We lost our baby dog Rosa today. She was bleeding internally from eating something and they couldn't save her. Sean is very upset. He wants to bury her at my mothers so I am driving up to Atlanta tomorrow to bury her and then back up on Monday for the biometrics appointment. Since we are putting the house on the market in two weeks and he is going to stay with my Mom, it is giving him some peace that he will be able to visit her grave.

Rosa memories: when she wanted attention she would get on her hind feet and put her front legs up like a meerkat. She loved to burrow under blankets and would stay there for hours. Her 11 pound dachshund self would play with our 90 pound lab mix and lead him on a chase all over the house. She loved dog treats and would dance around and paw at the floor to get one. Her hair was wonderfully silky and we could sit and pet her for hours. She didn't like to be carried, probably because her back was so long. She liked to perch along the top of couches and chairs just like Snoopy. We had her for 8 years and never could get her completely house trained! She would wait outside my bedroom door and as soon as it was opened would run inside and jump on the bed under the blankets hoping I wouldn't notice and she could sleep with me. When I would leave in the morning she would go and wait outside of Sean's room until he woke up. She loved everyone to pet her but would be timid at first. She really loved children more than adults.

Many, many changes. I will try to update more frequently. I accepted a position in the UK and will be leaving in 3 week.s While I am thrilled about the job and the move, I am also completely overwhelmed by how much work it is. Packing, sorting, work on house, landscaping, paperwork for work permit, paperwork for son, his graduation, selling belongings, finding storage, figuring out how and what to ship, realtors, and, finally, learning my new job! I am trying to get at least 3 things done a day and calling it a victory. Oh, and I almost forgot about the dogs. That will be a blog in and of itself.

So...the positive. I will be living in York England and will be managing a team of 60 people. We will be providing client support for our international clients. The organizational hierarchy I will be in is the one I have wanted to be in since I started with the company.

Too many I's in this...Sean is hesitant. He goes back and forth on whether or not he will join me. At heart he is a homebody. This will be good for him and push his boundaries but he sees it as a disruption right now, which is probably to be expected. Concerned about missing his friends and what he will do for school. Since we can't get the dogs over for 6 months, he will stay with my Mom and then join me, with the dogs, in December. He will visit in August and I pray that the visit will help him be excited about coming over. I will take him to visit Ireland which he is looking forward to.

Have to go...much to do and promised myself I would get more packing done!

Just cruising through the different blogs and am in awe of the talented people creating blogs. Whether blogging about recipes, art, photography, hobbies or foreign places, all interesting and offering insight.

Several weeks since I last blogged. We had a wonderful trip to Charleston then I came home and injured my back. So, definitely have not been in the mood for bending over a computer. Nothing like spending several days looking at the ceiling.

I have been in the mood for canningthe last few days! I have canned chow-chow, onion relish, pickles and pomegranate-green tea jelly. Just to make it more interesting, I came up with my own recipes for all of it. And the jelly, which was a complete invention, is really delicious, which motivated me to keep going! I was reading a recipe book and the author mentioned entering a recipe in the state fair. I may do that for the jelly next year. I will admit to one failure. I canned sweet potato butter and really didn't like the taste. Ironically it was the one recipe I took straight from a recipe book. I tried to doctor it up with maple flavoring and honey but I still don't like it. My sone loves it so I am going to keep a jar for him and toss the rest.

Today I am canning roasted pepper salsa, persimmon jam and I may can pepper jelly. I love every step of canning. You have to stay alert, time everything perfectly, be completely engaged in the process. Then, at the end, you seal it in a can and take a leap of faith that it will be worth eating. There is such satisfaction in seeing rows of beautiful food, that you have canned yourself. The only way it could get better would be if I grew the food mysef, as well.

Terrible day...worked for several hours and we are no further along than when I went in this morning. Actually, we went in reverse. Not only did we not produce anything, we came out disliking each other. Tomorrow has to be better.

Emory visit was wonderful. I felt like I was coming home. So many memories from my undergraduate years there. I will be filling the paperwork out after I get through this month so I can get started on the prep work and be prepared for next August, assuming I am accepted. They say to expect 15-20 hours a week of class work but I am actually excited about that...Iam ready to think again!
Reading through the blogs on these sites is like being able to peek in a stranger's window only you get to know what they are thinking as well. , not just doing. Since I have A LOT of travel essay books, I think these blogs are somewhat like ongoing, live travel essays. A different viewpoint, changing daily experiences, cultural oddities (including my own!)...I guess what I am trying to say/write is I enjoy voyeurism lite.

I love this illustration. It was a rare tulip that is now extinct. Semper Augustus. It was the most expensive tulip sold in the Netherlands during the tulip craze in the 17th century. They have now bred one that is very similiar called Semper Maxima.