Dog Days of Summer

Last Saturday, August 1st, we lounged in bed until noon. So decadent! Once we were finally up and moving, we walked with Chloe to Patina and Rebel Ink Baby to pick up some gifts and to Dairy Queen to get treats for ourselves. Then Tomkin had to go do a wedding, and I caught up on blogging. That evening we went to a party at Kris and Dave's. Their French friends Natalie and Jackie were in town, and it was a true delight to meet them. Also, it was fun to see Brad and Ron again--they're one of the couples we met at Solera a couple weeks ago. We spent a little time out in the garden area, but mostly we just stayed near the food and wine inside, chatting and having a great time. Near the end of the evening, Kris pulled out her ukulele and serenaded us all. Oui, oui!
On Sunday we lounged around the house for a while and then headed to Paws on Grand. Many of the stores on Grand Ave. are already good about allowing dogs. But on this special day, just about every store opens its doors to pets. Plus there are some special activities, and there are lots and lots of dog treats available (which is Chloe's favorite part). It's really fun to see all the different dog breeds, from chihuahuas to great pyrenees. Pretty amazing! The streets were packed with dogs and people. We made our way down one side of the street, took a short detour to get Chloe blessed at the UCC church on Summit, then made our way back down the other side of Grand. We ended at Grand Ave. Vet, where they had a short little pet parade and then a talent show. We entered at the last minute. Our "talent" was to see who was more obedient--Chloe or Tomkin. First I told them both to sit. Gotta say, Tomkin was much faster! Then I said to lie down. Again, Tomkin was first. Chloe was actually pretty distracted! But it was still fun. We were all tired, so we headed home and took a nap. I looked through a bunch of old photos (working on a little project) while Tomkin read. Then we both exercised to the new TV show "Dating in the Dark." Interesting concept, to have people meet and get to know each other in a totally dark room, then see if they want to keep dating once the lights go on.
On Monday, Tomkin headed to the office, and I went grocery shopping at Target. Then I worked on grant stuff, and Tomkin had a rehearsal (on a Monday! weird). We took Chloe for a walk down Summit Ave., and then I worked on the front porch while Tomkin read.
Tuesday, Tomkin met with a couple, and we both worked at home. With this grant proposal due August 28th, there's plenty to keep me busy. We took Chloe for a walk, and then we got dressed up for our evening out. We saw "Ella" at the Guthrie--it turned out to be one of my favorite shows we've seen there. It's set in Nice, France, with Ella about to perform after flying back from the U.S. for her half-sister's funeral. Throughout the first act, as Ella prepares to take the stage, she practices her "patter" with the audience, talking about her life thus far. Her banter is seamlessly interwoven with music, and we learn about her childhood traumas, how the Apollo Theater wouldn't let her sing there because she was too fat and ugly, how her career eventually took off, and about her struggles to be a wife and mother. The cast is small (six people, four of whom are musicians), and the actress who plays Ella (Tina Fabrique) is amazing. The second act is the show itself, and I really felt like we had been transported to the theater in France, with Ella Fitzgerald performing in front of us. It was a thoroughly enjoying evening of theater! After the show, Tomkin and I used a gift certificate to try out the new restaurant Sea Change, located in the Guthrie. It was fine, but neither of us was blown away. We ordered a few appetizers, and I had a beer. The service was pretty bad, and the food was mostly mediocre. Neither of us would probably go back, but it was fun to check it out.
Tomkin had lunch with his folks on Wednesday, then went into the office. I worked on grant stuff, and then I met up with Helena at Red Nails--she treated me to a pedicure as an early birthday gift. (Let the 40th birthday celebrations begin!) We chatted, chatted, chatted as our tootsies got all prettied up. It's always such a treat to see her. I headed over to the party store to pick up some goodies for next weekend (I'm going to Grand Forks, and we're doing a little combo birthday bash), Tomkin's dad's 80th birthday (also this month), and Chloe's upcoming party. Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk down Summit, and then Chloe joined Tomkin at his weekly poker game. I headed to the Golden Valley Humane Society for the intro session to the therapy dog training that Chloe will be starting next week. It was almost two hours (long...), but I got some good information. I am SO excited to get started! I think Chloe will enjoy it, and I look forward to volunteering with her. When I got home, I called my mom so we could have our weekly phone chat. Then Tomkin got home from poker, and we got caught up on all the evening's events.
On Thursday, Tomkin went to the office, and I met him there in the afternoon (after working at home in the morning) so I could talk with Jerad about the grant. (I also got to see their beautiful office cat, Muscles.) We had a productive meeting, and I left with another long list of stuff to do! I made a couple stops, at Cub and the dollar store, and then got ready for my premarital counseling session...which ended up getting postponed. We started working with Chloe to get her used to wearing a Gentle Leader headcollar (recommended for therapy dog work). I had tried using one right after I got her (years ago...), and she HATED it. But this time we introduced it to her slowly, and we used lots of delicious treats (like roasted chicken and a beef bone) to help her associate the collar with good things. Tomkin had a wedding rehearsal, and when he got back we exercised to the previous night's "So You Think You Can Dance." I was so afraid that I'd end up finding out who won (plus we were dying to know!), so we watched the finale as well. That was a lot of TV! But it was fun. Neither of my favorites won...but it'll still be amazing to see them all dance live when they're touring here on my birthday!
Yesterday (Friday), Tomkin met with a couple, and I spent the afternoon running errands. I dropped off some magazines at Heidi's (her teenage daughter, Hannah, leaves for a year in Japan later this week), got a spray tan, popped into Bibelot, and went to the liquor store, bank, post office, and Kowalski's. Tomkin got an MRI, so hopefully next week we'll know why his arm is still hurting so much. I worked on grant stuff, and then--since it was Friday night and we both needed a pick-me-up--we decided to go out for dinner. We tried India House on Grand Ave., and it was such a find! We split the appetizer plate, and then Tomkin got palak paneer, and I got my favorite, chicken tikka masala. We were impressed with all the food, and the service was excellent. I had already decided that I wanted to serve Indian food for my birthday dinner, and now I know where I'll get it. Fabulous! When we got home, I did a little more work while Tomkin read. Then we all curled up on the couch and watched a documentary called "Dogs and More Dogs." We made it an early night since we were pretty pooped.
I hope you're having a good August so far! Enjoy these summer days, and thanks, as always, for reading my blog!