Alvena Marie is a 14 year old Beagle.  14 doesn't sound that old but in people years that makes her around 98.  I don't know about you but I hope to be as active as she is when I'm that age.  Alvena (whom I often refer to as "V" for short)  is named after her human's grandmother.  Her human had no children and hence Alvena and her 2 sisters have become the kids.  Since her mom and dad are in Europe at the present, Alvena and her sisters are now in my care.  Although I love all 3, Alvena is the most interesting.  She has a very distinct personality.  Her human seems to think she's going senile but I just think she just enjoys life and feels there's still alot left of it to live. 

 

Alvena likes to investigate things, hide under the afgan or in a bush and is awful about getting up in the morning.  She's slightly blind and her hearing is not as good as it once was but her snooter is right on target.  There's not cat poop within a 1/2 mile radius that she can't sniff out. What is it about cat poop that is soooo interesting to some dogs?  Her sisters don't seem to be interested in it.  None the less it is a fascination for her and to my chagrin I must endure.  I'm already known throughout the neighborhood as the crazy dog lady.  Possibly because I carry on full conversations with them while walking.  Who else am I going to talk to?   Okay, so it might be just a bit strange that we get into arguments but we don't always have the same opinion on certain subjects.  And just for the record, I don't always win.  Alvena is very opinionated and stubborn and there are days when we have our difficulties.  And you should see some of the looks I get when I shout "ALVENA MARIE, YOU PUT THAT DOWN!"  which of course she won't and then I have to say "Well, then just give that to me, I don't care if you think it's great, you're not eating cat poop out here on the street!"  Now who's sanity are you questioning?  The dogs for eating cat poop or mine for actually thinking that she's just going to turn it over to me like a scolded child or for even wanting her to give it to me?

 

My mom thinks I spend too much time alone with dogs and that I should get out and mingle with humans more.  Perhaps she's right but dogs are non judgmental, always loving, and never talk through a movie.  How many humans can you say that about?

As many of you now know, computers and I are not exactly compatible.  This was made ever more clear this past weekend.  The house where I am currently staying has a computer.  On Friday, I left work early (at the owner's insistance) because I had taken Steve (my boss ) to the airport that morning at 4:00, so she felt that I should be allowed to leave early.  Anyway, I decided to use the computer and check my e-mails.  You know, see if the travelling boss had sent me anything and because I was bored.  So I turned on the computer.  Everything working fine so far.  Then I checked my e-mails, still going okay.  Then I decided to surf.  No danger is surfing, right?  WRONG!! 

 

There I was looking at all the different things to do in Oklahoma when I saw on the left a button that said "Would you like a free brochure?"  I thought to myself, yes, yes, I would like a FREE brochure.  So I filled out all the pertinent information and clicked the little "send" button.  All is still fine.  I went to Glossy Mountain something or other and then BOOM they hit.  Hundreds of them flying at me all at once.  Little yellow boxes saying that the Norton Anti virus couldn't send the e-mail because it couldn't locate the web browser.  My thought was, "then, don't send it.  It wasn't that important to me anyway."  Then --- WARNING -- YOUR COMPUTER IS IN DANGER!  THE ------ HAS DETECTED SPYWARE/ADWARE --- IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU INSTALL THE LATEST VERSION OF ----" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I now have music.  It's Jen's music but I still have it!!!!  She walked me through some steps and was very patient with me.  So with the combined efforts of Mike (for taking me to the filelodge thingy so I'd have it already set up) and Jen (who walked me through very carefully what to do and then just gave me her own URL thingy because I wasn't getting what she was saying.) I now have tunes for your listening pleasure.  You'll always have the same songs to listen to because I haven't figured out how to get any new music but I have music and really that's all that matters.

 

So thank you both for your efforts, your giving nature, and your self control when I say "What URL?" and "No, I don't see what you're talking about." after you've told me 5 times.

 

Thanks Jen for the tunes. 

 

On to pictures!!!!

It is completely hopeless.  I can't make the music thingy work, I can't put pictures in the picture spot.  Nevermind the on-ramp to this information highway, I can't even find the URL so I'll know where the darn highway is!! 

 

I've been given the best websites to go to (I might as well have been reading in Gaelic).  I was even walked through the process step-by-step verbally (thanks Mike) and it's just hopeless.    I'm stuck in the boondocks with no compass. 

 

I've therefore resigned myself to simple written blogs with no pictures (I was going to put in my niece, she's so cute) and no music, so while you're reading this flip to your local country station and pretend it's coming from my space.  That's the best I can do.  I'll just have to accept my failures and move on.

 

 At least I figured out how to put the pretty colors in the background.  

 

 

 

Why can't people be happy?  Why must they complain about every little thing?  It is so frustrating!!

 

For years now I have listened to the ladies in our processing facility complain about their uniforms.  They didn't like the white work shirts because the material allowed you to see their undergarements.  And for those ladies working near the riffle machine where water is sprayed it was a bigger problem.  So they had to wear shirts under their work shirts making it especially hot during the summer months.

 

After years of telling the bosses that they needed to change, fate was on our side and they decided to go with a new uniform supply company.  New uniforms means new color choices.  It was decided the ladies would wear a light blue.  This color should allow them to go without an extra shirt underneath and still have their privacy and it would be cool in the summer.

 

So they get their new uniforms and what happens?  They don't like blue, they want the white back.  Now I'm a woman and so I know that certain colors do not look good on me.  I'm a blond with blue eyes and a light complextion, orange is not my color!  However, I don't think that telling my boss that I don't want to wear a cerrtain color because it's not a good color for me is a very good idea. 

 

And I was right because I believe his response was "I don't give a rat's ass if it matches their eyeshadow or not! Put the damn thing on and do your job!"   Needless to say, I don't think that we'll be changing back to white any time soon.