In between times

The last time I wrote, well over a year now, we were moving from our home in a house to a less than 700 square foot apartment in Williamsburg, VA.  Fast forward that year +, and we're back in a house.  Let's start with the apartment.

Long story made short, when you're signing a lease on an apartment and you find a mold clause, don't assume it's for something obvious like mold in the shower if you're not a big cleaner.  (What we assumed for the mold clause, and, if we're being honest, we usually had some light mold in our house we were moving out of in the shower.  We thought, no big deal.) However, what we learned is that the previous renter had been awful at cleaning and taking care of things that should have been taken care of that there was a scent that permeated the walls into the other surrounding apartments while she was living there.  ("How bad does it have to be to go through apartment walls?" I still wonder.)  Each month, I dealt with a new round of sinus infections until I went to an ENT who proposed operating on my sinuses with the possibility of damaging my eyes or my brain (you know, 'cause I never use those crazy things (note heavy sarcasm here)) I actually didn't burst out laughing at him when he suggested it, but took my friends advice that there was something in the apartment that was causing major issues with my sinuses.  The Hubbs and I took that as a sign that it was time to move out.

We were originally thinking of moving to a new apartment complex,  but the insane price of renting here (I understand high rent in major cities for premium space, but we're living in Williamsburg, VA for peets sake!)  is insane!  We were paying what our mortgage was for our house for half the square footage.  That's when we decided to look at buying here.

We looked at building new, (with tons of steps and two aging dogs (and heaven forbid type thoughts) we quickly came to our senses and went with a slightly older house) We found a great house at an affordable price, went through hell with a bad mortgage company, before having a wonderful experience with our 2nd mortgage company.  And are now in our 3rd month of living in a house again!

Magically, we live in a very quiet neighborhood with several other dog friendly people.  The house had fresh coats of paint (slightly off white) and new carpet as one of the added features when we moved in.  There's also a family of deer that like to wander through the back yard every morning.  We're back to having an office, a spare bedroom (aka, dog room) space for my sewing machine, a kitchen I can cook more than a sandwich in, and a screened in back porch.

We'll be showing you more pictures later, but, for right now, I leave you with a picture of Paul.  

Awake

     You know, when we moved to Williamsburg, the big thing we thought of was being closer to work.  My hour long drive disappeared, the hubbs still drives a half hour.  Foolishly I thought we'd be sleeping in a bit on week days.
     Somehow, we're still waking up at 5:30, making coffee, then heading out the door.  The pups are being walked at the park next to us, then coming home to nap the rest of the day away.  To be clear, we're the ones walking the pups before going to work, but I swear we're all half asleep.

Moving: With Dogs!

     In about a week, the Hubbs, Annie, Paul, and I will be moving!  We're only going about 50 miles, so it's not a huge move, however, it's still nuts!  Our square footage is being cut in half.  And, for the first time in years, we'll be living in an apartment.

Annie, nose on, ears off.  She'd be gone in 10 seconds.

     I've been reading back posts of Two Pitties in the City trying to "hack" how to live in a small place.  The dogs are loosing their dog room, and the Hubbs is loosing his "man cave."  We'll have about 700 square feet.

Paul may be nice and calm here, but all I need is a squirrel and we'd be in trouble.

     However, in all of this, I'm trying to figure out how to actually move with the dogs.  I realize the obvious: They will hop into the Prius and off we'll go!  However, with unloading the truck, the car, and moving everything in, I don't want to worry about one of them escaping and getting lost.
 
     Any one have any suggestions as to how to move Annie and Paul?

Paul

     I love lying in bed with Paul and Annie at my sides.  Especially in the summer with the windows open and a breeze blowing in.  Sometimes, it's the only way to handle Paul being close to us.  As he's gotten older (he's 9 now), Paul has developed a gas problem.

     The Hubbs calls them "silent assassins" because somehow, when he lets one loose, we don't hear them until it's too late.
     Typically, it goes something like this: we're lying in bed watching TV, and I suddenly smell "it."  I turn and look at the Hubbs, "Did you just let one loose?"
     "No.  Why?"
     "Give it a minute."
     Five seconds later, "Oh!  Woah!  Dude!"
     I start to chuckle at this point, because I'm no longer the only one who is dealing with this joy.  And then we both burst out laughing.  Paul usually pops his head up at this moment and smiles at us as if to say, "Hey, what's so funny?" I lean over out of bed and start petting him until he settles back down to his bed next to my side of the bed

Real Life: It's Not As Easy As We Make It Look

     The first month we had Paul, he ate through the car's seatbelt on the way to the dog park.  We got the $300 estimate, and decided not to repair the seat belt.  I told The Hubbs after he watched a winning football game and was drunk.

     Annie, for the first 2 years we had her, peed everywhere in the house and it smelled like dog urine year round.  I finally got to the point I just tour up all of the carpet in the house.  Luckily, we had 30 year old hardwood underneath.  Unluckily, she had already soaked it and it had warped in her 2 favorite pee places.
     I hate walking A&P at the same time on my own.  When I do, I've been bitten, dragged down with a concussion, and stopped by the police for raising "vicious dogs"
     Just tonight, I discovered Annie has been snacking on my leftovers that I left on the counter top.  I found the container in her room, empty.
     At different points in the past 7 years of dog ownership, we've contemplated getting rid of either Annie, Paul, or both.
     Why am I saying all of this?  What's the point in "airing my dirty laundry in public"?  For the same reason Marly and Me by John Grogan is one of my favorite books.  Marly is far from perfect.  At times, he's a holy terror.  But time and time again, the family can't help but love him.
     I can't help but love Annie and Paul, for all their good times and bad.  They are still my puppies, and now 7 years with them, I can't imagine my life without them.  To anyone reading this blog who has just adopted a new pet and is going through an adjustment period with them, remember this.  There are good times and bad, it won't always be easy, but good times will come.  You just have to hang on for them.

The Hubbs and the Pups

     With the Hubbs being a grad student for one more semester, this is the time of year he loves sitting still and hanging out.  Grad school is still easier than what he used to do (power plant worker with 12 hours on and 12 hours off switching between days and nights), but you get the idea.  Annie and Paul love the fact that they have 3 walks a day right now and free time all day with Dad to nap and lounge around the house as they please.

     Today, I had to laugh though.  I'm sitting on the couch in the living room listen to the Hubbs talk to Annie.  "You've bugged me all day to pet you.  Come up here (onto the bed) to be petted.  Annie nudges his arm again.  "No, up here!"  Annie nudges arm.  Hubbs gets up and picks up Annie and puts her onto the bed, and stretches back out.  "I"ll pet you up here."  I hear Annie jump down off of the bed.  She walks around and must have nudged his arm again.  "No, up here.  I"ll pet you on the bed."  
     Something tells me this will be tonights entertainment.

Obviously, this draft is a few months old, but it's things like this that I still enjoy reading.....

Woopps! We disappeared!

     Wow, yea, we disappeared there.  The last post on the blog is March 17th.  Where the heck have we been?  On a long strange trip, that's defiantly not as cool as the Grateful Dead would have you believe.

The day after out last post we were both running late this morning.  In an attempt to get a short walk in, the Hubbs took Annie and Paul out on retractible leashes for a quick romp in the yard.  Overnight, we thought it had rained. The Hubbs goes out the door, the door shuts, and I hear a strange noise.  I walked to the door to find the Hubbs lying on his back with blood coming from his mouth.  We thought it had rained, but it had iced.  The Hubbs hit the steps, his legs went out from under him, and he smacked his face on the steps.  I came out at the weird noise and slipped myself with a beautiful bruise on my backside.  We both missed a day of classes dealing with bruises, cuts, and the front steps winning a round.

     The rest of March dealing with the after effects of this: soar back, bruised ribs, stitch removal, and dealing with an idiot neurologist.  The steps defiantly won that round.  Luckily, the Hubbs glasses were ok.  

April, May, and June were spent with the Hubbs graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Masters in Financial Economics (So ridiculously proud of him for this) and job interviews.
 
  In July, we got the official job offer and we're excited to announce that we're moving!  Grant it, it's not far, but we now have to pack up the house and move into an apartment half the size.   I keep wishing I lived closer to 2 Pitties in the City just so we could hand off some of our furniture to A & E who just moved from an apartment to a house!

   So ready or not, here comes another ride on the roller coaster, hold on tight. 

Enjoyed the weekend

Remember the John Mayer song "3x5"?  If you don't, take a moment to follow the link on youtube and fast forward to 2:20 for the start of the song.
"Didn't have a camera by my side this time, hoping I would see the world through both my eyes."  Well, I defiantly looked through both eyes this weekend.  After the snow and cold of this winter, Paul and I enjoyed a day together at Stoney Point just walking around hanging out together.  He and I are learning that he doesn't have to meet every dog in the place, that sometimes it's ok to look at another dog from across the mall, and that it's nice to just sit in the sun enjoying some scrambled eggs (his new favorite training treat).
     The next day, Annie, Paul, The Hubbs, and I spent the better part of 2 hours walking around first the interior loop then the exterior loop of the dog mall.  It was nice to just spend the day hanging out.

The shaded side of the street

The down side to the snow we got this week: trying to walk the pups in the aftermath of slush.  Scrambled eggs are my friend at times like this (to bribe the A&P into walking in this mess)

Warmer Days

     I think it's safe to assume that everyone is waiting for warmer days of spring, while not quite hoping for summer yet (100+ degree days, no thanks).  In our area, it was in the 70's yesterday, so the Hubbs and I took advantage and took Annie and Paul to the Dog Mall while we could.  

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Angels

This is what happens when Paul wiggles in the snow. 

Sage: Part 3: Happy Tail

The silver lining is: Sage is very happy in her new home.  The down side is, she's got some cuts on her tail as a result.  Anyone have any ideas for her new family?

"Poor Sage has cuts on her tail from whipping it back and forth because she's so excited and happy. We have tried everything and can't get it to heal. She ends up getting blood everywhere, even with a bandage on it. Any ideas? Has anyone ever had to dock their dog's tail? I feel so bad for her… "

Photo by CM

Valentine's Day Snuggles

Not the best picture, but I love the snuggles from Paul after I got home today.  I hope everyone enjoyed a moment like this today.

Bedtime Stories for Puppies

     At 23:45, 1:00, and 2:30 the other night, Annie and Paul needed to go outside.  Not just to take care of business either, the last 2 trips seemed to just be for standing in the yard and smelling the cold front that was coming in.

     At 2:45, they came into our room and stared at me from the floor with waging tails.  I thought before they woke up The Hubbs, I should get them out of our room.  Out to the couch we went where I sat in the middle, Annie climbed up to my left and Paul to my right.  

And for about 20 minutes I sat there petting them, wishing I had a book of Dog Bed Time stories to read to them.  

Sage: Part 2

     A week ago, I posted about a dog named Sage.  She had been left at a families home, kind of baby in a basket on the front stoop style.

     

     On Friday, she was transported from the family that she had been left with to her new family.  Within 24 hours, she had a big brother, went to the vet, got all of her shots, and found home.  

     Welcome home Sage!  

Sage

     Ok Blogville, I need your help.  Long story made very short, a friend was asked to watch this sweet beautiful dog while the family move their stuff to a new home. After being gone for a bit they finally told her that they can no take the dog back, and sorry....Well my friend cannot keep the dog, she brought her into their home and their family's boxer is not interested in sharing his family. 

     Here is the information on Sage: she is a 4 to 5 year old pitbull that is very sweet. She loves to give kisses and go on car rides. She is good with kids, other dogs, and cats, and she listens well. She's house trained, but we don't know when her shots were last. She loves to cuddle with you on your bed and she thinks she is a lap dog(but kinda big for that), and she loves to run and play outside."She has been spayed and she is located in Chesterfield, VA (Just south of Richmond, VA).  

     I know most of the big rescues are up to their eyes right now in rescues from the dog fighting bust out west.  But we're trying to keep her out of the local pounds that are over crowded where she would most likely meet her end.  Please share if you can.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me at AnnieNPaulMom at gmail dot com.  Thanks.

Itchy Annie

Geeze Louise did Annie have the itchies on Wednesday when we were home with snow.  I could feel the whole bed shake each time she'd itch.  I'm still trying to figure out what is she allergic to that's causing her itchies.  The ground is covered in snow, so I know it's nothing green.  One way or another though, she's in for a bath today.  Happy Friday.

Bundled Up: Paul Style

Mommy!  I'm ready for my close up!!!  See me all bundled up?!?!?!

Ok, I'll sit nicely now.

     On the winter days, when winter acts like winter, Paul and Annie bundle up Chicago Style.  You may be able to see it a bit in Paul's close up, their thundershirts are their first layer.  Then goes the Ruff Wear coats and a home made snod.  While I'm still saving up for tiennot sweater for each, we've got them each layered up as best as we can.  

The Snow in Virginia

     Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA and the Hubbs growing up in Monument Valley, AZ, we're not strangers to cold.  We know how to shovel, bundle up, and drive in it.  Annie and Paul, as far as we know, were born in Virginia and have only seen bits and pieces of the white fluffy stuff.  Just enough to be a pain, but not enough to do stuff with.

     We got about an inch and a half of snow yesterday, and below freezing temps today.  Grand total, our morning walk went for about 30 yards before Paul decided he had had enough.  The turn around came when he started refusing to put his front right paw in the snow.  In the 20 yards back to the front door, Paul alternated the "paw too cold to put on the ground" move with his front left before limping with both paws (interesting to watch, good for background knowledge) into the house.

Paul's snow angel.

     Annie, in all honesty, seemed to care less about it.  She even behaved when crossing the street! (Which is more amazing than it sounds.)  While she's still not thrilled wearing clothing and itches like crazy in it, Annie will still walk in the snow like she always has.  

Release the Hounds

     Paul and Annie are both hound type dogs.  Annie being a fox hound mix and Paul being a pit bull beagle mix.  Last night, when I took them for a walk, they each caught a scent of something (heaven only knows what) and they were off.  Nothing I could do got their attention back and they were in constant pull mode (much to my shoulder's dismay).

Notice how I can't even see their heads?  That's because they are glued to the ground.  In the top picture, you see a very nice view of Annie's tail high in the air.