My 2004 Blog

12-19-04 11:31 PM
I woke up this morning to zero degrees and a -22 windchill! Brrrr! It was windy, too! The dog was not impressed! She did her business and ran right to the door. We got up to 13 eventually, but already , we are back to single digits. We could get a little snow tomorrow, and a bigger storm on Thursday. We might have a white Christmas yet!

I slept well last night, but for some reason, I was very tired today. I'm going to bed as soon as my laundry is done, which should be soon. Yawn!

Kids had youth group today. They got to go to Blue Harbor's water park. They had a blast! I really had no desire to go swimming today. Even though, it is plenty warm in the water park area, it was just too cold outside!

12-17-04 12:14 PM
Tonight, Sarah and I made cookies for the book discussion treat tomorrow night. We made sugar cookie dough, put that in the fridge, then made the peanut butter dough for the chocolate kiss cookies. After those were baked, we made the sugar cookies. While we were involved making the sugar cookies, Jasmine tried to help herself to the peanut butter cookies! I turned just in time to see her lick the melted chocolate kiss out of the closest cookie to her! Darned dog! LOL! We forgot to make sure that the chairs were all pushed under the table! She just put her front feet on the chair and helped herself!

Prior to this, she had been in her crate chewing on a raw meaty bone for about an hour! That kept her so busy, for a while! LOL! We put her back in her crate at that point! We still had more cookies to bake and couldn't be watching the dog every second! We did feed her some cookie dough that fell, though, so she shouldn't feel so bad.

So, for books, we are having homemade spritz cookies, cut-out sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and stollen that we bought at the store. That should be enough. My kitchen is even pretty well cleaned up. I have to work all day tomorrow, so won't be able to do much when I get home, before we eat supper and then have books. Argh. I tried to stay away from working the afternoon, but it didn't work. They still needed another warm body!

Oh, we are discussing Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

12-5-04 3:54 PM
We had a gray cloudy day today and could get some snow. Weather Underground says we could get about an inch. Whoop dee doo! Then it will all melt tomorrow.

One of Gary's co-workers recently died. Her visitation was today. She was only 37 and leaves behind a husband and a 3-4 yo son. It's very sad.

11-21-04
Realized today that no one is ever using the Green Bay Packer sheets anymore. I folded them nicely and put them on the washing machine. Gary took a picture and we put them on Ebay! They had a bid an hour and 15 minutes later! WOW! I'm so glad someone will enjoy them. My kids have grown out of them and they are barely worn!

Weather is getting chillier the last day or so. Weather Underground says we have a chance at a white Thanksgiving! LOL! Chances are though, the snow will come and then melt right away, so I'm not holding my breath!

I'm all excited. We have lots of new neighbors compared to a year ago! Lots of them already have lights on their houses for Christmas! I CAN'T wait until they turn them on! Here's what my house looked like last year! The only change is that Gary already put up the icicle lights above the living room window! Yay! In past years, I have been about the only one who had lights for Christmas!

11-17-04 10:22 PM What's On My Mind Right Now?

What are your weekend plans? Friday night is my book discussion. We are discussing True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane by George Erickson. It was an interesting account of his plane trip across Canada and into Alaska! On Saturday morning, I have to take my daughter to her second driver's ed class. In the afternoon, Sarah and I have to work at a bratwurst fry to raise money for her Girl Scout troop. On Sunday, there is church and then we don't have any plans.

Have you started your christmas shopping yet? I have done bits and pieces of it.

If no, when do/ will you start? We need to start soon!

11-15-04 11:19 PM
Red sky at morning, sailor's take warning! It's a little ditty I remember from my childhood. At 6am, it looked like the sun was trying to come up. The sky was a deep pink. It was sooo pretty. I should have gone in and gotten the camera, but I didn't! Anyway, by lunchtime, it was raining and it rained pretty much all day! So, today, it was true.

http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1997/07/07.html
Here, they say the red sky warning, doesn't really work, but just coincidentally, it did work this morning. We do have a very damp world out there today and it was raining quite nicely, when I had to walk home from work and then take the dog out!

Went to Arby's for supper and then went to PetsMart for the first time. It opened today! We saw a pretty Australian Shepherd, who made Jasmine bark! Unfortunately, the Aussie was in the toy aisle, so we really didn't get to see what toys they had. We did see a pretty crate pad that we think Jasmine would like, though! Darn, I cant link to it, since the site is down for maintenance! Oh well. We got Jasmine a ZoomGroom and a compressed rawhide bone!

We will still keep going to the other pet store, Pet Supply Outlet, though, because PetsMart doesn't have the premium foods that the PSO has! Jasmine likes her Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul food! They don't sell it at Petsmart! They sure had a lot of Hill's Science Diet, though. Ugh. The other pet store didn't have a zoom groom, though!

11-7-04 8:24 PM
Brrr, it's cold outside. We are down into the 30's and it's supposed to get down into the 20's! The skies are clear and the wind has died down, so I could see it happening. I have been wearing my winter jacket when I go out with the dog! We have only had one frost so far and that one didn't kill off my impatiens! I don't know if I have ever had impatiens make it through the first week in November! They will probably be toast tonight!

Emily went bowling with the youth group at church. She got 2 strikes and a spare! Who knew she could bowl so well? Sarah also went with the high school kids, on a hayride! She seemed annoyed at being urged to bring a hat and the outside shell to her winter jacket. I get she was glad, though!

No Packer game this weekend, since it's a bye week, but the Wisconsin Badgers blew the Minnesota Golden Gophers out of the water! LOL! Go Badgers!

Since we used to live in Marshfield, WI and the Marshfield Tigers made it to state, I think I will root for them. Lord knows that I'm not going to root for Neenah after Friday night! LOL!

An African drumming troupe is coming to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center tomorrow and the band/orchestra kids get to go see it. I'm chaperoning. Should be interesting!

11-5-04 11:32 PM
Bummer! After being undefeated ALL season, the Redwings lost tonight to the Neenah Rockets. So, they will go to Madison and probably play Marshfield for the state championship. The Redwings have nothing to be ashamed of, though! They had a great season.

So, stands were PACKED! LOL! Gametime temperature was around 48, with a strong west wind. Skies were clear. In my Lands' End squall jacket and my isotoner gloves, I was pretty toasty. My legs were cold though, even with a blanket, from the wind. Not insurmountable, though. It really wasn't bad for a November evening!

Sarah is watching movies with 3 of her friends, who are spending the night. One is in a family class at school and has her "Think it over" Baby with her tonight. It keeps crying! LOL! I wonder if it will wake me up tonight! Oh well, not my problem, huh?

11-1-04 8:03 PM

Wow, South's football remains undefeated.  They beat Madison East on Saturday, even though it was their 3rd game in 10 days!  They play Neenah, WI on Friday, for the last round of the playoffs!  I hope they go to State!  South is the first Sheboygan team to go to post-season play and win, in the history of the Sheboygan Schools!  Go REDWINGS!

Today was yucky.  Rainy, windy and gray all day long.  Yuck!  Except for taking Jasmine outside, I'm glad I don't have anywhere else to go!  I put gas in my car and bought some groceries earlier, when it wasn't raining so hard!

I need to make an appointment to get my hair cut.  My bangs are in my eyes again.  It happens so quickly.  I'm ready to take scissors to it myself!

Tomorrow, Gary and I are going to vote right after we take the kids to school!  Go Kerry!  I saw some soggy kids standing on a street corner downtown holding Kerry signs!  Too bad they can't vote yet!

10-26-04  TV Tuesday

Animals have always been a part of the TV market, from commercials, to their own shows, even their own channels, let's talk animals!! :)

1. What's your favorite or least favorite "wildlife" show? Why?
I have two! Nature on PBS and almost anything on the National Geographic Channel!  I love seeing animals up close and personal, in their natural habitat!

2. Who's your favorite animal TV star?
Eddie from Frasier!  He's just so darned cute!  Also, I enjoy watching him, since I know a Jack Russell terrier just isn't the right dog for me, so I don't want to own one.

3. What animal (pet or wildlife) shows do you watch?
Nature and National Geographic channel or sometimes shows about pets that I happen to find.  We have cheap cable at our house, so we don't have Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel!

~Bonus~ For pet lovers, if your pets had their own TV show what would it be called? Why?
Throw. The. Ball! Jasmine LOVES to retrieve this big red ball we have! She is obssessed at times!

October 24, 2004
Hallelujah, I did finally recover from being so tired, about 2 weeks ago!  Of course, I did take a nap this afternoon, though!  Being at church all morning and singing in the choir is tiring!  This weekend was the big Women of Faith conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  As a result, I was the only woman singing in the choir this morning! That is the first time that has ever happened!  Oh well.  We mostly lead the congregation in singing the songs during the service and only "perform" the prelude and postlude.  We sang "Ancient Words" by Michael W. Smith, for the first time today.  I LOVE that song!

Today was Gary's and my 17th wedding anniversary.  We didn't have any big plans.  It was nice to just hang out around the house and not HAVE plans!  We did go to Applebees for supper.  I had Fiesta Lime Chicken!  Yummy!

This afternoon was soooo warm.  If it had been that warm on our wedding day, we could have taken some outside pictures.  As it turned out, it was rather chilly!

There is a beautiful tree that I can see from my backyard.  I'm going to photograph it tomorrow!

Emily, the 12yo, is in pre-algebra this year.  She is getting a B in her class, for the first quarter, but I think she can do better.  She was having trouble with equations and then 2-step equations, but her teacher explained something on Friday that made more sense to her, so I think she understands how to solve the problem better now!  Instead of asking tons of questions tonight, she whizzed right through her homework.  I'm also relearning algebra myself! 

October 11, 2004 10:44 PM
Tired again! Am I ever NOT tired?  Worked all day at the clinic, since the kids didn't have school.   Sarah and I went shopping for some shirts for Gary to take on his trip to Iowa tomorrow.  I hope he likes them.  I watched a video for work and have been playing on the computer since then.  My days go by soooooo fast!  I'm glad I have off tomorrow, from the clinic.  I have worked so many days in the past week!  Yeah, I know.  Will look good on the paycheck.

Packers are losing.  So, it's going to be a sucky season.  Ugh.  Guess I won't be wasting much time watching them at all. 

Guess I should hit the sack.  Gary didn't pack at all today, so I guess I will be helping him with that after I take the kids to school.

October 9, 2004  6:29 PM
Tired.  Worked six days in a row.  Today, we were so busy that we didn't get out of the clinic until 2:30pm.  We close the doors at noon. 

Then find out that that curling iron we have (wide barrel) doesn't curl Sarah's hair as nicely as we had hoped it would.  Ugh.  So, I have a sullen teenager on my hands.  Well, I suggested making a hair appointment for homecoming several weeks ago, but she didn't say much, so I didn't make the appointment.  Of course, if she had had an appointment, who knows if she could have gotten there.  It turned out Gary had to do some stuff with his sister regarding my FIL's estate, so he wasn't here, either.  Argh.  So, maybe her friends could help her spruce up her hair some.  She got together with friends to get ready and to eat supper before the dance.

The football team remains undefeated!  The score of the homecoming game last night was 28-7.  The other team only got a touchdown with 40 seconds left in the game!

So, someday I will have enough sleep.

October 1, 2004  11:28 PM
It feels like fall outside and there are leaves starting to collect on my lawn!  We had rain for the first time in 2 weeks and during the night a cold front will come through.  After today's balmy 70's, it will drop to the 30's overnight and only be in the 50's tomorrow!  The weather is definitely changing and yes, I have gotten to wear the new sweatshirt!  LOL!

September only had .25 of an inch of rain!  We were soooo dry.  My lawn is all brown already!  Ugh!  The leaves are starting to be pretty, though!

Haven't done storm windows yet. We will be thinking about it tomorrow, though! If it's cold outside, the house is definitely warmer with them on!

September 21, 2004 2:24 PM
Fall is coming, but you would only know it by looking at the leaves on the trees.  It's in the 80's outside, after an overnight low of 51.  Enough already!  I know we had a cold summer and that we craved warm weather, but this is ridiculous!  It's September now and late September at this point.  We're ready to start bundling up. 

The geese are starting to migrate, though.  We often hear honking in the sky.  Jasmine always looks up to find the birds.

Also, I have a new sweatshirt that I want to wear, but it's always too warm.  I do have to wear it in the evening, but would like to wear it during the day, too.

Okay, I know it will get cold soon enough.  It is Wisconsin, after all!  LOL!

September 12, 2004 12:17 AM
So, Frances is done with and caused enough havoc in Florida and the eastern US, before dissipating!  Many people without homes, electricity, and water.  What a mess.  Now, they wonder if they will be hit by Ivan! 

It's the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC, along with the plane crash in Pennsylvania.  Still a gruesome thing to try and comprehend. I know people don't want us to forget, but those images are permanently etched on my brain.  I can't see myself forgetting about it anytime soon.

We had a beautiful day today, with temps in the 80's.  We hardly had weather like this all summer!  Perfect day for a walk-in picnic.  It was fun to socialize with my co-workers without having to work!

Then off to Gary's dad's house to go though more of his stuff.  We found lots of empty boxes, which my nephew took out in the yard and burned.

So, a very long day and I'm ready for bed now!

September 5, 2004  10:22 PM
Wow, after Charley three weeks ago, Florida is being hit by Frances,  HUGE storm encompassing the whole state!  5 million people without power and homes wrecked, trees down, cars wrecked, etc.  About 5-6 days away is Ivan, which was just categorized as a Category 4!  Yikes!  Hope it finds a different way to come north!  Keep the Floridans in your prayers!

Jasmine had her second obedience class last Thursday.  She does the commands just fine.  I just wish she got along with the other dogs better.  We worked on stepping with the L foot and saying Heel, sit-stay, down, kind of all together.  I think Jasmine likes the boxer.  She kept staring at her through about half the class!  I think she is walking better on the leash, since we started taking the class.

Emily, Gary and I went to the fair today.  Emily mostly hung around the horse barns!

August 24, 2004 11:46 PM
Had a blast with Jasmine down at the lake today! We bought her a floaty ring and she chased after that thing for an hour-and-a-half this afternoon. She loved the tidal pools and managed with the waves. With an eastern wind right off Lake Michigan, one would have thought it would have been cold! It wasn't! Kids and I all got wet and no one was cold! We also had fun playing with Jasmine and the hose, too!

Pics of Jazz with tennis ball and playing with the hose!

Tomorrow, we may go back again. We aren't sure. A trip to the Quarry would happen instead, if the storms hold off. Otherwise, maybe bowling if it does rain. We won't know until tomorrow afternoon. Warm enough to swim, but chance of rain makes us wonder. It will be our last fun day, with friends, before school starts next Wednesday.

August 19, 2004 10:54 PM
Geez, I'm sure not keeping up with this very well! I have been working crazy hours and Gary and I were sooo busy during the week of the PGA! Didn't see any celebrities, but we saw lots of out-of-town license plates.

Kids are at Grandma and Grandpa's house this week. They went to an Art Camp up in Door County. They are having a blast. I drove them up there on Tuesday and they come back tomorrow. So, Gary and I have had a few days without kids. It's been fun, but I will be glad to see them tomorrow.

Posted some pics of Jasmine and our flowers today. Also, I added some new pics to her Dogster page!

Obedience class starts next week Thursday. I wonder what that will be like!

Also, since the basil plant is finally of a decent size, I think we will be able to make spaghetti next week. Emily has been waiting all summer to have spaghetti with fresh basil in it! So, have I! We also have fresh oregano! Yummy!

Tonight, Gary and I had homemade tuna casserole, a salad and Dove bars for dessert. It was quite tasty and kind of fun eating supper at home, without the kids!

July 26, 2004 10:22 PM
Our cool summer continues. Over the last few days, we have only had temps in the 70's and the humidity was pretty low, too. Today was a little muggier, though, but not so bad that Jasmine didn't enjoy her walk tonight. She ended up with a slightly longer walk than anticipated, though, since I had a brain lapse when we left the house, and for got a poop bag. Naturally, she pooped on the walk, so we walked home to get a poop bag and walked back up to where she did the deed to pick it up.

I can't wait until my purple coneflowers bloom. They are oh, so close, and the waiting is driving me crazy! All over town, other coneflowers are blooming gloriously and mine are still green.

Had to reformat my computer this past Thursday. I was tired of email downloading without my permission, even when outlook was closed! Argh! So, I could only read email on MY computer and nowhere else. Also, the autoplay when inserting a cd wasn't working anymore, either! Now, I can use the Microsoft wizard for downloading pictures using the card reader! Sometimes, it's just easiest to wipe the slate clean and start over.

July 10, 2004  1:37 PM
Here I am on a day off finally!  Last weekend was busy with the 4th of July!  We froze during the fireworks and the parade!  That's Sheboygan for you!  Had friends over for supper before the fireworks and took Jasmine for a walk.  It was all very fun!  Then I had 4 long days at the clinic and busy evenings that followed, so I had very little time for the computer.  When I did finally get to the computer, I was almost too tired to appreciate it!

Jasmine had to get some medicine for worms.  I hope this takes care of it once and for all.  Gary got to pull them out of her butt.  If I would have been here, I would have had to do it, but I was working.  Ah, the joys of being puppy parents!  She also had a few accidents in the house this work after going outside for everything for many weeks!  I don't know if it was the worms and or me being gone so much. 

It's a beautiful day outside.  Sarah had to help out at an event near out house, so Jasmine and I walked there with her.  Now, it's warmer out and I think Jazz would get too hot.  She is busy upstairs getting peanut butter out of a Kong. 

Jazz is signed up for obedience class, but it doesn't start until the end of August.  She does walk pretty well already, except for when we go past Jack and Pal's house!  Jack is a chocolate lab and Pal is a German Shepherd.  She pulls the worst at that point on the walk!  Argh!  Especially today, when Jack was outside.  We have lived in our house for 8 years now and I think Jack was a puppy when we first started living here.  So, he is maybe about 8 years old.  He is getting gray around the muzzle!  Doesn't seem like he should be an old dog already!  (The dogs live in kennels outside, so we always see them.) I like my dog living in the house with me!

6-27-04 10:27 PM
Sunday night here and it's almost the end of the day!  Usually at the clinic on Sundays, we have two doctors from 11am until 1pm.  Because of some weird fluke in the schedule, we only had one doctor today.  Although, some people did have to wait an hour to be seen, it wasn't as hectic as I thought it would be.  We only saw 37 patients, so that may be part of it.  Also, the doc we worked with stayed calm all day, too!  Sometimes he can be wound kind of tight! 

Emily is off at church camp this week. Like Sarah 3 years ago, this will be the longest time that Emily has ever been away from home!  I think it helps that her best friend is there, just like it was for Sarah!   The house is awfully quiet with one kid gone!  Tomorrow, Sarah is sleeping over at a friend's house, so when I get home from work, it's just going to be Jasmine and me! 

Jasmine continues to do great!  She loves Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's food!  I like it because it's made with quality ingredients and it's making her fur look so shiny! She was just skin and bones when we got her in April.  Now, she has a nice layer of padding over her bones, but not enough to make her fat, just enough to soften the bones!

Yesterday, the neighbor and his yellow lab were out in their yard.  I took Jasmine outside to go potty unaware that Buddy was out of his kennel.  Jasmine squatted to do her business right after getting onto the grass and only saw Buddy while she was going to the bathroom.  Buddy ZOOMS up into our yard to see Jasmine, makes a quick circle with her and then runs back.  The neighbor was ticked off at Buddy.  Geez, I just wish he would loosen up and let them play together, but I doubt that's going to happen.  Buddy almost knocked me over when he was trying to get to Jasmine.  Labs have a lot of power!  LOL!

Gary's aunt and uncle had their 50th wedding anniversary party on Saturday.  His cousin's wife put together a video of still pictures and old home movies!  It was quite interesting to see and probably was a LOT of work.  Their 18-month old son, Jonathan was so cute when he was dancing!

6-5-04 9:45 PM
It's Saturday night and the end of a hectic day.  I worked in my flower gardens for about an hour and a half this morning planting sunflower seeds and Emily helped me plant her marigolds and basil that have been growing in the kitchen for about a month already.  Then we ate lunch, then I went shopping to buy bath towels for a wedding present.  After shopping, I had to wrap the towels and it took 2 boxes because towels are so bulky.  Then quick put on dress clothes and go to the wedding.  My old neighbor was getting married this afternoon.

The wedding was great and we had a good time.  The grooms family was quite nice and I think my friend has made an awesome choice in a mate.  The food at the reception was quite tasty, too.

After we got to eat cake, we came home, changed clothes and then my parents stopped by.  They had been to the Milwaukee area for a Frank Lloyd Wright program and wanted a dog fix on their way back up north!  LOL!  When I heard the message on the answering machine later, my thoughts were confirmed that they wanted to see the grandpuppy while they were in the area!  My dad admitted he wanted to see the dog again!  We had a nice, albeit brief visit with them. 

Since one of my co-workers received her BSN degree a few weeks ago, we had to go out and celebrate.  So, that was next on the agenda.  We all went out to eat.  It was fun.

AFter that, we had to take Sarah to a friend's house for a sleepover.  Her girlfriend's family is going to take them to the park for graduation tomorrow.  They are all freshman, but need to play in the combined North-South band, unless it rains!

Since about 8pm or so, we have just been laying low at home after a busy busy day!

Gary got a freelance job to do today and that kept him busy!

Oh, and it's finally warming up around here, so yesterday I put the screens up on the first floor windows. It was so nice to be able to have all the windows open for a while!

6-1-04 6:33 PM
New layout today!  I needed a new one for the summer! I found the perfect one at vikimouse's site!  I love that it's sunflowery and blue!

Jasmine was spayed today.  She went into surgery around 3:30pm and done shortly after 5pm.  The shelter people say she came through just fine.  I can't wait until 9:00am tomorrow when we can go pick her up.  She was fine going to visit those nice people at the shelter, but was NOT at all happy when we left without her!  Guess she likes it at our house!

Sarah is at a local park signing yearbooks with her friends.  Both high schools meet at a park near the end of the school year.  This is Sarah's first time at the yearbook signing. Gary is shooting pictures at it, since we told him about it.  No one at the paper assigned this event to a photographer.  Good grief.

Cloudy all day and some drips here and there, but NO RAIN.  We had about 10 inches of rain in Sheboygan during the month of May.  We don't need any rain for a little while. 

8 days of school left, but who's counting!

5-30-04 4:24 PM
My life has been crazy.  No time for webpages.  No time for blogs.  No time to make a webpage for our new arrival.  We were just so busy with her!  Argh!  So, today, I made a page for Jasmine!  She has been going potty outside for the last month.  She has learned which doorbell goes to which door (2 tones, go to front and 1 tone go to back!).  She loves Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul dog food and loves Vita-Gravy treats.  I just wish she would remember not to jump up on people!  We are having a blast with her. 

Her spaying surgery is coming up on June 1st.  Since she is out of heat now, I'm hoping that this time the surgery gets done!  It will be a challenge keeping her quiet when we get her home on Wednesday!

Tomorrow, she gets to meet my sister's dog, Ubu and maybe the neighbor's dog, Vince!  I can't wait.  She seems to do okay when meeting other dogs.  After her spaying surgery, then I can't wait to go to Muttland Meadows with Margaret and Ubu and Julie and Vince!

9 days of school left.  I can hardly wait.  Then I won't have to run between jobs for 3 months.  It will be great!  Kids can't wait, either!

Now, if only we could get some warm, DRY weather!  We had so much rain in May.  It was unbelievable!

5-3-04 10:50 AM
We got a dog!!!!  Her name is Jasmine and she is an Australian Cattledog.  We adopted her from the Humane Society on April 24th.  Life has been hectic adjusting to life with a new dog and she is younger than our old one, so has a lot more rules to learn.  The biggest one of course is that elimination happens outside!  LOL!  She is learning quickly though, and we didn't have any accidents over the weekend!  Training her was a challenge, since between 8:30pm on Wednesday and 8:30pm on Thursday, she didn't pee at all!  I called the vet on Thursday and he reassured me that since she was eating and drinking normally, that she would go eventually, and she did.  He thought maybe she was just stressed out with all the changes in the past few weeks. 

She was picked up as a stray and brought into the shelter on 4-17-04.  We saw her there on 4-21.  We went back the next day to fill out the application.  On Friday, we did the 24-hour callback to let them know we were still interested.  On Saturday, 4-24), we all went to the shelter at noon, so Gary could meet the dog.  Actually, we hadn't even met her up close yet.  Since she was a stray, we couldn't take her outside for a walk.  People have 7 days to claim a lost pet.  Anyway, on Saturday, she was still in the stray area, but in one of the outside kennels, so we could stick our hands through the fence and pet her.  She was licking all of our fingers and not growling at anyone.  We also, knew by this time that we had been approved to take her home, too.  So, while they got the paperwork ready, we took her out for a brief stroll and all of us had a chance to pet her and love her up.  She was licking all of our faces and being very nice.

She is very friendly with everyone she meets.  That is just the kind of dog I wanted. Since she is a cattledog or a cattledog mix, she is very smart and we have seen that in her already.  She has learned to sit patiently while I attach the leash to her collar, since it is impossible if she is jumping up and down.  She has learned that the crate is where she sleeps.  Yesterday, we took her on two long walks, so by 10pm, she was more than happy to be in her crate for the night.  She has learned to give one paw, and then give the other paw after that.  We are in the process of teaching to rollover. 

So, we love her very much.  Today, I'm missing her though, because she is at the shelter getting her rabies shot and getting spayed.  We won't be able to see her until tomorrow at 9:30am.  So, my house is too quiet today!  LOL!  

Click here for pics of Jasmine!

Wow, I see I haven't updated my blog for a while!  I guess life got crazy all of a sudden!  Especially, after we laid eyes on Jasmine 5 days later!  Guess I have to make a page for her, huh?

4-12-04 9:58 PM
Had a very quiet weekend and no fancy meal.  I got sick on Saturday and was miserable on Saturday with a fever and the runs.  Ugh!  Thank goodness for Immodium AD!  I'm feeling better now.  Missed church on Sunday, since I still had a fever.  Did work today.  Didn't feel like cooking for supper on Sunday, so we just had grilled cheese sandwiches.  I don't think anyone really cared.  Easter bunny came for kids (not that they believe anymore).  Probably they have too much candy!  LOL!

Hubby on vacation this week.  We bought a Weber Genesis gas grill that has all stainless steel parts inside.  It was last year's model, like that matters.  Has a cool blue hood and we are looking forward to cooking brats in it on Wednesday for supper!   Needed a new grill last year and never got around to buying one.  It was horrible not being able to grill out ALL summer!

Also, found fondue pot CHEAP today, $17!  They run $39.99 on Amazon!  Now, have to find recipes!

Saturday 8 - 4-3-04 7:39 PM

1. i just purchased a new pet - are you a 'cat person'? I like cats and would own a cat, but my husband is allergic to them and he would be miserable, so we don't have a cat.

2. what is your favourite kind of pet to have, or your dream pet? cat, dog, hamster, horse, tiger, dolphin, etc.?  I guess my favorite pet is a dog!  They love you all the time and unconditionally and get so excited whenever you come home from somewhere!

3. do you currently own any pets? if so, please tell us what they are & their names. if not, tell us why you don't own a pet. Sadly, we don't have a dog now!  She was sick and not getting better, so we had to put her down on March 5th, 2004.  We do intend to get another dog eventually.  I'm just not sure when.

4. i am thinking about naming my baby kitten 'jimmy wah' after the gay bar owner in the movie "good morning, vietnam." my kids HATE this, but i thought it was cute to have a kitty named jimmy. what is the COOLEST name you've ever heard for a pet?  I had a friend who had a dog named Abby and our recent dog was named Honey (Honey Earl, Earl, Honeybun, Honeypup, Doggie, etc!).

5. my stbx takes his dog to a dog park, where there is a dog named "DOG" (pronounced "dee-oh-gee"). everyone and their dog makes fun of this guy. what is the most idiotic name you've ever heard for a pet?  Dog is about it, I think.  One needs to think of how a name will sound when you are yelling it loud enough for the world to hear!

6. ok - seal point siamese kitten. do you have an idea for a name for me, or should i stick with 'jimmy wah'? (i also have a turtle named "suzi wong," btw)  I like Jimmy Wah!  LOL!  I tend to call cats by the name Kitty, anyway!

7. my almost-ex wanted a boxer dog SO badly, and i gave in and we purchased one. the dog hates me and is afraid of me because it knows i cannot stand it. would you get a dog/pet just to please your mate?  I like dogs and cats, so it wouldn't be a hardship to me.

8. would you ever consider owning a 'different' pet, like a tiger or an alligator or some weird flying monkey? why or why not?  No, I wouldn't because weird animals could be unpredictable nd dangerous.

4-3-04 7:17 PM
Daylight savings time starts tomorrow!  Remember to set your clocks ahead tonight!  Mine are already done!  In college, I was home for the weekend, since I had to work.  My parents went out for the evening and I was just listening to records. (yeah, before cds!) Anyway, my parents said something about the time change and I said, "yeah, yeah" and forgot ALL about it!  In the morning, I think I have an hour to get ready for work, when all of a sudden they call and wonder where I am!  ARGH!  Oh well.  I got dressed in a big hurry and ran right over there.

We had so-so weather today.  Woke up to sunshine that was quickly overtaken by clouds.  Had enough of a break in the clouds to have a beautiful sunset tonight.  It was very windy all day today and temps only in the 40's.  Our grass is greening up nicely and pretty soon, it will be begging us to mow it!  Not quite yet, though!  My grape hyacinths are looking very pretty.  I will have to take a picture tomorrow.  It's too late for that today!

Wow, was I surprised at the bottom 3 in American Idol on Wednesday night!  I didn't expect Amy Adams, LaToya, and Jennifer Hudson to be in the bottom 3, and to send Amy Adams packing!  Wow. Well, John Stevens and Jasmine Trias are safe for another week!

3-30-04 11:09 PM
Watched American Idol tonight. Was more impressed by the second half of the show, than I was with the first half. Jon Peter Lewis didn't do much for me and Camile didn't do much for me. I have been soooo rooting for John Stevens and he soooooo let me down tonight. I couldn't believe how bad he sang tonight! It hurt my ears. I think he is going to be going home tomorrow. We'll just have to wait and see. If he leaves then I'm rooting for Jasmine Trias. Fantasia just doesn't do it for me. Amy doesn't do it for me, either. I thought George Huff did a great job tonight, too, though. Oh, and I'm glad that the show was only an hour tonight. 2 hours is a long time to sit and watch one show!

3-29-04 6:45 PM

I miss my puppy. It's just not the same coming home after I've been gone to such a quiet house. I miss how crazy she would be when she would see me. Hubby just says "hi". He doesn't go nuts, not that I would expect him too! LOL! Anytime I see the quilt crumpled up on the basement couch, or a black duffle bag in the hallway, I keep thinking she is there, when I know she's not. It makes me look twice, I'll tell you. It's just weird.

We had a fairly nice day in WI today. The bank said it was 66 and my house thermometer, about 60 today. The sun was shining, but the breeze was cool, so it didn't feel all that warm. My daffodils are getting more and more yellow, but don't look quite like they are ready to bloom yet. Tomorrow, we are only supposed to be in the 40's. Will feel pretty cold after today! Oh well. Soon enough we will be complaining about summer's heat, so maybe I should just enjoy the cool! LOL!

3-27-04 2:03 PM
Check out my daffodils! No, not blooming yet, but getting close. Our city is going to be awash with yellow blossoms very soon! I can't wait. I have noticed other people's daffodils, too. Yesterday, I noticed that the grape hyacinths are starting to get flowers. I have lots of those and they are pretty when they are blooming!

On Thursday, I cleaned out my flower garden. I filled two large garbage bags with leaves and dead plants from last summer! LOL! Now, those daffodils can start growing big and strong. They were covered with leaves, so are still quite small! I can't wait until the lupines start growing, too, since it is possible that they might bloom this year, since they have already had one growing season! I love spring! (It could just be a little warmer, though! At this moment, according to Weather Underground, our temp is 42 and the skies are cloudy and gray! Ugh!

I keep getting freaked out around my house. Everytime I see something dark on the floor or on a couch, I keep thinking it is Honey. I know Honey is no longer here, but sometimes these dark shapes are just the right size and it's hard to not think of her. Today, we went out to eat and saw a German Short-haired Pointer in someone's truck. Sarah and I went up to the truck and he seemed SOOO friendly. As we walked away without petting him, he started to whine! I think he wanted to play with us. Poor thing! I sure miss having a dog around the house.

3-25-04 8:31 PM
I finally had my left big toe taken care of. I can't even remember the first time I thought I probably had an ingrown toenail. I tried a few times to just cut it myself, but it would only be a short-lived relief, since it really wasn't gone! I'm so glad I got it cut out properly, even if the numbing shot was nasty. It doesn't hurt at all now. On Monday I went to the walk-in to get it looked at, since, as luck would have it, my doctor was out for the week. The doc looked at it and thought the whole toenail should go. The appointment was made for Wednesday, March 24th. Yesterday morning, the podiatrist gave me three options - just cut out the offending portion and go on with life and the nail will eventually grow back, cut out the offending portion and burn the nail bed with a chemical so that the nail never grows back, or remove the entire nail (which has a fungus problem.) I opted for just cutting out the offending portion and then treating the fungus with Lamisil (which my insurance company will cover all but the $50 copay).

So, I need to call her back to tell her I'm going to go with the medication to get rid of the fungus. Removing the whole nail just seemed such a drastic step to me. I'm glad we really didn't have to do that. Now, after enduring countless months of pain and going to the moon anytime someone stepped on my toe, I don't have any pain! Yay.

I have to soak my foot in Epsom salt water for about 2 weeks twice a day, but that isn't that big a deal and I have to finish the antibiotics that I got on Monday, since not only was my nail ingrown, but I had an infection along the side of my nail, too. Even after just one day of antibiotics, I could already tell a difference. I should have gone in MUCH sooner than I did. The reality of getting it fixed was nowhere as horrible as my brain made it out to be, beforehand! Sheesh!

3-11-04 2:02 PM
It's Thursday afternoon. Yet another day and Gary is at work early and might not be home for supper. Although, he claims today he will be. He has hardly seen the kids all week. He is sleeping when they leave and they are sleeping when he comes home. The last few days he wasn't able to come when it was time to pick kids up from school in the afternoon. I don't like it when he is this busy, although, I suppose the overtime will look nice on the paycheck.

I'm in a very quiet house for just a little longer. No dog noises to hear, like snoring, or something like that. I just miss my puppy so much. We saw a cute one at the Humane Society yesterday. She/he was a border collie/lab mix and not much bigger than Honey. I can't remember anymore if it was a male or female and Smoky is kind of a generic name. I did tell Smoky to sit and the dog sat. Then I asked Smoky to give a paw and the dog thought about it for a while and then lifted up a paw. Ok, so it was dangerous for the kids and me to go to the Humane Society yesterday, but we wanted to know what dogs they had now. Gary still wants to wait a bit before we get a new dog.

It's cold and windy today and supposed to drop into the teens tonight! Brrr. Not nearly as cold as the record, though, which is -3! We have been spoiled by a few days with mild temps before it got cold again. Unfortunately, spring in WI is like this, with the temps being cold one day and warm the next!

I still have flowers coming up. I might cover my daffodils tonight, since they are so big already!

3-7-04 3:57 PM
Well, we have made it through the first 48 hours of our "Honey-less" life. It is just too quiet in here and I'm sad that I can't just look over at her laying the floor with her looking up at me with those big brown eyes.

I made a memorial page for Honey today. It links to the other pages of pictures and stories of Honey's life. 4 years and just about 4 months went by awfully fast. We had gotten her November 11, 1999 when my neighbor broke her hip and went into a nursing home.

I'm in a quiet house right now because Gary already went to work and the kids are babysitting at a neighbor's house.

I guess the mailperson will also miss Honey because she enjoys seeing all the animals who come to the windows and bark at her as she delivers mail. Gary told her on Friday that we were going to be putting Honey to sleep. She had already been noticing that Honey wasn't coming every day anymore. I don't think she always had the energy for that much activity anymore.

Well, someday, we will get another furbaby to love. Right now, though, we will just remember all of Honey's little quirks!

3-5-03 1:40 PM
It's a sad day in our family today. After Honey threw up on Tuesday and Wednesday, we called the vet. I explained that we had been in about a month ago, was sick, got antibiotics and got better, etc. and that she keeps throwing up. They said it was the beginnning of the end, so we made the appointment to put her down. The appointment is today at 4pm. So, we will pick kids up from school and then go to the vet's office. Even since Wednesday, it seems she is skinnier and her breathing more rapid. So, it seems it is time. I feel that the end is near regardless. So, it will be a sad weekend at our house.

We are scanning pics of her, will take them to Walmart to get prints made and then have them framed. Two of the pics are on Honey's webpage - the one of her in the car and the one of her on the couch!

So, this is not the best news I have ever had to put in here.

3-1-04 11:29 PM
We are wet again, only this time because it rained. A good share of the snow we had is GONE! At least where the sun can get to it anyway. Part of my yard is shaded by some tall pine trees, so that snow is taking longer to melt. We had a brief thunderstorm tonight, so that's the first one of 2004.

Made Baked Potato Soup and Broccoli Salad with Dried Cherries for supper tonight. We all loved it, although, Emily wouldn't try the broccoli salad.

Finished my April book discussion "book" tonight. It was Confessions of a Shopaholic. Pretty funny book for the most part. Ending was a bit sappy, but otherwise I enjoyed it a lot. Emily is reading it, too!

OOOOHHHH! I found daffodil sprouts growing a few days ago. I'm so excited!

2-23-04
WET. That is what our world is. We had a couple inches of snow on Friday, then about an inch last night and now it's in the 40's! Wet wet wet! Almost didn't need to have shoveled last night's snow, because it might have just melted anyway. At one low point, I was shoveling water more than snow! I want the snow to melt because I want to see what bulbs are growing. The suspense is killing me!

I also can't wait to see if my lupines bloom this year. I planted them last year and small plants grew, but they don't bloom until the second year! I'm sure we are several months away from lupine blooms. Here is an awesome pic of lupines!

This year I get to plant sunflowers against the house again. Last year, we had a maple tree that was growing by the house and it had to be moved. I was afraid that if we planted sunflowers, they would get wrecked when we dug up the tree. We ended up with a few random sunflowers growing where seeds had been left by the birds!

I have a spot where milkweed plants grow. It is fun to see the monarch butterflies come when the flowers are blooming and last year, we found a caterpillar! Now, we should have brough the caterpillar in the house, so we could have watched the whole process, but we didn't, so we missed it all! I'm so happy that I have milkweed plants that just appeared in my yard!

Oh, can you tell I'm eager for spring! I love it when the flowers start blooming!

2-20-04 10:54 PM
We started out the day with rain and slowly it changed to snow and now we have at least an inch of it on the driveway! Argh! With temps in the 30's all this next week, though, it won't last very long. Roads were kind of slick tonight, too. Gary had to be careful driving tonight.

Emily was accepted into PACE (Program for Academic and Creative Extension) for language arts! This is the gifted and talented program. She will get to do extra activities that will be a little more challenging. The PACE teacher signed her up for some sort of vocabulary program, so it will be interesting to see what that entails.

Sarah is off the wall because we got "B" row tickets for the Jump 5, Play, and Stevie Brock concert on March 20th in Milwaukee. Can you say ear plugs? I have to say that even I like these groups, though, so it should be fun.

Honey keeps throwing up. We may be putting her to sleep sooner than later, it seems. From the looks of things, it looks like she may not be digesting her food all that well.

2-15-04 11:34 PM
Changed my layout tonight, but I'm running out of time to fix the Monday Madness and Friday Five pages. Argh! Hopefully will get to it tomorrow. I'm getting sick of winter and wanted a more spring-like atmosphere in here!

Off to blockbuster to return some dvd's and run to the store. Yes, I should have gone earlier, but you know, html was calling!

2-8-04 9:48 AM
Well, 4 days later and it's like we have a different dog. 72 hours after we started giving her the Amoxicillin, she started perking up again. Her belly is now normal sized and her urine looks better. She is playful and up to all of her old tricks. We all thought she was a goner, but she isn't done with life yet. Those first few days I was wondering why were even bothering to give her the antibiotic. I wasn't sure she was going to live long enough to give her all 10 days worth! Well, she proved us wrong! We are very happy about that!

This past Thursday night and into Friday, we got 7-1/2 inches of snow, bringing our season total to 40 inches! My kids were bummed since they would have had a snow day for this storm, if they didn't already have off of school! Unfortunately, it was an already scheduled inservice day, so they ALREADY had off from school. Oh well, they won't have to make it up at the end of the school year, so that is a good thing.

2-4-04 4:21 PM
Our dog is very sick. We took her in on Monday after watching her eat only a portion of her food for several weeks. He examined her and decided to do bloodwork. Her liver function tests were all elevated, from 2-5x normal levels. It also explains the dark urine and the distended belly. Her belly is full of fluid because her liver isn't working right. Also, her red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit are all low. So, the vet thinks her bone marrow isn't working right, either. The poor thing is short of breath, even at rest and it gets worse when she is moving around. She continues to eat just enough to stay alive, but not really enough food for her size. We are probably going to be putting her down soon. We wonder if she is uncomfortable from the belly full of fluid. The breathing makes me uncomfortable.

Today, we took her to her favorite park for a short walk. The would be Kohler-Andrae State Park. It is about 5-6 miles from our house right along Lake Michigan. She wanted more walk than we gave her this afternoon, but we didn't have time for more. Gary and I will probably take her there again in the morning.

We aren't sure when we are putting her down. We will see how she looks tomorrow. She is also wasting away. We feel bony prominences where we never used to be able to. Poor thing. She is also refusing hot dogs and she would have never done that even just last week.

It is a very sad time for us all right now, having to make this decision, especially since her mind is still good and what makes her "HONEY" is still there.

More snow tomorrow. 5-7 inches by Friday and then still more chances of snow on Saturday! We don't need more snow! We have had enough. Where is spring? Well, okay, maybe Lake Michigan needs more snow, but I sure don't! It is probably time to go to the grocery store and stock up on stuff!

1-26-04 11:54 PM
It snowed ALL day today. Wasn't enough to get out of school, though. Probably won't be tomorrow, either. We kept the first graders and kindergarteners in for recess today. It was pretty windy and I guess the snow was a little hurtful to little faces, or something like that. According to one of the newscasts tonight, Sheboygan got 4 inches of snow. The last I knew, it was still snowing outside.

I got the cookie order forms all filled out tonight. Since the lady lives way out in the country, I didn't want to drive there on dark snowy roads to deliver them. Besides, I didn't finish them until about 10:30pm, either. Sarah's troop sold 588 boxes of cookies. Sarah herself sold 130 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. She was the second highest seller! She had a very good year. Her troop would like to go on a big trip, but they haven't decided where, yet. Oh, in case you didn't figure it out, I'm the cookie mom this year!

With all this new snow, my dog is just going nuts. She loves snow and loves walking through it or jumping through it if it's too deep. Although, it's making going to the bathroom a little more challenging. She keeps walking down to the big evergreen tree to poop, since the snow is not quite so deep there! LOL! Most of her favorite places to go to the bathroom have way too much snow now.

Somewhere out there is a tennis ball we lost about a week ago! Well, we'll find it in the spring! LOL! She loves being outside when we are shoveling the snow, or especially when I'm out there shoveling the snow!

1-25-04 11:40 PM
I went to the store tonight. What a wicked breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan tonight! Brrr! We are supposed to get some snow tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't think the timing is right for a snow day. Oh well. I have chicken, celery, onion, cranberry sauce, and barbeque sauce sitting in the crock in the fridge to be placed on the base and turned on tomorrow, for supper. Yummy! I can hardly wait to eat it. I'm sure it will be snowy and icky tomorrow night and I didn't want to have to go out. We will enjoy a wonderful meal right at home. I work all day tomorrow, so I wouldn't have time to cook otherwise. With some rice, a salad and a veggie, it will be a tasty meal.

Quiet day at the clinic today. Even walking home, I was home before 3:30. I'm only about a block away from the clinic. It's a 5-minute walk.

January 22, 2004 8:28 PM
It was waaaay too cold today. Woke up to -6 F., which even before kids went to school, had dropped to -8.9 F. (electronic thermometer measures in tenths of a degree). Brrr! It did manage to climb up to -1 F. before it started dropping again. Also, it was quite windy, so the wind chill factor ranged from -20 F to -30 F. ! The teens tomorrow will seem like a heat wave. We have had several snowstorms, so we have quite a nice layer of snow outside and it should be increased by a couple of inches of snow over the weekend, some of which is going to be lake-effect snow. We get lake-effect snow off Lake Michigan because cold winds travel over the relatively warmer lake and make clouds, which then dump snow on us. It happens much more often on the coast of western Michigan, south of Lake Superior, and in Buffalo, NY, then it does here.

Went to the doctor on Monday for my blood pressure. I'm now on three meds. Monopril, hydrochorothiazide, and Lopressor. Gee, what fun. Gary is lucky, takes one med and BP right down there where the doc wants it. It's just so not fair.

We have off of school tomorrow, since it's the end of the first semester! A three day weekend will be nice, although, Sunday will be busy, since I have to work at the clinic AND get all the cookie sheets filled out and dropped off. YIKES! I hope it's not a late Sunday. I need the extra time!

1-11-04 10:35 PM
Well, the Packer football season is over now. The Pack was leading at the beginning of the game, and then Philadelphia caught up and the game got tied. In overtime, the Packers got the football, but then, when Brett passed the ball, it was intercepted by the Eagles and then it was over. Bummer. My daughter is depressed about it, too. We had a dream that they would make it to the Super Bowl, but it's not to be.

Quiet day today, church in the morning, some errands with Gary this afternoon, a nap, watched a little football, but it was WAAAY too stressful, so I had it on in the other room and played on the computer over here.

We got 5 inches of snow the other day, although, I think some of it melted today, since we were in the 30's. The last time I had the dog outside, we had gotten a little dusting. I don't think we are supposed to get much tonight.

Updated my index page to a Valentine graphic set from Recycle Bin Graphics.

I bought some nursing shoes at work with a group of my coworkers. They ended up not fitting and we weren't quite sure how to send them back, since it wasn't my credit card, etc. So, I said I would put them on Ebay and see what happens. The first week, we got no bids, so we listed them again and lowered the starting price a little bit. They are currently going for $46 now! LOL! I'm currently making money on them. I'm just glad I will make back the money I spent and that they will go to someone who appreciates them more than I did. I will use the money to buy some shoes in town, that I can try on at the store! I have bought shoes mail-order before and been lucky. This time I wasn't so lucky. The listing ends tomorrow morning about 08:30 PST/10:30 CST.

1-7-04 6:52 PM
Happy New Year! I know it's late, but I haven't had much time to work on my site. With the new year, winter hit with a vengeance and got VERY cold and we finally got some snow. So, it's only 2.5 inches, but it's enough to brighten up our world a bit! The other morning 1-6-04, we woke up to -4 F and a-22 F windchill. Needless to say, the kids at school had indoor recess. Today, it was in the teens at lunchtime, after single digits this morning, and the noontime windchill was about zero. We went outside and it wasn't that bad. We are tough up here in WI. The kids have snow to play with, so they don't mind the cold. It's good for them to get outside and run around.

I have new boots I finally got to wear. They are Columbia boots and technically "White", although they are trimmed with blue. They can be seen here -- just mouseover the white square to see my boot. It matches my jacket and much neater than just having boring brown ones. They keep my feet sooo WARM.

Tomorrow, the temps are supposed to be in the 20's. After the temps of the last 2 days, 20's are going to feel pretty warm! We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow, too, but I don't know how much.

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