Random Thoughts Tuesday

Random Tuesday Thoughts was started by the Un-Mom .  Give her a visit!

Why does having a puppy around turn two older dogs into puppies?  The 3 of them run around and chase each other like, well, puppies!

Why do my dogs, particularly Sassy, chew the "tough" toys to bits in almost no time flat?

Why can't I get my eating under control so my workouts will do what they are supposed to?

Why can't I get caught up on laundry? or house work?  or dishes?

Why do I bother cooking when I know I'll have comments like "Is there anything I LIKE on the table?" or "Chicken again?" or "Why do we have to have this? or that?" "Why can't you make something I want to eat?" or something along those lines.  It's depressing to cook for this family.  Yet I do it every day.  Eating together as a family is supposed to lead to lower obesity rates, higher grades, less risk of doing drugs, less risk of smoking, drinking, having sex, etc. as teens, happier kids.
So why does my 3rd grader "hate his life"?  Because I cook crap he doesn't want to eat, I guess.

Why is it that I pick up all the dog toys and put them in their basket and by the next day they are all out again?

Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Ok, obviously, it's time to quit.  Have a great Tuesday.

What's in a name?

What’s in a name?  After seeing Rxbambi’s post this morning, I thought I’d look up my name too.  Fun.

Using the name I’ve had for 21 years, my stats are:

31% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 74.0% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are modestly envoweled.

In ASCII binary it is... 01000010 01100001 01110010 01100010 01100001 01110010 01100001 00100000 01001101 01100011 01000011 01110010 01100001 01100011 01101011 01100101 01101110

My personal power animal is the Kunekune Pig

This beautiful creature lives in New Zealand.  According to Wikipedia it is a small breed of domestic pig.  They are friendly and are often kept as pets.  The name means “fat and round”.  I’m not sure how I’m taking this!

My 'Numerology' number is 6. If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that I’m responsible, careful, and compassionate. A giver, I am there to support and care for the most vulnerable.  That must mean the homeless dogs I’m drawn to taking in!

The site guesstimates there are 229 Americans who go by my name.

My first name, Barbara, has a Greek origin and it means “foreigner or stranger”.

Using my maiden name, I’m well envoweled and there are over two thousand Americans with that name!  The power animal is the Chinstrap Penguin.

It’s a bit more attractive than the poor Kunekune pig.

Sassy Sunday

Ooh, it's Sunday already!  Time for Sassy Sunday.  So I was thinking about talking about my color today.  Just what color am I?  When I'm next to my lovely sister, Ginger, I look like "the black dog".  I am dark in color.  And I guess when I'm outside in the sun, I look like a black dog.  But if you actually take a minute to look at my coat, you see that I am actually several wonderful shades of brown and black.  And I do have a couple of white patches.

But since I have a lot of black in my coat, I'm a member of the Black Dog Club at the Humane Society of Missouri.  Hey, a girl has to have some social contacts, ya know.  I joined the club after hearing some really sad stuff about black dogs.  Did you know there is such a thing called the Black Dog Syndrome?  It's also called black dog bias.  Wikipedia defines it as a veterinarian and animal shelter phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter colored animals.  Apparently, black dogs are adopted in lower numbers and euthanized in higher numbers in shelters.  It also takes longer for black dogs, particularly big black dogs, to get adopted.  People are not sure of the reasons for this.  But, nonetheless, many shelters have seen this phenomenon.  There was even an MSNBC article about it.  The people at Hope Rescues, where are foster dogs (and my sister Chili) come from, say it's true.  Luckily, I was never at a shelter!

So, back to me, the main focus of this post.  In this adorable pic of me, Ginger, Spooky, and the youngest kid all in mom's bed, I look black.  And I just about disappear in this picture with Happy Gilmore, one of our foster dogs.

But Mom's getting better at taking pictures of me.

It's all about lighting.  If she gets me in some natural light, you can really see the complex color patterns in my coat.  Am I not just the most beautiful creature?  Anyway, thanks for stopping by today.  I love it!

Until next week (same bat-time, same bat-channel),
Sassy

Happy Hour Friday

Yeah!  It's Friday!  And thanks to our friend (and to some of us, our sister) Rxbambi , we have Happy Hour Friday.

So.  I'm happy it's Friday.  I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep in a little tomorrow.  But, then again, I have a puppy.

I'm happy I have a puppy.  And I'm happy that most of her pees and poops are outside.   I'll be really, really happy when they all are!

I'm happy Ginger and Sassy are liking Chili.  And that the cat seems ok with her.  And that she's learning her invisible fence line.  Seems alot of my happy this week has to do with that little booger.

I'm happy Bambi made it on the board at the gym (you'll have to visit her to see what I mean).  I can't do the challenge this month because it is 2 minutes of jump rope without stopping.  My sprained ankle wouldn't like it.

I'm happy that my ankle is only sprained.  That's what the orthopedist said.  Minor sprain.  "Minor sprain, my _ ss!"  It hurt like hell!

I'm happy that the olympics start today.  My 3rd-grader is all about watching them this year.  We're gonna hang at home tonight and watch the opening ceremonies.

I'm really happy that our little town library was voted Best Small Town Library in America!  My neighbor is the director.  Way to go Anne!


That's about it for me.  Go see Bambi and link up and tell the world what you're happy about.

Sassy Sunday

Hello, Everyone.  Sassy here.  I thought I'd give you a little peek into my world today.  If you're interested, that is. :)

Well, I'm a beautiful girl, about 5 years of age.  When my people first heard about me, before they ever saw me, they were told I was a Chihuahua mix.  They always laugh and say, "If she's got Chihuahua in her, she must have eaten one!"  Well, I don't actually know what I am.  The vet's office put "Beagle mix" on my chart.  But ya know what?  It doesn't really matter.  I'm beautiful no matter what I am.

I've been in my current pack about 4 years.  After I was weaned, a family tried me out but the dad was allergic to me.  So he gave me to his secretary but she had a Jack Russell Terrier that didn't like me at all. So she gave me to her neighbors.  They were an older couple who wanted a lap dog.  But I was just a puppy and they thought I was too much work.  Then, just a month before my current pack were scheduled to move from AL to IL, my original owner, the one whose husband was allergic to me, asked the man of my family if he'd take me.  Her daughter was very worried about all the moving around I'd done and really wanted me to have a good family.  I've been with this family ever since.

Of course you know about my sister Ginger.  We also have a cat named Spooky and a new puppy named Chili.  I don't see what all the gushing over Chili is all about.  But, whatever.

We sometimes have other dogs in the house.  We let them stay here while they wait for new homes.  It annoys me but I guess it's a good thing.  If I were homeless, I'd want a nice family to take me in.

I was thinking I'd write a little something on Sundays.  That is, if Barb will let me.
Today there is something going on called the supper bowl.  Sounds delicious.  But I bet the family won't let me have any.  They do let me have veggies and fruit when they are cutting them up.  I do love the raw veggies!

That's about it for today.  I'll check back in with you next week.  Until then, keep your tail wagging.
Sassy

Happy Hour Friday

Hey Everyone!  It's Friday, so it's time to play Happy Hour Friday with Rxbambi !  Check her out, link up, and play along.

I'm happy that I've made it a whole week without a kid home sick.

I'm happy we didn't get a snow day today (sorry, kids).

I'm happy for all the pees and poops Chili has done outside this week.  It hasn't been all of them, but we're getting there.

I'm happy for kids.  They make me crazy, but they make me happy.

I'm happy for dogs and cats.  They make me crazy, but they make me happy.

I'm happy for my husband.  He makes me crazy, but he makes me happy.

I'm happy I went for the MRI on my ankle.  I was thinking maybe it was a waste of time, but they actually saw a tear and an indication that there may have been a fracture that the x-ray didn't pick up.  So now I have an excuse to stay off my feet!  (the doc wants me to use crutches, but I don't see that happening).  Besides, I loved the 45 minute nap I took during the MRI.

I'm happy to be playing Happy Hour Friday with Rxbambi.

I'm happy I have a washer and dryer to do all the laundry, a dishwasher and sink to do all the dishes, a vacuum cleaner to pick up all the dirt and dog hair, toilets to clean, counters to declutter and wipe down, kid clutter to put away.  If I were homeless, I'd have none of it.

So, what are you happy about?  Link up and play along.

We've got our work cut out for us!

Puppies.  It's been a while since I've had a puppy.  Well, we fostered a couple.  But that was temporary and I protected myself by not letting my heart get too attached.  But this puppy, Chili, is here to stay.

She's about 5 months old.  We've had her for about 2 weeks now.  Sassy and Ginger are starting to get used to her.  Ginger is pretty accepting of new dogs in the house.  She's got a "the more the merrier" attitude about it.  Sassy, on the other hand, is much more picky about the dogs she allows to share her home.  She's never mean.  She just ignores them, sulks, and occasionally growls when they get too close to her toys or blanket.

So I realized today that I've got a lot of work ahead of me.  DUH.  Puppies are a lot of work.  She still needs work on house training.  She doesn't know her name yet.  She's getting the hang of the invisible fence but we are not to the point where I can let her out without a long lead.  She doesn't know "come" or "stay".  She's getting the hang of sit.  (with the help of lots of treats)

Do I need to take her to an obedience class?  I wonder.  I've done them before.  But the last one was for Ginger and she's going on 6 years old now.  So it's been awhile.  I can probably remember all the commands and how to teach them.  If not, there are always books and internet sites to consult.  But, the more relevant question may be "Do I need to go to a class in order to actually train her?"

I think maybe what I need to do it set up a training schedule.  Then do it.  That way Chili will learn her manners and I will save a bunch of money on dog training classes.  But I may need all of you, my bloggy friends, to check on my progress.  I always do a better job of doing things when I know someone is keeping an eye on me.  And I don't want Chili to pick up any of Ginger or Sassy's bad habits.

Bad habits?  What bad habits?

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday!