The Lesser of Two Evils

Just back here for a minute or two. If you read Kat's Theory of Music you already know where I've been lately. If you haven't heard the news, click on this post Twisted MixTape: End of Decades and a Story to Tell for the update.

I've mentioned before that I really don't like to start the day with the first word out of my mouth being," FUCK." I especially don't like it to start a Monday. But then, we can't always get what we want.

Don't let that face fool you

3:25am I woke up with the familiar feeling of having a slightly full bladder. Do I want to get up or can I turn over and just fall back to sleep? Take a wild guess. After about twenty minutes of trying to ignore Mother Nature, I got up. This house we live in, which I thought would be a temporary move a long time ago, has only one bathroom. Downstairs. This is why if there's a possibility of falling back to sleep, I take it every time.

As I am on my way, I remember the Perseid meteor showers, realize I don't have my glasses on anyway, and with rain coming today it would probably be too overcast. Whatever. Two steps away from the bathroom, I feel something foreign and squishy under both of my heels. You know it's not gonna be a good day when you start the day hoping you've just stepped into dog vomit and not dog shit.

I walk the rest of the way on my toes, wash middle-of-the-night dog puke off my feet and start the clean-up process. Of course falling back to sleep was not in the cards, so if I'm not all sunshine and flowers today, now you know why.

Probably won't be happy tomorrow either.
Is it Friday yet?

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D as in Dumbass

Well thank god that cooler heads have prevailed. I mean really, how could the alleged shooter be able to mount a credible defense. After all, there is the language problem... among other issues.

In another news addition of you can't make this shit up, I give you 35-year-old Gregory Dale Lanier of Frostproof Fl. It seems Mr. Lanier was shot in the leg while driving his car. The alleged shooter? His English Bulldog. Yep. Didn't I say you can't make this shit up? According to the shooting victim his 9mm Beretta semi-automatic handgun, was on the passenger side floor of the car when the dog kicked it, discharging the bullet that Lanier didn't know was in the chamber. Luckily Mr. Lanier received a non-life threatening wound to his leg. Imagine though if he had received a more serious wound, one where he lost control of his car. The ramifications of that are not quite as funny as the headline of "Dog Shoots Man."

After an investigation, police have decided the shooting was accidental and no charges would be brought against the dog. WHAT? How about bringing some charges against the dumbass owner for being, well a dumbass. He thought the gun was unloaded... if you are that dumbass, you should not be allowed to own a gun never mind drive around with it in your car. Apparently in Florida you don't need a license to carry a handgun, so this is what you end up with. An unlicensed gun owner dumbass who gets shot by his dog because he didn't know the gun was loaded.

You can't make this shit up.

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Another Little Moment to Remember: And She Was...

A quick story today.

Yesterday, I took the dog to the vet to have her stitches removed. It was two weeks since the surgery and I was able to keep the cone on her head for the entire time. As a result, the incision healed beautifully.

The first few days living with her and the cone were heartbreaking. We don't have the most open living space, and Hershey was crashing that cone into everything. It would scare the shit out of her...every time. Teaching her to go up the stairs was interesting, she would get stuck every time until she finally learned to pick her head up as she ascended. Outdoors wasn't much fun either. Banging on street signs, hitting the ground...she was not happy. Could you blame her?

By the second week she had adjusted reasonably well. Actually she handled it better than any other dog I have owned. She learned how to use it as a weapon...really. If she wanted a little attention...bang, she would come crashing into you. If she was hungry...boom, right into my kneecap. We were all very ready for the conehead experiment to be history.

As she is used to being a traveling dog, she was more than happy to get in the car for a change of scenery. The stitches were removed, the cone taken off and back into the car for the drive home. Normally she is fairly good in the car. She will lie down, get up to change position, but if you tell her to, she will go back down. Yesterday, not so much.

She would not listen. I kept yelling at her and she kept ignoring me. I didn't quite get it until I turned around and looked at her. Her tail was wagging, her eyes were wide open and she was smiling. Yes, she was smiling. If you've ever owned a dog, you know when they are happy and other times when they smile.

She stood in the back and just looked out the window and took in all the sights that were hidden from her field of vision while she was wearing the cone. She just smiled.

So I stopped yelling...and I smiled too.

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Mini Van and Cone Head

Well, let's just say the new year is not quite the barrel of monkeys I had hoped it would be. Ok, so I really didn't want it to be a barrel of monkeys, I'm actually not a fan of monkeys...whatever.

In April, I did a few posts about the need for a new car, the search for a new car and finally the purchase (yay) of a new car. It was lovely, even has heated seats, which are just wonderful. Well today that new car sits in a body shop waiting for someone to replace various pieces of her once pristine body.

The story goes like this. Had a business meeting last night and when I came out, my car was not quite in the condition I had seen it three hours earlier. It seems a woman had a flat/blowout, lost control of her car and smacked into mine. I haven't seen the accident report yet, but she must have been turning off the main road onto this side street where there probably wasn't ANY OTHER CAR PARKED, and with all this empty space all around...bam, right into the Subaru. What are the odds on that?

Back bumper, quarter panel, wheel, tire and side mirror...smashed. For the life of me I can't understand how neither the front or back doors weren't hit, but the side view mirror was demolished. And did I happen to mention the dog was scheduled for surgery this morning at nine? Oh yeah, there's that.

It's now nine at night and there's all the phone calls to make. Arrange for the car in the morning...they would pick me up but since they were closed already my insurance company recommended I go there in the morning to be sure I got the car in time to take the dog. Still with me? Closest one is in the next town about a mile and a half away. So the morning started off with a nice walk to get a ride. My choices, a Fiat which I could fit in my purse, a couple of compacts and a mini van. God help me, but I need the room. We have a big dog and a lot of stuff which gets transported back and forth from the weekend house.

I took the mini van.

You get no respect when you drive a mini van. You can actually feel people giving the "ha, you're driving a mini van" look. It does however have a good stereo system. It does not however, do anything for my image.

Got the dog to the vet, surgery went well and as you can see in the picture, she is looking quite spiffy in her headgear.

Better than I look in a mini van. It's gonna be a long couple of weeks.

What To Do...The Weekend Dilemma

It's a beautiful day at the lake. While it will be getting hot soon, right now it feels like what it is. The last taste of summer. In just a week or two, things will start to change quickly up here. I look forward to the few truly wonderful weekends of autumn but in reality, up on the mountain, there are not nearly enough of them.

Finished up a little work related business earlier. Plan to get in a walk before the temp goes up too high, but a few minutes ago I decided to grab an iced tea and sit out on the deck for a few minutes...and do nothing. Well, that lasted exactly one sip of iced tea before I went back inside and grabbed the laptop.

This was a busy week, I've erased a few tasks off the board. But I have a few more which are under a time schedule and this weekend, they require attention. Which brings me to my dilemma: Just how much time do I spend working and how little time do I give myself to relax?

Right now I'm looking at the dog for the answer, and believe it or not...I think she has it. There are two spots on the deck which she has claimed as her own. We have acknowledged her ownership over these territories by placing throw rugs in each area every morning, so her queenship is more comfortable. From these two perches she can cover the surveillance of most of the property. Her job? Apparently it is to alert us when every deer, turkey, crow, dog or person dares to approach.

Now she decided it was ok to live with us about seven years ago, and has certainly seen her share of all of the above. It seems however in a dog's world, it is a job to be taken seriously...at least for a while. Friday and most of Saturday she will really pay attention to all the possible trespassers. By Sunday...eh. Not so much. Is it boredom or just fatigue. After all, she has no backup. No other dog is coming by to relieve her.

So here's my idea. Just as she gets up and sporadically chases something or someone away, I believe I will work in spurts. Relaxing, as in doing nothing, has never been one of my strong suits. While I'm outside enjoying a beautiful breeze and blue skies...I have the laptop and I sit here writing. I can accept that. I will feel good for getting this post written and take a little stress away at the same time.

Of course, it is a holiday weekend, always time for a cocktail or four. Here's where we separate work from play. Nice, the "uncle" has just arrived with the supplemental adult beverages. Blending up a new rum recipe today.

Maybe I should have started work a little earlier this morning. Oh well...
Cheers.

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It's Not All Roses, But Stop And Smell Them Anyway

My dog has it figured out.

She stops and smells the flowers.

The first day we brought her home from the shelter, she walked around the wraparound deck and checked out the flowering plants. While she loves to chase the flies and the bees which hang around the fragrant buds, she definitely enjoys their fragrance.

On our afternoon dog walk route, there is some wild honeysuckle growing near the railroad tracks. A few days ago, she started sniffing the flowers that are now beginning to bloom. While as a dog, a great portion of her life is centered around things that smell...and some that don't smell too good I might add, she goes out of her way to inhale a little fragrance from each and every plant.

A lesson we should all remember.

It got me thinking about some of the small joys of life. Here are a few, while most times I don't even notice, are definitely meant to be savored...at least for a minute or two.

Clean Sheets: Slipping into a freshly laundered bed is heaven. Not only are you finally relaxing at the end of the day, but they feel crisp and clean. If they have been air-dried (remember that) in the sun, even better. If I was rich, I would pay someone to have my sheets changed every other day. If they were changed everyday, it wouldn't be as special, so I would sleep one day on used sheets, and fully appreciate the fresh ones the next day.

A New Tube of Toothpaste: Not a big thing, but after the last few days of squeezing the last bit of toothpaste out of the old tube, to be the first one in the household to start a new tube...quite enjoyable.

The First Ice Cream of the Summer: One Sunday as we headed home from the lake, I made a quick right into the driveway of an ice cream stand. Now I'm a chocolate fiend, but when a homemade ice cream place has black raspberry...well it's a tough choice. As my first official cone (sugar cone that is) of the season, I went with the black raspberry. Imagine my delight when I realized it was a black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. My joy was boundless.

The First Apple Pie of Autumn: The colors on the trees are breathtaking, the air is clean with no humidity and you stop at a farm stand to buy apples. After getting everyone in the household involved in the peeling and coring process, and a few cocktails to further raise the mood, the pie goes in the oven. In about 30 minutes, the first aromas begin finding their way through the house. Wait for it to cool, add vanilla ice cream and delight in one of nature's most delicious combinations.

A Cracking Fire: Imagine the joy of the cavemen. Not only had they found warmth and the ability to cook, but to watch the flames dance and hear the crackle of the wood burn. No matter how often we light a fire, it never gets old.

A Dog to Come Home To: No matter what kind of day you've had, how much stress you are under or if you've walked home from being in an overstuffed subway car in 95 degree heat...one thing you can count in is a wagging tail and someone to kiss your face.

Then she gets to go for a walk and smell the flowers... again.

Mini Poodle In Tracksuit & Sneakers

I shit you not.

It was just too damn nice today not to do the walk around the big lake.  Cold, but no wind and the joyful reappearance of the sun.  February yes, February weather...not so much.. No dog for this walk, I left the bitch at home,

Honestly, I love the solitude of a long walk. Time to clear the head, say hello to other crazy people walking in the cold, and visit with the dog people strolling along.  First, I met some guy with three girls, Gracie, Emily and Maggie.  Twelve legs and all howls.  Nice conversation about weather, dogs and walking mileage.

Continuing on...there they came. A couple of women with a couple of small dogs. After the triple take, I realized that yes this little dog was wearing a red track suit with little doggie sneakers. Why would you do that to a dog?  Most people look ridiculous in a track suit, but a tiny dog.  A little dog dignity please.  And the sneakers.  Should have taken a picture, but I was literally stunned.

Back home after my walk, now it's time to take out the dog. Yes, she's making a fashion statement with her fur coat.  But, those paws are a bit too big for Manolo's.

Just two girls strolling...no need for a fashion statement.

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Every Dog Has Her Day

It was the Friday before Memorial Day several years ago, when we picked up the new addition to the family. It had been a year and a half since we put Norton down, and the feeling that the loss would get easier never materialized. But it just seemed that already, it was time. I missed having a dog in the house.

Two weeks before, I had looked online to see what was available at the shelter up in Port Jervis, NY.  There were three dogs that were of interest to me.  When we arrived, only two were there. The first was a beautiful shepherd/golden mix, but young and crazy full of enthusiasm.  Not sure I was up to that. The other was what we think is a chesapeake retriever/hound mix named Hershey. She was large,with yellow/green eyes. The picture in my profile is this wonderful angel with fur. We took her out of the pen and walked into the field outside.  Immediately she squatted...good sign I thought.  We walked..she was calm, told her to sit...she did. I knelt down beside her and put my arm around her...no flinching. She passed my test. We picked her up the next week.

Her first day up at the weekend house consisted of her following me around. No barking...just observing. We had a bed ready for her upstairs next to ours and when I went up for the night...she followed me.  I tried to show her the bed, but she didn't seem all that interested.  Ok, let her go where she wants, maybe she was more comfortable downstairs. I got into bed, started to relax when all of a sudden this very large dog, who I knew nothing about, jumped on the bed.  She then laid down, put one paw on the right side of my head, the other paw on the left side of my head and her head on my chest.

What at first was very unnerving, almost instantly became clear. She knew she was home.

P.S. She now runs the place.