A Kitty Update

Well, so far, the dogs and I do not have infections from the cat. The dogs I got onto antibiotics that night. Poor Steph, I let her dogs stay here and they end up on medication.

I got some pictures of the momma and kittens on my Picture album page. I got that sign out to see if anyone owns her. I'm giving them til next Monday to let me know. In the meantime I'm trying to get the kittens used to me. I can't wait too much longer to socialize them. I can hold 2 of them, but 2 won't come out or stay out.

I'm so excited, the practice administrator of my new job said I have Mondays off!!! I figured I was too low on the totem pole for that day. 3-day weekends!!! For now, anyway. I hope it stays like that. I can't believe they would do that. I'll take it, no complaints here. Anyway, I'd better get myself started on some laundry and cleaning.

A New Family

So, apparently there's a stray cat living under my neighbor's deck, right by my fence. And it has a litter of kittens! At least 2, possibly more. Only one is really brave enough to come out when I go outside. I started feeding mommy (it's hard work nursing multiple babies) and have come to realize that she must have been owned at some point. She will let me pet her. So I'm not sure now if she's a stray or just someone's outside cat. I took a picture of her and will make a flyer to see if anyone knows her. If not, I'll contact Rocky Mountain Ally Cat Allies to get them. The kittens need to be socialized soon. And mommy needs to be spayed.

I let the dogs out today, and usually the mom just hides and I stand out there to make sure the dogs don't stick their noses anywhere near them. Well, that wasn't good enough, because just an hour ago, I let the dogs out and she came out of hiding and attacked them! And attacked me for trying to get the dogs back inside. I scrubbed as best I could, and I'm hoping that they are all just scratch marks. Cat bites are serious. It all just happened so fast. I'm watching my friend's dogs and so 3 of them got attacked. Greta was still inside.

So, I just spent the last half hour turning the dog kennel into a fence to separate the back yard so the dogs won't go anywhere NEAR that side of the yard. I felt so bad, they were yelping and crying. And the cat was just protecting her babies, but man. And of course it's a holiday so I can't get in touch with any of the vets at Care. I just know I should put them on antibiotics as soon as possible.

Anyway, that's my Memorial Day fun...

I'm melting...

It's so hot right now in my house. This is a bad sign. Already in the 80's and 90's and it's only May. I had an estimate for A/C done yesterday. This is the year. I just can't do another summer here without it. My little window air conditioner in my bedroom is very sad and seems louder than it should be. The electrition will come out tomorrow to see if my wiring can be redone to accomodate it. Then, hopefully next week I can have it installed. It's nice having 2 weeks to just get stuff done.

Yesterday, I also took my dogs for their trial day at a new dog daycare. I figure I'll take them once a week to give them something to do. And that's at least one day I won't have to worry about them "holding it" all day. They still haven't figured out the outdoor kennel. The cats, however, had it down about 1 minute after I opened the dog door.

While they were at the daycare, I applied to get a replacement SS card since I cannot find mine ANYwhere. I have no clue where I would have put it. I know it's somewhere in my house. I turn 30 and now I misplace things and forget things and outright lose things. I used to be a relatively put together and smart person. I'm going downhill. I got 2 pairs of scrubs and 2 pairs of shoes too. I cleaned the guinea pig cage and all the floors of my house. I went grocery shopping and made some pasta salad. Then my friend dropped off her dog (Maggie) so I could watch her for a few days. It was good that Greta had been at daycare so she didn't have the energy to annoy Maggie as much as normal. And last but not least, I got to talk to Pete! I had called him Tuesday night and left a message and he called back last night. It was good to hear his voice - what can I say, I still like him, but I'm trying to just do the friend thing. Of course, just like before, he had another call and said he'd call back but didn't. It was late so he probably didn't want to wake me, but still. I've gotten used to that, but it's still annoying. He probably broke off the call so I wouldn't ask him to hang out sometime. Who knows.

Today I had lunch and went shopping with my friend Tammis and her little 6 month old daughter. It was fun to get out. I'm so used to shopping by myself now and Meghan was all smiley and cute. I got some different Margarita mixes from William and Sonoma. I decided to try the Passion fruit one (since it was so hot outside and I thought it would help cool me off). It was very good! I highly recommend it.

Off to figure out dinner and get Greta to obedience class. Later...

I'm a slacker...

Sorry I haven't written any individual emails in a while. I've been busy with work and with trying to hurt myself. The other day, I skinned myself with a garlic press! That's talent. Don't ever get one with plastic handles. I was pressing more than one clove at a time, and I didn't even think about how hard I was squeezing. All of a sudden the handle broke and somehow gouged into my hand. Right in the webbing between the thumb and hand. It's gonna leave a scar, it wasn't a nice cut.

Then, I've been trying to get sick for the last week or so. Occasional scratchy throat and a tickle in my throat that makes me cough (very annoying to the people around me I'm sure). I wish it would go away, or that I'd just get sick and get it over with!

Yesterday at work we sold pretty much all the fencing and our huge cage bank. That's a relief to have the large items gone. Now it's just the floor we have to worry about. I spent all day yesterday picking caulk off the floor (we had sealed the cracks). My hands are all red and raw today. Moving them around is hard since they each weigh 100 pounds. We'll get rid of about half of it tomorrow, hopefully the rest will follow soon. I just want to be done with this process and move on in life, you know?

Last night I went out with Steph and Lara to our typical hang-out. Two guys that I had met before talked to me and asked me out. We'll see who calls. I think one will, the other one already had my number, but never called me before (again - I do not get this behavior), so I'm not holding my breath for that one. He said he didn't call because he goes out of town a lot for work... Uh huh - I'm pretty sure phones work even if you're not in the same city, but what do I know?

Anyway, I have a wedding to go to this afternoon, so I'm going to go paint my nails. My last color turned my nails yellow, so I don't want people to think I'm jaundiced!

Updated Pictures

I have nothing exciting to say - but wanted to let you know I updated my pictures. I finally got my disposable pictures developed, so I have 2 new galleries and I added to the Golden Gate Canyon one.

I'm just working on selling our stuff here. Sunday is going to be crazy - people are coming to take part of our floor and fencing. I made a website for the sale. Check it out if you're looking for crap - it's not just floor and fence.

Mountain Weekend

Well, for those interested, the spray-on sunless tanner was pretty good. I think I need to use it a few more times, but at least it wasn't blotchy or orange.

I spent this past weekend up in Frisco. I loaded all the animals (minus the guinea pig) into the car on Friday afternoon and headed up for relaxation. It was beautiful as always. There's this field near the condos that I take the dogs to. I'm much more willing to let Greta play off leash now that she listens better.

Saturday I went shopping at the outlet stores in Silverthorne (only 1 exit east of Frisco). I hit the jackpot at Banana Republic. I don't always like their stuff, but found a lot of cute tops there. And I got a jacket from J. Crew. Outlet stores are great! I spent way less than I would have here at the mall.

Then I got a great bottle of wine (thanks, Joanna, the Riesling was great!). I'm trying to learn to like wine, and my sister-in-law has predicted I'd like Rose and Riesling, and so far, she's right. I'm sure I'm not eating it with the correct foods, but at least I like their tastes. I even had a glass while reading outside on the balcony.

For Mother's Day, the dogs and I took a hike to the Lily Pad Lake. It's about a 45 minute hike each way. There were no lily pads yet, but it was a great hike with some great scenery (pictures to come). I was proud that I didn't have to stop on the way up - only for pictures. I guess the eliptical is helping with my endurance, even if I am a wimp and only do it for 20 minutes each time. I saw a lot of families and thought about my mom. I guess I'm sort a mom to my "kids" so I celebrated my own Mother's Day too. No gifts needed. I let Greta off her leash on the hike too, and was happy she listened to me whenever I called her back to me. I decided after all the hiking, I was allowed to splurge on some pizza. I ordered from a new place and it was yummy! I love learning about a new town and finding the good places to go.

All in all, it was nice and relaxing, and I hated coming back to reality. Today I posted a lot of stuff at the daycare for sale, and have sold some things. It feels good to sell things though, and get a little bit of money for it all. As long as we sell the expensive stuff, I'll be happy.

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day - all you moms out there deserve it! Moms of humans and furry creatures included!

Tanning and summer concerts

Well, that Bart guy never called. The ones I'm not that interested in call, but the ones I want to call don't. Oh well. I thought he was truly interested though. I can never tell. He kind of reminded me of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers!

I did end up going to the doctor for my ear. I totally could have done that at home, I'm sad I went. All they did was mix some H peroxide and warm water and shoot it in with a big syringe. But it's nice to hear again, that's for sure.

I just bought some sunless tanning stuff. In the past, I've tried lotions and foam, and it turns out blotchy and it stinks. This time I'm trying a micromist spray and we'll see. I just applied it. So far it smells better than others I've used. So that's a plus.

It's definitely summer. Time for concerts. So far, we've got tickets to see 30 Seconds to Mars (their music is ok, but I get to stare at Jared Leto (from My So Called Life) for a few hours), Nine Inch Nails, Jewel/Rob Thomas, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Two of these concerts are at Red Rocks Amphitheater, which is the BEST place to see a concert. You can see Denver in the background, and the sunset is so pretty with the red rocks surrounding you. If any of you watch the Amazing Race right now, that's where they started.

Well, my throat has started to become scratchy, so my goal today is to relax and rest and suck on some Cold-eeze or however you spell it. I refuse to get sick!

A new boy?

Lara and I went to our favorite neighborhood bar last night. We got there late since there was a private party until 10. It must have been a Kentucky Derby party since girls were wearing dresses and hats. We played darts at first and then hung out after that. I was sitting at the bar and this girl that I had met in the bathroom a while ago spilled like 1/2 a beer on my lap! It was just great. She felt horrible. Hey, when I get home from that bar, I always smell like an ashtray, I may as well smell like the bar floor too, right? I was so happy to get out of those jeans.

I met a girl in the bathroom (popular place - it's very small) who was so excited that she was taller than me. We stood next to each other in the mirror, and I'm pretty sure we were exactly the same, or maybe I was a hair taller, but she was drunk, so I let her believe what she wanted to! Girls are so entertaining sometimes.

I met a guy named Bart. I've never met a Bart before... We talked for a while. Unfortunately, my right ear is plugged, making it really hard to hear. But from what I remember, he's 32, is from Chicago originally, also has a geology degree, but wants to be an EMT/firefighter. He's traveled to 18 countries. He also has a dog that seizures. And he has the same car as I do. Weird. I gave him my number and he said he'd call today, so we'll see what happens.

So, yeah, my ear is plugged with wax. I guess this is yet another sign that I'm getting older. I've never had a wax issue before, and now I can't hear out of my right ear. It's like when you get out of the pool and you want to shake your head to get water out, but it just won't come out! I have this cleaner from the drugstore, but it says not to use it for more than 4 days. Today is day 4, so I guess I'll be calling my doctor tomorrow. Too bad it couldn't happen next month when I'll be back on quality health insurance. What I have now is not that great.

Well, time to get out and run some errands. Happy Sunday!

Furry Scurry - Mission Accomplished

Today was the Furry Scurry. I have been wanting to do this for years, but always seem to be working or have other plans when it comes around. It is a walk that benefits the Dumb Friends League, an amazing shelter for animals. Their goal is to find homes for unwanted animals, but also to keep them there. They offer behavior consults and training classes to help these animals stay in the homes they find. They go to schools to educate kids about being responsible and respecting animals. I adopted Bethany, Tristan, and Greta from this place.

There were SO MANY people there! There were nearly 6000 participants, and they raised more than $530,000! We helped a lot of animals today. Thanks to everyone who helped me raise money! I took some pictures, but they are not up yet. They have some pictures on their website (link above).

I did add some of Lara's pictures to my Picture Album of our hike to Golden Gate last Sunday. And I put some of her pictures in the Frisco Winter Gallery since they were much better than mine, so check those out if you're bored.

I also went to the dog park today and walked Greta to this park close by to my house. I'm working on her leash walking. She's a puller, and it drives me crazy! This class we just started will help though. Our instructor said by the end of our 6 weeks, they should be heeling off leash! Ha! We'll see. She's actually really good without distractions, but I will be practicing a lot so we don't make fools out of ourselves. Although, I checked out our competition, and I think we have a chance of being the head of class! I'm so competitive...

Ho hum...

Work has gotten quite boring. Ever since we sent out the letter telling our clients we're closing, we've been very slow. Marla and I alternate weeks - she comes in early 1 week, then it's my turn. If it's slow we don't need the other person to come in at all. I had all last week off since it was slow. This week is my turn. The last 2 days I was able to leave at noon since we didn't get any dogs. Today I'm sitting here waiting for one to show up. This dog is easy and plays well with Greta, and she usually goes home in the early afternoon. So it should be easy.

I'm ok with things being slow. It gives me time to do things in the afternoon. I'm basically finished with the outside kennel for the dogs and they tested it out yesterday. Now I have to train them to understand that they can go in and out as they please. They're not used to having such a small area to do their business in.

Tomorrow I start the next level of obedience classes with Greta. It's fun having a normal, smart dog (no offense, Pacey). I wish she'd just get over jumping on people and pulling on the leash. Those are the only annoying things she does. Otherwise, I'd say she's perfect. She listens so well.

By the way, I updated my picture album (link to the right), in case you'd like to take a peek. I'll have more next week. I found a disposable camera that I had tucked away and used it to take pictures of our hike last weekend, and I'll use the rest of the film for the Furry Scurry this Saturday. There's nothing like being forced to use a regular camera to make you appreciate how great the digital ones are!