So what's been going on in Flartopia? Hmmm...
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I did some holiday baking last weekend--snickerdoodles and chocolate cherry kisses (cherry-infused shortbread cookies with a chocolate kiss in the middle). Since we certainly don't need three or four dozen cookies in a house with two people (and a snack-stealing dog), I brought them in to the office as a Christmas gift for everyone. They were definitely appreciated! And there were even a few left to take home to Miss Chef.
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There are two positions opening up in our small ~30 person office, so half the office seems to be applying for one or the other. While this kind of change-up is always stressful for me, I've found it rather entertaining to watch the heads-together whispered conversations in the corners of our cubicle farm. And yes, I've been participating in some of them myself. Hey, why should I miss out on all the fun!
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Tuesday morning Miss Chef called me at work in a state of nervousness over Rosie. Miss Chef had gone to the gym, and on her return found Rosie limping rather severely. She could tell the dog had been up on the guest room bed, so we suppose she jumped down in a panic when Miss Chef came in, somehow landing wrong. Miss Chef wrapped the joint (rear knee), but had to leave for work. She's never really lived with a dog before, so she wasn't sure how bad an injury this might be or how to handle it.
To make a long story short, Rosie is fine. After talking to our vet, and having a neighbor check on her, I came home to find her not limping at all, except for the first few steps after her potty squat. She's not a terribly active dog anyway, so I just avoided her usual walks until Friday, to let her rest. Today she seems sound as ever. The vet even called back the next day to check on her--how awesome is that?
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The other half of the story is that on the previous day, Rosie had eaten two boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese! I had bought six of them to send to my brother's family in London--we had taken some over during our visit in June, and the kids snarfed them up in about two days. Anyway, I had foolishly left these gifts in a box at dog level, and Rosie took full advantage.
The first problem was that we found the remnants of two boxes--eaten--and a third one stuffed into the couch for safekeeping. (It cracks us both up when she does that!) There were two more left in the box...which leaves a last one unaccounted for. We still haven't found it!
The second problem was that we knew this carb overload would cause Rosie massive digestive issues--as it turned out, on the same day she hurt her leg. Poor thing, what a bad day she had!
Having learned from experience, I made sure to prepare the area where Rosie has "accidented" before (dog towels laid over cut-open garbage bags). After arriving home on Tuesday and reassuring myself that Rosie's leg was ok, I went in to find three messy accidents, each one neatly deposited right on target.
I think Rosie was a little confused by my telling her she was a good girl.
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This week coming up is the last of the quarter. I have a review lesson on Monday, and Wednesday is the second half of the final exam. The first half of the final was last Wednesday--the students each have an assigned time slot to sit down with me for five minutes of conversation in French. Or, more like five minutes of hemming and hawing to try to remember what "pourquoi" means. *sigh*
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To finish up, I'll share with you a quote. I came across it while reading reviews on amazon.com for Jon Katz' latest book, which is about grieving for pets. (If you want to know more about Mr. Katz, visit www.bedlamfarm.com. He's a bit of a controversial figure in dog lover/rescue circles, so don't consider this a full endorsement.) Anyway, the reviewer said this came from a child, and I think it's a lovely way to think of the short time we're allowed with our pets:
'"People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
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Happy weekend, everybody!
Poor Rosie! I hope her tummy feels better soon. Maybe if she ate a box of alka-seltzer?
ReplyDeleteI've sent the quote on to a friend that needs it.
That's hilarious about the KD stuffed in the couch!!!
ReplyDeletePoor Rosie - but what a tidy girl to use the "port-a-john", so to speak.
I am late to the party (as usual). Anything Rosie has done with a box of macaroni and cheese, I have also done and that includes eating two boxes at a time and hiding one in the couch. I am not telling where the fourth one is, but I am pretty sure I know.
ReplyDeleteLove you Flartus!
Oh, how terribly dear... the child's quote is so touching. Poor Rosie... like her, the only thing I cannot resist is temptation!
ReplyDeleteWord Verification: "eating."
lol
I had my hand over my mouth to stifle a guffaw while reading parts of this post. I knew it was wrong to laugh because of her upset tummy, but the thought of Rosie hiding a box of mac n' cheese in the sofa is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI love Jon Katz as an author and love reading his books. And I love the way he loves his dogs and donkeys. :)
Poor Rosie... I can just imagine how her stomach felt as the pasta began to absorb liquid and swell.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your description of the office. I had a great sideline view of our offices as we anticipated a change in leadership. I knew I was heading out, so I just took a seat and watched all of the gesturing and strutting and peacock tail flaring of those trying to get noticed by the soon-to-be chief. It was very entertaining!
What a great quote - trust a child to make sense of things in a way that's good for the soul!
ReplyDelete