...so far, so good...

so as I devour the last of my wonderful multi grain toast...
[even better than the heel was...if that's possible...]
things are peacable in this place...
at the moment, anyway...

Mackie greeted me early, wanting food...
and came in again for the cat box[!]...
along with more food, when I finally got up.......

he's currently sleeping on the cat tree...
[after cuddling in my lap last night...
purring like a motor boat...]

I'll probably take him back in to be checked on Monday...
to see what the vet thinks...
he is moving easier every day...
so the weakness in his back legs may have been an injury...
that is now healing...

I just advised Miz Sneaky Pie that sneaking Molly's crunchies...
is NOT smart...
she took my remarks under advisement...
& moved on to HER food...

or she just decided she didn't like "dog" food after all...

moving Molly's batcave to a more isolated location...
has really cut down on the yipping & yelping noises...
that Molly uses to warn kitties away from her nest...

AND...there has been NO chasing...

when Molly's nest was in the middle of the walkway...
kitties would scoot through or around it...
giving her an "alert" to chase the quick moving kitties...
& causing some rough play situations...

she also would guard her bones, etc...
causing me a bit of worry, especially with Mackie when he was wobbly...

so ever since I moved her...
yesterday afternoon, acting on sound, God-mom advice...
things have really calmed down...

I have also been very strict about her barking...
I had been somewhat lax...
which let her think that she was the "pack leader"...
so I had to re-assert myself as the "boss"...

not in a mean way...but "tough love"...
just like with the jr high kids...
being firm, being consistent...
but being loving at the same time...
["hating the sin, NOT the sinner..."]

I want her to be a watch dog...
but she needs to understand...
that once I know about the intruder...
she can stop barking...

just now, as I was writing this...
she started "intruder alert" barking...
it's different, more urgent...
and she doesn't stop when I call her name...

so I got up & went in to see what it was...

I saw no one...

which means it was probably a cat or dog...
so I made her sit, I held her muzzle gently...
and told her it was OK... she could stop now...
she "argued" a bit...
but then, satisfied that she had done her job...
stopped all barking & muttering...
and went back to her nest...

she has been fine with a workman in the house...
but goes absolutely ballistic at the mere appearance...
of mail carriers, delivery persons & such...

so this step has been coming...
and now is the time...

she no longer goes totally nuts...
when she sees other dogs on walks...
but I have made her sit...lean into me...
bent down practically hugging her...
telling her it's OK...

sometimes, she still barks a bit...
especially if the other dog barks at her...
but then, it's a stern "NO"...
& a jerk or 2 on the lead...
until I have her "attention"...

this SOOO reminds me of teaching jr.high...

finishing this has been interrupted a couple of times...

UnklePhil got a FedEx delivery...
they parked in front of my house...

another cat alert[probably Piglet, parading about...]

as well as general lobbying for a walk...

I let her out in the back early this AM...
but now, the fog has lifted...
and she is dying to "get out there"...

so out we will go...

I'm taking my new camera...
with the "kit" lens...to take my first picts to post...
I loaded the software on last night...
but don't really know the camera yet...

so I'll stick my SD 1000 in my pocket too...
in case there are digimac opportunities...

poor Molly...lots of stops and...
"wait...give me a moment.. I almost have it..."
but that also means a longer walk...
probably to the park...her favorite sniffing place...