Mood:  celebratory

Well I think those who are suppose to know first have already heard the news so I wanted to take the time to inform the rest of you.

I’M GETTING MARRIED!!!!

That’s right…Lennie finally proposed. It wasn’t an overly romantic proposal but it was done in true Lennie style so I can’t complain. We had been to the Albannach concert at Tir Na Nog on Wednesday night. It was a great show and even though I only had two beers I was really feeling the effects. When we got home I was kidding Lennie about how we can’t go into the pub anymore without someone asking if we were yet. His friend John had asked me earlier in the evening why Lennie hadn’t put a ring on my finger. I told him he would have to ask Lennie that question. Well apparently he did. J We were laying on the floor in the living room playing with Potter and talking about what John had said when Lennie looked at me and said, “So do you want to get married?” I responded, “When we are ready. I want you to propose when you feel the time is right.” “No that is not what I am asking” he said. “Will you marry me?” He then went into the kitchen to grab the ring he had been hiding in my cabinets for the last two weeks. I was so over joyed and I said yes.

The ring is beautiful and definitely unique. It is a little big so I am going to have to give it up so it can be sized. Lennie told me that one night while I slept he took a pair of calipers to my fingers to get the size. I laughed hysterically. How exactly would he have explain that to me if I had  woken up and seen him standing over me with a set of calipers. I asked him why he didn’t just take one of my rings and he said that he didn’t want to rummage through my stuff. LOL

Okay so I asked him when he wanted to do it and he said as soon as possible. For those of you who don’t know, Lennie is being sent to Iraq in Jan and he had just gotten activated and will be reporting to Norfolk on Nov 9^th. So we have finally set on the 24^th of Nov. So I don’t have much time to plan.

All I have managed to do so far is book the church. We will be having the ceremony at Eyler’s Valley Chapel in Thurmont, MD.  http://www.eylersvalleychapel.com I am in the process of finding a minister and reception location. I was hoping to use the dinning hall at Camp Round Meadow but it is booked. I have a call into the superintendant where I used to work to see if I can use Misty Mount. The camp is currently closed for the season but they have a beautiful dinning hall there made out of American Chesnut and it would be perfect. Keep your fingers crossed that they agree to open it up for me.

I think we have the wedding party sorted out. Anne will be my Maid of Honor and Annie is going to be Lennie’s Best Woman and Justin will walk me down the isle and give me away. We are hoping Lennie’s mother will fly in for the occasion. There is a Scottish Custom where the groom pins his tartan to me after our vows to signify my entry into his clan which I think will be very cool. Yes Lennie is planning on wearing a kilt.

Still lots to plan and work on but right now just trying to focus on the major 3. Church, preacher, and reception hall.

For those of you in NC who can’t make the wedding in MD…don’t worry…we will be having a big ‘ol bash at Tir Na Nog to celebrate.

Mood:  don't ask

I am having one of those days where I can’t seem to get myself together. I woke up this morning with horrible neck pain. I can’t turn my head or lift anything. I tried to set about my morning routine but I just couldn’t focus. I got Merlin feed but almost forgot about Potter. I sat down with my coffee and he came over and looked at me like ummm mom I think you forgot something. Sorry Pot! I was almost out the door but I couldn’t find my boots. I somehow had put them in the laundry basket. By the time I found them I was running about 15 minutes late. UGH! So here I sit in pain with a ton of crap to do and I am not motivated or focused enough to do any of it. Plus I have to finish my resume and get it to personnel soon. My only comfort is that the Dr. has a pill waiting for me at her office that will hopefully relax the muscles in my neck so I can move.

My trip to Charlotte was GREAT! I had such a good time which I always seem to do with Marie. I got there around 4:30pm Friday and we quickly headed out so that Marie could show me around town. We ended up in a part of town known as NoDa where we did some window shopping at a really cool used book stores and a novelty shop. We then met her boyfriend Alan for dinner at a place called Bordeaux’s which served Louisiana style food. It was tasty except for the Gator bites which didn’t have much flavor. But at least we can all say that we ate gator. After diner we headed back to the apartment where we dropped off Alan and headed to a bar across the street called Moon Doggies. They had a very extensive beer selection and Marie and I were the center of attention seeing as we were the only women there. I sat beside a guy named Kevin who was originally from WV. We talked a good bit and I made a point to bring up Lennie every chance I got so that he would know that I was attached but that didn’t stop him from buying all my drinks and inviting me to spend a weekend with him in the mountains. LOL Men! We headed back over to Marie’s and after some idle chit chat, we headed off to bed.

Saturday I was awoken by Marie’s crazy neighbor lady yelling at the top of her lungs to a woman in the parking lot to not forget to get her some milk. With all the noise I couldn’t get back to sleep so I got up and did my hair and makeup and waited for Marie. She and Alan got up about 9am and she quickly set about making me some coffee. Their coffee maker is broken so she had to boil the water and pour it into the machine. I felt bad but my overwhelming need for caffeine kept me from saying anything. Sorry Marie! She then made me an omelet with avocado. Great start to the day. After Alan left for work we quickly got into our dresses and headed to our cars to we could set out for the Renaissance fair. While standing in the parking lot taking pictures the crazy neighbor lady came out and yelled directions to us as she took our pictures. “YOU STAND THERE!!” “OKAY NOW YOU!” “DON’T YOU GO ANYWHERE!!! I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU!” Very scary lady.

The route to the fair was jammed with cars. The festival ground just happens to be next to Lowes Motor Speedway but thank god there wasn’t a race on Saturday because I don’t think we would ever have made it there. We had pre-purchased tickets so were able to walk right in. They had some great entertainment this year. Magic acts, comedy nuns, a hypnotist, and juggling acts. The joust was great as well. It was the same scenario as last year but this year we were sitting in the evil knight Mordred’s section sipping on Medieval Margaritas. As with last year at the end of the joust, some knight is offended by another knight and they vow to joust to the death. That was to be at 4pm but we ended up skipping it. We spotted Mordred and the Prince of Windsor (another knight) hanging out so I am assuming Sir William de Bracey didn’t survive. May you rest in peace knight who looks an awful lot like Sting. After the Hypnotist show I decided I wanted some Steak on a Stake so we headed up to the booth were Marie proceeded to attract a stalker. His name was Daniel and he was enthralled by Marie and her beautiful dress. He kept flirting with her, kissing her hand, and teaching her the language of the fan (with my fan). Towards the end of the day as we headed out to our car, Daniel ran up to Marie with a rose. Awww that was such a sweet thing for a stalker to do. I wonder what Alan had to say about it when Marie got home. LOL

We had driven separately so when we got back to I-85 she headed south and I went north and I managed to make it home about 9PM. I walked in to see Lennie in the kitchen making me dinner. How sweet it that? Lennie had some bad news for me. He found out he is being mobilized on Nov 9^th. That means he will quit his job here and move up to Norfolk till they send him to Iraq in Jan. He is hoping to be home on weekends and he is still hoping he will be able to come home with me for Thanksgiving.

It will be a quiet week I hope. We have Albannach at Tir Na Nog Wednesday night then Lennie leaves for a training class in Stanton, VA on Sunday. I am almost finished my costume. It is actually looking pretty cute.

I took a few pictures and when I get them loaded I will post them here. Take care and I hope everyone had a goo weekend.

Mood:  not sure

Don’t yell at me for not being around. I have been in Wilmington since Sunday. What an extremely long couple of days and if I have to look at another spreadsheet I swear on everything holy that I am going to go postal.

Okay I am sure some of you are wondering about the title of the post. No I am not getting married. At least I don’t think anytime soon. Lennie and I have just now started to talk about him moving in. But that is a whole other entry. The major life change has to do with my job.

Last Friday my boss called me into his office. He stated that he has noticed lately how miserable I have become. When I signed up for the job it was suppose to be 60% admin and 40% ranger. Now it is 90% admin and 10% ranger…if I am lucky. This is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I HATE sitting at a computer and would much prefer to be in the field. Not to mention that I am not getting paid for the work I am doing. Especially not now that I have to budget to do. I actually broke down in tears because the last few months or so I have been very unhappy. I love Raleigh, I love the park, and I love the staff but I hate what this job has become and this is not what I signed up for.

Yesterday Tom showed up at the district office and caught me after my meeting. He told me he needed a copy of my transcripts. At first I thought he needed my notes from the meeting but clarified that he needed my college transcripts to prove that I am eligible to work as a 401 Natural Resource Specialist. Fancy name for a park ranger/biologist. I must have looked really confused so he told me the following story.

We have an opening at Falls. Well actually not so much an opening. They are taking our co-op student position and making it permanent. It will be a 5/7/9 position which would be a promotion for me (I am currently a 7). I would be doing what I love. I would be out in the project more and not stuck behind a computer. There is also more opportunity for me to advance. But there are some negatives as well. The position is what they call an Intern (FCIP). Part of that program is that I would have to sign a mobility agreement for 2 years. This means they could up and move me whenever and wherever that wanted to. My boss said that was highly unlikely. That would be just in the event of a major disaster and they needed bodies. The second issue is that fact that I would lose my status for 2 years. I would be losing any benefits but lets say next year they didn’t have the budget to keep my job I could be jobless. I don’t think my boss would let them put me out on the street but it is scary not to have that security. But once my two years is up and I will have my status back and I would be safe and I would be a 9 which was one of my goals. The other bad thing is…if I leave this position they will not fill it with another admin ranger. It would be just clerical. Tom is terrified with what he might get as far and applicants but that I shouldn’t worry about that. He wants me to be happy and he wants to put me in the place that he thinks I have the best opportunity to advance.

I spent time talking to my boss and his boss and the people from personnel and they all stated they thought this would be a good move and that they see me advancing way up in the organization with all the knowledge I have. They said they don’t foresee anything bad happening to me in the future and that I shouldn’t be worried.

So tonight I have a lot of things to think about and some things to discuss with Lennie. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I know I can do the NRS job but I have work so hard to get this place in shape I dread handing it over to someone who will just mess it up. BIG BIG BIG Decision. This could change the rest of my life. *bites nails

Mood:  caffeinated

Have mentioned that as of today I love Thursdays? Why it that you ask. Well tonight Jensen Ackles…I mean Supernatural ;) returns to TV. In the last episode of season two Dean sells his soul to a demon so that she would bring Sam back to life and then Sam and Dean opened a door to hell (not knowing it of course) and released a bunch of demons. So I am assuming that this season will be all about catching the demons and finding some way to save Dean’s soul. Can we just take a moment of silence for the incredibly sexy Jensen?

Don’t worry Bill I am still in love with Gerard Butler but I don’t have anything to squeal over until they release Butterfly on a Wheel on DVD. So now I will just have to drool over Jensen.

This Saturday I am seeing a new stylist. I am a little nervous. I am always nervous about getting my haircut by someone new because you just never know if you will mesh or if they will understand it when I say the word texturize. Her name is Britt and she came high recommended. There is s woman who walks here with her Golden Retriever and one day I ran into her while I was walking Potter. She always has great hair so I asked where she goes and she told me all about Britt and this salon. I have been so unhappy with the place I have been going. I used to see a guy named Robert but he up and left one day. The girl who took my appointment stated that he called in sick one day and then the next day just didn’t show up or call and they haven’t heard from him since. What is it with me and stylist? The one I had before Robert had a mental breakdown. I hope I wasn’t the cause. I can be a little neurotic about my hair.  Anyway the girl who started cutting my hair did a great job the first time but hasn’t been able to duplicate it since. Keep your fingers crossed that I have better luck with the new girl. I will miss where I had been going because it was on my way home from work.

I am currently waiting for my mom to call me. See last night I called my Great Aunt. She had sent me a card last Monday and I still hadn’t gotten it. When she answered the phone she didn’t sound well at all. She told me that she wasn’t feeling real well and was out of breath and had trouble concentrating. She said she had an episode on Friday when she got up she couldn’t see and her legs wouldn’t work. I scolded her for not calling mom and going to the Doctor. I tried to encourage her to go to the ER but she would have none of it. So I call mom and told her the story and mom told her she was going to take her to the Doctor today. They had an appointment at 12:30 and said she would let me know what the doctor said. I don’t know if the lack of a call from my mom is good or bad. I just hope everything is okay.

No major plans for the weekend. It is a holiday weekend for me (I am off Monday). I have lots to do around the house and I need to work on my costume. They are sending me to Wilmington the 14^th through the 16^th and I have a bunch of other crap going on this month so I need to fine time to sew. There are just not enough hours in a day.

I probably won’t post tomorrow so I hope everyone had a great weekend.

***Update: Just heard from Mom and Aunt B is doing okay. They did an EKG and there was some heart damage so the doctor thinks she had an “episode”. Her blood pressure was sky high so they put her on some more medication. The doctor said she was dehydrated and needed to drink more water. Aunt B asked if she could drink more apple cider instead. LOL She likes apple cider more than she does water. I think most people do. The doctor also commented on how nice it was to have a niece the really cared about her and she said that her niece (my mom) and her girls (Anne and I) have always taken such great care of her that she didn’t know what she would do without us. I don’t know what I would do without her. Last night it hit me that I might lose her. Even though she is 97 I just never allowed myself to really imagine what life would be without her. She has spent every Christmas with me since I was born and the thought of not seeing her there Christmas morning just made me feel very empty. I know that she will go at some time but I hope it is later than sooner. I know it is selfish but I still have so much to learn from her.

Mood:  lazy

I wasn’t going to talk about this story but it just keeps getting funnier so I thought I would share incase your local news stations haven’t been carrying it. Please bear with me as I try to explain the story. I am getting this information from several news stories.  

A man by the name of Shannon Whisnant goes to an auction at a local storage rental facility in Maiden, NC The storage place is having the auction to get rid of stuff that has been locked in storage units that have fallen behind on the rent. One item in particular catches Mr. Whisnat’s eyes….a smoker. For those of you who are not familiar with what a smoker is…it is a device used to smoke meats. It is sort of like a grill but instead of cooking with flames it cooks with heat and smoke. Well anyway…Mr. Whisnant bids on the smoker and wins. After taking the smoker home he opens it and finds what at first looked like a piece of driftwood wrapped in brown paper. Upon further inspection Mr. Whisnant discovered that in fact it was a human leg that had been amputated just above the knee. The police were called and when it was discovered that there was no foul play involved, it was turned over to a local funeral home. The authorities notified a woman named Peg Steele who had rented the storage unit and she told the police the story behind the severed body part.  

The leg belonged to Ms. Steele’s son, John Woods. Mr. Woods lost his leg as a result of an airplane crash. She said that because of her son’s religious beliefs, he begged Doctors to let him keep the leg so that when he died he could be buried with the leg and be a “whole” man when he went to heaven. She stated that the rest of the family was against the idea. Steele said that for a time the leg resided in the freezer until at one point Mr. Wood took it out and placed it on a fence to “dry it out”. Some time after that he was evicted from his home. I am not sure if the severed leg drying on the fence had anything to do with it. Steele agreed to rent a storage area so her son would have a place to store his belongings. She had no idea that he had placed the leg in the smoker. It apparently took awhile for Mr. Wood to get back on his feet and in the mean time his mother had been paying for the storage unit. She tired of this and told him that she refused to pay another cent and that he needed to take it over. Well he didn’t so all the item left behind were free to auction off. 

 In the mean time Mr. Whisnant get so much publicity from the story that he decides to charge the public to view the empty smoker. $3 for adults and a $1 for the kiddies. He was hoping to get the leg back from the funeral home so that he could raise the prices but the funeral home has refused to return it. Mr. Whisnant is consulting an attorney and hopes he can persuade Mr. Woods to share custody and profits. Well Mr. Woods wants to stop the freak show by trying to re-claim his leg. So now there is a custody battle over the leg and the public waits with bated breath to see if poor Mr. Wood will be reunited with his wayward body part or if Mr. Whisnant will grab the smoker and the leg and join the traveling circus as part of their oddities show. I am sure it will be a HUGE money maker.  

LOL Only in NC.

Mood:  hungry

Like the title states I can’t believe that I am even considering what to be for Halloween. Where in the heck did summer go? I know most people do usually think about their costumes until a couple of weeks before the 31^st but when you make your costumes, you have to get a head start. I am not being too creative this year. I am actually going with an idea I went with a couple of years ago. I am going to go as a fairy. But I have decided to change it up a bit. It took me awhile to decide on just what kind of fairy to be. At first I thought I would go as an ice fairy. Dress in all white, white wings, and they have this FX makeup that you can put on your hair that looks just like ice. But then it dawned on me that I would have a lot of makeup to apply and didn’t really feel in the mood for that. My makeup last year took 1.5 hours. So I decided to stick with something easy... Butterfly fair but the costume will be much different and I won’t be painting a butterfly on my face. Haven’t decided yet what I am going to do makeup wise but I am going for simple.

I found this costume pattern at Simplicity but I am going to change it up a bit.

The color for the dress is going to be light blue and the corset will be brown. The sleeves will be light blue sheer fabric and will be detached from the dress. I found a great set of wings on eBay. They will be white opalescent instead of black. I will also make a headband/crown out of twigs and flowers.

Now I just have to find time to construct it. The pattern is great and simple, well at least it appears to be. I figure I can use it to make other costumes…sexy pirate, a witch.

The weather has cooled down a lot since last week. This morning I got up and looked at weatherbug and it read 54 degrees. I actually had to put a jacket on this morning to take Potter out. The cold weather has brought something else with it….colds, flu, and bronchitis. My boss is suffering from Bronchitis and this is his first day back to work since Wednesday of last week. Looking at him I can remember how I felt when I had it and I know that work is the last place on earth he wants to be. But being the last week for year end close out items he had to come it. Poor thing. I too have been feeling a bit congested and I have been sneezing a lot and have had a scratchy throat. I went to be early last night hoping to ward off whatever is coming.

Lennie is having a great time in FL. Yesterday he was going to take his mom and brother to Universal Studios. I can’t wait to ask him if he saw any of the Harry Potter Land they are building. Lennie actually let me talk to his mom on Saturday. We spoke for about 30 minutes. She is so sweet and like Lennie, can be a bit hard to understand. I promised I would make it over to Scotland to meet her soon. I almost let it slip that it will more than likely be after Lennie gets back from Iraq. See his parents don’t know he is in the military and they don’t know he is about to be deployed.

Well I think that is about it. I will be so glad when this week is over. My stress should diminish quite a bit. This will probably be my only posting this week so hope everyone is well. Till next time….

Some of you have commented on how lately this blog is less “Ramblings of a Ranger” and more “Ramblings of a Dog Owner.” Sorry but honestly nothing exciting has happened at the park worth mentioning There is an entry I am working on for tomorrow that is park related. I just have to get some pictures to go with it.

I know my postings have been few but we are approaching our year end closeout (yeah the govt year ends 30 Sep…odd I know). So I am up to my eyeballs in work. It was nice to have this weekend just to relax.

I got up Saturday morning and took Potter to the vet to get his stitches out. There were about 12 dogs in the waiting room and Potter had to go and greet every single one of them. His favorite was this Chow named Charlie who he played with until the vet called us in. Once we were cleared from the vet we headed to the lake. I had promised to take him swimming if he was good. For the past month or so “swimming” for him consisted of just standing in the water up to his belly. I took him down to the boat ramp where we met up with another Golden and a Black Lab. The owner was throwing a ball out into the water and Potter sat for awhile and just watched in awe as the two took turns bringing. Not being able to stand it another second longer, Potter headed down to the water’s edge and slowly entered. I have a 20 ft lead for his so he can swim around and I don’t have to worry about his getting too far. He sometimes has selective hearing and I didn’t want him to run off and have to go chasing after him. It took him awhile to get up his nerve but he finally went all the way in. He LOVED it. He would swim out a little ways then come back, then out a little further and back. The owner of the other two dogs asked if Potter would like to get the ball. It was certainly worth a try. The guy threw it out a little ways and Potter just stared at it, then at me until finally he got brave and swam out to get it. The only problem now would be getting the ball back from him. He was so proud of himself for getting the ball that he pranced around with it and refused to let go. LOL Finally the Black Lab had enough of chasing him around and barked loudly and Potter dropped the ball and ran behind me to hide. LOL It was cute. We finally said goodbye and headed home where the pup crashed all day. Normally he follows me around the house but he laid on the floor and refused to budge.

Sunday Morning I got up and called Maria to see if she and her dog Dempsey wanted to go swimming. We took the dogs down to this little cove away from everything. I took the leash off Potter who quickly ran to the water’s edge but seemed to forget how much fun he had had yesterday because he was a little hesitant to get in. Finally after seeing Dempsey get in he ventured further and swam until he exhausted himself. I brought a ball so that the two could play but I forgot that Dempsey has a ball obsession. Potter tried to play with him but Dempsey wouldn’t let me anywhere near the ball. So I finally took in and hide it in my backpack. Dempsey tried to dig into the pack so I ended up having to hang it in a tree. After that they finally started playing together and had a great time. I was surprised how well Potter did off his leash. When he would start to run off I would call for him and he came running back. He was such a happy dog…lovin life. We headed back to the house, said goodbye to Maria and Dempsey, and then I showered and changed so that I could run a few errands. Normally I put Potter in his crate but he was so tired that I just left him sleeping on the floor. I came back and expected something to be torn up but it appears all he did was sleep. LOL Good Dog. I am hoping this means that the crate time will end soon. He still likes to sleep in it. In the evenings he will go and lay in it to signal that it is time for everyone to go to bed. So cute.

Lennie is in FL visiting with his mom and brother who flew in from Scotland. He called last night to say they are having a great time. He and his brother will take taking surfing lessons today. I wish I could be there to film it. LOL

Next weekend is the Dog Day at the fair grounds and Bugfest so I should be pretty busy.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Mood:  hungry

Well Potter came through his surgery just fine. I was surprised when we went to pick him up that they didn’t give us any pain medication for him. He doesn’t really seem to be in pain. I think the incision itches a lot but he hasn’t licked the wound as much as I thought he would.

 I really like the vet we are seeing except for the fact that he scolded Lennie and me for not watching what he eats. Apparently he vomited shortly after the surgery and the vets said it looked like a large piece of denim. Denim? He hasn’t eaten any denim. The vet said to check the house because he got into something and that as responsible pet owners we should be more observant as to what he puts in his mouth. I was a little upset about this because I consider myself a great pet owner. When we got home I scoured the house to see what denim Potter got into. Then it dawned on me…it wasn’t denim…it was a duck. I had gotten Potter this stuffed duck toy and one night he was chewing on it and throwing it around. When I noticed that he was tearing it apart, I took it from him. Apparently not fast enough because he must have swallowed a huge piece of the wing. So now I am more cautious of what I give him to chew on. I took him to the Petco Sunday and let him pick out a few new toys. All of them hard rubber so that he wont swallow anymore fabric. Speaking of Petco…I went in to get some training treats and new toys which should have taken all of 20 minutes but every time we go the staff and other customers fawn all over Potter, who eats it up. An hour and half later we finally left the store. The socializing is doing him good so I don’t really mind. There were two little boys in there who absolutely loved Potter. They sat in one of the aisles and hugged him and threw him a ball while I talked to their mother about adopting from a shelter (she apparently ran into the same problems I did when trying to adopt from a rescue organization). When Potter got tired he laid down and the two little boys laid down with him putting their heads on his stomach. It was so cute. I wish I had had my camera. Everyone was surprised just how sweet he was. (Thanks to www.ourgooddog.com)

Well starting today I am officially on a diet. It isn’t anything too hard core. I am just watching what I eat and when I eat it. I noticed that my pants were feeling a little tighter than normal so I have opted to try to lose about 5 lbs. That should put me back on track. I think a lot of my weight gain is from stress. Work, getting a new dog, trying to make ends meet…it has put so much stress in me. I have been walking more with Potter. Since we have started his obedience training we must practice so we have been doing several walks around the neighborhood. I am hoping tonight will be cool enough to take him up to the Spring Forest Park for a walk around the big loop.

Since I have gotten the training treats the obedience classes are going much better. Now if I could just get Lennie to follow the commands. LOL He always seems to have an excuse for letting Potter slide out of focus. I was hoping to get Potter enrolled in K-9 Good Citizen training in Sept but I think I might wait a little while and get him through this training DVD first. I wasn’t too sure about this video at first because it looked homemade but I have to say that the instructions are good and he seems to be picking up the commands quickly. Another thing I like is the fact that they use real dogs. Not just the training and their dog who already knows the commands. So far we have done, “Learn Your Name” and “Walk calmly on a leash”. I think this week we learn sit, down, and leave it. Which are command he already knows so it should be a piece of cake. I am anxious to get to “stay” because he seems to have a big problem with that.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I am swamped at work so I better get back to it.

Mood:  don't ask

Well Potter

Well Potter is

Well Potter is at the vet’s office having his surgery today. Lennie took him over this morning because I was early ranger. It was probably a good thing because I more than likely would have cried. I felt so bad for him this morning. We have our routine down pat and this morning it was all messed up and poor Potter just didn’t know what to think. I got up at 4:30 instead of 5:30. I took him for a quick walk and then had to lock him in the spare room while I fed Merlin and cleaned out his cage. Normally I do this while Potter is in his crate eating but seeing as he wasn’t allowed to have any food this morning I had to mix things up. He didn’t like it one bit. When I started getting ready for work Lennie was still sleeping. Potter kept running in and looking at him because normally Lennie is up before me and takes him on a long walk. Around 6 or so Lennie finally gets up and walks Potter. Most mornings after the walk Potter comes in and his food is waiting in his crate…well not this morning. He runs into his crate…no food. He runs into the kitchen…no mom. He runs back into his crate…still no food. He finally runs into the bedroom where I am putting on my work boots and looks at me with this sad face like, “Mom I think you forgot to feed me.” I knelt down and hugged him and rubbed his belly but quickly got up when I felt the tears well up in my eyes. Lennie usually leaves before me and Potter says goodbye to him from the window but this morning it was me who was waving to him.  Potter just knew something was terribly wrong. I know that this surgery will be good for him and that after today this will be the last of all the poking and prodding. Well except for getting his stitches out. But I just keep seeing that sweet face behind the bars at the vet’s office and him thinking he was abandoned yet again. How alone and scared he must be. My poor little baby. That is why I hate that they are keeping him over night.  I want to run over there after work, scoop him up and take him home where he can recover and gets lots of hugs and snuggles. Everyone keeps telling me that he will be so doped up that he won’t even know that I am not there. But that hasn’t done anything to make me feel better. Potter just has a way of infecting your heart.

Well Potter is

Mood:  mischievious

Last night Lennie was to have dinner with our friend Annie. He told me I probably wouldn’t see him as he was going to go home straight from dinner. About 8PM last night I was walking Potter when this man approached us. Potter ran up and jumped on the man, before I could catch him. I then realized it was Lennie. He seemed agitated by something so I pressed him to tell me what was wrong.

Sunday he had gone down to the pub to catch up with some of his friends who had been complaining that he was whooped and that I was monopolizing his time. Which wasn’t true but he didn’t correct them which is a whole other issue. Anyway…as they were talking it was asked when he and I would be getting married. He told them that we had talked about it but that nothing was set in stone and that it would happen when both of us were ready. Well some how that translated into “Lennie and Rebecca are engaged!!!!”

While at dinner with Annie she asked why we didn’t tell her and that our friend Andy was thinking about throwing us an engagement party. WHAT!?! Lennie quickly set the record straight but the whole thing just really pissed him off.

When he told me the story I kind of laughed about it but later wondered why Lennie had been so upset. Is he that opposed to getting married to me? Was he upset that it might get back to me? Was he upset that his friends only hear what they want to hear? I told him we should just let Andy throw us the party and then tell everyone later that we are not engaged. Maybe that way we could get a few gifts and some free food. Lennie said that Andy wanted to throw a going away party for him as well and he said that parties weren’t his thing. I am the opposite. I am all about having an excuse to be the center of attention.

Speaking of Andy…Lennie found out last night that she is on her way down to FL this weekend to audition for the TV show Hell’s Kitchen. I hope she gets on because I would love to be able to say, “Hey I know her!”. If she gets on the show I will have to get her to give me Gordon Ramsey’s autograph. *giggle*

Mood:  hungry

It is no secret to those close to me that I am addicted to Craig’s List. It is how I found Potter. I took out an ad stating I was looking for a Golden and I got tons of responses from people trying to help. When I decided on a dog I was able to find a woman through the list who was willing to go pick him up for me. The Pet section is like a little community all its own. It has been a great resource for training, vets, food, and dog friendly places to visit. But every once in awhile major drama strikes the list and I have become amused by it. Well that was until it started to effect me and those I know.

Drama #1

A couple of weeks ago a man was trying to sell his real point cat for $200. Now right off the bat the man has made some critical errors. First of all you are not allowed to sell an animal on Craig’s List. You may adopt it out and ask for a small re-homing fee. $200 is not considered such a fee. Secondly…why would anyone pay $200 for a cat when the list is inundated with free kittens? The man’s ad was quickly flagged and removed. He posted again. Once again it was flagged and removed. This went on all apparently all day until he finally posted an ad wondering why he had been flagged. It was quickly explained to him the rules he must follow He became upset and decided to try to start a petition on The List. That was quickly removed and explained that the pet section wasn’t the place for such a thing and to take his ad to the local paper. Well the man became bitter and started flagging the posts from area shelters. Every time one of the volunteers from a shelter would post about a dog needing to be adopted, this guy would flag the post and have it removed. People were so enraged that they started posting very nasty letters to the Flagging Bandit. Someone actually got a hold of the email address for the guy responsible for the flagging and posted it on the list so that people could send nasty emails directly to the guy. It was kind of funny. In the end I guess the guy had a change of heart or just got bored or maybe someone threaten his life because he finally stopped flagging. I guess I should explain to those of you who have never used Craig’s List what this “flagging” thing is all about. If you see an inappropriate ad…like someone selling a cat…you click on “please flag with care”. The ad then gets removed. You would think that it gets sent to someone to review but it doesn’t, the ad is just deleted.  

Drama #2

This one was hard to take because it affected Potter and me. I guess I should start by setting up the story. As I stated above, when I decided to adopt Potter I contacted a lady on Craig’s List who was making a trip to the shelter in Columbus County. The woman’s name is Shannon and she actually heads up a rescue organization called Furry Friends Rescue NC. She was very nice and professional and I had a good feeling about her from the start. I didn’t really suspect anything was wrong even during the whole parvo incident. The suspicions didn’t start until about a week later when I got a call from Susan, a volunteer at the shelter in Columbus County. Susan had put up the $13 to pull Potter for me so they wouldn’t put him down. Shannon was supposed to reimburse Susan with the money I had given her the day I picked up Potter. I had actually given her $25. $13 was to go to Susan and $12 was to go to Gloria (Volunteers with Furry Friends who actually did the driving) to cover the cost of gas. Susan informed me that she hadn’t gotten the money from Shannon and hadn’t heard from Shannon since they day the puppies were picked up. I tried calling Shannon and left several messages but didn’t’ get a response.

Well one day while searching Craig’s List (I have been helping a woman find a golden to adopt) I noticed all these ads slamming Shannon and Furry Friends. There were a few ads from people stating they had used Shannon and were happy but most of them said horrible things basically accusing Shannon of running a puppy mill. Later that afternoon I received an email from Shannon asking if I could write a letter of recommendation for Furry Friends. That she was going to have to sue the women posting the negative ads because the woman had adopted a dog from her and refused to pay for the dog. This woman had stopped payment on the check she had given Shannon. I stated that I would be happy to write a letter but that I was concerned that Susan and Gloria hadn’t been reimbursed for Potter. She stated that she had mailed the money to them and they should have it soon. I told her I would wait to hear from Susan and if she had in fact gotten the money then I would send Shannon the letter.

This morning I got an email from Susan stating that it has been over a week and still no money from Shannon. All emails and phone calls have gone unanswered. I have decided to send Susan the money since I am pretty sure that Shannon isn’t going to. I have gotten several messages from a couple of people from Craig’s List who are starting a campaign to shut Furry Friend’s down. I haven’t responded to them. I know that we all have things that come up in our lives and that sometimes we fall a little short of our goals. I hope that Shannon had good intentions about reimbursing everyone but that something came up and she used the money and now doesn’t have it to send. Okay that was wrong but be honest and except the blame. It would have upset but I wouldn’t have felt lied to. It is all a shame. I now know that there is another woman who is planning on taking over Furry Friends. Maybe she will be able to restore their good name.

The whole thing has just brought too much drama to my life. But I am sure tomorrow I will be back to surfing the list. LOL it is a hard habit to break.

It was a fairly relaxing weekend. I got most everything done that I wanted to except for a few piles of laundry still on the floor. I hope to get to those tonight.

Friday night I headed over to Maria’s for the Girls Hot Tub Party. There were supposed to be 5 girls but it only ended up being Maria and me. This was fine because that meant more Champaign and chocolate covered strawberries for us. We spent a great deal of time talking about men and our quest to understand the strange things that they do. I don’t think we ever came up with answers…just more questions.  Then we started discussing a mutual friend’s recent strange behavior and the awful bachlorette party we were forced to go to. We had such a great time and it was nice just to have someone to talk to.

Saturday was spent cleaning up the house and playing with Potter who seemed to be clued to me all day. I had taken him to the vet on Friday to finish up his vaccines and to schedule his neuter surgery. Shhhh don’t tell him but it is planned for this Friday. He has to spend the night and we pick him up Saturday morning. I know I am such an over protective mom but I hate the fact that I can’t bring him home Friday night. He has just been through so much I was hoping to spare him another stay at the vet’s. But they all love him there and he is so soft that the ladies just want to snuggle him. So I know he will get plenty of attention. I am just being a mom.

*** SPOILER ALERT*** If you are planning to watch the movie Stardust then skip this section and go to Sunday’s events

Saturday night Lennie pick me up and we headed over to see the movie Stardust. Since we got the dog we haven’t really been out on a date. The movie was fantastic. I know some people might find it a little too quaint for their liking but I loved the story line and the actors were top notice. Michelle Pfieffer did a fantastic job as the evil witch Lamia. I am amazed that such a beautiful actress would allow herself to be turned into such a horrible looking creature. Mark Williams, who you might remember as Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter, also makes an appearance as Billy the goat turned into a man. I almost didn’t recognize him.  I knew that Rupert Everett was in the movie but didn’t realize that he was Secundus until the very end. But my favorite character was Captain Shakespeare playing by Robert De Niro. The scene where he dressed in drag and danced around had me laughing so hard I almost peed myself.

Sunday I got up and finished some cleaning then got Potter and ran over to Petco to give him a bath. For those of you who are not aware…Petco offers a self dog wash station. It basically consists of a large metal tub with a ramp for large dogs. They provide shampoos, towels, and a dryer. You don’t have a grooming table but since Potter doesn’t need to be clipped and had already had his toenails clipped, the tub was sufficient. The cost was only $10 and I had a $2 off coupon. Let me just tell you that it is well worth the money not having to lean over the edge of my bath tub and have Potter constantly jumping out. By the time I had finished, Potter smelled and looked great. He was fluffy and soft and even though he didn’t care for the bath at the time, he started prancing when he saw the attention he got when we went out into the store. The girls at the counter just fond all over him, giving him lots of snuggles and treats. I don’t think he wanted to leave. The whole thing must have exhausted him because as soon as we walked into the house he laid down on the floor and went to sleep.

Lennie showed up at 7:40 and I was a little pissy. I had hoped he would arrive early (like 6PM) and we could eat, and then take Potter for a long walk. I think he was a little upset that I was eating without him but I had told him Friday that I was going to stop eating so late at night. It isn’t good to go to bed with all that food on your stomach and I have noticed that I had gained weight and wanted to change my lifestyle a bit. If I had waited, I wouldn’t have started dinner till 7:30 and we wouldn’t have eaten till after 8. That is just too late for me.

I forgot that today some of the schools were back in session. It took me twice as long to get to work. I guess I will have to find a new route. I don’t have much planned this week. I am hoping to just be able to relax.

Mood:  hungry

The weekend was actually fairly relaxing. I didn’t get much accomplished which I am okay with.

Saturday Maria showed up at my place around noon and we headed into Wake Forest for afternoon tea. I love the tea room and I don’t know why I don’t go more often. The have the best chicken salad. After tea we walked around a few shops so Maria could find a card for the wedding she was attending that evening. I love Wake Forest. It is such a cute little town. The used to have a little Irish Store there but it has recently closed and is now a hair solon.

When we were finished shopping I drove Maria back to her house and she took me in to see the new hot tub. I think we are planning on having a girl’s hot tub party this Friday with Champaign and I am to bring the chocolate covered fruit. YUMMM. She and I are also talking about going to see this play called, “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” Sounds like fun. Maria mentioned something about if you wear a bride’s maid dress you get in for free but I haven’t seen anything on the website about it.

Mood:  happy

Potter got to come to work with me today. That is why I LOVE my office. Almost everyone here owns a dog and they have all been in the office at one point or another. So today was Potter’s Day. Everyone has been impressed with how sweet and how quiet he can be. He loves everyone in the office and after making his rounds came back and laid in my cubicle and went to sleep. Dana is supposed to stop by today with her bulldog Eli so that she and Potter can play.  I don’t think Potter has ever met a dog or a person for that matter that he didn’t like. LOL I guess he wont be a good watch dog.

Lennie called last night from the road and said that he was on his way towards Nags Head. Well actually to a little town outside of Nags Head. A hospital there lost their AC and they needed his help to fix it. Lately with the heat and humidity combined, it has been almost 110 degrees. So you defiantly need AC. He said he would be working till midnight and he would try to find a place to crash. Hoping he makes it home tonight. He has a test tomorrow for a military promotion and he hasn’t had much time to study.

My friend Maria and I are going to head into Wake Forest tomorrow afternoon for tea at the Ole English Tea Room. I am so excited about it. I haven’t been there since mom came down. They have the best chicken salad and their scones are amazing. It will be nice for us to hang out without the guys around. Lennie and I apparently have some kind of party to go to Saturday night but as with most guys he neglected to get all the details. Time, place, what is the dress code, will there be food….

Other than that it should be a fairly quiet weekend. Potter is due for his shots next week and then we can spend our weekends at the dog park. Can’t wait!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mood:  hungry

I was supposed to be in court this morning, but alas I sit here still…staring at my computer screen.

The very first ticket I wrote when I got my badge (I could only write warnings up to that point) showed up on the court docket a week ago and I was told that I would need to appear in court to testify against the guy I wrote the ticket to.

We have what is called an emergency spillway here at the dam. It works as sort of an overflow release for extra water so the water doesn’t go over the dam. Well it seems to attract a lot of people. It is a dangerous area so we have posted no trespassing signs. Most people ignore them. We have a no tolerance policy when it comes to that area so anyone caught gets a ticket. The fine is $100 plus a $25 processing fee.

On day as I was locking up I had a van on top of the dam and I couldn’t locate the owners. I was about to lock the vehicle in for the night when I noticed two gentleman walking down from the spillway. I stopped them and asked for ID and started writing them a ticket. They were very apologetic and confessed that yes they had seen the sign but a friend told them that there was great fishing there so they decided to chance it. They wanted me to write a warning but I told them they already had 2 warnings in the way of the signs they chose to ignore. But I decided to be nice and only issue one ticket so they could split the fine. I told them that if it wasn’t paid then they would have to appear in Federal court. If they didn’t show up for court, a bench warrant would be issued for their arrest.

Well apparently they decided I was bluffing and decided not to pay it. So true to my word they were sent a notice to appear in federal court. I spent all day getting my documents and pictures ready and was excited about going into court for my first case. I got a call this morning telling me that the guy paid his fine and I did not need to come downtown. I am rather disappointed. Damn responsible people paying their fines. It has totally screwed up my day. L

It is suppose to be 102 degrees outside today. So it looks like I was be staying inside and enjoying the AC .The heat has just bee so oppressive. I get home and I don’t’ have much of an appetite. I would love to take Potter for long walks but it is just too hot for him. I did bring him out to the lake last night to meet up with Jeff and his dog Toby. Jeff is a kayaker who is a regular at the lake and he stopped by the VC yesterday afternoon because he heard that I had adopted a puppy and wanted to set up a play date with him and Toby. I wasn’t going to go because it was just too hot but when I got home Potter was wound up. I also think I was a little disappointed that Lennie had come to take Potter out but left before I got home. So I decided I needed something to put a smile on my face. Jeff took Potter out on his kayak which I don’t think Potter enjoyed too much. LOL But Toby and Potter had a great time splashing in the water and playing and afterwards we all went for ice cream

Mood:  sad

90% of the time Lennie is the perfect boyfriend. He is caring, sweet, funny, and such an absolute joy to be around. But there is that 1%, usually when he drinks, that will cause a great deal of turmoil between us. See when he drinks he gets this “who the hell are you to tell me” attitude and it shuts down all forms of communication. It is like that little annoying kids who sticks his tongue out at you and says, “I don’t have to listen to you. You are not the boss of me.” Such an incident happened Saturday and I think both of us are having a hard time getting over it.

Saturday we met up with some friends for dinner at this little Bistro that Lennie and I discovered. We ended up ordering a couple bottles of wine of which I hardly drank because I was driving. I could tell that Lennie was feeling the effects because when he gets drunk he gets very chatty. When dinner was over I invited Maria and Todd over to meet the new puppy. When we got to the house Todd and Lennie grabbed a beer and went out onto the patio. I poured Maria and me a glass of wine and we played with the puppy. After awhile the boys came back inside and Lennie sat down on the floor to play with Potter. He set his beer down on the hardwood floor in front of the door. Potter immediately went over and knocked it over. Lennie picks up the bottle and then points out the spilled beer to Potter so that he can lick it up. I told Lennie not to let Potter drink it and to please clean it up. He said he would but he just stood there while Potter continued to lick the floor. I told him again to stop Potter but he just stood there and laughed. At that moment it hit me…he didn’t’ care about me or Potter. All he cared about was looking cool and funny in front of his friends.  I walked over and grabbed the dog and Lennie said something about me cleaning it up and started to walk away. I shouted, “No you spilled the beer. YOU clean it up.” With Marie and Todd looking on he had no option but to comply but in his eyes the damage was done. I had humiliated him in front of his friends. And maybe I did but he didn’t really leave me any other option.

When Maria and Todd left, Lennie took Potter for a walk and came back and told me he was leaving. I tried to talk to him about what happened but he wasn’t interested. He said I had humiliated him. I told him that it wasn’t my intent but that when I asked him to not let Potter drink the beer he just stood there and laughed at me. His response was that when I told him to stop he thought, “Who the hell are you to tell me…” Ahhh there it is…the little annoying boy comes out. I should have shut my mouth at that point because I knew there would be no communicating with him but I wanted to try to work this out and try to get him to understand the dangers of giving a dog alcohol. But it was pointless. He was like that little kid who has been scolded and all he wants to do it pout. He said that he would try to make sure the dog didn’t drink anymore beer and he walked out the door. We had made a deal early on in the relationship to not go to bed angry. Well that night he left and I went to bed alone and angry.

Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of Lennie cutting my grass. I got up and took Potter out and Lennie came in to greet us and to have some coffee. You could still feel the strain between us. He asked me how Potter did throughout the night and I said fine and then he said that Maria seemed to like Potter and I said she did and that we were planning a play date for him and Dempsey. Then he got up and went out to cut the grass. When he was done he packed up his stuff and headed back to his house. I didn’t hear from him until about 6PM when he called to see what time I was going to take Potter to the lake. I told him after 7. He came over and we headed out. We barely spoke during the drive or the walk.  I thought he would take the opportunity to talk, but he didn’t. We came home, he took the leash off Potter and gave me a kiss and left. So that was the second night I went to bed alone and angry.

I know that I should have brought it up and forced him to talk to me about it but I guess I just hoped he would realize that he had acted like a complete ass Saturday night. Yes I may have humiliated him but he completely disrespected me. I feel myself shutting down and I don’t know how to sop it. My disappointment is just overwhelming at the moment. Am I overreacting to this whole thing? Am I turning this into more than it actually is?

On the Potter front….

He has finally taken to the crate. I worked with him Friday night and then again on Saturday. I was cleaning at one point Saturday afternoon and Potter walked into his crate and laid down without being forced or tricked. Thanks to Molly at the SPCA for the advice. It worked like a charm and I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.  I have ordered a DVD that is suppose to help me prepare him for the K-9 Good Citizen’s class. He is a smart puppy I am sure it wont take him long to learn the skills. I have already managed to teach him sit and down and he is even catching on to “Leave it”.

Mood:  caffeinated

I thought I would give you all an update on how Potter is doing since the emails have been non-stop since Friday.

Potter is doing GREAT! Although to be honest I miss the sick puppy a little just because now he just seems to be on the go ALL THE TIME. He will lie down for a second then he is back up and running around. I would love to know where he gets all of his energy. I finally had him calmed down last night until Lennie showed up and worked him up again. But it is great to see him so happy. Fenwick tolerates Lennie but Potter loves him.

I need to get him some more toys because he has declared my socks as his new chew toy. He doesn’t tear them up. He just carries them in his mouth and then runs around the house while I try to chase him to get it back. Lennie was laughing so hard last night as he watched me try to catch Potter to reclaim my sock  Thanks for the help Len!

He got his first bath the other night and did not like it at all. I walked in at one point and he had his tail between his legs and this pitiful look on his face. But he smells much better and doesn’t seem to be shedding as much. I am still brushing him every night though. Seems to be the one thing I can do to calm him down.

He still doesn’t like the crate although last night wasn’t as bad. He barked for about 20 minutes until he found the bone I stuffed with peanut butter and dog treats hiding under his blanket.

Fenwick also seem to be doing a bit better. We went from full on attack mode to sitting in the corner growling and last night he just sat on the ottoman and just watched the dog. There was one point of tension when Potter grabbed Fenwick’s Cat Puppet and Fenwick let out this horrible growl and Potter dropped the puppet and backed away. Fenwick knows that the dog is terrified and take every advantage to torment him. This morning he blocked Potters access to water. I had to act as a shield between the two so that Potter could get by. So funny.

Potter has a couple more days of antibiotics left and I gave him his wormer last night which actually went well (Thanks Tanya for the tip). Hopefully I can get him neutered soon and we can start going to the dog park so he can work out all his puppy energy playing with the other dogs. I found a mobile vet that is willing to do the surgery and vaccinated him for $90. I told her my story and she was so eager to help. She has even offered to give me a discount on the microchip.

I am hoping soon that Lennie and I can get back to our relationship. It has been put on hold a bit what with the dog and then Lennie’s dental work. I am hoping we can go grab a quick bit to eat tonight and have some quiet time away from the pets. I do need to run to Petco and get some puppy food.

Mood:  caffeinated

 I got a call Friday from the volunteer who was bringing Potter to Raleigh. One of her new volunteers had driven down to Columbus County to rescue 11 puppies. Two of the puppies were sick but the volunteer didn’t think much of it. When they got to Raleigh, Shannon opened the back of the truck and said she could smell it immediately…Parvo. She separated the other dogs and called me to come and pick up Potter ASAP! Of course nothing went smoothly. There was a 7 car accident on 40 that had everything backed up. Two hours after leaving the office, I finally got the dog and ran him to the vet’s where we had met up with Lennie. The did some blood work and a fecal then the Vet came in with the news…he tested positive for Parvo. *sigh* The vet told us that treatment would consist of IV fluids and lots of medication to the tune of $1400. Lennie and I were given a minute to discuss what we should do. $1400 is a lot of money and there was no guarantee that he would pull through. Potter got up off the floor and walked over and placed his head on Lennie’s leg and looked at him with those big brown eyes and that is when we decided we had to save him. We were able to take out a loan with this company called Care Credit, so that we can make payments for the treatment. They put Potter in isolation and we were given some time to spend with him. He was such a trooper. The staff there was so nice and believed that the best way for him to get better was to have something to fight for. I hated leaving him there. Saturday we went for another visit. Potter was up and about…tail wagging and trying to give Lennie and I as many puppy kisses as we would allow. He vomited some and had some diarrhea but the vet said he was happy about his progress. Sunday morning we got a call that Potter kept down his food and that they thought we could take him home that night. I don’t think the vet staff wanted to part with him. He is such a sweet dog. Just wants to be with you all the time and loves to be petted and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. He came in to the house and ignored Fenwick but Fenwick was determined that this puppy would know his place. I thought the cat would run and hide but all he wanted to do was fight the dog. He got Potter a couple of times on the nose and got Lennie and me on the leg. This morning was a little better. Fenwick stayed in my room and growled as he watched the dog. I think it is just going to take time. Sorry the picture isn’t great.  I hope to get more soon. He just won’t stand still long enough. LOL  Hope you all had a good weekend.

Mood:  happy

I have a crap load of work to do today but they only thing I think about is that it’s PUPPY DAY!!!!  I haven’t heard yet from the volunteers so I am hoping they were able to get him out on time. If all went well they should be back in Raleigh at 1PM and I can go pick him up after work.

I went last night to pick up the crate and I got to talking to the woman at the register. When she found out I was adopting a dog she gave me a booklet with $160 worth of coupons. Most of them were for free 5lb bags of dog food. SWEET! Oh and for those of you who have a PETCO near you…I am not sure if all of them have it but ours does…it is a self dog wash. It is set up like a regular grooming area but you do it yourself. For a fee they provide you with all the supplies. You make the mess and they clean it up and no more bending over your tub at home they have a big wash bin with steps so it is easy to get your dog in there. What an awesome idea.

I talked to Lennie last night and kind of got upset/nervous by the time I hung up. I thought he was as excited about getting a dog as I was but when I asked him last night if he was looking forward to it he just said in a non-enthusiastic way, “Yeah I am…as long as you’re happy then I am okay with it.” What kind of answer is that? The main reason I was getting this dog was because of him. I was happy with life the way it was. I mean I am excited about getting Potter don’t get me wrong but I could have waited a few years until I was a little more stable. He had agreed to help with expenses and when asked last night if he would cover the vet costs since I am paying for all the doggy stuff he said yes but then started to list off all the bills he has to pay and hoped this wouldn’t be too expensive. I have bills too but WE agreed to this. I asked him before I got Potter if this is what he wanted. Maybe he had a commitment phobic moment. I have certainly had those. Maybe he realized how life would be different. It won’t be as easy to travel. It was easier with the cat and bird. They were fine with 2 visits a day but the dog will need to go out several times a day. I am hoping that once Lennie meets Potter he will fall in love with him. I really hoped that he would be honest with me instead of thinking, “well if it will make her happy I will say yes.” If he had said to me, “You know I just don’t think we are ready for this. Let’s wait awhile.” I would have said okay and been fine with it. Now I am just worried that I am getting in over my head and that I won’t have the support that I need from him. I am just hoping now that everything will work out. Both with the dog and with Lennie.

I think everything is set up for tonight. I figured since I am meeting Shannon at PETCO I will run in and get him bathed and deflea’ed then head home. I am hoping that Fenwick will take the new addition in stride. I made sure I played extra long with both he and Merlin. I don’t have too many toys yet. I got him a Budda Bone, a Kong, and a stuffed Hedgehog. I also got him from doggy treats. I figured today after his bath I will let him pick out his own toy at the store.

I probably won’t post this weekend seeing as I will be busy with the dog. I hope on Monday I will have some pictures to post. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Update!!!

Just got word from the volunteer at the shelter in Columbus County….

Mood:  happy

Well if all goes well I will be the proud new owner of a Golden Retriever. I am just not sure which one.

What a morning it has been. But to set up the story I really need to start from the beginning. Last week I took out an ad on Craig’s List asking if anyone had or knew of a Golden that needed to be adopted. I wrote about myself and what kind of life the dog would have if he came to live with me. Any animal that lives in my house is very spoiled.

Well all the sudden I got emails from these 4 really sweet women and they sort of adopted me and were determined that they were going to find me the perfect dog. They are apparently part of a network called Furry Friends Rescue and started searching kennels, pounds, Rescue Orgs, and Craig’s List.

First there was Max. He was a beautiful 15 mo Golden Retriever. The owner just didn’t have the time to spend with him. I wrote the guy a huge email about why I would be the perfect owner. Well he wrote me back and said sorry he had a new home already.

There was then the little puppy I mentioned in Monday’s blog. After several attempts to get the dog from the NRGRR I gave up. They are not putting him up for adoption yet but said that the puppy already had an interested owner.

Then another ad from Craig’s List was sent to me. Another Golden named Max…15 months old…could this be the same dog? So I email the woman about me and the type of owner I would be and I wait and I get no response. That was on Monday.

Okay so today I get into work this morning and have emails from two of my 4 new friends. There are two puppies at a shelter in Columbus County. Gufus (soon to be Potter if he comes to live with me) who the volunteer thinks is a pure bread (I think he is a mix but who cares) the other is Brewster who is a Golden Mix. They both appear to be about a year old and just as cute as they could be. They are in a high kill shelter so I called them to see if they could hold the puppies till this weekend (Gufus is due to be put down on Friday). The woman stated that they aren’t open on Saturdays and they can not hold dogs. F**K! What the hell am I suppose to do now. I can’t take off this week? So I emailed Amanda (one of my new doggy friends) who put me in touch with Shannon. Shannon heads up Furry Friends and is making a run to the shelter tomorrow. She would be glad to pick him up for me all I had to do was fill out the application. I sort of cringed because I haven’t had luck with rescue orgs and their “applications.” This one called for 8 references. I filled it out and sent it back and within the hour I had my response. I had been approved. She called one reference…my petsitter who gave me a glowing review. So now I have to meet her at Petco and give her the money for the adoption fee. I have asked for Gufus but if he is gone then the woman will get me Brewster. She said she called the pound and they have held both dogs for me. I am so excited. Here are some pictures. They aren’t too good. I had the volunteer run over to the shelter and take some pictures.

This is Gufus:

This is Brewster:

In the meantime the woman emails me about Max. It is the same dog. They got him Friday and decided he was too much for them so she needed to find him a home. She was hoping to get rid of him by Sunday. I was angry when I heard this. Animals are not disposable. I almost took him but figured that I would better off getting the shelter dog. Yeah I am sure Potter (aka Gufus) will have some health issues and will probably have to be neutered and will cost a fortune but he deserves this chance to be a great dog. Max I am sure will have no problem finding a home. So I told the woman no thanks. Broke my heart but I think I made the right decision.

So I guess tonight I will be shopping for the dog. That part I am not looking forward to. I am looking at having to spend around $200. I am hoping Lennie agrees to cover the vet bills. Keep your fingers crossed.

A little nervous now....