Animal House

Sorry if I have not posted in a few days...I am in Birmingham!! I came to visit for my mother's birthday and because my best friend brought her new boyfriend to town. Both very important events I felt I needed to be present for. I called Mike halfway through my drive to remind him how long the trip is. At least this time I was able to listen to my own book on tape. I got in at 11 pm and I was thrilled to see that my parents were still up and had the lights on for me.

As I got out of the car, I heard my mom say, "Jenny??" What in the world is my mother doing outside at 11 pm? The answer is, my youngest sister got a dog. That may not make much sense to you, as I am still really trying to figure it out, but this dog has been partially adopted by my mom. Growing up, we had three cats. We were never allowed to get a dog and never really got a clear answer to our incessent questioning. We didn't have a fenced in back yard is one of the excuses I recall that could have easily been remedied if my parents had wanted to take on yet another responsibility.

Laura got Mia from the animal shelter a year ago. Suddenly I am hearing from my mom each day about how SHE is taking the dog for walks and keeping the dog at the house. I am learning new tips on how to train dogs as my mother is attending the behavior lessons with Laura and Mia. What is going on here? So when I arrived Thursday night, my mother was not waiting patiently for me to welcome me home - she was letting the dog out! She kept talking to the dog while I waited for her to ask her how my trip was! (By the way, we still have an 18 year old cat who is banned to the basement while Mia is prancing around upstairs.) I tried to rescue our cat and let her upstairs, but Mia nearly took her head off. I guess everyone is safer if Torti, the ancient cat, is kept locked up.

While my mother is taking care of my sister's dog, my father has begun a brewing factory in our basement. (Maybe this is why the cat doesn't mind being down there!) For Christmas, Mike, my sisters and I bought my father a beer making kit. He followed all the directions and made 50 bottles of some really good beer. He has already bought the ingredients to make his next batch.

So the question becomes, has the cute, house on the corner where I grew up turned into a fraternity house? Animals running everywhere with a distillery in the basement? I think some people might agree...all we need now are some Greek letters to signify this is the Blackburn house!