I was reading over at the Fifty Factor this morning, a post about that horrid fashion our youth of today sport, the baggy pants hanging down with their underwear & butt cracks showing, and it got me to thinking about my own fashion woes.
I've never really been one to conform to what my peers viewed as being in fashion at the time. If I see something and like it, AND I can find it in my size AND can afford it, then I'll buy it. I'm not one to toss aside clothing just because it's last years style (if not last decades style). I've still got a pair of stirrup-pants I wear from time to time, left-over from the early 90's, so what does that tell ya?
I've got a pair of boots, I always referred to them as my granny-boots, that I used to wear to work from time to time. They were comfortable, which is the main factor in my purchasing shoes. Even though I'm no fashion maven(sp?), I do care enough to at least not be too horribly mis-matched, wrinkled, etc. Operative word being "too". I've made some fashion blunders over the years, I admit it. But I am who I am. Hence the "Rat Sass" blog name. If you don't like the way I'm dressed, too bad. Back to those granny boots... One of the shoe laces broke a while back and I've tried unsuccessfully to find a replacement. If I find the right color, then they're too short, or if they're the correct length, then they're the wrong color. Now many fashionable persons would've either tossed the boots into the trash or donated them to charity if they'd been unable to find a suitable replacement. But not I. I held onto them, knowing that one day I'd find a use for them or else finally find the proper shoe strings. Recently, the work boots I used at the farm met with an untimely demise and they were beyond repair. However, the shoe laces were still in fairly decent condition, a little frayed at the ends perhaps, but for the most part, in good shape. I dug those ol' granny boots out and replaced the broken shoe lace. So now I walk around in granny boots with mis-matched shoe laces (I'm holding onto the other just waiting for the 2nd lace to break, which I expect to happen any day now). Some people would cringe at this fashion faux pas, but I call it being cent$able. The horses and goats don't care if my shoe laces match, so what the heck!?
I'm not a fan of the colors brown and pink being worn together. I don't know when and why this became so fashionable, but I keep hoping it's just a passing fad that will go away. Orange is another color I'm not too crazy about. Orange with anything for that matter. I do however have a light-weight hoody (when did we stop calling them hooded-sweatshirts???) that has a grotesque mix of orange, yellow and pink swirled together. Honestly, I think it's hideous. It looks like vomit. But it was on clearance for just a few bucks and I thought it would make a good item to wear on the farm during cooler temperatures. Again, the horses don't care what I look like. Besides, I figure if I'm ever alone out in one of the pastures while wearing this and something should happen to me (ie fall and can't get up, get knocked unconscious, etc.) then hopefully the search party would see the "pile of vomit" lying in the pasture and go investigate as a pile of vomit in a horse pasture would be totally suspicious as horses don't vomit.
So perhaps in light of my cent$ of fashion, perhaps I shouldn't be so harsh on the young people that wear their pants so low.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Judging Amy
Judging Amy. No, not the tv show, this is a real-life situation.
We live in a judgemental world. We're quick to judge and criticize others for their actions and behaviors without knowing all the facts. I'm guilty, same as the next person. I try not to judge, but without fail, I slip from time to time.
I recently met a woman, I'll call her "Amy". Amy has MS (multiple sclerosis) but is furiously independent, wanting to do as much for herself as possible. When you see her coming, she's walking, pushing a wheelchair. She does this because she can walk for short distances without problem but after a while will start to tire and have troubles and then sits in her chair and wheels herself around.
Once upon a time, I know perfectly well I'm the kind of person that had I seen this while out in public, I'd have not only thought it was bizarre but probably jumped to conclusions. Or, sometimes when I would see people at the grocery riding around in those motorized shopping carts, yet are able to get up and get things off the shelf, in the past I'd have mentally criticized them and written them off as just being lazy. But as I'm learning from Amy, there is/are just reasons for the things we see that may not make sense to us.
Earlier this week, as I walked in the Mayor's Hike & Bike, I was crossing over the 2nd Street Bridge and as I was just about to over-take a family that was walking, I fell back into the bad habit of jumping to conclusions. I saw a husband & wife (presumably) walking side by side. She was pulling a child's wagon in which sat two small children. In her other hand she carried a bag of items they'd picked up at the various booths (why she didn't set it in the wagon w/the kids is beyond me). The man carried nothing more than a bottle of water.
My first thought was, "What a lazy bastard! He should be pulling that wagon, or at the very least carrying that bag instead of making her do everything!"
A couple of moments later, I immediately felt ashamed of myself for having had those thoughts. I thought of Amy and realized I don't know their situation. For all I know, that man has health problems and perhaps it's all he can do to walk, to add the burden of carrying a bag or pulling the wagon would have been too much for him. Or perhaps he's got nerve damage in his arm/hand and wouldn't be able to hold onto the handle or bag. He could have health problems and I've no right to judge him just because his problem isn't obvious to me. Or he could very well just be a lazy s.o.b. Who am I to say?
I do my best not to judge, but I've no doubt I'll continue to slip from time to time. I'll try to keep Amy in mind and remind myself that some people are justified for their actions that may seem strange to us.
We live in a judgemental world. We're quick to judge and criticize others for their actions and behaviors without knowing all the facts. I'm guilty, same as the next person. I try not to judge, but without fail, I slip from time to time.
I recently met a woman, I'll call her "Amy". Amy has MS (multiple sclerosis) but is furiously independent, wanting to do as much for herself as possible. When you see her coming, she's walking, pushing a wheelchair. She does this because she can walk for short distances without problem but after a while will start to tire and have troubles and then sits in her chair and wheels herself around.
Once upon a time, I know perfectly well I'm the kind of person that had I seen this while out in public, I'd have not only thought it was bizarre but probably jumped to conclusions. Or, sometimes when I would see people at the grocery riding around in those motorized shopping carts, yet are able to get up and get things off the shelf, in the past I'd have mentally criticized them and written them off as just being lazy. But as I'm learning from Amy, there is/are just reasons for the things we see that may not make sense to us.
Earlier this week, as I walked in the Mayor's Hike & Bike, I was crossing over the 2nd Street Bridge and as I was just about to over-take a family that was walking, I fell back into the bad habit of jumping to conclusions. I saw a husband & wife (presumably) walking side by side. She was pulling a child's wagon in which sat two small children. In her other hand she carried a bag of items they'd picked up at the various booths (why she didn't set it in the wagon w/the kids is beyond me). The man carried nothing more than a bottle of water.
My first thought was, "What a lazy bastard! He should be pulling that wagon, or at the very least carrying that bag instead of making her do everything!"
A couple of moments later, I immediately felt ashamed of myself for having had those thoughts. I thought of Amy and realized I don't know their situation. For all I know, that man has health problems and perhaps it's all he can do to walk, to add the burden of carrying a bag or pulling the wagon would have been too much for him. Or perhaps he's got nerve damage in his arm/hand and wouldn't be able to hold onto the handle or bag. He could have health problems and I've no right to judge him just because his problem isn't obvious to me. Or he could very well just be a lazy s.o.b. Who am I to say?
I do my best not to judge, but I've no doubt I'll continue to slip from time to time. I'll try to keep Amy in mind and remind myself that some people are justified for their actions that may seem strange to us.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Random thoughts
~Fads come and fads go. Some resurface a couple of decades later, while others are permanently relegated to the past, never to be resurrected.
I have a feeling that blogging is quickly becoming one of those passing fads. Once upon a time, I'd blog several times a day, and occasionally I still do, but more often than not, I find myself sometimes going for days without committing anything to the blog world.
I find that many (if not most) of my friends (both near and virtual) that used to blog, if not daily then at least with some frequency, have also nearly given it up. If and when they do blog, it almost seems to be as an afterthought or it's done with a sense of guilt.
I continue to check several of my favorite blogs most days if I'm near a computer, but as fewer and fewer people are blogging, there are very few updates to my "follow" list. I suppose most people have moved on to Facebook and/or Twitter. Things I've refused to become a part of thus far. They're probably passing fads as well, and while it may be a few years, I feel they too will eventually become "yesterday's fad".
~Here's a stain that I'm willing to bet Billy Mays or Hints from Heloise has never been presented with...
Most of you know by now I have issues with public (and some private) toilets, more specifically, toilet seats. That little brown triangle that appears from time to time on the back of the seat, created by dirty butt cheeks when the flesh is pressed against the seat, is a phenomenon I was introduced to about 13 years ago, and unfortunately I'm seeing more and more with every passing year. Maybe I was just oblivious to it before, I don't know. I'm not sure how people can walk around with such dirty butts. I mean, wouldn't they notice an odor or the dirty mark in the underwear (assuming they wear underwear) or wouldn't they develop something akin to diaper rash or something?
Okay, so the other day I went into the restroom at work and there once again was a triangle. I sighed, grabbed the canister of Clorox disinfecting wipes (I buy these in bulk, I should buy stock in the company) and began wiping off the seat. I made swipes at the triangle, but it only partially came off. I now put some elbow grease into it and scrubbed harder. It won't come off.
If I'm lying I'm dying! That stain is on there permanently!! What the hell was that person eating to create such a stain??? So now every time I go to the restroom, I not only have to disinfect the seat, but since the stain remains, I now also have to lay down a barrier of toilet paper between me and the seat. I just can't stand it!!!!!!!
~ 95degrees. It's not very conducive to a pleasant work atmosphere. I expect those kind of temps if I'm working outside in the direct sun in July or August, but not in my office which is supposed to be air conditioned. Operative word being "supposed". Oh, there is an a/c unit, but some inconsiderate person keeps turning it off at the end of the day before going home, giving little thought to the fact that the offices are now left to swelter overnight. Why would someone do this? It can't be because they're worried about saving money. If that were the case, they should take a moment to consider it's going to make that a/c unit work twice as hard once it's turned on in the a.m. in an effort to cool the place down again. Or if they want to save the company money, then take a moment to turn off all the fricking lights in this place instead of leaving them on all night. A few choice words come to mind (and more than a few did spill forth from my lips this morning), but I'll leave you to your imagination.
~I do my best not to hound people about things, especially where money is concerned. If I'm participating in an event where I have to get people to sponsor me, I typically do the following things: 1) Post a blog about the event. 2) Create a "signature" that pops up at the end of my emails that I send out (but not one that begs for money, simply an FYI kind of thing). 3) I may or may not send out a general email to most of my family/friends/co-workers.
And I leave it at that. I don't keep pestering people to sponsor me or donate on my behalf. I just can't do it!! I actually feel guilty for mentioning it to most people in the first place because I know economic times are tough. Also, I fear they're going to hit me up at some time to sponsor them and I fear it will come at a time when I truly can't afford it. But whatever happens, happens. So when one person recently sent me & several others an email asking us to sponsor her in an event, I just ignored the email. In all honesty, I had planned on participating in the same event that was being held in a different community than hers, so what was the point in sponsoring each other? Also, one of the persons she mentioned she was "honoring" in her fund-raising was someone I'd just made a donation for a few weeks ago.
A few days later she sent another email, this time sent to me and me alone. Again, I ignored it. Wouldn't you think she'd take a hint?
A few days later, yet another email. I was really starting to get annoyed. I started to send her a reply, but nothing I typed was coming out sounding nice and friendly, my annoyance was showing, so I deleted the email and once again ignored her.
I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but she's never sponsored me in anything I've participated in, and it's not like we're friends (not my definition of friends). Acquaintances yes, friends no.
So at what point would you consider someone emailing you solicitations like that to be harrassment?
I have a feeling that blogging is quickly becoming one of those passing fads. Once upon a time, I'd blog several times a day, and occasionally I still do, but more often than not, I find myself sometimes going for days without committing anything to the blog world.
I find that many (if not most) of my friends (both near and virtual) that used to blog, if not daily then at least with some frequency, have also nearly given it up. If and when they do blog, it almost seems to be as an afterthought or it's done with a sense of guilt.
I continue to check several of my favorite blogs most days if I'm near a computer, but as fewer and fewer people are blogging, there are very few updates to my "follow" list. I suppose most people have moved on to Facebook and/or Twitter. Things I've refused to become a part of thus far. They're probably passing fads as well, and while it may be a few years, I feel they too will eventually become "yesterday's fad".
~Here's a stain that I'm willing to bet Billy Mays or Hints from Heloise has never been presented with...
Most of you know by now I have issues with public (and some private) toilets, more specifically, toilet seats. That little brown triangle that appears from time to time on the back of the seat, created by dirty butt cheeks when the flesh is pressed against the seat, is a phenomenon I was introduced to about 13 years ago, and unfortunately I'm seeing more and more with every passing year. Maybe I was just oblivious to it before, I don't know. I'm not sure how people can walk around with such dirty butts. I mean, wouldn't they notice an odor or the dirty mark in the underwear (assuming they wear underwear) or wouldn't they develop something akin to diaper rash or something?
Okay, so the other day I went into the restroom at work and there once again was a triangle. I sighed, grabbed the canister of Clorox disinfecting wipes (I buy these in bulk, I should buy stock in the company) and began wiping off the seat. I made swipes at the triangle, but it only partially came off. I now put some elbow grease into it and scrubbed harder. It won't come off.
If I'm lying I'm dying! That stain is on there permanently!! What the hell was that person eating to create such a stain??? So now every time I go to the restroom, I not only have to disinfect the seat, but since the stain remains, I now also have to lay down a barrier of toilet paper between me and the seat. I just can't stand it!!!!!!!
~ 95degrees. It's not very conducive to a pleasant work atmosphere. I expect those kind of temps if I'm working outside in the direct sun in July or August, but not in my office which is supposed to be air conditioned. Operative word being "supposed". Oh, there is an a/c unit, but some inconsiderate person keeps turning it off at the end of the day before going home, giving little thought to the fact that the offices are now left to swelter overnight. Why would someone do this? It can't be because they're worried about saving money. If that were the case, they should take a moment to consider it's going to make that a/c unit work twice as hard once it's turned on in the a.m. in an effort to cool the place down again. Or if they want to save the company money, then take a moment to turn off all the fricking lights in this place instead of leaving them on all night. A few choice words come to mind (and more than a few did spill forth from my lips this morning), but I'll leave you to your imagination.
~I do my best not to hound people about things, especially where money is concerned. If I'm participating in an event where I have to get people to sponsor me, I typically do the following things: 1) Post a blog about the event. 2) Create a "signature" that pops up at the end of my emails that I send out (but not one that begs for money, simply an FYI kind of thing). 3) I may or may not send out a general email to most of my family/friends/co-workers.
And I leave it at that. I don't keep pestering people to sponsor me or donate on my behalf. I just can't do it!! I actually feel guilty for mentioning it to most people in the first place because I know economic times are tough. Also, I fear they're going to hit me up at some time to sponsor them and I fear it will come at a time when I truly can't afford it. But whatever happens, happens. So when one person recently sent me & several others an email asking us to sponsor her in an event, I just ignored the email. In all honesty, I had planned on participating in the same event that was being held in a different community than hers, so what was the point in sponsoring each other? Also, one of the persons she mentioned she was "honoring" in her fund-raising was someone I'd just made a donation for a few weeks ago.
A few days later she sent another email, this time sent to me and me alone. Again, I ignored it. Wouldn't you think she'd take a hint?
A few days later, yet another email. I was really starting to get annoyed. I started to send her a reply, but nothing I typed was coming out sounding nice and friendly, my annoyance was showing, so I deleted the email and once again ignored her.
I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but she's never sponsored me in anything I've participated in, and it's not like we're friends (not my definition of friends). Acquaintances yes, friends no.
So at what point would you consider someone emailing you solicitations like that to be harrassment?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
:0)
Just in case you've no idea what that is in the title, it's a big happy-face.
When I arrived home from work on Friday to start the holiday weekend, I had serious doubts as to how well my weekend was going to turn out. And on more than one occasion over the next 3 1/2 days I had to stop and make sure my head was still attached to my neck as it certainly didn't seem to be on straight.
First, the bad...
When I arrived home I started gathering up my stuff (cell phone, keys, lunch bag and purse) to exit my car, only my purse was nowhere to be found. I started to panic. Had I laid it on top of the car and driven off, only to have it fall off somewhere along the way? I've heard many stories over the years of women doing just that, and I feared I was starting to lose my mind. I called my boss and had him check my work space. Fortunately, it was still on the floor by my desk. I grumbled and cussed myself, then got back in the car and made the round trip back to work, retrieved my purse and back home again. Things were not starting off well.
Saturday morning a friend and I were planning on walking in the Flags4Vets 5k, which was scheduled to start at 10am. I told her I wanted to arrive by 9:30. We arrived at 9:45 and the participants were already walking. (Another story for another time) Grrr!
Sunday morning as I drove to the farm, I got half way there and suddenly realized I'd forgotten to put my work boots in the car. Crap!! I could turn around and go home to get them, but then by the time I'd arrive at the farm, I didn't feel there'd be much sense in my being there, so I drove on and ended up working in my crocs. Not the wisest thing to try working in, especially around horses. Fortunately, none of them stepped on my foot, although one did try to bite the toe of my shoe. That evening we uncovered the pool (successfully) and John connected the pipes he removes each fall. I turned the water hose on and started filling it up. We both agreed that the soft hose probably needed to be replaced and he put it in his car to take to the pool-store for a replacement. Neither of us turned the multi-port valve from it's winter "open" position and we left to go meet a friend for dinner. When we returned, water was running everywhere! Once it had filled up enough to enter the return-line and fill the filter kettle, it started gushing out the opening where the soft-hose would normally be attached. What a waste of water!!
Monday I had plans to participate in the Mayors Hometown Hike & Bike, but when I woke up, it was pouring down rain. Not a good sign. The rain did let up and as we watched the weather reports it did seem as if the green areas on the radar were getting fewer and farther between, so I took a chance and loaded Olivia in the car. I felt we could handle walking in a light rain. No sunshine was expected, so I didn't take her sun-bonnet along. The rain stopped about 2 miles from our destination, and the sun broke through the clouds just as the event was scheduled to start. Grrr! I didn't want to see the sun. I wanted cloud cover!! Fortunately, if didn't stay out long.
When I finally got home yesterday evening I asked the husband if he'd gotten the new hose from the pool store. He hadn't, he'd forgot. It was the only thing he had on his to-do list for the day and he forgot. Grrr! So now the pool is going to sit there all week and most likely become stagnant, making it more difficult to get up and running and delay our getting to use it. Grrr!
Now for the good.
No, make that GREAT things from my weekend:
Saturday, while we did arrive at the Flags4Vets walk as things were getting started, we still managed to finish the walk (granted, Olivia & I are used to these events, but our friend and her dog have never done anything like that before). Both dogs (both were Great Danes) were on their best behavior and despite the heat and humidity, they remained good tempered and allowed the many people to come up and pet them.
Sunday, once the chores were done around the barn, I had a definite goal in mind for some clicker-training on one of the horses. I'd noticed earlier in the week that he had a definite dislike of being approached with a spray bottle of fly-spray. When I'd tried on Thursday, I was practically chasing him around the stall and finally gave up until he could be haltered and held still by someone else. So when I prepared to start our clicker training on Sunday morning, he was standing at his stall door, ready for his lessons. But when I opened the door and presented a spray bottle (containing water) he immediately moved to the far side of his stall. I won't bore you with the long details, but suffice it to say that by the end of our session, I was able to walk into his stall and spray him and aside from turning his head to look at me, he stood perfectly still. I repeated the lesson when I was there Monday afternoon and it went even better. He now seems to be over his fear of spray bottles and fly spray. I can't wait to get out there this Thursday and see if our lesson has held up!!
As for the Hike & Bike, aside from the high humidity, it turned out to be an awesome event. I was so proud of Olivia, she was on her absolute best behavior despite the other dogs that were present and all the bicycles riding past her. The poor beast was so very tired though and half way through the walk (which was just under 5 miles in distance) I sat down on the curb and attempted to get her to rest, but she only laid down for about 10 seconds and was back on her feet again. So as long as she was willing to keep moving, I was willing, so we finished the walk and finally she took a rest when we got back to the Great Lawn.
As much as it pleases me when people comment on how pretty, or how beautiful, or how awesome Olivia is, the compliment that absolutely fills me with such great pride is "she's so well behaved". Several people commented to me directly and I overheard several more commenting to their spouse/friends as we'd walk by that she was so well mannered and well behaved. Those are the compliments I love hearing!!
This is one of the main reasons I take Olivia to participate in these events so much. I don't mean that I'm fishing for those compliments, but because it's good for her to be socialized in those kinds of crowds with people coming at her from every direction. She actually behaves better in these large crowds than she does when it's just us walking around our neighborhood. Go figure!
Despite a few small glitches, the weekend overall was fabulous!!!!!
One last note...
Subway was giving away 4 bicycles at the Hike & Bike and when the mayor was calling out the names of the winners and the town that they lived in, generally the crowd remained quiet and polite, but when one of the winners name was announced and that he was in the US Army stationed at Ft. Knox, suddenly the entire crowd broke out into applause. It was rather touching that they were cheering for the soldier that had won.
Thanks to all the men and women that have served our country so honorably!!
When I arrived home from work on Friday to start the holiday weekend, I had serious doubts as to how well my weekend was going to turn out. And on more than one occasion over the next 3 1/2 days I had to stop and make sure my head was still attached to my neck as it certainly didn't seem to be on straight.
First, the bad...
When I arrived home I started gathering up my stuff (cell phone, keys, lunch bag and purse) to exit my car, only my purse was nowhere to be found. I started to panic. Had I laid it on top of the car and driven off, only to have it fall off somewhere along the way? I've heard many stories over the years of women doing just that, and I feared I was starting to lose my mind. I called my boss and had him check my work space. Fortunately, it was still on the floor by my desk. I grumbled and cussed myself, then got back in the car and made the round trip back to work, retrieved my purse and back home again. Things were not starting off well.
Saturday morning a friend and I were planning on walking in the Flags4Vets 5k, which was scheduled to start at 10am. I told her I wanted to arrive by 9:30. We arrived at 9:45 and the participants were already walking. (Another story for another time) Grrr!
Sunday morning as I drove to the farm, I got half way there and suddenly realized I'd forgotten to put my work boots in the car. Crap!! I could turn around and go home to get them, but then by the time I'd arrive at the farm, I didn't feel there'd be much sense in my being there, so I drove on and ended up working in my crocs. Not the wisest thing to try working in, especially around horses. Fortunately, none of them stepped on my foot, although one did try to bite the toe of my shoe. That evening we uncovered the pool (successfully) and John connected the pipes he removes each fall. I turned the water hose on and started filling it up. We both agreed that the soft hose probably needed to be replaced and he put it in his car to take to the pool-store for a replacement. Neither of us turned the multi-port valve from it's winter "open" position and we left to go meet a friend for dinner. When we returned, water was running everywhere! Once it had filled up enough to enter the return-line and fill the filter kettle, it started gushing out the opening where the soft-hose would normally be attached. What a waste of water!!
Monday I had plans to participate in the Mayors Hometown Hike & Bike, but when I woke up, it was pouring down rain. Not a good sign. The rain did let up and as we watched the weather reports it did seem as if the green areas on the radar were getting fewer and farther between, so I took a chance and loaded Olivia in the car. I felt we could handle walking in a light rain. No sunshine was expected, so I didn't take her sun-bonnet along. The rain stopped about 2 miles from our destination, and the sun broke through the clouds just as the event was scheduled to start. Grrr! I didn't want to see the sun. I wanted cloud cover!! Fortunately, if didn't stay out long.
When I finally got home yesterday evening I asked the husband if he'd gotten the new hose from the pool store. He hadn't, he'd forgot. It was the only thing he had on his to-do list for the day and he forgot. Grrr! So now the pool is going to sit there all week and most likely become stagnant, making it more difficult to get up and running and delay our getting to use it. Grrr!
Now for the good.
No, make that GREAT things from my weekend:
Saturday, while we did arrive at the Flags4Vets walk as things were getting started, we still managed to finish the walk (granted, Olivia & I are used to these events, but our friend and her dog have never done anything like that before). Both dogs (both were Great Danes) were on their best behavior and despite the heat and humidity, they remained good tempered and allowed the many people to come up and pet them.
Sunday, once the chores were done around the barn, I had a definite goal in mind for some clicker-training on one of the horses. I'd noticed earlier in the week that he had a definite dislike of being approached with a spray bottle of fly-spray. When I'd tried on Thursday, I was practically chasing him around the stall and finally gave up until he could be haltered and held still by someone else. So when I prepared to start our clicker training on Sunday morning, he was standing at his stall door, ready for his lessons. But when I opened the door and presented a spray bottle (containing water) he immediately moved to the far side of his stall. I won't bore you with the long details, but suffice it to say that by the end of our session, I was able to walk into his stall and spray him and aside from turning his head to look at me, he stood perfectly still. I repeated the lesson when I was there Monday afternoon and it went even better. He now seems to be over his fear of spray bottles and fly spray. I can't wait to get out there this Thursday and see if our lesson has held up!!
As for the Hike & Bike, aside from the high humidity, it turned out to be an awesome event. I was so proud of Olivia, she was on her absolute best behavior despite the other dogs that were present and all the bicycles riding past her. The poor beast was so very tired though and half way through the walk (which was just under 5 miles in distance) I sat down on the curb and attempted to get her to rest, but she only laid down for about 10 seconds and was back on her feet again. So as long as she was willing to keep moving, I was willing, so we finished the walk and finally she took a rest when we got back to the Great Lawn.
As much as it pleases me when people comment on how pretty, or how beautiful, or how awesome Olivia is, the compliment that absolutely fills me with such great pride is "she's so well behaved". Several people commented to me directly and I overheard several more commenting to their spouse/friends as we'd walk by that she was so well mannered and well behaved. Those are the compliments I love hearing!!
This is one of the main reasons I take Olivia to participate in these events so much. I don't mean that I'm fishing for those compliments, but because it's good for her to be socialized in those kinds of crowds with people coming at her from every direction. She actually behaves better in these large crowds than she does when it's just us walking around our neighborhood. Go figure!
Despite a few small glitches, the weekend overall was fabulous!!!!!
One last note...
Subway was giving away 4 bicycles at the Hike & Bike and when the mayor was calling out the names of the winners and the town that they lived in, generally the crowd remained quiet and polite, but when one of the winners name was announced and that he was in the US Army stationed at Ft. Knox, suddenly the entire crowd broke out into applause. It was rather touching that they were cheering for the soldier that had won.
Thanks to all the men and women that have served our country so honorably!!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sing it Mickey!!
I was just doing some editing on my Ipod, adding and deleting songs from playlists. I had downloaded a few new songs yesterday I wanted to add. I say new, they are new to my Itunes library, but they are definitely golden oldies in the world of country music.
I'm a Mickey Gilley fan from waaaay back. In other words, I was country when country wasn't cool (to quote Barbara Mandrell).
He's got a lot of good hits, but I think one of the most romantic songs is "That's All That Matters". Just wanted to share this one with you.
I'm a Mickey Gilley fan from waaaay back. In other words, I was country when country wasn't cool (to quote Barbara Mandrell).
He's got a lot of good hits, but I think one of the most romantic songs is "That's All That Matters". Just wanted to share this one with you.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Nostalgic moment for the week - Pizza
As I sat at my desk eating my Smart-One's (weight watchers) frozen pizza, cooked in the microwave (not the greatest I've ever had, but really not bad either), it got me to thinking about my love affair with pizza over the years.
How many of you remember the first time you ever ate pizza? It's been around forever, yet I was probably 12 years old before I ever tasted it for the first time. For reasons I don't recall, I accompanied my aunt (less than 4 years older than me, so more like a sister at the time), her friend and boyfriend to some other guy's house. I wouldn't call it a party, just hanging out, watching a movie I think. But they had ordered a pizza to be delivered, typical thing for a bunch of teenagers to do. I was an extremely picky eater back in those days, and trying new foods wasn't something I did very often. But I was hungry, and it did look good. One slice and I was hooked!
It seems like quite a while passed before I had that opportunity again. Second opportunity was at a Pizza Hut during a band competition in Charlestown.
Not long after that, I think I finally persuaded my parents to take us out for pizza. I don't know if it was a first for them or just something they'd not eaten since their own teen years, but I now had them convinced that pizza was a wonderful thing. We became regulars at Mr. Gatti's in Clarksville. I still remember the blond goon that worked behind the counter, Trent. He always flirted with me, he was a major weirdo. Anyway...
I remember one occasion we were dining at Mr. Gatti's and my mother bit into a slice of pizza and immediately had a strange look come over her face. She grabbed for a napkin and held it to her mouth. I was expecting her to comment on how awful she thought the pizza tasted. But no, she had cracked her partial-dentures and her teeth fell out. She had a hard time eating the rest of her meal.
Over the years I've had some great pizza, and some rather nasty pizzas.
Most of the cheap frozen pizzas, like RedBarons, Tony's or Totino's taste like bland tomato sauce spread over cardboard. Blech!! I don't know how people can stand to eat them. Around the time we got married, there was a brand that came out that was actually VERY good, it was called Pappalos. As we both worked between 60-80 hours a week, this left little time for cooking, so we practically lived on those things. We were both quite devastated when they took them off the market. Digorano and Freschetta are alright, but not great. Actually, the best frozen pizza I've found since Pappalos demise is through our Schwans home delivery. Love their pizzas!
As for restaurant pizzas, I'm of the opinion that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean that it tastes better, nor do I go for the cheapest (they usually taste like the crappy frozen pizzas, no flavor-cardboard).
When Mr. Gatti's near Holiday Manor was still open, John & I went there often. So often in fact, both the manager & asst. mgr. knew us by name and our pizza preferences. As soon as they saw us coming through the door, they'd start making our favorites to put on the buffet. They treated us well. We were sad when that place closed down, then very happy when it re-opened just a mile up the road. Only problem is that now it was a Gatti-land, strictly buffet place that is over-run with young kids running amok and it's not nearly as clean. It's been a couple of years or more since we were last there. :(
As for the local chain delivery-only places, I actually prefer the taste of Dominoes, however Papa John's has better breadsticks and offers diced tomato topping where as Dominoes doesn't. Snappy Tomato I can take it or leave it, it tastes almost identical to Papa John's.
Bearnos and Wicks taste alright, but they're nothing spectacular and I think they're horribly over-priced!!
Remember Little Caesars? Pizza-pizza! Order one pizza, automatically get another for "free". They had great breadsticks, but their pizza was less than good.
My preferred pizza toppings? Diced tomatoes and onions or Canadian bacon w/cheddar cheese. I like pepperoni pizza for the flavor the pepperonis add to it, but I usually pick the pepperoni off and give them to my husband or dogs. Sometimes at home I'll doctor up a cheese pizza with sliced zucchini, 'maters and onions.
Have any pizza memories to share??
How many of you remember the first time you ever ate pizza? It's been around forever, yet I was probably 12 years old before I ever tasted it for the first time. For reasons I don't recall, I accompanied my aunt (less than 4 years older than me, so more like a sister at the time), her friend and boyfriend to some other guy's house. I wouldn't call it a party, just hanging out, watching a movie I think. But they had ordered a pizza to be delivered, typical thing for a bunch of teenagers to do. I was an extremely picky eater back in those days, and trying new foods wasn't something I did very often. But I was hungry, and it did look good. One slice and I was hooked!
It seems like quite a while passed before I had that opportunity again. Second opportunity was at a Pizza Hut during a band competition in Charlestown.
Not long after that, I think I finally persuaded my parents to take us out for pizza. I don't know if it was a first for them or just something they'd not eaten since their own teen years, but I now had them convinced that pizza was a wonderful thing. We became regulars at Mr. Gatti's in Clarksville. I still remember the blond goon that worked behind the counter, Trent. He always flirted with me, he was a major weirdo. Anyway...
I remember one occasion we were dining at Mr. Gatti's and my mother bit into a slice of pizza and immediately had a strange look come over her face. She grabbed for a napkin and held it to her mouth. I was expecting her to comment on how awful she thought the pizza tasted. But no, she had cracked her partial-dentures and her teeth fell out. She had a hard time eating the rest of her meal.
Over the years I've had some great pizza, and some rather nasty pizzas.
Most of the cheap frozen pizzas, like RedBarons, Tony's or Totino's taste like bland tomato sauce spread over cardboard. Blech!! I don't know how people can stand to eat them. Around the time we got married, there was a brand that came out that was actually VERY good, it was called Pappalos. As we both worked between 60-80 hours a week, this left little time for cooking, so we practically lived on those things. We were both quite devastated when they took them off the market. Digorano and Freschetta are alright, but not great. Actually, the best frozen pizza I've found since Pappalos demise is through our Schwans home delivery. Love their pizzas!
As for restaurant pizzas, I'm of the opinion that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean that it tastes better, nor do I go for the cheapest (they usually taste like the crappy frozen pizzas, no flavor-cardboard).
When Mr. Gatti's near Holiday Manor was still open, John & I went there often. So often in fact, both the manager & asst. mgr. knew us by name and our pizza preferences. As soon as they saw us coming through the door, they'd start making our favorites to put on the buffet. They treated us well. We were sad when that place closed down, then very happy when it re-opened just a mile up the road. Only problem is that now it was a Gatti-land, strictly buffet place that is over-run with young kids running amok and it's not nearly as clean. It's been a couple of years or more since we were last there. :(
As for the local chain delivery-only places, I actually prefer the taste of Dominoes, however Papa John's has better breadsticks and offers diced tomato topping where as Dominoes doesn't. Snappy Tomato I can take it or leave it, it tastes almost identical to Papa John's.
Bearnos and Wicks taste alright, but they're nothing spectacular and I think they're horribly over-priced!!
Remember Little Caesars? Pizza-pizza! Order one pizza, automatically get another for "free". They had great breadsticks, but their pizza was less than good.
My preferred pizza toppings? Diced tomatoes and onions or Canadian bacon w/cheddar cheese. I like pepperoni pizza for the flavor the pepperonis add to it, but I usually pick the pepperoni off and give them to my husband or dogs. Sometimes at home I'll doctor up a cheese pizza with sliced zucchini, 'maters and onions.
Have any pizza memories to share??
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Trash talk
A few minutes before I was to leave the house this morning, a box-van pulled up in front of my next door neighbor's house. It had the "I.D." logo on it's side (Industrial Disposal). I assumed they were dropping off a residential dumpster for the new neighbors that had moved in across the street.
I've used I.D. in the past, but a few years ago switched over to Waste Management. While we do have 3 or 4 choices for waste removal in our area, they seem to be the lesser of all the evils (reads: least expensive).
So imagine my surprise when I finally gathered my purse & keys and headed out the front door only to be confronted by TWO of the dumpsters sitting in my driveway, blocking my car. WTF??
I hustled my butt on down the driveway and out into the street to catch the driver before he could take off. I was mystified by the appearance of the dumpsters. I hadn't switched companies, and I know my husband wouldn't have switched, he leaves all those kinds of decisions up to me. But even if I had switched, I certainly wouldn't have ordered two of them. For the life of me, I just don't understand these small families (4 or less in a household) that need two of them. What are they doing to create so much trash?? Yet sadly, there are several households in our neighborhood that do have two of them. tsk, tsk.
But I'm getting sidetracked here...
I caught up with the driver just as he was shutting the door to his cab. I called out, hoping he could hear me over the loud diesel engine. I got his attention and he swung the door back open and I asked, "Why did you put two dumpsters in my driveway?"
He looked down at his paperwork and realized he had delivered them to the wrong house. Correct house number, wrong street. Duh!!
I've used I.D. in the past, but a few years ago switched over to Waste Management. While we do have 3 or 4 choices for waste removal in our area, they seem to be the lesser of all the evils (reads: least expensive).
So imagine my surprise when I finally gathered my purse & keys and headed out the front door only to be confronted by TWO of the dumpsters sitting in my driveway, blocking my car. WTF??
I hustled my butt on down the driveway and out into the street to catch the driver before he could take off. I was mystified by the appearance of the dumpsters. I hadn't switched companies, and I know my husband wouldn't have switched, he leaves all those kinds of decisions up to me. But even if I had switched, I certainly wouldn't have ordered two of them. For the life of me, I just don't understand these small families (4 or less in a household) that need two of them. What are they doing to create so much trash?? Yet sadly, there are several households in our neighborhood that do have two of them. tsk, tsk.
But I'm getting sidetracked here...
I caught up with the driver just as he was shutting the door to his cab. I called out, hoping he could hear me over the loud diesel engine. I got his attention and he swung the door back open and I asked, "Why did you put two dumpsters in my driveway?"
He looked down at his paperwork and realized he had delivered them to the wrong house. Correct house number, wrong street. Duh!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
My husband...
I received a phone call early yesterday afternoon from one of my husband's fire dept. buddies. He'd been trying to get a hold of John & couldn't so was passing on some info to me. The granddaughter of one of their former firefighters and long-time friend of my husband had been killed in an auto accident on Friday.
John hadn't seen his friend in almost 20 years, shortly before he moved to Florida. Back before we were married, he spent a large amount of time with this friend and his family, and was more or less a member of the family himself. Between us getting married and the other couple getting a divorce and going their separate ways, he pretty much lost all contact with them, but has remembered them fondly aloud to me many times over the years.
We went to the funeral home last night for visitation and John got to see many old friends he'd not seen in many, many years. Some had been small children last time he'd seen them, but now were grown with families of their own. Of course it was a sad and solemn occasion that everyone was gathered together for and the family members of the young girl were filled with much grief, but it was touching to see the big smiles that came to their faces and the twinkle come into their eyes when they'd first lay eyes on John. I lost count of the big hardy hugs he received from women and men alike. If only for a few minutes last night, many of them seemed to forget their grief as they reminisced about the old days with John.
While I'm sure they appreciated everyone that turned out to pay their respects and offer condolences, many of them seemed especially appreciative that John had come to see them. I was glad he was able to lift their spirits or take their minds off their sorrow, if only briefly.
My husband, much as he sometimes aggravates me (isn't that a husband's job, to annoy his wife?) really is a wonderful person and has such a wonderfully happy spirit about him. Sometimes a bit goofy, but he's usually the life of the party and people seem to genuinely enjoy being around him. He's lively, fun-loving, usually has a smile on his face and his dimples showing, sensitive and caring, and loves to make others happy. I think that bundle of good qualities is why I fell in love and married him (twice).
John hadn't seen his friend in almost 20 years, shortly before he moved to Florida. Back before we were married, he spent a large amount of time with this friend and his family, and was more or less a member of the family himself. Between us getting married and the other couple getting a divorce and going their separate ways, he pretty much lost all contact with them, but has remembered them fondly aloud to me many times over the years.
We went to the funeral home last night for visitation and John got to see many old friends he'd not seen in many, many years. Some had been small children last time he'd seen them, but now were grown with families of their own. Of course it was a sad and solemn occasion that everyone was gathered together for and the family members of the young girl were filled with much grief, but it was touching to see the big smiles that came to their faces and the twinkle come into their eyes when they'd first lay eyes on John. I lost count of the big hardy hugs he received from women and men alike. If only for a few minutes last night, many of them seemed to forget their grief as they reminisced about the old days with John.
While I'm sure they appreciated everyone that turned out to pay their respects and offer condolences, many of them seemed especially appreciative that John had come to see them. I was glad he was able to lift their spirits or take their minds off their sorrow, if only briefly.
My husband, much as he sometimes aggravates me (isn't that a husband's job, to annoy his wife?) really is a wonderful person and has such a wonderfully happy spirit about him. Sometimes a bit goofy, but he's usually the life of the party and people seem to genuinely enjoy being around him. He's lively, fun-loving, usually has a smile on his face and his dimples showing, sensitive and caring, and loves to make others happy. I think that bundle of good qualities is why I fell in love and married him (twice).
Friday, May 15, 2009
Nostalgic moment for the week - Dining out
I normally bring my lunch to work, but as I was running around this morning trying to pack to go out of town this evening, I didn't have time, so I went out and hit one of the worst drive-thru fast-food places in town, LJS (Long John Silvers). I do believe they serve the greasiest food in town, no contest! But I hadn't been there in many months so I thought, "what the heck?" and went.
For whatever reason, as I drove back to the office, I was struck with a certain nostalgic memory of dining out with my parents when I was a small child. I've always loved eating fish, and it's probably the #1 thing that I order when I dine out, except when I'm at a Mexican or Italian restaurant.
I remember when LJS first opened in New Albany (where I lived as a small child) on Vincennes Str. That was probably 35+ years ago, and to the best of my knowledge, it's still there today.
I remember when LJS first opened in New Albany (where I lived as a small child) on Vincennes Str. That was probably 35+ years ago, and to the best of my knowledge, it's still there today.
That little trip down memory lane got me to thinking about other restaurants from my childhood.
Do any of you remember Lum's Restaurants
? Famous for their hotdogs! There was one in Louisville, not that I remember it's exact location, but I can remember my parents taking me there from time to time. I don't remember the place well, as I was so very young, but I do have a vague recollection of the interior decor being dark and the color red used a lot (I found that logo on-line after typing that bit about the color red, so obviously I was remembering correctly), I'm thinking for the drinking glasses and maybe seat cushions, but who really remembers? It closed down many, many years ago. A few years ago while John & I were on vacation in the Smoky Mountains, we were walking through Gatlinburg and stumbled across a Lum's Restaurant, tucked back off the road. We decided to have lunch there one day, and I was so excited upon walking up to the place, but once we were seated, it was a major let down. The food was very ordinary and the service was so-so. Maybe it was just the excitement of getting to dine out in my childhood that made the experience so great, and not so much the food. That restaurant, like all but about 3 others in the USA has since closed down as well.
? Famous for their hotdogs! There was one in Louisville, not that I remember it's exact location, but I can remember my parents taking me there from time to time. I don't remember the place well, as I was so very young, but I do have a vague recollection of the interior decor being dark and the color red used a lot (I found that logo on-line after typing that bit about the color red, so obviously I was remembering correctly), I'm thinking for the drinking glasses and maybe seat cushions, but who really remembers? It closed down many, many years ago. A few years ago while John & I were on vacation in the Smoky Mountains, we were walking through Gatlinburg and stumbled across a Lum's Restaurant, tucked back off the road. We decided to have lunch there one day, and I was so excited upon walking up to the place, but once we were seated, it was a major let down. The food was very ordinary and the service was so-so. Maybe it was just the excitement of getting to dine out in my childhood that made the experience so great, and not so much the food. That restaurant, like all but about 3 others in the USA has since closed down as well. Remember Burger Chef & Jeff? I don't know if that was a local chain or national, but the ones around where I lived all eventually became Hardees. Once upon a time Hardees was the main competition for Arby's as they both focused on roastbeef sandwhiches. Eventually Hardees dropped the roastbeef and started serving a normal fast-food menu. It seemed there used to be dozens of Hardees all over the place, but now very few of those remain. They actually have (had?) very good fried chicken, better than KFC I thought. I wish there was still one open near where we lived.
And the Burger Queen restaurants eventually changed over to Druthers and then eventually Dairy Queen bought all of those. I can remember when most DQ's were nothing more than a small walk-up ice cream stand. Not anymore!! Now they've all become DQ Grill & Chill's and honestly, I'm not impressed. I kind of miss the days of walk-up ice cream stands. Guess that's why I still like to occasionally make the trek to Indiana for a soft-serve from Polly's Freeze. They have THE BEST soft serve sherbet, ever!!
Any favorite memories of dining out from your past???
Thursday, May 14, 2009
No dogs allowed!
As stated in a post earlier this week, I've been busy looking up events in our area that Olivia and I could participate in together.
Because I got "burned" by an event a few years ago, namely The Kentucky Derby Festival, I learned the hard way to always check with the event coordinators before signing up, whether or not they allow dogs to participate as well.
I've come across a couple of events that post the rule up front, "No dogs allowed!" or something to that effect. I understand and accept those conditions. And then I mark that event off my list. After all, the whole point of me participating is to do so with Olivia. I hold no ill-will towards those events, and I actually appreciate them posting that notice up front so I don't waste my time having to track down a contact person, email them and then wait (sometimes for days) for a reply.
Backing up briefly to the KDF situation... I signed up for and paid the entry fee to participate in the mini-marathon a few years ago. Before doing so, I read the loooonnngg list of rules all the way thru, frontwards and backwards two or three times over and not once, I mean NO where did it make any mention of dogs not being allowed. So imagine how super P.O.'d I was when I showed up at registration and was informed I couldn't bring my dog AND they wouldn't refund my money. They insisted it was listed in the rules, I insisted it wasn't. I presented them the list I'd read and asked them to show me where it stated that. They couldn't point it out to me on that list because it wasn't' there, then informed me that wasn't a complete list of rules. Like I'm supposed to know that???
F*ckers!!! It was after that incident that I became very soured on anything and everything derby related.
It was also because of that event that I learned my lesson and now always inquire ahead of time, AND I save the correspondence email when they've told me I can bring my dog. Just in case there's any dispute later on...
So while there is typically an overwhelming "yes" in response to my queries, I do occasionally find one that doesn't allow dogs for one flimsy reason or another. Such was the response I received this morning for an event I'd planned on participating in later this month for a baptist church near my home. While I accept their rules, I have now scratched them off my list so I don't waste my time in the future. Honestly though, I just wish they'd post that rule on the entry form and save us all some trouble.
The reasons many of these events give for not allowing dogs is valid and I understand. For the most part, it's because there are some dog owners out there that aren't responsible and tend to ruin things for the rest of us. And in case that's got you scratching your head, refer back to my "Soapbox" blog earlier this week.
Because I got "burned" by an event a few years ago, namely The Kentucky Derby Festival, I learned the hard way to always check with the event coordinators before signing up, whether or not they allow dogs to participate as well.
I've come across a couple of events that post the rule up front, "No dogs allowed!" or something to that effect. I understand and accept those conditions. And then I mark that event off my list. After all, the whole point of me participating is to do so with Olivia. I hold no ill-will towards those events, and I actually appreciate them posting that notice up front so I don't waste my time having to track down a contact person, email them and then wait (sometimes for days) for a reply.
Backing up briefly to the KDF situation... I signed up for and paid the entry fee to participate in the mini-marathon a few years ago. Before doing so, I read the loooonnngg list of rules all the way thru, frontwards and backwards two or three times over and not once, I mean NO where did it make any mention of dogs not being allowed. So imagine how super P.O.'d I was when I showed up at registration and was informed I couldn't bring my dog AND they wouldn't refund my money. They insisted it was listed in the rules, I insisted it wasn't. I presented them the list I'd read and asked them to show me where it stated that. They couldn't point it out to me on that list because it wasn't' there, then informed me that wasn't a complete list of rules. Like I'm supposed to know that???
F*ckers!!! It was after that incident that I became very soured on anything and everything derby related.
It was also because of that event that I learned my lesson and now always inquire ahead of time, AND I save the correspondence email when they've told me I can bring my dog. Just in case there's any dispute later on...
So while there is typically an overwhelming "yes" in response to my queries, I do occasionally find one that doesn't allow dogs for one flimsy reason or another. Such was the response I received this morning for an event I'd planned on participating in later this month for a baptist church near my home. While I accept their rules, I have now scratched them off my list so I don't waste my time in the future. Honestly though, I just wish they'd post that rule on the entry form and save us all some trouble.
The reasons many of these events give for not allowing dogs is valid and I understand. For the most part, it's because there are some dog owners out there that aren't responsible and tend to ruin things for the rest of us. And in case that's got you scratching your head, refer back to my "Soapbox" blog earlier this week.
In the local news this week...
Last Saturday, a young man (late 20's) was shot and killed in a dispute, two others also shot. This took place less than a mile from my house. The scuttlebutt is that it was a drug-deal gone bad. So sad. :( And the young man's father was in law enforcement.
I've often heard it said that the children of police, politicians and the clergy are very often the most troubled/worst trouble-makers. I guess it has to do with living up to such high expectations and having everyone scrutinize your every move.
There was a large water main break just a few miles from our house yesterday and as a result when we got home last night, while we were fortunate to have water (although it had been off for quite some time earlier in the day) the pressure was low, the lines were full of air, and we're under a boil-water advisory. This morning I filled my 5-gal. pot with water and put it on the stove to boil at 6:55am. I had to leave the house at 7:52 and the water still hadn't started to boil. It was hot, but not boiling, much less for the 3 minutes they recommended boiling it. Grrr. I hope the dogs aren't affected by the non-boiled tap water. Considering they eat their own fecal matter at times, they shouldn't be.
It's raining this morning. That means the ground will be nice and soggy/muddy this evening when I go to the farm. And the air humid. I really don't like working under such conditions, but I guess it goes with the territory so I'll suck it up and deal with it. I'll either have to stay up late tonight or get up earlier than usual tomorrow, as I'm headed out of town after I get off work on Friday (doggy-sitting for our breeder while she's at a dogshow) and I need to pack my stuff. I guess I should've done that last night. Ho-hum. :(
The house that is caddy corner across from us finally sold last week. It's been sitting empty since last October. It will be nice to finally get some people in there. It looks to be a young couple. We've seen them coming and going as they've been there several times cleaning and painting. Perhaps they'll actually start getting moved in this weekend. That leaves only two other homes on our street vacant, in addition to two others that I know of in our little neighborhood. Well, three others actually, but one of them there is work being done on it as the grandson of the owner (now in a nursing home) is preparing to move in soon. It will be nice if/when all the homes are once again occupied.
Another neighbor, kind of caddy-corner behind us put their house up for sale a few weeks ago. Apparently they aren't waiting for it to sell before they leave. There was a huge moving van in their driveway last night. In the 3 or 4 years they've been there, I've had only 1 conversation with the woman. She stopped and talked one day last summer while out walking and told me they wanted to move to Florida. I guess they're realizing their dream. I hope they remember to take that darned long-haired Siamese cat of theirs with them. If I owned a gun, I'd have shot it a long time ago due to the numerous occasions I keep finding it in our backyard. Some people seem to think cats aren't subject to the same leash-laws that dogs (and all pets for that matter) are subject to. Inconsiderate jerks!!!
I've often heard it said that the children of police, politicians and the clergy are very often the most troubled/worst trouble-makers. I guess it has to do with living up to such high expectations and having everyone scrutinize your every move.
There was a large water main break just a few miles from our house yesterday and as a result when we got home last night, while we were fortunate to have water (although it had been off for quite some time earlier in the day) the pressure was low, the lines were full of air, and we're under a boil-water advisory. This morning I filled my 5-gal. pot with water and put it on the stove to boil at 6:55am. I had to leave the house at 7:52 and the water still hadn't started to boil. It was hot, but not boiling, much less for the 3 minutes they recommended boiling it. Grrr. I hope the dogs aren't affected by the non-boiled tap water. Considering they eat their own fecal matter at times, they shouldn't be.
It's raining this morning. That means the ground will be nice and soggy/muddy this evening when I go to the farm. And the air humid. I really don't like working under such conditions, but I guess it goes with the territory so I'll suck it up and deal with it. I'll either have to stay up late tonight or get up earlier than usual tomorrow, as I'm headed out of town after I get off work on Friday (doggy-sitting for our breeder while she's at a dogshow) and I need to pack my stuff. I guess I should've done that last night. Ho-hum. :(
The house that is caddy corner across from us finally sold last week. It's been sitting empty since last October. It will be nice to finally get some people in there. It looks to be a young couple. We've seen them coming and going as they've been there several times cleaning and painting. Perhaps they'll actually start getting moved in this weekend. That leaves only two other homes on our street vacant, in addition to two others that I know of in our little neighborhood. Well, three others actually, but one of them there is work being done on it as the grandson of the owner (now in a nursing home) is preparing to move in soon. It will be nice if/when all the homes are once again occupied.
Another neighbor, kind of caddy-corner behind us put their house up for sale a few weeks ago. Apparently they aren't waiting for it to sell before they leave. There was a huge moving van in their driveway last night. In the 3 or 4 years they've been there, I've had only 1 conversation with the woman. She stopped and talked one day last summer while out walking and told me they wanted to move to Florida. I guess they're realizing their dream. I hope they remember to take that darned long-haired Siamese cat of theirs with them. If I owned a gun, I'd have shot it a long time ago due to the numerous occasions I keep finding it in our backyard. Some people seem to think cats aren't subject to the same leash-laws that dogs (and all pets for that matter) are subject to. Inconsiderate jerks!!!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Walking our butts off
I was busy yesterday, surfing the 'net looking for events within a 25 mile radius that Olivia and I could participate in. Nothing longer than 4 miles for us! I've managed to fill up quite a few Saturdays for the rest of the year, and a few other random days here and there.
Many are for charitable causes, some are just for fun. Either way, Liv & I have fun doing them. At least, I think she has fun. She hasn't indicated to me otherwise that she doesn't enjoy them.
I'm going to be sending out emails to several of my friends/family members that live reasonably close, to see if anybody would like to join me. The more the merrier! So some of you can expect to be getting an email soon. Don't feel any pressure, it's simply a friendly invite.
There are a few events that have conflicting dates, or rather, more than one event on a given date, so I have to make a choice. Of course I email the event co-ordinator before I ever register and make sure it's okay to participate with Olivia. Anybody that says "no", I scratch that event from my calender, but so far, I've not come across anyone that has said "no", only one cranky person that didn't like dogs, but said I could bring her (we didn't participate in that event because of other things going on in our lives, otherwise I'd have participated just to piss the guy off).
*In May, I've got the Louisville 5k Parade of Flags Walk which raises funds for flags to be placed on the graves to honor fallen heroes and the Mayor's Hometown Hike & Bike.
*In June there is the Relay for Life (American Cancer Society), the Run to the Sun (skin cancer awareness), the Huber's Barnyard Dash (part of Run for the Cure/Cancer Research), the Families For Fathers (prostate cancer awareness).
*In July there is the Crescent Hill 5k, the Firecracker 5k. Those aren't so much for a good cause as they are just for the fun of it.
*In August as of now, there is only one event on my schedule, the Fastline Fun-raising walk.
*September there's the Applepatch walk (benefits mentally challenged adults), Paws for a Cause which is in conjunction with the Aids Walk, and the Gaslight Festival walk.
*October there's the Light the Night Walk (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), the Skeleton 5k, Outrunning Autism and the Hunger Walk.
Nothing scheduled in November as of now, but in December is the Teddy Bear Walk to raise money to buy clothes & presents for needy children.
Anybody reading this that would like to join Olivia and I, let me know and I'll send you a link to that walk's website so you can either register on-line or download a registration form.
Many are for charitable causes, some are just for fun. Either way, Liv & I have fun doing them. At least, I think she has fun. She hasn't indicated to me otherwise that she doesn't enjoy them.
I'm going to be sending out emails to several of my friends/family members that live reasonably close, to see if anybody would like to join me. The more the merrier! So some of you can expect to be getting an email soon. Don't feel any pressure, it's simply a friendly invite.
There are a few events that have conflicting dates, or rather, more than one event on a given date, so I have to make a choice. Of course I email the event co-ordinator before I ever register and make sure it's okay to participate with Olivia. Anybody that says "no", I scratch that event from my calender, but so far, I've not come across anyone that has said "no", only one cranky person that didn't like dogs, but said I could bring her (we didn't participate in that event because of other things going on in our lives, otherwise I'd have participated just to piss the guy off).
*In May, I've got the Louisville 5k Parade of Flags Walk which raises funds for flags to be placed on the graves to honor fallen heroes and the Mayor's Hometown Hike & Bike.
*In June there is the Relay for Life (American Cancer Society), the Run to the Sun (skin cancer awareness), the Huber's Barnyard Dash (part of Run for the Cure/Cancer Research), the Families For Fathers (prostate cancer awareness).
*In July there is the Crescent Hill 5k, the Firecracker 5k. Those aren't so much for a good cause as they are just for the fun of it.
*In August as of now, there is only one event on my schedule, the Fastline Fun-raising walk.
*September there's the Applepatch walk (benefits mentally challenged adults), Paws for a Cause which is in conjunction with the Aids Walk, and the Gaslight Festival walk.
*October there's the Light the Night Walk (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), the Skeleton 5k, Outrunning Autism and the Hunger Walk.
Nothing scheduled in November as of now, but in December is the Teddy Bear Walk to raise money to buy clothes & presents for needy children.
Anybody reading this that would like to join Olivia and I, let me know and I'll send you a link to that walk's website so you can either register on-line or download a registration form.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Featuring Me
The latest e-newsletter is out for TLC. I had the honor of being the featured volunteer for this month. But geesh!, could they have put a worse photo of me in the article?
I had NO make-up, was wearing an ill-fitting shirt with the sleeves cut-off and brown really isn't one of "my colors", and I was promised the photo would just be a head-shot of me and Sampson. Hmph! head-shot my arse. Had I known I'd have sucked in my gut. **grumble, grumble**
Oh well, if anyone would like to read the newsletter (my article is next to last), click here.
Happy reading!
I had NO make-up, was wearing an ill-fitting shirt with the sleeves cut-off and brown really isn't one of "my colors", and I was promised the photo would just be a head-shot of me and Sampson. Hmph! head-shot my arse. Had I known I'd have sucked in my gut. **grumble, grumble**
Oh well, if anyone would like to read the newsletter (my article is next to last), click here.
Happy reading!
Monday, May 11, 2009
On my soapbox!
I'm getting on my soapbox again.
I'll probably offend &/or make some people mad, but right now I'm really not caring (hence the Rat Sass name).
After much of what I observed (and not for the first time) at the park Saturday, I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot of people in this world that shouldn't own pets, much less be allowed to reproduce and become parents.
If you can't be responsible enough to care properly for a dog, what the heck makes you think you would be a responsible parent to a human child?
If you can't be considerate of your fellow mankind and their pets, then what makes you think you're going to do any better raising your children to be a productive, responsible, considerate, kind member to society?
**Let's forget for just a moment that it's a rule (or law?) and is posted in several places all around the park to pick up after your pet, and that the park even goes as far as to provide doody-bags. Isn't it just a common sense, common courtesy to pick up after your pet, especially when you're in a public place where lots and lots of people are gathering about?
I don't know why it continues to surprise me when I see it happen, but for some reason it does, but I just couldn't get over the number of people that were letting their dogs shit anywhere and everywhere and then kept walking as if nothing had happened, not seeming to give a damn that all the other walkers had to now dodge their dog's pile or else step in it. Some of the worst offenders I'm sorry to say were women in the 18-30 year age bracket. It was as if being seen stooping to pick up dog shit would ruin their image. I've got news for these people, being seen NOT picking it up ruined their image a lot worse!!!
**Any person that puts a pinch collar on their dog and then drags that dog out into public should also be forced to where a pinch collar and let someone drag THEM around, see how much they enjoy it. If a dog is so disobedient or difficult to handle that the only way the owner can half-way handle it is to put a pinch collar on it, then I'd say that dog doesn't need to be taken out into public places, and that dog probably doesn't need to come into contact with the general public. I'm thinking the owner probably doesn't need to be let loose on the general public either.
As we were finishing our walk Saturday, we crossed paths with some other dane owners and stopped to talk for a moment. One of the other danes was a female fawn who had her tail tucked so tight beneath her, I feared it was going to snap off. She and Olivia stopped to sniff one another and then the other dog started wrinkling her snout in an aggressive manner. I kept Livvie back a little and kept my eye on her while we talked. Livvie was standing perfectly still, behaving and minding her own business when this other dog decided to try and take a bite out of Liv's face. I saw it in time and yanked Olivia back and avoided an ugly scene. The other dog's owner thought Olivia had provoked the attack, but fortunately another person that was standing their spoke up before I could and told him it was in fact his dog that had started it.
I'm all for owners taking their dogs out in public and socializing them, but perhaps they need to start on a smaller scale, such as obedience school? Then perhaps a pet store, and eventually work their way up to large venues. If the dog never gets over it's fright of other people/pets, then perhaps it just needs to stay at home. Not all dogs are social butterflies. I've got one myself that falls under that category and I know better than to take her into a situation like that. And to put a pinch collar on her would only make things worse.
**Retractable leashes. I think these things should either be out-lawed, or else these leashes needed to be sold much like a gun would be sold. You should have to apply to purchase a retractable leash and then wait 30 days while a background check is performed, and then, before being allowed to use these leashes, you should be required to attend classes on how to properly use/operate the leash and on having common courtesy for others around you.
There are too many stupid, inconsiderate people out there using these things that have no freaking regard for other people and the menace they are causing by allowing their dogs to wander hither and yon at the end of a 15'-20' leash.
Before some of you start jumping down my throat for this one, yes, I own a retractable leash. Two of them as a matter of fact. It's a rare thing that we ever use them off of our property though. Our r/l is mainly used to exercise Olivia in our side yard. She runs, full speed ahead in a big circle around me while on a r/l. Other than that, it's a rare thing that we ever walk her on it. And the reasons we so rarely use it for walking the dog(s) are:
1) the r/l is more difficult to hold on to than a regular leash
2) we have better control over our dog when he/she is kept within 6' of us (not 15 or 20' away)
3) we're a lot less likely to trip up anyone walking past us
4) if you take a dog to obedience school, no instructor that's worth a damn will allow you to use a r/l in class (for good reason!!)
5) the dog is much less likely to get wrapped around poles, chairs, peoples legs, trees, etc. etc.
if they are on a short leash and not allowed to wonder anywhere and everywhere they choose.
Having said all that...
I get so irked every time I see people letting their dogs wander all over the place on these leashes, while the owner just seems so oblivious to what their 4-legged friend is doing.
While at the park, I watched while people were busy engaged in phone conversations or talking to other people while their dog wreaked havoc some 15' away.
The 5k race started at 9am and as the runners left the start-line in the parking lot and made their way to the race course, one witless woman pushing a stroller had her dog's retractable leash looped over the strollers handle (which means she had absolutely NO control over the leash what so ever!!!!) was walking in the opposite direction, headed right into the path of the on-coming runners. She made no effort to rein in her dog or get out of the way, even as it was becoming apparent that people were tripping over her dog, having to dodge both her stroller and the dog, nor did she seem to give a damn when one runner and his dog became entangled with her dog and leash, nearly causing a major accident with the runners. She was totally inconsiderate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By my mother's own confession yesterday, she's cut her own leg on her dog's retractable leash, and she also cut her neighbor's leg, leaving a scar. Totally unacceptable!!!
I've been cut by others r/l's as well.
Okay, so I'll climb down off my soapbox for now. I just felt the need to get all that off my chest.
Feel free to chastise me all you want, but I stand by my opinions on these subjects.
I'll probably offend &/or make some people mad, but right now I'm really not caring (hence the Rat Sass name).
After much of what I observed (and not for the first time) at the park Saturday, I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot of people in this world that shouldn't own pets, much less be allowed to reproduce and become parents.
If you can't be responsible enough to care properly for a dog, what the heck makes you think you would be a responsible parent to a human child?
If you can't be considerate of your fellow mankind and their pets, then what makes you think you're going to do any better raising your children to be a productive, responsible, considerate, kind member to society?
**Let's forget for just a moment that it's a rule (or law?) and is posted in several places all around the park to pick up after your pet, and that the park even goes as far as to provide doody-bags. Isn't it just a common sense, common courtesy to pick up after your pet, especially when you're in a public place where lots and lots of people are gathering about?
I don't know why it continues to surprise me when I see it happen, but for some reason it does, but I just couldn't get over the number of people that were letting their dogs shit anywhere and everywhere and then kept walking as if nothing had happened, not seeming to give a damn that all the other walkers had to now dodge their dog's pile or else step in it. Some of the worst offenders I'm sorry to say were women in the 18-30 year age bracket. It was as if being seen stooping to pick up dog shit would ruin their image. I've got news for these people, being seen NOT picking it up ruined their image a lot worse!!!
**Any person that puts a pinch collar on their dog and then drags that dog out into public should also be forced to where a pinch collar and let someone drag THEM around, see how much they enjoy it. If a dog is so disobedient or difficult to handle that the only way the owner can half-way handle it is to put a pinch collar on it, then I'd say that dog doesn't need to be taken out into public places, and that dog probably doesn't need to come into contact with the general public. I'm thinking the owner probably doesn't need to be let loose on the general public either.
As we were finishing our walk Saturday, we crossed paths with some other dane owners and stopped to talk for a moment. One of the other danes was a female fawn who had her tail tucked so tight beneath her, I feared it was going to snap off. She and Olivia stopped to sniff one another and then the other dog started wrinkling her snout in an aggressive manner. I kept Livvie back a little and kept my eye on her while we talked. Livvie was standing perfectly still, behaving and minding her own business when this other dog decided to try and take a bite out of Liv's face. I saw it in time and yanked Olivia back and avoided an ugly scene. The other dog's owner thought Olivia had provoked the attack, but fortunately another person that was standing their spoke up before I could and told him it was in fact his dog that had started it.
I'm all for owners taking their dogs out in public and socializing them, but perhaps they need to start on a smaller scale, such as obedience school? Then perhaps a pet store, and eventually work their way up to large venues. If the dog never gets over it's fright of other people/pets, then perhaps it just needs to stay at home. Not all dogs are social butterflies. I've got one myself that falls under that category and I know better than to take her into a situation like that. And to put a pinch collar on her would only make things worse.
**Retractable leashes. I think these things should either be out-lawed, or else these leashes needed to be sold much like a gun would be sold. You should have to apply to purchase a retractable leash and then wait 30 days while a background check is performed, and then, before being allowed to use these leashes, you should be required to attend classes on how to properly use/operate the leash and on having common courtesy for others around you.
There are too many stupid, inconsiderate people out there using these things that have no freaking regard for other people and the menace they are causing by allowing their dogs to wander hither and yon at the end of a 15'-20' leash.
Before some of you start jumping down my throat for this one, yes, I own a retractable leash. Two of them as a matter of fact. It's a rare thing that we ever use them off of our property though. Our r/l is mainly used to exercise Olivia in our side yard. She runs, full speed ahead in a big circle around me while on a r/l. Other than that, it's a rare thing that we ever walk her on it. And the reasons we so rarely use it for walking the dog(s) are:
1) the r/l is more difficult to hold on to than a regular leash
2) we have better control over our dog when he/she is kept within 6' of us (not 15 or 20' away)
3) we're a lot less likely to trip up anyone walking past us
4) if you take a dog to obedience school, no instructor that's worth a damn will allow you to use a r/l in class (for good reason!!)
5) the dog is much less likely to get wrapped around poles, chairs, peoples legs, trees, etc. etc.
if they are on a short leash and not allowed to wonder anywhere and everywhere they choose.
Having said all that...
I get so irked every time I see people letting their dogs wander all over the place on these leashes, while the owner just seems so oblivious to what their 4-legged friend is doing.
While at the park, I watched while people were busy engaged in phone conversations or talking to other people while their dog wreaked havoc some 15' away.
The 5k race started at 9am and as the runners left the start-line in the parking lot and made their way to the race course, one witless woman pushing a stroller had her dog's retractable leash looped over the strollers handle (which means she had absolutely NO control over the leash what so ever!!!!) was walking in the opposite direction, headed right into the path of the on-coming runners. She made no effort to rein in her dog or get out of the way, even as it was becoming apparent that people were tripping over her dog, having to dodge both her stroller and the dog, nor did she seem to give a damn when one runner and his dog became entangled with her dog and leash, nearly causing a major accident with the runners. She was totally inconsiderate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By my mother's own confession yesterday, she's cut her own leg on her dog's retractable leash, and she also cut her neighbor's leg, leaving a scar. Totally unacceptable!!!
I've been cut by others r/l's as well.
Okay, so I'll climb down off my soapbox for now. I just felt the need to get all that off my chest.
Feel free to chastise me all you want, but I stand by my opinions on these subjects.
I know I should know you...
While at the park Saturday with Livvie, an exuberant woman and her brown mutt approached me and said, "Hey there! Do you remember me?"
I put on my best fake smile and said, "Yeah! Hi, how have you been?"
I recognized her face and I knew that I knew her from somewhere, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where I knew her from.
I hate when that happens!
She asked if we still lived in the same house and asked how many Great Danes we had now. I was really struggling to figure out where I knew her from, much less what her name was, but I kept up the lively chit-chat, keeping the questions generic and non-specific, hoping it would come to me. I didn't feel she was anybody I'd ever worked with, and I felt reasonably sure she had never lived on our street or within 3 homes of us in any one direction. I wondered if perhaps she wasn't a friend of my friend/neighbor Jilli that I'd perhaps met at one of her many parties. No clear answer was coming to mind by the time we'd parted ways so I decided that must be where I knew her from.
Half hour later my friend Antje and I were walking past the booths when this exuberant woman popped up in front of us again, asking if she could take Olivia's picture. I agreed and while I was trying to get Olivia to look in the woman's general direction, it suddenly dawned on me where I knew her from.
She had lived in our neighborhood, but had moved away about 6 or 7 years ago. I remember the kind of dog they had at that time, her husband and son's name, even her sister's name, but still for the life of me I couldn't recall her name. Now that I at least remembered her as having been a distant-neighbor, I could ask slightly more personal questions, such as "now where was it that y'all moved to?"
She didn't exactly tell me, instead telling me she'd divorced and he'd remarried within 6 weeks.
"Oh, I'm sorry." By now I was flustered and just decided to stop asking questions. It's been more than 48 hours since this happened, and I still have no idea what her name is. John agreed with me about her sister's name (which is odd, as her sister didn't even live in our neighborhood, yet we remember her well). I have a feeling that one of these nights I'll probably wake up from a deep sleep and yell her name out when it suddenly comes to me.
This makes me think of that "Seinfeld" episode where it was suggested that everyone should have to wear a name tag at all times. It would certainly help in situations such as these.
I put on my best fake smile and said, "Yeah! Hi, how have you been?"
I recognized her face and I knew that I knew her from somewhere, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where I knew her from.
I hate when that happens!
She asked if we still lived in the same house and asked how many Great Danes we had now. I was really struggling to figure out where I knew her from, much less what her name was, but I kept up the lively chit-chat, keeping the questions generic and non-specific, hoping it would come to me. I didn't feel she was anybody I'd ever worked with, and I felt reasonably sure she had never lived on our street or within 3 homes of us in any one direction. I wondered if perhaps she wasn't a friend of my friend/neighbor Jilli that I'd perhaps met at one of her many parties. No clear answer was coming to mind by the time we'd parted ways so I decided that must be where I knew her from.
Half hour later my friend Antje and I were walking past the booths when this exuberant woman popped up in front of us again, asking if she could take Olivia's picture. I agreed and while I was trying to get Olivia to look in the woman's general direction, it suddenly dawned on me where I knew her from.
She had lived in our neighborhood, but had moved away about 6 or 7 years ago. I remember the kind of dog they had at that time, her husband and son's name, even her sister's name, but still for the life of me I couldn't recall her name. Now that I at least remembered her as having been a distant-neighbor, I could ask slightly more personal questions, such as "now where was it that y'all moved to?"
She didn't exactly tell me, instead telling me she'd divorced and he'd remarried within 6 weeks.
"Oh, I'm sorry." By now I was flustered and just decided to stop asking questions. It's been more than 48 hours since this happened, and I still have no idea what her name is. John agreed with me about her sister's name (which is odd, as her sister didn't even live in our neighborhood, yet we remember her well). I have a feeling that one of these nights I'll probably wake up from a deep sleep and yell her name out when it suddenly comes to me.
This makes me think of that "Seinfeld" episode where it was suggested that everyone should have to wear a name tag at all times. It would certainly help in situations such as these.
Weekend in review
What a freaking fabulous weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Despite the horrendous, torrential downpour of rains we got in our area Friday afternoon/evening, I took Olivia to the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park on Saturday morning to participate in the Waggin' Trail 5k (fun walk, not the run). It was to raise money for the Humane Society.
The walking/running path was full of big muddy puddles from the standing water left by the rains. There were boothes set up by different vendors out in the grassy field and you had to either dodge doggy-landmines left behind by inconsiderate owners, hop puddles, or just say what the heck and get wet and muddy.
I was glad I'd worn my old tennis shoes, as they were a muddy mess by the time we left the event. Olivia, my normally pristine white child, was filthy and I just knew I'd have to cart her to Henry Co. to give her a bath at our breeders house. But all the mess and muck aside, it was a good morning.
Olivia was on her best behavior, and I wish I'd had a dollar for every person that came up and commented on how pretty or beautiful or well-behaved she was. At one point, I saw a woman pushing her way through a throng of people and when she finally broke free from the crowd, she made her way over to us, patted Olivia and told me, "If there were a contest here today for the most beautiful dog, she'd win hands-down." I thanked her and commented about the white dogs not staying very clean due to all the mud, but she said despite that, she was the most beautiful dog there. My heart swelled with pride and the woman went back to where she'd come from.
There were dogs of almost every imaginable breed out there. The usual high numbers of golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, shepherds and mutts. I was surprised at how many Akitas and huskies I saw. Livvie wasn't the only Great Dane, we crossed paths with a handful, one a brindle, one mantle, one I'm not sure what color pattern it would be considered. If it was a merle, it was a strange looking merle, all white and gray. And there was a very unfriendly fawn that tried to take a bite out of my baby girls face. Livvie was standing perfectly still minding her own business and this psycho dane kept snarling at Livvie which of course Liv couldn't hear, and finally the dog snapped at Livvie's face. Fortunately I saw it coming and yanked Livvie out of the way in time.
My friend Antje (Angie) joined us for the walk and brought her whippets. Livvie fell in love with her male whippet, Chase.
After we left the park, I dashed over to the doctor's office to get my allergy shot, then headed home. I was sure Olivia was going to need a bath, but by the time we got home, she was once again pristine white. Either she'd given herself a tongue bath and cleaned herself up, or else the mud had dried and fallen off (in my car). So a bath wasn't necessary.
Sunday at the farm, something was said that kindly made my heart soar. It's not secret that out of the 17 horses at the farm, there is one particular horse that is a sentimental favorite of mine. While I love them all, he's the one I'm constantly drawn to and I've jokingly referred to him as my "love child". So yesterday, I had asked the farm's director for advice on an area of training I wasn't very comfortable in yet and so she was demonstrating for me. She was "clicking" for the behavior and I was handing her the pieces of carrot from my pocket. At one point, I reached into my pocket and pulled out pocket-lint instead of carrot and the horse was looking at us expectantly and while I dug back into my pocket for carrot, she looked at the horse and said, "that was your mother's fault". That she referred to me as his mother made my heart swell.
Sunday afternoon we went to my parent's house. I took bbq and a hashbrown casserole, my sister made baked beans and baked a cake. We celebrated Mother's Day with mom and our grandmother was there as well. 4 generations were present. The weather was beautiful and we ate outside, enjoying the day. Afterwards, we played Hillbilly-Golf and my husband kept everyone entertained with his antics.
Indeed, it was a great weekend.
Despite the horrendous, torrential downpour of rains we got in our area Friday afternoon/evening, I took Olivia to the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park on Saturday morning to participate in the Waggin' Trail 5k (fun walk, not the run). It was to raise money for the Humane Society.
The walking/running path was full of big muddy puddles from the standing water left by the rains. There were boothes set up by different vendors out in the grassy field and you had to either dodge doggy-landmines left behind by inconsiderate owners, hop puddles, or just say what the heck and get wet and muddy.
I was glad I'd worn my old tennis shoes, as they were a muddy mess by the time we left the event. Olivia, my normally pristine white child, was filthy and I just knew I'd have to cart her to Henry Co. to give her a bath at our breeders house. But all the mess and muck aside, it was a good morning.
Olivia was on her best behavior, and I wish I'd had a dollar for every person that came up and commented on how pretty or beautiful or well-behaved she was. At one point, I saw a woman pushing her way through a throng of people and when she finally broke free from the crowd, she made her way over to us, patted Olivia and told me, "If there were a contest here today for the most beautiful dog, she'd win hands-down." I thanked her and commented about the white dogs not staying very clean due to all the mud, but she said despite that, she was the most beautiful dog there. My heart swelled with pride and the woman went back to where she'd come from.
There were dogs of almost every imaginable breed out there. The usual high numbers of golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, shepherds and mutts. I was surprised at how many Akitas and huskies I saw. Livvie wasn't the only Great Dane, we crossed paths with a handful, one a brindle, one mantle, one I'm not sure what color pattern it would be considered. If it was a merle, it was a strange looking merle, all white and gray. And there was a very unfriendly fawn that tried to take a bite out of my baby girls face. Livvie was standing perfectly still minding her own business and this psycho dane kept snarling at Livvie which of course Liv couldn't hear, and finally the dog snapped at Livvie's face. Fortunately I saw it coming and yanked Livvie out of the way in time.
My friend Antje (Angie) joined us for the walk and brought her whippets. Livvie fell in love with her male whippet, Chase.
After we left the park, I dashed over to the doctor's office to get my allergy shot, then headed home. I was sure Olivia was going to need a bath, but by the time we got home, she was once again pristine white. Either she'd given herself a tongue bath and cleaned herself up, or else the mud had dried and fallen off (in my car). So a bath wasn't necessary.
Sunday at the farm, something was said that kindly made my heart soar. It's not secret that out of the 17 horses at the farm, there is one particular horse that is a sentimental favorite of mine. While I love them all, he's the one I'm constantly drawn to and I've jokingly referred to him as my "love child". So yesterday, I had asked the farm's director for advice on an area of training I wasn't very comfortable in yet and so she was demonstrating for me. She was "clicking" for the behavior and I was handing her the pieces of carrot from my pocket. At one point, I reached into my pocket and pulled out pocket-lint instead of carrot and the horse was looking at us expectantly and while I dug back into my pocket for carrot, she looked at the horse and said, "that was your mother's fault". That she referred to me as his mother made my heart swell.
Sunday afternoon we went to my parent's house. I took bbq and a hashbrown casserole, my sister made baked beans and baked a cake. We celebrated Mother's Day with mom and our grandmother was there as well. 4 generations were present. The weather was beautiful and we ate outside, enjoying the day. Afterwards, we played Hillbilly-Golf and my husband kept everyone entertained with his antics.
Indeed, it was a great weekend.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Life
I've been anything but motivated to blog this week. My mind is a blank. Well, actually that's not true, there are lots of things on my mind, things I'd love to get off my chest, but the blog-world isn't the proper place or forum for some of my issues.
There are so many things I'd like to do in my lifetime and I wonder if any of those things will ever come to fruition. Am I doomed to go through life, merely going through the motions? It seems almost impossible to get ahead these days, and every time you do get a little bit socked away, something comes along that drains you and ultimately leaves you a little more in debt.
I wonder if the husband and I both will live long enough to see our retirements and be able to enjoy them together. So many things we'd like to do, places to go, experiences to be had... will they ever happen?
Some of the things that make me truly happiest, unfortunately don't pay the bills. I've been looking around on the 'net and putting out the word, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there I'd either be interested in, or that I'm qualified for, or that is in a part of town that I don't mind driving to, or that I could managed to take such a pay-cut for. :( Am I being too picky?
As I watched an interview on GMA this morning with the American woman who had the face-transplant, something she said really hit home with me. We all worry about something, whether it's our weight, our hair, our bank account, the cleanliness of our home, etc. etc.
The thin people want to be thinner, those with naturally beautiful hair are never happy and it seems forever changing the color or style, those with a big bank account are never satisfied and want more money. The clean freaks are never satisfied and are always looking to clean something else. "Be happy with what we have, because it could all be gone in an instant", is basically what she was saying.
To a point I agree, I've (obviously) never worried about how clean my house is, I stopped caring about how my hair looked a long time ago, I'm not greedy in that I want a big bank account, I'd just like to not be in any great debt. So perhaps I should just quit worrying about my weight and be happy. As for the rest of my life, I just don't know if I can agree with her. I may not be as happy as I could be, it's for certain that I could be a lot less happy. But if there is something out there just waiting for me to find it, that will make my days less fretful and bring me a sense of peace and happiness, shouldn't I keep seeking it instead of just being satisfied with the way things are?
There are so many things I'd like to do in my lifetime and I wonder if any of those things will ever come to fruition. Am I doomed to go through life, merely going through the motions? It seems almost impossible to get ahead these days, and every time you do get a little bit socked away, something comes along that drains you and ultimately leaves you a little more in debt.
I wonder if the husband and I both will live long enough to see our retirements and be able to enjoy them together. So many things we'd like to do, places to go, experiences to be had... will they ever happen?
Some of the things that make me truly happiest, unfortunately don't pay the bills. I've been looking around on the 'net and putting out the word, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there I'd either be interested in, or that I'm qualified for, or that is in a part of town that I don't mind driving to, or that I could managed to take such a pay-cut for. :( Am I being too picky?
As I watched an interview on GMA this morning with the American woman who had the face-transplant, something she said really hit home with me. We all worry about something, whether it's our weight, our hair, our bank account, the cleanliness of our home, etc. etc.
The thin people want to be thinner, those with naturally beautiful hair are never happy and it seems forever changing the color or style, those with a big bank account are never satisfied and want more money. The clean freaks are never satisfied and are always looking to clean something else. "Be happy with what we have, because it could all be gone in an instant", is basically what she was saying.
To a point I agree, I've (obviously) never worried about how clean my house is, I stopped caring about how my hair looked a long time ago, I'm not greedy in that I want a big bank account, I'd just like to not be in any great debt. So perhaps I should just quit worrying about my weight and be happy. As for the rest of my life, I just don't know if I can agree with her. I may not be as happy as I could be, it's for certain that I could be a lot less happy. But if there is something out there just waiting for me to find it, that will make my days less fretful and bring me a sense of peace and happiness, shouldn't I keep seeking it instead of just being satisfied with the way things are?
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Mother's Day
It's become somewhat of a tradition on my side of the family for both Mother's Day & Father's Day, for John & I to go pick up some BBQ from Staten's in Prospect, fix a side dish &/or dessert, and my sister a side dish or dessert, and take it to our parents.
Nothing fancy, just trying to keep it simple and so nobody has a lot of cooking to do or a lot of dishes to wash.
It's pretty much the only time(s) of year when I get Staten's, especially since they moved to their new location way out on the far side of Prospect, so I usually pick up a little extra so we can have left-overs later in the week.
Any Mother's/Father's Day traditions in your family(ies)?
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!!
Nothing fancy, just trying to keep it simple and so nobody has a lot of cooking to do or a lot of dishes to wash.
It's pretty much the only time(s) of year when I get Staten's, especially since they moved to their new location way out on the far side of Prospect, so I usually pick up a little extra so we can have left-overs later in the week.
Any Mother's/Father's Day traditions in your family(ies)?
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!!
This & that
**A short while ago, I noticed something seemed to be poking me in my arm. You know the flabby "bird wing" area some of us have? Well that area of skin tends to be softer, more tender and more sensitive to something poking it.
I couldn't stand the poking any longer and started investigating, thinking perhaps there was a splinter or something stuck in the fabric. It wasn't a splinter, it was the manufacturer and care tags. Since when did clothing manufacturers start putting tags inside the sleeves?? The back of the neck is the norm, and some put them on the left-side seam, down near the waistline. But inside the sleeve? Who would ever think to look there? And what a difficult place to get to! What were they thinking??
**Early this morning (3:30am) I was watching one of my favorite forensics shows on the TRU channel. Love those forensics shows!!!
This particular episode focused a lot on a man's signature and how it had changed slightly over the years, which is to be expected, and it showed how the signature on some insurance papers may have looked like his, but closer inspection revealed it wasn't.
This got me to thinking about my own signature. If something ever happened to me and they had to investigate my signature, what a crazy mess that would turn out to be. I've got about three different signatures I use. I don't mean three different ways of signing it as in maybe I'll use my middle initial vs. spelling it out vs. using my maiden name. But my signature style varies depending on how much of a hurry I'm in. Sometimes I write with a bit of a flourish where everything is one long word, other times when I'm in a hurry the letters are more squished together, yet other times it's more deliberate and there are breaks between some of the letters. I suppose a true forensic, hand-writing expert would still recognize all three as being mine, but it might make some people scratch their heads and wonder.
**Speaking of forensics... I think I've mentioned before that it's Olivia's m.o. to try and hide the evidence of her crimes. Whenever she helps herself to some food item that's been left sitting withing her reach on the kitchen counter, she typically takes it straight to her crate and eats her stolen booty or most of it, then "hides" any left-overs and/or the empty bag/wrapper in the quilts that line her crate. Of course we find her stash and remove it, shake a no-no finger at her and leave her wondering what happened. She found the stuff, shouldn't she get to keep it? Finders keepers, right?
Now Bootsy & Eliott on the other hand, on the rare occasion they have stolen something in the past, they just rip the packaging to shreds on the carpeting and leave evidence of their crime(s) all over the place. Two dogs with all their basic senses in tact, and they haven't ever figured out, as Olivia has done (or tried to do), that they need to try and conceal the fact they've committed a no-no.
A few nights ago I was sitting in the recliner and I suddenly heard a strange rustling sound. I looked around and Olivia was trying to get at her latest place for stashing her stolen goods. There's a small space that separates the dogs' futon and her crate. She had swiped a bag of potato chips off the counter and had stuffed it down between the two objects, at the very back edge which was nearly out of reach for me, but she had no problem sticker her snout down there to get to them when she thought I wasn't looking. Of course, being deaf she doesn't realize that the packaging makes a crinkling noise when it's touched.
I'm thinking one of two things is going on here. 1) She's trying to hide her stolen goods better so that we won't find them and she'll be able to come back to them at a later time, or 2) she's trying to frame the other dogs so they'll get the no-no finger waved at them instead of her.
Either way, I think she's a rather brilliant dog and she keeps me entertained. :)
I couldn't stand the poking any longer and started investigating, thinking perhaps there was a splinter or something stuck in the fabric. It wasn't a splinter, it was the manufacturer and care tags. Since when did clothing manufacturers start putting tags inside the sleeves?? The back of the neck is the norm, and some put them on the left-side seam, down near the waistline. But inside the sleeve? Who would ever think to look there? And what a difficult place to get to! What were they thinking??
**Early this morning (3:30am) I was watching one of my favorite forensics shows on the TRU channel. Love those forensics shows!!!
This particular episode focused a lot on a man's signature and how it had changed slightly over the years, which is to be expected, and it showed how the signature on some insurance papers may have looked like his, but closer inspection revealed it wasn't.
This got me to thinking about my own signature. If something ever happened to me and they had to investigate my signature, what a crazy mess that would turn out to be. I've got about three different signatures I use. I don't mean three different ways of signing it as in maybe I'll use my middle initial vs. spelling it out vs. using my maiden name. But my signature style varies depending on how much of a hurry I'm in. Sometimes I write with a bit of a flourish where everything is one long word, other times when I'm in a hurry the letters are more squished together, yet other times it's more deliberate and there are breaks between some of the letters. I suppose a true forensic, hand-writing expert would still recognize all three as being mine, but it might make some people scratch their heads and wonder.
**Speaking of forensics... I think I've mentioned before that it's Olivia's m.o. to try and hide the evidence of her crimes. Whenever she helps herself to some food item that's been left sitting withing her reach on the kitchen counter, she typically takes it straight to her crate and eats her stolen booty or most of it, then "hides" any left-overs and/or the empty bag/wrapper in the quilts that line her crate. Of course we find her stash and remove it, shake a no-no finger at her and leave her wondering what happened. She found the stuff, shouldn't she get to keep it? Finders keepers, right?
Now Bootsy & Eliott on the other hand, on the rare occasion they have stolen something in the past, they just rip the packaging to shreds on the carpeting and leave evidence of their crime(s) all over the place. Two dogs with all their basic senses in tact, and they haven't ever figured out, as Olivia has done (or tried to do), that they need to try and conceal the fact they've committed a no-no.
A few nights ago I was sitting in the recliner and I suddenly heard a strange rustling sound. I looked around and Olivia was trying to get at her latest place for stashing her stolen goods. There's a small space that separates the dogs' futon and her crate. She had swiped a bag of potato chips off the counter and had stuffed it down between the two objects, at the very back edge which was nearly out of reach for me, but she had no problem sticker her snout down there to get to them when she thought I wasn't looking. Of course, being deaf she doesn't realize that the packaging makes a crinkling noise when it's touched.
I'm thinking one of two things is going on here. 1) She's trying to hide her stolen goods better so that we won't find them and she'll be able to come back to them at a later time, or 2) she's trying to frame the other dogs so they'll get the no-no finger waved at them instead of her.
Either way, I think she's a rather brilliant dog and she keeps me entertained. :)
Hooked
It's not a secret, I'm a fiend for Dt. Big Red, and my husband is a fiend for Coke-Zero. Certainly not the healthiest of beverages, but I always felt like there are a lot worse options to consume in the quantities we do, such as alcoholic beverages, lattes/espressos/cappucinos (sp?), chocolate milk-shakes, regular sodas loaded with sugar, the list goes on...
Granted, with the milk-shakes I might be getting a shot of dairy, but I already consume quite a bit of dairy and the calories are outrageous!
I do get on a water kick from time to time, but in order to drink plain ol' water, it's got to be very, icy cold. At work it's not that easy to get water as cold as I like it, without accidentally freezing it solid.
Several months ago I had purchased three boxes of drink-mix that contained individual pouches that would flavor a 16 oz. bottle of water. I sat them on the counter and there they remained, un-opened for many months, gathering dust and taking up space.
A couple of weekends ago I attended a birthday party for our neighbor's little girl and while there I noticed her grandparents kept consuming what appearred to be iced-tea (sans the ice) in bottles of Dasani water. Somebody (I don't think it was me) finally asked what they were drinking and they informed us it was Crystal Lite Peach flavored iced tea.
Hmm, I think I have a box of that sitting on my kitchen counter, covered in dust.
Granted, mine was the Wal-mart/Great Value brand instead of Crystal Lite, but still the same thing.
Later that evening I finally decided to try the drink mix, so I cleaned off the boxes, opened the peach flavored one and added it to my water. Delicious!!!
I also had a box of the Raspberry Ice flavor and the Grape flavor. I haven't tried the grape yet, but the raspberry is pretty darn good. I'm already almost finished with my 2nd bottle (refilled the 1st bottle from the water fountain) in little more than 2 hours.
No sugar, no calories, no caffeine, no carbonation. And while I do prefer it cold, I don't have to have it icy-cold, so if it gets a little warm, I can still consume it. Don't have to worry about it going flat and having to dump it out, so there's less waste than with sodas as well.
I've even got the husband drinking the stuff now.
Am I totally off Dt. Big Red yet? No. I had just purchased several cases of it a couple of weeks ago when it was on sale, so my garage is full of the stuff. I'll still drink it, but my consumption of Dt. Big Red has dropped dramatically.
And, it's a lot more economical than the sodas are. A box of 10 packets (Wal-mart brand) costs about $1.76 (The Crystal Lite at W/M is about $1.92+/-... it cost a heck of a lot more than that at Meijers, jeesh!!)
Thanks John & Janet for getting us hooked!!
Granted, with the milk-shakes I might be getting a shot of dairy, but I already consume quite a bit of dairy and the calories are outrageous!
I do get on a water kick from time to time, but in order to drink plain ol' water, it's got to be very, icy cold. At work it's not that easy to get water as cold as I like it, without accidentally freezing it solid.
Several months ago I had purchased three boxes of drink-mix that contained individual pouches that would flavor a 16 oz. bottle of water. I sat them on the counter and there they remained, un-opened for many months, gathering dust and taking up space.
A couple of weekends ago I attended a birthday party for our neighbor's little girl and while there I noticed her grandparents kept consuming what appearred to be iced-tea (sans the ice) in bottles of Dasani water. Somebody (I don't think it was me) finally asked what they were drinking and they informed us it was Crystal Lite Peach flavored iced tea.
Hmm, I think I have a box of that sitting on my kitchen counter, covered in dust.
Granted, mine was the Wal-mart/Great Value brand instead of Crystal Lite, but still the same thing.
Later that evening I finally decided to try the drink mix, so I cleaned off the boxes, opened the peach flavored one and added it to my water. Delicious!!!
I also had a box of the Raspberry Ice flavor and the Grape flavor. I haven't tried the grape yet, but the raspberry is pretty darn good. I'm already almost finished with my 2nd bottle (refilled the 1st bottle from the water fountain) in little more than 2 hours.
No sugar, no calories, no caffeine, no carbonation. And while I do prefer it cold, I don't have to have it icy-cold, so if it gets a little warm, I can still consume it. Don't have to worry about it going flat and having to dump it out, so there's less waste than with sodas as well.
I've even got the husband drinking the stuff now.
Am I totally off Dt. Big Red yet? No. I had just purchased several cases of it a couple of weeks ago when it was on sale, so my garage is full of the stuff. I'll still drink it, but my consumption of Dt. Big Red has dropped dramatically.
And, it's a lot more economical than the sodas are. A box of 10 packets (Wal-mart brand) costs about $1.76 (The Crystal Lite at W/M is about $1.92+/-... it cost a heck of a lot more than that at Meijers, jeesh!!)
Thanks John & Janet for getting us hooked!!
Monday, May 04, 2009
I'm baaack!!
Vacation is over and now I'm back to the reality of the real world. :(
But at least as I dig through the pile of work that has accumulated on my desk, if I start getting frustrated or annoyed, I can stop for a moment and reflect upon the week I had off, and how it was probably the BEST vacation I've ever taken in my life.
No tropical beaches.
No planes, trains, or long automobile rides.
No hotels, condos, or camping.
No kenneling of the dogs, no packing, no major accomplishments around the house.
So what did I do?
Of the 9 days I was off, I spent 6 of them at The Luci Center.
Six days of grooming, bathing horses, feeding, tack-cleaning, clicker-training, and of being in the fresh air tainted with mixed aromas of alfalfa, manure and spring time in the country.
I arrive home each day tired, grimy, and exhilarated, barely able to contain myself until the next day would arrive so I could get back out there.
My new motto is: A hard day of work at the farm is better than a simple day of work at the office!!
I normally only spend Sunday mornings at the farm, but yesterday, I stayed the whole day and just made the most of it before heading back to my other life. I worked with four of the horses on clicker-training and one especially had me punching the air with my fist in jubilation, jumping up and down and screaming "YES!!!"... well, not really. I had to do all those things in my mind, while outwardly remaining calm and passive so as not to freak them out.
I spent just a few minutes (probably less than 15 minutes) per day for 5 days (and not even consecutive days), working with two of the horses on learning to touch a target and eventually built them up to learning to retrieve an object. By the end of the day yesterday, one of the horses was actually picking the object up and holding it in his mouth long enough for me to take it from him. The other was just getting to the point he was starting to pick the object up off of the ground. If I hadn't run out of rewards, I'd have worked with him a little longer to get the boys to the same skill level.
Right now I'm counting down the days 'til I can get back out there and work with them again.
Life is good!!
But at least as I dig through the pile of work that has accumulated on my desk, if I start getting frustrated or annoyed, I can stop for a moment and reflect upon the week I had off, and how it was probably the BEST vacation I've ever taken in my life.
No tropical beaches.
No planes, trains, or long automobile rides.
No hotels, condos, or camping.
No kenneling of the dogs, no packing, no major accomplishments around the house.
So what did I do?
Of the 9 days I was off, I spent 6 of them at The Luci Center.
Six days of grooming, bathing horses, feeding, tack-cleaning, clicker-training, and of being in the fresh air tainted with mixed aromas of alfalfa, manure and spring time in the country.
I arrive home each day tired, grimy, and exhilarated, barely able to contain myself until the next day would arrive so I could get back out there.
My new motto is: A hard day of work at the farm is better than a simple day of work at the office!!
I normally only spend Sunday mornings at the farm, but yesterday, I stayed the whole day and just made the most of it before heading back to my other life. I worked with four of the horses on clicker-training and one especially had me punching the air with my fist in jubilation, jumping up and down and screaming "YES!!!"... well, not really. I had to do all those things in my mind, while outwardly remaining calm and passive so as not to freak them out.
I spent just a few minutes (probably less than 15 minutes) per day for 5 days (and not even consecutive days), working with two of the horses on learning to touch a target and eventually built them up to learning to retrieve an object. By the end of the day yesterday, one of the horses was actually picking the object up and holding it in his mouth long enough for me to take it from him. The other was just getting to the point he was starting to pick the object up off of the ground. If I hadn't run out of rewards, I'd have worked with him a little longer to get the boys to the same skill level.
Right now I'm counting down the days 'til I can get back out there and work with them again.
Life is good!!
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