July 14 - Wildlife Isn't Always A Good Thing

So, I was supposed to work today, meaning I needed to be up by 3:30 AM to make into Ardmore, OK by 5:30 AM - so when the dogs barked at 1 AM Bryan 'graciously' got up to let them out.  He didn't turn on the outside light like I usually do - not that it would have made a difference... but I wanted to point that out.  So, within a couple minutes, they were back at the door wanting in - unusual for them, it usually takes us 15 min to get 'em back in.

Bryan opened the door, they flew in ran to my side of the bed and Bryan immediately started yelling - "OUT, OUT!!"  I woke up to the smell of burning rubber... Hannah & Maggie were certainly NOT going back out.  So I jump up and drag them out - deciding they had definitely been sprayed by a skunk.  YEA!!!!

Bryan, bless him, was like.  I'll take care of it - go back to sleep.  Uh, right...  the house reeks of skunk (actually more of a burning rubber smell instead of the 'dead-on-the-road' skunk smell), my dogs are crying outside...  sleep, I'll do that.

Around 1:40 we decided to try - by 3:15 we both gave up and just got up.  I made Bryan go back to bed as he didn't have to be up until 5:30 - but I decided that between the no sleep, the nauseating smell in the house, that I wouldn't go in  so called the hospital and let them know.  I researched skunk odor removal and at 4:30 AM I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up supplies - 6 32-oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide, 2 large boxes of baking soda, 2 new dog collars, toothpaste & listerine, and two large bottles of vinegar.

At 5:30 the bathing began.  What a nightmarish mess.  The "recipe" that is recommended all over the net is 32 oz of H2O2, 1/2 cup baking soda and a tablespoon of dish soap (I chose Dawn since it breaks down grease so well and skunk odor is caused by an oily substance.  Maggie was the first victim and she actually didn't smell TOOOO bad, then poor, poor Hannah.  They each got 2 baths of this solution, then Maggie (mainly to make sure the H2O2 solution is gone) got a bath with doggy deodorizing shampoo.

A few person on the 'net said they slathered their dogs with toothpaste and left it on for a bit then rinsed off.  So Hannah got that treatment, I used minty-fresh Crest with Scope.  Then shampooed her again with the deodorizing dog shampoo.  I'm pretty sure they will get at least one more bath today before they are allowed back in...  :-(  None of us are thrilled about THAT!

What about the nauseating smell in the house?  Well, I've gone through a half bottle of Frebreeze, almost that much in a Purina brand pet deodorizing spray, and now candles.  So now I have a fresh smelling skunk smell...  (think PePe LePew with cartoon flowers following him around).  Actually someone on the 'net suggested baking cinnamon at 250 degrees for an hour. That seems to be helping and I'm about to start another batch.

While in Wal-Mart, I could still smell the skunk smell and decided it was on my hands.  The cashier was polite enough to say she didn't smell anything so it could be just stuck in my nose but...  UGH!   I'm sure Bryan is skunky, he said his phone was reeking (he used it immediately to start researching antidotes).

The girls don't seem to have been bitten so I think they just surprised our visitor and was sprayed - which is plenty bad enough.

June 30 - New Car

Well after having to endure endless hours of Bryan researching vehicles and test driving about a 100 we finally settled on one.  We had narrowed it down to the Kia Forte 5-door the the Kia Sorento - however, the 4-cyl in the Sorento just wasn't enough power and the V-6 was more than we wanted to pay for a commuter car so we got the Forte.

We decided on the 5-door (hatchback basically) so that we'd have room for the dogs.  The back seats fold down completely flat leaving lots of room for Hannah & Maggie and a suitcase or two.  I wasn't keen on it because I am used to the Jeep and being up high, the Forte is lots lower to the ground, but after driving it a bit, it really is OK.  Very peppy for a 4-cyl (2.4), we got some options we didn't necessarily want or would pay for for free - sunroof, sirius radio, tinted windows (almost a must in Texas), theft package... for a really great price.  :-)  Which also helped with the decision.  I guess it does pay to go in 2 hours before closing on the last day of the month on the last day of a quarter.

Anyway, at least now we can park the big truck (F450) now so we don't put as many miles on it and most importantly save in diesel costs.  I'll drive the Kia when I head to Oklahoma for work & Bryan will use it when I'm not gone.  My Jeep isn't the most gas efficient either - especially if there is any type of wind!

Overall, we are pleased with the car and really pleased with Southwest Kia in Mesquite.  They were quite helpful, very low pressure as opposed to the Kia dealership in Lewisville who acted as if they could careless if they had our business or not... until we bought the car - they have called us about 5 times since June 30.

July 2 - McKinney Texas

So, to road test the new Kia, we drove to Denton for lunch on the square and then to McKinney to Happiness is Quilting quilt shop.  What a wonderful shop this is.  I bought to quilt kits, one is a wall hanging and the other is a block-of-the-month pattern.  Ooooo the damage I could do to a checking acct in that store but I was really, really good and just bought the two kits.  Yea me (mainly because I don't seem to have the time to work on anything despite having 3-4 days off a week).

Anyway, QIH is located on the square in McKinney. It is a nice square, surrounded by various shops and restaurants.  The courthouse isn't as impressive as the Denton County one however.

Here's a few photos from the McKinney.

Collin County Courthouse, McKinney, Texas

Beautiful planters on the square