Updates

1) We finished the room and it looks great! I still need to pick up the nightstand next weekend, and I'm going to ask my friend to build her a bookshelf that matches. I must say, it is very nice!


2) I finished reading Grisham's "The Associate." I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen in the plot, but it never really did. Could there be a squeal planned? there were lots of loose ends untied when I finished. I'm now about half-way thru "The Shack" and its really quite interesting.

3) Its doubtful that Buster will ever go on a bike ride with me again. As spring arrives he becomes less and less focused on his runs. I've run over him twice now because he for some reason he thinks he can run in front of the bike, but luckily he was not hurt badly. Last Thursday he decided to stop at a fence without my knowledge and caused a major crash. Now my legs have scraps and bruises all over them, not to mention my pride. Two of Riley's classmates were right there and came to my aid. My face smashed into the grass only an inch from concrete. It it had been an inch to the right, the dog would have been gone by sundown.

A new room

Spring Break! Our exciting adventures this year takes us to Riley's room.

• On Monday we went shopping for a new bedroom set and was successful after only 5 hours.
• Tuesday was cleaning day, she boxed up all her stuff and removed it from her room -- all the way to the hall bathroom!
  
• Wednesday was the real working day. We used the electric sander and removed and/or smoothed out the rainbow paint and primed the wall and around the ceiling and floors. Most of the old furniture is removed. After a trip to Home Depot we have 2 gallons of "Egyptian Nile" paint and various painting supplies.
• Tomorrow (Thursday) the walls will be painted and then the carpets will be steam cleaned.
  
• Friday the new furniture arrives and the (a fraction of) her stuff will return to the room.

A little history of the rainbow ... Riley's favorite part of our house when we moved in was her bright pick room with the wide teddy bear border ... she was 4 yrs old. After only one year she decided pink was not her style (and definitely not mine) and wanted a blue room with giant rainbow. I was all too eager to get rid of the pink room so I spent 3 days removing the ugly border and painting the walls sky blue. My good friend's wife, Tami, spent 8 hrs helping me one Saturday evening painting the rainbow. We used rust-oleum paint that was very thick created a texture on the wall. I dreaded the day she outgrew the rainbow because I knew the texture would need to be smoothed. I spent about 6 hours sanding it down, peeling it off, and applying mud to repair holes I created in the drywall! Riley has been a trooper and a huge help! She wanted to get it painted tonight but my back needed some rest.

I'll post a picture in a few days to show the friuts of our labor.

The Associate or The Shack

For several months I've had two books on hold at the library. At first I was number 1,079 in line to get John Grisham's new book The Associate. A few weeks later I added William P. Young's controversial book, The Shack.

I love John Grisham novels ... not sure why since I have little interest in our legal system. Maybe because he creates fascinating characters with exciting plots. I was able to pick it up 10 days ago but haven't had much time to read. I'm about one-third of the way through now. It's pretty good, but its no Pelican Brief or Street Lawyer. Kyle is about to graduate from Yale law school when he gets blackmailed into taking a job at a gigantic law firm in NYC and spying against them.

Wouldn't you know it, I get notice from the library that The Shack is ready and if I don't pick it up by soon it'll be released to the next person on hold. Now this book has really piqued my curiosity with all the chatter going on about it. I know several people who have read it and wanted to tell me about it but I refused to listen. What I do know is that it's a deep well-written book that will probably change my relationship with God. It is about a guy who spent a life-altering weekend in a shack because something happened to his kids. It is fiction, but people have a hard time believing that.

So I picked it up today with the intent to finish The Associate first. I had 10 minutes to kill as I waited for Riley to get out of rehearsal so I read the first 6 or 7 pages and was intrigued.

Should I ditch Grisham for the Shack? Have you read either book?

Enough time has passed since my last blog that I can talk about the good things in my life without my readers thinking that I am bi-polar.

After two-months of agonizing exercise, workouts have become bearable again. Reality of age has hit me and I realize that I don't bounce back physically like I used to. This is a positive aspect, in that I know I can live the active lifestyle that I enjoy so much. I haven't signed up for any races yet this year, only because I need to coordinate them with my summer calendar. There are several new ones that I'm reviewing. I would do them all if time allowed.

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous of my dog's running ability. He has 8" legs and can run a 5K in under 22 min without training. He averages 8.4 mph on our outings and that fluctuates depending on the various smells outside and the number of other dogs and critters we encounter. I enjoy our evening excursions because we often see wildlife along the way. Almost always when we are out at twilight we see a few white-tailed deer. We've also seen wild turkey, numerous squirrels, and a few groundhogs.

Weather was wonderful this week. It started with almost 6" of snow last Saturday and by Thursday it was 80 degrees. It's time to dust off the old road bike and go for some long training rides. The thought crossed my mind yesterday when it was still in the upper 60's but weekend chores won and I ended up washing the cars, re-potting some houseplants, and the ubiquitous laundry and cleaning.

Today is daylight savings, and even though I lost an hour of my weekend I'm excited that the days will seem longer and springtime is just around the corner.

It's been well over a month since I wrote, please forgive me. Momma always said if I didn't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all, and it seems that lately I've only been seeing the negative side of life.

The economy is top of mind. If the dumb media would just shut up then it would improve! News reports are constantly talking about how bad it is and how it will get worse before it gets better. Heck Ya! Now everyone is going to stop spending and save for the day they loose their job ... just fueling the problem. Too bad we're not the Soviets, because if the Obama administration could sensor the press then the economy would improve, but since we have freedom of speech the idiot press will continue to be the biggest part of the problem.

Life is busy, both at work and at home. I like being busy but there is a point when I'm too busy I get cranky ... I think I'm hitting that point. Riley is overbooked in her activities with most of her time going to volleyball or the spring musical. She likes both and I'd like her to stay involved in both, though together they take up a lot of time. Add to the mix: scouts, guitar lessons, and youth group and something starts to suffer from neglect. Luckily she doesn't have a big speaking role in the musical so she doesn't have to spend additional time outside rehearsal learning lines. I'm very proud of her and her level of maturity at this age, but its stressing me out! But don't worry about me, we have 2 weekends in a row without a tournament ... whatever shall I do with a free Saturday?

I gained 12 lbs when I took some time (3 1/2 months) off from exercising last fall. I've been trying to get back in shape for 2 months now, and its a slower process than usual. I'm running about 15 miles a week and biking 6-10 miles. I've lost 2 lbs, but my real diet starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. Hopefully I'll get over this hurdle soon and working out will become enjoyable for me again.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer. I promise this to be my only negative post for 2009!

Motivating news

Usually the current news bores me ... seems like the stories are the same old ones recycled from last year. If it's not lackluster then it's depressing; other child abuse case, another murder on the streets, another teenage hooligan was arrested. Maybe it's age that fuels my cynicism.

However this week was different. A commercial jet doesn't crash everyday, and never can I remember a large plane wreck that didn't have any casualities. I have to say that I have been encouraged hearing about the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River.

Watching news reports and recaps of Thursday's event amazes me at how 155 people on the plane had to work together beyond selflessness to get everyone out safely. With today's economy sinking and all the political conflict in the middle east this sends a message of hope to most.

Could it be that this event happened simply because the country needed an inspiring story to lift our spirits?

My 2009 Resolution

This is going to be a difficult one to tackle. I am going to reclaim the status of pack-leader of our house.

Seven years ago come April 1st (yes, can you believe it, April fools day) we adopted Buster. His name was Chuckie (should have been a clue) and he was a 3 1/2 yrs old miniature pinscher. Within the first week he had bit me several times and also a few neighbors who ventured into our yard. Within a month I established that I was the alpha but was still having a hard time controlling him so I got a remote-controlled shock collar. This little device did wonders, and by his 4th birthday he was a pretty obedient dog but still troubled by anxiety.

Fast forward 6 years and I guess I haven't been a very good pack-leader because I think he feels he needs to step up to the job. He is very territorial in our house and feels he needs to protect everything important to him, including me and Riley.
Maybe I've been watching too much Cesar Milan, but that guy is amazing with dogs. I've learned signs of Buster showing dominance that I previously thought were harmless affectionate gestures.

In conclusion, by the end of 2009 I'd like to have better control over my dog and to do this I'm going to adhere to Cesar's rules of giving Buster: Exercise before Discipline, and Discipline before Affection.

1. Exercise: I've started putting him on the treadmill but I think it just makes him more anxious. I'm pledging to take him on a bike ride of the temp is 20-85 degrees. I usually take him running outside with me outside but he wants to go faster than I can go. Last weekend we went for a 3 mile ride and he loved it averaging almost 8 mph! I think with a little conditioning he can go 12 mph.
2. Discipline: this will be more difficult and I have to get Riley to cooperate. I figure if he is physically worn out he will be more obedient.
3. Affection: this is the easy one!