Charlie

This is Charlie. He's about a year old, and was a stray. He will need some filling out when he gets over all the excitement he's had in his life the past few weeks. We just brought him home Saturday morning from "The Dog Pound," which is an animal rescue organization about a two hour drive north of us. Charlie did not like the long drive home, but he's a very good and patient dog. He's a Husky, at the very least mostly Husky. I'm not sure about that long, slim muzzle and narrow skull. I had a Husky before who had beautiful black and white markings. She died last June (2007) of cancer. I've missed her so much. I hope Charlie and my cats can come to the same agreement that Suky (my other Husky) had with them. We're working on it. So far, so good. During the adjustment phase, I'm keeping Charlie very close to me. He sleeps in the basement so the cats can have the run of the house upstairs, but during the day Charlie is with me. I walk him three times a day, morning, mid-day, and evening. Those walks are either going to save me or kill me. My muscles are so sore and stiff! Charlie is a good dog, and always looks over his shoulder when he senses me lagging back and matches his pace to mine, but my triceps, glutes, quadraceps, and obliques are so sore. I'm tired, too. And stiff. I'd already been taking 30 minute walks several times a week, but those walks can't hold a candle to walking Charlie! We've been to the river, to the neighbors (he and neighbor American Bull "Drake" are going to be great friends), and into the forest. He loves it. Actually, I can't wait until he can be let loose to explore on his own. I guess it will be at least a couple of weeks. I have to make sure he understands that my cats are part of his "pack," and I'm the "alpha female," and my hubby is the "alpha male." So far he's understanding this.

This is Suky who died last June.

Mice in the corn.

Look what's getting into my chicken feed every night. These two mice manage to squeeze themselves into a heavy, plastic can that has a tight fitting lid. I don't know how they do it, but each morning they're there. I feed my chickens a mixture of corn, sunflower seeds, millet, oats, and some other grain I can't remember what it is. They seem to be very happy, chubby mice. Midnight, my black cat, likes to come up with me in the morning to let the chickens out, and she has fun in the storage shed when I release the mice from their imprisonment. She hasn't managed to catch them, though. I'll have to figure out a way to keep the mice from getting into the grain.

Five Things

I cribbed this from Muttonings. Nice blog. You should visit it.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Recovering from Graves' Disease.
2. Preparing to attend, against everybody's advice because I was so ill, my second daughter's graduation from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
3. Battling with the local public school. Don't ask.
4. Getting to know a new dog that wandered into our yard and became part of the family. (Suky)
5. Debating whether or not I should let my teaching certificate expire. (I let it expire.)


Five things on my To Do List today:

1. Laundry
2. Read "The Valley of Fear" (Sherlock Holmes)
3. Clean bathrooms.
4. Form and bake some clay "vomitaria" and hearts for my husband's Sandtray group.
5. Read the recent "Cook's Illustrated" magazine section on fish this month and maybe try out their poached fish recipe.


Five snacks I enjoy:

1. Veggie crackers.
2. Semi-sweet chocolate.
3. Fruit
4. Raw veggies and dip
5. Cookies


Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Make an appointment with my CPA and lay out a plan to keep the tax man from getting most of it.
2. Invest about 60% of it and form trusts from the interest/dividend income in the name of my children, grandchildren, a couple of monasteries, and a trust to handle my and my husband's medical care in our old age.
3. Blow some of it on completely re-doing the inside of my home--new paint, draperies, furniture, carpet in bedrooms, wood floors everywhere else, clean out and finish the basement. Hire a couple of people to keep the yard up and the house cleaned.
4. Buy a property that had a home with a smaller cottage also on the property, put enough money in a savings account to pay the taxes on the place for five years, and give it to a young friend who is really sacrificing to keep a roof over his mother's head--to the detriment of his own personal development.
5. Take that remaining bit, about 25% or so, and invest it and hope to live off of that for our retirement.


Five places I have visited:

1. Navarre Beach.
2. Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
3. New London, CT
4. San Francisco, CA.
5. Mt. Shasta, CA


Five jobs I have had:

1. Mail clerk
2. Shipping clerk
3. Private Secretary (That would be called an executive secretary today.)
4. Substitute teacher
5. High School teacher