Louis & Ella: Together Again

I was never planning to be the person who posts dozens of pictures on my blog, but I got a new critter today & he is so cute & he & Ella are so cute together that I can't resist.

As you'll see, so far they get along famously. There has not been one solitary growl. Not even a half-growl (although there was a little scatting - ha!). Even when drinking water together from the same bowl. Awwwww ...

And they've already claimed their relaxation spots in the backyard. Ella curls up in a chair & Louis lays on top of the table under my patio.

Indulge me ... and of course click on the little pictures to see BIG pictures.

Resolution Revolution

I usually enjoy a good New Year's resolution or two. It is always fun to think about what you'd like to do (or not do) in a new year and then lay that out for the whole world to see.

I'm not doing anything diet/health-related this year though. In resolutions, I mean. They haven't worked in the past & basically I need to be focused on healthy living on a daily, monthly, weekly, yearly basis anyway instead of just once a year.

I have thought of a couple of resolutions though.

I want to make or create one thing a month. Something artsy-craftsy maybe. Possibly cook a new meal or dish. Just twelve things throughout the year that I made from scratch. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

I also want to take more pictures in 2009. I am not a good photographer at all. I have the shakiest damn hands this side of the Mississippi. And I just don't know what makes a good photo. So anyway, I just thought I'd spend the year practicing. So when I see something interesting or weird or beautiful or crazy, I'll take a picture. Maybe then by the end of '09 I'll be good enough to warrant asking for a new digital camera for Christmas.

To start off, here are a couple of pictures I took of this evening's sky.

What's Around the Bend?

Happy New Year to all my peeps!

I'm trying to slowly work my way back into blogging after basically quitting for the last part of 2008. I want to get back to it & haven't forgotten any of my ongoing initiatives -- weight loss progress, top albums, etc. I'll pick them all up eventually.

I can't believe another year is upon us. As far as weight, health, diet, I go into this new year without a specific plan. I'm fine with that. I've had specific plans out the wazoo in years past & it hasn't done much good.

Generally, my plan is to get some sort of consistent exercise on a weekly basis and try to eat a low-fat diet. I'm about to start reading this book, which I hope will provide some inspiration, although it certainly goes above & beyond anything I'm attempting to do at this time.

Who knows what will happen in '09, but there's no reason to think it won't be good!

If I Only Had It On Video

So I was out in the yard early this morning (about 7-ish) playing with Ella. Out of nowhere she came speeding at me like a bull at a bullfight. I mean all 40 lbs of her barreling straight toward me at what seemed like 50 mph.

Before I could move she rammed full-speed into my right leg with the entire weight of her body. She bounced back like a tennis ball hitting the pavement and I went straight down -- all hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pounds of me. Straight down, flat on the ground, sprawled out across the wet grass & dirt within half a second.

For a couple of seconds, I thought my leg might be broken. She hit me that HARD. It is still sore and hurting hours later.

What the hell?

Reba McEntire: For My Broken Heart

1991

1. For My Broken Heart
2. Is There Life Out There
3. Bobby
4. He's in Dallas
5. All Dressed Up (with Nowhere to Go)
6. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
7. Buying Her Roses
8. The Greatest Man I Never Knew
9. I Wouldn't Go That Far
10. If I Had Only Known

I often & completely by accident head in the opposite direction of everyone around me. True to form, I go off to college a huge lover of music, open to any edgy, obscure, undiscovered music I can find, but end up latching on to what many would call the most treacly, middle-of-the-road, old-lady (no offense to old ladies) music out there.

Yes, the first album to really impact me during college was Reba McEntire's For My Broken Heart. Why did it so grab me? How did this happen? Simple. Let me just say straight out (I know this is no surprise to anyone): I love sad songs. And For My Broken Heart is sad. Virtually every song. Some are really, really sad.

For those who don't know, Reba McEntire lost her entire touring band in an airplane crash about 8 months before For My Broken Heart was released. She had already been working on the album, of course, but that tragedy permeated the rest of the production; she replaced some songs, changed the title track from a duet to a solo, and just sang with a different feeling. And I remember seeing her perform on the CMA Awards that year, singing For My Broken Heart backed by Dolly Parton's touring band. It was beyond compelling & I just had to buy it.

Turns out, For My Broken Heart the song was just the tip of the iceberg. The album hit every possible sad note it could, from loneliness (All Dressed Up) and death (If I Had Only Known) to lost loves (He's in Dallas) and distant fathers (The Greatest Man I Never Knew). And oh yeah, let's not forget that ditty about assisted suicide (Bobby). Sounds like what every college freshmen would be rushing to listen to, right?

For me, the artistic expression of emotion is always best accomplished by music. For My Broken Heart is a tad more literal and overflowing in that respect than many of the other albums I love, but it is nonetheless beautiful and pure.

Escape From Dogatraz

So guess who dug out from under the fence and escaped today? Yes, that's right.

I had to leave work early and retrieve the cute little thing.

Dogs are so worth it though. They are cute and sweet and adorable and a blessing.

Get one.

Ella