How I Wish I Believed in Karma

Remember when the dog ate my planner? Remember how upset I was? Remember how insensitively my husband responded until I suggested he imagine his Blackberry passing through the dog's lower intestine?

He doesn't have to imagine anymore.

After 15 minutes of being left alone downstairs last night,
the dog turned what should have been this:


into this:

Fortunately, we carry insurance on our cell phones, so instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for a replacement cell phone, we pay a small deductible to have a new one shipped directly to our home. Unfortunately, the replacement phone will not arrive before James leaves town for a few days to meet a client in the upper Midwest, leaving behind his very pregnant wife. Needless to say, he is a wee bit stressed out.

I hope the dog survives.


photo credit: Sprint.com

This is Why the Dog Needs a New Home

I love my planner. At the end of each year, purchasing a new planner is one of my happiest moments (and that's sad -- I know). I carry a Palm so I don't really need a paper planner, but there's something so satisfying about using my Papermate Sharpwriter #2 pencil to jot down each and every obligation. I like to preview my life with the turn of a page instead of with the click of a stylus. I'm old school like that.

As I spent my Sunday afternoon upstairs painting, Sadie spent her afternoon eating my existence. I came downstairs to find this heartbreaking sight:




I called James who was working in Omaha to tell him the dog had finally done it and she needed to find a new home. He thought I was being rash and a bit silly, but I suggested he think for one minute how he would feel if his Blackberry were passing through her lower intestine at that moment.

He understood my point.

Instead of giving her away, though, I took some time to calm down. She knew she was in trouble and had no whining complaints about spending the evening in her crate. I was able to piece the planner back together enough to get myself through the next week or two. Now, I have to set aside a day to transfer my future into something new.

As for the dog's future, she's not going anywhere right now. She's really a good dog -- I think she just made a really terrible decision during a normal puppy stage. At least, that's what I hope. She won't survive another planner being destroyed, that's for sure.

Auditioning for the Backyard Circus

Nearly as soon as we brought home pets from the shelter, Gracie decided this would be the summer of the Backyard Circus. Auditions for the Hoop Jumper were held today...

Introducing the Hoop
("Mom, can we light this thing on fire?)


Taking the First Step


She did it!


(Sadie would chase her favorite chew toy through the hoop. She actually jumped through three or four times before becoming bored...)

Lunchtime Playdate

Sadie and Milo have become friends...


Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
(Ever heard of that one, cat?)


Tuckered out -- time for a cat nap.

The Banning of the Bits and Pieces

In honor of National Cat Week, we had our new pet cat Milo neutered today. Next year, we're thinking of celebrating by taking off a limb.

We'd just taken the cat in for his rabies shot, when we were fortunate enough to get squeezed in for sterilization at the low-cost clinic that accepts the shelter vouchers. The kids were with me as I scheduled the procedure. and the whole day long they were quite concerned about Milo. They asked question after question after question, and I just held my breath, hoping I wouldn't have to explain the whole "when a mommy cat and a daddy cat fall in love and get married" bit. Fortunately, that particular part of the subject never specifically came up.

I picked Milo up late this evening and was told he would have to stay in his crate until morning. Evidently, the anesthesia they gave him makes him hallucinate and fall over. I was told to leave him in until morning, just to let him sleep the drugs off. All the way home, from inside his little bin, I'd hear skittle, skittle, thump and shuffle, shuffle, thump. I brought him home and tucked the carrier quietly away in the corner of my closet, hoping that was far enough from the kids and the dog and the noise and the lights to prevent hallucinations that would blow his little mind.

Milo stayed still and silent in his crate for about six hours, when he then began an attempt at chewing his way through the bin side. I decided if he had the wherewithal to formulate an escape plan, he was clear to leave the crate. I gingerly carried it to the upstairs bathroom where I'd prepared clean litter and fresh food. Then I let the cat out of the bag bin.

He swayed and wobbled and stumbled and fell, but perked up a bit when he found his food bowl. I stayed to make sure he was comfortable before I left the room, and not aggressive as the anesthesia could make him. I thought he was trying to flush himself at one point, so I went back to make sure he was safe from drowning hazards. While I'm sure he's much happier locked in the restroom as opposed to his minuscule crate, I do hear a thump every once in a while. Surely that can't be good...


photo credit: lolpictures.com

The Initial Meeting

The kids came home early from their weekend away to meet the new pets. We didn't tell them anything about our new additions as we headed home, rather we quizzed them the whole drive long about whether or not they wanted animals, and what sort of animal they would want if we ever got one. (Ooo, we're sneaky!) Bub said he wanted a girl puppy (check!) and Gracie said she wanted a cat with a litter box (check!).

We came in the house still without having said anything, and they both had puzzled looks on their faces when they heard Sadie whining from her crate in our room. They ran looking for the source of the noise and were so excited when they found her. We took her straight out to potty and to play. They giggled at her romping, but still, the kids couldn't believe there was a dog in their yard. "I love her," Gracie exclaimed.

After a while, we brought Sadie back into the house and took the kids upstairs to meet Milo. Since he was still new to our house and to us, we penned him in the upstairs bathroom with his litter box and food dish as we went to church and to lunch. (Surprisingly, he'd not been skittish or one to hide, and had been using his litter box perfectly already, but with us out of the house, we didn't want to take any chances.) We opened the bathroom door and Milo meandered out into the gameroom, completely disinterested in his celebrity. He's such a cool cat!

Bub spent the afternoon and evening bonding with Sadie -- playing with her in the yard, walking her down the streeet to meet his friends. Gracie spent time with Milo, showing him her room, telling him she's his mama, dressing him up in baby doll hats. Both kids are well-suited to their new pets, and they even went so far as to say that we're really, really nice.

Gracie and Milo


Bub and a very sleepy Sadie

We've adopted...

... some shelter pets! We are child-free for the weekend, so after sleeping in, James woke me up this morning wanting to go to the shelter. We've been talking about getting a cat, particularly since Gracie asked for one for Christmas, but we didn't plan to get one so soon!

We drove to a small local shelter that had about nine cats, six of them feral. Just for kicks, we asked to see the dogs, and all five of them weren't even adoptable. (Which makes me wonder why we weren't just told that instead of allowed in the room. Oh well.)

We next headed to the shelter in Fort Worth which has a generous selection of adoptable animals. We looked over the cats, debating between kittens and adult cats. James thought the kids would have more fun with the tiny kittens. I, on the other hand, was looking for an adult cat -- one already litter trained, really mellow, and ready to lay around with me on the couch.

In the cat room, all the cats were flipping out. Many of them were kittens wrestling with one another. Others were older and were crazily pressing against the doors of their kennels trying to get a scratch behind the ear. Tucked away in the corner was a a big mellow orange cat who was just sitting there looking at us like whatever. I immediately fell in love. At only eight months old, he's young enough to be playful, however he's big enough to not get squished when loved on by the kids. Meet our new cat, Milo:


Then, we went to the dog room. Though we weren't planning to get a dog (due to a little agreement that involves the installation of some wood floors), we still like to visit. We walked the rows and greeted the dogs. As we were leaving, I noticed a beautiful black lab puppy nearly tucked behind the door. She looked like a full-blooded lab -- she was so beautiful! I called James over to look at her and we asked the attendant if they knew why she was here. He said he thought she was probably the last of a breeder's litter who at 10 weeks was too old to sell. After admiring her through the cage, we asked to hold her.

We were taken to a bonding room and played with her for a while on the floor. She was so sweet and friendly. James thought the kids would like her, particularly Bub. I reminded him Bub's birthday is next month and mentioned maybe we should get her for him. He was sold -- I could see it in his eyes. To make the deal even sweeter, the attendant offered to sponsor 50% of the adoption fee since we were interested in more than one animal. He also reminded us that Milo was sponsored at 100%.

After the discount of the sponsorship, we paid $35 for two animals that came with food samples and coupons, bowls, food mats, a litter box, immunizations, licensing, Home Again microchips, and vouchers for free rabies shots and spaying/neutering. We were already crushing on the dog, but couldn't pass up the really good deal! Meet our new puppy, Sadie:


The kids have no idea these two have invaded their home. We can't wait to see their reaction. It's nearly as exciting as Christmas!