Woe is Koko

So, this is what I've been dealing with for the past few days...

The pouting is seriously getting to me, guys, I have to say. The thing is, the reason for the collar is that she recently had surgery to remove a couple of tumors (still waiting to hear what type/stage they were) and if she ISN'T wearing the collar, she licks her sutures. :-(

But still. It is SO, SO hard to resist that face. She also has this technique of walking up to you and pressing the plastic cone into your leg and standing there, unmoving. Her passive aggressive way of saying she is NOT. PLEASED.

Moving into position

But overall she's been a very good sport. (And sometimes we let her take a break and curl up on the bed, cone free. Cuz we're suckers like that.)

In other news, for the first time in MONTHS I had a good writing week last week! SO, SO excited about this and seriously hoping it continues. The past few months have been tough on the new work in progress...revisions on other projects kept needing to be done, and there were holidays and trips and...frankly...some discouraged feelings to overcome. But the WIP is starting to take over my brain again and I'm finally beginning to feel the story consume me. Yay!!

A few of my hopes for this week: We'll get good news regarding Koko's tumors/prognosis, I'll reach 30k on the WIP, and SMASH will be as awesome as the previews make it look! ;-)

Happy Veterans Day

I am very happy that I live in a time when designating one specific day to honor our military doesn't feel SO necessary... On any random day, MAJOR HOTSAUCE can go out to lunch during work and find that someone has paid for his meal, often anonymously. He's frequently thanked for his service by strangers who see him in uniform or folks he strikes up conversations with in stores or when out with friends. Many businesses have military discounts, and on all three of his deployments his units were sent packages from students and various other organizations across the country. It gives me the warm fuzzies to know that strangers treat soldiers with so much consideration and support.

But Veterans Day is still important, because it definitely wasn't always this way. There are the stories about Vietnam vets being jeered at (or worse) when they arrived home from war. Soldiers in WWI and WWII who, because of their color or religious beliefs, were not recognized properly for their accomplishments on the battlefield. 

Every military service member, both active and former, deserves to be honored and appreciated. And those who lost their lives in defense of our country deserve to be remembered. Today and every day.

Being an Army wife is tough sometimes, but I have so much respect for MAJOR HOTSAUCE and his compatriots. Theirs is not an easy lifestyle, and too often it requires terrible sacrifice. But this country wouldn't be the same - or as safe - without our brave men and women in uniform.

Thank you to all active and former servicemen and women for everything you do and the sacrifices you've made to support and defend this country.

And to my sister in law, whose husband is currently deployed, lots of love and hugs to you. He'll be home soon!

Okay, and just for fun...there's nothing like a man(??) in uniform. ;-)

Scrabble is a really good sport. ;-)

(Koko is meant to be a "wounded" veteran - she wouldn't wear the uniform)

Okay, so yeah. Now you all know MAJOR HOTSAUCE and I have, on several occasions, dressed up our dogs in his old uniforms. So. There's that.

And now a picture of MAJOR HOTSAUCE in uniform. Cuz, you know, HE'S the actual veteran. ;-)

Photo: David Trozzo

Happy Veterans Day, y'all.

:-)

Get Your Own Chair!

Happy Hump Day! And welcome to this week's Awkward Picture Day!

Today's picture introduces THE KIDS...aka Scrabble and Koko. 

As a bit of background, Scrabble does NOT like baths (though he loves to swim, wade, and generally get himself soaking wet. go figure). And he knows exactly what "Do you want to take a bath?" means. So, if someone says this to him, he goes scurrying for safety...or sometimes into Koko's lap.

Voila!

(Do I sometimes say "Do you want to take a bath?" just because his reaction is so funny?...I would never.)