6/28 Good weekend so far

Got up early and took Gus out. For the first time he decided to roll in poop, so at 5:45 AM he got a bath. Such a skinny little thing when his hair is wet. Went back to sleep until about 7:30 or so. Made breakfast, then talked to Jane. Jan was busy, but Jane, Sarah, and I went to the Midsummer Art Faire at Washington Park. It was really nice.

Saw so many people that I knew. It is indeed nice being home. Plus got a personal tour of the Tranquility Med Spa, owned by a physician who works with Jane. It is a beautiful (and peaceful) place.

Gus was a star. I can't even count the number of people who stopped us to talk to Gussie. A popular fellow. This is another good thing about having a small dog. I can take him places with me. Right now I'm at work (trying to get my new office organized), and Gus is sleeping at my feet. Just what I want.

Forgot my security code, so the police came out. Oops. But I finally found the right one and everything ended up fine.

Nothing going on tonight, but tomorrow is the Gustison reunion, so Gussie is definitely going there since he's named after their patriarch.

6/18 More on dogs?

Still good news from Q and C's new owners. They love the dogs. So I think I can relax a little.

Cutie pie Gus was in the crate all day--I came home at lunch and let him out after he was in it for 5 hours. No mess. He was awesome.

I left him at 12:30 and got back at 5:30 and once again--no mess. I can't believe he's 8 weeks old and did so well. Here's hoping it continues.

After work, I brought him to Jane and Pete's house to meet them and their dog Bailey. They fell in love too.

I'm a lucky bug.

6/16 Great dog news

I received this email from Lesa, Quincy and Cookie's new mom:

The dogs did great yesterday. We were outside a lot and so were they. I didn't have to put them on the leads at all. If they went out of site, I just called and Quincy would always come immediately, it took Cookie awhile to return. She was too busy. First time out Quincy jumped right into my goldfish pond which is only about 4x3ft. Needless to say she got scolded for that and didnt do it anymore. They both found the creek right away and were having fun running in and out and under the culvert, over the road. and back under. Cookie definitely has some bird dog or something in her. She loves to trail scents and actually flushed out a wild turkey! Steve wrestled them in the house. At first they didn't know about it, but were soon lapping that up, esp when he rubbed their bellies. They were fighting over who got to play. Quincy loves the frisbee. I am assuming it was new, because now it has some pretty good teeth marks on it. She would catch in mid air most of the time. Cookie was too busy exploring to do much play. By the way they are scared of the stairs. Tried to get them to go down to the family room and they would have nothing to do with the stairs, even on the deck! Isn't that funny!

Anyway, they went right into bed last night. Didnt hear anything out of them at all. They were ready to go out at 5:30 am.

She and Steve put down the comforters in their spare bedroom and the dogs slept quietly there all night. I'm just so damn happy.

And Tuesday night Gus comes home.

6/15 They're gone

Yeah, I'm crying.

I picked up Jan and she went with me to take Quincy and Cookie to their new home. The home is absolutely lovely, which scares me a little bit. I sure hope the girls remember their manners. Their yard is awesome, with a creek a the bottom of it. I just know they are going to be so happy there. And Lesa seems so nice. We didn't get to meet her husband Steve because he was at church.

Lesa recently lost her little Yorkie, so she gave me a soft-sided carrying case which will be perfect for taking Gus in the car. And Joe and Cindy are giving me their crate that Kirby grew out of. That will be perfect for home. This is saving me a lot of money.

I didn't get to pick up Gus today after all because Jan and I went to help with sandbagging. The river is so high. The old bridge is already closed, and the new bridge is now two-way instead of one way. We're hoping the levees hold. They're calling for more rain tonight.

Am going to dinner with my sisters and their husbands for fathers' day. I think I got a pity invitation, but I'm happy for it. Any time I'm not at home being sad is good. :)

I work 12 hours tomorrow, so I can't pick up Gus until Tuesday after work. So it will sure give me something to look forward to.

6/14 A beautiful day

I've had a great day with my dogs today. I kind of devoted the whole day to them. Tomorrow I'll feel worse emotionally but better physically. (I've felt bad since the walks.) I have everything of theirs packed up, except Cookie's portable crate that she sleeps in. I think the dogs are picking up on my anxiety because they are more squirrelly than usual. Plus they both keep coming up to me, sitting, and just staring at me.

Some nice news--Cindy gave me a whole bunch of leaf lettuce from their garden and I made a huge salad with tons of good tasting veggies. Thanks again, Cindy. The lettuce was tasty.

6/12 Puppies and mud oh my

As soon as Q and C got home tonight, Quincy got into her favorite part of the yard--the mud hole. She's had two showers this evening. Now I am watching her sleeping on my bed and running in her sleep. It is so incredibly funny.

Went to the Humane Society over lunch. They didn't have many small dogs. Tomorrow I meet some 8 week old Lhasa Apsos. We'll see how it goes. If I fall in love, then I'll get one. If not, I'll get a miniature dachsund. (Maybe.) :)

I'm enjoying my last few nights with Quincy and Cookie.

6/11 Sunday

Quincy and Cookie are going to their new home on Sunday. It will be so awesome for them. I'm taking them so I can see where they'll live. It's about an hour from Quincy, in rural Missouri.

6/10 A big crybaby

I've been crying off and on all day. I KNOW that Q and C are going to dog paradise--an acre and a half with a creek running through it. But Lesa and her husband may be going out of town this weekend, and don't want to take the dogs until they get back. There's a slight chance their trip will be canceled though.

The dogs are at Alpha Dog for a few days to give my back a break. And tonight I cleaned up all their toys and cried.

Went on a crisis call tonight and when I got home, cried again. Damn I'm tired of this. The girls need to be with someone with more energy than I have. And I need my back to get better.

You know the dogs don't do anything to hurt me--ever. They don't jump on me. They don't wrestle or fight in the house. They don't do anything except be puppies. And that causes me physical pain. Nothing they do is bad. So the folks in Missouri are getting excellent dogs.

And I'm still crying. Duh. What a dope.

6/9 Dogs, dogs, dogs

Just got an email from someone who works with my sisters. She said she wants both my dogs. She lives in the country in Missouri. Wow! This would be the best case scenario if Quincy and Cookie can stay together. As much as I'm going to miss them, this is absolutely the best thing. My back is really hurting tonight, and has been all day. So I love these two critters so much, but know I can't give them what they need. And they can't give me what I need--some rest.

I'm sad, happy, happy, sad...and just want to find the best possible home for them.

6/8 Quincy was a star

And she behaved perfectly too. I took her to a sled pull contest at Riverview Park. I must confess that I took her just to watch and to be around other dog people, in case anyone would like to adopt her.

Well, we got talked into her pulling as well. She took to it so well and acted like she loved it. They do a test run first just to see if the dog will allow the harness on and will pull the sled. So she started with just 10 pounds, and it was picture perfect. The next time we put on 20 and the next time 31. I didn't realize that there were only two "real" rounds or I would have had them put more on her final turn. She was exceptional and I was so proud of her.

Jan called later and invited me to dinner, so I went over and joined Jan and Tim, Kris and Brian, and Jane, Pete, and Sarah. The food was superb and we ate out on their huge porch. The weather was perfect.

6/6 Mud dog

Quincy has made a huge mud pit right where the sump pump empties into the yard. I've given her five, count 'em five, baths today. It began this morning even before work. Joy!

Tomorrow is the St. Francis parish picnic. It's been years since I've been to it, and I'm looking forward to it. Most of my family will go, so that will make it even more fun.

6/5 Mississippi house

I signed the acceptance letter and faxed it today. So as long as the guy's funding goes through, it looks like the closing will be June 30th, give or take a few days. Although I'm not thrilled--because the price was a steal--I am happy and relieved.

My back was feeling better but I had to give Q three or four baths tonight (I lost count), so I'm not feeling great tonight. Every time Quincy goes outside she heads toward the mud, where the sump pump empties.

Yep, the basement is flooded--still. Sue hope it dries out soon.

Anyway, I'll sleep well tonight knowing my mortgage payments in MS are coming to an end. Hooray.

6/4 The best, the better, the good, the bad, and the OOPS.

The best is that I accepted an offer on my Mississippi house. The bad is that I'm losing a ton of money, but I just need to unload it.

The better is that I had physical therapy today and it felt good while I was there. The bad is that it doesn't feel good right now.

The good is that my promotion will give me a lot of satisfaction at work. The bad is that I'm hardly getting a raise.

The bad is that I still haven't found homes for Q and C. The good is that I get to keep them longer.

And the OOPS? Well, I slipped on a wet kitchen floor and fell flat on my back. Ah well...such is life.

6/3 I finally will talk about it

Because of my back I need to find a new home for Quincy and Cookie. It breaks my heart, but I have to do it. (Jan and Jane practically threatened my life if I didn't.)

It's true. My back just won't get better with all the tugging and pulling I have to do with my big lovable dogs. I can barely stand to think of it, yet it hurts me physically to deal with them.

Because of the mud outside I've already had to bathe them twice. It's not what I need to be doing.

So if you know of anyone who wants these gorgeous dogs, AND WILL TREAT THEM LIKE FAMILY, please please please let me know.

I love them.

5/25 Storms and such

It's been storming since 7 AM. (I've been up since 6.) Luckily I have wireless so I can still be on the computer.

We're on a slight break between thunderstorms right now, so the dogs are going crazy at all the rabbits and squirrels in our yard. Making me crazy too. I guess I'll have to have another session getting them used to rabbits and squirrels just like we did with the cat at Alpha Dog.

Here's a picture my brother Joe had. He and I are with our godson, Jordon, the graduate. Of course the only weight I'm supporting is the empty diploma holder. I just love the picture. Thanks, Joe and Cindy.



I'm going to put some things away today, and then this evening will have dinner with my sisters and two friends. We're all leaving Friday for Chicago for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Jane is iffy at this point because she wants to make sure Pete can do without her. We won't know that for a few days. I'm a bit iffy too, but am fairly sure I'm going to go.

5/24 Home with the dogs

The laziest of days.

The only thing I've really done all day is go to the grocery store. The dogs are a little whiny and get upset when squirrels and rabbits are in the yard, but other than that have been good. And I'm grateful for that.

Just wish there weren't so many squirrels and rabbits.

I feel really bad that I can't walk the dogs. It would calm them down. Always does.

5/21 Is it a full moon?

My dogs are both so crazy tonight I can't bear it. Makes me wonder if it's a full moon. They have both been so squirrel crazy that it's driving me nuts.

5/13 Offers

One horrible offer on the house, but when they found out I was getting another offer they upped it $10,000. Still bad, but at least worth a thought. I should get the second offer tomorrow and I'm excited.

Spent a quiet night at home with the puppies. I really missed them. Both are behaving so well. We'll see if that continues while I'm at work tomorrow.

5/11 I'm home

The drive was the hardest ever. The wind blew so hard for most of the drive that I thought about stopping somewhere and resting. My hands gripped the wheel so tight nearly the whole trip. But the nice thing was that both my wonderful kids called me while I was driving. (Thank heaven for hands free phone ability.)

And when I got home, a surprise awaited me. On the front porch was a lovely arrangement of flowers--roses, carnations, tulips, and bachelor buttons--from Rob and Beata. Such a sweet gift, and it made me feel so special.

I'll take it to work tomorrow since I work 12 hours. Besides if I leave it here Quincy will probably eat the flowers. :)

4/11 Great great weekend

More about the wedding in a moment, but my real estate agent called while I was at the wedding reception and said another agent was writing an offer but just needed to know what my property taxes were. When I got back here to the B and B I looked it up online. Thank you, TurboTax! I should hear something today or tomorrow.

The wedding was perfect and the reception a riot. We danced all night. (I'm paying for it today, that's for sure.)

Just a few minutes until our breakfast, so I'll close for now. Will try to write when I get back to Quincy. Love to all.

5/4 News, both good and bad

Pete got to go home from the hospital yesterday. He'd been in for two full weeks. The final problem was four blood clots in his leg, so they had to put a filter in his vein so the clots wouldn't kill him. This was scary stuff. He's so happy to be home, ensconced in a hospital bed in front of a huge window in the family room. Jane collapsed upnon hte couch. She is so relieved, and life will be a lot easier for her.

Bad news. Quincy wet the bed last night. That would be upsetting, but not overly so, but in light of her puppy diagnosis of a pelvic bladder, this could be disastrous. The vet in MS said that since she's been okay the past year, a quick growth spurt could have fixed the location of the bladder, but didn't take xrays to prove it. Originally they'd told me that once she becomes incontinent, there was no cure. So I'm praying this was just an aberration. If not, I've got a very difficult decision to make. And it hurts to even think of it. Anyway, there it is.

As for me, I have a doctor appointment for later this month, but in the meantime am still struggling with my back, hip, and leg. It's gotten worse the past few days.

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.

4/17 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.

4/9 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.

4/2 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.

3/29 Brrr

It's been really cold, but thank heavens it's sunny. They're putting the gates on today, and then my fence will be complete. This morning I've been putting away items in the house and the dogs are driving me crazy because there's a squirrel in the tree in the front yard. They've not experienced this before.

The other things that drive them nuts are rabbits. Until here they'd not even seen a rabbit much less have them in the yard. They follow the trail around and around and around. Mind you they are on a leash, so I'm going around and around too. C'mon fence!

Went out to dinner last night with my sisters and their husbands, and a friend Debbie. They'd been setting up for the monster garage sale to be held today. Their proceeds will go to our Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago. I can't help because of all the "stuff" to do in the house. But I'll probably join them for lunch when they're done at one or so.

Guess that's it. Back to work.

3/27 Rain, dogs, pain, work, fence

They started on my fence today, but only got the posts up. It's been raining all day, so I'm surprised they even got that far. Hope the rain stops tomorrow, but it's not supposed to.

Just got home from work. I sat in on four therapy sessions today and got to participate a little. It was great. I begged for toys from my family to stock up my office. Apparently I'll be seeing more children than I originally thought.

The dogs stayed home all day today. (I stayed for a while this morning because the AT&T guy came to fix things--my DSL is now working, HOORAY!) They were alone for seven hours though and did fine. I'm grateful. Tomorrow they go to doggy day care to get nice and tired.

The pain in the title is my hip bursitis, and also a recent back injury from the silly stupid poopy Cookie. She has yanked me around as if I were a marionette. Amazing, she weighs 45 and I weigh considerably more, but when she sees rabbits she goes crazy. So I'm drugging up and going to bed.

3/24 Not unemployed

:) My first day at my new job was today. I think I'm going to love it, but my head is absolutely spinning. There's so much to learn. But it will all come back to me, and I'll settle in rather quickly I think.

The funny thing is that I know so many people there. Worked with many of them years ago at Chaddock, and others I know from activities I was involved in when I lived here.

The dogs had fun at Alpha Dog, but came home muddy because they dug all day. Elizabeth said she went out to stop them at least 10 times today. They were trying to get to some birds. Yay for mud. Thought I left it in Biloxi.

3/23 Happy Easter

Went to mass this morning with Jan and then went to her house for Easter dinner with her family and Jane's. Delicious food. Nice dogs. Fun card games.

Am now home with my pups.

Snowed last night and at 5 AM when I took the dogs out, they were jumping around in it, catching snow flakes with open mouths, just like kids. They ate it off the ground too. Just what I needed when all I wanted was for them to do their business and let me go back to sleep. :)

Last night was fun. Dinner and drinks at the Abbey for Eric's birthday then everyone came over to my messy house. We had a ball though.

Too tired to write much. I need to take a nap before I get busy putting more items away.

I start work tomorrow.

3/21 New home, same blog

Have to hurry. I'm signed on to a neighbor's wireless. Don't know who. Can't connect to Joe's across the street, so I'm "borrowing" someone else's. Can't get my own to work at the moment. Will try again tomorrow.

The trip up here took less than 14 hours, and that's with a 90 minute stop at a vet's in Jackson, MS. The dogs were very anxious and uncomfortable so we got them sedated a bit. They were out like lights. And it made the trip easier on all of us.

When Genia and I (and two very groggy dogs) got here there were so many wonderful surprises waiting for us. More about that tomorrow.

For now--all my stuff was delivered and we are safely ensconced in our new home. The dogs are not used to all the traffic. We lived in a very quiet area, plus they had the privacy fence. Here it's very noisy--close to a busy street with a gas station across the back alley. The dogs won't even go to the bathroom. Yikes.

More tomorrow.

3/18 On the truck

Everything is out of my house. Everything, that is, except the tons of dog hair left behind. Oh my. And to my embarrassment, there's plenty of dog hair being transported to Quincy too.

But the wonderful news is that my stuff will be delivered on Friday. Yes, this Friday. My shipment was last on, first off of this truck. I'm beyond pleased. This means I won't have to take a day off from work without pay in order to be there for the delivery. The cable guy is coming Friday too. Other than having a huge mess, I should be good to go. The phone is already turned on, and I'm calling water and electricity tomorrow to get them in my name. Got a text message from my niece Kris today with the necessary phone numbers.

Things are progressing. And I'm anxious to get going. It's going to be hard to leave here, but I can't wait for the next chapter to begin.

3/4 Laughed until I cried

Quincy in the muddy backyard



Quincy and Cookie didn't even need to be told to get into the bathtub. They knew.



Q has such a beautiful white coat, but is almost completely covered in mud. It doesn't normally show on Cookie very much. Today it did. Unfortunately you can't get the full effect from these pics taken by my old phone.

3/4 Storms, etc.

I was up most of the night with the puppies. The thunderstorms were huge and fantastic, but kept waking up Quincy. Poor Cookie was already awake. She gets really scared during bad storms. Plus she had diarrhea. Q has the tapeworms and C has the diarrhea. Go figure. (Cookie didn't have an accident however--just had to go outside every half hour or so until around 4 this morning. I'm proud of her for not messing in the house.)

I'm waiting for the Sears technician to arrive. (Insert doorbell sound.) He's here now, and we have two new motors plus other parts. So the elliptical should be entirely fixed today. That makes me happy. Now that it's fixed it's time for the elliptical to be moved to Quincy and to not work again.

I forgot to post this. But when I was leaving the conference at the Beau Rivage last Friday I saw an old guy with a Packer hat on. I said, "Go Pack!" And told him I lived in Milwaukee for 10 years. Asked him where he was from and he said, "Eagle River." I screamed a little and said that's where my son-in-law is from. Asked him if he knew the Potrykus family. He said, "Sure, Doc's my dentist." Doc is Todd's older brother Neil. Eagle River is a small community, and the world is a small place.

3/3 Tapeworms

No, not me. Quincy. Poor thing. I brought both dogs to the vet today for their ears. Thought they might have an infection, but it was just lots of wax. But while there I asked her to just check them out since we were moving. Found out Q has tapeworms. And the only way you can get them is by eating fleas. Neither of my dogs have fleas. So she either got them at doggy day care or her training class.

And she's lost three pounds since two weeks ago, so I feel bad. She's on meds now and should be fine soon.

Cookie's fine.

3/1 This month

As my s-i-l, Andrea, reminded me--I'm going to be living in Quincy this month. I can't even believe it. One week from tomorrow my family is coming. Two weeks from Monday the movers are coming. In two and half weeks I'll be leaving. Wow. And I haven't done much yet. So--bye bye.

2/28 Can't sleep

The dogs woke me up at 4:30 to go outside. They came right back in and went to sleep, but not me. I haven't been able to go back to sleep. My mind is just racing--so much to think about, so much to do. I have to put the finishing touches on my presentation for tomorrow. There are going to be around 300 people there, and we are talking about the importance of funding case management. Some federal folks will be attending, and it's vital they hear us.

Then of course there's all I have to do with the house and other items to get ready to move. I'm so excited, yet know there's a lot of work ahead of me--not the least of which is driving to Quincy with both dogs. Last time I drove to Quincy in August, Q was six months old and I didn't have C yet. Now Q is one and C is 18 months. They'll take up the whole back of the car, plus I have to take at least two suitcases, a big bag, dog food, toys, water, computer case, purse, and a dog crate. Oh my. I have no idea how I'm going to get everything in the car. But I'll do it. Everything always does work out, even when it seems impossible. I just want to have enough room in the back of the car so the dogs can at least move around for the 12-15 hour drive.

Lots of fun things to look forward to also--I'm going to be home for Easter. Plus family members are arriving on the 9th. I love to show off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Besides the devastation still in evidence, there's incredible natural beauty. It'll be fun to have them here.

2/25 What I learned

What I learned is that my dogs do not like to be cooped up when visitors are here. The Sears guy is here working on the elliptical, and I put my dogs in the office with lots of toys and treats. In about 30 seconds Q started barking and C started crying. Oh my. I tried putting them outside but I knew that eventually I'd get complaints about Q's barking.

So here I sit with the dogs in my office while the guy is working on the exercise equipment.

It's a good place for me to be though because I have to turn on my work computer and get to work.

Lots of visitors today. I'll sign on later with more doggie reports. You do find that interesting, don't you?

2/24 More cleaning

Last night Genia and I had fun at the movie. Definitely, Maybe is definitely, not maybe, worth seeing if you like romantic comedies. We both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Today is cleaning again. Am tackling the kitchen floor and my bedroom and bathroom. The three most "doggy" rooms in the house. Right now I'm in the office typing this, and they are lying at my feet. Sweet, sweet dogs. But that will change once I get up again. They'll follow me around and want to "help" in their unique doggy way.

Yesterday I realized what a time crunch I'm under. Two weeks from today my company arrives (YAY!!!!!). And they leave the following Thursday (13th). The next Thursday, the 20th, is my last day at work. Yikes. I just have three and a half weeks until I leave. Sure hope I can get everything done.

I have five people coming by tomorrow. Paula, my real estate agent; a painter for an estimate; floor covering estimate; moving estimate; and a guy to fix my elliptical trainer. It's going to be busy. Plus I need to actually work in the midst of it. And the dogs can't be at doggy day care because they are closed on Mondays, except for boarding.

Yikes. I'm stressed--but this kind of stress is great compared to the stress of not having a job to go home to. :) And I really can't wait until my family comes to visit.