adventures in animal control

Today this sweet puppy,

and this sweet puppy,


found a neighbor's cat in the backyard. Lucy (brown dog) was on the right side of the fence and attacked the cat while Phoebe and another random dog from the neighborhood barked their heads off. I managed to get Lucy into the house and scare away the stray dog, but the cat, while breathing, wouldn't move. And I am scared of cats and I actually didn't know who the cat belonged to. It had no collar, and I knew it was hurt, but I was not about to get close enough to help it. Not knowing what else to do, I called animal control.

About ten minutes later a neighbor came outside and I was talking to her about all the dogs barking and she recognized the cat as Almond, belonging to a neighbor from across the street. So we called the neighbor and their teenage kids came over and collected the cat, right as animal control showed up. I told the woman about the random dog and she was going to look for it too.

I was actually surprised that Lucy would actually physically go after the cat since she is such a scaredy cat (no pun intended.) If Phoebe had been on the correct side of the fence, that cat would have been in much more trouble, since she is quite the hunter. That poor cat might not have made it. I felt bad about calling animal control, since although I am scared of cats, I don't really like to think about them putting an animal down. But I thought it would be better for the cat to be put down in a humane way than limp off and die under a bush somewhere. Hopefully, our neighbors took it to the vet and had it checked out. And hopefully, they will also put a collar on it.

Of course, all this happened first thing this morning when I was still in shorts and a tank top, no bra. I managed to quickly brush my teeth and put on a bra before talking to my neighbor and before animal control showed up. Oh, and when I called my husband to tell him what was going on, he asked me what kind of noise the cat was making, so I imitated it for him. He laughed so hard that he was about crying on the other end of the phone. It was so supportive (not.) He was in his office with a couple of other people and as he was relaying the story about me outside trying to get the dog off the cat and help the cat and that I had no bra on and I was scared of the cat, he was dying with laughter. Not about the cat being hurt, but about how I was describing it.

Ahhh, my life just never is normal, isn't it?

job situation stuff and shenanigans

Don't have time to say much right now, but there is job stuff going on. My position at the school is up in the air right now, but I seem to be okay with it. I want to follow where the Lord leads and know that his hand is upon my life.

Please pray that with whatever happens I will know the peace and comfort of the Lord. If he chooses to end my tenure here at this school, pray that he will open a door somewhere else.

I want to walk in his will, and I have been calm about all this so far, and maybe a little frustrated with how it has been handled, but I have not broken down and cried, which is my usual response to stress. Thank God that my husband handled the news well, and we had a great talk about what might come next.

*** Hey, maybe my job could be ending/changing because there's a baby right around the corner!!! Wouldn't that be awesome?

uncomfortable, very uncomfortable

So today was an odd day in the life of Sissy. You know how you have those days where you can choose the right thing or the wrong thing? Today was such a day for one of my co-workers at Michaels and she chose the wrong thing. I think I told you before that I count the money each day and drop off the deposit at the bank. The first thing I do each morning is count the safe, and it was very, very off today. My morning spiraled down from there. It ended with me having to call our store manager and report the loss, and ask him to come in hours early to handle it.

It isn't easy to be the one that handles the money and there are plenty of checks and balances in place to protect both me and the store. And though I can't say much more about the situation, it was just one of those times when I wish I could spin the clock back several days and whisper encouragement to this co-worker.

It's so hard to take back some of the things we do, the choices we make, the words that spit out of our mouths, the faces we make or the comments we type. There are times when the world is just too much and the composure we strive so hard for slips from our grasp. These are the times when we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us and speak for us and work through us. These are the times when my own spirit needs to be broken down and His spirit in me needs to be lifted up. I don't want to regret the words that fly from my lips; I want to be proud of them.

No more "open mouth, insert foot" (or paw, as the picture implies) but the grace to speak words of truth. There was nothing I could do today, nothing I could say that would make the situation better, but I think I handled myself well. It was an awkward situation and uncomfortable, but it could have been much, much worse.

I'm glad to go to bed tonight and leave this day behind, to start a new one with a fresh outlook and balanced safe. Good night, my darling bloggy friends. Sleep well.

my nemesis

Our yard is a constant work in progress, and has been since we moved here. The one thing that seems to grow well in our yard are hostas, and I love to photograph the blooms. I can admit it, the lavender flowers make me happy.

What does not make me happy are these berries. Yes, they are pretty, but the tree in question hangs over my driveway and the berries fall this time of year. It is quite a pain because we step all over them and get the stains on our shoes and in the house. The dark blue/purple stains aren't easy to get out of the carpet.


Luckily this is just a once a year thing and it is over in a couple of weeks. My husband threatens every year to chop it down or at least trim the branches over the driveway. The year we had the hailstorm was wonderful, because while it damaged the roof, it knocked all the berries out of the tree. So we had to get the roof reshingled...but we didn't have to deal with the berries that year. Oh, for a hailstorm.

Yes, I'm complaining. There isn't much else to report around here. Life is moving forward a day at a time and I'm enjoying the days I have to rest.

Any annoying things in your yard?

trying to take family photos

So on Saturday we went down to my in-law's house to celebrate Father's Day, and I thought, "why not take a family photo?" I thought this would be a great time to get a nice family shot since all the kids would be there, too.

Well, the plan was for all the kids to meet at the house at 5pm, with Charlie's mom and dad (Tim) arriving at 5:30 for a surprise cookout. The kids had decided to celebrate Father's Day and Tim's birthday in one fell swoop, getting him a present that was really cool (a mac computer.) When Tim and Judy arrived, everyone started running into the living room, corralling the kids. Payden chose this moment to start screaming bloody murder about something and so when Tim came in, there was a weak "surprise!" drowned out by the screaming! Oh my. It was so funny.

Then came picture time.

Me: Okay, we're going to go out into the yard and take a picture.

Everyone else: Where?

Me: Out into the yard. Let's go.

Charlie: Chester, come here (the puppy). Where do you want us to stand?

Me: Right there.

Charlie: Let's get this over with, it's hot.

Notice, no one really paying attention to me. Charlie put down the dog and picked up a runaway child with a balloon. Oh, did I forget to mention that everyone brought a dog with them? So we had a full grown doberman Jake, our lab Lucy, great dane puppy but lab sized dog Evie, lab puppy Chester and the dachshound Ginger. All running around. Well, Ginger ran and hid under the bed, but the other four were running everywhere. With screaming children chasing them or running from them.

Me: Why don't we bring over that little lawn chair?

Someone: Which one?

Me: The little one, for the kids. Does anyone mind sitting on the grass?

Chad: I won't sit on the ground.

Me: Where is Craig going?

Someone: To get something from the house.

Me: Jessica and Steven, will you sit on the grass?

Jessica: Sure.

All the kids running around and dogs wrestling. The kids are playing with balloons and holding them out to puppy Chester, who is biting them and popping them and the kids are crying.

Jessica: I'm going to go get another balloon.

Chad: It's hot.

Charlie: Chester, Evie, stop!

Kids: Wannnnahhahhh!

Me: Tim and Judy, you stand there. Charlie, why are you moving?

Charlie: I thought I would stand on this side?

So I managed to take three pictures after a ten minute set up. This is the best one, with almost everyone looking in the right direction. So I said that we were done and then no one moved. They were all hot and sweaty and no one wanted to sit on the ground, but after three pictures they said no more, but NO ONE MOVED!

Me: You can get up now.

Them: We're comfortable on the ground.

Me: I thought you were hot.

Them: (all talking to each other and ignoring me.)

Me: I'm going into the house. It's hot.

And they still all stayed out there for several more minutes, when I walked into the house and took apart my tripod. It was funny. I could have taken probably five more shots with everyone just sitting there, but I didn't want to push it. I didn't really get the best shots, but good enough to at least put in a frame.

It was such a fun family time! LOL. Charlie and I laughed later at how chaotic the whole thing was with nine adults, three two year olds, five dogs and six balloons. Someone commented at one point that this family needed our own reality show.

We do, we really do.

my treat today

Since Wendy's was fundraising for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, that was where my mom and I decided to go for lunch today. For each Frosty purchased, money was donated to that worthy cause and I wanted to do my part to support it.

I have had a few moments of tears today, because I miss my own dad, who died in 1997 when I was 20. Each Father's Day is difficult, but I did think I would get to celebrate my husband as a father this year, but that wasn't how it worked out.

This is the last good picture I have of my dad and I, taken about 6 months before he died. We went to a wedding (for my cousin Jen) and she did a neat thing where the guests were all photographed as they came in and the pictures were put in a guest book. A friend happened to be standing there and also snapped a picture, and framed it for me later after he was gone. It is a great treasure.

Ironically, or coincidentally, my dad loved Wendy's so the fact that we ate there today was honoring him as well as helping raise money. My mom and I laughed as several Paul Simon songs came on in the restaurant, one of his favorite singers. It is hard to be without him today, but I know that one of these days, Father's Day won't bother me so much.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the chaos that was the BBQ at my in-laws house. OMG, it was a hectic good time! Right now I need a nap.

in no particular order

Today I sat down and spent some time deleting photos from my hard drive. I take tons and tons of photos and I never know exactly what I'll need until the time I sit down to blog or print some out for someone. That little 2 inch screen on the back of the camera doesn't give you much detail, and yes, I know I can zoom in, but who wants to do that each picture?

So, anyway, here are some pictures from my files. In no particular order.

1. Wallpaper from kitchen that was original to the house. Ugly 70s wallpaper that matched the yellowy green linoleum. Yikes.


2. Hail from a random, freaky, early June hailstorm last year. It was huge and spiky and ruined our nice grill cover. Which we still haven't replaced.


3. Mad scientists from the Fall Festival.


4. Paint swatches from the dilemma over what color to paint the living room and dining room. The one we chose is on the left-most swatch.


5. My new favorite cookie. Discovered at the store and savored over many weeks.

Enough fun for you? Don't you just love a random post filled with no information whatsoever? I guess you could say you maybe got to know me better, but who really knows?

Oh, Wendy's is fundraising for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption this weekend. Stop in and buy a Frosty and they will donate to the foundation. An easy way to help out a worthy cause.

welcome to my nook

You all know I'm a librarian, but you may not know I'm not trained as one. I actually have a degree in Art Education, but I love books. I love books. I love the escape, the imagination, the characters, good dialogue and a bit of sarcasm. I love to read.

The only problem is the space books take up in my house. I have one bookshelf and it is full, so books pile up in other places: the ottoman, my nightstand, the counter, the sofa table. It drives my husband crazy.

So we researched and read up and looked around and bought a nook, the Barnes and Noble version of an e-reader. I brought it home and plugged it up and started reading later that night, with one of the free books that BN had to offer. It is a little strange not to be flipping pages or smelling the familiar scent of printing paper, but I have three books loaded, plus the complete works of Jane Austen (because an eligible man in possession of fortune must be in want of a wife.) LOL.

Not that I'll be completely giving up books entirely, because it would not be smart to take my nook into the bath, which is one of my favorite places to read. It will just hopefully be a way to let me travel without taking eight books in my suitcase.

And because it's a gadget, my husband was okay with the purchase. He would have rather had an iPad, but then I would never had gotten to actually use it as he would have been playing with it waaay too much.

Did I mention that the AC went out in the middle of the night? I woke up and was so hot, but just thought the thermostat was set too high, so I adjusted it. And took off my pajamas and went back to bed. Charlie was tossing and turning too, so I knew he was hot. When he got up this morning, he came back to the bedroom to report that the AC was off and that he was trying to call our repairman. Of course, the repairman, the lovely Justin from church, happens to be getting married this weekend and was leaving town today. So now I have all the windows open and the fans on and am listening to the birds and sounds of the neighborhood.

Oh, I did make some brownies yesterday and go to the grocery store, then went to my mom's for dinner and helped her make peanut butter fudge (which is just about the easiest recipe ever.) We talked Bachelorette and crazy tattoo Kasey and how many men kissed sick Ali.

Okay, enough updates.

puppy kisses

Just wanted to share some kisses from Phoebe! She is one of the kissiest dogs I've ever met, is sometimes stubborn, and oftentimes disobedient, but sooooo lovable. We adopted her at about a year and a half and the rescue place said she'd been abused. She does flinch if you raise a hand to her, even if it's only to pat her head. She's gotten better about that, though.



They told us she would probably be very kissy since she'd been abused and would constantly be trying to tell us how thankful she is to be in a nice home. We thought it might wear off, but it hasn't. She continues to be a very affectionate dog. When we have a baby, I bet Phoebe will keep his/her hands clean! LOL.

Phoebe is a loner, until she decides she wants attention. When she wants to be with you, she jumps on your lap like she's a tiny puppy and cuddles up to you and gives you kisses. And, being part husky, there is a pile of hair on my floor like you wouldn't believe. Wait, I think I have a picture of last time we brushed her.


She is very pleased to meet you all and wishes you could pet her through the screen! But don't wear any dark colors around her, unless you want hair all over you.

what I crave

I'm craving some of my own special recipe lasagna, but am so not up to making it. Well, I also don't have most of the ingredients either, so that would put a wrench in the plans. And I love garlic bread, so that sounds good right now, too. The best I could do tonight was macaroni and cheese from a box, but it was tasty.

What is your favorite meal to crave? I love lasagna or steak or fettucini alfredo or a good baked potato. Yum. I could also make a meal out of buttered popcorn.

last days of school

On Monday we said goodbye to the 2009-2010 school year, and it was certainly a year filled with changes. A good year, though.

Our summer reading program runs every summer and each year we buy t-shirts for the staff. This year we chose tie-dye! This was also the first year that I managed to corral everyone for a staff picture, because that hasn't happened in the four years I've worked there. I'm seated down front.

We also had field day the last week. One of the stations was a challenge where the kids had a bucket of water and sponges, and the teacher had a water gun. Two kids run up to the teacher at a time and get her wet, while she sprays them with the gun. Fun, huh?


It was a really great last week of school and I had my camera with me constantly. There are hundreds of pictures filling up my hard drive right now, and I know I will need to go back and delete some, but they are so fun to watch in slide show form!

Goodbye school, Hello Summer!~

welcome to crazy

So I took a big bag of jawbreakers that were leftover at school and have been enjoying them while watching tv episodes on Netflix. (I'm watching Lie to Me, Leverage, Monarch of the Glen, and random movies.)

So, here's the crazy. I went to go reach for a yellow one, and then told myself, "No, I can't have a yellow one yet." Because there are only two yellow ones left and I want to save them for later, since I have more red and green ones.

It's a need to balance, I guess. I mean, I like the yellow and green ones best, but I want to spread them around and not eat them all at once.

And yes, I photographed the crazy.

Cause I thought that you all would enjoy the crazy. Well, it may be something you do too, but it isn't something I consciously think about.

ahhh, summer

We planted trees about a month ago, one of them called a serviceberry, which I had never heard of before. It has pretty leaves though, and these really interestingly colored berries that birds are supposed to like. This post is mostly an excuse to show these pictures and check in and say hello.

It's not that big of a tree yet, but it is supposed to bloom with white flowers.

Also, school's out for the summer, so I am going to get to sleep in Wednesday and Thursday, before I start my part-time job on Friday. I'll be counting money at Michael's Arts and Crafts, and doing some bookkeeping.

So, tomorrow I'll be sleeping in, eating lunch out, and playing with my doggies. Ahh, summer.

only an IFer...

I was driving down the street the other day and had to stop at a red light. There was a semi cab in the lane next to me, and look what was spray painted on the mud flaps!

I have no idea what it means to them, but I, of course, immediately thought of "trying to conceive." I thought, I need to blog about this, but it would be more fun with a picture. Then I realized that I had my camera in the front seat and the light was still red. In a hurry, I grabbed it and snapped a picture!

Just a funny thing that happened. Wanted to share. (Anyone actually know what it means? Is there some trucking code that I don't know?)

exhibit A

Be still my heart....

Enough said.

the sun has come out...

Well, summer has arrived here in North Carolina and summer has brought the heat with it. Now, I don't mind hot, if I can be dressed appropriately, wearing shorts and tank-tops and flip-flops. But this last week of school means I'm outside with kids in the heat of the day, wearing professional dress clothes. And when the temperature inside is set by men who like it COLD, I tend to wear long sleeves for inside and then sweat outside with pushed up sleeves.

A couple Saturdays ago I sat out in the backyard reading a book, and since we have no shade in our backyard, I was so thankful for our red umbrella. Mind you, it's only red underneath, because the sun has completely bleached the top! But look at that sky! The blue is beautiful and there were no clouds. It was a perfect Saturday.

I'm ready for vacation and free time and more mornings out under the umbrella with my books. My husband and I are considering a Kindle, or some such other device, so that I might read books and not have tons of them lying around.

The end of school means that there should be some answers on the job situation. I haven't known the status of my job all year, with not knowing whether I'll be back next year or in what capacity. It's looking good though, but I might only be able to return part time, which would be okay if we got a baby. That would be a perfect situation, because I would be able to keep my health insurance, which is really awesome. I had a talk with the principal today and he hasn't really made any decisions yet. There are a ton of options with staffing and there are some other open positions that he is focusing on first.

I know I haven't been around this past week as I was performing inventory this weekend and that means scanning 10,000 books in the library. It took me Friday night, all day Saturday and several hours on Sunday. I turned on the tv in the library and watched movies and West Wing on DVD. Luckily we had Monday off, so I was able to have a break and Charlie and I spent the day together, eating bad sausage and alternating time in the bathroom. Seriously. It was a nice day to have together, but too bad we both ended up sick.

We had to have the AC fixed in my car last week, and it was just in time for all this heat. I drive a white 1997 Honda Civic and haven't had many problems with it, and I was realizing something about it. I bought that car in 2000 and it is now 2010, so ten years, right? And I paid it off in five years and am so proud of that accomplishment. I know eventually we will move up to a minivan or something bigger, but for now I love my Civic. It fits me well and has enough space for now.

Enough random stuff for you? Just wanted to keep you updated.

Did I tell you I have a big crush on Robert Downey, Jr? Yes, I do. I have now seen Iron Man 2, twice. Yum is all I have to say. Do you have any celebrity crushes? I want to know.