One month later

It seems a month has flown by since I last wrote here. I have had good intentions just not delivered.

Dagny turned 10 this month. But those are people years so if you are doing your math - she is 70 years old in canine years. She rang in this happy occassion with a new earthdog collar and matching leash in the Demeter pattern. She looks great in it and not your typical old dog mauve. We'll got a shot for you soon. I see signs of her aging - not just with the occasional hip pain and the incontent meds but her hearing & smelling senses are dulling. I am always amazed at the new toys I bring home for Gus that she LOVES and sends me back to purchase a duplicate. While they share toys and she isn't allowed to steal from Gus (he wouldn't THINK of trying to steal from her) - it is best if on certain toys there are two. Even if somehow Dagny manages to grab them both onto her bed and maintain possession.

Gus was neutered last Tuesday. Two of his litter mates were being neutered/spayed on the same day. Gus had a good 10 lbs on them and tipped the scales at 51 lbs. Per the vet - he had "the largest testicles of the day and he held onto them". Holding onto them will make the men reading this cringe but it translates to more post surgery swelling and bruising and the greater need to be still and heal. He is recovering just fine but has oodles of energy and doesn't seem to get he is supposed to be taking it easy. He learned to jump on my bed 2 days after the surgery which I am pretty sure didn't fit into the vet's instructions to limit his activity. Tomorrow I am going to take him on a short walk to just get him out. He is driving all of us crazy. We have gone through a lot of chews this past week between him and Dags.

Update on The GusDog

Gus has draped his head over my foot. He is now 47.9 lbs and still growing. He is incredibly affectionate and while he is good about being on his bed - he likes to be near me. I confess that I love it when he snuggles at my feet and am glad that the habit followed him post puppy hood.

We have our last training class tonight - though the training will continue for months - years even. We have been doing some clicker training and it has been so much fun and he really likes it. You can check out the website - here. You can see his mind working while we are training and it is fun to watch him figure out the command. For those of you interested - the training we have been doing is positive/negative reinforcement and based on the principles of shaping. The clicker allows you to click the instant the dog does what you want and then you reward with a treat. It is a great way to communicate with Gus that he he is doing what he is supposed to be doing it the instant he does it. And then the food treat follows. Gus is all about the food so training him is so much easier than dog number 1 who wasn't interested in food.

Have been working hard on getting Gus to leave the cats alone. The biggest issue has been him following Dagny when she decides to have a cat chase - different dynamic with two of them! I am pleased to say that the past week has been great with his lack of interest in Newman. He has minded his own business on several occassions and just walked past Newman with a look in his direction but no movement towards him. Last night after a long walk and play session at the park - Gus remained on his bed while Newman walked around the den even though Dagny decided to follow Newman out of the den. Gus was amply rewarded with treats during this event. Am feeling great that Gus elected beef over feline.


Gus' chop appointment has been set for August 19th. He shouldn't even have to stay at the vet overnight and it should be pretty uneventful. Well - easy for me to say. I am not the one getting my balls chopped off!

Family Outing

Gus & I met his sister (Little Five, L5) & his mum (Hazel) for a walk in Piedmont Park and our first visit to the dog park there. We hadn't met them in quite some time. Gus & L5 tried to wrestle the entire time we walked. Hazel was just thrilled to not have L5 hanging on her for once! It is amazing at how much L5 & Gus look a like. Their faces/heads are exactly the same except Gus' is much larger. And it also showed me clearly how big Gus is going to be. He was much longer and taller than L5.

I had not been to the dog park in years b/c Dags never cared about playing with the other dogs so there was no point. It is much nicer than before. And it was a huge hit with Gus & L5. There were big dogs, little dogs and other puppies. They ran, they rolled, they played. At one point, Hazel plopped down on the ground to cool down and Gus & L5 snuggled right in next to her like they did it every day. I wish I had taken my camera. But I am sure there will be another time for a photo opp. We are planning on going back. It was one stop shopping for leash training, play time, socialization and puppy exhaustion.

Gus is asleep on my foot right now. And Dagny is lightly snoozing on her bed. She is looking at me and I am pretty sure she is thanking me for bringing home an exhausted puppy who is too tired to bother her.

Emergency Back Up Dog

Recently a few friends have politely inquired why I adopted a puppy. I know what they really wanted to ask was "What in the Hell were you thinking?!"

Here is the answer. With Sadie's diagnosis in the fall of beginning of kidney disease, I realized all of my animals were elderly. Sadie - 13 yrs; Newman 11-12 yrs; Dagny will be 10 yrs. next month. I also had this realization - like a giant flashing neon sign outside of a bar offering 2 for 1 drinks - that I was a dog person. This doesn't mean I choose dogs over cats. It means that I love having a dog around and always want one in my house. Can't imagine NOT having one in the house. I debated for awhile if Dagny would even tolerate another dog. And having had other dogs around, Dagny seemed to best around boy dogs and mellow boys. I thought long and hard about what dog I would like to have for the next 12-15 years. My friends have this amazing golden, Torrin. I love that dog - he is a good boy and very easy going - and that was the archetype for what I wanted. I also knew that Jody had/has put in an amazing amount of time training Torrin.

Fast forward. In January/February, friends at the office were circulating a picture of a 4 month old lab named Jake that needed a home. One of my friends had already adopted 2 of his litter mates. I called to inquire but Jake was already spoken for - 6 times over. But I knew that I was ready to consider a dog into my life. And all that a new dog requires - training and feeding and vaccinating. A few folks told me the breeders of their dogs had pups available. But all my beasts have been rescues.

In April, an agent told Tacha, my business partner, about a litter of puppies his newly rescued dog, Hazel had just had. I still debated and procrastinated on meeting the pups until they were about 6.5 weeks old. But it seemed like a great opportunity to still rescue a pup (Atlanta Lab Rescue), 1/2 of the pup would be a lab and I was able to meet the mum. She is a sweet chocolate lab.

The long and the short of it was I asked for a mellow male and met with the 3 boys of the litter. There were 2 boys I was interested in - Durant & Harvey. Lucky, the third male, was the male version of Dagny. (I love Dagny but she was really high energy as a pup and never sat still! Training was so difficult. I know that now more than ever dealing with Gus who is easier to train how hyper she was. I wanted something completely the opposite of my Ricochet Rabbit.) There was a couple who had arrived a few minutes before me to interview pups and they picked Durant, the last born & smallest of the pups. I went with Harvey - now known as Gus. I had the name picked out before I ever met him. I figured no Gus did anything in a hurry. And when I first met Gus, he was very interested in me and my tennis shoes but after about 20 minutes of investigating and play, he crawled under a cabinet and went to sleep. Perfect!

What I didn't know was that I would have a dog by 8pm that same night. But how in the hell can you say no to a pup after a cup of Star Bucks full leaded coffee and the cutest little pups crawling on you?

Dagny didn't talk to me for the first few days. She snubbed me and looked at me with daggers in her eyes. I assured her that she was still the Diva in charge and that Gus was merely a back-up reserve dog. She was still the number 1 dog.

I have never once ever regretted or second guessed my decision to add in Gus. And I have been thrilled with my selection of pups. I knew things would be slow with Dagny and the pup. And I never had any expectations they would actually be pals. It surprises me every day how they play and interact. From the beginning Gus has loved Dagny but his adoration was unrequited for a good month. On several occassions, I found Dagny by Gus' crate. And Dagny was actually was the second dog on the bed in the picture below. She actually joined Gus in a side by side chew. And while she does enjoy taking his bones and toys, she has been showing him how to be a good dog. And for that I am eternally grateful.

One Small Step For Mankind

I never wrote a list of new year's resolutions. I just thought about changes I wanted to make in my life. One of them was my goal to incorporate 8 things to make this planet a better place to live. More than anything - I wanted to be able to make changes that mattered and keep them as a part of my day to day life. One of the things - I have been working on has bringing my own grocery bags to the store. And while I can say - I have done a good job at bringing my own - I have not done a great job. And I was feeling pretty good about re-using the plastic bags for kitty litter and such. But today I have watched this video and I am thinking that I need to step up this goal from good to great. And give up all plastic bags.

Watch this slide show....the first part of it is really depressing but don't fear because the end will give you a surge of power knowing you really can do something!

Thanks to my stepmum, Jage, for sending this to me! Pass it on.

Time Flying

Here is Gus at about 8 weeks old....

Gus today about 8 weeks later at age 4 months...(same bed)

Taken Today - he looks all lab to me!

First day of Skool!

Gus no longer fits in his travel crate so we have been getting him acclimated to riding in the back seat. I am lifting him into the car which is a challenge as he is about 35 lbs. But the real problem is getting him out. He is uncertain about the down procedure. This morning he jumped out by himself but it was a slow uncertain maneuver and I sat patiently waiting for him to make the decision.

I took Gus today for his first day of doggy daycare. I was so nervous about leaving him and how he would deal with it all. I knew it would be good for him and a great place to spend the day when I have a long work day. When we pulled into the lot and I opened the door - he walked to the door - put his nose in the air and hopped down without any hesitation - like he'd always been doing it. Once inside, he didn't look back at me at all. He just eagerly went to the back to meet his other canine pals!

He spent about 4 hours there today. The reports from Barking Hound were that he had a great time and did well. He was in with the small dogs even though pound wise he outweighs them, but they are more forgiving than the larger dogs. He is still learning about his canine peers and how to play. But Gus is really easy going guy and great with other dogs and I knew it was going to be a great experience for him. When we got home, he was so exhausted I had to carry him out of the car!

Dagny & Gus

From a series of

Dagny & Gus 030
Originally uploaded by heighlo

photos of Dagny & Gus playing together at the end of May. Go here for more pictures. At the end of their play, their share a bit of rest.

Watching

What I see every morning is this picture:



My favorite is when gus and dagny sit there - side by side. Maybe I will catch that one day but it took me a week to get this one! Gus was 15 weeks last Thursday and was 34.6 lbs! I am crazy about him. He is learning to be a great dog but still has fabulous moments of goofiness reminding me how much of a puppy he still is. While at the vet for his last puppy shot last week, the vet was examining him and all of a sudden - he began feverishly chasing his tail. And then stopped like nothing had happened.

It fills my heart to see him and Dagny together and watch them interact with a language I don't understand. I didn't expect Dagny would actually LIKE him. And she does and it makes me adore her all the more.

Ridiculousness

Virginia man sheds 80 pounds eating at McDonald's
From Associated Press June 20, 2008 1:25 PM EDT

QUINTON, Va. - A Virginia man lost about 80 pounds in six months by eating nearly every meal at McDonald's. Not Big Macs, french fries and chocolate shakes. Mostly salads, wraps and apple dippers without the caramel sauce.
Chris Coleson tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December. The 5-foot-8 Coleson now weighs 199 pounds and his waist size has dropped from 50 to 36.
The 42-year-old businessman from Quinton says he chose McDonald's because it's convenient.
His inspiration came from his two children and from the story of a blind war veteran who rode a tandem bicycle cross-country.
Coleson says his goal is to get back to the 185 pounds he weighed when he married Tricia Summer. Their 10th anniversary is Saturday.

Peace

As I type, Gus and Dagny are sweetly sharing a dog bed. Dags is snoozing and Gus is busy chewing a rawhide. Gus' tail is covering Dags belly. I would love to capture the moment with a photo but know my moving will disturb the peace.

Camoflage

Considering sending Gus to military school. Just until he figures out that running at top speed and body checking Dagny while she is in mid-poop is uncool. Seems Reasonable.

Catchup

I am so behind in posting of late that I am trying to catch up a bit.

Right now I have a moment where I am still awake, not working, I can tap into my neighbor's wireless connection and Gus is snoozing at my feet. This is unusual. Well a few things are not unusual - like me using my neighbor's wireless connection b/c I can't figure out how to get my new router working properly. I do this when I can get a signal.

But Gus sleeping at my feet hasn't happened in weeks - since he was an itty bitty baby. He is usually so bratty when he is tired he just starts chewing and getting into trouble and only can sleep in the crate. Today he is exhausted from his adventures - going to the dog store to get a bath (just for the experience of it), learning to walk on a leash outside, and of course, eating sticks. He is very good at the last thing. I am glad he is figuring out how to sleep while things are going on in the house. I adore having him sleeping at my feet!

Emergency Back-Up Dog

I told Dagny that Gus is just the emergency back-up dog and that she has not been replaced.

He is just the vice president to her presidency.

Just the understudy.

Because Mary Asked ....

More pics of Gus - all in this blog post were taken on May 13 - he was 2 days shy of 10 wks old. He is starting to less like a baby and more like a dog!

Sadie had been on his crate...I have found Newman on top of the crate - looking at the window!

Gus LOVES hiding and playing in my overgrown bushes.

Gus and Newman sunning....Gus is in an overgrown planter in the backyard. He loves sitting in there and looking out. It's the puppy version of shoe lifts.

The Boy....

New Old Pics

Am posting some new photos of Gus though they are old now.....but trying to catch up!

This was taken on 4.28.08 - 7.5 wks old. Oh- and this one is by Stacey...professional photographer - notice the excellent framing!

4.28.08 - Gus Eating Stacey's delicious sweater

5.1.08 - Gus at 8 wks....

Miss You Long Time

I have been battling technical issues such as a broken modem and broken customer service at Earthlink, my former DSL provider. While I have Internet access again, my router isn't working and not sure how to make it work with the damn VISTA software I am forced to use and ATT, my new DSL provider. I had it working for 2 minutes and now nothing. Maybe it is the router.


And of course raising a puppy and working have also stolen my time. But things with Gus are going well. He is now 9.5 weeks and not quite such a baby which makes playing with him and tiring him out easier. He is playing fetch of sorts and stomping in the bushes/ivy.

On 5.8.08, Gus turned 9 wks. old. He tipped the scales at 16.9 lbs. At 6 wks. he was 10.6 lbs. I have been feeding him steroids, whiskey and cigarettes to beef him up. We celebrated 9 wks with a trip to the vet and a round of shots. He was dazzling as he was so much better behaved than some of his littermates we encountered. He also outweighed them!


Here are some pics of him back when we was still a baby at 6.5 weeks. Notice the paws!

Jessica & Gus




Tasting Cuteness....






Stacey eating cuteness....it's okay he will have his revenge with her soon. the next week in fact!

Crippled

I haven't been able to post because my feet have been eaten by the Gus.

Four Squared

Yes - I am completely crazy. I have my four square - 2 dogs. 2 cats. 2 girls. 2 boys.

Dags is really doing remarkably well. I am indebted to MaryK for coming over the past 2 nights to play with Gus and give Dagny some love and attention. Dagny is so in love with her that she will come see Mary even with the Gus in the room. Dagny is totally giving me the cold shoulder and HOW COULD YOU? looks. And the pup is so attached to me that I am sure it does put Dags off some. But she is getting better with me and the pup.

Gus is a goofy puppy. Probably going to be big with his paw and body size. His eyes are kind of gray with a blue tint - the pictures make them look blue. Will be interesting to see where they settle out.

He is amazingly well behaved. It will change as he still such a baby but we had our first house accident and frankly it was my fault for not immediately taking him out after his nap.



Happy Birthday to me!

Introducing Harvey Gustav IV

~ Gus to his friends ~

Bouncing Back

Am on couch thinking how great it feels to not have to be anywhere for the evening. Over my right shoulder on the back of the couch is Newman. He is positioned so that he is safe from the chasing of Dagny and so that he purrs right into my ear. He is purring right in my ear because he is such a good boy and knows I love it. And he is reading this blog. I just realized he probably watched me type in the password and will be inviting all his cat friends in for scotch and cigars when I am at work. He would do that. Snuggle and sneak - side by side. That's my boy.

I spent yesterday afternoon and early evening with my friend Rene. We became best friends in junior high and remain friends today. She hasn't changed much either. By that I mean she looks great and hardly her age (our age). We had a great dinner at Wisteria and lovely visit.

I have been seriously thinking of getting a puppy. I am not sure if the feeling has passed or not. I confess that last night when my supposedly sick and elderly cat, Sadie, ran meowing across my sleeping body in the middle of the night - I thought perhaps I should ebay them all and just live free of pet hair. When I questioned Sadie in the am - she told me I had dreamed the entire thing. Full moon.

blah blah blah

I have not blogged in a while....Nothing has really been going on ...work....pollen. I have a bird's nest up on one of the rafters on my front porch. I fell this is cruel fate upon the baby bird's hatching up there. Maybe Newman built it in hopes of landing a little tweety bird of his own.

Blah Blah Blah

NEWman

Newman has not had much blog time. I decided to try and capture Newman with my camera. He was not cooperative in the least. He rolled in dirt and moved out of the frame SO many times. He is superstitious and fears the camera is stealing his soul. Or he is a cat and he doesn't want to do what I want him to do.



I did finally get him in a couple of cat poses thanks to 2 dogs walking by with their person. It was short lived and then he was back to rolling in dirt, walking out of the frame, and otherly manly things.



I am sure one night very soon - tonight - he will make me pay for pulling him off his sleeping spot on the porch to be photographed. I will get a paw in the face around 3am telling me to come watch him eat. And about the time I am back asleep I will get a stare down and meow and another paw push on the cheek to let him out.

AND back to the business of being a cat.

Beautiful Horror

These pictures were forwarded to me. I wish I knew who to credit for the shots but alas I don't. For those of you out of town - the Bank of America building is the tall building in the far left of the pictures. Friday's Storm....

One of my favorite websites/blog to stop by, Apartment Therapy, had these pics on today's post:

The headline announced that a SF Scavenger Found for $300. I laughed so hard my coffee spit out of my mouth a little bit. This dresser is the exact replica or perhaps the exact one that was in my dorm rooms at Auburn. I believe if they had been left alone they would have been fine - but years of girls trying to decorate them left layers of glue and gunk (dirt sticks to glue - that is one of the many things I learned from my dorm time). The only solution was to add more contact paper and try to make them pretty. I had a the matching desk, too- though luckily it was spared the fate of contact paper.

Yummmy

I just ate Balela which I had never even heard of until I purchased it at Trader Joe's on Monroe yesterday. It is a delicious middle eastern salad! So good that I may have to experiment with a recipe so I can make vats for the spring & summer months!

Ingredients: chickpeas, black beans, tomatoes, red onions, parsley, mint (dried), lemon juice, cider vinegar, mix of canola oil/extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic, black pepper.

Walk Away

Dags hates the vacuum. This seems reasonable. What seems crazy is that when I do vacuum and she is in another room she will immediately walk into the room I am vacuuming in. She stands at the doorway and looks at the vacuum and then looks at me with the big brown eyes - much the look when she is begging for food but without the drool. And then she will turn and walk out. She doesn't make a sound and she does this EVER time I vacuum.

Lady Parts

I am playing tonight with my new improv team - Lady Parts. Really cool girls - Megan Peacock, Katrina Trivers & Jen Caldwell. This is our second show and if you can - you should come see us. 9:30 pm. $7 at Relapse Theatre. Check out the Jackpie site for directions and more information.

Girls ARE funny.

Flurries

It is snowing! It has been on and off all morning. It is not really sticking but I don't care. I love waking up and looking out the window to white fluff falling. Even now the snow is swirling around. This makes me happy. For the first time in a few years - I am feeling like we had winter. And somehow having a winter makes spring all that much better.

IT'S ALIVE!

one of the projects i have been working on for about 3+ years opened last week. the web site just went live today. www.marionplaces.com. these are pretty sweet town homes and am excited to have 'em to sell. buy one, won't you?

Footnote - on the website - you will see this killer pic of skyline at night - that is Stacey's shot. she rocks, but you knew that didn't you?

In the Raw

If I had made a proclamation to the world in the form of new year's resolutions - I would have included: taking more photos, learning more about my camera and how to take better shots - especially with lighting, & learning to use photoshop. The first thing I learned on this quest was the limitations of the flash on the camera and I now have a better flash. I have also begun shooting in the raw. The images are in the raw. Not me. The was a tip from the fabulous Stacey who is a very talented shooter and kind enough to let me steal information from her brain.



Here is one of my first shots shooting in the raw. I didn't get to use the new flash in this shot - though mother nature took care of me. And the only photoshopping I did to the shot was cropping. This is the view from a new project of town homes I am selling. Really cool views. I took this on Tuesday after that freakish storm we had in the am and before the second wave of storms hit.

Bloody Valentine

My friend Mel turned me onto the site instructables.com. This instructable caught my eye on the site...how to make an anatomocially-correct heart for your loved one. Ain't love grand?

Dog Spot - No. 2

I walked by my dog's food bowl on Sunday night. It was empty. And then I remembered I was supposed to pick up dog food. Dagny is not high maintenance in the food arena. She will eat just about anything and I don't think she would even hunt me down if I forgot to feed her for a day or two. Don't worry - she has never skipped a meal.

I filled her bowl with some cat food. She looked at me with her big brown eyes - "IS THIS A JOKE? ARE YOU GOING TO YELL FOR ME TO GET OUT OF THE CATS' BOWL?" I squirt the food with her salmon oil - letting her know - "N0 - tonight is a special occassion". I don't add "You get cat food because I am a bad owner and forgot to stop to buy you your food."

She is completely forgiving that one and gulps the food down in one inhale. For her it is like the best day EVER.

Pretty Pink Houses For You & Me

I totally love looking at houses. Interiors are just a thrill for me. Well the pretty ones. I love look at magazines and pictures of peoples houses. I love to tour peoples houses.

I stumbled upon this website which gives me imense joy as it is loaded with pictures of peoples houses and I can take a tour right with my butt on the couch. And today's house tour is of a house made out of shipping containers that is eco friendly. GO CHECK IT OUT. HERE. WOW.

Presents!

Santa (aka parents) brought me these really fabulous coasters. I love them & they look fab on the living room coffee table. They seem more like art than furniture protectors.

And it Feels So Nice

If I had any skill at uploading songs to this here blog - you would be hearing Peaches & Herbs singing "Reunited" their 1979 hit. Stacey can correct me if my late 70's early 80's music facts are off - because she will know and is probably RIGHT now signing Reunited with great lyric accuracy with the perfect pair of shoes on for the song fest. But I KNOW it was Peaches & Herbs' hit even if I am of on the year.

I tangent. What a surprise. In the past 2 weeks - I have been found by several friends from college & high school. 2 found me via facebook (website social network for the parents) and the other kept seeing my name on real estate project in Atlanta and shot me an email. It turns out that Jennifer & I live just a few miles from each other. She moved to Atlanta about 1.5 years ago. Hopefull we will get together for coffee soon. The other two folk found me on facebook via mutual friends. They both live up north - DC and upstate NY. Just in case they are on here - Hi - CeCi & Becky!

Reunited. And it Feels so nice.

Sleeping Drunken Disease or I had a Virus

OMG! I have been plagued with the sleeping drunken disease for the past few days. Today I am pleased to say that while I slept in late and stayed in bed until about noon, I have been able to stay awake all afternoon and even did a few chores like empty the dishwasher and take out the trash. I suppose I should back up a bit.

Monday - I had noticed that whenever I moved or walked - the room spun around like the tilt-a-whirl rides at Disneyland (I'm old school) or when you are plastered. I had worked the am but hadn't need to drive anywhere - and furthermore - I don't think I could have driven anywhere. The feeling was disconcerting to say the least. So Tuesday when I was still on the tilt-a-whirl ride without buying a ticket, I decided I should go chat with a doc about it. I had to call one of my friends to drive me. (Thanks to Tiff for the ride and the catching up lunch. The cats thank Tiff for the much needed cat food.) Long and the short of it was that the substitute doc (my guy was out) was a semi-retired guy who after several tangents and stories about his house and his stroke, he determined I was suffering from a good old fashion virus affecting the upper respiratory system and my balance. He told me to take my low grade fever home - fix myself a hot toddy with my choice of brandy or whiskey, some hot water and lemon, crawl into the cave and sleep it off. I slept for most of Tuesday afternoon and a good portion of Wed. From time to time, I would drunkenly stumble to the couch for a movie or to the kitchen for some OJ & sudafed. (Thanks, MaryK for the OJ delivery and for letting my dog molest you for a few minutes. She loves you more than cat poo.) I didn't turn on the phone or computer at all on Tuesday. WHAT?! I slept, watched a movie and slept some more.

This afternoon - I am happy to be working on laundry and am going to be putting clean sheets on the bed in about 1/2 hour. I love clean sheets. And having the energy to change my bed - means I am on the road to recovery. And while my to do list for the week has fallen apart, I have gotten some amazing sleep and didn't even need the toddy to do it.

Cute as Buttons!

Circa 1998 - Duke on the left & Damian on the right. And, yes, Duke has a pocket instead of a hand.

Cold & Windy Winter's Tale

Last week when the night time temperatures were in the teens, I took to my bed warmed by my electric blanket and snuggled in nice and tight. I am a side sleeper and this night was no different. Dagny having done 3 perfect circles and landing in a perfect ball with just a few wiggles to get perfectly snuggled in the crook of my legs was happy to share the warmth. Butt to butt we were with her head on my ankles. Newman was curled up just below my chest purring very loudly and happy to have the additional warmth of the blanket. Sadie was snuggled up against my back in the perfect position to stay warm and deny there was a dog and Newman in her space.

I don't mind telling you it was a piece of heaven. My version of a 3 dog night. I was warm and happy and ready to drift off to sleep.

Suddenly without warning, I farted. Loudly. In one fluid movement, Dagny flew off the bed and headed out of the room. It was as if the force of the wind had propelled her from her spot. I started laughing. Dags has really silent but lingering gas from time to time. AND this is the dog that would eat cat-poo if I let her. But I had offended. Dazed and confused she wondered down the hall trying to figure out what to do. She returned quickly because my 1920's house is cold in the winter and the floors are bitter cold. Not much of time for a princess to roam the hallways and pout. Dagny quickly gained her wits and returned to the warmth of the bed. She hoped up and did three perfect circles before plopping down into the perfect sleeping ball and snuggled against me. But this time she chose to snuggle her butt to my shins safely blocked from the wind of a cold winter's night.

Green for the Green, No. 2

I found this site - Catalog Choice. It allows you to opt out of receiving magazines. The service is free and the best part is that you can opt back in on the magazines at any time. You pick which magazines you want and which ones you don't want so you don't have to give them all up! But it is one less thing to recycle! And for me, I feel the need to look through them before I toss them regardless if I need anything in the mag or not.

Update on the bio bags. Go here for a refresher or info on ordering. The trash bags work pretty well though you can't over stuff them like I have done trash bags in the past. And they don't take a lot of weight. Getting rid of the heavy and numerous catalogs should help with the weight though. I still put a lot of things in the bags that probably don't break down - like cans from the cat food but we are working on that one.

Range Hate

I have now yet another reason to hate my range. Everyone is always impressed at the look of the Jenn-Aire but it has been the most frustrating contraption EVER. Okay maybe not ever - but right now this is my tantrum and my blog so EVER.

I started a pot roast today before heading out to my open house. I have a new All-Clad slow cooker that I received from my parents for Christmas. I LOVE it. It really is useful when you have a crazy job with crazy hours like I do. I can start something and run out for few hours and know I have not burned the house down. I love my dutch oven - also a Christmas gift from my business partner, Tacha - but you have to be home to use that because it is not a good idea to leave the oven on or the stove on when you are not here. The dog would not have the disruption of the fire alarm killing her ear drums.

Back to the pot roast. I stumbled upon a recipe of sorts in The Cook's Best Recipe book for Corned Beef and Cabbage when I got the dutch oven back on the 22nd of December. In my exuberance to cook - I had not properly read the instructions for the Corned Beef that had the beef in a rub for 7 days. HELLO - I wanted corned beef and cabbage that day! So, I decided I would just cook the beef and add the vegetables and it would be like a pot roast. Whole Foods was out of cabbage that day, so I grabbed brussel sprouts and some turnips along with my onions, red potatoes and carrots. I loved the Cook's recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage because you could use lots of root vegetables and pick which ones. For me it was a great mind opening experiment into how much I love root vegetables in pot roast! I ended up with the best pot roast EVER that day.

So back to today's pot roast. I decided today that I would make a pot roast which for me is now lots of broth and lots of veggies. Today I did find cabbage but no fresh brussel sprouts. I added turnips, onions, red potatoes and carrots. The slow cooker quickly began to be too small when I began adding my veggies. So - I decided to transfer the food into the dutch oven and finish it off. Now the dutch oven - is BIG - about 9.5 quarts I think. And by the time I had made the transfer and added all the vegetables, it was FULL. And now we are really entering into the frustrating part of the tale.

While loading the dutch oven into the oven, the weight of the dutch oven knocked down the rack in the oven off track. The rack is wedged and I can't get it out or back on track. So it is just sitting out blocking the door and I can't close the door. I have tried to nudge it but have done nothing more than scrape scratches in the finish of the oven insides. Now there was no disaster with the dutch oven or the food just the rack forcing the door to the oven to remain open for eternity. I have tried it several times and don't want to risk knocking over the entire range with my force of frustration especially with my pot roast on the open flame above. Hopefully I won't need to get into the cabinet that the door is blocking and hopefully the cats won't wonder in there thinking it is a nice warm spot.

I am thinking this is funny. And if the inside of the oven wasn't so dirty I would shoot a picture. I will work on the door in the am over coffee perhaps.

UPDATE ~~~I did get the oven rack out last night and the door shut. I still have don't like the range and youcan'tmakeme.

A special prayer

Dear God,

I would very much like to have a snow day this weekend. I know you have a lot to do, but if we could just have some beautiful snow and some roads that should not be driven on - just on Sunday, I would be grateful. I would promise to do some chores around the house as well as catching up on some paperwork/computer work for real estate.

Thank you for your consideration in this manner,

Sincerely - Me & the dog

Good Dog!

My dog can read! I recently ordered her a new bed for Dagny for the den. I spent $6 extra dollars to have her name monogrammed on the bed. It paid off because she read her name and began using the bed - well the part with her name embroidered on it. The other half of the bed is for me. Yup - I actually snuggle with her on her bed from time to time. Dagny is great with a snuggle as long as she is getting her belly rubbed.

It's SNOWING!

Magazines

I love magazines. I start to tremble when I am in the check out lines at Grocery Stores and Drugstores. There I am nose to nose with them and I WANT THEM. I am particularly insane for mags about decor, architecture, kitchens and baths. From time to time I will find myself ridiculously drawn to ones on storage or organizing.

Once I get them home, I read them. And read them. And read them. Well - I look at the pictures over and over because really that is what most of them are PICTURES. Glorious PICTURES with ideas. One of my treats in life is a nice hot bath, some wine or tea and a a stack of magazines. Somehow there is great clarity with my pics in the tub.

I let a stack go over the holidays because it was time. But it was hard to say goodbye. Very hard. But I loved them fully. And, yes, I did put 'em in the recycle bin because that is what I do now. Recycle. But I told myself if I let the old ones go, I could let new ones into my world. The Cycle of Life of Magazines.

Great Cause

Stillwell's is a local casting agency here in the ATL. Stillwell family lost their dad/husband and then son/brother in less than a year's time - like in about a 6 month time. Both losses were completely unexpected and very devastating for the family. They were a solid family and spent lots of time together in the own house enjoying each other's company. In honor of Bill Stillwell and William Stillwell, a Habitat for Humanity house is being built in their memories. Pretty cool way to celebrate their lives!

Funds are being raised for the house and Clark Howard has kicked in some serious cash (like half of the entire cost) and there is a fund raiser in Atlanta to make up the other half - just eat out on Thursday at select group of restaurants. You can also go onto the Habitat Site and just give some money. I am going to send some cash myself and might just try to hit one of the cool eateries on Thursday as well.

The rest is a repost of Mk's original.....it will give you some details.

In an effort to raise additional funds for the "Two Williams Home", a Habitat for Humanity house built in the memories of Bill and William Stillwell this coming January and February, Clark Howard's website is helping promote a Dine-Out night next Thursday, January 10th to assist in the fundraising effort.

Check out the link below and try to make it to one of these restaurants next Thursday and raise a toast to Bill and "Willy".CLARK HOWARDHighland Tap!Alfredo's!i mean, you could just donate money, but you need to eat on Thursday night!or do both! i mean, shit! (remember this is a copy from Mk's post - so that is HER 'shit' not mine!)

Thanks, MK & Randall for information.

Green for the Green, No. 1

I have tried about 5 times to post on this here blog my New Year's Resolutions. It just hasn't seemed to materialize into anything interesting to read. It has read more like a 3rd grader's forced assignment. So - I have decided to just write about the things I want to do as they come up in my life.



One of those things I worry about and have worried about for a while is the earth being taken over by landfills. I am not sure why I stress about this so much and truth be told - I have worried about this for YEARS - long before the mainstream green movement about us. Perhaps in some part Mt. Trashmore has contributed to my knowledge of how much trash we produce. Mt. Trashmore is in my home town of Virginia Beach, VA. We went there a lot when I was a kid. I remember it as one of the really cool things I did with my step siblings on our own and that I was included in participating in (I will probably now find out they were PAID to include me in gas money or something!). I am the youngest of the 5 of us - so being included in anything was awesome. I was probably a bratty 12 or 13 years old and the oldest one in high school or college - so you can see how uncool I was. Much like ATL's screen on the green - during the summer there were movies at night on the mountain. I remember watching Don Knott's Mr. Limpet on the mountain. Good times.



Back to trash. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am trying to go greener. So I would like to try to introduce 12 new green things into my every day life over the course of the year. For those of you sharp in the mathematics - that is only one new thing every month. Certainly doable! I will share with you and hopefully you guys will have something to share back.



My first green thing of the new year is to try these biodegradable trash bags made by Bio Bags. I ordered the pet poop bags, the kitchen bags and the compost kitchen bags from Drugstore.com. They suggest using the compost bags to keep your produce fresher in the refrigerator and then reuse with kitchen debris and compost. I have a composter that I have not been very good about using properly. Will work on that this year too - whoops I just slipped in another resolution without trying!



I will keep you posted on how I like the bags and my return to composting.