Month: May 2012

First …

This is Piper, aka, Pip, Pippy, Pipsqueak, Squeaky, Nana, Nanners and sometimes Goofy dog.

Piper is a Rottie-Shepherd mix, with the emphasis on MIX. She’s got black spots on her tongue so there’s probably some Chow in there. She’s a good girl, loves her family is crazy about Elvis and her boyfriend too…OOoops… my bad.. lapsed into lyrics again.. (bonus if you can figure out the song and artist)

She really is a good girl. From the moment I put her down on the floor as a teeny tiny puppy, and she promptly pooped, I knew she was our dog. I told her right then that there were no free rides and that she had a job to do. Protect the family. She certainly took that to heart, and she’s done a great job.

Most people look at her and think she is a “he”, with her bruiser kind of look, and decide that maybe they don’t want to mess with her. They are right to do so, but to her family, she’s a sweetheart.

Enter the groomer….

Pip never has liked the heat, so I figured this year we’d give her some respite from her thick coat of hair and get her groomed. All I have to say is we couldn’t finish and thank goodness for a muzzle and two other people to hold on to her.

She was not happy. She is not happy.  You know how it is when you get a new haircut that you aren’t sure you like very much and you catch sight of yourself as you walk by the mirror and think, “Who is that?”  That’s what Piper is doing.

The result…

You’d think that the trauma would have been for the dog, but it seems more of an issue for my husband and kids!! One child sent me a text bemoaning the fact that her “dog” was now nothing more than a giant rat, and another said, “What the hell did you do to that poor animal?”. Still another couldn’t get past “poor thing.. poor Pip… poor dog”, and my husband came up the steps to my office in the loft with, “Are you proud of yourself? What is that??” (I’ve yet to hear from the last child, but she’s a bit busy signing for a new house today) Even friends asked me, “Um, why is your dog naked?”

At least she’s worn out for the day…

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day here and it put me in such a springy bouncy mood…. and now it’s raining. I know we need the rains – especially since it’s my first time ever on a well – so I’m thankful for it, but the cloudless blue skies and the clarity of color yesterday was just awesome.

My daughter and psuedo-son came to visit. They brought us a fire pit as a housewarming gift, which I thought was a pretty clever idea. We sat out under the stars and burned stuff. It was great. There are tons of branches and sticks on our property, since no one was really taking care of it before we moved in. Thus, we have plenty of fuel for the fire and sticks for marshmallow roasting. And hey, what’s a camp without a campfire, right! Good job, TJ!

As I typically do after concert season, it’s time to update you as to what’s been floating through the empty spaces where my mind should be….

1. Concerts and Work

•   All went well with all performances! The kids did a fantastic job with Carmina Burana at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. They performed with the Concert Artists of Baltimore and a host of  musicians. The age range was from 8-12, so for many, this was the first taste of being on “the big stage”. It was great to feel their energy and excitement. Makes me feel really good about what I do. On the same day, an older group (13-18) were singing with Baltimore Choral Arts Society in their production of “Elijah”. That group got rave reviews from the conductors and a standing ovation. Again – Happy Me! The Spring semester concerts (3 of them over two weekends) all went well, even though there was some seating snafus. I truly appreciate how flexible my boss is!

•  France – During all of this, we decided that we had enough singers to go ahead and finalize our 2013 tour to France, including Paris, Caen, Tours, Mt. St. Michel and the beaches at Normandy. If all goes as planned, the kids will be singing at the American Memorial on the 4th of July at Normandy. Most of the parents I’ve talked to are very touched and excited by this.

• Spain – I leave for Spain in less than a month to check out venues and touring options in Madrid, Seville, Granada and Malaga. I didn’t realize how big/important/amazing the Alhambra was to most, but since I’ve been poking around on the web, I’ve now realized what an amazing opportunity this all is! ( Quit shaking your head… I’m slow sometimes… we all know it!)

House and Home life

• WEEDS! WEEDS! WEEDS!  Blech… not knowing what was planted here since I’d never seen it in a growing season, I had to wait a bit for things to really establish themselves before I pulled them out of the ground. Between that and being gone every night of the week and two full weekends, my yard is now ABUNDANT with weeds. Thankfully, I’m also seeing that much of the plantings done here are very hardy and not very labor intensive, once I get the overgrowth of wild strawberry and such under control. I’m looking forward to planting some Pampas grasses and Liriope. And daisies… I gotta have some daisies!
• Kids have been visiting – which makes me happy. Furniture is in the house now and painting choices are coming together nicely. Photos eventually. :0)
• Got some interesting news in the health realm. Could be nothing…we are checking it out now. The more exciting news is that I lost 12 lbs, which has me feeling much better in my own skin. And, I started walking in the mornings again. It’s great to look at what others are doing in their yard and seeing all the BUNNIES in our neighborhood. Another plus to living out here. I have BUNNIES around again.
• Bessie – my beloved and dearly departed cat – planned a little gift for me before she passed. I had some rugs in my room that had been in the basement. The first day it was warm enough to open the windows, it was also humid. I opened my windows and left the room to go to the loft to work, but when I came down the steps – oh my goodness! She’d left me an aromatic gift in my carpet. EW! And she wasn’t there for me to fuss at or to give me that huge look and invite me to pet her fuzzy softness and a conciliatory gesture. My friend said it was a “sneak attack” and complimented Bess with a “Well played, Bessie, well played”. It did remind me of why I don’t want to seek out a cat and will wait until one needs me.

So – that’s the basics. I’m planning on blogging more so you don’t have to read a novella just to keep up with the boring life I lead! Now… back to work… or a nap. Whichever I can rouse myself to first.