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.

3/15 Lots of work

Am getting things done in order for the movers to come on Monday. Caroline came and helped me for a while.

Took the pups to the kennel this morning. It made me sad to realize that last night was indeed the last night they would stay here in the only home they've known. I'll just hope that dogs are as adaptable as children are.

Tomorrow is my going away party, so I have lots to do in the morning before the barbecue at 3.

Am tired and will relax now, and finish up tomorrow.

3/8 Preparing

Last night Caroline called and said she and Genia were on their way to the Ruby Tuesday's near my house and why didn't I join them. Why not indeed. I threw away my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and said good-bye to the pups. Because I'd taken a few bites of my sandwich I wasn't extremely hungry, so I got the salad bar and a margarita. Yum on both.

Got home and vegged, knowing that the weekend would involve lots of cleaning. This morning I took the dogs to the kennel because I'd planned on shampooing the carpet. However--the only grocery store near me (where one usually rents carpet shampooers) is Walmart and they don't rent them. Yikes. So I'm doing the few "baddest" parts with my spot cleaner, and my carpet looks like it has some disease that causes spots.

I hated to spend money on it anyway, because all the carpet is going to get torn up very soon when the new stuff is installed. Ah well...at least it's only mud and not yucky stuff.

Genia and Caroline are coming over tonight to play cards. I wanted them here instead of going to their houses because that way I can work longer. Yeah, I know I'm not working now...quit being such a smartaleck.

Okay, back to the lovely carpet. (Do you recognize sarcasm when you hear it?)

One day until my family arrives. Nine days until the movers arrive. Things are happening.

2/29 Wow, busy, busy

Didn't blog yesterday because I spent the night at the Beau Rivage Casino and Resort. Was on the planning committee, and also a presenter, for a conference we held today. And they ended up having an extra pre-paid hotel room from someone that didn't show up. So Genia and I took it. What a fancy, schmancy hotel. I loved it. The bathroom had a huge shower surrounded by clear glass. And also a gigantic soaker tub. It was great.

Today the conference went so very well. My presentation seemed to be well-received. Genia was awesome in hers. So we felt pretty darn good. About 300 people were there. Nice group full of committed disaster workers.

Tonight Genia had a party at her place. We played Cranium and I laughed so hard I snorted.

Just got home. Tomorrow morning I pick up my dogs. Sure miss them. Lots to do this weekend.

2/6 Ash Wednesday

The day flew by. My boss is in town from Austin and we went to mass together after work, since it's Ash Wednesday. Because I had so much going on I wasn't able to pick up the dogs so made arrangements for them to spend the night at Pampered Pets. It's way too quiet here without them.

After mass I stayed for choir practice and it was just what I needed.

Tomorrow I get to ride to Bay St. Louis. That's always a treat--the trip is entirely on Beach Boulevard. Love it.

2/5 Mardi Gras and I was scared

No, I wasn't scared of Mardi Gras. But, until today, 5 1/2 hours was the longest I'd left the dogs in the house alone. Today it turned out to be more than 7 1/2 hours, so yes, I was scared. Plus, I'd left Cookie out of the crate because I don't like to leave her caged up for that long.

So I said a prayer as I opened my bedroom door. And guess what--they were nearly perfect. Certainly no bathroom accidents. And was I ever pleasantly surprised! The only thing they did wrong was take a few things out of my bathroom wastebasket. And one of them (I'm sure it was Cookie) chewed on the toilet paper.

It was a perfect ending to a super day.

Mardi Gras was a riot. Five of us (me, Genia, Caroline, Lorena, and ) met up with Angie and Paisley on the parade route. We got there very early and had lunch. Then we sat and people watched. What a hoot.

This was my first Mardi Gras parade and I loved it. I had so many bead necklaces on that I almost lost my balance. Really. And when I tried to take them off I couldn't do it. Laughed so hard that it made the task impossible. Lorena finally helped me and it felt great to get those beads off. But I was still laughing.

Now I'm home and am going to do my last night of wallowing. Will post parade pictures when I get them from Genia.

Gosh, I love my dogs. They were such a surprise!

2/3 Blah....

Today I slept, watched movies, slept, played with my dogs, and slept. I'm awake now to watch the Super Bowl. A very blah day.

Last night was fun though. It was just Genia, Caroline, and I at Caroline's house but we laughed so hard we all three cried. That's what I call a good laugh.

Back to work tomorrow.

1/17 Home at last

I am so very happy to be home. Didn't pick up the puppies because I'd just have to bring them back tomorrow morning. Thought this would be too hard on them (and me). So I'll get them Wednesday when I return from LA.

For now, it's time for my pajamas and bed.

1/12 Mud and more mud

Hard to type with a wrist brace on, but it'll be off in about five more days so I can't complain.

The canine cuties are driving me crazy. They come in the house muddy more often than not. They use my bathtub more than I do. And yesterday they found a mole and tortured it with teasing. There wasn't a mark on it, but I bet it went somewhere and died--simply from being teased to death.

Then the dogs dug about a 20 foot trench next to the house. Guess they found the mole tunnel and followed that. They are really something. Don't know what I'm going to do about this digging. Maybe cement over the whole back yard? Believe me, it's an option I'm considering.

They come in and go right in my bathroom when they're muddy. Don't even have to tell them to go there anymore. Q jumps right in the bathtub and waits for me to turn on the water. C doesn't like the water but she knows she has to endure it as a consequence of her dalliance with mud.

(Thanks to my friend Genia today for going grocery shopping with me and lifting the dog food bags, and also for putting my Christmas decorations up in the attic.)

1/8 Smart dogs

at least some of the time. Cookie is stalking a fly, and the fly is hiding behind the blinds. Every time he comes out, Cookie goes after him. She caught one yesterday. (Yes, that's how warm it's been. I've seen two flies.)

So that isn't what's smart. Like most sisters Cookie and Quincy fight a lot, but they also fall asleep on top of each other (not like most sisters). So they do like each other, but they fight a lot.

Both of them have special tricks they pull on the other one. Cookie will get a toy that Q loves, and lie on the floor with the toy between her front paws. (Oh, now Quincy has taken over the fly stalking.) Then she'll act like she's not interested in it, will look away, and even pretend to be sleeping. As soon as Q comes to get the toy, C takes off with the toy in her mouth. And she's much quicker than Quincy. I swear I can hear her laughing.

But Q gets her back. When Cookie has a toy Quincy wants and can't get, she goes to the door so I'll let her out. I'll open the back door and both dogs will go out. Quincy immediately turns around, comes back in and gets Cookie's toy. I swear I can hear her laughing too.

At least they both keep me amused--when I'm not yelling at them to stop fighting.

1/3 I've been unfaithful

and my dogs know it. Not only are they sniffing all my clothes as I unpack the suitcase, they are eyeing me like, "We know what you did."

I can't help it I adore dogs, even other people's. So I cuddled a lot with Alfie and Rocky and Max. So sue me. (Perhaps Quincy and Cookie will indeed do that.)

They licked my coat today up one side and down the other, as if putting their own scent back on it was the most important thing in the world. I guess that's a lot better than the other way dogs mark their territory.

I did miss the little buggers. But they are wild, wild, wild. Am working on trying to get them back under control, but I leave again the week after next and I'm afraid their wildness will be repeated. At least I won't be with other dogs when I'm in Austin, but I will be when I'm in Los Angeles.

Guess I'm a loose woman when it comes to animals.

12/20 Rain rain go away

Wow, it's been pouring all day. There's hail right off the coast but that hasn't hit us. Thank God. I've done a lot of driving today (and eaten a lot of holiday fare). But luckily I managed to traverse the worst of the huge puddles without problem.

The roads are hazardous too. But the good news is that it's almost done. And when I take off tomorrow morning for North Carolina, the weather is supposed to be perfect. That certainly makes me smile.

The puppies are at Pampered Pets and I miss them already. Tonight I must do laundry and pack. And clean dog hair off the Christmas presents I'm taking with me on the plane.

Can't wait to see Rob, Beata, and the zoo. It'll be great!

12/15 No more anonymous

No more anonymous comments for me! I turned on the new Blogger feature where anyone with an "Open ID" blog ID (from Blogger, AOL, Wordpress, etc.) can leave a comment. And anyone with a Google or Yahoo ID can leave one too. So if you have a blog identity anywhere, or you have a gmail address you can leave a comment.

Please don't let this stop you from leaving a comment. It's quite easy to register. This is one way I can stop spam comments without having folks go through the confirmation process of trying to figure out what the heck those letters and numbers are.

I've been wrapping presents to take to NC and to Quincy. And also a few to take to a gift exchange at Caroline's tomorrow night.

Soon I need to get the dogs out for their walks, but right now they're both sleeping, so maybe it would be a good idea for me to lie down too!

11/23 Rob's here

He arrived at 2 PM. He absolutely loves my house, which makes me smile idiotically. I made dinner and then we've been playing games for hours. It was really fun.

The dogs adore him and he says the feeling is mutual.

What a wonderful treat to have my son here.

Tomorrow we're going exploring and tomorrow night friends are coming over for games. Both Rob and I love cards and other games so I think it will be a fun night.

I promise to take pictures tomorrow. For now, I'm beat. Love to all.

10/18 I arrived

My connecting flight was canceled so I arrived in NC a few hours late. Rob picked me up in Raleigh and we had a fun drive to Sanford. Beata arrived shortly after we got home. She made a delicious dinner and we relaxed afterward.

Bea made a confession to me--she confessed that she can't wait to become a citizen so she can vote. And she's decided to be a Democrat. I whooped with joy. The two of us against the rest of the family. YES!

The zoo were all thrilled to see me. Since I miss my dogs, it's nice to have three of them fawn over me.

10/16 More fun

Just got home from playing spades at Cyndi's house. Five of us played for a few hours and it was great. Now it's time to play with my dogs awhile before hitting the sack.

10/12 Fun

Went to Genia's after work and taught some other women to play Texas Hold'em. Unfortunately, only one of them is gifted with card sense. I just dealt so I could teach. It was a lot of fun though. I always have a good time with this group.

We decided that we're going to start playing cards every Tuesday. The woman who hosts will decide which game of cards we play. Cindy is hosting Tuesday and I think she'll have us play canasta. Angie can't commit because Paisley has homework and school commitments. But there will be four of us. Don't know how long it will last, but it sounds like a good idea and should be fun.

The pups were thrilled to see me when I got home, and of course they weren't ready to sleep so we played a while and now I'm beat and want to sleep.

10/8 Monday, rain, dogs

More baths for Quincy because of the rain and mud.

I have the cleanest dogs in the world.

Cookie is clean because she won't go out in the rain. So I put her on the leash and drag her into the backyard. Then she rushes her dainty little body back into the house.

A few minutes ago I noticed Cookie didn't have her collar on. I found it in Quincy's mouth. It was a lifetime guarantee collar that was bitten in half and Q was happily munching on it. Well, at least I'll get my money back, and luckily I had a spare collar.

The pictures are of them pretending to be guard dogs. They're actually curious dogs, always climbing on top of the couch to see what's happening. In this case it was a telephone repairman. Luckily they don't bark at people, just stare at them. :)

10/7 A minor miracle

I walked Quincy around the block. No big deal. Been done many times before.

But I also walked Cookie around the block. I used the techniques my pal taught me. Cookie pulled on the leash every now and then, but it was nothing compared to the psycho pulling she usually does. Amazing. And then, after a bit she stopped totally stopped pulling and just walked at my side. The exception was when we got to my driveway. Then she got semi-psycho again.

When she pulled I stopped and corrected her. She waited patiently until I started moving again.

Yes, it was a minor miracle. Now I have no excuse to not walk the dogs.

10/3 New title

As of today I'm State Director of Disaster Response. Formerly I was State Coordinator. It's not a promotion, just a title change more reflective of what I really do.

Mark, a VP from Austin, was in today and we had some meetings. Will do so tomorrow morning too. Then off to Hancock County in the afternoon for an LTRC meeting (Long Term Recovery Committee). Lots going on.

But I've set aside all day Friday to put my new office into shape. Boxes are piled everywhere and I need to get "moving in" finished.

Damn, I miss my dogs. They're staying over at Pampered Pets because I thought I'd be gone late tonight. But I got home pretty early--but still too late to pick them up. Doggy Day Care closes at 6. Will someone please stand at the back door and whine to go outside? Then I'll feel better.

9/9 I can't believe it

I'd forgiven Cookie for the glasses and Quincy for the mud. My friends and I had fun. The dogs were tired and slept all night.

This morning they woke up at 5:30 to go out, then we went back to sleep until 7. Everything's perfect so far.

While my coffee was brewing I thought I'd like down for a few moments. I swear it was less than five minutes.

Got up and Quincy dragged a big present to me. I couldn't figure out what it was.

Oh shit! Linoleum! About two feet by six inches.

There was a small hole in the linoleum in the kitchen. One of many "dings" the movers made. She apparently just bit at it and pulled. There wasn't time for her to work at it in a deliberate way.

Yes, I'm mad. And yes, Quincy's still alive.

I've been wanting to replace the cheap flooring and carpet throughout the house. Just not yet.

Guess I'll have to up the schedule quite a lot. Sigh.

8/27 A big change

Got a call from the animal shelter and was told I need to pick up the dog tomorrow. This causes me many problems. First of all, she just had surgery today and I can't take her to Doggy Day Care tomorrow. Secondly, I have to board Q tomorrow night because I have to go to a Sunrise Service on Wednesday. So poor little new puppy--I'll take her from the shelter and take her to a kennel. That will just suck. But there's nothing I can do about it. I tried to get the shelter to keep the pup for two more days, but they are overcrowded and have no room for her.

Poor little Cookie or Luxi or nameless one! (I'm going to make my final choice when I see her again. I decided not to automatically saddle her with an odd moniker.) I only spent a few minutes with her the other day, and am not fully tuned in to her. Hope everything goes well at 7:15 tomorrow morning. Will let you know.

8/26 A quiet weekend

Just finished cleaning out the dogmobile. After 2,000 miles of driving on our vacation, the car was one hairy mess. Now I need to prepare it for a second dog. So tomorrow I'm taking it for a thorough cleaning, and am putting down the back seats so there's room for two dogs. I'm kind of excited.

But if I had my way, I'd take the puppy next door. She's the one that Q loves so much. They dig toward each other all the time. I brought her over to play yesterday and the two of them had a riot. They played in the pool and ran like crazy throughout the yard.

The neighbors have this beautiful little pup chained outside all the time. She's lonely and she's hot, and needs some attention. I'm not saying they are mistreating her, she always has food and water and a really long chain, but she gets no socialization. I never see anyone talking to her or petting her. And it makes me so sad. I'd take her in a heartbeat.

Ah well, none of my business I guess. And Luxi will be with us soon. Yep, Luxi is short for Biloxi. (For you Yankees, the "lox" in Biloxi is pronounced "lux."

6/28 More conference

I'm at the Hurricane Conference again today and tomorrow so need to hurry. Spoke to the Mississippi governor yesterday...he surprised me by walking by me and touching my arm. I knew who he was because he was surrounded by state troopers. So I blurted out something appropriate. And he replied.

Last night I got elected to the board of directors of Mississippi VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). It's a good organization and will be good for my agency (and for me). Last month I got elected to the board of IDTF (Interfaith Disaster Task Force) which is another wonderful organization. These two things will be enough and will keep me busy. My job encompasses a lot of things, and community involvement is one of them.

A colleague from the Red Cross invited me to a beach party on July 4th. She's invited a lot of single people to just hang out. We're having a carry-in meal and will stake out our spot for fireworks. Sounds like fun. I'll be gone so long that evening that I'll have Q stay all night at the kennel, since she couldn't last that long at home without going out.

Gotta run.

6/19 The best work day ever....

I got up at 4:30, took Q with me to Camp Victor where I left her with Jon and Pepper (his Dalmatian). Doggy day care didn't open until 8, and I was at CV before 6:30. Jon said he would get someone to take Quincy to Pampered Pets for me, so I was able to leave her in his office without a worry. I then went to the dining hall for a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee. After that it was a meeting with my team. I'd asked for 12 youth to work with. Instead they gave me 13 youth and five adults. Not too bad for my first time leading a work crew, huh?

80% chance of thunderstorms. I drove my SUV and waited in the rain for the bus to arrive. Right before the kids got there the rain stopped and didn't come back until about 20 minutes after we stopped working. Amazing.

We worked at a client's home on Davis Bayou. A gorgeous setting. It was grueling work at times, but so rewarding. Afterwards the client took some kids kayaking while the rest of us sat in the shade and watched--and enjoyed.

These kids were absolutely amazing. No complaints, no arguing, nothing but positives. I loved working with them, and will do so again on Thursday. Tomorrow I have a board meeting I need to attend, so I'll be in office mode.

Probably the neatest thing that happened was when one of the adults said, "You know if you just scrape the ground a little you can find some of their things buried in the dirt." And she was so right. I'd heard that hurricanes did that, but hadn't really experienced the results. But we dug down 1/2 inch to an inch and found all kinds of things. They found two of the wife's rings, the husband's class ring, grandma's rosary. So we're going to play archaeologist again on Thursday. Can't wait.

(Oh, we had 360 kids this week, an absolute rarity. Normally our volunteers are 18 and older. This is kind of fun though.)

6/14 What? No blog since Monday?

Can't believe I haven't written anything since Monday. Last night I didn't even turn on the computer when I got home. Very unusual for me.

My best friend from college, Gerri Flynn (now Hutchings), called last night and she's going to come for a visit. I'm so excited. My first visitor (unless Rob, Beata, or Jill beat her to it). Gerri and I had such a blast together those first two years in school. And when I left town after getting married, she moved into my old room and it was like I wasn't even gone. :) Well, except she was neater, I think. Anyone was neater than I was.

Ger said that she is only one size up from college and of course that makes me mad. I've expanded like an overripe piece of fruit, or worse yet--a hot air balloon, and she's still little. I've looked at my old pictures and see a vibrant, healthy, thin woman. She's locked inside this body and dying to get out. I need to make a plan and stick to it.

Oh yeah, Doggy Day Care is open again after their vacation! Hooray!

5/16 A woman

She's a manager at a family-run Italian restaurant. Someone messed up my order, so she stopped to apologize and offer a free gelato for dessert. She asked about my job. When she found out what I did, she told me her story.

I'll skip the details, but this young woman lost absolutely everything. Everything. When she described the loss of her home and possessions, she was stoic. But the tears came when she spoke of her three dogs.

That was the piece she concentrated on, and cried about--her beloved pets. She detailed the personalities of each of them: one shy, one overprotective, one playful. After 20 months of living in a FEMA trailer, she cried about those dogs.

I went home and hugged Quincy.

4/30 Another Quincy day

She slept well again last night, only waking me up once. I worked for a while at Jan and Tim's while Quincy played with Alfie and Rocky--both miniature dachsunds. Then I went to Joe and Cindy's to pick up a power cord for my work laptop--stupid me left it in Mississippi. Got to talk to my nephew Cody for a while, which was nice.

Since around 1 I've been working at Kris's house. The great thing is that it's such a comfortable place, and is nice and cool with the ceiling fans going. Q is sleeping on the couch next to me, and Max is sleeping on the bathroom floor. I scared Max. Thought I'd let him out and he tried to run to the front yard, so I yelled, "Max, NO!" very loudly. He's a huge golden retriever but is such a gentle soul. So my yelling scared the hell out of him and he's been wrapped around the toilet in the second bathroom. I feel awful and didn't know he'd be so upset at me yelling no. Poor Max. He's such a sweetie.

A few other pics:

Jer, Sarah, Quincy, Bailey, Max at Quincy
University















The Avon walkers on a training walk--Jan, Beth, and Kris

2/23 NC weather

It's so beautiful here today--cool, sunny, with a lovely breeze. The smell of pine trees is lovely and adds to the beauty. I'm going to miss this place.

Taking the dogs outside in the morning is always fun. They stay in the yard, but Chilli runs around from Bella to Bobby, back and forth, trying to get them to play. One or the other always succumbs to his teasing, and the fun begins. Chilli bounces like he has springs on his feet.

A few days ago Bobby and Chilli both jumped on the couch with me, and I swear they had a pact to tickle me. I laughed so hard that I could hardly breathe.

Besides missing this place, I'm going to miss those dogs too. (Of course, I'll miss Rob and Beata. That goes without saying.)