Thursday, September 30, 2010

Kippa the Yippa

I realize that we surely didn't need another dog.... but alas, I have no spine and he's here anyway. 
We've never had a tiny dog before... so Scott says we can look at it as an experiment. Can a small dog, raised like he's a big dog, be a good dog?  Do all ankle biters need to bark incessently?  These and many other mysteries will be solved in the years to come. 

It has been an interesting week... sleep deprivation, ear shattering crying all night.... good stuff.  I think the human brain is programmed to forget "puppy hood" ~ or most people would never have another one if the memories stayed vivid.  His older brother and sister (the St. Bernards) didn't cry all night when they were little, as they had each other....  Last night we called a truce.  Scott slept on the couch a few feet from Kip's cage... and Kip didn't squeal like a wounded piglet, just a soft wimper from time to time.  I slept, all snug in my bed... it was "a good thing",  Martha Stewart would have been proud.  I was starting to drool and walk around in a fog, not too cool when you work with tiny little numbers all day, not mention the driving a car to get to them.  Too many days of not enough sleep makes for a CRANKY Mum... noone wants that.

People say, "Isn't he just about snack size for a St Bernard?  Well, I guess since he fits so perfectly into there dishes, I suppose he could be! Luckily, everyone here is adjusting to the little imp, mostly taking it in stide  and is good natured about it. Let's face it, a new family member coming home around here is hardly a new concept.  

Alice doesn't seem to mind sharing her spot of floor with him....
As much as I was not really "down" with gettting a third dog right now... he is pretty darn cute.
It's fun to watch the little wheels turning in his tiny head as he slowly learns about us, and what we do. He's been walking like a trooper.... running on those tiny legs; until  you add a leash.  The brakes go on immediately, puppies resent leashes... and collars.  They seem to find them very distasteful.
That funny husband of mine had me laughing again last night. 
He said, "make sure you hold the leash out to the side between your finger and thumb; and you hold it like you are holding a butterfly by the scruff of its neck"... I"m still chuckling.  Can  you just see me now? 
Oh good grief.
I have to get dinner.... i'm sure you can smell if burning around the world...
p.s. ~ the little ball of fluff is sleep under my feet as i type.....  can i get an Awwwwwwwww?
:)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

It getting dark now.  The passing shower has given the air a cooler moist tinge.  The fish in my little lily pond like the rain, and they seem happy to see me when i go out to the garden to get a cucumber to go with dinner.  An ordinary night at home.  I do love home.  I always have.  I remember my mother asking when we moved into a new place (which wasn't all that often really), "Is it "homey" yet?"  It doesn't happen right away, you have to settle into the word.  It represents what's familar... smells, sounds, comfort or just simple daily routine. Sometimes other people's houses are homey too.  The ones you grow up with... the places where you are welcome and don't feel funny opening the cabinets to get a dish, cuz you know just where they are.  These days the places I feel at  home at are fewer... Life goes on and also changes.  You can't get them back, you can only hope there are new places you will come to feel comfortable in. 
Home contains much of  what I love in this world... it seems scary sometime that so much  is under one roof.... like putting all your eggs in one basket...

How does home sound tonight?  The radio is playing behind me on the kitchen counter, it's on the country station of course ~ the dial never moves.  A guinea pig is licking the water bottle, the gentle nighttime insect noises are drifting in the back door.... the husband is crashing around in the drawer looking for something... and right now ~ as i type the train is going by blowing it's whistle at the Elm Street crossing.  On a night with heavy air, the whistle is very loud and presses on your senses more... it sounds like it's in the living room. 
The computer box thingy is humming, and Jake the cat is purring on my lap; the timer for the rice just went off, and a cool wind just stirred thru the house.  

Monday, September 6, 2010

Long, crazy weekend...

Some times things don't turn out how you planned.  Well, i guess that could describe a lot in life; but with out a crystal ball ~ it does leave us mere mortals at a distinct disadvantage for seeing the future.  I figure i could solve a lot of the worlds mysteries with a nice sporty model with high speed internet connection (and the old fashioned rabbit ear antennas for power outages). 
 I suppose i should focus on my point... rather than being pointless.

We (we, being all of the eastern seaboard) were under threat of  Hurricane Earl this past weekend... We (in this case, being the hubby and I) decided to trundle our little selves off to Maine at 5:00 a.m. Thursday morning anyway...  Before we'd gotten 20 minutes from home; we'd talked ourselves into returning home on Friday ~ just in case.  Hurricanes are funny things; you get a LOT of warning (unlike your random tornado), but a lot of warning also can lead to a lot of time to worry, or build up a lot of extra drama if you are in the media industry.  Don't get me wrong, a hurricane is nothing to be trifled with; they can be very nasty and very destructive and leave big messes, houses floating out to sea, and boats parked on the street.  The problem is, until they actually get to you, a lot can change ~ and the weather people, while they have a lot of technology at their disposal, also lack the crystal ball.  Ole Earl sort of ran out of steam and drifted off to the right, we got some rain but that was it.... not complaining ~ very thankful.
We ended up getting to Maine Thursday... unloading some stuff.... doing a little work and driving back home that afternoon.... all this accomplished in stifling humid hot air. (except in the van where it is sub arctic from the air conditioning ~ i must the only person with frost bitten toes in August, got to keep the dogs comfy though....)

So we got to spend some time at home as it turned out.... to craft, to repot the plants.... work on projects... walk the dogs, take pictures.... why it was almost like a vacation????  That's odd. 
that fake looking red ball is actually the sun ~ for real !!

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I got the most adorable flippers in the mail! (flip flop + slippers)

snail mail.... how did you think it got delivered??? :))))

Beach bunny. 

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the rubber molds.... not the best results sadly.

O.K. it's doing it again.... it won't let me see the pictures i upload, or move them, or delete the extra ones...
(after 3 trys, and much waiting....)
I think I've had enough computer wrangling for one night.... 
Perhaps I can try again tomorrow?
p.s. the juice is fresh sqeezed apple juice from the Onion patch farm apples; and the little pendant i assembled just for fun.... (owl is made by Green Girl Studio) the twig he sits on is from my favorite apple tree! :)