Chrysalis

mountains

Beth and Beacon, you're setting a good example. One of the main reasons I quit smoking was so that I could get fit enough to go mountain biking. I was working on it pretty regularly for a while but then slacked off. Because of you I'm going to get back to it. It will definitely help that the weather is cooler now. Let's all do this!!

I think the absolutely MOST aggravating thing about winter was scraping the snow and ice off your car MANY TIMES A DAY!! We didn't have a garage, so many winter mornings it was scrape the snow and ice and sit in the car for 10 minutes waiting for the defroster to work. Then you do it again at lunch time because you have to go run an errand. Then do it again after the errand to get back to work. Then again after work. Aarrgh!! What a royal pain in the neck! By the way, in Georgia you have to get your car emissions tested every year by or before your birthday. Last week I asked the tester if his work was seasonal. He said, "Absolutely! September is by far the busiest month." So that tells you what people do for entertainment in January. :D

Fall has always been my favorite season. The only downside to Fall was the impending Winter. However, now that we live in Georgia there IS no winter! You just get 3 months of weather that is cool enough for golf and go right into Spring. So yes, Fall is my favorite season. By the way, some years ago I went to Kenya for a couple of weeks. As hostess gifts, I brought boxes of notecards that had photos of Autumn foliage on them. One hostess asked me if this was for real. All her life she thought that such colorful trees must be a myth. I assured her that, indeed, it looks just that way. She was amazed!

sunset

Where do you live that you got snow already? Do you usually get such an early snow fall?

I'm sorry, Colleen. It sounds like you're having a miserable time of it. I know how hard it is when you're all stuffed up and cant' breathe properly. I guess you can't take any antihistamines, eh? Bummer! Would a hot toddy or some tea and a hot water bottle soothe you and help you sleep? I hope you feel better tomorrow.

Yeah, it's amazing how sensitive and aware cats are to their environments. I remember one time I move a picture on a wall to another wall. My younger cat must have spent 10 minutes staring at the blank space and the new space and trying to reach high enough to sniff the painting and so on. I mean it was a painting of a frickin' vase of flowers or something, but the cat had to thoroughly inspect it and internalize the change! Imagine how they feel when you change a whole ROOM! :shout:

My new shelter dog buddy, Sammy, is a sweetie! Last week I figured out that the shelter dogs I have been walking are getting no training and darned little human socializing. That's why they were all so hard to handle. So I decided to work consistently with only one or two dogs and really focus on training them. I've been working with Oliver for the last few weeks. I like Oliver. He does know all the standard commands (sit, stay, down, etc) but he only obeys when he feels like it. And while he doesn't get all goo-goo jumping around and licking people, he does wag his tail when you scratch his ears. So I think that with some intensive training he can make good progress in "canine good manners" and become more adoptable. I'm also working with another dog, Sampson (aka Sammy). He's young (maybe 14 months) and he has TONS of energy and he loves people. He knows most of the commands but he gets easily distracted by people, dogs, cars, birds, leaves... (you get the picture) so he needs a little more training before he'll be a top adoption candidate. This morning Oliver was away at an adoption fair so I spent my time with Sammy. After 3 weeks of walking a whole series of difficult dogs, Sammy was a dream. First we had 15 minutes of vigorous play. He had a wonderful time playing ball with me and shaking the rag doll I brought him. Then during the training session, he really tried to sit and stay and so on. Fortunately, he LOVES hot dogs so it was easy to get his attention. So although I like Oliver and I think that he needs my attentions more than Sammy does, it was fun for once to just go play with and do some simple bits of training with a friendly, cooperative dog. I think this new system (more time with fewer dogs) may work out better for me and for the dogs. And I will finally be able to get some exercise (which is where this whole thing started :) ).

Good job, Leanna! You accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. And, no, cats do NOT like change! But don't worry, he'll get over it. Now take some time to have fun tomorrow. Gotta keep things balanced.

Thank you for taking the time to share such a proud and happy time. You have a wonderful family! Please thank your son for his service for me and give Kaylee a hug, too.

id

You already used our "solved" feature-- you said, "That worked. Thanks." You're welcome. :)

horn

Yeah, Mike, I agree with you. Large .gifs in signature lines annoy me. To me that's sort of like shouting to demand attention or typing an email in all caps. You can hide the signature lines. Click on your name in the top right corner. From the drop-down menu select "Manage Ignore Preferences". On the top of the Ignore Preferences page is a check box to turn off all signatures.

owl

manhattan

Congratulations, Natalie, on a job well done! For me, one month was the biggest milestone. I figured that if I could not smoke for one month the rest would be downhill. (Turns out I was right.) It's a pleasure to have you to share my journey. Just keep doing what you're doing and get yourself something really nice with all the money you saved this month. Hooray for Natalie!

stir

coward

Congratulations, Becca! Keep up the good work. And keep posting here-- I need some inspiration. I, too, am struggling to get rid of my "quit weight". To your health!!

Poor J Edgar Hoover died too soon!

flickering

Hey, Jeffery, how have things been going for you this week? Are your rage attacks any better?