Monday Morning Chrissy

 

This is what a set of slippers look like in a house with dogs .

No Lunches with Lisa

If you've been following me for a few years now, you know I used to have a regular feature called, "Lunches with Lisa". Lisa is my older sister and we found ourselves working at the same hospital, just a few floors apart and started having lunch together regularly. It was nice because we've never been especially close but this gave us the opportunity to become closer.

Fast forward to 2014. Neither of us work at the hospital anymore and we not only don't have lunch together, but we don't even speak. My parents had the foresight to put their house in both of our names long before either one of them got sick. That was to ensure that if they needed nursing home care, we would never lose the house if funds ran out.

When Mom died three years ago, we debated about what to do with the house. Lisa wanted to sell it but I wasn't really ready to let it go and it was so outdated, that we wouldn't have gotten anywhere near what it was worth anyway. We decided that I would move into it, rent my house out and pay Lisa "rent" since I couldn't afford the chunk of change to buy her out. I would then sell my house when the market turned.

I took about a year clearing out all of my parents' clothes and possessions (with no help) while I still lived in my house, paid my mortgage on that house and paid taxes and utilities on my parents' house. Then, assuming I would be living in the house for a long time, I put on a new roof, new windows, updated the bathroom, carpeted the family room and refinished the hardwood floors. I moved in back in 2012.

My sister decided to make a career change after not working for a few years and now works for a doggy day care. She really loves it but unfortunately, they don't pay squat or benefits, so she's struggling. That's what happens when you don't work at all for two years. About 11 months ago, she demanded that I sell the house and I refused. I told her that I was paying her as we agreed and that I would sell the house in a year or so before I moved out of state.

Not good enough.

She calls me a few days before my payment is due to her to "remind" me, which I find insulting. The few times that I had to pay a few days late resulted in some insanely ugly exchanges between us and now we barely speak at all. I bought her a birthday present in April and she said that I should have given her the cash instead. I didn't even get a card for my birthday.

A few weeks before Thanksgiving, she left me a message saying, "Go ahead and make plans for Thanksgiving, I'll be working." It annoyed me but when Thanksgiving got closer, it just saddened me. I didn't tell any of my friends that I had no plans because I didn't want a pity invite. I called Lisa around 3:00 to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving and what do you know? She was home. It was the first time in 48 years that I didn't spend Thanksgiving with family and it was heartbreaking.

As much as I don't want to, I've decided to sell my parents' house. My renter's lease is up in a few months so I'll just not renew it and move back in there. I really can't afford the expense of moving right now but I feel backed in a corner. I'm hoping that I get back some of the money I put in with a higher sale price but the market still isn't great so it's not likely. It's going to be difficult moving into a smaller house with an extra dog and I'm worried about Vinny trying to make his way back home to this neighborhood to hang out with all his buddies.

It's just a lot of headaches but I want my sister back.

Monday Morning Dino

My poor Dino has a had a rough couple of days.

We here in Cleveland got socked with snow followed by an ice storm. I took him out for a walk on Thursday and when he came in, he was limping. I looked at his paw and it was all red and inflamed between the pads. He wouldn't let me touch his paw and he howled in pain. My sweet Dino never complains about anything.

So I made an appointment to take him to the vet that day. My  new manager was SUPER understanding and let me leave for an hour and  a half to take him. When we got there, they took him in the back and I could hear him just wailing in pain. It was awful!

When the vet brought him back, he said that he thinks he has a puncture wound which could have been caused by the ice. He told me to keep an eye on it and he gave me pain meds and antibiotics. Dino being Dino still barked his head off when he smelled another dog in the waiting room.

"Ms. Starr, would you mind taking Dino to the car and then coming back to check out?"

Ahhh...the life of a beagle mom.

The swelling has gone down but he's still limping so there might be something actually impacted in his paw. If it doesn't get better tomorrow, I'll have to take him back for x-rays.

Secondhand Sunday

Sundays are my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel. So funny to read this again. My little stinker hasn't changed much!

"Monday Morning (Peanut) Dino"

Original post date: August 15, 2011

So...about Peanut Dino.

Much like an overweight person who watches the Food Network, I spend my lunch hour perusing homeless Beagles on Petfinder.com. I just can't seem to stay away. On this particular day, I came across this ad:



Peanut is approx 4 years old , neutered and up to date with shots as well as heartworm and flea control . We have been hoping his separation anxiety would subside with time but we have had him a year and seems to have gotten worse . We also have a baby on the way and it's just too much for me, and I don't have the time and energy he deserves and requires. He is excellent with kids of all ages and other dogs. His temperament is actually very laid back (until you leave )! lol He would probably do best with someone who doesn't work long hours or not at all. Let me know if you can help ... i'm running out of time and cannot bear to take him to the pound : ( Tracy

He needed me! Now, I was torn because it was so soon after Bern and I almost felt like I was betraying her. And the dynamic with Millie and Vinny seemed to be working so I didn't think I should rock that boat, either.

Well, then I went to see him and it was all over. He was TOO cute for words and when I sat on the ground, he climbed into my lap and put his head on my knee. Game over.

Knowing that he had separation anxiety (like Bernie did when I first got her), I did all the things that I had done for her.

Comfort Zone plug in:


"Pheromones emitted by animals through their skin and glands are natural chemicals that help them to communicate with others of the same species. When your dog or puppy senses the pheromone, he feels secure and comfortable, reducing his fear reactions and his urge to act out destructively through chewing, excessive barking or house soiling."

Bach's Rescue Remedy for Dogs:

RESCUE Remedy® is the #1 natural reliever of everyday stress. It is a blend of five of the 38 Bach® Original Flower Remedies and is proven to be as helpful with animals as it is with people. For an immediate calming effect in any tense or stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behavioral problems.

Creature Comforts CD:



Just Chillin CD:



Since work has been so stressful lately, I took one of the CD's to work with me but it ended up being a little awkward when I tried licking my balls during a meeting.

I was armed and ready for Peanut Dino!

Or so I thought.

The first night, he chased poor Vinny ALL NIGHT LONG.


"Wake me when he stops chasing Vinny."

I thought, oh boy, he's got to go back. But Vinny being the cool cat he is, put him in his place and told him how it was gonna be.



Now, Vinny's even sleeping in Peanut Dino's bed.


"What's that, Dog? This is your bed? Ha! You mean, this WAS your bed."

Day one of being alone, Peanut Dino went into my pantry (with a broken latch on the door) and ate a entire box of Trader Joe's dog cookies and a bag of Beneful treats.

Day two, he knocked over the kitchen garbage and tore the grill off the bottom of the refrigerator. And his collar was nowhere to be found. I still have no idea where it is so he's wearing Bernie's girly collars.

Day three, I drove up and only saw Millie in the window. When I opened the door, I heard a distant, Woooooooo....Wooooooooo....

He must have been sniffing behind the door in my wardrobe room and locked himself in. This is what the window in the room looked like:



I thought to myself, well, at least he didn't chew on my clothes or shoes.

Day four, here he is in the window as I drove up.



And if you look closely, there's my Born sandal on the window sill behind the couch. So much for not chewing my shoes.



Day five, I bent down to kiss him and thought, hmmmm....he smells like chocolate. When I went in the kitchen, there was hot chocolate mix all over the floor.

There's no way he's four years old. If anything, he's two. His behavior is way too puppy like. I wasn't sure if I could do this but he's so darn cute and cuddly when he's being good that I guess I'll keep him. He seems to be keeping Millie young and maybe he'll liven me up, too!

Not again!

Okay, I know it's not Secondhand Sunday, but I bit my lip again today and decided to share the history of my lovely (?) bite with you.

Published July 9, 2009


I was eating an apple tonight and bit my lip. In the same place that I've bit my lip at least three other times today and twice yesterday. I know people who occasionally bite their lips or tongue. I, on the other hand, do it constantly because my bite is so misaligned. I've even considered having my jaw broken and reset.

When I was young, the dentist suggested that I get braces.

"There's nothing wrong with her teeth, Jean, we aren't doing it," my father argued.

"Maybe there is, though," my mother replied.

"Ridiculous! They're just trying to make money. Crooks!"

Here's a picture of me as a child.



My parents were both Depression era babies and still think a loaf of bread should be a nickel. My mother isn't as bad as my father who thinks everyone is out to screw him. When I told him about Bernie and how much the tests were to diagnose her, his response was to get a second opinion to be sure the vet wasn't just trying to make money off us. Crook!

My father's frugality brings us back again to my continually swelling lip caused by my ridiculously uneven bite. I've always been a voracious masticator so it generally doesn't take more than one chomp to do damage. Once, I had bitten down so hard that I thought I was going to pass out from the pain of my self-inflicted wound. My lip swelled so large and turned so purple that when I went to work the next day, I lied and told everyone that my neighbor's dog had bit me. Woof.

Each time this happens, I touch my finger to my lip to check for blood, mutter "son-of-a-bitch" and then hold my finger out to gaze at my latest DNA sample. My father will still argue to this day that I have beautiful teeth because I never had braces.

Yes, I am glad that my teeth look relatively normal from the outside since all the damage lies inside where no one can see it.

Sort of like what happened to my soul. Thanks, Mom & Dad.

How sweet the sound

I've always been mesmerized by crickets. I look forward to late August when they start singing their beautiful melodies that lull me to sleep. I even have a "cricket" option on my sound machine. 

Now there's additional proof of just how amazing their melodic harmony is. I just turned around and saw Dino standing at the door, head tilted to the side. He likes it, too!

Take a listen~

Monday Morning Millie

"What do you mean, you're out of Xanax?!"

Monday Morning Chrissy

See? Even God thinks so!

Secondhand Sunday

Sundays are my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel.

"Do you see what I see?"

Original post date: August 27, 2013

I'm a self proclaimed Gladys Kravitz and for those of you who don't know who that is, she was the nosy neighbor on the television show Bewitched, that ran in the late '60's until the early '70's. Gladys was always peeking out her window to see what was going on in the neighborhood. 

I do the same thing. 

If there's a car I don't recognize parked down the street or I see a police car's lights, I grab one of the dog's to "go for a walk" so I can see what's going on. We used to make fun of my mother for being like this but I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. 

And the fact that I watch far too many crime shows doesn't help things and it just points my imagination to the worst case scenario. I stopped watching these types of shows after Starsky and Hutch was cancelled and only recently started watching them again.

I used to think Starsky was dreamy and my sister had the hots for Hutch. She even bought David Soul's album. The things we do for love. At 12.

 

I was in my family room on Sunday when I looked up and saw a man just past my property line, bent down in the bushes and digging. There's a field behind my house so it's not that unusual for people to be there playing baseball or soccer.

But there were no games going on.

"Oh my GOD! He must be burying a body! And in the broad daylight. He must be on drugs."

I called Millie, threw a leash on her and  "took her out for a walk." 

I slammed the back screen door, hoping he would be startled and take the body somewhere else to be disposed of but he didn't hear it. He was on the far left side of the property so we walked along the far right side.

As we got closer, he stood up and I heard "beep.....beep....beep.....beep"

"Oh my GOD! He must have a bomb! Why does he have a bomb in broad daylight? Maybe he buried the body and now he's going to commit suicide by blowing himself up!"

There's a large patch of overgrown bushes at the end of my yard and so, Millie and I hid behind them and very slowly peeked around the hydrangeas, eyes wide open so as not to miss any details that I would later be reporting to the police.

This is what we saw.

Um.....never mind....

My guest post on The Grey Muzzle Organization

I got an email that it just posted! SO thrilled!

Here's the link.

Ch ch ch changes...

Okay, I'm not sure if anyone is left out there listening anymore but lots has been happening! Here are the highlights. 

• I quit one of my three jobs (Hallmark store) but started working more at one of the others. I now work about 35 hours a week, although, everyone still thinks "I'm SO lucky because I only work part-time." Well, not really..

• I hired a "professional" to format my book for publication on Amazon. I got lots of quotes from all around the world but decided to go with the 'Murican.

• Big mistake. She kept submitting completely wrong versions to me and told me "I'm not a mind reader", even though I gave her the jpg's of the illustrations, the text in a Word doc and PDF sample of EXACTLY how it was supposed to look and it SO did not.

• Three weeks later (my fault for waiting so long), I told her I didn't have time for her to keep trying to get it right and that I wasn't going to pay her. 

• She disputed it, escalated it to arbitration and then deleted all the evidence of her shoddy work before the arbitrator could see it. Duh.

• Did I prevail? Oh, yes I did! Booyah, bitch!

• Hired a guy from Romania who did the formatting correct the first time. Oh, and did I mention that it only took him an hour and half? Here's the link:

He Chose Me on Amazon

• I've been busily (is that a word??) sending copies of my book to shelters and rescues and I've been getting great feedback! I took a copy in to show co-workers and ended up selling a bunch.

•  I'm super excited that this Friday I was invited to do a guest blog for a national senior dog organization, The Grey Muzzle Organization! They raise money and distribute it, via grants, to animal welfare organizations and rescue groups. All of their money is raised through public donations and goes toward helping to build programs around the country that meet special needs of senior dogs. The post will be on their website's blog and their Facebook page. I'll share it with you on Friday!

• I've lost 15 pounds! Still have a ways to go but I've tossed my fast food habit and I'm back at the gym 5 days a week. Baby steps...

• I have a new hairdo. See selfie below. Sorry it's so fuzzy. I think I have the one iPhone with a crappy camera. Hey, look! My chubby cheeks ain't as chubby anymore!

 

 

• Last, but not least, this past winter killed me with all the stinking snow and I've decided to make a MAJOR relocation move next year! I have to get all my ducks in a row so that's why my goal is next year. Some may call it a mid-life crisis (I just turned 48) but I call it a fresh start. You'll hear more about this as the year goes by.  All I'll say is that I'm moving south....

 

I promise to catch up on all of your blogs this week! I've missed you guys!

Monday Morning Millie

This is Millie doing her best Liam Neeson impression.

"I don't know who you are and I don't know what you want. But I will find you. And I will kill you."

Monday Morning Vinny

"I'm just gonna lay here until it's Friday again."

They're here.....

No, that's not Carol Anne alerting us of poltergeists. It's copies of my book!

 

 

 

FINALLY!

 

It's been such a long road but I just got my first shipment today!

 

Yippee!!

 

I'm really pleased with the way they look and the quality of the book! We had a little shipping headache. I was supposed to have them last week, which would have been perfect since I didn't have to work all weekend and could start shipping them out but the important thing is that they're here now!

 

I have a Facebook page and just set up a Twitter account so I've been running a presale and have sold a handful. I've reached out to some shelters and rescues prior to donating the book to them but only a few have been responsive at all, which is a little disappointing, but that's ok! There's always the next shelter. Sadly, there are hundreds around the country.

 

A few friends with children have suggested contacting schools and since I talk about the book everywhere I go, the nurse at my doctor's office even suggested the pediatric department of hospitals. I never would have thought of that so I'm contacting some old colleagues from my former life to see if that's an option.

 

I may be biased, but I truly believe that this is a special message that needs to be shared. However, as with the whole publishing process, it's trial and error as I muddle my way along.

 

If any of you are interested in purchasing a copy, the link below will give you the special 10% off pricing that I have set up for the next 30 days for shelters and rescues. The price is already reflected.

 

www.seniordoglove.com

 

AND...if you're so inclined, you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

Let's save some senior dogs!

Monday Morning Vinny

"Wake me up when it stops raining. I have chipmunks to kill."

Rain, rain go away

It's been an absolutely CRAZY weather week here. It seems like every morning when I turn on Good Morning America, there's a story about the weather in Ohio and quite often, it's been Cleveland specifically. We've had lots of thunderstorms and even had a few tornadoes touch down.

 

I've always been completely fascinated by the weather and I would love to be a storm chaser if I wasn't such a chicken. I could watch shows about hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather phenomenon for hours but I have to admit some of this weather coverage feels like overkill even in severe weather. If I heard them say, "You better grab your family, head to the basement and hunker down" one more time, I was going to scream.The same thing happened in the winter when there were threats of winter storms and only a  few times did the actual weather live up to the hype. Yes, it snows. It's Cleveland, for God's sake! In this day of mobile weather alerts and the internet, stopping all programming to listen to a local weatherman track a storm cell feels like talking to the little boy who cried wolf.

 

There's not much that I hate more than driving in the rain. Even more than driving in the snow so I was pretty upset that I had a doctor's appointment on the other side of town in the late afternoon during the midst of all these warnings and watches. I checked in with the non-stop coverage and decided to give myself some extra time to drive what should have been a 35 minute trip. Lucky me was just entering the freeway on-ramp when the skies opened up with hail and rain and suddenly, traffic was at a standstill. About an hour and forty five minutes in (about 20 miles), the roads were dry and clear. I had already missed my appointment time by now but I figured I would go anyway and just make a new appointment. It must have been my lucky day because they said they would see me. Yay! My ride home? 30 minutes.

 

There were numerous reports of flooding and many residents lost belongings from water coming into their homes. I'm very fortunate that I had no storm damage to my home and the worst I have to deal with are pets with cabin fever.  

 

Here are some photos from the week posted on a local news site.

 

Monday Morning Dino

 

Wearing this silly tie IS your Mother's Day gift!

The suckiest day ever

 

 

I'm sorry that I've been so absent. Maddie's condition has been weighing heavy on my mind and I've been trying every conventional and alternative treatment I can to make her better.

 

I had to finally accept the fact that while she seemed to be making progress a few weeks ago, she started slipping again. Her cough had gotten much worse and I would wake up in the middle of the night to her coughing and fidgeting because she couldn't get comfortable. I would reach down and pet her and she would let out a little cry and put her head on my leg.

 

In the last week, she was unable to walk at all. I would stand her up and she would fall right down again. To see her sitting in her bed, she seemed happy and would bark hello when I got home or to beg for a cookie. But she couldn't walk. I carried her everywhere and she seemed in pain when I picked her up which she hadn't before. She cried when she tried to stand up because her body just wasn't cooperating. I walked her around the neighborhood in her stroller but I think going over bumps bothered her because she would cry when we got to the end of the street and so we had to come home.

 

I made the gut wrenching decision to let her go and I called the vet Thursday morning to make the appointment. I thought I had it together until the reception at the vet's office said "hello" and I just lost it. They were able to take us late that afternoon and since it was a sunny and warm day, we spent the afternoon outside on a blanket and were joined by the neighbor's small children. It was a beautiful last day together.

 

My friend Bobby was kind enough to take us to the appointment and he came in the room with me while we said our final goodbyes. Maddie loved her Uncle Bobby. For some reason, there's been a lot of turnover of the front desk staff at the vet's office and the new people seem pretty clueless.

 

This girl with multi-colored hair walked in, muttering an "I'm sorry" and then asked me how I wanted to take care of the bill. Maddie just growled at her which was hilarious because Maddie never growled at anyone! Bobby and I looked at each other and laughed through our tears. It was like Maddie was saying. "Hey! We're having a moment here."

 

I told them that I assumed that I would be billed like the last time and she walked out muttering "I'm sorry" again. The vet came in and apologized profusely for her asking me that and then said something about "lots of new people."

 

The vet and the vet tech were beyond compassionate during the whole process and my Maddie passed peacefully in my arms. She really was the inspiration for writing my book because she showed me how dogs live in the moment and all they want is someone to love them.

 

I was blessed to be able to be that someone, even if only for a short time.  

Monday Morning Millie

"Digging in the dirt? No, I was eating a chocolate bunny. Yeah, that's it..."

SO close!

I know it's been a while since I updated you on my Kickstarter project. Yes, remember that project I started back in the fall??

 

For those of you who are new to my blog, I'm a huge advocate of senior dog adoption so I wrote a children's book about the joy of loving a senior dog. It follows the path of a little boy named Oliver to finding his new furry best friend.

 

It's taken far longer than I anticipated but I take the blame. It was a bold endeavor to think that I could focus on this during the holiday season and get it out in time for Christmas gift giving when the whole process was so Greek to me.

 

I had never worked with an illustrator before but Jay Schwartz was such a professional and so great to work with. He did a fantastic job interpreting my vision and bringing in some great suggestions to make my characters come to life even better than I imagined!

 

One the illustrations were done, it was on to the actual typesetting of the book. Again, I was clueless to the whole process so when my first proof came back and I was asked what I thought of the font, I had no idea what to compare it to so it took a while to get everything just right. I got my final printed proof in the mail today and it's FABULOUS!!

 

I'm so excited to get it in print and into the hands of my Kickstarter backers and the general public! At this risk of sounding boastful, I think it has a great message and I'm hoping that it makes people think twice before they choose their next pet.  

 

I should have the books in hand within two weeks.

 

Two. Weeks!!

 

Sophie's beside herself with excitement!

 

 

Monday Morning Millie

Look who had a birthday last week? My sweet Millie turned 12!

 

 

Of course, I don't know exactly when she was born but I go by the day she became mine three years ago. I adopted her right after my mother died because I needed another little old lady to care of. She is the happiest little girl, a far cry from the timid beagle laying on the floor of the county pound.

 

Happy Birthday, my Silly Millie!

Thanks, Mom!

Since any sort of treatment for the mass in Maddie's chest seems illogical at this point, I've decided to focus on her joint pain and how it's limiting her mobility. I've started her on new meds, continued giving her joint supplements and added in the equine/dog supplement, all in hopes that she'll maintain some degree of mobility and decrease her discomfort for whatever time she has left. 

 

It hasn't been working.

 

I thought it actually was for a few days but she's really taken a turn again since Monday. Today, she couldn't even stand up. Every time I lifted her up, she would fall down again as soon as I let go. She couldn't even stand to go to the bathroom. I took this picture of her before I took the other dogs out for a walk tonight. She barely lifted her head.

 

 

 

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I totally believe in spirits and signs and Divine intervention, for lack of a better term. Well, I've got a lot going on in addition to Maddie's condition so I've been feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed. I make sure to keep lots of tissues next to the bed, in the kitchen, on the coffee table, in my car and in my pockets for the tears that I can't seem to hold back lately.

 

As I was out walking with the dogs tonight, I felt something brush against my leg and I figured that I had stepped on a branch or something but there was nothing there when I looked down. I shot my head around to see if someone was watching me or something because it just felt "weird."

 

But there was no one, so we just kept walking.

 

When we got home about 30 minutes later, I went into the family room where I had left Maddie but she wasn't there. I assumed that she had tried to get up and fallen down, so I looked next to the armchair but she wasn't there, either.

 

She wasn't in the kitchen or the dining room, both which would have been a big feat for her to get to based on the obstacles along the way; hardwood floors, crumpled rugs and chairs to walk around.

 

Finally, I walked into my bedroom, which is on the opposite end of the house, and there was Maddie sitting up on my bed, just looking at me like, "Hey, where ya been?"

 

The fact that she was in my bedroom meant that she had to walk all the way from the family room, through the dining room, down the hallway to my bedroom and then climb up four steps to get into the bed.

 

She. Couldn't. Even. Stand. Up! 

 

Shit. Where's my tissue??

 



Monday Morning Maddie

 

 

So it's been a pretty emotional two weeks with my sweet Maddie. Seemingly overnight, she was having a really hard time trying to stand up and I worried that maybe it was time to say goodbye. She's also had this cough for a while now and it just sounds like something other than allergies. She still has a strong spirit and a good appetite so I thought maybe there was hope.

I finally got the courage to call the vet after crying myself to sleep for two days and I was able to get her in Monday afternoon. I had to carry her in since she was struggling so much with simple tasks like standing. Walking was next to impossible.

The vet evaluated her and took some x-rays. The x-rays showed that she has some marked degeneration in her lumbar region but she said her lungs sounded clear. I had gone the holistic route with Maddie starting in the fall but the vet felt it was best to get her back on meds and switch her to a prescription food that was specifically for joint health. She told me to keep an eye on her cough and suggested some lozenges that would help to calm it if it got worse. I guess when dogs get older, they loose the cilia that allows us to cough things out easily.

 

My new manager has horses and she suggested a joint supplement that she gives her horses that's also used for cats and dogs so I headed to the tack store after the vet. I looked at Maddie in the back seat and started crying happy tears that I was going to get more time with her.

 

Then the vet called the next day.

 

She said that she sent out the x-ray to be evaluated by a specialist and that they think she has a pretty significant mass in her right chest cavity. All I heard was ultrasound, surgery, cancer, chemotherapy.

 

Honestly, the rest of the conversation was a blur. I just can't imagine putting her through surgery. She's TWELVE. And she's never been a particularly strong since I got her a year and half ago. Millie's going to be turning 12 soon but you would never know it. She gets around like a champ and has the energy of a puppy.

 

The vet said that if I do nothing, she'll get progressively worse eventually so I've decided to focus on helping her to walk better and be as comfortable as possible.

 

My sister said that I should expect this since I'm adopting older dogs but, honestly, I would be just as sad if I had her for a month, a year or the full 12 years.

 

Monday Morning Maddie

 

I'm not sure what luck o' the Irish means, but I'm pretty sure it means, breakfast in bed.

Secondhand Sunday

Sundays are my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel.


"That's just perfect"

Original Post Date, March 16, 2010



I just read about Megan Fox's clubbed thumb. Awesome.



And I already knew about Tina's Fey's scar. Fabulous.



These women make no excuses or attempts to hide their flaws. In fact, they barely acknowledge them.

I'm scarred, too.

No, not mentally. Although, God knows that's the truth. I’m referring to my physical scar. Can you see it?



That’s right. It’s just above my lip on my left hand side. I was two years old when my older sister, Lisa, pretended to be a horse and beckoned me to climb onto her back. As any self-respecting, Bonanza watching four-year old would do, she bucked this rider and I went flying into the corner of a table.

The result was a trip to the emergency room; stitches for me and an ass beating for her. Since the year was 1968, I was likely stitched back together with a rusty sewing needle and the resulting scar is my penance for acting like a two-year old.

For all the different levels of angst and insecurity I've felt over the years, I’m surprisingly unaffected by a scar right on my face. I’ve only had person ever ask me about it on a date and he blurted it out in a fit of nervous chatter somewhere between the salad and the main course during our first meal together.

I actually think it makes my face a little more interesting.

But then, I'm the one attracted to the guy with the crooked smile or the funky cowlick in his hair. And I think the woman with the space between her teeth or the oddly placed mole is beautiful in such a unique way.

Let's face it. Perfection is overrated.


And more than a little boring. So I'll keep my scar.

And my chubby dog:



And my hyperextended fingers:



And we'll be just fine.