seemingly very random

This morning, JoJo and I ate pancakes by the fire while we watched the tiny bits of snow fall on the gardens out back.

I have decided to hang the wooden sign Shilo found for me for Christmas over the entryway closet door so that all who enter our home will see its greeting: Welcome to my garden.

Last night, I spent several hours reading this blog: http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/. If you are up to feeling overwhelmed by a painful tragedy, go there and read. It is a powerful ongoing life story of despair and hope and forgiveness and healing and love. I wept as I read. And I was, if you will, inspired by her acceptance of things she cannot change.

Last night, before reading NieNie, Jack and I went to a local playhouse--The Desert Star--where "Nutcracker, Men in Tights" was playing. I gave him two tickets for the show for Christmas. If you like slapstick, melodramatic, over-the-top, hammy fast-paced with some local insider jokes comedy, and I do, you will laugh off your head. And I did. Jack had to put it back on my neck. Several times. The guy sitting next to Jack commented during intermission that I seemed to really enjoy the show. I don't know if the clue was my nearly nonstop Betty Rubble laughter or Jack locating and reattaching my head. (Two of the many of my favorite parts of the show were when the trailer-trash villainess tried out for a part in the trailer-trash small town play in the show and performed "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." The chorus, as sung by her, was: "You say tomayta, I say tomayta; You say potayta, I say potayta; tomayta, tomayta, potayta, potayta; Let's call the whole thing off..." Hilarious. My other favorite was the elf act in the Ho-lio--the post show Olio. It was totally corny, but so funny when the elf did karate kicks accompanied by the drummer after each joke.)

I hesitate to write these next few words, but here goes. Yesterday morning we had some workermen in the basement and I figured that JoJo would keep dropping her tennis ball at their feet for them to throw if I let her run free in the house, so I got the bright idea to take her with me to wash my car. Afterall, I didn't want to leave her outside barking, right? So we got in the car, headed to the carwash, and I got out to begin scrubbing down my dirty, little car. JoJo seemed to be feeling fine as I soaped up the car, she followed me around as I rinsed the car, and she greeted me as I opened the door and slid onto my seat to head home.

As I drew in my first breath in the car, I immediately knew something very wrong had happened in the car. I asked JoJo if she had been farting, noticed her look of embarrassment, and then began frantically turning around and searching for the cause of the stench. It took me less than five seconds to realize and locate the poop--yes, poop--on my seat, under my bum! AAARRGHGHGHGH!

I suspect that if you are still reading this post, you'd probably appreciate it if I skipped the rest of the details of that story, but let's just note that I am glad Jo did not have diarrhea and wow can I move fast when poop is involved. The car, my carseats, my pants were all poopfree as quickly as I could get the poop into a trashcan, speed home, find the spray bottle of cleaner/disinfectant, and toss my clothes into the washer.

The point of that story is that after I was back into clean jeans and settled down, I realized how pointless it is for me to change to appease my neighbor. I can't change him or his attempts at helping me become a better pet owner. I can't keep Jo from pooping when she gets nervous or excited. I can't change a lot of things.

Reading NieNie last night helped me realize that whether it is something about yourself or someone else, accepting things that you can't change is possible and reasonable and healthy.

I think I have found a resolution for 2010.