CAUTION: Woman In Progress

And all through the yard, Jana was spooked, by a little dead mouse. Libby in the woods, and a man's coughing sight unseen, had Jana quaking nervously, in the dark and moonlit night. So yeah, despite my meager attempts at Halloween poetry, last night was a little spooky. Just a tad. Started out not long after I got home. Well, this was more yucky than spooky but...found another dead mouse in the yard. Little gray thing all nasty and crap. I almost stepped on it. Gross. Fortunately, Libby never found it. I shooed her inside and got the shovel to play mouse hockey. Took me a couple of tries but I finally rocketted that sucker into the woods. You know, just an observation about myself but...Having Libby has sure strengthened my weak tummy. I can now clean up poop, vomit, and dead mice all without gagging or vomitting. A feat I thought impossible prior to my parenthood of the devil pup. But back to spooky things, my best friend called me last night. No, that wasn't the ...

Just call me cow cuz I grazed so much this weekend that I gained a pound. lol It all started Friday night with a trip to Applebee's with Sis1. I ordered the shrimp and sirloin parm with the garlic potatoes...and the works. I nearly swooned right there in the restaurant, it was so good. (Though they could have kept the broccoli. Honestly, if you aren't going to smother it in cheese, why bother putting it on the plate?) Unfortunately, I was too stuffed to get a pretzel when we got to the movie theater. Bummer. I love the garlic pretzels. Yum. Saw Flicka per Sis1's unhealthy obsession with Tim McGraw. He's too skinny if you ask me and not terribly sexy without the hat. BUT, I gotta give him props for the gorgeous rippling muscles beneath his shirts. Especially with that one scene when he's wearing a white t-shirt. Mmm...mm good. hehe Movie was good, though. Somewhat a tearjerker. Your standard "girl loves animal, tension because of girl's love of animal, anim...

Come again another day. Just not tomorrow. Or Sunday. Basically just wait till the weekend's over and come back middle of next week. Okay? *sigh* I'm so sick of rain right now I could scream. But then I'd drown, probably. :-/ It's been raining since Wednesday and this morning it really came a gullywasher. Devil pup did NOT want to go out in it and do her business. The first time she pooped this morning I had to CARRY her outside to do it. But then she waited until I was getting dressed for work to decide she had to go again. Waited till I was nekkid. *sigh* Needless to say, she pooped in the hall before I could get some clothes on and track down my shoes. Ugh! Can't say that I blame her. I didn't want to get out in it either and I, at least, have an umbrella to keep the worst of it off. She, poor little thing, has to get soaked and then take forever to dry. But she's a happy camper, regardless. Her pesky "cousin" went home with Nana last night. Bob...

The Moon Rises unheeded, Over a still autumn evening, Birds and crickets serenading, As the sun descends in the chill crisp air. All alone I stand in the middle of the driveway, Staring at the pale illumination, The sky blue and darkening quickly, As night approaches bringing the loneliness with it. It settles around me like a blanket, Leaving me cold and wistful, Reminding of a time gone by, When wishes were prayers and the moon went unseen. Photo and poem by Jana Hunter

Scarlett is no longer allowed to be outside with Libby. Ever. At all. I took Scarlett out after supper last nigh and let her roam. To keep Libby from being in the house alone I took her out on the leash. Well, lo and behold, Scarlett takes off into the woods. I'm not terribly concerned because she's familiar with them and can find her way back. Besides, Libby is safely tethered to me and having a ball trying to chew the leash right off. However, I didn't take into account that Libby was actually watching Scarlett's little romp into the woods and making adventurous plans of her own. Once I got Scarlett in the house, I let Libby off the leash. And what was the first thing she did? You got it. She set out into the woods. Calling her does no good. She's either deaf or too stubborn to answer my insistent calls. Far as I know, her hearing's fine. So, her being a little pup with a terrible sense of smell (she can't find a stick she dropped five seconds ago) I set ...

My brother-in-law sent me some picks of him and Emmy cleaning and carving her first Jack-o-Lantern. Thought I'd share. Looks like it was fun, huh?

So I went home yesterday and let the babies out. Scarlett immediately tried to "lose" Libby. *sigh* I went back in the house for two seconds to get my jacket and when I came back out they were both gone. Started yelling (I'm a neighborhood favorite by now, I'm sure) and finally heard tags clinking. Scarlett was coming up through the woods all happy but I didn't see Libby. Yelled again and finally saw the little scamp sniffing her way back through the woods. Scarlett seemed none to happy to realized that Libby wasn't far behind her. Lecture to Scarlett on "taking care of the baby and not trying to lose her in the woods" ensued. I'm almost certain I saw Scarlett roll her eyes. Libby, on the other hand, thought she'd been on a great adventure and had to tell me all about it. Kept wanting to re-live it. So now (thanks, Scarlett) I have to keep my eyes glued to the scamp every time I take her out or she's gone like a wood nymph dancing throu...

Libby has a temporary roommate. And she's NOT happy about it. LOL Sis1's dog, Scarlett, is staying with us until Thursday, a situation I'm uncertain won't drive me insane. I love the pup but she's got more attitude than most sixteen-year-old girls. And she most definitely does not like little Libby. You can almost SEE the condescension on her face when she's around Libby. And like most sixteen-year-old girls she's got the part of the bitchy older sister down pat, too. Sniping and snarling in that haughty manner of hers. But then, she IS a little princess, no doubt. Libby, on the other hand, plays the part of the annoying kid. A tomboy, through and through, she dances around Scarlett--growling, barking and slapping in a bid to get the other dog to play. And should Scarlett take the notion of actually sitting anywhere near me, Libby takes it upon herself to slap Scarlett on the head and shove at her. She's such the little smart alec. Take the above pictur...

I think that the devil pup and I are on the verge of a breakthrough with her housetraining. Of course, now that I SAY that, she'll probably pee all over the place the rest of the weekend. *rolls eyes* BUT, I was home with her all day yesterday and she only had ONE accident, as was the case the night before. She's been going to the door when she needs to go and everything. So Jana? She's very much pleased. Now, if I could just train her NOT bite Mommy, I might start calling her the slightly devilish pup. hehehehe She and I spent the day together yesterday. Since I had/have to work a few hours today, I took yesterday off of work and stayed home. Besides, I feel guilty if she doesn't at least get the weekends to full out play for a couple of days. She spends so much time in her crate during the week that I feel like I need to baby her (even though I mostly get scratches and bites for my efforts) on weekend. Love her to death but I did have to put her in her crate a few tim...

I had this completely asinine post typed up earlier this morning detailing my frustration with the cell phone addiction. It was as I was reading through it for editing (yeah, I at least make a token effort to not look stupid) that I realized something. I'm all dried up. *sigh* Oh, it's raining outside but in the Jana house it's all shallow waters. I have nothing truly interesting to say because a) I whined about all my little inner crap when I first started this blog, b) my life is pathetically dull, c) I wonder who really cares anyway and d) I'm lacking creativity these days. And I figure anyone who deigns to read my measly thoughts is tired of hearing about the devil dog. But you wanna know what's sad? She's about all I've got going on these days. Sadder still is that the things that used to intrigue, incite or interest me seem to have fallen by the wayside. Even television, music and books (despite my raving over Maggie Shayne yesterday) seem to have lost...

It's almost as though the mind control of the vampires in her Wings in the Night series leap from the page and demand that "To hell with sleep. Read, damn you! Read!" Either that or Prince of Twilight , her latest installment (hopefully not her last) of the series, was just that good. But come to think of it, her previous installments were just as consuming. Maybe there is something to that mind control thing after all. Or can Ms. Shane actually be that talented a writer? (I'm guessing, yeah.) hehehehe So I guess you've figured out that I read...no, INHALED... Prince of Twilight last night, right? So much so that I didn't get to sleep till well past 1:30a.m. Good for my curious mind that enthralls at Ms. Shayne's fictional world of vampires. Bad for the worker bee who had to get up this morning to go to work. But hey, I had sweet dreams once I did finally finish the book and cut the light. Sweet dreams of Vlad Dracula, one of the oldest vampires in exist...

Ain't it funny the things that can irritate a person? For instance, the thing that drives me craziest when conversing with my mother (other than when she's lecturing me on things I don't want to be lectured on) is that she has this habit of throwing in the phrase "da da da" when listing stuff. You know, where most people would say "blah blah blah" or whatever. I don't know why the phrase "da da da" irritates me so badly but it does. Like nails on a chalkboard. *cringes* Yesterday was a total Ugh!. It's like the little demons slept through Friday the 13th and decided to make up for it yesterday. Started when I came to work and someone had cranked the heat on throughout the building and it was hot as Hades 'round here. We're talking like mid 80's inside. Stuffy, yucky and miserable. Were it not for some fans sprinkled around, I'd have been booking it home whether the boss or anybody else liked it or not. As it was, it was ...

Or so the devil pup would have others believe. *sigh* Why is it that kids and dogs are always so much WORSE around their grandparents? I swear, Libby was an angel all day Saturday. Did not have the first accident in the house. She was obediant, happy and we just had a lot of fun. I took her out to my parents' house yesterday and it's like she was a totally different dog. She peed on the kitchen floor, refused to come when I called and whenever I said that "Libby does this" or "Libby doesn't do that" she did the exact OPPOSITE of whatever I said she does or doesn't do. Like she was TRYING to make me look stupid in front of my parents. I mean really, they already think I'm a little on the dingy side so I don't really need any help convincing them of my stupidity. But to have my own DOG...a puppy I love and feed and let chew my fingers...betray me is just...*sigh* Well, it's annoying as all heck, to be honest. And of course, because I so ob...

Dead mice are yucky. Something I always knew in theory but saw for myself last night when that devil pup of mine brought one into the house to play with. Blech! Can you see me? I was trying not to gag, wanting very much to strangle the devil pup and wondering how on Earth I was going to a) get the pup away from the dead mouse and b) get the dead mouse OUT without actually touching or looking at it. Oh, and did I mention that not only was the mouse dead, it was mostly decayed? Yeah. Fortunately, the devil pup was distracted enough that I was able to pick her up without having to chase her down (as I normally do when she's got something she's not supposed to have) and the dead mouse was dropped on the rug in front of the couch. A long rug. A rug I was able to drag out of the house and onto the porch with disturbing the dead mouse. *gag* Devil pup whined from her crate as she watched me do this. Bu-bye, dead decaying display of mouse. So long, her cries mournfully. I, on the other...

My aunt sent this to me, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy! Jana A Dog's Purpose - from a 4 year old -What's yours? Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peaceful...

For lack of creativity, thought I'd leave ya'll with a little cutie. My baby cousin, JT, and his first trip to the pumpkin patch. Looks like he was havin' fun, huh? :-)

I think my neighbor thinks I'm stalking him. LOL Or at least, overly interested in their comings and goings. Was a time when I'd disappear inside my house after work and not step foot outside until the next morning when I left. I'm certain they assumed I was an ogre who kept hidden or something. Not so, now that I have Libby. I spend 70% of my evenings outside either playing with her or urging her to "go pee pee" or not to eat disgusting things. Unfortunately, one of Libby's newest areas of the yard is the portion closest to the road and facing my neighbors' house diagonally across the road from me. Late yesterday, I was outside watching Libby (facing this house) and I looked up just as the man of the house came out on his back deck, peeked around the side and darted back inside. So, me thinks he thinks I'm watching them. I, however, couldn't care less if my constant presence outside (in my own yard!) offends or annoys them as this is the same fami...

Okay, now that the muse has had her say (insistent little thing that she is) I thought I'd post ya'll an update and what's up with me and this little goal of mine. You know the one. I finally weighed myself again this weekend. I'm really glad I waited a month, too. It made if feel all the more better. As of Sunday, I've lost 5 pounds since September 10. That's 25 pounds total. :-) I'm still a little :-O but thankful. And what's more wonderful, was that all this AND I still get to treat myself every now and then. A dinner out here, a bag of M&M's there...so long as I keep the "good" stuff more frequent than the treats...that's been my thinking and STILL I've made more progress in the past month than I have in YEARS. I'm just seriously over the moon. No, I'm still not quite in the next size down but I think it's close. The size I'm currently wearing is getting really baggy and I can fasten the next size down. Once ...

Would that I could expell this dream of you, Leave it in the dark recesses of my mind, Expend it from my heart never faced again. Would that I could disentangle from this cacoon, Break away from the mold I'm poured into, Be free from the chains that keep me tethered. Would that I could be free from this shallow existence, Bring forth life and fullfilmment, Be full of the joys, pains, hurts and rapture I see in you. Would that I could join you in the light, Behold the rays that glitter and sparkle, Touch the beauty that glows within you. Would that I could make true this dream I have of you, Bring it forward into the darkness around me, Fullfill in it the darkest secrets of my heart to hold and cherish. Just a little poem the muse handed me this morning. Hope it doesn't suck too terribly bad. :-/

Unfortunately, she's talking faster than I can type. LOL I'm not complaining. After the fits and spurts of inspiration she's given me lately, a heavy flow is quite the relief. She even had me waxing poetic at the moon last night. hehehehe And it was a gorgeous moon, I'll admit. Full and so bright I almost didn't need my lantern when I took Libby out. It sparkled on the lake like millions of tiny diamonds and gave the white rock of the pavement an almost ghostly glow. Very mystical and etherial feeling. At any rate, that's what I've been up to. Other than, you know, werking . hehehehe

My how the week has dragged. Time stills when you're having a sucky time. Is it really only Thursday? Yeah, I know. One more day, but sheesh! And I can't even think of anything I've really accomplished other than inwardly growling at the world. *sigh* It's just sooooo annoying. And I'm starting to wonder if I didn't do more damage to my "good" knee than I originally thought. Or maybe knee bruises just hurt more. I don't know but it's not getting any easier to deal with. The bruises on my ribs seem to have mostly dissipated and the toenail finally grew in enough to ease the worst of the discomfort. It's just the stupid knee. *pout* Am I just not ever supposed to walk, sit or stand comfortably again for the rest of my life?? *whines* Of course, part of the problem could be that I keep banging it on the stupid CPU that they brought me a couple of weeks ago at work. It sticks out further than my old one did and every time I turn around I'm ...

And granting that Blogger is friendly today, I'll share. hehehe Labor Day weekend was all fun and games as we set out to do some serious fishing. Can you see how serious we were? Due to the lack of rain this summer, the pond had, unfortunately, receded quite a bit, as you can tell...or maybe you can tell. At any rate, where everyone was standing used to be covered in water. The original bank is way up there where the full on green is. Remember that 5lb Catfish I caught?? Yeah, I know in that post about crap hurting and all that I said 10lbs. I meant 5lbs. hehehe Fish tales growing and all that. *grin* He felt like 10lbs when I was reeling him in! That's him on the ground, there, because he was being all cantakerous not wanting anyone to get their hands on him. But Daddy conquered him, briefly, and we managed to get a pic. No, I'm not touching him. He'd dirty, slimy and those catfish hurt...or so I'm told. And yeah, that's Daddy with me and Mama ther in the back...

Libby had her second booster shot and her rabies shot yesterday. Bless her heart. She was so puny last night when we got home she nearly fell asleep in her food dish. LOL I put her to bed for an hour or so after she ate so that she could sleep some of it off. As long as she was out, she was trying to play but doing a stumbling job of it. When I finally let her out, she staggered over the couch, climbed up in my lap and chewed my hair till she fell asleep. hehehehe She napped on me for most of the night. First time in a loooong while since she'd done that. It ws kinda nice. ;-) And she got her "big girl tag" on her collar, too, for the rabies shot. I give it two more days before she's chewed through it. It's already got dents all through it from where she's been knawing on it. She's so bad.

That would be me, today. *sigh* The weekend started out well enough. I got home a little after five o'clock and Sis1 and Emmy were waiting at the house for me. I got big hugs from Emmy which are always good and Sis1 had brought pizza for supper. A big no-no in the diet scheme of things but a big welcomed sight to the side of me who really wants to eat. LOL Emmy went home with her beloved Nana and Sis1 and I vegged out to eat, watch TV and play with Libby. It was really good. We watched Ghost Whisperer, Libby only had two minor "accidents" in the house and we went to bed shortly after ten. Saturday we got up early and went to town for breakfast at Micky D's. Again, not so great for the diet plan but it was delish anyway and really nice to have someone to eat Micky D's breakfast with. I didn't feel like such a loser. Oh, and there was a really hot guy there, too, and he and I kept dancing around each other while we fixed our coffee and got napkins and stuff. Fun...