Pup-sitting.

My last outing with Jake and Ellie. Jake went back to learn to live with little Violet. Ellie stayed with us. She and Jake love to mix it up with puppy-wrassling. It's a lovely, noisy, scrappy affair, and it's all in fun, but too much racket for the baby's first week.

Ellie's been to the river a lot this week, and there will be new photos soon, but for now:

Bout a week now.

6 pounds, 7 ounces 2:09PM EST

Welcome, Little Violet Meadow Johns.

What I miss the most

Now that I commute 1 1/2 hours each way, each day, to work, it's a no brainer. I miss the River and I miss my Riverdog and my naps.

It is beginning to look like it all is temporary.

Both of my riders/drivers are looking actively for local work. Supposedly so am I. For me, it's all online; there is nothing in the newspaper for two days per week. Literally nothing, no want ads. Wednesday and Thursday are negligible, because the real deal is 3 days Friday to Sunday. Those days the ads are looking for young professionals, mostly schools, government or charity. Some are worth considering.

Naturally there is no newspaper work. After all, the upcoming demise of print publishing is what got my whole mess started. I will wind up grabbing anything, anything, local when push gets to shove. Then I will find something to do from the computer. Even two part time jobs will allow me to regroup locally.

One thing is certain: I will not be able to afford commuting on my own. Right now a weeks worth of gas would be 50-60 bucks. That's what it costs me the times I drive. Add the recently purchased car at $150 per month, and the privilege of working in Binghamton would cost me $350 commuter costs alone. Then subtract out a day's pay every two weeks for the recession-related furlough.

Something local that pays significantly less would still pay.

Recessions are complicated messes, aren't they?

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From Kiddy Sling

To Kitty Sling!

Not what the manufacturer's had in mind. My SIL with the grandkitty, getting in practice for the real deal. Baby Violet Meadow Johns due in three weeks.

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Getting closer...

BabyMama, alias MamaDog, showing off her healthy pregnancy. Our little Violet Meadow is due in about three weeks. This is at a baby shower hosted by her InLaws. Nice people.

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The meeting of the mutts.

There's a new mutt in town. Frank seems to be pure dachshund, and he's still a pup.

Immediate tussling! The pup rolls over and gives Ellie his belly whenever it gets too rough. He's a rescue from the SPCA, where MammaDog is the Volunteer Coordinator.

Frankie's mom is VeggieGirl, who's been wanting a dog for some time. Frankie is a bit of a handful, but he will settle in. Little jerk dumped on my living room carpet, just to show us who's boss. Ellie was non-plussed.

What is it about dachshunds and pooping in new situations? Ellie grew out of it, thank heavens.

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Sunday Morning Cormorants

Apparently, our river is a major flyway for these guys.More photos of these fellows here.

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Never

Forget.

It's that time of year again.

Shy little muguets hide in the shade behind the air conditioning unit.

Notice the little back leg digging into poor Husband RJ's forearm. He's never quite succeeded in taking them out without some blood-letting.

After a bit of a struggle, our little buddies are ready to watch for birds at the feeder station. VeggieGirl came by to wash clothes and hang them on an impromptu clothesline strung between the grape arbor and our sturdy Japanese chestnut.

Summertime and the living is easy, as Janis Joplin used to croon.

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My head is THIS big.

I'm holding my hands about two yards (1.8 m) apart.

Can't remember when the allergies hit me this hard. My throat hurts, my sinuses are swollen so large that they swell down into the roof of my mouth. And my lungs are filling with crud.

Only good thing is that all the meds are killing my appetite. I will follow a strict regimen of small calorie doses to keep up the health, spread throughout the day.

It's gloomy and threatens rain, but I still want my HuggaMutt, and we will still visit the river.

It's Gosling and Duckling Time!

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What every woman needs.

This year the emphasis was on the practical. Paint sprayer, window washer or house washer. The kids got together and got me the pressure washer at left.

Tested it out on the new Malibu. I'm a little afraid to use the maximum pressure nozzle, since they have so many caveats on it. I wound up scrubbing the bugs off the front and sides, but the rest was a piece of cake.

Birthday cake, that is.

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A change of pace

We are on vacation, and I've already taken the HuggaMutt to the river three times. We actually went down into the fishermen-only area that I call "Goose Point" yesterday. This is remarkable only because it was essentially inaccessible until recently, at least by those of us who are afraid to cross the trestle bridge.

We were able to take the long way around the feeder creeks and find the spit of land that is usually reserved for the geese themselves. They didn't mind us, but some sort of mammal, muskrat, maybe, worried them a tad after we left.

Herself couldn't stay out of trouble:

All in all a pretty satisfying morning. Today we went upriver to the West Elmira area:

We were looking for a little peace and quiet, but found little.

Tomorrow we will check out the spillover area downtown. I've seen several unusual birds and hope to catch them on camera: a white-and-black harrier and a mostly black osprey.

Looking forward to it.

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It took them a while.

Yesterday we were finally all in accord. All of us hate working in Binghamton, including our buddy who actually started out there, and was at least not unhappy to return.

The first week I was called into the Star Chamber. You know, the place where there are two levels of supervisor and just one of you. I had said that I was afraid I was going to wind up not caring, because I was overwhelmed by the difficulty of the adjustment.

Helpfully, they told me I'd better keep it to myself. Thanks for the assist, guys.

Less than two weeks later, one of my co-commuters was called in and treated the same. She had committed the sin of leaving unfinished work with her supervisor. The supe thought it was necessary to call in the next level to chew her out.

Apparently they are not too happy about our commuting situation.

Well, this week our last buddy was given a raft of it over her suggestions regarding workflow, as regarding customers from our old work place. I never make suggestions: they resent it.

She did not take it lying down, however. She went right over the heads of them both.

Can't wait to watch the fallout.

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Birders: Some Help, Please!

Saw this fellow while walking Ellie on Foster Island Easter Sunday. The shape of the bill makes me think it's a merganser, maybe a female.

Go here for a series of eight photos. Unfortunately, the darned thing was backlit in the early morning sun, so I can't even tell you its colors. Good sized fowl, about as big as a goose.

Any ideas?

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Now I'm a statistic.

My debit card number was stolen over the internet and used. The bank called to ask if I ordered $1500 worth of merchandise from a bridal/promdress salon, and over $700 from the limited.com and (of all things...) $7.90 from Giant.com.

Well, I hadn't, so they stopped payment on it all and will go after the culprit.

So if you get a call about questionable charges, be sure to reply or call back.

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