Poppy

I'm calling her that now.
At first it was Poptart and then Idgie as in Idgie Threadgoode (thanks for putting that in my head Steve!) I will probably some day rescue an old frail thing and that will be her name.
But I kept saying Poppy.
Don't really know why, but just seemed right.
So that's her name.
She is now running around the house without hesitation.
She doesn't like to use the "outside" to potty, she prefers the potty pad and it's really no big deal seeing how it's the size of a SMALL Tootsie roll.
She waits until everyone has run outside ahead of her, then she puts on the brakes and walks over to the pad.
So we have a routine in the morning.
I let everyone out, flip on the news as she's doing her business and go upstairs.
When I come back down, she's usually sitting up in the corner of the sofa.
I swear she looks like she's watching the news.
She still hasn't started playing with the others yet.
Once in a while they will play "pounce" at her and she will stop and look at them and then look at me.
It's like she's saying "Why are they doing that?"
She does like to play with me though. I will run my hand like a spider at her and she attacks it, bouncing around.
I think it's just a matter of time until she figures the others out.
Then the other day I caught her "entertaining" herself.
The next time she did it, I caught it on camera.
Here's a little video....keep in mind, that I'm still learning how to make them!
Here's Poppy playing!

I'm Happy

Good news: I got my tree estimates and they were high and low. But one was very low and my tree problem will be taken care of on Saturday.

Other good news. I've been commissioned to do a painting. (Although I secretly HATE doing commissions. I prefer someone just liking what I've done and buying it. Commissions are so stressful to me, I know what is in MY mind but I'm always worried that the client will have something else in THEIR mind).

A woman who brings her dog to the clinic for chiropractic adjustments liked this painting that I had done:

 and wants me to do the same thing of her dog.
But smaller.
And a different background color
And she's not sure if she wants it on wood or canvas and whether she would like a frame or not.
She is emailing me a photo of her dog.
I'm just to do whatever I think best.

I have paintings up around the clinic where I work at

and several have sold but for some unexplainable reason I have not painted anything to replace those and there are bare spots on the walls.
A client brought in some little framed mats with stickers on them and Doc let her display them for sale. The girls at work aren't big fans of these and are always pestering me to bring in some of my paintings. I honestly don't know why I can't get going on them???

But now that I have this commission and a tree limb to pay for, I have the motivation.
Which reminds me. The tree guy said that on Saturday they would have to unhook my phone (Internet) line but not to worry, they would hook it back up for me.
At first I felt paralyzed with fear.
What if they can't/don't hook it back up properly?
I might be without Internet for the whole long holiday weekend!
Hmmmm....just might be what I need to get rolling and churn out some art!

The Tree, Dinner and a Cocktail

I called my insurance guy.

YES, I'm covered.

YES, I have a $1000. deductible.

I called the bank.
NO, they would not lend me a $1000.

One of the women at work had said that her husband owned one of those ladders that you can bend in weird angles.
I asked if I could borrow it.
She said she'd bring it tomorrow.
I Googled Lowes.
They have a chainsaw that had 5 stars from 111 people.
It costs $100.
I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up something for dinner.
Something NO FAT.
They had No Fat Yogurt.
and No Fat, No Sugar Hot Fudge.
Diet Sprite was on sale.
I picked up a bottle of UV Blue Vodka (no fat)
and came home.

 

I took some photos of the tree now that it's no longer raining.

I text the woman from work and told her never-mind.
My house is very tall, 2 stories.

Even I am not fool enough to try it.

The photos can be almost look pretty...

in sort of a blue way.

and after a few UV Blue's

they just get prettier.

and after a few more...

it almost tastes like a real Hot Fudge Sundae.

I've changed my mind.

Yeah, I'm just puttering around. Doing laundry.
Making videos of the dog and
BOOM!
The dogs started barking and at first I thought someone had hit the big electric box across the street but no, I still had power.
I walked around the house in a daze when all of a sudden a thought hit me.
I ran to the back door.
I just noticed last week that my Weeping Willow was partially dead.
I had decided that the job would be too big for me to do myself.
I would have to hire someone and that would take some dollars.
It towers over 2 stories.
I figured I better start saving now before winter came and the snow brought it down.

Yeah, that's the limb to the right of the photo.
(and yes, that is a hot tub on my neighbors driveway...
I'm biting my tongue here.)
and this is the BOOM.

The tree limb came down in the rain and the corner of my roof is holding it up.
Suddenly this day sucks.

Thank God it's Raining!

It was SO HOT yesterday that I just couldn't bear going outside
and start working on the yard again... and the "tree".
I told myself that I'd do it today, when it was supposed to be cooler.
Now it's raining.
I'm so happy!
It washes away my guilt of not doing it.

the OTHER blog

I have another blog.

http://bigwhitedogblue.blogspot.com/
Forlornly forgotten.
I was looking at it and shaking my head.
I haven't posted a thing over there for more than a year.
At first I was going to use if as a format to showcase my creations..............
.......................ok, what have I created lately?
Sigh.

ANYWAY.

Then I used it as a place for dog tips and thoughts and things.
But instead I just posted everything on http://oldblackcatboo.blogspot.com/.
so... NOW I've decided to delete all the posts and really mix it up by trying out a different design format.
and make it all about BLUE.
Which is what it should have been about all along, right!?
I plan on copying past posts about that I've written HERE and posting them THERE.
Sort of a blog "book" about Blue...
until I actually write a physical one,
that you can hold in you hands.
That's the kind of book that I love.
I will be re-posting the post about Bono that I have over there because I don't want to lose his story and photos.
So, if you want to take a peek at the old blog with the old posts - it will be there for a few.

STREAKS

So my hair has pretty much grown out.
All natural color now.
Brown with grey.
I like the light streak in front.
This what I was really hoping it would look like...

but it doesn't.
I feel like it's BLAH.
Maybe I should go back to blond.
Or maybe I just need a little color?
Just a few streaks.

OK, that's TOO much.
I'm liking it on Jimmy.

But all he really cares about is having his ball

And someone to play with.

well, crap....

last Thursday as I put in my almost 12 hour day at work, I had such grand plans for my 3 days off.

Road-trip with the dogs.
Riding my bike.
Painting some paintings.
Painting the laundry room.
Patching the plaster in the bathroom.
Going for long walks with the dogs.
and maybe a little bit of gardening.
and what did I do?

I forgot to mention that last Wednesday I cut down my neighbors tree.

He had been "talking" about doing it for a long time.
He said it was his tree, I think it's right on the property line, wherever that might be!?!?
Anyway the thing got so heavy with these green ball things (walnuts?)

that it was drooping onto my brussel sprouts and tomatoes that I have planted in containers.
So as I cut off a limb that was hanging low, some of the other branches sprung back up in the air.
I thought it was kinda stupid to only cut a few limbs when I could just cut the trunk while it was bent down so low to the ground. So I took my Saw-Zall and cut the trunk until it started to crack.
The tree is only 3 feet from their open living room window. I had seen the wife come home and then the husband not even a half hour before I started so I know they could hear the saw AND the crack of the tree.
I mean I hear their dishes clinking when I have my windows open and I'm INSIDE my house (and don't have the TV or music on)
so....
after it cracked it wasn't cut clean through, just split. The trunk becoming more vertical again and the rest of it horizontal so I cut off all the limbs.
At one point my blade got stuck and I had to leave it stuck and put in another.

I continued until all the limbs were cut off.
 

So Friday morning, my first day off I look out my window at the mess.

Then I walked around outside surveying the situation and...

I've spent the last three days working outside from morning until dark, moving plants from the front yard and from the parkway and transplanting them into the flowerbed running parallel to my driveway and then planting the roses and the cat-mint all the way down the backyard, clearing as I went.

Every four hours or so, I'd go inside for a Diet Pop and an Internet break and then back out.
All the dogs lounged in the enclosed patio area in the nice 78 degree weather.
Except Jimmy. He jumps the fence every single time.
He has actually learned to jumped up on the top of it and walk along the edge and over to a good landing spot.
Then he calmly walks over to me.
I have several small tie-out leads linked together so that he can follow me.
Back and forth we would go, me with my shovel (until it broke and then my spade) and Jimmy trailing behind me until boredom set in and he'd go nap on a bag of mulch.
My whole vacation and I'm nowhere near done.
The neighbor guy came out today (Sunday) to cut his lawn.
He acted all surprised to see the tree down.
"Oh! When did you do that?" Yeah right.
He's Passive Aggressive, but so am I.
So he asked "Did it came down easy?" Give me a break, there's no way he couldn't hear that thing coming down.
But I play along and tell him I did it Wednesday. I say I will have to move the branches for him to mow but he volunteers to toss it in my yard. "Any place special?" and I tell him just not on my conifers. Those evergreen things as he calls them.
Yep, this could get interesting.
So...that's how I spent my Summer Vacation.
sigh.

The ADVENTURE BOX

I'm taking Friday off from work.

Using a vacation day for a loooong weekend.
I have a list of things that NEED to be done.
I have a list of things I WANT to do.
I'm not sure what I will be doing.
Maybe a few things off both lists...and
I might just go for a ride in the ADVENTURE BOX!
I'll see you back here on Monday!
Have a Great Weekend!!!
xoxo - Cindi

Thanks! I needed that!

I think that every town has a pizza joint that makes that BEST pizza.

In MY hometown there is a place that has the best carry-out.
YOU call and you have to wait forever on a Friday night
and it's actually kinda expensive compared to the big chain pizza places but no one cares.
Because it's the BEST!
So the other day I got to thinking about it.
It's been forever and a day since I have had pizza from there.
And then I'd want some Pop, with lots of ice.
I kept thinking about it all day at work. I mean, how bad could it be to break my healthy eating just this once.
...for their Sausage Pizza.
It's so spicy that I sometimes wake up the next morning with my eyes swelled shut.
But it's always worth it.
And I've been doing good so far.
Sure, I've hit a plateau and have been stuck for a while but...
Anyway, on this day at work, I was up front in the reception area.
They were short-handed because one of the girls went to a training thing.
A customer came up to the front desk asked the girl there, to speak to THAT woman and points toward the group of us.
The front desk girl thought she meant me.
I walk up and the woman said, "Oh No. I meant the woman with the RED top on.
So I go get the woman with the red top and she helps the customer with whatever it was.
Afterward I asked if the customer had some detailed question and whether or not I should be offended by the fact that she must have thought I couldn't answer it.
I was saying all of this in a light hearted manner. Joking.
It's not that I really cared, I was just curious.
My co-worker replied that - "No, it wasn't anything involved at all".
She wasn't even sure why the woman had specifically asked for her.
I replied "OK, just wondered" and she said "Yeah, I don't know" as she shook her head and then said "I mean, either one of us fat girls could have helped her."
OK...
I suppose that if I was OBESE, she wouldn't have said that out loud.
So maybe in some weird way, I shouldn't be bothered by the remark.
I mean if she's comfortable enough to say it....

I did NOT get pizza later.
So, Thanks! (I guess.) I needed that remark.

WHY so BLUE?

IT'S 79 DEGREES!

there's a light wind and it might RAIN tonight!!!

LIFE IS GOOD!

SO.........

... I wrote out a long post and as I reread it I realized how depressing it was.
Who wants to read that?
Jeez.
OK, so instead..basically this is it.
I've just had a couple jolts of reality. (Someone unexpectedly passing and another who is gravely ill.)
You never know what's next. (You can do all the right things and still bad things can happen.)
It's stupid to stress about silly things. (What color to paint a wall? I need stop thinking about it and just paint it!)
It's idiotic to put things off for later. (Waiting until there's a perfect time to create art or write, just do it!)
It's silly to hang onto stuff (like 16 mailboxes that I have in my basement... what was the plan for them again?)
It's asinine to worry about the money I've spent and hope to recoup it. (Forget yard sales and take the junk to Goodwill)
It's foolish to compare myself to others (What makes ME happy?! not what is "in style" or popular.)
So I'm getting rid of stuff. (All the "projects" that I said I would someday do?)
I'm only acquiring things that I love. (Not things just because they are a bargain.)
All the extra stress I've created for myself. (Streamlining my landscaping so that I don't spend every nice day outside just doing that.)
I've stopped Following some blogs. (The ones that made me feel bad about myself and made me think I need more "stuff" than I already have).
I'm cherishing others blogs. (That have brought me wonderful friends and kindred spirits.)
I'm Following Pinterest! (Because it inspires me, and gets my creative juices going and sometimes makes me laugh and other times makes me go "Ahhhh".)
So...just making my life more simple and making time for what I really enjoy.

I FEEL LIKE I'M WASTING PRECIOUS TIME