Friday, April 27, 2007

Teddy

Here are the pictures I said I would post of Teddy's leg in the splint:


Of course, every time a picture is taken, Conor wants to be in it. The splint is gone now, as I posted below, but these pictures will have to be shown to Teddy often so he doesn't dig any more holes and run out of the yard!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Latest happenings

I have received several phone calls as a result of my ad in the local papers, but none of them resulted in the discovery of Zeus. Each one has been a let down. Still no Zeus.

I received a call from a lady Monday night who warned me to be careful when going to people's houses - she spent about 35-40 min on the phone with me telling me I should be careful and what could happen. It was sweet... but had she known that I received a call earlier that day from some woman claiming she saw my dog in an area of Dayton that was not exactly a good one... and I jumped into my car and went... the lecture may have been longer.

In my defense, I choose not to assume that people are bad because they live in a poor area of town. And I want my dog back. Of course it wasn't him, but I did try.

Teddy got the splint removed from his leg on Wednesday and is still limping around. He occasionally walks on it, but not much.

I did a "clean sweep" of our bedroom last weekend - problem is, I took everything out and put it in the living room wanting to sort through it all and choose to "keep, sell, or trash" as they do on the show - but I don't want any of it to go back in my room! I moved the furniture around and shampoo'd the carpet and I like it empty! So, a lot of boxes are still sitting in the living room waiting for me to do something with them. I guess that is this weekend's project for me.

Goings-on with the kids:

Ceara started gymnastics on Wednesday, she goes after school with a friend of hers. On Thursday, she was a bit sore, but she'll work it out and it will get better.

Allie is still doing track almost every day after school.

Allie is getting ready to leave for DC in a couple of weeks with her class. Guess I need to work in some shopping time for what she might need.

Ceara will be going to 6th grade camp the week after Allie's DC trip. Jeff is taking the kids shopping this weekend for camping gear - he is planning a lot of camping this summer - so Ceara can get some of the things she needs this weekend, too.

One month until the North Carolina trip! Which reminds me, I need to reserve a vehicle for it... :)

And! I finally got my mom hooked up with a computer. I went and set it up for her last night. Now, I just have to get her connected to the Internet and she might start commenting again! yay!

OK, that is all for now.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Read it.. just do it...

This post on Poop and Boogies made me crack up laughing ... while at work. People here probably think I'm insane.. sitting in my cubical.. just laughing all alone. Read it. You have to. Because if you ever need help moving, I will totally be doing this. If you read it, you will know. If you don't... you'll be sorry. ;)

Friday, April 20, 2007

Still no Zeus

Thursday on my way home for lunch, I saw a black dog walking on the road. I first saw him from a distance and thought he was Zeus. But when I came up on him, I realized it was not Zeus. I pulled my car a little off the road and got out. I held out my hand so he could smell me and noticed that he had a collar and tags, so he was not a stray. He let me pet him and was a very playful dog, getting down in a pouncing position and jumping around. I tried to talk him into getting into my car so that I could take him to the vet and find his owner (because that is what I want someone to do for Zeus), but he would have none of that. I felt a little strange trying to coax him into my car... like he probably belonged to someone nearby and they would look out their window any minute and think I was trying to steal their dog. So, I told him to go home and get off the road...

I got back into my car and started driving off and he was following me, so I pulled into a drive way to try again. Again, he came over and let me pet him and was running around me, jumping and playing, but would not get into my car. I was concerned that he would get hit and did not want to leave him there, but I had been playing with him for about 30 minutes and had to leave. I told him again to go home, and I got in my car and drove off. He did not follow me this time, but went towards a house, so maybe that is where he lived.

I called the Animal Shelter in the county where I live and they told me that they could not be sure if they had Zeus or not and it would be best if I went there and looked at the dogs myself. Ceara and I went to look (Allie had track, and Grand-dad picked Conor up), we were very hopeful that he would be there. We searched through all their dogs (there were many of them, poor things) but none of them were Zeus. I filled out a lost dog paper and was told to check back every 3 days.

On Friday, I called and ran ads in two local papers.

Every time I drive up to my house I look for him, I search the front porch to see if he is sitting there waiting on us. Every time I am driving on the roads near my house, I search the surrounding areas for anything black.

I really miss him... and want him to come home. It's not the same without him there. Everyone misses him.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Zeus-ie Moosie

Yep, that what we call Zeus. Zeus-ie Moosie... just an affectionate name for our youngest dog. Or lil'pup. Well, Zeus is missing. Teddy, our ever adventurous older dog, and Zeus both somehow crawled under our fence on Sunday night while Conor and I were at the grocery. Zeus always followed Teddy wherever he went, but Zeus was usually the first one home, too. He is a little over-weight and couldn't keep up with Teddy most of the time, and he would just give up and come home. He would also come running when you called his name - he loved to be pet and if you had food, that was just all the better. But, Teddy was the one who came home this time. Within 30 minutes of leaving - not his usual. And he came home hurt. He could not walk on his back leg, and it was bleeding.

When I got home from the grocery I was told that the dogs got out and Teddy came back. Jeff thought that the scratch on Teddy's leg was from crawling under the fence. I sent the kids out to walk the neighborhood to look for Zeus and I cleaned up the blood on Teddy's leg and put some antibiotic ointment on it. I then got in the truck and drove the neighborhood to pick up the kids and check on the roads behind our house. Nothing.

Teddy was acting very strangely, very scared. On Monday morning when I let him outside, he wouldn't move from the little patio slab. When I let him back in, he just stood there. I went on getting myself ready for work and 10 minutes later when I walked to Conor's room to get his clothes, Teddy was still standing there. He had not moved. So I called to him and tried to get him to come to me. I walked over to him and pet him and asked him what was wrong. He still stayed there. I went and got Conor dressed and he was still there when I returned to the kitchen. I coaxed him over to the couch and he laid down there.

At work, I received a call from Allie from school that she was sick and needed me to go and get her. So, I used my lunch break to do that and when we got home, Teddy was still on the couch. I went and checked his leg and the blood was gone and I could see his skin (his fur is scraped off) and there were small little holes in it. I didn't feel that it was caused by the fence. I called the vet hoping I could take him and drop him off there until they were able to look at him because I didn't have any lunch time left to wait. But she said they didn't allow that, so I made an appointment time and set about finding someone to take him.

My step-mom was able to do it and Allie would go with them. Allie called me at a little after the appointment time to let me know that the vet was keeping Teddy there for observation. They believe he had been hit by a car and that his Achilles tendon was torn.

More worries about Zeus. If he was behind Teddy... then he may have been hit full on by the car. He is not as fast as Teddy. And Teddy was hit in the rear leg. Allie searched the fields behind our house, and I made up fliers.

Tuesday, I took 1/2 day vacation to pick Teddy up and file our city taxes (yeah, last minute..). I took some fliers to the gas stations in our area and also posted one on the bulletin board at the vets. I called the shelter where we adopted Zeus to report him lost and see if they had heard anything. He has a micro-chip in him and if he was taken to a vet or a shelter, they could scan him and they would then call the shelter where we got him from. No news. Teddy's leg is wrapped up totally, it kinda looks like a cast, but it is just a splint and wrap. He cannot walk on it, and couldn't even jump into my car. He's sad. He's hurt. And I know he misses Zeus. If only he could tell us where Zeus is, or what happened to him.

It is Thursday and Zeus is still not home. The longest period of time Zeus stayed gone from our house prior to this was about 3 hours. So, it is very unusual. I'm still hoping for the best - that he got lost and some kind dog lover took him into their home and will soon find the time to take him to a vet, or see my flier and he will get returned to us. But the longer it is taking, the more worried I am getting... :(

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Getting to know me...

A friend recently sent me this, so I thought I would post it here. Some of you may already know this stuff about me, some of you don't.

1. What is your occupation? Officially: "Administrative Coordinator" - Unofficially: Whatever needs taken care of - a lot of times my boss's jobs...

2. What color are your socks right now? White

3. What are you listening to right now? the sound of my space heater blowing - it is cold again! boo!

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I have no clue! Probably black right now, but I will be colorful again! :)

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A person calling me to set up an interview! yay!

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Very much (Julie)

9. How old are you today? 33

10. Favorite drink? Margarita (alcoholic); Frozen Mocha-a-go-go (non-alcoholic)

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Soccer if my kids are playing; NFL otherwise

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes - I play with my hair color often!

13. Pets? 2 dogs - Teddy and Zeus

14. Favorite food? Sunday Dinner at Grandma's - doesn't really matter what the food is, it is always good! :)

15. What was the last movie you watched? Oh, wow.. it has been too long ago, I don't remember. Could it really be "Catch and Release" - ?? I think it was. And that was when it first came out.. January or February! I don't remember watching any DVDs since then...

16. What was the last book you read ? Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants) (Hardcover) by Ann Brashares (Author)
My daughter and I both read the first 3 books when they were out and went to see the movie, also. They are really good books, well written, good reading for teenage girls. So, when this came out, we had to get it. :)

17. What do you do to vent anger? Call a friend to vent / Write about it / Go for a drive and listen to really loud music!

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? A small Teddy Bear that I still have - his name is Cubby.

19. What is your favorite fall or spring? fall

20. Hugs or kisses? Depends on who they are coming from... :) kisses

21. Cherries or blueberries or strawberries? Strawberries

22. Do you want your friends to email you back? If they want to.

23. Who is most likely to respond? ?

24. Who is least likely to respond? ?

25. Living arrangements I live with my boyfriend, my daughter, his daughter, our son & our 2 dogs

26. When was the last time you cried? Way too much lately.

27. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, boxes, change jar - too much stuff!

28. John Travolta or Alan Jackson? I pretty much like them both. Are we talking looks, personality? What? But my answer is still both. :)

29. What did you do last night? Put my PJ's on as soon as I got home, put a "dinner" in the oven (frozen casserole dish) and watched Tom and Jerry with Conor on the couch. Ended up falling asleep after Jeff got home.

30. Favorite smells? Fresh cut grass, Vanilla scented candles/oils, some flowers

31. Who inspires you? My Grandma

32. What are you afraid of? Making the wrong decisions concerning my kids, being a bad parent. Oh, and spiders.

33. Burgers- cheese and /or spicy? Neither!

34. Favorite dog breed? Husky

35. Number of keys on your key ring? 4 - House, Car, Office, and shed.

36. How many years at your current job? 7 (minus being laid off for 9 months)

37. Favorite day of the week? Saturday - don't have to get up early, and don't have to worry about what time you go to bed! :)

38. How many states have you lived in? 1 Ohio

39. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving

40. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? Not a "street" motorcycle, but I have driven several dirt bikes/ 4 wheelers. Heavy machinery? no... a fork-lift is the closest I've came to that.

My Creation in Photoshop

OK, so.. I've been playing with Photoshop - not quite the same quality as Barb's creations, but not too bad. :) I couldn't figure out how to write in the little green tag, but it is late and I am going to bed, so I will figure it out another time. I used a template I bought from Misty Cato's Designs, as well as some accents from her. I'm trying! :)

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Questions

OK, so, I have a few of those questions in my mind that are just... curiosity. PC and MAC. Why do MAC users refer to "other computers" as PCs? Or PeeCees? PC Stands for Personal Computer, so aren't MACs considered personal computers? If not, why not? They are computers, and ... if you own one, isn't it your personal computer?

Working in the computer industry, I know that people either love or hate MACs. I have never experienced a MAC, so I cannot voice an opinion on their operation.

We (the company I work for) are an Authorized Service Provider for Apple, so our techs do work on them, but not a huge amount, so I have seen the "service" side of Apple. And... in my opinion, they are not the most cooperating of companies, but.. they are far from the worst. Their parts (if your unit was to have problems outside of the warranty period) are quite pricey. More than double what it would cost to repair a "PC" - so what is the lure? (I fully expect a comment from Matt or Deb on this one since they are both MAC users!) I just honestly would like to know.

Since Jeff is entering a technology field with his college degree he is working toward, he mentioned that he would like to get a MAC to see what the difference is, and so that he can get some experience on them. But I am not so quick to want to run out and buy one. The draw backs, for me, are:

Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Power Point
Microsoft Outlook

These are programs I use all the time. At work and at home. I doubt (since I do not know for sure I say doubt) that Microsoft software is usable on a MAC. And don't the majority of people/companies use Microsoft Office products? Is there something available on MACs that would allow you to convert the file into something viewable? And how do MAC users send files to people who do not have MACs?

Monday, April 09, 2007

Yard work

Here are the pictures of the yard work that Conor and Jeff did, I helped a little, but they did most of it. Conor and Jeff went to get all the dirt and mulch, then Conor and I went and picked out the flowers. Here is the finished part along the side of the garage:
Conor watering the flowers:

See that spray of water coming out of the side? There is a hole in the metal part of our watering attachment - very strange... And - Conor managed to spray me with the water several times!
Jeff and I had just done the black edge thing around the flower bed, so we need to finish up with the mulch to hide the grass parts:


Here are a couple of pictures I took of the sky:


Thursday, April 05, 2007

Cincinnati in the news..

The talk of our office last week came in the form of humiliation for some guy in Cincinnati. I really do feel bad for the guy... I can't imagine what he and his family are going through with all the publicity. They were discussing it in the office because of a radio show that ripped Cincinnati up. The office guys said, "They were ripping Cincinnati because of all the people it has produced (Jeffy Springer, Pete Rose, the Bengals) and now this guy makes the front page."

Anyway, I told my boss... "You know, if you ever happen to be caught in a park with a bikini on, don't ever say you are on your way to a gay bar. Just say you lost a bet or something."

He laughed and said he would keep that in mind.

Then, I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in CA who said, "That really isn't anything new in this area. We see stuff like that every day." :)

More Random-ness...

What? I liked doing the random post! Was easy! :)

* Busted! Turns out that Jeff does occasionally read my blog. So.. uh, he found out about the 3000 straws. Guess I will have to be a bit more careful about telling on myself here!

* Mother Nature is killing me! Nice, shorts weather for a week or so.. then blam! Light snow and winter coats! This morning it was flurrying on my way to work and Conor said, "It's snowing! We need to put up our Christmas tree!" lol (I told him no.. but he did argue with me for a little bit...)

* Busted, part II. Turns out more people read my blog than I thought, but they just don't comment. I have given the address to my sister in the past, even saved it to her favorites on her computer once. But she still didn't visit it. Until recently. Until we were at Grandma's house for Grandma's birthday party and she was talking to one of my aunts. One who does read my blog (and doesn't comment!) and telling this aunt how she jumped in the castle thing she rented for her son's birthday party. My aunt said, "Yeah, I know.. I saw it on Kate's blog." (Yeah, my family calls me Kate, though most of you who read this call me Katie...)

So, my sister came up to me and says, "You put a video of me jumping on the INTERNET?!?!?!"

"Who told you that?" (I had to find out the source before I could try to deny it!) Then when I found out who told her, "Yeah, I put it out there." (laughing)

"Do I look stupid? Did I say anything I shouldn't have??"

"Well, yeah, but that is not the part that is on my blog. That was the part when I was taping with my video camera. The one on my blog I took with my digital camera. You'll just have to go look."

So, I sent her the site in an email. I also resent it to another aunt who used to read it, but lost the site from her favorites when she got a new computer. She doesn't comment either. lol

* Turns out that getting a new laptop computer is easier at my company than getting a new desktop computer. My work computer is extremely slow, doesn't even have a USB 2.0 port, and is over 7 years old. My boss submitted a request for a new desktop unit for me and a new laptop unit for him (his old laptop is not as old as my desktop!) he received a call and was told that the new laptop would be no problem, but a new desktop would not likely get approved. We were very shocked. So.. he is going to get me a laptop to work from instead. Isn't that funny? I don't particularly like laptops, so I'm not very thrilled.

* My mom is retiring from her job at the end of May. She used to read my blog, and she was one of my commenters, but her employer blocked her from viewing it anymore. Seems they found that my site is some type of pornographic site and disallowed her access. LOL! I'm still trying to talk her into getting a home computer, but she doesn't think it is necessary. When she asked me why she would need one I said, "Well, so you can read my blog!" (I think she may be considering this because she said, "yeah, I do miss reading that")

More later... maybe I will get to the pictures tonight! :)

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Completely Random Stuff

Well, I don't really have a whole lot of any one topic to write about... so.. here are some random updates:

* Jeff and Conor have been doing a lot of yard work over the past week. They went to Lowe's and got some mulch and some dirt and were working on the flower beds. Each morning of the weekend Conor would get up and say, "Daddy, I'm ready to go to work now!" He got to use his Little Gator to haul the bags of dirt and mulch to the correct place for unloading. On Sunday, Conor and I went to Lowe's and got some flowers to plant along the sidewalk. Then we went home and we all worked on planting and mulching. I have pictures, but... have not put them on my computer yet.

* My hyacinths have bloomed and smell wonderful! I wish they lasted longer than they do because I love walking out of my house (or coming home) to their wonderful smell! The tulips are almost bloomed, but not quite. They are beautiful, but... they do not have the fragrance that the hyacinths have...

* Spring is finally here! To stay? Not so sure. I hear rumors of the temperatures dropping and rain forecast for the weekend. :(

* Easter is almost here and I am not ready!

* The kids and I are going to North Carolina in June with my family. It will be my very first time going with the group that goes there every June. My vacation request was just approved by my boss, so I am so looking forward to it! A whole week on the beach! I already told him that I will have no internet access while there (I didn't verify that, but it doesn't say anything on the website about internet access) so I will not be able to work! YAY!

* I went to a Euchre party on Saturday night (we have them every couple of months) and I won! yay! First place even! It was fun, lots of laughing about silly stuff, but ... lots of laughing. Shirley was the hostess this time around and she treated us all to grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. We usually just have finger foods and snacks, but this time we got a nice dinner! Everyone contributed something - we had salad, chips and salsa, garlic toast, banana split dessert, a chocolate cake and a chocolate chip cookie I made - in the shape of a card, decorated with euchre terminology. We always have lots to much on during the games!

* Allie joined the track team and has practice every day after school. She has had 3 meets so far, but 2 of them have been "away" meets and begin before I get off work, so I hadn't gone to any yet. Yesterday was their first home meet and I went when I got off work. I walked up in time to see the end of Allie's last run. It was interesting, I had never gone to a track meet before, but it was different.

* Ceara is interested in taking gymnastics, but hasn't started anything yet, Jeff is looking into it right now. She will be going to 6th grade camp soon (May) - a tradition for 6th graders in our city. I went, my parents went... All the 6th graders are piled on a bus with their belongings, ideally all of the things that are on the "allow" list, and nothing from the "do NOT bring" list, and head off for the woods! But... kids will be kids and they will most definitely have something stashed! She will stay in a cabin with 7 or 8 other girls and a chaperon.

* Conor is ... Conor. Funny sometimes, pain in my butt other times. :) Oh, wait.. they are all like that! Just kidding... kinda!

* Allie will also be heading to Washington DC with her class in May. She will not be gone the same week as Ceara, but they are a week apart, I believe. Better because I will have at least one of them at the house to put to work, oh.. uh.. I mean spend time with. :)

Anyway, those are the latest updates!