One of these things is not like the other...

That's the problem.

No wonder I hate the snow. If I actually had to use these for something, I'd be up a creek. How do you lose every mate of every pair of gloves you own? Ridiculous. I do not have time for this.


We searched the laundry.

Ah! They aren't here.


Here! Take my sock instead.


They're no help. Good for nothin' hound dogs. Shouldn't they be able to smell mildewy gloves?


In other news... if you haven't already, you're doing it the hard way, but you should get out and vote.

The Cuteness Factor

I have been informed that my blog of late has been seriously lacking in cuteness. I am informed of that every day that there aren't pictures of Little Miss. I get it. Okay.



Poor Jedi. No longer top dog, but still so cute.


There is a biological difference between boys and girls. A boy probably would have been thrilled to be behind the wheel. She was just happy with the chap-stick.


The nesting family is done. I learned a few things painting this. Number one is that it was harder than I expected. Apparently my alter ego is a Molly Mormon RS President because that's what it ended up looking like. And I now know what my husband would look like if he gained 65 pounds.

Cute enough for ya?

Four Letter Words

There are certain four letter words that you do not use in our house. You must think carefully of the consequences before you let them fly out of your mouth without thinking. Hand gestures are okay. You can sign them, even finger spell them.You might get away with spelling them aloud, but this too should only be done after careful consideration. It can't be in the heat of the moment or if you don't really mean it. The words are B-I-K-E or W-A-L-K. And you will get your mouth washed out with soap if you say "Let's Go" without putting your money where your mouth is. Ani and Jedi take this offense VERY seriously. You'll end up in the dog house if you're not careful, and Ani holds a grudge.

Man's Best Friend

Most people have better things to do at 4:47 AM. Like I dunno... Sleep. Well, if I have to be up (nothing to do with Little Miss) then at least half the rest of the family needs to be too. And I'm going to take pics to prove it. And you will be subjected to my reminiscing.

You couldn't blast Ani off her spot on the couch right now with a stick-o dynamite. Jedi on the other hand... Oh, my loyal and faithful Jedi. He can be counted on to spring up out of bed at the slightest hint of action. Even if that action is changing a didee. He's not picky.

Jedi is about the gentlest giant around. Kind of useless as a watchdog or so I thought. At only a few months old he demonstrated that he was very protective when it came to his mama. I was working nights and was sleeping one afternoon when I woke up to him standing over me and growling. I of course pushed him away and told him to quiet. But he didn't stop. There were people playing at the pool below our window. He knew better than that and I again told him to knock it off. I tried to go back to sleep but Jedi insisted on standing above me and continue growling. Finally I took a hint and stood up to see what was there. Sure enough a man was on our side of the fence just below my window. (Probably some meter reader). Jedi had known the difference between what people were okay and someone who was a little too close for comfort. Like many boys, nobody messes with his mama.

When Little Miss was only a few weeks old, we were on our usual morning walk. I was walking ahead and Handsome Husband had both beasts on their leashes. As we got closer to a field I could see that there was a dog off leash. His owner was close by, but that didn't stop the dog from breaking into a dead run headed straight for me. He wasn't aggressive, just a little over eager. I was dumb and not thinking and I rushed towards the dog to intimidate him and keep him away. Dumb me because I had our Miss in the sling. Never in a million years did I expect Jed's next move. As the dog got closer and I came forward Jedi crouched down. At the same moment I stepped forward Jedi jumped full force and weight on the dog scrambling and growling to get him down on the ground. I don't know who was more surprised, me or Ani. He would have laid dead in the road before anyone was going to get too close to HIS baby and HIS mama without asking HIS permission first. Much less that mangy mutt.

I had often joked that if Jedi could talk and play soccer I wouldn't need to have a son. Well, not quite. But he really is a good boy. Little Miss LOVES her puppies. She doesn't have the slightest fear of these 90 plus-pound beasts. They adore her as much as she loves them. Wonder where she gets that from? My first babysitter was a German Shepherd mix named Bucky. But I could go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on. Not quite as long as I can go on about Little Miss and how cute/smart/beautiful/sweet/loving/happy/did I mention cute? she is, but very close. I love my pet pals. They are man's best friend. And mine and Little Miss' too.

What Puppy Love Looks Like

Geez Mom. Why do you always flash that dumb thing in my face? Do you have any idea what time it is?

Jedi! You are hogging the blanket!!!!



Random pic to prove that life really is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. Is her hair looking red to you or is just me and the fact that I haven't gotten enough sleep?

Happy Thoughts = Puppies

Only happy thoughts today...

After a really crappy day of finals or school in general, I would ask Husband (before he was my husband) to take me to feed the baby ducks. On a really, really crappy day I would ask him to take me to see puppies. There is just something about them that makes me so happy. After three years of begging, I finally convinced him that it was time for a dog. We moved to California on a Friday and picked up Jedi on Saturday. I was not deterred by the four hour drive to Redding after driving twelve hours the day before.

Every member of our family has been meant to be. Except maybe Chevy the Cat. He's a pain in the butt, but he's OUR pain in the butt. It may sound extreme to some to say that even the dogs are MEANT to be, but I swear it's true. Next week is Ani's birthday so I will tell you her story then. They helped me prepare for Little Miss and Ani confirmed to me that God answers prayers.

This should make you feel all warm and gooey inside.

Jedi as a puppy.

If you're wondering how they are doing with Little Miss being around now, they couldn't be happier. Someone is home almost 24/7 and I would let them babysit before I'd let some people.

Older never posted blog.

July 21, 2006

This is getting ridiculous… I used to think that people who dressed their dogs and referred to their pets as their “kids” needed “professional help” and was glad they lived in places like San Francisco or Santa Barbara. Now I am one of those people. It’s five o’clock in the morning and I’m awake worrying about a rash my dog has probably from rolling in something that I’m glad I can’t identify. He’s oblivious to my lack of sleep as he follows our cat Chevy from room to room and whining because I won’t let him in the kitchen.

Jed is short for Jedi and he is our nineteen week old blue Weimaraner puppy. (Another thing I though I’d never do… talk about age in terms of weeks. I mean really, people don’t care if it’s sixteen or nineteen; the dog is four months old.) But now it matters. It matters for training and it matters for shots.

Now it matters because I have to figure out how much vitamin E and zinc to add to his diet for five days. I also have to stock up on Avon Skin So Soft since apparently this helps with the rash. After an hours worth of research that’s what I’ve found. I’ve also found a holistic vet in Woodland which is only an hour and half away. Oh yes… we try to be holistic with him too. Weims are sensitive so we have to be careful what we put in him. Maybe it is good thing that this is our practice “kid”. Can you imagine what issues our human children are going to have? Not to mention how crazy I’m becoming because no matter how much I love him, and how smart, and funny, and cute he is, he is just a dog. (But we won’t tell him that).