Wednesday, August 22, 2007

a busy week

I have been very busy.

Last Friday I drove to my old hometown to pick up my mother-in-law's bichon frise. I had agreed to keep him while she is on a cruise to Alaska. Toby is about fourteen years old. He is partially blind, doesn't hear well, has a bit of an incontinence problem (in my brand new house!), and for some reason, no matter how clean he is, he has a terrible smell. On the other hand, he is sweet and loveable and my mother-in-law adores him.

I can't wait for her to get home.

Jack, our adorable nine month old schnauzer, wants to play with Toby all the time. Toby wants to play with Jack about twenty minutes a day. A terrible combination, I must say. I spend a lot of my time just separating them. They have to be walked in succession, because Jack practically runs a mile before he does his business, and Toby barely moves faster than a turtle. At least he only has to walk about six feet before he's ready to go.

The kids went back to school on Monday. Our lovely daughter went back to her high school, even though we've moved into another area. She is driving to school for the first time and is pleased with her schedule. Both of the boys went to new schools, the older one to middle school and the little one to elementary. The fourteen year old is very unhappy after two days of school. I can only hope it gets better. The little one, though, is doing very well. He is delighted with his teacher and the school, and he's made two new friends.

This afternoon I am meeting my daughter at a drug testing facility so that she can take the drug test for her new job! I am excited for her but also slightly worried; she was offered a position in a local drug store after she had filled out one application and had one interview. I hope this experience doesn't make her think it will always be that easy to find a job!

My parents are coming to see the new house this weekend. I am still unpacking and things are really a bit of a wreck. I don't miss the other house, but I do miss the storage. The closets in this house are wonderful and the kitchen storage is amazing, but the general storage for things like games and books and photos isn't quite as good. As a result, I still have boxes full of CDs, DVDs, video games, and books stacked in the dining room. Then there are the miscellaneous items whose perfect storage place always eludes me, regardless. At least in the last house, I had a couple of empty cabinets under the wet bar to stash things. I know it's completely passe to have one these days, but I miss that wet bar.

Add to the above the normal laundry, shopping, and cooking duties as well as the whirlwind of back to school shopping, and I'm amazed I found the time to post today. I suppose I'd better go work on those boxes now. Oh joy.

6 comments:

laurie said...

ah, an old dog named toby that moves like a turtle! you been reading my blog, kaycie...

i used to take care of an old old dog named Dusty, years ago. Dusty had hardly any teeth. dusty's breath was so foul that she could wake me up simply by standing in the bedroom doorway and breathing.

Dusty fell down the basement stairs, in slow motion, when she was under my care. she didn't seem hurt at all, but looked a bit dazed and then climbed back up them, in slow motion.

(her owner told me later, "oh, she does that all the time.")

it's mean of me, but i have to say: it's hard to love a stinky slow old dog unless you had the chance to love it first as a young happy dog.

oh, and re your storage problem: IKEA. or so i hear. i've never been there myself, but everyone swears by it.

Kim said...

Toby is so sweet that I almost forget the smell. Until he wants to lay in my lap. I've been putting him on the footrest of the recliner by my feet. That way he gets his cuddle without me feeling nauseated. He's started licking my feet if they're bare. He really is a sweetie.

I guess I'll have to check out IKEA's website. The closest one to us is in Dallas, I think.

Thanks for stopping by, Laurie!

jason evans said...

Unpacking is the worst! Hang in there. :)

Kim said...

Thanks, Jason. I'm trying!

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

Hi kaycie, I've seen your comments on other blogs I visit and thought I'd mosey on over to yours. Good luck with the unpacking. Hope your 14-year-old settles down soon. Moving is such a pain.

Kim said...

Thanks for visiting, WUASTC, it's good to have you. Thanks for the encouragement. I need it this morning!