THEY'RE BACK

Sunday morning, after being gently nudged many times by Josephine, I got up and headed to the kitchen to make us both breakfast. When I stepped into the kitchen, I noticed the bag of cat food was sitting on it’s side near the pet door with a large hole chewed into it. I realized then that this is why Josephine had been nudging me for the last hour. I shouldn’t have been surprised. A week or two ago, Josephine treed a raccoon in our backyard. It was an early morning, still dark out, and I was getting dressed to take her for a walk. I could hear her barking her head off while I tied my laces. I walked out with a flashlight to see what she was barking at and there it was, a raccoon nervously staring back at me from its perch in the tree. I looked down at Josephine and said “Yup, there’s a raccoon. Now are you ready for your walk?” She happily abandoned her guard post for our walk because walks are her favorite. And she’s smart enough to know there’s nothing she could do about the raccoon.

I wish I was smart enough to know this.

I sprayed all of our pet doors with fox urine. The cat food has a new home behind a closed door. Michael set his trap and baited it with marshmallows. I used most of what we had left of our little spray bottle of fox urine, so I ordered more from Amazon. Since Amazon is what it is, when I searched for fox urine, it suggested I buy spray and granules. First, I should tell you that two days ago I ordered stamps from Amazon because I can’t seem to physically get to a place that sells stamps. Those stamps are scheduled to arrive Thursday. The box of fox urine spray and granules arrived this morning. Overnight. It was almost as if Amazon was saying “I see that you need to mail a card to your mother for Mothers’ Day. That’s nice, but it seems like this whole need for fox pee is an emergency situation.”

Is it an emergency situation? Yes and no.

Early this morning, Josephine demanded to be let out. Her barks shifted from warning barks to fighting snarling sounds before I could get my shoes on. By the time I got out there she was in a full on tussle with a raccoon and I think the only thing keeping her from damage or causing too much damage was me yelling her name. She let go just long enough for the raccoon to dart away and over the fence. I checked her over and there doesn’t appear to be any scratches, but the incident left us both a little shaky. There is going to be at least one week this summer where we will have no choice but to leave the pet doors open for the cat. Why I care about that dang animal, I don’t know. I took a lovely nap on Saturday. A nap! Me! I napped! It was a miracle. I woke up refreshed with a dog on one side and a cat on the other. I laid there a few more minutes and then the cat stood up and projectile vomited across my bed. It’s fine. I was going to wash all of those things anyway, but seriously. The cat is a jerk, a jerk that we have conditioned to eat from his bowl on a table in the dining room area. Not the basement. Not the garage. Though moving his food to those areas just means the raccoons are going to eat the food in the garage or basement. We’re going to come home from vacation and Albus will now be sharing his space with a couple of stray cats and three raccoons. They’ll be playing poker and smoking cigars in my basement.

Summer vacations are stressing me out.

Except it is obvious that I need a vacation. I saw a thumbnail image of an ad in my Facebook feed and at first glance I thought it was an ad for a deep learning cell tracker program. It was an ad for tile for a bathroom. Look, if you’re a cell biologist, you would have thought the same thing. Any way. All I can do now is make the whole outside of my house reek of fox urine and hope for the best. I was going to say that I should be like Josephine and happily abandon my post for vacations because vacations are my favorite, but now I know that Josephine doesn’t always abandon a post and go on to full attack mode. Maybe it’s really about just deciding what battles to fight.

So I’m settling on being somewhere between abandonment and fighting.

THE VALENTINE COASTER

I put on a tunic shirt that reminds me of an old fashioned valentine doily card and then I took Josephine to the groomers’ for her 7:30 AM drop off. We were the first in line. I handed Josephine off to her wonderful groomer, Wade, and turned around to be greeted by two golden retrievers. I loved on both of them and then squeezed past to get out the door. Right out side the door, I was greeted by an enthusiastic golden doodle who also received some love and baby talk. Then I looked to my left and there was a line of dogs waiting their turn to be dropped off and for a moment I wondered if this was heaven. It was like a scene where the heroine runs down the hallway high-fiving all of her classmates. In this case I was the heroine and the classmates were fluffy puppies. I replaced the high fives with pets.

This is how every day should start.

Then I got in my car just in time to hear the end of a story from a woman from The Midwest Transplant Network about donating her husband’s organs after her husband died. When the story ended, they played one of his favorite songs which happened to be Remember Me from Coco. I pulled into the parking lot at work a sobbing wet mess and once again reminded that I have never been a fan of this holiday. But then I got to go pick Josephine up from the groomers’ and that’s my favorite part of grooming day. First of all Josephine is so excited to see me that she nearly drags the person put to the task of bringing her out to me. It almost feels like I am saving her life. Then there is the added bonus of Josephine looking her absolute cutest right after she’s been bathed and groomed. I just want to squeeze her and smoosh up her little face I LOVE HER SO MUCH!

On the way back to work after taking Josephine home, the radio started playing The Luckiest by Ben Folds which made me a little weepy yet again. In many ways I am the luckiest, for meeting Chris when I did and having our time together. Some people spend their whole lives looking for that thing we had. I’m not the old wife that dies two days after her husband though. I am the luckiest because I entered into my next relationship with a good foundation of what healthy relationships look like. I am the luckiest because I know that I was loved and that I am loved.

No pink doily cards required.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Josephine turned nine years old yesterday. Nine! I can’t believe it. I watch my friends posting pictures of their kids on social media and I am always marveling at how those kids grow and change. It slays me. This week, my great-nephew turned twenty seven. He was born the year after I graduated high school. I sent him a birthday message reminding him about the time he was so little he could not stand up in the crooked house at Silver Dollar City. He just kept falling over and we laughed and laughed and laughed. Now he’s a grown ass human being with a job and a wife.

Ugh.

When Michael brought Josephine home, she was so little that she fit perfectly on his shoulder like a parrot. She didn’t stay small for long. All of her growing changes happened in the span of a year. So for the last seven years, Josephine hasn’t aged. She still looks the same. Mostly. Recently, I’ve noticed that when she gets up from laying in one spot for too long, she has to really stretch the stiffness out of her little legs. That’s the only visible sign of her age. She still chases the cat and attacks the vacuum. Her little legs do not slow down as we trek through the neighborhood on our walks and she can shake the stuffing out of any toy.

Sometimes Michael will say something about how it might be time to get another dog and I seriously consider it. I’ll spend few hours scrolling through adoptable pets online and will even find one that I think about making a call on. Then I think about money and the size of our house. I don’t think we can really afford two dogs. Our couch isn’t really big enough for two dogs. Josephine is so used to being the only child. I mean, she does well with other dogs with a few exceptions. She loves Sarge who will not give her the time of day and she can hold her own with Terry’s gang. I’m sure she would be okay with sharing her home with another dog. I think the problem is me. I’m not sure if I am capable of opening my heart even more to fit another dog. I realize how that sounds, but I honestly think I have a one dog at a time kind of heart. Josephine has filled it up. Of course she has! Have you seen her?!? She’s the most wonderful puppy in the whole wide world.

I am grateful to be celebrating another year of Josephine Boisdechene Clofullia.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

This week, we saw our first real snow of the season. Technically, there was snow a couple of weeks ago, but it happened early on Saturday morning with only a handful of people to witness it. Me being one of them since I get up with the sun even on Saturdays. The day turned out to be sunny and warm though and no one believed when I said that it had snowed that morning. This week was real, honest to goodness, snow that quickly melted. Though there is still some on the roof of my car. The weather was warm enough for the snow to melt on the ground, but then quickly fell back into freezing temperatures for the rest of the week. Morning walks do not happen during such conditions.

I have wavered between getting up and onto my mat in the early morning hours when I am usually walking Josephine and snuggling back down under the covers. The snuggling back down under the covers has been the winner for most mornings. I get up to open the pet door for Josephine and the cat. Then I hop right back under the covers. It only takes a few minutes of being out in the cold for Josephine to have the same idea. She comes running back inside and jumps on the bed as I lift the comforter for her. Then she curls her little body up as close as she can to mine. This is where we stay for another hour or so before I get up to feed her and the cat. Then Josephine and I have moment of snuggling and tussling while I wait for my turn in the shower.

At first I felt really guilty about not taking the walks. Especially because Josephine gets so freaking excited just at the sight of her leash. These moments of snuggle and play time that we have had this week eases that guilt of not walking. Michael’s moms had to say goodbye to their little dog over the weekend and then a Facebook friend had to say goodbye to her best kitty. So, I feel pretty good about skipping the walks in favor of showering Josephine with extra love.

Treats for everyone.

Speaking of treats for everyone. Tomorrow is Michael’s birthday. He’s been talking about being in his late forties for months now, sometimes with a tone of excitement and sometimes with a tone of dismay. Michael changed up is diet after our return from Vancouver. Then he made appointments with doctors and scheduled routine tests. He’s checking his blood pressure and monitoring his salt intake. He eats a banana every morning. It looks like he has plans to live past the age of fifty. Sometimes, I’m really surprised he sticks around (for various reasons), but then he talks about our future together. A lake house. Travel. Retirement. I am thankful for his random acts of kindness like yesterday morning when I walked out to my car and Michael had scraped my windshield for me. I am thankful for his raccoon/possum/even squirrel trapping skills that he didn’t even know he had until this year. I’m thankful for how he insists on getting my car washed which is something I never bothered doing unless I couldn’t see out the windows. I’m thankful that in spite of those vague various reasons that he still sticks around.

Here’s to surviving another rotation around the sun.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Josephine turned seven last week. I did not mention it earlier or make a big deal about it. She got a haircut and a new bone. Then I cradled her like a baby and showed her pictures of herself when she was a tiny puppy. Goodness, she was so little. I felt my heart lurch when I realized she has been with us for seven years and then I whispered to the God of puppies to please slow down time.

I’ve had a number of friends who have had to say goodbye to their elderly pets this year. When Chad and Jess lost Moses early this Spring, every time I went to their Instagram feeds, I would burst into tears. My friend Kelly and her husband said goodbye to their Sadie just this week and my heart aches for them. My friends, when you lose a pet, we are all mourning that loss with you. It just seems so unfair that these creatures who make such a positive impact on our lives do not get to stay with us through the whole of it. Oh wait…that happens with some people too, but at least with dogs, you go in with the knowledge that they can’t stay with you forever. This is why I do not celebrate Josephine’s birthday. Instead, I focus on celebrating her everyday existence.

When I took her to the groomer’s that morning, she walked in and happily greeted every person in the room. She was so happy and wiggly to meet new people, but as soon as I turned to leave, she froze with a look of shock on her face. I could almost hear her tiny voice say “But wait…what’s happening here? Are you leaving me?!?” When I ask the groomer how Josephine behaved, they always tell me how lovely she is. “Schnauzers have a reputation for not being nice during grooming.” This has been said to me more than once. The best thing about picking Josephine up from the groomer’s is when they bring her out and she sees me. Then she tries to frantically run to me, but can’t gain any traction on the tile floor and she just ends up running in place like a cartoon character until I get to her. Then she throws her tiny body at me, jumping up and down as if begging to be picked up.

This is really not much different from how she greets me at the end of every work day. No one in my life is as happy, excited and elated to see me as Josephine is. It might be true that she is always happy and excited to meet a new friend, but all that joy and excitement is multiplied tenfold when she sees me. If I leave her with Michael for a weekend, she mopes around the house until I’m home, sleeping in my bed all by herself. She intently listens for the sound of my car and will be waiting right on the other side of the door when I get home. The minute the door is opened, she attacks me with love.

I am so grateful to have this little dog in our lives. Josephine encompases everything I could ever ask for in a dog. She’s sweet and smart. She’s silly and sometimes naughty, but not too naughty. She’s hilarious and she’s a cuddler. She loves me with not just her whole heart, but with her whole being. I hope she knows that I feel the same way.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Man…gratitude. I hate those weeks when I get near the end and start to write this entry and I can’t think of anything to write. That says to me that I spent the week being only mindful of the tasks that I need to accomplish each day and nothing else. My focus was seriously narrowed to work this week since it was my first full week in the office in over a year. That’s every day of packing a lunch, putting on a bra and driving my car to a place other than my house. It felt good. It feels good. I took advantage of my standing desk and I got more daily steps. I was finally able to get ahead on that mountain of slides I have to image, but I’m not gonna lie. I need a real hard nap.

I knew this week was going to be a difficult adjustment for Josephine who had gotten used to me being at home with her all day for two or three days in a row. At home days meant more snuggles, more playtime moments and (weather permitting) a good walk. I made it my goal to get up half an hour earlier every morning so I could do thirty minutes of exercise and take Josephine on a walk before getting ready for work. We have walked every morning except one because I thought it was raining. It wasn’t. The morning I thought it wasn’t raining, it was actually raining, but we were out the door before we knew what was happening. We walked in the rain anyway. On the mornings when I just didn’t think I could get out of bed early enough to do an X-tend Barre class or get on the rowing machine and do a walk, I chose the walk. And I am so happy I did.

I had forgotten how great those early morning walks could be. The neighborhood is at its quietest at this hour in the morning and at times it feels like Josephine and I are the only two people in the city. That might be an unsettling feeling for some, but I find that in those moments, my brain sparks with creative thoughts and words form a script for various scenes in my head. It’s still dark when we leave the house and the wet and chilly weather makes everything seem moody and dramatic. This morning we stepped outside into a thick fog and frost on the ground. I could not stop marveling over the way the fog and frost transformed the landscape. The way the street lights split the sheets of fog was hypnotizing and I paused often to take some pictures.

Before I leave the house in the mornings, Josephine gets two small cookies. The first cookie she gets after doing whatever trick I’ve asked her to do. Sit up, roll over, down and stay are all in her repertoire and sometimes she gets so excited that she will do all of the above before I can even tell her which trick to perform. The first cookie also comes with pets and love and a lot of words from me about how she is such a smart, wonderful little dog and I love her so so much. This morning, I spent a few extra minutes petting Josephine. I thanked her for our morning walks and then I said “Wait, I want to thank you for all that you do for me.” She looked up at me, slightly quivering with anticipation for the second cookie but obviously torn between receiving more love and devotion and the second cookie. So I stood up and said ‘okay’ which is her signal to head to her crate. She always makes a beeline for that crate and will be sitting there waiting for that second cookie. She’s very treat motivated, but aren’t we all.

So I didn’t get in thirty minutes of some form of exercise on two days this week. No biggie. I did get on my yoga mat everyday. Really, the most important part of this week were those morning walks. I don’t have to look hard to see the gratitude in those moments.

ANIMALS

Last year was the first year where the veterinarian did not lecture me about Josephine’s weight. Every year we go in for her yearly exam, Josephine comes in two pounds over weight on the scale and then her doctor spends fifteen minutes telling me that Josephine needs to be eating the most expensive diet food. The year before last, I switched Josephine to a reasonably priced diet food. Except I felt bad about the dry kibble, so I started mixing a little wet food to give her a ‘gravy’. I fed it to her twice a day and the veterinarian said at the last wellness exam that Josephine’s weight was good. I fist pumped the air and gave Josephine an extra treat. We had entered into straight up lock down and I figured that all the walks we were taking would counter act the effects of extra treats that seemed to fall down from the sky for her.

And it did, until it didn’t.

When the cat had his car accident, we started feeding him cans of Fancy Feast, crack food for cats. We had been desperate to get him to eat anything. His body wilted down to a frail and skinny version of himself that had both of us terrified. So we fed him the crack and he ate it up as long as it wasn’t salmon flavored. Now the cat expects his Fancy Feast daily along with the dry kibble he used to eat. Basically, he never wants his bowl to be empty. The result is that the cat is no longer frail and skinny, but quite hefty. I said something to Michael about the other day and Michael said that the cat just looked fat because of all his winter hair. While it is true the cat’s winter coat has come in fierce and he even looks like he has a lion’s main, he is heavy. I had to pick him up and remove him from my bed recently and it was work. I watched the cat cross the backyard and find a place to settle near the fire pit. He looked massive. Then the cat and one of the chickens had a staring contest. I really thought that the cat was going to try to take down a chicken. He didn’t, but it was a tense staring match.

Josephine’s weight started increasing when she realized that she could reach the cat’s food bowl. The cat is a grazer and often leaves his food behind while he goes and takes a break. If you are not paying attention, Josephine will sneak into the kitchen and eat all the cat’s food. We know it is her because the cat never cleans a bowl and Josephine always leaves a happy plate. We’ve taken to setting the cat food bowl up on the kitchen counter when we think the cat’s finished eating, but now the cat gets up on the counter. So be it. I’ve adjusted Josephine’s evening meal to just plain old kibble. I have to stir the kibble around with my finger before I set it down for her to eat. The first time I just set the kibble down, she looked at me with her head cocked to the side in question. I picked up the bowl, swirled the kibble around and set it back down. She shrugged and then ate all of the kibble. My plan is to get Josephine down to whatever weight is needed so the vet won’t lecture me when I take her in for wellness exam in a few months. If pretending to mix in wet food with Josephine’s dry food gets us there, so be it.

It seems we live in a society where even our pets need be on special diets. I feel the same way about this as I feel about the food I put into my own body. I rarely over indulge. Meals are filled with greens and rarely come out of a box. I splurge on cheese and good chocolate. I enjoy the occasional potato chip. I don’t see why this philosophy can’t apply to Josephine. Forget the cat. We let him do what he wants. Josephine is more one of us. I don’t go overboard with treats for her. She gets two little biscuits in the morning before work. All other treats are things that fall onto the kitchen floor or at Micheal’s feet. Sure, she’s been known to steal half a sandwich or drink a whole bowl of unguarded cheese dip, but haven’t we all? I’m sure Josephine regrets all of her binge moments just as much I regret my own occasional binge moments.

Like I said. She’s one of us.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

The other day, I watched a How To video for expressing anal glands on a dog. I should probably tell you why I was watching this video. You see, Josephine has been licking her butt more than anyone should ever lick their butts. She has not been scooting around on the carpet or anything. Just licking and making annoyingly gross smacking noises while she does it.

Warning: This is going to get real gross.

Michael keeps telling me that we need to reel in our spending. Christmas put a dent in our budget. I thought I was being resourceful by looking into Josephine’s problem with out paying for vet visit. I started looking into Josephine’s butt problem and the number one reason for this behavior is anal glands. So as a way to save us some money, I thought maybe I could teach myself to express her anal glands. I watched the video and I saw things I wish I had never seen. Ever. I am doing you a favor. DO NOT EVER WATCH SOMEONE PERFORM THIS PROCEDURE! This is not an area for cutting back on spending.

So I decided that I was calling the vet. I could also have them look at a suspicious lump Josephine has on her right shoulder. It’s been there for ages, but it has recently gotten bigger. I thought I’d just get her into the vet and get all of these little things taken care of, but before I could make that call, that bump that’s been getting bigger burst open. And some awfulness ensued. I managed to clean the area without throwing up and then I called the vet and told them what happened. They managed to find me an appointment for that evening. My vet is still doing curbside service. Someone comes out and gets your pet and then the vet calls you talk about her discoveries. So I spent the evening waiting in my car while Josephine got poked and prodded. The bump, though very very very gross, is not a big deal. It’s just a simple sebaceous cyst, that now is clean. If it returns, we’ll have to discuss options, but for right now there is no need to worry. Josephine is on antibiotics just in case and after flushing out the cyst, the vet took care of Josephine’s butt.

There is a list of gratitudes here. At the top of the list is that Josephine is okay. A very close second is for the privilege of being able to pay someone to care for my dog. There are 10 million fewer Americans in the work force this year as compared to last year. Many have considered surrendering their pets because they can’t afford to feed them, let alone pay for veterinarian care. I am very grateful that I do not have to make such a difficult choice. While Josephine’s excursion to the vet will tighten our budget, it will not break the bank. I read a blog entry a long time ago about a woman’s massage experience. She ended it with “Life is gross. Carry a flashlight.” That line has stayed with me. Those two simple sentences are such sage pieces of advice. It says to me that you should always have a light to guide you through the grossness of life.

We should all be carrying flashlights right now.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Mom sent home this elephant plush toy for Josephine. She said she found it in the pet section of TJ Maxx, but there is what sounds like a baby’s rattle in the head of the elephant. Josephine loves it. LOVES it. We’ve even managed to keep it inside the house. New toys usually always do a tour in the backyard. Sometimes they make it back in, but often they get left out there until they are nice and soggy and a bit muddy. The football sized hedgehog Michael bought her a couple of weeks ago is out there now. Usually, after a big snow melt, I grab a laundry basket and go collect all of the babies in the backyard. Josephine frantically hops around me, trying to snatch them from my hands as I lift them up from the ground. Then she does that head tilt thing as she watches me through them all into the washing machine.

She hasn’t learned that Michael will mow right on over all of them. He will not pause to rescue a single baby.

The elephant Mom sent, though, has been a real hit. She has carried that thing around with her all week, nudging me with it, shaking it, sleeping next to it in her bed. I have not seen her become so enamored with a toy since the IKEA rat. The IKEA rat is currently in the basement. I meant to wash it ages ago, but it has just been so nice to not be startled every time she comes in from outside with it, that I kind of just left it there. The cat brings in a live rat one time and that ruins all rat like toys for eternity. Sometimes, while I’m in the shower, Josephine will just start bringing her toys into the bathroom. When I pull back the shower curtain to get out, I will see that the bath rug in front me is littered with stuff like a ball, a bone, stuffed animal. The other day, I went to step out of the shower and the elephant was the only thing on the bath rug.

I have never had a dog before that was all that attached to toys. Hooper had a squirrel toy that he was mildly interested in, but mostly he always acted like an old man. Odie, who got booted to the outside, loved a good game of tug-of-war, but never really attached himself to anything. He did have a deflated tractor tire inner tube that he dragged around the yard. You could look out the window and see him tossing it into the air or sleeping in it. Josephine has a stash of toys and it is delightful to watch her play with them. Every time she picks up a toy and nudges me with it, I can’t help but pause in what I am doing and play with her. We could all use moments in our days where we are encouraged to pause what we are doing and just play.

Josephine and I are very grateful for my mom for providing this current play time break.

BEWARE ALL YE SMALL CREATURES WHO VISIT HERE

Wednesday

Michael went back to work this week and I am on a Tuesday/Thursday work day schedule. It has just been me, the dog and the chickens in this house this week. Some time the cat rolls and complains about the teaspoon of food that is missing from his already full bowl of food. Mostly it has been pretty quiet and kind of great. I play whatever music I want on Alexa. I only have my own dishes to wash at lunch time. No one gives me side-eye when I start dancing like Elaine Benes and I can plop my yoga mat down anywhere I want. Occasionally I look over from my desk to the window that used to house an air conditioning unit. I have a clear view of the chickens being chickens. It’s a nice view.

Except when it’s not.

Wednesday, I stood at the kitchen sink, staring out the kitchen window while I drank a kale and watermelon smoothie. I saw something dart around inside the chicken pen. A squirrel had gotten inside. The door was wide open, but this dummy started freaking out and literally bounced off the walls trying to find an escape. I just stood there watching and thinking surely the little guy will figure it out. Then I watched all four chickens walk into the pen to investigate. All four chickens ran out of their own pen squawking as that squirrel went on the defensive. Just as I set my smoothie down, Josephine headed out the door. She was inside the pen before I could stop her and the next few minutes were minutes of horror as I watched my sweet Josephine catch that squirrel and then shake it until it was mostly dead. I told her to take it out of the pen and then she trotted proudly out with the squirrel hanging out of her mouth and headed to the back door. I yelled “DON’T TAKE IT INSIDE!” She dropped it and then laid down next to it with a smug look of satisfaction.

I could see that the squirrel was still breathing, but there was no miraculous recovery going to happen here. I went inside and sent a text to Sarah and Jeff, my co-workers I chat with daily. I told them what happened and the squirrel wasn’t dead and I didn’t know what to do. Jeff replied first with “Finish it off. Get a shovel!” My shoulders slumped and I felt a little sick. Jeff was right. I was going to have to finish that squirrel off. I looked out the window to see Josephine tossing the limp body up into the air like it was her new best toy and then I gathered some supplies. By the time I made it back to the yard, the poor creature had finally stopped breathing. All that was left was scooping its body into a garbage bag. This, I know how to do. The cat’s given me apple experience with cleaning up the dead. I might just need to add ‘good at cleaning up the dead’ to my resume.

Look squirrels, you’re just not safe in this yard. Enter at your own risk.

BABY OPOSSUMS ARE KIND OF CUTE

Dorothy

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

I feel like this space has been nothing but talk about the retaining wall or ‘woe is me I’m stuck at home’. Nothing of interest happens around here. We are boring. Our Friday evenings look something like this: Michael brings me a glass of wine at 4:30 while I am in the middle of watching presentations in Friday Science Club. We order dinner and then get all excited about our Door Dash notifications. I know many of you are already experienced with food delivery apps, but ordering delivery for other than pizza or Chinese food is still a new thing for us. We get really excited about our possibilities. Our food arrives and it is consumed. I drink the whole bottle of wine and then go to bed at 10:00.

I am not a party animal.

If I had to pick an actually animal to represent a party animal, I think I would chose the opossum. Except I imagine that their parties are very much more banjo moonshine and less fancy Thai and a smooth Malbec. The opossum is the group of Frat boys out on Spring Break, drunkenly wandering down a street trying to find their hotel. They are the kind of drunk that when one spots a slice of pizza in the garbage, they all dive in and fight over it. You know that drunk. Opossums have a definite drunk walk and I’ve seen a number of garbage cans with an opossum inside snacking on a greasy banana peel. Look. I know they’re good for the environment and eat the bugs that drive us crazy, but they still give me the creeps with their beady eyes and long snout with horrible British teeth.

I woke up around 4 AM on day last week. My head was pounding and I got up to take some aspirin and use the bathroom. Josephine went outside during this time and when I came out of the bathroom, I could hear her barking in the back yard. I tapped on the kitchen window. This usually works. She hears the tapping and comes right on in, but this time the tapping at the window was not getting her attention. I put on some shoes and opened the back door. I could just barely see Josephine. She was furiously barking and running from one side of the chicken pen to the other. I hesitated in the doorway and thought “crap…there’s something in the chicken pen that is not supposed to be in the chicken pen.” This is the moment I go out in the dark and either discover a cute alien like E.T. or the horrifying Alien that wants to lay it’s eggs inside of me.

The first thing I do is go out and grab Josephine. As I lean down to pick her up, I can see a small furry white opossum inside the pen. Josephine has become this hard statue of herself; she is so furious. I walk Josephine back to the house so I can put her some where safe and grab our claw that Michael uses to pick up the dead that Albus brings home. Wait…did I say we’re boring? I go back out to the chicken pen and I don’t see him. I thought “Yay! he got out!”, but then I look over and see that he has climbed up the side of the pen about level with my face. He’s just hanging there, looking at me and hissing. Then I try to grab him with the claw, but he just slips right out of the claw every time. So I go back inside and wake up Michael who stumbles out into the dark with me. So now both of us are out there chasing this baby opossum around the chicken pen. Every time the opossum turns to hiss at us, we jump back a little. Finally, the little guy squeezed out of the pen probably the same way he squeezed into it. There’s a tiny gap between the ground and bottom of the pen in the back just big enough for something his size to squeeze through.

We checked on the chickens. They seemed oblivious. Foghorn was sleeping on top of eggs in the nesting box, so we know the opossum didn’t get any eggs. The chickens are at least three times his size, so we know he didn’t get any of the chickens. He probably squeezed himself into the pen to drink some water and eat some chicken feed. Once he filled up on water and food, he probably just fell asleep inside the pen. Just like a drunk Frat boy. I’m sure Josephine scared the bejeebus out of him. Good girl.

Note that I do not have a picture of that baby opossum. I was not thinking clearly enough at four o’clock in the morning to grab my camera. You’ll just have to trust me when I say that this baby opossum was actually kind of cute. Despite his hairless tail.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Curb side vet care at Noah's Ark Veterinary in Brookside. Josephine's fine. Just needs shots.

Cindy Maddera shared a post on Instagram: "Curb side vet care at Noah's Ark Veterinary in Brookside. Josephine's fine. Just needs shots." * Follow their account to see 6,282 posts.

I took Josephine in for her annual checkup on Wednesday. Our vet clinic is doing curb side vet care. You park, call them, and a technician comes out and gets your dog. Then you wait in your car while they examine your pet and administer the necessary shots. Do not be fooled by that look on Josephine’s face. Though she looks really unsure about what’s about to happen, right after I took this picture, Josephine turned her head and started kissing the tech right on her face mask. I sat in my car, playing Animal Crossing (because that’s what I do now), until the veterinarian called to discuss Josephine’s exam. The vet said that Josephine has lost a pound and half, but she still thinks we need to count more calories for Josephine. Last year the vet recommended having Josephine come in for an expensive teeth cleaning. This year Josephine’s teeth looked so nice that the vet said that the teeth cleaning thing wasn’t necessary. Then she wanted to know our secret to Josephine’s clean teeth. She has a cow bone she gnaws on all the time and occasionally she gets a Trader Joe’s denta bone.

The vet said Josephine was healthy and then she said “I have to say, it is such a joy to have Josephine in here. She was so happy to see all of us and so sweet.” I smiled and thanked her. Then the tech brought Josephine out to the car. As she was depositing Josephine into the passenger seat, the tech said to me “She is the sweetest, most loving dog.” I nodded my head in agreement and thanked her. I looked at Josephine and said “Everyone loves you!” Well…maybe not everyone, but Josephine sure is a little fur ball of love. There were mornings where I would give Josephine love and treats before putting her in her crate for the day and think about how nice it would be if I could take her to work with me or just stay home with her all day. Now, I can tell you that it is nice to stay home with her all day.

Since the stay at home order went into effect, Josephine has not been far from my side. If the weather’s nice, the two of us go for a walk sometime around 9:30 in the morning. She has started reminding with gentle paw taps when it’s time to go for that walk. The bed I have for in the bedroom that she rarely sleeps on has been moved to the floor in front of my desk so she has some place comfortable to lay when I am working. Sometimes I move my workspace to the bedroom where I set my computer on my cedar chest and I sit on a meditation pillow on the floor. Josephine follows me and during Zoom work meetings she can be seen laying on the bed right behind me or in my lap on the floor. She’s right there either on my mat or next to it while I do my yoga practice. When I lay down for final relaxation, she curls up between my feet and watches over me. She lays next to me on the couch and if she gets too hot, she lays on the floor under the couch, directly beneath me. Josephine is my shadow and I am a little worried about what it’s going to do to her when all of this ends. Right now I am doing my best to soak up this time I have with her because we all know that we don’t get to keep them in our lives forever.

I have a lot to be grateful for this week. I’ve focused on changing my attitude and being a kinder person and I’m ready to have the Cabbage back with us. Actually, I almost suggested we go get her on Tuesday. Supplies for re-building the retaining wall on the west side of the house all arrived early. There are two pallets of pavers, one of sand and a mound of gravel all organized at the top of our drive way. Our incentive to getting the project completed quickly is being able to get to the scooters inside the garage. Though, I think I can just barely squeeze my scooter out, which you all know that I will attempt to do so. Then, my friend Kristina contacted me about buying a print this week. I was able to respond in a some what professional manner with pricing information instead of “Uhhh…..” A print was ordered. Money exchanged digital hands. Then I started singing “Wow” by Beck because it’s like wow; it’s like right now.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Instagram post by Cindy Maddera * Sep 12, 2019 at 3:24pm UTC

5 Likes, 0 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram

Josephine had an appointment at the groomer’s for 9 AM yesterday. At the very last minute, I decided to be late to work. My intention had been to get to work at my usual time, then rush home and gather the dog. Then I would drop her off at the groomer’s and head back to work. I suddenly realized just how stupid that was since the groomer’s is on the way to work. It’s just down the street actually. I could easily walk there from work. So I paused as I gathered my keys and bag and thought “what if I’m just late to work today?” What would happen if I disrupted my normal routine? Well, considering how this week has gone in general, there is no normal routine. For sure the world didn’t fall apart any more than it already has.

I talk a lot here about disruption of routines and how it usually has a negative affect on my mental stability (or lack of stability). I tend to say something about how the lack of routine makes me grateful for my routine. Sure, all of that is true. But for some reason, this time around, I started thinking a little bit differently about disrupting my normal routine. Every time I went to BlogHer, I would always seek out the photography sessions. I don’t remember what year it was or who said it, but in one of those panel sessions someone said to take pictures from different angles. This person talked about getting down on the ground or climbing up high, whatever it took to get a different view of the subject. I took this advice to heart. It is not uncommon to see me crawling on the ground or climbing up onto things I should not be climbing when I am in photographer mode. I will dangle myself out the window of moving cars (that’s Michael’s favorite thing….he just loves that so dang much). I will perch on the very edge of a cliff (that’s another one Micheal’s favorite things). Basically, I will dirty up the knees of my pants, put grass stains on the elbows on my sleeves, and put my life in danger for a photo.

I think this technique has served me well.

This is what I was thinking about today in regards to yesterday’s change in routine. It wasn’t necessarily a disruption, but more of a different angle. I should be treating my daily life in the same way I treat my photography endeavors. Changing the usual routine gives a different perspective on that routine. I can see what part of that routine is serving me best and what parts of it I just do out habit. So instead of being grateful for my usual routine, today I am grateful for the insight to look at the usual routine from a different perspective (and adjust accordingly).

And just because I need to brag about my dog: I picked Josephine up from our groomer, who went on and on about what a good little girl Josephine is. Apparently Schnauzer’s have a bad reputation among groomers, but Josephine is a dream. The groomer’s words. “Josephine is a dream.”

NO DOGS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE

When you lose your shit at the vet clinic, they hand you the whole box of tissues. Josephine is getting X-Rayed. Waiting on some news.

2 Likes, 3 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "When you lose your shit at the vet clinic, they hand you the whole box of tissues. Josephine is..."

When I got home from work on Friday, Josephine was still not better. She’d had diarrhea all over my bed. Michael said that she drank a bunch of water and the puked it back up on the rug. She was still lethargic. So I called the veterinarian’s office and they told me to bring her back in. I explained to the vet how Josephine seemed to get worse after her visit on Thursday. She stopped drinking water and she would bury herself in leaves next to the fence outside. She behaved like a dog that was holing up to die. Even Michael was worried. As I talked to the vet, I had to pause and say “I’m sorry, but I’m barely keeping my shit together right now.” Then I started crying. The veterinarian and the technician did their best to comfort me, but they were concerned too. The medicine they gave Josephine on Thursday was supposed to last twenty four hours and was known to be the best anti-nausea medication on the market. The next step was X-rays and blood work and fluids.

The veterinarian went over Josephine’s X-rays with me. I got to see Josephine’s insides, which looked good except for the empty stomach and her tiny irritated colon. Blood work came back with flying colors. My puppy was really dehydrated and tired from not getting any rest from all the up and down to the backyard to use the bathroom. They gave her fluids and medication for her colon and sent us home. Michael and I forced her meds down and then I made her some chicken and rice. She still was not interested in it, but she did drink some water. At around three the next morning, she woke me up to go outside and walked right over to her food bowl. It was the moment I knew she was going to be okay. We had one more incident of upchucked water all over my bed (I have done so much laundry since Thursday) and that was it. She’s still not 100%, but she’s definitely feeling better and Michael and I have sighed with relief.

Part of me wants to say that I was slightly over reacting to Josephine’s illness, like maybe I was panicking. The more rational side of myself knows that I behaved appropriately in the given situation. Trust me when I say that if you could have seen Josephine, you might have panicked too. The last dog I took to the vet who was behaving as sickly as Josephine, was Hooper. Hooper ended up being full of tumors and had to be put to forever sleep. That was the icing on the shit cake of that year. 2012 was the year I became a true country western song. I lost my husband and my dog. I did my fair share of crying and drowning sorrows in wine. I guess I’m just lucky I didn’t lose my house. That’s usually how those songs go. This scene with Josephine was just way to familiar to a tragic scene I’ve been a part of before. It was stressful and scary and all of that has to leave the body in some shape or form. This time around those wonder twins took on the form of ugly crying in the veterinarian’s office.

We’re starting this week on the upswing. And as long as I can ignore this patch of poison ivy on my wrist, we plan to end the week on a high note. Go Monday!

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Half

8 Likes, 0 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Half"

Tuesday evening, I started to feel really anxious about a lot of things. I wasn’t sure if we had enough money to cover Josephine’s vet visit on Thursday. I didn’t know what to do about Easter. Michael’s scooter is in the shop and the repairs have him questioning putting money into this one when he really wants a scooter with a bigger engine. We were sitting on the couch talking about all of these things when I said “I’m feeling extremely anxious.” Michael then asked me if I wanted a Xanex. I told him ‘no’ because I can never get out of bed the day after taking half of one of those things. I wonder if I could just lick a Xanex.

Then Wednesday night, Josephine started vomiting and I was up every other hour with her cleaning up dog puke and letting her outside. The vet appointment for Thursday was for her vaccinations. Instead, she ended up getting a shot of anti-nausea medication and some pills. As of this morning, she was still moping around, drinking very little and not eating. If she’s not any better by the time I get home this evening, I am taking her back to the vet for some intravenous fluids. Her long hair doesn’t help matters because it just makes her look even more sad. She can’t get a haircut until she gets her rabies shot. She can’t get a rabies shot until she’s been off the meds for at least a week. Scheduling for all of these things is making me break out in hives.

And I am still incredibly worried about Josephine.

I have to keep reminding myself that Josephine has done this before. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (sounds way worse than it is) is common in miniature schnauzers and usually caused from a bacterial infection of some sort. She ate something gross in the backyard like a dead mouse or dead bird. We just need to be patient and give her a couple of days. I know this, but there’s always that what if part that makes me scared. I have my own fair share of what-if-this-is-worse-then-we-originally-thought moments that turned into not so much a what if as a most definite. Of course my first reaction is to panic, but for some reason, this time around feels worse than usual. I feel like Josephine is more sick this time around, at least she looks and acts more sickly then she ever has before. I feel like I’m more anxious about all of it this time around. I’m on the edge of tears constantly, like the structural integrity of my tear damn is compromised and any minute we are going to witness a catastrophic break.

So where is the silver lining in all of this? Where is the gratitude for this week?

This is definitely a week for digging down deep to find those things. First of all, the vet was not too concerned. She was very relaxed and I felt like she did a thorough exam and took in all of the information that I gave her. Dehydration is an issue, but I can take her in for this if I feel like she needs it. Not every thing has to end in worst case scenario. Let me repeat that. Not everything has to end in worst case scenario. In fact, that statement feels so important to me right now that I might even write on my arm with a sharpie. By the time that sharpie wears off, Josephine will be back to her usual self. That twisting sock feeling in the pit of my stomach will have eased. We can resume our regularly scheduled show.

WHAT'S GOIN' ON

We went through pictures at Mom's last night

7 Likes, 1 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "We went through pictures at Mom's last night"

I spent the weekend at my Mom's with my brother and sister-in-law. Our Mother's Day Weekend activities included a Tabouleh Festival in Bristow, where I was surprised to discover that there used to be a large Lebanese community. I was also surprised to find only one source of tabouleh and that one booth had a super long line. We left the the tabouleh festival without tabouleh, which was disappointing because we had planned to have tabouleh with dinner later that evening. So we left the Tabouleh Festival and headed over to a German festival. This was less festival and more 'pay us some money to enter our raffle so you can win this quilt covered in elephants'. We did have a beer and a pretzel. We did not win the raffle. At least I don't think any one of us did.

We left the German Festival and I said "now what?" Katrina, my sister-in-law, looked at her phone and said "there's a Latin Festival." This would have been almost perfect except we all decided that were all festivaled out and that maybe we should just go to the liquor store. That's what we did, but then we got distracted by plants on the way back to Mom's house. So now I have a hanging basket of pretty flowers that I don't know the name of. Then we spent the rest of the evening eating pizza, drinking gin and sorting through boxes of old photos. I came home with a pile of old pictures and a letter to Santa Claus my Dad had dictated to his mother in 1945. Dad had requested a bow and six arrows and a Buck Rogers gun. He also asked for some other things, but those were my favorites. 

I got home Sunday afternoon and then Josephine started puking her guts out. The two of us did very little sleeping Sunday night because of it. She puked in my bed. She puked in her bed. She had to go outside several times. She couldn't get comfortable. She was one sick puppy but not in a psycho kind of sick puppy way. I kept my cool and waited it out, but seriously was this close to panicking and rushing her to an emergency vet so I could spend half a million dollars for them to tell me that she just ate something bad. She's fine. I still have no idea what she got into except maybe all the grass she's been eating in the backyard. I stayed home with her on Monday so I could wash all the stuff she'd puked on and monitor her health. She was pretty mopey until I got the vacuum out. Then she mustered enough energy to attack the vacuum and I knew we were in the clear. 

Any way. I am home and things are returning back to some kind of normal. 

THANKFUL FRIDAY

This is what Michael was doing at Tiffany's while I was getting my other ring fixed. I made a promise to stick around for at least another five years.

18 Likes, 2 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "This is what Michael was doing at Tiffany's while I was getting my other ring fixed. I made a..."

I came home from work on Wednesday to a stinky bedroom because Josephine had vomited in her crate. Then she went outside and pooped on herself. The poop may or may not have appeared to be bloody. I went straight into worst case scenario and was certain that Josephine was going to die. Meanwhile, Michael is all "she's fine. she just ate something that doesn't agree with her." Except I was adamant that she had stomach cancer and was going to require thousands of dollars worth of surgery. The veterinarian office didn't think it sounded like an emergency and Michael took her in on Thursday.

She's fine. She just ate something that didn't agree with her. 

I could not be in New York, walking down 5th Avenue, without stopping in at Tiffany's. The mothership store houses six floors with real live people operating the elevators. I tend to head for the fourth floor when I'm visiting because that's where all of the silver jewelry is contained, but Michael wanted to look at the new ridiculous housewares section. So we started on the fifth floor. Once we were on the fourth floor, I headed straight over to the charms and picked up the scooter charm. It is an exact replica of my scooter and I want it. I want it. I'm afraid to get it though because I can't figure out how to wear it. If I get it on a bracelet, I might catch it on something and rip the charm off. If I put it on a chain, it will have to compete with the other pieces I wear around my neck. It could also poke a hole in my sternum if I get squashed. I am explaining all of this to Michael when he interrupts me and says "let's go look at rings."

We looked at rings and we had a really nice sales person who listened to everything we said about what we'd like in a ring. Then I tried on THE ring and Michael asked if we should get it. I looked at him and said "I'm going to let you decide that." Then I left him at the counter and went up to the sixth floor to have my old ring re-shaped and cleaned. Later on, when we were back at the apartment and winding down from the day, Michael told me the story of buying the ring. He had explained to the salesperson and whoever was also standing near by that five years is his assessment mark of a relationship. It used to be that at the end of five years he would either leave or get married. He's only been married once. We are coming up on our five year mark and he's at a crossroads. He doesn't want to leave, but because of student loans, financially we cannot get married. So he offered me this ring as an upgrade to the first ring and then asked if we could renew our contract for another five years. 

I looked at him and thought about it. He drives me crazy at times. We don't like the same kind of music. We don't gravitate to the same kinds of movies. There's a lot that we don't have in common. But when I say "I want chickens!", he builds a chicken coop. When I say "we should get a camper.", he does all of the research and work to get us a camper. When I am freaking out about the dog, he's doing whatever he can to help me stop freaking out. In fact, that tends to be is default job: Stop Cindy from Freaking Out. So, I said to him "I think that I will renew that five year contract." We'll see what happens in another five years. 

I am thankful for Michael. I am thankful that Josephine is not going to die from some horrible intestinal disease. I am thankful for all of the eggs the chickens are laying because it makes me think they know that Spring is just around the corner. I am thankful for you. 

MEET ALFRED

Say good morning to Alfred

4 Likes, 1 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Say good morning to Alfred"

My heart is sad for Las Vegas. I have so many crazy happy memories of that place. I was married there! I got my first tattoo in Vegas. Chris and I shared a 99 cent half pound hot dog. We drank a fishbowl sized alcoholic beverage that smoked with dry ice. We played bingo with a bunch of old ladies and had a wonderful time. I'm just sick about the mass shooting that took place there last night and like many of us, I'm shocked and saddened that this is now a common occurrence in this country. We've made zero headway in preventing mass shootings. Shame on us and this government. But that is all I'm going to say about any of it. Instead, I'll turn my focus and maybe your's to something lighter and joyful. Something to take our minds off of tragedy. 

Josephine's toys consists of stuffed animals that the Cabbage has won from a crane game, a female park ranger doll (also stolen from the Cabbage) and some small stuffed animals I got as swag from a science conference. She does have a fox and a little tube shaped dog that are actual pet store dog toys, but Josephine prefers the stuffed animals she's stolen from the Cabbage. I feel real bad for the park ranger doll. She's currently laying naked somewhere in the backyard. Josephine was real attached to a blob shaped stuffed creature that was supposed to represent an antibody. Antibody Annie was one of the swag items I brought home from ASCB last year. She had red troll doll like hair that Josephine would groom. Eventually Antibody Annie lost both of her arms and then last week I stepped out into the living room to see her bleeding stuffing out all over the living room floor. 

We had a small funeral for Antibody Annie. It was not the first stuffed animal funeral that we've had to have this year. Josephine's lost a few toys. One of those toys, we just blatantly took away from her. The little red tube dog has a squeaker and Josephine would sit just out of reach and just chew on the squeaker. Squeak squeak squeak. She really liked to do this while we were trying to watch something on TV. Michael tried to dismantle the squeaker, but it still squeaks. The odd thing is, she has other toys with squeakers, but that is the only one she does this with. It is not even her go-to toy. She would much rather have you throw her knobby ball that has unpredictable landings. That poor ball is barely hanging on. It got run over by the lawn mower and has a big crack down one side. I tried finding a replacement and the closest thing I found was a spiky ball. She will roll her eyes and go after it if you throw it, but it's not her favorite. This is unfortunate, because knobby ball is not going to last much longer. 

I was in Target on Saturday and I remembered Josephine's most recent loss. I thought that maybe it was time I bought her a new toy. Our target didn't have a large selection to choose from, but I did find this really cute alligator. The tag advertised that it squeaked at a level only dogs could hear and I was all "SOLD!" When I got home, I removed the tags and then handed it over to Josephine. She has a tendency to take all of her toys outside and then bring them back in once they've been rain soaked and crusty with dirt. So before I let go, I looked at her and said "let's keep this one inside." She went straight to her dog door with it. I then watched from the kitchen window as she took the alligator on a tour of the back yard. She shook him around just behind the house. Then she walked him over to the back corner where she sometimes watches the cat. Josephine introduced the alligator to the chickens and then she showed him the fire pit before bringing the alligator back inside.

We've named him Alfred and the two of them have been inseparable ever since. Actually, I've never seen her take to a toy as much as she has with Alfred. It's really very sweet. 

THANKFUL FRIDAY

She's been a rag doll all day.

See this Instagram photo by @elephant_soap * 7 likes

It turns out that Josephine had quite the crazy time adventure at Uncle Terry's over the weekend. It started Thursday night when Terry came home from work and discovered some crumbles of mouse poison on the floor. Of course, this sent Terry into panic mode who called the vet. The vet said that since there was no way of knowing which of the three beasts got into the poison, they all had to go in. So he rounded them all up and took them to the emergency clinic for a round of vomiting. Turns out it was Max who ate the poison. He didn't eat enough to do any damage, thank goodness, but we did learn that Josephine swallows rawhides whole. I feel worse for poor Terry who had to go through the whole mess than those three rascals who had to puke their guts out. 

Monday morning, I got up and Josephine jumped off the bed and stumbled. Then she started limping and by that evening, she refused to put any weight on her front right paw. Now it was my turn to go into panic mode. I went full on worst case scenario and had already concluded that Josephine would need thousands of dollars worth of surgery. Our vet said to wait it out another day and then bring her in the next day if she had not improved. She has improved. She's still a little gimpy, but will rest on that front paw. The vet said that miniature schnauzers are prone to over doing it and that Josephine probably just strained herself. That seems to be the case and not really a big surprise. Josephine loves Terry's. Really I think she loves Max even more, but she enjoys chasing Miles around the yard. Max and Miles are Terry's children and he treats them as such. So everyone gets twenty bazillion pounds of love sprinkled with treats when they're there. The last time she stayed a weekend at his place, she came home and slept for two days. 

I am thankful for Terry, but not just because he was gracious enough to watch Josephine while we were out of town. Terry is really good at making me believe that I'm doing him the favor by letting Josephine stay over. He is the most gracious human being I have ever known. Every time I check in, Terry goes on and on about how good Josephine is and I half way believe it. But I bet Josephine does act a little better because she's trying to impress Max. Any way, I'm thankful to have Terry and I need to figure out a better way of showing him just how grateful I am than writing about it. A giant bottle of booze seems too easy. Of course, I am also thankful that Josephine is well or at least on her way to fully recovered. I caught her chewing on the cat this morning. So she'll be up to her old shenanigans in no time. 

Earlier this week, I peeled a ruby red grapefruit and split it for my lunch. It was the most delicious thing that I was really sad that I had only packed half of it. It's all I want to eat forever. I am thankful for ruby red grapefruits. I am thankful for kale picked from our garden. I am thankful Albus didn't fill the basement with dead animals while we were gone. I am thankful for the one green tomato that is now sitting in our kitchen window. I am always thankful for you.

Here's to a sweltering hot weekend and a dazzling Thankful Friday! 

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Good morning

See this Instagram photo by @elephant_soap * 2 likes

The night before I left for my conference, I was sitting on the couch with Michael and Josephine was standing on me as she does. I looked at her and said "Josephine, am I going to have to worry about you while I'm gone?" Michael pipped up and replied "Nooooo....she's going to be just fine." I did not have a direct flight to New York. The first leg was Kansas City to Milwaukee and when my plane landed there, I turned my phone on to find I had a missed call. From Animal Services. I hadn't even been away for a whole day. Josephine had dug a hole and squeezed under the fence. I quickly sent a text to Michael so he could go bail our dog out of jail.  She is now grounded and has to stay in her crate during the day while we are at work. She's handling it better than I am.

I feel like I came home to a bit of chaos. The yard is out of control. It's been too wet for Michael to mow. He's covered in poison ivy and stressing about a paper that's due today. The stress of it has lead to a cold, so he's all sneezy and congested. The house is dirty and my mom is coming in this weekend for a visit. The gutters are so full of leaves and helicopter seeds that the rain water just floods over them. The chicken coop is smelly and I came home to a letter from our homeowner's insurance telling us to repair the roof or they will drop our coverage. Most of all of this kind of makes me wish that I was sitting on a rock somewhere in Maine listening to the waves crash against all the other rocks. I am struggling to get back into routine. 

So today, I am thankful for my time away. I am thankful for sound of waves crashing on rocks and I'm even thankful for the snow that fell on us in the mountains. I am thankful for the peace. But, before I wish myself away again, I am also thankful to be home. Sure, I came home to a mess, but it's my mess. I'm thankful that Josephine OK and safe even if this means crating her during the day. I'm glad Michael had time to himself to work on school stuff, but I'm thankful to be home and in his presence. Even if he's sneezing all the time. I know the chaos will right itself eventually and that all of the things do not need to be fixed right this minute. I really thankful that all of the things do not need to be fixed right this minute.

Mom and I are going to the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning and i am buying tomato plants and basil. I am thankful for the time I will have with her, just the two of us, in the morning. That's the best time of day. Mom doesn't know yet, but she might end up holding a chicken this weekend while I clip some wings. I'm thankful that she can come this weekend for a visit, not just to buy plants and hold chickens. I am thankful for our time together. I am thankful for moments of peace before hectic times. I am thankful for blueberries. I am thankful for a snails pace. I am thankful for you.

Here's to a lovely weekend and a truly Thankful Friday!