Psycho Dog and More

I saw the strangest thing when I was out and about today.  In the lane next to me was an older Mercedes station wagon with a dog in the back.  I think the dog was psychotic because it was in constant motion running from one side of the car to the other, non-stop.  It would jump sideways under the window, bounce in the middle of the space and then jump sideways on the other side of the car.  There was a gate up so it only had the space behind the back seat.  When we were stopped at a red light I noticed that the car moved constantly because of the dog.  Also, when we were stopped the dog started to go in circles, frantically.  It was a medium sized dog, maybe in the 40 pound range.  I don't think I'd be willing to take that dog in my car at all.  

I bought a new throw for the couch in Olivia today and when I was getting ready to wash it I looked at the directions which said, "Do not machine wash.  Blot spills immediately using a clean towel until most of the moisture is absorbed.  Do not steam clean or use any method of cleaning that involves water saturation.  Hand wash recommended."  Huh??? Do not machine wash???  There is no way I'm going to buy a throw and not wash it...in the washing machine.  Who knows where it's been between China and here?  Geez.  I did not follow the directions, I washed it in my washing machine, where it was saturated with water and then I dried it in my drier. It came out fine, all the stuff it collected between here and there got washed out and now it can go into Olivia.  Aren't directions optional anyway???

I finally decided on a rug for the kitchen area in Olivia.  I was really leaning towards these rugs because I like the colors so much...

but decided that I'd prefer a runner.  I also think the white background might end up being a mistake.  

I have runners at home I have to use for my dog since he has trouble walking on the hardwood floors, so I took a couple to Olivia to check out.  I don't like this one in the house so why I thought I'd think any differently about it in Olivia is beyond me...

Same for this one...

I kept looking and looking and finally decided on this one...

It's a softer jute so it's comfortable on bare feet.  It also reaches the carpet in the living room so my dog will be able to walk around comfortably. I didn't do this just for my dog.  I think the floor is boring and blah and right now this is the easiest, and probably cheapest, way to dress it up.  The colors aren't as vibrant as the first picture, but they're not bad.  

It rained like crazy this morning ☁☂.  By the time I got home there were brief sightings of the sun ☼, so my dog and I went outside.  I'm so tired of being in the house all the time that sitting outside in 63〫is doable when desperate enough.  Unfortunately, it didn't last long because someone was using one of those awful blowers behind me before mowing the lawn.  I couldn't even hear my fountain that I put together to cover up most neighbor noise, so into the house we went ☹.  The yard work was finished eventually so we went back out ☺☼.  Yes...I just found the special characters on my computer and I'm trying them out, so bear with me.  

When we went back out I grabbed my broom (no symbol) and started sweeping.  I heard the kids behind me ☹ and proceeded to have an insane conversation in my head about sweeping.  I imagined the child asking his parent what the noise was he was hearing.  (That noise would be me sweeping.)  His mom would explain to him that he was hearing a broom and that most people don't use them anymore because they hire out their work to people who only use blowers.  People who do their own work use old fashioned tools, like brooms.  Maybe we'll have to go to Home Depot one of these days so I can show you what they look like.  See what I mean...totally insane.  

Now I now how I recognized that that poor dog was psychotic...we have similar issues!!!

I have to stop now before you get the idea that I've totally lost it.  

Missing the sun, 

Jeana