Logistics.

My dentist's office called the other day to schedule an appointment and I told her I'd call her back next week. This morning I was thinking about it, I might need to get a new dentist. Working in Pittsburgh makes having appointments a bit of a challenge - I leave around 7am, get home between 6 and 7pm so that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for anything else during the week. Some of it I can work around, my car gets serviced in Waynesburg so if I work late one day I can leave a little earlier the next. I worked half a day Saturday so I was able to leave early yesterday to get new tires. Mine were balding and then last week the back one started a slow leak. Waynesburg is sort of on the way home so it's do-able. My doctor has weekend hours and the glaucoma specialist who is also in West Virginia - well, for him I'll just have to take a personal day. My eye appointments I generally can't drive anyhow and even when I worked in West Virginia I would have to take the day off anyhow. But aside from that stuff - and most of it is workable, it's not too bad. I've been doing a little bit of exploring around the area too, Pittsburgh can be very surprising. One of the things that surprised me is what a green city it is - there are organic stores all over, lots of biking, jogging trails and parks. When I shop I bring my own reusable bags - and in most of the store they'll ask if you need one at all. I'm still wending my way around it but spend more time (sort of)knowing where I am as opposed to not a clue. I'm getting there. Things are a bit slow at home as you may have guessed, the house in Clarksburg remains on the market - I think the one in Bruceton took about 3 months to sell so no widespread panic in the streets yet. David has started gutting the Fairmont house - he's putting off buying major supplies until we have a buyer for house #1. We're actually playing around with keeping house #2 for a rental and then borrowing against it for the next round. This is a work in progress, we started off living in them and moving, then we lived in one for awhile before buying the next one. Then we bought one big one that we did NOT live in, now we have two that we do not live in, on and on. Right now we're at the yucky part where all our money is out and mine is the only coming in. But I make fairly good money so we're OK for awhile. This part stresses David out so he has been put out to pasture for a week - part of the problem with being your own boss is you don't get paid vacation. Unless I make him take it, he doesn't stop. On the knitting front I'm on the second sock - I will be knitting either another shawl or a blanket next, have not quite decided. I've filled up my ereader with summer reading books and I've cleared quite a few paths in the woods we own. I put some old chairs out there so while the dogs dork around and harass the local wildlife I can sit and read for the summer.

Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea

Most people that know me know that I'm crazy about Vizslas - when I met David years ago he had a 9 month old Vizsla puppy named Lady and a 15 year old named Pooka - and I've never been without since. People that own this breed tend to be the same, we have friends on Face book and their pages are lousy with dog pictures too, what the dogs did today, etc.., if you open their wallets they'll have more pictures of the dogs than the kids. My two are incredibly photogenic and will work for biscuits. But as much as I love them, I would not recommend them to everyone. On the pro side they're loyal to a fault, non aggressive, playful. They aim to please and incredibly smart especially if it's something they enjoy. Molly knows that when I get the orange harness out she's going to the park and she leaps and twirls with great abandon, when I open the kitchen door she heads right to the back door of the car, even remembers to sit in the back. They're excellent companions, always up for a car ride, a walk - if you take a nap they're up for that too. They smell good - none of that "doggie" smell and they clean up nice - never met one that did not like a bath. Very sociable, our guests are their guests and if you don't like dogs, you most likely will not enjoy your stay with us. They're hard to discipline as they tend to be so funny you can't bring yourself to do it. Love to play, they start from the second they get up til they pass out at night and two will play constantly. But the cons - they NEVER leave you alone. You will be followed from room to room, if you go out to get the mail, Molly and Reuben will stand at the door crying until you come back. Because you ARE coming back - aren't you? They tend to be quick and if not well disciplined can take off before you even realize they're gone. Ours wear electric collars at all times outside because once they're off and running they can cover a corn field in no time flat. When I was out yesterday I turned my back for one second to stir my BBQ and looked up to see Reuben (gasp!!) racing down the road - he was ousting the neighbor's beagle mix from the yard. Molly is a counter surfer extraordinaire and can down an entire loaf of bread and be back on the couch before you blink. They need constant attention and exercise, if left alone for what they consider too long they'll dismantle your house rather cheerfully and take the fifth when you come home. But all in all, I wouldn't trade them for any other type of dog - even though they can drive me crazy for the most part I love them to death. In other news, the house in Clarksburg has been shown a million times but no bites yet. We are debating dropping the price as opposed to the watch and wait. I continue to work on my socks, one is almost done and the other of course will be started right after to avoid the Second Sock Syndrome. I went to the Sheep and Wool festival in Waynesburg last weekend - just for an hour. I bought yarn (of course) and apple butter, but it was not that great. Not as many vendors and no, I didn't enter anything this year. I did two years in a row and both times it was far more trouble than it was worth, especially the one year when I had to drive over to one of the organizers house and pound madly at her door to get my shawls back - after two weeks of calling and leaving messages!!

Just One Moment Can Change Everything.

The name of this photo is the kiss of life - it was taken in 1967 by Richard Moribito, a journalist working in Jacksonville Florida. He just happened to be driving by that day and came upon these local workmen.  The man hanging down had sustained a huge electrical shock that had stopped his heart. His coworker grabbed him  and administered CPR in midair restarting his heart. He saved his life that day and that young man lived for 34 more years. The journalist won the Pulitzer Prize for this picture in 1968 it was a life-changing event for everyone- I wonder if the photographer ever stopped and shook his head in amazement when he thought about that day - if  he happened to be driving down that road that day five minutes before or five minutes after he would've missed the entire event. What about that young man that died - what were the chances he would have a coworker with the ability and the clear head to bring him back to life and that coworker would be right next to him at that exact moment? I suppose it works the other way to like having a fender bender and you kick yourself sitting there waiting for the cops to come - thinking what if I hadn't been late for work, today - would I still have hit this car or missed it entirely? Or is it an event just waiting to happen, a pre-ordained moment in time there is no escaping? How many times have we embraced the What Ifs in life or the Why Didn't I's? Why didn't I save my money instead of blowing it all on concert tickets? What if I had finished college at 20 instead of 30?Why didn't I move sooner - or why did I move at all? We all have these demons, but I think if you get so wrapped up in that thinking, you end up stuck. Most of the things that I've done - or not - there was a good reason at the time, or at least one I felt was good enough. Do I wish I had finished college at 20? Yes -but looking back I also know I was not ready or mature enough at that time, I had a child, bills, too little time and too little money. I'm getting to that age where I'm starting to look back on my life and though I see a lot of mistakes, I don't see too many regrets. Someone asked me recently about CPR and I told her without question I didn't ever want it. She came up with a few What If's - but as far as I'm concerned, if my heart stops, it stops. Done deal. I am not angling to go right now, I have a good life, a great husband, two dogs and a cat I'm nuts about and enough yarn to keep Siberia warm. But at the end of the day I can look back and say - I did it. I may not have done it well at times, but I raised two great kids, my behavior at times has been atrocious but other times has been stellar, I haven't killed anyone and even if I don't succeed I do try to do the right thing. The people I don't speak to, well, that will continue. I have desire for closure or to set things straight. It would be nice to resolve things but we were not close before so it's not a great loss. If it happens it happens if it doesn't oh well. I think people take death way too seriously, it happens to everyone - no exceptions. You can delay it but you certainly can't outrun it - and it's most likely the adventure you hope it is.