You'd take them if you could, but you can't, so just go.  Enjoy.  Know that they're staying at a pampered place.  Pamper them some more when you come home.

Don't feel guilty.  They'll survive.  Some dogs live their whole lives in much worse straits that you're providing for them at the boarding facility(e.g. backyard dogs, etc).

I've never wanted to leave them alone in the house, even with people coming to visit them. And Ruffian did terrible staying with friends - he expected me to come back every minute and was just miserable - wouldn't eat or let himself be comforted at all. I've been lucky enough to have found great boarding facilities in both Colorado and here in FL. The dogs get to play all day with the other dogs, and are not kept in pens. Ruffy was fine in that type of place. The one here in FL even has a little pool. (Photo 9 in the doggie day care 3 gallery is my old Ruffian, the golden with the white face.) I've been paying between $25-31 per day per dog. It is a little more expensive then the penned kennels, but well worth it since I don't worry one bit. I just add it to the vacation budget, or eat cheap if it is a business trip and I'm on per diem.

Cute boarding story - when I lived in CO I brought Ruffian to the same place - Home Free, up near Golden Gate State Park-  for about 5 years before I got the second dog, Oakley. Ruffy loved it there, no problem. The first time I travelled after having both dogs, about 3 months after I got Oakley, Oakley's former owner wanted to take care of him for that week, so I dropped him off with her in the evening, then took Ruffy to the kennel the next day and went to work, since I was not leaving until the evening. Got a call late morning that Ruffy was miserable at the kennel - now he was not happy there anymore without his buddy Oakley. So I had to go get Oakley and take him to the kennel too, then Ruffy was fine again. So much for that experiment!

And she also claims that John was the one who first shot her up with coke.  

Bothersome soybean aphids here to stay for now

unimaginable numbers of these little &*%$#s.
and this might be why:

Plus, when born, the aphid actually is pregnant.

Yes, pregnant. Making more aphids is something they're quite good at doing.

A union leader said Tuesday that University of Iowa Hospitals has backed down on required flu shots for staff members, but a university spokesman denied it.

The hospital and its clinics announced a few weeks ago that it would require patient-care workers to be vaccinated against regular, seasonal flu. Hospital leaders also said the staff probably would be required to receive vaccinations against the new H1N1 flu when those shots become available later this fall.

The plan drew fire from the Service Employees International Union, which represents U of I nurses and other staff members. Union leaders said they support flu vaccinations, but don't think the shots should be mandatory. SEIU asked a judge to block the mandatory vaccination plan, which the union said violated its contract with the hospital.

Then again, if pharmacists don't want to follow doctor's orders, I wonder why they went into the field.  And I'd have to wonder the same about others in health care in hospitals and other places that will be handling contagious flu cases.  They ought to change to other workplaces, too; there is no shortage of work for nurses.

Then you've got the Glenn Beck's of the world adding fuel to the fire by continually fulminating about how this swarthy socialist furner is comin' ta take yer guns away while working to overturn everything good we've ever known in this country.