After Christmas Projects

After several days of single stockings and small errands,  Cheryl and I finally have an entire day with nothing pressing.   Perfect time to begin our next project.

For Cheryl,   she has been antsy to try some new cookie recipes and ideas.  This is bad news for me, who is trying to battle the holiday weight gain.  However, it is a delicious way for her to spend her time.

As for me,  I have been wanting to paint the hallway now that they fixed the carpeting.  The Landlords left me some paint to use so I at least won't have to buy that.   However, I did buy some other junk that is required.   I feel kind of dumb for putting up our own money to paint the building, but we have to live here and we see the hallway more than anyone else in the building.

All I did was clean and tape edges.

A small side note:   It is COLD today here in Iowa.  And for the better part of an hour, the neighbors dog has been barking like crazy.   He is not a winter dog....meaning:  No long hair or any other protection from the cold.   Short hair dogs...like the lab mix puppy outside,  should not be out in this cold for very long.  Enough time to do their duty and come back into the warm.   Or...At the very least,  have some means of shelter...like a dog house or door opening to the garage.

This is just my 2 cents...but the poor dog is trying his best to tell EVERYONE that he is uncomfortable.   And the constant barking is rather annoying.  How do I come up with this understanding?   Easy...normally the dog is quiet.   And normally it is not this cold.   But today it is Very cold and he is VERY vocal.   Heck, I find it miserable to be outside for longer than a few moments without a heavy coat.

Which brings me to dogs in general...and the people who own them.  I think of dogs as like children.  People should understand this before adopting one.  Having owned dogs before,  I know all of the ups and downs and embarrassing moments dogs can bring upon the family.  But in the end, I always thought of them as family.   Would you put the new born baby outside in the cold?   Some people do.  Not very good parents.   We usually take the children away from them.   But what can you do for a dog?   The dog is not mine, but that barking really bugs me.    Obviously it is not bothering the owner...which is inconceivable!   Like a crying baby is ignored by the parents...  How can they not hear it screaming right next to them?

And this is why I do not have children of my own.  Or a dog for that matter.   I love dogs,  but I am unable to give them all the attention I know they require.  That, and the apartment does not allow them.  Even so, I feel bad whenever we have to leave the cat alone for 24 hours to run a race.  ( Cats are family too)



Ah well,   The constant barking has forced me to deviate from my original blog topic.  But what else is a blog for?   Barking dogs aside,  Cheryl and I continue to run in this cold,  though our mileage is diminished.   one of the perks with the free time is we get to sleep in and wait for the earth to warm up a degree or two.  But sometimes, the cold front is too much...like to day.

Subie says it is COLD!

Hope everyone is having a warmer day than we are here in Iowa.  5 degrees with a -20 windchill is cold no matter where you are.    Thanks for stopping in ....and if you own a dog, I hope you have a warm place for him to stay before your neighbors get too angry.