The Weekend List

Do you make "to do lists" for yourself? I do. If I don't, I tend to forget to complete tasks for that day or week. I think of them more as "reminders" than "to do lists". To do lists seem more like a command rather than just jogging my memory to not forget to accomplish tasks.

When at work, my DayTimer is more like a 'To Do' list, than a reminder. I have to keep appointments, write reports, see clients at specific places and times.

Whereas, at home my to do list is a wee bit more flexible, unless of course I am planning a dinner party for guests arriving at a designated time.

To do lists can afford us a certain satisfaction of accomplishment each time we strike off a completed task. I know I enjoy making the stroke through a task upon completion and then counting how many more I have left. Another plus is that you don't have to complete the tasks in order, like you do in a work day timer.

In case you are wondering, there is no dinner party planned for this weekend or anytime soon for that matter. This year for our unit Christmas party we are going to order in. I love the idea because I can just envision myself driving down the street in my truck with my favorite hot steaming chili on the seat beside me, when I have to I brake suddenly, and the chili dumps on the floor. You know what I am talking about, don't you?

Till next time, cheers.

Cold Snap

This morning I managed to wake up before the alarm. I dragged myself out of bed, let the dogs out and in under two minutes, you guessed it, it's cold outside. I had a shower, made some coffee, checked my email and wrote a few lines on my blog.

I don't mind winter, but I do mind the cold cold weather. My truck will likely take sometime to warm up so I had better do that in plenty of time. Good Morning America (GMA), is on in the back ground. They are talking about the Presidential debate ....

Yesterday, online looked at some Class C motor homes . In February 2008 one of our RV dealers is sponsoring a RV show for an entire week. Since the gas prices are steadily rising, it's going to be interesting to see what changes the RV manufactures made with regards to fuel economy. I plan to attend the show and explore what's new in the world of RVs.

Time is moving on and I had better switch gears and get ready for work. Tomorrow, (Friday) I am off and I am looking forward to sleeping in as this cold snap is not going to be over until the middle of next week.

Till next time, cheers.

Burrrrrrrrr, It's Cold Outside

I awoke this morning to hear the weather report: "... it's a cold one this morning", said the annoucer with glee, "with lots of new snow swirling around as it hits the road. So bundle up and get out of bed you sleepy head."

To me, this is a day should be spent curled up on the chesterfield with a good book and a roaring fire in the fireplace! Now, if I was retired that would be exactly what I would be doing today.

The reality is, I must brave the new fallen snow and the cold just like the mailman and head out the door. The garage door will barely be able to open because of the cold and my even colder truck will no doublt have a hard time turning over. I just remembered that I have a quarter of a tank of gas left. Not a good thing. I know I should have stopped at a gas station before coming home last night. The trouble is I hate stopping for gas as I have to get out and pump it myself.

This is one of the mornings it would be nice to have a man around to go out start the truck, shovel the driveway and bring my my morning cup of java.

Wait a minute, I better wake up here. It's me that has to all that which means I have to stop writing and get ready to face the day. Oh yeah today, another day of sitting at the workshop, I don't think I will be coming home at noon today. The doggies will have to make due.

Teddy refused to get out of bed this morning to go outside, so he's still snoring away. He's wearing his brand new sweater to keep him warm, as one blast of cold air at the door and he heads back to his bed.

Till next time, cheers!

I just arrived home, let the dogs out, shoveled my driveway, let the dogs back in, checked the mail, let the dogs out again, finished the driveway, let the dogs back in, I went around the back to shovel more snow, actually a little cow path for the dogs, and now I am back in the house making a cup of hot chocolate for myself so I can sit by the fire with a good book!

I am back to work tomorrow and later in the day I am going on a short road trip. This of course will depend on the weather as it's still snowing outside and the visibility is poor due to the high winds. You get the picture I am sure.

Till next time, Cheers!

Guilty or Not

What a great stamp …. Guilty, I copied this off of another blog as I liked it. The author of the blog wrote about all the things she now enjoys doing as a full time RVer. Please "click" on my title "Guilty or Not" and it will take you directly to her website. Enjoy!

I am in the midst of getting ready for work and have to run, I am GUILTY, of spending too much time at this already. Cheers and have a good day.

I am back. Today was another training day for me, only this time I am in my home town and was able to drive home. No doggies to the kennel as I am sure they are relieved. I didn't come home at noon as I usually do, so they had to hold it until I arrived home. Teddy, did his business in the sun room, which cleans up easily, so he didn't run out when I came home. The other two, well that's a different story, they raced past me and peed their little hearts out.

I find training sessions more taxing than work since we sit most of the day and move around only for breaks, lunch and home time. Today's session was interesting enough and seemed to fly by, so to speak. Tomorrow we're at training again and then on Wednesday and Thursday back to work and off on Friday. Yippee, another long weekend. Saturday is December 1, 2007, and before long it will be Christmas. A month from today is Boxing Day. I find that after the USA Thanksgiving Christmas seems to appear on the doorstep quickly.

My fur kids are waiting for supper and I too, am starved, a lunch veggie wrap doesn't go too far at least when one is sitting all day.

Till next time, cheers!

Sunday Morning Ramblings ...

Good Morning,

I slept in longer than usual this morning. I awoke from having several dreams seemingly all rolled into one. In one of the scenes I was in a big hotel walking down the corridor when I noticed a budgie to my right sitting on the floor and when I looked to my left I noticed a huge open area with all kinds of birds flying free. I wondered if this area would be closed in to avoid the birds from flying all over the hotel.

The scene changes and I see a huge dog wearing a camel colored coat. A lady waking beside the dog was also wearing an identical coat. I commented to her that it must be expensive to feed her dog. She smiled and kept on walking. Then I noticed her go to a bed that was standing in the hallway along with several other beds and she was searching for money that she had put under the blanket for safe keeping. I thought to myself that someone likely took the money after seeing her put it there. I wondered why the beds were in the hallway and not in individual rooms. I awoke.

When I started this blog, I commented under the heading: Who am I, that I pay attention to my dreams through dream work since 1985. There are many things that we do not work out in our waking state which then goes into our subconscious and often shows up in our dreams. Hence, each dream has a personal message. It's like getting a letter from our subconscious only it's written in symbols and we have to figure out what these symbols mean to us. We, the dreamers are the interpreter of our own dreams. Back in 1998 I came across one of the best and most informative dream sites on the web. Jane T. Anderson is a dream analyst and has written many excellent books on the subject. The following is a link to her website: Jane T. Anderson’s Dream Network (When you click on this link and get the 404 error message Click on the "clicking here" and it will take you directly to Jane Teresa's website. I am not sure why this is happening, I am trying to figure out why the link from my blog doesn't take you directly to her site.)

Jane Teresa has recently published another book: 101 Dream Interpretation Tips. She advertises this on her website. Enjoy!

*Please Note: On my sidebar under favorite sites I have created a direct link to Jane Teresa's site.

Remember when ...?

This picture reminded me of the days when I lived in the mountains, worked in a restaurant, and skied the rest of the time. There were a group of us that use to hang out and ski together. We had great fun. Those were the days when all you had to worry about was paying the rent and skiing. We seemed to be so carefree. Back then, I owned a 1966 VW (BUG) in mint condition. I just graduated from college and had no debts. By the time I retire at the end of 2008, I plan to be debt free again.

Seven years ago I sold everything, took a leave from work and moved to Texas. My plan was to find a retirement place where I could retire comfortably. Comfort to me means not having to shovel snow during the winter months and Texas seemed to fit the bill. All I owned was my truck and a couple of years later Teddy joined me. I felt much better not having anything to tie me down. This is why RVing appealed to me.

When it comes right down to it, we really do not need a lot of "things" to make us happy. I believe that happiness is a state of being ... it comes from within, and not from without. I am not against having things, not at all, but when it comes right down to it, how much do we really need to be happy?

When I look around my house I think to myself if I had something smaller it wouldn’t take long to clean and would afford me more time to reflect on life and spend with my dogs. In fact right now, I am supposed to be cleaning out my bird cages, a weekly ritual, but I decided to come into my nicely cleaned out home office and reflect.

Well that's enough reflecting for now, got to run and tend to my responsibilities for yet another week.

Till next time.

Look at all the White Stuff ...

I am enjoying a three day weekend, how grand? It's snowing outside and I am inside looking out my window watching the soft white fluffy stuff gracing itself upon my driveway. Driveway? What a thought, I will need to go out at some point with shovel in hand and move all that white stuff to the side so I can get out of the garage come Monday morning. But I am getting ahead of myself. Yep, winter is here to stay and Christmas around the corner.

I am finally cleaning out my home office and finding all kinds of things I thought I had lost or sold at my garage sale last summer. Since I am in here I decided to "rip" some of my CD's on to the computer so that I can play them randomly with out having to insert them in the disk drive.

Well it's almost bedtime and would you believe it took me all day to re-organize my office? What a relief. I have been planning this project for weeks now and decided today was the day and I would stay with it not matter what. I am glad I did. It's an accomplishment. Tomorrow I will tackle the bird cages, yet again, it's a weekly job usually reserved for the weekend.

Yesterday, my fur kids spent the day at the groomers for their seasonal hair cuts. (I take the three of them together when the seasons change). Teddy, my Toy Poodle, is groomed more often. When I picked them up they smelled good, looked great and were very anxious to get into the truck and head for home. I have had the same groomer for all of them for almost seven years. She's great, loves animals and does a terrific job. I have recommended her to a few of my friends over the years. It's important to me that my dogs are treated kindly.

Till next time!

Winter Has Arrived

On Wednesday when our first blanket of snow fell out of the sky, it was followed by a couple of days of high winds and then more snow on Friday night. I noticed my neighbours on Saturday morning shoveling their driveways. Since my driveway also got snow I too was facing the same task.

However, later on in the day my younger brother came over to the house wanting a favor. Since I too needed a favor, I made a deal with him, I would comply with his request if he shoveled my driveway! He wasn't too eager but knew that if he didn't I wouldn't come through on my end of the deal. I have a 100 foot driveway divided by a chain link gate. You guess it, he shoveled only on the inside of the gate. I told him that I wanted him to shovel the entire driveway. He didn't think there was much snow in that area. I responded by telling him that it wouldn't take him long to finish. Reluctantly, he went outside and completed the task. Now it's not like he had to shovel two feet of snow, not even an inch.

Now it was my turn to come through for him. He wanted a hair cut. (In another lifetime, I was a hairstylist). He usually hits me up for a free hair cut. He reminded me that the last time I cut his hair was in August. When I looked at his hair I asked him if he cut it since then. He admitted he had but has a hard time seeing the back. Actually it looked like he'd used the hedge clippers on the front, sides and the back.

Now picture this: what if I only cut half of his hair and told him that I thought the other side was short enough and didn't need cutting. What do you think he would have said to me? Exactly, case in point. We both needed the jobs to be completed.

We had freezing rain last night and this morning the roads are rather icy. Not my favorite winter conditions but it comes with the territory. We are expecting more snow in the next few days which will likely put us in the thick of things. My neighbour across the road offered to blow out my driveway should we get a blizzard.
But then again, I can always call up my brother and offer to give him a buzz cut in exchange for shoveling out the driveway. Yeah right!

Today, I will mostly take it easy and maybe complete a couple of tasks before embarking on another busy work week. On Monday, I am in the office and on Tuesday-Thursday I am scheduled for more training sessions. I don't have to travel this time as the sessions are in town. On Friday, I am off, yippee! I can use some time off.

Since I haven't had breakfast yet, or my first cup of coffee for the day, I had better sign off for now. Till next time.

A Fresh Blanket of Snow Outside My Door

I opened the door this morning to let the dogs out. Haida, immediately enticed Angel to play, whereas, Teddy tip toed onto the deck looked towards the back yard and thought to himself,"Yippee, I can pee right here since the back yard is now on the deck."

Since I got up later than usual this morning this is going to be short. The radio announcer stated the roads are slippery this morning. My first though,"I am so glad that I was out of town last week instead of this week." On that note, I better run and get ready for work since I will likely have to crawl on the icy roads this morning along with the rest of the cars and trucks.

I just got home from a busy day at work. When I left the house this morning the traffic was unbelievable. I think everybody had the same idea to wait until the absolute last minute to drive to work hoping that the snow will have melted. I try to leave myself enough room between the car in front of me especially when the road conditions are slippery. When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that the parking lot was not even half full after 8:00 a.m. Perhaps others had the same idea to wait it out.

Well, it's supper time and the dogs are pacing back and forth wondering what's for supper. Till next time.

Cheers to a Short Work Week

You will note that my morning picture looks like an evening picture. The reason I chose it was because the days are getting shorter and I seem go to work in the dark and come home in the dark.

In my part of the world, it's 6:00 a.m. and still dark outside. Good Morning America is on TV and I am sitting here at my computer typing away, at least for a few minutes before getting ready for a short work week.

Even though the week is short is does not mean that my work load is any less especially since I was away at training all last week. Some how when someone covers your work, it's just that a cover, addressing only the immediate emergencies. When I return I will be told about what happened, what the person did and best of all what I need to do now to finish handling the situation. However, right now I need to sign off and get ready for work and face the day of surprises resulting from my cover's involvement. I am grateful that people are covers when I am away. It does work both ways though when they are away I too am a cover for them!

The Day After ...

Ever wonder about the day after the day before? We usually don't think about the day after while we are in the present. Consider this: Today is the day after...

Yesterday, was Remembrance Day, as I see it, everyday should be "Remembrance Day". It's true though if it's not right in front of us we tend to not give it too much thought unless of course you watch the six o'clock news. We can't help but be reminded of the loss of many lives not only in the war, but on the streets of our cities where people are being gunned down and some of them are innocent victims killed by a stray bullet. The number of law enforcement officers (city Police, RCMP, State Troopers,) officers gunned down for doing their jobs and keeping the rest of us safe has risen significantly over the years.

The people that do remember are those that have lost loved ones. They remember everyday and every night the people they have lost. It never goes away. they always remember, even the day after they still remember.

Happy Birthday Teddy

Today is Teddy's sixth birthday. He will be celebrating with his two buds: Angel and Haida.

Teddy's birthday falls on Remembrance Day, Angel's on New Years Day and Haida's on April Fools Day! How uncanny, that each of their birthdays are on Special Days!

I chose Teddy when he was only three weeks old and brought him home when he was ten weeks. I trained Teddy to be my Therapy Dog when I worked as a family therapist. Teddy was a hit with not only the kids but adults as well. When clients arrived, I sent him to the reception area and he would bring them back to my office for their session. The clients related well to Teddy as he was always very excited and happy to see them. Teddy was also a mascot in one of the kids' group.

Teddy took early retirement and travelled with me to work in Texas. He loved the hot weather and no more snow! He quickly got to know two new fur kids in Texas: Flaco and Peppi (Teddy's girlfriend. The three of them had great fun playing together especially when I had to go on the road.

When we returned to Canada I went back to work as a therapist and Teddy joined me for awhile until he retired. I then decided to get Teddy a companion, a German Shepherd named Haida. Teddy made sure that she let Haida know that he was boss if the house. In January 2006, a Shetland Sheep Dog whom I named Angel completed our little family.

Happy Birthday Teddy.... and may you have many more with us!

Remembrance Day

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae
His poem speaks of Flanders fields, but the subject is universal – the fear

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
Lieutenant-Colonel McCrae was born on 30 November 1872 in Guelph, Ontario. At age 14, he joined the Highfield Cadet Corps and, three years later, enlisted in the Militia field battery. While attending the University of Toronto Medical School, he was a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.

With Britain declaring war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Canada’s involvement was automatic. John McCrae was among the first wave of Canadians who enlisted to serve and he was appointed as brigade surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery.

In April 1915, John McCrae was stationed near Ypres, Belgium, the area traditionally called Flanders. It was there, during the Second Battle of Ypres, that some of the fiercest fighting of the First World War occurred. Working from a dressing station on the banks of the Yser Canal, dressing hundreds
of wounded soldiers from wave after wave of relentless enemy attack, he observed how “we are weary in body and wearier in mind. The general impression in my mind is of a nightmare.”

In May, 1915, on the day following the death of fellow soldier Lt Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, John McCrae wrote his now famous work, an expression of his anguish over the loss of his friend and a reflection of his surroundings – wild Poppies growing amid simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves. These 15 lines, written in 20 minutes, captured an exact description of the sights and sounds of the area around him.

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae left Ypres with these memorable few lines scrawled on a scrap of paper. His words were a poem which started, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow…” Little did he know then that these 15 lines would become enshrined in the innermost thoughts and hearts of all soldiers who hear them. Through his words, the scarlet Poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

The poem was first published on 8 December 1915 in England, appearing in “Punch” magazine.

So many men and women have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Giving of ones life for another is he ultimate sacrifice a person can make. It stands to reason that we in turn remember them not only on this day, but every day that we enjoy the freedoms for which they died.

Lest WE Forget.

Home Sweet Home

This morning I awoke to the sounds of my chirping birds and the snoring of my dogs beside me on the bed ... home at last.

Since this is a weekend I am back into my routine of laundry, cleaning the cages, and playing with my dogs. I did notice the dogs have the sniffles, I am thinking it likely is kennel cough, they are vaccinated against it, and hopefully they will not get sick from it.

I am already thinking about all the work that awaits me when I return to work on Tuesday, then again, there is always work awaiting me whenever I arrive at work.

Moving on, I plan on rearranging my home office, the place I write this blog, as I can't see the top of my desk anymore. It's a sign for me that I need to reorganize and/or get rid of the things I no longer need. I have an invisible rule: if I haven't used it for six months, I need to rethink its value. If I haven't used it for the past year, it will go into the garage sale.

Would you believe I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet? Hard to believe isn't it? Therefore, I am signing off for now.

Friday: Day 5 of 5 TGIF

It's morning and soon I will be on the road home. YES!!! But first I need to get ready, pack, have breakfast, go the the last session, lunch, listen to closing remarks and then head out. This is my agenda and I plan to stick to it. I am listening to the Weather Channel to find out if there is any possibility of the white stuff coming my way on the road which I plan to travel. So far, so good, but then again when can you really trust the weatherman? Have you ever listened to the forecast for a sunny day and you head out only to find yourself in the middle of a down pour? I guess the idea is to be prepared at all times. Before leaving on this trip I did pack a flashlight, extra blanket and a little survival kit and of course my trusty cell phone. At least I can call for help and the Kennel to let them know I will be delayed. But I digress.

This morning I read a story on RV Now, a feed which I subscribe to and I thought I would share it with you this morning. RV NOW: RV Now Before It’s Too Late

Since the person he is talking about in the story is a social worker, same profession as mine (only I do not work in a hospital, instead I work in the child welfare field), it sparked my interested. I see that time is moving on and I am still typing. I will be back!

I made it home, picked up the dogs, started to unpack my things, fed the dogs, they are contentedly laying on the floor beside me. I am getting ready to put my feet up and watch one of my favorite shows Ghost Whisperer. I will write more tomorrow.

Thursday: Day 4 of 5

This morning when I awoke I walked over to the window and threw back the curtains. Since I am on the 8th floor my view is extensive. I saw a blanket of white stuff covering everything. Then I remembered, it's well into November and the white stuff does have a right to be here!

We're on our lunch break and I came to the window and noticed that magically the white stuff is disappearing. I hope it doesn't steal back during the night as tomorrow after the session it's home time and you know what that means: I am going to pick up my fur kids! I better head back down stairs it's 1:00 p.m.

Done for another day. Tomorrow, Friday, November 9, 2007 we start at 8:00 a.m. as we need to be done by 2:00 p.m. so the instructor can catch his plane. I know that I will be packed and ready to roll once we are done for the day. Hopefully, the weather will hold out until I get home and pick up my fur kids. I will be glad to get back home and into my routine. I am sure my dogs will feel the same way. This is the second time I had to take them to the kennel because of my out of town trip.

Next Tuesday, is the beginning of another busy week with a couple of day road trips. No need to panic doggies! I don't mind traveling but I do have my concerns about winter driving. It's interesting when I was in my twenties I didn't give winter driving a second thought as I headed out on a trip. But now, one snow flake and I am already thinking of canceling my road trip!

As you have noticed I have managed to blog everyday since being here. However, when at home I usually manage a weekend entry. Time is on my side when being away from home. I really don't have any responsibility here other than attending the daily sessions and reading some of the material. Whereas, at home there is so much more to do and so little time to do it in. This is why I am grateful to the occasional trip out of town to give me a bit of a break from my usual responsibilities.

I can't promise an entry tomorrow as I will be getting ready to check out before the session. I will likely resort back to my weekend entries.

Till next time.

Wednesday: Day 3 of 5

You have heard of the term,"let's not reinvent the wheel". Well if you look around, you can see that people are reinventing the wheel all the time by giving it a different label. For example, rollouts of "new" innovated ways of doing more with less seems to have a historical feel to it? If you have been working at the same place for more than six months you know what I am talking about.

When I registered for this training I was unable to get the same room for the entire week. When I arrived on Monday, I moved into the last available room. On Tuesday, I moved into the room I am in now. Today I will be moving to a room that I can stay in until I leave on Friday.

I feel like a transient with no fixed "room". I should have left my bags in the car and just slept in the lobby until my Wednesday room was ready! Since I am a problems solver, I could have applied for a temporary job and assist the hotel with their problem of room shortages. I could have asked other guests if they planned to stay the entire night or if they weren't using the second bed in their rooms would they would like to rent it out to another guest. Then perhaps I would have been able to move into my own room for the week. Now there is a catch, my Wednesday room has two beds and being the problem solver I am, the sign on my door reads "occupied", so that no one else will try to reinvent the wheel so to speak. Don't even think about knocking on my door!

I have to pack, well just put away my laptop, pull out my jeans and replace them in the suitcase with my dress pants and move on to my next adventure.

Tuesday: Day 2 of 5

I love this picture. I first saw it on one of the GSD forums. I loved it and thought I would share it with you this morning. You guessed it, I miss my dogs. When I awoke this morning, no dogs on my bed, to step over as I make my way in the dark to the bathroom, or to let outside and best of all, no standing by the back door in my bathrobe with my pockets full of treats waiting for the dogs to come back in. Nothing, just silence!

We are very much creatures of habit. In a couple of days I will be use to a new routine while I am away from home. I get up, get ready for the day, go down stairs, have breakfast and then make my way to the lecture hall. I am already tired thinking about sitting all day listening to someone talk. Wait a minute, soon it will be me up there lecturing to a group of people, I wonder if they will be thinking the same thing about me? I am here to learn how to deliver material to people by making it interesting and appealing so they will be motivated to integrate it into their daily lives to make their jobs easier. I am getting ahead of myself. I will explain more later.

We are so use to our own routine that any changes are not easily made especially when we are in "the last chapter" of our lives at least that's how it is with me. My current job keeps me very busy. The days seem to fly by and before I knew it we are weeks away from Christmas.

Speaking of time flying by, I had better get ready for the day. Coffee is made, Good Morning America is on the TV and my shower awaits. I wonder how my doggies are fairing in the kennel this morning? They too, are probably wondering what happened to them and where on earth is mommy?

I just finished a day of training and I am ready to enjoy an evening of relaxation. The day was jam packed with information, exercises and videos. However, by the time 3:00 p.m. rolled around most of us looked like the GSD's in the picture at the beginning of this blog. I am happy to report we survived and are looking forward to a day off from training to accommodate a change in our training schedule.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 is an Election Day in our province and being a government agency we had to cancel to allow people opportunity to vote. However, we do have to make up the day and extend our training session to Friday, November 9, 2007. On the bright side we will be dismissed early to accommodate the speakers flight back to Buffalo New York!

This afternoon I called the kennel to ask how my dogs were doing. Of course they told me they were fine and seemingly happy. I could hear barking dogs in the background but it didn't sound like mine. I know my dogs and each of their barks.

I will post more tomorrow and I think I will call it a night!

Monday: Day 1 of 5

This morning's routine was interrupted by packing for myself and the dogs. I woke up half an hour earlier than my usual 5:30 a.m. I let the dogs out and started packing. When the dogs came back inside and saw the suitcases they seemed to know something was up. All three of them were hanging around me instead of their usual practice of heading back to bed when they come in from the outside. Since I was catching a ride to work this morning I had to be ready when the phone rang. I had my coffee cup in one hand and my brief case in the other as I made my way down the path to meet my ride.

I no sooner arrived at work when I learned that i had to attend to a matter in court. I was wearing my traveling clothes (jeans) as I was only working till noon and then heading out on the road.

Before leaving for court I had to prepare some other court documents for the lawyer on another matter. Our support person was off today and the copier, printer and fax machine were acting up on our floor. I did find some one else to help me and had to leave for court before 9:30 a.m. when I arrived at court I couldn't find a parking spot and had to park a block away.

When I got back to the office, I turned in the keys and discovered that I forgot the parking permit on the dashboard. I had to go back to the parking garage, retrieve the permit. I did managed to get everything done before leaving for the day. This morning's events give new meaning to going with the flow!

When I arrived back home I loaded up the dogs in the truck and headed out to the kennel. Since the route to the kennel is the same as to the vet's office I am sure they must have been thinking, "not another trip to the vet". I got the dogs settled at the kennel and, left to to go back home, pack the car and head out.

I arrived in my destination three hours later. I am sitting here with my laptop typing away at this blog. I don't hear any birds chirping, no dogs barking, so I turned on the TV for some background noise. Dancing with the Stars is on right now.

I am glad I am here and off the road. I will be turning in soon and have to remember to call the desk for a wake up call!

But before I do that I will go downstairs to find out where we are meeting tomorrow.

Sunday Morning

Imagine this view when you opened your blinds, coffee cup in hand, morning paper tucked under your arm as you make your way out doors onto your deck to enjoy Sunday morning bliss. Your dog(s) beside you lazily enjoying the brisk morning air.

I can see myself walking along the beach and the dogs frolicking in the water, barking with glee. My GSD loves to fetch as does my Sheltie. She loves playing with a soccer ball and tries to get it away from me when I am kicking it. No matter what height I kick it she seems to be able to pull it out of the air and run with it. When we are at the dog park she plays with three Dobermans that are chasing a tennis ball that their owner tosses for them. Haida is very proud of herself when she gets the ball away from the other two.

I just finished cleaning the bird cages for yet another week and am off to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items for the dogs and for my trip. It seems like I have been running the entire weekend. Tomorrow at this time I will be on the road on my way for a week of training. I am looking forward to the change in pace. I do have to go into the office first thing in the morning and wrap up a few things.

Well, Sunday has come and almost gone. Monday is slowly making its way over horizon. The other day, I heard Karen Carpenter singing: "Rainy Days and Mondays get me down", for years I thought she was singing Rainy Day Mondays get me down".

It's interesting how some of our perceptions of things can be wrong or misunderstood. For example, Mondays and Fridays are two days of the week that have different meanings for different people. Have you ever heard anyone say" "TGIM" (thank god it's Monday? We usually say" TGIF (thank god it's Friday).

I use to take every Monday off as a vacation day. I loved working only four days a week and every third Friday was my EDO (Earned Day Off), a government term, and I worked only three days, what a bonus!

When I arrived at work on Tuesdays, my day no sooner started and it was over and it was Wednesday, mid-week, after that it seemed like the weekend was just around the corner. It's all how you look at it.

My days are packed full with appointments, travel, writing reports, answering and returning telephone calls, reading and writing emails. I am already tired and Monday is yet to arrive. I am I glad for the up coming week? You bet! They say, (who ever they are), a change is better than a rest. Isn't that how I started this post? In my imagination I was sitting on the deck looking at the view, drinking coffee and reading the paper. A perfect Sunday!

Weekend Madness: Visiting the Vet and Domestic Chores

(I don't know the author of this picture to reference it properly, but it describes my GSD to a tee!)

In a few minutes I will open the closet and reach for the dog collars. excitedly all three will come running, thinking they are going to the 'dog park'. Opps, sorry guys, please forgive me, we are going to the Vet's Office for your dreaded shots!

We're back! The dogs couldn't get out of the truck fast enough when we arrived home. They were pretty good at the Vet's office although when they saw the lady in a white coat they instinctively seemed to know what was coming next. They fired a look at me as if to say, "You said we were going to the dog park!" They are now having a bite to eat and getting ready for their mid-morning snooze.

If you're like me the weekends are usually spent catching up from things we put off during the week. I am I right? This weekend I have a number of things to do to get ready for my out of town trip. Since I have three fur kids they will spend the week in a kennel, my preference is to have someone come to the house, however, that no longer is an option for me.

All the domestic things are waiting for me: laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, etc. I had better get started before the day slips away from me. I will leave packing for the last.

I am off to a week of training. I will be sitting all day listening to someone lecture about how I should and shouldn't do things and what works best according to whomever! Enough already. Actually I do enjoy getting away and learning new things or rather old things packaged in a new innovative way!

I will be staying in a motel. Just think, I won't have to get up to let the dogs out, feed the birds, I have birds too, lots of them, budgies and lovebirds, there will be no chirping when I get up in the morning only the sound of the maids coming down the hall with their carts waiting for me to exit so they can fluff the pillows and turn over the sheets.

But I must tear myself away from the computer as the minutes are ticking and I have so much to do Thank goodness I did all the yard work last weekend. I will be back!

Well, I am back and it's almost bedtime, the dogs are already snoozing. I finished cleaning the house, doing the laundry and cleaning the kitchen, tomorrow the bird cages. This afternoon I sat down for a few minutes and before I knew it I was horizonal snoozing away!

I love coming back from a trip to a clean house. Actually I love coming home to a clean house anytime. However, as you know a GSD sheds any time of the year and I usually have to vacuum when I finish vacuuming. Go figure! I wouldn't trade my fur kids for anything. They are great to have around. Well, I am going to call it a night and will likely post again tomorrow.