A day at the beach... Real vs Virtual

So, yeah....  I'm in my... ahem 40s now and I dare say that I really hate going to the beach.  I've been so very blessed with a girl that LOVES the beach.  LOVES the water.  LOVES swimming.  But...

REAL...

I hate the heat.  I hate the never-ending blaring sun with no shade.  I HATE, no ABHOR, the sand and it's wily little sharp edges that wedge into everything you bring and creates icky, crunchy sandwiches.  I hate having to be the mom pack mule that I am and have to carry everything down to the very farthest edge of the sand that connects our toes to the vast wonder of the ocean.  I LOVE the ocean, however, and all the amazing creatures held within its mysterious depths.  ::sigh::

What has happened to me in my old age?  I used to love going to the beach and couldn't get enough of it.  We would ride our bikes or take the bus it seemed the MINUTE school was let out.  We may as well have invested in beachfront property because that's where we lived.  We, obviously, frequented Main Street when Main Street really was the cool place to hang out.  Main Street was really alive when the old-style storefronts were around and The Golden Bear was pumpin' out the music.  There was a certain feeling being down there growing up that just isn't there now.

Don't get me wrong, Downtown Huntington Beach is nice, but it sure doesn't have the old surftown charm it had in the past.  They've really done up the storefronts and added the stage by the pier.  These are all nicely added new charms that bring in more revenue... and way more people.

Getting me into a bathing suit is a definite no-go... hell no!  So, yes, if I'm brave, I will put on the long mumu-ish swim tankini bathing suit top thingy and some board shorts.  Yeah, nothing that's going to be saying, "Heeeaaaayyyyeeee!   I'm super sexayyyyy!!"  But, I don't give a shit!  If it gets me out in the water with my Little Miracle Mermaid, then so be it.  And if I'm not sexaayyy and you think I'm uggllaayyyy... I don't give a shit!  Just don't make any beached whale jokes and all will be copacetic!

VIRTUAL...

My dream day at the beach would go something like this.

Miracle and I (being a very slender bikini clad rockin' hot mommy) would go down to the beach where we would have front row parking.  We get out of our car and step right onto our very own, personal conveyor that will take us -- yes, hot-sand-free -- to the edge of the ocean where we will lounge on our own cool hot-sand-free, shaded pad that is already set up for us with misters, towels, water -- a cool fruity umbrella ladened drink for me --  and all the fresh juicy fruit we can eat.

This is the reality...                              ... and this is the virtual...

A bark park fiasco...

Last night was our play date with our good puppy friend, Lulu.  We anticipated a night of dog romping, running, barking, tail wagging fun.  Sadly, we just didn't have the intended experience. 

For some reason my Boomer was on edge the moment we arrived, after we went in and through the end of the night until we got home.  He entered the park with the prominent ridge standing on edge along his back.  His tail was curled high at alert attention the whole time.  I didn't think anything of it too much as he does that when Miracle is with us and he is in "protect mode". 

However....  At one point I had my back turned talking to one of the nice doggy parents and in the back of my mind I heard his bark, far away and rather faint.  Then it hit me that he was REALLY barking!!  I spun around to see his haunches low to the ground, ridge at full attention with his head back and high.  For this dog, whose normal demeanor is submissive and usually quiet, he was putting on quite the show of fear holding his stance and NOT MOVING an inch.

He was showing this display in front of a man that had entered the park.  The man stood his ground to Boomer as well, but there was just something off.  Not right.  I think Boomer had sensed it.  I immediately ran over to him to pull him away, but Boomer wasn't having it.  I tried to work with him to calm him down, but to no avail.  The man was saying that he wasn't afraid of Boomer.  Well, okay, good for you, but there's something off. Not right. 

As Boomer was continuing to bark, the man wanted to try and console him.  He thought by talking nice to him, bending down and getting into his face... will somehow help.  Um, no... don't do that Mr. Man that thinks he's a dog whisperer.

Boomer, with his head low, tail high, swooped behind the man to get a quick sniff and went into high Boom Bark mode once again.  Okay, we're done here...  I took him to another part of the park where Boomer contined to track the man visually and bark in his direction. 

Lo and behold...  I started to do the same, thinking that My Boom is trying to tell me something.  I could not recall seeing the man with a dog when Boomer had him stationed nor could I see him with one when I removed ourselves from the situation.  A completely uneasy feeling crept up inside me.  Maybe it was the fears and concerns of my past working in animal rescue that brought up the feelings of maybe he was there to scope out the dog park... to take a dog to sell to a laboratory.  Yes, that does happen... it is NOT an urban legend. 

Boomer refused to calm down after all this.  His ridge was up constantly and he was beginning to see others as adversaries for the just in case factor.  I'm not sure, but we unfortunately left the park to go wait for our little Lulu.  She hadn't arrived to the park at this point.  What an ordeal!!

So Miss Lulu arrived and we go back into the park.  Looking back, I think the air was muddled with some sort of negative energy because both dogs were just a little off... between Boomer's ordeal and both thinking they need to protect Miracle, we need to leave once again. 

But that's okay and all good.  We walked to the park where Miracle played for a bit then we went for ice cream and frozen yogurt.  OKAY, what can possibly happen that is not easily fixed with some relaxation, frozen yogurt and ice cream???  Hollah!!!

Boomer and Lulu got to play a little bit together outside the stores and I think I realized that Boomer found his play match.  He is such a verbal little soul and Lulu can handle it.  I think it's a bit vice versa as well.  He felt so much more comfortable romping around with her and that made me feel much more comfortable as well. 
The only other dog that Boomer feels comfortable playing ALL OUT with is his little Chug cousin, Abbey Rose.  SHE is a GINORMOUS dog in a tiny dog body and kicks some Boomer butt!!!

Waking to the sounds of life...

Painted by Belinda Del Pesco

So rarely do I have mornings where I just casually and slowly awaken without the sound of "Moooommmmm???"...

The wee child stays the night at her dad's house on Saturday.  I love the Sunday mornings when I wake up in the early hours when it's still so nice and cool. It's quiet outside and I feel the cool breezes coming in through the window. They tickle my face.

As I lay there and the time passes, I hear the birds awakening and merrily chirping. Then I begin to hear the boulevard come to life off in the distance. I hear the sounds of the wakening world... the smells of breakfast in the kitchens upwind, the kids that have escaped the confines of their homes to gleefully play in the early hours. Yes, believe it or not, they escape that early.

I love to lay there and listen to the orchestra of life on those early weekend mornings.

It's a Pinkalicious Rainy Day... and a walk with the dog.

Miracle absolutely, like ALL kids, loves to run through puddles on a rainy day.  It was so nice outside so we decided to do such a thing... or, really, she did and Boomer and I tagged along.

I felt it necessary to do a documentary... um, yeah, that's it.  Fun times, fun times!  Needless to say she was soaked from ankle to waist!!

We really had a fun time doing our little rainy day "documentary".  Our other cute video is too large to upload so here is the link.  Fun, fun, fun times!!

http://youtu.be/yK6vramnb1o



Halloween...

Did everyone have a good frightful Halloween this year?  Was it filled with ghoulies and ghosties or faeries and follies?  I love Halloween and always look forward to the new memories Miracle makes with her cousins while out going door to door.  Halloween is my favorite, but Miracle does go with her dad and that is something they share together... for now.

Growing up, I just loved trick-or-treating with all our neighborhood friends. For the life of me I can’t remember any of my childhood costumes in any sort of detail except one. Is that a bit odd? I think it’s almost freakish since the one I remember pretty vividly was that of a clown. Clowns freak me out… and I’m not entirely sure why.

I remember my best childhood friend, Kathy, helped me with this costume. I don’t know where we got all the pieces, but I was able to put together a wig, big clown shoes and an outfit that we dug out of her closet. I don’t know why I remember digging through her closet, but voila! There it was; the perfect costume. Again, I’m not sure why I even remember that.

My brothers and I had a blast going through our whole neighborhood, dragging our parents behind. I’m not sure it was actually both our parents as I know one had to stay home to hand out the candy. It was probably my dad that would go with us.

I can just recall the excitement of going door to door with the, at first, cheesy little plastic orange pumpkin that seemingly cut my hand each time I reached in to pull out a piece of candy. I was elated when I finally graduated to being able to handle trick-or-treating with a pillowcase. Sadly, by the time I hit that milestone I was too old to be trick-or-treating and there were hardly any crowds left anyway. Going around the neighborhood was such fun and Halloween has always remained as my favorite “holiday”.

When I was 16, I worked at Miller’s Outpost in South Coast Plaza. The home of Levi 501 jeans and bandanas!! The crew I worked with was such a fun group of “kids”… except Joe, the moody manager. The year I was 16 my mom put together the most awesome gown for my Bride of Frankenstein costume. We used a white sheet, some cotton for the shoulder pads and some strips of tattered sheet for the gauze arm wrappings. I teased out my long curly hair up into a rat’s nest of great Halloween coif! We sprayed some version of a lightning bolt stripe up the sides of it and called it a costume! With the makeup and the black nail polish, that was by far the best costume I ever had (at least that I can remember. Please revisit paragraph one RE: memory loss).

Remember the scare in the early 80s of the poisons in the candy and razorblades in the apples? THAT changed Halloween forever. Gone were the homemade popcorn balls and the fun cookies (that ended up crumpled in the pile of goodies anyway, ne’r to be eaten).

Actually, according to Wikipedia.org (“the truth” tee hee hee), apart from one incident—actually an act of premeditated murder by a trick-or-treater's father—there have been no recorded incidents of deliberately poisoned candy during Halloween or any similar occasion. Okay, solves that myth.

What were your little grommets dressed up as as? What were YOU dressed up as? It was a super foggy Halloween morning today, but ended up with nice, clear skies for the evening… Clear enough to see the ghosts shimmering in and out of the shadows.  Clear enough for the Zombies to be able to see you and shuffle to your direction.

MMmmooooooAAAHHHhhhhaaaaaaHHHHHAAAAAA!!!

The Single Mommy Money Pit... "the dog"

Will it EVER get any financially easier??? 

Right when, within 24-hours of uttering the words to my dad, "wow, I've been able to actually save up a little money and have a wee bit of a cushion", do I no sooner have to shell out more money to the vet... YET AGAIN!

After spending oodles and oodles of money that I don't have over the summer for a new medicine regiment and "special" dog food.  Having to float some bills.  Having to creatively smart grocery shop (yes, as always anyway!!!).  Not being able to replace the two pairs of shoes that I HAVE to wear over and over and over and over again that are on the verge of disintegrating before my eyes.  Having to shell out yet more money for the public school Miracle goes to that needs donations and PTO and fund raisers and....

Poor Boomer, my little knight of a furry four-legged beacon of utter unconditional love!!!

He had a bout of  :: ahem ::  diarrhea for about four days.  He was eating and drinking and being his usual flexible, I-don't-want-to-worry-or-inconvenience-anyone self.  I took "a sample" to the vet where he proceeded to tell me that he had no parasites... but, then that would mean no money for him!   So, of course, we need to take a course of action with i/d Prescription food for gastrointestinal issues, then a pill for the diarrhea and a pill for something or other else. 

Well, because I am who I am, I went for it.  And, yes, that was after I broke down in the vet's office yammering about the money I spent over the summer and how I'm really struggling to make it.  I REALLY am!!! 

And then I look down at that honey colored furry friend of mine with the golden brown eyes.  "It's okay, mommy" he seemed to say.  "It's okay, mommy, cuz it's always okay.  It always works out."

God, I love that dog!!!  My heart fills with the warmth of the blood gushing and rushing around when I look at that face!  That handsome little knight of a furry four-legged beacon of utter unconditional love face!!!

From the Earth...

... through the eyes of an eightyear-old.

Miracle took the leftover wrapping paper that was old and crinkled, flipped it over and drew this picture that we hung up on the wall as we don't have any artwork up there. 

I love what she came up with....

... the brain!!