Feeling the Need to Decompress

I had a slight nervous breakdown this morning. Our dog, who normally sleeps the entire night, woke up wimpering at 4am this morning. Apparently, she had to go to the bathroom. This is really odd, as she can hold it until her normal wakup time of 6am. So, my wife got up and took her out. Let's just say the dog has had some bathroom troubles the last couple of days and leave it at that, so I suppose she couldn't hold it any longer. While doing so, she encountered a snake. Not a big one, but my wife thought it might have been at least a foot long. Probably a little gardener snake, but nevertheless, I don't like snakes. Ick!

After breakfast, the dog encountered a spider on the steps. My wife said she jerked her paw back from this huge spider (bigger than the size of a quarter). Not sure if she got bit or not, but it's something we'll have to watch out for.

And, our cat is sneezing. He never sneezes, and he's been sneezing all morning. Is he getting an upper respiratory infection, or did he just get into some dust in the basement?

Our daughter started the 4th grade this past week. Yesterday was the first full day with homework, and I failed miserably. I didn't look at her binder, nor check her backpack. So, we didn't get everything done that we were supposed to. Sigh. And so it begins anew. It seems she has a large amount of homework for a 4th grader, but I suppose it will only continue to build over the next several years.

My car is acting up again. The coolant light is now on most of the time. I believe I've traced it to the Engine Temperature Control Sensor. It's a plastic sensor that often cracks, resulting in leaking coolant. So, I'm on a mission to try and get that replaced today. Ugh. It's not something that our budget can really handle at the present moment, and I suppose I could wait, but I also don't want to be stranded again.

I'm not sure I'm exactly pleased with my White Zinfandel batch of wine. I tasted it yesterday morning, and it just seems bland now, and watered down. I did top up with a liter of water (the recommended amount), but I think it really hurts the character of the wine. Hmm, time will tell, and we'll see what a few months of bulk aging will do. My Port tastes very good though, albeit perhaps a bit on the sweet side. It's definitely got a healthy alcohol kick, almost 18%. I intend to add at least one bottle of brandy to bring this up to about 19%. I had a drink of it yesterday also, and wow, did it give me a quick buzz. I drank it on an empty stomach, and quickly thereafter, my head was spinning. It was my first buzz from my own homemade wine. LOL! It was an odd feeling.

We're heading to the Nebraska State Fair this weekend. Ooooh! I know, you're jealous. Ha. Seriously, it's always been a tradition in my family to attend when I was younger, so it's for more of the nostalgia if anything, but it was an OK time last year. Plus, they are supposed to have a huge Cabela's display, and that should be neat to see.

I'm sitting at Panera Bread as I type this, enjoying a chocolate chip bagel with raspberry cream cheese and a diet Pepsi. I feel weird sitting here with a laptop with others staring in my direction, but at least I'm being productive.

I do feel better. I don't feel as stressed, and think I'm ready to take on the day now.