A long day

 

     Last Thursday I ran Gavin to the vet for his yearly check up and shots.  Yesterday I took Patty for hers. 

     If Gavin was a hoot playing chicken dog, then Patty was a double hoot because she couldn’t decide if she was going to be a chicken dog or a happy dog.

     When we first went in, through a downpour, she was all happy, we had her on the scale a weighed in mere minutes.  Then we went into the exam room.  Patty began to go into a nervous Nelly act.  She did get up on the table for a cookie when I put one up there.  She only needed a little boost at the back end.

     The vet tech took pity on Patty when she began to shake and gave her some sweet talking and a couple of treats.  The tightly tucked tail wagged a little at first then soon went into full helicopter mode.

      When Dr. O walked in he was happy to see she was on the table.  He had her examination completed, took some blood, gave her a shot before she realized it and had a chance to panic, and we were ready to go.

     After paying a whopping vet bill, I took her home and dropped her with DH.

     I was out the door again and off to get my hair cut.  By the time I was out of the salon, it was past dinner time so I decided to stop and pick up something.

    

DH doesn’t do animatronic repairs

     Where’s a animatronic repair person when you need one?  I’d forgotten that my barrel zombie wasn’t working.  Now I have to figure out if I can get it working in time for my trick or treaters this year.

     Maybe I’ll dress DH up and put HIM in the barrel.

     Or perhaps someone wants to volunteer for the job?

     I need to clear the plants out of my planters on the porch before the end of next month so we can stand there to hand out candy–the plants have taken over the porch.

Work or play….

     I planned to get a lot of housework done yesterday.  As usual with the best laid plans–very little of what I’d planned to do happened.

     The floors weren’t cleaned.  I didn’t dust.  I pulled some weeds.  I cleaned the kitchen window and put up new curtains. 

     G stopped over so all work ceased and we had a nice visit.  We do try to make sure that we talk at least twice a week.  A cup of coffee and good conversation is worth blowing off some cleaning.  There’s always tomorrow.

Writing exercise

     Take a line from one of your books and improve on it, exaggerate it, go over the top!    

     Curiosity got the better of me; I tugged the gate open and slipped into the run. 

     Curiosity grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, threw me through the open gate, and into the run.

     I blushed for the second time. 

     I felt the heat of blood infuse my face and knew it looked like a red neon sign for the second time.  I could almost picture the cartoon arrow flashing above my head ‘look here, look here!’ 

Time to whip myself back into shape

 

     I find that my muse has completely jumped ship.  She’d better get her butt back here soon.  It’s as though my brain caught a computer virus and shut down.  Not a good thing.

     I’m thinking that I probably need to jump start my creativity with a good infusion of  writing exercises.  In other words, my brain needs to get some exercise.  Come to think of it so does my body, the no smoking has added a few pounds.

     Oh, how exciting, me a lazy person, has not only quit smoking, but I am now going to exercise both brain and body. 

     You, my dear readers, might be subjected to some writerly exercises for a while until my brain gets the idea that it is NOT on vacation and MUST work.  You will also be subjected to me bitching about exercising my body.

     Be prepared, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.  This isn’t going to be pretty.

I’m enjoying my new grill pan

 

     I recently bought a  Le Creuset Bistro Round Grill pan.  I love it.

     I can’t believe how often I’m using the grill pan.  Each new thing I’ve made on it has turned out tastier than if I cooked it in the fry pan or under the broiler.  DH is loving the results too.

     It is a heavy pan, so anyone who has trouble lifting  heavy pans would probably be better off buying something on the lighter side.

     Now that I’m used to the pan and know the best heat setting on my stove top for it, I am pan grilling most of our meats.  My less fat, healthier meals for us are working well so far.

If one health scare around here isn’t enough….

 

     DH is having a problem with a new symptom.  for the second time in a month his right leg has locked up.  He can’t bend it for several hours and has a great deal of trouble walking when this happens.

     I’m glad he has an appointment coming up with his neurologist so we can discuss this with her.  This is a new thing for him and is scary for both of us.  We had enough scares this past month.

Gavin makes our vet laugh

     Sixty-five pounds of muscle, wrapped in white fur, flattened on the floor of the vet’s office like road kill and had to be dragged across the slippery floor to the exam room.  It’s a good thing they keep those floors slippery.

     Dr O couldn’t help but laugh when he walked into the exam room and Gavin, upon hearing our vet’s voice,  levitated and landed behind me to hide.  Ten years of going to the same vet and the idiot dog still hides from the man.

     Shots were given, blood taken, eye with conjunctivitis checked and Gavin was released from his torture.   Much to his joy, I took him out to the van to sit with G while I paid the bill.

Remakes; TV and Movies

     Am I the only person who thinks that remakes of TV programs and old movies suck big time?  Why is it when there are tons of talented writers out there that hollywood doesn’t take advantage of their talents?   Instead TV and movie producers do remakes?

     Oh, please, is a remake of Charlie’s Angels truly necessary?  It sucked the first time around people!  Am I the only one who thinks that most remakes suck?   Remakes of woefully poor TV shows are worse than remakes of classic films. 

     Why in the world anyone would remake True Grit is beyond me.  John Wayne movies should never, ever, be subject to a remake, there is no comparison!   I couldn’t watch the remake.

Time has flown

Baby Gavin

     Looking at Gavin’s records while getting ready for his yearly check up and shots this week I find it hard to believe he’ll be ten years old in November.  I find it especially difficult to believe after he and Patty run madly about the house chasing each other.

     The picture above was taken when he was twelve weeks old.

And the hits keep coming

     If it isn’t year old hospital bills for the MIL, or my latest adventure in hospital land, it’s bills for something over at the MIL’s house.

     The roofer is going to start working over there now–that’s an ouch, but a necessary expense.  The garage roof MUST be repaired.  There’s no getting around it.   

     I’ll be over there after Gavin’s vet appointment on Thursday.  Oh, yeah, that’s two more bills, Gavin and Patty need check ups and shots.  He goes this week and she goes next week. 

     After having the bright idea of taking them together in the hope that Patty would make Gavin less fearful, we found we were wrong.  Gavin made her more fearful.  I swore I’d never take them to the vet at the same time again.  Ever.

    

Treating myself to the good stuff

   

     I do love that we have a farmers market nearby.  I wish it was open more than three days a week though. 

     This week I bought chicken sausages for me–DH doesn’t like them.  I bought four varieties jalapeno and apricot, wild mushrooms and asagio cheese, lemon-wine-garlic and parsely, and artichoke a calamatra olive.  I’ll have the chicken sausage when he has his pork sausages.

     Another treat I found at the market were fresh figs.  I behaved myself and didn’t even look at any of the bakery stands. 

     I’ve already begun to write up my list for my next trip.