Friday Five 01.28.13

1. Winston is settling in well and we are welcoming the changes to our lives that accompany him. But boy, he is definitely a puppy and definitely an Aussie puppy. It takes quite a bit to tire him out and if we don’t manage it, we pay for it with a crazy puppy. For the most part, that is a fine thing. A. and I are off our butts much less as a result.

And truly, he is a very good dog. He is energetic and wants to play all! the! time! He isn’t mischievous and has picked up on the house rules very quickly. He does sneak in some towel chewing and unravelling every now and then, however. I was afraid he’d sneak off to chew on A.’s collection of elk and deer antlers, but he has sniffed them, liked them once, and moved on. I suppose I am relieved as A. really does like the antlers. But if I am being honest, I certainly would not have minded if Winston had decreased the size of the collection. (They are so pointy. And without bodies. They are weird.)

2. When A. and I are gone all day it is a bit too long for Winston to entertain himself. I got home to find him digging and mighty fine hole to China, and his white hair was COVERED in mud. Belle just smiled and wagged her tail in this lovely, graceful rhythm she has when she is pleased. I am thinking she may have started the hole, and then let him get in trouble. Fantastic!

He was so damn happy I was home that he ran around the house like a lunatic, flinging mud everywhere. Belle just casually strolled in, smiling all the while.

I am thinking of tethering a tennis ball (somehow??) to the fence. I will put PVC pipe around the rope so that Winston can’t get himself wrapped up and choke himself. He is such a spazz that is a definite possibility. That should be a fun toy to keep him entertained, right? He will also have a kong outside, and maybe another ball. Maybe I will “hide” the kong with treats and he can sniff it down. Any ideas on how to help a puppy entertain himself would be appreciated.

3. Belle is starting to warm up to Winston. Sometimes I catch them curled up on the sofa together at the end of the day. Winston follows her around with the sweetest puppy dog eyes. He LOVES her. They are playing together more, and she has even been caught giving him kisses.

I think she might play with him more if we get her feeling better. She is starting to show signs of arthritis in her front legs and elbows. I hate to even admit that. I feel like I am failing her or something by just saying that. She has always been such an active and healthy girl that it is hard to see her slow down.

But, by letting myself admit she is getting older (13!) I can see to it that she feels her best. We are starting her on the usual glucosamine and chondroitine and some other pain pill. The pain pill can’t be an anti-inflammatory, however, because her liver enzymes are a bit high. So, we are starting her on some livers meds, too.

Hopefully the combo will loosen her up and make her feel better.

4.  A. got a job! It is here in town, so we are not moving anytime soon. I have mixed feelings about the job and that we are staying put for a while. The people at the company he is joining are known for loving their jobs and staying on for years. Hopefully this means it will be an atmosphere A. will enjoy. But it is not in his field. It won’t necessarily help him build skills or meet people that could eventually lead him to his field, either. I really want him to work in his field and know what it is like to enjoy going to work, you know? Plus, the work he wants to do is important and he would be so good at it.

I would still like to move. I like living here and am getting more involved with matters of the community. I volunteer on the Design Committee for our local Main Street program (LOVE. IT. I so wish I could do this for a living!). I am happy to be here long enough to see some of our projects completed.

I love the little diner downtown where A. and I have Friday dinner. We are becoming regulars, and it tickles me pink.

But I want the adventure of a new place! We have been considering Boise, ID. Though most of Idaho scares the shit out of me, Boise seems pretty great. And it has FANTASTIC fly fishing in any direction.

A. is relieved to contribute to the household income and I can’t fault him for feeling uneasy the last couple of months. (We were doing just fine, but he was still anxious.) I really liked being the sole breadwinner. I loved that A. did not have to go to a job where he was miserable for 8-9 hours a day. Man, the weight that used to be on my heart was heavier than I had realized.

I became more sympathetic toward the stereotypical 1950s husband. A. conquered a whole list of maintenance items, did most of the laundry, kept the house up and had dinner ready when I arrived home at least three nights a week. It was awesome coming home and having nothing to do but relax. It would be easy to get used to that kind of treatment. It would also be easy to take that for granted.

5. So, yeah. Things are changing. As they always do.

Happy Friday to you!

Your Name is Winston

Winston never sits still long enough for a clear picture.

Meet Winston.

Our new nine-month-old puppy.

A puppy. An Aussie puppy. Sweet geezus.

Oakley, (Winston) found his way to us after two different homes and the pound. He is only nine months old and already so many homes! He is super sweet and affectionate and trusting. I can’t believe the spirit of this little guy.

His first owner (and I mean owner, not parent) was a student at a local automotive tech school. These students are in town for 8 months and then they split, as soon as their for-profit, extortionist schooling is finished. So, already this did not bode too well for Mr. Fluffypants. He was left alone in the house constantly and received very little training. He wasn’t even housebroken completely. The story goes that Oakley managed to turn on a faucet while home alone.

He landed in the pound.

This is not a no-kill shelter. This is not a good situation in which to find yourself.

A former co-worker of A.’s, Doctor,  adopted Oakley. He and his wife are great puppy parents. They cared for him and got all the necessary shots, exams, and had him fixed. They took him to an obedience class, and loved on him. But Oakley is a busy, busy little dude. Doctor and Wife are rather quiet, very tame, sorts of people. Active, but gentle. And their little King Charles Spaniel is very timid and didn’t take to Oakley’s rambunctiousness at all.

Doctor called A. to see if we would be interested in adopting Oakley. Doctor worked with A. throughout Buster’s illness and passing. He knows how much A. loves animals. He also knew we were starting to look to add to our family.

Belle and Oakley met and seemed to get along fine. They were both tickled during our introductory walk together. We decided to go for it!

Belle is warming up nicely to him. She’s made sure he knows she is the boss around here (she’s already taught us) and is even starting to run around and play with him. YAY!

After a couple of days with us, A. and I decided that the name Oakley really didn’t feel right. While we didn’t want to give this little guy a third name, we just couldn’t live with Oakley. A.’s first suggestion was Winston, and boy if that didn’t sound just right.

Your name is Winston.

Friday Five

1. This morning has been very eventful and sad.

I walked out to my car this morning and smelled a skunk. Residual skunk smell in the early morning is not too unusual, but I still glanced around. I mean, you just do not ignore the smell of a skunk, you know?

Not 20 yards from my car there was a large (and who are we kidding - ADORABLE) fur ball of black and white.

Fantastic.

I carefully walked back to the house to warn A. not to let Belle out front. (She loves skunks.) He asked if the skunk was moving but I only noticed it lift its head. A skunk out in daylight that can hardly move. This isn't good news for anybody-- human, canine, or otherwise.

I looked ridiculous as I tiptoed to my car to make sure the little guy wasn't playing possum (ha!) and ambush me with its sure-to-be-rabid teeth. (Gaaaaah.) Nope. Still could hardly move. As I drove around our circular drive it tried to lift its tail at me, at which time I hauled ass in my little Civic. The skunk's tail was awkward and almost sideways. Something was clearly not right with this animal.

I called A. and he said he'd seen the skunk's behavior. As I continued to drive down the dirt road to the highway I saw a neighbors' two dogs running around. I hoped they wouldn't blaze over to our house.

2. My dear, sweet, sensitive A. had to start his day off by killing an animal in pain or the final throes of rabies. He loaded his shotgun, ended its life and came in the house, only to find Belle missing.

He looked everywhere. He thought maybe she got outside. Maybe he hallucinated and actually shot her, instead of the skunk. He was getting anxious, to say the least.

He finally found her, hiding under a bed at the farthest corner of the house. He is afraid she saw him kill and bury the animal and is now scared of him. Oh, my god. Our Belle, who isn't scared of a damn thing, is hiding. Maybe hiding from A. Oh, hell.

3. My heart is breaking for my little family, and for the poor skunk. What a shitty way to start the day.

4. I figured out that my favorite homemade drink, a Whiskey Sour, is 11 goddamn points in Weight Watchers. That is nearly half of my daily allowance.

Does anyone know how to make a simple syrup with fake sugar? I try to avoid the fake bullshit foods, but maybe I can make simple syrup that is half sugar and half cancer-causing fakeness. Maybe agave would work and be less points?

Suggestions, folks?

On the other side of this expensive drink issue - a fitness questions! What the hell can I do to burn off enough calories to fit in a couple of these a week?! Sprint lunges while carrying a 100-lb bar across my shoulders? What the hell. Aging sucks.

5. I've lost 20 pounds! I did not know I had 20 pounds to lose, not really. The weight crept up  over eight years or so and I still had the mental image of myself as a 25-year-old. I was always shocked by pictures of myself.  Apparently, I can be selective about reality, too, just like Fox News!

I look like myself again, and I feel great. My belly doesn't hurt and doesn't get in the way. My jawline is back! I am pleased. I have 5 more pounds to my "goal weight" but really, I am happy right now.

Happy Friday to you!

Deliberate

A.'s last day of work was just over a week ago. He's gone hunting twice, and we have some elk in the freezer. He is so much more relaxed and I don't feel like crying every Sunday evening, knowing he is about to start another miserable week at a job he loathes.

Things are good.

A. has set up a schedule for himself, similar to what is recommended for freelancers who work from home. Instead of work, though, he is job hunting, tweaking resumes, and writing cover letters. I am glad that he is only dedicating a few hours a day to this, because otherwise I think he'll get depressed and frustrated. I think having a schedule and treating it like a job will help him focus and keep things in perspective. I hope.

A. has been spending his afternoons working on household projects, decluttering, (WAHOO!!), chopping firewood and cooking me dinner. 

He has dinner ready for me when I get home from work. To a clean house. I could totally get used to this lifestyle. (He is so sweet - he tries to make dinners that won't cost me a gazillion Points. He is so awesome, you guys.)

So far the budget seems to be working out. I discontinued my (rather generous, if I do say) monthly donation to our local NPR station and gave up my locker rental at the gym. I am still making a donation to our state-wide food bank. That will be the last of any charity gifts to go. I've considered giving up my work parking pass, but finding parking nearby anytime after 7:15 a.m. is nearly impossible. Eh. We will eat out much less, maybe once or twice a month as a treat. That is ok. Why not have things in life that feel like treats, rather than entitlements?

If I find enough workout DVDs that I like, I may cancel my gym membership as well. It isn't very expensive, but it would be a few more dollars in the budget cushion.

Do you have any fitness DVDs that you like? I am waiting for a copy of "The Bar Method" to arrive. It is based on the foundations of ballet, and supposedly can tone you up like a mofo. But slender-like and not Hulk-like. I also have the "30 Day Shred" and it kicks my ass. I am nowhere near in shape enough to even attempt something like "Insanity." One of my sisters has already burned her way through that program. She is looking for something else to do - that is harder. She is my hero.

I have a few yoga DVDs that I like quite a bit, and feel covered on that front. Once/if we get some snowpack I hope to do plenty of cross country skiing, too. We can get to free trails withing a 15-minute drive from our house, so it is a pretty inexpensive and awesome workout in the winter.

Do you have any workout or money-saving tips? We do a lot of things already. We don't have a fancypants coffee daily, we cook at home, etc. I've been unplugging everything at night. EVERYTHING. It is awesome - you'd be amazed at the background noise everything makes with plugged in.

I kind of like this - it feels like a competition to see how inexpensively we can live and still be happy. Tips, please!

Ramblings

I believe I've mentioned here that A. is very unhappy in his current job. It is in a field he detests and his workplace is positively toxic. His health has suffered; he doesn’t sleep well, he has frequent headaches and his acid reflux is nearly constant. Not to mention he is very, very unhappy.

He put in his notice a month ago. Next Friday is his last day!

I am so relieved! I’ve been recommending this for months and months, but he finally saw for himself that it was a good and necessary move.

It is scary, for sure. He does not have another job lined up yet. I hope that he will find ways to stay active and remember his self worth, even if he is not earning money. I, personally, think he will contribute to our family in a wonderful way, regardless of income. Money isn’t everything. But happiness is.

I’ve been ruminating on happiness for some time. I’ve been freaking out about the role money plays in structuring our lives, and effectively stamping out happiness. Of all the distractions that cost us money, time, and happiness. Really, is an iPad or iPhone necessary? And not only that, is it necessary to improve upon models annually and for consumers to updgrade? What is upgrading, after all? The smartphones and super gadgets are all cool, and truly feats of engineering genius. I appreciate that, and don’t think innovation in and of itself is a bad thing. But most innovation just creates products we’ve been trained we need. We automatically value innovation and equal it to “progress.” Do we really even need cell phones, let alone smartphones? Not really.

It is a spiraling train of thought, and I often find it overwhelming and frightening. But I really, really want to find a way for A. and I to define our lives the way we need to in order to be happy and not to meet some standard forced upon on us and approved by the current capitalist system. It is not working, this mainstream idea of the good life. (I don’t think we are any “better” or whatnot than the mainstream, and am not interested in being contrarian just for the sake of it. I just don’t know if we can find happiness this way.)

We are going to be a one-income family for a while. For how long, we do not know. I’ve been considering things to cut back on or even eliminate entirely both to help bring some breathing room into our budget, but also to remove unnecessary distractions. I want to chuck the TV altogether, but A. really enjoys watching baseball and hockey. Of course, with the hockey players on strike that argument is currently moot. Unfortunately, I am a simpleton that cannot keep myself from getting sucked into the TV. If it is on, I am a zombie.)

I have an iPhone, and I do use it quite a bit. I will readily admit that it is fun to do all the stuff you can with it. I love having a live calendar and adore Instagram. But otherwise? I wonder if it is just a harmful distraction. I ignore A. more than I think I do, I am sure. I do not need Words with Friends or the Rachel Maddow app. (Though I looooove having access to her show - I have such a huge crush on her.)

Should I unplug? Suck it up and pay the early termination fee from Gigantic Cell Phone Company and get a pre-paid, less sexy phone? I would save $540 a year. And would hopefully quit ignoring A. Why am I so hesitant?

Thoughts?

Selflessness

We need more of this in the world. More selflessness and more caring.

I can't tell you how much I needed to hear this story about a guy moving his hummer in front of some kids in a crosswalk to keep them from being run over.