Greetings, friends. I'm trying something new, and having this blog sent to my Random Ramblings mailing list. I've been pretty remiss in posting there as of late, so I'm hoping this blog will help fill in the gaps. Feedback on this is welcome (uber@wvi.com). I won't post to the blog more than once a day, and maybe not even that much. If anyone feels it's too often, let me know.

In other news, some relatives from Idaho are here visiting with my mother this morning, which means I had to get up very early this morning. Let me rephrase that. I had to get up this morning. I'm very much a night person, so getting up before noon is against my genetic makeup. But awake I am, and sitting here, pretending to work. Instead, I'm watching Return of the Jedi for the 98,000th time, and I swear I'm not watching it just because Carrie Fisher is in that nifty gold bikini thing through part of it.

I lead an exciting life. Part of that life at present is trying to calm down my rottweiler, Shasta, who's rather annoyed she's stuck in the bedroom with me while I'm "working" instead of out in the family room visiting with the relatives. She's bouncing around the room, whining and nudging my arm repeatedly. She wants to visit, too. After all, she's people, too.

The two springers are in another bedroom, also whining, and not happy campers. The dogs are wimps and incredibly spoiled. I don't know how it happens, but the instant an animal comes in our house, they immediately become spoiled, through absolutely no fault of my own. I swear.

Or maybe not. Maybe I'm the wimp. But they're all rather cute and lovable, so it's okay.

Right?