Goings on...

Well, today I got the kids off to school, walked the dogs and went with Mike to eat breakfast with some parishioners. Breakfast was nice. After eating the husband showed off the antique cars and trucks he refurbishes. They were cool. He had a Model-T and an old pickup where the bed was made of wooden slats. He also had a truck from the 40's that he drives all over town. It was fun.

I found out at church that the schools only hire people they know (poops!), so I went into Starbucks today to see about a job there. No openings, but she wanted me to fill out an application in case one comes up. I asked if they have a lot of turnover, and she said not. That is good in that it must be a good place to work, but bad for me wanting a job yesterday. It really irks me when I have to fill out an application where they ask for a bunch of information, but don't provide enough space to write it. They do have an application online, but you can't fill it in before printing it out. Bummer. Maybe something will come up in the local paper's classifieds this week.

Skeeter seems to be house trained now. Whew! Long walks, dog treats and lots of praise do wonders. Now when Skeeter takes care of business, Scruffy looks at me expecting a treat. I had to explain this morning that we don't use bribery forever. Scruffy just stared blankly at me. This week's goal (besides teaching Skeeter not to jump or chew socks) is to get Skeeter crate trained. She has discovered her beagle's bay while in the crate. I figured if I'm going to Iowa for a week, she better get accustomed to the crate now. She will have to be in it when no one is home. Silly dog has chewed through too many cords to have freedom.

Skeeter

Skeeter is doing really well. She slept through the night and did her business outside. Now we just have to conquer walking on the leash and coming when called.

Scruffy and the Horses

When I took Scruffy for his walk this morning, we passed a pasture with two horses. Normally the horses are at the far end of the pasture, but today they were very close to the fence. Scruffy was so funny. He stopped. He looked. He analyzed. He decided that caution was in order. He took a step on the sidewalk. He paused. All was safe. He took another step. Still safe, but he'd better not bark at this big animal. He took another step. So did a horse. This went on for a few steps until Scruffy decided it would be in his best interest to move on down the street.

Oh, My

The new pup will be a challenge. She has so many bad habits. Her crate was full of feces and urine this morning. I'm hoping that was from the anesthesia. I've taken her out several times, but she has yet to go outside. She has absolutely no house manners and has never been on a leash. I'm finding she responds better to Scruffy's old harness than her leash. Giving her her ear medicine (four drops in each ear twice a day) is a nightmare. I'm sure she was an outside dog as that is where she is most comfortable.

That being said, she really has a very, very sweet personality. I put an old bathmat by her crate while cleaning it. She went right to it to lay down and is being good as gold. Hopefully she will go potty on a walk or outside soon so I can lavish praise on her.


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Update: She really is a sweetie. She has started following me around in the house. She does love it outside, though. She is out laying in the yard now. I think the coolness of the ground is soothing to her stitches since she isn't scratching out there. As long as she doesn't get the stitches dirty, I think she'll be ok.

Name the Dog

Well, we went to the pound a got a new puppy.

So far, I want to name her Skeeter (Sam's suggestion), Mike wants Hermione, Jeremy wants Luna, and Josh wants Skid Mark. Needless to say, Josh isn't getting his way!

Now I'm sure you realize that Skeeter is the best name. :^) Rita Skeeter was the snoopy and highly energized reporter in the Harry Potter Books. Beagles are highly inquisitive and Jack Russells are hyper. Perfect name!!

You can vote for your favorite on the poll to the right.

Politics

It is really sorry the way the media is treating Sarah Palin. I really don't think a man would be subject to this. I really feel sorry for her daughter. Can you imagine being 17, pregnant, and the main topic of conversation in the U.S.? And her husband was picked up for DUI in his early 20's! Wasn't that about how old Obama was when he smoked pot? Not that there is a double standard or media bias. Of course not!

As I was watching the convention last night, I was impressed by Fred Thompson's take on the election. After all, it's all about moose and swamps.