Be Bold, Be Beautiful...

Well Hiya Puppy!
Originally uploaded by NanLassiter.

Be A Greyhound in a Sea of Bellydancers!! This is what happens when you're a handsome trio of greyhounds just hanging out at the Renn Fest... (l-r) Reggie, Profile, and Tim Tam charming the Jewels of the Caravan. Ai-a-wa, puppies!

The United Methodist Church's response to the War in Iraq

"As people of faith we raise our voices in protest against the tragedy of the unjust war in Iraq. We urge the United States government to develop and implement a plan for the withdrawal of its troops. The U.S. invasion has set in motion a sequence of events which may plunge Iraq into civil war. "

Wow. I must say that the church I was brought up in has both surprised me and made me quite proud. Hop on over to Dave's blog and read the rest of the statement issued by the UMC.

The Never-ending House Hunt

Amy and I went out to look at a house yesterday in Central, SC. Cute Cute Cute little town. Cute house...but no fence. The agent handling the property also never showed up, but the sliding glass door was open so we let ourselves in to have a look.

The house was adequate. As I said to my mother on the phone, I have a tendency to look at these places with my "dream home" floating in front of them like some kind of ethereal litmus test. One story ranch compared to two story cape cod. Yellow wood exterior with hunter green shutters compared to white clapboard with navy shutters. Nothing will ever completely live up, obviously, but some houses come closer than others.

After sleeping on it, I've decided that while I could live in that house, I wouldn't be happy there. Something about it just didn't sit well. Plus, there was no fence in the backyard...something I think I'm going to have to have for the dogs. True, I could put in a little fenced area, but my hounds are used to having quite a bit of area in which to stretch their legs and I don't think a small enclosure within a big yard will work for them.

So I spoke to the agent this morning who claims she came out to the house "late" but we weren't there (we stayed at least 45 minutes) and told her that I just didn't think it was the house for me. Amy, thanks for finding it and for taking off work early to go with me to see it. Back to the classifieds...unless there are new developments with my investor friends...

Edited to add: I did speak with the agent about fencing, before I am accused of being too picky (LOL), and it was not an option. Just to clarify...

Waking up on the political side of the bed

My alarm clock is set to radio, and the radio is set to NPR. I can't deal with the buzzer option...you're likely to be peeling me off the ceiling when it goes off. So every morning I am awakened to Morning Edition and try to make it out of the bed before Radio Reader.

This morning I was lying in bed listening to two mothers talk about what it was like losing their sons in Iraq. This story coincided with the death of the 2000th American soldier in Iraq.

I'll let that one sink in for a sec. TWO THOUSANDTH AMERICAN CASUALTY.

I've never been a fan of the war and I'm even less of a fan of Dubya, but come on...enough is enough. How many more of our own have to die? Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost compassion for the plight of the Iraqi people, and I understand that they needed help to get out from under Sadaam Hussein. Got it. No problem there. USA=heroes. Got it. But aren't we kinda done? Haven't we been training them to take on the peacekeeping work in their country?

I listened this morning to a mother say that when she saw the gray vehicle with the man in camoflauge fatigues park in her driveway she just started screaming because she knew what it meant. Another mother said that she met the military personnel on her front porch because somehow if she could keep them out of her house "it wouldn't be happening." When that same woman was asked if she thought that her family's sacrifice was worth it for the good of her country, her answer was very simple.

"Hell no."

I don't have children yet, but I lay there in my bed and cried with these two women this morning. To have that much strength and not completely fall apart in the face of losing your child...the second woman went on to say that she had seen on the news an Iraqi woman, dressed all in black, clinging to a coffin and wailing...and she wanted to put her arms around that woman because "I know exactly how she is feeling."

I admit freely to being a liberal and a democrat. I admit freely to thinking that our country is being run by a frat boy who puts his cronies in offices that they aren't qualified for and can't talk his way out of a wet paper bag. I understand that a great majority of Americans probably think those who believe as I do are un-patriotic, un-Christian, un-fillintheblank, and that's fine, that's their perrogative. But in this post and on this issue, please understand, I'm speaking as someone who loves her country and her fellow Americans...and doesn't want to see any more of them die. This war is a sham. We need our troops to come back home.

Once again...from Amy...

She knows me all too well...it's about halfway cool and halfway scary... love ya, Evil-lyn...

Tell ya what; you relax and stop worrying about places to live and let me make a few phone calls and I'll tell you if I find anything worth looking into. You need to focus on getting through Ren fest without killing someone.

I'll be sure to post about the rental house we're going to look at tomorrow afternoon.

This Just In

Thanks, Amy!

A Woman's Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom,
to understand a man, to Love and to
Forgive him, and for Patience for his moods.
Because, Lord, if I pray
for strength, I'll just beat him to death…

Exhaustion: The Outer Limits and Other News

I didn't know it was possible for someone to be this tired. I have been Very Tired before, like when I was a camp counselor and the end of a week would come or when I was sitting up all night with BoBo when he was so sick right before he died. But this tired is different. It's like a soul tired. It's a brain tired. It's a There's Nothing Left To Do But Cry tired, and I think I'm even too tired for that.

I just wore myself out counting how many times I typed the word tired in the above paragraph.

Seriously, I am running myself so very ragged lately that I will almost be glad when the Renn Fest is over for the year. But at the same time I love going, so I dread packing up the tent for the last time. Crazy, I know.

I did get some very good news on Friday. Scott is going to let Jeany live with me. I don't have to give up my girl. I get to see that little blonde head every day, even after I move. I was so happy that I nearly cried just looking at her Friday night. Scott was taken aback, I think..."You mean you'd really have missed her that much?" Yes, absolutely. But now I don't have to miss her except when she goes to visit him...and I will know that she is coming back, so that makes it okay.

This past weekend at the festival was good...I think I really bonded with Hunky. I know, he's my baby, my heart dog...sometimes the other half of my brain, but I think I understand him all the better. There was a little boy that would NOT leave him alone on Sunday. The kid was hugging Hunky's head, leaning on him (after repeated admonitions to stop), getting right in his face, and generally testing my gentle and sweet boy's patience to the absolute limit. Finally he noticed his parents were gone (believe me, I'd noticed quite some time before he did!) and he left the tent. Hunky immediately wiggled over until half of his body was in my lap, and his rear end was close enough that I could cover it with my enormous sleeve. He had done his time with that kid and was letting me know that he needed me to protect him for a bit from any more that might come along. And that I did...my sweet boy.

It's like Linda (another HOEF'er) said to me on Saturday...I just never thought I could love anything the way I love my greyhounds. I love my cats, don't get me wrong, but there is something different between me and my hounds. There's a communication there (and I don't mean like the animal communicator, I only WISH I had that gift) that I've never had with any other pet. When I take the time to pay attention to it (which I need to work on doing more often), it overwhelms me. Maybe it's a connection to my Scottish ancestors who no doubt had sighthounds in their lives. Maybe it's my previously repressed maternal instinct in hyperdrive. Whatever it is...when I get so tired that I want to cry like I am now, the best medicine in the world is to snuggle up with a hound (or three) on the sofa and take a nice long nap...or just lie there and watch the hound sleep, and remember how incredibly lucky and blessed I am.

Which Peanuts Character Am I?

You are Rerun!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

(Thanks to Kalyne for the linky to the quiz...)

A bright spot

I have a real tendancy to let myself get overwhelmed and subsequently lose it. A prime example would be me riding through Charlotte on Tuesday morning looking for where I was supposed to meet and pick up Kalyne for CRF School Days. The more I discovered I was utterly lost and not anywhere NEAR where I was supposed to be the more hysterical I got, pounding the steering wheel, cursing like a sailor and scaring the life out of the three dogs in the back. I was even angry that I couldn't cry because I had makeup on and no way to fix it if it ran...that's how bad it was. I wasn't mad at Kalyne or CRF or the idiot drivers cutting me off...I was just past the point of exhaustion (mostly mentally but somewhat physically as well) and lost my mind temporarily.

Yesterday that feeling of sanity was again stripped from me with a blinding migraine followed by the news (alluded to in yesterday's post) that I would not be moving into the beautiful little yellow house in Greenville. By the end of the day my migraine was gone but little of my sanity had returned...I was feeling the need to write, sew, clean, and run away all at once, and could muster the energy for none of it.

Today, however, I've had a bright spot. It's a bit sad, because I miss my Lizzard Angel still, but it makes me happy to know that I've made someone else happy...I got this in email this morning:

I just wanted to let you know that I got the book "Blind Faith", yesterday and just fell in love with Liz. What a greyt story told from her point of view.

I think I actually smiled, but don't hold me to that.

For those of you following my housing saga...

This will NOT be the porch on which I will greet you to welcome you to my new home...

 

we will not have tea in this front room while gazing at the neighborhood outside through the wavy old glass in the windows...

 

and I'm remarkably okay with that. I do have a migraine today, but other than that, I'm okay with the fact that this house wasn't meant to be mine. I guess there is a reason somewhere, and it will be clear to me why someday, but it just wasn't the right house for me. Nevermind the built in china cabinets and perfect little mudroom on the back.

Back to the house hunt.

No More Pictures, Huh Mom?

Profile ate a bit too much jerky at the Renn Fest today and had an...interesting ride home...bleh. I decided to snap a pic of him in the rear view mirror as he spent most of the ride home with his head hung over the seat like he'd just come off a bender...

Back to reality...at least for one day

Every morning I have a routine. Get up, check email, drink a cup of coffee, give out cat meds, feed the cats. Take up the cat bowls, give out dog meds, feed the dogs. Clean the litter box and have another cup of coffee.

It's really not that hard.

After a weekend away at CRF, I came home to find the litterbox not cleaned, no food in the fridge for the dogs for this morning, and the exact same amount of Franny's prednisone as was here when I left on Saturday.

It's really hard for me to feel good about staying up there when I can't depend on their care being continued while I'm gone. I've had to alter my plans for kids days from staying with Sharon to driving up and back each day because of that fact. Profee and Franny are on prednisone...5 days at two a day, 5 days at one a day and then every other day. This will be the second time we've...no, I've had to start Franny's over because it wasn't done while I was gone.

Guess I won't be getting any new garb done for tomorrow. It was just a bodice too, very easy...but I'll be out buying dog food, cleaning the litterbox, getting flea and tick prevention (because a doggie houseguest we had awhile back brought us some fleas, unfortunately), and trying to identify the strange smell in my house. I guess I can always get the bodice done tomorrow...

Slightly updated...Profile did get his meds and Franny got some of hers, the liquid one, over the weekend. The flea and tick treatment (a Capstar pill each and a round of Frontline for the dogs and Advantage for the cats) was over $100...but there won't be any more doggies or kitties chewing on themselves due to fleas. It was also reiterated that dirty litter boxes can lead to UTIs in cats...so we'll see what happens this weekend. Off to the laundromat!

Say Cheese!

Me and my Hunky

Nan and Kalyne Stick Weaving

Nan and Kalyne Weaving
Originally uploaded by NanLassiter.

The very first year we did CRF, there were two nannies associated with the mayor's court. One of them taught us "dog ladies" how to do Stick Weaving which is a period appropriate craft. I refer to it now as my Portable Loom Addiction. In this very bad bad picture of me (I'm gonna get you, Debbie, for that one! Hehe) you can see me showing our greyhound groupie, Kalyne, how to get started. She has already succumbed to the addiction and had her first scarf done by Monday.

Time Flies

October 10, 1998 

Back to the blessing counting, because dwelling on this for too long will just make me very sad.