There Once Was A Woman...

We all know the old story of the woman who swallowed a fly, then a frog, then a cat, and so on. I'm feeling a lot like that woman these days. After much careful thought and consideration, we have decided to get a dog. For most people this may not be such a big thing, but for our family this is quite the miracle. Not any dog, of course, because that would be too easy. No, somehow we've all (even the husband) managed to fall in love with the English Bulldog. We looked into getting a puppy from a breeder, but between the $2,500 and the puppy poop everywhere, we decided to look into young adult/ adult bulldog adoption. Besides, I like the idea of giving a good home to a dog who needs it. Bullies are just a great fit for our family. They snore, fart and like to lay around a lot. Sounds like one of us already!



Enter the rescue organization. We have the greatest contact lady. She puts up with my almost weekly emails and was even kind enough to let the boys walk her dog when we met her at a dog show. Really, sainthood is not good enough for this woman. But, there's a catch; isn't there always? We need a fence. We've talked fences on and off since we moved here, but there hasn't been any real motivation until now. So let's see, I've swallowed the dog, now the fence.



One could hire a contractor to come in and dig and build for a (voila!) fence in a day kind of thing. But, really, what fun would that be? Nope, we've decided that it would be great (and MUCH less costly) to build it ourselves. Cost is becoming quite the consideration lately, as every trip to a pet store or even pet aisle puts my children (and yes, even myself) on high shop alert as we find all sorts of wonderful things our dog (which we don't even have yet) will really need. So I've swallowed the dog, the fence and the building of the fence.



A sane person would bribe the kind, compassionate people in their lives to entertain the children as the fence is being built by mom and dad. Let's face it: power tools, precise measurements and I'm sure a curse word or two as we hit our thumbs repeatedly do not make for a happy child wonderland. But, no one has EVER accused me of being sane (my friend's husband no longer calls me by name--he only refers to me as "Crazy Lady") so we've decided to include the kids in our project. After all we are homeschoolers right?



Sooo...the dog, the fence, building the fence---can there be more? Of course....We are going to ditch school for the week and literally study how to build a fence. The kids will not only be involved, but they will have to be learning as they build. Measurements, fractions, power tools 101 and the ever important "How not to hit your thumb" will all be vital lessons to be taught during the week.



So, pray for us if you will. This WILL turn into one of those stories you hear every Christmas when the family gathers. The true question now is...will it end in the Emergency room or with a semi-straight fence built by a family still speaking to each other? Only time will tell! I know that it will be worth it in the end, though, as we nap in the sunshine with our snoring, farting new friend.