Nikki, Some Thanks and "Chicago" ...

I came home today after an afternoon spent getting my hair done, and boy, was Nikki happy to see me! She was full of vim and vigor, practically knocking me over. In the back yard, she pounced on a piece of wood my parents had brought back from somewhere. It was gnarled and pretty but she was going to chew on it and swallow the pieces. So I took it and threw it over the fence that hides the easement. Nikki was so hyped up, plus she wanted that piece of wood so bad - and hey, she is a RETRIEVER - so she began backing up, measuring the fence height. You could see the wheels turning in her head. I had to shout, "NO!" and got her back in the house fast! That's all I need. She wouldn't be able to clear the fence, she'd probably hurt herself, plus she'd knock the damn thing down. Let's hope she forgets about that one soon! On, and then later on tonight, she ate some of these blue sticks that my mom had in a vase by the fireplace. Max would eat them too. I would think that they could damage her tummy. I read that pine needles could do damage and those are comparitvely soft! Oy! Nikki will be 7 months old on Monday. She's getting big and she sure is strong!

Saw cute Golden retriever calendars at PetsMart today. There were the daily calendar and the puppy monthly calendars. Those adorable faces. Hey, if Nikki ever calms down, I can get her modeling jobs!!! :-0

The thanks are to those who either left comments or emailed me to tell me that they DO read the blog. I even had a response to my paint question. I'm not sure that there is a way for me to post the colors that I'm thinking of ... if anyone has a solution to that, please let me know. Dunn Edwards paint.

The other problem I'm wrestling with is gutters. I'm getting 2 different schools of thought here ... I don't really have gutters - just one I think and it takes the rain off of the back of the house, I believe, and dumps it almost onto the driveway. I say almost because it doesn't come out far enough and the water empties onto the dirt. I'd rather have it empty onto the concrete driveway. I can get those roll-up extensions for that one - try it at least. But I have no gutters on the front, side and by the breakfast room. I am not sure that they're going to add to the curb appeal but the rain comes off the roof and makes a deep line in the dirt, splashing the dirt on the house.

So, will landscaping stop the rain from making deep divots in the ground? Or do I need gutters? Decisions, decisions.

Saw "Chicago" for the first time. It was on Channel 4. Missed the first 1/2 hour so missed my favorite song, All That Jazz. I remember Liza singing it back in the '70's. I used to go around the house singing that one ... "Rouge my knees and roll my stockings down ... and All That Jazz." Very fun, sexy song. I even saw Gwen, Chita and Jerry perform it here in L.A. (Speaking of Chita, did anyone catch her cameo in the movie?) Talk about lucky. But did I appreciate it then? I don't think I did. I hardly remember it. I wonder if the old program is here in the house. I used to keep all of them but my mom finally threw out a bunch, I bet. Darn. Some of them almost could be collector's items

Anyway, liked the movie. Good direction. Too bad that they didn't have singers and dancers perform the leads (Catherine was the one with the experience, which showed) but they were very good. I think they could have done a bit more vocally with the songs - worked on the nuances, really - but still very good. I'd like to buy the DVD. Is it out yet?