We now return to our regularly scheduled madness...

In true poltergeist or bad penny fashion, I'm back! A break seems to have been the right remedy because I feel refreshed and energized and ready to tackle the year like the Army Wife version of David Harris (LB for the NY Jets who leads the NFL in tackles and yes, I totally had to google that info).

I have spent my time taking stock of how I really want to spend my time and what subjects I really want to talk about, as well as modifying my volunteer commitments to suit my time, temperament and skills. Turning this into a once-a-week picture blog is, right now, the most visible result of that decision-making process. Of course, I reserve the right to post more often if inspiration strikes, but it's a more efficient use of my style to do something really meaningful once a week rather than something obligatory every day.

I have been on-again, off-again about whether or not to drop the FRG co-leadership position which has been challenging in some not-great ways, but after talking it out with the other person, I think we've reached a compromise that will allow me to contribute in the ways I'm good at, while sparing me the headaches that come from proverbially bashing my head against the brick wall aspects.

Part of the FRG decision had to do with another volunteer commitment that I've assigned myself and which I'm a little hesitant to reveal yet because I haven't officially started. I will say that it's an incredible personal opportunity to polish some of my skills that may (just may, mind you) lead to professional opportunities later. I am really excited and can't wait until I'm able to share more!

There have been personal development classes, interesting reading, meandering dog walks through frozen fields, a kid who made first runner up in her school spelling bee, internet problems, noisy basement construction, trip planning, photo taking, soldier supporting, dog hair vacuuming, dish washing, laundry sorting kinds of activities that seem to advance on me like a stampeding herd of water buffalo, then trickle away once completed in a careless sort of distraction - completely uninterested in me after I've tied myself into knots to accommodate them!

I may be assigning a bit more enmity (not to mention intelligence) to a pile of dirty clothes than it strictly deserves, but I swear the dishes are conspiring against me to multiply in the night.

Not to bore you with talk of the weather, but the self-restraint Mother Nature has shown in NOT snowing or raining on us in several days (even going so far as to allow a blazing winter sun to shine through - twice) has contributed immensely to my good mood. In further proof that I am incurring a huge karmic debt by revelling in my good fortune, I give you this week's picture, for which Heidi actually sat still and posed, turning her head to look at the camera instead of rushing over to knock me off my squat and licking me to death.

It's not too big!

People sometimes ask me how I maintain such a positive attitude in the face of this deployment. I usually look over my shoulder to see who the heck they're talking to, and then when I realize they mean me, respond, "I play with dolls. Voodoo dolls of every member of Congress." It's a great stress reliever!

But honestly, I have to give props to my daily walk with my dog. I don't really push myself physically - it's not like I jog or anything. But that's mainly because I have a hard time staying upright when I'm LAUGHING SO HARD.

Happy New Year

I hereby renew my effort to post a picture EVERY DANG DAY!

Yes, I know I'm a day late for new year's resolutions - the irony is not lost on me, I assure you.

It's so hard when the sun has been in what seems like permanent exile - everything is gray, gray, GRAY. And photography is supposed to be about writing with light, right? NOT VERY INSPIRING, MOTHER NATURE.

I imagine this means even more reliance on my reluctant (or oblivious, as the case may be) models, Heidi and Ro.

She's just mad because her nose isn't red.

Gloomy dog is gloomy.

It's the weather. She'll get over it.

I lick you. I mean like you. Okay, both.

This morning I received a request for help from one of gals in our FRG. I don't want to say she sounded desperate, but the subject line in her email was in all caps with exclamation points. It concerned an adorable li'l puppy - okay, not so "li'l" but definitely adorable - that she was taking care of on short notice because his owners had a family emergency. It was a totally thoughtful and generous thing to do, considering the family in question had only 24 hours to high-tail it to the States.

When faced with predicaments like that, one doesn't take time to consider that the dog isn't yet housebroken, or that he's only about 6 months old, or that he might not get along with one's cat yet be absolutely addicted to the leavings in said cat's litterbox. Or the fact that the bundle of cat-crunchy-munchin' energy is deaf. Or that one isn't necessarily a dog person.

Are you beginning to see the need for the caps lock key and a few exclamation points?

To save my friend's sanity (rapidly depleting after two sleepless nights), I jumped right in there and offered to take the pup off her hands for a few hours, days or weeks, depending on her recovery time. As it happens, the owners had a back up plan that would be implemented later in the evening, but when I brought him home, I thought it was for at least an overnight stay.

First, we introduced Heidi and Skylar in neutral territory, where they got on famously and played like dogs are supposed to. This reassured me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have reservations about how they'd get along in the house. It's Heidi's territory after all, and she isn't known for her level of restraint when it comes to demanding attention from any and all warm bodies in residence.

What followed is a five hour blur of madly thrashing tails, flying dog drool, joyously wriggling dog bodies and a few bruised human kneecaps. After 19 months with Heidi, I thought no carbon based life form could match her energy level. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I was proven SO WRONG.

Although I was prepared to hold to my offer of unlimited emergency dog sitting, I can't say I'm overly disappointed that another family has stepped in. For starters, Skylar's owners will feel much more comfortable knowing personally the hands their dog is in. But no less important than that is the fact that Skylar also exceeds Heidi's capacity to fill the room with noxious gases that a Bond villain wouldn't touch. Seriously. I'm going to have to repaint.

Holdin' on

Babies!

Okay, so besides being one of the most pitiful snapshots I've ever taken, the above photo also explains why I didn't get any other pictures today! These baby girls were hanging at our house this morning while their Mama drove to the airport to pick up visiting family. Despite the fact that one is perfectly content to sit in one spot and watch the world pass by, and the other - tho very active - is quite satisfied to make her own fun, these girls Wore. Me. Out.

Oh, wait... you probably think I mean the two baby girls? Oh no. I mean all four of those females pictured above. I think it's hilarious that the flash spotlighted the dog, because she clearly felt she should be in it! Heidi just couldn't understand why these two little interlopers were getting all HER attention. At one point, she literally burrowed between Ro and one of the babies to separate them, then rolled over on her stomach and thumped her tail on the floor as if to say, "No, see... your hands go here. On my belly. Remember? You no rub anybody else's belly when I'm around. I can haz all ur attention??"

Ro shocked the hell out of me by sticking around to play, cuddle, pick up when fussy, feed and rock to sleep the twins. Typically, Ro's M.O. is run in the opposite direction from babies, who heretofore have freaked her right the heck out.

"Ah! It's looking at me funny! And making weird noises! What do we do??"

"Well, Ro, I believe now we change it's diaper."

But today she was a total champ and even declared afterward that playing with the girls was the best part about her day. Which was actually the EXACT OPPOSITE reaction I was looking for. I figured that a double dose of baby would be almost as good as a depo provera shot, but unfortunately these babies were much too angelic to fulfill that purpose.

So yeah. They were only here for five hours, and I needed a two-and-a-half hour nap after they left! ....Well yes, okay, I probably would have taken the nap anyway. What's your point?!

These girls are the daughters of one of our FRG's families. A young family who had complications at the delivery and for whom we all kind of went out of our way to help out. It was one of my first "acts" as FRG co-leader and... well, it made an impression. Anybody who knows me knows I'm not a "joiner". I don't particularly like interacting with people and I sure wasn't looking for more responsibility. But while I got involved out of mainly frustration and a desire to make my own receipt of information easier and faster, I've had a few unexpected pleasures, as well. This family is one of them. There are days when I want to throw in the towel - when I think, "I want to NEVER TALK TO ANYONE AGAIN." But then there are days when I get to smell sweet little baby heads, or hang out with genuinely nice people, or somebody just says, "Hey, you have a hard job. Thanks for doing it," and I go... Oh yeaaaaahhhh, it IS worth it. :)

9

I finally got to talk to R last night.

Pffft. Listen to me, "finally." When he deployed in 2003, it took two months to get my first letter and I thought that was awesome! Of course, we weren't married then, so perhaps my perspective was somewhat different. The other thing that skews my perspective this time is living in Europe. "Down range" is no longer halfway across the world, and in fact is only ahead by a single time zone. It feels closer and quite frankly I don't know if that makes it easier or harder. On the one hand, logistically he could be back home in a couple of hours, but in practice he's as unreachable as the moon.

Took Heidi on a long, meandering walk this morning. Bright fall colors have begun to darken to that charcoal gray grunge look, but this tree is hanging onto its red. These spots reminded me of something utterly alien to northern Europe - as though a bit of Africa had set up shop beside the river. I spent several minutes observing it from different angles, and this shot is my favorite. Very straight forward and direct, which is an acurate reflection of how I'm feeling today.

Family Time

All three of us on the floor today, and Heidi expresses her approval.