Adjustments

We've moved.  We're still among boxes, but every day we can see more and more of our glorious amethyst colored carpet.

I looked out our backyard with our brand spanking new cedar fence and saw my Saran wrap all over the yard.  Tiger Lily managed to get a hold of it and unrolled 195 feet of the 200 on the roll.  Doug saw her do it.  He just watched.  "She was just having a good time, Mom.  She was running around the yard with the plastic wrap flying in the wind behind her," he said.  I was not amused.  Plastic wrap might be something I need desperately in the middle of my unpacking.  Now that days have passed, I wished I had gotten a picture of it. 

Tiger Lily and Mickey (our cat) are both adjusting to life in the "city".  Tiger Lily about came through the window the other morning when the garbage truck came down the alley.  Mickey spent 3 days under Annsley's bed--refusing to go outside.  I finally kicked him out two days ago.  Gotta toughen up some time Fur Ball.  He spends his days hiding under the backyard shed.  I think he slinks out early evening and explores.  At least the neighborhood dogs barking don't send him into cardiac arrest anymore. 

Andrei's new word is "nasty."  I'm not sure where he picked it up other than he overheard me say that the house was nasty.  It had been empty for 3 years.  Nasty doesn't begin to describe it.  It has literally been cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, fumigated from the top down.  I was given a wonderful gift of having someone come clean my windows for me.  Thank you Momma Carol!! I asked the guy if we would be nominated for America's Dirtiest Windows.  He said he'd seen much worse.  I hope I never see what "much worse" is.  Anyway, I served Andrei scrambled eggs the other morning.  He took one bite, pushed his plate away, and said, "Nasty." 

I was not amused.  (He got no brownie points for using correct context either.)

For lots of reasons, we decided to put the girls in public school this year.  Monday was their first day.  I will post pictures, but I first must find (a) my camera and (b) the cord to download the pix.  We were all sad, but the girls did absolutely awesome and have wonderful teachers.  I know their classrooms will be blessed.  Andrei kept asking, "Where are the gools?" 

"Do you miss Kennedi?" I asked him.  He said, "I miss Ken....I miss Annie." 

I have been amazed at how grown up he is when they are not around.  He is obedient.  He is pleasant.  He talks like a big boy.  The moment Kennedi walked into the house on day 1 he started baby talking again and whining.

Again, I was not amused.  Seems to be a theme these days.  I've been too tired to have much amusement.  There are trains that go through our town.  LOTS OF TRAINS.  I can usually sleep through them until the 4:00 am bunch rolls through.  There are usually 3-4 trains going through town then.  I know I will eventually not even notice them, but dang! it is brutal until then.  Those who lived closer to them tell me they rattle the house.  No rattling where we live, but it is LOUD!  

I've noticed Sanford's theme song is still going strong.  I'll get it off one of these days so you can read in peace...

The dog...

I am amazed at how much dog stuff costs.  This dog costs a lot.  And I haven't even bought a  collar yet. 
We've basically moved her outdoors.  Doug built a dog house for Tiger Lily to live in.  It's insulated.  It's huge.  The puppy, Andrei, Annsley, and Kennedi can all fit inside it.  I was going to opt for the $67 plastic model from Wal-Mart.  I was out voted. 

I was in Pets Mart the other day looking for heavy bowls.  Where we live, the wind turns plastic bowls into flying objects, so we were needing something heavy.  I was shocked at how much a darn dog bowl costs.  The cheap ones....$10.  And you can spend up to $30 on one bowl for Rufus.  I finally found a big ceramic one on clearance for $4.97--regularly $14.  It says "Thirsty" on it.  I bought one for her food bowl as well.  She can't read.  She won't know the difference.

Then, I went to Dollar Tree.  In their pet department, they had ceramic bowls for $1. Granted, they were slightly smaller than the Pets Mart one, but really?? How can you charge $10 for the same thing??  I snatched one for the food.  I'll return the second "Thirsty" bowl to Pets Mart.

She needs training.  Her owners need training.  Cats are so much simpler...


Dog Tired!




The Tiger Lily a la Chateau!  And in OSU orange too!  I think the paint lady at the store had a glitch in her mixing.  October Pumpkin was a dark reddish orange on the paint chip.  Go Cowboys!



Meet Tiger Lily!

With regards to Meet the Parents movie, I'm all about Robert Dinero's discussion about the supremecy of cats over dogs.  I say a silent "AMEN" after he's finished grinding his future son-in-law about the fallacies of a tail wagging, easy pleasing canine.

We are now dog owners.  I am not a dog person. I haven't had a dog at my house in 30 years.  They smell.  They lick.  This one licks.  This one smells.  But, she is pretty cute.  It is a guilt dog.  My girls (and hubby) have been begging for a dog for years.  Literally.  It was always "after Kennedi is potty trained." Or "after we move." Or "after our adoption because I don't want to go to Russia and have a puppy left here to take care of." Or whatever excuse I could come up with.  Now, 1 1/2 years after Andrei is home, I relented out of guilt of denying my children the experience of dog ownership.

Annsley had been scanning the classifieds almost weekly since February looking for Boxer puppies.  I had been breathing a sigh of relief as there had been none for 4 months.  Then my husband, all by his little ole' self, posts a message on his Facebook page about wanting Boxer puppies.  And here they came.  From all over neighboring counties and states he was flooded with puppies available. 

I was doing quite well.  I just ignored him and all his little messages.  If I waited long enough, they'd all be gone.  And then one of the owners actually called him at work. And then she emailed pictures. 

I was toast. 

So, Sunday afternoon he and Annsley drive 45 miles to check them out.  Annsley only wanted a female because "we have enough boys around here."  The only females this owner had left were brindles, and Annsley only wanted a fawn.  But I knew she and Doug would leave with a dog--brindle or not.  And they did. 

Kennedi and I went shopping Sunday afternoon for dog bowls, food, bedding, and the all important chew toys.  Doug has been given his directive by our 7 year old to construct the dog house this weekend. 

She brings grief to Andrei though.  She loves his Tag blanket and constantly tries to carry it off. She also tries to pull down his shorts.  And any time he's bending over, she tries to climb on his back.  Andrei has a true love-hate relationship with Tiger Lily.

So now our days are spent house training, redirecting her couch gnawing to a chew toy, and waiting for her wake up from her puppy napping to play.  She has puppy breath. She smells like Dog. But I have a feeling she'll grow on me. 




Tiger Lily




Enjoying eating the stuffed rabbit someone left lying around.



A short lived smile as Tiger Lily grabs for Tag.

Stirring the stick!



Reading stories to her dog.