one thing that

frightens me about flying is being above the clouds.  I don't want to do it and until Saturday, we hadn't.  I was on my phone, not paying any attention to the scenery.  I usually like to watch for everything like the roads and landmarks just so I can keep up with where we are... and I announce it and verify it (because I like to be right).  So I looked up from my phone and this is what I saw.

NOT. COOL. AT. ALL.

At this point I put my phone away and started reading my book.  Anything to take my mind off where I was...

what can I

say?  I've been preoccupied.

But for right now the pool is good and we just got some swimming/floating time in, just in time for a front that's expected to hit tomorrow.  Maggie has her pool back.  Speaking of Maggie...

Saturday night, around 11:30, Archer was barking.  I sent Eric a text asking him to make it stop.  He let me know it wasn't going to stop because Maggie had a possum.  So Maggie caught a possum and apparently, as with most things, she wasn't about to share.  Archer wanted in on it so he was barking.  Here's where it gets a little interesting.  The possum wasn't dead, he was playing possum.  Long story short, I was sleepy and did what I always do when awaken by an animal... threatened to get rid of every pet we have.  By 12:30 Eric and his friend were outside with the dogs in their cage, trying to get the possum over the fence.  The possum decided to come to and ran up a tree.  At that point I didn't care because the dogs seemed to be over it.  I enjoyed the peace and quiet and got a good rest-of-the-night's sleep.  So the next morning I was in the backyard with Cosme and Maggie started barking... at the tree.  Then I saw it. 

That possum had stayed in the tree for the rest of the night.  At that point, Maggie was trying to jump up to get that thing.

 And if she couldn't reach it, she was determined to wait right there for it to come down.

Archer agreed, Maggie would do it.

Still waiting while Archer decided to see what the leaves were like.

I wasn't sure where the pellet gun was so Cosme did what he could to knock it out of the tree.  And just like that, Maggie scooped the possum up and was running around the yard with it.  I managed to run inside wearing flip flops with camera in hand and hopefully the neighbors were awake because I was screaming the whole way.

The pictures stop here because although it looks dead, the possum was alive... here, anyway.  Cosme eventually got it thrown over the fence and the dogs were locked up trying not to bust out to get it while I cleaned the blood off the back porch.  Then I started thinking how maybe it isn't so bad when the dogs bring dead grass snakes up to the back door.

i went for

a drive yesterday so I could scope out a location for some portraits that are coming up.  I was looking in Danbury and used my phone to snap a shot of a few places but then...  I found the cemetery.  Then the camera came out.  It's so hard for me to turn down a cemetery.  I didn't do any walking around but I saw one scene I knew I wanted.

This one:

Now to lighten the mood a little.  Here are a few more pictures of the dogs.

Archer

Archer not letting Maggie have one of her own

and a few together shots

Right now they're in a little trouble.  I found the latest chlorine floater in the yard... disassembled.  This morning I went and bought our fourth one.  (sigh...)

like I mentioned

yesterday, I took a few pictures.  I've been preoccupied lately with this pool stuff going on.  OMG.  For about two weeks this pool was a total nightmare.  Seriously, our days have been revolving around this pool.  I know this started as a pool for the dogs and then turned into a "let's see if this is right for us" situation but last week I was ready to get rid of it.  IT WOULD NOT TURN BLUE.  We tried EVERYTHING.  We treated it for every possible thing and nothing worked.  It definitely wasn't algae.  The pool was clean, no slime and the readings of the water were right.  But something was messing up the water and we still don't know.  We finally gave up started over.  We're on the third day and I haven't made it out to test the water but I'm hopeful.

Here's how it looked last week

I promise.  There was no algae, as swampy as it looks.  On Tuesday I treated it for metals.  At first it seemed lighter on Wednesday but then I checked again.  We also upgraded the filter.

So, now with an upgraded filter and a fresh start, I'm hoping this works out better.  Also, all this has made us rethink an in-ground pool versus our plan of sinking an above-ground down a couple of feet.  We're still undecided.  (No surprise there, we're dealing with me after all...)

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday.  Yes, it's dog pictures but sometimes I just can't help myself, especially when Maggie gets in the pool. 

Usually Maggie climbs up and jumps in from the side but yesterday she followed Eric up the ladder and jumped in.  Now if she would just keep doing that, it would be perfect.

I love watching her swim.  It's cute and she loves it.  When I took her for her shots a couple of weeks ago, everyone asked if she just got a bath.  I let them know that no, she had just gone swimming.  The vet thought it was great and would help her muscles.  That scares me a little.  She is already ONE STRONG DOG.

When we first discovered her climbing in the side of the pool (notice the paw prints on the side in this next picture) I knew I immediately needed to get her to use the ladder.  Ever since then she's at least been using the ladder to get out.

Archer, on the other hand, hates the water.   He doesn't know how to use the ladder but it doesn't matter.  The lifeguard queen is perched atop her throne.

 

 If he's going to be in the pool, he prefers to be in someone's arms or on a float.  And if he is in someone's arms, he usually has his head on their shoulders as if it's a plea to please get him out.

When they do get out, it's business as usual, galloping and wrestling.

i used

my camera!  I know it's shocking but since my phone is always handy, it's what I grab.  I used my camera a couple of times over the weekend and once again today!  WOOHOO!  I'm a little busy right now so tomorrow morning I'll be back to share.

to give you an example

of how this week is going, I started this post yesterday and had to leave it.  Now I'm back and I'll try to finish before I have to leave again.

First I want to take back a few things I said on the last post about the recipes I tried that didn't work.  Last night I gave a second chance to a Mongolian Beef recipe I'd found on Pinterest.  This time, knowing how it was the first time, I knew of a couple of things that needed changing and guess what.  Everyone loved it, it disappeared and there were complaints that there wasn't more.

I'd also like to take back all the nice things I had to say about the cleaning lady.  She stood me up.  Get this.  She initiated the appointment.  Seriously.  She sent me a text, asking if I needed her.  I told her Friday was good for me and she said it was good.  Then she never showed.  I haven't called anyone else.  That's a lot of work to find the right person and I'm just not ready for that emotional roller coaster of thinking I found someone and then have them dump me like that.  lol, Okay, maybe that's being a little dramatic but I'm a private person and it takes a lot for me to let some stranger into my house and get all up in my business.

In other news, that above ground pool is becoming a royal pain in the butt.  And right now I know WAY too much about pools and chemicals... but apparently not enough to get it balanced and looking right.  On the plus side, Maggie is thoroughly enjoying the pool.

Tuesday I was tempted to turn my phone off.  Not only because it's freaking out on me and doing wacky things but because I kind of need a moment or 50 to catch up on me.  I feel like I can multitask fine.  I don't like it but I can do it.  My main issue is with interruption.  If I have stuff I'm doing, I do not like being interrupted and I do not handle interruption well.  In the past, I may or may not have thrown my phone across the room on several occasions because it wouldn't quit dinging and ringing.  Interruption ultimately equals my temper coming out to play.  My temper means that everybody else is better off if I'm in hiding.  I'll leave it at that.  Oh, speaking of my phone acting wacky, that's been annoying me so today I get to drive to Sugarland to have it looked at.  AWESOME.  Was that sarcastic enough?  I surely hope so.

Since it's already 8:00, I better start getting ready.  If I don't post this now, I won't get around to getting some stuff done and if I don't get some stuff done, I'll be really cranky later and I don't have time for that today.