Am…musings

It’s been about a month and a half since I last posted about Buster and Paisley. Here’s the scoop on my latest (and last) Stray Rescue fosters:

Bye-bye B. – My neighbors are adopting Buster. He’s been living with them for a week. It’s nice having him next door and I can’t say I miss him too much as it’s much easier to keep up with one at this age. And Paisley is much better behaved without him.

New names – The dog formerly known as Buster is now Duke. Paisley is still Paisley, but I’m a user of two names when someone does something bad (Chewy becomes Chewbacca Morris). I don’t want to call her Paisley Morris so she has a middle name now … Paisley Marie … and unfortunately, I seem to use it more often than I’d like.

Packing on the pounds – I used to be able to hold them both at the same time and now I struggle to hold either of them alone. They weight almost 25 pounds and Paisley legs have gotten super long. She’s about an inch and half or two inches taller than Chewy and much stockier than him. Also, I thought they were going to be small because their paws weren’t big when I got them. Not so much anymore … I’m guessing they’re going to be about 50 or 60 pounds when it’s all said and done.

But she’s still a lap dog – She still tries to get in my lap and I sometimes let her sit there while I’m at the kitchen table on the computer. In a few weeks, I’m guessing that won’t work, but I think she’ll still be a cuddle bug.

But she’s a little bipolar – Because they were rescued in an abandoned house and didn’t really have a lot of human interaction before being rescued, she’s a bit skittish (Duke is a bit too actually). She’s great with me and does pretty well with my neighbors and anyone who visits so I didn’t really realize the problem until I took her for a home visit with a couple interested in adopting her today. She kept her tail between her legs, barked at them and almost snapped at the guy … although I kind of don’t blame her … he was a bit aggressive with her even though she was clearly timid and scared.

My plan is to start taking her more places with me and introducing her to more people. I also think the right person or couple (probably no kids) who is willing to work with her will be rewarded with a good dog once she comes out of her shell a bit. Please pass the word along if you know someone who might fit the bill.

“It’s been way too long” … I find myself saying this to my friends about catching up (in person rather than via Facebook) more often than I’d hope. I feel sort of the same way now about you.

Around the last time I posted, I started an extracurricular project for work. I love to decorate and when talk of updating our office breakroom came up, I gladly volunteered.

Five teams needed a place to share notes and information. I found this great idea for a cheap, yet cool magnet board and after a little finagling, they came together great.

We also needed a little color in the drab, window-less room. Our company colors are royal blue, purple, mustard, lime and burnt orange … the perfect inspiration. I’d seen this Martha Stewart project for custom-colored chalkboards years ago and thought they would not only solve the color challenge, but also be useful. They were way beyond my basic construction skills, but luckily my friend D. (yes, that D.) is handy and as much of a perfectionist as I am, and agreed to tackle the job.

The title of this post could mean that I’m so talented, Martha better watch out, lest I take over her domestic diva spot. But really … it means, she better watch out for me because if I happen to run into her in a dark alley I’m going to unleash the most brutal sucker punch I can muster!!!

Even though I’d planned ten chalkboards and I know projects can take longer than expected, I think D. and I figured it’d take a week or two tops. That was more than a month ago … a long month of late evenings after work and weekends.

First, buried in the directions was a line about the boards needing primer … tack on time to run back to Home Depot and to apply it. Second, Martha totally down played the need to thoroughly … within an inch of your life … mix the paint with the grout. Third, it’s best to use a special sponge roller, which I found at Home Depot after two failed painting attempts, for the flattest finish. Just considering those three missing directions … it took several days (including drying time) just to get the first chalkboard right.

Then … the boards really need two coats of paint even though big dumb Martha only said one. For one, no matter how much you mix (I finally chucked the stir stick Martha said to use and resorted to paint mixer attachment for a drill, which D. luckily had) there will be small clumps of grout that need to be sanded and recovered. And for two, because the paint seemed to want to separate a bit from the primer and the color looked much better with the second coat.

All in all, I think the room is going to look amazing (I will share pics — D. and I finished up earlier this week and they’ll be hung up later next week). And I likely would have proceeded even if I knew what all was involved, but I just wish Martha would have shared more thorough directions.

And oh yeah, it’s good to see you again after all this time!