Happy Halloween

Bear and Shiloh wish everyone a happy and safe Howl-O-Ween!!

Got all of my "to do" list accomplished yesterday. I have quite a few to finish today at work. Then tomorrow, it's off to the Howl-O-Ween dog agility show in Franklin, TN. It's one the biggest agility shows this area has ever had. They are also having a costume contest. I'm definitely taking my camera along to get great shots. I did make pictures of Bear during his walk yesterday and of the Halloween sights around my neighborhood. I'll try to post those next week. Then on Sunday, Halloween, Bear and I are going around the neighborhood to deliver all of those treat bags. I'm going to make them all up tonight. I've got copies of the above picture to attach to the bags as cards. Then as I posted yesterday, Monday is Dr. appointment day! Anyway, I hope that you all have a very happy and safe Halloween! I've posted some Halloween pet safety tips below. They are from The American Humane Association. Oh, and DON'T let your pets ingest those fake spider webs. They are fatally toxic to animals!

Don't Let Halloween Bring a Scare!

Witches, bats, and scaredy cats

Halloween is a great holiday for kids, but it can be hard on pets if you don't take some precautions.

Keep your pet safely indoors, away from noisy groups of small ghouls and goblins. And keep pets away from the door where they can accidentally escape as you open the door for trick-or-treaters.

Black cats

If you have a black cat, you have a special problem. The mythology about black cats being related to witches can lead strange people to do strange things to them. Even kids who mean no harm may yell when they see a black cat -- scaring the cat much more than the cat scares them.

Pet Costumes

Pet costumes are the latest Halloween craze. Who can resist dressing up their pet in those cute little hats and witches capes? But make sure your pet can move freely and won’t stumble over a costume that hangs to the ground. And never tie anything around his neck that can choke and strangle him. Opt for a fancy collar instead. Let your pet be the judge. If he struggles and is uncomfortable, then maybe it would be best to let him stay dressed as a Corgi rather than a ghost!

Pets and candy

Candy can make a pet sick or may be lethal. Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine, which can make dogs very ill, and could even cause death if consumed in enough quantity.

Everyone have a safe and happy Halloween weekend!

Freak Day, Friday!

These cuties are not mine, but just some pictures I found on the web. Wish I could remember where, so I could give credit. The same goes for the picture posted yesterday too!

Since this is the last working day (for most normal people) before Halloween, it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm sure that I'll see my share of costumes and what not today. I'm sure that there'll be vast and asundry parties going on in the vicinity too! I like today. It has a kind of perched excitement to it. That kind of feeling, where you know you're on the verge of something happening, but it just hasn't happened quite yet. You know the one. I'm also perched on the edge of a big weekend. I have a feeling that I'll be spending most of next week exhausted, again. I'm doing the big clean and laundry tonight. Early on Sunday, Mom and I are going to the Howl-O-Ween Dog Agility show. They are holding it in Franklin, which is not far from here at all. I think they are also having a costume contest (I'll be sure to take the camera). I'm meeting Terri from Pawsitive Notes to pick up the humane card orders that I've received already. I'll be coming home in the early afternoon, to take Bear out to spread some Halloween cheer. You see, whenever I walk Bear, the neighbors all just love it. He's such a friendly dog, they all wait for us to come by, so they can visit with us. So, I've made up Halloween goodie bags for all of the neighbors. Bear (complete with his pumpkin jingle bell) and I will be going out to deliver the goodies on Halloween afternoon. Most of the neighbors are elderly, so I thought it would be fun to include them on Halloween this year. For those that have pets of their own, we will have treat bags for them as well. I'll have the camera with me, so I'll post pictures of our deliveries next week. On Monday, I have another optometrist appointment, hopefully the last one, and mother has an appointment with her regular doctor in Nashville. So as you all can see, I'll be really busy!

I'm finally getting more details of the humane caroling project worked out. I decided to scrap both of the project names from yeterday in favor of Caroling for Critters. Let me know what you all think about that one. I've got a powerpoint slide made out for run on our local public access channel, when the time comes, and today I'm going to work on a real flyer to have available at the wine tasting, should anyone want to sign up. I've even decided to expand the project to my office. I'm going to call it, Carol a Cubicle. I'm only going to charge $1 for a song to be sent to anyone's cubicle with all of the money going to the shelter. So, comments please. Let me know what you all think of these projects and any suggestions you all have. Everyone have a great day!

Friday Eve!

This week is really flying by fast. I'm finally starting to feel a bit more like myself. Now, if I could just get rid of this tired feeling. Work has been pretty good this week. My job position got upgraded, so a little more money in the bank at the end of the month! That's always a good thing. I've been getting things accomplished on my to do list at work as well as at home. After last week, I really decided that I liked doing the house cleaning on Friday night. That way, my whole weekend (well, my 2 days off) are left free for doing other things. I'm going to go with that schedule this week. Not much to do. Just regular maintenance like vaccuuming, dusting, and mopping.

I've had a lot of pet related activity this week. I had that wonderful card offer day before yesterday, and I'm proud to report that I've gotten several offers. Thanks to all that have participated!! I've also entered Bear in a photo contest. If one of his photos is picked, it will appear in the book Dogs 24/7. They are still accepting entries. You can submit up to 5 photos. Just go to this site. So, if you are handy with a camera, and I know many of you are, I've read your blogs;go out there and point and shoot. There's also a book being published on cats. It's called Cats 24/7. They are having the same photo contest as well. Just click here. Good luck to everyone. Let me know if any of your photos are chosen.

I've also had an idea of another Christmas time fundraising opportunity. Now, if I can just get some of our other volunteers to participate with me. I think I may call it:

Meowy, Meowy Christmas Carols OR Carol of the Tails

This is where someone/anyone can, for a donation, (haven't decided the amount yet), can schedule a Christmas carol or carols to be delivered to another person's door. The bigger the donation, the more carols are sung. I'll have to structure some kind of donation list. What do you all think? I used to love to go caroling, when I was younger. I have a fairly decent voice. I used to sing with the Nashville Symphony Chorus in Nashville. So, I don't think I'll scar anyone for life. Now if I can just persaude other volunteers to come and sing with me. Heck, I'll go by myself if no one will come with me, but I think I'll just end up having fun. I'd love to have comments as to what you all think of the project. Feel free. Well, gotta go get some work done. I'll try to get the photoblog updated today. TAH!

Lots of Things Today.

It's been an excellent week so far. I got good news at work, promotion wise, yesterday. I also had an excellent e-mail from Pawsitive Notes. It is run by a wonderful lady named Terri and her partner Gail. They create notecards, stationary, etc. by hand. Wonderful artists. Well, they've decided to do a fundraiser for our shelter. They've designed a wonderful holiday card, featuring animals to sell now through December 15th. At the end of the sale, they are giving us 75% of the profit for the holiday card!! It was such a nice surprise to find the offer in my inbox yesterday afternoon. They will be offering this card through their website too. So, if anyone would like some animal themed holiday cards and would like to help a worthy cause at the same time, please consider buying some of these cards. There will be instructions posted at their website soon. For now, here's the offer:

Pawsitive Notes is wanting to help some of the local humane associations to raise money for the holidays. So we are selling the Christmas card above and donating 75% of our profits through the month of December. The cost per pack of cards includes envelopes. We offer 2 sizes—4 1/2 X 5 1X2 or 5X7. We will only be accepting checks through the mail because our website will not recognize this special offer, so therefore we cannot accept credit cards through paypal. **Please note on your check “Shelbyville—Bedford County Humane Association.” so we can make sure the donation goes to them! **

Pricing is as follows- 4 1/2 X5 1/2 - with envelopes

5 cards—$4.99 + tax, s/h

10 cards—$8.00 + tax, s/h

25 cards—$18.75 + tax, s/h

50 cards—$32.50 + tax, s/h

5 X 7 cards with envelopes

5 cards—$6.25 + tax, s/h

10 cards—$9.99 + tax, s/h

25 cards—$18.75 + tax, s/h

50 cards = $42.50 + tax, s/h

To order these cards, please email us at

pawsitive@accessnashville.com

or send a check for the amount + tax (9.25%) and S/H ($2.00), along with how many cards you want to:

Pawsitive Notes and Pet Products

677 Magnolia Lane

Nashville, TN 37211

The donations will be presented to the shelter the week before Christmas. Thank you for your support of The Shelbyville—Bedford County Humane Society Terri Watson and Gail Franceschi Owners www.shelbyvillehumane.bravehost.com Your cards will be mailed to you within 1 week after receiving your check!

Halloween Week Begins!

My weekend was fairly uneventful. Casey's aunt, Louanne, did make it by on Saturday. She left 6 tubs of antique scottie dog stuff for us to go through. Casey and I will be going through it in the next couple of days and deciding what to keep and what to sell on e-bay. If you are a Scottie Dog fan, drop me a line, and I'll let you know what we will be selling. I didn't feel well at all on Sunday. I ended up sleeping for most of the day. Seems the fall colds are getting everybody down. So, I just decided, for once, to pamper myself. I ate good, healthy food and took my vitamins. Yesterday was a little better. I went and early voted yesterday morning. Casey and I made a quick run to Aquatic Critter late yesterday afternoon. We had been out of crickets for a couple of days, and the lizards were all getting restless.

I don't have much on my agenda today, other than the usual work stuff. I have a bindery order back, sitting here, waiting for me to unpack it. Andrea sent this cute picture to me in e-mail today. I just had to share it with you all, since it's close to Halloween. I plan to post all kinds of stuff like this during the week, along with some Halloween pet tips. Enjoy!

Isn't that too cute for words!!!! TAH!

Did Anyone Get the Plate Number of That Truck That Hit Me?

That's exactly what I feel like this morning folks. The wild, crazy cleaning spree that occurred last night has left me feeling a bit hung over. I managed to get everything done last night/this morning. The dusting, de-cluttering, vacumming, carpet shampooing, etc. has all been completed. Heck, I even scrubbed all of the base boards, which by the way, has left me with a sore ankle from squatting for such a long time. So today everytime I started to get up and walk around, I end up hobbling along. I was like a maniac. I just couldn't seem to stop myself, once I got started. I ended up literally (yes Casey, I used THAT word!)falling into bed sometime after 1 a.m. I got up around 5:30 a.m. this morning to start getting ready for work today. I definitely have Mac Truck syndrome, and I'm sure that my appearance is not much better either. The best part of it all is that I get to be a lady of leisure this weekend. I can just sit around and do what I want. All the cleaning is done. In case you all are wondering, I AM ingnoring the fact that I need to start excavating the back room!! I seem to be a bit plan free for the weekend. Ooooo, flying by the seat of my pants, how rare! The only thing schedule is Casey and I are to have dinner with our friend Kenny tonight. I think I'll have to get a nap in there somewhere for me to be able to keep the date. By tonight, I hope the lure of food and a good friend will keep me going!

I heard something really cool in the news that I meant to mention yesterday. I heard the report on the Bob and Tom Show. I've looked for the story, but I've been unable to find it so far. It has been reported that after 20 minutes of petting a dog, that a person's seratonin level is higher than after nearly any other activity. That includes chocolate, exercise, and sex! Now, who says that owning a dog isn't good for you. I'm sure that for cat lovers, myself included, that the same effect can be brought about by petting cats too. I just thought that was a really neat trivia tidbit. Wanna know a good reason to always take your dog with you, when you go for a walk? Click here and read on. Everyone have a GREAT weekend!

Another Day, Another Dollar

Here we are again. Another Friday. I don't have too much to report on today. I managed to get a lot of un-cluttering done last night at the house. Casey's aunt will be dropping by tomorrow to leave some things for us, and I don't want her thinking that we live in total squalor. I still have to get the dusting done and the floors (as in vacuuming and shampooing) done. I shampoo about every 2 weeks. We have so many dogs and cats that it's an absolute must to keep the sheer volume of hair down. I'm sure, any day now, that I'll cough up a giant hairball of my own. I guess that's a good reason to keep eating those fatty foods! Take that all of you evil, vile diet makers!!

When we left Bear at Kindred Spirits last week, we had Jennie start some training. I was mostly interested in having him come off lead. I've worked a little inside the house, but Jennie has large outdoor fenced areas, so I thought it would be great to teach him there. It was absolutely AMAZING what she did with him in just 2 days! She gave me a clicker, and he's really doing well. I'm planning on helping her some on Mondays, as soon as this eye thing is over, and Mom is finished with her specialists. She told me I could bring Bear, and we could work on his training too. I'm really excited about that. Which reminds me, I've still got to go out and do my grooming apprenticeship as well. Seems like my "to do" list is getting longer! I guess I'll never be bored. I gotta run. TAH!

Groovy, Cool Blogging Thingy

While I was surfing around my blogroll list today, I came across this item of interest for bloggers. It's called Blog Explosion. It's a fairly new site designed to help generate new traffic for your blog. It's a really cool way to surf for new blogs of interest. A big SHOUT OUT to Snowbabies for making me aware of this service. I signed up, so I'm going to try it for a while and see what happens. Give it a try, I think ya'll may like it! TAH! Click below for info!

What Was I Thinking?

Imagine my suprise yesterday, when I thought I had gotten away with that whirlwind weekend unscathed by fatigue. I just couldn't believe it, when I bopped around work all day yesterday with energy. I had just figured that I would drag through the day, go home, and take a quick nap. So, I was pleasantly suprised when I felt otherwise. Everything went well until around 5:30 p.m. last night. Yep, that's right. That's when my energy level finally bottomed out. I had just finished eating an early dinner, when I had that all-to-familiar feeling of complete exhaustion wave over me. You guys know the one. The one where you feel as if you don't get to a bed fast, the fast approaching wave of narcoleptic sleep will overtake you right there in public. Luckily, the trip back to the house was quick. I managed to change into what I lovingly refer to as my "happy pants" and a t-shirt and then stumble to the sofa. I was "out like a light" by 6:00 p.m. Does that tag me as officially old? Anyway, I dozed only to wake at the nuzzling of the assundry dog and cat. I managed to become cognizant enough to see Casey off to work at 9:00 p.m., and then returned to blissful slumber. I then awoke to find that the Red Sox had won the American League playoffs! A great big KUDOS to them! I slept straight through until 5:10 this morning. I feel refreshed, but also a bit foggy. I think I must have a sleep hangover or something. Hopefully, I'll recover throughout the day.

What a Wild and Crazy Ride!

What a CRAZY long weekend it was! I was soooo busy that I think I forgot my own name. On Saturday, Mom and I went shopping. We stopped by several places in Shelbyville, and then headed out to Murfreesboro to do some more shopping. We went to Kohl's, PetSmart,JC Penney, Dillards, etc. We were getting ideas for Christmas and treating ourselves too! On Sunday, I did manage to get a little bit of rest. I did the weekly cleaning, i.e. vacuuming, dusting, mopping, and also laundry, etc. Then I did manage to settle for a bit to watch the Tennessee Titans game. Such a disappointing season so far. I'm not sure why we can't seem to get anything going. On Monday, I did the usual Dr. visits, i.e. Mom's appointment and my eye appointment.

After all of the appointments, Casey and I loaded up the car and made a quick run for Atlanta!! The day to meet Alton Brown was finally at hand. We made really good time getting there, only 3 hours! We did quite a bit of shopping. We stopped at a dog specialty shop, where I was lucky enough to find a couple of interesting things. We had a great dinner at Houlihan's, and then we were off to the Borders in Buckhead for the Alton Brown booksigning. He spoke and took questions from the audience for about an hour. He is such a hilarious man! It was sooo much fun just to sit and listen to him. His mother was there with him. He made her come and sit up front. After a few minutes, he realized that she was talking on her cell phone, and he scolded her for doing so. He said that he just couldn't believe that he had her come and sit up front, and then all she did was talk on her cell phone! Too hysterical!! He talked about a few of the episodes of Good Eats, and a few of the characters. He discussed the usual questions mostly. Then it came time to get in the long, long line and await our turn with the man himself. I thought that I was going to have to nail Casey's feet to the floor. He had purchased the new book, I'm Just Here for More Food to have signed as we arrived. He had brought his other 2 along as well. He was ecstatic, when he learned he could have all 3 signed! After a lot of waiting and excitement, it was finally our turn! Casey asked Alton about cigars and they talked for a few minutes. I mentioned that I just loved his potsticker recipe and ate them by the dozens. Alton made 3 really nice inscriptions in Casey's books and then was nice enough to pose for a picture with both of us. Alton Brown is a genuinely sweet, nice, and very funny guy! He made sure that he visited with everyone and everyone that wanted a picture got one. I hope the rest of his book tour is successful.

That's enough from me this morning. I have some Bear stories to tell, but I'll leave that for this afternoon or tomorrow. Everyone have a great day!! I'll be updating the photoblog in a bit.
The long awaited meeting with Mr. Alton Brown. 

What a Day It's Been!!!

This day has completely started off all wrong!!! The higher ups at work started by giving Casey an unnecessarily hard time and keeping him late this morning. As you all know when Casey runs late getting home, I run late getting to work, because we share the car. Anyway, Casey was furious that it happened. He's in a really nasty situation at work right now, and would just love to find another position. I really hate it that he's so unhappy, and there's nothing that I can do for him. Anyway he finally got home, and after I got him calmed down, I sprinted for work. So here I am, late and hungry. I haven't even had my breakfast yet. Anyway, hopefully I'll get to wulf it down shortly. It's a good thing that Casey's got the next few days off, for I'm afraid that quite a few people would feel the wrath of his anger.

We are getting everything ready to go to Atlanta to meet Alton Brown on Monday. Casey's got his books at the ready for autograph purposes. I'm busy getting all of Bear's overnight things together to go to Kindred Spirits to stay. It's going to be such a running trip that packing shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to get the oil changed in the car tomorrow morning, since I'm off for the weekend, because of fall break. Today will probably be my last post until Wednesday of next week. Maybe I can squeeze one in on Tuesday. I gotta run and attempt to get some work done. I'm leaving early today for a friend's father's funeral. I'll try to make another post and get the photoblog updated before I leave. Everyone have a GREAT weekend!

Casey's hero, Alton Brown t-2 days and counting!

Happy Birthday Justin Hayward!!

Today is somewhat of a special, private holiday for me and many other Moody Blues fans. Today is lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Hayward's birthday. He's my VERY favorite celebrity. Such a talented songwriter and performer. My personal hero. Anyway, I'd just like to wish him a very happy day with hopefully many many more to come!

Acutally getting to meet my hero.

Sweet Thursday

My meeting with Barbara went fabulously. We went to a local place to eat here called Demos' Steakhouse. They have the best food in town, and I'm never disappointed. Aside from the great food, Barbara was wonderful company. We did a lot of catching up that covered about 10-12 years. It was so good to see her again. I'm glad that we are making an effort to stay in touch now. After about 3 hours, many giggles, and many hugs, we made our separate ways. I certainly wish her the best of luck with her new endeavor, and I hope to see her again around Christmas time.

There's not a whole lot going on here at work. I'm just trying to get some new things entered into the collection. Presently, I'm sitting here munching on my egg McMuffin. I know, not very healthy, but I was hungry. I ate dinner very early last night. I have about 4 more carts of textbooks backed up to enter into our online catalog today. At least I'll be busy, and hopefully the day will pass quickly.

I took Bear for a test run in his new riding harness last night. It was absolutely hysterical. The device worked very well. It is well padded in front with lambskin, to prevent injury in case of a crash. When I put it on Bear, it reminded me of what babies do when you put them in snow suits. You know, when they just hold their arms straight out and refuse to move. He just stood there with his front legs all stiff. When he did walk around the kitchen, he walked all stiff legged! It was so funny! I ran into the quick mart to get some junk food, and he was very well behaved. Last night was very wet and cool, so there was no danger in leaving him there for about 5 minutes. All in all, his test run was a success. He was very happy to have a big treat as soon as we got home. I gotta get to work and started on these carts. Back to the salt mines......

Bear modeling his new riding harness.

Interesting Day

Today is going to shape up to be a fairly interesting one for me. I am supposed to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends, Barbara, after work today. She is the friend that I got to visit with, when Casey and I were down in Orlando last summer. Anyway, she has parted ways with Disney and is planning on moving to Louisville in the next couple of weeks. She is passing through and is visiting her parents this week. We had lost touch for a few years, after we both got married, and she suprised me last fall by dropping by to visit me at work. Since then, we have kept pretty close touch. We have an interesting connection in our friendship. We met and became best friends in 6th grade, only to discover that we had a much deeper connection. Our birthdays are only a day apart, and we found out that our mothers had shared the same hospital room, when we were born. Pretty coincidental huh? Anyway, I'm looking forward to visiting with her today and catching up, before she begins her new venture.

Work is going to be pretty much the same today. I have quite a few things to get ticked off on my "to do" list. Hopefully, it will be enough to keep me busy for most of the day. I also have several things to do and accomplish before Casey and I leave for our "meet Alton Brown Day" in Atlanta. Casey has reached the almost ecstatic point already. Combined with meeting his favorite cook, I'm sure that he's looking forward to a few days off. He's only had 1 in the last 10 days. Bear is going to stay at Kindred Spirits with Jennie again. I'm sure he'll have himself a right "good ole'" time! He really enjoys getting to run around in the fenced areas. I've bought him a car riding harness. It will make it a little harder for him to roam around the car and on top of me, while I'm driving. That's about it on the homefront today. Gotta go get some work done. By the way, I'm updating the photoblog today with those pictures from the dog show I attended a few weeks back. Check them out!

Barbara and I in Orlando last summer.

New Week, New Start

After saying that I didn't have any weekend plans, I realized after I got home on Saturday, that I did, indeed, have a jam packed weekend scheduled. I woke up feeling much better on Sunday, and it was a good thing I did. I had forgotten that the humane association had our movie benefit night scheduled that night. My whole family and I turned up to find a packed movie theatre. It seems that the association did really well, despite such a short advertising period. The theatre was showing both Shark Tales and Taxi. We all chose to see Shark Tales. It was such a cute little movie, and it did make me laugh. Turns out we did really well with the fundraiser, so I'm sure we'll do it again next year.

Yesterday was the long day of appointments. I had to drop Lola off for her grooming appoinment at 8 a.m. yesterday morning. Then I had to get cleaned up and ready and to the optometrist's office by 10:30. After that, I picked Mom up and we headed up to her specialist's office in Nashville. We did manage to stop for a yummy lunch afterwards, and then race home. I had to make it back to town by 5 p.m. to pick Lola up at the groomer's. Needless to say, I wish I had another day off. Luckily, this is a short week for me. Our fall break on campus starts this coming Saturday through next Tuesday, Oct. 19th. We will be closed this weekend, making my work week short!! YAY! for long weekends! It's going to be crazy though. I have another optometrist's appoinment on Monday. Casey and I will be waiting for his cousin, Andrew, to get back in from South Korea, where he's been stationed for the past year. Afterwards, Casey and I will be heading down to Atlanta for a short trip of rest and relaxation. We are going to attend Alton Brown's latest book signing. For those of you who don't know, Alton is a chef on the Food Network that hosts a show called Good Eats. He is Casey's hero. That's where all of the fab recipes come from that Casey has been trying lately. Very interesting cooking show! I'm really looking forward to our little get away.

I have to say KUDOS to the Tennessee Titans for their Monday night win against Green Bay. After starting out in a season slump, we finally added another win to the column. Of course, I'm not going to let the fact that our only wins have been against Green Bay and Miami tarnish the win last night!! Well, I gotta run for now. TAH!

Back to Normal, Maybe?

On Thursday, I went from feeling bad to worse as the day wore on. By the time I left for home, I was pretty much done for the day. I did manage, however in my weakened state, to run one last errand for the husband and stop by the grocery. After trying to indulge in his fabulously cooked dinner, I began to realize that this was no passing health fad. I decided to turn in early. I just kept waking up all night thinking, "GEEZ, I feel horrible! Will this be gone by morning?!" Unfortunately, the answer from my body was a resounding, loudly screamed, "NO!". After attempting to prepare myself for work yesterday, I finally just gave up, called in, and went straight back to bed. There I lay, like a cold stone, until a little after 1 p.m. I finally heaved my dead weight up, and out from in between at least 3 cat bodies, and 2 dog bodies to head to the kitchen for a light lunch. I managed to throw together a half a peanut butter sandwich. I finally started to feel somewhat more human by about 6 p.m., and I did manage to finally get a whole meal down.

So, here I am at work today. Seems someone finally decided to replace the blown lights above my desk, and after having become accustomed to working in cavelike conditions, I'm blinded. It appears it's all or nothing in this place. So now, I'll have to rumage through my purse to get my sunglasses. Yes, folks, I'm a bit cranky and cynical today. I suppose I still don't feel quite right, even though I'm definitely better. I have a ton of work to get done before Monday, and if I don't get it finished today, I'll be back here tomorrow to make the deadline. I can't tell you how much that prospect thrills me. Anyhow, I don't really have plans for the weekend. It's supposed to be rainy, and all I can envision is lying in bed all weekend. I do have an appointment for my cocker-spaniel, Lola to be groomed on Monday. My clippers finally gave up the ghost, so until I get new ones, she gets the professional job. Afterwards, I get to make another check up visit to the optometrist to see how this bacterial infection is being erradicated in my eyes. So far, the progress has been good, but I've been warned that it's going to take a while. Well, I'd better run to try and meet that deadline. I'll try to get the photoblog updated sometime today. Sorry to have ranted, I promise that it won't happen often. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Moving Story

I received this moving piece in my inbox just a bit ago. I hope you all enjoy.

The Rescuers' Quilt

Author Unknown

As I arrived at the Bridge, I faced all the animals who had gone there before me. Before each of us go to the Bridge, we live our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles, mirrored in the eyes of the animals awaiting us. An animal Angel sits before each of us sewing our quilt squares together in a tapestry that is our life. But as my animal Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life as a rescuer that had been difficult, the challenges I was faced with in my quest to save lives and the times I had been tempted to take the easy way out and avoid the controversy rather than speak for the animals who could not speak for themselves. I saw hardships that I had endured for the sake of the animals, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My animal Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally, the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been with the riches of the Earth. My animal Angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter and the sweet kisses of the precious animals who honored my life with their presence. But there had also been the trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took me from their world as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights crying and praying that somehow the strength would come to go on, asking for help and guidance as I tried to help the helpless. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time enduring it for the sake of the animals who looked at me with trust and love in their eyes. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the animals gathered there, who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image of an animal who had depended on me. All the animals at the Bridge stood before me, with warmth and love in their eyes. They said, "Every time you gave over your life to help us, it gave us life. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let us shine through, until there was more of us than there was of you." May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing the animals to shine through. Author Unknown

Finally, A Moment

Today has been a strange day. I've been feeling kinda weird. I'm a hypoglycemic, and I stupidly skipped dinner last night. I've spent all day today trying to get myself straightened out. Not an easy task, since there's not a whole lot of nutritious foods to be found in the building. I think I may be feeling a little better. I haven't done too much today, besides try to get my brain unclouded.

I have found a cool service for dog lovers today. It's from dogtoys.com. It's a program to have yummy treats delivered right to your door on a monthly basis. Go here to check it and the available treats out. Sounds like a pretty nifty program, especially if your dog likes Greenies treats. My dogs absolutely go bonkers for those things. Casey and I refer to them as "crack for dogs". They are pretty expensive, but this website has pretty good prices on them. Well, I gotta run and attempt to get some work done. Tah for now!

Planning for the Holidays

As the fall months continue to march on, I find myself thinking about the upcoming holidays. I'm already starting to plan ahead in my mind. I'm thinking up shopping lists, holiday parties and events, getting cards made up and sent out, and decorating the house and a tree. Which reminds me, a tree should be a blast with 3 8 month old kittens! It will be a bit of a Christmas challenge no? I can't help it, I just LOVE Christmas! I like gathering with friends and seeing family. I love that warm, fuzzy feeling that the holidays bring to the house. Anyway, since I'm in this frame of mind today, I thought I'd share these instructions for gift wrapping that I received from one of my friends. Enjoy and everyone have a great day!

Wrapping Presents With the Help of Your Cat

1. Clear large space on table for wrapping present.

2. Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and close door.

3. Open door and remove cat from closet.

4. Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.

5. Go back and remove cat from cupboard.

6. Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc.

7. Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed.

8. Go back to drawer to get string, remove cat that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string.

9. Reopen drawer and re-remove cat.

10. Remove present from bag.

11. Remove cat from bag.

12. Open box to check present, remove cat from box, replace present.

13. Lay out paper to enable cutting to size.

14. Try and smooth out paper, realize cat is underneath, and remove cat.

15. Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.

16. Throw away first sheet as cat chased the scissors and tore the paper.

17. Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting cat in the bag the present came in.

18. Place present on paper.

19. Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize cat is between present and paper. Remove cat and retry.

20. Place object on paper to hold in place while cutting transparent sticky tape.

21. Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from cat with pair of nail scissors.

22. Seal paper with transparent sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.

23. Look for roll of ribbon. Chase cat down hall in order to retrieve ribbon.

24. Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn.

25. Re-roll ribbon and remove paper which is now torn due to cat's enthusiastic ribbon chase.

26. Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper.

27. Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper.

28. Put present in box and tie down with string.

29. Remove string, open box, and remove cat.

30. Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for lockable room.

31. Once inside lockable room, lock door, and start to re-lay out packing materials.

32. Remove cat from box, unlock door, put cat outside door, close door, and re-lock.

33. Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear cries from cat outside door.)

34. Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best.)

35. Discover cat has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of llast year's paper.

Remember that you haven't got any left because cat helped with wrapping last year.

36. Return to lockable room, lock door, sit on toilet, and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.

37. Seal box, wrap with paper, and repair by very carefully sealing tears with transparent sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.

Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork.

I Just Knew It!

I had meant to post this morning about a news story that I had heard over the weekend. My local news station ran a news story over the weekend report. They played back a 911 call that the Barefoot Bay, Florida dispatching center received during a recent hurricane. The caller was asking for help that her house was blowing in on them, while they were sheltering in a closet. She told the dispatcher that they didn't evacuate, because they had a blind dog they would not leave behind and no shelter would take them. I just knew there were people facing these types of scenarios. It was just heartbreaking to listen to the call. When all was said and done, the family and dog were o.k. I just wish there was something I could do to help more animal lovers in these types of situations. Hopefully, there will be more pet friendly shelters in the future.

Also, I've spent a little while this afternoon getting another power point presentation ready to be shown on our local cable channel. This one is for a annual night at the movies benefit. Unfortunately, it's occurring in less than a week. I hope that we can reach enough people for it to be a success. I've posted my slide below. Everyone have a great evening!

Another Week Started

Well, my fabulous days of leisure (my weekend) has come and gone. I have to say that it was extremely productive. I got a lot of cleaning done, a lot done at work, and some good rest in too. I just wonder why I feel so exhausted this morning. I can't seem to stop yawning. We have a visitor coming to work to check on our grant progress today, so that's what's on the work list. Otherwise, I haven't got anything else planned out yet. Seems that I'm going to be boring today. I say that hesitantly, because it usually turns out that I'm the busiest on those days. I think that I'll go poke around in the break room and try to get some coffee. Check back later, and hopefully, I'll have some more exciting details. TAH!

You've Got the Look

Well, I've given changing the templates a try. I was just trying for somewhat of a cleaner look. I'll let this sit over the weekend, so you all can tell me what you think. I'd love a snazzy template, but I just don't have the html knowledge to make something like that fly. Let me know if you all like this one or the older one better! Have a great weekend!

Saturday, Saturday!!

Finally, the end of the work week has come for me. There's definitely not anything on the agenda for today. It's absolutely raining buckets outside. I suppose that's o.k., because we haven't had any rain since those downpours from Ivan 3 weeks ago. Things are starting to get pretty dusty around here. After the rain moves on, we are supposed to get our first real taste of fall. Cool days in the 60's and nights in the low 40's and upper 30's. I always think it's exciting when the seasons begin to change. I look forward to the holidays and snow. I guess it's time to make up my preliminary holiday shopping list. Other than just daydreaming, there's not much else going on with me. I plan to do my usual weeknd thing, clean on the house and watch the Titans play. Monday, Casey and I are planning on having a day out and doing a little shopping. I'm really looking forward to that.

Even though I'm boring today, there are a lot of dog related events going on in surrounding areas. Nashville Humane Association is having their Dog Days in the Park at Centennial Park today. It's a little far to travel to during my lunch hour. I'm sorry that I have to miss it. There's also a couple of Blessings of the Animals going on at local churches today. One is right in my own hometown at the Episcopal Church. Unfortunately, it's at 2 p.m., so I won't be able to go and take all of my brood. The other is going on in Nashville at Christ Church Cathedral. Both of these events celebrate St. Francis of Assissi, the Patron Saint of Animals. It definitely sounds like an experience and a lot of fun. Hopefully, I'll be able to attend next year. I hope that everyone has a fabulous weekend!

October: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

Another month has come and gone in 2004! Where does the time go? I'm finally feeling on the mend. I acutally felt like doing a few things yesterday. Hopefully by the weekend, I'll be back to my old self. I had a wonderful lunch yesterday with my friend, Amanda. I hadn't seen her in about 2 years, so it was really nice to catch up over a good meal. Not much on the agenda for today. I have another lunch to attend. This time it's for my friend, Lynda's birthday. Who knows where we'll end up. Other than lunch and a few errands, there's not much on my plate. I'm sure that Bear will have other plans for me, since Casey and I went to Nashville to get crickets, and he didn't get his usual walk in last night.

October is ADOPT A SHELTER DOG month! Join with the American Humane Association to celebrate! If you are looking for a companion, please consider adopting your new friend from a local shelter. Many times, shelter animals are already trained! Tell your friends. Spread the joy! You never know when your new best friend is waiting around the corner!

Logo from American Humane Association