Daddy's Home!!

Matt has been working from home for a couple of weeks now with his friend's software business.  No more daily commuting and working for a hated boss.  Now there's the stress of invested labor - somehow a much more satisfying stress than working for somebody else.  One of his first assignments has been to sell a number of their company's Apple MacBook Pro's.  So that he can do so, we're playing host to these computers in their boxes, all in our itty-bitty apartment.

What the dogs' see: "Agility Obstacles!!!  Wheeee!!!"
Now I understand why when we say we have 3 dogs, people always ask if we have a big yard.  Nope - we sure don't...

Since the big transition to Matt working from home, the dogs are rarely in their crates, and have more flexibility overall.  Matt's there to walk and feed them, and they can have cuddles at will.  But they are NOT momma cuddles.

"You're leaving us here with HIM?!"

For the first few days, the dogs greeted me with the wild-eyed look of kids after a night with a 1st time babysitter.  Matt's home to walk them at lunch, so I don't have come home midday, either.  This makes me a far less rushed, crazy woman.  After about a week, the kiddos have settled into their new routine, content and calm.  I hate to admit it, but they're doing just fine without me - all of them.  Except for maybe the apartment itself which still needs my TLC...

So in an effort to help me care for the poor, neglected apartment, please consider buying one of these acBook Pro's from Matt's company, WebLDR.  While I love the idea of an at-home exercise course for the kids, high-end computers do NOT make good agility poles.  Having these computers here at home, I can honestly say they're really nice refurbished computers for a very reasonable price.  The hard drives were totally wiped and brand new operating systems have been installed, so they run like new.  I can understand the reason for the whole Apple craze.  To see another description, you can see Matt's local Craigslist listing here.  Send along your email or phone # with any questions! To reach Matt directly, call (214) 937-9979.

Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch

I have a couple of new articles up:
The Examiner: Walking the Dog Like a Pro
HelloDallas: Cutting Back Fido's Food the Easy Way
I've also recently discovered StumbleUpon - to "friend me, my username is ForPetsSake.

Keep It Simple - The Story of our Move from Maine to Texas Three Years Ago

Travel light.

Three years ago, Matt was approached by his friend about a business opportunity in Dallas too good to refuse.  We decided to leave Maine's fast declining economy and start fresh.  That was our goal when we first decided to move from Maine to Texas in a Scion XB.  If you’re familiar with the car, you know they look like little toasters on wheels.  These are not cars that you’d associate with luxury travel, but somehow, Toyota has managed some Japanese magic.  What looks tiny on the outside actually proves pretty roomy on the inside.  Despite the magical car, we knew to plan for our move early.  With 2 dogs, a ferret and a snake, planning was paramount.

Japanese magic!

We started by separating all the “junk” from all the “must keep” items.  For about two months prior to our move, we held weekly garage sales.  Surely, our neighbors would let out a collective groan as we hauled out our crap each weekend.  Living on the 3^rd floor of an old Victorian apartment building, this was both a challenge and a workout.  We were determined to start fresh and leave what was burdensome and unnecessary behind.  There’s nothing quite like unpacking a box that was left sealed from your last move and realizing you have no earthly use for the contents anymore. 

“So that’s where I put my old  insert useless item here !” 

Being together for almost 10 years, we’d accumulated quite a bit of Stuff.  Stuff was everywhere, really.  We had closets of Stuff stored for some imagined future use.  An antique mirror bought at auction – too large and heavy to hang properly.  More shoes than any seven people could wear in a lifetime.  Christmas ornaments and kitchen mini appliances, knick-knacks and old puppy toys.  We had it all.

Spare junk bedroom and the Nyxie blur pup

And we sold it all.  Little by little, we sold furniture, clothes, shoes, suitcases, appliances, books and artwork.  What we didn’t sell through garage sales, we sold on Craigslist or gave to neighbors and our dear friends.  It was liberating!  “Keeping it simple” took on a whole new meaning.    

We kept the photographs, the love letters we’d sent to one another, the plants, some clothes, treasured odds and ends, some jewelry and important documents, books I couldn’t bear to part with, and the creatures.  Miss Poo, our ball python, was placed in an old pillowcase in a reptile-proof Rubbermaid and Haimmie, our ferret, was set up in a cat carrier with hammock and all.  He wasn't sick then so we weren't worried about how the trip might effect him.  The girls were sardined into a half-backseat covered with soft blankets and pillows, their personal effects within easy reach of us in the front seats.  With everyone packed in tightly, we drove out of Portland for the last time.  It was a scary, exciting time.  We felt free and unencumbered by the Stuff.  The important Stuff was there with us in that tiny, magical car. 

The Pack was headed west- together!