A Tale of Two Dogs

Do you remember me gushing about this cute little fellow?

Well, today something sad happened to my little bud, Cocoa/Rascal. No, he's not hurt or worse(dead) but it's still gloomy. Today as I was leaving the house and after I gave Cocoa/Rascal a good pat on the head, I thought to myself, "Man, I love that dog. I'll be so sad when he's not around one day." Well, tonight as Cory & I pulled in the driveway from getting dinner I saw little Cocoa in his yard but with a collar on and he was chained up. I looked at Cory and told him what I saw and he said in a soft voice, "Yeah, the Animal Control people came for him today." I was shocked. Cory told me the sad tale of my little friend being in the back of the dog catcher truck today. He saw the people get him as he was leaving for work and went over to tell the people that he knew the owner and such. Cory said that Cocoa was just chilling in the back and looked up at him. He probably thought he was just going for a ride. He's so naive. The Animal people also had my neighbor's other dog that is always chained up in their truck. The man told Cory that dogs in this city have to be chained up and to be within walking distance of shelter and water or they take them. The dog that was chained up was momentarily in the front part of the yard (away from the dog house) at the time. My neighbor lets the dog sit in the front sometimes and it's perfectly fine....Anyway, I seriously got teared up when I saw little Cocoa/Rascal raise his head up and bark once when we walked up the path to our house. I guess I'll have to go and visit him from now on. :( I know this may sound silly, but having him roaming free was like having the benefits of owning a dog but not having to feed it or make sure it had a place to stay when we aren't around.

On a happy dog note, the other dog that I'm obsessed with is coming out with a book this summer! You can pre-order the book here. I can't wait to read about little Boo.

(Photo via Chronicle Books Blog)

School's Out for Summer!

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby and got slightly disturbed when I saw workers putting out pumpkins and pilgrims. I know Hobby Lobby gets a head start on the seasons (and I totally appreciate that) but it’s May! It made me feel like they are trying to skip summer. My summer officially starts tomorrow. If you teach or have children you know that the end of summer is drawing near when loose leaf paper and pencils start filling up Wal-mart’s front aisle. When that time approaches it is very bittersweet. It’s always nice & exciting to start a new school year but it is so so sad to see the summer end. This feeling came to me when I saw those pilgrims looking at me. Sure, I was put slightly at ease at the nice smell of pumpkin spice candles but seeing the fall décor made me want to scream, “Let me enjoy the summer!” I then hurried out of the fall section to the clearance aisle and saw something else kind of disappointing: a painted rock. It was seriously a pet rock. It wasn’t even painted that nicely. I really wish I would have taken a picture of it although I’m sure it will still be there for the rest of the summer. There were quite a few in stock. In my opinion, if you want a rock to resemble the ones I saw, then go outside and get a stone and have a child paint it. It will save you $5….wow, I didn’t mean to rave and rant on the Hob’s. I love that store so I will stop my complaining.

Anyway, the reason I would love to have a long summer this year is to 1. Continue to work on the house and 2. Work on/in my new classroom! Yes, that’s right I got a new job. I’m sorry if I have not mentioned it to you but I am not even sure who knew my little situation. My current job at the junior high had to be closed because of funding. This is something I knew going into it though. Well, come April I knew for sure that the high school’s Family & Consumer Science teacher was retiring and that her job would be available. I interviewed for the position and waited for what seemed like forever to find out that I got the job! So, a big thanks for those of you who knew about my situation and prayed for me.

I hope everyone is doing well and hope you have a great summer!!!

Life Lately

Wow, it feels like forever since I've blogged. We have been without the Internet (and cable) for almost a week and really not been "on it" for a month now. Cory & I have been with out because we've been working on the house. Even though I felt slightly disconnected from the world without the Internet (not being able to check email, read friends' blogs, browse facebook, and read the news) I have come to enjoy the time away. We have gotten so much done and have not been glued to our computers. It's been nice...

Here are some some small, random, & fun things that have made me smile in the past few weeks.

First, a little raccoon came in our home's backyard for a visit.

Cory & I were painting the sunroom and when I looked up I saw him just browsing around looking for some grub. I've seen a few raccoons in real life before, but they've always been running quickly and hard to see. This little fella was taking his time.
After a while he scooted up the fence and was gone.
But then he came back two more times that night. (It could have been two different ones but I think it was him)

Another thing that's been putting a smile on my face is my little dog friend neighbor that I have called "Rascal". I have found out his real name, which is Cocoa, but I'm still calling him Rascal. He has greeted me and Cory many times as we've gone to the house to work. He's so sweet and likes to lay in our yard sometimes. He's such a ham. He was looking at the street and every time I tried to take his picture he would turn around, as if to pose. To me it almost looks like he's smiling. He also does this little "scooting on his belly" trick that cracks me up every time.

Yesterday I finally made it out to the real world. I have not been out in public except to go to work, church, Lowes, and Wal-mart for the past month. As I went into Target yesterday I found Otter Pops!
I used to LOVE Otter Pops and even wrote a paper about my love for them before. I think I was more in love with the packaging because each pop had a little cartoon otter on it with a clever name such as "Alexander the Grape" and "Little Orphan Orange". I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. I didn't purchase them because I was semi-afraid that they wouldn't live up to my fond memory of them and also I was in a hurry and the line was long. Maybe another day...

Oh, and by the way, as of Saturday Cory & I have officially moved into our house!!! We still have lots of work to do on the house and still have things boxed up but we're in and couldn't be happier! I seriously love waking up in our new room and coming home from work to it each day.
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather. I promise I'll be posting some interior pictures soon. Also, if you're in the area feel free to stop by. :)