…Then Berlin is a can of corned beef vomited up on the bedroom floor. It’s my fault. She was so happy eating the small corned beef treats and was doing so well on her target training that I gave her more. The entire can more, that is.

I suppose this also makes me a roast pork sandwich, if we are what we eat.

And it makes Mojo… NOTHING. Because I keep forgetting to feed him in my current dog-obsessed state.

Will things ever return to a calm state of equilibrium? Will I ever be able to balance having a dog with sleeping at night? And remembering to bathe? And paying the phone bill? OR EVEN JUST ONE OF THOSE? (My coworkers are voting for “remembering to bathe.”)

I had a nice post ready to go, all about Matt and behavioral therapy and the good children with Autism. But I thought this post about dog vomit took precedence.  Aren’t you glad I’ve got my ducks in a row?

I would buy this weasel print as well as the rest of the collection to decorate a nursery for a wee baby Hofmann. I think these are the cutest woodblock prints in the world.

But since I have no excuse to buy the cute little weasel (sorry Mom), I bought this whale to go in our bedroom next to some other artwork that he matches perfectly. He’s so cute that I very well might hang out in the bedroom more… which of course could give me a reason to buy that weasel print after all!

My Mom:
“chiro said, as julian whittaker says, you need to take CoQ10 with a statin or your memory will go….so, i am on it!!!  this drug thing is so hard….you try to save your heart and you lose your mind in the meantime.  what is worse?”

I’m not really sure what this means. If anyone can explain to me what CoQ10 is, I’ll take it. Or I suppose I could Google it. But it IS 5:16 on a Friday afternoon. Have a great weekend no matter how you spend it, and take time to do what I will inevitably be doing… defending the honor of someone I love. Berlin, you idiots. Not Eric.

Berlin is officially in heat. Not an experience I ever wished to have to live through. I suppose this is motherhood at its worst.

Because of her heat, we are unable to spay her as scheduled next Monday. Instead, we need to wait FOUR WEEKS. Yes, that’s right… four more weeks of this.

Thank God that dogs in heat are nothing like elephants in musth. Which brings me to my next hot topic… a delightful interview with my dear ex-Philadelphia Zoo coworker, Eric Matzke. Charming Eric and the ever-witty Robert recently started a delicious organization, City Food Tours where foodies like you and I can treat our “tastebuds to a culinary adventure with public walking tours in the heart of New York City and Philadelphia.” Brilliant idea, because I truly believe that Philly has some of the greatest food this side of Paris, and I have been bemoaning that fact ever since moving home to New England, which frankly, has nothing to write home about except darned good fresh seafood.

In this news segment, Eric tells us all about aphrodisiacs and will probably leave you drooling for a little bit more than fresh grilled asparagus. While I’m busy scaring away every male dog within a seven mile radius of our house, go book yourself a hot City Food Tour and enjoy the love that’s in the air in ways that Berlin is strictly verboten from doing.

Because you guys  are so stellar at commenting, I figured I’d give you something comment-worthy. My target-training with Berlin has been so extraordinarily successful that I not only got her to wag her tail for a consecutive 10 minutes while running in the park last night, but she also woke up this morning and LICKED MY FEET. Gross, but very very sweet. Yes, I teared up.

What’s that? I’m the WORLD’S GREATEST MOM!? I know.

Happy Earth Day!

This year, to celebrate how green we are, Matt and I are signing up for a CSA program for the summer months. We’re going to give it a try from June-September despite the warning that we’ll probably wind up with lots and lots of beets. I’m sure Berlin likes beets.

Not only that, but I’m vowing to do some other earth-friendly things today. I’m going to carry my 76% recycled Alchemy Goods messenger bag and take public transportation home from work. Yes, I do this every day because it’s convenient, but I’m doing it today to be green. I’m also going to leave my dog’s poop in the park instead of picking it up. This will keep one more plastic bag out of the landfill, will help fertilize the grass, and will annoy moms who “lunch” and take their kids to the park before their pedicure. I also really like kissing things on the mouth… my dog, my cat, my husband… I might kiss the dogwoods that are blossoming in our neighborhood.

No, we really do try to be green, but I have to admit that the selling point on joining the CSA was not because we’ll be supporting locally grown sustainable agriculture… but because the farmer is an ex-punk drummer. I like to imagine he’s Topper Headon and farming under a pseudonym. Very kissable.