Camping trip continued...

Really, I do think this is easier to do on a weekly basis, not daily. I just don't have the time. So much for being an empty-nester with time on my hands!!)









While we were out on our little maiden voyage of Big Bertha, I had to stop in a little

park to let the doxies out to pee. As soon as Isis and I got out of The Beast, I heard rustling coming from the weeds behind the truck and growling! It sounded like a minature mountain lion! Instead, this is what came charging out at us, growling like crazy. (This is a week after we came home, she had gained a whole pound by then, her eyes were healthy and she had quit sneezing and coughing)

Her name is TK or Allie, short for Terror Kitty of Alleghany, since that is where she "attacked" us. Isis decided it was "her" baby and will not let the poor thing alone. If Spike (our male white cat) goes near her, she chases him away! This brings us up to 3 dogs and 4 cats. Hubby tried to say no, we couldn't bring her home, but he knew that was useless. I guess he had to try, right? Just to show what a softy he is, he made me go back the next day to make sure there were no others.

When we got back to the park, I immediately gave her a bath and I swear she lost a pound after all the fleas were gone. We had picked up a litterbox and kitty food and she immediately knew what to do with the box, so we think someone dumped her by the playground we had stopped at. I hope they rot in hell. This was the weather that we woke up to on Friday and Saturday so the fact that she survived says alot about her personality and why she fit so well into the insane asylum that is our house.

TK spent the first couple of weeks in a big cage, especially if we were gone or at night. I wanted her to get better and also make sure she was going to get along with the others. She is now out of the cage full time and has spent the last two nights sleeping with us. At just over 2 pounds she doesnt' take up a lot of room and loves to sleep next to TOG. She has adopted him as her daddy and as soon as he gets home from work, she curls up on his chest and they both fall asleep. Isis and Blue-dog and Spike all play with her. I think Charlie is scared he will hurt her- he was like that with the other kittens until they got bigger too. She spends a lot of time teasing Blue from under a stool and Spike and her are in the cat tree all the time. It's the first time any of the cats have played in it since we got it, they usually just sit on top and watch out the window. Now TK and Spike are running in and out and up and down. It's fun to watch!



We have to be careful as she likes to try and get out the door whent the dogs and Tex go out. Not a good idea. She loves to ride- she rode all the way home on the dashboard of my truck since we didn't have a cat carrier with us, and the defroster was on. She was so cute, although I don't let her do it anymore. Now she sits in the carrier, high enough to see out the window and looks around. She even went through the car wash with me and it didn't seem to bother her at all. TOG said that when we do travel he guesses that we should put one in Bertha just in case since this seems to happen to me a lot.



Poor Rascal just growls at her when ever she looks at her. It's ok if her back is to her and she can sniff her butt, but if she moves Rascal goes ballistic. She is such a neurotic, fat cat. She just gets extra loving now.



Now that I think about it, I haven't heard her collar bell jingle in awhile. I wonder where she is hiding??

Meet Big Bertha!

A few months ago, we traded in my 7-year old Rav4. After being hit 6 times and keyed twice, I decided that there was a big assed target painted on it. So we went car shopping, well, SUV shopping and bought The Beast. He may not be the most gas efficient one out there, but when you run around with three, sometimes four, dogs and at least one another human, you need tail and paw room.

We thought about getting a tow trailer so we could travel. With three dogs, it gets expensive when you add in boarding, so why not take them with us? Right? Then we started looking and realized neither of us wanted to tow anything, much less subject the dogs to days on end of being stuck in the backseat of The Beast, no matter how much they love to R-I-D-E. (We have to spell it out, or else there is a major stampede to the front door.)

So we expanded our search and ultimately ended up with Big Bertha. She's 31' long and lets us go where we want, when we want and take the dogs with us. She's easy to drive, a bit of a gas and parking hog but very comfortable. Although brand new, it is an 08, with only 800 transport miles on the odometer. Not bad, and we got a great deal too. There were some things that needed to be done, and we gave the dealer two weeks to do them. They weren't done when we picked her up, in fact the sales dept hadn't even told service about it. Oops, and not on my part.

So this past weekend we took her out on her shake down cruise to find out what else needed to be done before we took it back. We had reservations for Alleghany State Park and didn't want to lose them. So I spent a fast two days packing, learning what was where and how it worked, and getting what I hoped was all we needed together.

Off we went on Thursday morning. Directly to the dealers. They had never replaced the worn wiper blades- but it passed inspection? There was a small leak under the bathroom sink that I wanted fixed too. When I met up with TOG (The Old Guy) at the service shop, I noticed a leak from under the electrical compartment. Back to the service tech. He finally traced it to an elbow joint, located under the bed, whose seal had not taken and so that was replaced. I packed Blue into the truck with me, and the other three off in with TOG. Isis and Blue can't share the front seat, so this way they were both happy. We are fortunate that all of the dogs love to ride.

Finally, we hit the road, two hours late. We did stop in Oneonta at Brooks Bar-b-Que for lunch. The dogs behaved in Big Bertha and we headed out again. Once we hit Binghamton, it started to rain. Then it couldn't decide if it was going to rain or snow. Ugh.

By the time we finally hit the park, it was dark. The office was closed. We had no clue where we were going. Typical. Finally a state cop came around, showed us to the spot and we parked for the night. We were the only one in the entire section, so it was quiet. We parked on the road, not the site because I really didn't want to try and do that at night. Not like anyone but the bears were going to complain. The bathrooms were right there, the electrical and water worked. It was all we needed for the night. Fed the dogs, walked them and we crashed.

The morning brought a whole new set of fun. (to be continued, and pictures too.)

Trip to the Vet's

So going to the vet's with the herd is never an easy task. It wasn't bad when Heather was still home, but now it's just me. I had to take the Terrible Trio in today for their Bordedello updates. Blue stayed the night, so he had to come too. A trip to the vet usually goes something like this:

Put everyone out in the backyard that wants to go out. Especially Blue and Isis. Blue because he just always wants to go out and chase squirrels and Isis because the second she is in the car and we move she starts whining about having to go to the bathroom. Pavlov at his finest.

Next, holler to Charlie and Max and just say "Ride!" and they are at the door in a whirlwind of Lab and Doxie. How neither gets hurt I will never know. Put their travel collars on, grab the leashes and other collars, open the door and let them go. Say "Truck" and they head right for it, with a stop at a bush to check p-mail or leave a reply. Open the truck doors, lift Max into the front seat while Charlie jumps into the back. Open the windows enough so Max doesn't jump out. Shut the doors and prepare for round 2. Meanwhile, Charlie has moved to the driver's seat and Max is trying to share it with him.

Go to the back gate, get the other two and tell the "Ride!". Move before I get trampled, open the truck doors and watch the scramble for seats and places begin. Shut the doors, go in and get purse, tell the cats that they can have the house to themselves for an hour and head back out. Tell Charlie that "no, you can't drive, you don't have the right license", walk around the truck and find Charlie and Blue in the back, Max in the passenger seat and Isis behind the wheel. Not only does she not drive, she can't see over it. Tell her to move, which she does, over with Max.

Get in, put the rest of the windows down and wait for them to figure out who is going where. Not that it lasts long. Put the window up by whichever side Charlie is on since he doesn't like it. Start down the road and the Chinese Fire Drill that is going to occur, starts. Max heads to the back with Charlie, Blue stands on the center counsel waiting for the sunroof to open (it's not this time) and Isis starts whining. I haven't even gotten to the stop sign on our corner yet. Two houses away. Isis then heads to the backseat, Blue comes up front and puts his nose out the window and Charlie just sits by the back door. Max gets under Charlies legs and Isis tries to get her nose out the back window. Get to the stoplight and everyone moves around again. Max back in front, Blue in back and up comes Isis. Finally they settle down on the 8 minute trip to the vets.

Get to the vets- which has tons of parking on the side and across the lot. Park in the fire zone by the exit door, which should actually read "Fire zone, no parking, except for the crazy lady who brings in 4 dogs at once. Alone." Call them from my cell phone to check in and let them know we are there. This usually has one of 3 results- astounded silence from a new person at the desk as I tell them to look out the window and I wave wildly; or whoever is at the desk, says ok, no problem, we'll come and get you; or "Saw you coming and you're already checked in". I like the last one best. Take Isis out for her Pavlovian Poop and then get Max and to walk on their buddy leash and not let Isis harass the ducks in the pond. Or get attacked by them. So far so good.

It's time! Trip over the two short and stubby's going in, visit with the doc (a new one there now so they got extra loving) and get weighed in. Both doing good. Get their shots, lots of petting and head back out. Put them in the front seat, take off the collars and leash, grab Charlies' leash, close the front door, open the back door, hook him up (No, Blue, you can't go with us!), and drag his 70lobs butt out the door. He hates to go in. He did get excited when the new vet got right down on the floor to love him a bit and it's a girl vet! He loved that. Guess where he immediately put his nose. Yup. As soon as he sees the needle, he turns to me, gives me that hang dog look they have down so well and buries his head in my lap. Done! Tail wags and he drags me out to the truck. Go back in and pay. Ouch! Need shot to get over that, and not one in a needled. Head back out, move everyone off the driver's seat and pass out the treats.

Head for home, with the musical seats starting all over again. They finally settle down with Max in front with his head on the counsel, Blue standing on it and Isis trying to get her nose out the window. Still. Charlie just sits there. Get home, open the doors and they all shoot out like cannons to play and roll in the grass. Herd them to the backyard, open the gate and let them in.

Take a nap.

OOPS!! Again!

I hit publish instead of save. I have to go do my blogs. Crap.

Nominations???

A friend of mine was nominated for the Kreative Blogger Award. According to the rules she has to tell seven things about herself that others may not know and then nominate seven other bloggers. She nominated me. (I think she was desperate myself!! ;) ).

So now I have to come up with those seven things. So here goes.

My hubby is 26 years older than I am and I have a step-daughter (who refers to me as mom) who is a year older than I am. Her nickname for me is Wicked. As in Step-mother. I love it! This year will be our 12th (gasp!) anniversary, and I hope we have a lot more!

I collect Cinderella stuff.

I have a mild form of Lupus and have for a very long time. I deal with it.



I love to lay around on a Sunday and watch golf on TV. It's relaxing and almost guaranteed to put me to sleep. Unless Tiger is playing.

I enjoy shooting. Not cameras (I leave that to hubby and daughter), but guns. Preferably a .45. And yes I can hit the target. Well, I used to. It's been awhile. Who knows what the eyesight is doing now.

I am a concert Ho. Big time. I have been to over 300 concerts and they were mostly big ones. Especially Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Journey and Barry Manilow. Meat Loaf is another. There is a huge list of people I have seen multiple times and very few that I have never seen that I want to. Queen would be at the top of that list. With Freddy. Oh, well. Country, Classic Rock, even Heavy Metal. I'm not going to Crue Fest dang it!

I love Nutella. On toast. With bananas. IHop crepes. I love my Nutella.

Now I have to nominate 7 other bloggers. This should be fun. LOL

Oops.

Well, it seems it's been awhile that I have blogged. I was reminded of this when I ran into a friend of mine today and she mentioned it. Thanks, Dee!

I don't know why I haven't been writing. I spend way too much time on twitter "listening" to some of my favorite authors talking about their daily word counts and how life sometimes gets in the way of their chosen profession. Not that writing is a profession for me, nor will it ever be, but it is where I have tried to let off a little steam at times. Or just document for myself what has been happening. Trying to remember things isn't always easy. Hence, journaling. Besides, I can't even read my own penmenship at times, this is just so much easier.

So what's been going on? Not much and a lot. LOL We have a new gazebo or shelter in the backyard so we can cook when it rains (which until recently, was a lot!), and relax without the rain beating on us. It's not fancy, but it works in the area we needed it to be. Now we have no reason not to grill out in the winter (not including Xmas, which gets done no matter the snow fall).

I have spent the last few days camped out in Heather's bedroom- a/c, computer, tv, dvr, phone, bathroom and kitchen close by and most importantly, a bed. The upstairs is too hot, but hubby likes it, so I didn't put in an A/C this year. The hot weather has been such a short time anyway.

I have gone to a couple of concerts with Maryellena and Matt and Matt and Victoria and Eric (family!) and we had a great time. We saw Nickleback and Def Lepprd (seperate shows), then we saw Creed last week. Thanks to a friend of mine, instead of watching from the lawn, we ended up in the Pit! Right at the stage. It was a great show and I think the others had a great time! Next up is Toby Keith and Trace Adkins with Linda. And I might just go see Journey and Heart. Then in October, I have a great seat for Keith Urban and Sugarland! I won't be able to get to the State Fair to see Jeff Dunham like I wanted, but you can't have everything.

I got a new truck. It's a Jeep Grand Cherokee Larado Special Edition. I like it. I was sad when I said goodbye to the Smurf, but love my new ride. What a big difference! It has almost all the bells and whistles and drives like a luxuray car. I don't even car about the gas mileage since it is comfortable to drive. I have had it since April 30, and have close to 6000 miles on it already. Yes, I seem to do a lot of driving. Atlantic City to get a sick kid, MA for a convention, CT for the Sherrilyn Kenyon signing. Miles add up. And now that I know that Fox Woods is less than 3 hours away, I have another venue to add to my concert lineup.

I am heading out to LA again over Labor Day weekend to help Heather move to a new building- it's closer to the school. Hopefully we will get to do something besides unpack, shop and move stuff. So far that is all I have done in LA. But I know where Ikea, Macy's and Target are!!

Until next time...

Problems fixed???

I haven't been able to do my blog because of problems with our home PC, which is where I do everything. My laptop crapped out when I was in Phoenix and I haven't had a chance to get it fixed. Everytime I would sign onto Blogger, I had massive problems. Like it would just replicate itself on IE over and over and over and...

So I stopped trying. I have been telling Hubby for weeks that the computer has a problem. He ignored me.

Saturday as he was leaving to go spend the weekend with his grandkids at the shore, I went to turn the PC on and it's now in a Norton loop and won't start. So he left and will be back tonite. I won't have my laptop back until tomorrow. So I am using my Netbook that I bought when I was in San Diego because of the laptop crash.

I hate computers. I have no luck with technology. I can't even figure out how to get my iTouch to hook up to the internet. Gotta go see the Apple Geeks soon. When Verizaon finally gets them, I want an iPhone. hahaha.

I have been spending a lot of time on Twitter. We have access to it at work and since it is short and sweet, it keeps my mind on my job.

Heather is home this week, and goes back for summer classes on the 4th. We are heading to NYC to see Rock of Ages and staying overnite. The next day is Poison and Deff Leppard at SPAC. It's going to be a busy week but I have to pack in all the time that I can with her. And shopping. Lots of shopping of course.