Momma's All Sickified!

Mabel Lou here! Oy! What a crazy coupla weeks we've had. Momma and I had our biggest fight in YEARS! She yelled at me and gave me a cold bath and didn't even dry me off! And then she left me outside by myself ALL day and into the night! I was getting scared I would have to sleep on the porch but she opened the door and said in her mean Momma voice, "Get in that bed, right now!"

I jumped in the big bed and there weren't even any bedtime cookies. She stayed mad at me for like forever until the next day. All I did was eat some chicken bones I found in the creek. Momma told me to drop them but Bart woulda got them so I took the bag out into the middle of the creek (Momma won't come in the water!) and I ate them there and then it was hot so I decided to take a mud bath and Momma was all yelling at me, "Noooooo!"

And then we had to leave and go home to that cold bath and whatever... I'm glad that's over!

Then Momma got a job and she's been gone a lot. She's working on one of those infomercials about some fancy machine. They sent one to her here in like a kajillion boxes and after she learned how to work it, she dumped it in the guest room and I can't get to my favorite daytime bed.. Harumph!

She spent the night away on her job and my auntie forgot to feed me! My mom happened to call my Auntie to check in on me at BEDTIME so... I got supper and put to bed. Harumph!

Momma had one day to work from home - not that it was good for me - she was all stressy pants! Then she was working all weekend and today, I finally get her back to myself... but Noooo! She's sick!

She took me to the creek but we barely walked around and she was all ready to come home. Harumph!

Hope she gets better soon! I don't like being her nurse!

One World One Heart 2011

I'm very sad to say this is the final blog hop adventure known as One World One Heart. I've been participating for a few years and visiting other blogs since the beginning. It's been a wonderful ride and I've made a few friends and gotten to know a lot of other bloggers along the way!

The blog hop is hosted by Lisa at  A Whimsical Bohemian and the rules are ♥here♥  and I would like to add just ONE more for my players... PLEASE, please make it easy to get in touch with you if you win!!! I have several blogs and also have a team blog participating and in past years, people we cannot reach are passed over for someone who make it easy to get in touch with! So please, leave your email OR make sure your profile has an "email me" button!

A little bit about this blog: Creekhiker was my first blog and like a first love, it has a special place in my heart. It is mostly about the adventures I get into hiking in the glorious Southern California mountains with my rottweiler mix dog, Mabel. In many ways, Mabel has taken over this blog like she's taken over my life! We love to read about other poopy dog adventures. I am an artist...struggling along life's balance of art and commerce. I make glass beads and design rubber stamps.

I'm giving away one of my snake skin glass heart  beads. It will arrive on a necklace ready to wear.

Snake Skin Heart (both sides shown)

To win: leave a comment (1) and make sure there is a way to reach you! 


You may want to visit my glass bead blog for a different bead give away and... my handmade glass bead promotions group, The Fire Divas, are also hosting a HUGE giveaway!

Small Victory

I received an annoying piece of spam the other day. It's bad enough to get one from Nigeria asking for my business website (DUH! You used it to email me!) but the broken English, bad spelling and totally outrageous requests scream RIP OFF!

But this one was in a foreign language... at least put some effort into it! I responded as I always do. I wrote back asked them to buy my beads or jewelry. I sent it 10 times. They replied with the same piece of spam. So I replied 10 more times. And they BLOCKED MY EMAIL! Whooo Hooo!

And for the record, this email addy is a spammer: servizio@bancario.it

Tell him I said hi!

Here Comes Da Judge

Well, it seems everyone else is jumping on the bribery bandwagon... Let me just say, it's not beneath Mabel Lou and I do the same.

So, we spiffed up this cool pic of Gizmo as "an offering..."

We think he's the handsomest judge EVERRRRR!

Update: Gizmo informed us he's NOT a judge...just a prize sponsor. Oh well... at least we won't get kicked out for bribery! LOL!!! 

Mango Minster 2011 - Good Old Gal Entry

This is Mabel Lou's entry in the Good Old Gal category of the Mango Minster 2011 Dog Show. I will post the rules for this category and leave it to Mabel to make a case for herself:

Rules:

1. Is your nickname "Bubba?"
2. Is your favorite activity lounging about watching football or the home shopping network on the picture box?
3. Are your beds placed strategically so as not to strain yourself actually walking should you feel a nap coming on?
4. Do you fart and / or snore with great abandon?
5. Do you drink beer and eat beef jerky?
6. Are you an easy going, whatever, kind of guy or gal?
7. Do your humans ever tell you, "You're just a good old boy (or girl)?" Duh.

Mabel Lou here. Thanks Mom!

I think I am THE BEST Good Old Gal - although, really Mango, do we have to discuss AGE???

1) No.. I'm a girl, silly! But my two most common nicknames are Lulu Belle and Miss Piss.

2) It's more like...just lounging in general. I also like looking cute cause that will make my mom come worship pet me.  
3) I'm certain I can win this thing on this point alone! See below for my demo!
4) Well, YES!
5) What do you think I got my mom to bribe me with for the photo shoot??? There's probably four or five kinds of jerky in my house at any moment!
6) Yep, sure am!
7) I get tired of listening to her babble on about what a good old girl I am! 


And now... for the bed demo. Let's just count my beds shall we? Let's start with the car:

My mom has blankies for  me in the jeep. She thinks they are there to collect the sand from the creek. I know better. 


#2 would be the big softie blankie in the car that I make her put down when we are out to breakie at my favorite restaurant:

I was a little miffed at her here because it was HOT. She's SUPPOSED to be trained to put the cool side out when it's hot... I swear these humans are so difficult to train!


That's TWO for out and about. While we're out and about, let's look around Mom's workshop. It's a mess! But I have several beds there... Let me explain how they work. This is my main shop bed (told you it was messy!) 

If you look closely, it's actually THREE BEDS! A nice air cooled frame with two more on top. I also have this one: 

See, I'm actually working in this shot. Mom was putting together some cabinets. She calls me her "stupervisor." I don't think that's a nice word... But back to me. I get mom to move the beds around to chase the sun and the shade while we are at the shop. One bed is near her torch so I can be close to her. One is in the sun and one in the shade and Mom moves them as the day progresses. And I have my elevated bed in the corner if I want more privacy. Pretty nice huh?


Back home, I have another elevated bed on the porch:

Getting tired yet? I am! I told you, I love to nap!!!


I love to be near a roaring fire. So, I have one bed right by the fireplace. Mom keeps threatening to toss this one cause it's old and icky on the inside. She talks. I ignore. Nothing happens. Oy! Humans! 

Sometimes, on a cold night, I will curl up here and wait for Mom to figure out we need fire. I love a fire because I often get toasted marshmallows!!! Yum!

I have another bed by the back door so I can keep an eye on all the critters we have under our deck and that nasty squirrel that teases me! 

But that's not all, I have a 3rd bed in the den! I can practically roll from one to the next! The third one is orthopedic and it's good to spy on Mom in the kitchen when she's making my meals. It's also perfect spot to let Mom know it's time to cuddle on the sofa:

Don't like the flashy beast! But if my eyes were open, you could see how well I use them to convince Mom it's cuddle time! 

I ALWAYS get my way:

Let's see how many beds is that? Two for out n about, four in the shop, the back porch, three in the den (not counting the sofa). That's 10...SO FAR!

I don't reserve cuddle time for just mom. I will cuddle with anyone on my sofa. Or sometimes, I'll just watch t.v. by myself: 

I have one down in the living room. I like to hang out there in the summer and when Mom is cooking cause I have a great view of the stove and sink from there. 

Then we move on down the hall to the smaller rooms. Number 12 would be in the guest bedroom. I like to hang out in here by myself while Mom is working on the computer. It's nice and bright in here...Southern Exposure...

... unlike Mom's dark cave of an office.  (I was really mad at the flashy beast here!) 

But I do like to hang out with her in there too, especially after the creek or before dinner! 

Then there is our bedroom. I do have a bed there too (Number 14!). When Mom is writing or looking for a job at night, I put myself to bed in there until she comes out and plays with me. 

But let's get real! That's not where I SLEEP! No, I sleep right next to my mom! 

Yes, I sleep on a queen - sized bed (appropriate, don't you think?) on my very own softie blanket in the winter. I don't require a soft fuzzy in the summer! I'm not that spoiled!

If we have company, I will even sleep with them:

I want them to feel welcome, you know! 

Mom also got me steps to get in and out of bed but I don't use them when she's in the room. I don't want to worry her. But I think she hears me use them getting out of bed in the morning...

Well, that's the tour of my forty seven eleven dozen beds. Don't you think that makes me the best good old gal around??? 

Her Communication Skills Are Better Than Mine

The other day, Miss Mabel was driving me nuts... and no, I'm not referring to "the hole" ...

++++Breaking News++++ Mabel Lou found innocent of all charges! Prosecutor claims to enraged by the jury's decision. 


Back to our scheduled blog post...

We had returned from hiking at the creek and I plopped down at my desk to invoice a client. Mabel often retires to the bed just behind my chair but on this particular day, she was being rather intrusive. She would not lay down on her bed. She kept hooking her paw in my chair and spinning me around. I would rub her head or, after a few spins, scold her.

Then she laid right behind my chair so that any movement on my part could cause the chair to pinch her tail or roll into her belly. No matter what I did, she simply wouldn't move to her bed or get that far from me.

This behavior usually indicates a torn toenail. But she was not licking her paws. I remained frustrated and focused on work.

After an hour of her groaning and complaining and refusing to lie down, I was done and decided to go outside and see if she just wanted a little play time. When I stood up, I saw the problem:

That's not what you think it is... I forgot to dry the girl off when we got home from the creek!!! All that time, she was trying to tell me she had a very wet belly! All that time, she didn't want to get her bed wet!

Bad mommy! Bad, bad mommy!

A Few Words About a Lot of Movies

It's that time again! Academy screeners were arriving before Christmas. Since I saw so many, I wanted to keep my reviews brief. Listed in the order of best to worst... but, the top four are all EXCELLENT!


True Grit: This is simply a Tour de Force. Great acting especially when you consider the lead character is played to perfection by unknown Hailee Steinfeld. The girl holds her own with the men in the movie.  She alone is reason enough to see it. But Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are all in fine form in a great story. My A+#1 favorite!

127 Hours: James Franco carries this film. He has to…there’re no other characters for the sequence where he’s pinned by a boulder in a mountain crevice, suspended by his arm. I was afraid of the blood and gore in this fact-based drama. It was bloody but I was more concerned that blood is slippery and what if he dropped his tool? It’s a nail biter and just fantastic!

The King’s Speech: A fascinating look at the royals during a time that history changed. We’ve heard the Wallis and Edward story many times. But this is the scandal from inside the family, revealing how it affected a shy, stuttering Prince, his wife and daughters. It’s also a wonderful and charming tale of friendship that lasted a lifetime. Funny, smart and sweet. Colin Firth is always spot on.

The Fighter: I don’t get the excitement of watching two men pummel each other to death but the real story here is a love story. Love of two brothers, love of family and the boy girl kind. They all love Wahlberg’s character but not necessarily each other. Reason to see it: Christain Bale gets so lost in the role of the brother, he’s completely unrecognizable.

Inception: I have no idea what this movie is about. When the package says, “You’ll want to watch it over and over again,” they mean “HAVE to watch it over and over.” If you enjoy movies that skip from one character’s dream sequence to another without giving you a road map, where you are never sure what is real or a dream but it all seems to work out in the end, spend your $10 bucks. Me? I wish I had two hours of my life back!

Black Swan: I’m stunned at the awards heaped on this piece of crap! I have to wonder if anyone in the Hollywood Foreign Press saw the same movie I did. I knew it would be about bitchy women vying for a lead ballerina position which brings with it bulimia and catfights. But was surprised that this was bloodier than 127 Hours and was about insane people slowly going…insaner? And would somebody buy Natalie Portman a new face? Even in the long shots where she’s supposed to be all pretty, all you focus on is her insecure pout. HATED IT! Save your dough and see something higher up this list!

It Needs to Be Addressed

In the aftermath of the shooting in Arizona, I've heard all sorts of things and groups blamed:

• The Democraps blame Republicists
• And vice versa
• The Idontgiveacrats blame the "political rhertoric"
• Everyone blames the media
• Some blame the shooters parents
• Many blame our gun laws
• A few blame the idiot loser shooter (ILS - I refuse to print such a loser's name!)

And all are absolutely wrong. Yes, I do blame the ILS. It is ultimately his fault but I wish somebody - ANYBODY would address the greater issue which is the way this country treats the mentally ill. 

This ILS was clearly a mental case for many years. And the inclination would be to blame his parents. But the fact of the matter is, even if these parents realized something was wrong with him years ago, they would not have gotten any real HELP!

They may have turned to his school and chances are the school was just as exasperated with him as the parents were. They may have turned to our social services or mental health agencies, but I promise you, they wouldn't have seen much of an improvement. 

This issue makes me so angry. There is great mistreatment of the mentally challenged in this country. I've seen it in the homeless people I know. I've seen it in my own family. 

Would you believe, it's standard practice to NOT label a minor with mental deficiencies??? Think about that... a child with sociopathic tendencies CANNOT be labeled a sociopath! I assume this is the fear of mislabeling a healthy child and giving him challenges to overcome. But I find it odd that we fail to examine and label problem kids when this, to me, seems the best time to prevent a tragedy such as Tucson. In addition, the kid would potentially be covered by parental insurance as opposed to a problem adult with no money for treatment. 

It's exasperating. And exhausting. I know a young man with 13 of the 14 most common traits of serial killers (list below). And his foster parents have tried EVERYTHING available to them. And I have to wonder if the parents of the ILS from Tucson felt the same. 

But unless and until we find a humane way to deal with our mentally ill, this kind of thing will keep happening. You can't do a damn thing about slap dab crazy. At least, not yet. 

14 Most Common Traits of Serial Killers

1. Over 90 percent of serial killers are male.

2. They tend to be intelligent, with IQ's in the "bright normal" range.

3. They do poorly in school, have trouble holding down jobs, and often work as unskilled laborers.

4. They tend to come from markedly unstable families.

5. As children, they are abandoned by their fathers and raised by domineering mothers.

6. Their families often have criminal, psychiatric and alcoholic histories.

7. They hate their fathers and mothers.

8. They are commonly abused as children — psychologically, physically and sexually. Often the abuse is by a family member. 

9. Many serial killers spend time in institutions as children and have records of early psychiatric problems.

10. They have high rates of suicide attempts.

11. From an early age, many are intensely interested in voyeurism, fetishism, and sado-masochistic pornography.

12. More than 60 percent of serial killers wet their beds beyond the age of 12.

13. Many serial killers are fascinated with fire starting.

14. They are involved with sadistic activity or tormenting small creatures.

The State of California vs. Mabel Lou

Bailiff: Hear ye, hear ye, the court will come to order. The Honorable Judge Kaye Nein presiding. 

Judge Nein: Be seated. I see we have Ms. Creek Hiker for the prosecution and ... am I correct that Ms. Mabel Lou will be representing herself? 

Mabel Lou: Yes, your Honor. 

Judge Nein: You realize these accusations could have a severe penalty? 

Mabel Lou: Yes, your Honor but I'm certain a jury of my peers will find me completely innocent of these outrageous, hyped up charges. 

Creek Hiker: Uh, Your HONOR! She is attempting the prejudice the jury!

Judge Nein: Settle down, both of you. Ms. Hiker, state the charges against Ms. Lou.

Creek Hiker: Ms. Mabel Lou is charged with destruction of private property and  running from the scene of the crime. Ms. Lou has a criminal record and has served time...

Mabel Lou: OBJECTION, prejudicial. 

Judge Nein: Sustained. The jury is not allowed to consider any prior bad acts or potential criminal record of the defendant. Tread lightly Ms. Hiker!

Creek Hiker: Furthermore, I have photographs catching Ms. Lou in the act of both destroying the property and running away...

Mabel Lou: Move to disallow the photographs your Honor.

Judge Nein: On what grounds?

Mabel Lou: They're unflattering. 

Judge Nein: Order! Order! The court will come to order! Ms. Lou, this is not a three ring circus and you will take these proceedings seriously! Ms. Hiker, present your case to the jury.

Creek Hiker: Well, it's very simple. Ms. Mabel Lou was caught red pawed, digging a hole in my yard and upon discovery, she ran away! Allow me to present photographic evidence: 

Here she is digging the hole: 

Here's the GIGANTIC  hole she dug:

Mabel Lou: OBJECTION, your Honor. Gigantic is a prejudical term and has no relevance to what the hole may be used for. 

Judge Nein: Counselor, refrain from vague and prejudicial terms. You may however describe the exact measurements of said hole. 

Creek Hiker: The hole was 2.5 feet long by 1 foot wide and about eight inches deep. It could cause grievous injury to anyone that might trip or fall in it. 

Mabel Lou, Your Honor...please! 

Judge Nien, Overruled. Continue.

Creek Hiker: 

Here is a photograph of Ms. Lou with dirt on her NOSE. 

Mabel Lou: See what I mean about unflattering? 

Judge Nein: Order! ORDER! Ms. Lou, if you cause ONE more outburst in my courtroom you will spend the night in jail . 

Mabel Lou: So sorry your Honor. 

Creek Hiker: 

 Here is the defendant running away from the scene of the crime. 

And even when told to stop, return and repair the damage, she leered at me and walked away

I urge you to find the defendant guilty and the state is seeking jail time and damages.

Judge Nein: Ms. Lou, your defense? 

Mabel Lou: First of all, isn't it true that this supposed hole is right next to a fence? 

Creek Hiker: It is about a foot away from a fence. 

Mabel Lou: Hmmm more like eight inches. And if your ruler is off on that, could it be that the supposed hole is a mere four inches deep?

Creek Hiker: Wha?

Mabel Lou: Which could mean it's hardly a foot long by a few inches wide... why that's hardly big enough to even be called a hole.

Creek Hiker: My measure..

Mabel Lou: And isn't it true that several large trees were removed from this area in recent years? 

Creek Hiker: Yes.

Mabel Lou: And with the heavy winter rains we've had the past two years, aren't the roots rotting? 

Creek Hiker: Yes but...

Mabel Lou: How do you know I wasn't removing a root that you could trip and break your neck on?

Creek Hiker: Because you didn't.

Mabel Lou: Did you see me begin to dig? 

Creek Hiker: No but...

Mabel Lou: Then you have NO IDEA what I was or was not doing before being ambushed by you and your camera? 

Creek Hiker: No but...

Mabel Lou: Your Honor, I move to throw out these bogus charges. Digging a hole and, I'm not saying I DID dig a hole, is hardly grounds for jail time! 

Judge Nein: Counselors, approach. { Ms. Lou, while the jury is not to know about your prior bad acts, this is not the first time you've been charged with destruction of property. I wonder why Ms. Hiker didn't file charges before when she had video of you eating her deck! But she didn't and we're here today and the jury is seated. I'm going to let this play out and hopefully, either way, you will learn a lesson.  Back to your seats.}

Jury, you've heard the charges and seen the evidence. Please return verdict in the comments below. 

Creekhiker Awardified!

This little blogger hasn't received an award since way back in 2008! So I was a bit taken aback  at being given the Stylish Blogger Award from my real life pals RottRover! (They've seen me in my creekhiking costume and they still think I'm stylish? I must remind their mom to get theirs eyeballs checked!) But, it made me get busy and build an Awardifications page to hang all of them!

Uh...'scuse me Mom but I think the award was for ME. After all, I'm the one wearing a stylish new collar while I secretly spy on critters at the creek! 

And it is I who look oh so beautiful when out dining at fine restaurants. They only let you in the door because you are with me. 

Excuse ME Mabel Lou, but I'm the one with the green papers who PAYS for the fancy collar, the gas to get you to the creek and for all that food you get at the restaurants!

O.K. O.K. Let's not fight Mom! We're supposed to tell them something about me us.

It's hard to think of something they don't KNOW... hmm... Mabel Lou has a REALLY....high.... prey drive:

I'm going to be nice and tell you my mom makes really pretty beads from glass and it makes her almost as happy as I do! She recently got chosen to be in a Woman in Glass in some magazine... seems kinda stupid to me since she is a woman and makes glass and all... Whatever... 

We are going to pass this along to the bloggers that got Mom started blogging: Velvet and Janet. Velvet has three dogs Kadi (she's a hoot and tattle tale!), Butch (Mom has a soft spot for him... he's blind and a comic!)  and a new puppy, Levi, that we're just getting to know.  Janet has Spot. He's 11 and is a snow fanatic! 

Just Another Day at Sunland's Starbucks

I LOVE how he winks at the BFF!



I also love the handsome man with them replied when asked, "Where does your sloth sleep?"

"In the bed with HER."

----

Christmas Week Storms

Am I the only one who takes a ton of pics and then completely forgets to blog about it?

Our Christmas week storms flooded the creek. We won't be rock hopping any time soon! This is the Haines Canyon Channel just above Dirty Creek. Check out the waves.

This is Dirty Creek... the water nearest me is where we usually stroll.

And this is the Big Tujunga River:

Fun at Their Expense

One of my favorite personal expressions has always been, "You can mess with me any way til Tuesday but you mess with my money, you've messed with the wrong damn thing." 

It's served me well - working freelance in the film industry sometimes for four different companies in a week. I sometimes feel like I fight hard for every dollar I get. And my money isn't just sitting there to be stolen by banks. 

So, I had a mishap this month - brain fart. I paid one bill and forgot to move money from savings to checking to cover it. What followed makes me nostalgic for the way banks used to be. Back in the dark ages, if you had money in one account but not another, the computers at the bank made a little transfer and all was well. This didn't cost the bank any money nor did it cost the customer. 

But now, all banks have gone money mad. And starting in February, every bank around these parts no longer offers free checking. Let me get this straight: you want to keep my money, require exorbitant minimum balances on money I cannot use, not pay me interest AND charge me for the pleasure. Uh NO! I will be analyzing the different banks on my Retail Rant blog  later in the month, so if you are shopping too... you might want to check in there.

But back to my fiasco. I was charged $10 bucks for them to move $300 from some credit card I didn't even know I had (when I had the funds available in THREE other accounts!) This kind of crap INFURIATES ME! I feel like we, as consumers are being 4.99'd to death. Every website you visit wants a subscription fee, our phones, cable, etc. keep going up up up UP!

So I decided there was little chance to see my ten bucks but I was going to cost Chase $15. I figured a that these phone folks - never Americans - probably make five bucks an hour and since I have more time than money, I would play a little game. I decided that while I did some computer work, I would call them up, put them on speaker and ask them to explain to me why they charged me and that if I kept someone online for two hours, I would have my "money's worth!" Bonus points for getting a supervisor and asking for / getting their supervisor because that ups their financial ante! 

I openly tell them what I'm doing! That's half the fun! "You cost me money, now you have to be nice to me for two hours while I cost you money." Whaddaya know? The 2nd person I talked to gave me my ten bucks back! HA! 

And since Chase is one of the banks that will be charging about 120 bucks a year PER account for my business, they won't be my bank much longer. 

I didn't even have to work that hard for my money and I'm laughing all the way to the bank hole in the backyard. Never mind. I'm going to lunch.

Resolute

I don't believe in resolutions. I resolved a few years back to never make another. It's been the only resolution I've EVER stuck to! Browsing the Internet tonight, peeking in on some of my friend's public lives, I've been astounded by some of their lists. And overwhelmed. My goodness, these people have small children at home and are attacking everything from reading a book a month, to beads shows, to a dozen magazine projects to marathons.

I feel like I'm doing O.K. if I get something anything done every day! I admit, looking for work is a HUGE time suck! ...but necessary. And the fact that both my girl and I require an hour of outdoor activity, rain or shine at the creek every day adds to the schedule. So does getting there and home and the mandatory towel drying afterward. Maintaining my business websites and the time I devote to the marketing and administration of the bead collective I belong to takes more time. 

But all that being said, this is the first time in years where I've felt strong enough to want to kick my own butt out of submission and make some changes. On the other hand, I hate the idea of sharing such personal stuff so publicly. (I spend most days feeling like a failure. The public humiliation would kill me!)

My weight - which ballooned during my wheelchair time and continues a steady climb - has finally started to bug me. Not for health reasons... I'm oddly healthy (thank you creek!).  No, what little vanity I posses has reared it's ugly head.  

Twenty three years ago, I fell hard for a little girl. She is my best friend's real life niece. When she was but a toddler, her mother disappeared from her life for the first time... a pattern that would be repeated often. As luck would have it, the girl's aunts loved her fiercely. As did her grandparents and I and another old family friend.  This young lady often tells people she has five moms. I am lucky enough to be one.

And now, she is getting married. We've got a wedding to plan! And as the BFF pointed out, she's the only girl in the family and certainly the only daughter either of us will ever get to plan a wedding for! While I'm so excited for our girl, I guess I don't want to be "the blob" in the wedding pictures. Strange motivation...but I will take it!

As I sit here knowing full well I never got my bookkeeping under control as I have vowed for years to do; knowing that in a matter of days I will be mired in months of computer hell, I still feel like I want / need to just make some room in my life for other things.

So, I'm putting some new things on my daily to do list.

• Ride my fancy schmancy exercise bike that is gathering dust in my office. 
• Eat two servings of veggies per day. Considering that's two more than usual, that's a huge improvement!
• Clean something in this huge messy house every day. Throw away the broken. Donate the unneeded. 

There... it's down in black and white to be judged.

RottRover is Blogging

My real life furriends at RottRover are finally blogging! Whooo Hoo!

I know many folks out there think we are the same person... but we're not! That all started with a weird glitch in blogger where this blog kept showing up as the only one the rotts were following. But those rottens are all over the place in dog blog land and having known their real life pack for several years, I'm so happy they made their introduction to the world!

I adore this rottweiler trio - mainly because all three know what a PITA, spoiled rotten drama queen Mabel can be and... they love her anyway! I just know you will love getting to know them too!

It's Here!

G' Mornin' Everybody! Mabel Lou here!

My mom and everyone else around here seems so thrilled about the New Year so I thought I should hijack Mom's bloggie and just wish all of our friends out there a happy one! I hope your new year brings you all the happiness you can handle. I hope you find your place in the sun and relish it!

I know obstacles will cross your path, but no matter what you find, I hope it makes you lick your lips with anticipation.

No matter what trail you find yourself on, I hope it puts the BIGGEST smile on your face!

Happy 2011 Everyone!

Gotta hike! Mabel Lou