We might be getting a doggy!

I am so excited! We're going to meet a rescue dog on Saturday morning and I can't wait!!!

We've been talking about wanting a dog for years now but never did much about it. Finally I started doing some research on dog ownership (since Willy and I will both be first-time dog owners) and started looking online for a dog that would be a good fit for us. We always wanted a rescue dog, something small to medium sized (probably like 25 lbs. or less), something that didn't shed too much, something with hair instead of fur, and something that would get along with other people and kids. We pretty much knew after doing some research on breeds that we wanted a poodle mix. I did some hunting on PetFinder.com but hadn't found the right companion for us. That and a lot of the rescues on that site required some pretty high fees, which I couldn't stomach after being unemployed for so long.

Then I met someone who does rescue work in her free time and she told me about a poodle mix they just got. He's tiny--only 5 lbs. right now but the woman who's fostering him thinks he could be up to 15 lbs. once he gets to a normal weight. Here's the first picture I got of him, where his hair is totally overgrown:

His hair was really matted as it turns out so they ended up having to shave him. Look how tiny he is afterwards!
So he needs to be fed and given some TLC, but otherwise his foster mom told me he's a great little guy. Listens well, is smart, gets along with other dogs and people...basically sounds like a great dog for first-timers and the perfect fit for us. I hope he'll be coming home with us soon!

Pretty flowers from our yard

I love cut flowers but never buy them because I'm way too frugal. I love my orchids and other plants, but there's something about flowers in a vase that's just different. Luckily we have a few pretty perennials planted (say that 3x fast) around the yard and here's what I cut today:

The daisies are just too cute, and the other two are varieties of astilbes. I can't take credit for having planted any of these, they were already here when we bought the place. I did buy and plant more astilbe bulbs earlier this spring though since I love their delicate, pretty look and they're coming up slowly but surely.

Don't the astilbe's remind you of fireworks? Speaking of which, we saw the most amazing fireworks show for the 4th of July this year. We went to the Cambridge side of the Charles River with my sister and her boyfriend and the vendors for the show this year did an absolutely amazing job. I wish I'd taken my camera with me; the picture to the right is stolen from the Internet. Boston seriously has the best fireworks display anywhere, IMHO. We would have liked to be on the Esplanade for the show and be able to hear the Boston Pops play but it's not as easy to get on there as when I was a kid growing up here. There's barracades and National Guard and a bazillion people now so I think you have to go pretty early in the morning to secure a spot in front of the hatch shell.