www.TheWillaWoman.com

This weekend was a monumental weekend. We learned two important things about Frankie. On Saturday, we finally tested Frankie to see if these last six months (yes, SIX months!) of Bonding With Mommie have paid off. For those of you following this saga, you'll remember that I've been sleeping in our guest bedroom with Frankie. Just the two of us. Also, I've been the only human member of our family interacting with Frankie. And I've been the only one training Frankie. Did I mention that I've been sleeping in another room, just me and Frankie, for SIX MONTHS! Long time. Back to Saturday. This was deemed to be the day we tested Frankie to see if this long bonding process had been successful. Me, the Hubby, and Frankie went shopping. The test was to see if Frankie would be distracted by the Hubby, if Frankie would maintain his focus on me when the Hubby left us, and if he would still pay attention to me when the Hubby came back to where we were. Frankie passed wi...

Girl Weds Dog to Ward Off 'Evil Eye' NEW DELHI (AP) - A 7-year-old girl wed a stray dog as part of a ritual to ward off the "evil eye" on her and her family in eastern India, a news agency reported Wednesday. Shivam Munda's upper teeth appeared before her lower teeth - considered a bad omen by members of the Santhal ethnic group to which she belongs, the Press Trust of India said in a report from Dhanbad, a coal mining town in the eastern state of Bihar. Kundan Munda, a coal mine worker, said his daughter married the dog only to "remove the evil eye," a superstitious belief that some misfortune could befall her and the family, and that she would be free to marry a man later. Friends and family participated in three days of traditional ceremonies and festivities that are part of a Santhal tribal marriage, Munda said, according to the report.

Unlikely dog tale tops U.S. best-seller list PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The tale of a rambunctious puppy is proving its staying power in the dog-eat-dog world of U.S. best-sellers. With more than 1 million copies in print, " Marley and Me -- Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" has struck a chord with dog lovers who are laughing and crying over author John Grogan's account of his yellow Labrador retriever. The story is more than a recounting of Marley's antics that include chewing through doors, expulsion from obedience school, clawing paint off concrete walls, devouring furniture, swallowing valuable jewelry and swooning over soiled diapers. The excitable, good-natured lab also knows how to protect the family's tiny children and consoles the couple when they grieve over a miscarriage. The nonfiction book has been on The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks. It seems likely to break the barrier of a million copies sold, a feat generally accomplished...

Willie gets a pill every morning for his thyroid. The pill is small enough that it fits into the hole in the middle of a Cheerio. Then I give him a handful more of Cheerios to wash it down. This routine takes place in our master bathroom. One day I decided that all those Cheerios were too dry. So I brought in a cup into the master bathroom to use to give Willie a little drink of water to wash down the dry Cheerios. I made the mistake of bringing in a cup that looked just like my own cup. One groggy morning I did it. I drank out of Willie's cup instead of my own. Needless to say, no more sippy cup for Willie. Is doggy breath contagious?

Went to the vet today to have Frankie's ass checked. He has a small issue still with farting when he barks. Loud Farts. Human-sounding Farts. Funny. The vet says he needs better "anal tone", so he needs to start on a steroid for a while. Anal Tone. She didn't say which note, but I'm thinking Frankie could hit a high C. Oy.

What is a Cat? Cats do what they want. They rarely listen to you. They're totally unpredictable. They whine when they are not happy. When you want to play, they want to be alone. When you want to be alone, they want to play. They expect you to cater to their every whim. They're moody. They leave hair everywhere. They drive you nuts and cost an arm and a leg. Conclusion: They're tiny women in little fur coats. What is a Dog? Dogs lie around all day, sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house. They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but don't hear you when you're in the same room. They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time. They growl when they are not happy. When you want to play, they want to play. When you want to be alone, they want to play. They are great at begging. They will love you forever if you rub their tummies. They leave their toys everywhere. They do disgusting things wit...

Frankie is slowly improving from his surgery . He's been on some extra pain meds that have helped keep him from needing to lick his "area". He is such a long, nimble dog that he can actually lick his own butt... WHILE WEARING THE FREAKING Elizabethan Collar!! Oy.

[Article courtesy of The Poodle (and Dog) Blog ] A number of highly trained service dogs are the constant companions of people who depend on them, not just for their health and safety, but in many cases for their lives. By federal law these dogs are allowed into any building. Whether because of ignorance or arrogance, a South Carolina judge, George Epps, is accused of berating Bob Godfrey for bringing his clearly identified medical service dog, Jasmine, a Golden Retriever, into the courtroom. And Godfrey has the tape recording to prove his case. Godfrey was in court to assist a Spanish-speaking man that he had been teaching English when the judge asked, “What is that dog in here for?” Godfrey explained that Jasmine is a medical assistant that he needed after an automobile accident in 1989 when he worked in the Sheriff’s Office. He has screws and rods in his back, problems with balance and a hearing impairment. He explained that if he fell, Jasmine helped him get up. Epps replied, “It t...

Frankie is recovering today from his butt surgery . The vet had said that I would be able to work him after 3-4 days of rest. But he has a shaved ass with stitches in it. I think I'll wait.

Ok kids, today's post is two stories in one! Both with the same title... see above. First story: This past weekend, Frankie and I went to Walmart. It was going to be our last shopping outing for about a week (see Story #2 for the reason why) and I wanted to just tool around Walmart with him. Even before I got inside the store, I saw trouble a-comin'. It came in the form of a Walmart Greeter With A Walmart Smock. I was sitting in my chair in the entrance changing my sunglasses, when I saw out of the corner of my eye this Walmart Greeter With A Walmart Smock walking quickly and purposefully up to me. I sensed trouble, kemosabe. Walmart Greeter With A Walmart Smock: "We only allow Seeing Eye Dogs in here. Is that a Seeing Eye Dog?" WHAT?! Walmart is one of the few stores that has a big sign on the outside doors that says "Service Dogs Welcome", even though legally, they are "welcome" anywhere I'm "welcome". Me: "No, this ...

N.Y.-Bound Puppies Used As Drug Couriers NEW YORK (AP) - Colombian drug dealers turned puppies into couriers by surgically implanting them with packets of heroin, federal authorities said Wednesday. Investigators believe the ring used the dogs, as well as human drug swallowers, to conceal millions of dollars in liquid heroin on commercial flights into New York City for distribution on the East Coast. Ten puppies, including Labrador retrievers, were rescued during a 2005 raid on a farm in Colombia, the Drug Enforcement Administration said, while announcing more than 30 arrests. A veterinarian had stitched a total of 3 kilograms of heroin into the bellies of six pups. Three later died from infections after the drugs were removed. The surviving dogs "are still alive and well, we're told," said John P. Gilbride, head of the DEA's New York office. Colombian police said they adopted three dogs, one of which was being trained to sniff for drugs. It was unclear how many dogs ...

I recently posted one of my films on YouTube.com , so I thought I'd plug it here. I made the machinima film using The Sims 2. I designed all the costumes, "actors", sets, and camera positioning. Guess which "actor" is me! Click here if you'd like to watch it. It's about 4 mins long. It's kewl. If I say so myself. Just another project to keep me busy.

Baby feeds on dog's milk DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - A Tanzanian mother went into hysterics when she found her six month-old baby suckling dog's milk, a local daily reported Thursday. The mother left her son on a mat while she went to hang clothes in the yard of her Dar Es Salaam home, Uhuru newspaper said. When she came back to find him suckling on the dog, she screamed and rushed to her brother's house to seek advice. But the brother managed to convince her dog's milk was harmless. "Since that day the baby is doing well and hasn't had diarrhea or any signs of illness," he was quoted as saying. Another relative, who witnessed the incident Monday, was also unperturbed. "The baby was satisfied, since his belly was full and his lips had traces of milk," he told Uhuru.

There's one aspect of caring for pets that disabled folks need to keep in mind. Some of us have a hard time taking care of ourselves, let alone adding in a furry or reptilian four-legged being into our lives. But one thing I've found is that even though my pets add a lot more work to my daily routine, they also give me back so much. More than I can even quantify. Here's just one aspect I've noticed that my lizards have added to my life. They make me walk more. That's because I find myself taking the long way around the kitchen just so I can peek inside their tanks and see what they're up to. But that's not work. That's fun! (Crested Gecko photo courtesy of Kati's Cresteds )

TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY! The first Tuesday of every month is hereby proclaimed as Talk To The Disabled Tuesday . NOW, THEREFORE, I, The WillaWoman, do hereby proclaim the First Tuesday of every Month as TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY . I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, and all the people of the World to observe this day with the appropriate actions outlined below. Pretty official sounding, eh?! Goals : Raise awareness of the Disabled's plight of feeling invisible or feeling like a circus freak. Demonstrate to the abled-bodied that The Disabled are just like everyone else. Cause a generational avalanche of knowledge to the abled-bodied 's children. Make the day of a lonely, ostracized Disabled Person . Actions : Say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Nod and smile to a Disabled Person . Strike up a conversation with a Disabled Person . Have your child say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Look a Disable...

I think one of the misconceptions people have when they see someone in a wheelchair is that the person can't walk. Even the Ms. Wheelchair contest administrators had this misconception. Last year's Ms. Wheelchair contest winner Janeal Lee used a wheelchair, but she was also somewhat mobile and could walk at times. The administrators of this contest decided that, by walking, Janeal Lee was not conforming to their idea of what Ms. Wheelchair was all about. They stripped her of her Ms. Wheelchair title. By stripping the reigning Ms. Wheelchair of her title because she was a wheelchair user that could also walk, the contest administrators perpetuated the misconception that all wheelchair users cannot walk. Janeal Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, was snapped by The Post-Crescent newspaper standing among her high school math students. "I've been made to feel as if I can't represent the disabled citizens of Wisconsin because I'm not disabled enou...

CANBERRA (Reuters) - One of the world's top shopping mall owners has paid A$50,000 ($38,000) to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Australia after mall wheelchairs were taken from two brothers with the disease, forcing one to crawl to his car. The other brother had to be carried to the car by his sister. A security guard at a Westfield shopping center in the southern city of Melbourne stopped the brothers when they attempted to take the wheelchairs, which belonged to the shopping mall, outside. "Westfield apologizes for the circumstances which led to the incident and deeply regrets the indignity suffered by the brothers," the company, which is the world's top shopping mall owner by market value, said in a statement.

...down in Houston at the zoo last weekend, one of my leopard geckos apparently made me a grandma! We got home Saturday from the zoo, but I didn't notice anything weird until Sunday. I have a small tupperware container with perlite and moss that I keep moist for them to lay eggs in. I went to take it out to see how moist it was, and I noticed that most of the moss had been moved outside of this container. Weird. Imagine my surprise when I opened up the container and saw 2 gecko eggs inside! My first eggs! Ever! I didn't even notice any of the girls were preggers! (read: newbie breeder!) I was so unprepared that I didn't have my incubator yet. I promptly ordered one (got it today), but in the meantime I moved the tupperware with the eggs over to the warmer side of the gecko's tank. The temperature is pretty regular and within temperature ranges over there, and I've kept an eye on it all week. I'm a little worried that the eggs were laid (lain? layeded?) on ...

I have to apologize that most of this past week's postings are pictures or cut/paste comments. I've been sick with a sinus infection and it's knocked me down a few pegs. See, that's the thing with some of us disabled folks. While you "normals" might consider a sinus infection a minor inconvenience, for me, it's a pretty major event. Here's the deal: When your body spends most of it's energy dealing with whatever illness is causing your disability... And when your body is already at a deficit because you can't exercise... And when your body fat ratio is 40 percent (although I don't consider myself obese, it's that I have no leg muscles anymore) ...your body deals with a "minor inconvenience" very differently. It can become more like a "major setback". Not only that, but my normal activity, already at a lowered level because of my disability, is cut down even more. I can't do my yoga exercises, as minimal as the...