The trouble with normal is it always gets worse. (Bruce Cockburn)

Last week it was the freezer. This time it's the refrigerator.

The washer is started to grumble a bit, too. How come none of the appliances are happy working?

(This post sounds a lot cheerier than what I really am. But there is no sense in posting my first draft of this, since nobody wants to read "damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!")

My work is a game... (M. C. Escher)

Pink
Lensday

It was Pajama Jam at work today. Which explains the following conversation in Walmart last night:

"Becky, should I get this pair of pajamas for work or is this pair better?"
"Why don't you just wear the pajamas you have at home?"
"Because everyone's already seen them."

I really do believe I can accomplish a great deal with a big grin. I know some people find that disconcerting, but that doesn't matter.

(Beverly Sills)

I finished my very-first-all-by-myself socks! I'm so proud.

I'm already working on the next pair...

[Note: These were done with Canon variated worsted weight yarn, using The Super Simple Knitwit Sock Pattern and a k3p1 ribbing.]

Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster. ( Quentin Crisp)

Somebody (I won't mention my daughter's name, since it was an accident) left the freezer door open Sunday evening. It wasn't discovered until yesterday afternoon, after all all the food had already thawed. And of course the freezer was packed -- I had about 77 pounds of meat/meals, not to mention the frozen fruits and vegetables.

So I've been on a marathon baking craze all night, trying to save as much of it as I could. I also gave away a bunch of meat (steaks and stuff that I couldn't cook to refreeze). I'm so tired!

I'm trying to look on the bright side. At least dinners will be easy for the next month, with all the pre-browned hamburger and the casseroles did. And the freezer is thawed, which is something that's been on my "To Do" list.

[sigh]

If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm. (Bruce Barton)

I can't resist showing off Becky's hat. Although I really didn't have anything to do with it -- she knitted this herself!

I feel like a tiny bird with a big song! (Jerry Van Amerongen)

In honor of my grandmother, here is a picture of a cardinal for Photo Hunter's "Bird" meme. (Cardinals are my grandmother's favorite bird. At least, I hope so since we keep buying her cardinal stuff!)

It's nice having Gramma down visiting. I'm looking forward to getting to spend some time with her.

Now if only I could get my daughter down here!

The time to relax is -- when you don't have time for it. (Sidney J. Harris)

Here's a one week follow-up on my knitting project. I'm very proud of myself. I actually managed to turn the heel, which I thought was going to be a problem. It turned out to be a lot easier than it sounded.

Now if I could only figure out how in the world I'm managing to knit the thing inside out...

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. (Maya Angelou)

Becky and I accompanied my mom and aunt to Butterfly World. We had a wonderful time, and I took lots of pictures. The Gardens were just as incredible as I remember from years ago, when my children were still young enough to be fascinated by the beautiful creatures.

People judge you not by the size of your feet, but by whether your socks match. (Space Ghost)

This is my latest project; eventually (hopefully!) it will be a pair of socks. After about 2 hours (accumulated) of knitting, I've gotten the 1.5 inch cuff finished. I'll keep you informed as it progresses...

Every princess needs a tiara...even if it's made of plastic. (Simply Sarah)

Becky and I went shopping for a tiara this afternoon. After all, tomorrow (May 24th) is International Tiara Day. And you can't celebrate it without a sparkling headband.

It's funny how some days catch the imagination, while others are just ignored. For instance, no one was interested in doing anything May 10th for Clean Your Room Day, but almost everyone at work did something for Eat What You Want Day (May 11th). And for some reason, International Tiara Day has captured everyone's attention.

The instructors spent today helping our students make tiaras (or crowns, for the men) to wear tomorrow. It was funny watching as each class competed to make the fanciest tiaras. Glitter, sequence, beads, and lace were fought over as each instructor tried to out-do the others.

I was very good, and declined to get caught up in all of the fuss making tiaras. [Although Becky and I did end up going to three different stores trying on tiaras before finding the "perfect" one. And I passed up the feather boas (I thought they were a little too theatrical, not to mention itchy), but I did add a couple of malibou wristlets because they were just too cute and soft.]

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read,

and all the friends I want to see. (John Burrough)

I'm trying to be good by not posting daily pictures of Millie, even if she is the most adorable puppy around. But it's been at least a couple of days since the last Millie photo, so it's safe to post this one today.

I've come to the conclusion that Millie has a total of five modes: sleeping, eating, peeing on the carpet, playing, and chewing on anything that belongs that she can steal. I expected the first two. The peeing is getting to be rather annoying. The last one, though, has better stop soon! (Her current favorite chew toy is PJ's glasses. No matter where he puts them, she manages to find them. As a result, my future paychecks will be sent directly to LensCrafters for replacements.)

Since George is beginning to imitate Millie and I can't convince either one of them to listen to me, I decided to hire a professional dog trainer. After finding out how much they charge (A LOT!), I decided to hire my daughter. Becky has agreed to spend the next six weeks housebreaking the dogs, as well as teaching them to Sit, Come, Down, Heel, Fetch (for George especially, since he likes to play ball but won't give up the ball once he has it!), and one "fun" trick to impress friends who come to visit. I only have to pay her a quarter of the cost of the professionals, which is a lot easier on my budget and yet still leaves her a rich little girl.

Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures of their progress!

Don't do what you want. Do what you don't want. Do what you're trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most. (Chuck Palahniuk)

Becky and I went to the Barnes & Noble today, and I bought a how-to book for training the dogs. We have a bargain: she's going to take charge of training the dogs to be well-behaved and in return for doing that within 6 weeks, I'll pay her $100. I'm at the point of calling in professional trainers, but after finding out how much that would cost the $100 is a good deal for both of us. (I offered to let my son in on the deal, but he doesn't see the point.)

It's not just the dogs that need training to be well-behaved. I need to work on getting the kids to do what they're supposed as well. But they're only following my example, and I have to admit that I haven't been doing well lately. The house is a mess (i.e. dirty dishes in the sink, the rugs aren't vacuumed, dirty laundry is piled up, and I can't remember the last time I cooked an actual meal).

What I need is to do is go back to my basic Flylady routine. I know that 15 minutes at a time is all that it takes. But I keep focusing on the lists of things to be done, and I never quite make it to the starting point.

Of course, it doesn't help that I let myself get distracted playing online. (I can't find time or energy to stick a load of laundry into the washing machine, but I can redo the family website -- go figure!)

It is always the best policy to speak the truth--unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar. (Jerome K. Jerome)

The boy I work with in the afternoons (J.) has relatives visiting from Ireland. The youngest, a 9 year old "Kid", was excited because I had invited him to join us in a trip to a nearby park after J. had finished his chores. While J. worked, the Kid and I chatted. The Kid was anxious to get to the park, so I suggested that he help J. finish the chores.

"I don't have to do chores while I'm here," the Kid told me. I wanted to know why not, since chores were good for you. He didn't believe me, so I explained that chores made you grow tall. I cited J. as an example, since J. is easily 6' tall.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he demanded.

"Of course I am," I assured him, with a straight face.

He looked very thoughtful, and sat quietly for a few minutes. Then he asked me to stick out my tongue. Thinking that he had been distracted onto a new topic, I stuck out my tongue.

He looked at it, then nodded seriously. "Aye, tis black indeed. You're lying to me."

Apparently, my children aren't the only ones who have me figured out.

It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. (Robert H. Goddard)

Steps
Saturday Photo Hunters

Lying increases the creative faculties, expands the ego, and lessens the frictions of social contacts. (Clare Booth Luce)

Flower

Lensday

Over on my family blog, we're playing a game called "3 truths and a fib." It's a game we used to do in Girl Scout trainings, as a way of getting to know each other quickly. The rules are simple: tell four things about yourself, only three of which are true. Everyone else tries to guess which one is the fib.

The game is tougher than it sounds. The way to win is to come up with truths that sound like a lie, and a lie that sounds like the truth.

I actually am pretty proud of how well I can do this. It's a talent that I don't have any opportunity (other than this) to brag about. I mean, imagine how it would sound at work if I told everyone I'm a really good fibber, and then had to call in sick.

As a storyteller, fibbing well is a good talent to have. Fiction is just fibbing that been nurtured and developed. So in light of that, be warned. I may need to practice my talent from time to time. So in the future, when you read something posted here, please remember that the truth may sound like a fib, and a good fib will sound like the truth.

Feel free to comment on which is which!

Every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down. (Hector Berlioz)

Hands
Tuesday Challenge

As I drove home from work today, I amused myself by composing this evening’s post. I really outdid myself, too. It was not merely witty, but outright amusing. I even managed to fit in a pun (which has been absent from my writing lately). And yet it was a timely topic, meant to leave the reader thinking.

Unfortunately, by the time I sat down at the keyboard I had forgotten every word. To tell the truth, I can’t even remember what the topic was.

So you’ll just have to trust me that sometimes I show true brilliance and make it worth visiting this blog…

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. (Phyllis Theroux)

The Macroday topic for today is "stationery." I love stationery. I collect reams and reams of it. One of the drawers in my filing cabinet is filled with sheets of writing paper; a second drawer is nothing but various sizes and colors of envelopes. I enjoy taking a plain page and turning it into a thing of beauty with rubber stamps and colored inks.

Even better than stationery are letters. Handwritten, personal messages that are sent with love and postage, evidence that somebody cared enough to provide a permanent record of their thoughts of you. Even a letter that's been spell-checked and printed out can provide a thrill when discovered in your snailmailbox.

Don't get me wrong; I'm as much, if not more, of a technophile as the next person. I can't survive without checking my email several times a day. AIM stays open on my desktop whenever I'm online (even if I sometimes resort to the invisibility feature) so that I can IM with my family and friends. I find it much easier to type out what I want to say; my keyboard has an easier time keeping up with my thoughts than my pen and arthritic fingers.

But I love letters. I savor the few that arrive from my daughter, reading and re-reading each as the treasures that they are. I carried the note from my friend Carol for days, and it brought a smile to my face each time I caught sight of the card when I opened my purse. I have a box of letters that have been sent to me over the years, and even though I keep vowing to declutter my life, the box remains.

You would think that feeling the way I do, I would be better at writing letters. Unfortunately, I'm basically lazy. I've had a letter in my purse that I started a week ago, with a promise in the first paragraph that I was going to finish it quickly and mail it right off. (Sorry, Cari. I promise I'll try to finish it and mail it tomorrow.) I have an envelope with photos to return to my cousin just as soon as I can write a note to go along with them. I have a beautiful card in my briefcase that I want to send to my grandmother. It's in the same file as the funny card for my best friend and the thank you note that is at least two weeks overdue.

So if I owe you a letter, I apologize. My heart is willing, but my hands are sore.

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears. (Edgar Allen Poe)

There is a really good story behind this picture. I'm talking beauty, pain, laughter, tears, an emergency trip to Walmart. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the full story because it is far, far too embarrassing; it's the type of story that once told, can never be lived down for an entire lifetime. Sorry.

Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it. (Bernard Meltzer)

'Kiss'
Shutterday

If writers stopped writing about what happened to them, then there would be a lot of empty pages. (Elaine Liner )

Macroday
"Glass"


Thursday Challenge
"Circle"


Photo Sharks
"Father"

(I know. This really isn't "Father," it's more "Grandfather" as in grandfather clock. It's also "Father Time." Unfortunately, the more traditional meaning of "father" translates into a nasty word in my house.)

Saturday Photo Hunters
"Hobby"

I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some. (Herbert Rappaport)

The Lens Day challenge is "Spring." To me, spring has always meant the arrival of crocuses, daffodils, and tulips. But down here in Florida, the only tulips I find are in the florist shops.

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Does anyone want to buy a van? I need to sell mine, since I'm never going to drive it again.

You see, there was a spider in it. Which means that I can't ever get into the van again. Because where's there's one spider, there might be a second one. Or the first spider may have laid eggs before it was chased away. Which means that there will forever be a chance that I'll see another spider in the van. And I barely survived this one.

You see, I was driving home from the store when the spider crawled across the windshield. It was big. Really huge. A gigantic, horrid 8-legged creature that could easily be the star of his own (okay, "her own" since I've already had it laying eggs) horror story. Luckily I was stopped at a traffic light, or things could have been really bad. As it was, I barely managed to keep breathing long enough to pull over and get out of the van. I wish I was exaggerating when I say that a policeman stopped to help me, convinced that I was either the victim of an attempted carjacking or else in need of medical attention for a heart attack. When I explained about the spider, he just stared at me for a long minute, burst into laughter, and drove away. Without checking the van for the spider!

So I finally pulled myself together, and checked for the spider myself. I I finally found one on top of the car. I managed to brush it off with a really long stick, and then I quickly jumped in the van and sped off, hoping that the spider wasn't going to catch up to me.


[For the record, I know I wasn't being rational. But who could possibly be rational around a spider?]

I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something. (Jackie Mason)

Shopping
Tuesday Challenge

I stopped at the store on my way home to get a bottle of Chili sauce. (I wanted to put on a batch of Marlowe's Meatballs for dinner tomorrow.) That's all I needed when I entered the store, just the one item. But when I left, I needed several bags to carry the items I bought.

We are never too late. We arrive precisely when we mean to. (J.R. R. Tolkien )

"Miss"
Shutterday

I was trying to think of what I could take a picture of to represent Miss in the Shutterday meme. The idea of missing the train did cross my mind, but PJ and I have been very good at making it to the station on time in the mornings.

I really should be more careful about what I think. (The expression, "Be careful what you wish for..." comes to mind.) This morning PJ missed the train. We had just purchased his ticket and were waiting for it to print out when the train started to pull away.

For anyone who may have wondered, it was confirmed that I do, indeed, know how to curse.

Patience is a Virgil. (Elaine)

I swear I only took my eyes off of her for a minute. It's like having a 2-year-old in the house again!

You don't get anything clean without getting something else dirty. (Cecil Baxter)

Clean
Saturday Photo Hunters

Any excuse to show another picture of Millie!

A person who has not done one half his day's work by ten o'clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone. (Emily Bronte)

"Books"
Tuesday Challenge

And these are just the reports that had to be done today! (I hate the first week of the quarter.)

Some people walk in the rain... others just get wet... (Roger Miller)

I finally managed to get to Clematis By Night. Clematis is a free concert event that the town puts on every week. Along with the live band, there are craft booths and food tents. And, of course, lots of beer. Basically, it's a big party that anyone can go to.

Profits from the beer trucks benefit various not-for-profit agencies. Becky and I volunteered to help out this week, since it was for an agency I know. I sold beers, while Becky worked at the raffle table. We had a blast! About halfway through the night we had some much needed rain, and I ended up soaked. Becky was under the tent, so she just laughed at me. That was okay; we kept beer sales going, even in the downpour.

Next week, maybe I'll go downtown just for fun. I might even see what it's like on the customer side of the beer table...

All jobs are easy to the person who doesn't have to do them. (Holt's Law)

On the way into work this morning, I heard something that really tickled my fancy. Apparently there are Professional pooper-scoopers. In the United States, this is a 7 million dollar industry, and growing. A professional pooper scooper earns between $7.50 and $15 a dog per week. It just boggles my mind.

On the plus side, when I remind the children to take a plastic bag with them when they walk the dogs, I'm no longer just being a nagging mother. I am preparing them for possible future careers!

A picture can say 1000 words but it can also inspire you to write 1000 more. (Jason Mraz)

While getting ready for bed last night, I jumped online to quickly check my emails. Before I could get back off, my daughter had IM'd me. "How many miles can you go after the fuel light comes on in the car?" she wanted to know. This was a really strange question, considering that she doesn't drive and is at school right now with no reason to be out driving. (Plus, how in the world is she sending me instant messages if she's in a car about to run out of gas?)

So I asked her, "Why do you need to know?"

It turns out that she is writing a story for one of her classes, and the main character is about to run out of gas. My first answer, that it really depends on the car, wasn't helpful. She needed to know specifically for a Cadillac Escalade, which is what the character was driving.

Just as quick aside: I have no idea how she selected the Cadillac Escalade. I've never even heard of the Escalade, and no one in our family has ever driven a Cadillac.

After a few minutes of quick research (I love the internet!), I was able to tell her that the Escalade has a 3.2 fuel reserve, and averages 14-18 mpg. Her story was saved, and I remain the internet queen of the family.

Fast forward to this morning...after I dropped the boys off for school, I stopped to pick up laundry soap. When I came out of the store, the first vehicle I see is an ugly pink pickup truck.

As I walked past, I discovered it was a Cadillac Escalade. In my research for my daughter, I never once realized that we were talking about a truck.

(So of course I had to pull out my camera to take a picture of it, hoping the entire time that the owner couldn't come out and catch me. Trying to explain why I was taking pictures of a stranger's car in that neighborhood would not have been easy.)

You live and learn. At any rate, you live. (Douglas Adams)

Macro Day
"Green"

I'm not sure what type of plant this is, but they're common in the local nature trails. I like the "fan" pattern.


I took the kids to the boat show yesterday. We had a really good time trying to decide on just one boat to buy. Actually that started out as a game, but by the end of the day I think that the kids forgot that we weren't really buying anything (there's no way I can afford a boat). It was fun thinking "Someday, when I'm rich...", especially since we got to tour some of the really big yachts. (Did you know that some of those yachts use 50+ gallons of gas while under sail? Even if I could afford the 1.7 to 3.5 million dollars to buy a yacht, I don't think I would ever get to take it anywhere!)

Actually, I liked the Porta-Bote much better. It's a small fishing boat that literally folds up so you can carry it around. It's amazing! It can be rowed, or use a small trolling motor, or you can even get a sail kit for it. I am totally in love with this -- it's perfect for the kids and me to use to go fishing, and take camping with us.

That's the secret to life...replace one worry with another... (Charles M. Schulz)

I woke up tired this morning.

It may have been because I woke up at 6:30 am. On a Sunday morning, when I'm allowed to sleep late. But the puppy woke up and wanted to play, and there was no way she was going to let me sleep while she played alone. It's like having a 2 year old in the house again!

In addition to the puppy, I have an extra teenager in the house again. I don't know how long he'll be staying with me this time. Hopefully things will work out quickly this time.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? (Stephen Levine)

And why are you waiting?


I finally made it to Friday, after a week of Mondays. I wish I could just lay back and enjoy it, but as usual my task list is greater than my weekend. I'm not complaining, not much anyway, 'cause most of what I have to do is for fun (like volunteering at Share on Saturday and taking the boys to the Boat Show on Sunday). It's just that I always plan my weekends with about 40 hours worth of activities and chores, and then spend the rest of the week wondering why I didn't get it all done.

And this weekend is not going to be any different, considering that I haven't even made it to Saturday yet I'm already behind.

It is not a bad idea to get in the habit of writing down one's thoughts. It saves one having to bother anyone else with them. (Isabel Colegate)

"Yellow"
Lensday.com

I live an interesting life. Not interesting, as in having really good stories to tell. More like in the ancient curse "May you live in interesting times."

I just took a moment to google the origin of that curse. I use the phrase all the time, but I can't remember where I first heard it from. I vaguely remember it being Irish. Or maybe from a Mercedes Lackey novel. I thought it might be nice to have the actual reference, just in case I'm using it wrong. (Remind me to tell you the story of Miss Jabberwock sometime.)

Anyway, I found out that it was used by Robert F. Kennedy in his Cape Town speech in 1966. I was just a child then, so I don't think that's where I remember it from. (By the way, Kennedy attributed to an ancient Chinese proverb.) It was actually first written in a science fiction story by Duncan Munro. It was part of a three-part curse, each part being more severe than the previous:

May you live in interesting times.
May you come to the attention of those in authority.
May you find what you are looking for.

It makes you think, doesn't it. Especially the last one.

If you look good and dress well, you don't need a purpose in life. (Robert Pante)

Poor Millie; she just didn't have a chance at a normal puppyhood. At least, not while she's got both Becky and me around. Becky has discovered that Millie is (almost) the perfect size to fit into her old doll clothes. And of course I just grabbed the camera and shouted, "What else can she wear?"

About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment. (Josh Billings)

It's very tempting for me to post another adorable picture and story about Millie. I feel like a new mom: I'm totally convinced that my "baby" is the cutest one ever, and that everyone is just sitting around waiting their chance to hear about her. But if I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that while others may enjoy an occasional story about my wonderful child, the only one who is really obsessed with her is myself.

So I thought I would borrow an idea from Generation Exhausted. I'm not sure where the book list started, but it was fun to see how many of these "new classics" I've read.

Books in bold have been read.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (George Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Scott Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davies)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)>
91. In the Skin of a Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you,

but he will make a fool of himself too. (Samuel Butler)

Miss Mildred Rose (aka Millie) has definitely made a place for herself in the family. It's amazing how quickly I've become attached to her (especially considering that I really don't like animals). Millie sleeps on my bed, gets fed before myself or the kids, and takes me for long walks twice a day.

Taking the walks is the worse part. George is very slow and resentful -- he just doesn't see the point of going outside when there is a perfectly good kitchen floor he can use to pee on. Millie, on the other hand, is excited to be out exploring. She's a true Neuhaus; she's always trying to find shortcuts along the way, and will sudden decide to go off in a different direction because something has caught her eye. Since I'm holding a leash in each hand, I find myself literally pulled in two directions, when I'm not being tripped by a puppy racing between my feet. Every five minutes I have to stop and untangle the three of us. And I won't even try to explain the difficulty of pooper scooping while hanging onto the two dogs. On the plus side, I'm getting to know all of my neighbors. It seems that we're an amusing enough sight that nobody can resist laughing and saying hello.

It's easier when the children are home to help me. We take turns chasing Millie to take away whatever it is she's chewing on that she shouldn't be. We rotate kitchen clean-up duty. There's always someone nearby to distract Millie from chewing on George's ears. And the children can take Millie away when I have to use the bathroom so that she doesn't sit outside the door and whine. Unfortunately, the children are at their father's this weekend so I'm trying to handle it all by myself. It's like being the mother of toddlers again -- the first time around (with my children) was fun, but I'm getting too old to handle it now.

Oh well. I better go see what the dogs are up to. They're being too quiet and it's making me nervous.

When you feel lousy, puppy therapy is indicated. (Sara Paretsky)

We've spent today getting to know each other. Millie has already acquired the nickname "T.T." which stands for Terrier Terror -- her favorite game is attacking George's ears. She'll come up from behind, sneak underneath his legs and then pounce on his ear. Poor George just stands there, totally bewildered as to why this adorable yappy creature insists on tormenting him.

Millie's second favorite game is finding paper to chew. It's amazing how many things she can reach, considering that she's on about 6" tall (and she weighs only 3 lbs). Taking her on a walk is even worse, since she will try to chew on every leaf, stick, worm, and blade of grass along the way! It got so bad at one point that even George got tired of waiting for her to move along. He went up to her, swung his head to fling his ears in her face, then took off running so that she would chase him!

The writing is on the wall, though -- Millie is already well on the way to being the spoiled princess of the house.

The more things change, the more they remain...insane. (Michael Fry and T. Lewis)

I have nothing to say in my defense, other than look at how cute she is! I just couldn't help sneaking her home.

Her name is Millie, she's 12 weeks old, and she's now my little girl.

George, by the way, is very relieved that he doesn't have to fight against being dressed up by Becky and me. Instead, he is happily hanging out with PJ, playing ball.

Perhaps it IS enough to "just relax"

(Tuesday Challenge: Ink)

I went to the orthopedic surgeon today, and my arm isn't fractured after all!

Of course, it still hurts unbelievably. But he's assured me that it really will get better, and in the meantime he's prescribed better pain pills.

Just relax, and you'll feel better.

Six years ago, my oldest daughter fell off a riding toy and came into the house crying. My mother and I were busy working on the computer, so I told my daughter to relax, and it would feel better. As it turned out, her arm was fractured and she wore a cast for 5 weeks.

Three years ago, I had a call from the school nurse. My son was playing tackle football during field day, and had ended up in her office with a sore arm. Relax, she told me, he was just making it feel worse than it was. As it turned out, he had fractured his arm and he wore a cast for almost two months.

Last year, my youngest fell while roller skating on a band trip. The chaperones told her to relax, and it would feel better. Needless to say, her arm turned out to be fractured.

In case you're wondering where all this is going, let me point out that the common theme is that relaxing does not immediately cure a fractured arm. In fact, I have just learned first hand not only doesn't relaxing make the pain of a fractured arm go away, it isn't even POSSIBLE to relax with a fractured arm.


I have to make an appointment Monday morning to see the orthopedic surgeon.

If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith. (Albert Einstein)

It's midnight, and I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I can't go to bed, because I've locked myself out of my bedroom.

I have no idea how it happened. This morning, when I was leaving for work, I shut my bedroom door as I have every morning since we moved into the townhouse. When I got home from work, the door wouldn't open. I must have turned the lock somehow as I grabbed the doorknob to pull it closed. Unfortunately, we don't have the key to the door. Neither does the landlord.

My first response was to try to pick the lock. But it's not as easy as it looks on TV. Despite the many books I've read in which the heroine quickly gains access with either a bobby pin or a credit card, I was unable to get the door open.

So then I tried calling a locksmith. They wanted $75 for an emergency (aka evening) call. I decided it was worth it. They told me they could be here in half an hour. One and a half hours later, I called them again. "The guy's on his way, and should be there any minute," they informed me. So I (im)patiently waited another hour and a half, then called again. This time I got a different story: "The guy tried to phone you right after you called (the first time), but since there wasn't any answer we canceled the trip." I hadn't gotten any phone calls from them (and in fact, they had written my phone number down wrong), but it didn't matter. Bottom line is, they're not coming here tonight.

So I guess I'm going to be sleeping on the guest bed tonight, in my clothes. Luckily there is a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the dryer, so I'll have something to wear to work tomorrow. I won't have clean underwear or any make-up, but maybe no one will notice. (And to think that I was hoping to make a good impression on the state auditor that's coming in to monitor us tomorrow!)

Maybe tomorrow, in the daylight, I'll be able to find a locksmith that is actually willing to come out and open my door for me.