One Dog Good, Two Dog Not so Good

For awhile now, I have been wanting a second dog. I have always believed that the more pets the merrier. Perhaps that comes from growing up in a house where the four legged (despite my mothers protests) were always welcome. At any given time we always had a dog in the house and various other animals including turtles, fish, parrots, guinea pigs, cats, and a horse (not in the house of course).
So this past week, Daniel and I got a taste of what it would be like with a second dog. My sister and her family went on vacation and left their Britney Spaniel, Bella, in our care. It ended up being quite chaotic.
The dogs have always played with each other quite enthusiastically, but we thought after the first day or so, the dogs would calm down, but for a week straight they played and wrestled with each other. From morning to night, there was constant banging on the hardwood floors as they threw each other to the ground. It was the last thing we heard at night and it woke us up in the morning. Forget listening to the TV at a normal volume.
Besides not being able to hear ourselves think, there was the sickness. Both dogs got a case of the trots from eating each others food. Needless to say-YUCK!
Then there was the barking, barfing, toilet drinking, water bowl tipping, glass smashing (just a framed piece of artwork), the getting out and running through the neighborhood, and the tearing out the stuffing of all of Coopers toys.
Needless to say, we were happy to see her go.
Although I have to say, I miss her a bit. She was a sweet dog and Cooper loved her. He is a bit sad today and I think he misses her. Perhaps in a few months I will forget how crazy it was and consider getting another pet. I really wished we lived in the country because I really would like to get a goat or a horse or alpaca. But I guess a cat or dog will do.

Smoking North Carolina

Smoke, from forest fires in the Dismal Swamp in North Carolina, has been hanging over Portsmouth and the rest of the Hampton Roads area for days. The mornings in particular have been very eerie. The smoke so thick at times you cant see the Norfolk skyline from the Portsmouth side. The smokiness is so heavy we can smell it in the house. Unfortunately, forest fires are usually rare and small out here so the parks are not equipped to put the fires of this magnatude out properly. There is no rain in the forecast, so who knows how long it will be burning.
A couple of nights ago and Daniel and I walked down to the waterfront and I took a few pictures. It was a very nice evening and the smoke wasnt too bad. It just seemed a bit hazy.

Dog Days

Someone forgot to tell mother nature that its still technically Spring. Its been hotter than Hades around here, but Cooper has been finding a way to keep cool. He loves the sprinkler. I have never owned a dog that actually liked to get wet. What a stinky filthy mess.

This Old Bungalow Post #1

When we purchased this old house, Daniel and I hoped that we could start fixing it up immediately. It only took one trip to the Home Depot for me to realize that this was going to be a pricey investment. Just pricing wooden blinds for our 24 windows sent me running to the exit. How can this stuff be so expensive!? Needless to say, the fixing up has been very slow.
The first thing we have decided to tackle is the kitchen. Of course it needs the most work and will be the most costly. But its hard to live with pink countertops and ancient cabinets. Here is a before picture. Hopefully it wont be years until I can show an after picture.

The first to go is the floor. Daniel had a suspicion that there was hardwood under the ugly linoleum tile and sure enough he was right. It wasnt in the condition I was hoping it would be but I am certain that once it is sanded and refinished it will be great. Next up is sanding the cabinets and replacing the doors. I am not looking forward to it.
GOING...

Going...

Going...(me on the floor, I was in charge of pulling up all the rusty nails, there sure was alot of nails. The guys that put the plywood down must have thought it was going someplace.)

GONE! What a mess!