Wood or Carpet?

Mark and I have been shopping for new flooring. We settled on a do-it-yourself job, click together wood plank floating floor. I LOVE a project and was so excited, but we went to buy the floor today and Mark talked and talked to the salesman. He wanted to take shortcuts. I KNOW what a Mark-cut is! He just gets tired and jams stuff together, stands back with arms crossed, and says, "It looks okay to me!" OKAY isn't great! I want a job done right. Standing there, listening to all the stuff we'd have to do, I changed my mind. I think Mark is relieved. We are going to get the carpeting replaced in the entire house instead.

There's A Bird In The Wreath!

Sometimes in the pre-dawn hours, I will notice a tiny bat hanging from the top of the wreath. When I stepped outside around midnight last night, I noticed a little something different - a little wren! He must have had a big day, because he was all fluffed up and sleeping soundly as I snapped these pictures, closed the door, called for Robert to come see, and then he took a flash picture without disturbing him. We went to bed and left the tired little birdie alone. Aren't his little spots so pretty?

Juliet Kills A Bunny

Yorkshire Terriers were bred to kill mice in coal mines. No mice, no coal mines, but we do have a doggie door and wild bunnies in the yard! Juliet proudly brought a still-warm, but very dead baby bunny (broken neck) in the kitchen and dropped it at our feet. 'Oh what a good doggie! Thanks so much! '

This photo was taken before I flushed the tiny bunny. Juliet was on guard for more rabbits. She's fast, very very fast! Poor little bunny...

Get The Johnny Plunger!

I peeled a lot of potatoes to make mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie. We don't have potatoes often, and I didn't know you aren't supposed to put the peelings down the disposal. The disposal chopped everything up fine, and flushed it down the tube, but according to experts online, it turned into cement somewhere down the pipe. We used a plunger (which I think was a totally disgusting and unsanitary thing to do) in the kitchen sink, and - nothing. Instructions say to plug the other sink. Did that, still nothing. Mark thinks, because the dishwasher is hooked up to the disposal, there's no way to plug that, and this is why the plunger isn't working. Uh-oh. We don't have a plumber's snake and know nothing about how to undo the trap and put the snake down it. Using the other side of the sink, I was able to finish cooking dinner. Mark's sprawled out on the kitchen floor, mumbling. He has no idea what to do, so emptying everything out from under the sink, laying on the floor and cussing seems to be the right thing, or so he thinks.

RAW Meat and Bone Dog Diet

After much research, I put Juliet on a raw meat and bone diet. Last night she had her first meal; a big chicken wing drummette, including all the skin, meat, bones, and knuckle (chicken bones only splinter when cooked), along with a gizzard. We watched her the whole time, making sure she didn't choke.

At first Juliet didn't quite know what to think, and then after a taste, she took the drummette and headed to the carpet. Oh no way! Into her crate she went (which is rarely used anyway), where Juliet became the canine that she is, crunching and enjoying until every last bit was gone. It takes longer for a dog to eat raw meat and bones, and after she finished, she was tired and full, so she took a doggie nap. Concerned that she might have an upset stomach from the switch, I kept her in the crate until she asked to go out. Mark took her outside, and she did all her business. Oh good, worked out well.

Accustomed to two meals a day, this morning Juliet stood at her bowl for a while, then walked over to her crate, stepped in, and barked! Nope, no food until tonight, little girl!

According to the instructions, a dog should have abo9ut 3% of her body weight in their meat and bone dinner, which should include about 5% organ meat. She weighs 4.2 pounds, so I should give her about 2 ounces of food. I may have to increase her intake until she gets used to raw food, and I wonder if she had enough last night.

Here are some links I found useful in my decision:
http://rawfed.com/myths/intro.html
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

Julie Does Dishes

My little Juliet just adores going to the dog park. She nips and runs, looking back to entice the other little doggies to play a game of chase. Next, she heads to a dish pan water bowl, but can't reach in to drink so she leaps in. She lays on her right side, takes a drink, moves to her left side, and then she's off! Juliet likes people and thinks nothing of leaping into anybody's lap for a soggy visit. Ya gotta love her!

Last Night's Lonely Roast Beef Dinner

I cooked a wonderful roast beef dinner last night, but nobody ate. See my post in What's For Dinner?
This little Indian hit the warpath.

Water Bug

My little yorkie Juliet LOVES water. She runs down the driveway after it rains to splash in the water. At the local dog park, she lays in the dishpans they have supplied to give the poochies a cool drink, and at the Cocoa Beach dogpark, she waded in the kiddie pools. She lays down and rolls from side to side to get her whole body wet. Funny!

May Travels

Finally! After flying to PA 5/18-21 to visit my niece Karen and her family, then Chicago 5/21-25 to accompany a high school band. Once I landed in Orlando, Mark picked me up from the airport and we rode an hour to Cocoa Beach to enjoy time with my family. (Packing for three trips at once was an experience! We got home on 6/1 Monday afternoon, unpacked, did some laundry, and fell asleep (ohhh heaven - my own bed!). The next two days were spent at Bonnie's office, preparing her company for a group cruise to eastern Europe. No, I am not going.

Here is a picture of Karen's backyard garden.

This is my small school band (only 25) checking out Lake Michigan.