Short update

Winston's mad at me because I won't stop and play. The latest computer-related casualty is my wireless, ergonomic mouse. I killed the left button. No time to shop - back to the trusty old fashioned wired and plain-shaped version. Success!

Happy dance - my boxes arrived today. And double happy dance - I have more kits and patterns left than I thought I did.

And after Thursday, perhaps I can slow down to double time rather than warp overload which I've been sustaining for far too many days in a row. May I never get myself in such a bind again! Note to self: learn the lesson. Learn The Lesson, darn it!!

I spoke with Kalmbach Publishing today, and they'll be using my most recent published project as a promotion for the Creative Beadweaving, Vol. 3 book which is being published later this month. Both Mom and I had projects published in Bead & Button in 2007, and both are now being included in the book as well. Good thing they picked us both or there might have been unrest in the Wiseman household! Tee hee!

Back to the grind. Do you know how relieved I will be when I finally take this package of Bead and Button class submissions to the post office on Thursday? I may cry.

Is it August yet??

I'm so busy I can't think, breathe, function. Everything needs to be done now. Yesterday, really. Fractured sleep patterns are developing again as I bingo from task to task, but for now it's an effective way of continuing to move forward.

I'm stressing that my kits and patterns haven't yet arrived from the Puget Sound trip, because I leave again on Friday for Shreveport and need to know where I stand with goodies. But the boxes should arrive any moment. In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to plan and create kits. Not sure I'm making the right ones, but I'll have what I have and that's the best I can do.

Finishing the last sample for the Bead & Button class submissions tonight after I teach class. Woo hoo! But then I still need to write the instructions. Booo, hiss. A full day will be spent filling out the class submission info online, printing it out, and packaging everything to mail on Thursday.

Last night I laughed a bit like a hyena to realize think, won't it be funny when I travel all the way to the Shreveport retreat and spend the whole weekend sleeping in my hotel room??

Yes, we do have animals besides Winston

Good morning from June.

Jill is off at Nomads doing Sunday brunch. I just finished mowing the lawn, or what I more commonly refer to as "the brown patch out behind the house." So I decided to catch my breath and play on the computer a bit.

Jill had mentioned a day or so ago that someone was surprised to hear we have another dog. I guess we've talked about Winston and his antics so much, we've neglected everyone else. So, first let me introduce you to Maggie, the sweetest dog ever.

Maggie is part poodle and part bichon frise. She is not the smartest kid on the block, but what she lacks in smarts, she makes up for in Heart. Luckily Maggie and Winson get along great. In fact, Maggie, at age 11, is kind of slowing down, but Winston has gotten her up and running. They streak through the house like crazy running dogs, then run through the doggie door into the yard. There is silence in the house for a few minutes, then BAM! They explode back in through the doggie door without slowing down a bit.

We also have two cats: Josie, with a white nose, and Piper, with a black nose. Getting Josie is a story in and of itself, but I'll have Jill tell you about it sometime. The cats have had a harder time with Winston, because he wants to play with them, and they do NOT want to play back. Because of that, they both pretty much live in my bedroom now. Josie is very skitterish, and runs when Winston runs up to her, which makes Winston run after her. Piper will just stand her ground with Winston, and walk slowly. So for Winston, she's not as much fun as Josie is.

Weekend hijinks

I had a wonderful class Friday night - not a lot of teaching went on since they were all well into their projects and only had to add small details for the most part. But we all enjoyed the leisurely pace and the company and conversation. I have one more Ring Around the Rosie class scheduled as a two-parter already, but after that I'm going to condense it to a single meeting and just extend the class time to three hours. It's sometimes hard to gauge how much time will be needed and I always figure over estimating is preferable to under estimating, especially when I have the luxury of doing so here in Austin. It's more tricky when I KNOW I have a single shot at teaching a class at the national shows. I either need more time if it's a high level of difficulty or multiple techniques, or I need to designate it as an intermediate level class so that I don't have to teach the basics. It's a fine line.

Rich sent me some photos of Alexis diggin' her Big Doggie from Grandma and Aunt Jilly. Awww! I think I have a serious Auntie crush on this kid.

Beading here, beading there, beading everywhere!

I just realized I've been remiss in making sure everyone knew about some beading things going on in the Austin area.

This weekend is the first Austin Bead Market show at the Travis County Expo fairgrounds. The Bead Market is a regular show in the southwest, but this is the first time it's been brought to Austin. I highly recommend it! I'd normally be there with my own booth, but due to my crazy deadlines I had to forgo it this year. Drat. But Maureen with The Bead Corner will be there, and she's got this awesome new book at her booth. I was lucky enough to grab one before she sold out in Stafford last month. It's an import from the UK, and it's really awesome and you seed beaders need to check it out.

Bead Brunch is this Sunday at Nomadic Notions too. I wasn't originally planning on being there, but now I am, so if you need any help with Nomadic Notions class projects - or just want to come socialize! - come on down! And don't forget that you get a 20% discount on anything you buy that day for being at the Bead Brunch.

Lastly, I have added the Austin Quilt Show to my schedule this fall. I've been threatening to do it for years now, but this year the timing worked out perfectly. It's being held Sept. 26th through Sept. 28th at the Crockett Center. This will be my only Austin show this year.

Spending the afternoon with Aunt Jill

Hi folks-
This is Alexis, taking over Aunt Jilly's blog tonight. Shhhh...don't tell that I'm awake in the middle of the night! Daddy would get mad that I'm on his computer again. But Aunt Jilly is sound asleep because she said I plumb wore her out, so someone's got to update the page.

I got to spend a bunch of time with Aunt Jilly today and I LOVED it! As soon as she walked in the house I smiled and laughed and clapped my hands. I think she was eatin' it up. We practiced my walking, which I must say I'm getting much better at all of a sudden. And her cell phone is the coolest toy ever! She thought I was making "play" phone calls, but wait until she gets her bill. Hee hee! I don't know who I was talking to, but I sure pushed a whole lot of buttons so I think it was someone a long way away. I kept saying "Hello" but that's really all I know to say on the phone, so it wasn't a very exciting conversation.

We also played a lot with the other coolest toy ever, my new stuffed doggie that Grandma and Aunt Jilly gave me this past weekend! I L U V him! I hug him and kiss him and roll all over him. It's almost as good as a real doggie. I don't get face licks from him, though.

Here's a photo of the two of us we took today. She didn't take a photo when I cried as she left. But I know I'll get to spend more time with her really soon so then I started smiling again. I have skills. I know how to melt those hearts.

Remember - this post is between you and me! No tattletales!

Night night-
Alexis

Hurricane Dolly

Tis the time of the year to worry about hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and sure enough, Hurricane Dolly is being forecast to hit Texas. When that happens, Austin will sometimes get intensive rain, but that's about it for direct effects. We get some interesting side effects though. First of all, if they call for evacuations, especially in the Houston area, a CRAZY traffic jam that runs for 200 miles appears instantly on the main two highways between Austin and Houston. Even if that doesn't happen, though, since my brother is in the Special Operations Unit of the Austin Fire Department, there's always a chance that he might get picked for a team to get sent to the Gulf in advance (or in chaos afterward.) We're waiting to hear right now if he's going to get sent there tomorrow. If he does, I'll be spending the day with Alexis since her mother is scheduled to work all day. Not a bad prospect on my end!

I just looked at my calendar for the week, and I'm teaching or assisting classes every night for the next five nights. AGH! And I have nine more days until the Bead & Button classes must be in the mail. And the next day I leave for Shreveport.

I have a new strategy for Shreveport this year. I usually end up spending all my time selling kits or teaching and hardly sit down to bead at all. This year I'm going to lug my cash register to the event which I've resisted in the past. The truth is that it makes for a much more efficient and swift transaction, though, so I think it will be worth the bit of extra trouble in getting it there. I'm driving, after all, so the only real trouble is lifting it a few times. I think I can handle that. Or I'll make Janet (my road trip buddy) do it. Hee hee! And then I also didn't sign up to actually TAKE any of the other classes. Getting an opportunity to sit and maybe even be silent for a bit here and there would be a nice switch up for me. I'll probably regret it when I get there, though!!

Pure joy

Is there anything better than a child expressing pure joy? I think not! Alexis was beyond thrilled with her new stuffed dog. We all laughed and laughed along with her. Mom put it on the coffee table in front of her cautiously, in case it was going to scare her. She stared at it for a second, and then grabbed it in a giant bear hug and started squealing and laughing and smiling! She spent the next hour rolling around on the floor with it and loving it up and down and all over. It was the BEST! My brother was taking some photos and I've just emailed him to see if any turned out to share. Nancy tells me that I need more photos on the blog!

I just ordered a dog training dvd and book online so we can try training Winston on our own. He's so high spirited and obviously intelligent. I think he'll be easily trainable - we just need to be smarter than him! He's gotten into the habit of jumping up on Mom a lot and giving playful doggie bites - unfortunately, he's not a puppy any longer and he's actually bruising her. So we certainly need to get that stopped. One of the students in my class (I'm sorry - I don't remember who!) suggested I check out Tamar Geller, which is the trainer Oprah has had on her show. I looked over her website and watched some of the video of her training on her site as well as Oprah's, and I liked what I saw. Keep your fingers crossed for me! It's time to train the humans.

On the beading front, more progress is being made daily. Slugging along, working from one thing to the next. I'm really ready for a bit of a break, but I can't indulge yet. I've got my eye on the deadlines, and when I'm finally caught up, I'm totally planning a few days off. Anne will be coming to visit me in early Sept and I'm really looking forward to just having fun and seeing friends and movies and showing Anne how wonderful Austin is.

Munchkin time

I'm so very happy that I get to go visit my Munchkin in a little bit. That's my niece, Alexis, for those of you who don't speak Munchkinese. Mom came up with the nickname and it's really stuck for us - although I don't know that Rich or Becky ever call her that. But in our house, it's an honored moniker! Mom and I purchased her a giant stuffed doggie that we're taking her. She's living in an all cat household, but she adores our little dogs so much that we decided she needed one of her own. I hope it doesn't scare her!

Then it's off to Nomadic Notions again to teach tonight. We're going to be creating some fabulous Foxy Mama bracelets! Afterward I plan on working on more samples in front of the tv again. No classes Sunday or Monday - just beading! My happy place!

I met this crazy and cool chick when I was in Milwaukee and I've been checking up on her website to keep up with her life. She's selling some of the cutest and most fun lampwork beads and buttons. Yes, buttons! I bought one to finish off a bracelet with and I just LOVE it. You should check out her goodies at Stars By Stacey. You might need to be quick, because I'm thinking about buying some MORE - all for Jill, all the time! This is the one I've already snapped up.


I hope you're enjoying your weekend...

Catching up

I have been notified by Kathryn that I am falling down on my blogging duties. How else is she supposed to know what I'm up to??

Truthfully, I've been dragging around like a half-asleep zombie the last few days. I'm really having difficulty getting that energy level up where it needs to be for maximum production mode. But I'm actually making some pretty substantial changes to make that happen. That whole eating right, sleeping, and exercising thing...yada, yada...but I know it's important and I need to make time for it so I can get everything done in my life that needs to be done. To say I have a few beady irons in the fire is an understatement!

I spent last night working on a simple "Introduction to Peyote" sample and instructions for a class I'm proposing for the 2009 national shows and I got some good headway on it. I'll finish tonight before I crawl into bed. I'm proposing both beginner and intermediate classes to cover all the bases. And I have 9 - yes, 9 - samples I need to make. At least only one of them needs to be completely designed, and I have a second that's part way there. The rest are just making up samples of existing projects to send to them.

Which means I get to spend some time parked on the sofa, watching my backlog of tv shows while I bead! The TIVO is 70% full of all my crazy crime and reality shows. Things I can listen to without having to actually watch.

So I'm off to work for a smidge more tonight. Another few weeks until I can take that big breath I'm anticipating - at least for a day or so before I have to regroup and get ready for Philly! I'm really looking forward to that show. So very many of my friends, all in one spot. After that show, I've only got Texas shows on my plate for the rest of the year, and I'm not sure how I'll manage, being away from the traveling bead carnival until Tucson in Feb. 2009. I'll need bead show withdrawal counseling.

Home is good

A crazy and long day of traveling yesterday. It started out with pure panic - remember how my shuttle was picking me up at 4:15am? Yeah, well, I woke up at 4:06am! You've never seen such throwing of things into suitcases in your life. But doggone it, I caught the shuttle (it was five minutes late) and I was even standing there, waiting for it when it arrived. I apologize to my seat neighbors on the trip about the no shower thing, though. Ahem.

I was properly greeted at home with lots of doggie kisses and mayhem. The cats waited for me to come to them, naturally. And by 10pm, I was dead asleep. Good thing, too, since I've got to keep the movement going for one more day. I'm off to a hair appt shortly (gotta stay cute!) and then teaching tonight. And THEN I can collapse! For a day.

My focus will turn to finishing up my class proposals for 2009, and once my boxes arrive back from the show I'll work on getting the kits all replenished for the Shreveport Bead Retreat in a few weeks. And then Bead Fest Philadelphia is a few weeks after that. And then I'm HOME for quite a while. How confusing.

Day Two - Natives getting restless

I ache. Oh, I ache. It's one of those things where you don't really even notice it until you stop moving. And then it's like, OUCH! When I drive to a show I bring some spongy mats to put on the floor in the booth so I'm not spending all day standing on hard concrete. But it's kinda hard to pack those in your luggage, so hard concrete it is. Happily, a good night's sleep will cure a world of pains and I'll be up and at 'em again tomorrow.

I got to spend some time today talking with a variety of friends and vendors and customers. I gave some advice to a woman who's interested in selling kits of her own designs, I bought some supplies from new and old suppliers alike, and I hooked up with the awesome and cool Susan Nestor to share a booth at Puget Sound next year. She's the sweetest thing and it will be great to have company to be silly with.

Tonight I sat in on Anne Mitchell's class and I didn't even burn myself! I have fused links! I definitely plan on playing with fusing some more, but first I have to figure out where I'm going to set up a small work bench to do it. I had planned on doing some reorganization of the Bead Room to make it more efficient storage-wise anyway, and that will probably free up enough space for a bench.

Sunday will be the last day and the late start is much appreciated. I need the extra snooze time because after the show is over, then it's packing up everything, and preparing for a 4:15am pick up at the hotel to get to the airport for my flight. (I can HEAR you laughing, out there!)

Puget Sound, Day One

That title sounds like a plane crash survivor's diary or something, doesn't it? (Yes, I have an active imagination.)

Today's show was really nice. The facilities at the convention center couldn't be nicer, and it was a nicely solid stream of people in the hall today. Mostly the students of the various classes. Saturday will bring us a lot more of the local citizens who have jobs and couldn't attend today. People were very receptive to the kits even though it's my first time in this area of the country and I'm quite pleased all the way around.

I'm still quite tired after last night's last minute kit making frenzy in the hotel. It's a good thing I did it though because I needed those kits today. I have a little bit more reorganization to do before the show opens in the morning, but I think I'll wait until morning to do it. I've just returned from a nightcap with Anne and Susan, and I'm really to nod off.

Saturday will also be an adventure because I'm going to get to play with FIRE tomorrow night. I'm taking Anne's 3 Chains in 3 Hours class and will learn how to fuse fine silver. Scary!!

Zombie Jill

Just a quick post - a proof of life, if you will. The trip to Tacoma was blessedly uneventful. I'm delighted by the cool temperatures and the beautiful surroundings. My hotel room is bigger than most single bedroom apartments, and it's directly across the street from the convention center. My commute to my booth is approximately 60 seconds. SWEET!

But I got just 2 hours of sleep prior to starting to travel, and then collapsed in bed at the hotel after setting up the booth. I slept for 5 or so hours - managed to miss the nightly meet up at the bar - drat! But then I got got up again and worked on finishing the last of the kits. It's now 4:45am, and I'm off to dream land for another 3 or 3.5 hours. And then it's off to the races!!

Much more to report after opening day Friday. I promise!

Some things never change

Every show, I have the highest of expectations that I'm not going to play the same Stay Up All Night Before I Have to Leave game - and every time, my hopes are dashed.

So I have to wake up around 4:30am to get on a 7:30am flight. And it's 11:45pm. And I'm up. And I still haven't:
Packed my clothes
Packed any of my projects I'll be working on
Figured out what I'm going to wear since it's only 72-75 degrees up there which is winter in Texas
Unhooked and packed up my computer and label maker (yes, I'm taking a label maker! I use it to make labels for the baggies in my kits - and I ran out of time to be able to do that before I left.)

In my defense, Vista and I spent a good portion of the day locked in battle. Which Vista won. Mom saved the day by coming home with a new and working power source for my laptop which meant we could finish the printing via the laptop. I'm leaving her with the desktop to see if she can get it to print again. Although I mentioned tonight that we should probably look into just getting rid of Vista on this machine and having XP installed. I can't tell you how many hours we've wasted on trying to deal with printer and scanner and storage devices that won't work with Vista. When your operating system brings you to tears, as it did during one low point earlier today, it's time to make a change! It's either that or hire a full time IT person. Preferably cute. And single. And wearing no shirt. Kind of like a high-tech cabana boy. (Dang, I must be tired. I'm hallucinating!)

Okay. So instead of finishing my tasks, I'm typing away at silliness. So forgive me, please, as I exit Stage Left and when you hear from me next, I'll be two time zones away!! It's a 6 hour flight, but it's non-stop....

Not the sharpest tool in the shed

Evidence that I might be one nut shy of a full load:

1. It's 4am, and I'm going to crawl into bed soon, and I'm eating watermelon.

2. I have the world's most destructive dog and I left my laptop power source cord out where...(wait for it...wait for it...)

3. He ate it. Chewed it into a tangle of wires. This counts as its own number on the list because I'm the one who hasn't taken him for training and HELP yet.

4. I went out and bought a replacement cord today, but despite it being a refurbished (ie, used) cord, I didn't check to make sure it worked before I left the store. (Wait for it....wait for it...) And it doesn't work.

Printing fool

Tonight is Printing Night - I've got a bunch of patterns to print, as well as the patterns for the kits I'm making. I'm learning even more lessons about this new printer of mine as I work it this hard.

You know when you're first starting out with beading? And you're not sure how much you're going to do it, and you're trying out all the cheap inexpensive materials you can find because you can't imagine that the "good stuff" is worth all that money. And than, after a while, you discover that the materials you're using are pretty crummy and yes, the good stuff IS worth the price?

That lesson relates to other things too. We had a big monster printer that ate a lot of toner and space and Mom and I kept thinking that we must have too much printer for our needs. But by going through the Printer Follies of 2008, I'm discovering that nope. We really need that much printer. This new one is half the size, but it keeps needing breaks to cool down - which the old one never did. We just need to suck it up and use the monster. Lesson learned. (Three printers later.)

At least it's giving me lots of time to peruse Etsy like a madwoman. I custom ordered a new purse earlier today from an artisan on Etsy. I was able to pick my own fabrics, increase the size by two inches, make sure the handle is long enough to go over my shoulder comfortably, and have her add a zipper and an attached, matching key fob. How awesome is that?? Being self-employed in the craft biz makes me much more aware of how important and special it is to support other artists as well as shop at local, small businesses. (That's my excuse! Does it sound good??)

Watch out - Jill's playing with wire!

I got the chance to assist one of Mick's classes Sunday night at Nomadic Notions. It's a technique I've been wanting to play with for the longest time - as a matter of fact, I had the materials picked out and purchased about a year ago to work on it! Just never found the time. So assisting the class was a perfect way for me to justify the play time.

No big surprise - while everyone else was putting crystals and pearls and Bali spacers in their Rock Candy beads, mine were all seed beads, baby! All seed beads, all the time. I love the way they look like little balls of yarn.

I went with a brightly colored Size 15 bead mix because the colors make me happy. I managed to get two Rocks finished, as well as the mini-Rock clasp. I'll make another three Rocks, then I plan on incorporating some sort of seed bead weaving goodness to tie it all together into a bracelet or necklace. Not sure which yet. A necklace is something I'd probably wear more often because the chunky nature of the Rocks would make a bracelet less practical if I'm on a computer or something. But on the other hand, I'd enjoy seeing the bracelet so much. Decisions of great importance.

It finally feels like Fourth of July weekend - when I got home tonight, my amazing mother had made potato salad. Mmmmmm...my favorite!

Ooooo....ahhhh....

I love watching fireworks! Back when I was growing up in Wisconsin, Mom and Rich & I would pile down to Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin to watch them every year. There was a band shell in the park where the big band would play, and the place would be jam packed. It was especially fun after Mom bought us a battery operated mega phone which we used with abandon. It was loud Oooooohhhs as the rocket gained altitude and the anticipation built, and then Aaaaahhhhsss as the firework exploded colors across the sky.

Since I wasn't in Texas (or an adult) I didn't worry about the dead, dry grass everywhere, or the idiots setting off personal, dangerous fireworks that might land on our roof and burn us down. I talked with one woman today who planned on spending her night in her yard with her hose running because her neighbors always set off fireworks that hit her roof and she's got to be prepared to stop any damage. She's outside of city limits, so she can't even call the police on them.

This year Mom and I spent the 4th of July in a typically American way. Shopping. We had to return some items at Ikea (and naturally, came away spending more than was returned) and then a stop at a BBQ place to bring home brisket, turkey, and ribs to nibble on all weekend. Naps rounded out the afternoon, and beading this evening. A good, but not too exciting kind of day.

I got my boxes shipped off to Tacoma Thursday after chasing the UPS truck from one store to another to get them aboard. That's cutting it WAY too close! I actually could have shipped them Monday and gotten them there in time - probably. But I hate to chance it, so I paid so that they'll arrive on Wednesday. I fly in on Thursday.

I'm really looking forward to the trip. I haven't been to the Pacific Northwest before. I'm anticipating the 75 degrees or less days, and the company of my crazy beady friends. And meeting lots of new beaders up there! Oh - and I plan on coming home with some new lampwork beads too. Laura, one of my local students who attended Bead & Button this year, showed me her treasures from the Expo Hall at class Thursday night. I managed to miss an amazing new vendor at the show even though she was on the same aise as me - Kerri Fuhr, who hails from British Columbia. I adore her work, and I'm lucky enough that she'll be at the Puget Sound show, so I'm already planning on making a beeline for her booth to acquire. It's all Laura's fault.

It's the little things that trip you up

I love my computer. I mean, I really LOVE my computer. I can't remember a life before computers, and really, who wants to? The internet is my really big backyard to play in. But sometimes, ohmygawd, it really tries to kill me.

All I'm doing is trying to print out the instructions for tonight's class. File, Print, Enter. Simple, right? But here's the rub - when we bought our newest computer six or so months ago, it came with the new Vista operating system. I don't have anything against Vista - I kinda like it. But it's the compatibility issues that are painful! And evidently, it has issues with the new printer we purchased in Milwaukee. Most of the time I can get it to print by "tricking" it. But all of a sudden, half way through printing the instructions, I'm getting a spooler error that's keeping it from printing at all. AGH! I can't figure it out for the life of me. (And yes, I've rebooted both the computer and the printer.)

And we still have the former printer sitting here on the office floor, so I can hook that up and finish printing, but I think it needs toner. Which means a trip to the office supply store and $300 in toner. All of which makes a five minute job printing my instructions for tonight take 2 hours and a lot of money.

Ooooommmm. Be calm, Jill. ooooommmmm....

Okay, I'll deal. Actually, I may not need toner yet for that other printer. But still.

So to put me back in my happy place, I'll leave you with a photo of Glorious Garland, the third of the new Nomadic Notions classes. I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out.

I have the password!

Yup, this is June. Jill gave me the password to the blog account. Silly girl. This is your chance - What would y'all like to know about Jill?

Well, she's been confusing me lately anyway. For several nights in a row, she has gone to bed at a reasonable hour and slept through the night! I have to tell you that as a child, she did what most people do: slept at night and stayed awake during the day. She didn't turn into Vampira until she was an adult. So this normal sleep pattern is definitely confusing. I'm sure it won't last. One night I'll wake up and see the reassuring glow of the light from the office again.

On Saturday, when we had the Munchkin Alexis, I took this photo. Now I may be speaking as a grandmother, but seriously, isn't she the most beautiful child you have ever seen?

Holy Cow - July??

I looked at the date on my computer about three times today - how on Earth can it be July?? I swear I thought I had a few more weeks of June left...

I spent most of the day yesterday working on various computer related tasks. Instructions to write, instructions to update, letters to write. Today I'll make a quick trip to the post office and mail off some goodies. Then back home to work on a few more loose ends that are time critical. Tomorrow I should finally have good focused time to work on getting kits made. I need to get my boxes shipped by Thursday to Tacoma. I won't have all the kits made, but I'll have some and those will go on Thurs. The rest I'll have to haul with me by luggage. Having purchased those new suitcases with the wheels that roll in any direction has made the BIGGEST difference in traveling for me. I love those things. Why has it taken society this long to figure it out???

The bookshelves my brother put together for us this past weekend have glass front doors on them which makes them look extra lovely. But we discovered one downside yesterday morning. Winston discovered his reflection in the door and kept barking at that dog that was over there. He was even looking behind him to figure out where that dog was! So for right now, the doors are ajar, keeping him from seeing the mystery dog. Not quite what we'd envisioned.

This is Alexis, helping her daddy with the work...