Are we there yet?

 

Full privacy fence... I'm enclosed now.  Only gate is on the far side of the house!

Problem #1:  A gap, about 8 or nine inches wide between the railing and the privacy fence.  A small child could wriggle through and fall to the patio (concrete).  They have promised to fix it.

Problem #2:  There is supposed to be a drink rail on the long side.  Foreman Brian said they didn't have the brackets to attach it.  Calvin promises it will get fixed on Friday.

Problem #3:  They left all the leftover construction materials on the patio, not out where the lumber company truck can come and retrieve them easily.

Calvin promised they will shift those "leftovers" to the north side of my driveway on Friday so I won't have them on the patio.

Until that patio is cleared of hazards, I can't use my sliding door to release Ember into the yard, which means I can't take down the x-pen temporary fence, either.

Consequently, I have called up the day care and slotted Ember in for Friday, Saturday, and Monday.  Friday and Monday I will have workmen here, finishing up on Friday and hauling off the trash on Monday.

I only booked her Saturday, not Sunday, over the weekend, because I figure she'll need a "down day" with "mommy and me" at least one weekend day.  

On the plus side?  The supporting columns are much bigger/sturdier than the old ones.  The flooring and steps are composite, not wood, so don't need as much maintenance.

Friday June 19 - Happy Juneteenth

I'm a bit frustrated.  The workers did not come back Friday morning, so even though I took Ember to day care and removed the center of the X-pen barrier.  I called the head guy to express my worry about the 8 80-pound bags of concrete mix, two of which had the bag broken open, that were sitting on my river rock bed.

Naturally, there was rain in the forecast and the crew that was supposed to move all that stuff... did not show up.  I called the boss who said he would call the crew chief and get back to me.  He never called back.  As the drops began to fall, I tried an emergency shelter made from Ember's doggy pool.

I weighed it down with a couple of cinder blocks from the back yard.  I am not hopeful that the bags will stay dry and I will not pay these dudes the remainder of their fee until they get the trash and leftovers out of my yard, and the gap fixed and the drink rail installed.  If those bags get wet, they will be solid concrete and impossible for me to shift!

About 2 p.m. my son called to check up on me, and we chatted for quite some time, "solving (not) the problems of the world", and generally having a vent (guys don't call it bitch) session.  That pulled me back from the anxious worrying and second guessing.

Saturday, June 20th

This was the day that our local Community Center held the celebration for Juneteenth.  I had never been to such a celebration before, but I knew that my son and DIL intended to attend.  Despite the forecast of rain, I thought I should go.  If nothing else to get myself educated about a holiday that growing up in one of the whitest states in the nation, I had been unaware of until the pandemic years. 

It was packed.  I found the group and was pleased at the sheer joy of the attendees.  

There was live music, emcees, lots of organizations had booths to promote their services, food was served in a buffet line (hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and water, nothing fancy, but very holiday fare).

There is a water park pad, so the kiddos were able to enjoy water even before it started coming from the sky.

I have turned into that old lady that stays and hour or an hour and a half and ducks out early.  Given I had to park about half a mile away, it was a good thing.  By then it was raining steadily.

Ember was in Saturday day care.  They open an hour later on Saturday, so we had time for about a mile of neighborhood leash walking before we went.

When I went to pick her up, she was wet from playing outside in the rain, too.  I love a summertime rain when the temperatures are mild.  I had taken down the x-pen panels in case the deck guys were to come to clear off, but with the rain, I held out little hope.  I put them back up in the rain before I went to get Ember.

Sunday, June 21

Happy Father's Day.  Rain continued.  I went grocery shopping during Ember's morning nap.  When I got home, I let her out of her crate and together we went on a neighborhood walk.  Then Dexter (the car) took us for a ride to recycle some cardboard.  

I was pleasantly surprised when about 12:30 p.m., Ember decided to crate herself for another nap.  Perfect timing.  I went upstairs to pay a bill, then snuck out of the house about 1:30 to go to FGC's baseball game.  As usual, no photos due to foster program rules.

It was a really good game.  He seemed most excited when he got to play first base (he made an out), and later in the game when he was tapped as pitcher (he caught a fly ball that would have been foul).  He did well at bat, too.  This year the league is "coach pitch" but if the kiddo can't get a hit after four pitches, they put up a tee for them to whack it.  FGC managed to get on base off coach pitches twice, and his third (and final) at bat he had to use the tee... and whacked it so well he got a double!  With the rules this year, the inning ends with either the batting team getting five runs, or the fielding team gets three outs, whichever happens first.  FGC managed to get across home plate on all three turns.

I have no clue what kind of score there was at the end of the game (nobody really counts it), but I was very pleased to see how much these kids (all of them, not just FGC) have learned over the past two seasons.  I'm also impressed with the volunteers who coach and umpire!  We are very lucky in this town to have so many folks involved.

I ducked out right after the game and came home to my pup.  It was about supper time and getting fed no doubt helped a lot to establish a good mood!

Monday, June 22nd - we are there!

I dropped Ember at day care and came home to find... workmen!

They installed my drink rail (read "cat superhighway").  

Fix for problem #1:  The gap has been filled with a solid post, matching other support posts on that side. 

Fix for Problem #2:  the crew installed the deck rail, also known around here as The Prisoner's personal highway.  You can see it in the final photo.

Fix for problem #3:  Calvin showed up and took away the trash from the patio and swept up.  

He took away the concrete mix bags that I had sheltered with the baby pool.  He hosed it down so that the river rock was in good shape, no damage from my anxious weekend!

The leftover building materials got moved to the driveway, so that Ember doesn't have to be kept on leash until the lumber truck comes to pick them up on Tuesday.

After I wrote him a check and he left, I took down the x-pen panels, moved the chairs back onto the deck, and hosed down the patio, an extra layer of cleaning because... Ember will be free to run loose in the back yard again!

All's well that ends well, and I can return to normal living for a while!

Life is good.  Spark on!

The week unfolds as the deck project gets underway

 Saturday, June 13th, 2026

I overslept.  I was about an hour late getting downstairs to take care of the animals.  I looked at the forecast and saw that the thunderstorm front was due at the same time as the "Tai Chi in the park" event and texted my friend Kim that I would be skipping it, in favor of taking Ember out for a neighborhood walk hopefully done before the front came through.

This photo is from about halfway through our walk.  Those are storm clouds, not hills, for those of you who don't inhabit the wide-open plains.  

Ember insisted on going around the last block despite my pleas to get home before it hit.  She won that discussion, and we went on around.  There were still some branches within reach of her sniff limit.  We had one funny spot where she climbed through a pile of them and I whined at her that she had to come back because Mommy could not go through the pile the way she did.

Sunday, June 14th

Waking time was more "normal" on Sunday.  But I was tired.  Reordered when we did the dog walk to "after puppy nap #1".  We walked the farthest she ever has on leash, and through a different part of the neighborhood.

Monday, June 15th

Mom still low energy.  This is the last day before we have 3 days of doggy day care in a row.  The deck project is supposed to begin on Tuesday or Wednesday.  On Monday I moved the deck chairs to the far end of the back yard, on the shed pad.  I'm waiting until the last minute to put up the x-pen temporary fence at the far end of the patio so that Ember can be contained for potty sessions.

Tuesday, June 16th

Ember was happy to be dropped off at day care.  I came home and put up the temporary fence, which will give her some back yard freedom, but protect the area that will have the privacy fence and deck removed for a couple of days.

I thought there was a good chance the folks would not show up Tuesday, which would give me time to clear the fence line of unwanted plants (volunteer trees and ivy).  The plan is to deconstruct and put the building materials on the concrete patio.  This should work!  Fingers crossed.

I was wrong about them not getting here Tuesday.  I had started some weed cutting along the fenceline, and about that time Calvin showed up with building materials for the fence part of the project.

I kept working on the weeds, then called it "good enough" to take a break.  About 10:45 a.m. I noticed the crew had arrived to do the deconstruction of the deck and fence.  I asked them to smile for the camera!

They proceeded to deconstruct, and when they left for the day, the posts were up but not the fence.  

Apparently, the delivery truck didn't bring the concrete to set them up!  Tomorrow.  Quick setting, says Calvin (the boss), only need 30 minutes for fence posts.

Raul and Ignacio are the crew hauling the deck flooring to tuck it away for installation.

Ember was very curious when she got home. After supper, I took her out to meander in her section of the yard while I sat on a deck chair and watched her explore.

Wednesday June 17th

Ember reluctantly followed mom to the backyard by way of the front door and across the driveway to the gate.  Treats lured her inside for her morning P&P.

Enticing on the far end of the deconstruction zone was The Prisoner, who was getting his first look at the work in progress.

I stopped at the grocery on the way home.  By the time I got here, the crew were already working on the fence post setting.

Those propping timbers are being anchored in my neighbor's yard.  I hope the neighbors are going to be OK with this.  I didn't see it coming.  Three years ago the fence guys did not put up such props.  At least during the previous fence work three years ago the neighbors were OK with temporary access.  

I can see that I owe my neighbors something for the use of their yard!  At the very least to restore the space between the houses.

10:45 a.m. the skin of the fence is starting to be installed and the joists for under the deck floor are going up.  The front side of the fence is up, shielding from street view the storage area while work continues.

The props will be removed Thursday, according to the work crew.  

Steps are in, as is the deck floor.

The kitty came back inside, after spending a day out hunting.  He had to be shown where the steps were, then he trotted up them during Ember's last call and went back into his own safe space in the laundry room.

Thursday, June 18th

The day dawned beautifully, with cloud cover being sun kissed into a pink glow.

When I stepped out onto the newly installed deck floor to snap this photo, I was met with sprinkles of rain from those clouds.

When I took Ember out for her morning P&P in the backyard, I looked West and found a rainbow.  Rain had not been in the forecast. 

Ember happily went off to daycare.  I came home to find the workmen already starting their day. 

I have rails in progress!

Blog is getting too long already... so I'm going to leave it here and post.  

...  To be continued  ...

Life is good.  As always, it is "under construction".  Keep on Sparking, my friends!

Tai Chi. Really?

My friend and former co-worker, Kim, found it to be too muddy around her house for our recently taken up Saturday morning parallel dog walk.  But she had found this "contribution" class, all stages and ages, of Tai Chi, in the park, in the open air, at the same time as we had been walking the dogs.  That became our Saturday outing.  I managed to convince Ember to take her nap in the crate and I headed over.

At first, it was three of us newbies hunting for the class, because the location on the posting was pretty vague.  Eventually a fourth lady showed up. She had met the instructor and found a way to call her.  This cleared up the confusion about where in the park the class was to set up, and we compromised.

I had never done Tai Chi before.  I had seen a couple of videos of it but hadn't taken a class or anything.  But I was curious.  The instructor assured us that she had taught every age from preschool to seniors over 90.  Cool, all of us are in between those ages!  My observation is that the body feels the workout later.  It's slow and feels relaxing; the stretching and breathing is a similar focus to yoga.  

After the class, Kim and I discussed and decided to do it again next weekend.  I will try to remember two things for next week:

1. Bug Spray
2. Walk the dog early, so she doesn't feel "left out"

After Kim drove off, another lady who had attended the class asked if I was going to walk some more.  She seemed a little lost and maybe in need of a walking partner.  I told her I was indeed going to walk, but I needed to go home and make that a walk with my dog.  I invited her to come walk with us, and she did.

It was starting to get steamy, so we made the walk shorter than what Ember and I normally cover.  Besides, the other lady had left her keys and water bottle on my kitchen counter, and she only had about half an hour to devote to this activity.

The photo is of Ember panting on the deck later in the day.  

Sunday the 7th of June

Ember and I got out walking early, when it was only 69℉.  I was once again drenched in sweat by the time we returned home, 1.84 miles later.  

After that it was a lazy, wasted day!  We napped.  We streamed old TV shows and dog rescue videos.  Mommy ate pizza and shared some.

Monday the 8th of June

An early nice long leash walk, well-behaved.  Ember met a fellow human walker.  Big guy, kind of the size of my son, tattoos on his arms, also like unto my son.  After greeting her the young man asked, "Is there anything I can pray about for you?"  I thought for hardly a second or two, "Pray for the world.  For the whole world," I said.

My needs are small, I thought, as Ember and I walked on toward home.  Whatever your faith, it cannot ever be wrong to pray for the world, can it?  Pick whatever need you feel we need most: peace, health, comfort, full bellies, hope, justice, honesty, wisdom for the leaders... and extend the petition to include the world.  As I walked, I did just that.

We had a low-key Monday, "Mommy and me" day.  Ember had her third or fourth play session with the herding ball.  This time, she defeated and deflated it!

Tuesday, June 9th

Tuesday is Ember's favorite day.  It's the day she gets to go play with her puppy friends after four days of just Mommy and the cat!

While she was off doing doggy things, I dropped some recycles at the center, did a bit of grocery shopping, and paid some bills.  I also took a wee nap and read a few chapters in a novel I have going.  It was hot outside, and I was glad to have a relatively peaceful day!

Wednesday, June 10th

Ember and I were just about to head out on a leash walk when the skies opened up.  It was brief, but it was rain.  Ember is not a fan.

We got a rainbow out of the deal, but before it started raining, not after, as is usual!  Guess it has to do with the timing of the front.

Anyway, we went on our coffee run, then Ember got a consolation prize in the form of a beef bone.

After the rain passed, after the pup finished with her bone, I started to pull her harness down to go for a steamy walk (it was already heating up) when the phone rang.

Hallelujah, it was the deck guy.  Next week, on Tuesday or maybe as late as Wednesday, they will start my project.  I agreed to give him a check for the downpayment this afternoon, then Ember and I headed out on our, as predicted, steamy walk.

He popped by and collected the check.  Ember loved him.  He proclaimed himself to be an enabler of her putting her paws on him.  After he left, Ember and I continued with our quiet day, with an extra treat trip to the DQ to share a kiddie cone.

Thursday June 11th

Thursday started early.  I woke at 3:38 a.m. to rain on the roof.  Went back to bed but not for long.  By 4:30 I was dressed and Ember barked from her crate because the sky was making too much noise for her liking.  I flipped on lights and went down, letting her know it's OK, it's just a thunderstorm.  I can't help thinking about the last big thunderstorm that upset her, nearly a year ago, in August 2025.  During that one, she "lost it" and when I tried to defend the couch cushion, I got bit.  To the tune of stitches.  This time, she's a grown-up, and when I opened the door, she actually went outside in the ruckus, and came back, let herself be dried off with a towel, then snuggled into a dog bed for more sleep.

After the sun rose (albeit behind layers of clouds), we went out and surveyed the yard.  Mr. Sturm und Drang had left her one sizable branch to chew on, from a neighbor's tree.  On the drive to day care, we had to detour around a few such branches from other trees, each of which was taking up one side of the street.  Garbage cans were also knocked over and their contents running loose.

Despite all the drama from the sky, routine was followed.  Pup got her breakfast and morning treats and made it to play with her puppy friends. 

I was feeling quite lazy. I did make it to the library to swap out books, and to the grocery store for a few essentials. 

Friday!  Yay!  We survived the week!

Friday dawned nicely cool.  The Prisoner came out of his "melted" afternoon stance for a regal morning pose on the deck rail.

Ember and I set off to explore the neighborhood.  It was trash day, but she did a pretty good job of leaving other people's trash alone.  She even left two unfortunate birdies that did not survive the storm alone.  But there was one bag of "ewwww!" that she found to roll in.  I wiped her off with some of those doggy cleaning gloves after we were done with our adventure.

We added a trip to the store that lets her come in with me, and one of the staff was in the entrance, ready to greet her.  The other clerk got her to sit for her treat.  And I got her to get back in the car without a whole lot of drama, too.

Once again, life goes on.  It is good!  Keep Sparking, my friends!

Dog laundry and other mundane chores

 Monday morning

It was the first of the month and I was exhausted.  I dropped Ember off at day care and walked around, trying to do a household task here and there, but especially dog laundry, as this had not been done since Carl's visit.  

I made the adjustments to her day care schedule, giving her Wednesday with me, but keeping her normal Tuesday and Thursday.  Also slated dates for her next vaccination and grooming.  

Tuesday morning

Much better rested by Tuesday.  A day of pacing oneself pays off.  Tuesday was for human laundry, since Monday got the vacuuming out the x-pen done.

It was a warm day.  I noticed a certain lethargy in The Prisoner, being not as quick to jump up on the deck rail away from Ember.  I kept Ember inside while I went out and lifted him.  Later, once Ember was down for her nap before last call, I lifted him down and escorted him to his safe zone in the laundry room.

Wednesday morning

The Prisoner was not anxious to go upstairs and outside so I left him with food and drink and litter boxes in his safe zone.  By evening he was back to his old self.  Guess the heat wears on us all.

📸Enjoying deck time Wednesday evening.

Thursday

I had an appointment in Omaha, and I was watching the weather forecast carefully.  I have driven in pouring rain and through storms that I should not have in my younger days and am reluctant to get caught in that situation nowadays.

Luck held.  I left home with a bit of a cushion, watching the hourly forecast for the lightest rain period.  I got lucky on the way back, beating the stormy part, though not the rain.  The worst of the drive was visibility on the way back, due to the backwash from the vehicles that were going about their own business.  But made it safely home.

As for the appointment it was a follow up to a series of recent ones spread over the last three months.  I was released on my own recognizance for the next year.  Yay! 🎉

I was pretty worn out.  I picked up Ember from daycare and fed her.  When she went into her pre-last call crate time, I zonked on the bed for an hour before brushing my teeth and continuing with normal Thursday evening chores.  It was last call before the trash got trundled to the curb!  I remembered to turn off the automatic sprinklers since it had rained most of Thursday and was predicted to rain some more on Friday.  ✅

And now it is Friday!

I slept well.  Ember and I got out on a long leash walk before it got too hot.  It was super humid though, so I was drenched in sweat by its end even though it was only in the 60's F.  Not looking forward to next week when summer temperatures are predicted to top 95℉.

On this walk, Ember failed the "leave it" test with which she was presented.  Imagine someone dropping a breakfast sandwich:  egg, cheese, bread... 👀 Now imagine a car parking on top of it, with said sandwich being squished under the left front tire. 🚗 Yep.  

Mom's cues were worthless as Ember's nose took her straight to it.  She writhed under that car from three different directions as she dug it out.  Mom has learned that sometimes it's better (once you figure out it's not a dangerous poison) to wait it out.  I stood, holding the leash, in the street to direct cars around the scene.  From time to time, I tried to check if she had finished her investigations.  I'm pretty sure she "ate the whole thing" as the old antacid commercials used to moan.  

She did not get her usual giant chew stick on return to home after this adventure.  We did go on a ride our normal coffee run.  Mommy is monitoring for upset tummy signs, but so far, nerp!  If I hadn't already been convinced of the labrador cast iron stomach...

Methinks the cheeky squirrel approves of Ember's adventures.  "Keep her away from me!"

I have not yet heard from the deck guys about the next proposed start date.

Life is good.

Spark on!

 

Into the weekend

 

Friday morning my foster grandson had invited "the grandparents" to come on an exploratory outing to a downtown bakery, called "The Rabbit Hole".

A sign inside suggests one should have "Cake for Breakfast".  That's just what we did.  Kiddo typed out a list for himself.  In case the type is too small, it says:

"1 go to rabbit hole bakery

"2 eat good food

"3 have fun

"4 take a picture"

I can't post the picture he took, due to foster care rules, but all four to-dos were accomplished.  

Several times the past week, this foster kiddo, who has some incredibly difficult memories in his past has chirped "I'm happy", unprompted by his care givers.  That of course warms the hearts of all of us who have come to love him.

After I got home, Ember and I went for a nice walk on leash in the neighborhood.  It has been raining off and on today.  Being on a walk did not save us from it.  We got about three blocks of light rain at the end.  Along the way, Ember collected pets from a lawn service guy and a marathon runner I know down the block.  He commented on how big she has become, as my running neighbor met her back when I first got her.  They don't stay little for long, as this man knows, since he has two dogs of his own.

Ember and Bella, an aging yellow lab, approached from opposite directions about mid-walk.  Ember laid down and did not spring up when Bella came up.  They politely touched noses.  Bella's dad commented on how well-behaved Ember has become, compared to the last time we encountered one another on leash.  "She's past two years, now?" he asked.  I affirmed it.  "Same with Bella.  At two, she settled right down.  It was like a different dog."  I shall not disillusion him.  I pray that this remains her adult personality.

Saturday was a calm good day with a long leash walk in the morning.  We had a tentative date to walk with my former co-worker and her dog, but we waved that off, thinking it was probably still too muddy where we normally meet.  As it was, the ground in people's yards was kind of muddy, too.  Still, Ember was allowed to greet one lady who was coming out to work in her yard.  She was so good at first, but at the end, put her muddy paws up on this woman's sweatshirt.  Lady was very accepting of it, but fellow dog-mamas know what I mean... we want our fur-kids to have good manners.

Our grocery trip was also in the morning coolness, so that Ember could stay in the car.  We had a celebrity sighting.  Somebody has clearly put a lot of work into their fandom!  I've seen this vehicle in my grocery parking lot more than once.  I have yet to deduce whether the owner is a shopper or an employee.  

Sunday also started with a long leash walk.  The tree that was down when we walked earlier in the week (photo in Thursday's posted blog) had been all cleared off by Sunday morning.  Ember was a happy and good girl on the walk.  We were certainly far from alone out there.  It was between showers, after all.  We encountered at least four clumps of two or more dogs being walked together.  We were polite, gave them their space, they gave us ours.  I was proud of the whole neighborhood full of dogs, because nobody got out of line.  A couple might have tugged a bit or barked a bit, but they pretty much acted like they knew it was Sunday morning and people might want to be sleeping.  

Sunday afternoon I brought out another new "toy" / "training tool".  This was advertised as a "herding ball".  It's intended to help exercise the herding breeds that might not have access to a field full of sheep or cows.  Ember hasn't quite caught on yet.  She still grabs the cover with her teeth and carts it around.

For the curious, this is a Suisse exercise ball, wrapped up in a tear-resistant cover.  It comes deflated with a foot pump to fill the ball once you insert it in the cover.  Then zip it up, and work on teaching your dog what to do with it.

The ad says your dog won't be able to pop it, but they don't advertise it for labradors.  We shall see how indestructible it is or is not.

Remember that this next week was supposed to be the next great adventure in home maintenance?  The replacement of my deck?

Well, Sunday afternoon brought a phone call from the gentleman in charge of the project.  His builder is running behind (considering the recent weather, this does not surprise me).  So it's not happening this week.  I'll be reshuffling Ember's day care to something closer to "normal" and I will expect a phone call sometime end of the week or beginning of the next week to see where we stand on the schedule.

Oh, well.  Life goes on.  Life is good.  Spark on!

Watching the day get light

Watching and listening.  Feeling and smelling.  Tasting the beginning of a day.  I admit it.  I am a morning person.  Sitting on my deck at 5:30 a.m., mug of coffee at my elbow, dog by my feet, listening to birdsong ... ahhh!

The dog, too, is using all his senses.  He starts to emit a soft growl, so I tell him it's too early to bark and we have to go back inside.  Thus begins Carl's last day with Grandma.

Back up a day.  On Monday, after the last posted blog, in the evening, Carl actually got fairly close to The Prisoner.  Closest I've ever seen the two of them since he was a small pup!

This lasted for a little bit.  Prisoner was acting like he does with Ember, until Carl opened his bass-voiced barking mouth!  At this point, The Prisoner fled, as he generally does when Carl comes to visit.

This encounter was at Ember's "last call".  A bit more excitement than she is used to at bedtime!

Everything stacks up, right?  Ember was quite sensitive to the fact that Carl had been allowed upstairs (where she is gated because of puppyhood behavior destroying carpet).  She was sensitive to Carl being allowed to roam the house, sleep on the big bed and wander downstairs whenever the spirit moved him overnight, during her crate times.  

She staged a small doggie rebellion, refusing to go into her crate after last call.  Mommy stayed up with both dogs to see if she would decide to "go to bed" a little later.  The two dogs played tug in the parlor, destroying the octopus and continuing to deconstruct the crinkly owl.

When they started a game of bitey-mouth on Mommy's lap, I took them outside in the dark to play glow in the dark fetch (Ember plays this one, Carl does not) and tried to wear them out.  

They outlasted the hu-mom!  At about midnight, I left them stretched out on the couch, turned out all the lights and retired to my own bed.  I was up again before 4:30 a.m.

The Prisoner remained scarce on Tuesday but eventually emerged to eat kibble outside of the deck fence.  I left the dogs in the backyard with the sliding door closed.  I walked around and by stages moved The Prisoner back inside to his safe zone in the laundry room.  He stayed there for the remainder of Carl's visit!

Tuesday evening, I didn't even try.  Ember did not even go into her crate for her pre-last-call nap.  Instead, I left them downstairs loose and went up for my own shower.  I came down for a "last call" (which is when I go down to put in my evening eye drops).  I gave her the chance to kennel up.  She declined, and I came up to bed a little after 9.  

Carl decided something was bark-worthy at 1 a.m.  I came down to make sure all was well.  It was.  I did not let either of them out.  No sense disturbing the neighbors!

3:39 a.m., he was barking again.  That was the end of my night's sleep.  That led into the beginning of this blog, waiting for the day to get light.

We spent most of Wednesday napping.  Dogs and human alike. Toward the end, after I fed them supper at 4:15 p.m. both dogs were starting a high-energy playtime.  Outside for that, you two.  The day was quite warm, so there was a lot of opening and closing of the door to the backyard.  They wore each other out a bit, then back to napping.

While the dogs and I were "surviving" that last day of the visit, Carl's people were making the long drive back from Denver.  They planned a late lunch stop at Taste of India, a restaurant that grew up from a truck stop in Overton, Nebraska.  I think it's been featured on 60 Minutes or something, but it's famous.   

The kids got here about 6 p.m. to collect Carl.  Whew!  He was happy to see his humans.  We shuffled the dogs around without having any human/dog tackling.  

When I let Ember back in from the yard after they drove off, she went to the front door, as if to say, "Where did he go?"

Immediately after that, she collapsed on the cool tile floor.  We decompressed for a bit, then Ember decided we were enough back to normal that her pre-last-call nap could be in crate.  She also slept in her crate.  Fairness criteria and routine restored!

Mom slept well and did not wake until the alarm at 5 a.m.

Thursday, I had a day care spot reserved for Ember, but she was so low energy in the morning that I called them and said she's not coming.  Instead, we went on a gentle walk through the neighborhood.

Ember was extremely well-behaved.  At the far corner of our walk, we discovered another tree that had sustained damage over the past few days (besides the neighbor's).

We did some sniffing there, for sure.  Came home and did our usual "mommy and me" things.  Coffee drive-thru, chew-stick, nap.

Four days to decompress before the next craziness.  The deck replacement project is scheduled to being Monday at 6:30 a.m.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking, but pace yourself, right?