of demolition and dog bites

There are new men in my life! We got a contractor! In the space and time I occupy, it is bewilderingly necessary to have a personal referral in order for a building contractor to call you and even then you need to be lucky. Our last prospective contractor kept us waiting a total of six hours each time he came over. Too much stress. Three strikes, he's out. I have a fear and dislike of contractors, medical personnel and mechanics. We are at their mercy and their timetable, rendered clueless and submissive, impatient and in a state of high anxiety. And overly dramatic. Nonetheless, we have engaged such a personage to re-do our kitchen; a big and messy job sure to take at least a month. We are putting all our faith (and lots of money) in Jerry, who is prompt, and very professional, and has trustworthy eyes. We also have many decisions to make. What kind of floors, what tiles, what fixtures, what lights, what color, doors, windows, cabinets. We cannot order cabinets till demolition begins and we can see how many inches of space we have. We are planning a 1/2 bath which the plumber says is too small, but he's a really big guy.We are hoping to avoid more wall-cutting. All will be revealed soon, along with the guts of our 96 year old kitchen. Oi!
In Carmelita news, we were on our way to pick up Chinese food Sat when she got into a contretemps with another dog and I stupidly got into it too, sticking my hand where it shouldn't have been resulting in her biting me pretty badly. My hand is OK, it was terribly quick, but shocking and painful. She had no idea what happened, she was on her leash going for a leashed dog. I put out my hand to stop her as she reared up and she caught the fat part between thumb and forefinger. Caramel is very unpredictable with other dogs esp on the block or in front of the house. She is very protective of her territory and has recently started marking (peeing) around the boundaries of our block, which means she's settling in but also getting territorial. There is no rhyme or reason for her dislike of certain dogs and her love for certain others. I know that when she was rescued, she ran with a pack and had to fight for her food. I'm hoping that with time she will feel secure enough to love all her furry friends. Needless to say, we have since switched over to her choke collar for walks and postponed our plans for a cat. I was rather freaked out but am recovering, After all, she is a really wonderful dog and I am just a dumb impetuous human. Years of teaching made me react protectively. She's not a kid, she's a dog. She's Caramelly Smellybelly.