This and That...

My last post was Monday. Please forgive the long pause in between, but I've been busy and bitchy, and I really didn't want to inflict "bitchy" on anyone ~ except for Tom, that is.

I worked 2 hours each day this week at my new job, essentially training, and I start "for real" on Tuesday. I like the people I work with and enjoy talking and joking with the patients, so I think everything will be okay in the job department.

The job location couldn't be a more convenient. It is just about 5 minutes from home. After all those years of commuting ~ from our farm to Conway (35 minutes one way), from our farm to Little Rock (an hour one way) ~ this is a breeze. And it's also cheap, so whatever I make is nearly free and clear with little or no job-related expenses, not even work clothes. God knows I already have the work wardrobe. It will be nice to wear my work clothes again every day, instead going to my closet every morning and just petting them with a wistful look in my eye.

So, what else is happening? Well, I realized day before yesterday that I had nearly severely dehydrated myself. Night before last was literally my awakening, since I spent most of the night awake...nausea, dizziness, leg cramps periodically throughout the night. Yesterday I drank 3 liters of water and I feel better today, but not completely myself, so I am trying to get down another 3 liters today. I am usually a big water drinker, but I guess I just didn't feel thirsty and it's been cold and I didn't really think about it. Dumb. Water, water, water...no matter what!

Another thing...I am bummed for my sons. As of yesterday, they are both unemployed. I know it's happening all over, but crap! Like everyone else, they have families and struggling even for a week or so is just tough...and scary.

And another thing...I have come to conclusion that our dog, Goldie, is not just a poor, formerly abused kennel-dog/one-dog-puppy mill. I think someone dropped her on her head when she was a puppy and she is brain damaged. This dog is just a floor lump! Take a look at this photo...



Isn't this the quintessential family dog photo? Dog, den, fireplace, footstool: the dog laying quietly in the den by the hearth. So Norman Rockwell. But, what if I told you that is all she does? Not only must she claim her space in front of the hearth, but she must be between the hearth and the footstool. She will NOT wander into the kitchen. She will NOT wander into the living room. She will NOT wander...period. She will NOT let us know if she has to go out to pee or poop. She will NOT let us know if she is hungry or thirsty. Nothing. She will lay in front of that hearth all day long, if we let her. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't pee or poop in the house. We let her out first thing in the morning about 6:30am or so. She pees and poops and comes back to the porch and sits staring longingly through the glass door into the kitchen. Tom gets her bowl, fixes her food and puts her bowl out for her to eat. She eats, drinks water, then comes back to the porch and sits staring longingly through the glass door into the kitchen. When we let her in, she literally dives through the the back door, through the kitchen to the den and that's where she will stay until I make her go outside around noon...hopefully to pee and poop. Most of the time she doesn't. She just sits on the porch and stares longingly through the glass door into the kitchen. I usually wait at least an hour to let her back in and...guess what...you got it...she dives through the back door, through the kitchen and back to her spot in the den. A few days ago, we left Goldie in the house all day. As usual, she slept all day in front of the hearth. I put her out about an hour before we went to bed and she sat in front of the back door for a few minutes then went down the two steps to her water bowl next to the porch. Goldie was so thirsty that, I swear to you, that dog drank water continually for 2 minutes straight without a break. Com'on! That is NOT a smart dog! Even our vet, Dr. Chris, has said, Goldie has issues. Quite the diplomat, isn't he?

So, anyway, I have vented enough about my lump-of-a-dog, but I have to say that she is the most complacent animal I have ever seen. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. So, when we went to Savannah to visit Chris, Kelly and the kids, we had no qualms about taking Goldie with us rather than putting her in the kennel again. She did just as well as I expected. She found a spot in the living room, where she laid all day and slept regardless of what was going on around her and she slept next to our bed in the travel trailer at night.

All three kids, Jacob, Tommy and Hagan, petted her frequently during the day and often laid next to her on the floor, sometimes using her as a pillow, while watching tv in the evening. Hagan hugged her around the neck several times a day and Goldie would just turn her head away to my or Tom's direction and look at us as if to say, Tell me we are not going to stay here forever! Which then brings me to our last evening at Chris' house when Hagan and Jacob decided to brush Goldie.

Now, Goldie has an outer coat and a very thick undercoat and when you brush her she sheds...a lot. Goldie laid quietly for almost an hour while Jacob and Hagan brushed her coat. Jacob used a comb to get the hair from the undercoat and would put it in a bag each time he cleaned the accumulated dog hair from the comb. Yes, I am getting to another thing...

After we left, Jacob decided to use the hair he combed from Goldie's coat to make a beard. I know, I know. Right now you are thinking, Ew, ew, ew, but lighten up. He's fifteen, very creative and he was very bored. So, I give you Jacob with a dog hair beard...



Okay now, take it easy. The dog hair is not glued to Jacob's face. He was much more creative than that. He cut out some construction paper to form around his chin and under his nose, then glued the dog hair to the construction paper. I forgot to ask how he attached the construction paper to his face, but I am assuming he used some kind of glue as well.

I admit, it is a little goofy, but when you are weighing the options...drugs, guns, gangs or dog hair beards...I'm pickin' the dog hair beard every time.