Monday Monday

The house feels so empty when David is away.  But someone seems to relish in claiming new territory:

Me:  "Hey!  Do you belong there?!"

Puppy:  "I don't see how it's any of your business if I belong here or not!"

She is still there.  She may still be there when David gets home.  You just never know with here.  I'm working up the, hmm, what is the word I'm looking for.  I need to start vacuuming and I'm trying to get the get up and go to do it.  I'm just feeling blah today.  Buddy (Cake Boss) is making a dragon cake.  That is more my speed right now. :(

~Emily

Heirloom Rose Garden - June 12, 2010

David and I went and visited a rose garden in our area and had to share some pictures.  I did not write down any names, so you will just have to make up your own names for them. 

I shall call this one Marie!  Now you get the idea ;)

If It Comes Out of Your Dog...

it's your poop to pick up.  That should be LAW.  Well, it sort of is in our neighborhood rules.

So you are thinking "Whoa, where is this coming from?"  Well, let me tell you.

David and I are walking again and every morning I find myself having to dodge dog poop.  It's not just one random occurrence.  It's repeated and multiple.  Oh, and it's DISGUSTING.  I'm told by the rules in my CCR that I'm not supposed to let my cat out (and people are suppose to clean up after their dogs).  Puppy is strictly indoors.  She poops in a box that David or I clean.  She in no way poopulates the neighborhood.  Why is it no one else seems to follow these guidelines?  Really, I'm just tired of lazy people getting away with being lazy.  I'm tired of dodging poop.  People of Parkmeadow-If I see you with your dog, or I know who your dog is, and it poops without you picking it up I am going to say something.  That, or you will find a pile of poo on your porch....

end rant. ><

~Emily

You Say...

So I went into a business this afternoon to obtain and mother's day gift for my mom.  Since I have no clue what she wants/needs I was walking in with the intent to purchase a gift certificate so she could shop for whatever she wanted.  Easy, right?

So I walked in, went up to the counter and waited for service.  When asked "how can I help you?" I answered "I need a twenty-five dollar gift certificate."  The woman, we'll call her Betty, went to attend to my request.  From somewhere else within the business a woman says "You mean a gift card?"  My first thought was to wonder what concern it was of hers.  Betty looked confused.  I guess I should have said I entered this business expecting this to be an easy transaction and had little to no patience for stupidity as I had spent it all at work already.  I looked at Betty and said, "Seriously?  It's the same thing."  I believe Betty was in agreement because she was continuing to process my request.  The disembodied voice proceeded to explain the exact difference to me (one is a slip of paper, the other is a card.  The card is used like a credit card...).  I say to the voice, "It's the same thing, I'm quite happy to go elsewhere for a gift whatever if this is going to be a problem..."  Betty looks at me apologetically, finishes my request and I head out.  I don't understand what is wrong with people.  Betty knew what I was asking for.  It took every fiber of my being to not find the location of the voice and explain that talking to people like that is a HUGE turn off and if she doesn't care about how the business does then to continue on but if she does care to perhaps not make the customer feel stupid.  I don't think I'll be assisting that business any further after this mother's day.

Why can't things just be easy for once?

~Emily

What Does it Say About a Person...

when they are talking "dirty" to their dog?  Seriously.

So I get that to some people (probably lots of people), their pets are like their kids.  Not having any (kids) myself our cat has sort of filled that void (poor cat-she pleads for help daily).  What I saw today surpasses that and in my (crazy) opinion well crosses any sort of line in the human/pet relationship.

I was loading my groceries into my trunk this afternoon when I witnessed human/pet behavior that I just can't understand.  A woman came dashing from the store to her car.  She seemed to be empty handed.  She went first to the passenger side of the car and started talking to the dog sitting in the front seat.  It was a mangy nappy looking little thing, and I apologize but I have an extreme dislike for smallish yappy little doge that look like they are dirty nappy rugs.  She was saying things like "I'm here baby, I'm here my big boy."  This dog was not a big dog.  "We are gonna go home soon and you can give it to me big boy."  She was talking to this dog the same way some people come on to a member of the opposite sex.  It was really creepy.  Those are things I just don't think a woman should say to her dog, in any context.  Meanwhile the dog is totally freaking out and has probably peed with glee all over the passenger side of the car.  She went around to the driver side and got in, the dog got in her lap and she let it lick her mouth.  I had to get in my car and leave before I vomited in the parking lot.  I wasn't the only person who was close enough to hear that all.  I can't imagine talking to anyone or anything like that in a public place.  A small part of me died having seen that display.  I have to go take a shower now and wash off the creepy cooties. :(

~Emily

My New Distraction

One of my all-time favorite movies is the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice (P&P).  I could watch it over, and over and over again.  In fact, I watched it twice this weekend and would have possibly gone for a third if there was more time.  I will have to devote a whole post someday as to why I love that movie, but that is not this post.

While looking around Border's one day I found The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins.  I picked it up to skim through it and see what it was all about.  I am always skeptical of a sequel especially when not written by the original author.  I am a Jane Austen fan, and as much as I would love to see what would happen next in the lives of my favorite P&P characters I had a hard time believing someone not Ms. Austen could convincingly write such a thing.  I am glad to say I was quickly (and I do mean quickly) proven wrong.  I was sucked in and hooked in the first few pages and the book had to come home with me.  I devoured it.  It started where P&P left off, the carriages pulling away and the happy couples embarking on their new lives together.  I think Ms. Collins did a wonderful job of staying true to Ms. Austen's cherished characters.  Her writing is very Austen like, but yet very much her own.  When I had finished the book (I think I read it in a day or a day and a half) I was left wanting more.  Lucky for me she has a whole series, The Pemberley Chronicles Series.  If you are a P&P fan like I am, and would like a possible story about the continued adventures of the Darcy's and the Bingley's check out Ms. Collin's website.

I have almost read all the books that she has published in this series and will be eagerly waiting for the remaining books to be published (looks like I have 2 more to look forward to).  I may have to branch out and look at some of the sequels that have been written for some of Ms. Austen's other works.

If any of my readers (I make it sound like other people read this blog other than my husband, LOL) are Austen fans be sure to visit The Republic of Pemberley.  It's a great site, I'm just too shy to participate in any of the discussions but it makes for some good reading and there are some very creative, clever and dedicated fans out there.

~Emily
(wow a post with no Riley pictures-she would be so disappointed!)

My Own Daily Squee

I know, I look like one of those crazy cat people, but I don't have kids.  Yes, that explains it all.  I don't have kids, so I must post pictures of my cat to fill that void.  Yes, that's it.  Anyway... here:

She is meowing at me here, telling me to stop taking pictures.

So pretty.  So going to try to figure out how to eat me.

That's all from the crazy cat lady today.

~Emily