The New Deal, Part I

Having freed up our schedule, Josh and I have been looking for projects we can do together as a couple. Even as we launched ourselves into this, there was a nagging suspicion at the back of my mind as to what that would involve. Josh has been a team captain for the local Cancer Walk since before I met him. With both his wife (a very mild case, no chemo, one round of radiation) and Tracker (massive surgery and chemo) having survived cancer, his Uncle having not - this is important stuff to him. And while I've made a point to drop by and encourage folks, I've always held off actually participating.

Now, those who have met me will agree I'm a wretched sentimentalist. I tear up at sweet commercials, I cry during "Hunt for Red October" at the end when they are talking about the Sea. I cry when I read especially good poetry and a few Dar Williams songs require an entire purse pack of tissues. As a New Yorker, I adore city walking. However, this Walk takes place at Oak Harbor High School on the Track which encloses the football field. Ugh. Circles, endless circles. Spiritually pure, but boring as all hell. So as much as I agree and applaud things like Cancer Walks, I'm very much not the right personality to do so. But I've agreed to this New Deal, so I'm biting my tongue and buying tissue in bulk.

Instead of walking, I've offered to run a fundraiser during the Walk: a Foot Bath & Massage Booth. We need a cute name, but otherwise have the idea pretty much planned out. Using our three room tent, hopefully decorated a bit: A nice hot towel witchhazel wash to clean the feet, then a mineral salt soak, followed by either a lotion or oil foot massage. We're discussing aromatherapy & music options. For an extra $2, we'll even send you back out onto the Track with a new pair of white cotton socks.

A little luxury for the Walkers - I figure after 24 hours of walking, we'll be the biggest fundraiser there. Now, if I only had more volunteers to run it!

The Mysteries of Puppyhood

Flash has got to be the strangest puppy in the world. He's come up with at least a dozen new bizarre ways to entertain himself already this week.

1. He pushes a rolling office chair into the living room, parks it in front of a lounge chair before jumping back and forth between the two. Alternate game: lays on the lounge chair and uses his nose to turn the chair in circles. One of these days that office chair is going to go flying and fall over. Should be fun to watch, if nothing else.

2. He stole a ball of chennile yarn from my closet and has been making webs from the foyer, kitchen, living & dining room while he kicks and head butts it. It was so odd, I let him do it all morning. At about 4 inches high, it was beginning to get a bit dangerous so I wound the web back up into the ball and hid it. Can't wait to see the next one.

( More Doofus )

You can see why Josh's first words coming in the door at night are "what he'd do this time?"