Bad baby

I really need advice on this one. My two beagles are night and day sometimes. Molly is highly intelligent, totally housebroken, but chews things up if I leave the house. She can be creative about it, but her preference is to open the cupboard and drag out Tupperware if I am late for her dinner. She really is a love and not a problem. Usually.

Baby is playing with a full deck, but they are all low cards. Baby doesn't chew things up. She is too scared. Baby is high strung, more so than Molly. While Molly will literally worry herself sick if I am gone too long, Baby has another way of expressing her separation anxiety. She leaves a turd in my bathroom. Since it is on a throw rug and I have allowed them to use throw rugs due to my previous job that kept me gone sometimes up to 12 hours at a time, I have ignored the little turds, cleaning them up without any punishment. Now she is peeing on my bedroom carpet. That is not OK. I put down a puppy pee pee pad, and left the house. She used it. I was pleased and told her so. She hasn't peed on one since, but she is using the carpet. I tried time outs in the laundry room with no luck.

I realize I have spoiled these dogs. I don't think it would be right to suddenly force extreme obedience and deprivation of affection on them. I don't want to crate Baby, since Molly doesn't need it and I am pretty sure Molly would freak. If I shut my bedroom door, they will have no windows to look out due to the other rooms I have them blocked from when I am gone.

I need some suggestions! I trained my former dog not to sneak downstairs to the family room by covering the floor with plastic drop cloths. Dogs do not like to get their feet wet. I am just afraid of where Baby will start peeing if I keep her out of my room when I am not home. Help! Molly is 6, Baby is 5.

Black Friday

Today is a major shopping day. I do not partake of any shopping over Thanksgiving weekend. I will not go near a mall on a weekend other than for Sunday morning walks before the mall opens until after the holidays. No sale is good enough to get me in those crowds.

Instead, I made plans today to meet a friend for lunch about 20 miles away to the north, then go on to a doctor appointment about 40 miles farther from there. I drove without benefit of a freeway by my choice.

On my way to lunch, I noticed something was odd, and realized that just 15 minutes north of me there was a lot more snow. There were several inches of snow. Ice was hanging off the trees. If I hadn't been running late, I would have stopped and taken pictures. I was driving through the woods and it was absolutely stunning.

After a pleasant lunch, I drove on to the doctor's office in Port Huron, which is where that F***ing Bridge is that I hate so much that leads to Sarnia, in Ontario,  Canada. I did not have to go over the bridge. I took a much different route home, and realized again something was odd. There was no snow at all. There I was, to the north, in sight of the Canadian side, and no snow at all. Very strange!

I have seen enough trees, snow, ice, stop signs, small towns, old barns, cows, horses, roadkill, farm land and tractors to last me for a long, long time. I enjoyed the drive anyway, and hope everyone else had as peaceful of a day as I did.

Scairdy dogs

I hope everyone had as pleasant a Thanksgiving as I did. Oddly enough for Ms Squirrel, I ate very little. I did feed a real reddish brown squirrel (my color hair, actually) some nuts through the doorwall at my nephew's house. The little bugger was so determined to get his treats that I was afraid to open the door more than an inch or so to put the nut directly into his greedy little paws for fear he would come on in for turkey and gravy. That was the more polite of the two squirrels, actually. The black squirrel, smaller and friskier, was climbing the screen, hanging on it, and banging on the door for treats. Aggressive! Absolutely adorable, too. I am an easy touch for animals.

Last week my niece asked me to watch her son, age 4, and her daughter, age 11 for the afternoon, and then the 11 year old stayed overnight. Mom had Christmas shopping to do, so I won the babysitting privileges. I had forgotten what a 4 year old is like. I figured the dogs would entertain him. Yeah, that worked for a while until his screaming and running and flailing scared the crap out of my dogs. My dogs love kids, but were sneaking around hiding, their tails between their legs, and giving me the most pitiful "save me" looks I have ever seen. By that time, I myself was sitting in my recliner chair, legs up, developing a peculiar tic and full body shudder of fear. I repeatedly reminded him that we cannot hurt the dogs, nor can we bleed on the carpet. All bleeding must be done on linoleum. When I heard his mother at the door, I yelled, "SAVE ME!"

The 11 year old wants to come back. And why not? After her beastly (but sweet, just busy) little brother left we went shopping at an upscale mall and had dinner with a friend of mine. The next day we went shopping elsewhere, then dressed up for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant with my daughter. We ate what we wanted to and laughed a lot. She loves that I allow rap and hip-hop music. She is amazed that I not only allow it, I prefer it. We listened to the entire new Eminem CD. I told her he now lives within 5 minutes of the restaurant we went to for dinner.

She is coming back next Saturday with her dad so he can hook up my ironing board. It fastens into the wall, with an electic outlet and light in it. It will be attached right next to my walk in bedroom closet, so when I want to iron (which I do almost every day), I just need to open the door, drop the board down, and plug in the iron. No more running down the hallway to another room. Lazy again!

Mom asked if I would take the 4 year old also. When she saw all the blood drain from my face, she said she was just kidding. Sure she was. My tic is starting to go away now.

I am thankful for my friends, both online and offline. I am thankful for the ones who are both, even the one who calls me a cad now and then. I hope lotzamoe finds his nuts. I am glad Connie had a great family dinner. I am also glad Stacey was able to get a turkey and chow down with her crew at home. I hope Robin did well with her family. I am thankful that my daughter was able to make the family dinner, even though she had 2 more to go to after that. I am thankful that my pets are all well, even the screaming 17 year old cat. I am very grateful for my health and my newly found happiness. I am grateful that our country is such a safe place to be, although I think Canada is looking damn good to me lately. I am grateful for the new friends I will make over the next year. I have a feeling some will be very special to me in time. I am grateful to all of you, and hope that those of you who lurk will finally stop and say HI! Love to all. xoxo

I am a squirrel

Lately I have been tired and hungry. I don't have any idea why, unless it is seasonal. I realize I am part Swedish, English, French, Spanish, Irish, and Scottish. I had no idea I am also part Squirrel. I seem to want to burrow in, gather food, eat, and sleep as much as possible. This goes against my normal grain, which includes serious insomnia. I think it is a November thing.

Every November I gain some weight. It doesn't help that November has at least 200 days in it. This has happened for at least 10 years. I lose it by February. I get tired, lethargic, and I whine for warmer climes. My joints ache, and nothing will do but fattening foods. I am hoping it peaks tomorrow for Thanksgiving, because I can't keep this up!

Today we had rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain. We call it a winter mix. It sucks. I didn't hit any slick pavement until I hit my own subdivision, luckily.

Good holiday wishes to all and I hope everyone has a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. We all have something to be thankful for, even if it is just for each other. This journal community has been a wonderful thing. I have enjoyed meeting and making new friends and hearing everyone's story.

I will be with my entertaining and unpredictable extended family tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Ladies Journal

I have started a "ladies' journal" for us of the female persuasion. We can rant, chat, talk over issues, ask questions we never had the guts to ask others before, and generally have fun. It's private and guys are not invited. Guys will, however, be the topic on occasion. All sexual orientations welcome. Bring your friends!

If you did not receive an invitation to this journal and would like to, just let me know.  It's not my journal. It is our journal. Bring topics!

The Bad Form Nipple Ripper

My former boyfriend called me a fat lazy slob. Not to my face, but to my friends. Maybe some of that is true. I am lazy in some ways. I purposely bought a watch that I don't ever have to take off. I can wear it in a hot tub, while I work out, and I am too lazy to remove it when I go to bed. In fact, I don't remove jewelry except earrings (which I no longer wear at all) unless I am changing it. I am too lazy to remove jewelry to go to bed. So sue me. I don't want to lose my watch, so it stays on. I know it's bad form.

I do remove pearls before a shower. I figure the strings would rot and the soap can't be good for pearls. But I do sleep in them.

I found a ring. I was shopping, went into the ladies' room at Nordstrom, saw a silver mesh ring jammed into the purse shelf, and stuck it in my pocket to take it to lost and found because it looked like a Tiffany ring. Attempts to locate the owner were fruitless and it's now mine. It is a Tiffany ring, much to my surprise. I stuck it on my middle finger of my left hand and went to Chicago.

Sorry, sweetie. I will leave it home next time.

Layering

PhotoShop Elements has been entertaining to learn. I hardly am proficient yet, but I could mess with some innocent looking pictures by now and get someone or another in trouble. It makes me wish I hadn't tossed the negatives showing me playing with the young lion in Galveston that bit me. The lion bit me, not the negatives. I didn't realize that some basic scanners can do negatives. I could make the lion look full grown.

PhotoShop uses layering. Monica had asked how to produce, for example, a picture in black and white of a bride holding roses, keeping the roses red. That would just involve removing the red roses on one layer, changing the original layer to grayscale, then layering the two together. Maybe also pull out her lips and leave them red, too. We can take two people from separate pictures and put them together in one. Or, we can take a passel of pictures and make a collage, maybe for a class or family reunion. We are also learning to retouch old photos and restore the quality, preserving them electronically. Too bad all those old, old family pictures I have do not have names on them.

When I got home from class today, I found another meaning of the word "layering." I don't do cold weather well. I had on a part-wool sweater set. I don't like to wear wool because it itches, but it is warm. I took that off, and put on a turtleneck. The heat is set at 72 degrees. I leave shoes on in the house to stay warmer. The computer is warm on my lap (wireless laptop). I finally ran upstairs and added a pullover polartec top. I am still cold. It would be hard to type in gloves. I know it is warm in the house, but I am cold. It's like the opposite of hot flashes, and I have had this problem with cold all my life. Even adding the cat lying here on my arm doesn't warm me up enough.

Yet I continue to live in the Detroit area, which is the only place in the contiguous states where it is possible to go south to Canada. It's only November. In another month or two, I will be into my favorite whine - I wanna go to Flooorrrida!!

HOW Old is this?

I am cleaning my kitchen pantry. Keep in mind that I live alone and don't eat much. I have 5 shelves in my pantry and they are full. I have no idea why. When I look in there it seems to be all staples, such as spices, oils, vinegars, pastas. I have some canned veggies that I swear are from before the time the stores put on expiration dates, but surely that can't be, right? I clean my pantry several times a year.

The dogs are ever optimistic. They are sure, every time I do this, that I am simply preparing them a huge meal. They can't believe that I take everything out, wash the cupboard down, and then put the stuff back. This does not fit doggie logic. Wiz, of course, wants to crawl into the bottom shelf for a warm nap. Those bags of dry beans just need a nice towel to make them into a perfect kitty bed.

My problem is shelf liners. I have never found any I am happy with. Disposable paper ones are nice, for obvious reasons, but require regular buying, cutting and folding. Plastic reusable ones are nice because they are washable, but then drying time is involved. I find myself washing them with soap and water, then sticking them in the dryer while I get the next shelf ready. Using no liner is too noisy and subjects the shelves to staining. Stick on stuff isn't going to happen in my house. It would have to be removed at some point and that sounds very nasty.

Is anyone happier with the coated wire shelves than with basic wood? The dust and washing issue would be greatly improved. Spills sound annoying. I am sure I could spend a day putting in wire shelving. I much prefer home improvement work to cleaning. Well, not counting that room downstairs I started painting over a year ago. Can I trade someone some laundry time for housework? I like laundry. I even iron.

Los Angeles and the Northern Lights

I think I was gone. I left yesterday morning and got back about an hour ago. I have learned that alcohol does indeed make traveling easier when flying. Dear Davida mentioned Xanax and alcohol as travel aids. They really do work. I barely remember that it took me 12 hours from my door to the hotel door yesterday. After a few margaritas in the hotel bar after dinner, I was very calm about all that bumpy stuff on the planes. My layover in Detroit wasn't 3 hours, it was 3.5 hours. From the terminal I landed in from Flint to the terminal to Los Angeles was a full mile. I had on my pedometer and clocked it. But I handled the time well, me and Mr Bud Light. I also read an entire hardbacked book, Amagansett, Mark Mills, finishing it just as I landed back in Flint.

I may be the only person who ever went to Los Angeles and didn't see any sunlight. We did take a nice walk for a few miles between dinner and the bar. It was heaven for me to be able to walk outside at night in November without getting cold. I did see a little sunlight this morning from inside the airport. My layover on the way home was Minneapolis, and there was a lot of sun there. It was 32 degrees outside, so I was glad to be in the airport.

Sunday I was at my nephew's home for his birthday. They live out in the country. I saw Northern Lights on my way home. I had never seen them before and was very impressed with that display put on by Mother Nature.

This is the same nephew who came and watched the zoo here for me while I was gone. Apparently Wiz, the screaming cat, did her thing. He said she screamed every 15 minutes all night long. Lucky him. She screams every 5 minutes for me. She must have been too tired to stick to her normal routine. I don't know if he is willing to sit here again or not. I left enough food in a container to last the dogs for a week. It's empty. He wasn't even here 24 hours. Somebody's dogs are now on a diet. I don't think Chris ate the kibble, but it's not impossible. His father, my brother, used to sometimes eat my cat's food.

Even for such a short visit, I am glad I went to Los Angeles. I have very much enjoyed feeding my traveling soul over the past several months.

 

Los Angeles or Bust

Wiz has stopped peeing on the floor. This is a good thing. Now she screams all night. This is something I am getting used to. Every five minutes I am yelling, "SHUT UP WIZ!" I get up to see if there is anything wrong with her, but she just smiles at me. She knows what she is doing. Then she sleeps all day. The little bitch. I mean my sweet, darling, little Wiz must be tired. (I do love this cat!)

So in order to avoid seeing if she is of a flushable size, I am running away. I decided that even if I can't do the 5 day trip to Los Angeles/Las Vegas, I can still do Los Angeles. I just booked. I will be leaving early Wednesday and returning late Thursday. I am not sure I will see any sunshine, but I can live with that. I haven't seen any in months anyway.

My nephew will stay here and watch the hog dogs and Wiz. I hope he is a sound sleeper. He has 4 dogs and 8 cats at home, so he should be used to almost anything.

This will be a short Pretravel Freak Dance, so I need to get started on it.

Put the lid down

That picture is not my cat, but I can wish. My old cat, Wiz, is the best cat in the world. She always uses her litter. If she had a lid, she would put it down. She is a lady.

Her litter pan is the kind with a lid and a little flappy door. She has privacy that way. No beagles can surprise her with a cold nose while she is reading the newspaper. I use clay litter, and a liner. Easy clean up. The problem?

Poor Wiz must hang her bum out the door or something. There is always a puddle under the pan that is obviously not water. I don't know how she does this. She might pee standing up. Maybe she has arthritis now and can't get in a more appropriate position. I don't know. She does not go on the floor. This is in my laundry room, off the kitchen.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how do you solve it? It's not like I have any hopes of retraining her. I was never able to teach my daughter to put the lid down. I used to charge her ten cents every time she left it up. Wiz doesn't have any money, anyway.

Ho Ho Who?

Finally I picked up PhotoShop Elements 3.0. I just installed it, so I don't know yet if it will be compatible enough with the manual for the digital imaging class for me to practice with it or not. It is different from the school version, which is 2.0. The next class will be digital formatting. I have no idea what that will cover, so I will be coaching again and not teaching.

So what do people normally use a program like this for? I figure I can finally cut out that piece of hair hanging down on my high school picture that has been driving me nuts forever. If I want to post a picture that has my daughter in it, I can pixilate her. If I find one with my ex in it, I can replace him with someone else.

I figure I can make my own Holiday cards, too. My nephew posed for me last year at Christmas after several drinks. He had several drinks again this last weekend for Halloween, after which I asked his permission to use one of the pictures for my card. He happily agreed, having never seen them. One doesn't have the Santa hat.

So what is the vote? Picture 1, 2, or 3?