You should come over for dinner, Jesse!

I rented 30 Days of Night, took a hot bath, tidied up as best I could without hurting myself, took a conference call for work, and think it's PJ time.

Curl up with some dinner, a bad scary movie, and rest up so I can see about going into work tomorrow to try and salvage my week.

Oy.

One time I was making a spinach lasagne and forgot to boil the flat noodles. I just put them in like usual and the lasagne came out perfect. I guess the water from the spinach and ricotta was enough to cook the noodles? Ever since, I've not boiled noodles for lasagne.

I had my own yummy dinner -- buffalo chicken bits with celery and broccoli on the site.

I am seriously ready for bed now.

Just because I'm not ready to share space with too much sentience.

Don't read the cover article on animal intelligence in the latest National Geographic, then.

My puppy and my DH are both curled up on the living room floor, asleep.

I am seriously ready for bed now.

I had a 10 minute nap earlier in which I dreamed I was...taking a nap because I was so tired.

Probably means I should go to bed at a reasonable hour, no?

My puppy and my DH are both curled up on the living room floor, asleep.

Cute overload!

Hey Sparky, Saturday's doggy lama workshop is on cold weather care. I was worried it would be in the 60s and the topic would seem foolish. Instead, it will be rainy and gross.

I'd love to see you guys if you can make it, but seriously? I'm not expecting a big turnout if it's nasty.

In similar news, I have my first two paid doggy lama coaching sessions tomorrow! Plus, one of the adoption event coordinators has offered to recommend me to new pet people. I've helped with her own dog and she just wants me to make a donation to the Society for each new client.

This idea, I love.

bonny, if you need a canine witness, just ask my Andy -- he says that rainy and gross is WAY more worrisome than cold weather.

(More seriously, I'm so happy to see the doggy lama thing taking off for you!)

So, (not that it isn't cute, but) do we think the elephant can actually paint, aka recreate its surroundings, or that it's learned a trick, like putting a hat on a human?

I read years ago about a zoo elephant with behavioral problems that was given paints as a sort of therapy. They thought she was just playing with the paints until firefighters responded to an alarm at the zoo, and several hours later she painted a long red area (like the fire engine) with little black streaks (like the firefighters' uniforms) arranged around it. It was crude, but pretty clear she understood that she was painting a representation of something she'd seen earlier.

Apparently elephants doodle in the dirt with sticks on their own. Most of the elephant art I've seen is less representational than the drawings of elephants, though.

Bonny, I don't want to be like one of those people who, when they meet a doctor at a dinner party, start rattling off a list of symptoms, requesting a free diagnosis, BUT...

(You knew there'd be a but, right?)

Is there a supplement or a natural remedy, or even a dietary adjustment that's good for a dog who's always very nervous and high-strung?

Chloe, the dalmatian, is a very nervous dog. She shivers all the time, even in the summer, and that, combined with her tendency to bark at the slightest provocation, makes us think she's just high-strung and needs to chill. But we don't want to give her pharmaceutical remedies unless it's absolutely necessary.

But is there a doggie kava kava, or valerian root, or something similar?

Oh, and thank you.