Happy Jubilee to Thee!

We're off to Italy to celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne by eating pasta, pizza and gelato. Enjoy the street parties, flotilla, jubilee jamboree (or what ever the concert is called), the Union Jacks, and British spirit. I know Riley will be jubilant this weekend without us. See you next week!

Plants, Pimm's and Pizza

Or in other words, the Chelsea Flower Show. I finally went for the first time last week. I had tickets for the 5:30 - 8pm viewing, which ended up being the perfect amount of time. I was worried it would be too short, but after dodging people, champagne, a few drunks (yes, really, there were drunk people at the flower show), seeing some pretty flowers, eating some pizza and drinking some Pimm's I was good to go. Dave very generously offered his ticket to someone more enthused by flowers and plants so my Dave stand in and I walked around the pavilion, saw the garden designs, looked at all the various garden accoutrements for sale and enjoyed the amazing weather. My take on the flower show is that it was a mix of people seriously looking for gardening and plant ideas combined with people dressed in sports coats and maxi dresses who view the show solely as a social engagement for their Spring calendar and the chance to drink champagne and Pimm's in hopefully nice weather outside. So... all in all quite British?

I asked my Dave stand in if she would go back next year, and she tentatively said yes. I agree. The flowers were pretty (duh), the gardens were interesting, but we were done looking around after about 90 minutes. The late afternoon session proved to be enough for us, and gave me the chance to experience the show and all of its floral glory, eat some dinner, enjoy the weather and basically get a feeling of what the very popular, very prestigious, very British Chelsea Flower Show is all about. 

Here are some pictures....

My Sausage

Ever since Riley had her "procedure" her tail has looked ridiculous. The vet shaved most of the fur off and she's now left with this little tuft of long fur, right at the tip. For a few days she was sporting a furless gray stump. Now, with very light colored fur starting to grow back her stump looks more like a sausage. A boudin blanc sausage to be precise (or a weisswurst, or a brockwurst). So of course I now call her my little Boudin Blanc. I don't think she appreciates the name.

On the top, Riley's tail. On the bottom, a sausage. Can you tell the difference?

Second Video...

Maybe more annoying than the first.

This Puppy Dog Lost Her Tail

Riley is home and recovering after her awful, harrowing, traumatic day yesterday. But she survived! Sort of. Her tail didn't. That thing was totally shaved and she is left with the tiniest, itsy bitsy little pom pom on the very tip of her tail. She looks ridiculous. And I think she knows it. I don't think she is in pain, even though she has stitches on her tail and side, rather I think she's hating the feeling of a shaved tail and rear end. She has never liked the wind on her rear, so now being furless back there, she can hardly walk without getting a strong breeze all up in her business. Not good! She has spent all morning and early afternoon whining. Literally whining since Dave left about 6am. Don't believe me? Here are two videos showing what she's doing and how she sounds...and yes, it is as annoying as it seems.

 

OK, one video, I'll put the other in a separate post since I can't upload it here. 

The vet said she was perfectly fine through the procedure, and was actually quiet in the office, until the moment we stepped through the door. Once she heard our voices she started crying, and it has continued until today. I think I am about five minutes from putting earmuffs on. She has to go back to the vet for a post-op check up tomorrow, then will have to go back in a week to 10 days to get the stitches removed. But hopefully she'll be all better and less self-conscious soon, like maybe by June. I'm just glad we removed the bumps, to ensure they won't bother her, and so we can test them to know they aren't something more serious.

Here are some pictures from her awful day:

Little tiny pom pom. 

Hiding behind me at home. 

Hiding behind the door. Must not show the rear!

I'm assuming she'll feel much better tomorrow, or Sunday. She just needs to get used to having much less fur on her body. If only it wasn't so gray out, she'd be loving the idea of getting some sun on her rump. Then she'd be thanking us for doing this to her, right?

A Painful Anniversary

One year ago today, at about this very minute, Riley and I walked outside to go for a walk. When we returned, a mere 30 minutes later, I opened the front door to an overwhelming smell of perfume and an immediate sense that something was wrong. And I was right, because in the time we were gone we were robbed. Most likely two (if not more) people came in, went through my bedroom, my underwear drawer, my jewelry box, my closet and left with so much. So many memories and irreplaceable items like my mother-in-law's engagement ring. One item that is/was truly priceless. And so many other things like jewelry I made, worth nothing to another person, pictures that were in my jewelry box, meaningful jewelry given to me by Dave on my birthday, our anniversaries, my wedding band, a watch I gave him on our wedding day. And of course took my sense of security at home, which only recently has started to return. It took me months, literally six if not more, before I stopped checking to make sure no one was inside when I returned home alone.

So on this anniversary, one year later, I don't want to celebrate anything. Rather, I'd love to give the finger to the people who did it. Who managed to come in and so quickly take so much from me, all while I was walking my dog. A big F-you to them on our special day!

And now we return to our regularly scheduled programming - a update on poor Riley...

I'm Back...For Good

OK, so I'm still here. I didn't drop this little blog "experiment," I just took a mini-vacation. For about two months. Three? But I'm back, and committed, with a ton of ideas and things to write about. I think. I'll use this post as an update, to tell you what Riley has been up to. I'll fill you in on my life as well.

1. First of all Riley has a little situation. Or more accurately, a little cyst-uation. Yes, Riley has some cysts that need to be removed. Poor little Riley, she's going in for minor surgery on Thursday. I'll be sure to have her bed fluffy and her favorite foods ready for her when she gets back from the clinic (i.e. the vet's office) Thursday afternoon. I'm telling her it's just a minor cosmetic procedure sure to make her even cuter when she's all healed. The big cyst is on her tail, so hopefully the removal of that cyst won't impair her ability to properly wag and shake her furry little stump. I'll let you know how it all goes, and how moody she is, on Friday.

2. So as for me, I have been...ok, what have I been doing? Well, we got back from Singapore and Vietnam in early April. That trip was amazing, we had a great time. I have a ton of pictures I'll show in a future post, because after all I don't want to exhaust all of my topics in one go. We also just got back from a weekend in Barcelona with friends. That trip was great also, with great company and great weather, and Cava(!). We had four days of sun! Can you imagine? Do you remember what the sun feels like? I didn't until we got to Spain.

3. Today is our unofficial but official dating anniversary, an anniversary we really don't celebrate. But today is 16 years! 16! Yes, in case you were wondering, we did start dating when we were 12. (No we didn't).

4. This past weekend, on Sunday, we were wandering through Selfridges after scoping out new pillows for Dave (why are pillows so expensive? I mean really, £100+?? Come on) and we were walking by the Prada in-store store where I happened to notice some really fugly carpet purses in the window. I mean these things are covered in loooong neon shag carpeting with, if I remember correctly, crocheted handles. Seriously? As I was pointing and laughing at those purses Dave stopped and asked "is that Victoria Beckham?" And sure enough it was! And she was checking out a carpet purse! She was also with her baby, who is just as cute and well dressed as you'd expect. I didn't take a picture or anything, I just attempted to stare nonchalantly. But it was exciting! Almost a royal sighting, I mean she and David Beckham are unofficial British royalty are they not? They own a house the British press refers to as "Beckingham Palace" (which I believe they are trying to sell), she was/is Posh Spice! And he's Golden Balls. That's royalty in my mind. Now if only I could spot Kate out and about....

I think that's it for now. I'll try and be better about posting, since that was one of my New Year's goals. And obviously I am meeting my goals SO WELL! At least I am confident I'll have a good story to tell while Riley recovers from her surgery. It will be even better if she has to wear a doggy collar! Poor Riley...