Photo of the Week" Oooh yeah, snow!"

Otto grinning over a freshly killed branch a few winters ago



When someone is this happy to be out in the snow, how can you get mad at the inconvenience? I'll remind myself of this when I'm heading out this afternoon during rush hour, and I begin my long and torturous ride home.

(Note to the snow gods: please hold off the storm until Pete and I are safely home tonight. Please? I'll be eternally grateful, and maybe even fashion a cute but misshapen snowman in your honor. Thank you.)

Photo of the Week: "Really Missing Hawaii Right About Now"

As I write this from the frozen tundra of Illinois...

'Nuff said.

Photo of the Week: "Grasshopper, Grasshopper"

This is my nephew Henry dressed up for Halloween as a grasshopper (or locust, depending on the party he went to). I didn't get to see Henry in person when he was all dressed up, but I heard all about his costume and couldn't wait to see his picture. Don't you just love his expression?

(Photo taken by Mani)

Photo(s) of the Week: "Turkeys Gone Wild! Er, I Mean, Domestic."

My family has had numerous run-ins with the local wild turkey population in Bloomingdale in recent weeks, and Thursday was no different. They seem especially fond of my mom, and I often get amused calls from her about the latest turkey shenanigans while I'm at work. They've been at her front door, back door, and even roof. Apparently Otto has an affection for them, and gets crazy over the scent of their fallen feathers.

Last night, Pete and I stopped by my parents' house to pick up Ginger to take her to the vet (annual check up). As we were leaving in my car, we saw this little fellow strolling down the sidewalk by himself. Before I could say anything, Pete flung open my car door and offered the turkey a few pretzels, to which it gladly partook. It was like our own little petting zoo, and although I didn't think we should be feeding a supposedly wild turkey (which has been acting anything but wild, just like the other 8 turkeys in the area), I was able to snap a few shots of the action. I must admit, it was a rather amiable fellow, and it bobbed its head in delight.

After a few bites the turkey got bored and headed on his way down the sidewalk, running a bit and then slowing down to stroll again. It walked past the homes in the neighborhood, looking around and gobbling to itself, content.

Photo of the Week: "Drowned Rats"

In honor of all the wet, dreary weather (and slushy weather to come this weekend), I thought I'd post this image of our dogs, Spanky and Adora. This was taken after they had gone on a two-hour walk with Pete through the woods, hills, and streets of Warrenville. They had an absolute blast with him, but it rained almost the entire time, so the three of them came back totally soaked. Did it bother them at all? Not one bit. In fact, they were all gleeful and happy when they came crashing into the nice warm and dry house, getting mud and leaves all over the place, Pete included. Of course I tsked tsked and grumbled about the mess, but I found it hard to stop smiling at my three adventurers.

Hope this weekend finds you having a thrilling time doing whatever it is you love!

Photo of the Week: "It's Time"

I was at the doctor yesterday and found out that not only is my blood pressure really high, but I've gained a total of 20 pounds over the last four years. Not good, not good at all. That actually has scared me into changing my ways, especially having high blood pressure, which I don't normally have.

So I'm reuniting with these old friends of mine, my New Balance 805 running shoes. Well-loved and well-worn, they have carried me through many a run, whether outside in the forest preserve or in my basement on our old treadmill. They helped me get in shape for my wedding this summer, and now they're ready to help me do it again. They've been patiently waiting for me to wear them again, and now I'm back. Yay!

It's time to get back on the treadmill, sidewalks, paths, and get back into shape. Time to get healthy and watch what I eat, take care of myself, and rediscover my formerly healthy body. I miss it so much, too. I miss feeling healthy and good every day, I miss feeling energetic, I miss being shapely and fitting in all my clothes, and I miss the good feeling I get from taking care of myself. I just miss feeling at the top of my game and feeling good about my body, and I've let things get to this point, so it's my fault. So I'm going to be the one to make it right and make the change. And that change starts with these shoes. My first run is scheduled for Sunday morning, but I'll definitely be doing some walking before then.

And in the spirit of being healthier, I'm going to take a breather tonight (Thursday) and hit the hay early. I've been up since 3:10 a.m. because I had to drive to Pete to work early, and I'm tired and achy and just plain run down. So I'm going to abstain from blogging tonight (including reading all my favorite blogs, boo hoo!) and get some rest.

I'll see you all tomorrow!

Photo of the Week: "A Chill In the Air"

I can sympathize with this lone bird sitting in a barren tree. Winter is coming, and even though fall is nature's way of easing the world into the dark and cold, it is sometimes like a sudden dip into icy waters. The gray and wind and silence is coming, and I must say I don't completely wish it wouldn't arrive. I find winter to be a somewhat cleansing season in a way. Smells disappear, color fades, and even the light dims, until all that remains is the wind and the endless sky. One is then left to scurry inside, where life and laughter and warmth resides, and burrow and hibernate and hide under blankets until March rolls around. Winter makes one feel grateful for the blush of spring flowers and the thrill of thunderstorms that are yet to be. If one does not experience suffering or being without, then one cannot truly appreciate when life is golden and good and blessed.

So I sympathize with this lone bird, yet I know that in its own way, it is thinking and feeling much the way I am right now. It's now time to rest, recoup, reflect, and wait for that warmer spring weather that's teasing us just around the corner. To wait for those wonderful endless summer days and warm star-kissed nights. To dream about puffy clouds in blue skies and grass tickling your bare feet. To experience life and love and excitement and fun.

Photo(s) of the Week: "Random Smiley Faces"

Smiley face in gravel


Smiley face in pudding lid


Smiley face on counter (?)


Smiley face on wall in Hawaii (obviously someone made this one, but still...)


Smiley face in tub after washing boots



Well, it's been a rough few weeks for me at work, and I needed a smile today. So I thought I'd share some of the random smiley faces I have found in my travels. I started seeing them a few years ago just out of the blue. I would look down while walking on a path and boom! there was a smiley face grinning up at me. Then I started seeing them quite a bit, and I always managed to capture a photo or two. Lately I haven't seen as many, which makes me sad, but I know that has a lot to do with my frame of mind. But I never alter the photos or the subjects in order to make a smiley face. If it's there, it's there.

Anyhow, I plan on making a Flickr set for these soon. Many come from my cell phone or other cameras, and many are on my computer at work, so I have to gather them all up in one folder. I really get a kick out of seeing these, so I hope to see some more soon to keep me smiling.

Enjoy!

Photo of the week: "Henry"

I chose this photo for this week's Photo of the Week because Henry is celebrating his second birthday on Sunday. This was taken on Mother's Day at Sam's house. He looks like a cute little insurance salesman here, talking earnestly about life insurance and how you need to buy some from him. Happy birthday, Henry!

Photo of the Week: "Adora, My Reality Check"

This is Adora. Adora is a very, very affectionate and loving dog. She is super friendly and extremely playful. She loves to cuddle, go on car rides, and watch The Dog Whisperer with Pete and me. Adora also "talks" and is always trying to tell us something via phrases like "woo woo woooo!" and "wooarow ruff roof!" I have never heard a dog talk as much as Adora does. And she is very loving to Spanky, often grooming and licking him (especially his nether regions) while he grudgingly grunts his approval. Adora loves children and would never hurt a fly. And she is one of the weirdest and goofiest dogs I have ever known, which provides Pete and me with hours of entertainment every week. We simply love Adora and wouldn't trade her in for any other dog in the world (except maybe Spanky).

But Adora also has an dark side, you see. She likes to terrorize other dogs with Spanky as her apprentice. She cannot control her eating habits and will eat ANYTHING you leave out, especially in the car. We've lost chili dogs, bananas, candy, a Starbucks green tea latte, and even a sealed container of yogurt this way. Adora likes to chew things up too, especially when she's mad at you and you leave her alone for a while. So far we've lost a remote, part of our cordless phone, and eight pairs of shoes to her ravenous appetite, seven of which were mine. Yes, you can imagine how upset I was when this happened, and most were brand new pairs I hadn't even worn yet. Adora is also rather needy and will sit on Spanky or push him out of the way if she feels she is not getting enough attention, which is pretty much all the time. Sometimes she is so hyper it drives me crazy, and she has selective listening when it suits her. I won't even go into the whole running away from home to find a new family thing....

I only say these things because of what happened when I came home today. I am feeling like total crap again, but I was lucky enough to arrive home early for once, so I had planned on heading right to bed. That plan was foiled the minute I walked in the door. The stench of fresh bowel movement filled my nostrils, and Adora was sheepishly sitting in the corner, quiet. An impressively large pile of business was waiting for me to clean it up, which was not an easy task. Thankfully, Adora managed to do this on top of a few blankets on the floor, but I had to do a full cleaning operation anyhow. This included waste removal, laundering soiled blankets, cleaning the floor, disinfecting the air, and taking her out for a couple of potty breaks. It was a joy to experience on a day like today, let me tell you. Now, I know it wasn't Adora's fault for having an accident, but it really sucked all the same. I didn't yell at her at all, and she seemed to feel bad, but it still wasn't fun for either of us.

However, this particular incident made me realize that Adora is a sort of reality check for me, in a way. She is always the one to keep me humble, and to make me realize that this is what life is all about, the messes and broken stuff and destroyed footwear that is a part of my everyday existence. And I should be grateful that I have such a good life and such a good dog, too. If I was never challenged in these small but annoying ways every day, I don't think I would appreciate the good moments in my life. This is nothing in the grand scheme of things, when I could be dealing with unemployment, life-threatening diseases, family strife, or any number of much larger problems. I definitely would not see how wonderful life is without the little piles to clean up here and there along the way—okay, BIG piles, at least today. But I take comfort in the fact that I can see how blessed I am, thanks in part to my furry little ball of charm named Adora.

Photo of the Week: "Spanky In a Suitcase"

Okay, okay, I know I keep using photos of my pets as "Photo of the Week" candidates. But I can't help it, and can you blame me? They're all so darn cute and funny.

Anyhow, this is Spanky relaxing in a suitcase. It's an old, beat-up suitcase that I borrowed from my parents and took with me on my honeymoon, and I absolutely hated it. It had four rickety wheels, but one came off, and it had no extending handle for easy pulling. So essentially I had to drag it around each airport, and it was big and flat and heavy and awkward. Holes had started to develop all over it, and it was just plain annoying and cumbersome.

Well, I emptied my clothes from the suitcase after we got back from Hawaii, and left it sitting open on our bedroom floor. At one point I had just washed one of the dog's blankets (an old comforter from Target), and had folded and tossed it into the suitcase for a moment as I cleaned our bedroom. But before I had a chance to put it away, Spanky fell in love with the damn thing and made himself a little nest.

So now every time I head upstairs, whether it's to use the washroom or put something away, Spanky runs up there with me and immediately gets into his suitcase, expectantly looking up at me. I'm not sure if he thinks we're going away again and that he'll be taken with if he stays in the suitcase, or if he just finds it to be a nice cozy little bed. Perhaps both are true, but he is one happy little dog when he's safe and secure in his old suitcase.

I don't have the heart to take the blanket out and give the suitcase back to my parents...yet. Maybe he'll get bored with it and forget about it. He still likes sleeping in the crack formed between Pete and me at night, so he hasn't totally abandoned the luxury of our soft bed for his little traveling den. But he sure takes lots of naps in that old suitcase. Perhaps he dreams about going on trips with us to fun places like dog parks, Petsmart, camping....

Photo of the Week: "Mom Swatting at Otto with Pot Holders"

This photo cracks me up.

I'll give you a little background on it. We were having a birthday party for Pete and Steve at my mom's house last year, and everyone had gathered around the table to sing happy birthday to them both. As soon as the singing commenced, Otto began his annoying ritual of barking along with the singing at top volume. He was spraying us all with spittle and pawing at the floor like an angry bull. Shouts of "Shut up!" and "Knock it off!" fell on his deaf ears, until my mom got up and attempted to swat him away with pot holders. Which is totally hilarious to me, because if you've ever met Otto, you know that he is a huge beast of a dog, a bull in a china closet, a mutant with his half-blue eye, webbed feet, and Barry White–deep voice. It was funny that my mom attempted to silence him with measly pot holders, but even funnier still was the picture I captured of that exact moment. His eyes are squeezed shut and his head is half turned in an attempt to avoid the slap of the flimsy cotton material. To Otto it would be like being slapped with a feather. Of course, Otto ducked out of the way and avoid the blow, like a matador effortlessly dodging a bull.

And right after this picture was taken he stepped up his efforts to butt in on the birthday song and continued his bellowing and barking. When the song was over, he shouldered his way past the birthday boys and everyone else, and made sure he was first in line for a piece of cake. My mom plopped a hunk of cake on a paper plate and tossed it in the corner, where Otto proceded to wolf down the sugary goodness, which gave us a few minutes of peace and quiet. But he was soon back for more, and shortly after that he was sent to his cage by my dad, because my mom insisted that Otto take a time out.