Trick Or Treat 2009

Just a few pics from this year's festivities.
The Blue Man
The Butterfly
"50 Cent"
The Hot Dog
Gasp! Everyone looking at the camera!

And like dominoes they fell . . .

As of last Monday, you may recall Ian's tale of woe with the "ick". Now, I will admit since he was already five days into his illness, I was prayerful that rest of us had some sort of super immunity. Unfortunately. . .

. . .my hopes were dashed when Rich returned from a business trip on Wednesday complaining of similar symptomatology. Of course, adults with the "ick" are a little less needy than young ones and, since Ian was on the mend and Kyra was as chipper as ever, I figured 50% of the household wasn't bad. Until . . .

. . .the cry in the dark somewhere between Wednesday and Thursday morning. Yes, the princess was confirmed sick with the ick. Alright, well it could be worse: one on the mend and going back to school, a responsible adult though ailing but capable of caring for a pathetic princess and a germ-free office for me to escape to. Surely I could outrun the bug. But . . .

. . .there was no escape to be had. By Thursday evening, I knew what fate had in store for me. Yes, by Friday morning, Kyra and I cuddled up on the couch watching endless princess movies. By Saturday, Rich and Ian were doing well enough to escape the sick girls. I took the opportunity to nap when Kyra napped. Now . . .

. . .one may think that this tale of woe is over. But sadly, no, we shall not forget our beloved four-legged friend, Mel. You see, while I napped on Saturday, Ms. Mel climbed up one of the dining room chairs and helped herself to an entire tray of Hartman's cookies (and for those of you who KNOW about said cookies, I heard that gasp!) I'd like to think that it was only because they were cat-shaped and purchased to support a local cat rescue that she ate them out of spite, but it just goes to prove that no one can resist their powers! Now, having consumed enough cookies to equal at least the volume of two-days worth of her chow, you would think the "darling" would have stopped there. Oh no! Not my little slink! She also helped herself to an entire box of graham cracker bugs! Needless to say, I was none too pleased when I woke up from my nap and discovered the "evidence" (or, shall we say, lack thereof) of Mel's handywork. So, that night as we were getting to bed, Mel assumed her usual spot between us. All of a sudden we started hearing very strange sounds coming from our precocious pooch . . .

. . . and, yes, by Sunday morning, even the dog was sick!

Of course, now we are all on the mend and slowly but surely on the path back to "normal." At least we can one day look back at this and laugh.

Stay healthy, my friends! (and keep those cookies high!)

She's Just a Giver!

The other day, I mentioned that Mel has been bringing creatures to the back door. Well, this morning, she took her obsession a little too far. Yes, my darling puppy brought us a baby rabbit! Now, I did not see this poor creature who happened to be at the opposite end of a curious pooch's snout, but somehow Mel did not crush it and Rich placed it back in a nest (although we don't think it was the correct nest). So now, I think Mel might want to be looking out for Bunny Foo-Foo!

How Do You Say Thank You?

Given that we are now two months in to dog ownership and life as we know it pre-Mel will never be the same, we can say that she is a wonderful dog yet she still has some strange habits! One has developed most recently and that would be her fetish with June bugs!

Now, ever since the time my Mom told me the story of her friend, a pizza deliver man and the june bugs, I have had a dreaded fear of June bugs (although not to be matched by my much later developed irrational fear of kidney beans). They are just plain creepy bugs. They are HUGE, they buzz around your head and are not one of our Lord's more beautiful creations (to that end, I am sure that June bugs do serve a higher purpose other than to just creep me out; I just wish they wouldn't buzz by my head). Back to my story . . .

We have taken to calling Mel the "slink" because she can slink about of just about anywhere given enough time to ponder the situation. So, when returning from work in the late evenings, I always put the porch light on to keep an eye on her. Needless to say, this attracts my least favorite insect. And guess just who has taken to making these her new playmates? Yes, nothing says love just like a regurgitated june bug still struggling to crawl and fly. It's a good think I have a husband to chase these things down!

This Rock Looks Nice

I will start off by saying it is a good thing that little Miss Kyra is only three and her cuteness saves her many times over because that child has taken to blurting out inappropriate commentary only because she does not know any better. For example, last week we were at a store when a rather large gentleman came in as we were exiting. Before I knew it, Kyra exclaims, "Whoa! You're BIG!" I immediately corrected her and told her that it was impolite. I really don't think the gentleman was paying attention as he was already in the store as I turned to apologize.

Of course, there are times when I am at a total loss for words and that time happened to me today. We went to the pet store with Mel to get some more dog food. It's somewhat of a challenge to corral both Kyra and Mel without knocking over displays, etc., but we managed to make it through the store fairly unscathed (and without any puppy "accidents" either). As I was wrangling the two to the cash register and trying to keep my eyes on Kyra while keeping Mel away from the dog treats (why do they put those things unwrapped at a dog's level?), I heard a someone ask me which of the two was easier to handle - the two-legged or the four-legged child (given Kyra's temperament these days, I might opt for the latter). Now, realize I wasn't really looking up and the voice was clearly a very deep voice. But when I looked up, I realized it was a "lady." Now, I am not a stranger to transgender folk; however, you can imagine how strange this might appear to say, your average, ordinary three-year old who cannot let things go. Yep, before I could put my hand in front of her mouth, out comes "You sure sound different!" Yes, if they made those hermit crab rocks in adult sizes, I surely would have been under it. I really need to get some "if you can't say something nice . . ." lessons working with that child!

Treed!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about re-reading Where The Red Fern Grows. The more time I spend with Mel, the more I think she is just like what Little Anne was like (ok, maybe not quite as smart, but she's definitely got the personality).

We know Mel has some dachsund in her but only the Lord knows her true mix. Our vet suggested maybe some beagle but I'm beginning to think she's got some sort of hound in her (she did come from a shelter in Kentucky). She definitely has the howl going on!

So, why am I musing about my pooch's mixture? Well, last night Rich and I sat down to watch 24 when we heard a ruckus coming from outside (I had just let Mel out back to do her business and sometimes it takes "a while"). I ran to the back and all I could see in the shadows was some sort of creature perched on our fence post and Mel circling frantically on the ground and barking like we have never heard her bark before. When I initially saw the thing, I swore it was a racoon (remember, I had just read the book) and was fearful that it would come down and hurt Mel. But when Rich came with a brighter light we saw it was an extremely large cat (bigger than Mel who is only 24 pounds dripping wet). I think the cat was just as freaked out as Mel but did manage to hiss at Mel and scare her a bit. We finally got Mel into the house but she did not go quietly. No, she wanted that cat! After a rawhide bribe though, the feline encounter was soon forgotten and all is right in her world. Thank you Mel for saving us from the invading cat! :D

Straight from Kyra's mouth . . .

"This is the bestest puppy dog I have ever seen!"

I'm so glad she's happy with our newest family member (otherwise we'd be in BIG trouble!)