The Doors

As I sit here at my computer this morning, I am waiting for a phone call from the work crew who will be installing our new French doors today asking for directions to our secluded homestead. They were supposed to instal the doors last Wednesday, but they were concerned having a gaping hole in the side of our house for up to five hours while it rained and snowed would be counter-productive. I agreed. However, they were supposed to show up here today between 8:30 and 9:30 am. They've got 15 minutes.

Yesterday, I spent my morning with Truman and Princess (our St. Bernard) at the veterinarian's office. Princess has yet another ear infection, but that wasn't the main reason for our visit. She has a nipple so engorged and swollen that it looks like a cow's udder. I'm not kidding. It is the most disgusting thing I think I've ever seen on a dog. The worst part was when I picked her up to put her in the truck, I accidently grabbed the festering teet, which smeared a coating of god-knows-what across the palm of my hand. I may have thrown up in my mouth a little bit then. The vet said that the growth is benign, but needs to be removed and that while we're at it, why not scrape the six years of plaque build-up off of her teeth, too. Between yesterday's visit and the impending appointment, we should be out about $800. Merry Christmas, Princess!

On Monday, I got the oil changed in Mom's old car, a Nissan Altima. I washed it, cleaned it out, and delivered it to its new owner, Bethany's mom Glee. I am glad to keep it in the family and I'm sure Mom would be happy about it, too.

I have written 57 pages (over 30,000 words) of my new book so far. Nine essays are done with many more to follow. I have a list of over 40 essay ideas I'm working with. Stay tuned...