Catching Up

Well, we've had a little time to recover from the trip to Pigeon Forge. Penny has sufficiently recovered enough take over again. We didn't think she'd want to go anywhere for awhile, but last Saturday she was stir crazy enough to want an outing, so we did the usual morning trip to Starbucks followed by errands. She made friends with a Papillon named Shiloh -- Richard and I decided it was a tossup as to who had the cushier life, Penny or the Papillon -- and she rode somewhat peacefully in her car seat while we drove her around. We were pretty happy about that, because that's exactly what we want her to get used to doing.

I'm pleased to say that I have now survived my first colonoscopy. I knew it was important to have it done, because I'm at a slightly higher risk for colon cancer since I had an uncle die from it and since my father had a few issues... but to be honest, I put it off as long as I could. I'm here to tell you that the procedure itself is a piece of cake. You're taking a nice, enforced nap (using Propofol in non Michael Jackson-esque quantities), and I figure as long as nothing ends up on You Tube, I'm good. My only problem was with the prep. If you have no clue what's involved, I'll let you google it. I knew it was going to be unpleasant, but I had no clue I was going to be one of the small percentage of people who had a really bad reaction to it. I'm such a speshul snowflake. :) I got a clean bill of health tho, and they gave me an invitation to come back for another one in 5 years. I said we'd chat. Upon further review, I figure I've got no worries because the government healthcare probably won't pay for it at that point anyway...

The new business is going well. You'd think things would settle down after tax season, but now we're in what I like to call the "flurry of letters" season. My current favorite is the Georgia Department of Revenue, which apparently delights in wasting taxpayer time and money demanding payment of taxes that have already been paid. Topping that is the NC Department of Revenue which seizes bank accounts of unsuspecting taxpayers after sending notices to incorrect addresses, after they've been properly notified of the correct address. And some people think we only really work 4 months a year... :)

In the middle of all this, I have actually had an opportunity to (gasp!) knit and even crochet a little:
Crochet dishcloths, pattern is Tulip Stitch Dishcloth, yarn is I Love This Cotton by Hobby Lobby. You can get two cloths out of one skein. :)
Ladder Stitch Crocheted Dishcloth, again in I Love This Cotton by Hobby Lobby. It took only part of a skein, so I'm doing another Tulip Stitch cloth out of the rest.Lacy Mock Cable socks. Yarn is an Ella Rae fingering/lace weight yarn that's doing well for socks. :)

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend! Take time during your fun to remember why the holiday is there, and if you see a soldier, say thank you. :)

Marathon Shopping

...and we're home from our annual marathon shopping trip to Pigeon Forge. Mom likes to go up there about once a year to check out the outlet fare. There's a Kasper outlet there and she generally has pretty good luck finding something (altho it's pretty difficult to find clothes when a size 2 is too large... yeah, she needs to eat more). It was a quick Friday-Sunday trip... but more importantly, it was Penny's first big trip away from home and staying in a hotel. We were anxious to see how she'd do.

Friday morning we headed to Rome to Mom's house to get the van and head up to the mountains. We had decided to try to get Penny to ride in the puppy car seat; Oscar would never ride in it, preferring instead to "drive" draped across the lap of whoever happened to occupy the drivers' seat (generally me). Needless to say, this is not the most safe way for anybody to travel. Fortunately, Penny took to it like the proverbial duck to water...She'd look out the window, curl up and have a nap... she didn't even fuss when we stopped for fast food and deigned to eat a bite still parked in the car seat. Didn't whine or bark (except when we drove through a storm and it thundered, but that's another matter). We were very pleased.

On the way up, we try to always stop at the Mayfield Dairy in Athens, TN for some ice cream. All of us found it very tasty!We stayed in the Hampton Inn in Pigeon Forge. This particular hotel is located very close to the main outlets and is very comfortable and very pet friendly. We always stayed there when Oscar was with us, and their hospitality hasn't changed. Penny did exceptionally well in the hotel and only barked a few times when there were some unexpected loud noises.

Mom bought a stroller for Oscar to use when shopping (DF Jill referred to it as his "Royal Carriage"), and Penny has inherited it. After some initial complaining, she settled right down in it and consented to be driven around. Sure beats walking, especially when your legs are so short!

We shopped Friday afternoon, and all day Saturday. Did some damage, but not as much as on other trips. Mom did find some suits, which was the main purpose of going.

As Richard said on Facebook, "We shopped till she dropped."
On Sunday before we left town, we headed for the huge Flea Market that's just off the interstate. That's when Penny's patience ran out. She was tired of being in the stroller and nothing would do but that she be carried around. She decided to bark at people. She was In A Mood -- I dunno, maybe it was the Fleas. At any rate, we piled back in the van and headed south.

So, it was a successful trip with the hound. It appears we have another little traveler, so we're anxious to return to Highlands. We haven't been there for two years. Hoping for a trip this summer!