See my new hit counter?

Here's Sadie in another of her favorite spots, under the table.

I finally gave up on AOL's hit counter and went and got my own.  I chose the tiniest one I could find.

It was bitter cold this morning, and since we were going shopping, we skipped our walk, which we rarely do.  I wanted to go back to Pennies and, hopefully, find a bargain-priced coat.  The coats they had left were indeed bargains, but there wasn't much selection after several days of clearance sales.  Across the street at Sears, though, I found a suitable one for $29.  Nothing fancy, but it'll do.

We ate Italian at Zio's, our first time there.  I'd wanted Olive Garden, but it wasn't in the vicinity.

Now, let me share some "fat person" mentality with you:  Cliff and I have been doing great at buying one meal, asking for an extra plate, and sharing the meal.  However, having never been to Zio's, we had no idea what size portions we'd get.  So we both caved in and each got our own meal.  As if we'd have starved had the portion not been enough to fill us up.  I mean, we could have come home and eaten something else if we were still hungry after the meal.  Fat person mentality.

So, we'd both gotten about halfway through our meal (huge portions) and realized it was too much.  In times past, being full wasn't a reason to stop eating, but we've come a long way, baby.  We'll both have Italian for supper tonight.  And yes, the next time we eat out, we WILL split one meal.

Sadie was in the house alone for about five hours, and she was so happy to see us.  Mandy never acted like this, and I'm still getting used to being the cause of such tail-wagging joy.  Mandy, in fact, didn't wag her tail as far as I can remember.

Our morning walks are the highlight of Sadie's days, and I started feeling guilty that she hadn't had her run in the pasture.  So I left Cliff watching "Cops", and the dog and I had our exercise.  She ran circles around me; if I walk two miles, she must get at least double that.

Good news:  My friend Joanna, with whom I spent a week in 2004, is coming to visit  me the first weekend in April!  She's one of the wonderful people I've met on the Internet who has become a real-life buddy.  She showed me around Washington, DC, so I guess it's my turn to show her around my pasture.  Actually she's anxious to see the people and critters I talk about in my journal; and I'm anxious for her to meet them.