Anyone who has to wake up before dawn to head into work will understand the anguish of being woken up early when you’re on vacation.
My alarm goes off at 5am on school days. Hence my love of weekends and vacations when I can sleep in.
A little something happened, though, that has changed my happiness.
Don’t let his cuteness fool you.
He’s a young pup with tons of energy…
Granted, he has settled down quite a bit since his earliest days in our home, but still, this dog is one who NEEDS human interaction.
Thus, when he sees even a sliver of light coming through the blinds in the morning, he’s awake.
And he’s not alone.
I think he’s at the head of a conspiracy to not let me enjoy my summer mornings!
It’s as if the dogs have a meeting of the minds, telepathically of course, and then, as if they practiced all Spring for it, they POUNCE…
Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, but it’s the best I could do given my sleepy state and the way in which I was pinned to the bed by the subjects in the photo.
Gambit is not merely content with waking me up.
Oh no.
He has total disregard for personal space and doesn’t recognize that what he’s stepping on, lying across, or jumping on is my body…which in comparison to the ratio between his body size and weight is quite small.
Being grumpy doesn’t help.
The guy won’t take no for an answer, despite all of my attempts to turn my head this way and that to give him the silent treatment.
He nudges his head under my arm…finds some tiny opening…and squeezes in…
I really oughtta wallop him.
Instead, I cave and give him the love he so desperately wants and needs.
This is my baby from the streets…finding me when he had nobody else.
As I was going into school on Friday morning, I had an idea.
I put this picture on my Smartboard and added the following information…
First of all, please forgive the handwriting. Somewhere along the line, I missed the “Teacher Handwriting” class.
For 3rd and 4th periods, I modified my instructions to tell students to 1) Write one complete sentence that 2) Uses one figurative language device from the list and then 3) Identify the device used.
Had I completely had my act together, I would have skipped step 3, had my students exchange their papers with someone from another table, and then had the students try to identify which figurative device their partners had created.
But I didn’t.
Still, the kids had fun.
I told my students that because Gambit is Rooster’s dog, I would allow Rooster to select a winning caption from each class and then a GRAND PRIZE WINNER. I told my students that I would give each winner a prize.
A little motivation never hurt, eh?
😉
Rooster had a lot of fun reading the captions, and he had a difficult time selecting “winners.” All of my students were winners in both of our books.
But winners were selected, and I thought I would share them with you:
1st Period – Two students tied!
“J” – I think he is as crazy as a werewolf. (Rooster liked this because Gambit IS a little crazy.
“C” – “Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” (Rooster liked this one because it hit on the stereotypical male mentality of telling a female to get him some food.)
3rd Period
“S” – Gambit was snoring as loud as screaming jets flying across the sky. (Gambit is a VERY loud snorer!!)
4th Period
“S” – “Why is she bothering me. I can never get any peace in this house!”
The GRAND PRIZE WINNER was…
“C” from 1st Period!!
Here’s the picture with the caption…
“Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
“C” will get a super-size candy bar in addition to the small one I bought him as a “class winner.”
Gambit decided not to eat all day Saturday. His tummy was rumbling too.
I figured he’d gotten a hold of something outside, so I wasn’t too stressed about it. I did put him in my room to sleep because I wanted to keep a closer watch over him. He slept like a log.
The next morning was a little different.
He still wouldn’t eat, but again, I wasn’t overly worried.
However, when I started to put him in his crate so I could go to church, I noticed blood on the floor.
It had come from him.
He’d been having loose stools the day before.
Oh gosh, it was awful!
I knew that my local PetSmart had a veterinary clinic, so after checking the internet for office hours, I decided to skip church and take him in.
Quite honestly, I was afraid he had Parvo.
See, I’d done a bad thing and never gotten him his shots after we “adopted” him.
Bad, bad, bad.
I know.
I kept thinking about making the appointment but life got ahead of me.
Sigh.
I figured he either had Parvo or some other intestinal parasite.
Chicky went with me to the vet, and we waited nervously for the results of the stool culture to come back.
The vet, a lovely young lady, came into the room smiling from ear to ear.
The tests were NEGATIVE!
The vet told us that he probably has a case of Colitis…that he ate something that created small perforations in his colon (hence the large amount of blood).
Time, soft food, and lots of medication will help him heal over the next two weeks…
He’s getting probiotics to restore the flora in his colon, and I’m also administering anti-diarrhea medicine to the little guy to help him get back on track on that end of things (pun intended).
Oh, and before I walked out, I made sure he’d been given his immunizations! We’ll go back in three weeks for a booster.
Once again, I am so grateful to God for tending to even these kinds of crises and for allowing my sweet little Gambit to be okay.
That’s how I felt when I was awakened this morning by this little guy…
Oh sure, he may be cute and all, but not at 6:42 on a Saturday morning.
Rooster had slept over at a friend’s house. Gambit sleeps in Rooster’s room, and he usually stays asleep until Rooster decides to crawl out of bed, which certainly ain’t at 6:42 in the morning.
With Rooster gone, Gambit only had Aubie to keep him company.
Obviously Gambit missed his boy.
Hence the whimpering wake-up call…from all the way across the house.
Now, you’ve never heard Gambit’s whimper.
It’s annoying.
And pathetic.
And annoying.
Yeah. I already said that.
I tried putting the pillow over my head, but he persisted.
Finally, I got up and let Molly and Pele out.
I left Gambit where he was. Sometimes Molly gets all grumpy and likes to take a nip or two. Heck, I wasn’t going to take a chance. After all, it was 6:42 on a Saturday morning. We’re usually asleep until 11. She was probably going to be a little grumpier than usual.
Don’t sue me.
I’m a teacher who begins each day at o’dark thirty.
Anyhoo…
When I got them inside, I didn’t hear Gambit crying, so I figured he’d gone back to sleep.
Oh, he did.
For, like, twenty minutes.
Then, he started up again, and this time He
Would
Not
Stop.
I had to get up.
I was not happy, and I told him so, mincing no words.
After feeding him and the rest of the crew, I was more fully awake.
I decided to do what I’d planned and began working on next week’s stations for my classes.
The kids are ASKING for stations. They WANT stuff to keep them occupied in class.
Victory.
Sort of.
So, I worked.
And worked.
And worked.
The Mr. got up, left, got a hair cut, worked out, picked up a veggie burger for me from BK, and returned, and still, I was working.
I got almost everything done in about three hours.
After I ate, I showered and then drove to my classroom to finish printing what I needed. I set up my station baskets, tested a couple of websites my students will be using to make sure they weren’t sites that had been blocked by our network’s security software, and returned home a while later.
Now, I’ll admit that a small part of me was happy that the little four-legged booger woke me up.
If he hadn’t, I would probably STILL be working on lesson plans.
As it was, I had time to meander through Target, Books a Million, Best Buy, and Walmart, doing nothing much but chillin’. I even had time to complete this week’s Reading Endorsement assignment.
So, little Mr. Gambit’s whining turned out to be a blessing.
Have you been wondering how Gambit and all of the other dogs are doing?
Well, everything is going quite well, thank you very much.
Gambit is getting along marvelously with the other dogs. He’s finally adjusted to his crate and goes in without our having to shove him in or coax him with treats.
He’s quite the smart young guy, eager to please, and still completely needy for attention. He thrives on it and must be next to or touching someone or something, whether that something is two or four-legged.
He adores Aubie, as Pele does, and considers her to be his mama. He’s playful but backs off when we tell him to.
Molly and Pele have gotten after him a few times when he’s ventured into their personal space or too close to their bowls. He’s never been the aggressor and has only inflicted damage in the effort to protect himself.
Things have straightened themselves out, and we have quite the happy crew.
Here’s a little bit of video I shot on Friday evening. This gives you a glimpse into his personality, although it doesn’t fully capture his playful nature. You can tell, though, that he’s very smart.
Gambit, our newest furry addition to the family, has become quite comfortable in his new home…so much so that he is showing a penchant for naughtiness…
I’d show you what he did to Rooster’s room, but I deleted the picture…thinking I’d already uploaded it to Flickr. It’s just as well. There’s no need to make him look too naughty.
As such, we made the wise decision that the pup should not be allowed to roam free while we are out and about.
Hence, the crate, which we got back from the people we’d loaned it to…
He’s not too fond of it…don’t let the picture fool you. We usually have to coax him in there by throwing in a treat, although I have discovered that when he’s really tired at night, and Rooster is spending the night elsewhere (Gambit usually sleeps with Rooster), then Gambit walks right in, no treat needed.
Sunday, while I was vacuuming the house (Rooster was gone to a retreat, so I was doing his chores), I discovered that we are getting black marks on the floor beneath the crate, so I decided to buy a small rug to place under it. Upon closer inspection, though, the Mr. discovered that the crate was missing the bottom part of the cage, and that the plastic tray was, essentially, free to move about. Not only that, but the tray was cracked in several places. Because the metal piece was missing, the crate’s corners were sitting directly on the floor, leaving the black marks.
It was time to buy a new crate.
Crates are not cheap. We’d already bought two over the course of our pet ownership, so we knew, but trudge to PetSmart, I did, and came home with this…
It’s a Kong, and if you’re familiar with dog products, the brand Kong is known for its durability.
The crate was on sale, though it was still not cheap, but it seems to have been worth the cost. What I like about it is the door that slides up and rests on top of the crate. Actually, the crate has two doors, and both slide up…
The crate is very durable…the steel or whatever metal it is much thicker than the last crate.
It’s also an inch bigger all the way around, giving our little guy a bit more room to be comfortable.
I’m a second-year teacher with a full plate of activities and a to-do list three miles long.
Anyhoo, it’s been a busy week, and I’m feeling a little random, so here are a few unrelated musings.
Favorite Teaching-Related Moment From the Week
One of my students handed me a notepad at the end of class on Monday. She told me to read it. It contained a message about how glad she was to be in my class and how thankful she was that we had worked things out during a talk we’d had before Thanksgiving.
Oh, how my heart swelled with joy. This little gal and I have a few things in common. Her mother and I are the same age and grew up in the same small town in Alabama (which we discovered before Thanksgiving.) During Christmas, when my family visited the Mr.’s grandmother (who lives in the above-referenced small town), I asked the woman who takes care of her (and cooked lunch for us) if she happened to know a person with my student’s mother’s name. Not only did the lady know her, but it was her daughter, and she proved this by mentioning my student by name (she has a very unusual name too).
I was shocked.
My student and I shared a chuckle when school resumed as we discussed this God-incidence, which is what I prefer to call it over the word “coincidence.” It’s obvious that God put this student in my class.
Puppy Update
Gambit, our new puppy, continues to thrive. He’s making himself quite comfortable…a little too much so as evidenced by some of his shenanigans, which shall go pictureless…for now.
A few people have raised their eyebrows at the fact that we now have four dogs in the house. This doesn’t matter to me. Gambit was meant to find us…I see proof of this every day as he soaks in the love that Rooster, the Mr., and I shower him with. The other dogs are getting their share of loving too as we are working very hard to assure them that they are not being replaced. It’s been a win-win situation.
Another neat teaching moment occurred this week when one of my students asked me to attend his wrestling match. I usually sleep in on Saturdays, but I set my alarm and was out the door before 10. He was surprised to see me. I guess he’ll know that he can count on me to keep my word!!
My love affair with bling is going strong. After we returned home from visiting family during Christmas, I spent my Christmas money on the following…
That, my friends, is Sorrelli…”Gold” to be exact. I had gone in search of a matching necklace to go along with the bracelet and earrings the Mr. gave me for Christmas. Unable to afford the necklace, I started to leave the store when, upon talking to the owner about my love for Auburn, she pointed out the above line, which happened to be on sale for 30% off.
You know me and a sale. It’s hard to pass one up when it smacks me in the face.
I was able to purchase a necklace and a pair of earrings with the Christmas cash I had in my purse…nearly the exact amount. I only had to pull out $.46 from my change purse to finish out my purchase.
It was another God-incidence. 😉
Now, I’ve gotta tell you a little something about bling, in case you’re a naysayer. See, I used to poo poo the affect that bling can have on a person…the addiction that people have with this Sorrelli stuff.
Things changed, however, when I got ready to attend a movie with my family, selected a blue sweater to match my new jewelry, and then put on the necklace…
I actually squealed out loud when I saw myself in the mirror sporting the new jewelry.
It was sparkly, and I felt extra-pretty.
The Mr. asked me what was wrong, and I told him absolutely nothing…that I had just discovered the dizzying effect that bling can have on a person.
He chuckled.
So, totally changing the subject (remember that this is a post titled “Randomness”), my mom always gives my sister and me sets of flat chunks of wax that are individually wrapped. They’re usually holiday-scented. They have no wicks. I’ve never known what to do with them…that is until after THIS Christmas.
See, by the time I was into a week of my vacation, my brain was functioning normally again, and I was able to think straight.
I headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and saw these…
Uh huh. I’m sure you’re wondering how the Mr., Chicky, and Rooster have managed to survive having this not-so-bright woman leading the family, eh?
But give me a break. My brain is fried SPECIFICALLY from taking care of the crew, so it takes me awhile to “get” things nowadays.
Anyhoo, back to my story.
Seeing the above items in the store, I started to put the pieces together. But first, I needed to call Super Sis to see what she thought.
We both agreed that we should be able to melt the wax blobs by buying other things that are called “tea candles,” sticking them in the bottom part of the above-pictured items, putting the wax blogs in the top “bowls,” and lighting the tea candles, which would heat the wax blobs above them and then make the house smell wonderful.
I was willing to give it a shot…
Voila!
All of a sudden, I felt smart…
Sorry. Had to throw that in…just could not resist the opportunity.
Ok, so being a reading teacher means that maybe, just maybe, I should actually be doing some reading on my own.
Being a new teacher doesn’t leave much time, but over the Christmas break, I managed to read three books.
Actually, I read more like two full books, three quarters of another book, and the second half of another book.
First off, I read Pretty Little Things, by Jilliane Hoffman…
This is Jilliane’s fourth book, and it is an excellent read! It’s set in Coral Springs and Miami, Florida and chronicles the search for a teenager who, it is discovered, meets a man online through a chat room. It’s quite gripping and a bit scary, if you’re a parent. I read this book in one day…even staying up until 3:30am to finish it.
Jilliane’s style is very similar to James Patterson’s with short chapters and characters you can connect with.
What I love so much is that Jilliane, who the Mr. and I know, combined the names of people she worked with when she was an Assistant District Attorney in Miami. Because I know a lot of the people personally, it was fun to see the various name combinations.
This book is actually the second in a series, although you can read Life As We Knew It after this one and not really miss anything. What’s important is that you read these two before reading the third.
The Dead and the Gone is told from the perspective of a 17 year-old boy who is left to take care of his two younger sisters after a meteor hits the moon, causing catastrophic natural disasters. His parents go missing, and he has to become the man of the household.
One of my students had told me about the book and let me borrow it. This student is a voracious reader, and he frequently checked in with me to see if I’d finished the book. I’m going to return it on Monday. Perhaps we’ll have a little discussion about it.
The book was good, although it was a little difficult to get into. I connected to it by remembering a movie I’d seen a few years ago…The Day After Tomorrow. The book was a little similar.
The other book I finished was Mockingjay, the third in the Hunger Games series…
I loved the third book…so much more than the second one. I think that Suzanne finishes developing the characters well, and I just loved the ending. I cannot wait for the movie to come out!!!
I saw these at Walmart and just could not resist picking up a box. Those who know me know how much I love Angry Birds…
Before Chicky went back to school, we had one last family outing…a movie night!!
The Mr. had purchased new Blue Ray versions of the Mission Impossible movies, and the packaging had coupon codes for free movie tickets, up to $10 off. We decided to watch the iMax version, so we only had to pay $3 for each ticket. Below is what the free ticket vouchers looked like…
I’ve gotta say that I’ve never believed much in the whole IMAX thing, but after watching this movie on that screen…all I can say is WOW! This was the perfect movie to see on that amazing screen. It felt as if we were actually a part of the action.
The movie was very good…very fast-paced. All of us enjoyed it immensely! It was a wonderful evening of family bonding.
Well, that’s all of my random thoughts…for now anyhow.
Yesterday, New Year’s Eve, I decided to take Molly for a walk.
We had not gotten very far when this little guy wandered up, smelling Molly, and keeping pace with us…
I stopped, unsure if I should continue walking. I noticed that he didn’t have a collar on…
I talked to a neighbor who lives across the street, and he’d first noticed the dog the day before, and he’d allowed the dog to stay on his porch that first night. However, the dog was wary of my neighbor and wouldn’t go near him.
Apparently he felt differently about me.
I decided to continue my walk, hoping that someone in the neighborhood would see us as we passed by and recognize him. I felt a little like the Pied Piper.
This sweet puppy stayed with us the entire way.
I made my way back down my street and saw a different neighbor, whose itsy bitsy dogs had gotten out of her house and started running toward the stray…barking the entire way.
The stray, almost certainly a pit bull, acted like he was scared of the smaller dogs and ran from them with his tail between his legs.
I wondered what I should do, figuring that the Mr. would have my hide if I brought him home. The Mr. came out of the house, and we chatted, finally agreeing to feed him and allow him to sleep in the garage for the night.
Meanwhile, I called Animal Control, but the officers who pick up strays were off for the weekend. I had hoped that by getting the dog to my local animal shelter, he could be scanned for a microchip.
It was obvious that this dog was very well trained. Surely he had an owner who had chipped him.
The guy at Animal Control suggested that I call Pet Smart, which has a scanner.
I called, but the vet who has his office there (and, thus, has the scanner) had already left for the day.
Hence, we were stuck for the weekend.
We fed the little guy. He was starving and gobbled down the food quickly.
We fixed a pallet for him in the garage, and he quickly settled in…
What a sweet little guy.
My guess is that he’s about three months old…he still has a lot of puppy in him.
I let him into my backyard a few times to potty before I headed to bed.
I didn’t get up until 9:30 this morning and quickly went to check on him, figuring I’d find an accident or two.
No such thing.
He eagerly did his business in my backyard.
We decided to introduce him to Aubie and Pele, and surprisingly, Aubie took to him quickly. She’s not much on other dogs. He adored her.
Throughout the entire time, I waited for the Mr. to be grumpy.
He did good…real good…even suggesting that I give the dog a bath so he could stay in but not smell up the house.
I did, and he stayed in…
Then, I took him outside and began to inspect him. He’d been scratching…a lot.
I noticed fleas.
Ugh.
Back out to the garage he went while I looked up the recipe for a homemade flea shampoo.
I found one, tried it, and checked him. He still had a few live fleas.
Poor thing.
We kept him in the garage. I do not want a flea infestation in the house, nor do I want my other dogs to get fleas.
Throughout the afternoon, we went outside to visit the little guy.
The Mr. appears smitten.
The dog has tiger stripes…his coloring is very unique.
Then, we found a tick on him.
Sigh.
We looked for more, but we didn’t see any. Still, we’re not the experts, and we’re very leery of getting a tick infestation. Super Sis went through that two summers ago, and it was awful.
So, the little guy is back in the garage.
I feel badly for him, but at least the garage is warm, and he’s been fed.
I’d love to keep him, but with three furry babies in the house already, I just can’t do it. Plus, I think that the pup needs medicine. The fleas probably gave him an infection of some sort. That’s how Molly started her life with us. Veterinary bills are not in our budget, unfortunately.
Until then, he’ll be loved and prayed for. I’d like him to wind up either with his original owners or in another loving home.
AuburnChick's Adventures 