When I left the house this morning we had four humans and three cats living in the household. Tonight when I got home we had the addition of a dog! The other three humans went and got Roxy from the SPCA today. She still needs to go to the vet and see if she has Lyme disease, if they can do anything about her cataracts, whether she needs to be spayed, and get a better estimate of her age. They originally thought she was 5 or 6, but now think she's closer to 8. Since the lifespan of chows is 8-12 years, she's probably into her senior phase. She's sweet and quiet and very placid. She went for a ride in the car, hanging her head out the window and smiling while the wind whipped her beautiful red fur. She wandered around the back yard, rolled in the grass for a moment, then settled into a shady spot and stayed there for several hours.

She's asleep now here in the family room with us, Hercules the big bully cat keeping careful watch from his perch on the back of the sofa. She ignores the cats, who hiss and stalk her, not quite sure what she is just yet. She has a purple collar and leash, her own food and water dishes (which the cats insist on eating and drinking out of), and a pooper scooper. No bed, because the cats would just pee on it, so Rebecca donated an old comforter.

We had the pool opened up today. The hot tub that is attached has big cracks and all the water leaked out of it. Since I don't remember experiencing an earthquake during the winter, there must be some other cause. It's supposed to be under warranty, although we were assured by the pool builder that this almost never happens.

The drive into Philadelphia was painfully long this morning - 90 minutes for what should be a 40 minute drive. No apparent reason, just clotted traffic, as if we were pork rinds congealing in arteries. The drive home was not quite as bad, but it makes me thankful my commute is usually less than 15 minutes and that the last stretch on the way home is through a lovely residential street in town, complete with park, ball fields, and white picket fences.