Saying yes...

Dog blogging, part II

The task of hauling around a large snout all day can be daunting. Sometimes you just need to set it down, consider your fabulousness and then, move on.

No nude dogs were injured in the photographing or writing of this post.

In case I don't make it back to the blog before the official holiday weekend starts, I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend. Tomorrow we head into the *ber* portion of the year. The ber months make up a full 1/3 of the year, but somehow seem to move at the speed of light.

Update: Per daveminnj's request, I give you *loverboy*. His ears really do look a tad low there... like he might have been embarrassed.... and although he looks divoon in those glasses, the photo does not accurately represent his chunkular-head wonderness. Nor does it show his scrunchle-bear tendencies.

Dog Blogging

Because I'm running short on time and because I'm out of nude model posts (Sorry Kathleen!! :)). I'm tossing up a photo of my pooch's paws. If he's lying on his side, he always tucks his paw around the other. This makes me smile every time. He's a big bruiser of a pooch, but something about this gesture seems so refined, almost dainty.

UC- is dog blogging better or worse than mommy blogging?

We think we're in charge. We're not

This past Thursday was a hot and sunny day. Rain was in the forecast, but it didn't seem like it was a possibility. At some point after 3, the sun was replaced with an ominous black. I was thinking of my eldest lamblet who was walking home from school. I knew she didn't have an umbrella. Then the sirens went off. I ran for the car hoping I would find her, wondering if I was stupid for leaving. She was a mere house away from home when I went out on the driveway. I hauled her and the dog into the basement when it sounded as if all hell broke loose. Not a more than 5 or so minutes later I went up to see what it was. It had not sounded like a tornado, but stuff was obviously being tossed about. The patio chairs were everywhere, the garbage cans were across the street in the neighbor's yard and trees had been beaten to pieces. Although there were tornadoes in the area, none had touched down. We had been hit with freakish, out of nowhere, 80 mph winds. The 6 inches of rain came throughout the rest of the evening.

Luckily, we were all safe. My eldest lamblet got home, Grizzled made it home many hours later on a train that was still working and was able to go across a bridge that was not yet washed out. Our youngest lamblet spent the worst portion of the storm on school lockdown. After she was finally released she was driven home, along with many other freaked out kids, by a bus driver that had to improvise his route due to the fact that nearly every street was blocked. He got her here though. He looked as if he had seen the face of God.

Again, we were very lucky. We were only without electricity for 20 some hours. Many around us still don't have it. Our cable, phones and internet were back up after about 40. The lamblets and I drove around a little bit on Friday since school was closed. Grizzled had gone out earlier in the morning and reported that tree debris was everywhere. You could not look down a street without seeing massive tree debris or entire uprooted trees. I thought he was exaggerating. He was not. Almost every street I went down looked like it was lined with lovely hedgerows, the hedgerows being 5 ft piles of limbs, leaves, etc. The streets were all covered with wood splinters. It looked like a mulching truck had been driving around with it's back gate open. It was amazing. I've seen tornado damage, I've seen storm damage, but I have never seen so much tree damage... block after block for a couple of miles in any direction of severely damaged trees.

I keep stressing how lucky we were. Unlike many others who experience damage from storms, my family sprang back fairly fast. The day or two though without power, a connection to the outside world, no use of gas stations or stores, was a reminder of how fragile our daily framework is and how so much of our comfort is just smoke and mirrors.

Ho-ly crap

I'm back. We were very, very fortunate. I'll write more about it later. In the meantime.

I just remembered

As I was driving home from cricket shopping yesterday, I was behind a large truck with some kind of Dr. Seuss looking contraption on it. And the name on the truck? In big, glittery, flamboyant letters...

Putzmeister.

Yes, Putzmeister.

After further research, Putzmeister is the manufacturer of concrete placing equipment. Putzmeister, as they say, is more than equipment. Well, I should say so. It sounds like they're Mr. Equipment.Yes, I know, putz can mean grout or plaster, but how many people think of that when they hear putz???

Another company name I can't believe someone honestly uses... Ridgid Tool.

The 2am thunderstorms have GOT to stop!

I was snapped out of my blissful sleep in the wee hours by yet another "raising the dead" thunderstorm. We've been having them consistently for about a week+. I can't take much more. I usually love a good thunderstorm and even love sleeping to them, but these... these are of a different caliber. These are not the mellow, rumbling storms, these are the gun shots beside your head storms. These are the storms that threaten to waken you with a heart attack.

I awoke around 2 AM to the sound of something LOUD only to notice the dog was standing on the bed right next to me. I then looked out the window and noticed the view was clear. Didn't there used to be a big maple out there?? Oh! It's back, it's just bending like a palm in the wind.

Around 4 AM there was the unmistakable noise of thunder followed by all power going off. In the calm of the house I heard Grizzled say, "The electricity is out and it's the first day of school. This ought to be interesting." I drifted back to sleep around 5 only to have Grizzled wake me at 6 and tell me he had gone out and bought coffee. It was waiting for me downstairs. He also removed the large branch that was blocking the neighbor's driveway and had called ComEd to report the outage. He's a good man.

It's sunny right now... sunny and extremely humid. There are storms in the forecast for tonight. There are storms in the forecast for the rest of the week. I just hope some come during the day. I can't take much more of being awakened like that in the middle of the night. It's taking its toll. I seem to be developing two lovely streaks of gray up the sides of my forehead.

School starts tomorrow...

School starts tomorrow. I'm still trying to figure out where the summer went. Although looking back, we had summer, it just wasn't the summer I was used to, or the summer I needed, but for better or worse, it was summer. I'm hoping for some mellow months weather-wise before we travel headlong back into winter.

Last night was my oldest lamblet's orientation for middle school. She's excited. She feels she's finally going to be taking *real* classes. Something about a separate room and teacher for each class lends to their credibility. She nearly exploded with glee when she saw her science room and the lab tables!

Orientation was blessedly short. There were hundreds of people packed into a steamy gymnasium. The principal kept it to a brief 10-15 minutes and then let the people roam. The real point of the evening was to let the kids run through their schedules and see where their classes were. It was also to let the parents know what their children would be going through and while I appreciate the sentiment, I can't help, but wonder, did not most of us go through middle school and high school? I don't mind easing my child's way through transitions, but I kept wondering why so much is set up to let the parents know what school is like. I went through school. I remember school. I'm hip to the fact that you have approximately 5 minutes to get from one class to the next and somehow, you miraculously do it even though your classes may be a building apart and you have to pee on top of it. I know that. I want my child to learn that. And yet there were the parents who were giggling and saying how hard it was and how would their children do it?!?!

This reminded me of a mother I know who is still very much a part of her child's school experience. Aside from spending a lot of time each day hanging out at school, she often meets her child to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria or to take him out to lunch. She's pretty much done this since he started school. He's now going into the 7th grade. He has no extenuating circumstances that demand her presence. She merely states that she doesn't want to miss out on his school experience which leads me to the question, is it not HIS school experience? I love my lamblets and will do most anything for them, but plopping down at their lunch table so I don't miss their school experience is not on my list or theirs. I can help, I can ease, but this experience is theirs. They need to wade in and navigate a certain amount of it on their own.

So yes, tomorrow starts another school year. My eldest lamblet will be in middle school which happens to be close enough to our house so she can walk (no more stinky bus!!!). My youngest lamblet will now have her school to herself and will be able to chart her own path and not feel pressured to follow the path of her older sister.

Tomorrow is the start of school and while I am in so many ways ready for this summer to be over, I can't help but wonder where it went.

Older, but not necessarily wiser

From the Chicago Trib:

Today's Birthday (Aug. 20). At various times in your life, you've let money slip through your fingers. That's not likely to happen this year. You'll keep track of every cent, and that's good.

Yes, I think I've kept track of ever cent that's slipped through my fingers... I think the point is to keep track of it before it slips.

Pie-fest with Claire

After months of trying to coordinate schedules, Claire and I finally met up for some chat and some pie!!! Unfortunately, my oven went woof during this morning's baking so I was less than happy with the outcome, but we still ate it!!! For the record, I made a peach and a modified Bumbleberry. I only used blueberries and raspberries.

Pie, however, soon became secondary in importance, because we got to truly *meet* Claire! I have to admit, I stared at her for awhile, cocking my head this way and that... was this person really in my living room? Yes she was and she was awesome. I had invited a couple of old Chicago friends to join us as well and I don't think there was ever a moment of awkward silence.

Claire, thank you for hauling yourself all the way out to the suburbs especially while you're getting ready for a move. It was wonderful to meet you. My lambets think you are great (as do we all) and my youngest is still carrying around a photo of you from your Polaroid. Claire was gracious enough to bring a pack of film and let my lamblets take the pictures.

I'm glad we finally got a chance to meet, but am sorry we got to see so little of you before you move back to Ohio. It sounds though like you are on to wonderful things. I only wish I were as together as you when I was your age!

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Your card's in the mail, but in the meantime...