4/30 Oh noooooo

I walked the dogs after work and I'm very sorry I did so. Everything was perfect until we hit squirrel central. Need I say more?

Nighty night.

4/29 Home at last

It's wonderful sitting here with my two dogs at my feet. Snoring. Yep. They are both so tired from being at Alpha Dog for five days. I'm just glad to be here with them.

But I definitely miss the SoCal lifestyle. It was such a wonderful weekend. And my friends are the best! Plus, what an added treat to get to spend time with Jill, Kayla, and Hunter. I am indeed a lucky bug.

The weekend was a delight from start to finish. And flying home from California I sat next to a woman who currently lives in Bangladore, India with her husband. She asked me where I lived and I said, Illinois. She said, Not Quincy by any chance?

My jaw dropped. She and her family lived here for 8 or 9 years in the 80s. She loved reminiscing about the city, and said she still missed it. What a neat coincidence.

Work was a little slower today so I was able to get some of my paperwork done. Whew, what a relief.

And Pete gets to go home from the hospital on Friday. Another relief.

4/27 San Juan Capistrano and our Mercedes Sprinter

I have to get up at 3:30 am for my flight so not much time. But went to Ruth's house for dinner and it was woweeeee! The meal was superb, Leif is a sweetie, and their view is unbelievable.

And I highly recommend having a driver and only traveling in a Mercedes Sprinter. More later.... (Or maybe it's a BMW Sprinter...shoot, I can't remember.) More tomorrow about San Juan Capistrano, etc.

4/26 Another great day in SoCal

Am in my hotel room with Jill, Kayla, and Hunter. Told Bruce that only my family could trump his performance. :)

Had a great morning with Suzanne and Debbie going to several yard sales throughout Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Then Nancie and I went for a bonding experience--manicures and pedicures. We then met up with the gang at the Balboa Pier where we ate at Ruby's Diner, a divine greasy spot of heaven. Yum.

Then our boat ride for 90 minutes throughout the harbor. We saw tons of sea lions and tons of famous people's homes or former homes. It was a delightful time. Robbie called me while I was on the boat. We couldn't talk long because it was too loud where I was. And my friends and I all got temporary frog tattoos on the pier. Rob (Hutch's son) got his right on his forehead. How fun!

Following that we went to Torin's beach house. Oh, my what a beautiful spot. And he's such a nice guy. Deb and I went to put the enchiladas in the oven and discovered there was no oven. We called Joanne who called Torin. It just so happened he was upstairs in the family's part of the beach house and he graciously allowed us to use his oven. His daughter Tiana was there and we became fast friends. After my grandkids arrived they all played together. And Bruce's Shannon's kids are adorable....I especially love Kenzie. Kayla said Kenzie was "so cool, Grandma." She played so well with the little ones, watching them and keeping them safe on the beach.

Debbie's enchiladas were excellent. As was Hutch's wine tasting. Yum. I only got to sample two kinds, but they were so tasty. Lisa did a quiz again and will hand out the prizes tomorrow at Ruth's house.

Most everyone is at Bruce's performance. I am sorry to be missing it--he is SO GOOD. But as I said, time with Jill and the kids trumps just about everything. We're watching the movie Happy Feet, with happy hearts.

4/25 What a fun day

I got up at 1:30 AM pacific time, so I'm really winding down fast. My friend Debbie picked me up around 10:45 AM. By the time we got to Newport Beach it was lunchtime. We couldn't find any of our friends so we found a fun spot near the beach and had some great salads. Then we went back to the hotel and up to the sun roof while waiting for my room to get ready. The hotel is a boutique hotel. Rather small and old, and entirely delightful. We went to Joanne's son's beach house which is FANTASTIC and right on the beach. Tomorrow night Debbie is making dinner for all of us there. Jill and the kids will join us then and I'll be thrilled.

Friends joined us and we played games on the sun roof. It was really fun. We all went to our "meeting suite" as well, and caught up on each other's lives.

Tonight we went to the crab cooker for dinner. Absolutely nothing for vegetarians, except a few sides--romano potatoes, cole slaw, and sliced tomatoes. It made a surprisingly good dinner. Everyone else supped on various kinds of seafood.

Then back to the suite where we chatted and drank.

Tomorrow morning early, Debbie, Suzanne, and I are going to some upscale yard sales. Then, Nancie and I are going for pedicures. After that we'll all meet for lunch on the pier at Ruby's, followed by a boat tour. Finally to the beach house for dinner and fun. Jill and the kids are staying over with me at the hotel, and I can't wait.

The weather here is perfect, and the view is even better. More tomorrow.

4/24 In St. Louis

I arrived a short while ago. My flight leaves at 6 AM, so I'll need to get to the airport by 4:30. That's why I'm in St. Louis tonight instead of Quincy.

Jill called tonight, and so did my friend Debbie. I can't wait to see Jill and the kids on Saturday. And Debbie will pick me up at the airport tomorrow morning. I'll be with my writer friends in Orange County until Monday morning (early). I'm sure hoping for a relaxing weekend.

Now that I'm out of Quincy I can start complaining again about my bursitis or sciatica or whatever the hell it is. My right leg felt almost paralyzed when I tried to walk after driving for two hours. I want this shit to end. Okay, I'm done.

Pete is in rehab now. I bet he can't wait until he gets home.

4/23 Haven't posted much

The last few days have been hectic at work. All my clients have been showing up, so I've been absolutely swamped. No time to do my paperwork. Have been coming in at 7 most days to do the paper shuffling.

Saw Pete last night. He's doing better, still lots of pain, plus an infection in a vein, but he's getting there.

Quincy is still eating bushes, but hasn't touched the tulips which pleases me immensely, since I love tulips. The dogs only ate one hyacinth and no daffodils. Just the bushes. Must have sweet leaves on them. Either that or the dogs are bonkers. Maybe both.

4/21 He's doing a little better

The femur was broken in four places instead of three. Poor Pete. He's got a rod in his leg from his hip to his knee, plus staples and a pin. He's in a lot of pain. We're all visiting a lot, and I don't know if that's helping him or not. Hope so. :)

Quincy and Cookie sent him a plant with a note that said, "They won't let us visit you. We are really, really, really, really sorry." He liked the note a lot.

Today is my 12 hour day and my last client just left and I'm on my way home in a moment. I'm so tired I won't want to turn on the computer, so thought I'd write a note here at work.

And it's true--I don't have any fingerprints. The fingerprint gal said that it's very common in women, as they age they tend to lose fingerprints. She said I may pass DCFS, but will definitely not pass the FBI. So when they kick my form back, I'll have to re-do it. But I won't have regrown fingerprints so I don't know what we'll do. Butt prints maybe? I sure have a lot of butt.

This morning Cookie ran away. Joe heard me calling for her and we spent 15-20 minutes chasing her from 17th and Oak to 18th and Broadway and back. She sure is a fast little monkey. When I drove around the corner after searching with my car, Joe was standing in front of my house with Cookie. I am so grateful and told Joe he's my hero. And that's the truth.

4/19 Poor, poor Pete

I was going to write about the fact that I don't have any fingerprints. It's true, I don't.

But the worst thing happened today. My sister Jane and her husband John (who we call Pete) were here helping me empty some boxes and put books away. Pete was carrying a box out to my car and one of my dogs pushed him or tripped him or something. He fell on his hip, and couldn't move. We thought he'd broken his hip, so we called an ambulance. We found out he broke his right femur in at least three places. He's in surgery right now. And I came home after he went upstairs. Jan and Tim, Joe and Cindy, and Jane's friend Deb were all there too. Deb is staying there with Jane.

I couldn't stop crying. Partially from guilt, I guess. One of my dogs caused the fall, plus if I'd gotten everything done they wouldn't have been here helping me.

Our brother Joe said, "No good deed goes unpunished."

Pete is just great though. He doesn't blame me at all. He and Jane both keep saying that it's just an accident. Pete has diabetes though and lives with so many consequences of that disease, so I worry about him.

Jane will call me tonight when the surgery is done, and I'll go back up tomorrow to spend time. In the meantime I'm praying.

4/18 Earthquakes and such

I didn't feel the early morning tremor, but the dogs sensed it and woke me up. This afternoon there was an afterschock and I felt it at work. In fact I told my client to look at my water and my chair. Both were moving. Very cool.

I got home a little after one today and slept until 5. I'm much more awake but it was time to take more meds, so I had dinner and meds at the same time. That's what I'm supposed to do. This morning I didn't eat enough with my pill and threw up several times. Luckily I wasn't with clients when it happened. :)

Hope things are better tomorrow. I'd love to get some work done around the house.

4/17 Good and bad

The good news is that I picked up the girls last night and they were sure glad to be home. Jan stopped by and we walked them for about a mile and a half through and around the college, with just a few squirrel problems.

The bad news is that I was in such pain I could barely walk by the time we were finished. It's no wonder my house is still a wreck as I have trouble bending over, and have trouble standing still. Due to some pain medication I was able to sleep. This morning, I couldn't walk. Well, a little. After a hot shower it was a little better. But even with the pain meds and muscle relaxers things aren't good. I'm pissed off.

My insurance begins May 1, so I'll be able to see a doctor.

4/15 Sorry

I just can't post on most Mondays. It's my 12-hour day and I'm so busy. Today is extremely busy too, but I'm on my lunchtime and can take a few minutes. The dogs stayed at Alpha Dog last night like they do every Monday night, but I'm having them stay tonight too.

Someone is taking us to the Patio for dinner, and I wouldn't have time to pick up the girls from the kennel prior to dinner. So I'll do almost anything for a good meal. Haven't been to the Patio since I've been back in Quincy. Of course it's not really a free meal because I'm paying for the kennel, but my reasoning makes it okay. :) I do miss the girls though, especially at night. They are such good company, except...the mud thing. But this summer that shouldn't be much of a problem--or in the winter--spring though is ridiculous with mud. But the pups are worth it.

Quincy ate the top of the trash can. And I was in the next room. Ah, puppies....

4/13 Ellie, etc.

My great-niece Ellie was baptized today. It was a beautiful ceremony and she is a gorgeous three month old girl. Her full name is Elaine Elizabeth Ann and when the priest said, "Elaine," several of us got teary eyed. That's our mom's name--Ellie's great-grandmother.

Afterward we went to Matt and Beth's house and enjoyed lunch and cake/ice cream. Yum. I love getting together with the family.

Then instead of going straight home I went to the dollar store to buy some trinkets for the children I see in therapy. It's fun to play games with them as we talk, and of course it helps them to be more open to talk.

It snowed yesterday and today, but of course none of it stuck. It sure was weird though to have snow showers this late in the year. I took Quincy and Cookie for another walk late this afternoon and it was a lot more squirrelly than yesterday. Damn.

4/12 Even happier

I walked both the dogs more than a mile. Together. Did you read that last word? Together. It was super. Only one small problem and it was caused by, you guessed it, a squirrel. But I got them under control very quickly and we went on our way. Walked all around the college

I can't tell you how pleased I am. This was my main goal, to be able to walk my dogs together.

It wasn't perfect, but it didn't take much energy on my part, except to walk. :)

4/12 I woke up happy

Don't even know why. The dogs did have to get up during the night--but they came right back in and went to sleep. Then they got up at 6 AM as always, but went right back to sleep, so I actually slept until 7 (eventually).

My back felt bum early this morning so I took ibuprofen (lots) and it's starting to feel better. The good thing is that while my breakfast was cooking I put away a box of books, with lots more to do. In a moment I'm going to take the dogs for a walk. Later today I have some shopping to do--especially for my great niece Ellie's baptism which is tomorrow. I love family occasions like this. It will be fun. I've been back for three weeks and haven't met Ellie yet.

Tonight I'm going to dinner with lots of sibs and spouses. That'll be fun too. As for now--Q and C want to go for a walk. Adios.

4/11 Yay and ugh and ow and yum

Today was my short day and I'm really happy. Didn't sleep well last night. Between Quincy's diarrhea and my back, it was a rough night. So yay, I got home around 1:15.

The dogs got so muddy this afternoon that they've already had to get in the shower twice. Ugh.

I put away two boxes worth of "stuff" (another yay). And in leaning down and up and down and up, I aggravated my back (ow).

On the stove is simmering a big pot of vegetarian minestrone. (Yum.) And I'll end with that.

4/9 Pretty successful

It was a good training class for the dogs and for me too. I was able to walk them together throughout the huge training facility. Then Elizabeth brought in a cat, and the dogs continued to do fine. Finally she walked another dog through--a pal of theirs--and they kept walking with me. I told her that if she could only bring in a squirrel, then we'd really know if we were successful.

So tonight, after work, is the real test. If it's not raining I'll walk Quincy and Cookie to the college and we'll see many squirrels along the way. Here's hoping....

4/8 Wet and cold

It's not really cold but feels that way with all the rain. I just keep chanting...bring May flowers. That's what this deluge will do for us.

Have another appointment for dog training tonight. We're going to try to walk the dogs together, because that's been my goal all along. We'll see how it goes.

I did finish my taxes, and because of my move will get money back. Except I had to file in two states (Wisconsin and Mississippi) and the WI one is all messed up. I couldn't e-file it, so will have to re-do it this weekend.

Got another box done last night. At this rate I'll be done by the time I have to do taxes next year.

4/6 A good weekend

Took the dogs for a walk (separately) this morning. It worked really well. I loved it. Walked about a mile and a half in beautiful spring weather. The dogs loved it too.

And my niece Sarah just called. She's going to take the dogs for another walk this afternoon. Great. They'll be nice and tired. While they're gone, I'll finish my taxes. (About time, huh?)

Last night John, Joe, Jane, Jan, Paulette, Cindy, and I went to mass together, and everyone but Jan went to dinner at Kelly's Tavern afterward. A nice evening.

I got a few more boxes put away yesterday and plan for a few more today, after I get my taxes done.

4/5 Dogs, house, lunch, shopping, and I succeeded

The girls have discovered squirrels. They jump at the huge maple tree in my backyard, and also have a go at the fence. Cookie is such an extraordinary jumper. I wish there was an agility course here. Maybe there is--I should check that out. She would be so good at it.

After working half a day I joined my sisters for lunch at the only Thai restaurant in town. Our niece, Kelly, happened by and she ate with us too. It was such an enjoyable meal and we sat for quite a while afterward just talking.

And I did it. Yes, I did. I made it through the whole meal without talking about my back pain. I'm very proud.

I went grocery shopping with Jan afterward, and even that was fun.

Last night my back bothered me a lot, so I called Jane and asked her a few questions. After using a moist heating pad and taking pain medication I was able to sleep well. Unfortunately the dogs had to go outside at 2:30 AM. The past week they slept through the night only twice. It's one day at a time with that--but I do think they finally feel like this is their home.

They sure love the big yard and get lots of exercise running and jumping every time they go outside.

Jane will be over in a little while to pick me up. I'm going to buy some new clothes for work. Then a haircut at one, church at 4:30. After that I'll have time to unpack some more. Last night I did unpack two big boxes, and that felt good.

4/3 Yuck

I'm hurting more tonight than last night. So I'm pretty pissed.

Work was more difficult today, but I still love it.

It's a half day tomorrow, then I'll go to lunch with my sisters.

4/2 Owwwwww!!!!!

I was making dinner and all of a sudden Quincy went crazy. I thought she was having a seizure or something. She was flailing so badly she knocked me over. And oh my I hurt!

Her collar got hooked on the handle of one of the lower cabinets, and she panicked. So knocking me over wasn't her fault at all. That doesn't make it hurt any less however.

This sucks though because tonight I had a little energy left over from work, and had planned to get some stuff put away tonight. I still may do it as soon as the ibuprofen takes effect. We'll see.

But in the meantime...ow!

(Prior to that, I went in the backyard and practiced their new skills they learned last night. It went well. Cookie needed a little re-training, but Quincy remembered everything.)

4/1 It's April

What a great day. I was so busy at work that the day just flew by. Then I went to Alpha Dog to pick up the dogs and have their first private lesson. Elizabeth thought Cookie would be easy and Quincy difficult but it was just the opposite.

I was so proud of Quincy. She only needed one big correction and that was it. And I was correcting Cookie practically the whole time. She finally got it though and did well too. I'll have to get the right kind of collar and keep practicing with them.

Then I stopped by for Tim's Uncle Bill's birthday party. I think he's 82. Jan made a great salad and they ordered pizza. I was late, but Bill said he was really surprised. A nice ending to my long day.