Halloween 2009 - Not Quite A Washout

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Halloween was rainy this year so we didn't get to do our planned "Curse of the Mummy" theme. Poor Blair spent every night of this past week upstairs creating this massive set which included a pyramid backdrop and painted sarcophagus lid, behind which he would hide and jump out dressed as a mummy to scare kids when they grabbed treasure (candy) from this beautifully decorated Egyptian box he'd also created. The set wouldn't hold up to rain though, and we feared the weather would discourage trick-or-treaters, so we're saving it for next year. 
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Lucy_Cat Tooth Extraction

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Lucy is scheduled for a tooth extraction this morning, which means we couldn't feed either cat after 10 P.M. last night. I waited until late to feed the cats, thinking that if they ate late, the morning hunger pains wouldn't be quite so fierce. Of course, both cats had zero interest in food last night. I'm on the floor at 9 PM, throwing food at both cats, trying to engage them. No luck. "You are going to be two hungry kitties in the morning," I warned.

This morning was brutal. For me. I'm eating cereal and both cats are lined up in front of an empty food dish. They turn their heads to watch me chew my food, then turn a sad gaze back to their dish. "The guilt is killing me," I called to Blair.

 

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Mac Freedom

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Where would I be without friends? The reason I have a Mac is because my friend Chris Laney insisted I would be happy with nothing less. He was right. I have an ongoing love affair with my never-locks-up-or-breaks-down-or-pops-up-a-million-annoying-windows Mac laptop. And now Chris has introduced me to the best Mac application ever.

Mac Freedom. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . .

 In a nutshell, Mac Freedom "... is an application that disables networking on an Apple computer for up to eight hours at a time. Freedom will free you from the distractions of the internet, allowing you time to code, write, or create. At the end of your selected offline period, Freedom re-enables your network, restoring everything as normal."

 When you open the program, it asks you how long you wish to remain offline. Today, for example, I entered 120 minutes and hit BEGIN. Boom! I was offline, and the only way I could get back on would have been to reboot my computer. That's the key, for me at least. I can disable e-mail but I know with a click of the button, I can be right back on. There were a couple of times while working this morning that I wanted to toggle over to the web and look something up. But not enough to restart my computer. Instead, I made a note for later and kept working. And got so much done. I left my desk for a few minutes at one point and when I sat back down, I started to check email--out of habit--before realizing I didn't have the option. So I jumped right back into my work. 

The program is free, although a $10 donation is appreciated if you like the app. I can't speak for other professions, but I think it's a must for every writer. Thanks Chris, for the heads up. 

Cheers,

Dena 

An Amazing Story

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I met with a friend yesterday and we got to talking about our pets. She told me the amazing story of how her dog saved her life.

Years ago, my friend had an Irish setter -- not known for being the most vicious of dogs. She was alone in the house one day and a guy came to the front door selling firewood. She opened the front door and was about to open the screen door when her Irish Setter, who had been napping peacefully at the top of the staircase, came charging down the stairs and hurled himself at the screen door. He broke through part of the screen and even broke some of the little glass windows around the door. The dog was snarling, barking, snapping, straining with his full body weight to get at the man.

"I can't open the door," said my friend to the man, as she tried to hold onto the dog's collar. This was not normal behavior for the dog. "I can't hold him back." 

The guy nodded and left. My friend later found out that he went to her neighbor's house up the road, where he proceeded to rape and kill the woman who answered the door. 

It takes my breath away to think about it. That could have been her. That could so easily have been her. Thank God for that dog. And for animal instinct. Animals KNOW. I don't know if they're psychic or if they can smell or sense things that we can't, but they know our hearts and our intentions. Always trust an animal. 

Now... go give your pet a hug. 

Cheers,

Dena