thunder. There goes TuesDog, just a few steps in the direction of the bedroom closet.
- I spent several hours on Sunday pregnant-lady-sitting Friend Regina, who is on bed rest. Her shower is Sunday, overlapping the Super Duper Name-Trademarked Big Game kickoff. It's the only time we could get her church's parish hall (yes, she will still be on bed rest; we're going to borrow the fainting couch from the church bride's room). I wonder how many women will skip wishing their friend well in favor of watching a bunch of men they don't know run headlong at each other. Hers has been a particularly difficult pregnancy; I'd show up for her anywhere, any time.
- Been hungry a lot lately. Wondering what hole I'm trying to fill with the extra food, but not wondering hard enough to really explore it.
- More thunder. TuesDog went ahead and moved to the closet.
- Now that the rain has picked back up, it's time to make the dogs take one last trip outside before I leave them indoors for the day. Joy. Poor poppies.

She couldn't resist the power of his cuteness.

2011-01-12T07:43:00.008-06:00

Just a quick before-work post to announce my friend Kirsten's new pup:

Adam is his name right now, though she may plan to change it when he gets home today. He was on my former city's shelter euthanization list this week. Joe, the amazing and dedicated animal services staff member who works his tail off to try to get animals placed rather than euthanized, added a personal note about Adam to this week's list. He makes videos of animals as he's able, and he did a lovely one of Adam set to James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend." I posted it on that ubiquitous social networking site that has had the annoying effect of decreasing blogging, and three friends shared it.

One of those friends was Kirsten. And even though she already had two dogs, she didn't wait for someone else to go adopt Adam. So now, instead of losing his life today, Adam is only losing his junk (which I'm pretty sure he won't miss), and Kirsten can pick him up at the vet after 4:00.

I knew there was a reason I never told Joe to take me off his email list after I moved.

Friday Five: New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T10:04:00.002-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, SingingOwl writes:

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but it does seem a good time for some reflection and planning. For the last few days I keep thinking of Psalm 90:12: So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Among other things, that seems to say that reflection is in order if we want to learn and grow.

For some of us, this has been an incredibly difficult year; for others it has been a year of many joys. For all of us, there have been challenges and questions and there have been blessings and--maybe even an answer or two! As we say our goodbyes to 2010 and look towards 2011, share with us five blessings from 2010 along with five hopes or dreams for 2011.

Five blessings from 2010:
- Enjoying visits with several RevGals...many of them all at once in a late spring gathering.
- Being able to say "yes" to an exciting new job opportunity.
- My introduction to the world of animal rescue (always a mixed blessing; see my previous post for the latest).
- Witnessing Mid-Life Rookie's ordination.
- An amazing and adventurous vacation with The Alpha, with special guest appearances by Lovely Niece and Nephew-in-law.

Five hopes/dreams for 2011:
- A (really, really forever this time) home for Crystal -- again, see my previous post.
- Healthy babies for my two currently-expecting friends.
- That we will feel comfortable and ready to settle into a congregation here in our new city.
- That more people will gain a greater understanding of the concept of "enough" and will waste less and share more.
- Another awesome vacation to at least one National Park.

Re-rescue needed

2010-12-31T09:56:00.002-06:00

So the day after I wrote my last post about all the happy rescue dogs, I learned that Crystal isn't working out in her adoptive home as well as first indicated. If any of my blog readers might know someone who would take her in, please contact me. It would be best if we could find her a home with no children, no cats, and either no dogs or one dog who should weigh at least 30 pounds.

Ugh. I so want her to find a happy home without complications. Please pray that it happens. I don't even live there anymore; I can't just go get her. And bringing her to where I live now isn't a good option, as there are breed restrictions here, and our own dogs have not yet completely adjusted.

Year in review

2010-12-29T20:39:00.004-06:00

We've accomplished tons of stuff during this last week of 2010. (Some might even call us Responsibility Champions.) Both of us have the week off, and we have used it to do lots more unpacking, grout sealing, relative visiting, errand running, furniture and decor arranging, and the like.

One of the things I moved out of the garage today and into its proper place on the wall next to The Alpha's side of the bed was a shelf his dad made. It's a simple but elegant shelf, 16 inches wide -- perfect for mounting into two studs -- and the finish matches our bedroom furniture very well. At the old house, it held a piece of comic art, as well as three dog collars: Cub's puppy collar, Cub's grown-up collar, and Angus' baby collar (well, he was already a year old, but still -- after a few months he broke it and we got him a bigger one).

Moving is a great time to examine what you put where, and why. I figured that really, the comic book art was probably more suited to our office (i.e., third bedroom with no bed), so I grabbed a framed family photo to hang above the collar shelf. I'm not sure what year it was taken, but it was before Angus came along, so probably 2003. We were a family of three, with eight legs among us, instead of the six many humans would assume of a three-member family.

In this photo, Cub has barely any gray in her muzzle; only the kind that can be ascribed to her normal coloring, not to her age. Her right ear turns down at the tip, as it did for about the first half of her life, giving her a more distinctive (and endearing) look than a purebred dog would have. We are all smiling, all in the prime of life.

Just after I'd hung the shelf, The Alpha walked in, so I caught him up on my work in progress. He loved the idea of having that particular picture above the collars. He totally got it (one of many reasons why I love him so dang much).

So he drove the nail while I added a wire to the back of the frame. We hung up the portrait, and he arranged the collars with Cub's grown-up collar in the center, tags dangling off the front of the shelf. And I burst into tears.

Cub has been gone almost two years. It doesn't matter that she's a dog and not a human. She's family, and she's gone. And I will always miss her.

Which brings me to the year-in-review part of this post. At an appropriate point after my crying jag had ended, The Alpha and I reminded ourselves of what wonderful dogs we do have with us now. And he pointed out something very true: If Cub had still been around, we never could have taken in foster dogs. This time last year, I had jumped straight into the deep end of animal rescue and come up with Homer the Pit Bull, who was saved from being euthanized because I was able to pick him up at the shelter and hang onto him for a few days. He now lives in the Temple area.

Next came Foster (now Amos, making his home with a retired clergy couple in Dallas). After that, we had our smallest foster dog, a 20-pounder named Ralph, but who we called Little Bittle (he's now known as Teddy, and "good for absolutely nothing except being petted," according to his very pleased people).

And during the freaky Texas snowstorm, I braved bridges and overpasses to pick up Dustin (now Dusty -- adopted by my friend Cherrie, who officially designated me his fairy dogmother). Then there were the last two, Crystal and Poohbert. Crystal is still Crystal, but Poohbert, who lives by the lake, has become Puddles, so named for her love of water. Both are doing well; I've received emails from both of their families within the past week.

So, as dog years go, it was a pretty darn good one for us. Not an easy one, by any means, but a rewarding one. No, we couldn't have done it with Cub around, but you know what? We couldn't have done it without her, either. She made our household what it is.

Someday, we will be settled enough here in the new place that we will be able to help another dog or two. And Cub will still be one big reason why we can.

Early-morning irony

2010-12-09T06:17:00.002-06:00

So I've set aside time to blog, and I can't remember what I was going to blog about.

O, irony.

I guess we'll go with some assorted updates:

- The church search continues (as we expect it to for several more months). We have become moderately involved in one community of faith, but we aren't sure that it's home. So we drop a fiver in the offering basket and keep tithing to the church we still miss, back in Texas.
- Since I last blogged, we had The Great Granite Countertop Debacle of 2010, which has now been solved, thanks to a second granite company and another chunk of cash. Such a piddly little first-world problem that took up way too much of our energy.
- The slate backsplash will go in this weekend, and the new fridge arrives tomorrow. After that, we just have to finish texturing and painting in there and our kitchen will be ready. When that's done, it's down to bedroom walls, master bathroom, and trim throughout the house.
- We haven't yet figured out the proper configuration for dog-bathing in this house, as it doesn't have an inescapable sliding shower door like the last house did. So today the dogs are off to the local Pet Palace, where they'll get the stink washed off of 'em.
- Found out that a friend of mine who was asked by his superiors to take a leave of absence from pastoring has pretty much been told they don't want him back, so he enrolled in truck-driving school. This is supposed to be the new era, where churches will need to change to meet the needs of the "mission field." I think this particular pastor may have gotten into trouble by pushing his churches (too hard for their tastes) to do just that. So he's told not to expect to be appointed anywhere. Again with the irony.
- Have barely begun shopping for Christmas gifts (because I'm sick of consumer Christmas and we are busy enough already). What we have bought is fair trade, and I believe we'll be spending a bunch of money on items from the Heifer Gift Catalog, too. I love Heifer. In November I got to visit both their ranch and their world headquarters. In fact, our little bit of Christmas shopping was done at the ranch gift shop.

Okay, time for breakfast, both human and canine varieties. 'Bye now.

WorshipFAIL

2010-11-21T12:25:00.022-06:00

We were in a church sanctuary for at least an hour this morning. We tried.

But we failed. Or, more accurately, I think the entire church may have failed to worship.

It started out okay enough. We parked in a clearly-marked visitor spot, entered the building, received a welcome, a recognition that we were visiting for the first time, and a bulletin. We walked into the sanctuary, sat down in the center of a pew about 3/4 of the way back, and got greeted by one more person (who I realized I'd talked to this week on the phone as part of my job, but we kept the introductions to first names for the more incognito visitor experience). She said, "I'll be right back," and did indeed return a few minutes later with a recent church newsletter and a visitors' packet containing brochures on all their ministries.

After that, it started to get weird. We opened our worship bulletins and found hymn selections that raised our eyebrows. You'd have thought it was Independence Day weekend from the first two hymns. We wondered about them for a bit, then decided it probably had something to do with Thanksgiving coming up this week, though we aren't accustomed to big displays of patriotism for Thanksgiving, especially in church.

So, we sang "America the Beautiful" for our "Hymn of Praise," -- yes, that was the label in the bulletin and over the PA system. The Alpha leaned over to me and asked, "Praise to whom?" Exactly what I was wondering. The hymn is clearly addressed to America, not to God.

Then the substitute associate pastor, a retired clergyman from another Conference, waxed all emotional about how great America is compared to other countries. We think he got a little verklempt. Meanwhile, I'm glancing over at some of the diversity in the pews near us, wondering if everyone in here is indeed a citizen of the U.S.

The next hymn was "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." Ohhhh, The Alpha noticed... it mentions pilgrims. That's why it's a Thanksgiving hymn, we supposed. Still, another hymn not directed to God. I like to limit those types of moves to one per service, myself. And even then, it's sketchy.

Scriptural basis for the sermon was Romans 12:1-2. The senior pastor explained to the congregation that John Wesley was hearing this very same passage when he had what is now referred to as his "Aldersgate experience." WRONG! I know better! And teh Intarwebs backs me up:

"In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans." --from The Journal of John Wesley, May 24, 1738

HaHAA! Luther's preface! Wesley wasn't listening to the Bible itself being read.

Then, later in the sermon, the pastor states, pretty much out of nowhere, that "Thanksgiving is our only 100 percent religious holiday."

That comment got badger-faced (Liz Lemon-style) by both The Alpha and me. Is any holiday 100 percent religious? If so, I don't think Thanksgiving wins that distinction. Plenty of people give thanks on Thanksgiving without involving God in it. They may thank their parents for not making them cook anything, or they thank their place of employment for not making them work (or for paying them extra if they do have to work). But I'm guessing we have a significant fraction of Americans whose primary celebration of Thanksgiving basically amounts to, "YAY! TURKEY!"

Crap. I just lost several paragraphs of this post. Intarwebs fail. I'll be hitting "save now" after every sentence from here on out.

This congregation also applauded. at. everything. I usually can forgive a congregation for applauding after the children's choir sings, even if I do believe it sends the wrong message (kiddoes, who are you singing for? The congregation? No! You're singing for God, not those people out there). But these folks also applauded after the big-people choral anthem, and they applauded again when the pastor did the "right arm" verse of the Hokey Pokey as part of his sermon. (God wants you to "put your whole self in," of course. But he left out my favorite part of this illustration: You aren't just supposed to put your backside in church. It's no fun without a butt reference.) Yes. They applauded the Hokey Pokey. And not after they had all successfully done it themselves, which I think is perhaps the only appropriate time to applaud the Hokey Pokey. And even then, not always.

At one point in the service, I decided I'd try to learn a little bit more about the place by skimming the newsletter given to us by the friendly lady. That's when I learned that apparently, the place is falling apart as far as staffing is concerned. They had to cut one position, and then two other people have resigned. Doesn't bode well.

We have visited four other churches here in the area, and while no church is perfect, nor do we expect it to be, we've felt at least okay with most of the worship experiences. This is the first time we haven't been able to get our worship groove on even a little.

And now I have to go. I've spent too long on this blog post when I should be busy fighting our house. We must beat it into submission.

Before and During

2010-11-15T20:47:00.010-06:00

The following photos aren't that great, but for those who asked to see, they should give you the gist of what's currently going on at the new (to us) Manor.

First off, if you haven't seen this over on teh Facey Spaces, here's the first thing I removed from the house after I signed the papers and got the key:

It's still in the garage, because I kinda hope I get invited to a white elephant gift exchange this Christmas.

Okay, on to some more stuff.

Here's the back hallway, facing toward the front of the house. The door in front of you is the garage; the door in front of it is the open door of an oddly-placed closet. Oh, well, at least we have storage. To the left is the laundry closet (I wouldn't call it a room because you can't actually walk into it, but it's big enough for the washer and dryer and a couple more things). To the right is the master bedroom. Behind the camera is the bedroom we're using as the study/office/whatever. Guest room and hallway bath are around the corner to the left.

Here's the breakfast area. It's maybe halfway finished. No, I take that back. Only the floor is finished. But we still have to seal the grout, so technically, none of it is finished. We must also rid it of the rest of the wallpaper, paint it with the same tan and red we used in our old house, and replace the light fixture.

Here's the dining area (three walls and an open view of the living area, so not technically its own room). Two walls painted the same red as our old dining room. Third wall painted the same tan as our old kitchen and the lower part of our old dining room. Though it doesn't show up in the photo, the light fixture is the hard-wired oval paper lantern we had in the old house (new owners let us take it). The doorway you see leads to the breakfast area off the kitchen (pictured above).

More kitchen-in-progress. The cabinets have already been stripped and re-painted white, but the pinkish wallpaper has yet to go. The countertops left today. Granite countertop installation happens Friday. Dishwasher installation should happen before that; stove installation after; and a new, deeper sink at the same time as the granite.

Also, we discovered our fridge, the pretty one we bought last year during the Kitchen Remodel of Aught-Nine, is too wide for the space in this new kitchen. Craptastic! We have to buy a new fridge, and hopefully sell the year-old one at a decent return. Plus, we made a little money off the previous owners' fridge, which they didn't care to take with them. (We have sold a number of such things on that list, by that guy. You know the one.)

I'm feeling way over-consumed. We aren't going into debt to do any of this, but I don't like buying so much stuff.

Which is one of the reasons why we're going to endure the master bathroom's current condition a bit longer...

Yeah, let me give you a close-up of that wallpaper pattern. Notice the sheen of stripes? As if the other wasn't enough.

Impromptu contest: Leave a description of this wallpaper, or perhaps a story of the pattern's origin, in the comments. Best answer gets a prize. I'll figure out what the prize is while I'm unpacking. Which should happen some time before Christmas. Maybe.

Because I miss my blog.

2010-11-10T07:10:00.004-06:00

And I miss reading other people's blogs, too. Between my work duties and our mad rush at home improvement since the move, blogging has fallen even further down the list of priorities. True, FB helps me keep up with many of the same people, but not in such a significant way as reading regular blog entries would. Most of us face similar situations these days, it seems.

So, a list. I do lists well.

- The kitchen cabinets are now nicely painted (instead of crappily painted like they were when we moved in), and the wood-look tile we loved having in our old house now makes up our living/dining/kitchen floors.
- We still haven't moved into those three rooms. We want to get some other stuff done first (like grout sealing, doing away with the kitchen wallpaper, installing countertops and appliances). Lots of stuff in the garage; cars don't fit.
- The dogs seem to be adjusting. The first week we were here, I actually splurged for 3 days of doggy day care because workmen were at the house all day and I didn't really know if the dogs understood that the backyard belongs to them. Now they seem to get it, though.

- We did get our guest room arranged, and have already hosted overnight guests: my sister, bro-in-law, and their two dogs.

- The Alpha is driving a 65-mile commute each way, three days a week. He's really hoping to back that down by a day or two within the next few months. His two work-from-home days per week are going well.
- Tonight I'm planning to texture the walls in the hallway bathroom. We have a to-do list a mile long, but we're chipping away at it, bit by bit.
- New flooring in the hallway should happen this weekend.
- Work we've had done: kitchen and hallway cabinets and fireplace mantel professionally painted with oil-base enamel; tile laid in three rooms; new HVAC system in the process of installation (furnace complete; a/c on Friday); burglar alarm installation.
- Work we've done ourselves: three ceiling fans installed; wallpaper stripped from hallway bath; blinds installed in living room; old stove and dishwasher removed and sold; dining room lighting from old house installed (brass chandelier taken down and donated to cool urban church plant -- they'll spray-paint it yellow to hang it in their space); and a number of other tiny things.
- And now it's time for me to leave for work. 'bye now.

Insomnia, my current muse.

2010-10-23T03:10:00.005-05:00

So here I am in the wee hours of the morning, sitting on the floor, in front of a computer monitor that is also on the floor, in a house I no longer own but have arranged to keep possession of until Sunday.

The professional moving truck loaders The Alpha had over here yesterday afternoon worked some serious Truck Tetris (one of the many times The Alpha and I talked during loading, he called simply to say, "This truck is a friggin' TARDIS!") to get the vast majority of our earthly belongings co-located in the 26-foot cargo area of a Guess-Who-Hauls-It truck. I'm certain it wouldn't have all fit in there without the professionals doing the loading. Thank goodness we hired them, even if we're driving it ourselves.

I flew down this evening... er, yesterday evening. It's strange to be able to so plainly see that this house we've lived in for a decade isn't our home any longer. I found this statement over at Inner Dorothy. She was making an analogy to the church, but talking about her real childhood home in doing so:

"I had zero trouble walking away from that house. Because everything about it that mattered was etched permanently on my heart. It did not exist within those walls. It was time for someone else to create their own memories there. I was taking mine with me."

Sunday -- that is, technically, tomorrow -- I hope to be able to say and feel the same thing.

(And maybe it helps just a little that the same day I bought the new house, I also ordered the same tile we installed last year in the one we have now sold. Yes, aesthetics do matter.)

* * *

I'm a list-maker. I make one every morning when I begin my workday, or sometimes even start a new one at the end of the previous day. If I need to clear my head, I write a list of what's in there and have the satisfaction of being able to transfer the anxiety surrounding those items to the paper (or phone screen) upon which they're written.

But I want to get a jump on today's list, and it's just not possible. It's 3:30 in the morning. The places I need to go aren't open. It's nowhere close to time for the appointments I've made. The noise I might need to make to get other things done isn't acceptable when my husband is sleeping in the next room.

In 48 hours, I expect to have my family of four (four feet and eight paws) reunited in its own living space, and all four of us fast asleep. At least, I hope that's how it goes. I expected to be fast asleep right now, yet here I am.

It's been three months, this juggling phase of life. I'm ready to begin the new chapter in earnest. As much as I hate leaving where we are, I'm eager to get rooted somewhere again. Now that we know exactly where that somewhere is, and we have the keys to it, and are already receiving mail there, I'm hoping the roots we're returning to there will grow deep and healthy.

And that there will always be a nice big, sturdy branch, with roots to match, hanging over a good-sized portion of Texas.

Yikes at all the stuff happening.

2010-09-24T17:45:00.004-05:00

- Our Texas house is under contract, with a closing date of October 21.
- We got the inspection report, and the buyers' requests aren't that bad. Still, I'd love if they were already resolved.
- We think we found a house in Capital City. We're so picky that we are making an offer on a cheaper house than what we could actually afford; one that will need immediate updating, so we can spend some money on updating right away.
- This house, if it is the house, is 400 square-feet smaller than our previous one. On purpose. All that talk at Heifer Ranch of how much is enough really got to The Alpha--and to me, too, even though I didn't actually get to go.
- And right now, this house has got some craptastic walls in the kitchen and bathrooms! I foresee more bouts with tendinitis, triggered by hours spent covering up very not-us wallpaper with Sheetrock mud and a putty knife.
- I wish I'd taken a picture of the Spongebob toilet seat. Another day, perhaps.
- Our backup options... well, we haven't agreed on a backup option. So I hope we don't need one.

Dogstuff

2010-09-12T14:43:00.003-05:00

Sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to training in MethoVaticanCity, so I thought I'd blog (hooray for free wi-fi at LIT terminal!). This morning was absolutely lovely, and I thought the dogs deserved some more time outside than just their hurry-up-run-and-pee-get-back-in-here-you-have-no-fence-no-don't-run-after-that-rooster-and-don't-eat-that-whatever-it-is-and-don't-even-PRETEND-to-go-toward-the-road experience that's currently their typical trip outdoors.

I gave them each separate trips outside so I only had to worry with watching one dog at a time.

Tuesday chose to waller in the cool grass under the shade tree:

Angus did his share of wallering, too, and then he and I had a nice play session with his bluebell (he's still great at attempting to fly after it as it sails through the air):

I love my dogs. The Alpha's parents are really great -- they take excellent care of the dogs whether I'm there or not, so I'll have no worries about them while I'm in MethoVaticanCity. But I'm praying for a house sale soon, so I can choose their next fenced backyard and be able to let them out without guarding their every move.

If I had a house right now...

2010-09-08T17:08:00.005-05:00

If that house were in Texas, and not for sale, it would have a 100-pound husky in it tonight.

And if that house were in Little Rock, it would've had a strange little puppy in it after lunch today.

Every week I get the email updates from the Suburbia city shelter. It's how Crystal and Poohbert came to be our foster dogs. They've had some pretty good weeks recently, with all animals getting adopted or rescued instead of euthanized. One week they didn't even have to put any at all on the urgent list. But it looks like this week the streak may end. The last email I got still included quite a few dogs and cats looking for homes. Among them: Diamond, a large Husky about 7 years old who was owner surrendered, adopted, and then returned because he didn't get along with the family's cat.

Like I said, if my Texas house weren't on the market, it would have a Husky in it by now. Instead, he will probably die tomorrow morning (they gave the animals an extra day because of the holiday weekend, but with the tropical storm, folks haven't been getting out in the rain to adopt).

And at lunch today, two of my co-workers introduced me to a place to procure a yummy milkshake. It's out of our way, and not in the best area. As we were getting out of the car to place our order at the walk-up window, one of my co-workers said, "That's a cute puppy."

"Where?" I asked, and he pointed behind the dumpster. Then the little black-and-tan somethingorother (part cocker spaniel, we think) came over to visit with all three of us. I wore sandals today, which meant I got a complimentary toe-licking with my puppy visit.

Puppy was a boy. No collar, and obviously no fence keeping him safe. I told my co-workers that if I had a house, I'd inquire with the lady at the window, and if she didn't know who Puppy belonged to (or if who he belonged to didn't plan on providing any better care than letting him wander) we'd be picking up the pup along with our milkshakes and dropping him off at my house before we went back to the office.

As it stands, though, I couldn't help. I hate not being able to help. At the same time, given the long-term fostering I did this spring, I realize I could easily get stuck with another dog or two for an indefinite amount of time.

But I still want to help.

---

UPDATE: Just got the final email for today. All dogs but one have been rescued, and we believe that one has a rescue group interested. Several cats still left, though... which is sad, but makes me powerless to help because of my allergy.

Friday Five: Storms of Life Edition

2010-09-03T07:10:00.002-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Martha writes...

I'm listening this morning for word of Hurricane Earl. Is he coming to visit, or will he bypass my part of Maine and move further Downeast, or veer toward Nova Scotia? Should I buy those bottles of water, just in case wind brings branches and power lines down? And how many times will the tracking map change today?

Herewith, a Friday Five about the storms of life:

1) What's the most common kind of storm in your neck of the woods?
Though I'm taking today off and hanging out in lightly-tornadic Texas today, I've spent the last month living back in my home state, a.k.a. Tornado Country. We can't claim to be the home of Dorothy Gale, but I can say about a mile of the drive between my in-laws' house and my office looks dramatically different than it did before the twister came through several years back.

2) When was the last time you dealt with a significant power outage?
Been a while. But the most recent one I was part of that lasted several days took place surrounding my sister-in-law's wedding, almost 10 years ago (thanks to an ice storm, not a tornado). The church had power, some relatives a mile or two away had power, but my in-laws' house did not. I remember helping my mom-in-law make punch by flashlight and sending gallon jugs of it over to spend the night in an aunt's freezer. The powdered ingredients floated in the flashlight beams, and the morning of the wedding, we awoke to a film of red punch dust covering every surface in the kitchen.

3) Are you prepared for the next one?
Not particularly. The Alpha usually keeps either a 24- or 72-hour pack in the hall closet, but the house is on the market. We've cleaned out a lot of stuff. His car does have an electrical outlet, though, so if we ever lose power in a widespread area, we can run some things as long as we conserve gas and batteries.

4) What's the weather forecast where you are this weekend?
"Today: Decreasing cloudiness and windy. High 87F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F [whoohoo!]. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow: A mainly sunny day. High 89F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph."

5) How do you calm your personal storms?
Talking things out with trusted friends usually helps. Just telling the story of whatever storm it is to someone who understands can make an enormous difference.

Changes

2010-08-13T14:13:00.003-05:00

Lots of changes lately. I've followed the dogs to their temporary digs; we're living with The Alpha's parents until further notice. New job seems to be off to a good start. The Alpha is all alone back in Texas, keeping our house up to show-quality status. I hope it doesn't take that much longer to sell. Seriously. Not having a timeline for getting settled is probably the worst thing about this whole transition.

And, so we could have some photographic evidence of change, I took the Tueser to be groomed. First time I've done that for any dog, but she was shedding something fierce, and in a house where she's a guest. Behold, The Summer Cut!

Friday Five: Love the One You're With

2010-07-30T07:27:00.002-05:00

For this week's RevGals Friday Five, Kathrynzj posted something quite timely for me:

"...name five things you like about where you are living now... and as your bonus - 1 thing you don't like."

Timely because tomorrow, I'm packing the car and officially beginning life back in our home state. My new job starts Monday. The Alpha and I will live apart until the house is sold and we find one there that suits us.

So the answers to this Friday Five would be very different if I played a day late. But, living in the present, here we go:

1) I like having The Alpha with me. I'm not happy about him hanging out here, with me hanging out there (albeit with the dogs, at his parents' house... it's some consolation). So I just added Billy Joel's "You're My Home" to my iSuperPhone's iThing, which should help me maintain the appropriate amount of melancholy during this temporary separation of unknown duration.

2) The congregation we've called home these past 10 years. Last Sunday I said goodbye to the band and choir. And yea, verily, that sucked, even though it went as well as it could've and it created great memories. I scheduled a Wednesday night diversion this week, the first week I wasn't supposed to be at practice. After I got home from the dinner, I received a text message from a fellow bandmate... "Leaving rehearsal- it's official: we miss you." *sigh...* I miss them, too.

3) Our house. We've worked pretty hard on it. We've made lots of changes in 10 years. It feels like ours now, even when it's all clean and neat for real estate showings and we have to hide the towels we actually use instead of drying our hands on the ones hanging up.

4) The convenience of living near a big city.

5) The friendships we've built here, and which we hope to preserve across the distance.

And, for the bonus... I think, in the interest of making the separation easier, I'll list more than one thing I don't like: The traffic. The shifting soil. The governor. The way developers keep bulldozing over unspoiled land to build strip malls, even though existing storefronts stand empty. The air pollution. I could go on.

Friday Five: Decisions, decisions

2010-07-23T09:31:00.004-05:00

After all the decisions I've been making lately, I was glad to see that Songbird was asking some which-do-you-like-better questions in this week's RevGals Friday Five, not anything more serious. So, here we go:

Since I've been in the midst of a discernment process, I've done a lot of reflecting on how we make decisions. But don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to reveal a dark story about a poor decision, or a self-flagellating story about an embarrassing one. Let's keep it simple and go with five word pairs. Tell us which word in the pair appeals to you most, and after you've done all five, give us the reason why for one of them.

Here they are:
1) Cake or Pie: Cake!
2) Train or Airplane: Um, depends on the situation!
3) Mac or PC: PC. Except that I saw my new office, and it has a Mac on the desk. So, in the interest of being adaptable, Mac. (It helps that I've used both in the past.)
4) Univocal or Equivocal: Equivocal.
5) Peter or Paul: Peter, Peter, Peter-man!

And now, the essay portion of this Friday Five:

I'll tackle 2) here. On our 2006 vacation, I fell in love with the Alaska Railroad. Taking the train from Anchorage to Seward, Seward to Denali, Denali to Talkeetna was one of the best decisions we made on that trip. The views were amazing, the seats were roomy, the ride was smooth, and we weren't in a hurry. Of course, I don't think I would've felt the same if we had tried taking a train to Alaska from Dallas! Flying in and out of Anchorage was definitely more practical, because we only had ten days of vacation time for the trip.

The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010

2010-07-22T07:32:00.010-05:00

It really doesn't begin with the Jacuzzi. It begins with my new job leading to a move across state lines, which led us to put our house on the market, which in turn led us to find a temporary place for these two:

FILE PHOTO

A sweet, sweet college friend and her family offered to keep them. Her daughter had fallen in love with them while visiting us last autumn. Between her offer to keep them and the actual arrival of said dogs at her house, life got a little more complicated. We won't go into it here, but it did factor into lowering the breaking point of the household.

I drove the dogs to my home state, spent one night with them at my friends' house, then came back to Texas. Here they are a few minutes after I left:

Because this household had never hosted dogs before, and the girl raised on the farm had in fact never had an indoor dog, we agreed it would probably be best for the humans' peace of mind if the dogs weren't allowed the run of the entire house in the absence of said humans.

So, when they left for work the next day, the spacious and lovely master bathroom it was.

We all figured I'd wind up doing some repair to door scratches by The Boy. Yes, indeed, I'll be sanding and staining their bathroom door at some point later this year. Not a huge deal. They said it already had some nicks anyway.

That evening, my dear college friend stepped out of the shower to discover a puddle of puke on her master bedroom carpet. She called, of course, because I'm far more wise in the ways of dog puke than she. After a thorough over-the-phone analysis, we determined it was probably The Boy, and was just nerves -- not totally unexpected, because The Boy has a Complex.

About an hour later, I received a text message: "I just settled in to fall asleep -- only to awaken to a very large barf from Angus."

The follow-up text: "Kevin just found pieces of soap in the pile of barf."

Subsequent texts included phrases such as, "I thought it WAS toddler-proof" and "I don't know where the frick he got the soap. It's almost like he climbed into the jacuzzi." Also, "Tuesday acts a bit ashamed of him..."

The next morning I called our veterinarian, who already knew about the move (we'd had one last checkup for Tuesday and took Angus along to say farewell, too). She prescribed some doggy downers and called it in to a pharmacy near my friends.

Before making the pharmacy run, though, my dear sweet college friend went straight home after work. It's a good thing she did, because getting there earlier conserved several gallons of water.

We will never know for certain exactly how a dog (or perhaps the combined efforts of two dogs) managed to turn on the Jacuzzi faucet.

What we do suspect, and what Dear Sweet College Friend later wished she'd photographed, is that based on the positioning of the bath towels that had been pulled off the rack and down onto the floor, they did try to build a dam after the Jacuzzi overflowed. (We are still finding that part astounding. If they could build a dam, why couldn't they have just turned the faucet back off instead?)

You see, Dear Sweet College Friend had tossed a couple of bathroom rugs into said Jacuzzi to keep them away from a certain anxiety-driven dog. So when the faucet got bumped, the water wasn't able to drain as efficiently as it would've in an empty tub. And the overflow drain just couldn't keep up. My friend discovered an abundance of water and wet fur, both freed from and attached to the dogs in question.

Two loads of laundry and one master bedroom carpet shampooing later, it turned out that the Jacuzzi Incident of 2010 did not actually cause any damage to the house. Or to our friendship.

But it did cause a rapid deployment of The Alpha's parents, who live 45 minutes away from Dear Sweet College Friend. They were there in just one hour to pick up their granddogs and all of their accompanying accessories.

Have I mentioned lately how awesome my in-laws are? Because they are.

Dear Sweet College Friend's daughter was distraught, of course. "But mama... I love those dogs!" "Mama, can I please take 'em out to pee one last time?" Oh, so sad. I'll have to take them back to visit her when I get up there.

The dogs are much calmer at the family homestead. They've stayed there with us many times, so the environment is far from foreign. And there is no Jacuzzi.

When we asked if they'd caused any damage without us there, my mother-in-law answered, "Well, they've about worn out the couch... from sleeping on it."

We saw them Sunday night and Monday morning, when we drove up for a quick house-hunting expedition. And before we left, I did give The Boy a doggy downer to cut the separation anxiety. But he hasn't needed them on a regular basis.

I move in with my in-laws at the end of the month, just before I start my new job. I'm kind of looking forward to being covered in dog fur again.

But I'm not too keen on looking for a house with a Jacuzzi.

Because it's been too long...

2010-07-21T08:05:00.002-05:00

...I'm resorting to a random-highlights kind of blog entry.

- The real estate sign is in our yard. We're almost to the one-week mark, and we have only had one official showing. Didn't realize how much I had my hopes up until we got absolutely no action over the weekend.

- Our across-the-street neighbor died yesterday after a long decline. I'll most definitely be attending his service later this week.

- My last day at the office was Friday. It was lovely. I got all kinds of cool stuff, including my very own custom cover of our publication, framed and ready to hang in my new office. I'd try to explain the jokes, but most people wouldn't get 'em. The one that readers of this blog most definitely will understand: The article "Rescue ministry expands" mentions that I have to move out of state because I've already placed dogs with all of my friends in Texas, and I need a fresh crop of potential homes for more. (I suppose there's some truth to that.)

- Here's one of the other gifts I received. I think I'll carry it at Annual Conference -- and definitely at General Conference, if I wind up attending.

- Took the dogs to Arkansas on July 4. Left them there on July 5 so our new carpet could be installed and remain dander-free for potential new owners. Had to arrange a spur-of-the-moment relocation for them after The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010. Will blog that one later. Wish I had pictures.

- Saw the dogs Sunday and Monday during a trip to look at houses. Miss them. Will be moving in with them in less than 2 weeks, while The Alpha stays behind until the house sells or until we just can't take it anymore.

- Met our new niece in the same trip. Longest pinky toes I've ever seen.

- Regarding the other side of the family (mine), I'm having second thoughts about moving to Arkansas. Family Systems Theory suggests that proximity to family members really doesn't matter that much, but I'm starting to wonder.

- A very dear college friend is expecting. Being closer to her during this time will be a definite plus.

- Goals for today: Train new church secretary on website updates. Pack at least 4 boxes. Attend my last practice with the band. A few other things thrown in there, too. Maybe I'll find a moment to blog about The Jacuzzi Incident.

Another happy goodbye

2010-06-28T21:29:00.005-05:00

This seems to be the week for parting. Again, it's a good thing:

These nice people welcomed Crystal the Foster Dog to her forever home this evening.

Early developments indicate that she's a daddy's girl.

She shows appropriate respect for/lack of interest in the toddler, too.

Everything I see and hear tells me that these are People Who Get It. The kind of people who understand that a dog can become a valuable part of the family, if you will only let her. And they are going to let her.

Thus far, The Boy and The Tueser seem to be enjoying getting back to a two-dog household. Just wait until this weekend, when I rock their world yet again by taking them to live with another family -- temporarily, while we put this house on the market. I'm going to miss them something fierce these next few weeks.

Dang goodbyes.

Last Song

2010-06-27T14:43:00.006-05:00

This morning was hard, even though we'd seen the day approaching for years.

Today was the day that the band had to say goodbye to Mid-Life Rookie's husband, G&T.

When MLR started the ordination process, we all knew it would eventually take them both away from us. We are United Methodist; preachers move. Because of her appointment to the Conference office, they were able to stay longer than we'd even dared to imagine... but next Sunday, she preaches her first sermon in her own pulpit. It's really happened. She's ordained, and they're moving on. It's a wonderful thing. I'm elated for them, and fiercely proud of her, my dear friend.

Yet it's okay for me to be crying as I type these words. And if it weren't okay, that wouldn't matter; I'd still be letting these tears fall. Our two families' lives have become intertwined over the past decade, and change is hard.

For the band, after denial came acceptance, and after acceptance came planning. Because of that planning by this group of really generous and creative people, we were able to present G&T with four things today: an art-guitar with our signatures on the back, decoupaged on the front with photos of all of us, mixed in with several of his favorite more-famous musicians; a gift card to a store where we know he's spent thousands of dollars on music equipment over the years; our love; and our music.

Wednesday at practice, we put together the anthem G&T chose. It related to the scripture our guest preacher was using, of course. He's good at paying attention to that stuff. And it also happened to be a totally bad-ass song that we do rather well. (Can church be bad-ass? Why yes, yes it can.)

And Thursday night the band convened, minus G&T, for a super-secret rehearsal to prepare our farewell song to him, which we played in place of our usual benediction response.

Last Song
by Bill Mallonee and Julie Miller
May your peace be an anchor in stormy times;
May your hope run like a river that'll never run dry;
May your burdens grow light, may your worries subside:
This is our prayer for you.
May your soul grow deep; may your joy run wild;
May your heart know the face of Mercy has smiled;
May your faith come to let you believe like a child:
This is our prayer for you.

We divided the lyrics line by line between the two of us girls -- otherwise, we probably couldn't have gotten through it without crying. It wasn't my best vocal work, but I did sing every note and word I was supposed to sing, and I even managed to look at MLR and G&T for part of it.

Lots of other important and good things happened today: our annual conference lay member gave her report to the congregation; our Conference Lay Leader, a good friend of mine and an excellent preacher, delivered the (also bad-ass) message so our pastor could leave with the youth after the first service; and the youth, with The Alpha and our pastor among their leaders, left for their week-long mission trip.

I came in from the parking lot just before the mission trip vans left. It was time to robe up and sing in the choir for second service. It wasn't until the end of the service that I got teary-eyed again. Because here's what I finally noticed when we stood to sing the closing hymn:

You may not be able to tell what it is. The table is our church's altar, seen from the rear, where the band sets up and the choir is seated. In this photo you can see part of the green altar cloth, the open Bible, one of the candles, the foot of the wrought-iron cross...

...and a guitar pick.

After the first service, G&T left it upon the altar as an offering.

(It only hit me in the car afterward that of course, it was the appropriate liturgical color, too. This man has Jerry Garcia ties in all the colors of the church year. He is totally ready to be a "preacher's wife.")

Thank you, G&T, for your offering. For all the years of dedication, the outpouring of your giftedness in service to God in this place. We love you.

The catch-up post

2010-06-27T14:30:00.004-05:00

- Looks like Crystal is going to her forever home tomorrow! The meeting on Saturday with her prospective family went very well.

- Packing, sorting, donating, trashing, recycling activities all continue. There's some painting still left, too, but it's minimal, touch-up stuff.

- Today was a big day in the life of the band. More on that in a separate post.

- Angus and Tuesday are going to live with a dear college friend and her family. But it's only temporary. We're only doing it because it's so much easier to sell a house without nose prints on the windows and dog fur on top of the brand-new carpet we're about to have installed. I'm going to be very impatient to get them back living with us, but in a new location.

- While I'm in Arkansas delivering them to their temporary digs, I'll also spend a few hours trying to find that new location for us to land. I'm going to look without having The Alpha there to give his opinion, which isn't typical of the way we normally operate. But that's what we're able to swing at this point, given our schedules.

- Might have to have a holy nap today. Two worship services and lunch with our guest preacher afterwards were things I was thrilled to be able to do, but dang, I'm tired.

I keep thinking, "I need to blog that."

2010-06-19T07:30:00.004-05:00

...and now that I've allowed myself a moment, I can't think of what prompted that thought.

This new experience we're having, getting a house ready to list, is grueling at times. Lots of painting. Choosing colors and materials based on the guess that they'll offend the fewest number of viewers, and that they are of decent quality, "but not too expensive" (like the Shrubbery order from the Knights Who Say "Ni"). Going through junk you didn't remember you even had. Dividing it into stacks: Donate, sell, recycle, trash. Making an untold number of trips to the home improvement big-box stores, both orange and blue, because sometimes they really do have different materials stocked. I took a vacation day yesterday to handle several such tasks. It was totally worth it.

Last night we had a welcome break in such action. My dear supervisor and her husband came over with a delightful home-cooked meal. Good company, good food, good wine, bad movie. It was fantastic.

Still looking for a home for Crystal, who is doing quite well:

We really need to get her placed before we put the house on the market. And we really, really need to get her placed before we move. Several laws and regulations in our home state are not very friendly toward her breed, so finding a good forever home in Texas would be better for her.

Technical difficulties stream of consciousness

2010-05-27T21:54:00.004-05:00

Hmmmm.

- I set up a new email address. I thought I changed everything over, but Blogger didn't want to start sending my comments to the new address. I finally got it to quit sending to my old address... but now I think they're going out into the ether somewhere instead of landing in any inbox of mine.

- The reason I set up a new email address is because we are moving.

- Holy crap, we are moving back to our home state.

- Seriously. Damn.

- I like it here. The Alpha likes it here. We like the life we've built here. The dogs like freeloading off the life we've built here. Why couldn't the incredible job opportunity like it here, too?

- The BAND, Elwood! ... the BAND!!!

- My KITCHEN!

- We still have one foster dog who needs adopting. Our home state allows BSLs (breed-specific laws) restricting where dogs who look like Crystal can live. We could take her with us if it comes to that--which is why we aren't looking in the suburb that has the outright ban on three breeds--but I don't think it would be a friendly environment for her.

- I am really digging this CD lately.

- Oh, great. My last two blog comments just arrived via the old address. No progress there.

- It's bedtime.

Farewell, Poohbert!

2010-05-23T20:41:00.007-05:00

Ah, the Poohbert. She's such a cutie.

Which is why we were a little mystified as to why nobody had called about adopting her in the two months we'd had her. We did have some friends who admired her, but no serious inquiries... until last weekend, when Barb, a woman from a rural town north of here, called to see if Poohbert girl was still looking for her forever home.

Barb was already partway down to our 'burb running errands when she called, and she decided to go ahead and come have a look in-person. It went well -- Poohbert reminded Barb of her dear departed dog, but not too much -- and so the pre-adoption process began: checking out the veterinary history of the potential adopter, testing Poohbert around cats since she might be living with a couple, etc.

Yesterday morning, we had Poohbert jump on in the car for a ride northward. An hour later, from a dead-end road off a dead-end road, we turned into a driveway of a house near the lake.

Poohbert met Daisy the dog, who lives next door. She met Bob, Barb's husband. She also met neighbor dogs Honey and Trapper, and Shadow the Cat. She ran a few good laps around the yard and figured out Daisy can run faster than she can. She sniffed all around the house and figured out where the cats like to curl up and sun themselves.

We walked her down to the lake, and she had her first experience with waves chasing her on the shore. She wasn't really sure what to think about that. She watched Daisy dog swim around, though.

She drank lots of water, and left an equal amount splattered on the floor all around the indoor dish, and all around the bowl on the porch, too, as we had warned she would. Barb didn't mind.

Poohbert's new name: Puddles.

It's appropriate.

This morning, Puddles woke up her new mom at 4 a.m. because she had to be a good dog and go for a trip outside. And then at 6 a.m., she just wanted to get up and check out the lake a little more.

She sure looks like she's home to me.

Friday Five: Friendship

2010-04-30T07:05:00.003-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, my friend Kathrynzj has this week's Friday Five... on friendship:

1) Do you remember your first best friend? What did you do together? Are they still in your life?
I can think of several early childhood friends that I called "best friend," none of whom are currently in my life. We played, went to school or church together, etc.

2) Did you ever have to move away or have your best friend move away from you?
In fourth grade, my friend Chrissy's father got transferred. I wrote her at her new address, and never heard back. (Dang, Kathryn, these first couple of questions are downers! On to brighter things now...)

3) Are there people in your life now that you can call 'friend'?
Yes, tons of them, from all kinds of places! In fact, there is one from Parts North in my guest bedroom right now, and we saw other friends last night and will see still more friends today!

4) What are some of your favorite things to do with your friends?
I really enjoy conversation with my close friends. We don't have to be doing anything; in fact, with some friends I don't see very often, cluttering the schedule with an activity of some sort is just a distraction to me. Put me at a dinner table or scattered around someone's living room with a circle of friends, and it's like a little piece of heaven.

5) What is a gift friendship has given you?
Too many gifts to name here... One I've used recently, though, is the ability to seek out friends who understand things in particular ways. I appreciate the different perspectives my friends bring to the same situation.

Friday Five: What is there to smile about?

2010-04-23T07:17:00.003-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Jan writes: With the end of RevGalBlogPals' third annual Big Event, I am wondering who went and what it was like. There must be a lot of smiling from the Big Event! Hopefully, the rest of us are not frowning either.

So let us know how your past week was for you.

Write five different aspects of the week OR answer the following questions:

1. When were you smiling lately? When one of my foster dogs, Crystal, got a positive evaluation from the rescue group coordinator. I also smiled on Monday, when my friend Terry adopted Tildie, one of the dogs we had seen but hadn't been able to take the morning of our rescue transport run. Monday was the day Tildie had been scheduled to be euthanized; instead, she got a new loving home.

2. What happened unexpectedly to you this past week? Lots of stuff! Much of it unbloggable.

3. How was a catastrophe averted (or not)? I suppose the animal rescue world is just full of catastrophes, but I had one hit particularly hard this morning: I learned that one of the dogs I was supposed to help transport to foster care in another state last weekend, but who didn't get on that run and was supposed to come this week, has died from complications of her spay surgery. We can't save them all, but that doesn't mean I don't cry about the ones we lose.

4. What was the most delicious thing you ate? Yesterday my lunch included the last bit of a yummy block of Australian Cheddar that I picked up at Whole Paycheck.

5. Did you see any good movies or read any books or articles? We re-watched The Blues Brothers, just because we can. It's a feel-good classic that I will love forever.

Some dogs never leave you.

2010-04-18T14:12:00.007-05:00

Two years ago yesterday, we said goodbye to Cub. We still miss her. Tears are welling up even now. Eight years was not enough life for her, but liver disease doesn't play fair. We did the best we could and cared for her in ways that not everyone would have bothered to do. She was -- she is -- my babydog.

So it felt right that yesterday I was able to honor her memory by helping other dogs. My friend Terry and I got up way. too. early. and picked up five dogs from a local shelter. We used The Alpha's car because it has more room for things like crates (he didn't even complain about the smell... which is still there, even though I wiped down the entire cargo area when we were done).

We drove Frankie, Charlie, Oso, Hudson, and Sally to Ardmore, where we met their next transporter, who drove them to Norman. The next leg took them into Kansas, where they stayed overnight, and this afternoon they are scheduled to arrive at the rescue group HQ in Minnesota. Those dogs are alive because we helped. We made a difference.

Oh, and yes, we still have the foster dogs. Here's a new Petfinder listing for Crystal.

When she and I met the pit bull rescue coordinator on Friday, I learned just how attached she is to me. Karla tried walking with Crystal across the parking lot of her office while I stood still, and Crystal kept stopping to look back at me. Karla recommended that I recruit other people to take Crystal for short walks while I stay home, to get her to worry less about where I am and learn to enjoy a walk more. We also will make regular trips out and about until she learns to relax a little more in unfamiliar situations. Her timidity is her biggest hurdle. She is definitely adoptable, though! I'm glad to have that assurance from someone more experienced at these types of things.

Oh, and Poohbert is still doing quite well, too.

Some dogs never leave you. In Cub's case, I'm very glad of that. In Crystal and Poohbert's cases, it's just not for us. We aren't their forever home. We will gladly keep them safe until they find it, though.

Easter foster dogs update

2010-04-04T21:27:00.005-05:00

Our Easter celebration was great, but this post is about the fosters! Crystal and Pooh Bear (a.k.a. Poohbert) might get their own blog soon -- anything that'll help them find their home!

We've decided that Pooh Bear is actually Crystal's dog. It's our own weird little way of saying how bonded they are. It's like a sibling relationship. Crystal lets Pooh Bear clean her ears, gnaw on her paws and face, all kinds of things that other dogs couldn't get by with doing. They are really sweet together.

Pooh Bear got spayed last week, and she's spending a few more days yet in the Cone of Shame because we don't trust her not to pick at her stitches. They'll dissolve soon, though. Here's a happy little Cone of Shame shot from last night (where you can see some of the damage she and Crystal have inflicted upon the Cone):

And a pic of Crystal, taken last night, too:

For the record, here are their current standings:
- Both spayed
- Both vaccinated for rabies
- Both received their distemper/parvo booster shots (first shots were at the shelter)
- Both on HW preventive (Crystal is officially heartworm-free; no test on Poohbert yet)
- Both on flea/tick preventive
- Pooh Bear is microchipped
- Crystal is a young adult, weighing in at around 55 pounds; Pooh Bear is about 8 months old and weighed 32 pounds at her spay appointment.

Now, who has the home these dogs are supposed to be living in, and just doesn't know it yet?

Friday Five: Redo, Refresh, Restore

2010-03-26T07:42:00.004-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Songbird writes: Please share with us five ways you redo or refresh or restore your body, your space, your blog, anything in your life that needs perking up this week.

Here we go:

1) A massage does wonders to refresh me. I have a membership at a nearby massage place, and that base fee includes one massage per month. I have three unused ones stacked up. Time to make another appointment and do a better job of giving myself that time that I've already bought.

2) The Alpha got me started on working with 10-pound hand weights this week, in preparation for this and this, which are coming up in OH HOLY CRAP, LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. I'm such a leg-oriented person, though, that in working my upper body, I've actually made myself sore in the quad and hamstring areas because of the way I compensate for the motions I'm not used to doing. Time to restore my body to a previous level of fitness. It's been a while.

3) Last year we decided to finally redo the kitchen, and we are still enjoying the results very much. This year, at a minimum, we plan to use the remaining tile from that project to re-floor our smaller bathrooms.

4) Another way I need to refresh my living space is to get these foster dogs placed in their forever homes! I have a lead on a potential home for Pooh Bear; still waiting for someone to fall in love with sweet Crystal.

5) Something that's refreshing for my mind is to do some reading that has absolutely nothing to do with church or faith! Recently, the latest issue of The Oxford American has been satisfying that need.

Hurried updates

2010-03-24T07:24:00.003-05:00

I'm supposed to be on my way to the office already... but I had to share:

- We have been on two walks with all four dogs now. Pooh Bear is a typical puppy who has no idea what a walk is except fun! Crystal, though, seems to have been trained to heel, and to walk calmly. She shows up our dogs. It makes me wonder even more who let her go, and why.

- The two fosters have done pretty well in the back room the last couple of days. After a couple of destructive episodes, we made some modifications to their space, and it has worked well. (They get to watch PBS all day... I showed them Clifford before I left yesterday morning.)

- They are good dogs who really need forever homes. The city shelter sent out a message about an elderly dog who needs a home for 6 to 8 weeks until her owner finds a new place to live. The shelter can only keep her until Tuesday. We would love to help them out, but we have no room.

Dog Couch happenings

2010-03-20T14:56:00.004-05:00

It's a cold and lazy day here. Not much going on with the current occupants of The Dog Couch, but I thought I'd share anyway.

These two foster dogs were kenneled together at the shelter, and they get along very well. Last night Pooh Bear, the pup, was play-chewing all over Crystal, the pit. Crystal is so patient with this fuzzy baby. It's very sweet to see, but so far they haven't let me capture their playtime on video.

Still looking for loving adoptive homes for them. Maybe -- and I do realize I'm dreaming here -- one loving home would welcome both of them together.

Stream of consciousness, business-travel style

2010-03-18T21:25:00.002-05:00

I'm in a hotel room two states away from my husband. It's just for one night and wouldn't normally be that big of a deal... but... I left him alone with my hobby. Back home, he's outnumbered four to one. Our two dogs are fine with just one person in the house, but managing two foster dogs in addition to the regular residents... well, that's less than ideal.

A few days ago, I had it all planned out. Pooh Bear was going to go stay with someone who was thinking about adopting her. But then another decision in his life made it a bad idea to adopt a dog right now. "Oh, well," I thought. "That appointment to have Crystal spayed will include an overnight stay, so we can just do that the night I'm gone, and The Alpha will only have three dogs to wrangle instead of four."

Except that Crystal didn't stay overnight after all -- because the vet found a spay scar, which is good news that saved us some money, but which also meant she didn't need to stay overnight. So she's back home, and she's not as comfortable without me there (I think perhaps The Alpha reminds her of someone unfriendly in her past).

So, I've stranded my man with four dogs. And if I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll just feel more guilty than I do now.

Foster dogs update

2010-03-14T21:25:00.003-05:00

- Pooh Bear met a prospective adopter today. No clue on whether he will actually decide to give her a home. He's going to sleep on it for at least one night, which is good. And he would totally change her name, which is also good. ;-)

- Still keeping Pooh Bear and Crystal mostly separated from our dogs, even though we know that they've all been exposed to the contagious bacterial thing. Angus is showing signs of possibly needing another round of antibiotics. (Pooh Bear has improved drastically since starting antibiotics on Friday.) The other two seem to be okay... for now.

- Speaking of those other two girls, they got into a little tussle today while we were all having some backyard time. Nobody's hurt, but it's another reason to keep the Main Dogs and the Temporary Dogs apart much of the time.

- I'm back into an "I'm not sure I can do this again" phase. The trouble is, when my house is down to two dogs, that means there's room to help another one. It's not convenient, it's not easy, but it saves a life. And I know it's going to get harder to find homes for dogs once everybody I know who might want a dog has taken in one of the ones I've fostered. This is serious Crazy Dog Lady territory here.

Sigh

2010-03-14T14:35:00.005-05:00

I saw something disturbing this morning.

I think I do a decent job of keeping my political preferences low on the radar. I don't hide them, but I also don't shove them in other people's faces. I don't list them on the social networking site referred to by many RevGals as Spacehook. I don't want my politics to be a barrier to relationship with those who don't share my opinions.

Which is why I found it especially disturbing that a bumper sticker reading, "Yes! I want [last name of the person inaugurated on January 20, 2009] to fail!" was on a vehicle in my church parking lot.

It's one thing to see something like that in traffic. It's in poor taste no matter where it is, and no matter who you voted for. But I saw this sticker where my community of faith gathers. That's what disappoints me. As if we don't have enough barriers to people understanding that our God is a god of love, we have a message that flat-out wishes ill on someone who is trying to do his job.

And, in my opinion, if that person fails at his or her job, the entire country fails along with him or her. So if you agree with that bumper sticker, you're also wishing for my failure and your own.

When someone I don't like is holding political office, I grumble, but I also pray for the person in leadership. The decisions they must make involve factors that I have no idea even exist. That job is difficult beyond belief.

So, am I supposed to say anything? The owner of that truck and I have a long history of seeing the world in different ways. Yet we've been members of the same church for nearly a decade now. It's seems like it's getting more difficult, though. He hasn't been coming to worship very much, and I suspect it's because he disagrees with some people in leadership. I refuse to shut myself off like that. It's a choice I make, and it's not always an easy one, but God created us to love others.

Even when others are behaving in ways that embarrass us.

Crazy Dog Lady strikes again: a one-two punch

2010-03-11T20:52:00.004-06:00

This is a first for our household. I had always said just one dog at a time. But Wednesday I rescued two dogs at once.

They were both going to be euthanized. They were the only two left on the week's euth list. So they are with us now... thanks in large part to Karla! When the rescue group I had worked with on my last foster couldn't arrange to pull them, she connected me with her rescue group. A couple of hours later (pretty late into Tuesday night -- into Wednesday morning for them, because they are one time zone away), we had all the paperwork filed with the shelter and were good to do for the morning.

So... meet Crystal, an adult female:

And Pooh Bear, who is about 7 months old:

They are both good girls. If you know anyone who might fall in love with either of them, let me know in the comments!

Another week's assortment

2010-03-08T07:11:00.002-06:00

- Went to bed last night before the Oscars were over. They got along just fine without me watching. Hooray, The Dude for picking up Best Actor. Might have to watch that movie of his some time.

- The next two weeks are looking busy. Am I being practical about this fact and trying earnestly to get manageable stuff out of the way ahead of time? No, not really.

- Wanted to give blood this weekend, but still doubted my ability to answer their first question, which goes something like, "Are you feeling well and healthy today?" There's a cough hanging on from that mess I had a couple of weeks ago, so I'm waiting another little while. Hope I don't have to delay it so long that it affects my quarterly church blood drive schedule.... I'm already a week behind on that.

- Change is happening. (It tends to do that, I've noticed over the last few decades.) Even if it's good change in the grand scheme of things, there's still some grief involved for that which is being lost.

Assorted reports from SFM

2010-03-02T07:01:00.003-06:00

- If you've been to our house, you probably know what SFM stands for.

- Because of the illness Dustin the Foster Dog brought with him to SFM, The Boy is on antibiotics, and will be for about another week and a half. The worst side effect? He consumes even more water than usual, meaning he requires at least one trip outside in the middle of the night. Last night, the trips were 30 minutes apart. We figured he was just trying to be fair, making each family member who has mastered The Doorknob Principle get up once.

- Dustin/Dusty is scheduled to begin his heartworm evaluation and treatment a week from today (thanks, in part, to those who gave through the ChipIn page -- like RevAnne). I sure hope it goes smoothly! From what I hear, there are points in the next few months where it won't be any fun for him or his adoptive mom. But she's committed to seeing it through to the desired outcome, I know.

- I would normally be getting started on my commute right about now, but I have to report for jury duty at municipal court today. Whee, local government! I hope at least part of the experience is interesting. It's been a decade or so since I've been called, and that was for the county court. I'm really, really hoping to be dismissed since my job involves presenting at a conference later this week.

- We spiffed up the guest room and guest bath last night, because Gavin will be staying with us tomorrow through Friday (see, Gav? we clean because we care). He's helping out with a work thing; actually, he helps out with a lot of work things, because he's on our board of directors. But some of them require that he travel here from Tennessee.

- I'm hitting a higher level of frustration with my particular geographical tribe of Teh Church lately. Just sayin'. I'm sure that this, too, shall pass, but I'm not having a good time with it right now. And I keep wondering about perspective. For example, I might put the dogs somewhere they do not want to be, or do something they don't like or understand. But invariably, I do it because they will be safer and/or healthier in the long run. Is that what's happening here, with a slight role shift? I hope so, because if it doesn't turn out to make sense in the long run, I'll be pretty hacked off.

- We at SFM have given up foul language for Lent. I slipped yesterday... but it was the Sabbath, a feast day... which means technically, whatever I'm abstaining from is acceptable to do. Sure feels like a technicality to me, though.

- I'm losing count of how many times I've said of someone, "He's such a... something I can't say during Lent!"

- We are trying to firm up plans for our upcoming vacation. We already have plans for going up a mountain; now we need to decide the particulars of going down in a hole.

- And it is now time for me to head to the courts building.

The icky side of rescue.

2010-02-26T17:39:00.003-06:00

I do not regret helping rescue dogs. Not one bit.

But it does get complicated sometimes.

Dustin went to his forever home late last week. Then this week, he went for a thorough checkup at his forever veterinarian's office. And he tested positive for heartworms.

Poor little sweetie boy.

That's not all that's wrong -- the vet also confirmed our suspicion that he has some kind of hip injury, and there are a couple of other things that may need attention, too. But right now, the priority is the heartworm treatment.

After I incurred some surprise veterinary expenses caring for him, a rescue coordinator recommended that I set up a ChipIn fund for Dustin. I'm not worried about recovering any of my investment, which is why I never publicized it here. My big concern is with helping him get healthy from this point forward. So I raised the target amount on the account. I know that a number of people were rooting for him to be rescued, and I'm putting this out there on the chance that they will still want to help.

Dusty, in his new backyard

Day off, but day on, too.

2010-02-22T09:31:00.003-06:00

I took a day off work today, but I'm dressed as if I hadn't.

In less than an hour, Mid-Life Rookie is picking me up and we will make the drive to the retreat center where representatives from the Board of Ordained Ministry are conducting interviews. Her round begins at 1:30 and continues until 4:30. I'm her support person: prayer, logistics, whatever she needs of me. I'm honored to be called upon for this role, and I pray that I truly am a source of support today.

We will know before we come back home this evening whether she will be recommended for ordination in June. Prayers appreciated!

Another home found

2010-02-22T09:02:00.006-06:00

Here's Dustin on Friday night, just before we sent him off to his new home:

He's much healthier than he was when he arrived here. I wouldn't be surprised if some other issues crop up, and his adoptive mom wouldn't be surprised either, but it's a risk she's willing to take.

After we let him out of quarantine, his love of snuggling became quite apparent:

I, for one, was glad to get him out of here, because it seemed like he had imprinted on me. ("Well, you saved his life, and you nursed him back to health," says The Alpha.) Having a dog who isn't yours follow you around like you belong to him can be a little uncomfortable, especially when you are certain that yours is a two-dog household, and both positions are already filled.

So it was especially nice that when Cherrie arrived to take him to his new home, he seemed to understand that he was going with her, and there was no sign of separation anxiety. It's also good to know that I remain his Fairy Dogmother and will get to see him from time to time. He readily settled into his new digs, and was having fun with his new Jack Russell Terrier brother -- a dog who didn't have the best start in life and who seems permanently scarred by it. He won't play with my dogs, but he will play with Dustin. Their pre-adoption get-acquainted session was the first time she had seen him act like a "normal" dog. There's hope for him yet. (Maybe he just needed an Assistance Dog of his own!)

Fostering certainly isn't all smiles and tail-wagging. I'm still not sure how much longer I can take the risk of exposing our dogs to the illnesses and afflictions that foster dogs may bring with them. It helps that we commit to keeping our dogs fully vaccinated and on preventives, and that we are willing to limit contact between our dogs and fosters, but we still have to watch them for symptoms of stuff they might catch.

And when you know you've saved one life and improved another, it does feel good.

It was bound to happen eventually.

2010-02-13T20:42:00.005-06:00

This is Dustin. As you can tell, he arrived during the Big Texas Snow of '10.

Dustin is yet another foster dog. He's not staying forever. But he's different -- he's the first foster dog who has arrived here sick.

He's currently quarantined in the empty bedroom. He's on a few medications, including antibiotics -- which, strangely, they didn't give him on the first trip to the vet. (WTF? I told you I have other dogs here and I'm worried that whatever it is could spread to them.... my fault, I guess, for assuming the prescription drug you gave him was indeed an antibiotic, but still, if you'd paid closer attention, especially when I called back to say he wasn't improving, I wouldn't have had to take him to the emergency clinic last night.)

So, for the people who pray for dogs: Please keep Dustin in your prayers.

* * * * *
Assorted other stuff:

- Yes, we had a lot of snow here. It was gorgeous. I took pictures. May post some eventually. People in Texas never get to make snow sculptures, but snow-families of five, snow dogs, snow bunnies, and snow forts started turning up in our neighbors' yards. I took some video of the dogs out in it, but they didn't go full-on Snow Poppy like a certain someone used to do when there was as little as half an inch on the ground.

- Heard about a new project involving 2/3 of my favorite trio of musicians. I pre-ordered the CD and have claimed my four free downloads.

- Had a lovely candlelight dinner at home with my sweetie tonight. We don't go in for all the Valentine hype. This morning, while we were shopping for the dinner ingredients, we walked by the greeting card aisle. "Crap, was I supposed to get you a card?" I said in the most romantic way possible. "Uh, I didn't get you one," he answered. My response: "Oh, good, we're fine, then." And that was the end of that subject. One of many reasons we make such a great couple.

Melancholy

2010-02-08T17:39:00.007-06:00

It's chilly and rainy here. I've been fighting off a nasty cold, and I had to relent and get some antibiotic assistance today.

In a little more than an hour, we say farewell to he who has become known as Little Bittle (pronounced lid'l bid'l).

He's only a 20-pounder, which is tiny around our house. He's been at this particular stop on the Underdog Railroad since Thursday, and tonight we're taking him to the one who will transport him to points further east. He's about four years old and will make a very good companion for someone... who I hope finds him through the rescue group soon.

Saying goodbye to Little Bittle will be bittersweet, but not that bad, all around. While I'm doing it, I'll be thinking of friend and fellow RevGal Sue, who will be letting go of her beloved cat Ouzo tomorrow. They've done everything they could for that sweet kitty boy, including this last thing that will bring him peace. But this last thing is so, so difficult, even if it is the most loving and compassionate act possible. Please be in prayer for them.

Grand... 6 grand, actually...

2010-01-31T18:01:00.003-06:00

Photo snapped during the audience participation portion of Black Water

Well, we did indeed have a grand time last night, and we raised more than $6,100 for UMCOR's Haiti Emergency Fund. (That total would've been just over $3,000, which would be nothing to sneeze at, but at some point before the Finance Committee chair finished counting the money, an anonymous donor let him know that whatever the total, this person would match it. Awesome.) That doesn't count other gifts that were added to the offering plate in worship this morning, and still others that were designated for the same cause the previous two Sundays.

As far as the performance itself goes, if we can just make the time to go out on tour, doing the same two song sets every night for the next six months, we'll have this thing down.... (Oh, wait. That's one of many reasons I'm not a rock star.) Seriously, things did go pretty well from a musical standpoint. And it was good to see different people in the crowd, too -- not just folks from our congregation. We weren't quite at standing-room-only, but I don't think I've seen the sanctuary that full since Easter.

Twenty-one songs is a lot of work, especially when you begin by whittling the list down from 40, finding mistakes in every chord sheet, enduring waves of panic when you're certain you'll never have it ready on time, deciding exactly how to play every intro, bridge, chorus, etc. ... But I think this is the point, at least for some of us, when the pendulum swings from "This is too much trouble. Let's never do one of these again..." all the way over to, "Hey, what's our next set list going to look like?"

There's no telling when we'll actually do another concert, but I confess, I like it when the pendulum has swung over to this side.

Friday Five: Social Media

2010-01-29T07:16:00.003-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, KathrynZJ writes: I had the joy of spending time with Songbird last weekend, someone I would have never met had it not been for the blogosphere. Now we keep in touch using a large variety of methods: blog (hers a lot, mine not so much lately), facebook, twitter, text messaging, chat and email. So far there has been no skype.

It got me to thinking of the pros and cons of these relatively new means of communication and interconnecting and so I ask you the following:

1) What have been the benefits for you of social networking (blog, twitter, facebook, etc...) Too many to list here. Personal benefits have been great, but it helps me in my spiritual life and my work, too. I'm part of a connectional denomination, and I believe we are more connected than ever thanks to social media. And because I work for an organization historically related to the denomination, it's a big advantage in my job.

2) Which medium do you use the most? Or if you use them all, for what do you use each of them? I figure I use FB the most, even though it's not my favorite. I'm on there because other people are on there, and there are lots of advantages to being connected in that way.

3) If you could invent a networking site (with no limits on your imagination), what would it provide? What would it not provide? I'm a big fan of not reinventing the wheel in this regard. In the past year I've been part of a team that has tried to encourage conversation among United Methodists in our geographical area, and the decision was made to go with a non-FB platform. Hardly anyone uses it. I think there are probably deeper reasons why people don't want to discuss in a dedicated public forum, but I suspect it might've been easier for some to do so if we had just piggybacked on what many people were already using. (The person who said he wouldn't participate if it were on FB because he didn't want to be on there? Well, he hasn't signed up on this other network, either.)

4) Who have you met that you would not have met if it were not for the 'miracle' of social networking? LOTS of people. Fellow United Methodist bloggers, many of the people in the RevGals webring, even some folks in my metro area that I only discovered because of their online writing.

5) Who do you secretly pray does not one day try to 'friend/follow' you? Well, it's not a secret any more if I post it on here, is it? ;-) But I'd have to say it's pretty much anyone from high school besides the one person from there who is already my friend. This is the reason I do not put my maiden name on FB.

BONUS: What was the most random/weird/unsettling/wonderful connection you made that would not have happened if it were not for the ease of which we can find each other in the computer realm? This is a really tough bonus question! Social networking has gotten me into a lot of rewarding stuff: friendships with RevGals and others, dog rescues, blogger meetups... There's a certain kindred dog mama I'm very glad to have met, among many others... if I spent the time to link to them all, I'd never publish this post! And I love the way that second-level conversation happens so quickly when you've known someone online and meet them in person. The pleasantries are still there, but you can pretty much skip the small talk and get down to real stuff. It's a blessing.

Amos

2010-01-25T07:52:00.003-06:00

As of Friday, Foster the Dog is being called by his real, forever name: Amos.

We didn't know he was Amos! We're glad his new people did. Things are going well for him. He has 2/3 of an acre, all fenced, and a dog to play with next door. Plus a bed and crate inside, and nice people who will take excellent care of him.

Scattered thoughts, collected.

2010-01-21T21:38:00.004-06:00

It turns out that Foster the Dog was indeed the charmer we hoped he would be on Tuesday night. He is moving in with his new people tomorrow. I'm really pleased with this match. Our dogs will be pleased too, because although they get along well with Foster, after a week of living here he seems to be wearing on their nerves a bit.

We have made an overnight reservation at this place for a few months from now. Lovely Niece and New Nephew (he needs a better blog name) will be joining us for the hike. It's an adventure, typical of our vacationing style, but perhaps ratcheted up a notch. I've warned The Alpha that I'll likely have to stop 3 miles into it and take a whine break. (The wine break, an entirely different thing, is at the top of the mountain. Accompanied by supper.)

A couple of months after that, The Alpha is accompanying De Youts on their mission trip. This year, they've selected what he's been wishing they'd select for a few years now. I told him that if they have a shortage of responsible adult females, I could probably be persuaded to go along on this one.

We have four more band rehearsals until our gig. Given recent events, the performance will now include a love offering to benefit disaster relief via www.umcorhaiti.org. The potential it has to make a difference where so much help is needed has given me a new sense of excitement. Also, Mary Beth says she's planning to attend!

Foster Dog update

2010-01-19T07:49:00.002-06:00

Foster (as we've been calling him -- the name he came with from the shelter just doesn't seem to fit) has an appointment this evening with prospective adopters.

He kept moving at just the wrong time for every photo I took this morning, so this is the best one I got, and he's blinking. (I happen to think dogs are cute when they get caught blinking, so I'm going with it.)

He's a good boy, and I really hope this home is a match for him. I know them, and they're good people. Good people and a good dog should be a great match. I'm praying that it will be so.

Thursday night randomosity

2010-01-14T21:33:00.003-06:00

- I'm not sure "randomosity" is actually a word, but I don't really care about finding out.
- Haiti is on my mind. Giving through UMCOR is on my Twitter and Facebook accounts. All of the money given toward relief goes directly toward relief, not to administrative costs.
- I'm picking up another foster dog tomorrow. Yes, I'm the Crazy Dog Lady. Photos to follow, I'm sure.
- My weekend will include dog-fostering, putting together a gig binder for the concert on the 30th, more rehearsal for said concert, and the usual stuff (i.e., church and laundry).
- This point brought to you by Escapism: Tonight's back-to-back episodes of 30 Rock were amazing. Best writing so far this season!
- I know something someone else doesn't know. Just sayin', in that sing-songy voice from the playground.
- My friend Eric wrote this quite measured reaction to Pat Robertson. Thank you, Eric. My own reaction wasn't suitable for print or digital media.
- Heading bedwards now. G'night!

Confessions of a foster dog mom

2009-12-30T22:09:00.006-06:00

Meet Homer -- this picture was taken shortly after I picked him up from a city shelter in a nearby suburb:

Yep, Homer's a pit bull. And yep, he shatters any negative stereotype you might have of pit bulls. Gentle, even-tempered, downright sweet and affectionate.

Homer was never going to be ours. It's just not practical for us to keep three large dogs for the long term (we learned that when we provided a temporary home for a friend's big 7-month-old pup earlier this year). I was only getting Homer out of the place where he had run out of time, in the worst way.

He settled right in here, though. Tuesday and The Boy were decent hosts, even with The Boy's occasional neurotic fits in Homer's direction.

He only stayed two nights at our house, but I have tons of pictures of him cuddling with The Alpha. And a few of him hanging out with me:

Homer is a Very Good Boy, a Very Sweet Boy. And, I think, a Very Cute Boy (though The Alpha admits he disagrees with me on that point).

The next person in the rescue/placement process picked him up this morning. I cried.

Yes, it was only a two-day, two-night stay. I know this. Honestly, I didn't expect him to be so darn endearing. I thought it would be easier to let him pass on through this way.

A friend sent me a message while Homer was at our house: "You're my doggy connection. FB friend from HS is moving back to TX from CT in the spring and wants a big dog. I told her I know the Harriet Tubman of big dogs. :)"

I'll be happy to send leads to my friend's friend. I may shy away from future dog-fostering, though.

I'm not sure I'm strong enough for all the letting go.

Because it's been too long since I blogged.

2009-12-21T21:33:00.005-06:00

Check out these paper-collage portraits my friend J made of my The Boy and my Tueserday:

If you look closely, you can see that The Boy's nose paper has stars embossed on it. It just seems right that he has a starry nose. Also, the white blaze has kind of a worn gray wood-grain that really looks like the blend of white and blue in his fur. Notice, too, how she got his Bentley mark a little off-center, just like the real one.

And this one just captures the whimsy of Teh Tueser, we think. "I'm cute, I know it, and I may or may not listen to anything you say. Oh, and food? Really, some food please? I'm starving."

Other items of note:
- The Alpha and I weren't going to get each other Christmas presents this year. Then the clothes washer busted, in spectacular fashion, this weekend. Our Christmas gift was delivered today and has already done several loads of laundry for us.
- We are very glad we went with the wood-look porcelain tile in the kitchen, laundry room, dining room, and entryway during this summer's remodel. All four of those rooms were hit by the Great Washer Failure of Aught-Nine, and if we'd chosen actual wood, the ShopVac wouldn't have been the only thing needed for clean-up.
- Got to see/hear my nephew as part of my alma mater's choir last week. I sang 36 of those Candlelight Carol services in my four years as a student. Damn shame they've cut the tour portion so short now (two stops a tour hardly makes) that he will only get to sing 24 of them. Yeah, I'm old. "In my day, we did five tour stops in four days! Count 'em! And get off my lawn."
- Christmas Music Extravaganza day is over. *Contented sigh* The podcast is online, too. If you want a link and I haven't sent you one already, let me know in the comments.
- I wondered how it would go, really, but I'm pleased to report that I'm still completely happy with my choice to not put up a Christmas tree this year. *Contented sigh*
- On tap for final-week-of-the-year activities: Sort through back bedroom contents for donating, listing, recycling, trashing, keeping. Oh, and the vintage 1978 harvest gold range hood and cooktop are still in the patio. Those need to find a new home, too.
- Time for bed.

Best. Wedding. Ever.

2009-12-06T18:30:00.007-06:00

At least, the best wedding I've ever attended, including my own.

Lovely Niece and -- ooh, should I give him a blog name? Let's see... oh, maybe later -- he who shall be known in the short-term as New Nephew made it official last weekend. The bride was simply gorgeous... here she is an hour or so before the ceremony, held at our home church:

No photos during the event itself -- it was a thoughtfully planned and meaningful worship service, and even if I'd wanted to take pics, I was kinda busy with singing. It was a great honor to have that role in the event. (My 19-year-old nephew walked by me afterward with his girlfriend and ordered, "You're singing at my wedding." So I take that as a good sign. Also, one of my mother's best friends was there, and she said I sound like my mom did. Loved hearing that.)

The bride and groom included sweet individual touches in memory of several people. Candles were lighted in the official remembrance of six people listed in the program, but most people probably weren't aware that the bride's bouquet included a single sunflower in memory of her little sister; that her grandmother's Bible lay on the altar; and that the groom was wearing his grandfather's boots -- the ones worn to walk the groom's mother down the aisle at his parents' wedding.

One of our hometown national park's renovated bath houses made a great reception site, as it's now an art museum -- an elegant setting for a joyful evening. Here are Lovely Niece and New Nephew during their first dance:

The DJ did a nice job of keeping things understated and elegant as far as the music mix was concerned. But a few hours before the wedding, we managed to arrange a little musical surprise for the groom.

You see... Last year, after my oldest nephew's wedding, The Alpha and I met up with Lovely Niece and he who was to become New Nephew, plus another couple who were to become their honor attendants, at a local establishment featuring German cuisine. We walked in to find a tuba/accordion duo onstage. I don't remember exactly what they were playing when we arrived, but their repertoire included a mix of genres, all polkafied. Before we even got to our table, New Nephew stopped, pointed, and announced, "I want them to play at my wedding!"

That's when it all started. It took more than a year to bring the plan to fruition.

After the engagement was announced this summer, planning rolled into high gear, and we kept teasing Lovely Niece and New Nephew about hiring the band for their reception. I became a Fan of The Itinerant Locals on Spacehook. We even checked to make sure they would indeed be local, not itinerant, on the date in question. They were, and their gig that evening ended at 9:00. But we didn't book them. We weren't sure how long the reception would run, and the bride and groom had decided on a DJ, after all. Wouldn't want to step on any toes.

Then, a few hours before the wedding, Lovely Niece was in the Bride's Room of the church, having her makeup done, and I was sitting nearby, checking Spacehook on my iPhone to pass the time. Guess who popped onto the screen with a status update? Yes, our favorite polka duo was promoting their 7 to 9 p.m. gig at the Brau Haus. Two blocks from the reception location.

I informed Lovely Niece of this opportunity. Should I go for it? As a special surprise for the man who would by then be her husband? She gave me the nod.

Via the comment field on the status update, I asked the Locals if they'd like to stop by a wedding afterwards. Their response was enthusiastic: "We'll have the kids with us, but we are game--that sounds like fun. We love weddings! Kids ok? 9:30ish ok? Just go through the front door?" A couple more exchanges, and we had secured a visit from the entire family.

When they walked in, New Nephew's jaw hit the floor. At that moment, The Alpha and I officially sealed our status as The Cool Aunt and Uncle. At one point he was hollering at us, "I love y'all SO MUCH!"

I leave you with a selection of video clips. My only regret is that I didn't have the camera set on high resolution.

Friday Five Do Nothing Edition

2009-12-04T07:21:00.002-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Sally writes:

I am reading a wonderful little book for Advent. Its title: Do Nothing, Christmas is Coming!

So this week's Friday Five is simple. List five things you won't be doing to prepare for Christmas.

1. We are pretty sure we're going to skip putting up the tree this time around. I haven't been too excited about it for several years now, and it feels like such an unnecessary chore.

2. No other decorations, either -- other than the gigantic Advent wreath that's already in the front yard.

3. No aimless shopping. We're pretty good at having an idea of what we're going to buy for a person before we go looking for it, thereby minimizing our time lost on attention to retail. Also, we are donating to organizations like Nothing But Nets, Heifer International, and Arkansas Rice Depot as part of our gifts to family members.

4. No cooking special foods. We always eat way too much when we go to visit family during the holidays, so there's no need to go overboard here at home. (Besides, we got sent home from Thanksgiving with peanut brittle and fudge, and I suspect there will be something else to take with us after Christmas.)

5. I will not be one of the people insisting that this is "the most wonderful time of the year" and that everyone should be happy. I'm attending a funeral tomorrow for the husband of a friend. I'm singing at the Blue Christmas worship service our church is offering in a couple of weeks. I'm praying for those dealing with loss and uncertainty in the face of forced joy.

Bonus: Things I will be doing include obsessing about musical obligations (not the Blue Christmas one, but the other stuff that's more complicated), traveling, and being intentional about keeping my stress level down in the middle of it all. (I have a massage scheduled for this evening.)

Also, some time this weekend I'm going to blog about last weekend's wonderful wedding of my niece and nephew-in-law!

Sunday night randomosity

2009-11-22T20:30:00.004-06:00

...Here's a pic I took of The Boy earlier today. He was all curled up on the couch, on his dog blanket, and he actually let me wrap it up around him.

...This week is the countdown to Lovely Niece's wedding. I have yet to find out exactly when the pianist wants me there for vocal rehearsal in advance of wedding rehearsal proper, but I am happily at Lovely Niece's disposal for the better part of two days, so I'll be there when I'm told.

...My dad is part of a clinical study for cancer treatment now. He was diagnosed about 11 years ago, and it's starting to resist methods that have worked for a while. So my side of the family's Thanksgiving supper isn't an organized event this year, because he and his wife will be driving back from Amazing Cancer Center to Land of Our Roots that day. It's the first of his bi-weekly trips relating to this study. I'm hoping they don't get too road-weary in the coming months, and that he's not on the stinkin' placebo, which is a possibility.

...Despite all the stress surrounding this (and pretty much every) wedding, I'm really looking forward to seeing Lovely Niece give me my first Nephew-in-Law on Saturday. They've been together for about 8 years. It's time. I also love that she has an appreciation for liturgy, and that she and her groom are both clear that this ceremony is worship, and follows the order thereof.

...The sanctuary in Hometown Church will already be decorated for Advent, which begins the morning after the wedding. We ended Worship Committee meeting tonight by preparing our own sanctuary for Advent. I felt a bit younger climbing up the ladder to add the crown atop the Chrismon tree. (I don't enjoy decorating my tree anymore. Haven't for years. I just see it as a hassle these days.)

...I just finished my supper: One bottle of Newcastle. (No, that's not at all a normal supper for me.)

...I've known for some time that my dogs have it better than a lot of people, but I received reinforcement of that knowledge this afternoon when I upgraded The Boy's bed to the same kind we just bought for Tuesday (there was some coveting action going on). First-world guilt, served up right here.

...There's something else I want to blog, but I don't know what it is. There's a good chance it could be something unbloggable anyway, so I'm just going to leave it alone for now.

Friday the 13th Five

2009-11-13T06:59:00.002-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Sophia writes:

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term triskaidekaphobia derives from the Greek words "tris", meaning 'three', "kai", meaning 'and', and "deka", meaning 'ten'. the whole word means three and ten. The word was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953. (Wikipedia)

1. How is this Friday the 13th looking for you? It's looking okay... so far... (cue the creepy music!). I'm working from home, and I need to make another specimen delivery to the vet on behalf of Tuesday and her problem. Might take her in, too, just because she lived there before we adopted her and they love seeing her.

2. Have you ever had anything unlucky happen on Friday the 13th? Not that I can remember at the moment.

3. Did your family of origin embrace or scorn superstitions? Mostly scorned them. My brother is a 13th-of-the-month baby, turned 13 on Friday the 13th, and considered it his lucky day.

4. Are there any unique or amusing ones from your family, region, or ethnic background? When I worked at a flower shop in college, I arrived at the store one morning while my boss was nibbling on a donut. I didn't think anything of it; she often ate breakfast there. But as she threw away the napkin she said, "Okay, now I've had breakfast so I can tell you about my dream." Before I heard her account of the strange dream, I made her explain what she meant. Turns out there was a superstition I hadn't heard of before: If you tell someone about your dream before breakfast, it will come true. Her dream had been bizarre and she didn't want it to happen in real life. The funniest thing about this one: I now tend to wait until after breakfast to tell anyone about my dreams!

5. Do you love or hate horror movies like "Friday the 13th"? I can do without them. I enjoy a suspenseful movie, but don't really care for the gore of the horror genre.

Oooh, they gave me one again!

2009-11-12T20:16:00.004-06:00

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I had a lot going on, so I forgot to share my big birthday joy:

I got another goat!!!

Yes, once again, my wonderful husband's wonderful parents got me a goat for my birthday. They got it from Heifer.org's online gift catalog, which has this to say about it:

Goats Are Great for Families
The gift of a dairy goat represents a lasting, meaningful way for you to help a little boy or girl on the other side of the world.

Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens.

There's probably somebody out there thinking, "But hey, your birthday was your birthday! Why did you want a goat?" Well, I've wanted one for years, and when I finally got one last year, it was so cool that I wanted another one. (And don't think for a minute that I'm the least bit underprivileged in my birthday haul: The Alpha got me a Phone with an i in front of it.)

If you're looking for a way to honor someone with a different kind of Christmas gift this year, this is just one of many ideas out there. As we're reminding people at worship during November and December, "Christmas is not your birthday. So instead of giving to each other, or thinking about what we want, why not give to the One whose birthday it is?"

Friday Five: What's New?

2009-11-06T06:53:00.002-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Songbird writes:

There's a new baby on my street, a double PK whose Mom and Dad are Methodist pastors and church planters [in the Small World department: I know these pastors, too! Congratulations, S and A!]. I'm hoping to go over and meet her today. I love new babies, the way they smell and their sweet little fingers and toes. Little K has me thinking about all the new things that please us with their shiny freshness.

Please share with us five things you like *especially* when they are new.

1. Dogs -- I love dogs of all ages, but puppies who I am not going to take home with me are especially cute, and great for cuddling and playing. Having adopted three dogs now, I've decided that almost-grown or full-out adult adoption is probably the way to go for us (not that I would give up the memories of raising our tiny baby Cub!), but that doesn't make new babydogs any less appealing.

2. Books -- which is a problem, because I haven't read many of the ones already in my possession! I've become really careful about buying new books, because I need to read those others first.

3. Cars -- they're nice and clean and shiny and pretty and good-smelling and more fuel-efficient, if I'm going to get excited about them... and in the case of the last one we bought, paid for, in full, up front!

4. Cookies -- nothing quite like a fresh-baked cookie, eaten while it's still warm from the oven. Which reminds me, I have some dough in the freezer...

5. Kitchens -- specifically, our kitchen. I chronicled the remodeling saga on this blog earlier this year. We're enjoying it very much, but now that it's a few months old and we're used to it, keeping the clutter of our lives out of the way is becoming more of a challenge.

Halloween in brief

2009-11-01T21:25:00.005-06:00

Okay, we confess that we totally lifted this idea from over here, but The Alpha was pretty pleased at how his first attempt at creepy candy apples turned out:

Sticks collected from the yard (and washed, yes) are way better than the ones that belong in popsicles.

Speaking of the yard:

And, the zombie gravedigger was such a hit in '08, he came back again this year:

In addition to trick-or-treaters, several friends came, and it was good seeing them all. It was also good to have their help hauling the extremely heavy wrought-iron fencing around to the backyard after the evening's festivities were over.

There are other pics, too, but it's time for me to get ready for bed. So there.

Update on Tueser, and extras

2009-10-29T21:50:00.003-05:00

Tuesday is doing fine. Still using the lampshade collar to keep her from licking herself raw, but when we're around and can observe her, we let her go without it. As we tell her: "It's not that we don't trust you, girl, it's just that we don't trust you."
Had a college buddy send me positive feedback on my tithing rant and its more nuanced revision. Coolness.
Went to El Paso earlier this week for a meeting. Glad that the flight crew of a certain favorite and way-fun airline didn't notice it was my birthday. I've seen them give someone a cake made of a toilet paper roll and drink stirrers.
A friend of mine is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame these days. I knew him when...
There's a pumpkin-carving contest at work tomorrow. Wondering how that'll turn out. Maybe I should take the camera.
T-minus one month until Wonderful Niece M adds a Wonderful Nephew-in-Law to our family. Their pianist canceled, so I don't know who's accompanying me, but capable people are on it, so I'm sure it'll be fine. Still, stress level is pretty high right now. But her mom finally found our mom's Bible, which I handed down to M in 1996. It is to be prominently placed at the wedding (my mom's three daughters carried it under their flowers; due to the structure of bouquets these days, M is planning to place it on the altar or another honored location in her Grammy's memory).
It's my bedtime.
G'night!

Dog-intensive day

2009-10-24T20:26:00.005-05:00

Our Tuesday girl has a severe bladder infection. We took her into the vet this morning and they had to sedate her to drain her bladder and flush it out. Poor thing could barely walk from the lingering anesthesia when we took her home, so The Alpha carried all 66 pounds of her to the car, and in from the car to the couch, where she (and I) spent the afternoon:

She's on heavy antibiotics and something for pain now. She has started to eat again, but we aren't satisfied with the amount of water she's getting. We need to see that her urinary tract is functioning again. (Yes, I need to see my dog pee. I know how silly that might sound to some, but it's true.)

And today we also bade goodbye to Rusty, our guest dog for the past few weeks. Here we are, all together in the den between Tuesday's vet visit and Rusty's farewell:

He was a handful, yes, but he's really a good boy, with lots of potential to be a good grown-up dog. I hope once he gets settled in Corpus Christi he adjusts well and is the best dog he can be.

Now, off to see if I can convince the Tueser to drink some water.

Temporary Guest Dog

2009-10-11T20:23:00.011-05:00

Less than a week ago, with about an hour's notice, we opened our home to Rusty, a 7-month-old pup. We're pretty sure he'll be around for the rest of the month while his family makes plans to relocate.

The Boy did not approve this decision.

But he seems to be adjusting well. I mean, look at what a gracious host he is.

He's even sharing the Dog Couch, complete with Dog Blanket.

The Boy and Tuesday (and the thumb-havers) will get a reprieve next weekend, when we'll have some human houseguests and will farm Rusty out to a family who adopted one of his litter-mates.

As you can see, The Boy's excited about that part.

I'm sure, eventually, this brief, two-part stay will have a happy ending.

Weekend of adventure

2009-10-04T21:29:00.005-05:00

This weekend the dogs coped quite well with extensive traveling and new experiences. ("Cope" is one of the commands they know, along with "sit," "stay," "lie down," etc. In context: "Good dogs can cope. Those are some good dogs who cope, yes they are.")

Zorra has graciously posted Tuesday's account of the weekend over on her blog, so I'll just share a couple of other things.

We tried a new canine restraint method for this trip:

The Alpha's car has these nifty metal loops in the cargo hold that can be used for tying things down... or for slip-knotting a leash that is attached to a dog's seat-belt harness. The dogs had freedom to stand, sit, lie down on their beds, and move around a bit, but couldn't get into the human-passenger area of the car. They got tangled up far less often than they do when they are similarly restrained in the back seat, and the back seat stayed largely free of fur. Which was a great help the next day, when we packed all four adults and two dogs in the car and headed to Galveston:

...where The Boy determined that the ocean was chasing him, coming at him like that over and over. He decided that the best course of action was to bite the waves, as shown above. At first glance, it might look like he's drinking sea water, but no. He's biting the foam at the leading edge of the wave. (We took him back off the beach and into town after just a few minutes, and he calmed down. Well, as calm as a blue heeler can get, anyway.)

A wonderful time was had by all. Again, for a more complete picture of the weekend, go visit Zorra's blog... we are home now, and there is laundry to be done before bed, so I'm stepping away from the keyboard.

Let's start a post and see what flows forth.

2009-09-27T14:23:00.002-05:00

I just came upon Cheesehead's post from Thursday, and she has a point. Lots of us are blogging less frequently. It's not all for the same reasons, as you can see from her comments, but as the social media landscape continues to blow about like so much sand, it's true that different demands on our time, online or offline, play into it.

I haven't blogged in a week, and though for a while I had been much more consistent, I realize that consistency had a lot to do with the remodeling our kitchen, and not much about life in general.

One factor of holding back on blogging is that I'm not anonymous. So there's lots of stuff I could write, but won't.

Another one: My schedule has been packed. Have had to pay attention to other things on Friday mornings lately, which means skipping the RevGals' Friday Five. And yesterday was my first obligation-free Saturday in weeks. I spent it walking dogs, hanging out on the couch finishing up The Vicar of Dibley on DVD, taking supper to some friends, playing a round of Scrabble with The Alpha. Doing laundry in between all of those things, too. And yes, intentionally staying a little less connected to the Intarwebs than is typical.

I feel a list coming on. Category? Who needs one? I don't.

- Actually cooked a meal on Friday and had a friend over for lunch. She ate everything I put before her: salad, apricot chicken (a recipe shared by a neighbor just before I got married, which was a great help in my newlywedhood), even the brownie that turned out to be a bit under-done, despite my having checked it according to the instructions on the box. Such a gracious woman! (It helps if you really do like brownie batter, as we both do...)

- Introduced my friend's four-year-old to Alice Cooper and Vincent Price, via a DVD of The Muppet Show (really, she picked that disk herself... no kidding).

- Getting excited about going to visit Zorra and The Scientist soon.

- As instructed by my sweet niece, bugged said niece about getting an engagement photo made. Hasn't worked yet. My powers may be weakening.

- I get my temporary crown replaced with the real one in 2 days, and look forward to being able to once again chew on the right side of my mouth.

- Halloween decorations go up this Thursday. I'm trying to convince The Alpha to wait until someone else is here to help him before he hauls out the sections of wrought-iron fence. This is no prop. It's a real fence, given to us upon a friend's backyard reconfiguration last fall. It's freakishly heavy. I'll take more pics of the setup than I did last year.

- How are you?

Tough talk update

2009-09-20T21:04:00.002-05:00

For those who commented on my recent rant/post: Thought you might like to know that The Alpha and I pretty much purged the anger out of our stewardship talk. Not until 11:30 the night before, mind you, but we did do it. Here's the script, very similar to what we delivered at two worship services this morning.

ALPHA: During this focus on our membership vows in the context of stewardship, The Typist and I have been talking over what we might say.

TYPIST: Two words that have come to mind are Vision and Commitment. For us, they go hand in hand.

ALPHA: The best description of vision I’ve seen is something Bobby Kennedy said, which I’ll paraphrase: “Some people look at the way the world is and say, ‘Why?’ I dream of the way the world could be and ask ‘Why not?”

TYPIST: Commitment is deeper than just being involved. The difference between "involvement" and "commitment" is like a ham-and-egg breakfast: the chicken was "involved"; the pig was "committed."

ALPHA: Commitment without Vision is drudgery. Why are you committed, and what are you committed to, if there’s no vision behind it?

TYPIST: And Vision without Commitment is just wishful thinking. How are you going to help vision become reality if you’re not willing to work toward it?
In our culture we don’t make vows very often – but vows are to be taken seriously. When my parents had me baptized as an infant, they made vows before God and the church about how they would raise me. Through those vows, they made a commitment to a vision for my life, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I stand before you today.

ALPHA: When we got married, we took vows. In our 13 years of marriage, we’ve encountered situations where the words, “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” mattered. We’re committed to each other, and to a common vision for our marriage, and are stronger for it.

TYPIST: We have vision beyond our own household, though. We have a vision that a family will have enough to eat. That’s why we’re committed to the Food Share ministry.

ALPHA: We have a vision that young people will grow strong in their own personal faith. That’s why we’re committed to the youth ministry.

TYPIST: We had a vision of a new, well-built, and welcoming facility. That’s why we’re committed to the Capital Campaign.

ALPHA: We have a vision of God’s people transforming the world by making disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re committed to uphold the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.

TYPIST: There was a time when we didn’t take our membership vows quite as seriously. But when we arrived at here nine years ago, something changed. It was in this place that we, as a family, made our first real commitment to a community of faith. Our lives are sustained by the prayers we vowed to pray. Our presence here is a requirement for us: If we are in town and well enough to leave the house, we are here on Sunday morning. We made a vow to be here. And when things have been less than comfortable here, we’ve stayed committed, waiting to see what God’s vision would be for us in this place.

ALPHA: Vowing to uphold the church with our gifts has helped us grow in generosity and faith. If you’d told us ten years ago that we would be tithing by the time we hit our early thirties, we wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, several years ago, we began to work up to giving that 10 percent, and here we are. It’s like physical exercise; you have to start where you are, and be willing to work harder to reach a higher goal. Even incremental improvement is still improvement. Working at our giving has helped us grow spiritually.

TYPIST: Our service has taken many forms here: things like working with the youth, teaching Sunday school, serving as a member of the choir and of MorningSong, sticking it out through committee meetings. Less-noticeable things, too, like setting up and taking down tables and chairs, folding bulletins, and making sure the lights get turned off after classes.
Our faith community means so much to us, and we are thankful that this church has helped us become willing to stay committed to a vision higher than our own, and we joyfully renew that commitment at every opportunity.

Oh, teh cuteness.

2009-09-16T07:04:00.003-05:00

I think that I need to make time very soon to go through all the pics I took of a certain sweet puppy girl nine years ago and submit any napping shots to this site.

Now, follow the link and start up with the "Awwwww"s.

Tough talk

2009-09-13T15:58:00.003-05:00

So, I volunteered us (The Alpha and me) to give a talk during our church's annual stewardship focus (for the uninitiated, that's the church version of the public television pledge drive). Our turn is one week from today.

Typically, people have been sharing what our faith community means to them, and maybe a little about giving.

The Alpha and I have strong opinions about what this faith community means to us. It means a great deal to us. We could have found various excuses or opportunities over the years to give up and walk away from it. Others have, but we haven't. That's not who we are.

The investments we make in this faith community mean a great deal to us, too. This is the place where we really began to understand that our lives and our money can make a positive difference in the world. That we really do have the power to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the sick. That it really is our job to do all those things.

I think where The Alpha and I tend to get bogged down, though, is that we notice all the ways in which we aren't, as a church community, living up to our potential. The average United Methodist gives less than 2 percent of his or her annual income. He and I realized years ago that we could do better than that, and started moving toward tithing -- giving 10 percent of our incomes. Now that we are tithing, it seems easy. It took years of working up to that goal to reach it, though. We want to encourage others to do the same... which is where the urge to rant begins:

We want to say, Seriously, y'all. Come. ON. Isn't our church community worth more than an average of 2 percent of our incomes? Don't y'all like having electricity in this pretty new building we moved into last year? Wouldn't you love it if the youth didn't come before you to beg for money for their mission trip? If we all gave up front, they wouldn't have to do that.

My personal favorite example of misplaced effort is the church auction [which, this year, is the night before The Alpha and I are speaking to the congregation]. People spend a lot of time planning, gathering donations, and working really hard so we can essentially convince ourselves to give a few thousand more dollars to ourselves -- in the form of moving it from our own bank accounts to the church's account. What if all that time and work could be used on mission instead? If we all really took a hard look at where our money goes, we wouldn't need extra funds from a church auction, or a variety show, or a chili supper, or any other kind of fund raiser. Instead, we'd have the time we spend on those events freed up... to do more ministry!

As The Alpha likes to say, "This church has all the money it needs to carry out any number of ministries. The trick is getting it out of people's pockets."

Abundance, y'all. The vast majority of our congregation has it. There are people all around us who we could be reaching with the love of Christ if y'all would quit pretending you're poor when you come to church, but that you're rich when you go to the mall.
---

But I'm guessing all that shame would backfire on us.

I've got to quit fantasizing about grabbing people by the scruff of the neck, demanding to see last year's income tax statement, showing them how to calculate 10 percent of that number, and rearranging their checkbooks so it works out. That isn't our job.

That isn't our job. That isn't our job. That isn't our job. Really, it isn't. So we're not going to do it. It isn't our job.

Ideas for how to do what is our job, anyone?

Another who's being missed this week.

2009-09-09T08:19:00.003-05:00

Sweet Amie, who came to visit us this spring, has gone on to claim her golden tail. She was a darling girl, and I had the privilege of spending time with her on two occasions. Please keep Zorra and The Scientist in your prayers as they grieve.

Peace for Steve

2009-09-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

After a long struggle, Steve Damm is at peace.

Please pray for Tyra, Cooper, and Katie as they grieve and give thanks for the amazing life of their beloved husband and daddy.

Recharged/ recharging Friday Five

2009-09-04T07:16:00.002-05:00

It's been way too long since I played the RevGals' Friday Five, and Sally's invitation today was just perfect for me, so here we go... Sally writes:

A few weeks ago my lap-top battery died, suddenly I found myself looking at a blank screen and was rather relieved to find that it was only the battery and not the whole computer that had failed. This morning a new battery arrived in the post, and suddenly I am mobile again!

After a week with what feels like wall to wall meetings, and Synod looming on the horizon for tomorrow I find myself pondering my own need to recharge my batteries. This afternoon Tim and I are setting off to explore the countryside around our new home, I always find that walking in the fresh air away from phones and e-mails recharges me. But that is not the only thing that restores my soul, so do some people, books, pieces of music etc....

So I wonder what/who gives you energy?

1. Is there a person who encourages and uplifts you, whose company you seek when you are feeling low? Just this week I sought out Mid-Life Rookie for that very reason. Thanks, friend.

2. How about a piece of music that either invigorates or relaxes you? Oh, this is almost too difficult to answer. I've been listening to a lot of Terri Hendrix lately. A couple of months ago she gave me permission to sing one of her songs in worship, so the band worked it up, and it fit really well with what our pastor was preaching. She's a wonderful musician, composer, and person.
But I'm thinking it's probably time for a change of pace in my listening habits -- even good stuff can get you in a rut. So today, right now (hang on a sec...), I'm pulling out some of my long-time musical comfort food: Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. Ahhh.... Piano Man...

3. Which book of the Bible do you most readily turn to for refreshment and encouragement? Is there a particular story that brings you hope? While I have a few problems with Paul, he did write some spiritually-uplifting gems. Romans 8:28 comes to mind, as do verses 35-39 just a few sentences later.

4. A bracing walk or a cosy fireside? (Notice Sally's British spelling of "cozy." Lovely!) I think one, followed by the other, would be refreshing. (Unfortunately, there are storms in the forecast and the high today is around 90 degrees Fahrenheit where I live, so neither will be happening.)

5. Are you feeling refreshed and restored at the moment or in need of recharging, write a prayer or a prayer request to finish this weeks Friday Five.... Oh, am I ever in need of recharging! I realized a couple of days ago that I don't have a free Saturday until the end of the month. Friends are coming this weekend, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them, but the next two Saturdays are booked with church-nerd activities. I'd appreciate prayers for my energy level and a positive outlook.

Yeah, this pretty much covers it.

2009-08-24T19:53:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Mary Beth for sharing this on her blog!

A Dog's Tale

2009-08-23T17:11:00.009-05:00

It's been entirely too long since my last blog entry. But lots of stuff has been happening. Most blogworthy is the story of Bo the Rescue Dog.

It all started when I got a message from a fellow church member and animal person, on Thursday the 6th. There were several photos attached, including this one:

The message made it clear that this was Bo, a stray who had been picked up by Sulphur Springs Animal Control, and he was scheduled to be... well... gone, one way or another, on Friday the 7th.

Something about him got my attention. So I posted him on my profile in the social networking platform referred to herein as Tracelook and asked if anyone could help. I got several comments. Enough that the next morning, I called the animal control officer's number listed in the email, and sure enough, Bo was still there.

But, there was good news: There was someone who wanted to adopt him! In Houston. With a schedule that didn't permit her driving to Sulphur Springs to get him (a 300-mile trip, one-way). I told the animal control officer, who had totally fallen in love with Bo, that I'd see what I could do... and went back to Tracelook.

Several people (including RevGals from several different states) offered up prayer, and I'm pretty sure it worked... It couldn't have been much longer than 15 minutes before I had offers of a possible ride for Bo to the DFW area, someone willing to keep him for a few days if nobody else surfaced to fill that need, and a ride from the DFW area to Houston the following Thursday from a friend who was headed there anyway.

Within a few hours, each of those elements worked themselves into place. A former boyfriend of Susie's lives in Sulphur Springs and is as much of a sucker for animals as we are. He filled out Bo's adoption forms after work that day and drove him to Dallas. He and Susie made arrangements to meet Liz and Ken for a foster-family handoff. Liz kept him from Friday night until Thursday morning, quickly becoming attached and deciding that this fostering thing wasn't something she could do all the time (I don't blame her!).

Here's Bo in his temporary home, sitting with Ken and Angel (he's the little blurry one on the right):

...and here cuddling with Liz while Angel watches:

The following Monday I got to go meet sweet Bo at Liz and Ken's house. What a doll...

And on Thursday, Mary Brooke and Clayton picked him up and took him to his new home in Houston. Here MB (on the right) is leaves him with Vickie, his new mama (left):

Bo now has his own page on Tracelook and many people involved in his trip to Houston are keeping up with him. We're glad Vickie is sharing him with us in that small way.

Yes, social media's uses are limited. It's not the same as face-to-face relationships. But I'm mighty glad that in this case, it provided the framework for our impromptu Underpup Railroad, and we know one little dog has a happy home because of it.

Finished kitchen!

2009-08-10T07:37:00.005-05:00

Okay, it's all done! Now we just have to put up the window coverings, seal the granite, and move everything back in there... and I have to leave for work five minutes ago, so I'll quit writing and just post the pics:

Groutness.

2009-08-05T22:45:00.005-05:00

The grout went in yesterday... a day's delay because it didn't dawn on anyone that we hadn't yet chosen the grout color. We wound up picking "Earth." Here it is.

... annnd, on the floor:

....annnd, in the dining room and foyer, too:

This afternoon The Alpha began sealing the grout, and I joined him when I got home from work. (Sealing the grout and hanging one light fixture are pretty much the only labor we ourselves have contributed to this process, beyond moving stuff out of the area. Why? So we can say, "It's Shake-n-Bake, and we helped...")

We have both coats of sealant over the laundry room and kitchen floor grout, and over the portion of the backsplash that will be covered by the microwave and range hood. The rest of the second coat will happen later. For now, this is enough. The pros can now install appliances and do paint touch-ups. I think there's still a chance this will all be finished tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some little things that don't wrap up until the weekend. I'm amazed at how many details are involved. (I haven't even told the full Tale of the Hinges on the blog. I'm not sure I want to; I think it took four attempts to get the proper cabinet door hinges... but dang, I gotta hand it to our contractor friend for his persistence on that point.)

So, I'm thinking I probably won't take more update photos until we have some furnishings back in the kitchen. Because it's really getting that close to being finished!

Two sweeties

2009-08-04T22:16:00.004-05:00

Well, Tuesday got a little less nervous when we had our special house guest for a few days. Apparently, house guests are good for dogs who aren't sure about kitchen remodeling.

Several times we found her hanging out in the guest bedroom, our niece's space for the extended weekend visit. But this pic is the two of them hanging out in the den, just a couple of hours before Meredith flew back to the Land of Our Roots. (The Boy seemed to appreciate M's presence, too, but he's generally more subtle with his affections.)

We found out that the timing for her return was serendipitous; while waiting at the airport she learned her mother was being admitted to the hospital for IV steroid treatments (stupid MS). Even while making some progress on wedding plans, she has been quite the advocate for her mom these last couple of days. This evening I was treated to The Tale of How We Are Finally Getting to Replace That Lame-Ass Neurologist. I'm eager to hear how Chapter 2 of that one turns out.

Stressed much?

2009-08-01T22:07:00.003-05:00

Between several thunderstorms in the past week and the big remodeling project causing the reconfiguration of daily patterns around here, Tuesday has had a touch of nervous behavior.

Here she is earlier this week in the guest bathroom, one of her centrally-located hidey-holes. (Her top spot is The Alpha's side of the master bathroom, but she decided at some point that this one would do, too.)

There were more storms this morning while we were out for a late breakfast. The tile guy was here, and he let the dogs in from the patio because he could tell they didn't like being so close to the rain and thunder. Apparently they were content to just hang out in the den instead of stepping in his work, so I'm glad that went smoothly.

Today the old tile in the foyer was chipped away, and the dining room is now ready for tiling, too. Sunday, a day off. (It's Sunday. Seriously. Tile Guy offered to come, but we will wait. Rest time is important.) Monday, grout will go between the laundry room tiles so we can move our washer and dryer back into place a.s.a.p. The whole project -- well, except for us moving all our kitchen-related supplies back into the kitchen -- should be wrapped up on Wednesday. Two weeks, two days, I think. Not bad.

Floored.

2009-07-31T22:01:00.004-05:00

There's no grout yet, and the floors of the foyer, dining room, and laundry room are yet to be done to match, but here's the new kitchen floor:

We think the porcelain does a great impression of wood.

Had a great time not being near a computer all day the last two days. We'll see if I repeat the feat tomorrow. Lovely niece and I have been making progress on wedding-related decisions. Yeah, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's great girly fun we're having here.

Rapid subject shift: Backyard farm report. The three of us split Unintentional Cantaloupe #1 this evening, and it was quite good. UC#2 fell off the vine this morning, looking near-perfect, so it's in the fridge now. (The seeds must've come from last year's compost, because we didn't plant any. And dang if they aren't working out better than they did last year, when we tried to grow them on purpose and the birds kept eating them.)

Splish, (Back)splash

2009-07-30T23:09:00.005-05:00

There's no grout yet, but every tile for the backsplash is in place.

Even the ones that will be hidden from view by the microwave and range hood:

Pretty nifty, huh?

Floor tiling begins tomorrow... we're really getting there!

Doors and hardware

2009-07-29T22:52:00.006-05:00

We have our cabinet doors back!

And the hardware installed, for the most part:

The hinges have their own story. They were the third set purchased, because the first two sets wouldn't work, for different reasons. Contractor David had to drive all the way to Ft. Worth to find them. Which he did this afternoon.

And, also today, the vinyl disappeared from our floor! Tile work starts tomorrow.

Newly Engaged Niece arrived today, so I'm taking the rest of the week off work; I will divide my time between avoiding becoming an annoyance to the people working on my kitchen, and girl-centric stuff like going to bridal shops and Ikea and Container Store. (Among other things, I have to find a more stylish dog food bin to go in that pretty new kitchen.)

Granite!

2009-07-28T20:55:00.007-05:00

The granite countertops were installed today!

We decided to extend the peninsula an extra few inches out into the breakfast area, in case we ever want to put a couple of bar stools there.

We even got matching granite windowsills. (They really tie the room together... just like The Dude's rug.)

As you can see, the backsplash comes next.

Prep work for the tile will probably begin tomorrow. And our kitchen sink will soon be usable.

Our contractor hadn't had anyone use this granite color before (it's a variety of New Caledonia, if I remember correctly). We're pleased with it. The main countertop was installed in three pieces, but you really have to look hard to find the seams. The epoxy, which a co-worker had warned me about, turned out not to smell near as bad as the oil-based paint (so, no more backyard camping necessary).

It's starting to look like a kitchen again. Only not the one we had before. Which is refreshing.

Oh, yeah. The floor's here.

2009-07-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

I forgot to take a picture of the tile when it was delivered last week. Installation is supposed to begin on Thursday. Here it is:

No, it's not wood.

Really.

It's porcelain tile.

Neat, huh?

We think so.

Stinky drawers

2009-07-25T16:32:00.005-05:00

(I just had to use that phrase as a headline. If you're from the south, that conjures up images other than pull-out storage bins that smell of oil-based paint.)

Bright and shiny drawers made their entrance yesterday; the cabinet doors return on Monday.

This painting phase has been malodorous. Oil-based works best for this particular setting, but dang, the fumes... Yesterday it was so overwhelming that we set up the tent in the backyard and spent the night out there. Today we were able to throw the windows open and do some serious airing-out. It's not gone, but it's definitely past the odor peak.

They also painted the paneling. The walls up top will be the same color ("Toasted Wheat"), but it has to be textured first. Possibly next week.

Granite is scheduled for Tuesday. Backsplash tiling will follow.

Newly Engaged Niece arrives Wednesday night. Thankfully, she's pretty good at adapting to less-than-perfect situations!

Just so you know:

2009-07-25T16:23:00.004-05:00

If you have a kitchen, I'm fairly certain it contains more stuff than you realize.

Here's just some of what we've had in our living room for the past week:

Annnd, another angle:

Yes, that's two refrigerators in our living room. We're using the old one until the new one moves to its proper location.

And if you know the layout of the house, you've probably figured out that the tan love seat is blocking access to the foyer and dining room (staging areas for the kitchen work, soon to be ripped up for the tile phase). The dogs have been treating this blockade more as a loose guideline, though, since they can both jump over it.

We've had some progress in the kitchen itself this week. Documentation will follow momentarily in its own separate post.

This kitchen is divisible only by itself and one.

2009-07-20T21:31:00.006-05:00

Because, you see, it has been primed. (Math geek joke. I'm not one, but I live with one.)

The dogs are totally clued in to the fact that something unusual is going on. People were here all day and dogs weren't allowed inside. That's just wrong. And there's plastic sheeting blocking their usual kitchen entry point.

See the wavy ornamental trim bits above the refrigerator hole and the dog buffet counter? Those are going away. Our contractor has made replacement pieces for those areas so the lines will be nice and clean like I want 'em.

Tomorrow night it won't look much different. They will finish priming, and do some caulking and sealing. Doors and drawers have been taken off-site for similar treatment. The actual painting will happen Wednesday.

Granite guys came to make templates for the new countertops and windowsills today, too -- a day earlier than expected. That's encouraging. Still no promises about when granite will be installed, though. (I'd be very pleased with Friday... I'm just sayin'.)

Regardless, it's good to see the work happening!

Kitchen progress

2009-07-19T19:22:00.008-05:00

There's an echo in the kitchen, but that's about it.

Before you can put in new stuff, you have to take out the old. (Harvest gold appliances will be so in two years from now. We just know it.)

This pendant light is one of the few fixtures that will be the same when we're on the other side of this project:

Goodbye, dark wood. Can't say I'll miss you. The prep work for spraying white oil-based semi-gloss begins tomorrow.

And, just to drive home the point that we have to replace the flooring, our old fridge ripped the vinyl as it left the room (the "tile" markings are about a foot square, for reference):

So far, the dogs are handling change reasonably well. Except for Tuesday seizing an opportunity to eat three-quarters of a pack of Trident this morning, we've had no incidents. They understand that their food station has moved to the wet bar, so they hang out in the den as usual, with the added benefit that it's now closer to the kibble.

(Just so you know, on the floor plan, the contractor actually labeled the built-in unit by the kitchen/living room door "dog buffet." We also keep our china there, but that's secondary, of course.)

Movin' out... of our kitchen.

2009-07-16T22:06:00.007-05:00

Nine and a half years after we moved into our house, we decided we're finally ready to overhaul the kitchen. Here are the "before" pictures. I warn you, "before" includes a lot of the "Why keep the kitchen straightened up? We're going to have to clean the whole thing out soon anyway" attitude.

It also contains a bit of "I don't care that they said they can do texture on top of the wallpaper! I can't take the ivy for one more second!" (Yes, it meant more work for me, but it was cathartic.)

The plan is to clean out the whole. stinking. kitchen. this weekend so the work can begin Monday. First on the list: the cabinets will be sprayed white. And not by us. We can paint walls, we can install a light fixture, but we don't trust ourselves with a whole room. And we definitely couldn't get it finished as fast as the pros will. Tuesday they are making templates for the granite. Whatever comes next, we'll take as soon as possible.

Here are our choices for the countertop and backsplash (click the photo and the tiles will appear very close to actual size):

The larger tiles are a bit more of a true gray than they appear in this photo; they match the granite very, very well. The smaller ones will be used as accents at regular intervals along the backsplash, as shown in this mockup, courtesy of The Alpha:

(No, the window area won't really be yellow. It'll be "toasted wheat," which is the same tan we used below the chair rail in the dining room.)

The floor tile is in, but not here yet. It looks like wood planks, and will extend beyond the kitchen to the dining room, front entryway, and laundry room. Appliances will be stainless steel and black.

Earlier in the week we got to go to the granite warehouse and choose our specific material. They lifted it up with a big crane so we could get a good look at the whole piece, then they chipped off a sample so we could take it with us to choose tile. Pretty cool. (Not literally; it was actually very hot in there. This is Dallas in July, after all.)

The big question: Will it be finished in time for Wonderful Niece's visit in two weeks? The contractor is making no promises, but we will at least have the cabinets and countertop handled by then, so there will be something new for her to see.

Jean-Claude update

2009-07-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

Well, in a chat with Jean-Claude, I learned that he hasn't quite thrown his marriage away after all. So that's nice. I also got a sweet "thank you for being there" card from him when he mailed back the CD he'd borrowed. Still keeping him in prayer, still trying not to read too much into the cryptic Tracelook updates.

But there's hope. For that, I'm glad.

A cautionary tale? For me, yes. For him, "it feels right."

2009-07-06T21:49:00.005-05:00

This is a variation of what I put on my work blog today. I don't usually get this personal over there, but for some reason I went ahead and did it (after running it by two co-workers).

I have this friend; let’s call him Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude and I have known each other since the early '90s, but haven’t had much contact in recent years. But, thanks to this thing I'll call Tracelook, combined with an existential crisis he was having, we saw each other face-to-face on Friday.

Years ago, Jean-Claude had a problem that led to the end of his first marriage. It was one of those problems from which you must spend the rest of your life recovering, lest you fall back into the pit. And there was another factor or two compounding that problem, but lately he seemed to have it all under control. He has a new wife; he has a new job that gives him opportunities to make a difference in kids’ lives.

And I think he may have just thrown all of that away.

On Friday, Jean-Claude and I spent 45 minutes talking through his recent activities and emotional conflicts. It was easily the most transparent conversation we’d ever had, and I felt a little like Jiminy Cricket at one point, reminding him that he has a moral compass and the power to use it. But he seemed to take it well, even thanking me for my “wisdom” later via Tracelook. I told him my pastor’s sermon topic for this week, one that was geared toward his own life's struggles, and the uncanny timing of it seemed to make an impression. He said he’d plan on coming to worship with me before he crossed the county line on Sunday.

We share the same faith, and I realized later it might’ve been a good idea to offer to pray with Jean-Claude before he left my house. A missed opportunity. Instead, I prayed for him later, and asked my small group to join me.

On Saturday, I started getting text messages from Jean-Claude. At first, he assured me that his moral compass was holding tight. A few hours later I watched everything disintegrate, 100 characters at a time.

During Sunday morning’s worship service, which Jean-Claude did not attend, I lifted him up in prayer by name. As I was doing that, he was driving to another part of the state to finish wrecking his marriage before heading back home to his wife. A couple of text messages last night confirmed that.

At least now I understand a little more clearly how one of those so-called perfect couples, the college sweethearts, could reach the point Jean-Claude and his ex-wife did several years ago. I feel like a darkly comic old sage, dispensing wisdom based on my 13 years of wedded bliss only to see it tossed out the window of an un-air-conditioned sedan, somewhere on Interstate 35, in the middle of a Southern summer.

Today Jean-Claude’s Tracelook status is that he’s “waking up to a whole new world,” but I can’t help but wonder if it’s one he will be happy with in the long run.

What am I supposed to learn from this experience? Some obvious options: I can’t control other people. Just because I’m aware of danger doesn’t mean I can put a stop to it. Everyone has to make his or her own choices.

These lessons are nothing new for me. I’m not surprised to be facing up to them again. But I am surprised that a certain cliché keeps popping into my head: “I’m not angry with you, Jean-Claude. I’m just disappointed.”

This just in: Life is hard. Some folks make it harder than it has to be.

RevGals' Friday Five: It's all about the look

2009-07-03T11:27:00.003-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Sally is cleaning out her closet. She asks us these questions:

1. Are you a hoarder, or are you good at sorting and clearing? I find hoarding much more natural, but I am capable of sorting and cleaning. I'm more focused on sorting and cleaning all the papers that arrive in our lives and on our counters and tabletops than on my closet, though.

2. What is the oddest garment you possess and why? Probably my snakeskin-print miniskirt with the broken zipper. I am officially too old to pull of that look anymore, and hello, the zipper is busted. But I can't part with it.

3. Do you have a favourite look/colour? I like simple, clean lines. I like red, but don't wear it very often these days. Probably because I also like to blend in.

4. Thrift/Charity shops, love them or hate them? Eh. I hardly ever go looking for clothes anywhere, and I have to be in a very particular kind of mood to want to sort through every little thing on a rack. But if I'm there with the right person, a thrift shop can be entertaining.

5. Money is no object, what one item would you buy? Probably something more socially-conscious than my usual fare, which likely has some unethical labor practices behind the low prices.

Farm report: Current totals

2009-06-28T20:35:00.005-05:00

Corn: 12 ears harvested (That's more than last year's total yield; unlike last year, ants haven't shown up... yet.)

Cucumbers: 15 harvested (topped out at 20 last year, when The Blight hit)

Squash: 7 harvested, including these three:

As you can see, one was hiding from us under some leaves and got a little too big (click to enlarge the photo if you want to see actual size). We plan to cook it up tomorrow night and see if it affected the taste/texture.

Under produce watch:
A surprise cantaloupe vine has emerged (likely from the compost we made last fall). We originally thought it was a misplaced cucumber, but now it's sporting a 2-inch proto-melon.

Under odd critters watch:

We found this guy (or girl) on a cucumber vine this evening. I suspect he's a pest, and am blaming him for some wilted leaves. Am I on target, anyone?

A "because I'm twelve" moment

2009-06-22T20:50:00.002-05:00

It wasn't a very long trip for my mind to make its way to the gutter on this one.

This is not a fake church sign. I've been to Old Hickory, Tennessee. Gavin lives in the vicinity of this sign, and he took this photo. And, true to his inner adolescent, he snickered about it. And tweeted it, thus giving many more people the opportunity to snicker likewise. Thank you, friend.

Dog and God

Friday Five: The Way We Blogged

Because it's been too long...

The circle of life. I hates it.

On overcoming fear

Forever home -- for real this time

11th birthday

Day-by-day dog

Re-rescue

Visuals

Oh, the days, they pass.

February already

She couldn't resist the power of his cuteness.

Friday Five: New Year's Eve

Re-rescue needed

Year in review

Early-morning irony

WorshipFAIL

Before and During

Because I miss my blog.

Insomnia, my current muse.

Yikes at all the stuff happening.

Dogstuff

If I had a house right now...

Friday Five: Storms of Life Edition

Changes

Friday Five: Love the One You're With

Friday Five: Decisions, decisions

The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010

Because it's been too long...

Another happy goodbye

Last Song

The catch-up post

I keep thinking, "I need to blog that."

Technical difficulties stream of consciousness

Farewell, Poohbert!

Friday Five: Friendship

Friday Five: What is there to smile about?

Some dogs never leave you.

Easter foster dogs update

Friday Five: Redo, Refresh, Restore

Hurried updates

Dog Couch happenings

Stream of consciousness, business-travel style

Foster dogs update

*Sigh*

Crazy Dog Lady strikes again: a one-two punch

Another week's assortment

Assorted reports from SFM

The icky side of rescue.

Day off, but day on, too.

Another home found

It was bound to happen eventually.

Melancholy

Grand... 6 grand, actually...

Friday Five: Social Media

Amos

Scattered thoughts, collected.

Foster Dog update

Thursday night randomosity

Confessions of a foster dog mom

Because it's been too long since I blogged.

Best. Wedding. Ever.

Friday Five Do Nothing Edition

Sunday night randomosity

Friday the 13th Five

Oooh, they gave me one again!

Friday Five: What's New?

Halloween in brief

Update on Tueser, and extras

Dog-intensive day

Temporary Guest Dog

Weekend of adventure

Let's start a post and see what flows forth.

Tough talk update

Oh, teh cuteness.

Tough talk

Another who's being missed this week.

Peace for Steve

Recharged/ recharging Friday Five

Sigh