For example:  yesterday’s project was to replace the blinds on the front window.  First you should know that the ones that were there are original to the house; 20ish years old.  Secondly, there was a roof leak many years ago and I fixed the leak but not the damaged drywall.  Third, its a huge bay window and as much as I hate vertical blinds they are really the only thing I can afford to put there, all other options would be 800-1200 bucks. 

The first hurdle we encountered was as the home store.  Standard blinds go 104″ wide … our window 105 1/4″.  I figured I could live with the gap but D thought we could figure out how to change the geometry of how the side window blinds were hung and cover it up.  We bought blinds for all three windows, knowing we’d have to go back and have everything cut to size once we figured out what that needed to be.  We went home and I ripped down the old blinds and spent a couple of hours repairing / replacing the drywall. 

I spent another hour determining that the blinds we’d purchased weren’t going to work.  Plan B was to return some, special order others and move what I kept to the back sliding glass door.  Sometime around 6pm I returned from the home store and hug the back blinds with little fuss cleaned up my mess and quit.   The front window is now covered with miss matched sheets (one off white, one forest green)…lovely.  They’ll be there at least two weeks why I wait for the customs to arrive.

 Today I’m going to focus on things I believe I can finish; laundry, hemming pants, yard work, housecleaning, and maybe, just maybe a dog video.  Stay tuned.

1. People who walk up the center of the aisle in a parking lot or lolly gag as they cross a street.
2. D’s habit of not securing the lid on anything…ever!
3. When Duncan nips my chin.
4. Texting.
5. Stupid people.
6. Getting out of the shower in the summer time and starting sweating before I’ve even dried off.
7. The shirt I have on today.
8. The hospital that called me three times in the same day last week to make sure I could afford the test that my insurance wont cover.  Yes, people, you will get your money!  Sheesh.
9. Bugs on my windshield.
10. Doing anything half-assed.
11. Stick tights, cuckle burrs and sand spurs.
12. Self absorbed, vapid starlets (and usually their parents as well)
13. Whining.
14. Bobbin jams.
15. Losing (yeah, I’m a sore loser).
16. Wrong numbers (on the phone).
17. Wet grass when I’m wearing good shoes.
18. People touching my hair (this happened more when it was curly)
19. The ‘hatch’ to my truck.
20. Furry things in the refrigerator (and I don’t mean Duncan and Emma)
21. People who stand too close.
22. Mosquitoes.
23. When D belches at dinner.
24. Constant coughing and clearing of throats.
25. Nancy Grace
26. On line ‘click here’ boxes that only the words respond to the click … its a box dangit, the whole box should be clickable.
27. Cashiers who only speak to me to tell me the total.
28. Cold calls.
29. Not getting a straw with my carry-out.
30. Inconsiderate people.
31. My neighbors dogs (who, really, really, really want to eat my dogs).
32. People who call me to ask for information and then say “wait, lemme get a pen”.
33. Reverse hiccups.
34. Endings that leave you hanging.
35. Cell phone stores.
36. Loud chewers.
37. Cats washing at 3am.
38. People who are carrying on a conversation with someone else and calling me at the same time.
39. The nightly news.
40. Customer’s who think if they talk to one of the men here they’ll get a different answer.  (Last week a man called looking for a part.  I went to the shelves but we were out of it.  He said, “Well maybe I better have the parts guy look for it, honey.”  My head exploded.
41. Ill mannered children and the parents who fail to correct them.
42. FB, FF and twitter users that never, ever, have something positive to offer.
43. Paper cuts.
44. Taking my iron pills.
45. Sales people who suggest I’m stupid for not taking their offer.
46. People who knock on my door Saturday / Sunday  morning with plans to ‘save’ me.
47. People who throw baggies with their business card and a hand full of gravel into my driveway.  If I want you, I’ll find you.
48. Doves.  Pretty too look at but they are dumb, agressive birds…bird of peace my left cheek.
49. People who don’t listen, and cant follow instructions.
50. Being pressured for some of my time.
51. Sticky lip gloss.
52. Posers.
53. Drivers who don’t seem to know whats going on beyond their own hood ornament.
54. Gnats!
55. Constant, strong wind.  I could never live in Chicago.
56. Kyra Sedgwick’s bad Southern accent on “The Closer”.
57. The Duggars
58. Mildew
59. Women who define themselves by everything but themselves (husbands, kids, etc).
60. Know-it-alls and done-it-alls.
61. Emma’s nails on the plastic crate floor at 4am.
62. People who wear too much cologne or perfume.
63. Having a sore throat.
64. Oprah.
65. Wasps.
66. Weeds.
67. That none of the men in my life appear to have been marksmen in former lives (gah!  You should see the men’s bathroom here)
68. Flat tires (and too tight lug nuts).
69. AOL
70. Poorly made anything.
71. Being called ‘honey’, ‘darling’ and ‘m’am’.
72. My habit of laying things down and not being able to find them three minutes later.
73. People in the drive through at a fast food restaurant that don’t seem to know what they want to order and then when they get to the window seem to be paying in dimes.
74. People who dont do their jobs … ie. lazy folks.
75. That I cry when I’m angry.
76. Unkept promises.
77. Shoes that hurt my feet (I’ve given up cute shoes in favor of comfort).
78. Being late.
79. Limp bacon.
80. Hyper-perky people.
81. Stepping on a ‘hair ball’ in the middle of the night.
82. Passive aggressiveness.
83. Hand cream that stays greasy.
84. Stinging caterpillars.
85. Broken bra wires.
86. Dog toys that claim to be indestructible.
87. Bad bar singers.
88. Splinters.
89. That I get resentful of things I have no control over.
90. Drama…and I don’t mean the kind you watch on TV.
91. Bad dog owners (notice I didn’t say, owners of bad dogs)
92. Emma’s squeeky ball (right now!)
93. Wife Swap.
94. Broken sewing machine needles needles.
95. Tip jars at sandwich shops
96. Tip envelopes in my newspaper or mail box.
97. When the washer stops after the fill.
98. When cooking doesn’t go well (and its not often, which makes it all the more annoying).
99. TV brides that go on and on about how it’s “MY” day…hello?  You better hope he shows up.
100. Politicians.

1. Bird song.
2. Pedicures
3. New underwear.
4. D’s laugh.
5. 80′s music.
6. Solving problems.
7. Clean sheet night.
8. The smell of fresh cut grass.
9. The way Emma throws both front feet over her head when she first sees me after a long day.
10. Duncan’s grin.
11. The sound of moving water.
12. Dappled light.
13. Candles.
14. The Hancock’s of Paducah Fabric catalog.
15. Gerber daisies.
16. Butcher birds.
17. Chocolate.
18. A good lemon drop martini (more sweet than sour).
19. A clean house.
20. A clean car.
21. Sunflowers.
22. Botanical gardens.
23. Ice cold Mt. Dew
24. Creme brule’
25. The Fifth Element.
26. November.
27. Reading poetry out loud.
28. Singing in the car.
29. Fog.
30. Perfume.
31. Computer games.
32. Interesting insects.
33. Taking off my super socks at the end of the day.
34. Cleaning house when D is not at home.
35. Friday 5pm, windows down, radio up.
36. The smell of bread baking.
37. Garnets.
38. Fall leaves
39. Volunteer plants.
40. Fugly shoes.
41. Little bowls.
42. Hiding my face from Duncan.
43. The smell of a used book store or an old library.
44. The tree outside my office window.
45. The smell of stargazer lilies.
46. Office supplies; especially pens & paper.
47. Swimming at night.
48. The smell of rain.
49. Do nothing days.
50. Making things.
51. A cat’s purr (maybe not at 3am).
52. Dragonflies.
53. Baby zeedonks (seriously, is there anything cuter?)
54. Old barns
55. Blank paper and a freshly sharpened pencil.
56. Soap stores.
57. Eating out in fancy places.
58. Fat quarters.
59. Being capable.
60. Butterflies.
61. Milk and PBnJ’s.
62. Orchids.
63. Good wine.
64. Friends.
65. Finishing something.
66. Museums.
67. Parks.
68. Mail (the good kind, not bills)
69. A clean desk.
70. Knowing that I’m counting down to a cruise…less than a month now.
71. Bubble gum.
72. When my nails are long-ish (they are never long).
73. People watching.
74. Having the right tool for the job.
75. Roller coasters.
76. Road trips.
77. Pixar shorts.
78. Cooking for a big group of people.
79. Ladybugs.
80. Jeans, fresh from the dryer.
81. Bacon.
82. Sunrise / Sunset.
83. Being on the water.
84. Having my hair done.
85. Clever things.
86. Batik.
87. Halloween
88. Poppies.
89. Waking up without the alarm clock.
90. Journals (though most of mine are empty).
91. Cosmetic ‘freebies’.
92. Sunlight through colored glass.
93. Little note pads.
94. Sappy movies.
95. Things blooming in the yard.
96. Bed time.
97. Angry fish.
98. Growing rosemary and basil.
99. New bed pillows
100. Smiles.

A quick recap of the week would read work, vet, work, rain, rain, work, vet, rain, rain, work, glass … and you’d be caught up. Emma got a ‘hot spot’ Thursday that progressed from a thick place in her skin to full blown bloody mess in less than eight hours. On the way to work on Friday we stopped at the vet to have it checked on. We ended up with ointment and (to my surprise) having her staples removed because she’d healed so well. Last night we went to DrJ’s to wish his oldest boy bon voyage (he’s off to Italy for his senior year) and despite the crowd and the noise Emma did really well and she played really hard (and laughed at Duncan when he fell in the pool*).   She’s slept all day today but then so have the forty-somethings so you can hardly blame her.  Neither D or I bothered getting dressed today – hee.

Next week will be more of the same, hopefully with less rain and maybe a little more blogging.  What’s new with you?

* The pool is off limits to dogs due to hair in the filter but one of the kids was throwing the ball for Duncan and as Duncan dove for it the ‘the ground dissapeared’.  Our host was in the pool at the time and was not only not upset with us he was quick to help Duncan find the side to get out.  We are so lucky DrJ is a good friend and I hope we do a good job expressing that to him.

D’s yummy and my yummy are different, we had nachos made from leftover steak … I was thinking something a bit less mundane. But less mundane meant leaving the house and it seems I had suddenly (and happily) derailed myself from the days chores. It’s 3:15 and I haven’t done a darn thing except a little laundry. Color me happy.

I’m pretending this is Emma’s ‘momma come back to bed face’ and I’m heading back to the sofa. For the record though it’s more “STFU and lemme sleep!” I cant imagine where she picked up such language!

When 2pm arrived I called and after a little time on hold the receptionist came back and said she was doing fine, but she’d have to stay overnight.  When I pressed her she said there had been three emergencies that morning and the surgery had started later than expected.  I pressed more and discovered they hadn’t actually started yet. I was told she’d be ‘too sleepy’ to go home.  I know there is no one there overnight but I could not get the receptionist to come to the right conclusion … Emma would be better off in her crate at home with someone to check on her than alone in the vet’s office from 9pm to 6am.  Grudgingly I conceded and then asked if the vet would call and tell me how the surgery went.  Again, no.  What time could I call?  Not until after 6pm but no one would answer then.  At some point my head exploded, I hung up the phone and went to my own doctor’s appointment and then a little retail therapy. 

This morning we called and were granted permission to pick her up which we did.  Knowing she was OK and having her home reduced some of my annoyance but not all…not by a long shot.  Still, she’s home and despite the most tragic of expressions she seems happy to be home.

The vet gave us the offending hip ball … grody right?

And Emma really is Frankin-pup. 13 staples!

Is it just me or does she seem less puppy and more wise? Maybe its the meds?

Finally, the most boring 61 seconds on the internet and the calmest you may every see our pup.

I’m not sure you have to be a vet to see that something is terribly wrong with Emma’s bum.  Here’s what you are looking at:

1.  The ball at the top of the femur that fits into the pelvis to form the hip joint.

2. The top of the leg bone.  Yup, on the left the top of the leg bone is not attached to the ball.  Not only that it’s higher than the pelvis, meaning that her leg bone is sitting just under her skin making one leg about two inches shorter than the other.

3.  The femur.  There is a spur on what’s left of the ball and with each step it rubs the femur and has nearly worn it through.

Are you squirming with ouchies yet?  Luckily there is some good news. 

1. Emma wont be as big as we’d hoped and though we are a little disappointed not to have a ‘matching set’  being a little dog will make this a much easier thing for her to live with as long as we keep her a little on the skinny side.

2.  This is a very common surgery and most dogs do very well with it.  Because its so common its also down right affordable; four to five hundred dollars.  You might have just passed out but remember we are people who paid about fifteen hundred dollars for EACH of Mackie’s hips.  We might not have a spare five hundred sitting around but its so much less than expected we feel like we are getting a deal.

3.  The best news of all is that once the surgery is done they want her to be low-key for about a week and then (fingers crossed) she should be back to psyco-destro-puppy mutt and mutant-annoying-little-sister.

This is not my living-room but I wish it were.  Well, maybe not the tables, and I prefer my brown leather sofa  but everything else I really love.  I’ve been painting a sign at work and rather than exhaust me with the process its making me want to paint the living room.  More specifically making me want to come up with a ‘me’ version of this living-room complete with the wall colors.  D is not so enthusiastic and the feeling will probably pass.  For now I’ll just imagine.

The truth is the don’t come in wide sizes and are unlikely to fit, I almost never get dressed up enough to justify them and nothing I currently own goes with them.  But, be warned, should they ever go on sale I might just own them anyway.  And yes, somewhere in the basement of this blog there is a post exactly like this over a pair of red suede shoes that I adored in exactly the same way but never purchased and even though I never owned them I miss them terribly.