So easy to please

It’s no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with our dogs.

One thing I’ve really hated lately is that Comet habitually runs off every night after dark… sometimes twice in one night… when we take him out in the yard to pee. No, we don’t put him on a leash or a chain just so he can pee in the front yard. We’ve never done that, and up until recently, he’s never seemed interested in wandering too far from us.

But, one night he did run off. And now he knows he CAN, so he does. In fact, he seems to look forward to these excursions every evening. And every time he runs off, I panic, wondering what I’ll do if he doesn’t return… or if someone knocks on my door and says they found him in the road and he’s either dead or injured. Even though part of me hates this dog, the other part of me loves every square inch of his furry self, and I would be positively devastated if anything horrible happened to him.

I am even more anxious when he runs off on the nights when Nick is out late DJing. Because I don’t like being the responsible adult on duty when the dog is off running around, doing God knows what, pissing off God knows which neighbor. I definitely prefer for Nick to be here to act as the fall guy (’cause that’s just the kind of wife I am!).

Last night, Nick was out DJing, and Comet ran off twice. The second time he was gone for almost an hour, much longer than he’s ever been gone before. So I was in full-blown panic mode, running to the door screaming for him every 3 minutes until he FINALLY decided to grace me with his presence and come home for the night.

So, tonight, we refused to let him out the door unless he was hooked to a chain (that’s attached to a railing on our porch)… a chain that is really meant for Lizzie, our expert escape artist, who never gets outside with our knowledge unless she’s chained. We should’ve named her Houdini. Anyway, tonight, I took Comet out three times, attaching him to the chain each time. And he didn’t really know what to think about this change in his nightly routine. He would stay out there for a few minutes and then start barking to be let in. Then, he sat at my feet and whined. And Comet never whines, so clearly he was unhappy and wanting me to know it.

Now, I should back up a bit and tell you WHY I think Comet started running off in the first place. The main reason (I think) is because he doesn’t like to poop in our yard (even though we have the largest yard in our neighborhood and there’s more than ample room for him to do his business here). And, well, because his parents are lazy, lazy, lazy and don’t like to get off their butts to actually WALK the dog like they should. So, if he won’t poop in the yard and we won’t walk him to poop elsewhere, he’s going to run off, right? And, once he started running off, he probably decided he liked the simple act of RUNNING (he’s a big dog, after all). Also, this time of year, I suspect he spends many a night chasing deer through the neighborhood; they’re all over the place!

I couldn’t handle the dog whining at me tonight. That’s a great way for the Mommy Guilt to set in (yes, there’s even Mommy Guilt of the canine variety!!). So, at 10:30pm, I actually hunted down a leash and took Comet for a walk around the block. He was beyond excited about this. And as we were walking down the street and I watched his big tail wag with joy, I realized that this is really such a simple little thing. To take the dog for a damn walk. So why don’t I just walk him twice a day like a good Dog Mom would do?? It takes five minutes to go around the block… and Lord knows the exercise would do both of us some good! And, aside from the moment of panic when I found myself face-to-face with three deer in a yard down the street, our walk was very enjoyable. (I was extremely relieved when the deer gave in and ran off in the opposite direction, instead of charging at Comet and me!)

And now, we’re home… safe and sound… and Comet isn’t anxious and whining at my feet. And I feel no more Mommy Guilt. Of all my charges, Comet is certainly the easiest to please, so I’m going to try really hard to keep my promise to him and take him for walks every night, instead of risking his life (and my heart) by tempting him to run off into the night.

And, Comet’s Dad, if you’re reading this… I would NOT object to you stepping in every now and then and taking him for a walk around the block for me. (Unbelievably enough, Comet’s Dad is even lazier than I am when it comes to walking a dog!)

Friday morning

For some insane reason, I woke up 1.5 hours before my alarm was set to go off this morning. And I took Nyquil before I went to bed last night, so I figured I’d be draggggging this morning. Apparently not! (Although, I feel a nap in my future!)

The kids are still snoozing away and I’m tempted to just let them sleep in today and skip school. Damon was sent home early yesterday because he wasn’t feeling well. And, even though he acted just FINE once he got here, he does have a yucky cough and I’m keeping him medicated. My throat has been killing me, so it’s only a matter of time before it hits Avery, too, I figure! Maybe an impromptu long weekend is what we all need.

Of course, this is the worst possible time for me to get sick. I’m editing a book that’s due a week from today… and there’s still a lot left to do! It’s my first book for this particular Project Manager, and I’m determined to meet the deadline and hopefully make a good impression. Getting sick is NOT part of my plan!!

 

Bad, bad, bad blogger!

I’m so behind on blog posts, ack! So, for now, I’m just going to post some random pics that I’ve been meaning to post over the past week or so. Enjoy!!

 

 

Read-A-Thon: Hour 19 Update

Oh my. I’m fading fast here. I might have one more round of reading left, but I don’t know if it’s going to get me to the end of the book I’ve been reading most of the day!

Here are my current stats:

Total time spent reading: about 6 hours… I think I’ve lost track at this point!

Total pages read: 357

Mini-Challenges completed: (6) Where in the World is the Readathon, Bart’s Book Title Sentence Challenge, Nise’s Who Keeps You Company Challenge, Books that Bite Challenge, Honoring Dewey, Children’s Books

Currently Reading: Witch Blood by Anya Bast (Elemental Witches book 2)

Total Tweets today: 138; must’ve had a little Twitter burst during my last break!

Random Thoughts: *yawn* But I’m not quitting yet! Nick is DJing tonight and probably won’t be home for another hour or two. So I’m going to TRY to at least stay up until he gets home. More than likely, he’ll come in to find me drooling on the couch with a book open in my hand, but we’ll see! I don’t think I’ll be coherent enough to make another update post tonight. But hopefully I’ll make it back to blog a “wrap-up” post tomorrow when I resurface. Good luck to my fellow ‘Thonners who are hanging in ’til the end… you guys rock!

Mini-Challenge: Children’s Books

Lynn has challenged us to blog about five of our favorite/most memorable children’s books. It’s late and I’m tired, but I think my fuzzy brain can handle this one!

Here are the first five books that I thought of from my own childhood, and a memory I have of each one:

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Honestly, I don’t remember much about the actual story. I do remember that my dad bought it for me when I was young, and my mother was horrified. She, apparently, didn’t realize it was an award-winning, classic children’s book. She just saw the pictures and the “monsters” and said, “Why on earth would you buy THAT book for a sweet little girl??”

2. Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain. This is the first book I remember learning to read. I remember amazing aunts and uncles and grandparents because I was just a wee, little thing and could read this book cover to cover. Truth be told, I’m pretty sure I had it memorized and I wasn’t actually READING it… but, hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right? “Whooooo! Up Spook Hill…”

3. Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. I remember loving the pictures in this book… all of the goofy dogs, and the dog party in the big tree… and the boy dogs flirting with girl dogs… and the ugly dog hats. Oh, the memories!!

4. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. This is “the” Dr. Seuss book that I remember most from my childhood. Not The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham. It was the fish book for me! I’m sure this was another one that I wasn’t really “reading,” but reciting.

5. Any book by Ezra Jack Keats… you choose! All I know is that elementary school media specialists looooove Ezra Jack Keats. I always loved Library Days and being read to by the awesome librarian; she was good! And she loved EJK books. And, although I don’t remember much about the stories themselves, I do remember being mesmerized by the illustrations in his books.

I could probably make a list a mile long… especially if I got into “older” children’s books like Ramona and Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys! Maybe I’ll save those for another day when I need blogging material. Thanks for a fun challenge and trip down Memory Lane, Lynn!

Honoring Dewey Mini-Challenge

Dear Dewey,

I’m sad to say that I never had the chance to know you. I only discovered the world of book blogs earlier this year and participated in my first Dewey’s 24-hour read-a-thon last April. But even though I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing you firsthand, I know that your legacy certainly lives on for hundreds of booklovers around the world. This event that boasts your name just keeps growing and growing… and getting better and better!

The ladies who organize and run this event every 6 months do a phenomenal job keeping it going/growing… and of always remembering you and your passion and sharing that with the rest of us, making us feel like we knew you personally.

I know that, today, you’re somewhere, looking down on all of us with a smile on your face and a stack of books by your side. And I hope you’re proud of this wonderful thing that you started, bringing readers from all walks of life, all over the world together for 24 hours to share their love of the written word. Today, we read, we cheer, we blog, we Tweet, we drink massive amounts of caffeine,  we lose sleep, we laugh, we make fun of Nicholas Sparks, we make new friends… and, most of all, we remember you.

Happy Reading, Dewey!

Read-A-Thon: Hour 12 Update

I’ve spent the past few hours lounging on the couch, snuggling with my favorite Min Pin, laughing at my kids as they had a “Silliest Costume” contest (I’ll be blogging about that tomorrow!), and reading a few pages of my book now and then, too.

I’m 10 chapters into Anya Bast’s Witch Blood, the second of the Elemental Witches series. I enjoy these books; they’re easy reads. But… and I can’t believe I’m about to say this… enough with the sex already! I love romances, especially paranormal romances… it’s almost all I read these days. But even so, Ms. Bast has an explicit sex scene on every other page, and usually two or three “episodes” at a time. It’s exhausting just READING about it!!!

I’m definitely going to have to switch gears and read something different, if I start a third book before the end of this Read-A-Thon.

Here are my current stats:

Total time spent reading: about 4 hours

Total pages read: 265

Mini-Challenges completed: (4) Where in the World is the Readathon, Bart’s Book Title Sentence Challenge, Nise’s Who Keeps You Company Challenge, Books that Bite Challenge

Currently Reading: Witch Blood by Anya Bast (Elemental Witches book 2)

Total Tweets today: 79, I’m slacking on the Tweeting today, compared with yesterday’s total!

Random Thoughts: I don’t feel like I’m getting tons of reading done today, but it’s been very relaxing! I’m still enjoying the Read-A-Thon even if I don’t feel super accomplished. Need to spend some time this evening catching up with my fellow readers… once I get away from the computer, it seems it’s hard to get back into the swing of Twitter and blog-hopping!! Wish I had some coffee!

Hour 8: Nise’s Mini-Challenge

This challenge is to show who or what keeps us company when we read.

Usually when I read, I’m surrounded by kids playing video games or watching Cartoon Network or screaming and fighting (they do a lot of that!). And there’s usually a dog or two curled up next to me or at my feet. Today is a bit strange because, like I’ve already mentioned a few times, my husband is hosting a Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby Workshop in our basement.

So, our dogs are locked up in their crates… and they aren’t the least bit happy about it!

Here’s Comet, the friendly Golden Retriever. Isn’t he pitiful in there??

Here’s Lizzie, the Evil Min Pin. This dog has been the bane of my existence all day… and she’s the reason I’ll be reaching for the ibuprofen before long. She has been barking ALL day. She doesn’t like knowing that strangers are in her house, especially when she’s locked away and can’t attack them. Because she IS our guard dog, all 14 pounds of her!

Here’s my sweet hubby, helping a Scout with a saw of some type. Don’t you love how this child isn’t even looking at what they’re doing? Hopefully he’ll leave here with all of his fingers.

My children ran from me when they saw me coming with my camera, so I’ll try to snap some shots of them later. Urchins.

Read-A-Thon: Hour 7

I actually got some more reading done, YAY!! It’s amazing what you can do when you step.away.from.Twitter!

The Cub Scouts (and their daddies) were making all kinds of racket in my basement… and my dogs were up here barking like mad… so I holed up in my room and read for almost an hour. Still working on Witch Fire, but I’m getting much closer to the end, thank GOD!

I also made a food run! I did NOT plan for food today… next time, that’s what I’ll do differently, for sure! Not much in the kitchen to grab and eat, and Nick was busy with the boys and their Derby cars. So, I ran to town and hit Arby’s drive-thru. Came home armed with Ham Melts and Arby’s Melts galore, for me and my crew. I bought lots, so hopefully I’ll have extras to chow on later, too!

Actually enjoyed my little drive to town. It’s getting c-c-c-cold out there again, after a brief respite earlier this week, but the fall leaves are absolutely gorgeous in the Hills of West Virginia right now. Next time I venture out, I’ll try to remember to take a camera along!

Anyhoo… here are my latest Read-A-Thon stats:

Total time spent reading: about 2 hours

Total pages read: 122

Mini-Challenges completed: Where in the World is the Readathon and Bart’s Book Title Sentence Challenge

Currently Reading: Only 55 more pages left of Anya Bast’s Witch Fire!!

Total Tweets today: 65

Random Thoughts: Much happier now that I’ve had some food, and the sweet tea will hopefully wake me up some! Ready to read some more (after I catch up on Tweets, of course!).

Read-A-Thon: Hour 5, already??

So, it’s Hour 5 and I haven’t done a whole heckuva lot of reading yet!

I read for about an hour this morning, then zonked out on my couch for another hour. Then, I spent an hour or two cleaning up the house before Nick’s Cub Scouts started arriving for their Pinewood Derby workshop this afternoon.

I think I’m almost set to start reading again!

Here are some stats… kinda pathetic, but hopefully they’ll improve as the hours pass by!

Total time spent reading: about 1 hour

Total pages read: 55

Mini-Challenges completed: Where in the World is the Readathon and Bart’s Book Title Sentence Challenge

Currently Reading: Still reading Anya Bast’s Witch Fire

Total Tweets today: 42

Random Thoughts: Not quite sure how this is going to work, trying to read while boys are traipsing through my house and dogs are barking because boys are traipsing through my house! I might need to hide in my room with some earplugs, hmmm.