What's her name didn't work out

It's time to admit, here on the blog, that "What's her name" is no longer with us. It's hard to admit because I'm embarrassed about adopting a cat last year and a dog this year that didn't work out for us. I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with me. (If you look at me through the eyes of a rescue group you would too.) What's her name (Monica, Phoebe, Reebee) wasn't happy and wasn't cooperating. I believe she needed 1) a doggy friend 2) a fenced yard and 3) no crate.

She hated being put in the crate but I was doing it more and more because she began relieving herself in the house. I would take her outside (on a leash and walk or hang around with her for 30 or more minutes and she wouldn't relieve herself. Then, when we came back inside she'd act like she needed to go outside. So out we'd go again. We did make a very nice fenced area under our deck (which is on the second story) which is protected from sun and rain. She wouldn't relieve herself out there either. She could hold it for hours and hours on end! But then, I'd find a puddle on the bathroom rug. She did that in the middle of the night several times, even though I'd take her out right before bed. (Back in the crate at night for her.) It got old real fast. She also wouldn't play much either. I found out she could. She played tug with me twice for less than a minute each. Most of the time she acted like she had no idea what play was. The last thing that tipped the scale against her is her snarling at me while grooming her. I was careful not to hurt but she'd lift her lip and growl. I didn't have a good enough relationship with her to know if she would hurt me or not. I finally decided she just wasn't happy and in the long haul we probably wouldn't be happy either. We called her foster home (who had asked us to call if it didn't work out) and gave her back. They were happy to have her and she's been good as gold at their house. Go figure.

Since then I continue to look for a dog that fits with us, so someday you'll see another post about another dog. We're looking for that special dog that really fits with our family and is as special as Angel and Kennyon (our extra special CCI dogs).

Civil Air Patrol

It seems the posts are getting further and further apart. I guess that means life is settling into a routine. Of course, if you know Larry, life is seldom a routine for very long.

He's still working on the basement remodel but, in his usual fashion, he is looking several steps ahead. He's not one to live in the moment like I'm prone to do. As he considered options of different hobbies or careers (to supplement his auditing job now) several were being considered. This included pursuing his magician hobby, setting up a stain glass shop and perhaps marketing finished pieces and... it seems like there was a third but I don't remember it now. For some reason I just don't understand, gardening was never in the top 10 things to consider. We would have made a great team. Oh well.

During the midst of all this discussion, the idea of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) starting climbing the "list". We have a good friend who is involved and the two of them got to talking. I showed some interest too which really fueled the fire. We visited a meeting and decided to join. That was about a month ago. Larry joined first and I followed shortly behind.

Some of you may not know that Larry has a pilot's license, it's just been inactive for a good long time. He can reactive his license without too much trouble and then he can be an asset to the local squadron. In truth, we can both be assets to the squadron without being pilots.

It's a different sort of volunteer opportunity as it's actually a civilian branch of the Air Force. As such, there are strict rules and structure. This can be an advantage as the roles are clearly defined and you know what you need to do. As I see it there are two paths to follow. One is in support of the squadron itself (support roles such as leaders, admins, communications, educators, etc.) and then specialty roles for missions and exercises (pilots, observers, scanners, ground crews and the like). There are ranks to achieve (such as lieutenant, captain, major, etc.). It really is different than anything other volunteer role I've ever been in.

Why am I doing it (you might ask)? For two reasons. First, for the purpose of volunteering in a meaningful organization. This is an adult squadron (called a "Senior Squadron") but there is a Cadet Squadron in town too that Larry has visited a number of times. The two overlap from time to time. CAP is involved in three main areas: 1) Aerospace Education 2) Emergency Services and 3) Cadet Programs. The other reason I joined is so that I would be involved in something with Larry where we both know the people and the jargon and can go together to functions (whether that be meetings, missions, or trainings). This will certainly do that. We could both make second jobs out of this if we let it.

What's her name

This is our newly adopted dog (not a foster but a keeper). She was a stray that someone took to a local shelter. Nobody came to claim her and she was up for adoption. I'm not quite sure why I decided to adopt, as it goes against my experiences and my own belief that one should get to know a dog before agreeing to live with them. That's why I was fostering in the first place. In spite of my own best judgement I moved ahead with adoption. We did meet Monica (the name the shelter gave her) once in a park. We asked Ben, Laura and Abi to come too as we wanted to see how she would do with everyone. She did fine but was more interested in the park than us. Is this good reason to adopt? No, but still I forged ahead. We agreed to take her but asked if her foster home would keep her an additional week while we went on vacation. They graciously agreed. It was actually a good time for her to recuperate from being spayed.

It's been a week since we brought her home. She moped around all week-end, piddled in the house 3 times, jumped on the bed and furniture and growled when we scolded her. I began to think I had made an awful mistake. Her only redeeming point was that she was gentle with Abi and didn't mind at all when Abi gave her a hug. Even so, I was ready to take her back. It was Larry who encouraged me to give her some time (the tables were turned from our normal "who has more patience" roles).

I'm glad we waited as she has improved immensely. No more "accidents" in the house, no more growling, very few furniture violations. She really is trying to please and she's does love to snuggle. I'm actually beginning to like her very much.

Larry has built a doggy yard so she can be outside some during the day (though she seems to bark constantly when outside). She isn't fond at all of the crate (yet).

Her foster home thought she was a PBGV (Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen) so we thought we'd call her Phoebe. But now, after consulting some PBGV owners we've decided she's just a terrier mix - maybe some Llaso Apso and Schnauzer and who knows what all else. Now we're rethinking her name and haven't decided anything. Thumper is a possibility as she thumps her tail rather soundly when wagging. That's just one idea. Abi pronounces Phoebe as Reebee. Maybe that's what we'll call her. Who knows what will stick.

Vacation

Last week, Larry and I had a week's vacation. We revisited a couple capitol buildings (NC because we couldn't remember it and VA because we remember it fondly.)

We stayed at Shenandoah Crossing, a resort outside of Charlottesville, VA (near Gordonsville). It's a horse ranch setting but my visions of having ready access to the horses was just a dream.

We did ride one day and enjoyed it, even though it was

one of those follow-the-leader type rides at a very slow pace.

Larry rode the paint and I rode the mule that you can sort of see

on the left hand side of the photo.

We were only a few miles from James Monroe's house (our 4th President) which is called Montpelier. It's fun to visit historical places such as these.

So , for as much for our own memories as for your info, here are

some photos.

Abi - the budding photographer

Abi is quite the photographer. No joke. She took these first two photos! The last two photos we took of her (as if you couldn't tell). Just so you know, Addie - the white dog in the photo - was a foster dog who is no longer living with us.

We said good-bye to Addie yesterday. I wish I could say she was adopted but she wasn't. Rather, we're going on vacation in a couple weeks and took advantage of some transports of other dogs that happen to be converging in Chattanooga. Addie is transferring to another foster home in the Atlanta area where she'll expand her horizons some more.

She made tons of progress while she was with us. She made many people friends and even got used to Abi. (Imagine the confusion of having Addie and Abi in the same room. I think they would both get confused when talking to either of them.) Here, Abi is taking a picture of me taking a picture of them.

We'll miss our little Addie but we're looking forward to fostering others. Instead of sticking to Eskies, I am going to work with a local all breed rescue. For Larry's sake we're going to try to stick to breeds that shed less. (Addie shed profusely.)

Addie

Addie has come to live with us for a while. She is an American Eskimo dog who was rescued from a puppy mill at 10 months old. I can only guess as to what her life was like for those first 10 months. I suspect she was caged the whole time with precious little human interaction. She lived for two months at the home of the rescue family among several other dogs. Now, she's living with us as an only dog (we're called a foster home) and learning to trust people more. She is gaining confidence with each passing day.

With me, she is a loving dog who is willing to please. She loves to snuggle and hang around. She is still learning to trust Larry. He is working with her more while I'm home to see if he can win her over completely.

She is fully afraid of anyone else. She'll growl at new people and if they press themselves on her she's been known to snap, though some have been able to actually pet her. It seems to take at least 3 introductions over a period of a week or so for her to accept someone new. I've taken her to the local pet store a couple times which is excellent for her.

Naturally, we've been extra, extra cautious around Abi. Addie and Abi been together 3 times now and the last time Addie was able to relax some. Abi even took the leash and led Addie around (with me between them just in case). Addie looked at me as if to say "Is she allowed to do this?".

If you remember Kennyon, Addie is about the same size (actually a few pounds lighter). When Addie is feeling confident and happy she holds her tail high over her back. We like to see this.

So the goal right now is to socialize and train. We're teaching her the basics (sit, stay, etc) while also teaching her how to play and how to be a proper citizen (no you don't chew socks nor kleenex). She rarely barks and is fairly easy to live with. She walks on a leash very well.

The rescue organization she belongs to is http://midsoutheskiealliance.rescuegroups.org/. There is a profile for Addie on their web-page.

Abi's new shirt

Last week we celebrated Abi's 2nd birthday. She blew bubbles and blew out the candles on her birthday carrot cupcake. She opened presents like a pro. What a difference a year makes. She is a wonderful little person.

Yesterday, Abi brought her parents over and she was wearing a Starbucks apron. She seemed very proud of it of her apron but it turned out to be the shirt underneath that was all the buzz. Check this out!

Whooohoooo! We're very excited. Abi was saying "Big Sister" so I think she's excited too.

A Glorious Spring

Before I get into this, I would like to express my sympathy to all the people in my town who suffer with allergies. I know you are suffering greatly this year and I'm sorry for that.

In all other respects, this has been a glorious Spring. I've not experienced one quite like this in all my life. After a long and very cold Winter; one in which many of us wondered would ever end, it turned pleasantly warm, almost overnight. Our night temperatures have been in the 40's mostly since about mid-March (just estimating).

In my experience, the trees usually bloom in succession, with some minor exceptions, first the Bradford Pears, then the Redbuds, then the Dogwoods. Interspersed among those are the flowering fruiting or non-fruiting trees (Plums, Almonds, Peaches, Crabapples, and such). This year has been different. The early flowering trees got a late start and the others were pretty much on time so they almost all bloomed at once. The Bradford Pears were first but just barely and they overlapped with the Redbuds who are blooming simultaneously with the Dogwoods. What a beautiful show! Our own Dogwoods, who seemed to be suffering in years passed, seem much healthier and happier this year. I've been trying to take care of them but I'm not sure I personally have made much of a difference. I think it's just a good year for them because there has been no frost to discourage them.

These flowering shrubs (Bridal Veil Spirea) along the driveway are living their last days. After they finish flowering I plan to pull them out (maybe I'll take some out this year and the rest next year) and replace them with Virginia Sweetspire - a fine native to this area that blooms in summer with fragrant flowers and then has wonderful red foliage in the fall that hangs on well into Winter. It will be shorter and hopefully better suited to this spot.

This is our Peach Tree just beginning to bloom (several weeks ago). It's finished now and full of leaves. Hopefully we'll have some peaches this year!

And finally, here's Abi, looking so big, riding the rocking horse and watching Veggie Tales. She was rather tired and would lay her head down between the horses ears every now and then. Very cute. She has added to the joy of this Spring - she is such a delight.

Larry's newest project

Larry hadn't even put his tools away yet from residing, putting down hardwood floors and remodeling the kitchen when he started in on the basement remodel. He's building a small apartment in the basement / garage. It will still be a garage but it will also house an apx 400 sq. ft. one bedroom apartment.

The bathroom is plumbed and framed; the kitchen is plumbed and now walls are going up. Here are some photos to give you an idea. There will be more to come for sure.

The first is the studded wall of the bedroom. In the second photo Larry is walking where the closet will be, across from the bathroom door. That's the bathroom to his left. The last is the where the kitchen will be. It sure looked a lot bigger on paper and when it was all open. It's looking pretty small now but it will have all the comforts of a bigger place - including a window at the kitchen sink. I don't even have that!

What does one do on a snow day?

Yesterday afternoon at 1:04 it started snowing. By the time I got off work at 4:30 the snow was about about 3" thick (seemed like 4" but the ruler proved otherwise). We Southerners (do you like how I called myself a Southerner?) don't know how to drive in the snow and I'm not sure the city even tried to treat the roads. I think this storm surprised them. I don't know where all the people came from but it was bumper to bumper traffic in all directions and the fastest anyone was driving was 15 miles an hour. At times we were stopped still in our tracks for minutes at a time. My gas tank light came on shortly after leaving work telling me I that I needed to fill the tank. Fortunately with everybody moving so slowly there weren't any accidents that I heard of, though I saw people sliding and did a little slip of my own. What normally takes me 10 minutes to drive took me about an hour. I was happy to get home with a little bit of gas left in my tank. One co-worker who's commute is usually about 20 mintues was on the road for almost 3 hours trying to get home.

The snow had quit falling by then and no more snow fell during the night but it's almost the end of the day today and plenty of snow still remains. It got up to 37 degrees today so we've had some melting goin on. Tonight it's going to freeze so it'll be icy in the morning. We're going to stay home until it thaws. I expect all the snow will melt completely tomorrow as it's supposed to get up to 48 degrees.

So, no yard work today and I wasn't inclined to go out. So what should I do? Make soap, of course!

Well - maybe not "of course" but that is what I did today. This is something I've been planning to do for quite some time. I have been gathering the tools (a soup pot here, a roaster pan there, etc) and ingredients. This particular recipe called for lye, olive oil, coconut oil and shea butter. It was time to take the plunge!

My teacher is a book called "Smart Soapmaking" by Anne L Watson. She lays it all out simply and easily; explaining what's going on chemically (not too technical), suggests a starter recipe but includes several others and gives step by step instructions. It took me a couple hours but most of that was prep time and clean up time. The actual soap making took about 20 minutes. With practice, the prep and clean-up will go much faster. I'd love to show you photos but that will have to wait for another time. I was home alone while making it so there was no one to take pictures. :-(

I can show you pictures of the snow though.

It's been 33 years

A week ago today we had a visit from a friend from our youth - Jim Redwine. While we've stayed in touch through our parents (pre-internet; well actually - pre-computers, I think), later via email and later still via yahoo groups and Facebook, we actually hadn't seen each other in 33 years. We were so privileged to have several hours together. Jan and John came (John's taking the picture) because they go back that far with us. (Poor Judy was home with a cold and was selfish about sharing her "fun". We missed having Bud and Lacey too).

Jim is very interesting to talk to as he has done so much in his lifetime, lived so many places and has so many interests (and stories to tell). I think we could have talked for days.

Thank you Jim for coming! Next time, bring Caryn... and the kids.

Brrrr Cold

Sorry - no photos but I just wanted to say "It's cold"!

I've heard of cold winters in these parts but this is the coldest it's been since we've lived here. I suppose that's not saying much since this is only our 4th Winter but still. Even the "natives" are saying this December was colder than usual and now that we're into the first week of January it's even colder. Yesterday it snowed - just enough to put about 1/4" of snow on the surface of things - but then it froze. A good bit of that 1/4" is still here tonight. Today we had a high of 22 degrees! Yes, I said "high". I thought we lived in the South!

The Big Day

January 1st, 2010... "The Big Day" finally arrived. Dad & Millie got hitched!

I'm sure it was a tough decision but they decided to get married in our home. I believe weather was a big consideration for this and it turned out to be a good decision - at least for those of us in the South - because there was 8" of snow "back home" and more on the way. Here, we had a beautiful day; very cold with temps in the low 30's, but blue skies none-the-less. Whatever the reasons were, I feel quite blessed that we were able to be in attendance.

I didn't think to count how many were here while it was happening but I do believe there were 15, counting Dad, Millie and Walter, the preacher. There were 7 more (if I count correctly) in attendance via the phone as well. We had this idea to call anyone available back home and let them listen in on the ceremony. I hoped they could hear okay.

Millie prepared a small feast that could have served twice or three times as many people as were there. It was all yummy, especially the potato soup she made.

Don't they look happy? (Did you notice that the bride and groom on the cake top are sitting down?) So cute (both couples, that is).

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas everyone!

This Christmas was good in so many ways. Larry finished most of the indoor projects just in time to clean up and decorate. On Christmas Eve we (including Dad) went to Ben and Laura's house. Ben had to work but was able to join us before the evening was over.



On Christmas Day Dad, Ben, Laura and Abi came to our house (after Laura got off work and Abi finished her nap). We hung out together, ate some and dumped our stockings. Abi unwrapped a couple gifts too (us grown ups don't exchange gifts anymore).


Abi is old enough this year to enjoy family time and the food and, of course, the gifts (though she is still learning about the gift giving thing). Another great thing this year is Dad being here with us. I'm sure his heart was elsewhere (I wonder where?) but we were happy to have him with us this year.

Kitchen upgrade

Here are some before and after photos of our kitchen. As you can see, the biggest changes are the countertop and backsplash. Eventually we'll replace the vent hood with a black one. Larry would like an all black oven too (this one has almond edges) but that's a lot of money for a slight change in color.


Larry did all the remodel work. He replaced the formica butcher block counter-tops with a formica marble look. We considered all kinds of options include granite but formica is fitting for this house in this neighborhood. Here's the sink area. Larry got creative and did some custom work with the tile.


All three of the "after" photos are closer in than the originals but it really shows in the fridge shot. It's not really any bigger than the old one. The dishwasher was replaced shortly after we moved in. The fridge was too but we had a used "filler" model for a while. We often wondered what day it would finally quit. It made funny noises from the day we got it. We finally got the fridge we really want.


If you'll look carefully in the fridge photo you'll also see that we have a different floor. We took out the parquet and replaced it with the same hardwood that now covers the living room, dining room, master bedroom and hall.

There one more set of photos I didn't include because Larry is still working on it. The "after" phot doesn't exists yet. I'll share that when it's done. It could be this week or it might be several weeks from now. We'll see.

Dad & Millie are engaged!

It's official! Dad and Millie are engaged to be married. The big day is on the big day of New Year's Day. They'll be married in Chattanooga and then move to Pennsylvania. They are both very happy and make a wonderful couple.

This photo is taken at my cousin Linda's house in the Atlanta area. We were all there for Thanksgivings (a big crowd!).

Dad's calendar is marked with count-down days. It won't be long now!

A typical, yet not so typical, day in the yard

It's quite typical to find me working in the yard on any given evening or week-end (weather permitting - which means, not in the rain and not in the heat of summer) but to find Larry and Dad working outside at the same time is not so typical.



On this particular Saturday, I was transplanting the holly tree (the same one the bees visited this last Spring) plus planting some other things purchased during the last 4 weeks of rain. This is the first Saturday in at least a month where it hasn't rained!



As you know, Larry has been working really hard putting siding on our house. He's been spending every spare moment (and some found moments) installing the siding. This Saturday was no different. He's working on the tight areas under the roof line that is tucked up tight in a corner. This is the last step before beginning work on the fascia (the really hard part) due to the necessary ladder angles.

So, here we were, both working in the yard (though doing our own separate things) when Dad came to join us. He took it upon himself to "mow" the fallen leaves. I should have taken a "before" photo because the leaves were so thick it was almost impossible to see the grass underneath!
It felt rather strange to have all of us working outside at the same time so I thought photos were in order. It's just a "Slice of Life" kind of thing.

Lady Bug Abi

Abi brought her Mom by on Halloween. I think she really just wanted to show off her Lady Bug outfit. Isn't she just cute as a bug?

Grandma just has to brag a little.

Home Improvements

The house has been a work in progress for so long that I don't realize how much it's changed. We now have hardwood floors in the bedroom, living/dining room, kitchen and hall. Only the two other bedrooms have carpet. We've also painted the living room and hall walls. Most are a muted green but one wall is a golden yellow which helps brighten everything up. Larry has fixed a gap in our kitchen cabinets plus built a new section of base cabinets (drawers to come later) and we have countertops ready to install and then a new tile backsplash to put up.

But... first, while the weather is still nice, Larry has been covering the house with vinyl siding. We bought the vinyl in early Spring (or was it last Winter?) and it's been waiting in the garage for nice weather. While I wanted a sage green or a mocha color we ended up with this beige because we had an opportunity to buy at a really super price. We took what we could get and it's turning out okay.

Larry has made much progress in the last few

weeks; about 99% single-handedly. He has painted the soffitts white because we'll have

white trim when it's all done.

Silly me - I only took photos of this one wall - probably because I was nervous about him being so high up on these ladders that I worked outside and stayed within shouting distance in case he needed me.

We have new burgandy shutters, which are also made of vinyl, and have painted our front door to match. One of these days I'll photograph that too. He has three sides now covered and is working on the back where the deck is. That takes a bit more prep. I'm proud of his for all his hard work. He has saved us a bunch of money and has done a great job (as usual). What you can't really tell from these photos is, this part of the house is over the garage so he's about 25' up on that ladder. I still don't know how he managed to reach the peak (I didn't look for that part).

And, just so you know... I haven't been totally lazy. I continue to work on the yard.

Last May, it was looking fairly tidy. After avoiding the heat of summer for several months, I'm now back in the yard trying to tame it again.

Bermuda grass has taken over a few spots and weeds are rampant. But, things did grow up some while I looked the other way.

Oh! The raspberries have been wonderful. I sure didn't expect to get raspberries this year when I planted them in spring but they've been steadily producing for months now. The blackberries, on the other hand, are making long runners but will wait until next year to make fruit. If you click on the Oct photo and look behind the cottage you'll see the blackberry vines.

I just harvested the Sweet Potatoes that took over the garden this summer. They made a wheel barrow full! Now, each day I'm cooking them so they can be made into Sweet Potato casserole and a dozen other things. I'm even thinking about trying my hand at canning.

The other thing I'm doing is transforming the grassy area North of the cottage (AKA rental) into a woodland. I killed the grass in Spring and covered the area with leaves from last fall and compost. Then, the huge rains we had in September washed everything away leaving me with raw dirt. I was fortunate to be the recipient of wood chips from a tree service. They dropped off 2 dump truck loads full. It's not the best stuff because it's fresh (as opposed to aged) but it does cover the dirt and that's great.