Breakfast in Bed

This is Woody.

You might remember him from his trials and tribulations so oft noted in this blog.

Here is a poem I wrote for him:

Woody is very special, you see.
For he is an endangered manatee.
He was caught by me
Before he tried to flee.
And now I like to kiss his lips and suck on his face.

Okay, maybe that isn't quite the best ode in the whole entire world, but it is heartfelt.

I might mention that Woody is even more endangered than the average manatee because he CAN LIVE OUT OF WATER. This makes him very rare. Because Woody is endangered, he demands a lot of extras that most other animals in our family do not receive.

Like breakfast in bed.

Here is Woody's morning schedule.

He sleeps in his big king sized bed under the covers. He also generously allows my dad to sleep with him for additional body heat. Nevermind that he has eleven layers of blubber to insulate him. He is always freezing.

When he feels like it (around 10 am), he signals my dad to let him know that he is ready for his breakfast. He does this by slightly opening his eye. One eye. Not both. Too much effort.

This guy rushes downstairs to quickly make Woodykin's hot breakfast. Oatmeal.
(Don't they look alike? Obviously the apple does not fall far from the tree).

My dad promptly serves Woody his piping hot oatmeal in bed in his special green bowl. He is so gifted that he holds it between his manatee fins. Thank GOODNESS that he only have to slightly lift his head to consume his meal. He is ENDANGERED, you know!

Oftentimes, Woody simply cannot muster the energy to finish the whole bowl. He commands my father to spoon the remainder of the porridge into his mouth.

After, he is exhausted from his morning routine. He promptly flops his rare manatee head down on his king sized bed.

Oh, Woodykins. We love you.

If these walls could talk...

In my family, we have three thousand dogs. Well, not really that many, but it feels like it sometimes! When I am at my parents, it is usually Woody, Duke, Maddie, Diesel and my sister's cat Poppa-C who acts like a dog and all the dogs are obsessed with. Anyway.

Duke doesn't like Diesel.

Cannot stress this enough.

Duke is HIGHLY IRRITATED by Diesel.

Probably because precious Diesel snorts like a pig and Duke always thinks he is growling. Diesel cannot help it, he has squished respiratory turbinates in his nose and can't breathe. Duke does not like the noises he makes. And instead of feeling bad for Diesel because he has this disability, Duke is a punk and will regularly attack Diesel for no reason.

Last night I was at my parents (Jason had a guys' weekend in Crooked River, but that's another story!) We were talking about nothing (well, FOOTBALL) and I decided to sneakily record the convo on my dad's iPod because my mom most of the time is hilarious and says really blunt and funny things. I was hoping to catch one of these inappropriate comments when Laura let Diesel in from outside (I guess my dad trapped him out there accidentally). When Diesel came in, Duke attacked him. It was a fiasco - all recorded on my dad's iPod. LOL. Here it is. I put it to pictures of the perpetrators :)

Enjoy.

P.S. My mom is NOT hitting Duke-Jason when you hear those smacks in the background. She is clapping at him, as if he cares. Also, Duke didn't actually do any harm to Diesel (he never does...)

Welcome to ME

I was depressed after that Brooke Wilberger post, so here is funny photo my dad sent me. It was taken last Thanksgiving at my parents', almost a year ago. It always cheers me up to see pictures of my dogs, and this photo basically sums up my family. A thousand dogs, my dad sleeping, Woody draped all over him, and me in my pajamas and boots. It also captures the personality of each dog perfectly. Diesel is alert and curious, such a good boy. Madison NEVER stops searching for birds to contribute to our supper - there is no relaxing for her. Woody is a beached manatee. Duke just looks irritated and slightly depressed (he hates being the "biggest brother!")


I know, I dress like a kinder.

Pawsitively Pitbull Event

The Pitbull rescue group Jason and I volunteer with, Pawsitively Pitbull is hosting a fundraiser at the downtown Wild Oats today. We have prior commitments, but here is the information we got in an email if anyone wants to go!


Please come down to WILD OATS on 28th and E. Burnside for a BBQ to benefit the pit bulls!
WILD OATS has generously donated tons of grub for us to grill up and serve to you. 5 bucks gets you a hot dog and a drink, and we will even have vegan hot dogs too! We will be there with all sorts of information and handouts on combating BSL, myths and facts about pit bulls, photo albums, books, and even some real live dogs to shower with affection. Come meet and socialize with other pit bull supporters and dog rescue advocates.

We will be there from 2pm until 6pm this Saturday August 15th.

The address is:
WILD OATS
2825 E. Burnside St
Portland, Oregon

Thanks all!

Post-Graduate Life

Since finishing my worksample, I spent this past weekend doing absolutely nothing. Jason was sick on Saturday, so we basically sat around the house. I have been very fatigued so I tried to sleep most of the day, but to no avail. Same Sunday. Tried to sleep, couldn't. The most productive thing I did was clean Alice and Hazel's cage and take the dogs to the dog park. We had Laura's Pittie Diesel, and it was his first time at the dog park and he did fabulous. Extremely well behaved and kind to the other dogs. Two dogs got into a fight right next to him and he backed away, ears back, and laid down, pretty much terrified. That was the real test. Pitties hardly start the fight, but they always end it.

Today, however, I taught all day, went to the gym, went to the library to get my kiddos a video on westward expansion, and then cleaned the house. We are trying to get ready for camping on Friday, and I am hyper-organized, so of course I have to start the week before. That's all. I do have a teaching tidbit of the day, however:

Me: Elliot, I really enjoyed reading your persuasive letter. You have excellent voice in your writing!
Elliot: Really?
Me: Yes!
Elliot: Oh. I didn't know I had a voice.

Ta da!

Baby Name of the Day: Delilah. Jason loves it, as do I. However, I would want to call her Lilah, and Jason doesn't really care for that nickname. It means "delicate." I am not sure a girl of ours will ever be delicate, but at least it has a nice meaning. What do you think?

Animal Rescue

I think that God gives everyone different gifts and passions, and it is our responsibility to recognize these and follow His will for us. I believe I have two main gifts, working with children and animals, and I believe that my talents in these areas are currently being used by my nannying (and future roles as elementary school teacher and mommy) and by my work in animal rescue. This last weekend, though, brought me sadness ("in my heart" as Bella would say!) in the area of animal rescue and I felt like I wasn't doing enough, I couldn't do enough, to help this one stray Pitbull. This dog was found by Laura's friend Par and I used all my resources to try to get him a temporary foster home or permanent placement but to no avail. And then today at the Dog Park, I talked with one lady who is having to surrender her two dogs to the shelter because of living arrangements. It is so frustrating to not be able to take these animals or find them homes. I feel like I have a pretty good network of people and adequate resources, but there are so many dogs and not enough placements. Alot of the smaller shelters are STUFFED with animals right now, so the only choice for both Par and the other woman is to take these poor pups to the pound. My only consolation is that Oregon's shelters are generally no-kill and most doggies do get adopted EVENTUALLY. It is just frustrating when I see people with purebreds that they bought for hundreds of dollars from a breeder when there are so many dogs (mixed and purebred) in the shelter, plus there are purebred rescues for almost every single breed. There is little, if no, reason to buy from a breeder when millions of dogs are euthanized each year for no other reason than no one wants them. It can be disheartening and overwhelming, but I try to keep my eyes on Jesus and know that when I am asked what I did with the gifts He gave me, I will be able to say that I used my talents and passions to the best of my ability to serve those who have no voice. I may not be able to get to them all, but it DOES matter to each one that I save.

One success is Laura and Jerod's new puppy, Diesel. He is a precious, precocious one-year-old who thinks that Woody is the end-all-be-all and follows him everywhere and HAS to do everything that "his brudder" does. Here are a few new pics of him...

Laura loves her new baby boy! Look at that big Pittie smile!

I so handsome!