A Bug, a Bear and Big News

So, crazy animal hoarder that I am, we have taken in the poor Aussie Shepherd from the Indiana Pound. He's gigantic and, until today when I got him groomed, VERY smelly. His name is Bear and he's been coughing like crazy from his heart worm treatment last week. Poor guy, I really do feel quite sorry for him. He's had a rough life--especially in the past few months.

The Bug seems to like having him around and took an immediate liking to him. They are good about sharing toys, bones and the new giant water bowl. And Bear is actually a little scared of the cats, so doesn't go after them which is good. I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep Bear forever, but we will keep him until his health is recovered (a month or more) and then until we can find him a really good home. And who knows, after a month goes by, we may decide we can't live without each other. We'll see. For now, we are just official foster parents to this big, recovering, homeless pooch. You can check him out here. He's a cutey and very, very sweet (and now well-groomed, too!): http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10552293


And speaking of parental responsibilities, a crazy, surreal thing has happened: this 43-year-old is pregnant! No fallopian tube tests or petrie dishes required, just the old fashioned way. It's early days yet, so we're keeping it hush, hush. But it's so bizarre. I walked through the baby section of Target the other day and found it hard to comprehend that before the year's end all this irrelevant baby stuff will suddenly become relevant. IT IS WEIRD!

I don't want to get too excited yet because it's still early days and, let's face it, I am old as a first-timer to such things. Craze is happy but also a little taken aback by the magnitude of the whole thing, as am I, really.

Fingers crossed it all goes well!

Crazy Cat (and Dog) Lady? I Think Not!

Back from Detroit, the Motor City, I'm surprisingly tired. The weekend was fun. The Red Wings trounced the Black Hawks on the ice making it a rousing game to attend. Craze and I spent quality time with my lovely in-laws (who I actually really enjoy) and his older brother. The Bug loves her "grandparents" too, so had fun reeking havoc in their home (she's good, really). And my brother-in-law gave me a belated b-day present--a new orchid plant with yellowy/green flowers in full bud. I LOVE it! That makes three orchids I have in bloom at the moment with two more sending up flower spikes. A couple of the plants haven't bloomed in almost three years--it's a spring miracle!

Trying to get back in the swing of daily life. Just heard back from my OB/GYN that my progesterone is good, indicating good ovulation--hurray for me! Waiting to hear back on the results of Craze's fun semen analysis. Baby making on the brain.

Oddly, I also have dogs on the brain. I saw a dog on petfinder.com last week and I have become obsessed with him. He's had a broken leg, was almost euthanized recently at an Indiana shelter and has heartworm, but I just want to hug him and give him a comfy bed to sleep on. I'm looking into a possible foster/adoption through the group that rescued him from the shelter. I just need to be sure that he would get along with the Bug and not eat my cats. I'm waiting to hear back with baited breath. For some reason, I REALLY want that dog. I have the same weird feeling about him as I had the first time I saw the Bug at Chicago Animal Care and Control. . .I feel that he is destined to be mine. Besides, the poor doggie has had a hard life. Where better to lay his head than in the Sumner household where animals frequently sleep with the humans, get to lay on the couches and are generally spoiled, spoiled, spoiled?

I need another pet like I need a big ole hole in my head--that's for sure. I think Craze thinks that I'm turning into a crazy cat (and dog) lady. Do I have animal hoarder written all over me?!?!?!?!? I think not. But four rescued pets would surely be the limit. When I talked about getting the dog, Craze looked at me and said "You're trying to turn my home into a nursery and a menagerie," then laughed. Secretly, he totally knows that our lives are so much richer with our little furry friends around, he just doesn't like to admit it.

So, animal hoarder? No. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

April Thus Far

I think the duration of my "Secret Project" work has given me some kind of serious repetitive strain issue with my right arm. It hurts now ALL the time (even when I sleep). It started when I was working on the project but that finished up two weeks ago and I haven't been logging so much computer time. I blame my keyboard set up. We have an old 1920's waterfall desk that I type on and I think it's too high and the mouse is in an inconvenient place. I need to either move the computer downstairs to my modern desk in my office or get a new computer for that desk (our current one is 5+ years old--so might not be a bad idea).

It's been grey and dismal here most of the week but busy. Monday I saw my therapist Jane which I now really enjoy, did some work for a small project, went to my book club where there was, thankfully, no hand holding or meditation as we discussed "A New Earth" and tonight I worked 'til 5:30, cleaned up the kitchen and then made some yummy chicken chili out of a bunch of leftovers and then we went to see "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" which was really good.

I also went to my OB/GYN this week for a follow-up visit after 5.5 months of non pregnancy and was shocked when I didn't have to remove any clothing. My doctor was very impressed with my temperature/ovulation charts that I've been keeping since September and thinks my cycles look "perfect"--which I guess is good. Next up, Craze has to get his semen analyzed (fun for him!) and then if that checks out we go from there. I also have to go back next week for a blood test to check my progesterone levels. Oh joy! I'm hoping I just get pregnant this month and have done with it. Fingers crossed.

Today I lucked out and got to go to the Oprah taping for an upcoming show on "A New Earth." It was cool but a little disappointing. I was really looking forward to seeing Eckhart Tolle, but he wasn't there. Big bummer! I'm slightly enamored with that quiet little German man. His book has been very enlightening to me though and I've learned a lot of things that I've been able to put into practice in my life and I really do feel like my life is better for it.

And almost, but not quite, last but not least, I got all my hair cut off last week into a Katie Holmes style bob. It looked great at first, but after a while I noticed lots of un-even, straggly bits and then I noticed that the right side was quite a bit longer than the left side. I've now cut my own hair like seven times trying to even it all up. Lesson? Never let a youthful Albanian cut your hair.

We're off to Detroit for the weekend. Craze has tickets on Sunday to see the Red Wings with the rest of his clan. He is loving the hockey this year. Fun for all!