Does anyone else do this?

What is it about a power outage that causes a person to lose brain power?  

Maybe it's just me but we just had a power outage that lasted roughly an hour.  My first thought was that since I couldn't watch cable, I'd watch what was on my DVR.  Yeah, because my DVR isn't fueled by electricity.

The second thought I had was to go online.  My internet doesn't work on electricity.  However, the modem that connects me to the internet does.

I went into the kitchen to get my dog, Harley, a snack.  Flipped the light switch.  Not surprisingly, I got nothing from it.

It crosses my mind to do laundry, load the dishwasher, cook (I have an electric stove).  None of which I can do without electricity.

Harley wanted to go outside.  He's decided his favorite way to get outside (despite having a doggy door that would let him outside into the backyard) is through the garage.  I realize he doesn't understand electricity but we couldn't go out that way because of the electric garage door opener.  I had to put his collar on him and force him into the backyard.  No one was happy about that.

And then, when I decide to call and see if the electric company is aware of the situation and timeline for fixing it, I want to use my landline.  The cordless phone, also attached to electricity.  So I called on my cell phone, which had a low battery that I couldn't charge because I had no electricity.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I could've charged the cell phone in the car.  You know, turn the car on in the enclosed garage, plugging in the cord to the cigarette lighter.  Of course that would've caused much more serious problems than not having electricity so it wasn't really a consideration.  :)

Does anyone else do this?  Create a plan of things you can direct your mind to, now that the power is out and you can't watch the boob tube, only to realize all the other things require electricity as well?  Or is it just me?

Pet Care

I'm finding it hard to find good pet care for my dog, Harley.  I booked a once in a lifetime tour of the Serengeti in Africa for this summer and I'm looking forward to taking it.

That is, of course, if I can find suitable care for Harley.

I started by asking a friend of mine if one of her daughters could stay at my home with him while I was gone.  They've done it before when I've had to be away from home overnight.  This trip is a two-week trip though so I knew it was asking a lot.  I was asked to consider them as my "back-up plan" rather than my first plan of action.

So I've been looking.

I asked my vet for recommendations and it turns out one of their techs does pet care.  Yay!  Oh, but wait, turns out she'll only stop by your house up to 2 times per day.  She won't stay at the house or take the pet home with her.  So that won't work.  :(

She recommended someone else to me though, with the caveat that she thinks the person has taken "a real job".  She gave me her business card so I could call her myself.  According to the card I was hoping I could have her pick Harley up in the morning and take him to the doggy day care advertised on the card and them bring him home at night.  It's not ideal but it beats only having 2 visits per day for short periods of time.  I checked out the website listed and it doesn't mention doggy day care so I don't know if it's still offered.  I haven't called her yet but I don't think it's too promising.

I also called a former veterinarian I used and asked for recommendations.  They gave me the name of a kennel but made it sound like a facility that makes the news for its bad practices for animal care.  I haven't called them either.

A friend recommended a kennel she uses and thinks highly of.  I did a tour of it on Friday.  It's a nice enough facility but the animals get little attention.  I was looking at one of their indoor / outdoor rooms for Harley and learned that in those rooms the dogs get all of 6 minutes of cuddle time per day, period.  They're not taken outside and given any attention (unless you pay additional fees per time they are taken out) because they can let themselves out as needed.  During the day only - they close the doggy doors at night.  So basically, it's not a lot better of a situation than leaving him at home, where he has his own routine, and having someone stop by twice a day.  Plus, Harley gets medication daily for thyroid issues and there's an additional fee for them to give him his medications.  You can't take things up there from home to make him more comfortable because they don't want to keep up with it.  If you bring your own food you have to put each meal in a ziplock bag.  Harley eats at least twice a day and will be up there for 2 weeks so I have to make at least 28 ziplock bags of food, not factoring in the fact that lately he has been eating 3 times a day.  The alternative is to allow them to feed him their food, at an additional cost, of course.  I'd almost rather leave him at home at this point and have the vet person stop by twice a day.

Last night I emailed my friend again and asked if her daughter would consider taking Harley in while I'm gone.  I told her I would pay her.  This daughter is constantly taking in strays and has kept them for long periods of time while she tries to find them homes so I'm hoping she'll consider this.  It would be a different environment for Harley but not in a negative way.  And I don't think it would add too much to what the daughter already has to do with the dogs she already has (Harley gets along with other dogs).  I think this would be the best case scenario for everyone concerned.  I'm waiting to hear back.  I hope this can work out.

Yes, I used to kennel my pets but some things have changed since then.  For one, the place I took my dogs to is no longer in business.  They were wonderful with the animals and spent lots of time with them - at no extra charge.  Not to mention, I had three dogs the last time I needed to kennel them so they had their "siblings" with them so they weren't alone.  Harley would be in a new place where he didn't know anyone and had no one to play with for 2 weeks.  Not what I want to do.

I'm praying, please God, let this work out with the friend's daughter, for everyone's sake.

April Book Review

The book I will be reviewing this month is The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James.

I read this book over two years ago and had meant to review it at that time but life has a way of changing one's plans, so I am just now getting around to it.

Alyssa Goodnight has originally reviewed this book (see review here) and her review caught my interest.  The heroine in the story, Sarah Piper, worked as a temp.  I supported myself as a temp for more than 10 years.  Something I could already relate to.  Sarah was hired to go ghost hunting.  Okay, I never got an assignment like that but the possibilities of it ran through my head and I purchased the book immediately after reading Alyssa's review of the book.

Then, I must admit, I had a bit of buyer's remorse.  I don't believe in ghosts and I felt that reading a book about ghosts wouldn't be a good idea.  So the book sat on my entertainment center for months before I ever picked it up.  And when I did, it was for the sole purpose of reading enough to know I shouldn't read it.  I guess I felt that that would somehow justify the purchase of the book and the not reading of the book.

Thing was, I was instantly hooked in the opening paragraphs.  Sarah also didn't believe in ghosts.  She had only taken the temp assignment because she desperately needed the money.  Plus, it would get her out of her small apartment (which I envisioned being over a brothel that the big bad wolf could blow down if he huffed and puffed at it . . . I saw her room as being the highlight of the entire place though, despite the other imagery the author gave to the building she lived in) for a few days.

Maddy Clare was the ghost she was going to "help".  Maddy wouldn't allow men near her (she'd taken up residence in a barn) so it had to be a woman, and was why a female temp had been requested. 

The way the author wrote the story, the reader became a part of the story - at least I did anyway.  As Sarah and I entered the barn to "meet" Maddy, we were both skeptics.  By the time we left, we were both believers.  The author did an amazing job of telling the story and making it convincing.

The only issue I had with this book is the romantic elements.  I didn't see it and I didn't believe it.  It felt forced and didn't seem to fit with other aspects of the story.  It wasn't needed either.  I almost felt like the book had been written and the editor told her to add a romantic storyline to it.  It just didn't work for me.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it.

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.