Summer Theme

Oh yes, this summer has a theme. It's just not a theme that I'm telling the internet about yet. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure what the theme is just yet. I mean, I know what the theme revolves around, I just don't know if this summer will be just about focusing on this goal, or if it will actually be attained in the next few weeks.

In other news, I've been incredibly lazy so far this summer. I've been on vacation for almost 2 weeks and I've done very little that is useful. I've watched lots of movies. I've been reading a little bit. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time on Facebook. I have started running again, but only a few times... I don't think I'd classify it as having gotten into a routine yet. And I've been sleeping really late. Like until noon or later most days. Today I got up at 9:30. I've beyond impressed with myself. Of course, just because I've been up for an hour and a half doesn't mean I've done anything yet. Except post on my blog of course (long overdue).

I'm having my annual summer gathering next Friday so I have quite a few things I want to get done before that. Some of them I'm sure won't get done, but most of them should be doable. They are relatively minor things like getting flowers planted and cleaning. I had hoped that my dad would be able to get my back door replaced before the party, but he got hurt a couple months ago and is moving a little slower. He and Mom will be up before the summer is over, though, so I just have to be patient. Perhaps I should make a list of the things I want done... I do love to cross things off a list!

I'm also planning a trip home for Father's Day this weekend. I haven't been home since... Easter I think? So it's time. It'll be the first trip since I got the wireless invisible fence, so I'll be interested to see how well it works there. The beagles have been pretty good with it at home except for one mishap involving a neighbor's collie. I guess Eddie decided the shock was worth it to make a new friend. That's why I don't leave them unattended in the front yard... it's just there so they can be up there with me. And at Mom and Dad's I intend to still go outside with them, but it will be really nice to not have to leash them.

Okay, starting my day. Time for a run, then a little flower gardening perhaps.

Caffeinated Blogging

In an attempt to eat a little healthier I've been reducing my caffeine intake a bit over the past few weeks. But today was a fundraiser for one of our school groups at Barnes & Noble and I had to support them. I didn't have a list of books to buy (for once), so I though the least I could do was to have a frappucino from the cafe.

Six hours later I still feel like I'm on speed.

It's all good. I've been meaning to post anyway. I can't touch on everything because I do need to make an attempt at sleep tonight, but here's what's been on my mind tonight.

• I stopped at PetSmart to pick up filters for our library fish aquarium and stopped to look at invisible fencing products. Turns out they are 20% off right now, so I came home to do some research. I'm pretty sure I've talked myself into purchasing a wireless system that will reinforce the backyard fence, allow Copper and Eddie to be in the front yard with me if I'm washing the car or mowing, and will be portable so I can take it to my parents' house with us when we visit. It's a lot of money though, and I know I shouldn't be spending it, but it really seems to be a great system with some excellent reviews.
• Another stop tonight was at Target where I finally bought my DVD of Twilight. I wanted the Target version because it included a free download of the movie from iTunes. I will be able to take Bella and Edward wherever I go. I now realize exactly how big of a fanatic I am. The only thing is that it takes something like 6 hours to download everything, so I will have to leave my laptop on all night tonight.
• Over the course of today I went from feeling like something I really want was never going to be possible, to thinking that I might be mistaken, to wondering if it might not be already happening.
• Only 27 days of school left. The library closes in two and a half weeks.
• I don't think I've typed this fast in years.

The Saga of Eddie

I feel incredibly guilty as I have known for over 2 weeks that I needed to do SOMETHING about that fence. I got complacent and was relying on simply watching Ed, either from the deck or the window whenever he was outside. Yesterday I came in the house for no more than 2 minutes, but that was more than enough time for him to make his grand escape.

Eddie has gotten out 3 times previous to yesterday. On the most recent of these, I found him myself after driving around for a half hour. The other 2 times, someone has found him and called me, one time within minutes, the other time it took about an hour. So, when it was already going on 2 hours yesterday, the dread really crept in. Yesterday was a fairly nice day and there were lots of people outside putting up Christmas lights, etc. while I was driving around. Once it got dark, people would go in and no one would be out to see my little guy. I was also worried that no one had called because Eddie had somehow lost his collar. If that happened, my only hope was that he'd be turned in to animal control in the morning and I could claim him there.

It got to be 10 p.m. and I was getting ready for bed when the phone rang. A couple had been out driving and had found Eddie in the road. Thank God for them. They stopped their car, blocking other cars from hitting him again. They had tried to call me once already, but I had missed the call because I had the water running in the bathroom and I didn't hear it. When I didn't answer, they had called animal control and the police. Once they got ahold of me, animal control said they weren't coming now that the owner was there. He was less than a half-mile from my house.

I'd been on scene just a couple of minutes when the first police car arrived... yes, I said the first. Must have been a slow night around here as eventually there were 3 on the scene! I guess Eddie CAN stop traffic... just a little late! The police officers were very helpful, finding the number for the emergency vet, and even calling for directions and to let them know I was on my way.

On the outside, Ed looked okay, just a few cuts and scrapes, but, of course, I was worried about internal injuries and broken bones. So was the vet. She was particularly concerned because he had scrapes on both his shoulder and his hip, designating that his whole body had been hit and not just one end. While her initial examination showed his legs didn't appear broken, she couldn't yet tell about his pelvis, and he seemed to have a lot of pain in his abdomen. I gave the okay to do blood tests and x-rays and waited the hour they said it would be before they knew more. The whole time I was thinking about what would be the limit... not only how much could I justify spending to put my baby back together, but also, would it be enough? Would he still be in pain and have lasting effects? If he would, I knew I'd have to make that most difficult of calls about what to do.

Once the x-rays and tests were done, the news was mostly good: no broken bones, and his bloodwork was primarily normal. One liver enzyme test was incredibly high, but she said that was normal for a dog who had gone through trauma, and that he would likely recover from that with medications and fluids. She did find a lot of bruising on his lungs, but, again, he should recover from it without a problem. The third concerning area was that she couldn't see his bladder on the x-ray, which could simply mean that it was empty, or it could mean that it had ruptured. Considering that the rest of his organs looked good, she though it was probably just empty, and I agree... he probably hadn't had much to drink in close to 10 hours.

I actually had the option of taking him home last night, but the vet recommended that he stay overnight so they could monitor him, keep him on fluids, and keep his pain managed. I agreed. They expected to transfer him to my regular vet this morning, but they feel that he will need another 24 hours of monitoring, and my vet's office doesn't have staff 24/7 like the emergency vet.

I had taken today off work, expecting to have to chauffer Eddie to the other doctor, but now I am using the day to fix the fence by placing brick pavers along the bottom of it. I have it about 1/3 of the way done and now need to go get more bricks. I need to do another 1/3 (2 sections) to feel really secure. The rest can wait until spring as it is not loose like the rest was.

So, please keep thinking good thoughts for my little boy; he should be home tomorrow. As I said in the spring when Coal got sick... "Here's where being a mom sucks!"

Fugitive

This is getting real old, real fast.

For the third time in the last week, Eddie has escaped from the backyard and was not immediately found and coaxed home. There have been numerous other escapes, but I've always seen him in the neighbor's yard and been able to call him home. The first time was on Thursday afternoon last week when my neighbor let him out while I was at school for conferences. He was found by someone who called the number on his tag and my neighbor was able to go get him for me.

He escaped again Friday morning, after I thought I had blocked all the holes under the fence, but this time I was home. I walked around the neighborhood for nearly an hour in my pajamas, calling and searching for him before returning home empty handed. Luckily, he was found again by a good Samaritan who called me and I was able to go pick him up. Somewhere along the way he had found smells that I would have understood if we'd been on Mom and Dad's farm, but I didn't even realize could be found in the city!

I knew the fence was not yet secure, but I haven't had time to see about finding anchors for it. Instead I have simply watched Eddie whenever he has been outside. That's how I've been successful in catching him before he got out of the neighbor's yard. Tonight I made the mistake of taking my eyes off him for just a minute. I thought it would be safe since he had been so good for the last couple of days.

I was wrong.

When I went back outside, I found Copper sniffing around the backyard, but no Eddie. And then I heard him barking from what seemed to be about two to three yards away. By the time I was able to get Copper in the house, pull on shoes and a coat, and grab my phone and Eddie's leash, the barking had stopped. I decided to drive around the neighborhood, then parked for a while and walked, but there was no sign of him.

Until I had given up and was driving back to my house. Then, on our very own street, just a half-dozen houses from our own, I caught sight of some white spots moving around. I stopped the Jeep and began calling and, sure enough, there was my little beagle boy.

Tomorrow that fence gets fixed.

It's the Small Things

As I drove home from work tonight, it occured to me that I couldn't remember if I shut the kitchen trash in the bathroom or not before I left this morning.

The trash can which contained nearly a week's worth of trash, including dust from the vacuum cleaner and two bacon grease soaked paper towels.

I tried not to stress, as there was obviously nothing I could do about it if I had forgotten. If that was the case, likely the damage was done a minimum of ten hours earlier. But I still knew that, most likely, I would have one hell of a mess to clean up when I got there.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I arrived home to find the kitchen trash... still upright, covered, and, for all intents and purposes, completely untouched.

My little boy might be growing up.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Another month has flown by, but this time I can't say that a whole heck of a lot has happened. It's been just back to work as usual. The year is going well so far. There haven't been any particularly notable events, either good or bad, as of yet. I think I like things that way.

On the home front, I still haven't finished my kitchen. I really thought I'd get started on the trim work this weekend, but I spent all day yesterday working in the yard and today was a house cleaning day. Two weekends ago I was laid out on the couch with the flu and last weekend my folks were at a local antique tractor show, so I went to visit them. I think next weekend is still open, so maybe that will be my chance.

The fur children are adjusting to me being back to work. I think that getting Eddie was very good for Copper. She is no longer confined at all when I'm not home and she doesn't even cry nearly as much when I leave. Eddie, on the other hand, must be confined still, at least for long periods. I've left him out of the crate for an hour or two and he's usually okay, although I sometimes find the recliner tipped over in front of the front door when I return. And sometimes my slippers go for walks. It's very mysterious.

Off to bed. Another exciting week begins tomorrow.

Running Out of August

So many things I could have posted about this month, but I've really lacked ambition. So let's recap. Since I last posted:

• Kitchen remodeling continued with a vengeance. My parents ended up spending one more night after I last wrote because I got an outrageous quote ($479) on tearing out my kitchen floor. They decided they would just stay one more day and we would do it ourselves. Does that mean I owe my parents that money? At any rate, this left me with only one day to paint (and it needed three coats to cover... I always thought of my kitchen as light blue... until I wanted to cover it) before the cabinets went in. Then I had a couple more days to get the laundry room painted before the flooring went in. The new appliances arrived a couple days later. Now there's been a bit of a lull for the past couple of weeks while I wait for the counter top and sink to arrive. That is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, when Mom and Dad will also return to install the dishwasher, hook up the sink, garbage disposal, and water line to the refrigerator.
• I attended my very first major league baseball game, but I can't say that I watched very much of it!
• Eddie, while still a very sweet little boy, has revealed his very deep naughty streak. If I leave him uncrated when I'm not home, I typically come home to trash strewn throughout the house, and my shoes tend to go for walks on their own (he doesn't seem to chew them, though, thank goodness). The baby gates that easily keep Copper contained mean nothing to Eddie and he happily travels from room to room hopping over them. I also have yet to find a place to put Coal's food dish where Eddie cannot reach it. Perhaps once the counter top is in... So now Eddie is crated whenever I leave the house. He didn't mind going in the first few times, but once I started being gone for more than a couple of hours, he stopped going in willingly. I try to praise him as I put him in, but it is still a somewhat forceful situation.
• The Def Leppard/REO Speedwagon/Styx concert we were supposed to attend in April was finally held on Saturday... a great time was had by all. But I couldn't help thinking about how sad it was that groups with as big of names as REO and Styx have been relegated to being "just" an opening act. I was actually more excited about seeing those two groups than the main event.
• Today was the big day... our first day back to school. Well, kind of. The kids don't come until a week from today, but it's still hard to face the fact that my summer vacation is over and it will be nine and a half months before it comes again. So what was the final theme? Well, I think it remains to be seen what will be the dominant memory for me, but I know of two contenders for the title. It might be all about the kitchen, but it might also be simply the summer of fun. I attended three concerts (and have one more next month) and a Tiger game, read book after book just for fun, watched lots of movies, and just generally enjoyed myself. It was great!

So there it is in a nutshell. Off for another fun-filled school year.

Meet Eddie

This is my new baby, Eddie. He's a year and a half old and weighs about 27 pounds.

I've been thinking about getting another dog for a year or two, but it's one of those things that I had always put to the back of my mind. Some conversations and events this week caused me to start thinking about it a little more seriously. I was looking on Petfinder.com last night for dogs that the local rescues had for adoption and saw this picture that looked so much like Copper that it was uncanny (I'm not sure how long this link will work since he is adopted now).

The rescue that was caring for Eddie is usually at PetSmart on Saturdays, so I took the chance that he might be there and he was. He instantly came up to me wagging his tail when I walked up to his pen and he just stared at me the whole time, no matter where I walked to. The man who was fostering him was there, so I was able to ask him all about Eddie. He assured me that he is great with cats and kids and is just a sweet little boy. We walked around the store together and got to know one another. He was very easy to fall in love with, so he came home with me.

I brought him into the backyard first and let him check it out and get the message that it is where he needs to do his business (he is already housetrained, but I figure that it doesn't hurt to reinforce!). After a few minutes I brought Copper out, too, so they could sniff each other over. Copper had the hair sticking up on her back for a few minutes, but she quickly got used to him. For the most part they seem to know that the other is there, but they aren't too interested.

When we came in the house, I braced myself for the real scene... how would he react to Coal? And how would Coal react to him? I still remember the first night with Copper. She was in her crate in the living room while Coal and I were in the bedroom. Coal refused to even stay in the same room as Copper, instead opting to sit in the bedroom and hiss (and he is really not much of a hisser). It took four days before he would be in the same room with the puppy.

Luckily, this was not the case this time. Coal was a little wary of Eddie, and Eddie just carefully sniffed at Coal, but neither of them made much of a scene. They've both had numerous opportunities to check each other over and it seems to be a non-issue... what a relief!

I had to go back up to PetSmart after a call telling me that they forgot to give me his rabies vaccination certification, so I took both dogs with me. After dinner I took them both for a walk around the neighborhood and now we are all sacked out for the evening.

Afterall, it has been a very long, exciting day for the whole family!