LICE!!!!!

I thought you all might want to share this joyous time with Maggie and me. After receiving the dreaded phone call: "Maggie has head lice" and then spending $120 on Revolution that may or may not work but will deworm her automatically (good to know) the following ensued:

came home to find that a) the outside taps have been turned off due to the unseasonably cold
weather we have been experiencing and b) that my landlords were out for the night so I couldn't turn the water on nor use their bathtub for the de-lousing bath I have to give Maggie I c) resorted to using my (thankfully larger than normal) shower stall.

Soaped her up, wrapped her in towels to keep the medication where it has to work for the requisite 10 minutes (we did 20 just to be absolutely sure), then back to the shower
stall for the big rinse.

On the plus side, I will be able to pee in private from now on --- I had to actually pick her up and carry her back to the shower for the rinse. Even the extra special cookies didn't entice her to
come in under her own steam. And then I had to go into the shower with her, fully clothed, to get all the shampoo off of her. That was an experience I don't soon wish to repeat!

One thing I have to say --- Maggie is a trouper!!!!!

Bath complete, dog towel dried and Revolution applied (fingers crossed), we got cosy by the fire, enjoying our rewards --- a free-range, organic chicken carcass and cookies for her, wine for me.

We thought it a good idea to photo-document the ordeal, just to make sure you get the complete experience.

Fondly,
Kathryn & Maggie

scary things are bound to happen

laptop + digital camera with recently discovered video function + cute dog = two cute, albeit potentially boring, videos "now showing" at YouTube. Not sure how this whole thing works, so fingers crossed, here they are:

The first one is our first attempt, Maggie's Close-Up (she really is THAT cute)
The second one is video proof that Maggie does love her new Mouse-Bear and that I am not a total failure as a mother.

Enjoy (and I promise they will get better)

Maggie's Close-Up

The Mouse-Bear - the scrap of dirty looking fabric in the bottom left of the frame is her original bear, so you can understand why it is time for an upgrade.

yet another example of why it is such a very good thing that I do not have children

When I brought Maggie home to live with me I bought her a cream coloured fleece teddy bear. She has suckled that teddy bear on a pretty much constant basis since that day. It is now more a scrap of dirty fabric than a bear, but still we refer to it is her bear.

She has a toy box full of toys, including several she received this Christmas, that go virtually ignored by her. Visiting dogs are pleased with them, but she couldn't care less. It's all about her bear.

Maggie turned 8 yesterday and I bought her a new toy -- a really weird looking rat type thing dressed in blue and white striped footy-pajamas. It was on sale at Old Navy for like $2.00 so I couldn't resist. Apparently Maggie can.

I washed her bear last night with the doggy towels and put it in her toy box. I then put her new rat in front of here everywhere she went -- on the couch, by the front door, in my bed. NOTHING.

It's like I am forcing her to love this new rat and her not obliging me is an indication of some sort of huge failure on my part.

And this is with my dog.

Can you imagine the damage I would inflict on a child???