Sleeping it off

I don't know how the rest of you spent "Black Friday". But this is how Will and Hero recover from Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving

Do you all know the song "All that I'm Allowed" by Sir Reginald (also known as Elton John ;-)?
It says
"I'm thankful, so thankful, I'm thankful that I have all that I'm allowed".
I think that is appropriate for today.
Of course so is Adam Sandler's Turkey song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhasEcwXaug
So is:

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Ben Franklin

I feel the same way about dogs-
That dogs are proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy...
Of course adopters and fosters (and chicken backs??) are also proof that God loves the hounds and wants them to be happy too.

Enjoy all ;-)

Yoga Guru

Good Morning, Everyone! Time for your morning stretches to start the day off right.


I think that Hero should start leading morning Yoga classes.



Please note, I have absolutely no experience with Yoga myself. But it has struck me that the positions that Hero not only gets himself into- but actually seems the most comfortable in, are strikingly similar to standard Yoga poses.

Proof of reincarnation?? Just an innate ability ?? I will let you be the judge.





OK, Yes, I know that downward facing dog is a gimmie.

But what about this one?

This one is actually called the Hero pose!

Have a great day all!

Playing the game

There has been a game going around of making up sentences/ definitions for the verification words.

I have a pretty good collection, which I offer for Leslie's book http://leslieshillbillyheaven.blogspot.com/2008/11/one-for-road.html

(release date-tba). lol

"The kids must have gotten into the coaffe again, because they put a minadogi (a Chihuahua I think) in my dresser drara, then had the nerve to tell me-" that's some nisaunwr and socks you got there." ooo..kill i !! Why they would do such a thing would mestifi anyone!"

Yippee

Thank you all for your name suggestions and encouraging words.
So far so good, the little Cory Cat made it through the night, as did Boodest, Puldeff, and Bumcroft. (Just kidding, my kids didn't buy into these names for the Giant Danios for some odd reason- sorry guys- no accounting for taste you know!) But the little Cory Cat is mine, I get to name it whatever I want.
I was quite taken with Stephen's comment/suggestion, though I am undecided whether the name should be Rick James or simply Superfreak ;-)
I hope you are not all planning to report me to PETA (or would it be PETF??) for putting little "superfreak" in the tank with Mr.T, But for the record we have found several sites that claim that " electric yellow Labidochromis caeruleus are some of the most docile african cichilds".
I believe this means they will only eat other fish that actually fit in their mouths.
great mohawk , no?

Fingers crossed

3 years ago when we finished our basement we installed a 45 gallon fresh water fishtank, built directly into the wall. Of course our tank has seen it's fair share of inhabitants come and go. Gill, our angelfish (named after that tough angelfish in "Finding Nemo") is actually one of it's original residents.

We also have a Labidochromis cichlid (named Mr. T) who was no larger than a molly when we first got him, he is a monster now. And he has come under suspicion several times when some of his smaller tank mates have mysteriously disappeared never to be seen again.

A few weeks ago the number of fish in our tank reached an all time low of 4 members! Mr.T, Gill, our Pleco (named Hannibal)-(yes, as in the A-team characters- NOT Silence of the Lambs)and an Archer fish named creatively enough Archie. Well, we finally got around to stopping at the fish store today and picked out 5 new fish. Three giant Danios- chosen in the hopes that they would not be as tempting to the cichlid, 1 diamond tetra, and 1 cory cat. Unfortunately the Cory Cat is very small (about 1/2 inch). Hopefully he will grow very fast :-)

Names for the new fish are still under discussion. (Feel free to make suggestions).

(and please no suggesting "Sushi" for my poor little Cory Catfish)

Guilty pleasures.

I am certain I am not the first one to put this out there (as a meme or otherwise). But as I have already mentioned, I am a blogging newbie so please, bear with me.
In these days of stress, economic uncertainty, and the overall expectation to do more and more, with less and less. We all need quick and relatively inexpensive ways to refill our emotional gas tanks. Day to day mini-vacations as it were. After all it is so easy to get overwhelmed with doing what we HAVE to do, that we can end up running on empty...or at least I don't think it's only me ;-)
So my question to everyone out there, is what are your guilty pleasures? The things that aren't really practical per se, perhaps to others they may be seen as unnecessary, (perhaps even a little decedent), but they are the little things that help make getting through the day ( a little- or maybe a lot) easier.

My first guilty pleasure is chatting on the phone, A LOT. Being that most of the people, who are really close to me (husband and children excluded of course) are actually far away from me, location-wise. And somehow I need conversation more stimulating than my 2 year old can provide, just to stay awake during the day! Especially while doing the mind numbing chores that need to be done around the house.

Guilty pleasures 2 and 3 are rather along the same lines.

Starbuck's caramel macchiato.

I had never had any Starbuck's coffee until my oldest son started working there, now I'm hooked. I tend to stay away from anything chocolate (it gives me a headache), so this is my sugary sweet treat (and a great pick me up when I just can't keep my eyes open any longer). And of course when I REALLY can no longer keep my eyes open I have been known to indulge in a nap while my youngest son is napping. All the better if I have a furry pup snuggled up against me!

So how 'bout all of you? Any guilty pleasures you would be willing to admit?? I promise not to tell.

Have you seen this picture?

This is an authentic photograph -- or rather, composite of photos -- taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the Helix Nebula.

People are calling it "The Eye Of God".

There is a virus/(chain) e-mail going around saying that you should make a wish on it... So I thought that it was an appropriate post after the meme- (after all we all have great big wishes/dreams, right?). And even if it can't grant wishes, I still think it is a pretty cool picture.

wordle

Addie sent me on trek through some of her past posts. I am still a Blogger Newbie, and there is still so much I don't know. I am awfully glad she did, because I found her "wordle" post. I had to try it for myself.



Wow, that is pretty much me in a nutshell- and that is where we nuts belong ;-)
I only think God and laundry should be bigger!

http://www.wordle.net/

Six more things- meme

Ok, so Addie tagged me, and the topic is 6 things I would change if money was no object....
Wow! 6 things? Even magic lamps only give 3 wishes.

#1 is EASY. - Get the heck out of Dodge.
No, No, not out of my Dodge Caravan- though that would probably happen too. But to MOVE! I have been living in the Washington DC/ Virginia area for 20 years (I am a transplanted New Yorker- do not hold it against me), and in all that time, it has never been a comfortable fit for me(though I do say y'all now). Hard to say where we would end up, - It's not that I want to move back to New York, -(though upstate N.Y. Is lovely). It's just that I want to live somewhere where the pace of life is slower, where there is less traffic (where a 20 minute commute to work is considered long), where people share my values,
"Where everybody knows your name".....Alex breaks into the Cheer's theme.
Sorry
#2 Is more like 1B
Buy (or build) a big house on several acres of land/ (big fenced back yard). Even better-
We could design it ourselves . A mud room, a laundry chute- a laundry room with 2 washers/dryers, 7 bedrooms- 1 for each child, a big master bedroom with a fireplace and french doors to a balcony for Doug and I- AND a guest room, so my parents don't have to sleep on the pull out couch when they visit (with the dogs for company).
#3 Give more money to charity- Lots of different charities, I know that this should have been number one- but hey, I'm being honest here.
#4 Charity begins at home, fix up my parents and my sisters houses- plus money put aside so they could do whatever they wanted.
#5 adopt more greyhounds
#6 Do my part to stimulate the economy by hiring LOTS of domestic helpers... People to help with the dogs, people to help clean the bathrooms, people to keep those 2 washers and dryers running. And as God is my witness I would Never cook again....
Hey, you asked ...
Tag : Gerry, BrittBeah, Anna, Jennifer, Katrina, and Kathy your up......

A retelling of a very familiar story

On the first day, God created the Greyhound.
On the second day, God created man to serve the Greyhound.
On the third day, God created all the little furry animals of the Earth to serve as potential food for the Greyhound.
On the fourth day, God created the tennis ball so that the Greyhound could retrieve it (or not).
On the fifth day, God created veterinary science to keep the Greyhound healthy and the man broke.
On the sixth day God created the couch/and or doggie bed (depending on which translation you believe) on which the greyhound could recline
On the seventh day God rested, but Adam and Eve had to walk the greyhound.

Then Adam & Eve, were banished from the garden, no longer dwelleth therein to serve the Greyhound, and the garden of Eden was soon full of poop and craters that the greyhound had dug. So it came to pass that God had to clean the mess up Himself. And God was displeased.

When it so happened that, Moses asked that the Israelites might be released from their bondage in Egypt and journey to the Promised Land. God sayeth unto Moses, "The Promised Land shall be yours, but you must take the Greyhound with you.

And so it came to pass that the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, waiting for the Greyhound to go potty, mark every bush and sniff every blade of grass in its domain.

And the Greyhound was fruitful and multiplied.

The people were taken by the comliness and manner of the Greyhound, but they were sorely distressed. "Lord" they cried out, "The Greyhound is an attractive and sweet creature, but there are so many, what shall we do?"

And God sayeth unto the people, "Ye are a cursed people and shall be known as adopters! Thy yards shall be barren of grass. Thy dwellings shall overflow with dog beds, squeaky toys and Greyhound kitsch. Thy carpets shall be forever stained. Thy vet bills shalt be large and thy lives forever ordered around by the Greyhound. And thy minds shall be muddled, as thou shalt treat thy Greyhounds as thy do your human offspring."

And Adopters begat Fosters. And Fosters begat Adoption Groups. And Adoption Groups begat Bloggers. And Bloggers begat Discussion Groups. And Discussion Groups begat Gatherings. And Gatherings begat Vendors. And Vendors begat a wardrobe for the Greyhound. And the Greyhound was spoiled.

God looked down on this and was pleased.

Based loosely on a version by
(Brett Weeks.)

Beating a dead horse

Still on the subject of the Demeter's scents... (no, they do not have a "Dead Horse", though they do have saddle and "riding crop"-...but I digress).
I was thinking they should have a scent called "teenage boy's bedroom" (somewhat similar to dead horse I suppose)- anyone else with me out there?? I think it would be extremely curative for empty nest syndrome!
1 spray and you are completely over being nostalgic..

Fascinating (well to me anyway)

Today I found what I consider to be one of the most fascinating websites/ companies.

How many of you out there are familiar with the Demeter fragrance library?

This company manufactures colognes, body lotions, room sprays, candles, etc. But they are not content to carry just the usual; ordinary, run of the mill, fruity or flowery fragrances...

But I am getting ahead of myself,

First some background...

I stumbled upon their site because my 10 year old daughter was mentioning how much she loved the smell of marshmallows, And how she wished she could make her pillow smell like that.

I have been known to spray our linens with my cologne, and I thought, surely there is either a room freshener or a body spray out there somewhere that smells like marshmallows (and wouldn't that be a "sweet" (pardon the pun) surprise for her).
A Quick search on Google- and up pops the Demeter company (a limited number of their more mainstream products/scents are sold on QVC), but unfortunately no marshmallow on QVC.

Ok, so lets look directly at the company's site.

And I am SOOO glad I did.

Yes, they have marshmallow, vanilla ice cream, birthday cake, and a plethera of candy scents. They also have some odder names that could just be a perfume's name (not necessarily the actual scent) .... Among these I would say are: Bonfire, Firefly, Holy Water, and Dirt.

But it gets much better my friends:

Ok, so these Could also just be odd names. You know "Urban Decay" sort of names. But NO if you read the site, mildew is SUPPOSED to smell like the genuine article- like mildew. Dust like dust. Turpentine like paint thinner (oh, and there is one called paint too I believe- in case you need to make your house smell like it has just been freshly painted.) I am not sure why anyone would need this one:

But my favorite has to be

On the lighter side..

Being that trying to move Mt. Laundry-more, doing dishes, fighting with kids over homework, food shopping , cooking, and general house-drudgery does not the interesting blog make....I offer for your consideration the following:

Top 5 ways that men and greyhounds are alike:

1. Both take up too much space on the bed.
2. Both mark their territory.
3. Neither tells you what's bothering them.
4. Both have an inordinate fascination with women's crotches.
5. Both fart shamelessly.

and in the spirit of fairness

Top 5 reasons why a greyhound is better than a wife

1. Your greyhound's parents will never visit you.
2. A greyhound loves when you leave your clothes on the floor.
3. your greyhound will not get mad at you if you forget its birthday.
4. your greyhound does not care about the previous dogs in your life.
5. The later you are, the happier your greyhound is to see you.

Say What?????

Mom, look! Hero has a heart on.....What??
A heart- on his leg.
oh yes, some of his spots do look like hearts.
Talk about your random statements....

Food for thought

Well, ok, maybe more like the equivalent of "junk food" for thought.

I was thinking today "what is one's most precious possession"?

First to come to my mind were: my wedding ring, my photo albums, and the necklace my grandmother gave me- things that are IRREPLACEABLE.

Now, Now, no saying "the pups/ hounds", out there, because we all know that they are not possessions; Roommates? yes, friends, even adopted family,

in some cases, our domestic helpers-( physical trainer, therapist, bodyguard) in other cases (you know who you are) more like our employers- as we are their; nursemaids, chefs, doormen.

But what made me think about this, was the fact that my dishwasher died...

I will not dwell on the cause (other than to say that someone with a y chromosome ran it last :-)

I know that your dishwasher was probably NOT what came to mind when I said most precious possession, but you try doing all the dishes for a family of 7- (8 when my son's girlfriend eats over) and see if that perception doesn't change.....

Another Confession

Confessions have been flying fast and furious around these blogs for the last couple of weeks. Rather like the Saturday before Easter ( don't get it ?- never mind, it's a Catholic thing).

Well I have a confession too,

Hi, my name is Alex and I am a greyhound adoption page troll.

I love to look at all the adoption groups "available hounds". Not only our local groups, mind you- I have been known to look at groups clear across the country. Forgive me, Hero, for I have lusted in my heart- lol.

It's just that one of the wonderful things about greyhounds is that they do come in so many different "flavors". Not only in color (and ear formation ;-) but in personality. One of these days I really DO want to get one of them, there, "velcro" dogs. Because while Hero is greyt; he is LOVELY to walk on a leash, and puts up with Pepsi like a pro- he is REALLY independent. If it isn't dinnertime or time for a walk he would just as soon have his "space". Now that may change as he adjusts, but if not........

we're all ears

I LOVED this post http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/

But I still say there are "flying nun" ears too :-) Of course maybe I'm the only one old enough to get the reference....

Self Expression

Please do not start a fund raiser to buy Will coloring books.

We really do have DOZENS. But as you can see, like mother like son- we both color outside the lines, outside the box (even clear off the paper.)

A Serious Question

Ok, so maybe not so "serious"- not as in life or death. But I genuinely would like to know, "Are all dogs bi-polar"?

Or maybe not ALL, but 75-80%, perhaps?

I have lived with dogs most of my life, from the first black lab mix that my parents rescued when I was 5, till now (more than three decades later.)

I would say it was 8 dogs at last count, and all but 2 would give Dr. Jekyll a run for his money. And we are talking ALL different breeds. A golden retriever-chow mix (self explanatory about the Jekyll/Hyde -in my mind) A German shepherd mix (while an amazingly loyal dog, she definitely had a few screws loose), a husky mix (not really a Mr. Hyde there, just a really strong call of the wild), and

BOTH my current fur-children fall into this category.

Hero- the greyhound gets a pass for the time being, because we have only had him for 3 months and I have heard that it can take up to a year for retired greyhounds to adjust to their new lives (and show their true temperaments). I guess everything (including us) still seem pretty alien to him.

Pepsi, our beagle /Jack Russell mix, in theory should get a pass too, because we adopted her at 8 weeks old- and by thirteen weeks, a neighbor's Shepherd mix got loose and attacked her - tearing enough of her stomach to require surgery- then (get this) the day before the stitches were due to come out, the SAME dog got loose and attacked her again (at this point that dog obviously had her pegged as prey). That was 6 years ago, those neighbors have long since moved away, But years of training- socializing- quasi pet therapy with assorted vets/ specialists, have never been able to in any way lessen her aggression/ fear of other dogs.

Only dear Hero, who is so good at ignoring her out bursts, as if to say "you are a sad, strange, little dog and you have my pity" can be within 50 feet of her.

This same dog who will happily put up with our two year old climbing on top of her, in her crate, without the least bit of a complaint, is the pariah of our neighborhood. Anyone who she does not know, gets an incredibly vicious barking and snarling at- the mailman, the neighbors, workmen. whether it be out on a walk or at the front door. Trust me even Victoria Stillwell and Cesar Millan would find this dog incurable- and yet she is the SWEETEST, most loyal dog, most loving and patient dog, I have ever owned- bar none. And it KILLS me that no one outside of our family will ever see it.

Some of my Heroes

If I told you there was an artist way deep down inside of me trying to get out,
you would probably think I ate him......


My 14 year old complained that Hero looked dumb because he wasn't walking in-step,
I told her if it was good enough for Paul.......

Self explanatory

No car- stuck at home- got REALLLY bored.

Get out the vote??

Ok, so election day, which means the kids have no school. I get them home with me ALL day- I am so blessed!,(um, yes that is the sound of sarcasm you hear).

I wanted to go vote early, since the turn out is expected to be incredibly high, (and I thought I would go, get there and back, before Eric had to leave for work). Unfortunately, when I tried to start my car it wouldn't start. (Something to do with Will playing in the van yesterday perhaps ;-p/ either that or someone didn't want me to vote.)

The positive thing is that Eric had to actually get out of bed to drive me (and thus actually went to vote himself- which we were seriously concerned he might not do).

This leaves me with 10 hours to fill on a rainy election day with 4 (bored) kids.

God DOES have a sense of humor.

My SAD attempts at greyhound art on a SAD, miserable day (and I don't even know who won- or lost- the election yet)

Playing Hide and Seek

A gorgeous fall day, and what do Hero and Will want to do? Play in the stuffy van!

Will's turn to hide

"Found you! "


"If I make myself very small he won't find me. "

"I found you!"

Will finds this game more amusing than Hero obviously!