Continued from part 1:

So, if you're feeling as tired as I am, what can we do about it? If you're adopting or thinking about adoption or have just adopted then you, like me, can't exactly get away from your stress and racing thoughts. So we may need to resort to other methods of getting to sleep. Here are some things I've tried (they haven't been particularly effective, but they might work for you).

Make a to-do list so you won't have to think about all that you... more

Remember him?

This is Pepper. I found him in the middle of the road almost 3 weeks ago. His first owner called today...

I got the message when I got home from work and I burst into tears. We've seriously bonded with this dog. He sleeps with my 7-year-old. My cat has finally stopped peeing in the corner because of his presence. Plus, we've spent at least $200 between the vet and the pet store.

It had been 3 weeks. We thought we were safe.

Well, as it turns out, we were safe. His first owner, upon hearing about our vet trips and how he sleeps... more

Continued from here.

Later that night I called my friend Sally, who's a school social worker working at another school in our county. I asked her how I could give V. the coat without offending his parents. I wondered if I should write a note explaining that I had an extra one and it wasn't a big deal to me. If I wrote such a note I'd have to have it translated as his mother only speaks Spanish.

Sally told me that a note would be useless as V's mom is illiterate in Spanish. Just... more

It's as cold as it gets in central North Carolina this weekend. Yesterday it was around freezing all day long and in the wee early hours of Saturday morning as I write this it is 16 degrees with a high in the low 40s. This is our coldest weather.

It's always a shock when it gets cold here, since most of the time we have very tolerable and balmy weather and in the summer it's HOT. Spring starts in February (I date spring by the time you can plant your peas!) and last week we were walking around in t-shirts.

So yesterday, not fully realizing that winter... more

I've ended my self-imposed blogging vacation a couple of days early. Apparently I just can't seem to stay away! I've been reading everyone's posts, and although it's been nice trying NOT to think about adoption, it hasn't (completely) happened, so here I am.

Things I've also been thinking about:

my new job, which starts on Friday our puppy, Pepper, who is now officially ours since he's... more

Here's the first post. Here's the second. And here we are on post #3.

In this post - the third in a series of ramblings on my birthday, my astrological sign and other foolishness I may or may not believe in - I am going to talk about adoption and dream interpretation.

When I looked up "adoption and astrology" through Google one of the very first links... more

My previous post was about my astrological sign, Sagittarius, and how it fits me pretty well although I don't really believe in astrology. I can't help but notice that the daily horoscopes are so broad that they could basically fit anyone's life, but then again some of the Sag traits are so spot-on for me it makes me wonder. At the same time, if I were a true Sag I would be so rigid in my belief system I wouldn't wonder at all, I'd know. So I'm not sure what to... more

Today is my birthday - yay me! I'm 112, as I told my son's carpool buddy. I don't look a day over 82! No, actually I'm 38. Judging from the 3-way mirrors in Target yesterday I don't look a day over...38. Boo. My slow descent into middle age ain't sitting well on me.

If you know anything about horoscopes you will know that I'm a Sagittarius. I don't really believe in the whole horoscope thing but the description of a Sag mostly fits me to a T:

Sagittarians have a positive... more

Here's the link to my first post about little Mr. Uh Oh. Otherwise known as Peppermint, or Cutie Junior, or whatever his actual name is, given to him by his actual owners. I found him in the middle of the road yesterday afternoon. He's darling. The kids are thrilled. My husband is seriously annoyed.

For good reason. Mr. Uh Oh. barked and barked and barked until we let him in to sleep with Big J at about 11 p.m. Big J was so excited that he got up twice to report on what the dog was doing: "he's sleeping... more

Look what I found by the side of the road.

Well, not this exact little fella, but one that looks much like it. Minus a collar, so we had no way of knowing where he lived. Plus a super-friendly wagging tail and the sweetest little black eyes you've ever seen. He was standing in the road and wouldn't move, and when I stopped he ran under my car. I opened my door...and pop - inside.

I drove up and down the country road, looking for missing posters and hoping to come upon his owners, but no such luck. "Daddy's gonna kill me," I muttered.

"Can... more