Thanksgiving Challenge

Up until around the time I started all the South Carolina work, I was doing pretty good in the being healthy department. I was eating decently and exercising fairly regularly, taking my vitamins and drinking lots of water. Then I was living out of hotels for a few months and eating nothing but fast food. Then I hurt my back and was unable to move for a few weeks, and it all went downhill from there.

Today is Halloween, which in some circles means the start of a two-month eating binge, but I'm not about to let that happen. Instead, I'm issuing myself a challenge. So, why am I posting this here? Not to bore you, my dear friends, but to hold myself to it. Making it public makes that 100 times easier.

Starting tomorrow, November 1st, I plan to spend the next 23 days on a very strict plan of eating well, exercising daily and drinking lots of water. I won't post the details here, but let's face it: trying to be healthy for 23 days is a lot easier than trying to be healthy forever. After, I allow myself a day or two for lots of my mom's dressing and my aunt's sweet potato casserole, I'll go back on a similar plan until Christmas.

Who's with me?

Non-Traditional

Yes, I'm obsessed with this idea:

"I sleep on my feet..." - Nontraditional Student Balances Kids, Class (a story from the Red & Black about a 37-year-old mom/UGA undergrad student)

Older Students Attending Georgia's College (AJC story about, well, older students attending Georgia's colleges. A whopping 579 "non-traditional" students attended UGA last year...out of nearly 35,000)

By the way, I hate the term "non-traditional."

Fall

This is not the most exciting thing I've ever posted, but Friday morning, I went to pick up my mom so we could do a little shopping, and I was amazed at how much things had changed, seemingly overnight. These pictures are of the dogwoods and other trees that line the streets in front of my parents and grandfather's houses. The colors are beautiful; these crappy iPhone pictures do not do them justice. I don't remember them ever being that pretty.

Homeless in Starbucks

I had a work assignment in another city today, and because I figured I'd be gone for a while, my dogs stayed at my parents' house. I stopped by to get them on the way home, and the 'rents were discussing Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Atlanta as the case may be.

Mom: I just feel bad for the homeless people who were camping out with them. Where will they go?

Me: Wherever the hell they went before this mess started.

Mom: Well, I don't think they should be kicked out of the park for protesting.

Me: They weren't! They were kicked out of the park for breaking the law, harassing people... they even pooped in the streets!

Mom: Well, maybe they have no other place to use the bathroom, especially if they're homeless.

Me: If you can't find a place to use the bathroom in this city, you've got major problems. I was homeless back in the spring when I was working in South Carolina and didn't have a hotel that one day, but I managed to find a place.

Dad: Um, spending most of the day in a Starbucks with your laptop isn't exactly being homeless.

(For what it's worth, it was a Barnes & Noble, and this is probably really one of those "you had to be there" moments, but it cracked me up, because, well, it's true.)

Thank You, Lance Cpl. Harper

"And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave." - Joseph Drake

Last week, a young Marine named Scott Harper died in Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Harper, 21, was from my tiny hometown.

Last Friday, his body was driven to a local funeral home from the Fulton County airport. I was in Atlanta all day and unable to welcome him home, but I knew many people from our county would be lining the streets, showing their support. That morning, as I drove toward the interstate, I saw more flags than I could count and "thank you" messages on almost every local business sign. My heart sank for this guy and his family, but I also felt a little hopeful.

It was nice to see some solidarity in my community in a way that I haven't seen it since, I guess, September 11. Far too often, we get caught up in political bickering or focus on the negative things that go on here every week. It's sad that it took the death of a brave young man to bring people together, but it gave me hope that we still know what's important in this country, and we still come together to honor those who fight for our freedom. We still appreciate our freedom and hopefully, we aren't quite ready to give it up, to let men and women like Scott Harper die in vain.

This morning, I saw that the local government access channel had put together a video of the procession. I clicked on it, not planning to watch the whole thing. My callous thought was that I'd seen this kind of procession before, and yes, it's incredible to watch, but the video is sixteen minutes long, and I had somewhere to be.

Sixteen minutes later, I was sitting on the edge of my bed with tears streaming down my face. I had to completely redo my makeup, and I was late for my destination, but so be it. When I think about what all Harper gave up for all of us, I dare complain about silly inconveniences.

I'm posting the video here, and I do suggest watching it. People literally lined the streets in my county and two neighboring counties to show their thanks. Children sat outside a local elementary school, waving flags. Utility workers raised flags over the streets in the cherry pickers on their trucks. Employees of local businesses, all dressed in the same shirts, stood alongside the road with their hands on their hearts. Police officers, sheriff's deputies, state patrolmen, paramedics and firefighters flashed the lights on their vehicles. Drivers pulled over on side of the road for the rather lengthy parade of motorcycles, official vehicles, cars, trucks and a single black hearse. I saw old people and young people. I saw people who'd walked up with their dogs and people standing in the back of pick-up trucks. There were so many U.S. flags, U.S.M.C. flags and handmade signs. There were so many people in uniform, people currently serving their country and people who did so in the past. There were people of all races, shapes and sizes and people in jeans and t-shirts and people in business suits.

The video alone is truly a sight to behold and a reminder that most of us have very little to complain about. I do hope you'll watch and say a little prayer for Harper and his family.

LCpl Scott Harper Procession from Channel 23 on Vimeo.

Levitating the Georgia Pacific Building

Quote of the Day: "The have forced the City of Atlanta to use its police department and other resources as babysitters for 5 weeks. They have caused many inconveniences for residents of downtown Atlanta and other parts of the city. They have broken city laws, held concerts and rallies without proper permits. They also tried to levitate the Georgia Pacific building." - Atlanta radio extraordinaire Rich Sullivan (on Facebook)

No, really:

Protesters with Occupy Atlanta marched to the Georgia-Pacific building downtown late Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to levitate the building.

The full story, including amazingly humorous video of the people who planned to do the levitating, is here.

Twelve by 2012

I had a completely different plan for tonight's post, but 1) it required me to get stuff out of my car and it's too cold and dark for me to journey outside (in other words, my lazy butt is cuddled up on the sofa, under a blanket, and I ain't moving), and 2) I saw this on Ally's Copacetic in Carolina blog and knew I had to participate. I love making lists, and I desperately need to set some goals for the rest of this year.

Twelve by 2012. It's simple. Create twelve goals to accomplish before January 1, 2012. Some of these might seem silly and some might seem pretty lofty, but they're all things that have been nagging at me lately, and this is a great way for me to hold myself to them. So, without further adieu...

1. Finish The Book. I've been working on The Book since last September and thought it would be finished by now, but life got in the way and slowed my progress. My goal is to have it completed, edited and ready for greener pastures by December 31 (if not before).
   
2. Start exercising daily. Back in May, when I was working in Columbia, I hurt my back, and my medication for said back issue was here in Atlanta. This led to a few weeks of immobility, and it all went downhill from there. Aside from some light swimming a few times a week this summer, I stopped working out all together.
3. Stop eating out so much. Most of you know that I'm not a great cook, but I have been making an effort not to run to the drive-thru every time I need a meal. So far, so good, but I know I can do better. It's healthier, cheaper and all that good stuff.
   
4. Open an Etsy store. I used to sell stuff on eBay all the time, but their new rules and regulations for sellers basically ruined that for me, and I really just haven't had the time over the last year. I miss the fun of turning other people's trash into treasure, so I want to try my hand at Etsy. It seems a lot less restrictive and a lot less hostile. I'll just have to switch my products up a bit.
   
5. Clean my house. I'm not talking about doing the dishes and the laundry; I'm talking about a good, thorough cleaning. I've been living here for over two years now and my bedroom still has boxes of stuff in it from where I never unpacked. My laundry room floor is piled with clothing and other items that I know I haven't worn in over a year. I do hope to move next year, but in the meantime, it'd be nice to live in decent quarters.
   
6. Return to Ellijay. As I've mentioned, my recent trip to the mountains turned out to be a bit stressful, and I really want to make up for that with a day trip. I'm also disappointed that I didn't get to do any shopping, because I really wanted to get some Christmas ornaments for my rustic Christmas theme stuff that I have started collecting. I could also go for some more Pink Lady apples!
7. Look for more writing work. This one is pretty much a given, seeing as how I just quit one of my main jobs (more on that in a future post), it will probably happen sooner rather than later. I've had no problem getting jobs in the past and even had to turn some down over the last year, so I'm hoping that will be easier than I think it will be. Fingers crossed!
   
8. Make a decision about UGA. As many of you are probably aware, I've spent six years debating a return to UGA, and as soon as I make up my mind to go back, something happens. The older I get, the more wary I am as I'm guessing there aren't a lot of 30 year old undergrads in Athens, but I just feel so incomplete and have since I left. And if this whole writing thing doesn't take off, I'm gonna need a back-up plan, right?
9. Get a new TV for my bedroom. Up until earlier this year, I'd had the same TV since I was 10? 11? It was nice and big, but my parents got it for me, and it'd been quite the companion through high school, college and years of moving back and forth between places. And then it died. So, I had to take the TV out of my bedroom (which was actually an old TV my grandfather got rid of, like, in the '80s) and bring it into the living room. And then it died in May, so I decided it was time to invest in a new one. Now I'm stuck without one in the bedroom, and I hate it, because I'm one of those fall asleep to music/noise types of people.
   
10. Shop for Toys for Tots. Since I just got all "first world problems" with my TV, I figured I put a goal out there that's not all about me. For as long as I can remember, I've tried to give to Toys for Tots. Even when I was so broke I could barely afford to put gas in my car, I'd go buy something inexpensive to donate. I'm also open to participating in other programs that help needy kids if anyone has any suggestions. In years past, I've "adopted" a little local girl whose parents had lost their jobs, adopted children through other programs and shopped for what's on their wish lists, and made shoe boxes for the Samaritan's Purse program.
    
11. Walk the dogs more often. This may seem like a silly one, but since I've moved to the Unabomber Cabin, my dogs get free range of the place. Gabby's been really sick over the last few days, and it leads me to believe that she's gotten into something she shouldn't have while enjoying that free range. I also realized last night that she does a lot better when her outside time is somewhat structured. We used to walk to my parents' house and go to the park all the time, and we've really been slacking in that department.
    
12. Spend less time online. Another problem with the last few years is that I got way too sucked into Twitter/Facebook. When you have a job that requires you to be online most of the day, that's way too easy a trap. I have cut back over the last few months, and I have definitely learned to turn off the computer and go enjoy the real world, but I'd like to continue to do that.
    

So, that's it. Honestly, the last two were stretching a little. I would have been okay with "Ten by 2012," but I did it. Now, to see if I can stick to it...

Mountain Weekend

There's a well beaten path in the old mountainside, where I wandered when I was a lad. And I wandered alone to the place I call home, in those Blue Ridge hills far away - Flatt & Scruggs from "Blue Ridge Cabin Home"

At some point over the summer, my cousin and I decided we wanted to go to the Apple Festival in Ellijay this year. My grandparents had a house there when we were kids, and we used to go all the time. I guess it was an effort to relive our childhood, and I thought it'd be good inspiration for putting the finishing touches on my near-finished book. So, this past weekend, we made it happen.

I left Friday afternoon. We were supposed to leave sooner, but my cousin got a job at the last minute and was going to have to attend an orientation. Due to the fact that the festival was in town, hotel and cabin vacancies were practically non-existent (unless you were willing to shell out big bucks), so we ended up staying in a hotel in nearby Chatsworth, about 20 to 25 miles away. I didn't really like it there, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. When my cousin arrived, we decided to go try to find something to eat. It was about 9 pm. Apparently, Chatsworth shuts down before then (even on Friday night), so we hit the Taco Bell drive-thru and took our food back to the hotel.

This is the view from the hotel parking lot.



Around 1:00 on Saturday, I woke up and realized we had stayed up way too late the night before. We'd agreed to sleep late but not that late. We got ready and headed out to Ellijay. First of all, the road between Chatsworth and Ellijay is 20+ miles of mountainous, curvy terrain with no room for error. The first trip down it was a little scary. It's also very deserted as much of it runs through a large state park. We stopped at one of the overlooks and took a few pictures. It does offer a beautiful view in some spots.

The first thing we did was drive to downtown Ellijay. It's really an adorable little place and the home of some of my fondest childhood memories. Well, I don't know if the Apple Festival has just gotten more popular in recent years or if I don't remember it being that crowded back then, but there was barely room for anyone to walk down the sidewalk, much less a spare parking place. There were lots of tents set up, presumably with people selling their wares. There were dogs available for adoption. I wanted to go into some of the shops, but I didn't get to.

Next we went to the Panorama Apple House, another childhood favorite. Again, we were not prepared for the crowds. We sat in traffic forever and had to stand in line to get inside. Once inside, you could barely move. The place is amazing, though. They sell everything under the sun homemade and of course, tons of apples. My cousin stocked up on old fashioned candy and I bought some sugar-free candy, grape jelly and apple butter for my mom. We also bought tons of apples for my mom, my aunt, and our grandfather, and I bought some for me.

This is a very underwhelming representation of how crowded it was and how the lines backed up:


This is a picture I took back in the candy room during a rare quiet moment:

If you've never had Pink Lady apples, you are missing out, my friends. They're the best! I only bought half a peck, as I knew I wouldn't be able to eat more before they rotted, but I may have to start seeking these out a little more often:


After our trip to the apple house, we drove up the mountain where our grandparents' house used to be. My dad's cousin and his wife and kids actually live there now (it's across the street from my great aunt's house). My grandfather sold the house when my grandmother died, which I've always regretted. We probably should have stopped to say "hello." The house is the second one from the top of the mountain and has the most beautiful view, the most amazing porch, the most awesome yard, and, well, I could go on. I won't post a picture of the house, because that's a little weird, but here is the view from the top of the mountain (and basically from behind the house):




At the top of the mountain is this huge cross. It's one of the first things everyone mentions when you tell them the name of the mountain. I'm not sure why it's there or how it got there, but I know there used to be (still are?) sunrise church services there at Easter and we used it as a landmark to walk to when I was a kid.




After stalking our old house, we decided to drive up to Blue Ridge, Georgia. I've only been a few times, and usually just driving through, so I thought we'd check it out. I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. I've always heard that it's so cute, and don't get me wrong, it was, but I still like Ellijay better. Maybe I'm biased. We drove around down town, and I wanted to do a little shopping, but my cousin didn't feel like it.

We were getting hungry, so we decided we'd go eat at the Pink Pig, which is a very famous BBQ restaurant in a little town between Ellijay and Blue Ridge, called Cherry Log. Of course, we got there and like everything else, it was so crowded there was nowhere to park and people were flowing out all over the parking lot, waiting I guess. Instead, we opted to drive back to Blue Ridge and eat at this little place we'd seen called Sue's. We got burgers and cheese tots, and it was pretty darn good (and cheap)! It was a cute little place with a friendly staff and inviting atmosphere. (I wish I would have gotten a picture of the outside, but it was kind of getting dark.)


After stopping by Sue's, we took the long drive back to Chatsworth. Driving on the curvy mountain road in the dark was a little scary, but we made it. I'd received some emails that upset me a little while we were out, so I decided to spend the night relaxing and not opening my laptop (the night before, I'd worked on my book). Somehow, this led to us playing 20 questions, watching Saturday Night Live and scaring ourselves silly. I think I ended up falling asleep around 6:30 am.

Sunday morning we woke up at 10 am (had to check out by 11 am) and packed and headed back to Ellijay. I wanted to try downtown again, but it was already crowded, so we headed back to the Apple Festival. After circling it for half an hour, we found what we thought was a good place to park. Turns out it was just the entrance to a family-oriented festival that adjoins the Apple Festival, so I had to shell out $5 for that.

I should have known better when we drove up and just saw bouncy houses and petting zoos:

We ended up walking to the Apple Festival and of course, it was crowded, but it was also hot. Both of us were dressed for what we thought would be a cool, fall day, but it got pretty warm. We didn't let that ruin our time, though. There was lots to do there. There were tons of crafts and art booths set up. I would have bought so much more if I were a wealthier individual, and I also got some ideas for some things I'd like to make. The only crafty thing I bought was this little sign. My Christmas stuff for my current living room has a rustic theme, and I thought this would be a nice addition. It was even 50% off.



I also bought this key lime mix from Sherry's Gourmet Dips. I'd never had it before, but my cousin swears it's the best stuff in the world. She sells all-natural, no salt, no MSG savory dips and sugar-free sweet ones. (They are basically power that you add two ingredients to. She also sells soup.) There are so many flavors and the sweet ones can be used to make dips, spreads, icing and cheesecake. I was planning to get some for my mom, but I tasted the key lime (my favorite) and decided I had to have some for me. I foresee myself ordering more from her website in the future.




There was some live entertainment. While we were there, this cute little girl sang show tunes and a bluegrass band performed. There was also a wildlife group there raising money (they had a bear, kangaroo, huge snakes and other animals to show off) and on the other side of festival, kids could ride camels. Not sure if those two things go hand in hand. I took a picture of the camels, but it didn't turn out very well. (I need a new iPhone.) To round out the animal theme, a local dog/cat rescue group was there selling items. I found out that they were the same group who had the dogs and cats downtown and learned a little about their organization, which seemed really neat. I made a small donation, and from what I understand, they raised over $10,000 and adopted out 16 dogs and cats. Learn more about them here: Homeward Bound Pet Rescue.

We were dying of thirst after we walked the entire fairgrounds, and I kept seeing signs for lemonade everywhere, but all the lines were so long. Then I saw a sign for cherry limeade and all thoughts of lemon anything went out the window. Never mind the fact that said cherry limeades were $5.00 a piece! My cousin wanted a bratwurst, so we walked over and got him one of those, and I got a burger at the booth next to it... an $8 burger. No, really.

We made our way back to the car, and we were planning to go back to the apple house. My cousin wanted some fried apple pies, and I wanted some homemade fudge, but it was so crowded - again - that we decided not to deal with it. We did drive to this other little bakery, but they didn't sell fudge, but he bought some apple bread for his mom. After that, we still had another hour or two before we had planned to leave, but we were hot and tired and I was still stressed out, so we decided to call it a day.

I took my cousin back to his car in Chatsworth, and then I drove home a back way that got me home a lot sooner I thought I would be there. I took my parents their goodies, picked up my dogs, and grabbed a pizza and came home, where I left my stuff in the car, parked myself on the sofa and did nothing but watch TV for the rest of the night. Actually, I was in bed by 11 pm and slept until 11:30 this morning. I think our uneventful weekend wore me out.

All in all, it was an OK good trip. Well, I should have stuck with my promise to myself not to check my email, we didn't expect the crowds or heat, we didn't get to stay as long as I'd wanted or do most of what I wanted to do and well, the leaves hadn't quite changed colors. But it was nice to get out of town for a couple of days, and I definitely got some book inspiration.

Maybe in the near future, I'll take a little day trip up there to get some more of those Pink Lady apples and do a little shopping...

Gabby & Sadie

Given the last few weeks (months?) of visiting the animal shelter, writing stories about animals for work, taking pictures of homeless animals, answering countless animal emails from people every night, accidentally getting myself involved in local political drama that revolved around animals, and spending the last week cleaning rescue dog puke out of my car, I'll admit, I'm a little animal'd out.

That said, one of my favorite blogs, Kelly's Korner is doing that "Show Us Your Life" thing I try to participate in from time to time, and this week's topic is "Show Us Your Pets." So, I'm gonna take what seems like rare moment lately and spend a few minutes on my own pets, Gabby and Sadie.

I'll start with Gabby. I've written at length about her here before: a girl and her dog, and if you search my blog for her name, you'll see tons of pictures and anecdotes. She's been with me since college (she'll be nine years old in November) and every day, I see her getting a little older. Her eyes are starting to get a little cloudy, and she sleeps more often than not. She can't move as well as she used to and her face is turning gray, but she's still my best friend in the whole world. I can't imagine my life without her.

Gabby hasn't been the easiest dog in the world. She has allergies out the wazoo, and she's been hit by a car. She's more stubborn than I am, and she tends to get herself in many a tricky situation. I've written about the time she disappeared and my entire family spent a night combing the woods, looking for her, only to find her curled up in my bedroom. Then there was the time I locked both her and my keys in my car, and it took a number of police officers to get it open. OK, maybe we've gotten into some tricky situations together.

My parents often joke that they don't know who is more of a pain in the ass, me or her, but I guess what they say about people being like their dogs is true. She's been with me since I moved out of my parents' house, in and out of other places and together, we've watched people come and go from my life and careers start and end. When I went through a spell of having really bad anxiety attacks almost every night, she curled up next to me and let me hold on to her for dear life. I've cried my eyes out into her fur when my life didn't go as planned. I've spent nights sitting at the animal hospital, willing her to live. I give her way too many treats and let her have her way with my house even though she sheds more than anything I've ever seen, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

In January '10, I saw an ad for German Shepherd puppies at a shelter about an hour away and knew I must have one. I'd been thinking about getting another dog, and I'd become pretty fond of the breed. Over the weekend, three of the four puppies in the litter were adopted, but the one I wanted the most was still there. That Monday, I got my mom to drive out there with me and as soon as the shelter employee let her out of her cage, I fell in love.

It wasn't until we got the paperwork filled out that I realized that was not the same dog from the picture. This puppy sitting next to me in my mother's arms was the one I'd wanted the least, but, of course, I wasn't going to take her back. She needed me, and I needed her.

Gabby wasn't too thrilled about her about her at first (she hid in the bedroom for the first day or two), but within a few days, they were snuggled up together on a blanket in the floor, and I knew things would work out.

I waited for Sadie to grow to be this huge German Shepherd, but even though she had looked a lot like a German Shepherd puppy when I got her, she was anything but. She now weighs a whopping 37 pounds and looks more like a little Sheltie or something. I was not amused, but she has grown on me, and even though she'll never admit it, Gabby loves her too. Every night around 10:00, the two of them start playing, and they get so rough that it sounds like I've invited Michael Vick over for supper. I never thought I'd see Gabby love another dog, but these two couldn't get along better.

I'll never forget the time I took them to the park when Sadie was just a few months old. This guy was there biking and he had a Rottweiler that wasn't on a leash. The dog came charging at us (it turned out to be friendly, but I wasn't really sure to begin with), and I freaked out. I picked up Sadie because she was so small and tried to pull Gabby close, but she wasn't having it. Her normally lackadaisical attitude disappeared, and she got in between Sadie and me and the other dog and was ready to rip him to shreds.

I call Sadie "Little Bit" because she has such tiny features and even though she's almost two years old, she acts very much like a baby. She makes this grunting/whiny sound when I enter the room, and she always has a stuffed animal in her mouth. She's scared of practically everything, including my neighbor's tiny cat and being left alone in a room for any amount of time. I never thought I could love another dog as much as I love Gabby, and even though it's horrible to admit, I probably still don't, but I've learned to love Sadie more than I ever thought I would.

So, those are my girls. Do a quick search for either of their names if you want to see more pictures. (Yes, I'm that lazy right now.) Those are just the most recent that I took with my iPhone.

And because I can't totally let it go, I'd like to point out that both of them were shelter dogs - the best kind of dog to have in my opinion. As a matter of fact, the other day I wrote here about some shelter dogs that I worked really hard to get adopted and for my pet column this weekend, I was able to share some follow-ups with their new "moms" and "dads." It's really one of my favorite articles I've ever written, because all of the dogs mentioned were more than likely not going to get adopted otherwise, and it was kind of heartwarming to hear how well they're all doing. You can check that out here: Happy Endings for Homeless Dogs.

5 Dogs, a Girl and a Civic

Quote of the Day: "Thank God I got the rejects. These animals are very, very affectionate." - Eartha Kitt


Have you heard the one about that starts out, "Two mutts, a puppy, a Pit Bull, a Chihuahua and a girl pile into a car...?" No? Well, up until today, I hadn't either. While it sounds like the start to a joke you might hear from your weird uncle or something, it's actually pretty much how I spent my day.

As I've mentioned, part of my job requires me to go to the local animal shelter once a week. After six months of doing this, you kind of develop a sense of wanting to actually do something to help these animals. Throw in the fact that I've been anxious to get out of town whenever I can since my South Carolina project ended, and I decided to volunteer to become a "transporter." This means taking dogs from kill shelters to homes and rescues that might not be nearby.

I've had two requests, so far, but after accepting them both, both fell through. I was more or less ready to give up on my little journey into doing volunteer work when a local lady emailed today and said they have a rescue group that's willing to take five of the dogs from our local shelter today. A rescue group taking five dogs at once these days is practically unheard of, and when I saw which dogs it would be, I jumped on the chance. A few of them were ones that I was familiar with and feared would never get adopted - that and tomorrow is "kill day" at the shelter, so who knows what would happen if they weren't saved.

I threw on some clothes, headed up there and the guy who runs the place asked if I really thought I was going to fit five dogs in my car. I told him I would try, and he looked at me like I was nuts, but he OK'd it. Two volunteers began bringing the dogs out and we soon realized this may not be a good idea.

First we got this little dog that looked like a Rottweiler-Dachshund mix into the car. She was medium-sized and a little hesitant, but very sweet. Then there was this larger Pit Bull. She was young, also very sweet, but very wild. Dog #1 and Pit Bull sniffed at each other and practically filled up my back seat. Dog #1 was not thrilled with how excited Pit Bull was and got a little scared. I told them to hold off on the Pit Bull. Maybe I could find a way to let her ride alone in the front.

Next, they brought out a little Lab puppy who is about 10 weeks old or so. She could care less about the other dogs and just ran around the car excitedly. No problems there. Next was the tiny chihuahua who was scared to death. She and Dog #1 got into a little rumble because one stepped on the other, but she was so tiny, I figured I could keep them separated for the ride. Finally, they brought out Sophie. I'm not sure what to call her. She's a larger dog who has been at the shelter for a while. The first time I saw her, I pointed out that she looks like an extremely large cat. The second time I saw her, I decided she looks like a cartoon dog. She's very unique, but I feared she wouldn't be adopted, because, and I say this as nicely as possible, she's kind of homely looking. She's also very timid and shy and doesn't really come around to the cage doors when someone visits the dogs in her row, but she is a very good dog, and I'm glad she got a chance to get out of there.

At some point, I made the executive decision that Pit Bull would be riding with someone else, or I'd have to make two trips. (Luckily, another lady volunteered to take her, so she made it out today, too.)

So, off I go with my tiny Civic full of dogs. I've got Dog #1 in my front seat, just riding along, occasionally trying to jump up on the dashboard; the Chihuahua in the front floor board, trying to climb over the gear shift, into my floor board (thank God she was wearing a collar I could easily grab); Sophie the huge dog sitting in the back seat, panting like she's in shock; and the little Lab puppy in the floor of the back seat, standing on her hind legs and barking every so often.

My destination was about 70 minutes away (well, according to Google Maps - the Atlanta traffic was not taken into consideration). I wasn't even out of town before I smelled something gross. I thought it was the puppy. Of course, puppies have accidents. Nope. Sophie, the large dog, had a large accident on my backseat. Ew. She promptly moved herself to the other side of the seat so she wouldn't have to stand in it and smear it all over the rest of the car. Good girl.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Sophie just sat and stared aimlessly at the window. At one point, she decided to snack on her poop. (I know, I know.) The puppy slept in the back seat floor and every once in a while, she'd stand up and bark at me over the arm rest or chew on my sweater. Chihuahua kept trying to climb into my side of the floor until I picked her up and put her in the seat, where Dog #1 felt it was her job to attach her nose to Chihuahua's butt. That was when Chihuahua decided to be held, and I learned that driving with one hand is perfectly acceptable when you have a tiny Chihuahua in your other arm.

They were all going to a foster home where they'd stay until they got into permanent foster homes, and I passed the place two times before realizing I was passing the right place. (It was just a house, I was expecting a farm based on some email exchanges.) Right before I went by the third time, Dog #1 decided to throw up all over my floor. Sigh.

I dropped them off, and their temporary "mom" and her family got them out of my car so fast that I didn't even get to say goodbye. I mean, I'm not a Chihuahua person, but you don't drive halfway around the state and not get attached to the little dog that laid in the crook of your right arm, whimpering.

After that, I made my way back through the Atlanta traffic and headed straight to Publix, where I bought paper towels, Clorox wipes, and Lysol, and something easy to cook for supper, and I drove over to a car wash, where I cleaned scrubbed, shampooed and vacuumed all of the dog remnants out of my car. It's as good as new, but more importantly, five dogs won't be killed tomorrow. That's worth half an hour of scrubbing out my backseat and half a tank of gas if I do say so myself.

I didn't get home until about 9:00 tonight. I came home to two little dogs who had managed to get into something gross outside and the thoughts of bathing them made me want to curl up in bed and cry. Not only did the little rescue mission wear me out, but I still have lots of work to do tonight. But after spending the afternoon with four and a half dogs who were rejected by irresponsible and uncaring people, I bathed them, got out their fleece blankets and even went upstairs to dig out my little space heater so they wouldn't freeze to death (it's currently in the 40's here).

I have a feeling this is the beginning of a life of volunteer work, whether it be with homeless animals or something else. And for once, I'm not doing it to make myself look good on a college or job application. And I think I am OK with that.