Scruffy, First Kiss of 2013 - Photo Friday

Sometimes I just want to sit with my dogs.

I have three.

I grew up wishing for a German Shepherd.

However, during childhood, I had two small dogs who were mysteriously transported to a great big farm where they had "plenty of room to run" instead of biting the neighbor lady during her walk. 

When I was married and my girls were toddlers I had a Cocker Spaniel who died from eating an entire bin of diapers.  It was tragic.

I still wanted a dog.

After much research discovering the best breed for families, I acquired a Greyhound from the local rescue.  We named him "Relay" which I thought was clever.  He cleverly bit my younger daughter on the forehead and went back to the rescue.  Too bad.  He made me very popular at the dog park.

A few years passed.  Well, maybe only half of one.  I still wanted a dog.

I wanted the girls to not be afraid of dogs and took them to the shelter to pick one out.  

We looked at a German Sherpherd, my childhood dream.  He was too big and reminded my girls of the harrowing event of forehead biting.

We looked at a Cocker Spaniel, but he reminded me of the mournful event of diaper eating.

We spied an older Chihuahua mix cowered in a corner.  When we got near to her she slowly approached and sat calmly as the girls took turns to pet her.  Her name was "Tina".

She became ours.  All was well.

A few years passed, I got a divorce and moved my girls and Tina across the country.  As we were settling in, I was sad.  I didn't know if it was due to the end of my marriage or knowing I would probably never have another baby, but I was full of it.  Grief.  

We were at our new local pet store getting food for Tina and we saw him.  A tiny Chihuahua.  He came home with the food and we named him Frodo.  The grief began to diminish.

Two months later, while getting food for Tina AND Frodo, I heard my girls say, "Oh Mommy, isn't he so cute?"  

He was a cute ball of fluff and he was half off.  Another Chihuahua, one with long hair, entered our lives.  We named him Scruffy.  The grief continued to fade.

This is Scruffy pictured yesterday at six years of age: 

I may never have a German Shepherd, but that's OK.  Scruffy gives the best kisses.  In fact, he was my first kiss of 2013, followed by Tina and then Frodo.

Why?

Because sometimes I just want to sit with my dogs.

The Breath of Life

I feel I have been absent as of late, not just from Sperk*, but from something indefinable.  However, I won’t bore you with examination of the vague and give only the concrete.  Certainly there has been movement.  After months of a plague of depression, there has been forward progression even amid costly inconveniences:  Scruffy had his tail amputated after nearly chewing it off, the main drain to the house was clogged and filling the basement with feces, and my front tooth composite finally crumbled after many months of gingerly eating and cementing it with toothpaste during the night.  These were all financial setbacks, indeed, and at the most inopportune time of the year, the holidays.

The girls are well.  My tween who is emerging into a teen is quite gorgeous, like a sprouting tree in the spring, in her entirety, not just in her outward beauty.  My teen of 14 years is a constant mystery and deliverer of stress, but I’m learning to take it in stride with less seriousness and worry.  And last week, I finally put my year old degree to use and gained employment.  I’ll be caring for little ones full time.  It is funny that caring for small humans, during the most significant juncture of human development, pays the least in the field of education.  It is my opinion that early educators should be paid on the scale of professors.  And we should be required to have the same amount of education as college level instructors.  However, if that were the case, I wouldn't have my current employment, right?

The clock says 6:31 am, so I must wake the girls.  Here’s to coffee, cool autumn mornings, and the breath of life that keeps us going.

photo credit: Muffet via photopin cc

Five Places to Make Home

Living in a typical American town, I imagine I have typical items in my home.  I have a couch, a few chairs, and a table where my family gathers for meals, kitchen appliances and electronics.  For today’s Monday Listicles, which has the theme of 10 Things in My Home, I wonder what I can share that will be of interest? I do have dogs, but that’s not unusual.  There are tidy spots and spaces that are disasters.  Typical, typical, typical. 

My younger daughter started 7^th grade last month and my older daughter is a freshman.  Lately, my significant other and I have been discussing whether or not we will stay here six years from now when the girls are finished with high school.  It’s a fun discussion, full of hopes, dreams, and sometimes good ol’ boring reality.  The reality being we would have to fix up our current house in order to sell it, in order to move.

Here’s a list of 5 places we’ve thought of moving after the girls graduate from high school:

The Short North

The Short North – We live in a little municipality that is surrounded by the city.  It’s beautiful with historic homes and very mature trees, but the taxes are high, and we never really feel like we fit in.  We feel at ease when we are downtown among the galleries, the fun eateries and venues for live music—the trendy neighborhood Columbus, Ohio calls the Short North.

Louisville, KY – My significant other grew up in Southern Indiana, across the river from Louisville.  He spent much of his early 20’s living and working there, and we spent many weekends there when we were courting.  He’s feeling called to go there.  I wouldn’t mind at all.  I grew up along the same river, just a few hundred miles north.  I get it.  The river means home.

Savannah, Georgia – One evening we went so far as to explore homes for sale in Savannah--online, not actually in Georgia.  The homes are too expensive for us to afford.  But we found out that we could afford a small (better described as tiny), rental on Tybee Island, on the water.  The sun and the south.  This is high on my fantasy list, for sure.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee – Not sure why Tennessee.  Maybe it’s because I saw a documentary on HBO called One Nation Under Dog that featured a woman who has this amazing space in Tennessee where she makes art and rescues dogs.  Seems like a dream world to me.

Chicago, Illinois – I lived in Chicago during my early twenties.  I usually say I grew up there because I literally grew up while living there.  I had to do grown up things in order to pay rent and survive.  It was difficult, but I loved it.  And Chicago has it all--friendly people, arts, commerce, bodies of water, history, and . . . wait.  I forgot about the winters.  This one will probably be the first to be removed from the list when it’s time to decide.

Here’s 5 things I will have to do to my house before moving:

Clean this light fixture – When I happen to look up from the table where I write and where we have meals, I am quite mortified.  I’ve been meaning to clean this thing forever.  Today may be the day.

The plumbing – I don’t know exactly what is wrong with it.  It wasn’t right when I bought the house six years ago, but I didn’t know that until I moved in.  I bought the house while living in California and thought too much of my realtor.  She really got me good with the inspections that passed but shouldn’t have.

The electrical stuff – Again with the lousy realtor.  How this home passed inspection is beyond me.  If you run the hair dryer, half the house loses power.  If you run the microwave and the vacuum at the same time, the entire house loses power.

Refinish the floors –I love me some wood floors.  Ours are icky, and need refinished.  Anyone want to do me a favor?

Something with the chimney — It was disclosed that there was an issue with the chimney.  I haven’t gotten it looked at to figure it out and have it repaired.  A cozy fire may be appealing to future owners.

There's more.

Actually, the list of things that need to be done to this house before I could sell it is enormous and overwhelming.  I’m going back to my first list, the list of places I’d like to move to after the girls graduate.  For me, it's more fun to fantasize about a freshly painted rental in an ideal location than to contemplate fixing things in this old house.

After this one is sold, I will never own a house again . . . ever.

“Hello, Mr. Landlord, the toilet is clogged.  Would you mind?”

photo credit: emdot via photopin cc

photo credit: OZinOH via photopin cc

Memories Captured: Frodo

After my divorce, I knew I would most likely never have another child.  This thought did not diminish my gratitude for the experiences I had with my then six and eight year old daughters.  But I did grieve babies.  

So, I purchased a dog.

A small baby dog. 

A boy dog. 

And I named him Frodo. 

I knew that he, like Tolkien’s character, would be interested in the outside world. 

Frodo frequently escapes from the confines of his dog life in our fenced back yard.  I send M out into the dangerous parts of our neighborhood to find him, while I sit and worry if his little body is being crushed under a car.

We have the fence rigged now, with bricks from our landscaping—all spaces filled, creating a barrier between Frodo’s safety and the outside world. 

When he is not enjoying the sun outside, he is inside, curled in my lap, or snuggled deep beneath the blankets on one of the girls’ beds.

He is not a real baby. 

He is not a boy. 

However, he is the baby boy I will never have.

Don't judge.

It is scientifically proven that the brain changes after one gives birth to a baby.

My brain certainly changed after my divorce.

Wordless 

Wednesday

Ten Make it Easier

photo credit

I had visions of getting into a disciplined blogging groove last week while the kids were on Spring Break with their dad.  However, it turned out that having an extended play-date with my significant other, M, overruled all regulation of activity.

Thankfully, I can ease back into things with a relatively easy Monday Listicles.  Terri, of Terri Sonoda, came up with today's topic, "10 Things That Make Life Easier."  I know that the great blogging community created by Stasha at The Good Life, is one thing that certainly makes Monday easier, and I am grateful.

 

Ten that make life easier (in no particular order):

Car – It’s old, but it works. The bus line here isn’t extensive. I feel for those I see waiting at the stop.

Mini Shop Vac – Collects all the stray dog hair left on EVERYTHING by my three Chihuahuas.

Samsung Epic Smartphone – I rarely use it as a phone; I don’t like to talk. I use it for texting, Twitter, and playing Word Feud and my latest addiction, Draw Something.

Toshiba Laptop – I’m on it now, later, and a moment ago.

Google – I look up everything.  And I enjoy the Droid OS on my smartphone.

Spotify – It helps me stay connected to my teen by sharing music.  And I love music.

Microwave – I’m no chef.  Everything would be raw if it weren’t for the ol’ thing.

Bank Card – I don’t even want to imagine life without automatic teller machines and online shopping.

My Dogs – They make me smile.

My Girls and M – They make it all worthwhile.

A Morning in the Life

Day two of the “About Me” blogging exercise.  Routine and rituals are important for kids.  I thought if you had a glimpse of our morning routine, complete with most rituals, you’d get to know Sperk* a bit better.  Here’s a timeline:

6:00 a.m.             

• Open Eyes, check to see if breathing, if yes, continue
• Make Sophia breakfast which consists of a Balance Bar and a cup of 2% milk

                            

6:15 a.m.               

• Wake Sophia 
• Sit across the table from Sophia, both have our laptops, and discuss what we have found interesting online 
• Play Fashion Story, WordFeud, and Words with Friends
• Check Twitter, read articles and blogs of interest, save thought-provoking items in Diigo
• Check Cozi Family Calendar

                     

                             

                   

 6:45 a.m.              

• Sophia gets ready for school
• Open Spotify
• Pack Sophia's lunch which usually consists of a sandwich with processed meat, cheese, and mustard; apples (sometimes strawberries); carrots; a bag of chips; and a Horizon Organic Chocolate milk

 

7:00 a.m.              

• Tend to Sophia’s wardrobe, chore, and after school requests/needs
• Let dogs out. (Bexley has an ordinance wherein residents cannot have barking dogs out before 7am or I would do it sooner)

7:15 a.m.              

• Make Antonia’s breakfast (same as Sophia’s)
• Let dogs in

7:25 a.m.              

• Wake Antonia 

 

7:30 a.m.               

• Drive one mile with Sophia in passenger seat of car. Drop her at BMS.

7:35 a.m.             

• Home. Listen to Antonia’s complaints which usually consist of, “I am tired, I have a headache, and my nose is stuffy," because she is usually tired and is allergic to our Chihuahuas
• Let dogs out (they have tiny bladders)

7:45 a.m.              

• Encourage Antonia to get ready for school
• Pack her lunch (Same as Sophia's)
• Let Dogs in
• Play Fashion Story, WordFeud, Words with Friends; fold laundry (if necessary), Tweet, read something online and share to Twitter or email via Shareaholic           

8:20 a.m.              

• Yell to Antonia’s bedroom that she has to be at school in five minutes

8:25 a.m. 

• Frantically put Antonia’s lunchbox into her backpack that she carries from her room once she emerges

                            

 8:26 a.m.               

• Yell things like “I love you!” and “Have a great day!” very loudly out the door to Antonia as she walks down the street heading towards school

 8:25 a.m.               

•  Let dogs out

               

Good Morning

A sunny October morning in Bexley, Ohio.  I drove up to my house after dropping off my daughter at school and noticed, not for the first time, that the house needs painted.  I entered through the front door into the tiny living space to find my younger daughter sitting at the kitchen table staring down at her plate which held a cookie dough flavored Balance bar.  It was accompanied by a red Fiestaware coffee cup full of 2% milk.  She was still waking up.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to finish making her lunch, check to see if anyone made a move on WordFeud, or go to the bathroom.  So I let the dogs out.  It had been at least 20 minutes since they ate and surely it was time to offer them some relief of their little organs.  With Scruffy, Tina, and Frodo outside yapping at the wind and annoying the neighbors, I decided to ask Antonia if she wanted the straightener plugged in.  I thought she may feel better about the day if her hair was done.  She typically just brushes it and it looks good--she's beautiful--but I was attempting to be a supportive mother.  "What would help her through the day?"  And unlike the exterior of the house which will have to be put on hold, her exterior can be updated, or spruced up, in order to maintain hope throughout a busy autumn school day.  I felt it was the least I could do to contribute to her mood.  To help elevate it and make her energized and excited about life.  Sometimes, moms can't leave well enough alone, for she typically perks up in time to leave for school and walks with a spring in her step for the entire one block journey.  It's just those moments when I think there may be something less than happy abound, I need to fix it.  Even though I know better.