The View from My New Desk

After 16 years I have a window seat at work. I love the natural light. I have my desk set up like I have it at home. It's cozy.

This is what I see from my window. Sorry about the quality, it's just a camera phone shot. I'm looking down 7th Place to East 7th. Way in the background is the Metro State Library. My work is everywhere.

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Macalester T is in the House!

We picked up our new pup Tuesday night in Elk River, where his foster dogmom, Terresa, was teaching agility.

BTW, the Elk River K9 Center is really neat!  They had agility, therapy dog training,and puppy kindergarten going on while we were there.  The facility is HUGE and full of life.

The ride home was uneventful, other than Sarah could not figure out how to buckle her seatbelt.  This is the same seatbelt she’s been buckling for the last, oh, 5 years.  I think there was a definite lack of concentration taking place in her 11 year old head last night.

At home, we let Macalester T explore the kitchen first, then opened the kennel to let Laddie out to meet him. Except Sydney pushed Laddie out of the way, so it was a boy meets girl situation.

At first, Sydney was all snarls and growls.  Just what I expected from her, she just doesn’t take to boy dogs right away.  Once things calmed down, I added Laddie to the mix.

After a few polite sniffs at each other, Laddie issued the play invitation, and away they went for the next 1/2 hour, raising Scottie hell.  Sydney wasn’t amused and kept growling and snapping at the two of them when they happened by.  I KNOW she was jealous, but there was no actual contact among the dogs, unless you count Laddie and Macalester T wrestling.

We had an early bed time, moved a kennel for Macalester T upstairs.  He had torn open his wound on his paw from where the skin tumor (benign!) was removed last week.  So he’s in one of those Elizabethan collars, which makes for on our bed.  Getting whacked by a E collar in the middle of the night is not pleasant!  So he had the kennel to himself.

The only real whining occurred when Rachel came upstairs when she had a bad dream.  Once she settled down, everyone fell asleep.

He tried territory marking Laddie’s food dish this morning, which I promptly yelled at him for, and for which he was suitably ashamed.  Everyone ate peacefully from their bowls.  Sydney was growling less and went up to Macalester T for a sniff.  By late this morning, it felt like everyone had found a comfort zone, and they were starting to behave more like a pack.  They’re really getting along well now.

He very chatty and friendly, but he keeps looking for his foster mom and his dog/cat/bird buddies.  Like any adopted kid, he’s got some transition to go through.  On the whole, so far, it’s pretty good.

I’ll post some pictures in the next day or so.

The Pitter-Patter of Tiny Feet

We’re adding on to the family. There will be another Scottie gracing our home. I think he’ll be named Macalester Tobias — using the formal version of his foster home name “Toby” as his middle name.

This dog IS a Macalester — he acts and looks like our first big girl. At our meet and greet tonight, he was all over Sarah and John, and respectful of Rachel and me. We all love him.

John has to make a doggie condo over the weekend for the three pups, so we couldn’t bring him home tonight. Plus my car wasn’t clean enough to have a dog in it — the kids have trash all over the back seat. So, we’ll bring him home Tuesday.

I’ll be writing more about him in the coming days, and you KNOW there will be play-by-play details of doggie interaction once Macalester T. comes home.

Happy New Year!!

I’ve always loved this picture of Sarah in her scottie outfit, on the couch celebrating New Year’s around the world. The crown was made by her new friend, Chloe. Sarah and I sat in the basement most of New Year’s Eve Day with Macalester and Sydney, watching the 2000 coverage around the world.

I think we had been back from China about two weeks at that point. I was waiting for the big computer crash heard around the world, due to any unresolved Y2K bugs. As we know, it never came. But it was good to know we were at home with our baby girl.

We saw New Year’s come in China, India, and Europe. Then the jetlag made us all crash long before any computer could here.

I hope everyone has a terrific 2010!!

Hunkering Down

The NWS says we’re in for a big snowstorm, starting tonight and going through Saturday morning.  They say it will be on the scale of the 1991 Halloween storm, although they’re only predicting 12 to 20 inches of snow.  The 1991 storm landed three feet of snow in my part of town.

 

We have plenty of food on hand.  As long as we don’t lose power, we’ll be OK. 

 

I figure all holiday plans will be cancelled.  Sarah is playing Mary in the Christmas pageant and Rachel has a speaking role as a shepherd, too.  There are kids that have to travel 10 to 15 miles to  get to our church (including Joseph).  I just hope they decide to cancel the pageant with enough notice.

 

I know our streets won’t be plowed anytime soon.  We’re on a street that last on the list to be plowed, but ½ block from a snow emergency route.  But I can’t image getting my low-hanging car through all that snow.  We may be forgoing the over-the-(Mississippi) river and through-the-woods to Grandma’s house on Christmas. 

 

I guess I’ll finally get that chance to clean out The Closet of Doom.  And catch up on the laundry.  Regardless of the weather, the girls and I are looking forward to our annual ritual:  watching “A Christmas Story” as much as possible.  Thank you, Ted Turner.

 

Fortunately, it will be fairly warm during the storm, so I can send the kids off to the backyard to make a snowman if they get too crazy.  We’ll probably play “drop the Scottie in the snowbank”.  Way back when, this was Macalester’s favorite game.  She loved swimming out of the snowdrift.  I think Laddie will follow in his great-aunt’s footsteps, and enjoy some snowbank swimming.  I don’t think Sydney will be as enthusiastic, but will prefer to hunt for rabbit poop snacks. 

 

With the kids and dogs worn out from playing in the snow, and John in a turkey-induced coma, I think I can look forward to long stretches of quiet time.  Just what this mama needs!

 
 
CA

Carol Anne Wall St. Paul, MN cawall@msn.com thewallsofstpaul.blogspot.com

Makeover, Scottie Style

Laddie and Sydney went to the groomer’s today. It’s been about three months and they were shaggy. I let their coats grow out in the winter because it just gets so cold and drafty in the house.

I took two Scottish Terriers to the groomer. I came home with a Cairn Terrier and a black Westie. The groomer did a great job cleaning them up, yet keeping their coats long.

Sydney (with the Cairn look) is just darn cute, and it’s clear she thinks so, too. She’s preening and pussy-foot prancing around the house.

Laddie on the other hand, looks confused, like he’s lost his identity. He keeps looking at me with this “what did you do to me?” look. Male ego, I guess. Either that, or he’s offended that he looks like a black Westie.

Wiped Out

By this time, 10 years ago, I think I was out cold on the hard hotel bed.

John and I had spent the day touring the Forbidden City, which seemed not only Forbidden but Forever (as in going on forever and ever and ever…). Chops were purchased, food was consumed, and pearls were oohed and aahed over.

We were not a major source of tourist spending on our trip. I had not learned that if you see it and love it, buy it now because you won’t probably see it elsewhere. So different from the US, where many things are replicated, or you could just get another one in the next large town. Although I wonder if that has changed since our 2003 trip.

As I recall, I spent a bunch of bus time looking at Sarah’s picture, and counting down the time. Deb was the official “clock” of our group, with frequent updates on our time until Gotcha Day.

I was completely exhausted when I got back from 10 hours of touring. But it was a good, happy tired. I just wished I could sleep better on those beds.

Related Links/Previous Stories:
http://thewallsofstpaul.blogspot.com/2006/12/ach-scheiss-moments-and-day-2-beijing.htm