Found!

We are animal lovers. Animals are amazing... each in their own unique way. And they bring great joy to loving owners. That being said we aren't necessarily "dog people" although we have owned dogs in the past. And even though we currently own two cats, we are barely cat people.

How can we be animal lovers, but not love owning animals? That's primarily because pet ownership is hard work! And we love animals so much that we want to be the best at owning them that we can be, but with three (animals) children already and an extremely full life besides we don't have much time for being world's best pet owners. I know, I know... lots of important people have pets and make time in their busy lives for them. Doctors. Lawyers. Heck, even the President has time for a dog... but not us.

Another reason that we shy away is because we get extremely emotionally attached to the animals in our lives. We feel enormous guilt about leaving the pet (especially a dog) behind. I am not talking about death... not even a lengthy vacation. We feel guilty leaving the dog for just an afternoon. See what I mean about extremely emotionally attached?

Then there's the money factor. Inevitably, something bad (read costly) happens to them. Take Brick, for instance. Ben found him on a job site in the early spring of 1994. He was a tiny kitten probably too young to be away from his mother, but there he was making his way over a pile of bricks (hence the name) in a rainstorm... starving, lonely, and afraid. Ben took him in and fed him out of his lunchbox. He became an instant member of our family. In the fall of that same year, Brick was attacked by the neighbor's German Shepherd and seriously injured. The vet said he could do one of three things to our kitty: euthanize, amputate the severely broken leg, or repair the leg in a lengthy and difficult surgery involving pins that would leave no guarantee he'd ever be able to walk like normal. Putting him to sleep was out of the question. Ben couldn't imagine a three legged cat. So, yep, he opted for the surgery. And Brick became our million dollar cat (not literally, but when you've been married for only a few months and you are barely 20 and you are living above your parents garage... it might as well have been). Similar tales of woe could be told about all of our subsequent pets... except Amber, but I am sure her time is 'a comin'.

So this morning we awoke to a beagle meandering on our patio. Holden, who was sitting on the couch, munching his breakfast, and watching Curious George with bleary eyes, perked right up when the words "dog" and "our" were sounded in the same sentence. Yes, the kids have been after us for quite some time for a dog. To tell the truth, about five months ago, the "puppy bug" bit me. The puppy bug is somewhat like the "baby bug" where you see an adorable dog that is well-mannered and lovable and suddenly you want one for your very own. The longing continues until you run across a not-so-adorable and well-mannered dog or baby as the case may be, then the longing suddenly and abruptly ends not to be brought up again... at least not until you get another bite. Another admission... the dog I've been longing for... a beagle. Yes, this is my fantasy dog... a hairless, barkless, poopless beagle named Dash. This is another sign of "the bug"... a fantasy that lives perfect in your head, but is never to be realized because reality ain't perfect.

So here sits this beagle. Thirsty. Hungry. Sweet. Sad. We water him. Feed him... cat food, it's all we had. Pet him. He stays. The kids leave for school. He stays. Ben and I spend an hour picking off ticks... no less than 50... during which he lays submissively actually enjoying the attention, I think. Then Ben and I leave the house with the usual guilty ache in the pit of our stomachs. He stays! We bring home food and tick medicine. The talk of names begins...

I am torn. Ben is torn. The kids are decidedly thrilled. We will put forth a good faith effort to find his rightful home... if he indeed has one. If that is the case, Ben and I will be relieved because we want all animals to have a loving home. But if he stays with us... that's what he'll get.

Rafferty's Update

My complaint to Rafferty's website was delivered to the manager... much to Ben's surprise (he said no one would ever read it). The manager graciously called me the Monday after my email to discuss my experience. I really didn't have anything more to add, but I did clarify the reason that I didn't mention it while at the restaurant was because I didn't want to make a scene (or get my food spit in). He sent out complimentary meal cards to compensate us and he said hopefully win us back. Believe it or not I am not in a hurry to go back. Not even for free food! I am sure we will though and I will post back about my experience. At least, they earn brownie points for having such a competent and pleasant manager.

Our "Night"mare Out

Our family loves to eat out. The kids like getting something other than "home food". Ben likes getting food that I don't cook at home like red meat. And I just love that I don't have to do the cooking and cleaning!

There was a time when we dined at a restaurant weekly, but then Owen came along. He hated restaurants. They made him scream relentlessly. Then came the bad economy and high gas prices. So eating out is a treat for us. We do a family afternoon out once a month or so when we do an errand or two together then have dinner at a restaurant.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) there aren't many good restaurants in Clarksville. Most everything is a chain and they are all chains that gained popularity in the 1990's (read: old). Then there are the cookie cutter Mexican places and Chinese buffets. We usually choose Rafferty's or Longhorn. Rafferty's has several dishes that Ben is fond of. I only like a few things, but I have warm, fuzzy memories of it as one of the first places Ben and I visited when we started dating. They used to have good options for the kids too.

All of that changed on our visit there this week. It was so disappointing that I made my way to Rafferty's website to lodge a complaint. I don't like confrontation nor do I want the undue attention of other customers. But it definitely merited a complaint so I did it the best way I knew how: writing.

Here's what I wrote:

My family visited your Clarksville, TN location on December 4, 2008. Rafferty's has always been one of our favorite places to dine here in town as it is consistently good... good food and good service. Unfortunately, on our last visit we were disappointed. The service was fair, but the food left much to be desired. We ordered our usual hot chicken fingers appetizer which tasted the same as always, but seemed much smaller than usual. I was surprised when my request for honey butter drizzle on the croissants that come with the Chicken Salad, Soup, and Croissants entree was met with an up-charge for an entire ramekin of honey butter. I declined. It is just ridiculous to me that I would be charged for a 1/4 cup of something that would amount to less that 1 tablespoon when drizzled on the croissants as it is on the ones that come with all of other the salads on the menu. I ordered the soup of the day, broccoli cheese, which amounted to melted Velveeta with chopped broccoli... at least that is how it tasted. It was lukewarm and had the consistency of glue. The grapes in the chicken salad were ALL mushy... way past their prime. The croissants were not the usual ones nor were they anything like the one my husband got with his salad that evening; they were more like Pilsbury crescent rolls... small and tasteless. My husband's meal was the Wood-Fired Pork Chops. They were barely eatable. Tough and overdone. In this economy, eating out is no longer a given. Our family goes out to eat about once a month... a special treat for all of us. I have a friend who is a server at a local restaurant and she has noticed a marked decrease in business as well as her tips. What I expect of a restaurant that values me as a customer and wants to keep my business in order to STAY in business is that despite tough times they will give me my money's worth. I was willing to lay down my hard earned money at Rafferty's for food I expected to be worth it. I am not surprised at higher prices on the menu, but I am shocked when the food I receive in return is mediocre and not up to the standards that you once achieved. We will not make that mistake again.

I felt like Chef Ramsay in a Kitchen Nightmare of my own. Only I didn't want to help them turn things around nor was my meal on the house. But hell hath no fury like a mom who got a crappy meal that she could have prepared better and for way less money on her own. So spread the word... add 'em to the black list of Clarksville restaurants NOT to eat at.