The Mill on the What?

My friend, Linda, sent me an e-mail to advise me that the reading list changed from the time I checked YESTERDAY. Instead of reading Middlemarch, we are now reading The Mill on the Floss. What the hell is a floss? And how did they get a mill on it?

Yeah, I know the Floss is supposedly a river (in England, I have to guess). But I didn't like George Eliot so much when I read her the first time! Now I have to read it again.

Thanks a lot, Linda! Is shooting the messenger still a viable option? I don't even have a copy of that one -- and I found all but one of the other books in my own collection. Looks like I will be spending some time at Denny's this summer after all.

Lia is on my feet playing with that stupid soccer ball again.

She is starting to change color -- and she's going through that gawky, adolescent phase. She has a black streak on her nose that while it is totally darned adorable, makes her look like she's been digging in dirt. She also has developed a yellow streak down her back and on her tail. This is also adorable. I'm starting to wonder, though, if I feed her enough. I am giving her about 2 cups in the morning and 2 at night. Maybe a little less -- but about. I wish she'd stop growing -- she was so cute as a puppy. I do love big dogs, though, and she is going to be beautiful. We start to train on the 28th. 6 weeks of puppy training only runs about $85 so this is very reasonable.

In the meantime, she is still sitting, laying down, playing "bang," giving "paw," and doing "1 time around." The problem is that she is starting to confuse hand signals -- especially when I try to teach "stay." I will ask Janelle about the "stay" hand signal and the fact that she is confusing signals. I also have to try to do the "tricks" in a different order -- she may be just running the routine without understanding the difference between each command.

She had a bath today and actually stayed in the tub for most of the bath. I didn't break out at all this time, either -- probably because she wasn't crazily trying to get out of the tub and scratching me while she did.

Now for the BIG NEWS! LIA GOES TO THE DOOR, NOW, WHEN SHE HAS TO POTTY! :)
(okay -- sometimes).