Getting Older

(No, not me. Although, I guess I am too).

When we first adopted Zoey, without fail she would sleep in to 6:30 at the latest. Sometimes she would go back to bed, but most of the time she was ready to be up. Although I am a morning person, there were many weekend mornings that I was not happy to be getting up. The funny thing was that if it were just Ben and Zoey at home, she would let him sleep in. Anyway, lately, I have noticed that she is pretty content to sleep in too. Don't get me wrong, in the mornings when my alarm goes off, she still is super-hyper waiting for me to get ready for our walk. But on the weekends she will just sleep. I love it, but it also makes me sad that she is getting older. I have always known that I will outlive Zoey, but it makes me sad to see that day creeping up.

Every Christmas for 10 years at least, my Grandma and I have gotten together to make Krumkake. It all started one year when I was invited to a cookie exchange (thanks Amy!!) and I thought it would be fun to bring krumkake. (Not a great cookie to bring to an exchange - they are putsy to make and very delicate, but anyway). Ever since then we get together to make some. Granted, we usually only make a few dozen instead of the dozens of dozens I did the first year. :) I really enjoy the time with my Grandma. It is the most concentrated one-on-one time I get with her throughout the year. The one "bad" thing about having this time with my Grandma is that from year to year I can see how she has aged. Her memory isn't as sharp as it was in years past. Her energy has diminished. It makes me so glad that we have this tradition, but also sad that she too, is getting older. She is 82, so she is getting up there. I think to some degree most people don't "believe" that their loved ones age. I want to live in a place where no one ages...

Turns out this is a rather depressing post in a season of joy. Sorry!

Startled

Saturday I walked into the fish room to turn the tank lights on. Usually I just walk into the dark room and flip the switch. That day I had taken two or so steps into the room when I heard a very distinctive splash. I quickly flipped on the room lights and went to the back of the tank. Sure enough, Mr. Wrasse had jumped out! I quickly scooped him up and put him back in the tank. He hung around the bottom acting all weird (and rightly so, I mean, he just spent 30 seconds or so on the floor after dropping a few feet). Finally he vanished underneath the sand (that's where he sleeps). I really thought that would be the last time I saw him. I watched for a few minutes and then went upstairs to tell Ben.

An hour or so later, I peeked in and there the wrasse was, swimming around as if nothing had happened! I was so happy! And so far he hasn't shown any effects from his adventure. He is still swimming and eating. Yea!!

I really think I just happened to startle him and that caused him to jump. But since he has had suicidal tendencies before, I decided to try and prevent future near misses. I installed "anti-suicide" barriers along the top of the tank (extra plastic pieces). I'm hoping this will help.

Bruce, Jake and Zoey and the Snow Man

Last weekend we found out that Bruce Campbell was in town for the premier of his latest movie, "My Name is Bruce." We checked for tickets on Saturday morning and the only showing with seats left was the midnight one. So we decided to be young and hip and we went to the movie. In Uptown. Yep, we're that hip. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Bruce did a Q&A before the movie. He was hilarious! And the crowd was great. For a movie genre that I don't really care for, I thought the movie was pretty good. For a B movie, anyway.

Last night Jake came home! My dad was going to pick him up. My mom and I tagged along to surprise him. It was so good to see my little brother again. Dad took us out for dinner for us to start catching up. Jake picked GC. I was very happy with his choice. :) We have some scheduled time to go Christmas shopping together and he also warned me that he will be over a lot to play Guitar Hero and whatnot. I'm so looking forward to it.

This morning on our walk, Zoey was a very brave dog. As we were walking past a house, she growled and let out a deep, menacing bark. At a snow man. She's such a good protector. Sometimes I wish I could be her for one day. There is this one spot on our walk that fascinates her. I can't even drag her away until she is ready to leave. She sticks her snout in the snow and just sniffs for a few minutes. And everyday she goes straight to the spot. What's there that is so interesting? This morning she took so long sniffing that I think her paws were getting cold - she started lifting up on leg at a time off the ground. Silly girl.

This weekend is going to be busy. I am hoping to only work a half day today so I can run some errands. Then tonight I have a girl's night. Tomorrow night we have an Ugly Sweater party. Then finally on Sunday I have a bridal shower to go to.

Escape

I think I mentioned a while back that we had moved Zoey to the mud room for while we were gone from home. That turned out to not be the brightest idea we ever had. She went to work on shredding her blankets (this was expected). Then one day she shredded my sweater. Granted it was my fault to leave it where she could get it, but she has NEVER destroyed something that wasn't hers before. Also, she would jump up against the door and started to scratch the paint on the door and the walls. But the breaking point for Ben was last week.

I got home one day after Ben. He came out the front door and told me to use that door instead of the garage door. Turns out that Zoey wanted a Mountain Dew. She tore open the box and managed to puncture a can. Turns out she didn't care for MD and there was pop everywhere on the floor. The next day she was back in her kennel.

Rick is staying with us this weekend and I told him of the new Zoey arrangement. He was so surprised when he came home yesterday to find her out of her kennel. (Luckily I had closed the mud room door). He looked at the kennel and saw that the door was still locked. She somehow managed to turn her kennel so the hole was facing out, and climb through the hole that she had made months ago. I guess we will be buying a new kennel soon.

Yesterday it finally snowed enough and is cold enough that we have a slight covering on the ground. Zoey eats the snow every chance that she gets. I just hope she doesn't lick the door frame and get her tongue stuck. :)

Thankful

When I first heard about the tragedy that was unfolding in Mumbai last week my first thought was of my new friends there. Due to the time of the attacks everyone was either already home, or at work. And the attacks happened "far" away from where they typically are. I was so relieved and thankful when I found out that everyone was safe. I won't lie that my second thought was how glad I was that I was safe and sound at home. I would have been "far" away from it too, but too close for comfort, especially for my family here.

It was a really eerie and surreal feeling to watch images of the Taj Hotel in flames show up on the news. I had visited there on my first day there. The hotel was beautiful. And now, it was a place of sorrow.

It saddens me how cruel people can be. It has been repeated again and again across the pages of history. It just happens to be the Muslims this time. But not that long ago it was the crusaders. And even more recently it was the Nazis. Countless examples of how sinful we are.