Update on Pet Ownership

I have to tell you, when we first got Barkley, even though I really, really wanted a dog, I was terrified that we had made a major mistake and turned our lives upside down to cater to the whims of an animal who would destroy our home, our possessions and ultimately, our marriage.

Yes, melodramatic. But the fear, which I didn't realize I had until Barkley came home with us, was a direct result of a dog my family had growing up that managed to do all of those things, very nearly, before my parents finally gave up the fight, and were forced to give him back to the shelter. Basically it was the sanity of the family or the dog. And the dog went.

For the first couple of weeks, Barkley wanted to mouth and nip when playing, a behavior that's not desirable, but pretty common in puppies and young dogs. He'd jump up to greet you. And he was a little on the crazy side when playing fetch in the yard. He ate a couple of Harry Potter books when we let him roam free while we were gone. Every time he displayed one of these behaviors, which I associated with the behaviors of a "bad dog," I was fearful we had made the wrong choice.

But then I realized a few things. First of all, Barkley is a dog, as in, not a human. We made some adjustments. We decided to crate train him. We went to obedience school. And we (MM, Barkley and me) settled into a routine.

Spring Has Not Sprung

For those of you who are lucky enough to not live in Chicago, you’ll be glad to know that where you live it probably did not snow last night. But here in Chicago, we had a dusting of white snow on the ground this morning, and I wore the big coat, the big scarf and a winter hat to work today. And no, we’re not in some time warp that has forced us to relive February over and over again; it is pushing late-April here just like it is where you live.

I am so beyond over it, it’s not even worth saying that I’m over it.

I really thought this weekend was the turning point. It was not warm, but it was sunny, the air was crisp and it was good enough to take advantage of the outdoors. Oh well… someday it will be warm again… anyway, moving on...

Yoga Zone
I have continued to attend yoga class one day a week, but I’m starting to think it’s time to add another class to my routine. I am still loving the CorePower Studio where I began taking Hot Yoga when we moved to the burbs. I went to Hot Power Fusion last night, which is a combination of Bikram poses, sun salutations and some core strength moves (sorry if my yoga lingo is lacking) done in a heated room, and had an amazing class. I don’t know if it’s because the classes are a little less crowded than the studio I took at in the city, if the instructors are a little more my speed, or if the room is just better ventilated, but I feel like I have improved leaps and bounds even with only one class a week, and I am much more focused in this studio.