Oh - by the way - the new job brings with it a new phone number. In fact, the entire family has changed numbers. So if you have a phone number for me, it will cease to work at some point in the very near future. To get the new one, please email me (assuming you have my email address) and I'll send you the new number. If that's not possible, submit a comment to this post and I'll figure out a way to get it to you.

Goodness me, my lovely readers, it's been way too long since I actually updated this thing. So here's what's been going on since we last shared this little time together...

Back in early summer, we had to have one of our dogs put down due to kidney failure. He was our largest, and therefore most intimidating, dog and SWMBO has missed the sense of security that having a large dog around gave her. In addition, one of our other dogs has a (we're pretty sure) brain tumor and we have no idea whether it will significantly shorten her life or not. Our third dog is very attached to her and we wanted to reduce the impact of her departure if and when it happens.

All that leads to this: we now have a white German Shepherd that currently tips the scales at around 120#. [Click the image for a full body shot.]

After an initial uneasiness, the other dogs got along with him right away. The cats, however, don't find this whole thing amusing in the least.

Now I've gone and done it. I finished moving all of our stuff from our old farm this weekend. (OK - I still have one more shed to empty out, but...) In doing so I realized that, other than one car, I no longer own anything of significant value. That's mildly disturbing. Of course, I now have a HUGE balance in my savings account representing the equity (and slight profit :-) ) from the sale of our place but liquid assets just don't seem real somehow. I like being able to put my hands on something and know that it's mine.

Oh well. I keep reminding myself that it's just another step to a better thing.

It is an interesting thing to behold when fate/divine providence/chance rears its head. As an example, let me relate the following story.

I've been meaning to post this for some time, but I just now got around to getting the pictures off of my camera. Maybe nobody will care about this except me, but I find it quite humorous.

I generally take my own lunch to work with me these days which usually consists of leftovers from the previous night's dinner. It makes most of the folks at work quite jealous as they plow through their pre-fab-heat-and-eat Lean Cuisine or some such thing. But today, SWMBO added something extra.