Guess it was boring...

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Pepper trying to withstand my singing...

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Yuki snoozin' on my hand

Yuki is such a sweet blob.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Petey and Pepper enjoying themselves

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

A squirrel it is!

Yuki spots a squirrel on the "squirrel-proof" bird feeder.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Every animal in the house...

Is napping. It's making me sleepy.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Another lovely day

Pepper is enoying the nice weather. I wish my Blackberry took better pictures. It's so convenient to moblog. Alas, perhaps by the time I'm eligible for an upgrade they will have a model better than just 2.0 megapixels.

I need to do a massive clean-up in my studio but it's hard to relgate myself to the indoors when it's nice outside. It rained daily for so long I can't resist - plus who knows if I will ever have this "luxury" again? I actually have color in my face for once instead of my usual office pallor...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Pepper enoying the sunshine

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Window boxes

The window boxes are looking nice. I cheated this year and got some healthy mixed hanging baskets, removed the flowers from the hanging pots, split open the root ball so they would be more rectangular and replanted them in the window boxes. I added some potting soil to fill in any holes - and voila! It looks like midsummer growth already. Sometimes cheating is good :-)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Stella D'oro lillies

These lillies came from my father's house. After he died I dug some up and brought them to my garden. We talked about these lillies often - a very reliable variety. The begin blooming right before his birthday. It is a nice way to remember him.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND IF YOU LOSE YOUR HOME

cha-ching

Mini's mishap with a dumbass driver translated into $3,400 worth of repairs. I will have to pay a $250 deductible, but it sucks to pay anything, considering all I was doing to was traveling down a turn lane.

I have been productive this morning as a newly unemployed person and did tons of weeding, trimming, and mowed the backyard with my new "green" lawnmower. I love it. It's not as precise as a smokin' loud mower, but it's really rather meditative as you whirr-r-r-r from one side of the yard to the other. It cuts regular grass great, but the longer, harder stemmed weeds usually bend under the cutter and pop back up after you pass by. I just go back and forth over one of those stubborn buggers until it catches in the cutters.

I just use it for the backyard where the dogs are - not as scary for them and you don't have the hassle of getting a big mower through the gates, etc. I just grab it and go whirrrrrrring. It's cute.

Waitin' for Papa to get home...

Now that my car is bashed and in the shop for who knows how long...it's me and the critters. And the to-do list.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Murphy is after me...

Yesterday I went out for a 5 minute trip to the store and WHAM! I got hit by an old blue Mustang who promptly made a run for it. I wasn't hurt, but poor Smidget got sent to the shop again thanks to another dumbass driver. Obviously they didn't have insurance and apparently the tags weren't current and didn't belong to the car - didn't show up in any DMV records. This is the second time this year someone has hit me and wouldn't take responsibility for it. What is wrong with people these days? Gah. Sucks. Wonder what's next?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

cat nightmares...

(obviously I am bored and still not sleepy)...

...but I had to write this down. Peanut is asleep behind my head on the couch and he is having a kitty nightmare of sorts. He is growling and hissing in his sleep. Now, I have seen plenty of dogs dream, woof, and growl while dreaming, but I don't think I have ever seen a cat be than demonstrative while dreaming. I've seen paws twitch and such, but well, that was just funny. I moved and he startled awake, his big green eyes a little glazed from being ripped from his nocturnal adventures. He was fighting with someone - probably beating up Yuki - that's usually who is pouncing on his during the day.

I'm still hungry.

can't sleep...

It's late but I'm not sleepy. Pepper and I are watching some tube and I'm on the laptop writing drivel. Storming outside. More frickin' rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Pepper opens her eyes and looks at me when the thunder erupts..."everything okay mama? ok, back to sleep now." Fortunately neither of our dogs are scared of storms.

Pepper has a favorite chair...it's really her chair now. Petey just hops on top of the back cushion of the couch and makes a "beagle nest." The pillows are destroyed from all his daily "nesting." We never were the types to keep our animals off the furniture - we like to cuddle with them too much. Maybe that's a weakness or a bad habit, but I would hate it if they couldn't schoochie up to us for some special scratches and hugs.

*stares off into space* tick-tock...tick-tock...

Now I'm hungry.

stickin' it out...

Being laid off - sucks. Being laid off with endless days of rain - sucks even more. The dogs are couped up. I am couped up. We all need some sunshine and time to play in the yard.

It's hard to stay motivated when there are no new opportunities on the horizon. Mental health jobs are being cut left and right and being a social worker just short of being eligible for licensure really hurts because there are plenty of licensed people who've been laid off. It's an employer's market when it comes to getting good employees. A lot of people; not so many jobs.

You would think this would be a welcome vacation after 21 years of working, but it's more a battle against worry and uncertainty. I am to keep recreating myself, readjusting the plan, revitalizing...

The goal for this week is to clean up and reorganize my studio. It's truly a disaster.

Turn that damn light off...

Are you trying to tell me something Peanut?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Are you sure you're comfortable?

Peanut sleeping away a rainy morning.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Pretty Pepper

Here's my pretty girl. We're going to a Canine Confidence class next week. Woof.  

Ugh.

Being.unemployed is no fun, even with a severance package. Mental health services are being cut everywhere and there are precious few jobs to be had. Everyday I check for job listings and check leads to no avail. I am just short of being eligible for licensure which knocks me out of qualifying for 75 percent of jobs that are listed or available. It's been a week now and the first few days were nice but the worry is creeping in...

On a brighter note I am looking forward to next Saturday because I am taking Pepper to a Canine Confidence class. She is a very nervous shepherd and I really want to work on her socialization and confidence. She is such a smart dog - I hate not getting to share her wonderful personality with other people. She's only comfortable around close family and a very few friends. Our vet said German Shepherds have been so overbred that many of them now have fearful temperaments - yet another reason to avoid all backyard breeders and all "pet shops" who buy from puppy mills. Don't get me started on that!!

All for now...basically because I am already tired of QWERTYing on my Blackberry.

Woof.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

More Yuki

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T