Dispatch from Dallas

Things in Dallas have changed dramatically since the new year began. All of her hard work has finally paid off because as of two days ago, Ms. Catherine Grinter Krankota is mobile! Crawling and pulling herself up to stand wherever she goes, Catherine is no longer content to sit still and play. Mike and I will be spending the weekend tying back cords and covering outlets.

In other, and nearly as exciting news, I started work in the Dallas County Public Defender's office on Tuesday. this is a job that I have coveted for years, and I am having a truly fantastic time defending a large volume of clients without the hassle and uncertainty that comes with marketing, billing, and law office administration. I have a secretary, a team of investigators, and about 85 other attorneys working along side me. I am in absolute heaven, and I hope I stay in this job until retirement.

Rub A Dub Dub

Layla and I have discovered a new park-- this one is only about 2 minutes away from the apartment and much better lit than the big park. This one is actually a playground and Ben has been telling me to take her there for weeks but when I heard playground I imagined all pavement. So as a result, on the below zero days, poor miss Layla doesn't get her daily romp. However, this playground has a good sized patch of grass perfect for a quick ball throw so we have been having tons of fun. It was raining like crazy yesterday and when we went to the playground this morning (I have the day off for MLK day) it was super muddy. I didn't take a before picture but she looked like she had been tarred and feathered (hehe no pun intended. That's not true. I was trying to make a joke.)

So Layla got a bath when we got home. Now Layla is not opposed to baths (see the picture of her getting a bath with me this summer) but afterwards she gets chilly.

Typically, she gets a blow out post bath but since the heat was blasting in the apartment, she decided to cuddle up in my towel for awhile.

Not So Bad

Spending time in Pinehurst as the only one under 50 definitely has it's disadvantages. No one around after 10pm. Conversations that tend to revolve around dogs, diets, and golf. And, lack of 21st century technology (specifically large flat screen TV's with 100's of channels and impressive collections of interesting DVD's.) BUT, it also has it's advantages. Just ask Grace. She's a rock star! The center of attention wherever she goes, adoring fans begging to have their pictures taken with her, and invitations to every party. It's an enviable life, that's for sure.

Congratulations to Alison Grinter!

Dallas County's newest public defender starts work on Tuesday!

Shades of Sandy

Readers of the Gazette may recall that Sandy was known for grabbing and eating the kitchen counter wipes. Last Friday our 18" X 13" wipe disappeared. It was thick and red and hardly something that would be easy to hide. We searched high and low with no success and suspected that Barkley may have eaten it. It failed to make a reappearance for several days so Barkley made a trip to the Vet's. X-rays showed a bulge in his stomach which might have been the wipe. Late in the afternoon the Vet called to say they spotted some red material in his poop, so the odds were good that he had in fact eaten it. They decided to keep him overnight and feed him mineral oil in order to try to grease the skids. If that didn't work they would have to remove it surgically. This morning the Vet called to say Barkley had barfed the towel up. It was in one piece and the Vet couldn't believe he was able to get rid of it. Throughout the whole time Barkley was as happy as a clam.