3 Julies

I can't say enough about everyone's comforting words about my Bug. I would email each person back, but that would mean even more tears as I write. Your words have really meant a lot to me. Thank you all so very much.
Now onto happier topics.
I went to see Julia and Julie or is it Julie and Julia Wednesday night at a fancy schmancy new Gold Class Cinemas theater in Barrington with my sister (Julie) and my friend Emily. I have to say, it was great!
The movie was really good, and the theater was fantastic! Meryl Streep was wonderful as Julia Child. I wasn't sure how she would be, but let's face it, the woman is an amazing actress. All of the leads were great. Although the Child's "getting it on" scenes did make both Emily and I say "ewwww". It's kind of like thinking about your parents having nooky. Just wrong, don't ever want to go there. But if their love was as great as it's depicted in the movie, we should all be so lucky to have that in our lives. Julia was the first real celebrity chef, at least at my house. I loved her shows on PBS. I especially liked the show she did with Jacques Pepin. He's still one of my all time favorites as well. And her spirit and fearlessness is an inspiration. I'm going to have to read the book of her life now.
At first glance, the theater experience seems to be pricey, but when you think about it, it's really rather reasonable. (A former boss of me and good friend, Eileen explained this all to me one night over dinner, and being a finance person at heart, she can run those numbers!)
It ended up being $50 for a cooking demo, the movie, dinner, dessert and two glasses of a good Shiraz and a Julie and Julia apron. The seats in the theater are these amazing orange barkaloungers, that have good lumbar support, headrests and even recline! And if you take the online survey you get an additional $15 coupon for food or drinks. The lobby in the place was really nice, more of a lounge really. There was a modern fireplace, 2 bars, tables, comfy chairs, couches...the whole bit. If you were to do dinner and a movie, it would probably cost you the same or more, and you have to sit in those icky chairs and listen to obnoxious people and kids through the whole thing. People at this movie were too busy eating to be obnoxious and teenagers aren't going to pay that much money for a movie.
This movie in particular is a good one to have dinner during. About 5 minutes into it Emily leaned over and said "when are we going to eat, I'm hungry already!" The food was really good. I had an appetizer portion of cold cucumber soup (one of the demos), arrancini w/bruschetta and mozzarella inside, beef satay (the beef was totally tender and juicy), a side of hericot beans, mushroom and tomatoes (which was FANTASTIC) then for dessert, truffles (also a demo) and Langue de Chat cookies. (did I spell that right?)
We all decided we would definitely go back.
And as an added bonus, there's a Sur La Table in the mall there too!

So very, very sad, again

I can't believe I'm writing this, just 13 months after we lost our beloved Methos. I came home from work Wednesday to find that my dear, funny, sweet, wonderful Bug had passed away while we were gone. She was perfectly fine in the morning when we left for work and was only about 8 years old. It was a terrible, terrible shock to come home to. I had a complete feeling of dread when she didn't meet me at the door.
The good thing is that it appears as though she went quietly in her sleep. She was in the exact position she slept in, in front of the window that she waits at for me to come home. I rushed her to the vet, but I knew in my heart that it was too late, that she had left me. They said it could have been a clot, heart disease, or other issue that doesn't show itself until it's too late.

I have a feeling it had to do with the fact that she had heartworms when she came into the rescue back in 2002. Heartworms are nasty, horrible things, and the treatment for them is really hard on the dogs. Who knows if she had lasting internal damage from it. We were told by the rescue people that heartworms have been epidemic in the midwest in the past few years. Most of the dogs they were getting in had it. Most shelters put the dogs down w/o treating it.

Bug had come from a pound in southern Illinois, where she was scheduled to be put down, but the shelter people really liked her, so they called Adopt A Husky. That was a good day for us.
I picked Bug. I had talked the hubby into the fact that Methos needed a friend. Her name was really Amelia, but I started calling her Mealy, then Mealy Bug, then just Bug. She answered to all of them and knew she was in trouble and had better respond immediately when I used Amelia. When we brought her home, it was obvious that she had never really been around people before. She didn't even know what a belly rub was. I used to push her over and rub it. She looked at me like, "what are you doing". After a few of those, she became a belly rub glutton.

She was also really unaffectionate in the beginning. But I took her through 3 obedience classes and half of an agility class. She loved it, especially the agility. I walked out of there though because the people who ran it were terrible to her. They believed that if you don't have a Sheltie or Retriever, your dog wasn't worthy. It's hard to find an indoor agility class and when you have a dog that was born to run, and has been clocked at 35mph, you don't take a chance with an outdoor, non-fenced in agility class. The only thing Bug didn't do well with was the long sit and stay. She was the laziest Husky. She figured if she had to sit there, why not lay down and be comfortable. Most of the time she'd end up on her back, makingeveryone laugh. I would have to stand right up in front of her and hold a piece of dog food on my nose to keep her upright. Bug would do anything for food. It was her big Achilles Heal. She would lay with her head under the rungs of my chair at the dinner table. After all those classes together, she was my girl through and through. She loved her belly rubs, going for walks, rides in the car, laying in contorted positions, and food. She completely embodied the Husky curiosity. Even though she wasn't a licker, every now and then, especially when I had been gone for a few days, she would come up beside me and give my hand a small kiss.

Almost every morning she would slink up onto the bed, and skooch me over so she could lay on the edge of the bed and get her belly rubbed. She and Daisy had wrestlemania every morning, evening and around dinner time, not to mention a few other times a day. They would only wrestle in my presence. Daisy is just now starting to understand that her wrestling partner is gone.

Just thinking about never seeing her little prehistoric squirrel eyes looking at me while she doggy smiled and wagged her tail, makes me tear up. We called her the prehistoric squirrel after seeing the first Ice Age movie. She totally looked and acted like the squirrel in the movie. Her lips were too small, and didn't always cover her teeth, it was really cute.

My quilting and sewing company name is named for her, Bugglet Quilts.

I thought I'd have at least a few more years with her. She was so vibrant and full of life. I will always miss her companionship. She's now with Methos, probably wrestling. Rest in peace my beautiful, sweet, and wonderful girl.