Be still, my beating heart...

   We haven't even left for Omaha & we've already spotted wildlife. In fact, he stared menacingly at me the whole way there. Please hunt him down if I don't return alive.

And hmm, what's this?

   Scott made homemade beef jerky for our trip: teriyaki flavor. And it is his finest yet! I had to have him take the bag away from me after several handfuls, lest I hurt myself. But the rest of the drive, I struggled with the urge to tear off my seatbelt and lunge into the back seat like a wild animal, fighting Scott off and reclaiming the bag. (Yes, it's THAT good.)

Holiday Treats for All!

Best thing about Madel going to Japan? The presents she brings back!!!

The Gyp approves.

Kitchen Dog treats... like little maki sushi, with seaweed!

Plenty of interest...

Tay never met a treat-spewing dog toy he didn't like!

Locked and loaded...

Fire away! When you pull the lever, treats shoot 8-10' away!

Best. Friends. Ever.

   I was home, and sick, for the third day yesterday. I got a text from Allyson in the afternoon: "There's a bag on ur doorstep from me and scott. Feel better. XO" I opened the door to find a bag full of gorgeous, fresh flowers, and a bunch of treats: cheese & crackers, hummus & pita chips... How great are my friends? The greatest. :)
   I put the flowers in a vase with some lavender from my garden. Gorgeous, especially against the pale yellow walls in my dining room.

CooCoo for Cocoa Cookies

   I was still too sick and feverish to go in to work today, though I was feeling a little better. I've been getting a lot of work done on my trusty laptop, and have pretty much spent the last three days on the couch with no human contact.

   I definitely wasn't up to going for our usual walks, so even the dogs were bored.

   I decided that what I needed to perk myself up was to bake up a batch of chocolate-chocolate chip-mint cookies. Ben just shared the recipe with me, and I already had all of the ingredients at home.
   This turned out to be both a good and bad idea. Good because they were quick and easy to make, gave me a different activity for a little while, and I froze half the batter so it would be easy to bake up some more later. Bad because they are FREAKIN' DELICIOUS, and I first had to restrain myself from devouring all the batter, and then from devouring all the soft, warm cookies as they came out of the oven. These are the cookie equivalent to crack.*

  *Granted, I haven't actually tried crack, and don't plan to, but from what I hear, it's addictive. And crack's got nothing on these cookies!!!

Tasty

   My throat is so sore that I have to constantly be drinking. And since no one's here to stop me, I'm drinking Shatto choco milk right outta the glass bottle! Between this and the Christopher Elbow chocolates, I outta be feeling better in no time! ;)

An Expensive Lesson

- One pack of Orbit gum with Xylitol: $1.37
- Trip to emergency vet from Midnight to 3 am to induce vomiting
   and to run bloodwork: $149.00
- Day at the veterinarian for monitoring and 3 blood screenings: $59.00
- Bringing your best friend back home with tail wagging: Priceless!

   Here's my Public Service Announcement. The following foods are poisonous to dogs and should never be fed to them: chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocado, onion, garlic, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, fat trimmings, caffeine, alcohol.

   Poinsettias and Easter lilies are poisonous too.

   Cooked bones, and fish bones are dangerous because they can splinter and lacerate the dog's insides.

   Xylitol and pennies are extremely dangerous because both are broken down quickly and can destroy the liver in a matter of hours.

   All should be kept well out of a dog's reach. I would have thought my gum was safe hidden in a bag on a high counter, but the tropical fruit scent was too alluring, and somehow, he nabbed it. Fortunately I acted quickly when I discovered that Taylor had eaten the gum, and so far he seems to be doing well. We'll know how his liver fares in a few days.

The patient, resting comfortably

Getting comfortable-er...