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B-I-N-G-O

Posted on June 30, 2010 by auburnchick

What is the latest and greatest way to torture moms who need help paying for high school band fees?

Send them in to work a Bingo shift!

Yippee!

Not exactly.

Now, I can’t complain too much because at least I have a way to earn some of the money I need.

However, the shifts are four hours long…an eternity in mom-dom.  Each shift pays $25.

Now, if you are a regular at the Biingo parlor, please do not think I am putting you down. I am merely going to share my observations.

First of all, there are two Bingo places in Podunk, USA. The one I worked at yesterday happens to look like a funeral home.

Seriously.

What’s up with that?

Upon entry, I was instantly hit with the stank of stale cigarette smoke.

See, apparently Bingo halls are exempt from Florida’s ban on smoking inside of public buildings.

I held my breath as I made my way to the back to sign in.

I was wearing a school soccer shirt, and I had my hair in a ponytail. I think that those things, along with my petite stature, made me look younger than my 40 years, because the gal took one look at me and had mercy.

“If you’re a non-smoker, you can go to the front room.”

Yes! I knew God existed. This was one more bit of proof (not that I need any, mind you).

I walked toward the front door where I found the room. It had two doors that were glassed in.

However, there was another doorway with no door!

Say what? I thought the point was to keep the smoke from coming in.

Either way, it was my best option.

I walked into a room filled with tables and chairs.

Oh you guys. I do not do well in new situations. Not well at all.  I felt so lost and alone.

Because this was my first time working Bingo, I wasn’t sure what to do.

A nice man, wearing a t-shirt with the Bingo hall’s logo, encouraged me to sit. After explaining why I was there, he told me to relax. I asked him to let me know if he needed help with anything, and he told me that they never need help. All I had to do was sit.

Seriously?

Four hours of sitting?

Now, to moms of young children, the chance to get away from their charges for four hours and only have to sit may seem like a dream come true.

To me, being stuck in a smokey place for four hours did not seem all that, if you know what I mean.

But, my desire to fulfill my commitment overshadowed my desire to bolt.

I sat.

Thank goodness I had my super-duper secret project with me.

As I knit, I watched.

And I listened.

That’s what Bingo is all about, after all – listening.

What an experience! I learned a few things about Bingo:

  • Bingo is a social game.  Most of the players seem to be regulars who the employees know by name.
  • When you win a big hand, you share some of your winnings with those in the room.  Because I wasn’t playing, I didn’t get anything though.
  • There are things called Bumblebees and Final Laps.  No, they don’t sting, and no, there’s not a checkered flag at the end.  But they are Bingo games that you have to pay for.
  • Bingo halls must own stock in Rubbermaid, because I probably saw a gazillion plastic tubs, which employees used to make change in and carry game cards.
  • Bingo halls make you as comfortable as possible, even offering snack service right at your table (for a small fee, of course).  I had a lemonade, and it was tres delicious — especially for a throat that was trying to close up.
  • Bingo callers sound like auctioneers.
  • Bingo cards no longer have tabs, which you stick out when your number is called.  You use fancy stamps.
  • There are also electronic machines that make happy noises when you win.  Technology has crept into everything!
  • Some people get on a lucky streak.  I watched one woman win over $500 just during my four-hour duration.  I’ve never had luck like that!
  • A session is a longer game.  Quarter games are the quick-fire games.  Who knew?  Not me.  Someone asked me if I was staying for a session, and I looked at her like I didn’t understand English.  The other ladies around me had mercy and explained how things worked.
  • Bingo players come from all walks of life.  I saw many elderly people, but there were also young-uns…20-something year-olds!
  • Despite the economy being in the toilet, people will gladly fork over $20 bills just for a chance to win $100.  Gambling at its best.

I have to work another shift on Saturday.

Lucky (get it) me.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Skewed Socks

Posted on June 29, 2010 by auburnchick

Oh man, but I am LOVING the summer break (although my bank account is crying foul).  I’ve had so much time to knit!!

My newest project is called Skew. The pattern is free, and you can find it here.  A shout-out to Susan, who found the pattern for me and thought it would be a perfect marriage with the yarn.  She’s a good matchmaker, eh?

The socks look simple enough…stockinette stitch; however, this pattern called for a bit of a unique construction.

This construction, along with the endless increases and decreases, lends to the tilted affect. It also made for interesting heels…

I really love the lines that are created by the increases/decreases…

The yarn is Cascade Heritage Paints, and the colorway is #9906. It’s the last of what I bought myself for my birthday in March. It was WONDERFUL to knit with…no splitting or anything! It was perfect for this pattern.

I knit this pattern on size 1 (2.5mm) needles, but I changed to 0’s (2.00mm) for the ribbed cuff. It took me slightly over a week, so it is a fast knit.

Here are more pictures that I took…

What’s my next project?

Well, I can’t tell you.  It’s a super-duper-secret project!  Hopefully, I’ll be able to share it soon!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 7 Comments »

How Do You Eat Cake?

Posted on June 28, 2010 by auburnchick

Saturday was the Mr.’s birthday.

When you marry someone, with the extra family that tags along, you also get their traditions.

Hence, the white cake with chocolate icing birthday cake.

Folks, this cake is so important that one year, for Chicky’s birthday, I went through three cake mixes before getting the cake right.

It’s cake mix.  Who can possibly mess up three of them?  You add egg whites, oil, and water, for heaven’s sake!

But that year, for some reason, my cakes refused to come out of the cake pans.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t working back then because it seriously took the ENTIRE day to get two complete layers made.

I even called Pillsbury’s hotline for help.

Yeah.

We’re serious about cakes around here.

Here’s what I found works.

Using my air bake cake pans (which cost a small arm and a leg but have earned their keep), I first take wax paper and cut out circles that will fit inside the pans.

Then, I oil the pans, lay the circles of wax paper inside, and then oil the top of the circles.  I found out during try #2 on Cake Day from Down Under (and I don’t mean Austrailia) that the paper stuck to the bottom of the cake layers if I did not oil them too.

Then I bake.

Lots of trouble, I know, but you do what you’ve gotta do when you’re serious about cake.

Did I mention that this family loves cake?

heehee

Ok, so once we get the cake finished (don’t forget the tub of chocolate icing…of which I once accidentally used chocolate chip icing, which was TRES delicious!), we do the obligatory singing before digging in.

Here’s where the fun comes in.

The fighting.

Serious fighting.

Remember…this family is serious about cakes.

I’ll never forget the first time I sat down at Coupon Queen’s and Grand Pooba’s kitchen table to participate in this tradition.

Coupon Queen, been Queen Bee of the family, welded the knife.  She’s not prone to knife cuts like Your’s Truly (see post from last week).

The Mr. and Grand Pooba sat there…salivating on the table.

She cut the first piece.

I want to think that Grand Pooba got it since he’s the elder statesman of the group.

Well, you should have seen his eagle eyes as they watched while the Mr.’s piece was getting cut.

Somehow, either the Mr.’s piece was bigger, or Grand Pooba’s was.

Either way, a very loud argument arose over who had the bigger piece and how much more Coupon Queen loved that person than the other.

I sat there, all by myself, mouth open.

This normally calm, conservative group was doing everything but having a physical beat down.

You would have thought we were in a WWF arena.

Apparently, fighting for your piece of cake is an inherited trait, because Chicky and Rooster naturally fell into the pattern.

The grown women in the family are the only calm ones.  We don’t care if our pieces are smaller.  We’re just happy to get one.

Needless to say, cake does not last long around here.

But, getting back to the point of this post (yes, there was one).

On Saturday, while Chicky, the Mr., and I were eating our cake (Rooster is gone on a mission trip), the Mr. started making fun of how we eat our cake.

Observe his piece…

Yeah.

And he says we’re weird.

You can see what he’s doing, can’t you?

He’s saving the icing for last.

I kind of do this, except that I save the back of the cake for last.  The rest doesn’t matter.

Either way, we’ll enjoy our cake, while it lasts.

Don’t tell the Mr., but Chicky took a HUGE piece to work with her.

Shhhh.

And then we’ll wait until January, when it’s Chicky’s birthday.  She’ll be at college, so we’ll either eat her cake without her or take one down and surprise her.  Bet she’ll love that.

heehee

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Proud to be a Soccer Fan

Posted on June 26, 2010 by auburnchick

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand, you already know that the last couple of weeks have been all about World Cup (soccer, that is).

I did not grow up playing soccer.  In fact, I don’t remember ever watching a game when I was growing up.  It was a game that was played in other countries.

I thought soccer was boring.

Until I became the mom of a soccer player…a very good soccer player.

And then I understood.

I know I am an American, where football is king; however, it is my belief that FUTBOL is the top dog of sports.

How can you not get excited when you are primed by the following trailer…

That was the prelude to the US Men’s World Cup team’s entry to the tournament of all tournaments.

Did you notice the way those guys moved the ball down the field…criss-crossing it between their legs?  Did you notice all of the hard work they put in during practices?  I got chills when I watched it as I’ve seen Chicky practice drills like that for years.

Such athleticism.

Such gracefulness.

Because I am not working this summer, I have been able to watch almost all of the games (thank you DVR).

I watched as the American team won in stoppage time to top its group and go forth into the Round of 16.

So exciting!!!

Of course, today’s game was a heartbreaker, which is soccer for you.  One moment you’re up, and the next, you’re down.

I know from experience.

You might remember that I watched Chicky’s high school team make it to the state Final Four.

Her travel team also made it to the State Cup Final Four.  That’s the state playoffs for travel teams.  She’s been there three times, if memory serves me correctly, and never come home with the BIG trophy (although she’s always been a winner in my book).

Such high’s and low’s.

I’m proud to say that I am a soccer fan…not because I’m a soccer mom, but because I truly love the game…the beautiful game.

Here’s a video my friend, Mary, posted on her blog a few days ago.  It’s too good not to repost.

The song is “Represent” by Weezer (whoever that is, I have no clue).

Though the men lost today’s game, they truly “represented” as they maintained their composure and showed incredible character in the face of great challenges.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Pride Goeth Before the Blood

Posted on June 25, 2010 by auburnchick

Sometimes, you have to learn things the hard way.

Last night, my lesson was about humility.

Let me show you the tool of said lesson…

Are you starting to cringe yet?

Yeah.  You should be.

Let me tell you the story.

I had selected an innocent little recipe to cook for dinner.  One of the ingredients called for was a chopped onion.

Rather than get out my handy-dandy chopper, which does the work for me, I opted for the butcher knife, pictured above.  I don’t always like how my chopper chops, and I figured it would be a quick chop anyhow.

So, I began chopping.

As I chopped, I had this little conversation with myself:

“Oh AuburnChick, look at your chopping technique.  What great form you have.  Obviously all of those nights you’ve spent sitting on the couch watching Food Network have actually rubbed off.  You’re chopping like a REAL cook.”

Yeah, I really was saying those things to myself.  I mean, I had even watched World’s Worst Cook, a “reality” cooking show in which two professional chefs transformed horrible cooks into chefs worthy of presenting meals to food critics.  One of the first things the bad cooks learned how to do was use their knives properly.

Anyhoo, I digress.

I continued my chopping, a contented smile on my face.

And then I felt it.

A slice.

Through my skin.

Ugh.

See, this is not a new thing for me.  I am accident prone.

I figured it was one of the normal cuts…a small slice that doesn’t go too far…just far enough to draw a little blood.

When I looked down, that’s what I thought I saw.

I pulled at the cut a bit, seeing how deeply I’d cut.

Guys, I didn’t slice my finger.  I chopped a small piece of skin off…

Oh yeah.  Pretty icky, eh?

About the time I figured out what I’d really done, the pain set in, as did the release of blood.

Thank goodness I was standing next to the sink.

I called for the Mr.  I knew I wouldn’t be getting stitches or anything, but I needed someone to console me and get out the bandaids.

I got myself cleaned up  and the wound bandaged.

I resumed my chopping, and nearly got my thumb in the process.  Thank goodness I have long fingernails, because that is the only thing that stopped the knife from going through.

Ugh.

AuburnChick should not be allowed to play with knives.

Seriously.

I think I make a good case for hiring a cook – except that we don’t have the money for it.

Oh, and for the record, I never did find the hunk of skin I chopped off.  I suspect it went into the pot along with the onions.

Oh well.  What’s a little more protein?

heehee

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Tag, I’m It!

Posted on June 24, 2010 by auburnchick

Coggie tagged me on her blog, so here are my answers…


1- What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

Chicken Parmesan.  I can make this meal with a minimum of effort, and it feeds a small army, so it’s a great go-to-dish!

2- What do you want to be when you grow up?

If you have read much of my blog, you’ll know that I want to be a teacher.  I have been looking for a teaching position for two years now.

3- What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

I am not currently reading anything.  Sad, I know, but when I read, I can’t knit.  Oy, the choices I have to make!!

4- How do you relax?

I love to knit while watching non-brainuous (I just made up a word) TV programs such as So You Think You Can Dance, Next Food Network Star, and Dancing With the Stars.

5- What color are the interior walls of your home?

After living in my old house where I had white walls until we painted to sell it, I made sure the builder of my current home put something more colorful on the walls.  I guess you could describe it as a very, very light tan…definitely not white.

6- What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Oh my…do I only get to list one?  Ok.  I’ll list my current guilty pleasure.  It’s Bailey’s Coffee Creamer, Original Flavor.  I can’t find a picture of it on Google though, and I’m feeling too lazy to get up and take one of my own.  Trust me.  Check it out the refrigerated section of your store.  You can Google recipes that use this stuff (this is what I did since I don’t drink coffee).

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Delicious…especially when you get ten bottles for free.  heehee

7- What time is bedtime and getting up time?

Since school got out, I’ve been heading to bed around 12:30am.  I am usually up around 9am.

8- How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

I probably spend an hour per day reading blogs.  I skim quite a few couponing blogs and am subscribed to others.

Ok, so now it’s time for me to tag a couple of other people.

Mary and Rebecca, it’s your turn!

Go visit their blogs!  They’re funny ladies!!

Filed under: This-n-That | 2 Comments »

Small Projects

Posted on June 23, 2010 by auburnchick

Last week, I finished knitting a couple of small projects…wash cloths!!

The blue/green one is the Ballband Dishcloth.  I used size four needles to work up my Lily Sugar ‘n Cream in Cornflower and Hot Green.

Yeah, I know.  I know what the name says, but I am going to use it as a wash cloth because that’s what I need more of!

While I was entering my project into my projects database on Ravelry, I saw another pattern…the Mitered Ballband Dishcloth, a free pattern offered here, through Ravelry.  Of course, I had to knit this version too!

It’s a great take on the original version!  For this cloth, I used Hot Orange and Hot Green.

Both cloths were super-quick, itsy bitsy projects that bought me time to hunt for my next project (which is already on the needles and 1/4 finished).

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Derailed

Posted on June 22, 2010 by auburnchick

A few weeks ago, I had the misfortune of locking eyes with my thighs…thighs bared by the shorts I was currently wearing.

That’s when I saw it.

The beginning of cellulite.

At least that’s what I think it was.

I thought maybe it was the angle of the sun shining down on said legs; however, I have studied my thighs under natural lighting, fluorescent, and the sun.

Either my veins are rearranging themselves to resemble cheesy curds, or the cheesy curds are lying just beneath the surface, ready to pop out.

Ugh.

Now you guys.  I am not overweight.  I know that.  But, I am out of shape.  If you don’t work out your body parts, they start hanging out in funny directions.

That’s when I decided to take action.  I gave myself until the end of the week to cut out sodas.

That was in May, and I haven’t had a soda since (applause please – this is a BIG deal for me).

With the dawn of summer vacation, my days are calmer, and I’ve had more time to myself.

Along with the start of summer has also been the long-awaited World Cup.

Ahhhh, World Cup.

Men’s drama played to the hilt, along with skills that rival any other sport.

Well, last Monday, I took one look at my treadmill, another look at the TV (can’t remember who was playing), and my brain made a connection.

It was time for me to get busy.

With the TV’s volume cranked up to the max (nothing like hearing the commentary along with watching the action), I started racking up the miles.  Each day, I posted updates on my Facebook page as my own personal exercise diary.

Folks, I don’t know what got into me, but I actually started running on the treadmill…for more than a few minutes too!

Running is NOT something AuburnChick is known for, unless it’s running to the candy aisle to grab chocolate.

That’s why I was so surprised!  The fact that I wasn’t passing out mid-stride came as a shock!

In fact, it amazed me that I could still walk after each session.

What also surprised me was how GOOD it felt to watch the miles go by.

I don’t know who has taken over my body, but I like her!

Anyhoo, there I went, three days in a row of running.

The fourth day, I did my run, got off the treadmill, hunted for my lost abdominal muscles, and then went about my regular “mom” business.

And then I felt it.

Pain in my left foot.

Bad pain.

To the point where it hurt quite badly to walk.

What in the world?

Now, I’ve had pain in my heels and shins before, but I had taken care of that with the outrageously expensive sneakers I bought last summer.

This was new, and I did not like it.

Well, I pretty much ignored it the first day, except for the complaining I did to the Mr. and the kids.

The next day, I got back on the treadmill and did my thing again, notching up even more mileage.  By now, I was doing between five and five and a half miles on the machine, interspersing walking with running segments and actually running MORE of the session than walking.

The pain was nearly unbearable when I got off.

I took the weekend off, wrapping my foot and doing some research.

I think I might have Plantar Fascilitis, irritation and swelling of the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot…

Now, I realize I am self-diagnosing myself, but the symptoms are EXACTLY like what I’m feeling, so I’m fairly certain that this is what’s happened to my foot.

I found out that my foot needed support, since the problem seems to lie with the tissue that provides arch support.

You guys…I am a Southern girl to the core.  I spend as much of my time without shoes as possible.  Plus, I have wood floors.  Add to that fact is that we do not wear shoes in the house…a house rule that I put into place years ago to keep us from tracking junk in and grinding it into my expensive flooring.

I ran to Target and got myself some slippers…

Aren’t they cute?!  They have padding inside too, so my feet feel really good with these little guys on.

Although I really like my slippers, ultimately, I am not happy.

It would seem that every time I try to get more fit, something happens.  Last summer, I got really sick while trying to do the C25K program, and I had to stop for a while.  Of course, by the time I was better, I had given up.

Ugh.

Yesterday, my foot didn’t hurt, so I laced up my sneakers to give it another go.

Oh you guys.  The joy I felt as I put in another 5.5 miles.  I ran 3.5 miles straight and after a half mile walk, I ran another mile…a total of 4.5 miles running!  I was so happy!

I tend to set the bar high.  I know that.  I push myself, and that’s why I excel at things, whether it is work or play.

However, the pain came back after I got off the machine.

Ugh.

It was so bad, I could hardly walk last night.

Double ugh.

Being the stubborn person that I am, I got up, determined to work through the pain.

I made it seven minutes before giving up.

Sigh.

The pain was intolerable.

With resignation, I stopped the machine.

Instead, I settled down for some ab word and light leg work.

I have been cautioned by those who care for me to let my foot heal or else I might cause permanent damage.

Sigh.

I’ve been derailed, yet again, and I am not happy.

Oh, I said this already, eh?

Sorry.  I am just frustrated.

I think that while I let my foot rest, I will continue watching what I eat and will also focus on stretching, ab work, and upper body exercises.  I will also do some low-impact lower body work as well.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Posted on June 21, 2010 by auburnchick

Quick.

Guess what movie the title of this post is referring to.

Did you guess Toy Story?

Well then, you’d be correct!

To celebrate Father’s Day, we went to see Toy Story 3.

I am part of the generation of moms who took their children to see the first and second Toy Story movies.  In fact, we even had the Toy Story game for the Super Nintendo, and it was actually fun!

So, this movie series is near and dear to our hearts.

Well, we weren’t disappointed.  Woody, Buzz, and the gang were just as fabulous as we remembered them.

The addition of new toys (Barbie and Ken) made us laugh.  In fact, I think Ken steals the show!  What a hoot!

While I fully expected to laugh, I did not anticipate the feeling of melancholy that was pervasive.

Folks, this is a sad movie!

Andy, the owner of the toys, is getting ready to leave for college.  He knows he’s outgrown his toys, but you sense how torn he is with letting them go.

And oh how the toys love him.  What a loyal group it is!  As with all of the Toy Story movies, the toys get separated from Andy, and they spend most of their time trying to get back.  Along the way, they all learn some important things about themselves, their jobs as toys, and Andy himself.

Near the end, I worked hard not to cry, even though I wanted to.  The closing scenes will do you in if you’re not careful.

This movie hit home for me.

Chicky will be leaving in five weeks.

I am not sad, I tell you.  I will be fine.  It is time for her to be on her own.

But.

This movie made me remember.

Chicky had a few toys that were her favorites…

Baby Katie,

Big Baby (which Rooster accidentally mortally beheaded),

Barney.

As she packs her belongings, she’ll leave her childhood toys behind…the ones we still have, that is.

Most are in the attic (I’m seeing visions from the movie here).

A few are in her closet.

I kind of feel sad for the toys, for they are getting left behind.

But perhaps they are really symbolic of the people she’ll be leaving behind.

Or rather “person.”

Me.

She’s too big to sit in my lap now.  Well, actually, she’s the same size, and we look rather silly piled on top of each other.

But I can’t rock her to sleep anymore.  I can’t sing her favorite songs to her…Amazing Grace, Father I Adore You, and You are My All in All (hey, we spent a lot of time in church, and she knew the worship songs by heart even at a wee age).

As we mature, we leave things behind…things that once meant the world to us…things that we centered our lives around.

This is a natural part of life, and one that I am totally okay with.

But when you watch something like that on a ginormous screen in front of you with crying babies sitting behind you, it’s kind of hard not to see the irony.

Go, see the movie.  Take a kleenex.  Go at night when the little kids are all in bed and not sitting behind you kicking your seat.

heehee

Laugh and remember back to your own childhood…to your childrens’ childhoods.

It’s a trip down memory lane that you won’t regret.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

AuburnChick Spends Three Hours in the Heat

Posted on June 19, 2010 by auburnchick

Oh my, but my Saturday morning was totally shot.

It all started when I read that my local Animal Control would be offering free vaccinations today from 7am-3pm.

Aubie is a bit late on her yearly shots, so I made plans to get up early and go.

Well, the getting up early part didn’t work out so well thanks to a marathon knitting session coupled with a DVR’d World Cup game from earlier in the day.

Think 1:30am.

Yeah.

So although the alarm went off at 6am, this Chick did not get up.

Until 7:30 when I figured I’d better hurry up and get going.

First, I checked the other dogs’ medical history.  Good thing too.  It turns out that Pele was due for shots in April, but I never received a reminder postcard in the mail.

Oops.

The thought of taking both dogs did not thrill me.  Pele is very strong, and if you remember from previous posts, I become an Iditerod driver when I try to walk both dogs on leashes.

Yeah.

Happy Saturday morning to me.

Coupled with the fact that I have managed to hurt the arch in my left foot…overexuberance on the treadmill this week.

Yeah.

I wrapped sports gauze around my foot to give it more support, held my breath, and called the dogs to the car.

Excited pups is what they were…off for a ride in the Jeep.

After taking a wrong turn and driving around in no-man’s land, which is quite beautiful, I must say, but not when you know there are about a gazillion people wanting to get their animals immunized for free and you’re trying to beat them there, I finally found my way to the Animal Control facility.

I knew I was in trouble when I saw parked cars as I rounded the corner…way before the parking lot.

Great.

I managed to find a spot right across the street (thank you, Lord, for having mercy on this petite, 40 year old woman with two 50+ dogs).

And then I saw the line.

All the way back to the street.

Great.

The humidity level must have been in the 90%.

This is late June.

This is Florida.

It stays muggy 3/4 of the year.

Yeah.

What else could I do?  I certainly cannot afford vet visits right now, so I got in line, pasted a semi-smile on my face, and waited.

The line barely moved…for hours.

I could see ahead and wished I was one of those people.  Oh, I knew I would be…eventually, but I wondered if I would melt before then.

It’s a very good thing I’ve been running on the treadmill lately.

I’ve gotten used to sweat.

It ain’t pretty, nor am I when I’m covered with it.

Good thing I didn’t shower before I left.

Well, maybe it wasn’t a good thing for the people standing in front of and behind me.

Animal Control had planned things out well.  There were kiddie pools (for the dogs, not the people) filled with water here and there.  There were doggie drinking bowls everywhere.

The best thing?

State prison inmates and vet techs were walking around handing out cold, bottled water and cups of ice water.

I wanted a cup so badly, but I dared not let go of the leashes, which were wrapped multiple times around my hands.

The kind tech held one for me so I could drink a cup of water.  Bless her!!  She was an angel in scrubs.

We (the dogs and I) finally made it to the coveted tents that were set up near the building.

Ahhh…shade.

Aubie was tired by now.  She’s almost 11 years old, and she decided that the shade was the place to be, laying down and enjoying it.  Pele followed suit.

I felt so badly for the lady in front of me.  She was a young, petite thing with two very young children in tow, in addition to a cat kennel (which got taken inside by employees as all felines were due to the heat) and a dog.

The dog was playful and kept trying to get Pele to engage.

Have you ever seen the movie Over the Hedge?  Do you remember the part where the dog asks, “Play?”

Well, this dog reminded me of that cartoon.

Pele, however, did not like his rear being smelled nor being jumped on.  He pretty much ignored that dog.

We finally made it to the building, and I thought the wait was over.

Oh heck no.

Have you ever been to Disney World or some other amusement park where you wait in line to get to the actual ride and discover that there’s ANOTHER line inside?

Yeah.

And the bad part was that the only thing separating me from the room where the vaccinations were being given were two long tables.

I’ve never wanted to cut in line so badly.

But I didn’t.

I have manners.

Plus, I think a few people would have taken me out.

heehee

At least there was air conditioning in the building.

We wound our way around the cages, commiserating with the sad, lonely dogs in each one.

Oh you guys.  If I hadn’t already had three dogs, I could easily have brought two of those babies home with me.  The worst ones were those in which the owners had surrendered them.  It’s becoming the norm these days with the economy so bad.

Sigh.

Down one side, around the corner, and up the other side.

Finally, I was at the other side of that first room, watching others look at me enviously.

Yeah.  I felt for them, but not so much since I’d done my time.

There was ONE examination room at the end.  One owner and his/her pets were being admitted at a time.

I experienced quite the thrill when I heard, “Next,” and it was my turn.

The business was quick, and it was time to go.

The dogs were in Happy Land.  It was all I could do to contain their excitement as we made our way back to the Jeep.

Aubie stretched out in the back seat, finally able to relax as the air cranked out as high as I could make it go.

Three very long hours.

Well worth it.

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