Ruby Tuesday: Happy Birthday To Me!

Quick Birthday Report and then it's "all Ruby; all the time."

It's a good thing my day on Sunday was wonderful because Monday wasn't that great a birthday. The kids woke up in foul moods (okay, okay, they are both sick but still . . . ). Gage has an ear infection and was one miserable kid. Ruth just didn't want to go to school and I was gonna pay for it. Sigh. My scale was not kind to me (subject for another post). No one wished my happy birthday until I was already wracked with Mommy-Guilt about Gage's ear and how much trouble it was going to be for him to stay home go to the doctor. Sigh. But things got better once I was at work. They know how to party at a school. Half-the-staff (only a slight exaggeration) are Pisces and so we had a lot of birthdays smashed together to celebrate but they picked Monday to celebrate so I got to feel a little extra special. Singing. Cake. Lots of well-wishing. Being told I was too young to complain about my age. That's all it takes! :) Even my 4th grade math class sang to me -- so sweet! Met Greg and Gage at the doctor's office. We're treating the ear with OTC but I have a prescription if I need it. Greg had to go run his errands after school so off he went. He suggested chinese food so I didn't have to cook which was FINE with me. We had a nice chinese dinner in front of TV. And then I got Greg packed for his trip (he leaves today for Boston) and then I got very indulgent and played computer games (we're setting up an older Mac for the kids with a bunch of fun, older games that they are finally old enough to play). At around midnight, Gage came in with a sore ear again -- bad enough to wake him up. Meds, meds, meds and a round of sitting on Mom's lap before he could get to sleep again. I'm going to fill the prescription today. Poor kidlet.

Now, on to Ruby.

Ruthie took this photo -- cute, huh?

Ruby is such a delight. Here's what I like about her and her breed.

• She's mellow around the house. Her favorite thing to do is curl up in a ball on your lap. Woe be unto those who disturb her princess-ness, baleful glances will come your way.
• She's playful. She's feeling comfy at our house now and with the kids and she is playful and silly. She LOVES balls. We got her a teeny-tiny tennis ball and she loves to chase it around the house. Ruth played with her for a good 1/2 hour last night and they both had a blast.
  
• She's naughty! She can. not. stop. getting. tissues. out. of. the. trash. But when caught, she immediately rolls over submissively and shows her belly, all but whimpering how wrong she is -- but five minutes later, back in the trash again. Naughty thing!
  
• She's finally chillin' about the kids. Kids scared her but she's gotten used to mine now. Hey, they scare me sometimes too! :) She'll still chose Greg or me to sit with first but if we tell her no thanks, she'll go jump up with Ruthie as a distant third -- two weeks ago, that would have been impossible.
  
• She's hell on squirrels. I have four of the fattest, sassiest squirrels you've ever seen. They plant themselves on my feeders and chow down. They eat SO much and then cart even more off and bury it. They keep the birds away. They'll rip feeders down and destroy them. Rotten little hoodlums. But no more. Ruby is on the job. It's amazing. She watches for them. She's absolutely silent on the hunt. Thankfully, they always have a 5 or more foot head start on her because she gets so close to catching them. She is absolutely serious about these squirrels. Instincts are amazing and powerful.
  
• Oh, yea, and she's really cute and she loves to give kisses!
  

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday!

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby's doing great!
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

We couldn't blame Ruby when she didn't want to go out in the rain yesterday -- it's been awful! A little dog in all that rain . . . she could drown! So, what's a little girl to do but find a cozy spot and curl up. What do you mean I'm only allowed on the furniture when I'm invited up? Do you not realize that it is RAINING out there? Don't be ridiculous! I must stay warm and dry and lovely!

Ruby would much rather curl up in a cozy chair than go out in that nasty old rain. Blech.

"Oh, wait a minute! Did someone say SQUIRREL?" Ruby is on that job. Squirrel at Mama's feeder? I will eliminate it! She's awesome on the squirrel patrol! She's taken to it with a ferocity that makes me worry just a little bit that she'll develop a squirrel obsession that will require Cesar Milan to sort out. But, for now, it's a good thing. The squirrels have developed a healthy fear of her and watch for her now as well as for me. She hasn't even gotten close to getting one but she does know which trees they like best and will check each tree when she goes outside!

She's very photogenic . . . even when she's sleeping . . .

. . . or pretending to sleep!

And don't get me started on her new naughty ways . . . she chewed up a pencil the other day! A pencil! Silly, naughty puppy! Oh well, she's getting along great with the kids now -- huge improvements daily so all is forgiven! But, stick with your toys! That's a good girl!

We'll just keep trying to stay dry here in soggy Boulder Creek. Feel free to remind me that just a couple of weeks ago, I was lamenting the lack of rain.

But, that was before this happened. I stop at the grocery store in Ben Lomond to pick up some chocolate -- medicinal chocolate -- life-saving, my family may survive this week, chocolate. It's raining but I'm right by the door so I just run in without my jacket. I come back to the car and some -- oh, I'll just say it -- idiot!!! has parked so close to my car that I can't open the driver's side door. It is now torrential downpour rain and I'm soaked to the skin before I can figure out what to do. She's looking at me through the rain-streamed windows and making that "what?" gesture with her hands. I can't stand around and wait for her to figure it out. I run around my car, climb in the passenger door, climb over the seats and the center console, and sit down in the driver's seat unsure whether I'm going to laugh or rage. Then -- and this is my favorite part -- then, she starts the engine and moves her car to another parking spot. Uh, . . . thanks? But it's a little late now that I'm soaked to the skin already! Oh, yea, I'm loving me some rain!

Liza's Bird Photography Rules #3

Varied Thrush
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Gentle Readers,

When one takes a bad picture through a car window when one should have gotten out of the car and taken a better picture, one can salvage the situation by claiming the picture is artistic and that one wanted that effect. It's so much better than admitting to laziness!

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In other news, Ruby is doing well. She's adjusting to life in our crazy home. She still finds the kids a trifle intimidating but, as you can see, is starting to see some benefit to them as well. I'm also glad to see her being a little naughty -- she is a puppy, after all. Today, she got toys out of their rooms and started chewing on them. Fortunately, I found her before any damage was done -- but she had gotten 5 stuffed dogs out of Ruthie's room and one from Gage's!

My girls: Ruby and Ruthie!

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Don't forget to check out another I and the Bird!

Ruby's Home!

Ruby
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Here's our petite darling.

On our way to pick her up, we went to two petshops getting supplies. We didn't need much. We all picked out a toy for her then I needed a type of dog food that our local store didn't carry. We'll start her on it and then transition to something they do carry slowly. I also got a new Flexi leash (these are long retractable leashes that are good for letting dogs run around in a park or other open area to have some freedom with no risk of getting away from you). My old one was just too big. :) Oh, and we got her a new tag with her name and our phone number on it.

She -- and the others -- were glad to see us. In fact, Gabby -- the litter's mom -- jumped in Greg's open window and onto his lap when we arrived. Too cute! Ruby was still nervous with the kids but they didn't care because the puppies were out and about and so much fun. There were puppy buyers there and we finished the business side of things quickly. Ruby and Nancy said sad goodbyes and we left.

Ruby rode on my lap all the way home. She was curious about the kids but didn't quite want to go back there and check them out. The way we drive home from San Jose is a very windy road called Bear Creek Road. Ruby got a little carsick on it and was drooling like crazy. I had brought a towel to rub all over her former packmates so I had that on my lap and we did fine. Thankfully, she's like Ruth and I in the carsickness department -- she get miserable but never to the throwing up stage!

Many dogs who haven't traveled a lot firmly believe that they should only pee, poop, and eat at home. Ruby is among that group. She didn't want to go potty although nervously explored our front and back yards. She wasn't interested in water or food either. Hmmmmm.

We had some quiet bonding time with the kids on the couch. She's very nervous around them so we did some work on getting her used to them. We are devotees of The Dog Whisperer and used his advice that patience pays off in these situations. Both kids were sitting next to her and quietly petting her before we got ready to go to my inlaws.

It was just us and my inlaws last night (my sister-in-law's family was at their cabin in the mountains for the weekend) and Ruby loved it. She really gained confidence as the evening wore on.

Gage beating Gramma at checkers

Ruthie getting to know Ruby

Ruby and I took a long walk. She's a great companion and when she learns a few commands, will be a fantastic bird watching companion -- no really. She's very quiet and well-behaved. She needs to learn to walk on the leash without pulling but I know we'll get there. We saw a lot of lovely birds. Two of them were life birds!

Double-crested Cormorant

Green Heron

You can see my other pictures in my Flickr photostream {click}.

It was a delightful evening although Greg's parents beat us soundly at Canasta -- they even let us think we were winning for two hands before teaching us our lesson! :) We came home and the kids went to bed. Ruby was feeling confident enough to jump up on Ruthie's bed to say good night. Ruthie is hoping that Ruby will sleep with her eventually!

After a quiet evening, Greg and I went to bed. Ruby slept in a crate (oversized Labrador crate!) with a pillow, the smelly towel, and a big soft sheet. She wasn't feeling super secure yet but did great.

This morning, she greeted me with her normal happy demeanor, went potty in the backyard, ate a little bit of breakfast, and even greeted the kids politely. Hurrah! We have a dog again!

A long day but a sweet reward

I'm exhausted! We spent the day working HARD. So, it's the good, satisfying, I-accomplished-something kind of exhausted.

We worked on Ruby-proofing the backyard. There are still two areas that need attention but we worked on the most important ones. I cleaned out the dog run, powerwashed everything, and we put a 1/2 yard of gravel in it -- nice and clean . . . see:


She'll only be in there when we are gone for a long enough time that we can't leave her in the house (like if Greg's out of town and I'm at work all day) The dog house is WAY too huge for her but we'll make do for awhile. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go get a nice bale of pine shavings to fill the bottom of the dog house with to make it cozy for her if she has to be out there when its raining.

Greg fixed one gate that was broken and cut wood for the bottom of our deck (the one over the creek!) because the gap was fine for labs but Ruby could go right under it. I stained the wood and he'll put it up tomorrow morning.

Gosh, when I put it in a list, it doesn't seem like much but it was and it took all day -- well, just shoveling the gravel is a ton of work! (almost literally!).

Allens/Rufous Hummingbird
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

When I was cleaning up and Greg was taking his shower, I saw this new friend at my feeder. We get Allens and/or Rufous Hummingbirds cruising through in late January and February. They are smaller than our normal Anna's hummers and have a bronzey-orange color to them. Utterly gorgeous. This one was VERY hungry -- he kept coming back and eating even though it was getting pretty dark. There was another hummer chirping at him from a tree nearby -- I couldn't see if it was another A/R hummer or if it was an Anna's who was miffed. But, from the size, I think it was an A/R. It's not a great picture but I was so excited to get it.

The kids had sleepovers with friends tonight so Greg and I went out and got Chinese food from our local, awesome Chinese restaurant. It's soooooo good! I order it online and we run down 20 minutes later and it's waiting for us and still hot when we get home. We watched National Treasure tonight (We love Netflix) and after we were done eating, we had drinks and popcorn. I figure after the amazing labor my body did today a martini is only fair!

And now to bed. Tomorrow is a big day and Greg and I are gonna be SORE!

Hope of Spring

Hope of Spring
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Our first daffodil -- a bright, sunny reminder that drier, warmer days are coming! Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons.

I wrote a poem about the flowers and spring {click}.

Hope you get a chance to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count {click} this year! I plan to do so this weekend while we are preparing our yard for a smaller dog (ooooo, a lab can't fit through that hole but a rattie could!). Tonight, I'm making up fresh batches of suet dough and hummingbird juice to lure the little darlings in droves!

Decision made

Ruby
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

We visited two Rat Terrier breeders on the way home from our camping trip. It was educational -- to say the least. I had extensive emails with both breeders, visited their websites, and spoke with both of them on the phone. But, the experience of visiting them was so different.

One was -- well, there aren't really words to describe it. Appalling, terrible, filthy, rural poverty at its worst, these words come close but it was truly awful. It was all I could do to be polite while we were there and keep it as brief as possible. Needless to say, we scratched that breeder off my list. I am still feeling troubled by the whole thing.

The other one was great. A small ranchette with a bunch of ratties. Sweet dogs with great personalities. Two of them were rowdy 16 week old boys who were a hoot! Even Gage found them to be fun and he doesn't like rowdy dogs. This breeder had a 2 year old girl named Jordy that we needed to consider.

Ruby

So, all the way home, all that night and the next day, we thought and talked and debated. We finally came up with a plan of action -- I needed some more information from Ruby's breeder and then we'd decide. She emailed me back immediately and we made our decision very quickly.

On Sunday, Ruby is going to become our dog! I'm so excited! Ruthie is bouncing off the walls excited. Gage is really excited too. Even Greg is getting into the act!

So, it was a long journey from losing two dogs in a month to being dogless to meeting a Rat Terrier to thinking that maybe someday we'd get a Rattie to meeting a Rattie breeder to meeting Ruby to getting Ruby. Whew!

I feel pretty confident that we are making the right decision. Remind me of that when we go through the inevitable growing and settling in pains involved in getting a new dog!

But isn't she CUTE???

More pictures

It's raining, it's pouring . . .

Fluffed up Hermit Thrush
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Well, I don't suppose Greg would appreciate it if I finished that sentence!

It's rained all day yesterday and looks to rain right through the weekend and into next week. Finally some regular winter weather here. I went back and visited the site of my botched (and yet successful) efforts to snap the Hermit Thrush and got a nice shot of him (her?) from my car without laying on the horn. I love how fluffed up he looks -- compare it to the other shot below. Cute!

There are several local internet weather stations in Boulder Creek. I look at all of them but Boulder Creek is such an area of microclimates that the rainfall at one could be totally different from what we experience here at our house. This one usually feels about right though . . . {click}. That chart shows the current rain conditions. It's just been the steady, soaking rain that we usually get and like so much around here. It's good for everything and not dangerous to the hills and people. When it rains too much, too fast, we are at serious risk of mudslides. My senior year in high school we had a storm like that and it was devastating. We were very careful when we bought our house -- there are no hills above us that could become unstable and slide -- and we're not on one either, thank goodness. Giant trees, steep hillsides, and huge quantities of rain are not a good combination.

This rain though is so appreciated. Which isn't to say that we aren't all griping about it. Everything is just a big more difficult when it is raining constantly . . . my job requires that I walk around campus a lot gathering groups of kids and bringing them to my room for a half-hour lesson and then taking them back again. So, I make the decision to take a coat or umbrella about 47 times a morning. Usually I just risk it. Unless it's POURING which it can do here. A real Boulder Creek rain is when you have your wipers on high and you still can't see because it's raining so hard. Sometimes I can't see across my backyard because of the density of the rain coming down. We haven't had a storm like that this winter. Yet? Hard to say, it's been a weird year and those storms usually come in January when we had virtually no rain at all.

Okay, enough on the rain. Today is the last day of the week. All your weekend plans sound great! Tonight, I pack up our clothes, some food, and finish giving the motorhome a quick clean while Greg takes the kids to soccer. Tomorrow, bright and early, we'll head off on our adventurous camping trip! Still no confirmation from the two breeders I wanted to visit about seeing their dogs. Weird but what are you going to do. Maybe the fates are intervening to tell me that Ruby is the right dog for us.

Have a great weekend, folks!


ps. don't miss the videos below.

Let the rain pour down

Driving in the rain 1
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Our local weather report says:

Today: rain becoming likely. Highs in the 50s to mid 60s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

If rain is just now becoming likely, I'd like to know what the previous 24 hours of non-stop rain have been . . . other than very welcome to our plants and reservoirs of ground and drinking water.

I took the above picture to show you what rain is like in the mountains. And, then I took this one just to scare you with what driving in rain is like in the mountains.

Actually I took a bunch of pictures and some video (which I haven't had time to make into a movie yet) to share the whole experience. Guess we've been missing the rain, huh?

The birds were somewhat less than impressed with the rain. There was a general air of irritation and nervousness around the feeder today. I put out a lot of seed to soothe them . . . it didn't work. But I did enjoy watching them flit about irritatedly.

In that last photo, you can see the water beading up on her feathers -- click on it to see the detail. Have I mentioned lately that I love my camera? Kamerageliebterblogunpfaffers! These pictures were taken at low res because I was taking some shots for stuff to sell on eBay and I forgot to change it back . . . they are still great shots and show a lot of detail when you look at the larger sizes. I've started reading the manual to my camera -- it's overwhelming but I think it will encourage me to play a little bit with the settings.

In other news, I'm still not feeling great. But I'll live and I doubt I'll get much sicker, thank goodness! I'm trying to contact the other two breeders that we want to visit this weekend and it's not proving easy to manage that. I am leaning more and more towards Ruby but would really like to see some of the larger Ratties before I make a decision. We're getting ready for our camping trip and I'm excited about that but I wish that it would be a drier trip. I went shopping for food last night and bought a big box of hot chocolate. We haven't camped in the winter since before we had kids so it should be different. Long damp walks, card games, books, -- it'll be fun though. We're excited!

What are your plans for the weekend?

A Day of Dogs and RVs

On our way to visit Ruby, we stopped at our friend, Brett's house to see his Rat Terrier, Jay-Jay. We is a standard-size -- around 15". Very sweet -- as nice as I had remembered. I love this picture. Gage is not a dog person but he loves these Ratties -- they are such a nice breed of dog. The kids played with Jay-Jay for ages!


We went out to visit Wild Oak Ranch today in San Jose -- home of horses, chickens, a big white cat, and a whole passel of Rat Terriers. In the picture above, they are checking out a gopher hole. But best of all, they had a litter of puppies -- adorable, sweet Rat Terrier puppies. Is there anything cuter than kids and puppies?



So, what about Ruby? Well, we are thinking about her . . . a lot. First of all, she is very, very sweet. She's smaller than we'd hoped -- maybe 13" tall (at the shoulders) and delicate. But, she is also only 8 mos old so she has a bit more growing to do. I like the picture below because it shows her puppy-ness quite well.


So, pros and cons. Pro -- she was very sweet, very pretty, and very eager to please. She's a puppy and I'm sure she'll adapt to our life quite easily. She's not at all dominant - her mother is quite dominant, however. Cons -- she was a little concerned about the kids -- but all the dogs were at first. It seemed to mostly have to do with being protective of the puppies and they got over it nicely when Nancy told them to knock it off. She's smaller than we'd pick in an ideal world.

So, what are we thinking about? Well, we have had Labradors for the last 20 years and Greg had labs before that and I had a Golden and a Samoyed. We are used to big, exuberant dogs. Ratties are small and a trifle aloof with strangers. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we want a different personality type. We have always picked the dogs that sat up and said, "Pick me! Pick me!" and sometimes we've had a hard time living with that personality for the next 10 years. I'll have to share some stories about some of my past dogs. One of my BEST dogs was a rescue lab who wouldn't make eye contact with me for days. She was the epitome of aloof at first and then grew comfortable with us. She's been gone for 6 years and I miss her still. But that personality is not what we would normally pick -- but it's kind of what we want. So, we need to think about that a bit and wrap our heads around it.

I'm going to contact the local Rat Terrier breeder and talk to her this week and maybe go see her dogs if I can. And, then we'll decide.

Ruby clearly got over her aloofness with Greg and she did come up to the kids -- not that they could see anything but the puppies. Both kids talked about the puppies several times today. They just adored them.

So, more thinking. More research. I don't know if we found our dog or not. I know she would work for us but I want to make sure we aren't rushing in where angels fear to tread . . . if you know what I mean.

So, my dear peanut gallery, what are YOUR thoughts? Is Ruby to be or not to be?

PS. Oh yea, we went to the RV show too. Interesting but we've done that for the next several years. Tiring but we say some interesting ideas. Not sure any will help us with our big project of fixing up the FMC slowly and surely. Still, I'm glad we went!

PPS. Saw about 23 hawks today and about 50 Turkey Vultures. Before we left town this morning, we saw a Sharpie drop from a power pole down to the ground by the road RIGHT next to us. Amazing. I didn't see that he'd gotten anything but it was so cool.

Shhhh! Come closer!

Don't tell anyone! Seriously! Shhhhh!

We're going to look at a dog on Saturday.

Ruby the Rat Terrier

It's a Rat Terrier. She's really a cutie -- about 7 months old. Her breeder can't use her in her breeding program so they are looking for a good home. Her name is Ruby. She's smaller than we were looking for but well . . .

here's the deal . . . I had to make a deal with the devil -- err -- my husband. He wants a mastiff. I want a smaller dog so . . . masters of compromise that we are . . . we are going to do both. The small dog comes first but we are going to start the process of searching for a mastiff puppy.

What an adorable little thing who will end up this size . . .

Yikes. Holy guacamole.

But don't tell anyone . . . I don't want to jinx it. Fingers crossed that it all works out.

But seriously, this is what it's going to look like when we walk our dogs . . .

Okay, so I'm off to visit In The Company of Dogs because I don't have anything for a little dog . . . oh, and do you think its a good sign or a bad sign that I already have the picture of Ruby as my desktop pattern on my computer? Oh, I hope she likes the kids and all goes well.

A Day at the Dog Show

The nicest Irish ever! What a love!
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

What fun! We got up early. Very early. Greg told Ruth last night that if she woke up and it was after 6am and we weren't up yet to wake us up. So, guess how long she made it? 6:04 am! So, we got an early start but I did still get my two cups of mocha in, thank goodness.

We went to this show to research dog breeds, let the kids and Greg interact with some breeds I was familiar with that they weren't and to have a fun day.

Fun? Mission accomplished. We all had a blast. The kids really enjoyed the dogs quite a lot. Gage isn't the biggest dog fan in the world and he really enjoyed it a lot. He even let a dog wash his hand. Aren't Norfolk Terriers adorable?

But, totally not the right breed for us. I adore them and their little Norwich Terrier relatives but they are too terrier for us, thank you!

Ruthie had fun too but she prefers the dogs that dive right in and wash your face for you. Here she is getting a bath from a Viszla . . .

Our criteria are . . .

Me: temperament, temperament, temperament. I want something sweet, patient, and not particularly yappy. I also don't want a hugely shedding dog. (Labs shed a bit too much for me so anything with a fluffy coat is out . . . no corgis, no malamutes, no samoyeds). I'd also prefer smaller than a lab -- we want this dog fully integrated into our lives which includes going camping with us.

Greg: Mastiff. Protective but not aggressive. No shedding, please.

Gage: a dog that won't like me in the face and jump on me

Ruth: playful, cuddly, sweet, loving, will sleep with me

No problem, right?

Well, I can't get Greg to take Mastiff off the list. Gage likes the Mastiffs too but only because I haven't told him about the drooling issue. That's my biggest problem with a mastiff. But, Greg adores them and pictures like this don't help . . .

CH Lamar's In It To Win It -- Jimmy J
Gorgeous Mastiff. His coloring is reverse brindle. I absolutely adored him.

For the shedding issue as well as addressing both my size issues and Greg's size issues (ie. I want smaller and he wants larger), I have proposed a Standard Poodle. Greg hates their hair cuts so we really wanted to find one in a not-for-showing-cut. Mission accomplished and we liked it.

Greg, Ruthie, and Gage meet a Standard Poodle.

Last on our list (and least in one way) is the Rat Terrier. We have a good friend with one and we adore JJ. He is mellow, patient, smallish but not tiny, loving, quiet, etc. Ratters come in mini (under 13 inches) and standard (over 13 inches) as well as the Decker Giants which go up to about 18 inches. We would want a larger one. This sweet one, Viggo, is not larger but he was so sweet.

GRCH Turn Hidalgo at Wild Oak -- "Viggo"
What a sweetie-pie. He's a little small for us but very handsome!

So, where are we? What breed are we getting? Have we narrowed it down to size even? Nope. Not even close. I don't see us getting a Mastiff -- no matter how much Greg wants one. And, if I had to put money on it, I'd say that a Ratter is in our future but I'm not positive.

Stay tuned.

Oh, saw a really lovely Snowy Egret today on the drive over. Also took an amazing sunrise shot which will appear in next week's Good Planets Are Hard To Find carnival.

A day of women!

My family's version of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is our own "club" called Crafty Chix. We get together every other month and do crafts of one sort or another. Sometimes its an old favorite and other times it's something new and exciting! The group includes me, my sister, my mother, my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law. That's it. Someday Ruth will get to come and she's counting the seconds!

We also celebrate one of our birthday's each time. This month it was my mother-in-law, Jerryne's birthday. She turned 75 years old last week. Amazing, huh? She is as beautiful inside as she is outside. I am the luckiest daughter-in-law in the world! She doesn't look or act anywhere near 75 years old.

One of our newer traditions each year is to do a field trip. Sometimes it's a crafty related field trip. Other times, not so much. This time, we went to Goodwill in Scotts Valley for a little thrifting. I found a very cute sweater. :) Next door to Goodwill, however, is a furniture consignment shop. They have very nice things and their prices are reasonable. My mom and I had been in there on Thursday. They had a gorgeous leather gametable of exactly the type we'd like in our living room. We have four beautiful old chairs that look like leather but aren't that belonged to my husband's grandparents. We went back today and looked at the table. It's still gorgeous. They all talked me in to buying it and so I called Greg to get his blessing - he hadn't seen it!!! He said to measure it and then go for it. The measurements worked and I bought it. It was pouring rain so Greg didn't come down in the truck to get it. We'll pick it up on Tuesday! So excited. Here it is. The white on the surface is the "sold" sign!

I can't wait to get it in my house! It is going to be so lovely with the green chairs!

Oh, and for more on the crafts we crafty chix did today, well, that would be covered on my CraftyPoodle blog!

Oh, and I saw a cute little Oak Titmouse today -- actually a pair of them are nesting in my sister-in-law's deck in a birdhouse my nephew built. They are adorable little birds who mate for life. They live in the Oak trees of California and are, therefore, on the Audobon Watch List.

Sunday, we are off to the dog show. This is a huge "benched" show in San Francisco. A benched show means that the dogs are on exhibit all day as well as being entered and shown in the show. It's a great chance for us to go look at lots of different breeds and get a feel for what type of breed we are interested in for our next dog as well as connecting with some responsible breeders. This is something that I know a lot about -- I used to breed, train, and show Labrador Retrievers. I used to go to this show every year and show my own dogs. It will be chaotic and loud and I know I'll have a headache when we leave. But, oooooooh, it's gonna be fun.