I'm interpreting today's New Moon as a sign of a fresh start since my snacking needs a something to get it back on track.

The new buy in my bonnet is to learn to drive a tractor. No good reason, except that I saw one driving on the road and realized that I didn't know how. Shouldn't be that hard since farm kids pick it up by age 10.

Good morning all! Sorry I haven't posted much lately but I have been reading. Things are going well here. My time is pretty much split between work, babies, and watching Star Trek: Enterprise (which I hadn't watched until now but am currently completely obsessed with). Work is pretty busy lately.

I watched Nattie make her first furry kill - though probably not the first in her life - this morning. She had been practicing with bugs the whole weekend. She is amazingly quick and efficient. No time spent stalking or playing with the mouse, just crouch, pounce, and SNAP! It was dead in an instant. She then did other things which I won't detail and then presented the rest to me on the deck. I accepted with grace and aplomb - hadn't had my brekkie yet so no worries. Nat then took off into the garden and I was able to dispose of the remains in a quiet and orderly fashion. I am going to be doing a lot of this in the next few weeks I think.

I kinda realized we had a tiny killer about a week after we got her. DH was a bit taken aback by the news this morning but he took it in stride. He is calling her "Killer Cuica" now.

Dagmar

Good morning!

Dagmar, we call our dog, a very goofy golden mix, "Killer." She is very good at keeping all other animals out of our yard. She caught a possum the other night, but thank god she dropped it when I told her to and it was gone the next morning. guh-ross!

My 100-day challenge to myself has been going well (87 days now until I turn 50). I had a blip of overeating yesterday celebrating family birthdays. My daughter is turning 12 on Wednesday and we got her a phone. This is scary new territory for us. Also, we're traveling this week-end and having her party the following week-end. I will try to make the best of it.

We have a little reprieve from the heat so far today and I enjoyed a pick-up doubles tennis game. So fun!

Hope everyone has a good week!

I am just five episodes away from finishing watching chronologically the entire run of "Breaking Bad," which kept getting better & better, and darker & darker with each season.

Oh, and I was supposed to have a day off, but someone wanted me to work on a document as fast as possible. And I have to teach a full-day class on writing for newly hired analysts on Wednesday. And also I have to formulate a workplan for someone to follow who is likely not going to be able to follow it and then something bad will happen ... which is making me squirm & wish I weren't a manager.

And yeah, weight, I don't know. Seems like 155 is the new "reasonable," which isn't how I wanted it to be.

First day of school with students today so too busy to post. Just wanted to say hi and tell Saef I finished Breaking Bad tonight! I want to start over and watch again as I spread the series out too far and forgot important details.

We have gone back in time in our house and are watching the "fun" epis of "The X-Files". Canadian Netflix is eons behind U.S. but it's fun to see some of the older stuff. You should see the "mobile" phones - the size of paperback books - too funny!

I am having a surge of temp work - good financially for the short term!

And we are going to have a one-day heat wave today - good that we're getting a day of real summer in the last week of summer (for me the summer ends after Labour Day). I am trying to eat sensibly and will weigh in on Sept. 1 and see where I go from there.

Dagmar

I'm a big fan of the 'X-Files' - DD and I would watch the show religiously while the rest of the family ignored us.

I LOVED the X-Files! Many episodes kept me awake late into the night! I am in the process of researching replacements for my big ole clunky TV (smart TV, dumb TV with smart box, get cable or not, etc.) and I am all over Netflix - and X-Files is #1 in my queue when/if I ever start watching "TV" again.

Dagmar, good luck keeping up with your tiny killer. When she's up to chipmunks and red squirrels, I need to borrow her for a few months.

Making progress on DS's room. We'll move the dresser to its new spot tonight, and get the tall bookcase out. Then, it's all about desk assembly. Thursday my mom will take Alex to shop for his desk chair. Saturday is the IKEA trip to pick up the new queen-size bed; mattress arrival is an unknown somewhere between this weekend and next.

And so it goes. Check off one item, add three more.

Becky I know you took measurements for both the mattress and the Ikea bed to make sure they match up, right? Ikea is kinda notorious in Canada for not fitting any other brand but their own. I am not speaking of course, from personal experience with a mismatch.

We wrestled an Ikea queen size bed and mattress from a different source up 3 floors of tiny curvy winding steps to a third floor apartment in a house. Assembled the bed and tried to put the mattress on it. We ended up sleeping on the mattress on the floor for about 5 years. We CAN be stubborn about mistakes.

Dagmar

Dagmar - !!! I will double-check the website, and also take a tape measure with me!

I am getting different life insurance so I had a mini physical with a nurse who came to the house at 7am. She said I was 5'6" , I figured I had shrunk, but didn't want to face it. Her scale said I weighed 135! I had just weighed earlier and was 142 on mine. Mine is digital and hers was the other kind. I told her it seemed off and she said yes it is about four pounds off but she has to write down what she sees. Okay... seemed a little strange to me.

This is our third week of school and it feels like we never left. My classes are excellent so I can't complain. Bigger than normal, I guess lots of kids want to learn programming this year.

I don't watch tv anymore. I just don't have time. I feel completely out of it when people talk about these shows, even old ones. Maybe when I'm down to just two jobs I'll make the time.

I watched Emmys the other night, I am happy to say that my record is intact I have NOT seen one show that was honored.

Dagmar - DH and I are also rewatching the X-Files right now. Love it!

Jessica - you know I'm with you on Enterprise.

I don't watch current tv much anymore - a lot of Netflixing older shows, even ones we've already seen.

I have sent in 3 applications to dog rescues this week. I expect to do a phone interview next week with the agency whose dogs I like best. I am contacting my fence builder again to arrange a meeting next week to start building the fence portion that will enclose the backyard. The dog's crate, dishes, toys, brush, and now bed are waiting in the dining room. I still have to purchase 2 more baby gates and a collar and then I will be totally prepared.

Now that I look back I can see that I've been working toward this goal for almost 4 years. I think I am finally ready to have another dog in my life.

And I think the dog will probably come home with us on the weekend which is the one year anniversary of us moving into this house. Our home will be complete.

Dagmar