Squirrels

We have abundance of squirrels in our neighborhood. With the woods next to our house we get all kinds of woodland creatures in the yard. Rabbits, skunks, raccoons, white tail deer, fox, wild turkey and the evil squirrel. They torment our dog from up in the trees, they eat at our bird feeder and dig holes to bury nuts in the garden. I sort of have a love - hate relationship with them.

Today I was driving to school and was going slowly down the road, about 20 mph. While I am normally a fast driver this particular road is a route that many kids use to walk to school. So while I was driving I see on the side of the road a squirrel. This squirrel was sitting up on his hind legs waiting for me to go by. I'm getting closer and I swear it made eye contact with me. Ok, it has me in it's sights and it will stay put. Well no, it didn't. At the last minute right as I got up to it the silly thing ran out in front of me and I hit it. I'm thinking that this squirrel had a death wish and committed suicide with me as the accomplice.

On this same road I once had a cat run out and go under my truck. There were some kids that were chasing after the poor thing. Since you never know what a child will do I am almost at a stop while they are running near the street. Next thing I know the cat has run under my truck and won't come out. I have to get out and coax it out. After 3 or 4 minutes I get it to come out so I can continue on my way.

I think I need to find a different route to work.

Bands

I love many types of music. Mostly music from the 60's, 70's and 80's. From Andy William's "Moon River" to Aerosmith to Led Zepplin and who can resist KC and the Sunshine Band or Freddie Mercury of Queen. While I like a smooth vice I enjoy a raspy voice a la Janice Joplin, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, I really love southern rock and roll. I find that when I am upset, mad or sad I need to have that type LOUD. I wish I could download songs on the blog but I'm not computer friendly.





What inspired this post is that today I feel like "I've been tied to the whipping post" which is a great Allman Brothers tune. I just feel like life is kicking me in the ass. I am dealing with the emotional news of 3 people in my life dealing with life threatening illness. One is terminal. This all has happened within weeks of each other. I feel overwhelmed. What is making this so hard is that I'm usually a strong person. I'm not feeling strong now. I'm on the edge, ready to cry at a moments notice. I'm working on getting my shit together so I can help my friends. I feel guilty that I'm feeling sorry for myself when they are the ones suffering. My heart is hurting for them and there is nothing I can do for them. My young friend with the heart trouble has been flown to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and I'm not able to support our friends at this time because of location. We did shop for her tonight and will mail her a care package. It's been a long time since I was a 16 year old girl, I don't know what she would enjoy. We ended up getting her a journal, colored pens, drawing paper, colored pencils, an electronic game called 20 Questions, some notecards and stamps. We got her parents a gift card to Olive Garden so they can eat something besides hospital cafeteria food. Well I'm a mess right now but will be strong soon.

Just Rambling Today

I know I've mentioned it before but I don't understand what the fuss is about autumn. People love it. I dislike it. I don't like having to wear a coat (so I don't, sometimes not in winter either). You have to fire up the furnace and that dries out your skin. I don't like the dreary sky, the rain and the wind blowing wet leaves around. Your dog tracks in mud and leaves into the house. Right now we're past peek leaf color so things are turning brown and dying.I find it depressing. Plus our house is next to the woods so we get a lot of leaves which = lots of raking.





I'm not a total whiner, there are a few things I do like about fall. I can wear black tights again. They make my legs look shaplier and thinner. It gets dark earlier and I can get in my jammies sooner and not feel lazy. Dark outside = jammies on. Sometimes I put them on when I get home from school in the late afternoon. Why not if I'm in for the rest of the day and evening. I also like the smell of fall.


Speaking of smells...Your sense of smell is the most powerful sense you have. It brings back memories more than any other sense. I did some reseach on that several years ago. Sean and I were on a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a picturesque town in Canada and we were walking by a small restaurant. Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. The aroma eminating from this restaurant smelled exactly like my grandparent's house when we would go over for Sunday dinner and she would make a roast. I hadn't smelled that smell in over 30 years. I have cooked that same meal over the years as has my mother but it never smelled like my grandma's for some reason. I couldn't move from that spot and was almost in tears at the memory. Sean thought something was wrong. I have never smelled that smell again since then.

I found out that smell memories are stored in the hippocampus area of the brain and can be strongly triggered. I also discovered that smells can linger in your nose once the smell is gone. That explains why when my kids were in diapers I would swear I could smell stinky diapers when I was at work or away from them. The smell was stuck in my nose. The things you remember...


















A nice fall day. Did you ever notice that the sky on a sunny fall
day seems to be much bluer than in the spring and summer?
I don't know why. Maybe because its cooler and not hot, humid
and hazy.





















Bittersweet at a farm market

















These photo's are from a fossil hunting field trip that our class
took on a fine fall day. It poured the entire time, the site was
flooded and the mud...By the end of the trip my jeans were
wet up past the knees and I had picked up countless kids that
slipped. It was an adventure. I don't know if this student had
any fossils in those rocks but I made him put the dead snake
back. Told him maybe in a million years another student will
find it fossilized here. He didn't fall for that.
















My last ramble for the day is that I hate blogger. Have the time it eats my post and I can't retype it just the way I had it or it won't download photos or publishes the post any way it wants regardless of how you had it on the page. I guess that is what you get for free!

Today was a rotten day. I found out a friend of almost 15 years is again fighting cancer. This time it looks like she will not win. It's not curable but is treatable. What does that mean? Will treat you until it kills you? I am mad. She is a gentle and kind woman, a perfect first grade teacher. She has kicked cancer's ass three previous times but...

I also found out today that some friends of the family's daughter may need a heart transplant. We've gone on vacation together and taken care of each other's children. A virus has attacked her heart, if this last treatment does not work, she will need a heart transplant. She is 16 years old. Until grade 5 she and my number 2 son would have sleep overs at each other's house. That has since stopped but they see each other everyday. They met each other in the above teacher's first grade class.

I found out today when I had my nails done that Holly, the Vietnamese woman that I go to has had a curse put on her by the nanny she fired. I know this sounds funny but who am I to judge what she believes in. She is not sleeping and has lost 10 pounds on her size zero frame. This is serious enough for her to be travelling to Vietnam next week to try and have it removed.

As Monday's go, this one sucked. I will ask you to say a prayer for these friends of mine. They all need them.

My nest is half empty. Number one son is away, a junior in college. His career choice requires 6 years of college. Number two son is a junior in high school. Soon we will begin the college search again. Some parents enjoy that part. I do not. I find it stressful. Mostly because I know we can't afford their dream schools. #1 son's first choice was a 40,000 per year university with stiff competition. He applied and was accepted. We couldn't send him. He's happy with his second choice and likes the university he attends. It has a well known and successful nursing program. In less than two years our baby will be away at school, then the nest will empty of chicks but mom, dad and the dog will still be feathering it. I've been told not to fret over it, they always seem to come home to roost for a while after college. The rub is that by then you like having your house to yourself with your own schedule. We'll see.

Dancin...Dancin...Dancin!!

I can't dance. Now you might think it would be because of my bad knees but no, I've never really been able to dance. I have no rythm. I'm rythmically challenged. I can slow dance but always want to lead.


I do enjoy seeing others dance so I've been in my glory watching "So You Think You Can dance" and "Dancing with the Stars". I will even watch professional ballroom dancing competitions on PBS.

That being said, what has prompted this post is Emmitt Smith. Emmitt exudes cool. He is sauve, competititve, dedicated, light on his feet and charming. So very charming.
Not to mention, nice to look at.








I did some research on him and found he is the NFL's all time leading rusher, holds 4 rushing titles and is a three time Superbowl winner. I'm sure he had some great moves on the football field but I'm loving his moves on the dance floor.













Sexy? You bet! But wait, there's more. Emmitt attended the University of Florida for 3 years before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1990. He made a promise to his mother that he would graduate from college and during the NFL off seasons he went back to University of Florida and graduated in 1996 with a degree in Public Relations.







One thing I really love is that he is a dedicated family man. While his practice time for Dancing with the Stars is in LA, he flies home several times during the week to spend time with his wife Pat and their 4 children.


He is involved in charity work also, being one of the founding members of "Open Door Foundation" helping to change the lives of young people.










A man's smile is the first thing I check out and Emmitt does indeed have a nice one but the rest of him ain't bad either.


Sean says he has washboard abs too, they're just under a few loads of laundry.

I have a thing for rocks. There is something about them that makes me want to look at them, collect them and find something to do with them. This rock is one I found that I call the happy rock. Doesn't it look like it's smiling? Sean and the boys think it looks like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars. It has a nice spot in my garden where I can see it. We have many larger versions of this type of rock lining the backyard and down the side next to the woods. They're interesting shapes with holes and crators in them. I don't really know if they're igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary but I call them dinosaur rocks because they look like they came from the cretateous era.

On the beaches of Cape Cod I spend hours walking and looking at the beautiful stones that wash up on the beach. When the kids were little they would carry their backpacks with their towels in them. They wondered why when we left the beach the packs were so much heavier than when they arrived. Finally they figured out that I had put the stones I'd collected in them. I know, what kind of mother loads up the kids. Well, I did. I had to carry chairs, umbrella, beach toys and the cooler. Well, not really, Sean carried most of the stuff. :)

When anyone I know is going out of the country I ask them to bring me back a pretty rock. My nephew told me there are no pretty rocks in Iraq so I didn't get one from there. That's okay, I'd rather he kept his head up.

When we first moved into our house 23 years ago an older lady came down and introduced herself to me. Mrs. R as I came to call her, was a widow with no children of her own. Turns out she loved rocks too. She was originally from Nova Scotia and told me that everytime she went home she would bring back rocks with her. The custom agents would tease her about smuggling pieces of Canada out of the country. Mrs. R had one special rock that she loved. Eventually she had to go into a nursing home but she wanted me to keep that rock. She knew I understood. She passed away several years ago and I couldn't keep that rock. I took it to the funeral home and asked would they please put that rock in with her. I wanted her to have a piece of her homeland with her forever. I loved her and sometime will tell you about her.

So do I have rocks in my head? I don't know. I don't really know what it is about them that I like.

What a World

Let me say up front that this is not about male bashing. That said...why are many men so violent? Why are they so angry about life and carry that anger for years? I don't get it. Another rash of school shootings in the news really got me wondering that. Three in the past week, all done by males, two of them long past school age. And why did two of them specifically target girls? You send your children off to school thinking that they're in a safe place for a few hours and shit like this happens. In my school, elementary grades K-5 we now practice lock down procedures. Yes, lock downs in case of an intruder. When I was in grade school many years ago we practiced air raid drills. We either went into the hallway away from the windows or under our desk. The difference being it never happened for real, we were never bombed. Today these kids practice that procedure knowing that yes, it has happened to other school children. I worry for them and all the children yet to come. What kind of world will they grow up in?

Call Me Crazy

While talking with one of my favorite friends, the subject of UFO's came up. Do I believe? I was a little hesitant at first and wondered if it was a trick question. I decided I'd put myself out there and answer truthfully.

That is something that for as long as I can remember I have wondered about. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people that go overboard and think I may have been abducted, but I did have a crush on Fox Mulder for years. While he isn't classically handsome, something sexy there. Must have been his obsession with UFO's.

Anyway, as a young girl camping with my family I would watch the sky at night. I still do that now. I waffle back and forth, do I want to see something "out there" or would it scare the shit out of me. I've decided since I'm a chicken, I'd be scared.

Some people may think I'm a nut for thinking that there is life outside of our planet and you have the right to your opinion. As for me, I look at it like this; the universe is gigantic. Does anyone really know how big it is, does it go on forever? In our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are approximatly 100 billion stars. Stars that we can't even see let alone ever travel to. Our sun is a star and who's to say that any one of those other stars out there don't have a solar system orbiting around it. If you have a sun that happens to have planets along with optimal conditions such as temperature, chemisty, water and some sort of organic substance for food, well then maybe there is life. If our planet can support life why is it such a hard jump to think that others might also.

Thanks to the theories of Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei and others, we now accept that not just the Earth orbits around the sun but the other planets do as well. (Sorry Pluto to hear the news that you've been kicked out of the solar system.) So maybe other theories can be proven one day.

To think that we are the only life in the entire universe is somewhat closeminded. Whether that life is more advanced than us or primitive organisms we may never know. Or maybe we will...

How lucky are we to live in a galaxy named after a candy bar! lol

Thanks D.R.

Fall or Autumn. Whatever you call it I'm not fond of it. While I like the changing of the seasons, fall is my least favorite. When the days are crisp, cool and sunny with a beautiful blue sky, I love it...

....But when it is damp, gloomy and chilly I hate it. I find it depressing. I just want to lay on the couch under a blanket with a good book.

I know that soon the leaves will be off the trees and I will have to look at naked branches 6 months. The flowers are dieing off in my garden, spiders are prolific and I never know what to wear to work.

I don't want to give up my sandals and bare legs for shoes, stockings and tights. Maybe I need to move to a warmer climate.




There are some things that I enjoy about fall. School starts and I meet a new group of students.

It gets dark early in the evening and I can get into my jammies without feeling bad that the sun is still shining.

The new TV season starts. If you've never watched "Boston Legal" the writing is great. Try it. I also enjoy Nanny 911. Never on their worst day were my children ever as bad as the ones on that show.

Happy Birthday Baby

Twenty years ago today I became a mother for the first time. Yes, September 15, 1986 3:59 AM my number one baby was born. 8 lbs. 6 oz. One week late. Three and a half hours of pushing. And worth every agonizing second. He arrived screaming and kicking, not too happy to be in the outside world. The nurses told me that he managed to get all the babies in the nursery crying along with him. For 6 months before he was born and several years after we called him Mr. Peanut or just "P" because on the ultrasound film he looked like the character Mr. Peanut. Without the hat and monacle. Here he is just 4 minutes old, his feet are still blue. Sorry about the blood but childbirth is a messy business.




Here he is 4 months later. A happy, healthy baby. He slept through the night at 3 weeks old, hardly cried, a good eater , who could ask for more? He didn't give us any trouble until he was 3 1/2 years old. Hhhhhmmmm, that was how old he was when Number 2 baby came along. I never thought that I could love someone as much as I loved him. I would die for him. Of course I still would.














These are our two boys today. This was over the summer. On the left is Number 2 baby, the hairball. He has beautiful curls that I love. (windblown in this pic) Number 1 baby is on the right. The one with no hair. He started loosing his hair at age 17. He was devistated but is okay with it now. He shaves his head. I tell him ladies love bald men, very sexy. He has done well in his short 20 years. Took honors and AP courses in high school, is an Eagle Scout and now a junior in college, studying to be nurse practitioner which will take 6 years of school. I can't tell you how proud I am of him. Tonight he is away at school but Sean and I celebrated one of the happiest days of our lives without him. Thechocolate birthday cake was delicious. Happy Birthday Kevin!!!!!! We hit the jackpot 20 years ago. LOVE YOU! XOXO

A Lost Art

I was talking with a friend yesterday and the subject of letter writing came up. In this electronic age letter writing has become a lost art. Not many people write letters anymore and if they do, odds are they're typed rather than hand written. Think back to when you were younger and how exciting it was to get an envelope in the mail with your name on it. You could tell from the hand writing who it was from. You coudn't wait to read what they had to say and most of all you knew they liked you because they took the time to write in the first place.

My friend and I agreed that a letter is special. You can read the letter when ever you want, you can carry it around with you, somehow having a handwritten letter makes you feel closer to the sender. It's much more personal. Of course you can telephone someone and voice your thoughts but somehow seeing the words in writing means even more to me. Women especially enjoy receiving love letters. How romantic to wake up to a letter left by your pillow from your sweetheart. I am happy with a good morning e-mail though.

I am a letter writer, well I used to be one. As a child I was in Bluebirds and Campfire Girls (sort of like Brownies and Girl Scouts) and our leader somehow got the addresses of servicemen stationed in Vietnam. We became their pen pals and called them our big brothers. I can't tell you how exciting it was to get those letters from the soldiers. To see that red and blue bordered air mail envelope was wonderful. For many years I saved those letters but somehow over the last 35 years I've missplaced them. I wish I knew what I did with them. I wrote to my grandmother and cousin that lived out of state. I had a pen pal named Claire who lived in Jamaica that I exchanged letters with for years. Another friend I only saw 2 weeks a year when our families vacationed at the same place but we wrote to each other all the time. I used to write to my parents while they're wintering in Florida but now I just call. So yes, I once was a letter writer. A good one too. I miss writing them.

So drop someone a letter sometime. They will be pleasantly surprised. I think I will write my niece, 10 and nephew, 8 each a letter even though they live about 20 minutes away. Maybe I'll even stick in 5 bucks. At their age, that's still a decent amount of money. :)

September 11, 2001 - 2006

A Sad Anniversary

Monday will be a sad day for America. Five years later it is still raw for many. I don't think there is one person that has not been affected by 9/11. It was a scary time. For me seeing jet fighters fly over my city was surreal. I live 30 miles from a nuclear power plant. Even today when I see or hear a low plane coming in for a landing I think of that day.

I have watched a few TV shows recently about 9/11 and am still horrified by it. When I see the infamous footage of that plane I forget to breathe and tears flow. I have decided that is a good thing. It lets me know I'm still alive. CBS plans on airing the documentary that was filmed by French filmmakers that were following a day in the life of a probee fire fighter when they fell into history. I will watch, I feel an obligation. I feel I owe it to those people. That's just me.

What is angering me now is that The American Family Association based in Tupelo, Mississippi which touts themselves as promoting the biblical ethic of decency, has vowed to bombard the FCC with complaints if the network shows this film complete with profanity. I'm guessing they don't want to hear the word fuck. I, myself am not a user of naughty words in my average life. I very rarely heard my parents swear while growing up and working with kids I have to keep the language clean. Don't get me wrong, I do swear once in a while and when I'm really pissed off the big one flies out of my mouth. But never in a public place. I hate to hear people using the word fuck as an adjective. If their aim is to shock people or draw attention to themselves they found a way to do it. It doesn't do much for their character.

Sorry, got off topic. Back to The American Family Association. I agree with them that on network TV we don't need to hear the words that we do now such as bitch and bastard. Kids don't need to see that it's okay to use those words regularly. But... I think they're going way too far on the issue of profanity in this particular film. How morally commendable to know that these people have never spoken like that in the heat of anger, stress or fear. The men and women were there in the thick of it when hell broke loose. They were witnessing human beings raining from the sky, people choosing to take their own life to escape what was inside those buildings. They were realizing that many people were doomed in those buildings. Realizing that they were helpless to help those people. People that were mothers, fathers, children, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friends that belonged to someone. Those memories will never fade. Does The American Family Association expect them to think before they speak, "uh, oh dear, I better not say fuck, it's not Christian. This might be on tv some day and I don't want to send the wrong message or offend anyone's sensibilities". Of course not. What they were showing was raw emotion, horrifing disbelief. What those first responders and eventually the world viewed on that beautiful September morning was unthinkable. The language that The American Family Association wants so desperatly removed from this film is part of the story. I think it should be portrayed accurately, not sanitized for a righteous group of people. If you don't want to hear that, don't watch the show. The small children that you are afraid will be damaged by hearing the strong language shouldn't be watching anyway. The sights they will see are far worse than what they will hear. FYI, my children were in 5th and 10th grade at that time and I let them watch it, it was history in their lifetime. September 11th is something that will never be swept under the rug. It will rear it's ugly head to remind us over and over again of the innocence of a nation lost.

I still find it hard to believe that a group of religious (extreamists) people can justify killing innocent people for their cause. (Sort of like the groups that blow up and kill people at abortion clinics in the name of pro-life but that's another blog entry) They must be brainwashed somehow to accept this as the thing to do. They must have a tortured soul. I hope some day when they meet their maker they are told, "you got my message all wrong asshole, you weren't supposed to kill in my honor, you weren't supposed to be inhuman, cause untold suffering to others and for this you will be punished." What that punishment can be I don't know, I can't think of one that fits the crime.

I just hope that CBS doesn't cave into pressure. Show some balls and televise it the way it happened.

Two days down, 183 to go! I'm not actually counting the days until the end of the year but I do know that in 22 days we have Columbus Day off. The first day went well. We have a nice class of 20 students (low for a change) but the boy/girl ratio is off, 13 Boys and 7 girls. That's okay by me. Having 2 boys of my own I'm used to dealing with them and even though I'm a female, girls sometimes are a mystery to me. I don't remember being like that although I must have been. Girls seem to be meaner, they can socially isolate others and can be louder than boys.

My special ed students seem nice but as it often goes, the regular ed students can be more of a handfull. I know at least 2 that will push my buttons. It's harder for me to deal with that because the others have reasons as to why they do what they do or why they learn differently. I can accept that. Some kids are just, to put it bluntly; annoying. I'm not a proponate of home schooling. In my opinion every child I have met that has been home schooled is socially inept. When it's just the child and parent (or whom ever teaches you) the child has no interaction with other children. They don't seem to learn any social skills like how to be a friend to others, when not to blurt out, they think the classroom revolves around them and seem to be less mature than their peers. I will just try to give him some extra attention and help him to grow emotionally and socially. We'll see...

It's Monday

A sad day today waking up to the news of Steve Irwin's death. While his sometimes over the top exhuberance got to me once in a while, I did enjoy him. He was a passionate man, a man whose love of life and love of animals shined through. He was also a champion for the environment and animals speaking out against seal hunting and whaling. The world will miss this dedicated man. We can take solace in the fact that he died doing something he loved.

Meanwhile it's the first day of school tomorrow and I'm looking forward to meeting all of the new students. I already know we have a few "interesting" students. The teacher I work with wonders why we always get them. (She really does know why) When the regular ed teacher hears that I will be in their classroom they know there's some doozies coming their way. That's the nature of special education. Don't get me wrong, I love my job working with these students! All students whether they're regular or special education have their quirks. I work in an inclusion class of regular ed students and students that are mainstreamed into a regular class. They can be austistic, learning disabled, have ADD or ADHD or emotional issues. There is never a dull moment. This year we have a student that has had to be restrained in the past. The powers that be were thrilled that I am restraint trained (I took a 16 hour class on it) but there is no way I can restrain anyone with my knee the way it is. I hope there will be no melt downs this year. Hey a girl can dream.

High Maintenance Part II

Thanks for coming over from SST's. I was asking you about women being emotionally high maintenance...
I have to tell you that I do think that women in general are high maintenance (HM) emotionally. For the most part if a woman tells you she's not, she either lying or in denial. I do believe that as a woman ages she becomes somewhat less HM. She knows what she wants in her life, she is more patient, wiser and confident. Many younger ladies think that they should have their man's complete attention at all times or they think something is wrong or feel abandoned. That's insecurity talking. As a woman matures she is much more secure in who she is and doesn't demand that it be all about her all the time. On the same note, we don't want it to be all about you all the time. Yes, I know that women are hard to figure out but if you take the time and at least try I guarantee it's worth it. There are times when we expect you to be a mind reader and to know instinctively what to do. That's because we seem to be able to do that and we think you should too. Women are more nurturing then men, no surprise there but, now don't laugh, if you get in touch with your feminine side and think like a woman you might be surprised at the results. Here are a few tips.
1. Treat your woman with respect, ask her opinion about things. She has her own ideas and would like to be treated like she has a brain. Don't belittle her thoughts, she's an equal to you.

2. We don't mind a take charge kind of guy but don't make all the decisions. Make her part of the decision process. Don't be the master and commander all the time, consult with her. I'm not saying give into her all the time and let her run the show. That gets old too. We don't want to be in charge all the time.

3. We like to feel important to you, not like your world will end if we aren't with you every second but we like to know that our presence is enjoyed and you're glad we're with you.
We like your attention, we really do. We want to feel like you think we are the best looking lady in the room. If you've just met a woman and want to get to know her, keep your eyes on her. Don't be talking but looking over her shoulder to see what else is out there. In some relationships once you've been together you can check out others. As for me, I don't have a problem with that, go ahead and look but I know who you're going home with. If your girlfriend or wife doesn't like that, don't do it. It will save you a hassle later.

4. Most women like to be treated like a lady. Open doors for them and let them enter first. If in a crowd, reach out and take their hand, make them feel safe. This lets them know you're thinking about them. Don't just plow on through and wonder where she went.

5. Introduce us to people that come up to you that you know but we don't. There is nothing worse than standing there listening to you chat it up, ignoring us.

6. Let's face it, women are more emotional than men. When we have a bad day we may be bitchy. Ask what's wrong, sometimes we want to be left alone but here comes the tricky part. Sometimes we don't mean that! I suggest giving it one more try if she says that. If she still wants to be alone, leave her alone. If you suspect it may be something you did, go ahead and ask her. But, be prepared. That can go two ways, she may let you have it both barrels or may tell you that you should KNOW already. Can't help you much there.

Women love kind and caring men, take the time to try and figure her out. Treat her repectfully, ask her what she thinks about things, make her feel safe and secure. Don't try and make her jealous, treat her like she matters to you. If you at least do some of these things it will be worth the work. Hopefully she will treat you the same way.

Cody

I love dogs. I'm not sure how anyone can't. I'm allergic to cats but wouldn't have one if I could. A dog is loyal. A dog doesn't care how you look. A dog loves you unconditionally. Dogs are very intuitive. They seem to know when you're happy and will be happy right along with you. They know when you're sad and will try and comfort you. When you don't feel good, a dog is right with you, keeping you company in bed. In a bad mood?You can count on your dog to still want to be with you. Get mad at your dog or yell at them and they don't hold a grudge, its forgotten in a few minutes. They protect you and make you feel safe. Hhhhmmmm, I just noticed that they have a lot of qualities that you would love in a man. I think they should be refered to as woman's best friend.
This is our dog Cody. You've seen him before in a previous post where I explained how we came to get him. I've had a dogs in my life since I was 9 years old. Every dog I have seems to be my favorite.





Lucky for him and me, he's not into chewing shoes!



















This was during our last camping trip. We had never taken him before. He absolutly loved it. Notice that happy look on his face.











Cody is a true member of the family and has to be where ever we are. I don't understand why some people have a dog and leave them tied outside all the time. What kind of life is that for a dog? They should be involved with the family. I will draw the line at dogs going everywhere with you though. It's rather ridiculous seeing a dog carried around in stores and even worse on your lap when you're driving. One quick stop and that dog is crushed between you and the steering wheel not to mention if you have to make a defensive driving maneuver, you've got a dog in the way!






Cody is a beautiful dog don't you think?



















He loves his tennis ball. We figure he has some kind of bird dog in his DNA. He has what is called a dry mouth and a soft bite. Bird dogs have a dryer mouth so the bird feathers don't stick and a soft bite so they don't crush the bird when they get it for their hunting master.

Our previous dog was a border collie named Shelby. Now if you played ball with her (and she wanted to constantly) that ball would be soaked in minutes. Border collies are working dogs, they have an inbred instinct to herd animals, mostly sheep and cattle. We got her when the kids were little and she always tried to herd our youngest. She never let him make a move with out being right there at his feet. He had holes in his shirts and sometimes bruises on his arms where she would try and direct him. These dogs herd by giving little nips, never enough to break the skin but enough to let you know who's boss. We were never able to totally break her of that.

Off to School

Tomorrow we take number one son back to college. This is the third year of doing that and it is still so bittersweet for me. I hear many people say they can't wait for their kids to go back to college but I don't feel that way. I like having him home. He is a fun kid, a smart kid, a kid that you can have a conversation with whether it be about politics, current events or just about life. He has always been the serious type, worked hard, disciplined and had high expectations for himself. I keep refering to him as a kid but he's not a kid. He will turn 20 on Sept. 15. The years have just flown by. When he was just a few days old I worried that someday he will go to kindergarten, maybe have to go to war and maybe marry someone that didn't like me and would make him move 3,000 miles away. Sean thought I was crazy but mothers think this way. When he is at home I have a little more control, I know where he is most times and when he comes home late at night he has to wake me to tell me he's home. When he's away I know nothing about what he's doing. I have learned to accept that and maybe not knowing is better. It is hard to see your child grow into an adult, to not be the most important person in their life anymore and to let go. But is also nice to see what a kind and responsible adult they've grown into. He told me yesterday that he doesn't think I'll miss him when he's gone and I was sort of hurt by that. How could he think I wouldn't? I do know that he appreciates us and is greatful for what we have provided for him but I don't think he knows how much we love him. When I was a teenager I loved my parents but gave them a lot of grief. I never thought too much about their love for me. It wasn't until I moved out of the house at age 19 that I started to appreciate them more. I don't think a child understands the depth of a parents love until they have a child of their own. Then they realize how much they love that child and that they would die for that child. It then dawns on them that, wow, my parents must feel the same way about me. That's how it was for me. I tell my children every day that I love them (something I don't remember as a kid). Spend time with your children, get to know them, be as involved in their life as much as you can. It won't be long before they're off to college and on their way to adulthood. I tell them all the time, you're never too old to hug and kiss your mother. If you have the chance to do so, tell your mother you love her, don't wait for her to say those words to you, I guarantee, it will be music to her ears.