Monday, June 30, 2008

Dream...

I tend to have these dreams that end up with me and my hubby in various states of undress and not able to score a touchdown so to speak. (Football season yet?) When I was on the pill, it was my brain's way of reminding me I have obligations. (Off the pill, no issues with forgetting about that, dangit).. Now that I'm pregnant, it's just like being on the pill, and I'm determined to find a non-hormonal method once the baby is here). Anyway, I havent had one of these dreams in quite some time. I had one last night. For the first time in a long time, I waited patiently for the alarm to go off and then attacked! Okay gently coerced him into having a romp. It was a bit awkward, but we made it work! Any suggestions for keeping my hips from hurting?

Is this the turnaround I've been waiting for? Maybe? Or just a fluke? Either way, I have a happy husband today! Yeah!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

On the road again..

Today we went to church (albeit a bit late due to an ice cream maker slow-down) and a 'picnic' that ended up at the church instead of the park due to rain.

We had a good time and even got some sandwiches to take home left over (which we'll probably eat tomorrow). 4 hours on the road.. and then..

We got home, ran to the post office to mail our rent check and pick up a papa murphys. After a quick bite, time enough to check email, rest a little bit and watch the Cubs be swept by the Sox they just swept last week. What's up with that? And when will it be football season?

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday...

My hubby's 10 year class reunion was today/tonight. We caught up with all his old buddies and even though the bar we eventually ended up at was smoke filled, we had a great time.

We also closed out my bank/credit/safety deposit bank accounts, visited his family, got some more corn for the critters, and other various activities.

Boy what a tiring day! Oh and I got to play with mom and dad's puppies. Yeah! puppies!

Friday, June 27, 2008

2 times the fun!


I'm on the left.

I got to see my friend Trish on Friday night. Isn't she cute? 7 months, ya'll.
We got to yakking for like an hour and a half and I donated a red wagon to the fill the baby's room and give them transport for the next 5 years or so 'cause'.
Aren't we cute?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

We need a new place to live...

Yesterday's post just reminds me of how much we need to get out of the city. Then I won't be a gripey neighbor, nor will my future offspring be a pain to our non-existent neighbors. Oh and I wouldnt have to smell BURNT grilled food. Grilled is one thing, charbroiled to hockey pucks is another. Yuck!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Silly children...

The only joy I get for the most part these days is getting to watch the birds and wildlife in my backyard (we feed them on PURPOSE!)...

silly neighbor girl likes to stand and yank grass out of our yard (she doesnt play in her own shorn-short yard EV-EH) and also run screaming after MY wildlife*...

I actually caught her at it (clearly NOT in her own yard, WAYYYY across my yard) and slid open the screen door and politely asked her not to chase the rabbits, as we like to watch them. I turned to the right, and there was her mom, completely ignoring her behavior and acting like it was totally normal for a kid to do that (in their neighbor's yard)..

to her credit, though, I didnt see the kid after that.

And YES I really was nice about it. No matter how much I wanted to scream, "you're RUINING MY LIFE!" at the top of my lungs. Yes, I love my bunnies and squirrels that much!

*Yes, I know she's a kid, but I also know that her mother should keep her in their own yard. No matter WHAT her behavior. If I'd done that, my butt would have been blistered and I would have had to apologize to the neighbor for even BEING in their yard. Also, our yard got mowed so she can't bend over (with her arse facing our sliding door) and yank up handfuls of grass. Snicker. Snicker.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Eh hmm...

Announcing the availability for viewing of our first baby pictures.

http://lil-meeces.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 23, 2008

Happy Anniversary to us!

7 years. Amazing, huh? Okay, maybe not so amazing. But our trip this weekend really reminded me of how much of love my husband and why. Sigh. I think I'm in love.. oh wait, we'd already established that. :-)

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Cabin pics...

Today we drove 16 hours back home. We had a good time, but are exhausted! Here's some pics of the cabin we stayed in and surrounding 'stuff'.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Matthew's big trip...and a luau party!

On Saturday of our trip to NC, my hubby got to fulfill one of his dreams, and chase some rapids!
No, not in the floodwaters of Cedar Rapids, but on a river in the forest! Awesome! He had a blast, and although he couldn't tell, I was SO HAPPY that he got to go (he just had to promise he'd come back alive to take care of us!) Click the link for pictures-he's the close cut haircut dude on the mid-left.

http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew.shoemaker/RaftingInNorthCarolina

Meanwhile we visited a farmers market and then the grocery store (didn't find any fruit fresh enough/good enough for the price to buy), and took a trip to Andrews, NC (my maiden name). My folks and I had pizza at a little shop there and then headed back. We also took a pontoon boat ride on Lake Chatuge earlier that afternoon where my aunt's 'kids' and their kids got out and swam in the lake. Pretty fun to see them having fun. The deeper they were, though, the colder the lake water was. Just warm on the top! Of course that night was the luau.

The luau included smoked ham, chicken nubbins of some sort (they were from Sam's and heated up), lasagna, jasmine rice, and fruit. Decorations were all there, and they had a dj going. I got up and danced during 'we are family' and jiggled my belly too hard, so I sat the rest out, but really enjoyed everyone else having a good time. It felt kind of like college again, really. Everyone just hanging out and having fun and not worrying about tomorrow. We 'won' a prize for coming from the furthest away (16 hours). It was a little toy hummer that flashes when you roll it. Matthew likes it (of course, a toy!)

Friday, June 20, 2008

Long trip, not alone...

Well yesterday we took the long drive down to NC, and today we had a good time. We visited a wood craft shop, which had awesome stuff in it for pretty good prices (hard wood toys, etc for much much cheaper than the junk ones in stores), stuff like that.

We also partied down with a good crowd of folks, had pictures taken with the 'family' -- big extended family which we're only related to like one person, but whatever.. had a really good time.

We also went to see some alpacas at a farm. Here's a pic of some of them. This was the 'maternity' ward and you weren't allowed in to pet them. Basically we were busy and had a good time.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Herb's in Murphy, NC...

Today we drove down to NC to visit with an aunt and her family/friends/neighbors for a big party weekend. We drove down to IL yesterday afternoon and thereby we took my parents' van (them too) and it took quite a long time. There were 2 accidents and another long unexplained delay in getting there, so it took quite a bit longer than we expected. With the time change, we didn't get there until about 8:30 pm for dinner. Dad has been on a BBQ kick because a friend of his is a BBQ judge/taster so we went to Herb's. It's on this NC BBQ website thing (linked for you there if you're interested).

Umm, it was okay. The food had been done for hours of course so it wasn't that tasty, kind of cold. I mean it was okay and we were starving, having subsisted on rice krispie treats and mini bags of chips for several hours, but I wonder what it would have been like hot? They said on their website that you're supposed to be able to cut your pork with a fork and I definitely needed a knife. Not as tender as advertised. Oh well, it was food and dad was thrilled.

We got to our cabin/house rental. It was a nice place, no one had used it for a while, but it was nice enough anyway. The only complaint I had was that the beds were hard. Although since I was exhausted I slept. It was about the same price as one hotel room, but of course there were 2 bedrooms plus more available beds, so we got a good deal versus buying 2 hotel rooms. Part of our deal was that for my parents' anniversary (40 years this December) we paid for the room. They were not expecting it and were happy. Hopefully they will do something else fun with the money they saved. It was a long day and we were happy to just get there safe and sound. Oh did I mention it was WAY up in the mountains and the last mile of road was gravel and really winding? No cell service either! Talk about getting away from it all, we did it! There was a creek AND a pond in the back yard, a firepit (which we didnt get to use) and a screened in and regular porch both. Definitely better than a hotel room!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Maternity jeans...

Rock on, I waited and waited and went back to Target last night to look at the maternity jeans, and sure enough, they were down from $30.00 to $7.48 apiece (I got 2 pair!). My mom says she can hem the bottoms. We will see. I almost picked up a third pair, but they are all the same and I figure at this point in time, I got a good enough deal with 2.

We're heading out to Illinois today. Will either try and update on the fly or just fill you in when we get back.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Heartache, destruction, and fear...and the upside...

That's about the sum total of it. WE still havent gone to see the 'damage' -- only on TV, but we know what is heading towards Burlington, Keokuk, Quincy, St. Louis and other towns downriver. Will their levees hold? Will they fail? Will sandbagging help them at all? How much of the midwest's crops (destroyed by drought the last few years and demand for ethanol and biodiesel) go up this summer because fields were flooded and destroyed? Will the farmers start to cash out, or will they replant? Quick buck or hard work? Which would you do?

The upside? For the most part, people are staying safe and healthy, being prepared and coming together as a community to save their cities. The government is at least making promises and getting the details out to those who need it. Frustration is there, yes, but there is a sense of overall calm, even through the despair.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Living in a flood region...

Traffic is quite backed up as roads slowly open up.
Porta potties are everywhere (even at work where you're SUPPOSED to use them).
Hand sanitizer replaces water for washing your hands. Don't forget the 'wet ones'.
Paper or styrofoam and plastic will fill our landfills while water is in short supply.
Take out restaurants are making a ton of money as people forgo doing dishes.
Showers are shorter.
People are wearing jeans and sneaks at work to offset said portapotties- dont want 'wet' feet.
Everytime you turn on the tap you feel a little guilty.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

More good news...

Pump #2 of 4 is up in Cedar Rapids, and people with odd numbered houses are getting to do laundry and dishes and such on odd days and even numbered on even days. I think that means we can officially quit worrying here on our small suburb about whether or not we flush the toilet. They were borrowing water from us and it looks like they may not need to for long. Awesome. Being dirty sure makes me cranky!

Oh and the water is still going down and people are being allowed back in their homes. More good news. Granted, everything is probably ruined for the most part, but at least they can confront the damage, make assessments as to what to do next, and start to move on. Life goes on. Even in the face of tragedy.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

cranky

I'm cranky beyond belief. Apparently business owners are still 'watering' their VERY green lawns EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT even though we've had a water restriction on that says only water to drink basically and get by with no other water. Hello, we've had 6 extra inches of rain in the last 14 days, do you REALLY need to water your lawns? In the meantime, the average households are using almost 70 gallons of water. Using their calculations, I would guess we're using no more than 15. Sometimes, you just HAVE to flush, if you know what I mean.

As you may have guessed I'm out of a lot of my clothes. Okay basically all of them. I have enough maternity clothes to get me through one week. Guess who usually does laundry on Sunday? Yup, me, which means I have 3 shirts left. One is a tshirt I probably shouldn't wear to work so I will wear that on Wednesday when we leave for our trip. Another is usually weekend wear as it is a tank top and the third is mostly long sleeve- not ideal. So this weekend I'm having to wear ill fitting clothes. The others M-W and then will do laundry in IL late at night before leaving early Thursday morning on our trip.

This is beyond insane. Everyone else goes about their merry water watering lawns, washing clothes, and I'm laying in bed gagging because my washcloths decided to go 'bad' this weekend and smell like mildew and my hubby washed up before bed. Bad, bad idea. Now I'm gagging because of pregnancy super-nose and can't sleep. That's why I'm cranky.

Yes, I'm lucky, yes I'm thankful, yes I'm trying to do my part. I imagine this would be a lot easier if I wasn't carrying around another life form in my belly. For one thing I'd probably be out volunteering and not give a darn about whether I washed up when I got home. Now I just think, jeez, I stink and I have to go to work like this for 2 days and then travel (estimated time 4 hours +2.5 for a detour around closed roads to the south and east) in a closed up vehicle before getting clean clothes and then getting back in a vehicle for a 12 hour car ride the next day. No kidding. Hmm. Yup, feeling sorry for myself. I don't do it outloud very often. I don't find it's very helpful but today, I'm feeling like a big old pity party with balloons (and a shower, for the love of God).

Good news/Bad News...

Which first? Well I'll just tell it all as it comes out. We have our first flood related death. Not sure how it happened, but a lady was found dead in her flooded basement.

It will now take appx. 4 hours (without traffic) to allow people to go from CR to Iowa City. Normally a 1/2 hour trip, because of closing of a 6 mile stretch. There are apparently county or country roads to go around shorter, but no one knows if they are open or flooded or what, so the DOT is recommending the trip up and over and down to Des Moines then down and over . Crazy. The same if you want to go back. With traffic, they expect a minimum of a 6 hour trip. 281 miles one way.

The Cedar River at CR has gone down a full block overnight.

However, raw sewage is getting poured into the flood water, of course. Gas stations are under, so some gas and other fuel is kind of 'into' the water. I don't think you'd want to strike a match.

The TV stations were mostly all downtown and were running on generator power. The one we watched in particular literally had to be "in a van down by the river" to broadcast until they could get equipment set up in a new location (that's a Chris Farley reference from a popular evening show called Saturday Night live from the 1990's, by the way).

The best news of all is that so far, there has been no confirmed case of looting or other ridiculous post-disaster behavior. No lawlessness, no harassing of volunteer shelter workers, etc. I fully 'blame' the TV stations and radios for that, as they have made it VERY clear how easy it is to get to a shelter, you can be picked up by boat even if you're stuck in a flooded area, and the outpouring of community support has really made a difference. People were warned well in advance to gather their things and get out. Most of them followed the heed and asked for help if they need it. As far as community support goes: people are dropping off food to shelters, donating 100s of new pillows when the request went out on the TV/radio for pillows needed, and just in general helping out. I mentioned the additional sandbagging outpouring help yesterday.

I'm sure there was not the widespread poverty as in N'Awlins (referring to Hurricane Katrina), but then again, a lot of the looting taking place there was people stealing tvs, handfuls of sports jerseys, etc. I think that there was a certain level of poverty in the downtown area of CR, but perhaps not the 'entitlement' that was seen in the people looting in NO. I pray that it continues that way. That's what's made this whole thing bearable is knowing that the people are being smart, taking help offered and not getting all 'entitled' about it. Everyone else not evacuated is helping out by volunteering, using less electricity and water, and giving donations. True midwestern spirity shining through.

Friday, June 13, 2008

River crests, begins to recede

Hey guys, the Cedar River crested! Yes! At 31.12 feet (awwww). To give you an idea, "flood stage" is at 12 feet. 10 blocks from the river was getting flooded (all along the river). 10,000 people evacuated out of 120-150 thousand. Most got help through family and friends, others had to go to a shelter. Some people stayed in their homes because of pets and had to be rescued. After that, they discovered that there WERE pet shelters (they obviously were either NOT tuning in, or had already lost power, or ignored the message earlier). Items as tall as a Dairy Queen sign were all but under water, regular street signs were 99% underwater, you could see just the tips of the signs and that was it.

Good news: people are turning out to help, businesses are offering their employees paid time off to either take care of their own needs, or to volunteer. Sandbaggers were desperately needed to save a pump for the water plant, they had 10 people, and 20 minutes after it was announced, over 1,000 showed up. They had to be redirected to other places. Needless to say, water is still flowing. We're being asked to only use water for necessary things. No laundry, no dishes, try not to flush, don't shower, etc.

We should be okay enough until we have to go back to work. I personally have issues because I'm running out of underthings, out of regular clothes ( I only have enough maternity clothes to get through 1 week) and I am not sure what to do. I could rinse them out I suppose, that's still using water, but I'll still need clothes before we take off for IL, and then NC next week. I may have to wear my hubby's clothes this weekend and wear my last 2 shirts on Monday and Tuesday at work, and then wear my hubby's clothes again on Wednesday for travelling. Regardless, we'll still have to wash the dishes before we leave or come back to a moldy house.

Also, all the roads are getting blocked. Our only choice right now is to go an hour north (out of our way), and an hour back south before getting to our road we normally would use. That will likely add an extra 2-2.5 hours to a 4 hour trip. Not to mention we have to get right back up on Thursday and travel appx 12 hours in a vehicle. And do the WHOLE thing again on Sunday. Not exactly "loving" that, but at least we DO have a way out.

Will keep you updated as to what's going on.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Iowa, land of... water?

We have our own beaches in Iowa, the thing is, you can't ever tell where they're going to be from one hour to the next downtown CR is flooding, library is all but the roofline underwater, my temp agency is under water, our PD is under water and calls are being rerouted to the suburbs, and as soon as a shelter opens, they have to close again because a "creek" turns into a river.

Got kicked out of work today, and not sure what to do about tomorrow. I have a phone number to call in and check and see what's going on, but not sure if it will give me any info. My supervisor may or may not be there (that's helpful). I have no way of knowing unless I show up if anyone else will be there. We carpool. That's not real great.

The water is swirling, but it's overtaking our sewer systems and water plants so we're all supposed to conserve water. Which means I can't do laundry or dishes or anything. What's the point of staying home and not being paid if you can't do anything?

Not that any of this is important, but the devastation is just too much. Turn on the Today Show or MSNBC and you'll see what I mean. We have 24 hour coverage here. It's unbelievable.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Rain rain

Will it never stop? Wasn't I just saying this about snow a couple of months ago? Sheesh!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Nashville Star...

We watched part of Nashville Star last night, it's like American Idol (or Pop Idol for the Brits), but with country music instead. Except, well, for whatever reason, about half of the contestants did NOT sing country music. They sang songs really not even fit for crossover (from pop to country) and did not even ATTEMPT to make them 'country' when they sang them.

That kind of ruined it for me. With the literally thousands, hundreds of thousands of songs available in country music from Taylor Swift to Tanya Tucker and Garth Brooks to Gene Watson, and the best they could come up with was 'Drops of Jupiter'? Really?

Ugh. One thing that the judges (only one being a country singer, another a writer, and the third, a former pop star having run her course in pop music and finding out her sales were tanking, decided to cross over to country music, umm, sorry Jewel, just not cutting it)... said was that they were NOT looking for 'a good singer' -- umm, what? Like we need any more wannabes out there as it is? There's plenty of those in pop music. Britney Spears, Ashlee and Jessica Simpson (someone else whose fame is tanking and is trying to cross over), all wannabes that gained fame for platinum hair and a good back mix of beats. That's all. I would not want to hear ANY of them without their back-up lip-synch tapes. Country stars should be able to hold their own, without back up tapes, without extra stuff.

Ridiculous.

Monday, June 9, 2008

What drives me nuts about Wheel of Fortune...

Is when the people announce themselves, and Pat says "I see here that you're married" and inevitably 9 out of 10, maybe more on average will say "to my wife name here" or "to my husband name here" -- who friggin ELSE would you be married to other than your husband or wife?

Some do say, "I have a lovely wife name here", but mostly they say "I'm married to my wife" or what have you. If you can tell me who else they'd be married to other than their husband or wife, I'd like to know about it. Sheesh!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Flooding, tornadoes and whatnot...

Seems like we've picked the worst year ever to live in Iowa. Record snows, followed by record rains, wet, wet, and more wet.

People are getting paid time off of work to go and sandbag around various places in the community (to keep rising water out of buildings).

I remember back in 1993, the rivers in our area of Illinois went up and up and even just regular flat land was totally saturated with water standing. Around here, it's not really like that. Yes, it's saturated, but the ground seems to be holding it okay, except by the rivers. Oh and cornfields. A few cornfields held high water. It was later in the year though, more towards the middle of July, and I was detasseling corn (Google it if you don't know what that means), in waist high water. On most everyone else, it hit around their knees. I was wet forever. I'm not sure I've gotten over that. Talk about being miserable. I had a horrible time just moving, let alone getting anything done.

Not to mention the tornadoes that have plagued our area. We've been in our laundry room at least once a week and now we're just leaving our blankets (for sitting on/head covering) and a battery operated radio in there so we don't have to get them all the time. At least we've been safe.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Triple Crown Disappoints Again...

Here's to Big Brown... The most recent in a string of 'almost got there' Triple Crown seekers. A combination of factors probably conspired to keep the big horse from finishing first, but to those super disappointed out there, it was only another race, so far he looks sound (good on his feet) and if there is anything else wrong, his jockey probably saved him from serious injury. He didnt force the horse to race when something was obviously wrong. The jockey did his job and the horse took a sick day. Life happens. Sure, I'd love to see a Triple Crown go all the way through, but watching a horse take a jewel is still pretty neat.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Bubble Bath..

I recently ran out of some bubble bath that my hubby got me, oh say about 4 years ago. It's kind of like this... Lavendar Vanilla Bubble Bath , what I got was from the store and in a different shaped bottle, but all the same smell and such. I'd used the other bottle VERY sparingly as it was pretty expensive I thought for bubble bath. It's not something I do very often, because I dont often have the time or the inclination to put that much effort into getting clean, but it's a nice treat. This stuff is also supposed to make you sleepy. So far it hasn't done much in that way, not any more than warm water would do, but it's nice anyway. I bought a new bottle while getting a gift card for my lil sis in law, who graduated from 8th grade. I thought a gift card to some smell good stuff would be just the ticket for going into high school.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Ponytail...

I can almost put my hair up in a ponytail now. Just the bottom is not quite long enough to make it all up in there. I should have it long enough to donate by the time of our arrival in November. I may grow it out after that, who knows? I really like how it is now, my face looks thinner and I look a little less boyish. Of course the pregnant belly helps too. Ha!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Life is Odd...

I read an article in Time Magazine the other day (they were sitting in the break room) about a man who took charge of his 'company' -- Morgan Stanley during the 9/11 attacks. I'll try and be brief, but you'll get the idea.

This guy had served in the military and ended up in his later years as a security 'guard' in the WTC. Having lived through the 70's, he did a study and found that the parking garages were a weak point for security and asked that the muckity mucks hire more security for the parking areas. They ignored him, it was too expensive, and what did he know anyway? A few years later, someone drove a van into the parking garage under the building and we all know what happened next.

With his company, his credibility increased tenfold. They listened to what he had to say. He told them to always run down the stairs (from the 78th floor) and never up, in fact, he did random 'fire drills' with them, getting them to go 2 stairs at a time for about 30 floors, just so they'd get used to evacuating quickly. He timed them and made them do it faster and faster until he was satisfied that they'd be able to evacuate should danger strike. Fast forward a few years.

The plane hit building 1. The announcement over the buildings' loudspeakers told everyone to remain calm and stay in their seats. This dude gets out his megaphone and tells them to ignore the announcement and to evacuate immediately. They were in building 2. His people made it down about 40 flights of stairs when the second plane hit. Right about where their offices were. While the building swayed, he sang songs from his childhood about staying calm, answered a phone call from his wife and told her to quit crying, that he was getting 'his' people out of there alive. When it was safe to keep going, that man led 250 visiting stockbrokers and almost 3,000 other employees to safety. He went back up and was last seen helping people evacuate on the 10th floor. Only 14 of his 'company' did not come out, including 4 security personnel and himself. The other 3,000 survived thanks to his quick thinking, preparedness and value of 'his' people over his own safety or wellbeing. None of his people 'went up' instead of down, saving their lives. The people who did met locked doors and tragedy. His planning and use of common sense and routine surprise safety drills made the difference that day.

We talk a lot about heroes. The ones who follow protocol and do what they are told. We hear less about heroes like this man, who ignore 'practiced' knowledge and do what is right, no matter what the men in the big suits say.

Even less about being prepared and practicing ways to 'get out' in an emergency, or what to do when disaster strikes. The tornadoes in Iowa, earthquakes in China, floods everywhere, seem to remind us that our time is not guaranteed. Mother nature is fickle. She goes where she wants and does what she will. We are just along for the crazy ride. Do you have a safety plan, an emergency kit, does your family know what to do in case of an emergency? Me either. But I sure do plan on putting one into practice. Very soon.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

There you have it...

Come November we'll all be sick of hearing: John McCain and Barack Obama.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Happy Birthday to me!!!

insert cake here! please?!?

Sunday, June 1, 2008

dog problems...

my brother (who has always gotten his way), and his wife got a little yappy dog. they dont leave it at home, instead, from 8 am saturday - 5 pm appx and 11 am sunday -5pm appx. they take it out to my parents house and let it have the run of their place.

my parents have 2 labradors who are kind and gentle to people and other animals (okay, they will chase rabbits and such, but that's a dog, right?) but this dog constantly growls and snaps and annoys, especially the alpha male dog and my folks are afraid that one day the alpha male is going to bite/hurt this little house dog. apparently he does react in some sort of way, my guess is by barking back at her (leave me alone witch).

my brother makes NO attempts to correct his dog for misbehaving, instead he corrects THEIR dogs. so since she constantly is doing that, now these dogs for 2 whole days on the weekend (their big time to run and play) are now having to be yelled at for HIS dog's bad behavior.

I sent my mom a long email this morning telling her that she needs to protect her property and her animals and tell him to keep his little yapper at home. they only live 10 minutes away and could easily give her a potty break if needed, but an adult dog shouldnt need one for that amount of time.

of course i told my mom that she was being taken advantage of on many levels, but i didnt want to see her animals hurt because he refused to take off his blinders (he doesnt know anything about animals) and see that his animal is causing all the trouble. he DOES take advantage of my folks on a lot of levels. i tried to keep that part more neutral, but it's true.

no matter what he's always right. and that doesnt quite seem fair to these 2 year old labradors who just want to run and play with their 'parents' on the weekend. what do you guys think about this?