What Ana Does

Bruce and I take a walk around the block each morning after we drop Alice off at the bus stop. Bruce is a great walking buddy. He behaves well on the leash, doesn't bark and only stops occasionally to sniff at a clump of leaves or spot in the grass. Meanwhile, Pepper is NOT pleased with that arrangement. She's sweet, but LOUD on walks. And loses her mind if she sees another dog.   Not happy.  She's always watching.  :) 

Between the neighborhood walks with Bruce and being alone in my house during the day when Dave is at the office and the girls are at school, I've been consuming a lot more podcasts than usual. And I've learned quite a LOT of interesting stuff.  Here are three podcasts that are on heavy rotation ...  Feel Better Live More from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a new discovery that I've been consuming a lot of, going into the archives to catch up on older conversations. He interviews interesting people and asks a lot of good questions. I just finished a long conversation about immunity, one on running, the myth of calories was excellent and the short sum-up on the Blue Zones, which I find crazy fascinating. It's great listening.  Smartless is a weekly favorite. I can almost get in the whole interview on my 20 minute walk with Bruce in the mornings. Or I'll finish the tail end while eating breakfast. It's silly and thoughtful. I like the banter between the guys -- Jason Bat...

Dogs. Who knew I'd have so much fun with dogs?! Since March, we've been volunteering to foster dogs through a neighbor's rescue group -- with an eye to maybe adopting, if they proved a good fit. Through the process, we meet a big black lab mix we named Bailey and a little Yorkshire terrier mix we called Chewie (short for Chewbacca). Both were sweet and slowly, over the course of their short stays, revealed a little of there unique personality. And it was rewarding and fun. Especially during quarantine and all of us being home. But none got along with Bruce well enough to keep forever. And they just didn't "feel" like the right fit.  When we talked to Meghan, our neighbor who runs the rescue group, about Chewie not being the right fit, she mentioned she had the most adorable little puppies ... that would stay little. (Brief aside: She also thought Bruce was going to be very little, and he's pushing 30lbs! "I was so wrong about him!" she ex...

Here are a few of my favorite things this December! Bruce and His Bullymake Toy Bullymake - Bruce the puppy has been eating EVERYTHING in the house. We can't leave him for even a few minutes. He digs through garbage and jumps onto his hind legs and noses around on tables and the counters. He'll eat paper, cardboard, plastic bags, dish towels, it's NONSTOP. I went into the pet store to find more toys that will withstand his chewing, and keep him interested. The store guy suggested antlers (done) and this service called Bullymake . It's a subscription service that sends a box of indestructible toys and treats once a month. We even found a coupon code that gave us one month for free and a deal for the next three boxes. But they're generally the same price as a deer antler, so it seems worth it. SleepNumber Beds - After 10+ years we finally decided to ditch our old mattress. The mattress was bought on discount at an outlet and strapped to the top of our Subu...

I've been waking up early for work and to get the puppy out before his bladder explodes. And you can't beat the view some mornings of a new sky and frost that won't last too much longer. Please excuse the dog urinating in the middle there. ;)

It's not often in Illinois that we get snow in October. Usually Mother Nature has the good grace to wait for the leaves to turn and fall from the trees before dumping the white stuff all over the place. This year, it seems She was too excited to get to snow ... October 31, on Halloween, and we get a few inches! Not that anyone here was complaining.  They couldn't wait to get home from school and play in the snow.  Still all here the next morning! And look at that sky!  I think Bruce loves the snow more than anyone on the house. He spent the day playing and jumping and slipping in the backyard. So, I guess this week, at least, it's winter! Related posts: More Winter posts

As much as I miss summer days, I love Sundays in October. Normally, we stay home. Dave turns on football ALL DAY. And the girls and I putter around the house, watching a few snippets of the games, sorting, cleaning, playing. Lately, Dave and I have been doing our weekly food shop on Sunday mornings. Just the two of us. It's kind of a date. Then, we'll make something BIG for lunch to eat with the girls in a very casual way at the island. Maybe in the crockpot? Dave has been prepping food for lunch and dinners on weekends, as well, in an effort to eat more balanced meals. So he also spends much of Sunday in the kitchen, where he can watch the football games while cutting up veggies and making rice. Last weekend, Leah decided to film him to make a cooking show. As a self-proclaimed, proud HOMEBODY, Sundays in October are just about perfect to me. And they make saying goodbye to summer temperatures and looking down six months of cold, winter weather almost doable. ...

When we talked about adopting a dog while in Paris, I kept repeating  "we have to fix the fence first before we get a puppy."  I was adamant. This was a prerequisite. Then, we got home and had to wait for the weather to improve, and we redid the bathroom and suddenly we didn't have the budget, time or inspiration to deal with our fence. And our desire to get a new little buddy grew. It had been years since we've been in this house without a dog, so it felt like a piece of the house was missing without a dog. You know the rest of the story ... puppies and ... Bruce ! Always On a Leash In The Yard But it's torture for him, and us, not to be able to run around in the backyard off leash. We've tried it a few times and he almost always makes a run for the hole in the fence and explores the neighborhood -- giving us a heart attack in the process. At the beginning of the summer I started looking at fence prices. I started with vinyl, which was about $8,...

When we adopted Bruce, we promised the adoption group he would be neutered. They even covered the surgery in the adoption price, so it was a done deal. Now seemed to be the right time: he's 4-months, I'm still home to look after him, and June is a nice weather month. So the appointment was made and we went in on Monday afternoon to get it done. Having never gone through canine surgery with any of our former pets, I didn't know what to expect. A medicated dog didn't sound all that attractive. And on top of the neutering, we also had his "dew claws" removed on his rear legs. Dew claws are the "thumbs" about an inch higher up from his paws. The one on his left leg wasn't attached, and dangled, and the vet had concerns about it getting caught on something or him eventually chewing it off (GROSS!). Logistically, the day was easy. I dropped him off in the morning, got a call from the Vet a few hours later about how he faired during the proced...

As is tradition, Bruce comes to the bus stop every morning to drop off the girls. He's still figuring out how to walk on a leash and that it's OK to pee outside. House-training is 100% underway. But it's going to take some time.  Rest assured, he takes a very long nap after we're home.

After a week with seven puppies we were sure happy to wave bye-bye to them. They were cute and cuddly but the POOP. And the barking. They were getting loud. I'm proud to say they all got adopted in just a few hours on Saturday. Including this little guy ... he's all ours! We thought he was prefect for us because he seemed the most interested in us, he almost always used the potty pads, and wasn't one of the loud aggressive guys in the pen. He also seemed thoughtful about the house. And he's just so cute! We named him BRUCE WAYNE BANNER SPRINGSTEEN and he's been doing pretty well. We've given him more freedom around the house and he's chewing just about everything. I've got a puppy book and I'm reading as much as I can. It's not easy. But we're all pitching in and hoping we can raise him right. ;) Related links: More about our dogs

My first concert was Cyndi Lauper when I was 13ish. My uncle took my older sister and I and I remember finding the whole thing overwhelming but fun. It wasn't until I met David did I start attending concerts often. In our 20s, concert-going was our main expense after food/shelter and we saw a LOT of amazing shows. He took me to my first Bruce show in 1999 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It felt like a religious experience. The showmanship! The talent! The excitement! Being in a stadium with the lights up for Born to Run and the whole crowd singing a long. I was hooked. Bruce is doing a concert to commemorate The River, a double LP he put out in 1980 and a big turning point in his career -- and we immediately knew the girls had to get tickets, too. It was time for them to come along. (Who knows how many more tours Bruce has in him!?) We got tickets, I ordered Snug ear protection for their little ears, and ignored the fact that the show, in Milwaukee, was on a school night. ...

Last night, Dave and I saw the new Bruce Springsteen documentary made entirely by fans called " Springsteen & I. " It was awesome! All these people from all around the world sent in videos of themselves sharing memories, funny concert stories, and reasons they worship The Boss. The film was a collection of silly fanatic confessions and awesome old concert footage of a young Bruce. My favorites were the emotional speeches about how his music had touched their lives; the songs weaved into their days. None of them had met the man, but they talked about him like an old friend. We found ourselves shaking our head in agreement quite often. Yup, his concerts really are phenomenal. Yup, we've all had that moment when you feel like he's singing just to you -- even in the nosebleeds section of the biggest venues. Nothing beats the rush of singing along with 20,000 other reverent fans. That time when you become besties with the guy next to belting out "Blood B...