Oh Yuck!!

I feel slow and sluggish today! Like molasses in December. The weather is absolutely oppressive. All of the weather reports are saying that it's the hottest day that we've had in the past 3 years. This is more like the summers that I remember as a kid. Days so hot and heavy with humidity that you can actually feel the weight. We've been lucky the past couple of years. Our summers we've barely had to break a sweat and winters have been fairly mild. We've had ample rain, so everything has remained green and lush, until now. Of all of the days for the library's air conditioning systems to just stop working!! Isn't that the luck? I'm one of the lucky ones. Our building is run by two systems. My half of the building has air, but it's not as comfortable as it usually stays. Our half is making up for the other half's not having air, so it doesn't take much activity to get a bit warm.

Speaking of air conditioning problems, the shelter's dog room air conditioner has been out for the past couple of weeks. Well, not out exactly, but it's not cooling like it should. It's been making Casey's job very hot and miserable. I haven't talked to him today, but I can only imagine what it was like for him today. The doors stay open all day, so the dogs come and go outside as they please. The weather sure hasn't phased them. They are just so happy to be there. Last week, when we had the evening duty for a couple nights, I got to do a little more training with a few of them. The most wonderful thing about the shelter dogs is, for the most part, they are what we call "soft" trains. They are so eager to please and so thankful just to have the attention, that they are very fast learners. They sure do thrive off of the positive reinforcement. I secretly believe that is sometimes why people who do adopt from the shelter are so incredibly happy with their new family members. Most of the time, shelter dogs make such wonderful companions and fit in well to a household with other pets. They become very socialized at the shelters (our at least our shelter, where they get to run in the big outdoor pens together all day), and they adapt to new situations pretty quicly. I just wish everyone could see the American Mutt dog's wonderful personality! Gotta run. It's about to get busy here again! Everyone have a great afternoon!

Cuties at the Shelter

Very, very busy today. Too busy running here there and yonder to do a real post. So here's some new pictures of the shelter cuteness!! Hope you all enjoy and have a GREAT afternoon!!

I can help with the filing....REALLY!!!

I need a break!

I'm too cute for words!

Lots and Lots of kittens

Still too cute in my cuteness!

The Animal Hit Parade

Today, it's popular to use animals in advertisement. Click here to read an article posted on MSNBC to read the latest and also view some of the GREAT animal commercials!!

Drive-In Hijinks

Saturday night was just LOADS of fun. Our Mexican dinner was as fabulous as the company. We sat and visited for quite a while, before it was time to head for the drive-in. Finally we made our way just down the road, ready for a night of movie watching fun. Boy, we had NO idea how much fun we were about to have! I think that Melissa,Casey and I enjoyed what was going on in the surroundings more than we actually enjoyed the movie. We opted to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith backed with The Longest Yard. We took our little pop up chairs, so we could sit outside. There just happened to be an antique car cruise-in there, so we got to walk around and see all of the great cars, before the show. Anyway, it was absolutely packed. Right before the movie started, this Ford Explorer pulls up packed full of people. Apparently, they had traveled in with a caravan of other cars. They were desperate to park close to one another. The Explorer kept driving up and down the aisles, hunting a parking space. The problem was they kept passing by a perfectly good spot. Finally, the occupants of the caravan cars got out and started screaming at them to just park in that empty spot. It was close enough they could walk back and forth and visit. The driver screams back in a very slurred voice, "that space thar is jes' too small. I cain't get in thar!" None of us onlookers could figure out WHY he thought the space was too small. We all thought it was big enough to drive a semi truck through. After much shouting, screaming, and aggressive persuasion by his friends, the driver of the Explorer finally agreed and made his attempt (if that's what you want to call it) at parking in the empty space. After much backing, pulling foward, wheel turning, and cussing he was finally in the space. Only when he stepped out of the truck did we realize why his parking abilities were hampered. He was fall down, stinking drunk!! These people were just antsy I guess. Not a one of them could sit still. They put their chairs up and got something to eat. Then they kept getting in and out of the Explorer and opening and closing the back hatch. Finally, the woman he was with had had enough. She lost it and started just screaming at him to, "...stop moving around, to get up there in that seat and act like and adult!" Melissa, Casey and I were just absolutely dying laughing at them.

A little while later, Casey went to the concession stand to get me and Melissa a funnel cake. While he was gone, one of the pivotal parts of the movie happened and about 3 trains went by on the tracks across the road. Casey came back and wanted to know what he'd missed. We had to tell him, "We don't know. The train came by." The funniest thing of the night was watching Melissa try to find the hole for the straw in the gigantic Coke that Casey bought her. It was so dark out there, and she just kept stabbing the top of the lid! This went on for about 10 minutes, at which point I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stop. Needless to say, we had a GREAT time. We did make pictures, but Casey has the camera at the shelter with him today. So, I'll try to get them posted tomorrow. I think it was a fabulous send off for Melissa.

Not a lot going on today. I am meeting Melissa for one last lunch, before she leaves out on Thursday. Oops! Time to go! Everyone have a great afternoon!

When Distance Separates

It's finally Saturday!!! My most favorite day of the week. I'm happy and excited today, but today is a bittersweet occassion for me. You see, Melissa, one of my very best friends has made the decision to move back home where she grew up. I can completely understand her decision. I would hate to be so far away from my home and especially my family. While I'm very happy that she's going to be happy, I'm sad for me at the same time. I know that I'm going to miss her horribly! Melissa is one of those friends where you can truly be yourself ALL OF THE TIME. One of those wonderful, non-judgemental friends that loves you no matter what. She has the most wonderful sense of humor. During times when I'm down, I can always talk to her and visit with her and end up laughing (most of the time at myself!). She's a fabulous, caring person that means the world to me. Tonight Melissa, Casey, and I are going out for a last night of fun together. We are planning on heading over to Tullahoma to have some great Mexican food and drinks. Afterwards, we are going on out to one of my favorite places...yes here it comes...the drive-in!! I have no idea what we'll see. My beloved Star Wars: Episode III has left the drive-in after a long and happy run. I'm taking the camera with me, so we can make A LOT of pictures. I'm sure we'll be having so much fun that the pictures will be hilarious!! I'm sure that I'll look at those pictures a lot in the coming months. Hopefully, Melissa and I will keep in close touch. We talk to each other nearly every day now, so I don't see why that would change. We are already thinking up excuses to visit each other in the future. So, goodbye Melissa. I love you and I will no doubt miss you, but I hope most that you will be happy. Remember me down here in Tennessee!

I'm planning to hopefully hit the pool on Sunday. I'm definitely out of practice and out of shape, but you just gotta start somewhere. I've decided to start nice and easy with just some kickboard work. I know that I won't be able to stay out very long. The heat is just searing here, and the ozone warnings are out especially early. Besides, I've not really been out in the sun once this summer, and I don't won't to have that nice lobstery hue come Monday. I'll just really have to watch myself and be extra careful. It will be something nice to do to occupy my time, while Casey's at work on Sunday.

Jennie called me earlier in the week to let me know, ahead of time, that we are going to have a slamming day on Monday at the kennel. We've been booked solid now for the last couple of weeks, and it shows no sign of letting up soon. We are so full, in fact, that we have had to turn clients away for the week of July 4th. Jennie and I made the executive decision to be closed on July 4th, so we could enjoy the holiday too! I'm kind of dreading Monday a little bit, but not for the reasons you may think. I'm dreading it because it is supposed to be so incredibly hot! We spend a lot of time outside working with the dogs, and weather like this just zaps me and the dogs. I'll take plenty of water and wear cool clothes. Hopefully, that will help.

Mom is doing wonderfully after her surgery. It looks like she'll be back to her old self in no time. She's got an appointment with her surgeon on Tuesday so her progress can be checked. They are also going to discuss maybe doing surgery on her other eye. This one went so well, that she can hardly wait to have the other done. I'm so proud that everything worked out for her.

That's all from me for now. Sorry that I tended to ramble on today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Furry Co-Workers

It may get interesting around some offices and workplaces today. Once again, it is time for Take Your Dog to Work Day. I really wish the library would allow us to participate, but a library is not really conducive to bringing dogs in the environment. I'll just sit back and wait to celebrate until Monday. I'll just take Bear to Kindred Spirits with me. He's ALWAYS welcome to go there with me. I do think it's an incredibly fun idea. For those of you that missed my post a while back about this topic, there's a really great company called Replacements, Ltd. that allows their employees to bring their pets everyday. They are a company that specializes in selling discontinued china and silver patterns. Click here to go and see a big picture of the employees with their pets and their pet philosophy. I would love to work for a company like that. It would be too cool! If any of your offices are participating in Take Your Dog to Work Day today. Leave a comment to let me know how it went!!

Not much other than the usual going on today. Our busy time at work officially kicks off today. Casey and I are filling in for the afternoon shelter duty tonight. I'm looking forward to getting to see all of the shelter animals again. I really like to check in on them frequently. Since I update our shelter's Petfinder page, it helps me to really learn their personalities. I like to be as truthful as I can, when someone is inquiring about a possible pet. It helps to make much better matches.

The little town, Shelbyville, Tennessee, where I was born and raised, and where I still live, may become quite famous over the summer this year. Last year, a movie was shot on location based on a novel by a local author Cameron Watson. It's called Our Very Own There's a website about the plot along with the movie trailer here. The movie is set in our little town of Shelbyville as well. I watched the trailer yesterday, and coming from a small, quiet town it was weird to see places that familiar!! So, if you'd like to see some places that I see everyday, go and have a look see. On the website, there is this picture of "Charlie the Wonder Dog" on top of a car. It's such a fond memory for people my age from Shelbyville. You see, Charlie was something of a celebrity in our little town. He rode in every parade I ever went to growing up. It is such a kick to know that Charlie, the little celebrity dog from my childhood has achieved immortality!! Here's a blurb from our local paper, The Shelbyville-Times Gazette about Charlie...

The Dog of Top of the Car -- based on "Charlie the Wonder Dog," which rode around Shelbyville atop his owner's car in the 1970's -- is played by Rufus.

Click here for more background on the movie. Everyone have a great day!!

Talking Animals

I discovered a really cool thing this morning. Animal Planet now has these really neat e-cards that you can send to your friends. They are called Animal Blabbers. You can pick your animal and the phrase that you want it to say. Then, the animal will animate and say your phrase. There are several different voice types to pick from also. It's a lot of fun to play with. So, click the picture or log onto Animal Blabbers and have a go!

Fergie Fits In

I felt better yesterday than I have in the past week. It took until at least lunch time, before I stopped sounding like Darth Vader! Anyway, I hope that today brings even more good health. Mom's trip back to the opthamologist yesterday was very successful. There was no sign of any retinal problems, and the cataract surgery was deemed a success. She's just very excited that she's able to see well from her right eye again. All this time she thought that her left eye was really good, until yesterday. Now she realizes how much it has been affected too. She has her follow up with the surgeon next week. That's when they'll discuss when they want to do the surgery on the other eye. She can't wait to get the other one fixed now. She's actually been reading a lot of stuff without her glasses at all. They even told her that there's the possibility that she won't even need glasses after both surgeries are finished. I'm so glad that everything went well, and she's feeling good.

Not much else going on in the daily life. Work is starting to get really busy, but it's just that time of year. When everyone else slows down in the summer, we speed up. It's our busiest time of year. I'm sure that my posts will probably be quite a bit shorter for the next couple of weeks.

Fergie is still fitting into the household quite well. In fact, she seems to have brightened all the dogs' personalities. Even little Slate is a lot more animated. Bear and I were doing our daily howling ritual yesterday, and Slate decided that he just had to join in on the fun. Quite unexpectedly, he threw his little apple-domed head back and joined in the fun with us. It was absolutely hysterical. I just wish that I hadn't been the only one home to see it. I hope that he'll do it again for Casey. Here's some pictures of Fergie blending in quite well with her new family.

Fergie resting with her new siblings.

Fergie and her infamous "Woobie", which she carries EVERYWHERE!

Fergie and another of her favorite toys.

Awwwwwwwwwww!!!

I'm posting new photos over on the photoblog today. They are of new kitten and other animals at the shelter. Everyone go and have a look. I hope everyone has a great day!!

Because I Really Am A Geek!

Since I've been in such celebration of Star Wars: Episode III, I've added a Sith Snapshot button in the sidebar. I just couldn't seem to help myself. The pictures are from the movie and update daily. To see the full archives, just click on the button. I hope those of you out there that share in my geekiness enjoy!!

I'm Back

That little scratchy, sore throat just about did me in last week. I'm still feeling the after effects today. I ended up going to the doctor twice trying to get better!! I feel that I've been out of circulation forever. Not much to report in my abscence, except lots of sleep, meds, and general lying around trying to feel better. I'm just so frustrated, because I feel that I've lost a good week of my life and a lot of things have gotten behind!! UGHHHHH!!!

Mom had her cataract surgery yesterday. Everything went really well. She was able to take her patch off at 6 p.m. last night. She was already commenting on how much better she could see everything. She was already reading small print (without her glasses even!). So, I'd say the surgery was a huge success. She's got a recheck at the doctor's office this morning at 8:45. Casey is taking her, since I really didn't need to be off from work any more. I'll be checking in with her in a couple of hours to see how everything went. Sorry for such a short update, but I've got a ton of stuff to catch up. I'll try to make another post this afternoon! Hope everyone has a good day!

Scratchy and Sore

Well, I woke up this morning with a sore, scratchy throat. I'm not sure if it's just my allergies wreaking havoc on me again, or if I'm really coming down with something. I've been headache-y all morning too, but that's nothing unusual for me. It seems as the day goes on, my throat keeps gettin more and more sore. Needles to say, I've had days that I've felt better. It also could be because I'm really tired today. In the last two nights combined, I've had about eight hours of sleep. I've not had insomnia or anything pressing, it just seems that I've had this HUGE energy burst the past month, so I've just been really hyperactive. Casey brought home the new Star Wars: Episode III game last night, so I stayed up watching him play. It has really cool movie clips and graphics, so it was really hard to stop watching I'm planning on going straight home today and getting in a good nap, before I try to walk Bear. Hopefully, that will help the problem. I'll also take my second allergy pill too, which I usually skip. I don't really feel sick other than that, so hopefully, this all will just go away soon!!

Not much of anything else going on today. I hope everyone's having a great day so far! I'll be back tomorrow with a more interesting post, hopefully.

Hot, Hot, Heat HOT!!!!

I'm back after a rather hot, wilty weekend. Saturday and Sunday weren't so bad heat wise, but yesterday and today are killers!! Saturday night, since Casey and I weren't able to go to the drive-in, we decided to see Madagascar at our little local theatre. What a GREAT movie!!! I laughed the entire time! If you haven't seen it already, this movie is a MUST!! It seems that Casey and I can have such a good time, just seeing a movie! Sunday was pretty much a lazy day. Casey was off, so we slept in and had a big breakfast. Casey spent the day playing on his PS2, and I got some laudry caught up and watched a couple of movies. Yesterday was my day at Kindred Spirits. I just can't believe how hot and miserable it is here. The temp isn't the problem. It's just like the old saying, "...it's the humidity". We had temps in the low 90's with the heat index in the upper 90's. It's just hard to even get a good deep breath, when you are outside in this. Today the high is supposed to be around 93 or 94 with a heat index near 100!! I just came in from outside and my clothes are soaked. I was out there for about 10 minutes tops! Before 11 a.m, it's already 86 degrees with the heat index of 91!! So yesterday, I ended up doing quite a bit of outside work. I tried to make sure that I took plenty of water breaks and didn't stay outside too long at a time. Yesterday afternoon, Jennie and I really wanted to take a couple of dogs to the little local park and work them. We drove all the way out there, only to find that there wasn't that much shade. So, we ended up only working them for maybe 5-10 minutes. We just couldn't take the afternoon heat. It is just smothering out there! I did end up taking Bear for his walk last night. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. before we went out. Even with dusk falling, it was still stifling! When I finally got home last night, I felt like I had been baked from the inside out.

Today my only goal is to stay as cool as possible. I need to go across campus to update some paperwork, but I'm certainly not walking to do it. I think I just take my car across and plug the meter. Being cool is worth the quarter in my opinion. Plus, I don't want to spend the rest of the afternoon all hot and sweaty.

One of my mailing lists had a really cool website today. It's called PetsTV.com It promotes humane education and has LOADS of dog and cat related websites. My favorite so far is the Dog Chefs of America website. Go check them all out! They are way too cool (and isn't that what it's all about today??)!!!

Arlene Ain't My Friend

As I drove home from my sunny work location, I realized there was a bit of weather ahead. That's right, drove right smack dab into thunderstorms going home yesterday. Even though they were the ones of the pop up variety, they were just the precursor of what was to come for my weekend. It seems that Arlene's coming to "rain on my parade" today. In other words, she's spoiling my weekend drive-in plans. Casey and I were planning to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith backed with a showing of yes, you probably already know this, Star Wars: Episode III. But for just $5 you can't hardly lose! I consider it like getting to see Star Wars for free....besides, I just like it PERIOD!! Anyway since we are in Arlene's direct path, we have been getting rain since I woke up this morning. By this afternoon, we are supposed to be getting downpours. Just not very conducive to drive-in movie watching. Casey and I figured that this might happen, so we made back up plans just in case. I think we'll probably go to our little local theatre, The Capri Twin Theatre (which by the way, is owned by the same people that own the drive-in) to see Madagascar. I think that I'll probably get my "Sith" fix on Sunday. My mother wants to see it too. You see, the Star Wars films are like a family tradition with us. Until my father passed away, my entire family watched them together. We've tried to carry on that tradition, so now it's mine and Casey's turn to go see it with Mom. My brother will probably come back with us too. So, we've decided that Sunday is the day. Casey had nixed the fried chicken idea last night and decided to go with it tonight instead. So, I'm looking forward to a nice home cooked meal tonight and a movie. He's made up a fresh fruit salad to go with it that I'm looking forward to as well.

Because of the rain, my walking plans with my friend, Elaine, had to be postponed as well. We were hoping for tonight, but it looks like all walks are off until at least Monday. Bear had a huge case of let-down last night. I thought it had stopped raining, so I got Bear all leashed up and ready for his walk. As I headed down the back steps, I realized that it was STILL raining too hard for our walk. So, I took him out in the back yard to do his usual. He was quite disappointed. He just kept standing there waiting for the walk to happen. I felt so bad for him. Maybe it will stop just long enough for us to get a quick walk in, but I doubt it. Anyway, the lack of walks and the short visits into the yard have made the animals very restless. They've been underfoot a whole lot. Bear and Fergie have been playing non-stop just get all of that pent up energy out. It's a wonder that I don't have more broken stuff the way they are playing. Casey will probably be at his wits end by the end of the day. He's off today, so he'll get to witness the play fest all day.

I'm doing my normal work with this coming week. Monday, I'll be at the kennel and Tuesday will find me back at work. I can't wait to see how much Maggie May (Angel) has accomplished this past week. She was doing so well last week. I'm also curious to find out if her pending adoption is still in the works. I hope for nothing but the best for her. She's had such a terrible life, that she deserves happiness and health.

Today is just the usual. I've got some regular work to finish up. Then, I need to work on a project for Kindred Spirits. I'm meeting my friend, Melissa, for lunch today. We are trying to squeeze in as many lunches as possible right now. She is moving back to her hometown at the end of this month, so we are making the most of our time. She's one of my closest friends, and I'll miss her so much!! I sure am glad that modern communication makes it so easy to stay in touch. It seems that I have my day rather cut out for me. Guess I'd better get cracking. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!! And now, just because I like it so much, and I just want to there's this:

Happy Friday!

Not a whole lot going on today. Everybody in the office is like little busy beavers today. We've all got our little projects that we are working to finish. Unfortunately, I don't have much exciting to report from home. I was so tired yesterday for some reason that I can't explain. When I got home, I just didn't do anything. I didn't even go for Bear's walk. I just napped. I did get up and managed to make myself a sandwich for dinner. Casey and I watched a couple of movies, and that's about it. I do know that Casey is actually cooking us dinner tonight. He's making his famous fried chicken!! YUM!! I'm going walking with my friend Elaine tonight. She lives in my neighborhood, and we both walk our dogs together. Hopefully, it will cool down a little bit. It has just been so hot and miserable lately. The humidity has been relentless this past week. Just a few minutes outside and the sweat just pours off of you. So I've been waiting until nearly 8:00 p.m. every night, before I walk Bear. I'm sure that Casey and I will be watching more movies tonight. Free movies are a really nice perk from his job. Even when we are totally broke, we are entertained. We are starting to make our weekend plans. I suppose that we'll be going back to the drive in on Saturday night. I've got to hop over to their website to see what's playing this weekend. We had wanted to go into Nashville for dinner, but Country Music Fan Fest is going on this week, so Nashville's packed. It's just best to steer clear of downtown for this weekend. Well, I better get back to work on my project. Everyone have a great afternoon!!

I Love A Happy Ending!!

Stories like this make all of the shelter work and volunteering worth while. This is my friend Elaine and her dog Sunshine. They are one of my shelter's happy endings!!

Elaine and Sunshine

Hi,

My name is Mr. Sunshine Henderson. My life hasn’t always been happy but is it ever now. You see, I was abandoned and abused and thrown out but that’s not the real story.

You see, my Mom had just been through a terrible tragedy. She had just buried her first little boy and she was so very sad. After she realized that life did not have to be that way, Mom called our vet and talked to his secretary, Angela. Angela called Miss Kitty at the shelter where I was temporarily staying only to find out that I was exactly what Mom needed and wanted. On a Monday morning, Mom came out to the shelter to “check me out”. Well, we fell in love instantly!

Now remember, I had had a few rather hard days at the shelter. What with a new space to stay, then having to have shots, getting some kind of surgery done (guess little boys shouldn’t ask) and then back to the shelter. So when Mom got me home it was both exciting and very scary. I didn’t know what to do, so I would run and hide in a corner for safety. Mom came and got me several times but I would always run back to my corner of safety. Then Mom picked me and took me to our Lazy Boy Chair, held me close to her heart (I could actually hear her heart beating) and hummed to me. It was then that I knew this is real!!!!!! Only Mom didn’t know what my name should be. So while I was cuddled in her arms and she was humming softly to me, she said that the song “You Are My Sunshine” came into her head. All at once she said “Honey, that’s your name because you have brought the sunshine and light back into my life when everything was dark and black”.

Having said all of this, needless to say I am one happy little pooch and my Mom is so happy she has to pinch herself sometimes.

What more could a boy and his Mom want than total, unconditional love!!!!!!!!! Am I ever lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Back In Gear!!

Wow!! I didn't mean to wait this late to get a post done today. Once again, I didn't get around to the Audio Blogger posting. I did actually think about doing it, but I never could decide what I wanted to say. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Our weekend was very good. I did get Fergie her "woobie". That dog is totally "woobie" driven. I had no idea how much, until I got home on Saturday. I didn't even have it out of the bag, before she had it and immediately began playing. She carries it around in her mouth constantly. Casey and I have made several really cute pictures of her with it. I couldn't find the camera this morning, so I think Casey must have taken it with him to the shelter. I ended up getting a completely different "woobie" than I'd planned. I didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it in shreds in mere moments. So, I bought a cheaper one to start. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough sense to buy two of them. Bear is also obsessed with the "woobie". Casey and I have been so into Star Wars: Espisode III lately, that the "woobie" has ended up with a Star Wars-esque name. We've lovingly named the "woobie" Chewed Bacca. If you've ever heard that funny rock song "Chewbacca...what a wookie", well that's how we came up with it. Hopefully, I can post some "woobie" pictures tomorrow.

Saturday night we went out to The Montana Drive In to celebrate my brother's birthday. He wanted to see the new Star Wars, so I was of course at liberty to oblige him. Casey and I enjoyed it more the second time. We noticed a lot of stuff that we'd missed the first time around. We had a wonderful dinner, from the concession stand of course. Also, it was prize night. Casey and I had a winning ticket and won ourselves a brand new life jacket!! Since we don't boat, I have no idea what we are going to do with it. We all had funnelcakes at the end of the night. I just can't believe what a good time we all had. Casey and I will probably be back again this coming Saturday night.

Sunday was just a lazy day for me. I did get some house cleaning done, as well as the laundry. Casey and I watched a couple of good movies on the pre-release view he has from work. We watched Be Cool and Beyond the Sea. Beyond the Sea was by far my favorite. It's the story about Bobby Darin. It was so good, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Monday was my regular kennel day. It was the usual. I got a lot of work in with Maggie May (Angel). She's doing really well. Jennie's mother-in-law has decided to adopt her, when her training is finished. I've got my fingers crossed that they will make a good match. She's looking for a good dog to have our on her farm. That afternoon, Jennie and I went and had new shirts designed for our upcoming obedience classes. The design guy is working something up for us to have in the next couple of days. We are really excited about getting our new classes going again. We've decided to really advertise for the rest of June and begin the new classes in July.

Yesterday was Mom's appointment with the eye surgeon. They gave her a very thorough eye exam. The surgeon confirmed that it was definitely time to have the surgery. They've scheduled her for June 21st. We've got all of her paperwork and measurements already done. The procedure is really simple and doesn't take long at all. Mom has one complication. She was born with a weakened spot in her retina. Any kind of blow to the head or sudden trauma could cause her retina to detach. The risk of the surgery could bring it on as well. He did say that with an additional surgery, they could repair it. I know that he had to tell us the risks, but it just makes a little nagging worry at the back of my mind though. Hopefully, she'll come through just fine, and she'll be able to see a whole lot better. You all keep your fingers crossed for us.

Well, I have to run and catch up on some work. I hope everyone is having a great afternoon!!

Summer Time Drive In Movies!!

Whooohooo!!! It's finally Saturday (my Friday)!! I can't wait to get the weekend kicked off. Work was fairly normal today. Nothing big to be accomplished. We are in a very slow time right now. We lovingly refer to it as, "the calm before the storm..." In a couple of weeks, we'll be so busy that we'll forget to breathe. Tempers will be flaring, sanity will be lost, and I'll be making for the pool after work like a tadpole with its first bit o' tail!! So, I'm trying to make the most of the quiet time.

I've got a mission to accomplish today. I'm planning on going by PetSmart to get Fergie her very own toy, or what we refer to as "woobie". She just loves stuffed animals. I have a pair of Eeyore head slippers that I keep just beside the bed. Fergie sees the big Eeyore heads

and thinks they are her very own personal "woobies". She's so very dainty with them. She doesn't try to destory them, but does carry them around all over the house. It wouldn't bother me except that poor Eeyore is getting a little bald and it makes for rather damp footwear at times. So today, I am in search of a suitable "woobie" replacement. What do you guys think? This one or this one? I'm not sure. Guess I'll make a decision in a bit.

Tonight, Casey and I are going back to The Montana Drive In. Tomorrow is my brother's birthday, so we are treating him to a double feature and dinner. It was full by the time we got there last week at 7:10 p.m., so we are going to try to get there earlier tonight. That way, things won't be so rushed. Looks like I will finally get to Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of Sith again. It's his birthday, so we thought we'd be polite and let him pick. So, as long as the weather holds out, we are on for the movies!! I'm really looking forward to it, because Casey and I had such a great time last week. No sign of rain, but it is hotter than hades here today. Well, I guess it's the humidity making it so misearble. It's rather excessive today.

I'm sure that I'll probably just be lounging around tomorrow recovering from the late night. I'm going to attempt to motivate myself to do the week's laundry and hopefully clean the house up some. I need to shampoo the carpets soon!! Monday is my day at the kennel. I can't wait to see everything that Maggie May (rescued dog Angel) has accomplished the past week. I'm lucky that I get to be a big part of her training. I'll have Tuesday off from work, so hopefully, I'll remember to try out the Audio Blogger feature. Mom's got a cataract on her eye that has really been bothering her, so we are going to the opthamologist to schedule her surgery on Tuesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the simple procedure that everyone says it is.

Well, I'd better run on and find that "woobie" now. Everyone have a great weekend!!

Wanna Go Walkies??!!!

It's still a bit cloudy today. All of this wet, gloomy weather has left me in a perpetual sleepy state. I feel like I'm going through a fog today. Luckily, I just noticed as I passed by the window, that the sun is finally starting to peek back out. All this rain is just supposed to "git on outta here" by this afternoon. It's supposed to get really hot and summer like over the weekend, which really means humid and miserable. Work was really, really draggy today. Nothing much of anything going on at all. Casey is off tonight, so we'll probably go snag us some fresh films to watch. I think that Casey might actually whip up something for dinner tonight. He works so much at night now, that it's a real treat to get one of his home cooked meals.

I'll probably try my best to get Bear out for his walk tonight. Last night, like the night before, we ended up out walking in the rain. It always seems to pour, when we are at the furtherst point from the house. This time, I didn't even attempt to hurry. The kid in me just had that "summery" feeling. The rain was warm, and I just wasn't in a hurry to get back in the house. It's been an awfully long time, since I had that feeling, even if it was just for the moment. It made me think of all of those long summer evenings, when it would be so hot that the brief summer flash floods would pool up in the low place in the back yard. As soon as the thunder would stop, all of us kids would race out barefoot to run into it. Many a water fight and chases were started that way. It is such a fond memory of mine, that it was nice to be reminded by the rain. Maybe that's why I just didn't want to go inside. It's amazing to me how many things cross my mind, while I'm out walking with Bear. I get to visit, have fond memories, and just generally relax. I used to dread the thought of going for a walk every day, but now I find that I dread the thought of NOT going. Everyone have a great evening. I'll be out on my walk.

WHAT???!!!!

I saw this posted over on You Are A Dog this morning. You all know that I really don't like to discuss politics, but I just couldn't let this one go by. Animals in Iraq need our help. It seems that the Federal Government has issued a "shoot to kill" order on all of the dogs and cats that our American troops have befriended. Now, everyone knows how valuable animal companionship can be, especially in stressful times. I think it is absolutely deplorable to think that our government could do such a thing!! The Humane Society of the United States is asking for our help to repeal this horrific order. In many states, shooting an animal is a criminal offense!! If you feel as strongly about this matter as I do, vist the HSUS website or click below to take action!

Take Action Today: Tell President George W. Bush, our Commander in Chief, to order Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reverse the policy on pet keeping among U.S. troops.

Rainy Day Today

I forgot to mention the June news yesterday. June is Adopt-A-Cat Month. Visit Petfinder.com, The American Humane Association, The Humane Society of the United States, or your local shelter's websites for more information. If your looking for a cat companion, please consider adopting a shelter cat! It'll leave you Feline Groovy!!

Here's one of my shelter's cute adoptables. Doesn't it look like he's up to something??

It's been so gloomy the past couple of days. I guess that I really shouldn't complain. We had the third driest May in history here. The grass and flowers look like they usually do around the middle of August. We just had showers yesterday and it's drizzled on and off for most of the day today. I did manage to get Bear's walk in yesterday. As we were on the very last leg of it, it started to pour. Of course, Bear decided that he just had to hike his leg on all of his usual spots along the way. That dog could walk in the middle of a hurricane, and it wouldn't bother him one bit! Casey also walked Fergie with us part of the way last night. It was her first walk with us. I was excited. She really did well and didn't seem spooked at all. She's just a happy little camper, as long as she's with Bear. Casey and I were talking last night about how well she's fit into our little group. We are thinking that she may become a permanent foster with us. We've still not totally committed, and we are still looking for a great home for her. (Melissa, are you reading this?) We are trying to keep our empty slot empty, just in case we have trouble finding Angel/Maggie May a home. I hope to get some great pictures of her to post in the next couple of days. I talked to Jennie yesterday afternoon, and she is really taking to her training well. She's going to make someone an EXCELLENT companion!

After the walk, Casey and I hit the drive through at KFC to get some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. We both wanted comfort food, but neither of us felt like cooking. We watched a movie that we had rented, and then I promptly fell asleep. About once a week, I have one of those nights that I just can't seem to stay awake. It's been one of those extremely slow work days today. I'm waiting for the other part of the department to produce, so I can start my part of the process. I've got this HUGE manual, about 2,000 pages, that I need to get hole punched and put into a binder. I'm avoiding that task like the plague. It's a manual just for my information, but I still dread punching all of those holes. Casey has to work tonight, so I'll probably go and switch out movies. Hopefully, I can find something interesting to watch. I'll probably whip myself up some tortellini for dinner. Who knows? I hope that everyone has a good afternoon!

So Much to Tell...So Little Time

I profusely apologize for my lack of Audio Blogger posts over my time off. To be quite honest, I completely forgot about it. Not to mention that I forgot to take the number home with me. I can be quite loser-y at times. Our weekend break was just so busy that I didn't hardly have any time to catch my breath. AT THE MONTANA DRIVE IN

Picture through our blurry window. We really gotta clean that before this weekend!! There was actually a little dog hanging out of that car window that I was trying to get on film!

Casey and I did end up going to the Montana Drive In on Saturday night. I honestly can't say when I've had so much fun for such a cheap price! We ended up watching The Longest Yard and Monster-In-Law. The view after dark, before the movie started, was breathtaking!! The food was fabulous!! Casey had the BBQ sandwich. I had the hand-dipped, humongous corn dog. We each had a soda and shared an x-large popcorn. Our entire night out only cost $25!! What a deal!! The movies didn't start until dark. So by the time our second show was over and we got home it was nearly 1:30 a.m.!! It made me feel so old! I was completely wiped out on Sunday. Casey didn't have to work until 3:30 p.m., so we spent all day just recovering. We've decided to make it a weekend thing during the summer!!

Casey worked his regular shift at the shelter on Monday, andI worked a half a day at Kindred Spirits . Jennie and I wanted to get out of there to enjoy the holiday. We did all the cleaning faster than ever!! I got to start training the little Blue Heeler, Angel, that we rescued. We've changed her name to Maggie May. She's just the cutest, most friendly little dog, and she's so eager to please. I worked with her on the "sit", "down", and "sit pretty" commands. She is a good little learner and very quick too!! She had them all mastered in about 30 minutes!! Such a smart dog!! I'm looking forward to a lot more work with her.

When I got home from the kennel, some of my and Casey's high school friends had stopped by for a visit. He and his wife stayed for about 2 hours. After they left, we had the homemade tacos that Casey had whipped up for lunch. I had just settled down to watch some t.v., and Casey had headed to the bedroom for a nap. Just about then, both of our phones started to ring. It was Casey's two cousins, Andrew and Eli. They were in the area and wanted to drop by and visit with us. If you'll remember, Andrew was the one whose girlfriend, Lupe, was killed in a car accident back in March. Andrew had some time off from Ft. Campbell, where he's in the Army, so they were on the way back from a road trip. We had planned on a cookout with my brother and Mom, so we just expanded the guest list. We all had a really nice visit!

Firing Up the Grill..MMMMMMM!

Andrew, Eli, and me.

Eli, Casey, and me.

Yesterday, Casey and I went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Chef Chen's for lunch. Just as we were leaving, we got a call from out shelter lady about the dog, a Border Collie named Missy, that had escaped on Saturday. This dog is an escape artist!! She's escaped from every home she's ever lived at. Anyway, someone had spotted the dog. So, Casey and I headed out to help catch her. It took about an hour and three other people, but we were finally successful. We were so glad to get her back unharmed. Afterwards, I just watched movies and Casey went into work.

Nothing major going on today. Just catching up on my work stuff. I'm signing off for now. Hope everyone has a great evening!!