Martini Cartwheels

Ok, my blog friends. Most of you know we lost our beloved Yorkie Coco the day after Thanksgiving. Now our nine year old Yorkie Cierra is in the ICU. An ultrasound has revealed enlarged lymph nodes and thickened intestinal wall - which can either be a caused by her inflammatory bowel disease or by lymphoma. Blondie and are are devastated. Right on the fucking precipice of losing all our faith in what is good. Please surround us in your thoughts and positive energy. Because seriously, if we lose another one of our precious dogs this soon after losing sweet Coco, it is going to take us a long fucking time to recover. The picture above is the drugs/fluid therapy the ER sent us home with yesterday. I am somewhat relieved she has been admitted to the hospital because sticking a needle in her to hydrate her was not really rocking my world. I know - it's a dog. But our dogs are family. They travel with us, they sleep in our beds, they are our world. And we are not ready to lose another one

Just sitting here watching all the beautiful people on the Academy Awards. There is a reason people like me are not movie stars. When asked "Who are you wearing?" not one person answered pants by Levi Strauss, men's white T-shirt by BJ's Wholesale Club. When questioned about a pre-show meal, I didn't even hear the words M&M's, popcorn, or Reese's Pieces muttered. For once, I'd like the red carpet vultures to ask "What did you wear this afternoon to fit into that dress" and "Who are you eating?". That would be more interesting. I can't imagine what it would be like to have the confidence to get up in front of all those people. I'd have to have a lot of beer to work up the nerve to do that and even then, I'd probably just want to moon everyone from the stage. "I'd like to thank my lilly white ass for supporting me all these years yadda yadda yadda." Hey, I can't help it. I've been up since about

The price of gas will become a huge pain in the ass when my trip down the Mass Pike is made on my ten speed bike. Is anyone else starting to get a little wigged out here? If gas gets up to $5.oo a gallon, it is going to cost me more to go to work than it will to stay home. WTF.

Irene and my sister with one of her new tops. This was my supper. Green = vegetable, correct? Three generations in a cake coma.

Note to self: When using a teeth bleaching agent that is 35% hydrogen peroxide, do not wear the trays overnight, two nights in a row and then attempt a third bleaching the morning after. The purpose is not to bleach one's gums. Remember to RTFI, for then you would know that the recommend time is only 30 minutes, once a day, for three days. The goal is not to be able to use your teeth, a magnifying glass, and some twigs to start a fire in the in the chiminea come spring time. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Here's the latest edition to the household, Boo Boo. She is pictured below (the little blondie in the top half of the photo) hanging out with Cierra Belle. Boo Boo is a rescue from Yorkies Inc . She was living in a shed in Maine with several other dogs. Her previous owner was instructed by authorities to reduce the number of dogs he owned. He thought by keeping several of them in a rented utility shed he could continue to breed these dogs and no one would be the wiser. Fortunately, he was wrong. We are thrilled to have her be a part of our family. She is sweet, funny, loving, and just such a joy to be around. Welcome home Boo Boo!

"Just like mother made it. That's why father has been gone so long." There was more interesting dinner conversation this evening at the nursing home. My mother Irene sits at a table with three other ladies, all of them fairly lucid. One of the topics tonight was dogs. This is a popular topic which I've heard on more than one occasion. We talk about what type of dog each of the ladies had at some point in their life and what great pets they were. The conversation took a twist when one of the women mentioned: "Every time my grandchildren come for a visit, they ask if they can wash grandma's Chihuahua. That's what I call my thing down there." Oh my. Those kids must really want to make sure they have a line or two in Grandma's will. Well, since the residents only get a full shower a few times a week, I can see how the 'ol Chihuahua may need to get out for some fresh air. But at just what age do we go from having a kitty to having a little dog? An

One of the things which concerns me about all this now is the integrity of the roof. From what I've read, houses with pitched roofs, especially those built after 1978, are made to withstand great amounts of snow. Which is why I am concerned - because that is just what we have - a great amount of snow. Of course my biggest fear is the roof collapsing while anyone is home. My second greatest fear is that we will get some warning, a creaking or moaning sound, and I will be home alone and in the shower, whereupon I will panic and run outside completely naked. I can hear the comments from the neighbors now. "There's that CJ naked again in her yard. I thought she only did that during the summer when the pool was open." The forecast for tomorrow is more snow. I'm thinking I need to keep my robe a little bit closer to the shower.

We took a road trip with Stiffy to the casino this past weekend to attend a wine and beer fest. Ummm Stiffy? You brought more toiletries for one night than I have in my entire bathroom. It's good to have a friend who is prepared for any emergency- a broken nail, a frizzy head, dry skin, chapped lips, stinky body parts, a zit, or a rogue nose hair. Way to go Stiff! Here's a picture of us just prior to me being over-served. For some reason, I thought it would be really fun to have our picture taken next to a cardboard cut-out of The World's Most Interesting Man. I'm guessing by the way my arm is positioned that I had my hand on his private parts. I have no idea who that person is behind me. She was probably well on her way to be over-served too as she thought she should stand in a picture with three people she did not know. Good times.

Eight inches of new snow today. But wait - just when you thought you might lose your freaking mind from all the white stuff, you hear that it is going to get worse! Twelve to sixteen inches expected tomorrow. Snow on the deck - almost up to the top of the chiminea. Has anyone seen the mailbox? Mt. Martini Cartwheels When life hands you snow, make snow lemonade? Hmmm...maybe not. I'm thinking of building snow bar for myself and Blondie and a Poo Poo Igloo for Cierra, our Yorkie. By tomorrow, Mt. Martini Cartwheels should be up around 7 or 8 feet, just the right height for the aforementioned snow structures. Happy Winter.