Brief Update

Today I took my two little dogs and long-haired cat for grooming. The dogs got baths, nail trims, rear-end glands expressed (yep, it's important and Oscar DID have a bit of a problem), and the cat was supposed to get shaved. The groomer who worked at this place before had quit, but they said they could still do it. Uh, are you sure?

I've learned in the past that Princess, the long-haired cat, can get wild when you start messing with her knots. Usually a very calm, loving, laidback cat, she goes ballistic when you pull on her hair. That's how she ends up with the knots: brushing she likes; picking at her knots, she doesn't.

At any rate, I dropped the crew off at 10:00 this morning...and the groomer said he'd call when they were finished. I got busy back at home, doing lots of cleaning while the dogs were gone. Changed their bedding, moped and waxed the floors, did various stuff like that. By late afternoon, I was getting worried, so I called the groomer. Seems he had spent lots of time with Princess, and still didn't have her all shaved! LOL Not surprising. He said he'd shave a little, then have to let her calm down some (and probably try to calm himself too!) Anyhow, I finally went to pick up the dogs around 4:30 because I missed the them so much I couldn't wait any longer.

I just couldn't believe how much companionship the dogs are; they are always doing something, wrestling, whining, playing, in and out the doggie door (sometimes bringing in a surprise like a twig or chew-bone they've dug up)...so the house seemed too quiet without them here. Dogs are more demanding than cats, but if you live alone as I do, they are truly company. I was so glad to see them, and they were excited to see me too. When I started to leave this morning, they turned to follow me...as they always do, and the groomer had to pull them away by their leashes. Whoo boy, I felt sad leaving them there, but glad they were so happy to see me return.

Princess is still there, and the groomer promised to have her shaving finished sometimes tomorrow. Said he would not charge for her overnight stay! Fine by me, since it costs about one-quarter of the price for a groomer to do this instead of the vet. I miss her, but she needed shaving badly.

My knees are doing much better, though I have stopped biking/exercising for the past few days. It has always been so difficult for me to just NOT exercise, but I know that if I will lay off the biking/indoor cycle, my knees will heal faster.

Had a bit of trouble with the renter house; the ceiling fan had quit working, and I hired an electrician to check it out. Didn't cost much to be fixed. The renter couple have worked out great; they pay before time each month, keep the yard in good shape. Their baby is cute, and I took them a gift back in December after the birth. The girl is already back at work, and her mom keeps the baby during the day. No mention of marriage; kids sure have changed since my day. However, the boy does seem crazy about the baby son, and that looks to be a good sign.

Otherwise, life goes on... We're having beautiful weather, mild and sunny, though storms are on the horizon for tomorrow. Early Spring, I believe.

I'll end with this quote from "Party of One," regarding organized religion:

"To some loners, the very premise of two people, much less two million, agreeing on anything, much less on which type of headgear will catch God's eye, is so principally flawed as to make every mainstream faith seem hilariously funny."