Man logic

Tonight I witnessed an interesting event. My husband took a carton of ice cream out and begin scooping it into a large mixing bowl. I turned away, at which point I think he added some milk. Then, he got out the electric mixer and made himself a milkshake. I went about my business, and it suddenly dawned on me what I had just seen. I asked him if he had really just made himself a refreshing beverage with the mixer, and reminded him we have a blender. He said "yes, but there's too much to clean up that way." He's so thoughtful.

BIG day!

Goodness, what a day. My little girl started first grade today! I still have a hard time believing a I have "school kid". We also went and picked up my little doggie from the vet. He appears to be doing well, and seems very happy to have his own bed and the nice cool floor to sprawl out on. I just finished cleaning the mess he created in the back of my car. Vacuum, water, windex, and almost an entire roll of paper towels later, it is once again presentable.

I'm getting ready to pick my daughter up from school, and we still have soccer practice! I guess I need to pick up my speed now that the school year has started. What a busy day!

Better than botox!

I have found the ultimate solution to my nagging little problem of feeling older, and it doesn't involve any magic herbs or surgeries. I got a bike! Our daughter looked like she was having so much fun that we decided biking needed to be a family affair. So, my husband and I got our own bikes today and off we went! I was actually I little shaky at first, but it only took a few minutes to get my bearings. I feel like a kid again!

Beautiful

This is a picture of my dogs the first time we visited our friend's house. They liked the rocks, too!

The GOOD part

My friends live in a little town called Orting, in the Mt. Rainier valley area. In fact, you can learn all about it on one of those "Seconds from Disaster" shows that come on the weather channel, because they are in the direct path of a lahar if Mt. Rainier ever decided to become active and erupt. You can learn more about them here. Yes, that's a scary thought, but when you see the beauty you can understand why nobody's too afraid of the dormant volcano to live there.

One of my friends has a house on a secluded little piece of land that's back border is a salmon stream. It is breathtaking. It is also paradise for rock lovers like me. :-) The water is crystal clear and we could see large groups of salmon hanging out in the water last night. This is a mountain stream fed by melting snow, so it is coooooold. I braved the temperatures, though, and waded out about waist deep. I couldn't resist the rocks! I managed to stand very very still, and a little salmon came and visited by my leg for just a moment. I stood there admiring the view, and wondered who else had stood in that water watching the salmon. I thought about the Native Americans that made their homes along this river valley, whose descendents still live in the area. I wondered what secrets those rocks knew, buried with them under the running water.

One day I would like to have a house with a salmon stream, or any kind of stream really, running behind it. I would do like my friend and hang a little hammock in a perfect spot by the water, and that's probably where you'd find me most of the time, when I wasn't searching for the perfect rock!

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday morning, just after I finished typing the "lovely day" blog, I stood up to walk back into the living room. I entered to find puddles of blood everywhere. Without getting graphic, I will briefly explain that my little bulldog has had surgery (twice) for a prolapsed urethra. It had obviously reoccurred. This is a messy affair that actually doesn't cause the dog too much grief, but it requires an immediate trip to the vet, and a LOT of cleaning up. It being Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend, I panicked a little on how I would get him seen. The vet that has done his surgery works in an office that is open 7 days a week, but that doesn't mean the surgeon is always there. It is also a solid hour from my house. I called them, and they informed me that this surgeon was leaving at 4:00 in the morning for a week of vacation but they would get in touch with him to see what he recommended. Meanwhile, I'm trying to contain my dog in one area of the house and keep it from looking like a massacre has occurred.

Long story short, Dr. Larson decided to come right in. They called me and said to start heading their way and he would meet us there. Next dilemma - how to get the 70 lb. bleeding bulldog into the back of my car. Let's just say it was a workout. A messy one.

We have friends that we have not seen in months that live a short distance from the vet, so I decided to go and visit them while waiting for a call letting me know how things went. My little bully had more surgery, and he ended up being neutered, in hopes to prevent this from happening again. We were sad that he won't be able to be a daddy, but I just want him to be healthy! I love this surgeon, though . . . it's the second time he's come in on a Sunday for us, and he really goes the extra mile for his patients. The staff is wonderful, too.

It's funny how your day can change directions so quickly!

Lovely morning

What a lovely day this is. I awoke a little earlier than usual. My daughter was already downstairs and told me her daddy had just left. There was still a slight bagel smell lingering in the air from his morning pit-stop. I made coffee, and it was a perfect cup. I love when that happens. Now, I'm sitting with the morning paper and Haleigh is riding her bike just outside the front window. I have not a lot to look forward to today except laundry and some other household chores. Sometimes I need days like that, though, to get everything balanced. I think I'll just savor this coffee a little longer before getting started.