Outside work is done!

The first round of fellas have completed their outside work on the family room:

If you look at my earlier post, you will get the before and after effect. This is before the guttering was put up — that turned out nice too.  They did a good job with the siding — you’d never know that there was ever a breezeway originally attaching the two buildings.

The flagstone patio (not shown) is a bit worse for wear, but it needs reset anyway — we didn’t know what we were doing at the time.

Not sure how my hollyhocks or Joe Pye fared being tromped on and such, but I saved hollyhock seed and have a Joe in the front that I need to move to the back anyway. Besides…I’ve been toying with the idea of putting a smallish spirea bush in the corner there…

Spring should be interesting…

And here is what happened to my kitchen window:

The vaulted roof line just clipped it, but according to the contractor, he will come up with something creative to handle a pass through type of thing

Anyway — now it is the plumber’s turn to install the radiant floor heating — I am really curious as to how that will be accomplished.

Went to the carpet place today to get a very rough estimate, go over the wood laminate selection I made earlier — I think I am staying with it — and also to look at DuraCeramic tile for the entryway and laundry/bathroom. I still hate shopping, but so far all the salespeople have been helpful and not at all pushy.

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NP: FlashForward, but I am not paying close attention. I think V will be taking the place of that. And of course there is Fringe — I’ve been missing my weekly dose of Walter.

Where’s Sophie? On the couch where she can lick the TV tray. Ew. Leave it, Sophie!!

While my blog was sleeping…

…things were happening outside!!!

Yep, the breezeway, aka the airlock, was torn off a week ago and this is a picture of the concrete footing that were poured earlier this week. Yippie!

You would not believe the mud dabber wasp nests underneath the aluminum siding. It was a wasp condo!

All reconnected again! This took one day. The fellas must have worked themselves into a frazzle.

It is sooo weird to look out my kitchen window into the family room instead of seeing the corner of the family room and the driveway. And the kitchen itself sounds different. More solid sounding, or something.

This is all so very exciting…tomorrow either they will be working outside to get that back in shape or they will be inside, building the laundry/bathroom.

Did I mention I was excited?! Whee!

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NP: Everybody Hates Chris — because the news was preempted by some sport something…

Where’s Sophie? On the back of the couch — on neighborhood watch. As far as I can tell, she has been perfectly fine with all the banging, hammering, sawing going on. She didn’t pay any attention to it over the noon hour when I was home — no reaction at all. I sure hope that’s the way she is when I am gone. Not sure how she will react when the kitchen window is removed…

Totally like watching: Stargate Universe. Sort of a Lost on Battlestar Gallactica… catching it on hulu.

Beware…

…the Sophizilla!!!

…and to top it off…

Monday was not kind to me.

I don’t know if I was just slow or the amount of work dumped on me was not humanly possible to complete in one day.

I never know for sure, but today seemed to be both things ganging up on me at once.

So I just slogged through what I could get done — (Thank You, God…) — stopped at the store after work for dinner fixings — (ham, scalloped potatoes, Mediterranean vegetables) — and the drug store for my prescription — (Oh look! Candy bars on sale…I’ll have one of those and those and those…no, I didn’t even try to resist…) — and headed home.

DH was tearing into more of the family room demolition and not quite ready to eat.

Sophie, however, was more than ready to eat, so I filled her food cube and away she went chasing that thing all over the living room.

Eventually DH called it quits and came in to the smell of ham and potatoes cooking away. It was pretty good if I say so myself.

Next in the evening’s routine is a walk with Sophie — usually uptown and around and back.

Remember when Soph was having issues walking past the drug store? Well, she is at it again. In fact, this weekend, I gave in and picked her up and carried her past the store and put her down at the corner.

This time we were going to walk past — no carrying allowed.

Sophie started balking in about the same place again, but I wasn’t having any of it. She was getting further behind me, but I kept walking. At some point I was pulling a bit — not hard at all, just enough for her to know I meant business.

Oh that was well and good UNTIL HER COLLAR SLIPPED OVER HER HEAD!

I don’t know who was surprised more – Soph or me.

Soph looked at me and then at her collar dangling on the end of the leash. You could see the little wheels begin turning in her head…

Soph started to scamper away.

SOPHIE!!!

I should tell you that a collar-less Sophie is not unlike a year-old child that is thrilled to run around nekkid without a diaper wadded between those widdle legs…

SOPHIE, TREAT!!

She circled back and looked.

Sophie, come!

Ah. Now that’s why we keep practicing the basic commands.

SHE CAME BACK!

I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck — hoping she wouldn’t bolt — picked her her up, and put that worthless collar back on her. After tightening it up, we took an abbreviated walk to “normalize” things.

Once home off came that collar and back on the old one.

So while this Monday was not kind to me, I am glad that Someone stepped in and said “she’s had enough for one day,” and let this story have a happy ending.

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NP: two fans and the air conditioner. Dratted “flame-on, flame-off”

Show me da treat!

Soph loves her Kong. Especially a treat-filled Kong. Don’t ask me how, but she can get the most shoved-in treat out of her Kong in a matter of minutes.

Part of our evening ritual is after she has had her din-dins and we have gone on a walk, she gets her Kong with a treat tucked inside. Presently I am using two (and she counts them) small Milkbones, each one cracked in half.

In the beginning, I’d put half a treat in her Kong, Sophie would work it out and eat it, then come and jump on me (a grave no-no in our house) to get my attention: Mumsy, more treat!!

And of course, after I told her to sit to remind her who’s boss, I’d get up, go get the Kong and fill it — lather, rinse, repeat…

Was I ever trained. A trained boss.

Well, I’d had enough of correcting her jumping on me, so I began telling her to bring her empty Kong to me.

Bring it, Sophie! Bring it! I made sure jumping on me got her nowhere.

She would just look at me. You’re kidding, right Mumsy?

Eventually she caught on — nearly magically, in fact.  But she wasn’t done with me yet.

She’d only bring her Kong so far to me, then drop it. And of course I’d go the rest of the way over to pick it up.

Well, phooey on that, I thought. She might as well bring it right to me.

So next she didn’t get any more treat unless she brought the Kong over and dropped it into my hand.

But Sophie put her own spin on this too! I had to show her the treat before she’d make any move to go get her Kong!

Miss Smartie-pants.

She still tried the “let’s see how close I can get this to Mumsy without putting it in her hand,” but when that didn’t work, she made sure she dropped her Kong right into my hand.

Now of course I just “happened” to drop it once in a while.

Oh the looks I got!!!

But Sophie would pick it up again, and try again so I’d get it right and she’d get a treat in her Kong.

(I just love this little doggie!)

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NP: The fan.

Where’s Sophie? Going cracker dog with Daddee.

Will this blog ever be about flowers again? Who knows?

Thank you, Julia…

…I just made — and am presently eating — an omelet a la Julia Child. It is soooo very good!

The weather was gorgeous for the three day Labor Day weekend around here. Let’s see:

Saturday I went to see Julie & Julia in R-town with H and Southern Cousin. What a fun movie! Meryl Streep did an excellent job of portraying Julia Child. H and I agreed it would have been better just to have a biographical film of Julia, but this one was fine.

Soph and I then had a big adventure Sunday, when I decided that we should cross the highway downtown and head towards the park on the other side of town.

First we were nearly run over by a driver doing an illegal “turn on red”… I mean really! How could you consider plowing over a pretty little dog as Sophie?

Next once we were across the highway, I saw a woman walking a dog…um…two dogs and one was crossing the road towards us.

Ah yes.

You have seen the invisible dog on a leash? This was a dog on an invisible leash – a pug mix type dog – and it was headed our way.

Lucky! Lucky! The woman was also crossing the street and hollering for the pug. Looked to me that she was holding the business end of a retractable leash… an invisible leash.

Well — whatever she was doing — I was scooping up Sophie and wondering if the pug was serious or not…

“…Uh — are you going to be able to get your dog…do you need help?”  I ventured.

No…they got this dog from a shelter…it doesn’t know it’s name…Lucky! Lucky, come here!

What?! Dear Lord, this is wrong in so many ways…

But away the dog walker (?) went, away from us, because Lucky (might want to consider changing your name, doggie) changed directions and was going to the tanning salon, I guess.

Soph and I went on our way — past McDonalds — but we didn’t quite make it to the other park. Nice as the weather was, it was getting humid and Soph was a-panting pretty good. So we turned around and went home. Like usual Sophie gulped down some water and came into the living room to stretch out on the cool tile.

Monday H came by for lunch. DH grilled hamburgers and brat patties outside while I had the baked beans, coleslaw and peach cobbler ready inside. It was YUM. Afterwards Hil, Soph and I went to the state park and visited the Chief — a huge statue formally known as the Eternal Indian – or something like that. Soph is always just a bit intimidated by the Chief, but she is getting a bit better. However, her tail doesn’t make an appearance until we are going away from him…

Anyways — today is Tuesday, so back to work for me.

Need to exercise first if I ever can tear myself away from this blogging thing…

Cookie Poo Veronica

My first doggie:

I was pretty excited to find a reasonably clear photo of ol’ Cookie whilst looking through Mom’s picture boxes last weekend.

Ahh…Cookie. She was a good ol’ girl. Pretty too. Yes she certainly was.

I had to beg rather vigorously for her. I am sure that Dad knew what we were getting into, more than my brother or me or even Mom…but he relented.

My friend, R___ had a whole pack of new puppies, which included Cookie and Monica, the one that went to Unkie’s family. (Monica was all reddish brown.) I think the first time I saw Cookie, she was eating corn on the cob. Really.

One summer day, right before sixth grade, we brought Cookie out from her country home into town with us.

So, what was I? Around eleven years of age, I think, and of course while I knew I would love Cookie forever, I wasn’t very good at training her — not at all like the rigmarole we have gone through with Sophie or even Trixie the WonderHound.  I believe she could sit, lay down, and maybe roll over — oh yes, and shake hands. She also was quite the beggar — being fed people food very often.

Dad never showed much affection for Cookie, however he always save her the last bit of his breakfast toast, or let her lick the last bits from his wooden ice cream stick.

Cookie slept with me in my bed (shudders!), endured my attempts to paper train her in my room, and finally showed me that she was smart enough to go to the back door and bark when she wanted out.

I wish I could remember more about her. She was always “there” that much I do know. She stayed with Mom and Dad after I left home and got married — and one day she made her way to the Rainbow Bridge.

I am sure she and Trixie are trading stories about their crazy owner…

Cookie was a good ol’ girl.

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NP: The microwave.

Where’s Sophie? In the kitchen with Daddee.

Mood-o-meter: Been better, been worse.

Thanks for voting for me — Vote AGAIN!

Sophie here — see me smiling?

Remember you can vote once every day for me!

Vote for Sophie!!

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=1AE7F89D94C6EC1892E43D63B60F2A25

Please!

Aw Sophers…

Has it been a year already?