blah blah blah etc.

          
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ligaras!

http://s370.photobucket.com/albums/oo145/ceemo28/?action=view&current=puppyhowl.flv

I'm naked and I have freckles!

I heard Annie barking furiously outside (she's little, but her bark can peel paint off the walls) so I went out to look.  She was in the back of the yard by the fence and I found this poor baby mourning dove sitting in the corner.  He was so well camouflaged that I almost missed him.  I decided to leave him alone and give him a chance to collect the courage to fly away (this was probably his first attempt).  I left some water out (it was 104 at the time) and checked later and he was gone.  Good thing Annie found him... Mollie would have brought him in for me to "fix".

I O U a Birthday Beer.  :-)

Courtesy of Miki at the Y:   http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

... rolling in it isn't all you expected it to be. 

So I'm driving home from the grocery store and the car about 20 ft. ahead of me on the inside lane stops, backs up, puts pedal to the metal and jumps the median, jumps the curb, rockets through the parking lot and drives through the front window of Zak's donut shop.  After that WTF moment I noticed several other witnesses frozen in place so I moved on.  That donut shop is a small family-run business and a big draw early in the morning, especially on weekends.  Although I haven't been inside for years, I recall several tables and chairs in front of that window.   I hope no one was in that guy's path, inside or outside.  I'll be watching the news to see if that got covered.  Unfortunately if anyone was killed or hurt it's considered newsworthy around here.  What possesses a person to do something like that?  This is the third bizarre traffic related thingy I've seen in the past 6 weeks. 

Another gloomy day, except a little wamer and not raining all day.  I've forgotten what the sun looks like.  Annie is refusing to get her dainty little feet wet.  Looks like I'll have to keep the yard manicured for The Princess. 

Ta DA.  Marianne, aka Annie:





So I was too sleepy to do details at 11.   Marianne's foster Mom left her with me while she took another lovely boy to a DFWCSR (Dallas-Fort Worth Cocker Spaniel Rescue) meet & greet at PetSmart.  Within 15 minutes our fate was sealed.

She's a tiny little thing at 15 lbs and around 8-9 years old, rescued as a stray about 40 days ago.  She has since had an eye removed due to glaucoma, so she has a permanent "wink".  She's afflicted with a case of terminal Happy Tail.  She wants to be in your lap or by your side (if you can get her out of your lap) every minute.  We've been trying to get the hang of this doggie door thing so we can go out and chase those squirrels that think they own the yard.

Looks like Billy's birthday is my new good luck day.  :)

You rocked another year with style. 

And, fingers crossed Marianne will be mine all mine.  Details at 11.

 

... in reference to my visits to various pet stores today:  Do you have any idea how soft and adorable a sleepy 8-week old chocolate lab puppy is?  DO YOU?  The puppy breath alone is enough to turn your heart to jello.

I decided to drive out to Rockwall to visit a PetSmart that was hosting the DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue group today.  I turned in an adoption application and talked to them for a while.  As I was ready to leave, Ducky (a chubby little black cocker) was joined by Maggie, a happy little 8-year old girl with an eternally-wagging tail.  I just might be interested.  I'll probably visit this group again next week unless they contact me first.  I never imagined not having a dog in the house would be so depressing.  I spent half the day in pet stores looking for a new dog bed but didn't buy anything.  I'm dog sitting this week so I have an insane snauzer and an aging poodle to fuss over.  I should bring them home with me for a few days so I don't have to drive 40 miles every day.  

I love my fishy, but he's not the best conversationalist. 

I never imagined this could happen, but it DID!   CH Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (aka Stump) wins BiS!  Spaniel lovers celebrate!  I *love* this dog.

 

... Mercedes of Maryscot.  Winner of the Terrier group.




The Scottish Deerhound was a smashing choice as well.  Hats off to the judge for stepping out of the norm, but the Bassett totally had my heart.  And the Puli that jumped straight up in the air in front of the judge?  Bob Marley has to be grinning somewhere in heaven.

Tonight, my personal favorite, the Sporting group.   Nothing says soft squishy love like a Clumber Spaniel.

Westminster Dog Show tonight!  Two days of unconditional love.  I needs this. 


 

Heartfelt thanks to every one of you for your kind words.   I feel I should respond to each of you individually, but it would just be expressing the same sentiment over & over again.  The understanding of friends like all of you is comfort in itself.  It's unfortunate that we outlive our pets, but I guess being lucky enough to have them at all makes it worthwhile.

  My dear Mollie passed away this morning. Yesterday was such a struggle for her that I realised it was time to let her go. Even her vet was in tears... she's known Mollie & Sadie from the time they weighed 5 lbs and remembers what a handful they were at 9 weeks old. Mollie was the best little dog that has ever graced my life and I thank heaven for her long life. 

   Mol was always the house clown.  She was the recorded greeting on my answering machine for years...  a series of growly yyyeeeooowwwlllls that sounded like words.  Her big wooly coat sent groomers into early retirement.  Although she was the laid back one, she was 100% alpha and resolved disputes by pinning her sister to the floor in .00008 seconds.  She loved a good tummy scratch and never failed to solicit said undercarriage to anyone who happened to drop by.   Oh, and she left without paying back the $5 she ate out of my purse.   

  The house feels big and empty today.  One thing for sure, it's just no fun eating a cheeseburger without a drooling dog sitting in front of you.  I've known for quite a while that this was coming, but it doesn't make it any easier. 

 I just think of Mollie & Sadie being together again... terrorizing groomers in an alternate universe.

I needs it.  http://www.freakybestmanspeech.com/

Went out for brunch and a movie (Last Chance Harvey) with a friend, which was nice.  Got home and Mollie met me at the front door & followed me around while I changed clothes like she always does.  I fed her a few bites until she seemed uninterested so I decided to sit down & watch some TV.  I didn't see her for a few minutes so I looked out in the yard and she was just standing in place, very close to the ground.  Her old doggie brain zones out every so often so I tried to get her to follow me into the house but she was totally unresponsive.  Finally she lay down and didn't move.   I came in and called the vet, carried her to the car and they were waiting when I got there.  After some oxygen, a couple of x-rays and a shot of lasix the vet determined that she has fluid built up around her heart.  So we're on our way home 40 minutes later with a couple of new meds, special food and a humongous vet bill.  I thought this was it, but apparently the old girl isn't done scaring the hell out of her Mom yet.  I think I aged 10 years today.

Just saw a short documentary about Gary Senise's Lt. Dan Band and their tours to entertain the military in Iraq.  He is a good bass player and the band pretty much rocks everything.  I'm impressed.

Saw Marley & Me. To those who said they wouldn't have seen it if they'd known about the sad ending; oh grow up.  And once again, read the cottonpickin' reviews before you take your 6-year old to a movie.  I thought it was good, and accurate, and if anyone was aware of the book that was on the best-seller list like FOREVER, they would have known the story covered Marley's entire lifespan with his family. 

Also saw Valkyrie.   With such heavyweights as Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Kenneth Branagh it should have been better.  I was surprised to see Eddie Izzard, who turned in a small but solid performance.  The English dialogue felt weird... I almost wish they had spoken German and subtitled it.  Unfortunately Cruise just didn't fit the von Stauffenberg role... he never stopped being Tom Cruise.  As much as I've always been fascinated with this little piece of history, the film lacked the tension I expected, considering this was a failed attempt to assasinate the world's most feared leader.  I'd give it a B-, but only because of the supporting cast and excellent attention to visual detail.

Spent most of the day organising personal files... cleaning out tons of old junk that all needs to be shredded.  Bleah.  Maybe I'll just have a little ceremony in the fireplace.