A Four Letter Word

Yep, that's right - a four-letter word ... SNOW. On Oct 15. In New Jersey. Was this predicted in the weather forecast? Of course not. In fact, as recently as an hour ago, when I went on The Weather Channel, they said it was raining. (It's been snowing since about noon today.) I'd like to add the weather people to the same list as the TCA people. That would be the Moron List. Apparently they don't know who they're dealing with here! I've had a brain tumor, for crying out loud - you don't want to mess with me!!!

Not only is it snowing, but my dog is wearing a giant Elizabethan Collar and a diaper. Yep, that's right big ruffly collar and diapers. Everyone wants to be me.

Now about the dog - we rescued her about 6 years ago, in 2003. At the time, she was 5 years old. She's a beautiful black, tan and white collie - pedigreed no less. What a bonus for a rescue dog (or so we thought.) Turns out that Carrie had had a sort of rough life, having been bounced around to quite a few homes in her 5 years - the end up being that she's quite anxious and insecure. In a word, she's neurotic. And, as an added bonus, she's slightly incontinent and wears a diaper to circumvent dripping.

We lovingly refer to her as "Crazy Dog" and for good reason. She practically has a nervous breakdown every time I go in the kitchen (we've never figured this one out) and really doesn't like it much when Willie and I sit in the living room and watch TV. And, that's just the beginning. A week ago, apparently in some sort of nervous fit, she started licking her front leg - before I realized it, she'd licked a raw spot on it. Yuck. So, we tried Bitter Apple spray, which is supposed to repel dogs - Carrie apparently loves it. We tried covering the raw spot with a gauze dressing (which I happen to have a supply of from last year's big brain tumor adventure) which she gnawed off. So, I resorted to a big foam collar that keeps her mouth away from her paws. Look ridiculous, but it works. Don't believe me that it looks ridiculous - see for yourself.

Carrie's mom...