The Dog of My Life

Most everyone (those who are animal lovers) has been lucky enough to have one special animal touch their life... some have been lucky enough to have more than one. I have been very lucky to have had many special animals pass through my life from the time I was very young.

There was one that was, what I call, "The dog of my life" - we had a special bond and he was truly mine and I was truly his. His name was D.O.G. and he loved everyone and he loved other animals. He was amazing!

We don't know much about his history before we found him when he was about 7 months old but we know enough (a bb in his butt, fear of a lit cigarette, fear of gunshots and fireworks, flea and tick infested, etc) to tell that his first 7 months or so were not happy ones. He was a theater dog - I found him at the community theater where I volunteered. It was rainy and miserable and he was covered with more ticks and fleas than I have ever seen on one animal. We spent hours picking them off before taking him the next morning to the vet to get him totally de-flead and de-ticked!

From the moment he came home with us all he wanted to do was make us happy. He never went potty in the house - NEVER. He never chased or hurt our cats and he knew which ones were his. He would bark and chase the neighborhood cats that wandered in to our yard by mistake! He even let our 18 year-old cat curl up with him and play in his hair. And then when baby Mouse came along he let her do the same thing!

He never tore up shoes or carpets or furniture - although he did tear up his own toys quite well. He loved stuffed animals and would tear the stuffing out of most of them... except for one little penguin we named "Chilly" - it was a Christmas gift from his "Aunt Loretta and Uncle John" and that was the only toy he ever had that he didn’t tear apart. He loved that toy and would squeak it gently and just hold it in his mouth! He also loved presents and loved to open the wrapping - if you weren't careful on Christmas morning he would open your presents too!

He was a herding dog and though he never actually herded anything he always worried about his herd... his family and any other animals in the house. We also believe he was a dentist in a previous life because he loved nothing better to look in your mouth. It was a weird little thing he started doing as a puppy and kept doing all his life.

He was truly a wonderful and amazing dog. He had hip problems (arthritis and dysplasia) in is later years and during his last year suffered a ligament tear (that couldn't be operated on) that made walking and standing even harder but he kept on being the best dog ever... just at a slower pace. He was with us for almost 12 years and when he left us last October, after several painful months, he left a huge hole in my heart that has yet to heal.

No other animal has ever affected me in this way. For months I still expected him to greet us at the door, or worried when there were fireworks or car backfires because he hated loud noises and would run and hide. For awhile I thought I would never be able to let another dog into my heart. But a run in with a bouncy, adorable bearded collie/sheepdog mix changed that last week and "Hamlet" will be coming home with us tomorrow. He is between 7-10 months old (and already stands mid-thigh on me) and was rescued from the shelter the day before he was to be put down. With that name... well, he was destined to live in a theater family!

I know that chances are slim that there will ever be a bond with a dog like there was with D.O.G. but I think I'm finally ready to make room in my heart for another dog - John has been ready for a long time and Mouse, well, she just doesn't know she's ready yet! I think D.O.G. would approve and I know he would love Hamlet because he never met anyone that he didn't love.

More on "Life with Hamlet" in the weeks to come. It's been a long time since we had a puppy in the house -- should be interesting.

It's Going to be a Long Hot Summer...

Summer camps start on Monday and I am not ready! Well, that's not exactly true... The script has been written (Thanks Sarah!), the costumes planned and materials purchased, other supplies purchased, the dances have been choreographed, t-shirts printed (almost), staff is being trained, cd's have been burned, and to-date, 386 kids are registered. By Saturday afternoon everything should be organized and ready to go for the majority of the 17 camps we are holding this year.

Today I have discovered that my body is not quite ready to be on the go for 16 hours a day 5 days a week for 9 weeks. I'm tired! I think that my body has not quite recovered from the first part of this year and it is another year older and way out of shape. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? Someone remind me of that every time I whine! No whinners!

I suppose getting to bed before 1 am would help -- I think I'll try that right now!

Happy Summer Everyone - the goddess of summer camps smiles upon you!

I think I'll try making more of those frozen concoctions that help us hang on... for an awesome frozen concoction maker check this out http://www.margaritavillecargo.com/ - nice.

Fins up!

Too Attached to TV

OK, I love movies and I like to watch TV but I'm kinda selective about what I watch. Today I discovered that I was waaaayyyy to attached to some of the TV shows I have been watching.

A couple of weeks ago I watched what I thought was the very last show of "7th Heaven." (yes, I watch that - what can I say, I watched "The Waltons," "Little House on the Prarie" and "Eight is Enough" too. I guess being an only child, they were the family I didn't have.) I cried - but not as much as I thought I would. Come to find out - "7th Heaven" will be back on the new CW network -Hooray, Hooray, let's have some wine!

Today, I watched, what I thought was the season finale of "Everwood" but found out, as it was coming on, that it was the FINAL show of "Everwood." Damn the WB/CW!

So, I watched the entire two hours (thank goodness it was recorded so I could skip the commercials) and bawled like a baby! I cried because of the storylines (at least they were given the chance to wrap everything up) and I cried because I was so freakin' attached to the show and the characters.

So you would think after such a good cry I would be fine... Oh no, then I go and watch the story of Audrey Hepburn ... OMIGOD - cried through that. Now I'm going to have some ice cream and go to bed and watch reruns of "The Deadliest Catch" - because, in my next life, I will be one of the deckhands on a fishing boat in Alaska!

Looking forward to the summer shows like "The 4400," and "The Closer" -- they don't make me cry (usually) - stay tuned!

Summer Heat in Iraq

It's warming up here in California - especially here in the high desert where we are already in the 90's - supposed to be 98 today! Thankfully we are still in the 60's at night!

Whenever I think about complaining about the heat - I check the temperature in Iraq where my son Ben is...

Right now, it's 9 pm and it's 102 degrees (supposed to be 114 tomorrow!)! Sometime during the evening it will get down to 88 degrees.

At least we can dress for the warm weather and most of us have A/C. There is A/C there in the larger camps but when the soldiers are out working with the Iraqi Police or on patrol there is no A/C. I can't even begin to imagine how they do it with the uniform, the flak vest and all the gear they have to carry.

Take care of yourself Ben - we love you and miss you so much!
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!