I thought I'd try and resurrect this blog. My nest is still empty of human kids. Computer Dude and Engineering Guy are continuing studies in their respective fields. I'm incredibly proud of them but every time they come home I have to make rules around appropriate dinner table conversation. Some people have rules involving politics and religion. I have rules regarding calculus and physics. Every time our dinner table conversation falls to that level my head explodes. I really don't know how I gave birth to such mathy kids. Oh yeah - maybe Engineering Dad had a hand in the genes.

Anyway - now that my kids don't need my help getting themselves through each day I've had to find something else to do with my free time.

When our Golden passed away shortly after Engineering Guy left the next Miss Mindy and I started agility training. Mindy was nearly eleven. She blew everyone away. Not that she was fast - far from it - but she did every single thing I ever asked of her the very first time. Tunnel? Piece of cake. Teeter? No problem. As my instructor still tells people - the minute she realized there was food involved she would do anything. Agility classes also gave Mindy some time away from the pesky puppy Max, I insisted on bringing home for company. She was all for company but she did draw the line at ear pulling and proved she could still take a round out of a smaller dog. Max was a pretty lively pup - more so than I ever remembered Mindy being so we took lots of obedience training and then started agility training together. Mindy retired from agility after two session of class because doing agility in the summer sun was too much for her. Max loves agility and he loves his momma. He is rarely far from my side and would do anything I ask. He is hoping to become a therapy dog this year. Of course having two such wonderful dogs we (as in Engineering Dad rarely argues with me when I have my mind made up) decided that Max needed a puppy to run off some of his energy. Enter Rylie. Rylie is a black dog. I've never had a black dog before. I don't thing Rylie has stopped moving since he joined our family in August 2009. He is OCD about balls, sticks, and frisbees. He can be an absolute brat in obedience class and have the instructor ask to pick him up to cuddle him because "he's just so cute". Needless to say he has the rest of us wrapped around his little black and tan paw.