School has begun. And so have the homework struggles. My 5th grader informed me tonight that he is a "middle of the pack kind of guy." What is that supposed to mean?! I quickly turned into super-lecture Mommy and explained how he should always try his best, blah blah blah. He then proceeded to explain that he did not want to be teased because he was too smart. What? TOO smart? Ugh! He also said that people get teased for wearing glasses and having braces. Again, lecture mode descended upon me. What do glasses and braces have to do with being too smart? 10 minutes later, and no further progress on the homework, he wandered off with his befuddled mother watching him go. The stinker successfully sucked his super-smart mother into a nonsensical conversation and didn't have to get down to homework business for that much longer... I guess he is TOO smart...

How does life get away from you so fast? My son is now 10, my GSD is now 6 and my Aussie is now 10ish-and now we have another pack member. Peppe is a 10 year old Poodle mix from the Kitsap Humane Society where we volunteer. His story is not uncommon. When he arrived at the shelter, he was dirty, matted, half blind and quite cranky. His adoption chances were decent though as many people look for little dogs, even if they have health issues and are older. Unfortunately, Peppe also had a biting problem. He was adopted and returned because he bit his new companion. Luckily Peppe had some champions and they tried to find him a place with a rescue for blind dogs. In the meantime, he was waiting in his kennel/cage where I had to pass him when I was volunteering. One Sunday I decided he had waited long enough. I took Peppe home to "foster" him until he went to rescue and to work on his issues. Luckily again, Peppe had his champions at my house! The dogs accepted him grudgingly and lecture him whenever he gets uppity. He still has moments where he will let the kids know they are being too rambunctious for his taste. We decided to make him a permanent pack member and are helping him adjust to an active family!