No way

I've been trying (once again) to do the whole "get up at 5:30 am to work out thing," but some mornings (like this morning) I don't manage it. On mornings like this one, I only get out of bed when Evie wakes and groggily calls to me. She's not much of a morning person. I get some milk for her and bring her back to bed with me where I pathetically lie in bed, both of us awake (Justin out being hooah at PT), trying to eek out a few more horizontal minutes.

One of my tactics to lengthen this time has been to let Evie play with the ringtones on my phone. (Insert that pathetic part again...) She has thus began calling the phone "Bah bah bah bah bah!" after her favorite ringtone entitled "Sunny Day." The rhythm is something like three eighth notes, a dotted quarter, then another eighth, to give you the full context--E says the 'bah bahs' in rhythm. This is usually a very innocent activity in the early hours of the morning, but on occasion she has accidentally exited out of the ringtone menu and, before I have noticed, activated my speed dial (sorry Momma, Denise, and an apology in advance to Julia...it's bound to happen to you one of these days...).

Well, today, while excitedly dancing to the "bah bah bah bah bahs" Evie lost grip on the phone and it fell between the mattress and the wall behind the bed. In the dead center. I tried reaching for it, but it was no good, so I simply abandoned it there for most of the morning. (Suddenly it's WAY less cool since I got my ipod touch.)

Mid afternoon or so I decided I really needed to make an effort to get it back out. This was going to involve me finding something long to reach and poke with, and a lot of wiggling on my stomach, face in the carpet. So what did I do? I told Chokydar to go get it.

Now here's the crazy part. She made for going under the bed. I was like WHAAA??? No way!!! We've never trained her to do tricks really and, although I suspect her of speaking English fairly fluently, the response was so immediate and unexpected, it took me completely by surprise. I do this sort of thing all the time now with Evelyn (try new suggestions, not send her under the bed) because she is more and more capable every day. She often will surprise me by being able to do something I wasn't really sure that she could. It's almost as if Choky had been observing this phenomenon and was afraid that Evie was showing her up.

So I got the phone back. But no thanks to Chokydar. Apparently one of her toys was just under the edge of the bed, so she's not a super genius after all. She's still a Super Puli, though.

And I discovered Justin's missing ipod under the bed as well!! It had presumable suffered the same fate as my phone, but no one knew it. We've been looking for that thing for weeks!

Look Loretta!

It's not much, but I put pen to paper. (Or digital stylus to tablet, as the case may be...)

Thanks for encouraging me. :)

I have this little problem. Did I mention I have this problem?

It's crazy to me that it's been two weeks since I've posted anything. It's been one of those time paradox things lately where time seems to both drag on forever and fly by. We've been both crazy busy and bored out of our minds. With just the government furniture and what we're carrying with us, it's been a task to try and occupy Evelyn and maintain her usual routine. We've been taking a lot of walks.

A LOT.

The other day I was walking down to the dental clinic to put in a request for my records and one of the orange housing repair trucks drove up to the curb and stopped. The driver got out to go about his business, but not before drawing up short and looking at me, "You are always walking! I see you walking everywhere all the time!"

Our car has shipped now, so it's in part out of necessity. Walking is also often necessary to get Evie to take a nap. She'll fall asleep in the stroller when she simply refuses to in the travel crib. She never has a problem (KNOCK ON WOOD) going to sleep in the crib at night, but during the day, she fights it tooth and nail and will not submit. It makes for a pretty miserable situation for all involved, so when things get too cranky, we just go for a walk. Chokydar is loving it.

I keep thinking of all of these "I can't wait until..."s. I can't wait until we clear housing (Tuesday). I can't wait until we're on the plane (Friday). I can't wait until we're in Houston (Saturday). I can't wait until we get our cell phones, buy our car, get to Oklahoma, find a place to live...the list is kind of endless. Lately, I've begun to get a little sick of myself.

I've been looking forward to this move for MONTHS now. Maybe even years, really. In the past, it's been a low level buzz in my consciousness, always in the far background of my mind. Since about July though, it's been more like rock music (or Broadway showtunes in my case) playing loud and clear, pretty much dominating my every waking thought, and I'm officially tired of it.

There have been so many things to do, so many details to take care of, it's been a kind of dream and nightmare for someone who's pretty detail and planning obsessed as I am. It's fun to see everything coming together, but it's also incredibly nerve racking to ensure that things go off without a hitch. I imagine all the worst case scenarios and worry about them to no end. What if our appointment/reservation at "x" wasn't written down properly on their books and we show up and they have no room for us?? What if I accidentally packed something essential? What if Evie gets sick or hurt? What if we get to the airport and they refuse to let Chokydar fly? It isn't helpful and it isn't productive. And it's downright annoying.

I caught myself the other day repeating the same thing to Justin for the third time in a row. Okay, maybe not in a row...I probably threw in a random sentence every other line to make it seem like I wasn't harping on the same worry over and over again. I could tell by his exasperated but loving expression that I was starting to grate on his nerves, and suddenly I realized I was grating on my own nerves. I told him, "I'm going to try and stop repeating myself. I'm doing it all the time and it's beginning to get really old. I know it's just because I'm stressed and worried but I just keep saying the same things over and over and so" [pause] "So I going to try and stop...repeating...myself...OH CRAP I'M DOING IT AGAIN!"

It's been an exciting few months, but I'm ready to be settled. I'm ready to pick up my "real" life again, to get back into my drawing and crafts, to cook real food, to run errands, to visit with friends and family, to grow and begin a new chapter.

And apropos of nothing, here are some great videos of Evie--one of her playing with Chokydar and one where she tries to mail herself to Abu Dhabi. Enjoy!

Walking through the windmills

Speaking purely of the weather, today was perhaps the most beautiful day I've experienced here in Baumholder over the past (nearly) four years. It was not only sunny, but cloudless and the colors seemed brighter, more vibrant. Ever since stumbling across a user map on Google for a path through the windmills outside town I've been itching to go walk up there. It's easy to have reasons "not to go" in Baumholder--usually involving the weather, so when today was just about completely perfect, we hopped in the car and drove up to the path.

It's maybe slightly possible I'm feeling slightly sentimental about our leaving here. Don't get me wrong--I can't wait--but for all of the valleys we experienced here, it also has been a good time, and I don't regret the choice we made when we decided to come to Germany.

With some free time on our hands and not a lot of things around the house to distract, I've been working out a lot more lately. Today on our walk I had too much energy to just keep walking, so I traded Justin the stroller for the leash and took off with Choky down the path. Evie started to get concerned that I was running away, so I doubled back, which she thought was hilarious. After a time or two of this game--run away for 50 meters or so, sprint back--I could have stopped, but then Justin began spurring me on, so for about 20 minutes of the return "walk" I ran up and down hill with Chokydar.

Choky was having the time of her life, although it was clear from the run that she's a touch out of shape. She ventured into the weeds at one point and came out covered in burrs, which stuck to her fur like glue. Evie watched in awe as Justin picked them out, one by one before we got back in the car to come home.

It was a good day.

He's back!

Justin is HOME! The welcome home ceremony was around midday and Julia went with me (and Evelyn of course) to greet him.

Evelyn handled the noise and excitement of the ceremony well, but she was a little unsure of what to make of Justin. Her reception of him could have been much worse, however, and they're already beginning to acclimate to one another.

Choky literally peed herself upon seeing Justin again. I think she may have thought he was a ghost, or maybe just that she'd done something so bad that I'd called him back from wherever he'd been to discipline her.

More to come later...

Puli Conversations

Chokydar: Hey. Evie's asleep. Did you know that?
Me: Yep.
C: Are you sure she's asleep though?
Me: What do you mean?
C: I don't know...she's awfully quiet and still...
Me: Chokday, that's what you look like when you're asleep. She's fine.
C:...Okay....

[she shakes her collar loudly *JINGLEJINGLEJINGLE*...Evie stirs]

Me: What did you do that for??
C: Just checking!

[she lies down]

...................................................

C: YAWN!!!!!!!!!!
Me: You're being loud again.
C: Sorry. [SNEEZE!!!!...Evie stirs again, grunting a little]
Me: *sigh*

...................................................

C: No, but really...are you sure she's okay? She's been 'sleeping' for a while now.
Me: YES, Chokydar, she's FINE!
C: Okay.... [she stretches, moving first to the hard wood floor where she reaches out and clicks her nails loudly as she stretches]
Me: I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
C: What?? [with mock innocence]

..................................................

[Choky starts walking toward the swing, slowly, looking over her shoulder at me as she goes]
Me: DO NOT GO OVER THERE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THE SWING AND WAKE HER UP BY LICKING HER FEET.
C: That wasn't what I was going to do...[she turns around]

..................................................

C: [looking desperate, feverish]..............WOOF!
Me: [turning clowly to stare at her angrily with a cocked head]
Evie: [eyes wide] *gasp*
Chokydar: Ah! Okay, you're right. She was just asleep.
[she turns and promptly throws herself sideways on the floor, closing her eyes as I go to pick up Evelyn]

Puli love

Today is Day 3.

Of what, you ask? Puli grooming, of course! Yes, that's right, without aid from another adult, it takes about 3 days to adequately groom Chokydar. Let me just say from the beginning that Chokydar LOVES being groomed. Without her cooperation (more like ecstasy), the process would be WAY less enjoyable.

I knew it was time for a bath because Chokydar had begun to get on my nerves. When she is dirty and unkept, it is hard for me to be as cuddly with her--I know, that's awful of me, but it's true. So when her craziness starts overbalancing her cuteness, into the tub she goes. Not a bad philosophy I guess, really--to shower more love when you feel less inclined to do so.

Day 1 is the Initial Cut. Chokydar comes and sits (then lies when she gets tired) in front of me and I snip away. I think I've secretly harbored a desire to be a hairdresser since childhood; few of my dolls or stuffed animals escaped the occasional trim (much to my mother's dismay). It's cathartic for me to cut Choky's hair, and feels almost like a creative outlet--like I'm designing her new do. Once I start, it's hard to stop. It's quite addicting. Even though she loves it, she usually tires of sitting still before I do, although once I stop I realize that I'm usually exhausted and a bit sore. Thus, I wait until Day 2 for the next phase because my time and engergy is now gone.

Day 2 is The Bath. I must conduct The Bath in the first half of the day, or early afternoon, because even though I will blow dry Chokydar, she doesn't dry completely and needs time to finish air drying, unless you want to sleep with a damp sweater in the bed. Choky bathes in the bathtub. Her collar comes off (we call this look the Wild Puli) and she seems to sense the freedom of it all. I lift her in the tub (UGH, she's heavy) and off we go. Her fur is really quite unique--the best way I can the process is like washing a REALLY thick sweater by hand. Her fur is sooooo dense and resists absorbing the water at first, it takes a while just to get it all saturated. Then you soap her up and rinse really good. Then rinse again. Then rinse again. Then again. I've read some puli authorities recommend against using soap because it can irritate the skin if not rinsed properly, but to me she smells like an old shoe if she doesn't get shampooed, so I just make SURE I get all the soap out. Once I've rinsed her about a dozen times I start wringing her out, again, just like a sweater (only she's not as twisty). I go top to bottom, squeezing out all the excess moisture. Then she "helps" by shaking herself. Any part of me that was dry until now is no longer so.

Choky gets out of the tub at this point and I first towel dry her. No matter how much wringing I've done, she still is sopping wet. I usually go through 2 or 3 towels absorbing the excess water. Now comes the real fun--the hair dryer. Choky was a bit nervous about the hair dryer as a puppy, but has become accustomed to it, and now REALLY enjoys this aspect of The Grooming. I sit on the bathroom rug and she rolls around on the floor in front of me, digging her nose into the ground and grunting happily. She rolls back and forth with glee and occasionally hops up to trot around and shake herself off again (yes, usually water STILL flies). More blow drying. This goes on for at least 10-15 minutes. Even when you THINK you've dried her enough, you haven't.

Now comes the tricky part. Pre-Evelyn, this was Choky's favorite part of being clean: Revelling in her clean-ness. She would streak around the house (as the Wild Puli), running, barking, frolicking with glee, bouncing off the furniture like Donald O'Connor from "Make 'Em Laugh" in Singin' in the Rain. Now, however, the whole reason we've been able to do the bath is because Evie has been ASLEEP, so ideally Chokydar needs to be QUIET. She's such a good dog. She tries so hard to cooperate. It's pretty adorable watching her do the "silent" version of her glee dance.

And that brings us to today: Day 3. Really, it's mostly over, but to do the job right I must do a follow up cut. After her bath there are stray tufts to be trimmed that I missed the first time around and also, I'm much more willing to trim the fur around her butt now that she's clean (I know, Puli TMI). Again, Choky is happy to cooperate, until I actually start trimming near her tail. I think she's afraid I will mistakenly cut it off, and she's constantly looking over her shoulder, her gaze bouncing between it and me imploringly. In my mind, I imagine that pulik must be like C.S. Lewis's Reepacheep, "A tail is the honor and glory of a [puli]!"

For your further reading pleasure, check out this awesome article, The Incredible Puli. I fell in love with the breed before we ever got one, and although it took some convincing for Justin to be excited about getting a puli, he tells me all the time now how glad he is that we have one. The article is so great--I especially like the parts about a puli's preference for NPR, and the description of a puli as a "black tornado."

I'm going to go hug my puli now. :)

February 2008- Pisa, Florence, & Switzerland- Part II

Here's part two of our last year's February trip to Italy. All of these pictures are from Florence. We spent one jam packed day there. It was quite nice, but I think the weather hampered our enjoyment just a bit. It was really cold and drizzling off and on. Even so, we made a point to try the famed gelato. Twice.

I'm going to try and finish up this trip's batch of photos in the next few days because I have a whole set from last year's March trip to Normandy I need to get up as well!

This was me after I realized that the Italians CHARGE you to ENTER many of the CHURCHES. I was NOT pleased. I'm philosophically opposed to the idea of having to pay to enter a house of worship, and so I missed out on seeing some of the things I wanted to check out.

I remember having this panel appear on an art history final exam...

Rubbing the boar's snout is supposed to bring good fortune. You'll notice how worn it is. Chokydar wanted to do the tourist thing:

February 2008- Pisa, Florence, & Switzerland- Part I

Last February we were preparing for Justin to deploy. He was set to go around April, and we knew that once he got back there wouldn't be much time before we would be moving back home. If there was anywhere we wanted to be sure and see before we left Europe, the thought went, we'd better do it then.

Topping my list was Italy, but because we wanted to bring Chokydar, that limited us to driving, and I couldn't see covering all that I wanted to in the amount of time we had, so we narrowed our focus to Pisa and Florence. We borrowed the Blythes' GPS (a life saver!) and drove down through Switzerland into Italy. Our home base was to be in Pisa and then we planned to take the train into Florence. I'd heard that driving in Florence is a nightmare, and I've had enough experience driving in European cities to believe it--and want to avoid it at any cost.

Our first night in Pisa we walked from our hotel down to the baptistry and bell tower. Chokydar was glad to be out of the car. She's such a good little traveler...

Oddly enough, Italy felt almost like home, at least my college home--New Jersey. The women looked like they were direct transplants with Jersey leather and sunglasses intact. Now I know Jersey got it from Italy, but it felt like a bit of home all the same. Including this guy...

Choky is a well traveled pooch.

The sunset that night was really stunning.

The next day we set out for Florence first thing in the morning on the train. Again, just like Jersey, see?

This is his I can't believe you've hauled me to Italy face. He gets grumpy when I make him leave the house, but always is glad we did so...well, most of the time. We'll get to that in a few posts with a little story about our adventures in Switzerland...