Nose to the ground! in QUOTIDIEN

So - after freaking out the previously unfreakable cat, Beth began on her journey on the path to being schooled by a cat she clearly outweighs by 70 or so pounds. Caught now on the coffee table, Ziggy finally flattened his ears - looking like Toothless on 'How to Train Your Dragon', exposed his claws and began a series of serious nose-thwapping. At one point, a claw got caught in Beth's lip. I figured (wrongly) that this would be it for Beth. But I swear, that bitch smiled, dangled her tongue and wagged her tail even more!!!

The ruckus was such that at one point, I had to step in to save the dog AND my sanity. I acknowledge that I have a huge part in this persistent 'game' by repeating 'no!' and 'lay down' without making it stick. My throat was almost raw from the repetition. Finally, after having said 'NO CAT' for the umpteenth time, I grabbed Beth by both sides of her face, growled 'NO CAT', then forced her face to the ground. What followed was an entire 90 minutes of PEACE!

I'm not saying she's cured - but I now realize that her excitement over 'cat butt' holds a far greater impact on her actions than my feeble 'NO CAT' unless I make myself greater than her excitement. In other words, I am going to have to insist on my HEAD BITCH status much more firmly. It's what she understands.

School was called off due to inclement weather and road conditions. My driveway is coated in a 1/2" of ice. The cross road is partially covered with ice. Even some of the main roads still glisten!

Tomorrow, we're told we can expect anywhere from 6-10" of the white stuff. On top of the existing ice this should be interesting. It means my daughter will be home from school yet another day....or two. GAH!

The snow should start before noon and, we're told, will fall at 2" per hour. Tomorrow is the day we meet with the hand specialist for Anne-Marie, too. At 11:00am. No fear, people! I have NO FEAR! Remember? I'm head bitch! Yipe!