What A Mess

It's definitely Monday cause I've having a terrible time getting back into the swing of things. First off I had to take the dogs back to my mom's house last night for their weekly three day sleep over at her house. Of course the minute I drop them off I start missing them.

Second, I was up late on Saturday night watching movies with my brother at his house, and didn't get home until 2 in the morning (not typical for me, way past my bed time). I slept until 11 a.m. on Sunday so then of course last night I wasn't a bit tired and didn't end up falling asleep until, gasp, midnight. So then getting up on time this morning was a real nightmare.

Third, I had to drive all over the city this morning to meet a delivery truck and coordinate the installation of furniture and chairs for several of our City properties. Well communications first thing Monday morning never go all that smoothly, and I missed the delivery truck like three times at three separate sites. A delivery and install that should have taken an hour and a half ended up taking three, with a lot of aggrevation and wasted gas to boot.

The only thing keeping me from calling it a day is the fact that I spotted a dog themed dish towel in the window display of the Bibelot on my way back to the office from that horrendous delivery. So I stopped in and bought the towel, and I can be proud of at least one thing I did today. Sorry but I can't find an image of the dishcloth online. Yet another disappointment in my string of disappointments...... Oh well, it is a Monday.

After Dinner Mint?

Yesterday evening turned out to be way more eventful than Daniel and I had planned. It started off just fine. We met with a potential wedding florist right after work, stopped at the grocery store for some dinner ingredients, and then made our way home to walk the dogs and cook supper. And then everything went downhill...

Dan and I have our household chores pretty well divied up. Most of the things we split equally. If he cooks dinner one night, then it's my turn the next night. If he cooks, I clean. If he walks the dogs, I take out the trash. If he washes the laundry, I fold it, and vice versa. Tit for tat as they say.

Yesterday was Dan's turn to cook dinner, and my turn to walk the dogs. Of course a simple dog walk turned into a nightmare when both dogs decided to sniff out and proceeded to consume massive amounts of left over dog poop from somebody else's pup!

As soon as I realized what was happening I yanked them back from the crime scene, and then forced my gloved hand into their mouths. I had to yank out huge baseball sized poops, and Charly especially had poop all over his mouth and snout! It was horrifying!

So I cut the walk short, and rushed home. I had to interrupt Daniel in the kitchen for him to help me get the boys into the bath tub and washed. The smell eminating from their mouths was so revolting that it took the two of us several washings each to thoroughly clean them up.

Yesterday's incident was almost as bad as the time Gus got into a thick foamy coat of slime on Cedar Lake. But not quite. Note to first time dog owners or people who do not own dogs: Most dogs eat poop. Some eat it more frequently and some eat it less, but almost all of them eat poop, either their own or somebody else's.

I remember being horrified when Charly did this for the first time as a pup. I immediately called the veterinarian and she told me it was normal behavior. I hung up the phone, and stood there dumbfounded at this new information I had learned.

Charly doesn't eat poop very often, but once in a while, especially in the Spring when the ground is at its most fertile with left over thawed dog poop from the winter, he gets into something gross.

Look at this beautiful pristine retro biscuit dinner jar from Barker and Meowski. Too bad Gus and Charly won't be getting any treats for a while. Just Kidding!

A Brand New Closet

When I moved in with Dan a couple of years ago, we had my mom remodel all of the closets in his townhouse, except for the small closet on the first floor at the entry. Don't ask me why we didn't have her do that one because I don't have an answer. The new closets changed how we live our life upstairs... We have become so much more organized, clean, and honestly, happier since we've had functional closets.

But downstairs we've continued to struggle, and it's been hard to keep a clean and inviting entry to our house because of the lack of sufficient storage for our boots, coats, hats, scarves, mittens, umbrellas... and don't forget dog leashes, coats, and booties.

So we broke down last week after getting home from Europe, and ordered a brand new custom closet from Diseno Closets, which we had installed yesterday. I must say it looks terrific, and our storage capacity in that closet has doubled, if not tripled in size.

Now all I've got to do is find some hardware for the sliding doors... I was thinking about these dog bone shaped handles from Knobs and Things. Would Dan go for these... probably not.

Me and My Not So Green Thumb

A tragedy happened in our garden this weekend, as I thoughtlessly plucked off all the flowers on the tomato plants that Daniel and I have been raising since spring. Somehow I got it into my head that in order for the plants to focus on the fruit, I had to pick off the flowers. But what I didn't know then is that tomato plants flower first, and then the fruit begins to appear from underneath the flowers. So basically I killed about 25 tomatoes this weekend, and Daniel will never let me near them again.

My inexperienced gardening got me to thinking about the plants we have at home, and I decided to do some research. Some plants can be very harmful to animals, and I wanted to make sure that it was safe for Gus and Charly to be around our house plants.

So here's an abbreviated list of some common garden and household plants that can be poisonous to your pet. There are over 700 plants that can be toxic to pets, but I've decided to cover just a few. How could I possibly list them all.

Let's start with the 10 most common poisonous plants:

Marijuana – Animals who attempt to snack on this plant can suffer serious consequences such as diarrhea, vomiting, increased heart rate, drooling, in-coordination, and even possibly seizures and coma.

Sago Palm – While the seeds and nuts of this plant are most poisonous, the entire plant is toxic. Animals ingesting parts of this plant may suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, depression, seizures and liver failure.

Lilies – Plants of the lily variety are very poisonous to cats. Even very small amounts of this plant could cause serious kidney damage.

Tulips – The toxic portion of this plant is the actual bulb, which can cause drooling, central nervous system depression, gastrointestinal irritation, cardiac issues and convulsions.

Azalea – The toxins in azalea plants can be very severe and potentially cause drooling, diarrhea, vomiting, central nervous system weakening and depression, and in some cases possibly coma or death.

Oleander – All portions of this plant are poisonous and can cause gastrointestinal irritation, hypothermia, heart problems and possibly death.

Castor Bean – Poisoning as a result of this plant can cause abdominal pain, drooling, diarrhea, vomiting increased thirst, loss of appetite and weakness. More serious cases could also lead to dehydration, tremors, seizures, twitching muscles, coma and possibly death.

Cyclamen – The most poisonous portion of this plant is located in the root. Ingestion of the plant can cause severe vomiting and gastrointestinal irritation. In some cases death has been reported as a result.

Kalanchoe – Ingestion of this plant can cause gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac rhythm and rate problems.

Yew – Poisoning as a result of the yew plant can affect the nervous system and cause in-coordination, trembling and breathing difficulties. It may also result in gastrointestinal irritation, cardiac failure and could possibly lead to death.

The following are various other plants and flowers that could be harmful to your pets. It's impossible to list them all, so the best thing to do when planning a garden or buying household plants is to consult a veterinarian or the internet for more information about each plant. Check out the ASPCA website for a complete listing of toxic plants.

And when you're done reading through that exhausting list, head on over to Bloomsbury Market in Minneapolis where you can find these adorable Mind The Dog garden signs (pictured above). They're just perfect!

Bulbs: Daffodil, Lily, Hyacinth, Gladiolas, Iris, Tulip, Buttercup.

Ferns: Asparagus Fern Australian Nut, Emerald Fern, Lace Fern, Plumosa Fern.

Flowering Plants: Cyclamen, Hydrangea, Poinsettia.

Garden Perennials: Tomato Plant, Onion, Marijuana, Rhubarb.

House Plants: Cut Leaf Philodendron, Chinese Evergreen, Devil's Ivy, Folden Pothos, Nephthytis, Caladium.

Shrubs: Cycads, Heavenly Bamboo, Holly, Mistletoe, Oleaner, Rhododendron.

Succulents: Aloe.

Trees: Avodado, Buddist Pine, Japanese Yew, Macademia Nut.

Vines: Branching Ivy, English Ivy, Needlepoint Ivy.

Misc/Uncategorized: Andromeda, Azalea, Calla Lily, Castor Bean.

Paris Je T'aime

Gus did the most amazing thing yesterday... He and Charly had been wrestling for about a full uninterrupted 15 minutes, with Charly losing the whole time, when Gus all of a sudden rolled over in absolute defeat, letting Charly have at him. It was remarkable to watch such a powerful dog, a pitbull that could easily snap his little brother's hind legs in two, let the little one win.

We live in a town house and the association probably wouldn't let us put this super frenchy plaque above our house number. But I love this sign and the nostalgia it brings back for Paris. Check out The French Number Company and all of their authentic signs and plaques.

Wipe Your Paws

Daniel's sister has this antique daschund boot scraper on her front porch that I thought I would post about today. I don't think I've ever seen anybody scrape their boots on the poor doxie, but it's a nice welcoming piece for their front entry. I found a similar one at the John Wright Company. This one doesn't have that worn out vintage look, but I still like it.