a new grandpuppy!

or niecepuppy!

You too could be Rita / Frito 's favorite uncle or auntie!

Of course she has a flickr set.

Rita / Frito is 19 weeks old, maybe around 20 pounds, and she was born in Tennessee. Her foster people were totally awesome and took great care of her. So far ... she's scared of Lucy Cat (who isn't?), figured out that the bathroom feels safe, is a big snuggler, and is chewing appropriately on her chewy toy, for like an hour now. We haven't really been apart yet, so we don't know if we bark when alone, or if we chew shoes when alone, but we have plenty of time to figure that out! She gets along great with other dogs and with kids. She is part beagle, shepherd, and maybe a mix of all kinds of things.

WEEEEEEEEEE!! I'm totally in love. You will be too when you meet her.

Here's a pic from when she was younger.

She came with the name Rita. But Frito keeps popping up as an alternative. Holler if you have name suggestions!

But tonight when I played this video -- Tio Pepe, stopped whatever fuzzy things he was doing, looked at the screen, made his eyes all big as cast iron pans, listened, then slowly moved to the back bedroom.

Check it!

Follow up on Snot Tip #1: Stay Hydrated!

Health benefits of Ginger abound!

Basically, Ginger cures everything. So this is kind of tip 1B -- get hydrated by drinking ginger tea! Some of the articles mention its antinflamatory properties as well as its helpfulness in easing coughs, boosting the immune system, and preventing colds and allergies.

So, how'd I do over the last week or so ... ? Well, fine until Thursday and Friday when I got behind on drinking tea and got ahead on drinking dehydrating beverages at The Rendezvous. But, a good time was had by all.

I can say that hydration really makes a difference for me. I started feeling really run down on Saturday as a result of Thursday and Friday's failure to drink enough tea. Or, maybe it was the three hour walk in the woods looking for Moose Poop on Saturday in 35 degree weather that did me in, but that's another story. (Stay tuned!)

Today, I was getting a smidge of a scratchy throat, so I implemented Snot Tip #2, which hasn't been written yet, and it helped a ton! (Stay tuned!)

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor!)

The Nocklebeast asked the question, what about hot chocolate? Well, as long as it isn't too too sugary then maybe it's ok. But who wants to drink hot chocolate without sugar? Keep trying.

Remember: Better Out Than In!

It's been forever since I've been bloggin buggin. Oops! I've had this idear for awhile that I'd like to post tips on how to survive and conquer your inner snot demons, since well, I'm an expert. I've also had the thought for quite awhile that I know exactly how to avoid serious sinus problems but that I rarely do it mostly because inertia is a powerful powerful force. How sick is that? So, my pledge to the internets, is that if I'm going to post a snot tip, I had better be doing it. I'm going to start with something easy-ish to get warmed up.

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor!)

Snot Safety Tip #1 - Stay hydrated

You've got to keep the flow going! A good way to do that is to make sure you're blowing it all out. Our mantra here at snot camp: Better Out Than In!

I drink green tea in the mornings which has some caffeine (dehydrating) but not a tonne so I'm hopeful that I win out on the hydration scale there. I just can't get excited about drinking plain old water, so in the afternoons and evenings I'm going to try to have lots of ginger tea or any non-caffeinated tea. It's the perfect winter pick-me-up. Ginger is a great good for you food too -- it helps with digestion, I think, and other smart stuff. My acupuncturist is all into promoting ginger during snot season. If I was a better blogger I would look up why on the internets, but again inertia is a powerful force.

Just drink your tea!! Or, whatever non-caffeinated, non-sugary, non-alcoholic beverage of your choice!

How much liquid is enough? I'm not really sure, but I know in general I'm not drinking enough. I'll try to aim for 3 pots of tea a day at a minimum and report back. 1 green tea, 2 ginger tea or other tea.

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor!)

Dammit, I'm realizing as I write this that not eating too too much salt is a corollary to this hydration thing. I love salt. Hmmm. We'll see.

Got hydration tips? Send em in!

I recommend we all take a moment out of our busy lives to look at Lucy pics everyday.

Lucy fuzziness this "morning":

As you were.

Read up!

Plan a visit!

What would you eat? What would Brian Boitano do? What are your guilty pleasures? What can you live without? Do you know any freegans?

Jennifer Aniston brushes her teeth in the shower.

Cate Blanchett doesn't wash her hair.

Discuss.