Endings and Beginnings

As the year is coming to a close, we've had and ending and a new beginning here in our home.  We finally had to put our 14.5 yr old yellow lab down.  It was time.  They did it with dignity at the vet (did it outside, in the grass under the trees).  My hubby took him, as I had to work.  He's taking it very hard.  All he can remember is the dog's final moments, and it saddens him.  I don't have those memories, only descriptions of them, so it's a bit easier for me.  Still, it's a tough time of year to have to do it.  Our son wanted the dog cremated, so we're doing that.  We haven't gotten his ashes back yet, but they'll be here soon.

In the mean time, the new beginning is here.  I'd mentioned that I wanted a beagle puppy, and while my spouse wasn't ready to move on, he wanted to surprise me.  So, I've got a new puppy.  He was born on Halloween, and we brought him home on Christmas Eve.  I figured Nightmare Before Christmas was an appropriate inspiration, due to the Halloween/Christmas connection, so I named him Jack.  He's little, and our black lab/chow isn't too fond of him.  The cat has just taken to hiding.  We'll see how it goes.  Hopefully it will get better.


The other new ending/beginning that has happened in my house has been the death of one computer and a new one.  I'm still setting things up, and need to install a piece of software or two.  But it's getting there.

So This is Christmas.....

..... and what have you done?


Me, I got a haircut, and dyed a blue streak in my hair....It will kill my  mom.  I always wanted blue hair as a teenager, but she wouldn't let me.  It will be interesting to see what other people think of it.  My hubby gets turned on by it, so that's kinda funny.  Since the blue is so new, it will leave marks on my pillow.  Oh joy.

Still need to do my shopping and such, but I've got my tree up, so that makes me happy.


Speaking of my hubby, he mentioned that I had posted on this blog in 2004 that my old dog wasn't long for this world.  He's still alive, but, again, really isn't long for this world.  Interesting how some things change and some things stay the same.

I've had a cold for a little while this week, and my nose got very chapped, and is now quite scabby.  It's kinda gross.  I used tissues with lotion when I was in my office, but I was out in the lab, and didn't have any lotion ones handy, and the regular ones just destroyed my nose.  I was so sad.

I got back from spending Thanksgiving with my family 'back home'.  My aunt was in town from Arkansas.  She drove me nuts.  Her son-in-law is the world's biggest hick (with accent), but is as nice as can be.  Spending time with my family made some of my old accent (as slight as it was) come back.  It didn't stick.  :)  The trip home is what gave me my cold, I think.  Some guy in front of me on the plane was hacking like mad.  Makes me wish that I had had some Airborne before taking my trip.

My pc was going nuts earlier last week.  It wasn't recognizing anything USB (keyboard, mouse) so it wouldn't respond.  I wonder if it was part of the 'black screen of death' issues that came around after a Windows update (XP).  It wasn't responding due to the hardware error, and had been a bit flaky for a while, so I broke down and bought one heck of a computer to replace it.  Of course, there was another windows update after the break and my ordering the pc, so now it works again.  Too late to cancel the new PC build.  Oh well.  I'll just get a new pc, I guess.  I'll have to transfer all my stuff, so that will take me a while.  Too bad I can't just wave a magic wand.

The funness of Christmas is all of the old movies and old musicals.  It's been fun watching them.  I realized that in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, at the end of the movie where Rudolph is getting to lead the sleigh during the snow storm, there are 2 missing reindeer.  There are only 7, (6+1) instead of 9 (8+1). 

During my Christmas decoring, I found that one of my deorations was broken.  I was attempting to glue it back together with superglue, and the glue wouldn't cure.  I tried blowing on it, with moist breath, but it wouldn't cure.  So, knowing that water is the curative of that reaction, I just turned on the faucet in the sink and stuck it under the stream.  It cured.  I'm guessing that it is VERY dry in the house.  Looking at the hygrometer, it's reading 22% humidity.  The house has so much static.  It's awful.