Fall weather and the neighbors

The chilly wet season is upon us on Delmarva. It rains for days, then we have a day or two of pleasant weather, like today when it's in the mid-50sF and sunny with little to no breeze.

The problem is that the wet encourages mold growth, which makes any yard chore extra problematic.

And then there are the neighbors, one of whom is actually mowing grass that is all ready too short, brown, and hibernating. Another is burning leaves. Several have woodstoves. Add seasonal allergens, and that's all she wrote.

So Mr. Nebulizer and I, having completed our outdoor labors, are heading to the TV to boo the Eagles and hope the Redskins can pull off an upset.

Dog groomer

Our dog groomer is completely awesome! We've taken the dogs to her for several years, ever since she opened up her shop, Petique Grooming. Her prices are reasonable, she does what we want, and she loves the dogs.

In the beginning, we took our own shampoo, because the scent of most of the shampoos was far too strong and lingered for days. We found an oatmeal shampoo - Top Paw natural oatmeal shampoo - that both helps Sadie and Roscoe with their dry skin issues and doesn't smell strongly, so we took that to be used on our dogs.

Since then, Joy found an unscented shampoo, which she got with us in mind, and now uses on our babies all the time. If that wasn't enough of a help, she called us to reschedule one appointment when her heater broke down and filled the shop with the heavy odor of heating oil and smoke. When she called, she told Marlene that we couldn't come in the building because the smell was too powerful and would make us sick.