Even Leapin' Lillys Get the Blues

Ever notice how some days are better than others and some days just plain suck?  Today, for instance, was a great day for the humans in our household.  It started out with an early morning knock at the door from the Furnace Guy who came to blow out about 20-something years worth of built-up dust bunnies and debris from the furnace ducts.  That's a good thing; kind of like clearing out the sinus cavities of the house.  With the new furnace we had installed last week, the ducts needed a good nose blowing.

In the larger picture of the past week or so,  we've been nursing the respratory systems of our dogs, Miss Lilly Leapinhopper and Miss Shela.  While Dave and I were in Southern California for a few days last week, Lilly and Shela had their first ever experience staying at a dog kennel.  This particular kennel got high ratings from personal friends who board their own dogs there, so we didn't have any concerns about the quality of the facility.  Being the good Doggy Mommy that I am, I made sure the girls both had all the appropriate vaccinations in the appropriate time frame before their scheduled stay.  A couple of days after our return, both dogs started coughing and barfing.  A quick trip to the vet revealed they both had "Canine Influenza", the dog equilivent of the Swine flu.  My joy at having found $100 round-trip airline tickets for our trip last week were quickly dashed when I got the $277 vet bill for the dog's exams, antibiotic shots, and medications.  And this was on top of the $250 it cost to board the dogs at the kennel for 4 days.  All I can say is "Ouch!"  The dogs have been on their meds for 6 days now.  They're still coughing, but seem to be slowly getting better.  Funny thing is, this initial trip to the kennel was to be a sort of "trial run" for the bigger trip we have planned in a couple of weeks.  The trial run was an initially apparent success with the dogs happy to see us when we picked them up and receiving great comments from the kennel staff.  I'd say the experience was nearly perfect, aside from the dogs contracting this very nearly fatal disease.  And I won't even get into how one of our cats nearly cashed in the last of his 9 lives while we were gone.  Countdown to our next trip is on.  They say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  I sure hope that applies to animals as well!      

                                        

"What? Us worry?"  all photos by Deby Alm http://www.flickr.com/photos/debyc/

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Most mornings in my household are pretty hectic.  I like to sleep in until the last possible moment, which means when that alarm clock sounds, I hit the ground running.  Shower, dress, grab the coffee Dave makes for me each morning, kiss goodbye and GO!  Good thing the "evening shift" is my turn to feed the animals or they would probably go hungry most days.  No time for breakfast for me, either, even though I know it's supposed to be the Most Important Meal of the Day.  I've got a stash of breakfast cereal and milk at my office.  It works well for me to take care of my emails first thing in the morning over a bowl of Cheerios.

So, recently I was compelled to purchase a couple of large porcelin latte cups from one of my favorite New York City eating establishments, Junior's Cheesecake in Brooklyn.  When I received the cups in the mail I quickly realized they were not going to easily lend themselves to me and Dave's usual weekend routine. Typically this is where I make the morning coffees and we slurp them while running around the house doing chores or reading and responding to personal emails, etc.  What was I thinking?  How were we going to balance these cups full of coffee while making the bed, walking the dogs, or cleaning the cat box?  And how will this cup fit in the cup holder in my car when I'm out running errands?  Maybe I should just use the cups as soup bowls, or flower pots or something. 

All photos by Deby Alm http://www.flickr.com/photos/debyc/
Last Sunday was the first morning I made our coffee drinks in these new cups and as I set them on the table in front of us I saw Dave eyeing them suspiciously.  I quickly announced these are our Sunday Morning Lattes.  It was at that moment I realized I'm on to something.  I've created a new routine, a sort of ritual or tradition where we are forced to carve out a few moments for ourselves to begin at least one day out of the week with purpose and intention.  We sat down and drank our Sunday Morning  Lattes over a slow and pleasant conversation.  Sat down and sipped and talked instead of gulping and running.  We were forced to do it.  Neither one of us wanted to clean up the mess if we didn't.    

The Last Day

Wow!  Trying to keep up with the Holidays hasn't left much time to update my blogs! I'm so ashamed! And my very good friend, Miss Radish (of http://www.radishandrose.blogspot.com/ fame) keeps reminding me that she is sick and tired of continuously checking and rechecking both the Poor Deby and Leapin Lilly sites only to see the SAME OLD POST, day after day after day... So, I''m resolving to make a New Year's Resolution to create new posts on a very regular basis. In fact, I've been working out a top secret schedule of regular "feature posts" to be debuted very soon. More about that another time. For now, I would like to share this timely article from the New York Times. This being the Last Day of 2009, it seems appropriate:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/12/31/opinion/20091231_opart.html

Enjoy, and a Happy New Year full of health, happiness, love, joy, and lots of good words to everyone!

Click Click Click Click Camera Song

photo: Bishop Allen

click click click click on the link below to enjoy a toe-tappin' video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LpmrZbTu1o

It's a Dog Eat Dog World...

The cats have been giving me some grief about not having any "face time" on this blog. They said,

"It's all about the dogs, all the time. Leapin' Lilly this, and Leapin' Lilly that. We want our 15 minutes of fame and we want it Now!!"

Since I know how cats are and that I will have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of my life if they don't get their way, I'm going to give them what they want. (I mean, just look at those eyes. The intense stare. The slightly lowered and pulled back ear. The signs are all there: Danger! Danger! Danger!)

So now, I present the portion of this blog dedicated to our cats who remind me on a daily basis to , uh, enjoy the good things in life. Stuff like jumping up on the kitchen table, scratching on the furniture, climbing up the curtains, trying to "escape" to the outside (or to the garage to "hide" under the car), swatting the other cats (and dogs...and people), biting the other cats (and dogs... and people), and taking lots and lots and lots of naps. And, always, always keeping their people guessing.

First, a proper introduction:

FELIX

ROSIE

ZIGGY

I must point out that cats can be very hard to figure out.

Sometimes they want to go out...

Sometimes, they want to come in...

They might not always get along...

But they don't stay mad for very long...

and are quick to kiss and make up.

Cats are very independent and can find plenty of things to do on their own.

Like trying to figure out where water comes from...

Or where the most comfortable place in the house to take a nap is...

Or where to find the most tasty snack...

What can be better than taking a nap in front of a nice toasty warm fire in your favorite box?

Or sharing a meal with your very best buddies?

Or just hanging out together and doing nothing?

There is one universal truth that all cats believe in...

And they'll yell it from the top of their lungs:

"DOGS ARE IDIOTS!!!!"

Well, most of the time, but not always.

all photos by Deby Alm http://www.flickr.com/photos/debyc/

How Does Your Garden Grow?

My husband, Dave, has the greatest garden in the world. It's not the biggest, fanciest garden, but he tends to it with love and pride every single day. I swear this is the reason the veggies we harvest for our daily meals are the best I've ever eaten.

The garden is located in our front yard 'cause that's where the sun is. And, living in Seattle, you take advantage of whatever sun you can get. Plus, it's kind of cool working in the garden and having neighbors stop and comment about how great the garden looks. One of our neighbors said he really liked this "pretty bird." (I noted that english was not his first language, so "pretty bird" may have had a totally different meaning in his native tongue!! Maybe "dopey" is a better fit?!) In any event, my main contribution to this garden comes in the form of "garden art"...

One testament to what a great guy I married is this tomato plant. Dave doesn't like tomatoes, but I do. So, when I brought home this little tiny tomato plant start, all I had to do was point to where I wanted it planted and he started digging the hole. He planted it and he waters it. I go out to the "Tomato Store" and pick fresh tomatoes whenever I want and they're oh so tasty delicious!

I guess I have to 'fess up and admit that I also forced Dave to plant Dahlia tubers. He didn't exactly know what the heck they were, but, I pointed, he planted, and we have both marveled at how spectacular these flowers have become. We have both taken many bouquets to our offices to share with our coworkers over the past weeks. And the blooms keep coming...

More views of the produce garden...

Did I mention the best part of this personal urban garden effort is that we get to eat the results? And, hey, with the cost of groceries today, especially produce, it's not such a bad thing.

Here's a preview of tonight's dinner preparation... all home grown, of course!

It wouldn't be a complete meal without, what else?... "Nellie's Garden" Dry Rose' wine from Chateau Ste. Michelle winery...

Thanks, Dave! Bon appetite!

all photos by Deby Alm http://www.flickr.com/photos/debyc/

Remember the Alamo!

I just returned from a business trip to San Antonio, Texas where it was 103-degrees on each of the 5 days I was there. It's a good thing we had our very own "103-degree heat wave" here in Seattle shortly before I went on my trip as I think that helped to "prepare" me a little bit. At least everything was air-conditioned in San Antonio, which is not the case in Seattle. We tend to melt like butter when the temperatures get above 85-degrees up here.



I stayed at the Marriott Riverwalk hotel directly across the street from the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. This was most convenient since it meant I didn't have far to walk in the sweltering heat to get to the conference.





At the end of each day of training sessions, I did venture out and explore the city a bit, spending most of my time in and around the Riverwalk neighborhood. With a large variety of shops, cafes, and people, Riverwalk had a lot to offer a tourista like myself.







I had breakfast at Schilo's Deli one morning. I think these pictures speak for themselves. YUM!!



(Don't click on this photo if you're hungry! The pancakes look good enough to eat!)

One evening I felt pretty adventurous and took a bus to the Market Square. I found some very festive Mexican restaurants there complete with singing minstrels, mariachi bands, and bakeries featuring wonderful Mexican sweet breads.

















I could not have ended my trip to San Antonio without seeing the Alamo and the nearby Cathedral of San Fernando. I had to wait and wait to get these photos without tourists in them as they are both pretty popular attractions.

The cathedral is spectacular at night:





The Alamo is definately worth remembering:




And, as Pee Wee sadly discovered in his Big Adventure, there is no basement in the Alamo!

all photos by Deby Alm http://www.flickr.com/photos/debyc/