Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Random daily life stuff

 It's a most welcome day off for me. Today is, of course, Election Day, and schools are always closed on this day. As a matter of fact, the school where I work is my polling place. Gregg and I went early this morning, before he had to leave for work. I was grateful to be able walk in the gym, cast my vote (with no wait), and then head back home for the rest of the day.

Work hasn't gotten any better, unless you're judging by how well I seem to be managing to keep my head down and power through.So far this has been a loooong year. For the first time in my six years at the school, I have a mild dread in the pit of my stomach on Sunday afternoons. Spring can't come soon enough; that's when contracts and work agreements start coming out and jobs start opening up. With 24 schools in our district, surely an opportunity to transfer to something better will come along soon! 

George's leg/knee is still a real worry. He still limps some half the time, despite almost six weeks of reduced activity and the NSAIDs he gets every morning. Arthritis in his left knee seems to be his biggest issue, and we're probably going to have to try to manage it for the rest of his life. He's gotten somewhat depressed because we haven't been taking him for his twice-daily half mile walk. Hopefully the vet will soon let us gradually get him back to walking more. We've just been making sure that if it's a ligament tear, it has some time to heal, but if it's just arthritis, then gentle exercise will be good for him. 

Poor George; we've been sneaking around with Poppy, taking her on walks. Not too often, and mostly when he's in a back room napping and so won't notice, but still. I hate going without him and I feel guilty. But as bad as I feel for making him rest for all these weeks, I can't deny an 11-month-old puppy the chance for exercise. She's got so much pent-up energy she's like a small package of dynamite!


Okay, well "small" might be the wrong word for Poppy! She was 50 pounds when I last took her to the vet. She's getting to be a big (and tall) girl. Although I'm a little sad that she's not really a puppy anymore, I'm pleased as can be about the dog she's becoming. She's turning out to be very intelligent, friendly (to humans and dogs alike), and playful, with the beginnings of a sense of humor that I didn't know was possible in dogs until Ginger came along. She's sweet, too. Very cuddly, especially late at night and early in the morning when she's sleepy. Poppy is already very much a part of our family.

Her only fault so far (and it's only really kind of a fault) is that she's stubborn and protective, and she'll bark like hell at people coming and going at neighbors' houses. She's also not fond of strangers (like the pest control guy that comes quarterly) who enter our home. She'll snarl and bark and put all the fur up along her spine, and no amount of scolding will make her stop. I always end up banishing her to the back yard if I have to let strangers into the house. But she's loving and loyal to all our friends and family, so at least there's that! Ginger was also protective, but she was smart enough to discern which people might actually pose a risk and which wouldn't. Since Poppy is so smart I expect she'll gain some discernment with maturity. She's still very much a puppy in some ways.

One last item of note: Gregg took down the last really large aquarium in our house. It was a 125 gallon that's been in our den since we moved in here 4 years ago. ** He decided he wanted to sell it while the tank was still in good shape, and he wants to concentrate on something a little bit smaller and less time (and space) consuming. He sold it for a very, very good price to a secretary at one of the medical offices where he gets paid to maintain their aquariums. He's known this woman for years, and she's been wanting a nice, large tank of her own. He only charged her $400 for the tank, stand, lights, filters, and several buckets of nice substrate. A real bargain.


The aquarium, cleaned and ready to go, right before the new owner came to pick it up.

Of course, we had to totally rearrange the den after the aquarium was gone. So far, I like what we've done in there, and today we're going furniture shopping for new barstools to go in this room! That's going to be Gregg's birthday gift--his birthday is tomorrow--and I'll post photos of the room once we're finished redoing it. I'm a little sad to see the tank go, but excited about rearranging and redecorating.

* Knocking on wood as I type this. When your boss almost certainly has a personality disorder, and you manage to stay in their (mostly) good graces, it's best to stay humble about it. All that could, and might, change tomorrow!

**Today is the 4-year anniversary of us buying this house! That's so hard to believe. Time really does fly.

41 comments:

  1. Wow! Have you really been in there for four years? That's amazing. Happy birthday to Gregg for tomorrow - please give him a nice, sloppy birthday kiss from me!

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    1. As soon as he gets home tonight (he works late on Wednesdays) I'll give him a big old sloppy Sheffield kiss! Hahaha!

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  2. Nsaids don't work for me anymore. $400, that's a really, really good deal for that size tank!

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    1. Yes, considering the tank was in mint condition and all the stuff he threw in with the deal, it was a great price! After he emptied the tank he got it almost spotlessly clean--the filters, too. He's a good man. :)

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  3. SO sorry about what you're going through at work. From bad to worse. I had a few bosses with personality disorders. My last was by far the worst. The only satisfying thing was that she was fired after I quit... along with a slew of her cronies. Still, it didn’t make my time there any better. You are in my thoughts.

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    1. So far, she seems to like me well enough, and I've been able to navigate her mood swings with a minimum amount of blowback...at least so far. She's demanding, but I'm learning all kinds of new skills that I'll be able to put to good use elsewhere. So there are some positives!

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  4. Happy birthday to Gregg! Things were kind of difficult for me at work for a bit. Then they got better again. I hope you have the same experience.

    Love,
    Janie

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  5. So hard to believe that you've lived in that house for four years. I am so glad that you found your home. And so glad that Poppy has found her home with you and Gregg. She is just a gorgeous dog and you can see the intelligence in her. I think that a sense of humor is a sign of intelligence in humans and dogs. Cats of course have none unless you count the delight they take in knocking things off of counters and tables.
    As to your boss- all things must pass. May her time as your principal pass soon.
    And happy birthday to Gregg!

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    1. Marco must have some cat in him, he delights in pushing stuff off counters and tables and making a mess! And yes, this, too, shall pass. Bad bosses and bad coworkers always do. Thanks Mary!

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  6. Sorry to hear your work situation hasn't improved, but not surprised because people like your boss don't change. Here's hoping that when jobs open up, you get placed in a better work situation. Judging from my own experience with functionally insane bosses, she probably really likes you and won't want you to leave. Don't believe it when she starts praising and sweettalking you so you won't leave. When an opportunity presents itself GO!

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    1. Yes, I worry that she'll try to make me stay. She's been depending on me more and more as the year goes on, and I hate the way I feel good when she praises me and my work. It's like being in an abusive relationship! But I won't be deterred if I can find a better spot. I will do exactly what you said....GO!

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  7. Oh I recognize that Sunday afternoon sick feeling. I am sorry. Poppy has grown like crazy!

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    1. Poppy is much bigger than we expected her to get!

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  8. Happy Birthday to Gregg -- I hope he has a wonderful day tomorrow!

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    1. Thanks Debra! We bought new barstools for our house as his gift. I hope he's having a good birthday even though Wednesdays are his long days at work.

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  9. Happy Birthday to Gregg !
    Good luck to you with work. Worry is the last thing you need. Poppy is growing up to be such a beautiful dog. Does she have Beagle or a hunting hound in her mix.

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    1. The vet thinks hunting hound. She looks very much like an American Foxhound, but I'm sure there's other stuff mixed in, probably.

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  10. Happy birthday Gregg. Sorry to hear about George and how you simply must sneak out Poppy for walks, she has so much energy she needs them. Surprising you bought the house four years ago, time flies.

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    1. Isn't it crazy that it's been four years already? It's somewhat frightening, how quickly time flies.

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  11. Billy barks at people passing both in front of, and behind, our house. He has a very piercing bark, and he's getting worse. Still, he's the best burglar alarm around.

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    1. Dogs are a major deterrent to home break-ins, even small dogs. Most criminals with any common sense find quieter places to do their dirty work!

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  12. Happy Birthday to Gregg!
    Poor George, but although you can't shake off the guilty feeling when you sneak out with Poppy, you know that you are only acting in his (and Poppy's) best interest. I agree; if it's arthritis, mild exercise is good.
    The mid-term elections were the most prominent feature on our main news on TV last night. We here on the other side of the pond are awaiting the results with bated breath.

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    1. Our midterms weren't nearly as bad as I feared...but of course, they could have been better. I'm trying to pay less atttention to the state of politics in my country. Of course I will always vote, and stay minimally informed, but right now my stress is much lower when I disassociate from the constant barrage of news and talking heads.

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  13. Lordy, Joanne is right, we've all had to work for or with someone who is off their rocker. Sorry it's your boss. Personality disorders are the worst, they're the hardest to treat because the person usually has NO IDEA they have a disorder. I pray once you can, you can move on to another location! Happy birthday to Gregg, and I hope George is better soon!!

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    1. Off her rocker describes it perfectly! Hahaha! Thanks for the chuckle. Thank you for the kind words, Karla.

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  14. So sorry this year at work has become an exercise in avoiding the line of fire. Christmas break isn't that far off and the spring job postings will soon follow. You're going to make it, Jennifer.

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  15. Happy Birthday to Gregg! Best wishes for a year filled with good health and fun adventures!
    Hope things get better at work! They are lucky to have you there.

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    1. I'll pass along all your good wishes to Gregg, and thank you for the kind words.

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  16. When I kept aquariums I always enjoyed them, but it was also an IMMENSE relief when I took them down! Poppy is a beautiful girl, and hopefully her protective instincts will mellow a bit as she gets older. (Of course, it's also GOOD to have a dog that will defend you and your property! Olga is completely useless as a guard dog -- she's everyone's best friend whether she's seen them before or not.)

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    1. Gregg was afraid that as more time passes he'll be less and less inclined to deal with such large tanks. He was a little sad to see it go, but as you say it was a relief to get it down and out of here.

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  17. I hope another position opens for you in another school district soon. Working under a 'personality disorder' is very stressful....to say the least. This is coming from a 25 year psychiatric nurse.
    I had a 125 lb. male Rottweiler that would have invited a burglar in and offered a cup of coffee. His looks were very threatening. His personality was more of a cuddly kitten. Oh, how I miss him.
    I had a couple smaller aquariums over the years. I enjoyed them....to a degree. I hated when I paid big bucks for a fish and got up the next morning and it was floating on the top. I never got into the saltwater stuff. Too complicated and expensive. Now I'm down to a cat who is bi-polar. LOL!
    Paranormal John

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    1. I plan to stay in the same district. It's a large one and there should be plenty of other places for me to go in it.

      Most people wouldn't mess with a huge Rottweiler no matter how sweet he was! :) They're great dogs. I'm sure yours was wonderful and you have many happy memories with him.

      Aren't all cats bipolar? LOL!

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  18. You shouldn’t have to dread work deArheart x

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    1. I'm trying to look at it as a learning experience, and a minor bump in the road. As Mary says, this too shall pass. Thank you for stopping by! xx

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  19. Hi Jennifer! I have been absent from the blogging world for a bit! I love reading your stories about your dogs. I still miss my Murphy so much, and when you write about your dogs, it brings back fond memories for me. I think this summer I may get another one. Time will tell. Glad you had election day off. I did too!

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    1. Michael!! It's good to see you posting! I've been meaning to go comment on your latest post. It took a while, but once I got over Ginger's death enough to consider a new dog, it's been a great experience. A puppy would make a great retirement gift to yourself! xx

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  20. Happy birthday Gregg..what about water therapy for George?

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    1. That would be great, if we had access to a heated pool he could use. We do not.

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