New Additions

We have two new additions at our home and both are challenges. The first is an actual addition - a Florida room - that was started in November and still hasn't finished.

The second is a puppy.

Both are challenging and both require exact steps to ensure success.

The Florida room was full of surprises - the first being that the deck on which we had been living and on which the room will be built never passed final inspection from the county.

Okay, go to the county office, sit there for hours, take the plans to get approved, get them approved by (1) zoning and then (2) the mechanical people. Schedule an inspection for framing and then for concealment. Okay hoops jumped, what next.

Then the carpenter who designed the Florida room decided he would rather live in Florida, so he moved. Didn't bother to tell us, just up and left. Hmmmmmmm.

Then we had to get the braces reinforced for the hot tub that has been sitting on the deck for about three years now. Tub people didn't tell us that we needed any inspection of the deck or any reinforcement - just sold us the tub. So tear the deck up, reinforce the bracing, wait for the inspector, pay the county more $$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Okay, more hoops jumped through. Then we find out that the contractor we hired to build the room is not licensed to build anything but decks and porches (the Florida room started out as a screened-in porch, but evolved into a full-fledged addition).
So he has to upgrade his license or work under someone who has a higher-class license. More hoops, more money, more time at the County Office. Uggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

And in the midst of all this we adopt a puppy!

We must be mentally ill.

And now it's all about puppy, puppy, puppy. But that's backwards. We are supposed to give attention, affection, food, treats, etc to our older dog first. Okay, so that requires a paradigm shift.

The puppy cost $250 to adopt, then more money for his tag$, his crate, his blanket, any chew toy$$$, and in the midst of all this he's a puppy. A four-legged poop machine in my house.

So the past few days has been “walk the puppy, take the puppy out to pee, to poop, to learn to walk on a leash. Crate the puppy, don't let the puppy bite me, play with the puppy.” All while still working full time and living life.

But there is hope: puppy obedience school! We have signed up and the classes can't start soon enough for me. In the interim, the older dog has to be first in the affection-food-toys-attention department. Crate the puppy, play with the older dog, feed him, etc. (Of course after we eat!).

I have taken to likening the situation to a rookie on a football team. Veterans get preference. Rookies have to learn the system and get taped to the goal post. I'll post more later, including pics of both projects.