A Vizsla/Lab Cocktail

Last week we dogsat my parent's 3 year old Lab, Lola, while they were away in Sedona. Ella loves having Lola to stay because she provides the perfect partner to run with, wrestle with and chew on. Both of them are slightly nuts and both are either going full tilt or they are asleep, there is no middle speed.

One night after dinner, Lola, who had been laying under the table while we ate, got up and was wet. I checked and she had peed all over while she was laying on the floor. I was a bit concerned but then thought maybe it was a fluke. The next night, same thing. I called the vet and couldn't get her in until after my parents would be home. She was also walking around dribbling a bit.

In the interest of saving my floors from urine dribbles, I went to Petsmart to buy some doggie diapers. I have to admit, it took all my self control to not bust out laughing when I had to ask the Petsmart employee which aisle had the dog diapers. There was some serious laughing when I came home and put the diaper on the dog. Nothing like a 75 lb dog in a diaper.

When my parents returned, they took Lola in to the vet. My dad was explaining what had happened and how none of those things have ever happened when she is at their house. The vet asked about what my house is like. My dad said, "well, they have 2 dogs, a 12 year old Dalmatian and a 2 year old Vizsla".

At the mention of the word Vizsla, the vet stopped him right there and said, "I think I know what the problem is". Basically, my wacky Vizsla so wears out my parent's Lab that she collapses, exhausted and no longer has any muscle control and pees. Lola, living in a one dog, no kid house apparently doesn't have the stamina for the Vizsla workout. Kind of like putting a couch potato into a Special Forces taught boot camp. It is also probably why Ella eats like it is Thanksgiving but still resembles a Brazilian supermodel.

It's Craptacular!!

A good friend/family member, once told me over a bowl of cake (yes, a bowl of cake) that oftentimes, in Heather's world, things are either perfectly perfect or total crap and there is no middle. (That would be you A.P.) Totally a true assessment.

This past week, life has been so far from perfectly perfect and has instead felt like total and complete crap. Having endured Backgate 2009 and finally these past few months feeling almost human again, my craptacular body decided to muck something else up royally. So, while the back feels great, my knees feel like I am 95 and I am left feeling a bit put upon. A year ago at this time, I was running a ton, moving furniture with wild abandon, and was open and ready for anything life threw at me. Now I feel like I am only slightly removed from eating dinner at 4:00, complaining about the rain affecting my joints, and routinely wearing sensible shoes and polyester. So not perfect.

After wallowing in self pity and massive quantities of dark chocolate this past week, I was reminded of the wisdom shared over a bowl of cake. This week, no matter what my ancient feeling body throws at me, I am going to focus on that middle ground and the things that are still really amazing and wonderful about my life.

Our resident wisecracking guy

Lately, Ethan has been dropping these hilarious and a bit snarky one liners. It is particularly funny coming from him because he is a bit reserved and always so nice to everyone. He has always had a bit of a goofy streak but this is a whole new thing and is cracking me up.

Over the weekend, we were all in the car and we drove past a church where they were loading some miniature ponies into a truck. They had a sign saying "Free Pony Rides". Kevin, joking around, said, "oh, darn! I missed my chance to have a free pony ride!". We hear a snicker from the back and then Ethan says, under his breath, "that pony would SO be going down if you got on him."

Silly kid!

Maybe We Should Move Him Up to Boulder...

Our trash service started offering recycling a few years back. I finally got around to calling and signing us up for it a week ago (yes, it only took me 2 years - it is all about priorities people). They delivered the bins and we have been tossing all our paper, plastic and metal into them.

Drew, was super excited about the fact that we were going to recycle. They talk a lot about it at school and recycle at school. He insists on personally delivering anything that needs to go to the recycle bin. The other morning, I got chewed out by him for forgetting about the recycling and daring to throw a jam jar into the trash compactor. What WAS I thinking!?

I have some glass milk bottles sitting on the counter that need to go back to Whole Foods, who give me a refund for my bottle credit. He keeps eyeing those and then asking me, "are you going to recycle those?" I keep explaining that they go to the store, not in the bins but I still end up getting a lecture about how they should go in the bin. As a result of all this zealous, recycling behavior, we have dubbed him the "recycle Nazi". Even Ethan, has mumbled to him a few times, "you are really nuts about the recycling".

The one bright spot with his new obsession is it is getting him to throw things away. I can't tell you how many pieces of cardboard were in his room that he was "saving" for a project. The recycle bins arrived and he cleared his room of anything recyclable. Now if I can just get him to be so energetic about organizing all the other crap in there. If only Lego's and Star Wars figures were recyclable.