Assorted whatevers
1) American Gladiators is back! Hooray!!

2) This must-have item, link courtesy of my husband.

3) It's the middle of January and it's 60 degrees. We had a thunderstorm yesterday. Seems to me it was in the 60s last January, too, though for an extended time. My poor Dutch irises are popping up, soon to be killed when winter returns. I may never actually see those flowers bloom.

4) The battery on my RAZR was dying so I bought a replacement, which cost as much as I paid for the phone in the first place.

5) I seem to have developed an addiction to t-shirts. It became clear when we moved everything to the new dresser and I had to get creative with the folding to get them all to fit in three drawers. So what did I do? I bought two more. It's not my fault! Target had $5 Irish-themed shirts; how could I resist??

6) And finally, the true reason for posting: dog updates!! It was a rough few days for Foley and for us. Her broken leg is weak and we don't think it was set right, so she lacks confidence when using it. Our house has lots of stairs, and she was terrified of them, both up and down, at first. It made going outside very stressful, and carrying a 68-lb. dog gets old very quickly (of course we did it for Jazz and Libby, but they earned that right). We gave her treats and pets near the stairs to reduce her fear, and she became able to go down but still not up. We started walking her up by moving her feet for her (therapeutic for her, and much easier on our backs!). She went tense and starfishy the first times, then gradually became more compliant, and by shifting her weight I could trick her into taking steps herself. Then she started going up a few steps on her own but needed help with the rest. Finally, last night, I went upstairs to report to Daddy her semi-success on the porch steps, but Foley came up a minute later to tell him herself. Yay!! (The downside is, when I let her outside in the rain this morning, she came right back up the porch steps. I am a victim of my own success.)

It may not seem like much but in one week she's gone through a remarkable transformation. We still have things to work on, but her progress is very encouraging. She's such a love, wonderful to cuddle, sleek and sturdy like a seal. She's a very messy eater (crumbs less than 1/2 inch are beneath her notice), she doesn't like barbecue or chips, fears thunderstorms and Airedales, and like most greyhounds believes that all soft things belong to her. At this rate, I think we will be able to sign MGA's papers with confidence.
- posted by Diane @ 8:15 AM